Picture This!!
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The bird is a Whimbrel according to my bird nut DIL & DS.
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Wren is right, it's a whimbrel.
Nancy, I was out last night and was taking photos, then clouds came over and spoiled things
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Thanks Wren. a Whimbrel. Never heard of that or seen one before I'm sure.
Lisa, you still got some GREAT shots. I never did get to see the really red color when I kept running outside and looking without a coat on. Is this your new camera? If my MRI is good news after tomorrow's scans I think I want to buy that 125x zoom that Nikon put out. I was going to buy in Sept and it kept going out or stock. If I have to have surgery then I doubt if I will be buying it any time soon.
I guess I'll have to wait for another three years for another moon like that one.
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Nancy, I pray that your MRI scan results are good news and you have peace.
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Thank you Aussie. I did get my MRI results and I don't need another neck surgery so that was a big relief. It doesn't really answer questions for some of my symptoms but the specialist did say she could order some PT for balance for me since this has been one of the symptoms that is concerning as I have fallen a couple of times. It removes one challenge off the table so that is a step in the right direction. It is just frigid temps here now. I may post some butterflies for things to come!!
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Nancy, I'm so glad you don't need another neck surgery!! I pray that the PT helps your balance and you don't have any more falls. Keep warm. We are having heatwaves here in Melbourne.
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Thank you Aussie. I haven't consent to PT yet but I probably will.
I went out into the very cold yesterday but I hadn't taken any pics for a long time. I was able to drive and get out of my car and then get back in the heated car. It wasn't too bad. I was driving through out local arboretum.
Aussie maybe we could negotiate and you can have some of our cold and we could have some of your heat
.This little hawk didn't mind the snow but wasn't too thrilled about me and my camera!
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Love that you are back at it Nancy. Especially love the last photo...
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Thanks Lisa. I like that one best too. I simply used a filter which I liked.
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Nancy, well done for braving the cold and taking photos. Great photos! It would be great to exchange some of our heat with your cold. I do prefer it hot than cold though. I hope you and Lisa have a great week.
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Thanks Aussie. I guess I like somewhere in between and I guess that would be San Diego, right Lisa.
Thanks Joanne. The oak trees always make for a nice winter scene. I am snowed in today so nothing happening here. It is a snow day for the schools and my snow guy doesn't come until around 11 pm on some days. UGH. No swimming for me today. I could do housework but I don't want to. LOL What is that famous saying from Gone With The Wind. I'll do it tomorrow loosely translated.
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Bandwoman, Do you know what kinds of trees those are? I love both of them.
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Wren, I am really not sure but they have different sections with particular trees. I looked back in my pictures and the sign in front of the last tree said Beeches and Maples. I am guessing a Beech. The red colored leaves I was guessing was an oak tree but again I am not positive. It was so cold I was taking some pics from my car and was more concerned about some car coming up behind me on the route. This arboretum has many very interesting trees and plants not normally seen locally.
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Here is an interesting photo of a muskrat mound. They build these mounds to protect themselves from predators as they can only access them from underwater. I am curious what those footprints are from. Muskrats hybernate during the winter. The sun reflecting around this mound and on the ice made a cool picture. (No pun intended)
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Nancy, it is indeed a cool picture!! Well done. I pray you keep warm and at peace.
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Thanks Aussie. Looks like staying inside for the next few days is the smart move with the very dangerous temps. Stay cool.
Nancy
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you are right Nancy. San Diego climate is the best
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Thanks, Nancy.
Here are a couple of photos from when I went to the beach a month ago. The first is where we swam, the second is a beach I saw on the way home.
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In the 2nd photo, are the rocks there naturally or were they put there by people? They look volcanic in the photo.
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Aussie, looks fantastic. I guess I will have to live vicariously through your photos as we have no oceans near us in the Midwest. I can imagine the feel of sand under my bare feet. As we brace for possibly minus 50-60 windchill tomorrow it is a nice diversion.
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Wren44, I don't know about the rocks specifically but they look like they were put there evenly by people to protect the land from the sea and/or to stop erosion. We don't have any active volcanoes in Australia but apparently there were some active ones before European settlement.
Nancy, thanks!! It took us about 2 hours to get to Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. We have closer beaches in Melbourne but they're not as nice. I'm sorry it's so cold where you are and I pray you keep cosy. We are supposed to have a cool change in the afternoon but it still won't be very cold.
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This beach is 25 minutes away and rarely has
many people. I love it.
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Lisa, that is beautiful! What a blessing to be so close to it.
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Lisa, how nice to have a beautiful beach so close. I braved the cold today even though I had vowed to stay inside in this dangerous weather. At around 1 pm it had warmed up to -18 according to my car. My neighbor said early this morning it was -23 when she took her sister to work. Wind chill in Chicago is -44. I am in a suburb of Chicago. There was no school on Monday, and out today and tomorrow. This is VERY unusual. My photographer friend was going to experiment with frozen bubbles and photographing them. I might have tried it but did not have any bubbles to start with. (Nice excuse eh?)
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I was searching for how does one guard their heart as the Bible asks of us. I thought I would share some
gems that I found.
Love,
Nancy
7 Ways to Guard Your Heart
by Mike Mobley
Vigilance is defined as the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. That's exactly what God calls us to do with our hearts. We are to pay extra attention to our hearts and watch them closely. There will be dangers and difficulties we will for sure face in this life, and we should be ready.
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." – Proverbs 4:23
Jesus has done everything for us. Literally, everything. We are forgiven for all of eternity. What He did on the cross and how He rose from the dead was enough and will always be enough. And now as followers of Jesus, let's remain loyal and faithful to God in everything we do.
