Florals, Food, and Faith

 

Bougainvillea

From age 8 to 16 I lived in Southern California where Bougainvillea grow with abandon. At that time of my life, I was more interested in geography (the beaches in Venice, Santa Monica, and Huntington and winter snow in the San Bernardino Mountain areas of Big Bear Lake and Crestline). 

Years later as a young adult, circumstances led me to spend a summer at Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of Santa Barbara. We were driving parallel to the Pacific coast when I spied Bougainvillea growing up the outside wall of a seaside cottage and then spread out over the roof. It was very striking. Now these many years later, that sight remains a vivid memory. 

a scene from my post on March 5th

The flower petals are sort of wrinkly, and thin, much like tissue paper, in clusters. They come in many shades of reds, pinks, and orangey-salmon.

I've never had one in my yard, in part because I've lived in more places where Bougainvillea can't survive the climate than where they can thrive. 

Years ago Pastor Chuck Swindoll referenced Bougainvillea in one of his sermons, stating this plant has sturdy sharp thorns with runners that can grow underground, piercing bare feet in the grass. The plant is said to be difficult to handle without gloves. I choose to enjoy this plant in the yards of others.

My Yard Boy and I had to make another trip to the nursery this past week. After pruning the freezer burn from the plants that took such a hard hit from this winter's unusual cold, we fertilized what was left. In our fervor to boost plant growth, I forgot we're not supposed to fertilize the Blue Daze. Feeding them resulted in a quick death.

Blue Daze

Our conversation with one of the nursery employees, revealed that Blue Daze is more like a weed, which means you plant it and then ignore it, please. It can thrive on its own, thank you! I used to know that, but had clearly forgot. We bought 8 more and Gary planted them. 

It's nice there is something in our yard that does not need our devoted attention. As Gary likes to say, "There is a secret to growing grass in North Central Florida -- but I don't know what it is!!" 

This is true. There are several kinds of grass from which to choose and all of them seem (to us, anyway) like very fickle women who are hard to please.

waning white rose (on the right)

The beautiful flower arrangement that some of our children sent for my birthday has been a real delight. As the days passed, I gradually removed the faded blooms from the vase, but kept the 3 milky white roses until their petals began to fall off. The transition from white-white to this lunch sack shade of brown has been beautiful. It has been a wonderful illustration of how some things develop a special charm and even elegance with age. We should all hope to be as lovely as an old rose as our birthdays accumulate!

But with that said, eventually the roses were falling apart (like people 🤭), so I had to discard them along with the dried up and turning - to - powder Baby's Breath. What remains is this hearty flower that reminds me of lemon cake frosting. I don't know what this flower is. There were white carnations in the original arrangement, and they were bigger and shaped different from these yellow blooms. 

the mystery flower

Do any of my readers know what this yellow flower is?

afternoon treat at Wendy's

Moving on to the subject of food..... this week was my annual eye exam. These appointments, even for the most healthy of eyes, take FOREVER with a lot of waiting between tests. But after two hours, all came out very well. A Wendy's is next door to the eye doctor's parking lot, so Gary treated us to vanilla Frosties.

The next morning was the weekly Ladies' Bible Study I attend. It was the last session until late May, so we were encouraged to bring finger foods. It was not a sumptuous feast, and more was added after I snapped this picture. But it was enough and very good.

Grape and cheese kabobs

My neighbor, who rides with me to the study, brought these kabobs, which I thought were really great: cheese and grapes skewered with a decorative toothpick (a little longer than the teeth-picking kind). Colorful, not at all messy, and festive. 

My contribution was more of a craft project -- you had to work for it. 🤭 Assuming there might be a lot of sugary treats for this occasion, I wanted to balance that out with some protein. This individually-wrapped Babybel gouda cheese was perfect.

I say it was like a craft project because you first tear away the orange tissue wrapper. Then you grab the red tab and pull off a strip of the red plastic that encases the cheese, which easily releases from its case. There's no mess, it's got a satisfying salty taste, and is only 70 calories.

It is Palm Sunday weekend as this post is published. Both the plant kingdom and food are major players in the Biblically historical events we are observing. 

Palm fronds (or branches) were used like flags to enthusiastically wave as the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus into the city. 

some of the several palm trees in our yard

The crowds welcomed Him with great enthusiasm for not only the many miracles with which He had blessed them, but also because they thought He was the King of the Jews who would set them free from their oppression by the Romans.

The Last Supper by Da Vinci
(Unsplash)

A few days later, Jesus met in a private room with His twelve disciples for what would be their last meal together. Within hours after this meal the horrendous happened: He was betrayed by one of His own and summarily killed by crucifixion before a raucous crowd of those who had hailed Him as their king earlier that week!

God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son

that whosoever believes in Him

shall not perish

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

I, like everyone else, am a sinner. I hold to the belief that Jesus' death on the cross paid the price for my sins. Because of this conviction, I know I'll spend eternity in Heaven. It's that simple. 

