March is here, spring is coming, things have been happening

Greetings Friends, hope you are all doing well. It's been a busy time for me. House and garden projects. Right now we are in drought conditions.  This January was the driest on record in 129 years. I've been moving and grouping potted plants closer to house for ease of care and ease on the gardener.

I've been blessed with help from my church family and am so thankful to God for them. Trees trimmed, a couple of indoor projects, a new computer, prayer, love, encouragement. I have been going to this church for two years this month. (The church I had been going to had closed it's doors during covid.) The worship music is wonderful, the messages are all Bible based, I go to a ladies Bible study/prayer time on Wednesday mornings. The people are loving, caring and fun. They welcomed me in and became family to me. God led me there and they were just what I needed. God has given me more people to love since Mark is no longer here for me to love.

 In January, my 21 year old Maytag washer finally wouldn't spin any longer. I had already replaced the belts twice in the last 10 years since Mark has been gone. I googled Maytag washers and found one out at Lowe's, which is west of me by about 20 minutes or so. I had gone to the church to help take down Christmas decorations, but the work was already done by the young pastors. A few of us ladies were there to take care of this and all that was needed was some clean up. 

I was in a bad way, really missing Mark, my last barn kitty had not been doing so great, and that morning I couldn't find her, I had a feeling she was 'gone'. she was 17. I called for her several times and did a cursory look, then left for the church. I got there all weepy, and a friend asked me how I was and I broke down. Then I talked with one of the young pastors and told him about my washing machine and googling and finding one out at Lowe's on sale. After a few minutes he said, Do you want to go out there? I said, Now? he said, Yes, it will be an adventure. I needed an adventure. We had good conversation on the drive.

We checked out a dent/ding place to see if they might have Maytags but they didn't, then we headed on out to Lowe's. Well, we got there and on the floor they had 2-3 different Maytags and I was reading the specifications, trying to make a decision, and finally went with the one I wanted in the first place. It was marked down from $799 down to $549. It was loaded into the van, then we headed back to the church so I could get my car and he picked up another young pastor so they could take out the old washer (and take it away) and install the new. I love the new machine. It is working great, is much quieter. I got out my credit card to pay and the young pastor who had taken me to Lowe's handed me some $ and said here this is to help pay for washer. He and his wife had set aside $ to help someone and I happened to be that someone right then. I was flabbergasted and thankful at the same time. Below is my new machine. Maytags always had a reputation for not needing a repairman, and the old one did last for a little over 20 years. This new one has a 10 year warranty. ;-)

Below is the rubber tree which is close to the house and had limbs overhanging the roof, not good. The rubber tree is also overhanging the driveway.

 

 

What a difference. There are new leaves starting to sprout out of the top but for now, there is no shade.

Next is the Melaleuca tree which had two huge limbs hanging over the workshop. This company did a great job cutting back both of these trees and having that done is a huge burden off of me.
 

Ok, that's it for now. I am still learning how to use the Gimp photo editing program, and it is taking me longer to edit and create a post. I do NOT like PSP Pro (paintshop pro) at all and I paid for it. Gimp is FREE!!! My dear Mark told me about Gimp years ago and it was a learning curve back then. I had PSP 2 and used that up until I got new computer with windows 10 which would not take the old program. Gimp is getting easier the more I use it and see what all it can do. It's just taking longer.

I have more to share but my eyes are tired and I need a break from the computer.

Thank you all for prayers, love and encouragement. It means a lot. God has been taking care of me in so many ways, big and small and I am thankful.

Enjoy your week. Be thankful. 

FlowerLady

 

Before the month of celebrating love is over...

Greetings from Plum Cottage, hope you all are having a nice February. Temperatures have been in the mid 80's, a.c. is on. We've had a few 'cold' to us days down here, but not enough to say we had 'winter'. The cooler temps make one feel more alive.

I did nothing to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. Being by oneself it just isn't the same. ;-) I just wasn't in the mood. The next day after my ladies Bible study/prayer group which meets every Wednesday morning, the pastors took we widows to lunch at the Olive Garden. There were 7 widows and three pastors. We had good food and conversation and much laughter, which we all know is good medicine.

Valentine's Day morning a widow friend of mine sent me a beautiful prayer she had received in a devotional that morning. I want to share it here before this month of celebrating love is over.

 "Dear God, Help me today to understand what love really means.

I need a love that’s big enough to include all of us. Big enough for the dating and engaged couples, of course, with their giddy daydreams of a future together. But also big enough for the married folks, whether their passion for each other is still blazing brightly or barely more than a smoldering wick. Big enough for the singles toasting their independence, and for the singles wishing someone would come along and make that independence disappear. For the lonely and widowed and brokenhearted, I need a love that understands, a love that welcomes in hurt and sorrow instead of excluding them. The love I need more than anything is Your love. Without Your love, no other love will ever be sufficient. And with it, every other love becomes richer and truer and more life-giving than it could have been otherwise. We have learned all our best loves from You: the love of faithful friends, of spouses and significant others, of parents and siblings and children. Love that commits. Love that sacrifices. Love that lays down its life. You authored each of these loves, taught us how to recognize them and long for them and give them away. Our best efforts at Valentine’s Day are just a fraction of the wholeness of love.

Today, let everything I see remind me of Your love. Let today be a day for love. Real love. Big love. Your love. "

--------------------

 God's love for us is amazing, it is never ending, it is deeper than we can ever imagine. As Jesus, He gave His life for us so that we might have life everlasting with Him. Where there is no pain, sorrow, death, sin, only LIFE BEAUTIFUL LIFE to the fullest. He wants a loving relationship with each one of us, He seeks us, call us, hopefully we hear His still small voice wooing us to come to Him. There is so much in the world to drown out His voice, and that's when we must be still and listen. Just be, just breathe, wait and believe.

Below is 'Angel Face' so beautiful in color and scent. Just one of God's beautiful creations to make our hearts rejoice.

 

I'm still learning how to use the art programs. Complicated until I learn them. PSP (Paint Shop Pro 2023) I am not happy with at all. Photo above was using GIMP, and it is a FREE program.  We live and hopefully learn. It's never to late to learn.

I hope to be posting more often. I've things to share just need to get into my new computer to write, edit, etc. Things have been happening here.

Enjoy the rest of your week. 

Be well, be happy, be thankful, be forgiving, love & encourage others.

FlowerLady