Blessings in Abundance

 

morning rainbow outside my front door

Every morning before we ride our bicycles, it's my habit to step out onto the front porch to check the thermometer and determine if there's going to be a headwind. To see a huge rainbow was a delightful surprise. (It was a double rainbow, which you can see fading if you look closely.)

The rainbow reminder of God's Presence was welcome. This week became unsettling when I realized it was time to dispose of outdated  paperwork that had a lot of my late husband's handwriting. 

The paperwork was a "trigger," as the counselors refer to it -- a reminder of hurt. God's grace helps us to cope, how to adapt, when that happens. He has done that for me, many times. 

Moving on to more pleasant activities this week: we once again enjoyed a lunch at the historic Yearling restaurant with people who have not been there before. 

The first time we came here, the earthy, rustic outside put us off a little.

As a city girl who was raised living near international airports and sophisticated corporate office buildings, I've learned to appreciate simple, unrefined settings. The locals refer to it as "Old Florida."

We arrived about 30 minutes before the restaurant opened; but even with its simplicity, hospitality was provided with sheltered seating where patrons can wait.

Antiques stirred up memories. My maternal grandfather worked for, and retired from, Gulf Oil back when they had offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before they moved their operations to Houston.

John and Pam

Our lunch friends arrived shortly after we got there. Many of you will recognize Pam and her husband from her blog, Closed Doors, Open Windows. With that introduction, I encourage you to visit her blog by clicking on this title, Friday Foto Friends~A "Wild" Lunch.  I've described The Yearling in previous posts, but she has done a much better job than me.

John and Gary at our booth

After ordering our food, we girls got up to walk around and take pictures while the fellas (who have met previously several times before this visit) got caught up with guy-talk. 

my lunch

In keeping with the habit of many bloggers, I snapped a picture of my food. When eating out, I often order what I don't usually eat at home. This time it was a side of collard greens (something Gary's surgery prohibits him from enjoying).

dessert

Pam and I shared dessert, a creamy orange delight. Aside from one bite for Gary, the guys did not have any dessert. 

It was a great visit with good people that was enhanced with the realization by all of us that The Yearling restaurant is pretty much at the half-way point between their home and ours. Good to know!!

Later that afternoon, Gary decided he wanted dessert. Our truck needed no GPS to find one of our favorite haunts....

Another highlight for me this week was a FaceTime visit with one of my sons. He lives hundreds and hundreds of miles from us, so these visits are a good alternative to plane fare, gas prices, and hotel reservations. 

Last weekend he ran a half-marathon through the California Redwoods, so he and Gary had a lively conversation on FaceTime about their marathon experiences. "Blended families" are not always easy. This visit did my heart so much good.

Gary's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. I gave him two jigsaw puzzles of classic cars. The first one was completed this week.

food trucks

Autumn has finally arrived in North Central Florida. I'm still wearing my Bermuda shorts and Crocs sandals, but slightly cooler temps and traditional fall activities are filling our days. This weekend is the annual Fall Festival in our +55 retirement community. 

The festival is made up of vendor booths for arts, crafts, food, home improvement businesses, Medicare consultants, and so forth. There was also live band music, oldies (of course!).

apple pie for me

Our favorite vendor is the dentist who hands out slices of pie for free!

pecan pie for Gary

Admittedly, neither of us use this dentist, but we surely do enjoy his pies!! (not all providers accept all insurance)

Gary waits for me

While Gary agreed to take me to the festival because of the pie, he was good to wait for me on a bench at the bocce courts while I walked through all the craft vendors. This is what true love does! 

one of 2 packages of popcorn

Somewhere in all of that I picked on the hint that Gary wanted some popcorn, so I came back to his bench with two flavors.

dish towel purchase

As I've said many times before, I don't shop like I used to. But a kitchen probably never has enough dish towels, so I bought three (3 for $20 was not a bad price). Two have a Christmas theme; I'll probably include them in a post during the holidays.

the "Twirlers"

The last attraction at the festival was a performance by the newly-formed majorettes group. Only four now, they did a fine job of reminding us of our high school and college days featuring choreography with batons.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

P.S. If you comment as anonymous, please include your first name or initials. Thank you.

