41 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 11-22-18”

  2. Right now I feel like a turkey for waiting for an online chat with a computer company to ask about an advertised price that is not showing up on their website.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. (Oh, I actually meant that last comment to say “lovely” day, not “loving” day. But I guess Thanksgiving is both, huh?)

    Thanksgiving is probably not the right time to ask this since I’m not even sure who will be on here today. But some of you have seen the PDF e-books I have made of butterflies and/or of woodpeckers. I’m looking to send the books to an agent and try to get them published. I’m hoping these will be just the first two in a series, but I really don’t see any way to self-publish them at a cost people can afford, and of course I’d always rather have a publisher, anyway. I already have photos for several more books (e.g., herons and cranes, insects, rabbits and squirrels, creatures of the swamp, bees and wasps, birds of prey–my current plan is not to move forward with any “subject” until I have good action shots and also photos of young animals and not just adults, and to avoid anything so “narrow” and specific as “robins” but also so broad as “mammals”–all of that subject to change depending on interest). If anyone is willing to give me two or three sentences about one or both books, or how your children liked them, or anything of the sort, I may find a way to include them on my website, in promotion material, etc. I’m looking to use only first names but something about who you are. Something like this:

    “Cheryl’s photos are so beautiful and capture the creatures so well. Even though the books are written for children, I’ve learned a lot from them, too. And my children read the books over and over.”
    –Marcie, homeschooling mom of four

    If anyone has not seen the books, but would like to see them (I have PDFs of both I can send), e-mail me and ask, or get my e-mail address from someone who has it if you don’t. I’d be happy to have a comment or two from men or boys and not just from women. (If you want to comment based on having seen my photos and read my commentary on them through the years, without having seen the books themselves, that would probably work too, because you have seen samples of my work just from being on this site.)

    My purpose in writing the books is twofold: (1) I have been interested in animals all my life, and have read a lot of books about them and watched a lot of nature videos–and the vast majority of such material comes from an evolutionary perspective. I can’t help but think that there are thousands of Christian parents, especially homeschooling parents, who would rejoice to find something available from a creation viewpoint. Quite a few homeschooling parents have agreed with me when I have said that. (2) I have the knowledge of animals, the writing ability, and the photographs to be able to put together such a project. If they get accepted for publication, I would be willing to travel to fill in “gaps.” For instance, I would love to do a book on deer . . . but I don’t think such a book should have only white-tailed deer. I’d need elk, moose, and/or mule deer as well, and I don’t have access to those in Indiana. So those photos would need to come from other sources, or I would have to travel to get them.

    I’m not a professional wildlife photographer, and am not pretending to be. I’m also not trying to put together a book of 10 x 13 prints, so I don’t think that it is necessary that I be. The pileated woodpecker photo from yesterday, for instance, is not detailed enough to be a poster-size print–but it would definitely work as an illustration in a book with text and photos. If a photo is sharp enough to enlarge to 5 x 7, it is plenty sharp enough for such a use, in my opinion.

    Like

  7. Comments from five different people before 3 a.m. Eastern? Is that a first for here?

    Whether or not it is, this reader is going back to bed and hoping to sleep this time.

    Like

  8. Not unusual at all Cheryl.
    Thursday is Aj’s day to sleep in and the blog is often late.
    Last night he took care of it before going to bed. That happens sometime. That is the time our bloggers on the West Coast and South Pacific are beginning to wind down.

    But rather than say “Good Morning” today. I thought I would post this. I got it in an e-mail from “World”.

    .Psalm 9:1
    9 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. She said, “OK! You’ve been bossing me around for over 61 years!”
    Just because I said, “Drink your coffee before it gets cold again.”
    I had already zapped it in the microwave for 10 seconds because she let her coffee get cold.
    Something to be thankful for?
    Yes.

    Liked by 6 people

  13. The Real, 😆

    Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

    Just popped in to say that I am still alive, and have completed the first of my assignments, am in the middle of the second, and have until Saturday to finish the third. When these are done, and after a meeting early next week with tutor and preceptor, I should be, Lord willing, for all intents and purposes, finished my clinical course and completed my mandatory hours. But I do not go home until one week in December, so I will probably be continuing to put in time at the clinical placement.

