01 May 2026

SPRING FAVES

 

Whew....it's Friday already!

Where did this week rush off to? 

I'm pausing with a steaming mug of hot coffee this morning to write up my fave blessings from the week. I can always find more than five, but I will share FIVE for the FRIDAY FAVES and link up at Susanne's blog where other bloggers join in to share their faves, too. Warning: photo overload though because this post is all about fave Spring faves and I took a lot of pics this week! I actually really like looking at people's photos so hopefully you do too!


right side of the garage if facing the back wall
organized all the hiking boots along with the snowshoes
and some gardening items. 



back wall of garage and left side. 
organized the life jackets and beach chairs hanging on the left
organized Dave's various tools, car stuff, shovels, etc.
that's our small electric snowblower hanging next to the shovels
we keep our recycling bin in the garage as we can then just toss 
recyclables from the kitchen door into the bin. 

  • GARAGE CLEAN-UP!  Last Friday afternoon, I devoted to vacuuming my car, sweeping out the garage and re-organizing things.  I got rid of some broken outdoor decor and checked life jackets, kayak paddles, etc.  It  felt good to get the salt and dirt swept out from the winter months and just tidy up as best as a garage can get.We had a box of old batteries that needed to be recycled and our waste company wont' take them but where Dave works, they have a bin for them, so he brought them over.  I'm thankful I had the time to do this chore. 


Fox Preserve 
begins through a miniature wetlands



Fave part of Fox Preserve 
this is just after coming down a steep ridge
to the stream and it follows the stream
for about 900 yards




The highest point of land at Fox Preserve
includes benches and a picnic table for families
At this point, I go straight through the center of the pic
to make for a 1.18 miles hike through the entire preserve
or you can bear left next to the picnic table and loop back
to car which only makes the hike about a half mile. 



Beaver swimming in middle of the tributary
heading towards the open water of the Erie Canal
I extended my hike by crossing the road and hitting
 the bike path for a fast power walk to the benches at the canal. 

  • SOLO MONDAY HIKE:  The class I take every Monday morning was cancelled again this week so because it was a glorious Spring day with temps creeping up to the low 70s, I decided rather spontaneously to hike solo at a local preserve.   This is located about 10 minutes from my home, right in the same town I live in. I used to trail run here! I had the entire trail to myself as someone had just checked out when I was arriving. I saw no humans, heard and saw  plenty of woodpeckers, cardinals, wood thrush, bluejays, crows and a garter snake slithered away from me on the side of the grassy part of the trail.  I followed up the hike by doing some power walking on the bike path and then leisurely walked back to my car after sitting on the bench for a bit to do some reading. I'm thankful for local nature preserves to grab a quick hike.
front  flower garden ...I ran out of fresh garden soil
so will finish this project on the next warm day
most of my tulips are on the left side of the  garden if you're facing the house
so the bottom corner not shown in the pic. you can see just the one pink one
Behind the tulips, my irises are coming up (not shown)
and next to the irises I planted sunflower seeds
The plants in the back and front corners on the right side of the garden are peony bushes.
And I have a pot of gerbera daisies that will go into a bigger pot in about a week. 

Our Cherry Trees are in full bloom!
  • PRETTY PLANTS! I'm so thankful that plants and trees are blooming.  They're all so pretty.  Our bradford pear is now past peak although the blooms are lingering....and the cherry trees are at peak about 2 weeks earlier than normal!  My gerberas and violas are doing well. And my morning glory seedlings got put into the ground on Saturday morning. I started them from seeds about 3 weeks ago.  (I didn't snap a pic). 

Geyser Creek Loop Trail
begins after crossing the creek and heads north
along a dirt path that then crosses a road
near where the Geyser Spring is located. 