Honest Answers to Serious Questions

selfie created with Chatgpt
"Cautious Glance Into the Shadows"

This week's questions from Joyce at her blog, From This Side of the Pond, are somewhat serious and introspective. If you want to join in with your blog, click here.

1. Do you think you're driven more by curiosity or comfort? Explain. 

It really depends on what is confronting me. I'll go with "comfort." People who are TOO curious tend to be annoying and/or test the boundary lines set up by the needs of others.  

This has become more important to me as I age and have learned a few things about relationships. 

However, if I need to know something of a serious, consequential nature, I have learned to stop worrying and go find out what I need to know so I can handle the matter with some competence. I am not curious just for the sake of curiosity. 

By the way, a wise friend told me years ago that we don't have to answer every question asked of us. In a court of law, yes; but beyond that, realize some people are either nosey about what they don't need to know and/or it's not in anyone's best interest to answer their question.

2. What non-food item is in your refrigerator or freezer? 

We store the Energizer Bunny our batteries in a refrigerator. We have ice packs in the freezer for injuries and sore muscles, etc.

from Wikipedia

3. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent? 

I am comfortable with silence. Depending on my mood and what I'm doing at the time, music in the background is sometimes my choice. 

Do I seek out times and places to be silent? With just the two of us in our home, and with both of us being comfortable with silence, I don't need to seek quiet places. Too much noise from people, the TV, and landscaping equipment wears on my nerves. 

I usually have silence in the room when I am composing a blog post (like right now), which really helps me to concentrate better. 

Here is an interesting graphic that popped up while I was responding to this question:

4. Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping...which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put that skill to use today?

I'm okay with not being especially skilled with any of these choices. I relate the most to landscaping since I pull weeds outside every week.

a rose clipped from one of our bushes yesterday

5. Do you lean more towards being too needy or too independent? Which do you find harder to deal with in others? 

If I need help, I'm needy. If I feel confident to do the thing myself, I can be very independent. My answer to this question relies heavily on what is confronting me, my level of experience, and how brave I am with the unknown. 

To be very honest, I'm not all that brave. When confronted with a huge loss a few years ago, I was reminded of God's instruction to Old Testament Joshua. He was designated to lead the Children of Israel (over 2 million people) out of the wilderness after Moses died. 

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid;

do not be discouraged,

for the Lord your God will be with you

wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

The struggle has been real for me, but I am more brave than I used to be. In the midst of my scary stuff, I sincerely thank the Lord for the people He has given to help me: family, friends, marriage to my second husband, scripture, motivational books, articles and websites. 

Gary and me

To answer the second part of this question, I have to remind myself to be patient with anyone who is not in agreement with me. We are all "in process" and should give others our forbearance with their foibles, whatever that may be.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Sharing here a familiar verse that has blessed me countless times. I hope it's an encouragement to any of my readers who may need a boost today:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and 

saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

Psalm 34:18

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

P.S. If you need to post anonymously, please leave your first name or initials. Thank you.

Touching on Pleasant Topics

Today I'm featuring Joyce's questions on the Hodgepodge for Sept. 16: if you would like to link up with your blog, click on the link below.

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/09/hodgepodge-questions-volume-671.html

1. How do you define beauty? 

framed artwork in our home

I define beauty as calm with a respectful reverence that encourages peace and kindness with cheerful colors ranging from bright to subtle. This description can apply to people, landscapes, home design, art galleries and probably everything else.

framed artwork in our home 

Truly, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," because not everything I consider to be beautiful is acceptable to others, and vice-versa.

Speaking of cheerful colors, our puzzle (assembled on the glass table top) is FINALLY coming together. (LOTS of beach umbrellas)

2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

I've never taken an overnight trip by train although I think it would be nice to experience. I'd want my own place to sleep in privacy (as opposed to sitting in the same chair/recliner for the entire trip) and I would want to dine on train food (whatever that is) while watching mountain scenery or water views.

