Oh, Deer!

Good afternoon, Everyone!

This is my first Friday off with the new work schedule and I'm lovin' it!  💗

First thing this morning THIS happened...

Deer in Our Backyard

A female deer walked across the street in front of our house, right past my office window, circled around the house, made a loop through the backyard, then, took off down the alley that runs next to us. 

There She Is Behind The Propane Tank

She seemed to be on a mission and, obviously, knew where she was heading. Even though this was our first time of seeing her, something tells me, that this isn't the first time that she's visited our yard. 

A Deer on a Mission

It was AMAZING!!! I mean...living in a rural, farming community, and working at Prairie State Park, we see deer all the time, but this is the first time that we've ever witnessed a deer in our own backyard! What a gift! 💗

Not Her Best Side For Sure But, Still, Utterly Amazing!

And, by the looks of things, I'm guessing that this is a mama deer with young hidden out near by! How exciting! 💗

I wish this little mama and her offspring well and, hope, that someday, we'll get to see her again! Maybe her offspring, too! 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Home Management Monday - June 8, 2020

Home Management Monday - June 1, 2020

Five on Friday - Butterflies

Home Management Monday - June 8, 2020

Good Monday Morning, Everyone! 💗

My new work schedule starts today, so I worked ahead on this post as I could throughout the week and am hoping to pull it together in time to send it out this morning before I leave.

How was your week and weekend?

Our week was okay here, but the weekend was a difficult one, to say the least, and there's no delicate way to say what happened. A family member's girlfriend died while camping at the park where I work. She had health issues, yes, but was so young...only 47. Please be in prayer for Gina's family, friends, and loved ones. 

Other than that I'm not even going to try to recount the week. At this point I really can't even remember much about it, other than it was incredibly hot. Let's just move right on into this week's post, shall we?

Purple-headed Coneflower Growing In Our Garden

I awoke to...

... an early alarm after a somewhat fitful night.

What I'm thinking...

... about how short life really is. Use your time wisely and take care of those God-ordained relationships.

What I'm thankful for...

... family, long-time friends, good health, God's merciful hand of protection, the promises found in His Word, my job, my new work schedule, and the new responsibilities that go with it.

On the breakfast plate...

... fat-free turkey slices, egg, and a Laughing Cow cheese wedge on toast with a Cutie and hot tea

My Dad's Cactus Roses Are Blooming Again
(So pretty!) 💗

The weather...

... Hot, but not as hot as last week (we had 90's all week with heat indexes in the triple-digits). 😰 Right now it's 74 degrees and sunny, but rain is in the forecast for tonight.

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Tuna wraps, cottage cheese, and baby carrots

Tuesday - Grilled chicken salad

Wednesday - Stuffed pepper casserole and beets

Thursday - Turkey burgers and oven fries
Friday - Broiled salmon, baked potatoes, and oven-roasted carrots

Saturday - Dh's night to cook

Sunday - Leftovers

Purple-headed Coneflower Growing In Our Garden

On my 'to do' list...

Monday - Work 

Tuesday - Dh eye appointment, run errands

Wednesday - ? 

Thursday - ?

Friday - Clean house, do laundry

Saturday - Work

Sunday - Church

Tiger Lily Growing In Our Garden

On my reading pile...

Bible Prayer by Kenneth E. Hagin (Bible Study Course) and Discover Nature 'Close to Home' by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

From the camera...

Twin Fawns Along The Roadside

Scripture verse...

Well, that's it for this week. I pray that each and every one of you have a great week ahead! Stay close to the Lord and stay in His Word!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Home Management Monday - June 1, 2020

Five on Friday - Butterflies

Home Management Monday - May 25, 2020 - Happy Memorial Day!

Home Management Monday - June 1, 2020

Good Morning, Dear Ones! Happy Monday! 💗

How is everyone? And how was your week and weekend?

Our week was good here. Our youngest daughter made it down Tuesday night and stayed in town through Thursday morning. We hadn't seen her since early December, so it was was nice to catch up with one another a bit. While she was here we watched a movie, took a country drive, visited with family, and just enjoyed being together. I'm already looking forward to our next visit! 😄

I worked Friday and Saturday, Sunday morning was church, then, in the afternoon, I piddled with a few things around the house...the biggest one being, after living in this house for nearly four years, trimming back my dad's philodendrons. ✂ They were, literally, taking over the livingroom! 

Freshly Trimmed Philodendron

Freshly Trimmed Philodendron

I took lots of cuttings and, if all goes well, I should have dozens of new starts in few weeks. If anyone close by would like one, let me know and I'll put you on the list to receive one (or more). 

Dozens of New Starts For Anyone Who Would Like One

What Was Left After Trimming and Taking Cuttings

Enough about that! Let's move on into this week's post, shall we?

I awoke to...

... thoughts of the day and a mental 'to do' list.

What I'm thinking...

