Thankful for Clouds

I love clouds.  We don't see them as much here in California as in other parts of the world.  They add interest to the sky.   I notice them the most when I am driving, or at sunrise.  Neither is a great time for me to take pictures, but I have a few to share with you.

The clouds were so unusual that evening, there was even a definite line where they started and ended.

And then there are the sunsets, displaying colors that, try as I might, I cannot recreate.   They are God's gifts to me.
 

Besides being beautiful, clouds are indispensable to life.  They bring life-giving rain, like they did last night here in southern California.

Thank You for the Cross

Of all the things for which I am grateful, the most wonderful is the Cross of Christ and its message of love, forgiveness and redemption.

And I'm reminded of this wonderful song by Matt Redman.

Once Again

Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again


And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life

Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again

Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my Friend

Thankful For My Son

I'm going to try to catch up on writing what I'm thankful for this month, but obviously, I'm already behind.

But today, I must express my thanks for my son, Andrew.  He was born 20 years ago this evening, and he has been a joy his entire life.

He has grown into a Godly young man, and I'm very proud of him (he's really smart, too).

Happy Birthday, Andrew.

Confused Azalea

My Azalea is confused.  It is blooming now -- in the fall, not the spring.

First, it was just these blossoms. 

But now there are two more buds.

But I'm not complaining, they're beautiful.

But confusing, like life lately.

This Morning ....

This morning, I got my cup of coffee and looked outside and saw this, although it was more blurry (I didn't have my contacts in yet).  Think of it as seeing two bright spots of color in the green.  This picture does not do it justice at all, but you can get the idea.

 

So, after I woke up a bit, took a shower, put IN my contacts (LOL), I went out and looked more closely, and took some pictures.

Bottom Rose

And a surprise new bud

Promise for tomorrow

And the top rose. 

 

Lovely beauty

Don't ask me why I worked from bottom to top today, it's just how I looked at the roses and took the pictures.  :)

Night Blooming Cactus

NIght time blooms

We were enchanted last year we noticed this cactus blooming in our back yard.  Everyone went out to try and see it and smell it, and take pictures, of course.  This is the best night time picture we have.  The cool thing is that the flowers are so open in this photo.

The following photos were taken in the early evening.

The flowers are not as open, but very beautiful.

One day, I saw a honey bee literally wallowing in one of these blossoms -- loading up for her last flight of the day, I suppose.

When the blooms are spent, they fall off the plant, leaving these funky round things with "strings" hanging out of them

And what looks the dessicated remains of lizards on the ground below.

We all climbed the ladder to smell them last summer, and the best description of their scent was "raw peeled potatoes." 

Herb Flowers

While a few herbs have stunning flowers that announce, "I'm here," like rosemary,

Rosemary

Rosemary flowers

many others say it more softly, like thyme, savory, basil and oregano.

Thyme

Savory

Basil

Oregano

Some herb flowers aren't really very pretty at all, like marjoram and dill.

Marjoram

Dill

All of these flowers, and more, are edible.  God's provision is abundant, and I am grateful.

O, Ye of Little Faith

My pole beans weren't producing, at least I thought they weren't.  We looked for beans,  I saw a few blossoms, and a few baby beans -- a couple of which fell off when we touched them.  So we were afraid to touch them.  Honestly, I thought they probably weren't getting enough light, or something else was wrong.

Today, I went out to water, and the tops of the beans were totally entwined in the top of the fence, threading their way in and out of the yard.  As I tugged a bit, I found beans!  Whoot!  And more beans.  Finally, I had to put them in my pocket, I was finding so many.

But I had to look for them. 

Not bad for a first picking.  And I'm so grateful, the bush beans are fading fast.


Kind of like life: God promises things, they're not obvious, we have to search for them, and lo, and behold, He produces in abundance.

Our tomatoes are the same way.  I picked this basket-full yesterday.

And the bushes, although not very pretty, are full of red or almost red fruit.

Our Father lavishes abundant love on us.

And "Poof" They're Gone

Mockingbirds are ubiquitous here, at least in our yard.  We've had at least 5 nesting pairs in the back yard, and I don't know how many in the front yard.

They nest close to the house, like the ones who made a nest in this bush ...

And since it's so close, it was so easy to climb up in this white chair and take pictures.

Most eggs hatch within a couple of days.
 

And they fly away in 10 days to two weeks.  The fledglings look like miniature mockingbirds, and they hang around for a week or so, or at least it seems that way.  Perhaps they just grow up.

I'm suffering a bit of an empty nest syndrome this summer.  My daughter is spending much of the summer at her grandparents' home, and my son is working full time.

Shades of things to come.

"Raindrops on Roses ...

... these are a few of my favorite things."

This song kept running through my mind yesterday morning as I went out into the yard and saw the way the light shines through the rain drops on the rose bushes.  I couldn't quite capture it, but wanted to share these with you.

 

And even on nasturtiums, it's beautiful.

And rain is so unusual here in "Sunny" southern California, especially in June, that it must be documented.  :)

Yoke

Jesus said in Matthew 11, verses 28 - 30 (NASB):

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

As I understand it, a yoke represents work that is well-fitted to you, work that God has gifted you to do through the Holy Spirit.  And it brings rest because we are doing that for which we are made, and it's easy and refreshing.

In my life, I've had different seasons in which different giftings have come to the fore, as they were needed.  There were times when hospitality was needed, and other times when teaching was called upon, and other times of prayer, intercession, and healing. 

It's satisfying to look back and see this pattern in my life of how God has gifted me and used those gifts for His glory.

 

Roses

Some roses to enjoy.  These were taken at the Huntington Library and Gardens in late May.

The promise ...

The realization ...

Pretty pink roses ...

I love this color ...

Lilies of the Field

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 Matthew 6:28-29 (NKJV)

Jesus spoke these words in the context of telling us to not worry, because God cares for us much more than lilies.  And lilies are beautiful.  Let us consider a few.

The colors drew me to this one.

Notice the detail that goes into each, and no two are exactly alike.

Cheerful yellow

Easter lilies from church

These colors practically glow

Day lily from our yard, a little battered, but still lovely

 

The lilies of the field

God takes care of the flowers of the field and the birds of the air.  How much MORE will He take care of me and my family. 

Promises to hang onto in these uncertain times.

The Rest of the Pets

When I was looking for pictures for Maya for yesterday's post, I realized just how many photos of each our pets we have.  Most of them were taken by our daughter, Cha.

So, being who I am, I organized them.  I made folders and moved pictures around, and even deleted some (gasp!) that were so blurry that even I wasn't sure what they were.  Now each pet has his or her own folder, and there are even folders for each pet combination, ie.: Both Cats. 

Fred has by far the most pictures.  He's very beloved by Cha, and is very patient with her and lets her put ribbons on him.

Surveying his kingdom ?

The other cat is Barney.  And no, we didn't name them.  They came to us with those names.  He sleeps on our bed every night.

I think he's a beautiful cat.

Betsy is our cocker spaniel, with a bit of poodle thrown in, we believe.  She's the Alpha dog these days.

I love to watch her run.

And although he's gone to his reward where he can run forever, I want to include Baby.  I still miss him.

Love his up-turned ear!

So right now, we have the four at home:  Maya, Betsy, Fred and Barney.  All our pets came to us as rescue animals, and we really aren't looking for another, but I'd dearly love a golden retriever some day.