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

I'll go with "in a nutshell." I prefer brief, well-worded responses over long explanations. 

4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

Tacos for lunch on Labor Day weekend

Tacos. You can put anything inside the shell, which makes tacos a good way to use up refrigerator leftovers. I prefer soft flour tortillas over the crunchy corn tortilla shells; but if somebody else is doing the cooking, I'll take a taco any way they want to prepare it.

5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

Both Gary and I have said we didn't think we would get this old! The cards we give and receive are really special.

We like cake and ice cream and do something to make the day special. Sometimes that's a trip out of town, out of state, or just to a favorite local restaurant.

For Gary's first birthday after we got married, we were visiting Sister and her hubby on a road trip. She baked his favorite, German Chocolate, in the form of cupcakes, for us to take with us in the car. That was so nice.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Here is a thought-provoking statement that I have found to be true:

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

True Grit and Comforts

We are told that Wednesday, September 2, is National Grits Day. There seems to be a day for everything. My taste buds read them as "bland." They're not my favorite; but since I am now a "southerner," I do eat them when served. (combined with cheese, they are better)

In my last post I asked if and how any of you have used Chatgpt. The responses have been varied and interesting. I appreciate every one of your comments. Thanks!

my most recent Chatgpt project

Here is my latest project. I asked Chatgpt to picture a woman checking off her To Do List. After viewing their initial drawing, I asked them to change the hair style from long to a bob, change the long-sleeved sweater to a sleeveless top (appropriate for today's hot weather), personalized the items on the "To Do" list, and added a framed photo of my husband with the classic 2002 Ford T-Bird that he purchased the week of our first date. 

It's amazing what Chatgpt can do! On the maybe scary side, Chatgpt knew which initial to put on the coffee mug.

💐   💐   💐

Here are Joyce's Hodgepodge questions for this week. Click on the link if you want to join up with your blog.

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/08/hodgepodge-questions-volume-669.html 

1. What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing? 

Frankly, nothing. My goal during this summer has been to survive the heat and humidity without a cranky attitude. The feeling of relief every time we entered our home after a bike ride has been a sincere sigh of gratitude for air conditioning. 

I look forward to our local weatherman's prediction that (historically) our nighttime low temps tend to slip down into the upper 60s during the first week of September. 

remembering the gold Aspen trees 
in Colorado's autumn
Photo by Lars Leber, Colorado Springs

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be? 

I usually preferred to be in the 2nd or 3rd row. I wanted to be able to see and hear what the teacher was saying but feel maybe less likely to be called on too much if I'm not in the front row. The misbehaving kids tended to sit at the back. I was a well-behaved student and did not want to get caught up in any of their trouble. 

What class might I want to re-visit? Glee Club, harmonizing with the altos.

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)? 

Patience and forbearance, compassion, a good sense of humor, and of course, a thorough understanding and reasonable experience with the subject being taught.

4.  September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as 'having grit'? 

Grits are okay but if given a choice, I prefer hash browns. 

Do I have grit? Nope, not in my own strength at least. The recent past has tested my character with just the stuff of life. Any "grit" I may have has been in short supply. I continue to daily thank the Lord for being my help and my strength, and for giving me Gary to help me think straight when I feel overwhelmed.

As you may already know, Gary is my editor and proof-reader. So when he read the above paragraph, he strongly disagreed. He says I don't let people walk all over me and I set goals and achieve them. That's nice.

5. What's something you're never too old or too young to enjoy? 

A good clean joke. And ice cream. Let's include ice cream.

All customers at Southern Pig and Cattle
get a free ice cream cone with their meals

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Returning to the subject of "grits," earlier this week, while Gary's patience was being tested, he told me that his disposition would vastly improve if I were to make him some Rice Krispy treats. 

They are disappearing fast!

Until next time, grace and peace,

Barbara