Did anyone else see the snow this morning besides the Z's and me? It definitely was there in big wet flakes.. and melted upon inpact .. WOW!
It ended up a beautiful day and right now it's 52 degrees- coolish.. and sunny. It won't be as cold tonite as last night, but I'd wager that the mama robin won't leave her nest for long.
Supper was really tasty.. chicken sandwich on a croissant.. John grilled the chicken, and it was soooooo tender and delicious! Thanks guys!
I ate my fill and now feel like I need to lay down... it's been a very long day and I'm tired. Tomorrow is infusion day and I need to be up and moving before dawn.. and into the office to set things up.
Enjoy your day!

The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of man. Rather, the Lord's delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147:10-11 NLT

God being who and what He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full lordship on His part and complete submission on ours. We owe him every honor that it is in our power to give Him.

A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

What God delights in

In Psalm 147 we discover an important secret about relating to the Lord. Our great and mighty God, who has absolute power over everything in heaven and on earth, is not impressed with powerful people. Those who are strong and mighty in their own strength don't get God's attention. Instead, it is the brokenhearted and humble he notices and supports (vv. 3,6).

He chooses to work not through those who are strong but through those who are weak. And most of all, we don't earn his approval by being great or strong. He delights in those who reverently honor him and put their hope and trust in his unfailing love and mercy, not in their own ability.

Today, if you've put your hope in anyone or anything else, ask the Lord to forgive you. But don't stop there. Ask his Spirit to so work in your life that your primary goal becomes honoring and pleasing God.

DEAR LORD, there have been times—even many—when I have relied on someone or something other than you. Forgive me.

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003), entry for June 29.

Kim Komando has a really good Cool Site of the day today.. it's Pollen.com. I've added it to my column on the right ..just under the counter so it's handy. If you have allergies, it's a must site..take a look. Enter your zip code, and the report is there.

Yesterday I missed church. I slept in until after 10am when I should have been on my way.
That's the bad news. The good news, if one can call it that, is that I have spent the weekend sleeping and healing hopefully from the stressful week previously.
I walked outside yesterday and then, as usual, lost my voice and spent most of the day coughing and sleeping. When I woke up again around noon, my head was screaming.. Peak flows are running higher, so it's just the allergies that are causing the physical symptoms.
I didn't sleep well last night, but coughed my way through the night. That's the asthma .. and verified with peak flow at 270 this morning.. way down.. I suppose going to the bonfire last night was a bad idea.. (smoke, dust, pollens)... but I missed my family.
Sure would like to get off this roller coaster..

I'm back to work today again.. hopefully this will be just a one day work week, and then Thursday morning. I'm heading for Valentines on Friday and will return Sunday or Monday.

Gas prices are at $3.59/gal.. {{{cringe}}}

BONFIRE

Tonite I was invited to Paul and Amy's for a bonfire.. I do love those

Joyce toasted marshmallows

P3 and Daniel controlled the bag of marshmallows

Thanks guys.. I had a great time..

oh look!!!!

On my way out the door tonite I noted the mama robin wasn't on her nest and the nest was in plain view.. so I put the camera lens over the nest and was surprised to see 4 little blue eggs in the nest!

PIG PIN

Last evening Jane and I got together and went out to dinner. It was a wonderful evening.. restful. She gave me this little pig pin as another part of my birthday gift.. THANKS, JANE!!
I think it is so darling.. she made it herself.

WALKING THE PERIMETER

Walking the perimeter is good exercise for me.. one day I'll go one direction and another day the opposite for variation.. But I always see something new each time I go out.. I witness the blossoming of trees and flowers and sometimes I'm fortunate enough to see wild animals. Other than our family robin who thinks our mountain laurel is her condominium, I saw no others.
I did spot something on the driveway however, and I wondered how it got there. No trees close by.. but the evidence of a robin egg was there broken and just a few pieces of it's shell..

There is no real order to these pictures I took on my walk today.. that would be too taxing on my mind when I already have a splitting headache from allergies. I still love the walk.
This is my burning bush which was so vibrant red last fall. It's back with all it's greenery..

This is Mandy's lilac bush. This year there aren't a lot of blooms, but they are fragrant and just getting started.
In the woods behind the house grow mayapples. You can note that the underbrush is still not present after the fire 2 yrs ago this month.

"I survived in '85" when the tornado passed behind our house. The boy scouts came around and gave us trees to plant because we'd lost so many in the woods. These are crabapple trees.. and these ones are pink.
These are the white crabapple blossoms.. so very beautiful. In another day or so, they will both be in full bloom.. The trees line our driveway for the most part, and in the fall, the deer come to feast daily on the fruits.
This is a tiny bit of my asparagus patch. It is in a long row that is next to our road. It gets salted in the winter, but always comes back. There are 2 spears here.. By next month they will be everywhere and as big around as your thumb... my favorite!

