Porch Rules

Even though summer hasn't officially arrived according to the calendar,
it feels as though it's in full swing here in my neck of the woods.
We have really been enjoying our outdoor space recently.
Of course, it doesn't just have to be summertime to be able to enjoy the front porch.
Fact is, the cooler seasons are quite enjoyable as well.

I still have to pinch myself when I walk out of my front door and on to the porch.
It only took over twenty years for my dream to become a reality!
These photos will remind you of the recent transformation.

But if you want to come visit with me on the porch at my house,
there are several rules that you are expected to follow.

Yes, I'm afraid so...and here they are.
You must...

...sit a spell...

...and feel free to kick off your shoes (as I have) if you like...



...sip a cool drink (or have a cuppa something)...

...I prefer iced tea in the summer...

...relax & unwind...

...reminisce about the good old days...

...make some lasting memories...

...maybe read a book...

...(of course, this is optional)...

...feel the breezes...

...and believe me, you relish any breeze you can get in NC in the summertime...

...listen to (and watch) the birds...

...enjoy the views of today...

...and of each passing season...

...and if you're really feelin' it, maybe even take a little nap...

...the glider is actually quite comfy...



...and dream...

in color...

...or do you dream in black and white?
~

So to review, here they are again...the porch rules.

Of course...if you'd rather not obey them, it's your choice...

...but why wouldn't you want to?

No rule breakers here!

:)

Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

Enjoy your week my friends.

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Amaze Me Monday

Saying Goodbye to May and a June Hodgepodge

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF JUNE!

May is nothing but a memory as we make our way into the halfway point of 2016.

Can you believe it??

~

Our beautiful local strawberries are just faint memories as well.

The ones in the grocery store just don't compare.

What is more beautiful than a juicy, red, ripe strawberry?
~
And since this is Hodgepodge, I guess anything goes, right?
So I'm sharing some photos of this lovely specimen.

I was walking down the driveway one evening with the dogs and it fell out of the tree on my head.

I had lived here almost 20 years before I knew what they were.

It wasn't until I googled it (of course) that I discovered it was a bloom from a tulip poplar tree.

And if you know anything about me at all,

you surely shouldn't be surprised at all that I did this with it.

~

So what else does one add to a hodgepodge post?

How about a goat, a rainbow and a fence...all in one photo.

 

So on to the Memorial Day weekend...

The highlight, other than having a 4-day weekend, was a visit from my Tennessee bunch!

Olivia was on a mission to get her ears pierced now that she will be in the second grade next year.

That was how old her mommy was when got hers pierced and she was ready!

She requested that Mawmaw (that's me) be present during the event...so off we went.

It all happened so fast, she didn't even have time to flinch!

She picked out the cutest earrings, don't you think?

 ~

And what's a Memorial Day holiday without a little red, white and blue dessert?

Okay...let's get on to the Hodgepodge questions, shall we?

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

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar.

Well, I would if I could...but as of this moment, I have absolutely no plans to do anything fun.

Of course, my idea of fun may be traipsing through a field of milkweed, chasing butterflies.

As a matter of fact, I do think I noticed some blooming a few days ago...

...so I just may be having some fun this weekend :)

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year? 

I don't spend a lot of time in the sun but when I do, I'm probably not as careful as I should be.

 I usually burn at first then tan (a little) but never get to that desirable golden color.

 I have never seen a dermatologist...shame on me.

3. Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'? 

I had to think hard on this one and honestly, I don't know that I ever have had those feelings.

I am an eternal optimist and even though there have been MANY, MANY storms,

nothing has ever caused me to lose all hope.

Thank you, Jesus.

4. What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics? 

I love the Carpenter's music so it would probably be "Rainy Days and Mondays"...

...even though most of my Mondays are usually no worse than any other day of the week,

 and I really do like rainy days...as long as they don't go on and on.

5. Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin? 

Berries are probably my favorite fruits and I'd say raspberries would be at the top of my list.

I have never made Jim or Adam a birthday cake...they get PIE...black raspberry to be precise.
Black raspberries don't grow well around here so we try to get them when we visit Ohio or Virginia.

Since Adam was here this weekend and since we will not see him on his birthday in July,

he got his birthday pie a few days ago :)

Although I do love a good blueberry muffin, Cracker Barrel's blueberry pancakes are the bomb...

...for breakfast or just about any time you have a hankerin'!

