Ending May with a flower

 

Mining the Psalms

 Since January 2023, I have been leading a weekly Bible study named Mining the Psalms. Prior to then, I just knew that I loved the Psalms and that they spoke to and satisfied every feeling I ever had. 

Anyone is welcome. A few who toughed it out with me in the beginning still show up, and some have come only once. We have added and lost. Some women came for a season, and I’m glad we were able to help them get through a confusing time. Some just love the Bible. I do not like Bible studies that in my opinion treat women like elementary school children. We have busy lives! So no homework or buying books and with an emphasis on fellowship. 

Every week I am studying a new Psalm; every word is worthy of mining. Amazing how the situations spoken of and the emotions provoked have not changed in the roughly 2500 years since the ancient words were scratched onto parchment. Before the end of this year, we will have covered all 150. In my efforts to become familiar with the psalm at hand, I read, watch and listen to pastors and scholars. Each of them has a different emphasis, showing the depth and richness of the word  

We could probably start anew, and it would all be fresh. 

This is my favorite version (NASB 1977) of Psalm 127 that was Tuesday’s psalm. It begins, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

A special wall at the station

 

street corner near historic district

flowers in neighbors yards

 Oleander, the pink flower here, is a familiar word and plant in Wilmington. 

And the beautiful yellow calla lily. 

quote from a best seller

 I’ve often thought how framing something signifies its importance. How framing our art enhances its visual appeal. Here are a few words from a writer who has similar thoughts.

By the river in March

 

Cute Renovation

Leaving a place that if it were in France would be called a patisserie as well as a boulangerie. It was once a cozy bungalow that now offers coffee and delicious baked goods for their fans to take home or enjoy outside on a pretty day. 

psych

When I was working, we often wrote/used this symbol, the Greek letter psi, as it represents words pertaining to psyche, psychiatry, psychology. I like it. 

a pretty day in wilmy town

 

CB Today. Mural painting.

 

cypress knees

 In my back yard! One is a close up. 

Courthouse

 

Another Mother’s Day - Thankful

 Stuart and me at church today. Do we look a year older than last year?

rabbits among us

 When changed to black and white, the rabbit is almost camouflaged. Shows the importance of value in a picture. 

African Violet

Once in another time and place, I enjoyed the heck out of the many African violets I had. And then came a long stretch with none. Last summer I saw a small one in Lowe’s that needed me. Here it is now. All spiffed up, blooming, and making me proud. 

Old Movies

 On Wednesdays the nearby movie theatre is showing old movies. There are so many I have never seen, like this Monty Python one today. I left about halfway through, shortly after I took this pic. It was all I could endure! However, it’s really fun to have a movie theater two miles from my house. There will be more in my future.

Koi Pond

 

Pic of the Day

 

the Seek app

See a bug or plant out in your yard and you don’t know what it is? Just open the Seek app on your phone and hold before the subject. Seek and you will find out. ❤️ This is from today.

Art and Flowers

 Occasionally I am called back into art service. A friend asked me to find art for her garden club to use in a show, one that included making flower arrangements that are inspired by art, all paintings in this case. This idea, or theme, is carried out in museums, etc and is quite popular. Here is one painting with its arrangement. 

I felt inspired to paint something I thought would be a good “inspiration piece,” one that a flower arranger would like to do, that was used in the spring category. Then I offered it for a raffle. Someone gladly took it off my hands. 

Finally May!

And time to post daily. Blogger is not what it used to be and neither am I, but here we go. 

Posting daily is a good discipline for me during this sunny and merry month. Yesterday I met with friends to do collages. It was messy. I was challenged. But here is what I came up with. I rather like it.