Phlox

I took a picture of this last week when it was just beginning to bloom.. it's bridal wreath, and is so delicate and beautiful.. much like baby's breath.
This is a good starting point for the garden.. it's plowed and disked. The tomato cages are standing awaiting the new plants for the year. Yes, we have a big garden.

I think this is called a firebush..

Redbud.. I remember when it was just a twig.

robin

This is our crazy mountain laurel.. it's decided to bloom overnight..strangest bush I have ever layed eyes upon.. However, my interest was not particularly the blooms, though they are elegant, but on the mother robin sitting on her nest of tiny blue eggs.. Can you see her? She is in the very center of the picture.. even I have trouble seeing her.. She is well camouflaged.

As long as I walk by without turning my head, she's okay.. but the moment I look her way, she flits off the nest and begins screeching at me .. warning me to stay away.. Here she has flown about 20 feet or so into the yard to divert my attention..

What a difference a little chicken fertilizer makes

These are the 2 forsythia bushes on our property. One is never bothered by the chickens and the other is a 'safe haven' for them..They think they can't be seen right now, but obviously, they have a false security.

That's a reminder to myself.. Hang in there.. I'm struggling, but doing my best. God is merciful, and there are a lot of folks praying for my well being while Wendell is away and I'm working every day. As I said yesterday, it's been a stressful week.. and I'm feeling it. BUT.. today is a day off and I've had 2 goals in mind with some projects sandwiched in between..
I got Wendell's meds sent by Express Mail, and my other goal is supper with Jane. I'd hoped we would have been able to do a lot of visiting the month of April while Wendell was at Valentines, but not so with a daily work schedule. I got one project partly completed, and that was handwashing some of my clothes..and then the drying rack broke.. just another little bump in the road that looked like a mountain at first.. duct tape is wonderful, ya know?
I was sitting here talking to Wendy when I heard the thunder.. boom baba boom! YIKE! This morning was so warm, I'd left both front windows down in my car knowing I'd be heading out again this afternoon.. OH NO! I NEVER do that.. but today was different. Another bump in the road, and if I need to, I have some towels to put on the front seat.
..........................................sigh....................................................

It's been a kind of rough week.. I'm so tired and worn out.. I just feel like sleeping for the next 72 hours. But Saturday will bring more things to do.. going to the post office and mailing Wendell's meds to him.. and then cleaning.. and a visit with Jane later on.
Busy busy busy!

I stopped for gas yesterday. It occurred to me that when I bought my car a few years ago, I could fill the tank on empty for less than $12. Yesterday I spent $24 for almost 7 gallons. The good news is that my mileage was really good at 38.8mpg ! Normally I get 34mpg.

Can it be Thursday already? WOW! Seems like the week just flew by.. Today is office day for me. I'll be infusing 9 of my patients today.
I request your prayers for my patients.. and for me. I ask that the patients have no untoward events with their infusions, and that my skills would be perfect.

Looking to a sunny day at 74 degrees.. lovely! I do love spring. .. I think I may have mentioned that once before..

How about a walk in the yard..

I tried to walk the perimeter today, but was met with 2 operating lawnmowers, so I hung back toward the house.. That's all right.. look what I found.. take a walk with me..

No, they aren't hiding..
they dig holes under trees for the coolness and to take dust baths

Grape hyacinth

Hyacinth.. very fragrant

Tulips in bud

Bridal Wreath

Cinnamon
very fragrant..

more peach blossoms

I see the kite in the tree.. anyone see Charlie Brown?

The Z's just bought their 2nd Kia..
2008 Sportage
Cute!

Can it be mid week already? WOW! Seems like this week is flying by. I guess that is a good thing.. maybe?
Today we are to get all the way to 73 degrees.. that's the good news.. the bad news is that I now know why my back is screaming at me this morning.. thunderstorms.. I'm trying hard not to complain.
I'm off to the office this morning for a 3 hr day. That's good. I hadn't planned to go at all, but it looks like the girls need a helping hand for at least the morning. I'll get my infusion paperwork done for tomorrow in a short time. There is just a little more to go.
I am hoping to be a bit more energized by this afternoon, but with the rain coming, I won't be surprised if I need a little nap before starting some major cleanup.
Peak flows 270-240-240.. not so good.

April 21..Monday evening, we noted the robin's nest in our mountain laurel.. one solitary egg.

Today there are 3 little robin eggs in the same nest.. and a mama robin in a close by tree who scolds us for looking!

Peach trees are in blossom

A brilliant lonely forsythia in the yard
This is the bush that the chickens run under when there is danger
No wonder it's so brilliant! Lots of manure!

I couldn't do much of a walk tonite. I noticed as soon as I got out of my car that I was starting to get stuffy... and cough... and then my voice was going fast.. Allergies.
So I quickly snapped the above pictures... and the asparagus will have to wait for tomorrow if I'm breathing better then.
(Peak flows were 300/270/300... not too bad, but not good either.)