Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Summer is here

Hello Folks ~ It is a new day, Friday, I woke up thinking it was Thursday, so I've had to adjust to that. I do hope you are enjoying each new day you are gifted with.

The new little a.c. is working great. A widow friend of mine told me about having a dehumidifier and how it helps keep her house cooler with the a.c. I did some research on them and decided to get one as down here in s.e. FL it is very hot and humid. She told me the brand name of hers and Consumer's Report said it was the most reliable. Of course when you read reviews, you read good and bad and it can be a bit daunting in making that final decision. Using a dehumidifier makes your a.c. not work as hard. Indoor air is fresher also. 

 

So, I ended up getting a small one for this cottage. It is the Keystone KSTAD224D. I bought it on Amazon, used a $5 credit. With this little unit you can either set the humidity level you want, or use the comfort setting and the unit chooses according to the room temp. Humidity level between 35% and 55% is good. Right now mine is at 46%. This one holds 22 pints of water, has auto shut off when the bucket is full. It is on wheels. Size is 20” H x 14” W x 10” D. I turned it off when I went to bed.


UPS delivered this and I heard a thud and then the porch door slam. I put my shoes on and went out there and yelled "Thank you!" The guy yelled back, "You're welcome." Then I heard him say to someone else in the truck, "A butterfly landed on me. A butterfly landed on me and freaked me out." I thought it pretty neat that a butterfly landed on him. 

Well, it is now Sat. morning. The dehumidifier is working just fine. Having less humidity in the air is definitely a good thing.

Now it is the 6th of July. Time is marching right along. Thank you for checking up on me to see if I was ok, since in the last post I shared about the female trespasser. She's not been back, but she's been in my prayers.

I pulled a back muscle by moving a piece of marble from the hallway when the bed was going to be delivered and have had pain since then. This piece of marble is 1/2 inch thick, 49 inches long and 16 1/2 inches wide. I moved it in here by myself and up onto a desk top, but that was 8 1/2 years ago. I slid this on a towel down the hall and leaned it up against the freezer, but someone else will have to move it back outside. I'm definitely not as young or strong as I was back then.

 


 I'm trying to take it easy just doing what is necessary, dishes, change the sheets, no sudden moves if at all possible, not to much bending, etc. I've taken ibuprophen, acetemenaphen, arnica montana, used different creams. This takes time to heal, just as my sprained wrist took time. I thought about finding a massage therapist and googled female ones that would come to your house, and they are all over $100. Yikes!!! 

Then I remembered the epulse neck shoulder massager we bought in 2012 for my dear husband's neck pain. It didn't really help him, and I packed it away, then God called him home in December. Well, I got that out on Saturday, and have used it several times since then. It is good at pummeling those tight muscles that need to be kneaded. I've used on the first two settings and Miss Tork sat on the floor yesterday morning eyes big as she looked at her mommy with this noisy thing on her back.  We had listened to fireworks from 9 until well after midnight the night before, so she wasn't sure about this thing pummeling me.

I've not been following Elsa, but saw yesterday that she had hit Barbados and St. Vincent Island. I checked accu-weather this morning and saw that it was creeping up the west side of Florida. We had some strong wind and heavy rain late yesterday afternoon. It is gray and windy today. The grass is getting higher and higher. Everything else is looking lush and becoming more overgrown. But I am thankful for not being blasted by a hurricane, and that flowers are doing there thing. Lots of butterflies around as well.

Now for some blooms.

Ageratum or blue mist flowers. These are easy growers and spread like crazy.


 
 This is a yellow rain flower. I've only had the pink ones, so this was a pleasant surprise.


This is 'hugs-n-kisses' my favorite hibsicus.

 

 




This is 'Prosperity'.


Alamanda.

Knockout red rose.


I don't remember what the name of this rose is. It is growing up and over the awning and roof of small shed at the back of property. Heavy winds on the 23rd of July blew the bush off so that awning and roof were/are exposed now. I had to get out the clippers and cut it back.
 

Below is a sweet 'carpet rose'.



Next is a pretty pink hibiscus.

 Then we have the lovely Tahitian gardenia. I wish you could smell this!!





Plum Cottage dwellers.


 Here is a quote I came across in the past week or so by Oswald Chambers.

"All of your circumstances are in the hand of God,

so never think it strange 

concerning the circumstances that you are in."

*** 

In the Bible in 1 Thessalonians we read:

 Give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

***

God is always with us. When we put our trust in Him as our Savior, He has promised that we are never alone.

This past Sunday Pastor Jordan have a list of some of the negative thoughts that come our way and Bible verses to refute them. When these negative thoughts come, we need to focus on God's promises. He does not lie.

I feel lost 

 Luke 19:10  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

I feel alone 

Hebrews 13:5  "I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Matthew 28:20  "behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

I feel anxious 

Phillipians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything."

I feel tired

Matthew 11:28-30  "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

I feel condemned 

Romans 8:1  "There is therefor now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

I feel afraid 

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you;

1 John 4:18-19 - "There is not fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."

I feel worthless

Matthew 6:26  "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

I don't feel like God cares 

1 Peter 5:7  "cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you"

I don't feel loved 

 John 15:13-14  "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."