    Liked by 7 people

  14. Those people on the float in the parade in NYC will be thankful when they can get inside where it’s warm.
    They will be glad. I don’t know if they know how to be thankful. I hope so.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Morning! We had our Thanksgiving meal yesterday and today is for relaxing and leftovers 😊
    Thankful for you all and trusting our Lord to watch over you with tender care….
    Chas I read your comments with a chuckle…. your interaction with TSWITW this morning could have been between Paul and me….except he has just been bossing me around for 43 years!! 😊

    Liked by 4 people

  16. Here in South Bohemia, we have invited non-Christians from English camp and other acquaintances to a Thanksgiving outreach event on Sat, Nov 24th. We’ll have various activities and a Thanksgiving meal, and I will share a message. Please pray for a good connection with the folks that will lead to further relationships with our team members, and also for their openness to spiritual truth.

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all!

    Liked by 9 people

  19. I was sitting here with nothing to do. So? I played a game of free cell. Then I noticed that I have played 24,935 games of free cell.
    Then, I figured that if it takes me three minutes to play a game. I have spent 5 months of 8 hour days (roughly, don’t quibble) playing free cell.
    I’m telling you this because I am an impatient person by nature. Sometimes I get impatient with Elvera.
    All my adult life I have been busy. After my AF hitch, I went to Carolina and worked part time on two jobs, worked with Campus Crusade and courted Elvera. All at the same time. I kept up that pace thrugh seminary and while working I taught SS and did church work as a deacon, etc.
    I spent my life doing something until we moved to Hendersonville. There I slowed down somewhat, but Lions helped keep me occupied.
    By nature, I hate wasting time

    Liked by 2 people

  20. chas, are you going somewhere today? Or did you celebrate Thanksgiving on another day?

    I need to connect with my cousin, we’re joining up with the group for “dinner” at 11 a.m. at the local cafe. I have a hard time eating dinner in the morning, but a lot of older people seem fine with that. 🙂 At first I thought it was an anomaly practiced by just a few particular older friends I had at church some years ago. The first time I joined them for Thanksgiving we wound up in a cafeteria line at 10 a.m.

    I thought, “This is odd.”

    But not so much, I’ve found out as the years have gone by.

    To me, eating at 11 a.m. seems more like time for an omelette, eggs or pancakes rather than mashed potatoes, turkey and gravy.

    Oh no, I apparently have awakened to complaining(!) on Thanksgiving! That’s got to be a huge black mark against me somewhere. 😦 😦 😦 I’ll be sent off to Thanksgiving jail.

    Embarrassed, hiding, working on my attitude. … sigh. Coffee and a shower will help!

    Oh, and the house is an untidy mess after (over) working from home non-stop for three days.

    Liked by 4 people

  23. Pumpkin pie is in the oven. Soon it will be the turkey’s turn. I’ll fix the dressing while it is cooking, and bring out the items that don’t need preparation and the mashed potatoes I made last night, and everything will be ready.

    I have a Carolina wren hopping around in the bush outside my window. That’s such a pretty little bird, and a species we didn’t have up north, nor have I had it anywhere I’ve lived unless they were in Tennessee (but I’m pretty sure I never saw them there). Earlier this year they had to cut back this bush a bit (it’s a burning bush) to be able to install our new windows, and since then I can see the birds hopping around inside it. Earlier in the year that was largely an occasional cardinal. This fall it has been mostly warblers, one or two at a time. I can’t take photos of them–there is a screen and the wrong angle against the glass. But it’s a delight to watch them bounce around just a yard or two from the window, with leaf cover on the other side and thus feeling safe.

    Just a year ago, my husband and I were disappointed we had gotten our house on the market too late to sell last fall, and were removing the listing for the winter. We were happy to have Thanksgiving plans, to be able to eat with family, but our hearts were set on moving and we were disappointed. Now we have been here a little more than six months. We have a church family we love and who love us, we love the condo and the neighborhood and we’re close enough to many things to walk to them, and I adore the delightful surprise of that little pond down the street and also the walking trail. I gave up a “back field” outside our picture window that had deer and wild turkeys and beautiful sunsets, and farm fields I could walk past to a field of wildflowers where I could see butterflies and bees and birds, and even a drainage area where I could see muskrat at times. I was a bit sad about that loss, but figured that moving into an area where I could be close to church and could make friends would more than make up for it. But that was a country road and I had to walk on the road itself. Granted, we didn’t have a lot of traffic, and sometimes would have five or ten minutes between cars, but nevertheless I had to be constantly aware of traffic, and I knew that in some areas a car would come up over the hill and not have much time at all to see me. To trade that in for a place where I can walk in safety and see MORE animals is no loss at all! (The view out the back window is something we did lose, but it was worth it.)

