SURPRISES

Catching sight of this little snowman still standing, days after the rest of the snow had melted, made me smile, as did my friend's comment on his picture on Facebook--"He is saying if I can hang in there so can you."





 


I was surprised to see rhododendrons full of buds in winter, and that there was still so much color around town.

Here's something I'd never noticed before, how much the trunk of this tree resembles a sculpted headless bust. I wonder what other people see?

 

Big surprise at the library. Noticed several of my books displayed on a table near the front door, and was delighted to discover that the local author's section that had been removed several years ago, has been brought back. 

One of the best surprise of all--a Dollar Tree is coming to town. No more having to drive to Leesburg to shop.

A DAY FULL OF BLESSINGS

Woke up to a beautiful blue sky day, a little brisk, but not as cold as it has been. A perfect day for a walk.

I'd been wanting to take a walk around town to see the painted ornaments, but have been struggling with shortness of breath and barely able to manage a block or two. This morning was different though. I made it down the stairs feeling fine.

At church, the elders anointed me with oil and prayed over me (according to James 5:14), and I decided to try again.

First stop was the library to return a book, and then to City Hall to see our town Christmas tree.

In the library parking lot, two trees caught my attention. One had two nests on it--a little one and a much larger one.

The lower half of the other tree's trunk intrigued me. It looked like a bust sculpture without the head.
















After visiting the Christmas tree, I found a spot closer to the center of town to park in, and began my stroll along Main Street, and down and around 21st Street.

Two hours later, by God's amazing grace, I had covered almost three miles (6,498 steps) and taken over 250 pictures without experiencing any shortness of breath.

Following are just a few of my favorite sightings on this walk. The rest of the hand painted holiday ornaments will get a post of their own.

I really liked the words on the music store's sign, and a couple of blocks past that one, got a chuckle out of the upside down sign wishing passers by a great day.






















































I stopped for a few moments to watch some squirrels scampering around, and took several shots of this one gorging on acorns.








Then, before continuing on my way, I got to meet these two beauties--Jack and Hugo.




























































This piece of litter caught my attention because there are no Bloomingdale stores in this neck of the woods. I wondered how it got here. The closest one is about 30 minutes away, I think.






When I got back to my car, I looked up and saw a cross in the sky.  What a great reminder that God is always watching over me. It made me a little teary, and a lot grateful for the miracle of this day.








One final reminder when I got home came in the form of a little heart shaped stone that caught my eye as I stepped out of the car. No matter how things may look in the natural, no matter what my intellect may try to convince me of, God is a good God and He loves me.

LITTLE THINGS THAT BROUGHT ME JOY

An unexpected freebie for buying three cards, followed by the delighted reaction of a little boy I impulsively gave it to.










Taking a few moments to enjoy the delicate beauty of ice crystals on my car window before scraping them off.








Getting this cute top for only $3 thanks to a 50% off sale, plus an additional 30% discount for using my Kohls credit card, and a coupon for $5 Kohl's cash.









Using a hammer when I couldn't find a crucial piece of my nut grinder, and discovering that it made the task easier and faster.








Seeing all the buds and flowers on my plants.

COME TO THE FEAST

A little poetic license here.

The first picture of a raven tree was taken at one end of Main Street, the ones of the ravens flying were taken around the middle of it, and the feast was something I spotted just past the roundabout.