Bug, blooms, and a new camera

Spring has come to my backyard. 

Along the side of the detached cement block garage

the previous owner

planted lots of lilies.

Their leaves begin

as sprouts

and then

by midsummer

are

huge bushels of green.

The flowers do not bloom

until

we're in full-fledge summer

and

thinking of fall.

I went exploring with a new camera.

Understand--

I'm not into bugs

and

definitely not spiders.

However,

I became fascinated

with

these inhabitants of my garden

The ladybug.

Now below is an unfriendly pair.

I honestly couldn't tell what they both were

until after I downloaded my pics.

I thought one of them was a spider,

but not wanting to get up close and personal,

I thrust my camera down into the leaves

(on zoom lens of course)

and this is what I got:

Who's winning?

My bet is on the spider,

but the other fellow is not going down without a fight.

I wish now that I stayed longer to see what happened.

Well---kinda---spiders do really creep me out!

Some blooms:

A mix of spring with a hint of summer ahead

and

a weed tossed in for more color.

Ain't Mother Nature grand?!"



My new camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7.

It was a late Christmas present.

They were out of them when my husband went to buy me one,

so he gave me cash for it.

However, one day he was shopping and found this one,

so now I'm playing and learning.

It does well with movement,

which with grandchildren and cats

was an important factor in my decision.

Actually, my daughter did the research.

After a long day at school,

I head out with my new toy.

I breathe deeply

and

explore happily.

 

Corner view: What's for lunch?

This week's corner view is about what we eat for lunch.

At my school, some teachers buy the cafeteria food and others bring their lunch.

There are always several frozen entries in the freezer

put there by the teachers who don't 'bag' it or eat the cafeteria food.

For those who do 'bag it'

the lunch bags or sacks come in different shapes,

 sizes, and colors.

Our teachers' lounge is rather dreary and the chairs aren't super comfortable.

But it's away from the kids and so for thirty minutes we can relax.

However, sometimes I choose to eat in the privacy of my room

sitting in my comfy desk chair

with my feet propped up on another chair.

This is one of my lunch bags. 

I've read that the more color to a salad the better it is.

Mine is quite colorful!

Spinach, carrots, green peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes,

black beans,

sliced almonds, crumbled bacon, and feta cheese,

topped with light thousand island dressing.

I usually use Paul Newman's light raspberry and walnut vinaigrette.

Yum!

My desk isn't usually so cluttered, but we left abruptly last week

due to flood waters, so I need to do some neatening up.

Normally, I don't have dessert, but the counselor,

who's a close friend,

made strawberry pie 

and gave me a piece

with whipped cream on top. 

Delicious!

So that's lunch in my corner of the world.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Joining Francesca at Corner View

A new use for a chip clip and Mike's birthday

A new use for the chip clip!

My son was over Friday night with the four kids.

My husband likes to horse around with the kids,

especially Colton.

Colton loves wrestling and rough housing with his Grandpa.

Mike is careful with the kids---I'm worry about Grandpa getting hurt!

We all got a laugh out of this moment including Colton.

(It didn't hurt.  I tried it before I posted this, so I could be 100% truthful.)

Mike turns 57 today.

He left for Cincinnati on Monday. 

I wanted him to wait until after his birthday,

but he wanted to get there and get stuff moved out.

He just wants this move done.

So I sent his card with him.

I'll cook his favorite meal (liver and onions--that's a yuck from me!) for him when he gets back

along with his favorite cake (German chocolate).

He'll get his gift then also.

He's not a big observer of birthdays--guess because his family wasn't.

However, mine made a huge deal out of birthdays,

 so we meet in the middle.

Off to start my week of school.  Vacation is over!

Easter Sunday, belated Psalm of the Week, and Monday Prayer

 Easter Sunday

I didn't go to church--

refused to be

one of those

who only show up on Christmas and Easter.

Since this new minister has only seen me once

and that was Christmas Eve,

I decided I'd make his acquaintance

next week.

I worshiped the Lord singing "He is Risen"

and listening to a sermon on TV

about the blood of Jesus.

Then I met my husband and his aunt for Easter brunch

at the town's only real restaurant.

M. started last week taking his aunt to her church.

She's finally strong enough to go on short trips

from the nursing home.

He takes her early, so she can sit and visit with her friends.

One of his sisters went to church with Aunt Ruth and Mike,

then headed to a family get-together of her husband's.

The youngest sis met us at the restaurant with her work phone;

she was on call today.

Then Mike and I came home and took a lovely nap.

Here's the Psalm of the Week.

I found these Psalm verses under the heading of "Worship."

I thought that was fitting theme for Easter Sunday.

But as for me,

 I will enter Your house through the abundance

of Your steadfast love and mercy;

I will worship toward and at Your holy temple

in reverent fear and awe of You.

Psalm 5: 7

First church of Ireland

A church in Dublin, Ireland

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

 shall bow down and worship before You.

Psalm 22: 27

The river in Dublin, Ireland

The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship]

of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him,

and He will show them His covenant

and reveal to them its [deep, inner]meaning.