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

-------------------

For further devotional reading, visit The Christian Lounge at

https://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com

The Days of Our Lives

Yes, we sprang forward last weekend. Gary typically changes our clocks in late afternoon/early evening on the Saturday of the time change weekend. I applaud his efficiency, but then I have to do simple math the rest of the evening to keep track of when it's bedtime! (By the way, is "sprang" a word?)

Joyce asked on her most recent Hodgepodge where her readers like to do their blogging. My answer to that would be on our lanai, although I also compose these articles from my desk in the guest room and also at my recliner in the living room. 

When I began composing this post yesterday afternoon, I was in the green wicker chair on the lanai, with a good rain storm pelting the back yard patio, just a few feet from where I sit. One of the windows was open just a few inches, which brought in a cool breeze onto my sandaled feet. 

"Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain." I am not telling myself "what a fool I've been;" but often when we do get a good, hard rain, I think of that song from my teen years. 

Gary slid that window closed and handed me a mug of hot chocolate. He always floats one of those really large marshmallows, too. I know this snapshot (below) isn't 

especially pretty because I impulsively began to stir the chocolate before snapping the picture. I want you to see how large this marshmallow is. Note that it's square, not round. It's so big that I stir it around in the hot liquid in an attempt to melt/shrink it down just a little so I can get it into my mouth! 

If you are a lover of marshmallows, as we are, you must get a bag of these. Note: in Publix these are found in the candy aisle, not in the baking aisle with the bags of smaller marshmallows. Why? I dunno. But I wanted to share that in case you go hunting for them.

Castle Rock, Colorado

Before I get into my news of this week, I must refer you back to my previous post, "Recent Activity and Observations," (click on title to see it) where I was describing what one can see at the base of that huge rock.

me in October 2015

My [very] long time friend, Loraine, was visiting me from out of town in 2015 when she and I hiked the dirt trail around and around that mountain to reach the base of the rock, the "cleft," if you will. After reading my blog post, she texted me about it and between the two of us, we came up with these snapshots taken that day.

Hiking sticks in hand (a necessity, by the way!), Loraine and I asked another sight-seer to snap our picture. We made some good memories during that visit. We met in 1968 in kindergarten in youth group at our church, not long before each of us got married.

World events are interesting of late, wouldn't you agree? Those of us who have read Biblical prophecy over the years can't help but think about how the current status of things in the Middle East fit in with scripture. 

I am among most evangelical Christians who believe in the Rapture of the Church.

(from Google) The Rapture is an end-times event in Christian theology where believers (both living and deceased) are suddenly "caught up" to meet Jesus Christ in the air, receiving glorified bodies and escaping impending earthly tribulation. Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, it is often viewed as a "blessed hope" of salvation and resurrection. 

I will leave it to my readers to research this belief. It is fascinating and very encouraging (but terrifying if you don't believe and it turns out to be true).

frost damage to our palm trees

Getting back to local current events, much of Central Florida took a real hit with the freezing weather over the past month. The weather has warmed up to summer-like temps (it's actually a little early for that) and professional landscapers have advised it's okay to start dealing with the frost damage.

"before" the trimming

Note the brown leaf fronds of the 2 palm trees. The lower fronds needed to be removed, but they are too high for Gary to tackle. See him sitting in the shade while our tree guy hauls in his ladder to do the work for us.

trimming in progress

We've got several ladders of varying lengths but not one as tall as this one. I'm glad of that. Gary loves to tackle things like this but even he realizes this is a job for someone younger and more agile.

some of the trimmings

Besides the huge palm fronds, there are these surprisingly heavy seed pods that look (and feel) like heavy spears. When trimmed from the tree, they fall hard. Those watching from the ground need to be out of the way to avoid injury. If/when they split open, they have a ca-jillion seeds that make a real mess on the ground. We try to cut them out before they get to the point of splitting open.

The team of 2 men who did this for us were quick, efficient, and perhaps most important, very experienced. And, they cleaned up the fall-out thoroughly! Gary gave them each a bottle of cold water and a nice tip in addition to their fee. It was worth it to us. #gladthatsdone

It's been an eventful week here. I had to wait an unusually long amount of time to get the last of the required paperwork for filing my taxes. Finally, this week that matter was completed and I'm getting a small refund! Yay!

We had Newbie Neighbor over for a slice of pie. She came down here to escape the frozen north only to have to brave frozen Florida. But even with that said, I think (and hope) she has not given up on living nearby. We had such a good visit getting better acquainted.

"It's simple. My nurse blindfolds me, I spin around
a few times, and then I try to reattach your tail."

Some medical things came up with me, this week. None of it was life-threatening but fairly immediate attention was needed, so I'm thankful my doctor saw me at day's end and I'm on the mend. 

self-portrait of son and the Lil' Red-haired Girl

Touching on the subject of health brings me to thoughts of aging. One of my sons is a professional graphic artist who has created many greeting cards for me over the years. This piece was done a long time ago. Now he illustrates medical procedures for insurance companies, among other subjects. Both he and his wife (the "Lil Red-haired Girl") are quite clever with their talents. 

