...SUSAN'S SPACE

TREES SINGING BEFORE THE LORD

(Photo taken yesterday of trees ablaze in our backyard.)

"Let the heavens rejoice,

let the earth be glad,

let the sea resound,

and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant,

and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest

will sing for joy;

they will sing before the Lord."

--Psalm 96:11-13

*****
May the glory of the Lord
endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice
in His works
He who looks at the earth,
and it trembles,
who touches the mountains
and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord
all my life;
I will sing praise to my God
as long as I live.
May my meditation
be pleasing to Him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
--Psalm 104:31-33

HAPPY 20th B'DAY, OCC!

For the past 20 years, Operation Christmas Child has shown that there's power in a simple gift. It is demonstrating God's love in a tangible way to millions of children around the world.

The concept of Operation Christmas Child began on 10 October 1990, when Dave and Jill Cooke of Wrexham, Wales were watching a broadcast on Romanian orphanages. They asked the question: How can we help the real victims, the children, who live in these situations day after day? They knew they could not stop the wars, but they could offer something – the gift of love. Together, they filled a convoy of nine trucks with medical supplies, food, clothing and Christmas gifts for children, and headed into Romania, which had recently been devastated by war. This was the beginning of the world’s largest children’s Christmas program.
In 1993, Franklin Graham, International President of Samaritan’s Purse, adopted Operation Christmas Child. Since then, more than 61 million shoe boxes have been delivered to hurting children in more than 135 countries.

(Please mute Playlist before watching video)

Get in on the excitement!

Fill a shoebox (or two, or a dozen!) this year!

LOOKS LIKE FALL AROUND HERE!

The cute ceramic basket below was a gift from (& painted by) our daughter Jami.

This still life of corn, pumpkins and squash was painted by my uncle, Ralph Howell.

The last pic below is of a corner of the Deacon bench on our front porch. When my hubby went out to take a picture, he spied a woodthrush sitting there taking a 'time out' (which means he had bumped into our picture window, & was catching his breath on the bench below). After a few minutes, he was fine, and flew away. Notice also the muddy little footprints on the bench left there the night before by a curious animal investigating the ears of corn. There's always some type of critter activity around our house. LOL

Hope you all are enjoying this fall season!

I'll be taking a break from blogging for awhile,

but hope to return soon.

SCRIPTURE for SUNDAY

Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Jeremiah 32:17

The Lord has established His throne in the heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:19

Sovereignty and Freedom from John MacArthur.

MEMO TO SELF.....

REFRESHER COURSE

FOR THOSE WHO THOUGHT THEY

KNEW EVERYTHING

*****************************************
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used

as a substitute for Blood plasma.
*****************************************
No piece of paper can be folded in half
more than seven (7) times.

Oh, go ahead..I'll wait...
******************************************
Donkeys kill more people annually
than plane crashes or shark attacks

******************************************
You burn more calories sleeping
than you do watching television.

******************************************
Oak trees do not produce acorns
until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.

******************************************
The first product to have a bar code
was Wrigley's gum.
******************************************
The King of Hearts is the only king
WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
******************************************
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987
by eliminating one (1) olive
from each salad served in first-class.
*******************************************
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

(Since Venus is normally associated with women,

what does this tell you?....
That women are going the 'right' direction...?)
********************************************
Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at

waking you up in the morning.
********************************************
Most dust particles in your house are made from
DEAD SKIN!

********************************************
The first owner of the Marlboro Company died

of lung cancer.
So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.

********************************************
Walt Disney was afraid
OF MICE!

********************************************
PEARLS MELT
IN VINEGAR!

********************************************
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...
but, not downstairs.

********************************************
A duck's quack doesn't echo,
and no one knows why.
********************************************
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush
be kept at least six (6) feet away from
a toilet to avoid airborne particles
resulting from the flush.

(I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)
********************************************

WELCOME, AUTUMN!

Our chipmunks have been so lazy this summer! We've only seen a few, but now, they are all over the yard. I had really missed having them running in and out of the back porch! A few of them will take peanuts out of my hand, & some climb up on my feet to get the peanuts. If I can ever remember to take the camera out with me, I'll try to take some pictures to share!

Even Maxine is getting ready for Fall.....

Yay! We stopped at the big Farmers' Market outside Atlanta yesterday afternoon, and I finally found a white pumpkin, and a few other interesting pumpkins & squash! Hopefully, they'll inspire me to get going on decorating the house for Fall!

BIKER BILL, (& JEFF & ALAN)

On Labor Day weekend, Bill, Jeff & Alan took off on their bikes to ride the famous (or should I say 'infamous'!) 'Tail of the Dragon', near Robbinsville, NC. The first pic below shows only a very small portion of the many bikes that were there that weekend.

