My neck of the woods....

Hello. I've been gone for a few days. I was under the weather with a sinus infection, stemming, I'm sure, from all the peanut hay that's been cut in the surrounding areas. I finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. Z-packs are amazing!!! After only two doses, I feel back to 95% this morning! Thank you, Lord!

So, with only two days of this week left, I wanted to be sure to post something. These are photos of wild flowers I took on my way home from work last Friday. I pulled off the road to shoot these out near my house. Where I live there are still lots of woods, wild animals and wild flowers. It's beautiful out there and very unpopulated, which is what makes it SO appealing to us!

Hope you enjoy them and they brighten your day in some way.

I thought it was so pretty the way the purple and yellow played off each other.

The red berries against the green leaves has me ready for Christmas to arrive. I can't wait to share pictures of my gorgeous holly tree with you this winter.

I know these are just weeds, but God made them and they are so pretty and delicate. And should we value them any less? Who knows, to some, WE may be "just weeds"!

These little white blooms with the red buds were so beautiful and they must be sweet because they were covered with bees. I was brave and took the shots anyway and the bees just make the pictures even more special.

Bright, sunny and cheerful, aren't they?

.......and dainty little pink ones......

These next ones are from around my yard

.....from my rose bushes that line the fence row in my front yard....

These are on a little bush in my flower bed. The butterflies LOVE them.

I chased this little guy around for several minutes before I finally got him in a shot. He works fast!

This was a pleasant surprise! When I planted these last year I had no idea they bloomed!

I find beauty in the strange and unusual, and these blooms are definitely....strange and unusual.

These are shots of my Mexican Heather. Do you see the bumble bees in both pictures? In the early morning and late afternoon, the chorus of the multitude of bumble bees is nearly deafening! Gives a whole new meaning to the term, "whistle while you work"!

Then, there's my Periwinkles. I love these little flowers. They remind me of my grandmother. She always had them in her flower beds in Cocoa, Florida. My grandmother had the most beautiful yard. She had roses of every size and color, lilies of different varieties, lots of different fruit trees and even a banana tree, and of course her Periwinkles. There were pink ones, white ones, purple ones and even some striped ones that always reminded me of peppermints!

I can't understand how some people say that they don't "experience" God and His gifts in their everyday life. I know I could name many ways that He has blessed me with gifts! Today I am thankful for:

The gift of my sight - so that I might see all the beautiful colors in the flowers He has made evident in my world that present themselves along my daily travels.

The gift of touch - so that I may enjoy hugs from my children, a kiss from my husband, and the soft, fluffy affection of my kitties.

The gift of smell - so that I can breath in the salt air at the beach, enjoy the aroma of love-baked goodies at Christmas and the fresh cut grass around my warm and inviting home.

The gift of sound - so that I can hear my family's laughter, so I can be a good listener to my friend's needs and concerns, and so I can whole-heartedly enjoy the melodies of those He has blessed with great musical talents.

The gift of taste - so that I can taste and know that life is sweet, that I might enjoy a hot, soothing cup of coffee with a dear friend, that any food taken in amongst family and friends is most savory, and to acknowledge His sacrifice as I partake of communion.

So, you see, my friends, even in the busyness of your lives, you must slow down enough to see all the gifts we so often take for granted in our daily lives. He and His gifts are abundantly evident, if we'll only see them in the little things. We should never take anything for granted, for EVERYTHING we have is a gift from our Heavenly Father. He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Praying you have a blessed day as you recognize the blessings in YOUR life.