Grateful For Yesterday, Blessed With Today

The first thing I need to do is to clean up [clarify] an impression I left with readers in my previous post. I was writing about a state park we visited where a couple of women were swimming in the warm mineral spring. 

I also mentioned alligators and unintentionally left the impression that the gals were in the same body of water as the gators. They were not. 

A dam with a waterfall separated them and they were safe from the reptiles. While it is true that here in Florida one must always be aware of the possibility of gators in virtually any body of water, in this mineral spring great care is taken to ensure the swimmers are safe.

Thanks to those of you who commented concern for the swimmers.

the mineral spring is to the far left;
gators (unseen) are in the lake to the right

I continue now with Joyce's Hodgepodge questions. If you want to link up with this meme, click here.

1. The Hodgepodge lands on Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Do you mark this season in some way? Will you be giving something up or adding something to your life in this Lenten season? 

While I have observed the Easter season all of my life, the church denomination in which I grew up did not talk much (if at all) about Lent. As a result, I don't typically "give up" anything while leading up to Easter Sunday. I do try to worship the Lord with a holy life every day of the year. Some days I'm more successful in that than others. 

Give to the Lord the glory due to His name;

bring an offering,

and come before Him:

worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

I Chronicles 16:29

2. Pancakes...are you a fan? Syrup or no syrup? Plain, blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, or some other add in? Are pancakes on your menu this week? 

                               

Yes, I'm definitely a fan of pancakes. For years I used Bisquick to make them but now prefer to use another brand of a boxed mix that requires just water combined with the mix. Very simple and I like the taste better, too. I like to use a sugar-free maple syrup (any of several brands), and margarine. Other add-ins are fine but just with the butter or margarine and syrup is enough for me. 

In my last blog post, I talked about cooking our own pancakes at our table in a restaurant. If you missed it, click here. 

3. Tell us about a time recently when you felt 'spread too thin'. 

We are well into our retirement years here, so feeling spread too thin doesn't happen often with us. On occasion it turns out that we have several medical, dental, hearing, and eye appointments in one week. We try to avoid that as much as possible.

4. What's your favorite jewel or gemstone? In terms of your wardrobe would we find more gem tones, pastels, black and white, or primary colors? 

Do I have a favorite gemstone? I like them all but my current favorite is the garnet-and-diamond necklace Gary gave to me for Valentine's Day. I love it and will be wearing it year 'round.

As for what colors I wear: jewel tones (the cool colors) with black when dressing up, and blue or white denim for casual. In the 80s the book, Color Me Beautiful classified me as a "winter."

5. What responsibility do you think is hardest about being in charge? 

I try to make choices people are less likely to second-guess. My success rate with that is about 50/50.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Glimpses and comments regarding Valentine's Day at my house:

When Gary was paying for this big box of chocolates, the cashier commented that some gal is very lucky. But his reply was, "I'm the one who's lucky!" (gotta love that! ❤️)

Our Valentine outing was the lunch at the pancake place earlier in the week, so on the 14th we dined at home. I prepared Billie Jo's Sloppy Joes for our lunch. They were really good! (click here to see her blog post with the recipe) 

We slow-danced in the lanai to "our song," Have I Told You Lately [that I love you?]".

link to our song on Youtube

Then of course, we exchanged cards....

Gary has a delightful ability for finding cards (for any occasion) that say the most wonderful things. The opening words on his card to me address the subject of "love the second time around." As I read the card aloud my voice wobbled and nearly gave way...

Yesterday's love is a sweet memory.

Today's love is happiness unfolding...

This is our 5th Valentine's Day together, but we continue to treasure the good times of our previous marriages. In total, those relationships came to nearly 100 years. In large part, who we are today is because of those who loved us before they went to Heaven. They essentially taught us how to be married.

a permanent display in our home
honoring our late spouses

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres .....

And now these three remain:

faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these

is love.