Here's Alan & Jeff in front of the Deal's Gap sign...

The picture below is of Alan & Bill in front of the 'Tree of Shame'.
Started some time in the 80's by a group of Harley riders, it is a makeshift shrine to those bitten by the Dragon, & is composed of parts left behind by riders who weren't as fortunate as those who have slain the dragon.
Many put their name, date, and a little saying on a part before they add it to the tree to immortalize their dance with the Dragon.

Bill & Alan & the 'Silver Fox'.

I'm happy to say that they had a safe trip.

It is not a place for novice (or foolish) riders!

*****

For more information, check out:

Deal'sGap.com, or

TailoftheDragon.com

9-11

WISHING YOU A DAY LIKE THIS...

Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

This is the life!!!!

(This is kind of the way I feel about these

cooler temperatures we've been having

here in the mountains!)

GOOD INTENTIONS

I meant to do my work today --
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Poem: Transgression by Richard Le Gallienne

1866-1947

Art: Beneath the Apple Tree, Daniel Ridgway Knight

1839-1924

GREEN EGGS and sHAM

I do not like this Uncle Sam,

I do not like his health care scam.

I do not like these dirty crooks,

or how they lie and cook the books.

I do not like when Congress steals,

I do not like their secret deals.

I do not like this speaker Nan ,

I do not like this 'YES, WE CAN'.

I do not like this spending spree---

I'm smart, I know that nothing's free.

I do not like your smug replies,

when I complain about your lies.

I do not like this kind of hope.

I do not like it.

Nope,

nope,

NOPE!

Go green - recycle Congress in 2010!

*I have no idea who wrote this little poem, so cannot give credit.

Pretty clever, though!

*****

"It is not that liberals do not know anything,

it is that they know so many things that are not so."

~ Ronald Reagan

*****

SEA SHELLS

We're back at home now, after spending last week in Florida. (Most of the week at Cocoa Beach). I've been busy sorting sea shells, so thought I'd share the results with you.
Left picture below shows a group of Jingle shells (also sometimes called 'Mermaid's Toenails'). Picture on right is a large group of beautiful, irridescent Pen shells.

Isn't this a gorgeous array of Florida beach shells? Most of these were collected by my cousin, Toni, on S. Fla. beaches. The two groups of small shells & the little crab shell shown at the top of the photo below are from Cocoa Beach, collected by Justin, Jeff & Bill.

Last year, we found quite a few perfectly intact cockle shells, but this year, not the first one. I've had fun sorting these, & am in the process of planning a shell mosaic (or two, or three).

There are tons of seagulls & small brownish-black birds at the beach, but I was a little surprised to look out & see a crow perched on our balcony railing! (Do you suppose our pet crow followed us here from NC??) These photos came out pretty good, considering they were taken from inside our room, through sliding glass doors.

Even with the scruffy tail feathers, he's a beautiful silhouette against the blue ocean & sky!
He returned again & again when I put some pieces of bread on the railing.

Wings up for balance on the skinny railing, or ready for a fast getaway!

We always love spending time here. (Thanks, Lisa & Jeff!) It was breezy all week, and the weather was perfect!

COCOA BEACH

We're having a great time this week at Cocoa Beach.

Favorite cousins, Toni & Johnny were here Mon. & Tues.,

& today, grandkids Alan & Amanda are coming over.

Picture below is the view from our terrace.

I'll be back to blogging again in a few days.

HUMILITY

I am reminded of the man who said to his friends,

"I have been trying to be humble, and at last I've succeeded!"

The friend said, "Well, I know you must be proud of that!"

The man replied, "I SURE AM!"

Humility is not attained by human effort.

We have to be humbled by the Spirit of God.

--J. Vernon McGee

(Please mute Playlist first)

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
--1 Peter 5: 5 & 6

TOO COMPLICATED!

Does anyone remember the simplicity of the sixties?

Do you sometimes think our lives are just becoming

too complicated?

It's exasperating!!

Wishing you an uncomplicated week!

S: )

VERTIGO!

Blogging has been minimal lately, as the old VERTIGO bug has bitten me again!
If you've never experienced an episode of vertigo, I hope you NEVER do!
It's been two years since my last one. The following three pictures kinda give you an idea of how much fun it is! First, you're just standing still; your life is moving at a normal pace.

Then, all of a sudden, the room starts to spin, and you have to hold on to something to brace yourself.

Sitting down sometimes helps a little, but lying down doesn't!!. In fact, it gets worse if you close your eyes.

Please don't look at this graphic for more than a glance, but can you imagine staring at it for hours? That's kind of how my brain feels.

The good news, is that vertigo usually goes away as mysteriously as it began. Today seems a little better than yesterday, so I'm hoping it's clearing up!