Bicycling Through My Fairy Tale

 

chocolate birds -- 
the Fairy Tale in our back yard

Ornamental birds are a common sight in Florida yards. We have 5 of them (although, shhh! One of them may be removed soon). The unrelenting sun and sub-tropical rains here cause the paint to wear thin and rust to develop. Today 4 of the birds got a fresh coat. These in our back yard look like they were dipped in a huge vat of Hershey's chocolate!

loaded and ready to go!

We bought our second bike rack in less than a week. It turned out the first one was not going to work well and was not returnable 😣, so it's for sale. This second rack is better. We put it to the test on Thursday with a 10-mile ride along the Withlacoochee River. 

one of several rest stops on the bike trail

I'd say 10-15 miles is about as long a ride as I care to do. A wide, paved asphalt path is necessary, too, and preferably no other traffic. Although I am not sore today for the effort, I did take a really good nap after lunch today, after a good night's sleep last night!
 

where the Withlacoochee meets the Gulf

I plan to write more about the bike ride in another post, including the snapshots taken along the way. In the meantime, I've answered Joyce's Hodgepodge questions for this week focused on Fairy Tales. 

linking up with Joyce's Hodgepodge

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2025/02/hodgepodge-questions-volume-591.html

1. February 26th is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day...have you read a fairy tale lately? What's your favorite fairy tale? Do you believe in 'happily ever after'? 

While I have not read a fairy tale lately, I feel as though I am living in one with my Gary. He is the prince who rescued me out of a dark time of grief and loneliness with his dashing good looks, gentlemanly ways, skill and willingness to take care of practical problems, and a great sense of humor. I call him "Handsome." He always responds that he's "just an old geezer." But my comeback is always this: "I love a mature man!"

me with my Prince Charming

2. Complete one of the following sentences with a thought relating to your life currently- once upon a time; a long time ago; in a place far far away.

Once upon a time, I did the majority of the cooking in my home. Now I just bake and Gary does the rest!

3. Which of the following 'fairy tale foods' is your favorite? Which have you made/eaten most recently? 

porridge/oatmeal (Goldilocks and The Three Bears), an apple (Snow White), a gingerbread cookie (The Gingerbread Man), pumpkin soup/pie/bread (Cinderella), peas (The Princess and the Pea), beans (Jack and The Beanstalk) or a cup of tea (Alice in Wonderland) 

I would not classify any of these foods as true "favorites" with me, although I would not turn any of them down. As for which of them I've had most recently, it would be a cup mug of [decaf green] tea, which is sitting beside me as I type this post.

4. What's your idea of fun? 

mine is purple;
NOT electric

I enjoy riding my bike (it's a "Townie," known for its "flat foot technology*), I like walking through Hobby Lobby, and I LOVE eating a hearty meal beside the ocean, a river, a stream, or a lake.

FYI: Townie flat foot technology provides an efficient, relaxed riding position that allow you to sit upright and not bent over the bike handlebars. It gives a relaxed arm position and a wide view of the road.

5. Next week's Hodgepodge lands in March. Is that right? I guess so.  Give us one noun, one verb, and one adjective that tell us something about your February. To make you think a little harder, you cannot use the words cold or snowy. 

noun: Florida

verb: traveled

adjective: enjoyable

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Most mornings I read a short devotional authored by Susie Larson. Last week she gave this wonderful thought to ponder: "I will not allow my history to speak to me except to teach me."

This reminds me of Psalm 90:12, 

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

My personal paraphrase of the verse is something like this:

Make good use of each day, 

learn from the experiences and 

put those lessons to good use.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Predicaments and Peace

 

a peaceful fountain in a
former Florida neighborhood

To quote the man who cuts our grass, "I don't know whether to jump into the pool or build a fire!" Our weather has been that kind of crazy here in North Central Florida. Today I'm wearing socks with my sneakers, long jeans, and a long-sleeved crew T-shirt over a cami. When I step outside, a sweatshirt hoodie will be required. We've got clouds and some wind -- not the best conditions for bike-riding.

reading the instructions

Speaking of our bikes, yesterday we had a different kind of adventure regarding them. We rolled our tires out onto the driveway to make room for assembling the new bike rack Gary had purchased. 

looks precarious

Putting it together proved to be more of a challenge than expected. The No Return Policy where we got it may have contributed to Gary's exercise of persistence to get the contraption put together (although my man seems to thrive with a good puzzle).

test ride

Today he put the finishing touches on the project and then we drove around for a few miles to assure ourselves that the rack was indeed secure to the back of our car. All went well with no problems at all. 