I Corinthians 13:4-7 and 13

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

The Fountain of Youth

"Us" (well, sorta)

As I compose this blog post, Valentines Day is fast-approaching. We don't like to get into the gridlock of highway traffic (or city traffic, for that matter!) on the weekends, so mid-week we celebrated this holiday of love at a state park about 90 minutes southeast of our home.

posted in one of the gift shops

Perhaps you remember that the famous explorer of past days, Ponce de Leon, was in search of the Fountain of Youth, said to be located in what is now Florida. 

De Leon Spring

I have heard that more than one place in Florida claims to host that "fountain of youth." For our Valentine outing, we decided to check out one of them.

entrance into De Leon Spring

Located southeast of our home via about a 90-minute drive, De Leon Springs State Park has a very inviting pool of water fed by natural springs some 35 feet at the bottom. While we did not see any signs proclaiming this pool to be our hoped-for source of renewed youth, it did look inviting. 

the Spring is to the left, with a waterfall
into a large lake on the right

There were two women swimming in the 72-degree water (I touched the spring water to verify its warmth). the actual air temperature that day was edging toward 60. 

bridge/dam separating the spring from the lake

After paying $6 for parking (the fee is based on the number of occupants in the vehicle), we found clean restrooms, walked past the Sugar Mill Pancake House (more about that later), and went across the dam to buy tickets for a boat tour on the lake.

Tour Boat

Tickets for seniors like us were about $18 each. We had arrived early, so to pass the time we visited the gift shop, where I bought a magnet for our refrigerator (per my usual habit). 

Along with the expected T-shirts and assorted tourist-type memorabilia, there was a display in the gift shop of historical information and artifacts.

a sign by the lake

Back outside, the signs gave appropriate warnings. It is widely known among Floridians that any body of water the size of a bathtub or larger has the potential of harboring a gator. We are to ASSUME there were no gators in the spring, but one must always be cautious just the same.

manatees

There was this, too, which is a big draw for coming to this park (besides that fountain of youth...). There were no manatees in the spring where the women were swimming.

We boarded the boat and listened to the obligatory messages about marine safety. This is good but we were told the lake water is only 2-3 feet deep.

Gary

I chose to sit beside the cute guy wearing the United States Air Force Veteran hat. The boat holds maybe as many as 50 people. On this day it was just Gary and me, the boat pilot/tour guide, and his apprentice. The scarcity of passengers was surely a benefit of going on a school day, mid-week. 

the dam with waterfall and spring in the distance

Although the lake is not deep, we were advised to not try to walk in the lake because the muddy bottom will suck your shoes off and behave much like quick sand! (and as stated earlier, there's the matter of the gators ....)

our first manatee siting

Exiting the boat into the lake was not our intention, so we followed the pilot's pointed finger to see our first manatee of the morning. They come up for air every so often and then submerge again. That white spot out in the water is the back of a manatee. We quickly learned how to spot these huge creatures all around us without our guide having to point them out to us.

State park people fly a drone above the lake about once a week to take pictures of the manatees from the air, which is a much easier way to see them. On this particular day we were told there were about 25 manatees and 4 calves (babies) in this area.

plants growing out of the lake bottom

One way we know the shallow depth of the lake is that these plants, anchored to the lake's muddy bottom, only grow about 3 feet tall.

Snowy Egret?

I'll be frank in telling you I can't begin to remember the names of all the birds we saw on this boat trip -- there were many! They are all beautiful and so peaceful to watch.

Something of interest our guide told us is that the Snowy Egret has the white feathered body with black legs and bright yellow feet. This bird uses his feet to catch the attention of prey, and then grabs the fish for dinner! 

a blue bird 

Not only did we see a lot of birds, but we got pretty good at spying them out. Nature has created them to blend in well with their surroundings, for protection purposes, of course.

Our guide pointed out birds, and a couple of alligators (of which I was not able to get a good snapshot), and then went on to talk about the plants and trees.

Much of the forested area was still in winter clothing (yes, even here in Florida, trees lose their leaves), but the Maples were putting out red buds that will become green for summer and then go back to red in the fall. 