... about the civil unrest that's going on in our nation right now. It's the 1960's all over again.

Race Riots in Kansas City 1968

#BlackLivesMatter Protesters in Kansas City 2020

My heart hurts for what happened to George Floyd, for his family, and for all those that lack peace and understanding on both sides. Two wrongs never make a right and, from what I've learned about George Floyd, he would be sickened by all of this. What we see going on in the natural is merely a reflection of what's going on in the spiritual, and, folks, there is a battle royal going on out there! My prayer is that spiritual eyes and ears would be open to the truth in these end of days in which we live. This is all so senseless and absolutely heartbreaking! 😭

I'm also thinking that this might be my last 'Home Management Monday' post. We have a new manager at work and he needs a secretary...which is what I was originally hired for in the first place. But that, along with the fact that COVID-19 has virtually ended all indoor programs at the park for 2020 (no school programs, no library programs...Dana will still be doing bison hikes...limited number of people, of course...and I will be doing some wildflower hikes and evening strolls this summer), but, at least, until things straighten out and get back to normal, I will be taking on more administrative duties. 

This is not a bad thing at all and, even in the midst of change, I won't be giving up interpretation. It's all good and I'm happy to serve wherever needed. The only thing is...I won't be spending my Mondays at home putting out this post. I'm not sure how I'm going to work it out just yet and it might take me a while, but I'll figure it out. I can either work on the post over the weekend and have it ready to go early Monday morning before I leave...maybe...or I can just switch my days and post later in the week? At this point, I'm really not sure. I'm simply going to wait, see how it goes, and take it from there.

What I'm thankful for...

... to have a job and bosses that are willing to keep me on payroll during a tough time when so many have lost their jobs. 

On the breakfast plate...

... cottage cheese on toast and stevia-sweetened strawberries with hot tea

The weather...

... Right now it's beautiful...73 degrees and sunny! 🌞 The expected high today is 82, but, after this, it looks like we'll be heating up...mid- to upper-80's and on up into the 90's for the rest of the week with slight chances for rain almost every day. 

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Chicken and black bean tostadas

Tuesday - Grilled beef burgers with sweet potato fries

Wednesday - Stuffed pepper casserole with beets

Thursday - Breakfast for supper
Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Dh's night to cook

Sunday - Leftovers

A Pretty Yard Ornament
A Gift From Our DIL

On my 'to do' list...

Monday - Complete this post, clean house, do laundry, go to post office, clean
vacuum cleaner filters, box fan grates, and blades, oil fan motors

Tuesday - Figure June budget and bills

Wednesday - Go to the bank, pay bills

Thursday - ?

Friday - Work

Saturday - Work

Sunday - Church

Baby Bison @ Prairie State Park

On my reading pile...

Bible Prayer by Kenneth E. Hagin (Bible Study Course) and Discover Nature 'Close to Home' by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

Discover Nature Close To Home
by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

From the camera...

A Prairie Oasis Created From A Buffalo Wallow

Scripture verse...

Well, Friends, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a great week ahead! Stay close to the Lord and stay in His Word!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Five on Friday - Butterflies

Home Management Monday - May 25, 2020 - Happy Memorial Day!

Five on Friday - Woodland Wild Flowers

Five on Friday - Butterflies

Good morning! And welcome to this week's 'Five on Friday'! 

I don't have a lot of time this morning, so I'm going to scoot right on into this week's post. The topic I've selected is butterflies! 🦋 

1) Last summer this Gulf Fritillary Butterfly and a few of its friends visited our zinnias. John, nor I, either one had seen this kind of butterfly before, so watching them was a real treat for both of us!

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly on Zinnas

2) I don't know what kind of butterfly this is, but this was the very first photo that I took with the digital camera, so it would have been taken around mid-August of last year. The butterfly was sunning itself on the mint that had flowered in my herb-wheel. That's what the little purple flowers are that you can see fading into the background.

Unknown (To Me) Species on Mint

3) I spotted this Tiger Swallowtail flitting around, sipping nectar from the purple-headed coneflowers (a.k.a. echinacea) in our front yard last year. Pollinators of all kinds visit the coneflowers, as do the brightly-colored goldfinches. 

Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Coneflower

4) I took this photo of a Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly when my youngest daughter and I were out and about on Wednesday. Great Spangled Fritillaries are large, beautiful butterflies and are native to the tallgrass prairies of southwest Missouri.

Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly

5) I took this photo of a Monarch sipping nectar from butterfly milkweed a couple of years or so ago out at the state park where I work. This large, beautiful, orange and black butterfly is my favorite butterfly and my heart delights every time I see one. I've only seen two or three so far this year. 

Monarch Butterfly on Butterfly Milkweed

What about you? What kind of butterflies are found are your corner of the globe? And what is your favorite?

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Home Management Monday - May 25, 2020 - Happy Memorial Day!