One feature I appreciate is that there are velcro straps to prevent the wheels from turning while the car is moving. Whenever we are on the road and pass a car with bicycles in tow, I find it unsettling to see the wheels turning in the wind.... makes me worry the bike might fall off.

"before"

Another recent purchase we've made is to replace the pendant lights in the kitchen. The last time Gary changed the light bulbs, he noticed inner workings were wearing out and commented we should replace the fixtures.

"after"

While Lowe's is to Gary as Hobby Lobby is to me, we could not find anything we really liked, so a [more spendy] stop at a local lighting store got our cash. Those were installed recently and we are pleased.

yum!

While we're in the kitchen (so to speak), I'll share my last serving of the Baklava that we bought in last week's blog post about our visit to Tarpon Springs. Actually, you don't get a taste of it but you can see the picture. It was sooo good but it's just as well it's all gone now. It's not a low-cal dessert.

As I was writing the paragraph about the light fixtures, I had a "senior moment" when I could not remember the word "pendant." I asked Gary. After providing the word, he went on to say (and this is a direct quote), "Let's just keep the questions easy. It's Saturday afternoon and I'm in a rest mode. No difficult, head-scratching, no hard questions this afternoon." 

Yes, that's what he said. 🙄 🤭

looks like a smooth white stone

We have had a stinky invasion in our back yard. For weeks I've observed an odd mushroom-type growth in the mulch. Generally I do nothing when the occasional mushroom pops up in the grass after an especially wet few days. But as time went on, more and more of these invaders appeared and they lasted for many days.

They demonstrated a peculiar life-cycle, looking like ping pong-sized white stones and then getting much larger. Eventually they turn orange-red and burst open to reveal the most disgusting gooey grayish liquid inside that attracts swarming insects, and the smell!!!!

you can see one of them starting open
up to the orange stage

They are rather fun to gather up for disposal when they're small like this, but I discovered there are many more of them underneath the ones easily seen. And as I said in the previous paragraph, as they mature, there is a HORRIBLE smell.

With the help of the Internet, I found an app that allowed me to submit a snapshot and tell me what this disgusting growth is. Phallus Ravenelii, also known as Ravenel's Stinkhorn. Not poisonous or particularly harmful, but nonetheless an obnoxious nuisance, there is no known chemical to destroy them. I am hopeful that when the very hot temperatures of summer get here, perhaps they will burn to a crisp and die off. In the meantime, I wear gloves to harvest them, easily filling up a plastic shopping bag which I tie off securely and then leave outdoors beside the garage to wait for trash day. There is no way we could tolerate the smell in the garbage cans stored in the garage (per our HOA requirements).

the gender reveal

On a MUCH MORE pleasant note, while talking about new growth, Gary's granddaughter and husband announced this week that their expected baby is another boy. They have two already that are affectionately referred to as "The Minnesota Twins." So now they can lay claim to the old TV show, "My Three Sons." (which is on TV  here, right after "Leave It to Beaver," but we always switch to the noon news)

Regarding my announcement earlier this month about the very premature birth (at 25 weeks) of my nephew's son, thank you so very much for your prayer support on his behalf. He is making progress every day. Please continue to pray for him and his family as he works toward the day when he can go home.

Since January 20th, in particular, the nightly news has been as engrossing as a soap opera. While I don't mean to make light of politics, there is no denying we do well to stay informed in this ever-changing chapter of our American history. There have been a lot of surprises (some very unwelcome even to those who voted for the current administration). 

Add to that the appalling number of aircraft disasters, losses due to fires and damaging winter storms. I am reminded of scripture in II Timothy 3:1,

This know also, that in the last days

perilous times shall come.

In another translation it is said this way:

You should know this, Timothy, 

that in the last days 

there will be very difficult times."

Wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes .... these are the "birth pangs" of what is to come as we anticipate the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

One of my frequent comforts is an old hymn with these words,

"Come every soul by sin oppressed,

There's mercy with the Lord.

And He will surely give you rest

By trusting in His Word.

Only trust Him, only trust Him.

Only trust Him now.

He will save you, He will save you.