  • PARK POWER WALK: Tuesday morning was another gorgeous Spring day and temps were in the low 60s.  I put on work out clothes and drove 20 minutes north of my house to my fave state park to walk the Geyser Creek trail. It's in a quieter section of the park and features a stream (Geyser Creek), a toddler/preschooler playground, a grassy picnic area with tables and grills and the loop trail plus 2 different parking lots, the bathrooms, and a Nature Center with sculptures. This part of the park also features 4 different  springs with Geyser spring the largest and open. The other ones are enclosed and can be drunk from if you're brave and don't mind the sulphur water. FDR  used to come to Saratoga for the mineral water as it's healing and for the Lincoln baths  which are in the main part of the park. You can read about the springs here.  (I've tasted the water from one of the downtown springs and....i'll stick to the pure regular, sparkling or still  Saratoga water that is sold in the markets. Many of the Saratoga restaurants also feature the sparkling or still waters...you order by the bottle.  I'm thankful for the NYSParks. 



After crossing the road and walking further down the path 
like the one in the first pic, you can take the stairs down to the lower level 
and walk next to the creek. I used to power walk the opposite way to get the 
cardio benefits of walking up the stairs but there was a tour when I was starting out
so I reversed my normal direction. 

The path along the lower level

Geyser Spring....which is in the middle of the stream! 

This is where I ended up, back towards my car.
I had a beach chair in my trunk so I set it up here on the grass
and ate a protein bar, drank water and read my book for a bit. 
It was a lovely way to spend the mid-morning. 

  • WOMENS BRUNCH:  My church's Wednesday class (I don't take that class this year) hosted a womens brunch on Wednesday and one of my dear friends (Diane) invited me to her table. I went and had such a great time seeing some ladies I hadn't seen in a bit and also at my table were 3 women from my hiking group. My bff Lynn was also there and brought little treat bags for us.......it touched my heart.  The worship time was powerful and meaningful and the food was delicious. The devotional that the instructor of the class gave was very meaningful as well and she followed it up with more worship time and prayer.  I also won one of the raffle baskets!  Here are some of the items that Lynn had in a bag for us: 
The scent of the gerbera daisy is subtle
and I gave the peach tree to my daughter Claire
as she really likes peach tea.  The sunflower seeds got planted in my yard. 
I'm thankful for good friends,  a vibrant church and special events like this Spring Brunch....not pictured is the raffle prize which was a box of Scripture cards and a pretty pen and a chocolate truffle. 


Those are the main things that made me smile and say "Thank You, God" this week. 

How was your week?  What are you thankful for?? 







30 April 2026

Z is for ZEALOUS!


 It's the last day of the A-Z Writing Challenge which means today's letter is Z!!


In keeping with the theme "The Attributes of God" I am choosing the word zealous.


So.....Z is for ZEALOUS.  


First, let's define the word zealous: someone who is filled with exuberance, intense passion, and energy; dedication towards a goal, cause, or belief; a fervant, uncompromising commitment. 

In the book of Isaiah, there is a prophecy: 



What it means:  The dominant army at that time was the Assyrian Army. They had threatened to invade Jerusalem (from Isaiah 36). This Scripture is a promise to King Hezekiah : that the army would retreat instead of advance. They would be defeated!  So far, nothing in that time period, would have had that happen.  They were the dominant, strongest army.  They wanted to wipe out Jerusalem.

Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, was the strongest and most powerful king in the world at that time. He had demanded that Hezekiah surrender.  The enemy was mocking God so to speak by saying He could not defeat the Assyrian army. 

(this is taken from the Bible Ref commentary). 


But Hezekiah prayed humbly before God and so God made a gracious promise. 

The Israelites had been worshipping idols/false gods. They had failed to trust God and were becoming self-reliant.  But after Hezekiah's prayer, God  chose to save a remnant of Judah (Israel had split into two groups...one following the Lord God, the other to follow false gods). He (God) would eventually rebuild Israel into a great nation. 

The phrase "the zeal of the Lord of hosts" (God) implies that God is more than just powerful.  He is enthusiastic in keeping His Promises.  He follows through with His plans.  When Jesus was born, and it's recorded in the Gospels, it had been predicted way back during Isaiah's time!  (Isaiah 9: 6-7) 


The lesson for us:  God is not a distant, unhearing God.  He hears our cries. 