We learned the value of so many Cypress trees that help to prevent erosion of the soil. Spanish Moss draped from branches was in abundance, too. This moss has a beautiful grace when the breeze wafts through it. 

hurricane leftovers

These trees with the horizontal markings show how high the water flooded during a hurricane a couple of years ago. 

airboat

The engine on our tour boat was relatively quiet but our peace was invaded by the very noisy yellow airboat speeding past us. 

Our boat tour was an hour long, very informative, comfortable, and the guide with his apprentice not only gave us a lot of information but were very pleasant in answering our questions.

Once deposited on land, we made our way across the dam to the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House.

Old Sugar Mill Pancake House

Note the large paddlewheel, which is turning. I intended to take another snapshot up close, but I forgot. It is so big, however, that this may be the best distance for capturing it anyway.

reading the menu with coffee

Inside this rustic setting one can order both breakfast and lunch fare, but this place is best known for its pancakes that guests cook for themselves at large cast iron griddles imbedded in the center of every table. 

can you tell that my mouth is full?

When Gary took this picture, we were cooking our second helpings of the pancakes (which we took home in a box to enjoy later). After the waitress took our order, she turned on the griddle and gave us each our own spatula. We ordered a side of bacon and then a tall pitcher of pancake batter was brought to the table. The rest was up to us!

the Fountain of Youth (hmmm.....)

Now to (finally) get to the "hook" that grabbed you to read this post (especially if you're a senior like me), after our pancake lunch, we walked over to the Fountain of Youth.

After we got home, somebody asked Gary about this fountain. His reply was something like, "Well, it didn't do me any good, but Barbara looks pretty good!"

He has referred to himself many times over our years together as "an old geezer." While it's true that he was in kindergarten the day I was born, I always say with absolute sincerity, "I love a mature man!"

sign beside the Fountain of Youth

Here's the deal. I know you can't read this sign beside the fountain (and neither can I), so here is what the Internet has to say about it:

De Leon Springs State Park is often confused with Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, Florida. (click on the name of each park for the website of that park)

Following the Civil War, the area known as Spring Garden was renamed "Ponce de Leon Springs" to boost tourism, with locals promoting it as the legendary fountain.

Long before European arrivals, indigenous people recognized the spring for its 20 million gallon daily flow and supposedly healing properties.

The real Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon, did explore Florida in 1513, but there is no evidence he ever visited this specific spring. 

The spring's power was used for a sugar cane mill and a grist mill in the 1800s.

Today, the site is a state park where visitors can swim in the 72-degree, 60 foot diameter, mineral-rich spring and take boat tours to learn about the area's history.

Wow. Now we know the truth! In spite of the confusion about this "fountain of youth," we had a very enjoyable day at a place neither of us had visited before. It was a fun way for two seniors to spend both quantity and quality time together, and especially as Valentine's Day approaches. 

May it be a sweet day for you spent with those you love, be it a romance, family, friends, or even pets.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

forbearance, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law. 

Galatians 5:22-23

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara
 

Thawing Out

 

Pelicans in one of our golf course community lakes

January is gone. Finally. For the most part (in my world, anyway) it was a very long month with a lot of unusually cold weather. As a result, we didn't ride our bikes nearly as much and we did a lot of quiet reading of our library books on the lanai with the space heater nearby. 

We turned the calendar page on the pantry door to February and then had to face this guy.....

from Facebook

I think nearly everybody in the continental USA groaned in unison upon hearing his prediction. But then this gal added her two-cents' worth, and maybe some of us began to feel a little better.

from Facebook

But with all of that said, our recent days became warmer. It was time for my feet to consider wearing sandals again (i.e. time for a pedicure).

choosing a nail polish

I chose 075 Tiramisu Slice, which is a definite change from the many shades of pink I usually select. I pay extra for gel nail polish because it's just so pretty, and more durable. At my age there is no need to spend much $$ for myself. When we are careful as to where we "throw our money," we can afford to spend a little more on the niceties. 😉

pedi in progress
(TMI?)

When I got home and showed Gary my toes, he exclaimed, "Brown?! Why did you get brown? What happened to pink?!!"