He will save you now."

by John H. Stockton, 1874

Until next time, grace and peace.

source

A Valentine Voyage

one of many boats docked
on the Anclote River

Although last week's adventure (and resulting blog post, "Island Hopping to Key West") was enough to satisfy any of the wanderlust the two of us have, with this week's Valentine holiday, we decided to observe it in a special way. 

Of course with our usual pre-dawn* coffee there was the exchange of cards and chocolate. 

*Early to bed,

early to rise,

makes a man healthy,

wealthy, and wise.

Benjamin Franklin

headstone blurred for reasons of privacy

Then we drove to the cemetery to place flowers at the graves of our Valentines from years gone by.

headstone blurred for reasons of privacy

They are never forgotten, always in our hearts. They helped make us who we are, and without a doubt prepared us for where we are today.

Dodecanese Blvd.

Then we drove the nearly 70 remaining miles to Tarpon Springs, on the Gulf coast, located north of Clearwater. For those who have not heard of this place, it is the "Sponge Capital of the World," a leader in the global natural sponge market. Home to the Sponge Docks, visitors can see the sponge industry from harvesting to auctions. (thank you, Wikipedia, for this information) 

This fishing village is known for its very Greek style, white-columned Hellas Authentic Greek Cuisine Restaurant and Bakery. After parking our car, that was our intended destination, but we first needed to get our tickets for a boat tour. If we learned nothing else from our trip to Key West last week, we knew to secure tickets for such tours sooner rather than later, then do all the other things that can be more flexible.

We hoofed it down the street (past our lunch choice) to find the ticket window for the boat, and not seeing it, we had to retrace our steps to discover the address on their website was actually a white tent near this plaque on the waterfront. Okay, that was a little strange, but our tickets were purchased without a problem. 

ticket stubs

By this time we were some distance from the famous Hellas. We didn't want to get too far away lest we miss our boat's launch time in a little over an hour. Dimitri's was literally just next door and highly recommended, so that's what got our lunch money that day.

Dimitri's
https://dimitrisonthewater.com

Any thoughts of regret for not dining at Hellas vanished when I realized our lunch would be on the water, while Hellas was on the other side of the street (NOT on the water). My long-time blog readers may remember that one of my very favorite things about Florida is to eat on the water (a treat not so common in my former Colorado home). 

me, waiting to order
(east is behind me)

Gary, waiting to order
(west is behind him)

Tarpon Springs sits on the Anclote River, which pretty much runs east to west, emptying out into the Gulf of Mexico (or Gulf of America, per President Trump).

menu at Dimitri's

I wanted to embrace the culture, so my order was the Moussaka. 

If you have seen the chick flick, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you may remember mention of this dish in the school lunch room. It's pretty much a Greek version of lasagna made with baked or pan-fried eggplants, potatoes, a rich beef or lamb sauce, and topped off with a creamy béchamel sauce. Considered a comfort food, I definitely agree!

the moussaka wasn't quite as large as this picture shows

As you can see, the servings were generous. My Moussaka was a surprising large serving, although this picture makes it look more generous than it actually was. But with that said, there was no way I could finish it all, and since we were a 2-hour drive away from home, plus a 90-minute boat tour, I knew it was not wise to ask for a doggy bag. I ate a little over half of it and had to leave the rest. But it was very good. Gary enjoyed his burger and fries.

kayakers on the river

As to be expected, we saw lots of marine traffic go past our table on the literal water's edge. The weather was perfect for all of it. I highly recommend Dimitri's food and the waterfront tables, the service was good, and the rest rooms clean.

our tour boat

The timing of our lunch and the launch of our tour boat was perfect. We climbed this metal staircase and stepped onto that wide orange lip of the boat (with help from the crew members) to get on. That was a little dicey but okay. The seating was wood benches lining the outer part and more benches in the middle. We sat on the edge and I'm so glad we did. We could see and hear (relatively) everything. 

the sponge diver, in his 60s, 
and from Cheyenne, Wyoming!

We were able to watch the laborious process of the diver putting on his suit, which as you can see, is quite bulky, and heavy.

me

Before he put on his helmet, passengers were encouraged to try it on themselves. I was the first to step forward. While I did not line up the windows with my face, I could easily see Gary snapping my picture. I had to smile to myself -- this headgear gave illustration to the popular hair style from about 20 years ago, "Helmet Head."

