Sweet Pleasures...

When the Lord God created the earth and all it's living creatures...

He did it for His glory and our enjoyment as well as our use

well...I sure did enjoy finding this sweet baby dove...

sitting quietly under the banana trees...

waiting for mama and papa doves to bring food

it is very rare to find a fledgling dove as they hide so well

I didn't linger too long so the parents wouldn't hesitate to come back quickly

we've got pineapples coming along

the pineapple blooms are growing into fruit...

and soon, they will lose their lovely pinks and purples as they mature into yellow-orange

the zinnias are going full force...

and since most of the flowers are in a favorite pink color of mine...

it behooves me to pick a few for my table on the veranda to enjoy

the roses are giving their beauty under the veranda...

I'll keep them on the bushes and once they pass their prime and wane...

and as the younger rose buds come up...

and delight with the promise of full blooms...

I'll pick the petals from the old roses...

and scatter them in the breeze for the chickens

while the chickens like the rose petals...

they ignore the zinnias...

and I always pay attention to what my chickens will and will not eat

they usually know what's good and what's not

so, I take advantage of this and bring my pretty zinnias...

to my veranda table for the pleasure of enjoying God's creative work

The works of the Lord are great,

sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

Psalm 111:2

May your day or night find pleasures in the sweetness of my Lord's grace.

Drinking Roses...

Roses are first cousins to the apple

and while the rose hip, the fruit that comes after the blossoming...

is what is usually used to make teas and such...

I do like to use the petals for making rose tea

the deeper the color of the rose...

the more flavorful the tea

when the rose has reached it's peak...

I snip off the flower and pull the petals apart

the deeper the color, the more vitamin C the rose contains

to make my black tea fragrant, a handful of petals is thrown into a jar with the black tea

clean water added...

and the jar set out in the sun to steep till sunset

at the end of the day, I've got rosy colored fragrant tea

easy to heat up or drink iced and sweetened with raw honey

please do, have a cup with me

Truly, the children of God can say with joy...

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them;

and the desert shall rejoice,

and blossom as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly,

and rejoice even with joy and singing:

the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it,

the excellency of Carmel and Sharon,

they shall see the glory of the Lord,

and the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 35:1,2

May your day or night blossom as the rose in God's grace.

A Little is Enough...

When my husband and I downsized to almost bare essentials...

I kept a few things to keep the cottage from looking too bare

after all, I do like my home to be a little cozy...

and I do like pretty things to see when inside the cottage

on our cottage veranda...

we have a small bookcase that houses some favorite books...

like my Jane Austin novels and Little House on the Prairie series

the top of the bookcase is my good excuse for keeping a vase of flowers...

a couple of old books and a nest that once kept a tiny bird that fledged

because I share the cottage with my husband...

frills are not overdone...

but, I love to see a pretty lace covering on the top

my roses are blooming again...

and the pale pink looks awful nice with the color of the terracotta vase

I love colors but...

when it comes to my cottage interior...

the neutrals and the creamy whites with just a splash of green or blue...

do the trick for me

never taking my eyesight for granted...

I thank my God for giving me the blessing of seeing the beautiful things in the world...

such as His nature from the garden

May your day, or night be blessed in God's grace.

Unmoveable...

This little rose fell off it's stem...

and I suspect my husband picked it up and laid it on the stairway gate

I couldn't let it go to waste

unlike this tiny rose, I cannot be moved

whatever else shakes this earth...

He only is my rock and my salvation:

He is my defence;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory:

the rock of my strength,

and my refuge, is in God.

Psalm 62:6,7

May you find grace this day, or night in the Lord.

A Rose is Better...

Sometimes...

I don't think before I act

something I did in posting the flycatcher video...

the story of a little bird that lost his mate but, gained a new one

although there was nothing graphic or unsavory in the video...

it had a sadness that can give to more sensitive viewers...

I apologize

there was no intention on my part for the disregard of anyone's feelings...

therefore, the post was taken down

if you are interested in seeing it...

you can click the link to take you to the video of The Flycatcher on Youtube

as I said, there is nothing graphic on it...

just photos of my documentation of the flycatcher bird seeking his mate and finding a new one

I think a pretty rose is so much better to offer you on my blog...

so let me show you my newest rose

the fragrance is strong and heavenly...

garbed in a soft medium pink

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord;

that walketh in His ways.

Psalm 128:1

May the Lord give you grace this day, or night.

Hooked...!

I admit it...

I'm hooked on roses...

I thought the pale pink ones would be my favorite among my roses...

but, this pink makes me take a second look

peek-a-boo...

glad you're not blue...

because I think...

I like this pink

really...

this is their true color

ah yes, Shadow dear...

at least, you have clean teeth

so, what did I do with the two roses above?

why, I couldn't help myself

they couldn't be allowed to wallow outside in their beauty all by themselves

the terra cotta vase was whipped out and filled with muessanda, mint...

and of course, the deliciously very pink roses

beautiful roses brings beautiful words of God to mind

the love the Lord Jesus Christ has for His church is captured beautifully

in Solomon's Song in the Bible

I am the rose of Sharon,

and the lily of the valleys.

As the lily among thorns,

so is my love among the daughters.

My beloved spake, 

and said unto me,

Rise up, my love, my fair one,

and come away.

For, lo, the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone;

the flowers appear on the earth;

the time of the singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land...

My beloved is mine,

and I am his:

he feedeth among the lilies.

Solomon's Song 2: 1,2, 10-12, 16 

May the Lord color your day, or night in rosy sweetness by His grace.

Roses & Honey...

When I picked up my latest rose bush at the nursery...

I had no clue what color would burst from this bush

well...

I now have my answer...

and isn't it just gorgeous?

so I'm a sucker for pink roses...

any shade of pink will do

and may it bloom more roses in the near future

if you haven't done so...

please do leave a comment on any of this week's posts to enter the drawing for...

Pilgrim's Farm raw honey

you only need to enter once

tomorrow  (Saturday, Feb. 18) will be the last day to enter

we will do the drawing this weekend...

and the winner announced on Monday, Feb. 20

you can enter from anywhere in the world...

as long as your country accepts gifted imported raw honey

please check with your postal or customs service to find out

and also tomorrow, I will post showing the actual jar in the drawing...

which is not the one in the above photo but...

it's just as nice and is re-usable as a preserve jar

May you have a beautiful day, or night by God's grace.

Underneath My Cottage Stairs...

are some of the Lord's loveliest creations

3 months ago, I planted a second rose bush to keep company with my first bush

these are the first roses my newest bush has put out

they first bud in deeper pink...

and as they bloom...

the deeper pink fades to a paler shade...

and the roses become dressed in soft pink petals...

as if ready for the flower show ball

lovely in their young state...

the pale pink fading...

aging with beautiful grace...

as they become a creamy white...

before they drop their pretty petals...

one by one

let me leave you with a creature just as lovely...

a sweet dove who let me come so close...

I could reach out and touch her...if I had dared

isn't she gorgeous?!

May your day, or night be graced with the loveliness of our Lord Jesus Christ.