Psalm 25:14

                                   

Give to the Lord the glory due to His name;

worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array.

Psalm 29:2

Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant,

which is for those who reverently fear and devotedly worship You.

Psalm 119: 38

Blessings to you on this blessed day

and

as you get ready to begin the new week.

Since it is Sunday evening, I will move onto Monday's Prayer:

"Because He Laid Down His Life for Me."

from a Stormy Omartian Prayer book

Lord,

Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be my Savior and Redeemer.

Praise You, Jesus for the price You paid,

the sacrifice You made,

and the unthinkable suffering and death

You willingly endured on the cross for me.

Because of You,

I am forgiven and now have made peace

with my Creator.

Thank you for giving me new birth into a life of hope

because of Your resurrection.

You enlarged my path under me;

so my feet did not slip (2 Samuel 22:36-37).

Lord, I thank You that  I have been saved and reconciled to You

because of Your son, Jesus (Romans 5:10-11).

Amen.

-------------God's Promise------------

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again

to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance

 incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,

reserved in heaven for you.

I Peter1:3-4

Spring rain, flooding, and other 'stuff '

Spring is finally saying "Hello!"

We have had an overabundance of rain.

I do wish I could send some out to those like you, Linda

who so need this rain.

School was dismissed at 11AM on Tuesday

and most of us ended up driving through at least some water.

Irritating how they wait to make a decision,

but that's one of the reasons I pay the money to fuel

this hulking metal called a Mountaineer

(second  reason is snow, and the last is my back and leg problems).

I know how to check if the water is too high

and it wasn't, so I drove through and arrived home safely.

Yesterday we were to go until 1PM

getting an early dismissal for our Easter Break.

 We never made it there. 

Flood waters and power outages (including the school)

kept us home.

I was relieved.

They were originally going to have a two hour delay.

I sat with my coffee and shook my head as I listened to the automatic phone message.

A two-hour delay combined with a two-hour early dismissal

would give us three hours of school with classes only twenty minutes long.

Huh?!

A lot of gas burned up in vehicles, especially the buses

for three hours of school

on a day when it was still raining.

Sense somehow crawled out from the corners in someone's brain

and they canceled.

Seneca Lake is flooded folks.

A lot of staff and students live around Seneca Lake.

Flood waters are dangerous.

Seems to me to be a "Duh!" moment.

But then I wouldn't want to be superintendent

or even principal,

so I will ease up.

I'm a bit disillusioned right now.

Can you tell?!

The boy got off without any punishment.

I was told I over-reacted.

I'm letting this halt in mid-writing,

because I don't like saying or writing negative stuff

and I'm still processing.

I've taken it to God

or

"to the throne not the phone"

as Joyce Myers says.

In my case, it's "to the throne not the Internet."

I think I need to get back in a church.

Shudder.

That's a huge step for me.

I've tried and I've faltered.

I will try again. 

Or I should say, I will DO it, not just TRY.

Thanks to the Linda of the need rain zone,

I'm enjoying hymns again

and missing singing them (with others).

I sing them at the computer with a cup of coffee in my hand

while I fellowship with George the cat and God.

However, I'm getting the definite sense that God wants me to fellowship

with flesh and blood ---with folks just like me and some not like me.

Oh what He is asking of me!

I guess Easter is a good place to start.

I'm okay, friends, just dealing with 'stuff,'

but I'm dealing, not sleeping it away.

That's good.

I'm eating right too.

That's good.

I'm exercising too.

That's good.

I'm seeking God.

That's good.

So seriously, I'm good.

Not great, but good.

And  for a sufferer of chronic depression,

good is acceptable.

I'm grateful for "good."

Blessings.

From The Mother's Topical Bible

the chapter "When You Need Personal Comfort"

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

Part of Imperfect Prose on Thursdays

Monday's prayer--Anxiety, Fear, and Discouragement

Lord,

I give all of my anxiety and fear to You,

I surrender my hold on them and release them into Your hands.

I will praise You in the midst of all that happens in my life.

I know that in Your presence I don't need to be anxious or afraid of anything.

I refuse to entertain discouragement

and instead choose this day to find my encouragement in You.

Your love comforts me and takes away all my fear.

Your power in my life gives me strength and makes me secure.

Thank You for giving me the courage to go forward

and fulfill the destiny You have for me.

Amen.

---------------GOD'S PROMISE---------------

This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,

and delivers them.

Psalm 34:6-7

From a Stormy Omartian prayer book.

Blessings to you all as you begin this week.

School and the Psalm of the Week

This was a good week at school in many ways.

I stood up to the rudeness of the young fellow English teacher,

telling her that I was not going to work with her

if she continued to talk to me rudely.

She momentarily bristled.

I stood my ground

letting her know I was not going to scold her or run to others;

I was simply going to remove myself from working with her.

Eventually the principal would wonder; she knew that,

and she also knew that since she has talked rudely to him

he would look to her first as the problem.

He also knows that if I've done something wrong and am called into his office,

I will 'confess'.  I will not lie or sidestep.

I will admit when I'm wrong and am open to constructive criticism.

I am one of the few in our school who is like this.