Anclote River

While this voluntary 'fashion show' was in progress, the diver continued to get geared up for his dive. The boat captain described what is involved with diving for these natural sea sponges. They are the second lowest form of life, just above the amoeba, and invertebrate animal. Thriving in abundance all along the Gulf coast waters from the Big Bend area (north of Tarpon Springs) clear down to Key West. 

diver under water

When our diver dropped into the water, the depth at this spot was about 14 -20 feet. He had an air hose and another rope that was used for communication purposes (pull if in trouble). 

diver with a sponge he had just harvested

From the deeper location, he walked under water to a depth of only about 5 or 6 feet where he used a grabbing, fork-like tool to pull a sponge from where it was attached on the river floor. 

diver returns to the boat

In total on this trip, the diver was probably in the water no longer than about 15 minutes before he climbed back into the boat -- with help. 

am I helping???

Our diver said he has no need to go to a gym for exercise. The weight of the suit, helmet, and shoes, combined with navigating himself both in the boat, in the water, and climbing in and out requires a great deal of physical strength. In his 60s, I don't know how he does it.

Again, we were encouraged to have our snapshot taken with the diver. Just as with the spirit of embracing the experience with ordering Moussaka and trying on the diving helmet, I got this picture taken, too. (it's all blog fodder, after all!!)

the freshly-harvested sea sponge

The sponge he harvested was passed around to everyone. They are black like this under water.  The slimy black stuff is cleaned through a somewhat laborious effort and then they are put out to dry.

cleaned sponges drying on a boat

While we typically see these sponges as brown or a golden yellow, when harvested from the river floor they are covered with a black slime.

This boat tour was good, well worth the money because we saw so much, were educated on sponges, and got plenty of show'n tell in the process.

sea sponge art

After we exited the boat, we began the walk back to our car, with some shopping along the way (of course!). Since we are bikers (bicycles, not motorcycles), I had to capture this example of art using the sponges.

logo on my shirt front

Just as with our shopping in Key West and the Everglades last week, my primary purchases are refrigerator magnets and T-shirts. I did not find any magnets that I liked (I'm very particular on that), but Gary got this T-shirt for me, which I modeled after we got home:

Salty air
Messy Hair
Don't care
Tarpon Springs, FL

While we did not have a meal at Hellas, we did stand in a long line to buy Baklava from their equally famous bakery. Not an inexpensive purchase, one has to appreciate the price when examining the product. 

a slice of Baklava

It was way too sticky to eat in the car on the way home, so last night we enjoyed some of it. Look closely to see the extremely thin, very fine layers of phyllo dough that make this treat so special. Below those layers is a delightful mixture of nuts and honey.

I have said many times over the past three years that ours is a "Hallmark movie romance." Many of our friends have said the same.

While Gary has agreed, he is NOT a chick-flick kinda guy. Cops 'n robbers, westerns, FOX news, and Leave It To Beaver comprise his entertainment preferences. Oh, and car racing. We like to watch the races..... the Daytona 500 is tomorrow (weather-permitting. They've already changed the start time due to predicted rain.)

However, since he is a nice guy and affectionately aims to please me, plus perhaps the fact that it was Valentine's Day, he agreed to put my DVD copy of My Big Fat Greek Wedding into the TV to cap off our wonderful day.

How shall I bring this post to a close? What Bible verse seems applicable? A lot, of course. I am struck with the wonders of God's creation of earth as well as how He has enabled humans to explore, to discover, and to put to very practical use what we find.

A favorite verse I've shared with you many times is this:

Call unto me

and I will answer thee

and will show you

great and mighty things

you know nothing about.

Jeremiah 33:3

Until next time, grace and peace.

Island Hopping to Key West

 

refrigerator magnets recently purchased

Since my last post, interesting things have been entered into my personal journal, some of which will be shared in this blog post. I'll let my snapshots tell much of the story because there are so many of them. 

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

Early in the week we left home in a thick, pre-dawn fog to head south on Florida's Turnpike, heading for the Everglades. By the time we got to the Fort Lauderdale area, the fog [finally] had lifted so we could see this iconic example of architecture of a giant guitar. 

We see this casino on TV commercials a lot. The very top of the guitar projects straight vertical beams of light into the night time sky to more clearly define the instrument. We only saw this daytime version, which was still very impressive. 