    My husband rejoices that he is no longer responsible for mowing and edging an acre (though our younger daughter did most of the mowing, even after she moved out) and shoveling and icing the walk (we do have to keep our own patio clear, but we’ll have less snow). As for me, the whole time we lived there I was aware that I could not take care of the snow on our long driveway, and that our neighbor who sometimes plowed it for us with his tractor when he was home also traveled out of the country several times a year, and he was well into his seventies and couldn’t be counted on to do it forever. If my husband died or ended up in a wheelchair, I might someday be snowed in and waiting days for someone to volunteer to help. And in an area that had snowfalls of half an inch or more several times most winters, and where being out in the country really left me feeling a bit “stranded” already (it being the first place I’ve ever lived that I didn’t know my neighbors), that thought kept me from settling in and ever totally feeling “at home.” It wasn’t a good place to grow old, and thus wasn’t a place we could stay long-term. And the longer we waited to move, the harder it would be. I also had people in the church I really liked, but only three or four times a year did I see anyone outside of Sunday, and never felt that I had any actual friends there.

    So I’m thankful today to have the move behind us, even though some of the work is still waiting. And I’m thankful that nearly every aspect of the new home has been even better than we dreamed, or than we knew when we bought here. The church, the community, and the house itself have all felt like “home” quickly, and we are tremendously grateful to be here. (And yes, the turkey is in the oven.)

    Liked by 7 people

  24. Dinner sounds like it’ll be at a ‘normal’ Thanksgiving/holiday hour for you, Chas — 2-4 p.m., somewhere around there. The good thing about eating at 11 a.m. at a restaurant is it’s over and done with quickly and early — and there are no dishes or cleanup to worry about. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  25. Cheryl, so happy for your move and your new home and how it’s working out. That was a busy year for you two.

    My cousin is due in about 90 minutes, I forewarned her that the outside of the house at this stage and after this particular week, for various reasons, now looks better than the inside. I did get some of the bags of recycled stuff hauled out to the trash bins this morning but still have to feed the dogs and get dressed. And i broke down and had a cup of yogurt a little while ago so that won’t help my 11 a.m. appetite. Maybe I can plan to take some of the food home for later.

    We did get just a little bit of rain overnight, not a lot, but there must have been a decent shower at some point as the Jeep actually looks kinda clean. My Charlie Brown city tree in front is showing more new-growth sprouts on the tips of the top branches. It’s growing taller and is sufficiently full, though the trunk to me still looks spindly and it still is tied to its support poles on either side (one strap broke, I should probably re-secure that). It’s been a year and a half since it was planted. They apparently grow to be a pretty good size but it can take several years.

    Liked by 4 people

  27. Carol is in a rehab in Silverlake for a 10-day stint on an antibiotics IV. They’re supposed to start giving her some physical therapy to get her (finally) up out of bed. The couple times they tried getting her up after her hospital stay she wasn’t even able to stand on her own. Her edema in her legs is back and she’s on a pretty heavy diuretic which, of course, doesn’t help her now constant incontinence. I’m worried that she may really be curtailed in her mobility and ability to get up and out to go anywhere for any length of time after this latest setback.

    She’s set to call her brother in NJ today, though, so that’ll be nice — and she said they are serving them a turkey dinner today in the rehab. I’m going up to see her on Saturday, I need to bring her reading glasses which I’ll have to pick up first at her residence, but I’m sorry she’s so laid up and isolated on Thanksgiving. 😦

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Oh, the man from her home church did get in touch with her, though, and she’s on the church’s prayer thread again, so that is good. I sure hope some of them will be able to visit her sometime during the holiday season.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Why would you order an omelet on Thanksgiving? (Or any day, for that matter?)

    We’ve eaten everything but the pie. I’m not “stuffed,” which is good–I detest that feeling.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. A bit of a surprise this morning. Seventeen year old son did not leave at his appointed time. I asked why not. He said because it is Thanksgiving. I pointed out that we had Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago and we were no expecting him. First time he has shown any interest in eating a meal with us since last Christmas. Surprise. I did let him know that we had accepted an offer from some church folk. He asked if he could go. I mentioned that they had asked for RSVP’s at church but I doubted they will throw him out.