Her treatment became much more respectful

and my week was shaping up to be a good one.

Then Friday came.

Second period.

The "bad boy club."

They behaved and did their work well,

so I gave the class five minutes of free time.

I watched these particular boys closely as I sat with a group of girls.

They were in a far corner talking.

But apparently one had come up to the table behind me to get a Kleenex and blow his nose.

I didn't even realize anyone was there; I was listening so intently to a girl.

Until ------

I felt hands caressing my head and roving through the strands of my hair.

I jumped up and whirled around in record speed.

My right arm was raised and my hand was a fist ready to strike.

(We legally have one reactive punch, and that's what it would have been).

I stopped the fist in mid-air.

The words hissed out of me.

Something like:

Don't you ever touch me!  Keep your hands off me!

You are NEVER to touch me!

You get the drift.

His buddies in the far corner had their mouths open and their eyes wide.

The girls were shuddering and had horrified expressions on their face.

(This guy is repulsive in that his thoughts are filthy as in perverted not dirty as in hormonal).

It did not help matters that he had a leering grin on his face when I first turned round.

That changed to being a bit surprised at seeing my fist

and my aggressive stance and attitude.

He put both hands palms up in front of himself

signifying surrender.

I told him to get out of my room.

He did; then the bell rang.

The principal was not there.

A referral slip with a separate letter awaits him Monday morning.

That's all I will say for now.

Oh, I guess maybe one more statement: I have been in more danger

here in this tiny country school than I ever was in the huge urban one.

Here's the Psalm of the Week.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord,

He is my refuge and my fortress; my God is Him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,

and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with His feathers,

and under His wings shalt thee trust:

His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night;

nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

A thousand shall fall at thy side,

and ten thousand at thy right hand;

but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see

the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the Lord,

which is my refuge,

even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For He shall give His angels charge over thee,

to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands,

lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thous shalt tread upon the lion and adder:

the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon Me,

therefore will I deliver him;

I will set him on high,

because he hath known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him:

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him,

and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him,

and shew him my salvation.

Psalm 91: 1 -16

I guess you can figure out why these verses appealed to me this week!

The last photo is of my dad getting read to perform his last ministerial task:

the baptism of two of his grandchildren and his daughter-in-law.

My dad lived a long life and was always grateful for God's salvation.

He taught me that salvation,

so I thought this photo appropriate.

I ran from God for a little while this weekend,

so this post is late.

But I'm back in His Arms.

Blessings to you all.

Cats and good news

George likes to lie behind his 'buddy' and keep an eye on his work.

This was the night before Mike left for Cinci.

It's just been the cats and me the last few days.

Mike will be home tomorrow.

We're looking forward to seeing him.

George loves to lie partially on the sheets and partially on the quilt.

He likes this set up so much better than after I make the bed

and put the cats' blanket over the bedspread.

Scruffy loves to lie on any clothes of ours. 

Well, I have news. 

The  new water valve was installed several weeks ago.

The plumber friend said it was not needed, but the building inspector said it was.

The appraisal for our house was good,

and

the couple's loan was approved.

Lastly the termite guy sprayed today.

Mike asked him if there were termites. He said we had to have it sprayed regardless,

as part of the sale agreement, but he was curious; he didn't think there were any.

The guy said there were no signs of any.

So that was a significant chunk of money the building inspector cost us

just so someone would think he was doing his job.  Oh well.

The best news is that we close on the house May 13th

and hand the keys to the couple then.

The house is sold.

Hallelujah!

Rain and flooding

You are about to witness a typical spring day in Noble County

in

southeastern Ohio.

It rained continually today after a night of sporadic rain.

Our school is built in a low-lying area that floods easily

because of a large and significant creek that runs through our section of the county.

They should have dismissed early, but didn't---it was supposed to stop.

Our buses had to go through water to get to the elementary and middle schools.

The above is a picture of part of our playing fields (football, track, and baseball, softball).

It's taken from my car obviously.

I decided that since I would not 'melt' I should get out and take pics

minus the raindrops on my car window.

The above picture is of part of the football field. 

The church in the background in on the same lane

that leads to our elementary/middle school building.

This one came out with an odd shade to it, but it's a zoon in on the e/ms building.

No softball or baseball games or practices! 

There is a section of Seneca Lake that is closed off from the main part.

Several farms surround this area.

  A road to the right of this small section,

which leads to the farms, floods easily.

A swamp area at the end of the enclosed section of lake.

This swamp leads into a woods that leads to the pasture where the cabin is

that I've featured before. 

For those of you who remember my photos of the cabin I pass every day,

this is the bend near it. 

The swamp/wooded area is to the right of the road and  before the bend.

I worry about getting to this spot before it's covered.

I can turn around and go home in the mornings,

but in the evenings,

this IS my way home.

This is a tpical field I pass every day.

I passed many spots like this one on my home tonight.

With my side mirror in the pic, you can see that the road is level with the field.

As for tomorrow, a lot of us are hoping for a two-hour delay at the very least.

I could use the entire day off.

Thanks for the prayers.  Today was better.

Blessings to you all.