This polish is more of a dark purple ....  I suppose one could say it looks like chocolate but I like it. Anyway....

Opening ceremony of the Olympics

Of course the next big thing in the first week of February was the start of the Olympics. I need to backtrack for a moment here. In my last post I gave a rather low rating when asked for my attention to the Olympics. I have since realized my real opinion is that I enjoy the winter games more than the summer version. Part of the reasoning for that is the participants wear more clothing for winter sports (yeah, I'm kind of a prude when it comes to modesty, but I don't apologize for that). 

opening ceremony

The Italians really do have a strong bent for art, don't they? (what an understatement that is!!) I was entranced with those huge tubes suspended above the center stage, especially when the "paint" began to flow out of them. How clever was that?!!

On Saturday the weather was warming up enough that I convinced Gary to take me outside -- the Olympics will be on TV for the next [however many] number of days. After so much cold weather and cloudiness (with next-to-no rain!!), I wanted to be out in the sunshine. 

We drove to a county north of here to walk through another car show. Yes, we do that a lot, but most of these shows are free, the atmosphere is casual, and there is usually 50s and 60s rock'n roll music blaring out of speakers and a lot of people from our generation. It's a pleasant and convenient pastime.

purple flower in a succulent

I had been to that general area before, although Gary had not. I kinda like it, so after the car show, I wanted to share the town with him. 

When we reached the antique district, Gary was not impressed. It was too rustic for him. Not everybody defines "charm" in the same way..... 🙄 😉 Fortunately for me, one of Gary's mantras is, "If Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy!" 

one of two outdoor dining venues

I was successful in getting him to park the car so we could find some ice cream before heading for home. (One of my mantras is, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!") 

The ice cream (we both got Coffee flavor) was over-priced (but what isn't these days??). We were able to enjoy it in 70-degree sunshine in the dappled shade of huge, moss-laden oak trees. So for me, all that was a definite win and Gary cooperated nicely.

historical marker

Near our truck was a historical marker that we both found interesting. Then we avoided the interstate to make our way west and then south....

CR234 in Alachua County

"Country roads

take me home

To the place I belong...."

(John Denver)

the Super Bowl

On Sunday morning we did our usual church routine (the sermon was on bitterness and forgiveness). Gary served his usual offering of hot chocolate with a gigantic marshmallow floating on top. That afternoon Gary's son, who lives in Minneso-cold, called to catch us up on family doin's up there. Then of course, we watched the Super Bowl. We cheered for the Sea Hawks since we both hail from western states-- and as we all now know, that turned out to be a winning choice!

Turning Point USA half-time show

We have known all along that Bad Bunny would NOT be our half time entertainment. 

About 20 minutes of the alternative half time show produced by Turning Point USA held our attention. It was well-done with lighting and sound effects, and so forth, but clearly Gary and I are past knowing the music we saw and it just wasn't "us," so we watched America's Funniest Home Videos and then switched back to the football game in plenty of time to enjoy the last quarter (and more). 

(I'm sorry if our choice disappoints some of my readers, but it was more of a generation-gap type of thing.)

While reporting on the events and highlights of this first week in February, there has also been unpleasant news, including the apparent kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, and Lindsey Vonn's skiing accident at the Olympics. But keeping true to my personal blogging standards, I will not say much about those things. 

I like the clever way my friend Nancy W. of Jacksonville recently described her social media posts, "I prefer to keep my Facebook wall free of politics and hardships ... posting just rainbows and unicorns." 

Admittedly, I get more serious than that with my frequent inclusion of scripture; but in our culture, people have to be wary and so wise when spouting off their opinions lest they somehow have to pay for them in some very ugly ways. It's just the world we live in right now now. We must be praying about current events and choose our words to the public with genuine prudence.

from Marcus Stanley on Facebook

I close today's post with this observation from the great theologian, Charlie Brown: 

from Facebook

Until next time, grace and peace. 

Barbara

P.S. Visit the blog, The Christian Lounge, where a devotional thought by yours truly is currently featured at this link:

http://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com/2026/02/continue-to-expect.html