    Apparently, all of his friends are eating with their families. I asked if they normally spend time with their families. He said they do. I pointed out that he does not normally spend time with us and we are trying to respect his evident desire to not do so. We love him and care about him but are allowing him to be who he is. I doubt if he understood any of what I said.

    Liked by 6 people

  34. I posted two comments on yesterday’s thread by accident. Here is the first:

    We did Thanksgiving breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my brother and then we got the special Thanksgiving meal to go for Art and me to enjoy later today. My brother was going over to have a big meal with some relatives. We drove almost an hour to the Cracker Barrel and the drive was very pleasant with few cars on the road, good weather, and lovely colors on the trees. Along the way home we drove through some of my old stomping grounds which was nice. I recently did that with my brother, and I wanted to show Art the changes. I got out for a bit to get some photos. So far it has been a much better Thanksgiving than I had expected. We even got a parking space directly in front of Cracker Barrel beside a handicapped spot. Art has not had any pain or problems from his bit of surgery yesterday.

    Liked by 5 people

  35. Second comment:

    Have a blessed day of giving thanks to God for His many good works, undeserved mercies, and promises for a wonderful future! Thankful that I do not have to earn His love and promises.

    I love you all and thank God for each of you in my “blog family.” Thanks, AJ, for stepping up to keep us all together ❤

    Liked by 5 people

  36. I brought home an apple pie with butter pecan crumble topping from Cracker Barrel. They are giving half of the proceeds from pie sales to the vets. Talk about temptation with rationalization to indulge! It is wonderful pie, almost like part apple and part pecan. Highly recommend this treat.

    Liked by 3 people

  37. We had a nice thanksgiving dinner with Chuck and the grandkids and greatgrands.. I will not need to eat anything again. But we brought some stuff home just in case.
    It was a nice Thanksgiving get together.

    Liked by 6 people

  38. Yeah, I won’t need anything to eat again, either, probably ever.

    Although … I didn’t eat all that much — I left the green bean creamed something or other and half of the sweet potatoes and a bit of the dressing; I finished off the white meat turkey, mashed potatoes, cup of tomato soup and small piece of pumpkin pie with no whipped cream (because the server didn’t think to offer it and it was too much hassle to ask for it, plus they were very busy, of course). I think the traditional Thanksgiving Day food is just naturally filling, even if you don’t eat it all.

    I sat next to a new person this year, the president of our local historical society (I’ve talked to her on the phone before for stories) so it was fun to chat about the town with her. Her husband was also there but he didn’t talk as much 🙂

    Driving back home my cousin and I took the southern clifftop coastal detour and stopped to walk along one of the nature trails for quite a ways. It was a gorgeous day, bright and cool, the skies were blue with white clouds, the ocean was choppy, we had clear views of Catalina Island and it was quite windy and very chilly; seagulls and pelicans overhead, palm trees waving and there were quite a few other people out walking the trail as well, with some who appeared to bring their Thanksgiving meal to eat on on of the picnic tables overlooking the ocean. Not a bad setting.

    I’ll send some photos.

    Liked by 6 people

  39. We decided to go to D1’s house, even though we’re going there again on Saturday. Her in-laws were visiting, so we didn’t want to get in the way, but she sounded like she wanted us there, so we went.

    It was a great day. SIL’s parents are wonderful people, so we had good fellowship. Even had an impromptu singing time when SIL’s mom sat at the piano and he got out his guitar.He let his children try to play his old trumpet and trombone as well. It was fun1

    Liked by 8 people

  41. My husband and I had a nice, quiet day at home. Since there is no mail, we didn’t even step out of the house! The gathering we would have been at, had we not moved, had 24 people, many of whom I don’t know or don’t know well. It would have been sweet to see our grandbaby, but she’s getting over having a cold and so is her mom, so even on that ground it’s just as well we weren’t up there. (My husband caught a cold from this daughter when we went up for the baby shower.) I told him earlier today that the song that kept going through my head was “There’s no place like home for the holidays.” This was the first “family holiday” since we were married that we could just stay home, and it was lovely.

    And he got a Black Friday coupon from Costco . . . and ordered our dining room table!

    Liked by 7 people

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