His promises are true. He is fully engaged to carry out HIS will for the people of this earth.  





29 April 2026

Y is for YAHWEH

 

Ok......after today only one more letter to go!

On the A-Z Writing Challenge, today's letter is Y.

My theme is the Attributes of God.

Since I used a Greek word (found in the New Testament) yesterday, I figured I would use an Old Testament word for today. Hebrew was the language of the Israelites/Jewish nations and so their name for God was Yahweh!

It literally means "I AM WHO I AM"  God is Who He says He is. 


So Y is for YAHWEH!

I've talked about how He can be all things to all people. Some people identify with Him being like a mother.  Some identify with Him being a Shepherd.  Or Redeemer.  Or Almighty King. Or like a Father. The list has gone on and on.......

I AM WHO I AM signifies God's eternal nature, His sovereignty, and His Independence. 

This was first uttered to Moses....the leader and prophet who led the Jewish people out of Egypt towards the Promised Land. God went before them....Moses is considered the Christ type in the Old Testament.







This is a song we sing often in my church......original artists are Hillsong.....my church pretty much does it this way, too.  It's wonderful!

HE IS YAHWEH...GREAT I AM!


Wednesday HodgePodge




I'm playing along with the Wednesday Hodgepodge because I liked this week's questions again! You can join in by heading to this blog. 


1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why. 

Full speed ahead.  The hiking season promises to be a good one, and we have many fun events other than hiking planned, not just with my hiking group, but with my immediate family and close friends. Spring has sprung and May is a beautiful time of year here in eastern New York State. 


2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.  

Personally, to do, I prefer classical piano.   I practice often and majored in piano for my undergrad Music Education degree. I also prefer going to a good symphony orchestra concert vs any other type of concert. We are fortunate that for just $25 a concert, we can get lawn tickets every August to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra which does its summer residency at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. My youngest daughter and I also splurge on NYCBallet tickets every July when the ballet company does their summer residency here. 

But I also love to watch: 

Ballet.  (why was Dance left off this list??! 😂 Did you know classical ballet is considered an art form as well as a sport?)  Our youngest daughter is labeled "gifted" in classical ballet/pointe. (by 3 different instructors/professors).  She has been dancing since age 3 and minored in ballet at UNH.  She also auditioned each year  for the UNH Ballet Company and got in each year. Although she also studied tap and jazz as an elementary child, she flourished in classical ballet and then began lyrical ballet at age 12 performing in many musicals at church as well as for the dance studio. Lyrical is beautiful to watch, but I definitely preferred seeing her on pointe. Once she's fully established in her career as an optician, she may try to join a ballet company for fun. 

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers? 

Dinner at our home is typically between 6:15-6:45.  If we go out, it's usually between 6:30-7:30 unless we are having a late lunch/early dinner but that's rare. 

As for leftovers: now that both girls are on their own, I have had to learn to cook for just the 2 of us. We rarely have leftovers unless I've made a slow cooker meal such as  the Stuffed Pepper Soup we like (it makes 8-10 servings!) so we then use the leftovers for lunches the rest of the week or one of the girls will dash over to get some leftovers.  

4.What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating? 

Finding  the "perfect" Air BnB for an Adirondack excursion with my oldest daughter this summer. Still looking.....now wondering which village we're going to end up in because that "rabbit hole" led to some cute little cottages throughout the Adirondack mountains! 


5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me...

At what are you 'self-taught?' 

I'm naturally left handed but taught myself to print my name with my right hand, play tennis/softball/ping pong, etc with my right hand and I've always cut with my right hand as well as iron with my right hand. My oldest daughter is actually ambidextrous so maybe I am too but I like to think I taught my self to print right handed. 😏



6. Insert your own random thought here. 


our front yard

It's odd that our cherry trees have bloomed in full about 2 weeks early this year, seeing as how we had a LONG, cold winter here in NYS! 
But I'm thrilled that the blossoms have opened and the scent is heavenly. 



HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!