June

“How did it get so late so soon? 
Its night before its afternoon. 
December is here before its June. 
My goodness how the time has flewn. 
How did it get so late so soon?”

~  Dr. Seuss

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Can you believe it?
June is here and 2014 is nearly half way over!

When I think of June, I think of summer.
When I think of summer, I think of grilling out.
Burgers and corn on the cob, anyone?
(last night's dinner :)

JUNE
~by Francis Duggan

It's beautiful, the summer month of June
When all of God's own wildflowers are in bloom

And sun shines brightly most part of the day

And butterflies o'er lush green meadows play.

Lighthearted skylark songster of the wing

High o'er the quiet and lonely moorland sing
 

source

Above her nest cloaked by the tangled heath

Her charming song so exquisitely sweet.

So mellow the gentle breath of June day breeze

The birds rejoicing on the leafy trees

And dappled trout in pool bed of the stream

Bask in the sun their spotted skins agleam.

God gave us June and all her lovely flowers

Bright sunny days and pleasant evening hours

Shady green glens and serene sunlit dells

And leafy bowers adorned with blue bluebells.

But God, June's maker has the final say

And what He gives, He also takes away

And God's own larks will trumpet in the sky

To celebrate the birthday of July. 

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I hope you have a fabulous first day of June!
Blessings,

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Amaze Me Monday

Oh, the stories they could tell...

Happy Day-After-Memorial Day!
I hope that you all had a nice long, enjoyable weekend!

Today I am joining up with Roan at Rubbish Tuesdays.
I love anything old and rusty!

I took these photos last summer and wondered how I would ever use them in a post.
Enter, Rubbish by Roan!

Most of you know that my hubby and I travel back and forth

between our home in NC to our home-away-from-home in VA...

...I know I mention it a lot...

...but there are so many more cool (and old) things in Fancy Gap!

Anyway, these old vehicles are on the property of The Mountain Man,

a general store of sorts, right across the NC border in Cana, VA.

(click on the link to get a look of what he has to offer)

There you can find everything from fresh peaches and other produce,

to country hams, fireworks, whiskey barrels...

...almost anything you could imagine...even homemade vittles!

I'm pretty sure that's just food...remember the Beverly Hillbillies used to eat vittles.

And believe me...this guy is a real, authentic mountain man.

I mean no offense, but I was actually petrified a bit afraid of him at first.

He's actually a very nice, Christian man :)

Anyway, like I said, these vehicles are all lined up next to the woods on his property.

I have admired them for several years and finally last year,

I got brave enough to ask permission to traipse into his field and snap some pics!

Can you just imagine the history behind them?

Who were the folks who traveled in them?

What were their stories?

Wouldn't you just love to know?

More than likely, their owners are no longer with us.

But if they could speak, can you just imagine the stories they could tell?!

 Stories of happiness...possibly stories of tragedy.

Maybe a little of both.

No doubt, at one time, they were someone's treasure.

Have a great week!



Honeysuckle

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. 
He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:2

Honeysuckle Hunting

~by Heidi Mordhorst

It could be anywhere.
We stand stock still and sniff
the green breathing of daisy, vine and leaf.



Ears pricked and noses high,
we listen for the drowsy hum
of yellow golden honey.

There, on the fence!
We'll steal it from the bees,
pluck a tiny trumpet blossom,



pinch the end with finger and thumb,
like biting the vanilla-dripping tip
of an ice cream cone.



Slowly, slowly, draw it out--
pull the stamen through, tongue poised
to catch one crystal drop of sweetness.



Did you ever suck the juice from a honeysuckle bloom when you were a kid?

Surely heaven will be overflowing with honeysuckle! 

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Amaze Me Mondays

Sharing His Beauty

Fancy Gap Fences



I really like a good fence, don't you?

This one is six feet tall and separates my yard from my neighbor's.

Actually, no one is living next door at the present time.

But it's still a nice fence...that is, if you don't want to see your neighbors...

...if they lived there.

This past weekend, we were at our cabin in Fancy Gap and let me tell you,

I was never more aware of all of the fences!

Today, I'd like to share a few of them at Theresa's Good Fences link-up.



This little waterfalls is part of the creek that runs along the gravel road.



This is the same part of the fence, as you come down the road.

The creek is on the right, through those trees.

Directly opposite the creek on the other side of the road,

 is a hill where some friendly cows always are usually grazing.

They must have thought I had something good to eat.

One by one, they all came down the hill to see me.

They gave me dirty looks when they found out that I had nothing to offer them.

So...here are a few more random shots from around the area.



I loved finding this old fence all covered with twisted vines.

...and finally, I loved the quiet sense of peace I felt when I came upon this place.



It was a beautiful weekend in Fancy Gap.

So, until next time...

Give Me Jesus

This is an edited and re-titled version of an early post, shortly after I started my blog.

I actually had to go back and re-read it because I needed the message for myself. 

The past few days have been pretty emotionally draining for me...

...a little family drama.

But God is good and He's already working on it!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3


Morning. Even before the sun makes it's way above the horizon and shows it's face...

...it is my favorite time of the day. 

It's the only time of the day when everything is new.

A fresh start.
A new beginning.

How many times have you gone to bed with a heavy burden on your heart?

Maybe even cried yourself to sleep?

Your world seems to be crashing in around you and the answers you need just don't come.

You pray for peace.

You awaken when it's still dark...
...just the way it was when you finally were able to restlessly drift off...

...with the tears on your pillow.

But there's just something about the morning.

Somehow, something seems different.

Somehow, even though you know that the burden is still there,

it doesn't seem quite as heavy.

Something has changed.

Your spirit seems brighter...your countenance, more peaceful.

There seems to be hope now.

What happened while you were sleeping?
How did things change during the night?



Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Jesus came to you while you were sleeping.
That is what happened.

Sharing here:

Living from Glory to Glory
Sharing His Beauty
Grace at Home
Spiritual Sundays

Sky Shots: A Note Card Collection

Hello friends! I hope you all are having a great week so far!

Each month, I look forward to linking up with Vee's Note Card Party!
It's always great fun to see what others are going to be sharing, don't you think?

 It seems I got a little ahead of myself as I was rushing around getting my post ready.
That was last Tuesday.
I was ready to hit the publish button when I realized...
 ...I WAS A WEEK EARLY! :[

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So...the other day when I was going through my files, I realized something...

...I have taken A LOT of photos of the sky.
 

When I was little, I remember getting a blanket and a pillow and lying on the grass...

...just gazing up into the clouds through my sunglasses...not a care in the world.

Reflecting on some of the days that I have been having lately,

I can help but think, wouldn't it be wonderful if life was that carefree again?

 (sneaking in this pic of me doin' my thing :)

And speaking of sunglasses, that brings me to my first shot.
 

I took this through the front windshield...and through the lens of my sunglasses.

Not to worry, my hubby was at the wheel :)
 

This one is also from that same road trip...without the sunglasses filter.

 

Then there are those times when you're at just the right place at just the right time.

Here's how it works...while sitting at a stop light, roll passenger side window down...

...extend arm, camera in hand...click.

Finally, this was an unexpected gift on my way home from work one evening.

It almost appears that the woods were on fire, doesn't it?
It was all I could do to keep my eyes on the road.

Do I scare you? (lol)

~*~*~*~

So remember...take some time to look at the sky.

And always keep your camera handy...OR...you just might miss something!