Five on Friday - Woodland Wild Flowers

Home Management Monday - May 18, 2020

Home Management Monday - May 25, 2020 - Happy Memorial Day!

Good Morning, Dear Ones! 💗

I trust that your week was good, that you and yours are enjoying a lovely holiday weekend, and that your Monday is off to a great start! Happy Memorial Day! 💓☆💙

Memorial Day Tribute

As I was growing up Memorial Day was always a special day! When I was real little my mom and dad and I would load up early in the morning and make the round of cemeteries to decorate the graves of loved ones that had passed on before us. At that time there were only a few graves to 

decorate, so the rest of the day would be spent with family. 

Usually, we would gather together for a day of fun...a game 

of horseshoes, homemade ice cream, and fun with the 

cousins as we would roll giggling down the grassy bank at

Grandpa and Grandma's house in the country. At the time that bank seemed so huge, but, looking at it as an adult, it was hardly anything.

In later years we continued to do the cemetery rounds, but, due to reasons unknown to me...finances, perhaps, or, maybe, a shift in values...my parents stopped decorating the graves. Oftentimes, after a morning of visiting the cemeteries, we would end up at a place that was historically important, not only to those interested in local Civil War history, but, to us, personally, as a family...the Anderson House in Lexington, Missouri. We had family members that were caretakers there at one time and my grandmother had spent many delightful days there as a child. We would often end up there on family outings and she would share her memories, as well as the secrets of the old house, with me, as together, we would explore its every nook and cranny. You could do that back then, but not now.

The Anderson House
Photo Credit

As time went on and older generations passed away, our Memorial Day traditions changed and, for the most part, fell away. We stopped doing the cemetery rounds altogether and usually just settled for a cook-out at the folks house. When my mother passed away that pretty much stopped, too. 

Today, we usually get together with family at some point over

the weekend and Memorial Day itself becomes a day of much needed rest and relaxation. We spent yesterday at dd's and sil's enjoying a cookout and visiting with family and friends; today will be spent at home, cleaning house, and doing laundry...just like every other Monday.

In there, of course, we remember the many that have fought for (bled and died to give us) the freedoms that we have held so dear in this country and, unfortunately, are giving up and losing at an alarming rate. We pray for those that continue to serve our country today.

My Great-Uncle, Milton (Micky) Fox
World War II

How about you? How do you and yours celebrate Memorial Day? And what memories and symbolisms of it do you hold dear?

Let's get on into this week's post, shall we?

💓☆💙☆💓☆💙☆💓☆💙☆💓☆💙☆💓☆💙

I awoke to...

... an early alarm and thoughts of the day.

What I'm thinking...

... about the week ahead, my long 'to-do' list, and that, with the impending deluge, my husband probably isn't going to get to work in his garden this week. 😞

What I'm thankful for...

... all the freedoms that we have enjoyed as citizens of the United States of America over the past 244 years. Those freedoms didn't come easy and they're slipping away fast. I pray that people will wake up before it's too late, realize what is happening, and do what is necessary to regain what we've already lost.

On the breakfast plate...

... Triple Zero vanilla yogurt and a blueberry Nutrigrain bar with hot tea

The weather...

The View From My Office Window @ 6:30 This Morning

... at the moment the sun is shining, but there is a bank of dark clouds moving in from the south and west. Rain is coming and should be here within the hour. The week ahead looks, quite likely, to be warm and very wet! 😞💧☔

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Hot roast beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes and gravy, with peas and carrots

Tuesday - Oven-roasted chicken breasts, baked sweet potatoes, and green beans

Wednesday - Supper at dd's

Thursday - Turkey burgers, sweet potato fries, and cottage cheese
Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Dh's night to cook

Sunday - Leftovers

Wildflowers on the Prairie
Spider Milkweed and Scurfy Pea

On my 'to do' list...

Monday - Complete this post, clean house, do laundry, wash bedding

Tuesday - Meet dil for breakfast, work in Van Gogh room (a.k.a. "my office") and get it ready for overnight company (make room for the roll-away bed)

Wednesday - Spend time with out-of-town company

Thursday - Catch up around the house

Friday - Work

Saturday - Work

Sunday - Church

Prairie Roses

On my reading pile...

Bible Prayer by Kenneth E. Hagin (Bible Study Course) and Discover Nature 'Close to Home' by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

Discover Nature Close To Home
by Elizabeth P. Lawlor

From the camera...

Some Kind of Vireo, I Think - Not Sure Yet

A Cute Picture of a Dickcissel That I Took This Week

Barn Swallow

Double-decker Dickcissels

Scripture verse...

Well, Friends, that's it for this week! I pray that each and every one of you have a great week ahead! Stay close to the Lord and stay in His Word!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Recent and related posts that you might enjoy reading...

Five on Friday - Woodland Wild Flowers

Home Management Monday - May 18, 2020

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