We don't gamble (except with each other's cooking at home 😆), so we did not stop. It was just an interesting site as we drove past on the turnpike.

airboats lined up for boarding

It took until nearly lunch time to reach our first destination, which was Everglades National Park.

large fan of the airboat

If you've never been on (or seen) an airboat, it is a very large, very loud fan positioned at the back of an open-air boat. 

wind shield of the airboat,
as seen from the front row

Since the boat has no walls or ceiling, and is very open, plus the fact that the captain likes to "slide" as they whip around in turns, passengers are wise to dress with the understanding they may get wet (or sprayed, at the least) with swamp water.

me, waiting to board the boat

We road another airboat a year or so ago and got pretty wet. This ride was more tame with just a little spray on those sitting on the outside ends of the benches (i.e. ME!) Any headwear (hats/vizors, etc) should be firmly on the head or they will blow off into the water. And ear plugs .... a wise accompaniment! The tour guide gave us individually-wrapped foam ear plugs. 

us on the front row

Sister and her husband visited the Everglades years ago when the "ear plugs" provided was a roll of toilet paper passed around to all the passengers. With that experience in mind, I had brought my own plugs. Our previous ride with another vendor had given headphones for ear protection. So a word to the wise, be prepared one way or another. 

lily pads were everywhere

The boat has several rows like pews (benches with backs) for the riders, and the captain/tour guide is at the back by the fan so he can steer. 

the first gator

Of course, the main appeal (for us, anyway) was to see alligators on this boat ride. Within the first couple of minutes into our journey (literally) we saw this big guy lounging in the weeds to our left.

look to the center

With the instruction of our tour guide/boat captain, we easily understood where to look for more of these pre-historic-looking creatures.

another one

We were told that the gator's main activity during daylight hours is to do absolutely nothing. I'm sure if 'dinner' suddenly appeared in front of a gator, he would show more life, but generally speaking, they are more active in the dusk and dawn hours, as well as at night.

Bouganvillea

I think we saw about 5 gators (all of them big) that day, plus a baby one sunning himself atop his mother's back. We were told the babies stay on the mother's back for the first 3 months. After that, she wants them to leave or she will eat the baby. Ugh. That bordered on TMI (too much information) for me!

Gary and his pet gator goofing around

We saw about 3 different airboat businesses as we drove along highway 41 in the Everglades. At the visitors' center, we learned a lot about gators and crocodiles. Gators prefer fresh water, although they will tolerate salt water briefly. Crocs prefer salt water. We have both in Florida.

Also of interest is that the weather in south Florida is about as warm as gators like to be whereas south Florida is about as cold as a crocodile wants to be. So there is a little intermingling or overlap there, but they do have their preferences. 

Our lunch that day was late: sandwiches from a refrigerator case at the visitors' center. After poking around and seeing all that interested us in the Everglades, we drove to our hotel in Miami, kicked off our shoes and turned on the TV to catch up with FOX and the ever-evolving political news.

Our supper was from Panda Express, the orange chicken over rice -- one of my favorite meals in the entire world. (not exaggerating here)

The next morning we began our trek south to the Florida Keys. We first got back onto the Florida Turnpike, continuing south on that until it was no more, in the Homestead area. From there we got onto Highway 1 which turned into the Overseas Highway at the very southern tip of mainland Florida.

the Overseas Highway (1)

The drive to Key West was long (as my sister-in-law had advised beforehand) but nonetheless interesting. This, from the internet, says it better than I can:

"....thanks to a stunning engineering marvel known as the Overseas Highway that stretches 113 miles from the mainland's southern tip across 44 tropical islands on 42 bridges, I was seemingly floating across a necklace of mangrove forests and cays as I drove to a place where North America and the Caribbean meet."

the Overseas Highway (2)

Something I learned along the way: "cay" is another word for "key" which on this stretch of geography means "island." 

the Overseas Highway (3)

The highway took us through Key Largo, Marathon, Cudjoe Key, past the Key West Naval Air Station, and eventually onto Key West, with a lot more lesser-known known islands all along the way. (lesser-known to us, anyway)

the Overseas Highway (4)

I had expected one continuous bridge above water the entire way, but instead it was a continuous highway over MANY bridges that linked the keys en route. In the towns on the keys were some traffic lights, but not many, so we didn't stop much. We did stop at one of the larger tourist spots to use the restrooms and to buy T-shirts and refrigerator magnets.

the Overseas Highway (5)

Arriving in Key West in late morning, our first goal was to find the famous buoy marking the southernmost tip of continental USA and get our picture taken.

us on the south end of the USA

A lot (A LOT!!) of other people had the same objective. The line was long. I was ready to scrap that idea when Gary said we should just stand on the street curb and make sure the marker was visible behind us. That would be better than nothing. 