The springs of life…where someone does all thinking, feeling, and choosing doesn't come into our hearts from external circumstances, but rather flows out of our hearts through the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, what you do reveals your heart.
Jesus has already done everything for us and we are forgiven for all of eternity.
Here are 7 ways to guard your heart:
1. Protect Everything That Comes In
Everything is competing for our time, money, and resources. Just turn on the TV or go anywhere and you'll quickly be hit with anything and everything that wants your attention. Music, videos, sex, books, language, power, money, and pride are just some of the many examples.
We need to use wisdom in what we allow into our hearts. We only have a limited time each day to make much of God, so what are we being influenced by, listening to, or looking at?
Train your eyes to look away from lust. Listen to wisdom instead of folly. Protect yourself from harms way and a culture that is anti-God and replace it with things that are Godly. Your heart will then remain protected.
2. Persevere In The Face Of Difficulties
Difficulties are going to happen in this life. They have to. That's the product of a sinful world filled with sinful people. It's not a coincidence that God lines out multiple things for you to do while following Him. Reading the Bible…daily, praying consistently, sharing the Gospel with others, and spending time in solitude with the Lord are just some of these.
There will be times that you don't feel the Lord's presence or feel like He is listening to your prayers. Persevere! Trust that He is always completing a good work in you. Believe that the Lord will prevail, in all things. As you persevere, you will continue to grow in Godliness and your heart will be strong.
3. Follow What The Lord Is Leading You To Do
Everyone is different. We all have different skills and desires and that's a good thing. God has made us different, intentionally. He calls us to follow Him in so many different ways. Some of us will be pastors, teachers, EMTs, stay at home moms, musicians, mechanics, writers, or baristas.
What is God asking you to do? What do you desire and just can't stop thinking about? How do you want to serve the Lord with that desire? Chances are, that's the thing God is calling you to do. Trust Him and go for it! The longer you quench that desire, the more strain you are putting on your heart.
4. Cultivate An Atmosphere Of Community
When we are adopted as sons and daughters of the one true King, we come into a family and are sent on mission. This involves people. There's no way to follow Jesus in isolation, it flat out doesn't even make sense. If Jesus says by following Him, you'll be a part of the Church and you'll make disciples…that does not translate to – just have your personal isolated relationship with me and you'll be fine. We need people. We need community.
Your heart needs people constantly pouring into you, and you need to be pouring into people. There's a constant flow coming in and out as you love and serve others. People need to hear about Jesus and you need to grow in the Lord with your family that you'll be with for all eternity.
5. Keep Priorities High And Do Not Compromise
There's wisdom in keeping our priorities. Of course, those need to be the right priorities to begin with, but nonetheless…keeping them is a big deal. What can happen (and its happened for me many times) is that we let the day dictate our priorities instead of our priorities dictating the day.
God, our family (spouse, children, etc.), work, and so on is an example of an order of priorities to keep throughout the day. What we might be tempted to do is to lower one throughout the day or elevate one too high. God might be the last thing on our list (we may not say that, but the way we live declares that), or we might elevate our kids to "god status."
Yes, we love and serve one another, but not to the extent of compromising the priorities and values the Lord has given us. Once you make a little compromise here or there, you begin to add toxicity to your heart. The good news is that if you keep them, your heart will grow in wisdom.
6. Trust The Lord With Rest
We live in a culture that is so fast paced, chances are you might have spent about 30 seconds on this page, and then you'll be off to the next one. Productivity is elevated above all else and people are praised for getting things done. While we run around like crazy, we often forget this is bad for our hearts. We are also telling God we don't trust Him in the process.
When we rest in the Lord (including taking a full day off), we are declaring our dependency on Him. We are admitting we can't do life on our own. If you think about it, your body needs sleep for a third of the time you are even alive! Not only that, how do you think you fall asleep or even wake up in the morning? That's only because of the Lord.
Whether you need to start observing the Sabbath, or just need to take a deep breath and let the Lord do the work instead of you, be encouraged to trust Jesus and rest. Let your heart rest. The yoke is easy…the burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)
7. Preach The Gospel To Yourself Each Day
This last one sums up everything above and couldn't be more important. The Gospel isn't just a "one time" thing and a ticket to heaven, but something we all need each and every day…really every minute. The second we take our eyes off of the cross we forget who we really are. Our hearts need to be reminded that while we still sin, we are forgiven, redeemed, and are children of God!
As you start your day with this truthful reminder, you'll have no choice but to glorify God in everything you do because you'll find it so ridiculous that you get to do anything at all!
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Nancy, I'm sorry it's so cold there. Keep safe and warm.
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Thanks Aussie. Relief is on the way thank goodness. Today my car said a balmy -6 and I even went swimming but it was SOOOOO cold getting out of the water. I feel much better after getting my lap swim in so it was worth it.
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Nancy, you were brave to go swimming when it's so cold!! I hope you got warm quickly afterwards. I'm glad you felt better after getting your lap swim in.
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Thanks Aussie. I am having a lot of nerve pain in my arm now. Not sure what is up with that but it is keeping me up at night. I have another MRI of the brain on Valentine's Day. (Feb. 14) I will be doing some PT for balance but have not set that up yet. I am finally going to be getting away to see my family since I was sick for so long over Christmas and never got to see them. We are having a warm up now which most of us are thrilled about after the horrible cold.
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Nancy, I'm sorry you're having nerve pain in your arm and I pray it gets better soon and that your MRI goes well. It's great that you're going to see your family. Do you have to travel far? I'm glad your weather has warmed up and I hope it stays that way.
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