6. What's something you want to do before your next birthday?

I am always setting weight-loss goals and never making them happen.

Shall I try again???

7. June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here. 

Let me just say that I am blessed in so many ways, beyond anything I could ever deserve.

One of those blessings is this community of bloggers that I have been a part of for almost 3 years.

I truly appreciate each one of you and consider you my friends.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
My thoughts throughout the week have been on our precious blogging sister, Vee.
It kind of amazes me that I can feel such sadness for someone I've never met.
As I mentioned above, our blogs really do connect us to each other's hearts and lives.
May she continue to draw comfort and strength through our Heavenly Father.

~
So head on over to Joyce's...



...and see what the others are saying!

Playing with Light (or the lack thereof)

 pho·tog·ra·pher

fəˈtäɡrəfər/

noun

noun: photographer; plural noun: photographers

a person who takes photographs, especially as a job.

~

I don't consider myself to be a photographer,

but according to Merriam Webster, I do fit the first part of the definition...

...a person who takes photographs, as most of us bloggers do.

And yes, there are some of you who do officially fit the whole definition

 because you either take photos for a living and/or get paid for your work.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's the photographer in me (and again I use that term loosely)

that notices how the light plays on certain objects at certain times of the day.

No matter what I'm doing, it makes me want to run and get my camera.

The evening sun sets through the woods in the backyard and when it's in that golden stage...

 

...it sets the leaves aglow, creating the most beautiful effects.

And as the sun continues to sink lower in the sky, the rays seem to set the woods on fire.

I have been waiting for this pink knock-out rose to bloom so I could distinguish it from the others.

I had bought several small ones with no blooms and failed to mark them according to color.

It opened up during a rainy night and I snapped these on the dark, dreary morning after.

I was using a manual setting so I could adjust the light due to the lack of sunshine.

This is the same bloom a few hours later.

As I said, it had rained the night before,

 leaving everything covered with little water droplets.

Have I told you how much I love little water droplets?? :)

I thought so.

So it sounds as though the sunshine will be absent for the rest of the week around here.
I love little water drops but enough is enough.
And I have seen that a few of my northern friends are still getting some snow!
Come on, now!
~
But it is what it is...May...and I guess anything goes.
And so, my fellow photographers, enjoy your week and go out and find your light,
be it rain or shine...or even snow :)

Oh, Me of Little Faith

"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  

Matthew 6:28-33

Yes, it's me...emerging out from under the Epic fog...

which as it turns out, hasn't been that terribly foggy after all.

~

I actually feel a little silly...quite foolish, really...

to have fretted so much over this transition like I have.

I don't remember the last time that I dreaded something so much as "going live" in Epic.

The apprehension was real and the little training that I received was quite daunting.

I was told by my supervisors that Epic was going to, and I quote, "rock my world"...

...and not in a good way.

At age sixty-one, who really needs their world rocked, anyway? 

~

So last Monday morning, after very little sleep the night before,

I entered my office and this epic new world.

A very nice and quite funny gentleman (from the big hospital) named Robert was my helper.

Right from the get-go, I knew everything was going to be alright.

Upon our introductions, and after he surely noticed the uncertainty in my expressions,

I apologized to him right up front about the "dummy" he was going to be working with.

These were his words to me, said with a big grin,

"Hey, I'm not worried about a thing Ms. Debby...I've got Jesus!"

I. Kid. You. Not.

Well, of course my response back to him was, "Yeah, I do too!"

(even though my countenance at first didn't show it)

The ice was immediately broken and in just a few short moments,

most of my fear and doubts just kind of disappeared and I began to feel somewhat confident!

Yes...oh me of little faith.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
 for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  
James 1:6

The fear of the unknown and not really wanting to change is what was messing with my faith. 
I know that fear does not come from God, but from dark places that still reside within me.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach,
and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  
James :5-8

I have no doubt that Robert was placed there by the Lord...just for me on that morning.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

Proverbs 3:5

Of course I have much to learn about all of the workings of Epic as we move forward,
 but I am still in disbelief somewhat that the transition has gone this smoothly.
All of that worry, self-doubt and apprehension was not called for.
Lord, help me in my unbelief!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 4:6-7

So instead of letting Epic rock my world, I will be remembering this verse:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.  
Isaiah 26:3-4

I found this song which describes me to a tee.

Thanks for all of the prayers and kind words of encouragement, my friends :)

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