Yes, another birthday is fast-approaching for me. I am reminded again to be thankful for every day God gives to me and to use this time both wisely and well. It can all come to an abrupt end for every one of us. 

Teach us to number our days

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

The Christian Lounge features an occasional devotional article from my pen. Check out their site.

https://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com/

Recent Activity and Observations

 

Bougainvillea at one of our local nurseries

"For, lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone..."

Song of Solomon 2:11 KJV

Here in Florida we are hoping to get more rain because much of the state has been in a severe drought status with low humidity, next-to-no rain, and as a result, a heightened fire danger. 

But with that said, it appears the unusually cold spells are behind us. (we hope!!) We lost 4 bushes in our back yard, in spite of diligent efforts to cover the plants. Gary dug and pulled them out of the ground and replaced them.

Pittosporium Variegated

When we went to the nursery to buy replacement bushes, we chose 4 of the same thing and got assurances from one of the employees that Pittosporium Variegated is very cold-hardy. Actually, we already knew that because the one in our front yard has not suffered at all. I had snapped a twig from it to take with us to the nursery. It was just good to have a professional verify our own conclusions.

after the transplanting

This picture (above) shows 3 of the 4 bushes planted yesterday, where other bushes did not survive. As you can see, the palm trees suffered frostbite, too. The palms are alive but the branches will be dealt with another day. 

The river rock that replaced the bark mulch a year or so ago is serving us well. Water is expensive here in Florida, so we've put in as much rock as our HOA will allow, leaving less grass to irrigate.

Let's see..... what else have we been up to lately?

Gary had to deal with one of the sliding windows in the lanai that had become contrary. It is so good to have a capable man who takes satisfaction in keeping the home in order.

Have you noticed that I'm not posting as many really good snapshots of people (close-up, full-face) as I used to? While AI is very helpful in some respects, we've seen on the news how AI is also increasingly used for unseemly purposes, misrepresenting people in unflattering even immoral ways and compromising identities. Until the general public finds out how to avoid that, using discernment with our people photos seems to be the best course of action.

Betty Crocker's recipe

I baked chocolate chip cookies the other day.  They are all gone now. I married a Cookie Monster and (true confession here) wives don't let their husbands eat cookies alone).

a library book we both enjoyed

Our trips to the pubic library have continued. As I've said before, Gary tends to pick up books about World War II. He's read about aircraft, tanks, artillery, infantry, and ships, along with biographies. Most (if not all) of his books are about what actually happened (as opposed to fiction). 

These books are interesting studies in not only war tactics but also the character of humans. The saying, "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind when we talk about what we've read. I've learned a lot about life (the good, the bad, and the ugly) as I've picked up his books when he is finished. 

Last month the Shalom Club in my retirement community invited this lady to do a monologue of Corrie Ten Boom. She did an excellent job. Some of you may remember the movie of her story, The Hiding Place, that came out in the 1970s, as well as the book by the same name. I've since then read yet another book on her life, The Watchmaker's Daughter. 

keeping my hands busy 

Podcasts. I don't usually enjoy watching them because, just as with telephone calls, I don't like to be tied down for so long. But lately there have been some I really did want to see. I've discovered that is an excellent time for me to enjoy coloring with pastel pencils. And if I want, I can take notes on what the podcast is saying. 

Castle Rock, Colorado

Facebook posted some pictures of my former "home town" (2013-2017). I'm sharing 3 of the photos here. I think this picture was taken on the side of town where I lived, looking toward the east and sunrise.

This view is facing west, with the foothills transforming into the Rocky Mountains beyond the Rock. My house was somewhere to the far right beyond the Rock. I have climbed to the base of the Rock several times with the more athletically-inclined of my guests. We stood under a large overhang of the Rock, which gave us a panoramic view of Interstate 25 and much of the town below us. As you can see, it is the prominent feature of this "bedroom community" of Denver (20 miles to the north).

Yes, people can climb to the very top of the Rock, but that required more athleticism than I had.

At all times of the year, the views of the Rock and from the Rock are striking. Standing at the Rock's base, there is so much to see and observe: traffic on the Interstate, train cars winding their way from north to south, other hikers, the clouds, Pikes Peak 70 miles to the south, and how the sun creates shadows as it moves across the sky. 

I am reminded of the perspective God has of humans populating earth. He sees what we're doing but even more so, He sees what we are thinking, our attitudes, our intentions.

Scripture says this:

The Lord searches all hearts

and understands all the intent of the thoughts.

I Chronicles 28:9

From heaven the Lord looks down

and sees all mankind;

from His dwelling place He watches 

all who live on earth --

He who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do.

Psalm 33:14-15

One can read these verses and feel judged, but not all of our thinking is bad. The fact that God sees into my thoughts encourages me. While people can (and often do) misjudge us, God knows what is really going on between our ears. 

God really is on our side. When we mess up, He's right here to guide us into the right ways. When we "get it right," He sees that, too. 

I hope this encourages you. Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

P.S. Check out The Christian Lounge for more uplifting thoughts: http://thechristianlounge4u.blogspot.com

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