the plane by the road

This plane in front of the VFW on CB road is almost a Wilmington landmark. I pass it often, and yesterday I stopped to take a picture. I have learned that it was used as a training jet during the fifties and sixties, and that it came here to its permanent location in 1975. It requires care and maintenance, which is now done by the CAP. Good to know.

a tearjerker

Thankfully I made it through the anthem today.
The choir has been practicing a song based on Jeremiah 29:11, and the first time we sang through it, I got so choked up I had to quit singing. It happened during the other practices, too.
The blend of the poetic words and expressive music did me in. On Thursday evening, I penciled in "don't cry" on every page. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the church.
It started well enough with this: "I know the plans I have for you, a road you cannot see. A winding way with highs and lows that leads at last to me."
But then God spoke to me with "May you find work that feeds your soul." That is exactly what nursing was for me, and it was not I who chose it. It was clearly God's gift.
Next: "May you have a family strong and whole." Wow.. I thought of my sons, fine grown men and their families. Strong and whole.
And this: "May you walk the way with friends." Friends are so important, whether they are the ones we have had forever or ones who come into our lives for a season. There are those who show up at crucial times and those we share daily ups and downs with. How could we make it without the friends who have blessed our lives.
It made me think about how wonderful my life has been.
"And though your heart has hopes and dreams and futures still unknown, my dream for you will always be far greater than your own."
Thankfully I didn't cry.

another egret sighting

I went out the back door to shake out a rug and saw a great egret standing practically in my back yard! It is the second behind the house sighting for me. They are so graceful, so white and beautiful. By the time I got my camera and came back, he had moved further away, more into the marsh. I did get one picture to prove it was really there!

construction

About six months ago I posted a pic of the early construction of the new shopping and entertainment area that is being built less than two miles from me. I pulled in today to see how much it has progressed. They have paved paradise and put in a huge parking lot. Some of the restaurants are identifiable as such, and this is the movie theater, or as they call them now a multiplex. As my Daddy would say, "Pretty soon you won't be able to tell it from Chicago." That was something he quoted from his parents!

what has become of

It breaks my heart that some women have reached such a low point that they engage in public demonstrations that support killing unborn babies and other such ignoble ideas. There is no greater honor than to be the carrier for a new life, to have a baby form and grow within you. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, I greatly loved that little seedling of a human being and protected it. It wasn't just me anymore. This was an entirely new person who had never taken a breath or walked this planet that I was responsible for. We women are the ones who love the deepest. We nurture new life and we hold the weak until they become strong. We are the tender ones and the caring ones. We are the strong and resourceful ones. God's final creation! It breaks my heart to see women succumbing to lies, engaging in cold-hearted behaviors, and blind to wonder and truth.

learning from the kids

At this time in my life, I am not around children or young people very much. I miss their enthusiasm and energy. I also miss talking to them about what is going on in their lives and the latest trends they are interested in. I was glad to have Ashley and John here for a short while over Christmas. Of course I took them to my studio and let them paint. John worked diligently on a landscape. (He was so cute.) Ashley painted a series of symbols, and I had to ask what they represented. She said it stood for God is greater than your highs or lows. I loved it! I couldn't remember exactly how it was, so I looked it up today. It is being put on t shirts, mugs, notebooks and yes, on people's bodies as tattoos. Anyway, it is something truthful and positive. Yay!

broken shells

I was looking through some photos I took last year and realized I really like them. Broken shells have a mystique about them. Poets compare them to people with hurts and pain and stories to tell.

before sunset

at a place on the Cape Fear River.

earache, sore throat, coughing, sneezing

For the past few days I have given in to one of the thousands of viruses that attacks the body and presents what we call a cold. I think that January is one of those months when we tend to familiarize ourselves with such invaders. I haven't minded the Benadryl induced sleep or the hours of watching Netflix, but I am ready to go on with other things now. That's how I know I am getting better. Thinking of things to do. When I was younger and had a bad cold or some such thing, I knew I was getting over it when I started having olfactory hallucinations of brownies baking in the oven. At some point I submitted and whipped up a batch. Maybe the chocolate was the final cure. One thing I  found is that it is much easier to be down and out when you don't have children to take care of or a job to go to.

Frozen Fountain

It did get cold yesterday!

camellia woes

Remember when we would wake up on a frosty morning, look out the window and see the ground covered in an unexpected white blanket of snow? Those were the days! Now we are forewarned way in advance.

Camellias grow well in Wilmington and are very popular. Several bushes are now blooming in my yard. At least the weather warnings gave me a chance to cut some to bring inside. When I see the beautiful flowers that have turned an icky, sticky brown after a freeze, I always feel sad. Now I feel I have rescued a few. Here's a bud that almost missed growing up.

 

duck tails

A photo from Wednesday. Diving ducks.

reliving the past

On the day my mother went into labor with my little brother, i.e. Rob's birthday, I was whisked away to a neighbor's house. Ruby was as excited about the impending birth as we were, and she was glad to have me with her that August day in 1955. One special thing she did as we awaited the big news was fixing something for me to eat that was similar to this picture, a banana spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with coconut. Today it was what I had for lunch. A nice memory of a most memorable day.

good cookies

Way back before Thanksgiving I was at Costco, and at the recommendation of a Swiss woman I ended up having a long conversation with, I bought these cookies.
She said they were delicious and that I had better get them before they were sold out. Being the obedient and easily influenced person that I am, I bought not just one but two boxes. One for me and one to give away. I have been reasonable in my enjoyment of them and saved them for my morning coffee. Lucky for me, I never gave away the second box! Only ten dollars if you see them on the Costco shelves. And yes. They are that good.

a movie

A movie I want to see comes along once, maybe twice, a year. Right now it is La La Land, a musical and a love story, though not really an old fashioned one. The La is really for LA where everything takes place, where the talented starry-eyed hopefuls are trying to beak into show biz. I went across town to Mayfaire to see it today and I wasn't disappointed. Matter of fact, I think I could even go a second time. (Next January, the new movie theatre near me will be completed and people will be flocking in. It will be so close I could walk if I want, which is doubtful!) My recommendation is go see this movie. It is good entertainment, and I came pretty close to crying at the end.

a wet intersection

Not only have I not been blogging, I haven't been taking pictures either! I've lost my groove!
So I made myself take pictures today. This is representative of the gray, cloudy, rainy days we have had recently. And it is also a reminder that though I look at Wilmington through rose-colored glasses, it is not all beautiful.