He was so right -- so much so, that others around us did the same thing. One couple remarked they liked that idea, and they offered to take our picture. Of course, we reciprocated by taking their picture, too! 

We crossed that item off our mental list and stood in the shade to decide what to do next. We had found a parking place some blocks away on the crowded, narrow streets, which included feeding a parking meter. So we had to keep that in mind. 

Seaside Cafe at Key West

Happily, after just a little bit of walking, we came across this place that looked to me just like where the stars of a Hallmark movie would dine. 

Italian..... Beside the sea (Atlantic Ocean)..... Shirt-sleeves, shorts, and sandal weather....

The wait for our food was not too long. With the comfortable sea air, light breeze, sunshine, and just being on vacation with my dear one -- it really did feel like we were in a wonderful movie! (chick-flick, of course!)

We enjoyed the 3-cheese pizza with added pepperoni. It was 6 slices, the perfect amount for two people. Delicious!

Of course, we could not forget to order Key Lime Pie for dessert, with the unexpected bonus of a coconut cream dipping sauce on the side!

The famous chickens for which Key West is known picked and pecked around our feet. This one even had some of her chicks scurrying about with her (look closely in front of her). We saw a lot of colorful chickens in town. Not a bother at all, they definitely contributed to the charm of the town.

VERY narrow hallway

Speaking of charm, while waiting for our food, Gary found his way to the rest rooms. When I later asked where they were, he told me a very narrow outdoor passageway between two brick buildings was the way to get there.

I found it and was glad he had warned me. It looked like something out of a movie in Europe, but it was broad daylight and if I did not return soon, I knew Gary would come looking for me, so I walked through it. I'm not kidding about the narrowness of the passageway. A really large person would need to find another facility!

view from concrete pier

In walking away from our restaurant, we saw a large concrete pier extending out into the water with beach-goers on one side. A stroll onto that pier gave us a different view of our restaurant (the aqua table umbrellas).

chicken sculptures outside a gift shop

After lunch we faced quite a conundrum. Taking into consideration the length of time left on our parking meter, the distance required to walk to the Hemingway House, etc, previous expectations were threatened. 

Hemingway House and Museum

We chose a swift stroll to Mr. Hemingway's home but upon arrival we saw that the long line we saw at the southern buoy was now at this place. That wasn't going to work with our parking situation. 

Of course, shopping is usually an option in a tourist town... There were many more very interesting shops than we had time to explore.

(purchased at the Everglades)

I do love hoodies!

We attempted to find President Truman's Little White House but arrived too late in the afternoon to get in. I did not know until this trip that he spent working vacations in Key West and even returned after his presidency to enjoy the place.

Truman Little White House

Even though we were not able to tour these two places in person, one can really learn a lot with Internet research, which is free, comprehensive, and does not require standing on tired feet for long periods of time. I'm okay with that. I really am. 

Then of course, as the afternoon wore on, ice cream was a good use of our time (Gary has accepted the fact that I consider him to be "good blog fodder.")

hotel lobby

We found our hotel and discovered to our amazement they had upgraded our reservation to a suite. For just the two of us, we had FOUR queen-sized beds, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. That was very nice and made up for my dismay when I spied this sign at their beach area:

 Hmmm. That's okay. We had no plans to get into the water anyway.

I had wondered before this trip if we might get to see any flamingos. As it turns out, the only ones we saw were on this birthday card I sent to a girlfriend:

card by Leanin' Tree

Speaking of birthdays, our family had an unexpected Birth Day this past week.... my nephew's wife gave birth to a precious little boy who was only 25 weeks into the pregnancy. He weighed 1 pound 14 ounces at birth and measured a little over 13 inches long. He and his mama are doing well. Just  this afternoon his daddy (my nephew) got to change the little guy's diaper in the incubator. 

Please join me in praying for this child's continued healthy development and the family's necessary adjustments to the premature event.

I close with something I read yesterday in a book of quotes by theologian E.M. Bounds. On the subject of faith, "Faith needs to be cultivated. Faith is increased by exercise; by being put to use. Faith is nourished by trials." 

That is something to turn over in the mind.

Until next time, grace and peace.