***

If you don't know Jesus yet, I pray that you will seek Him, He is waiting to be found. He loves you dearly.

May these scripture verses be encouragement for all and draw us closer to Him.

Thanks for visiting again and your kind comments.

Love, hugs and prayers,

FlowerLady

 



23 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

It seems that Amazon is the place to shop these days. I have purchased so much from there and I like that it shows up at my door. I always enjoy your lovely flowers. thanks for sharing these wonderful verses as well.

Lynn and Precious said...

Lorraine, It was good to hear you did not have any serious weather conditions from the storm. And the dehumidifier helps indoors. We have one in our
basement otherwise up here the humidity downstairs is really bad. Miss Tork certainly does look confused and concerned for you. You have got to stop with all this lifting and toting you do! Take care of the back. Lynn and Precious

Ann Thompson said...

I like shopping Amazon. It's so convenient and easy. The worst part is waiting for your purchases to arrive

L. D. said...

Wonderful flower photos. I lugged a truck battery into two different stores and I had to take the rest of the day off. I did get a cart to take the new one to the car. The dehumidifier will really help.

R's Rue said...

Beautiful blooms and quotes especially. I hope you can get some relief.
Thank you for sharing the Bible verses. God Bless you.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Lorraine. Thank you for the Bible verses. There is such encouragement in God's word. I am so glad to hear that the new air conditioning unit you bought is working well. Our AC went out on Saturday afternoon and we had a very HOT Independence Day weekend with no air. Really miserable. The air is working now, but we may be looking at replacing our entire AC/heating system. Ouch!! Many $$$$. I hope your back feels better soon. As always, your flowers are stunning. Take care. I hope your area is not impacted by the hurricane! See you again soon, I hope. :-)

Nancy J said...

Miss Tork and you, that is really a beautiful image. Rest lots, stay cool, and all the new appliances are not luxuries but necessities, and your flowers, that always are so cheerful and give me the delight in our winter. Hugs and kisses, that would be my pick too.XXX

Rose ~ from Oz said...

I often have to look at the calendar to check which day it is! Other times I'm fixated that it's a particular day when it isn't!
You have such a green thumb, always displaying such beautiful flowers form our enjoyment.
The dehumidifier his a grand idea Lorraine.

Kim said...

Good to see you! You're surrounded by so much beauty. Good idea about the dehumidifier. Wonder if it would lower the electric bill in summer to use one? Take care and Happy Tuesday!

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Wonderful post...glad the dehumidifier works well for you and that it helps keep things cooler! I bet it is working overtime during these very warm and humid days we are having here in Florida. I am watching the outskirts of Elsa fly by my window right now as I speak. I am sorry about your back injury, and pray it will heal quickly. That is a huge piece of marble! I think it is funny the delivery guy had a butterfly land on him! What a blessing that would be to me! I've always wanted one to land on me...and here he was freaking out! He just didn't know he'd been "kissed" by someone from heaven...that's how I feel about them...just a little sweet messenger spreading love. Your flowers are lovely. Yes, this rain we've had has been good for the flowers and grass and our pond. And yes, I am SO thankful for Jesus, my Savior and Lord! Where would I be without Him? I shudder to think! May the Lord bless you and keep you safe in this storm. Praying your back will be better soon.

Vee said...

Wonderful promises you closed with...

I do love my dehumidifiers as well. Since I have a basement, they are down there. One is a standing one and the other is a part of my hot water heater. That still sounds crazy to me, but it seems to be working. (Was installed a few months again.)

Another thing that sounds off is your carrying around a marble slab. Good grief, Lorraine. Call in the troops.

Glad that you have not seen more of the interloper. And it does not surprise me that you are praying for her.

The news about Elsa is sounding pretty good this morning. I don't want to see any remnants up here at all. I'll take a regular rain storm, thank you.☺

Olde Dame Holly said...

I can't imagine how you even got the strength to move that big piece of marble at all! So heavy. Sorry to hear about the back injury! Yes, that massager/pummeller gave your kitty big eyes! As always, your flowers are so gorgeous and the rain must have made the blooms extra-large!

Anne Payne said...

I love the yellow rain lily. I only have white ones with a yellow trim but they are delicate and beautiful!! Pray you feel better soon!

Melanie said...

We've used a dehumidifier in our basement in the hot, humid summer months here in IL for many years. We're on our second one now. It looks much like yours. The tank gets full quickly - it certainly does its job! They really do help.

I'm sorry you hurt your back trying to move that huge marble slab. I feel your pain (literally). I've been experiencing a lot of back pain lately too (and hip pain), so I'm back in PT. She's really helping me. One problem is that I'm out of shape - have weak abs and hamstrings. All part of my back and hip problems. So we're working on strengthening exercises, too.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Betty said...

I am always glad to see a post from you, the cottage, flowers and the serenity of the bible verses made my day. Will add you to my prayers for healing.

M.K. said...

Yes, we are definitely past the marble-moving stage of life, haha! I hope you are better soon. So glad for your dehumidifier! You know, most of them come with a spot where you can hook up a slender hose, and allow the unit to drain on its own, so you don't have to empty that water tub so often. My dad did this in his basement. But you need some sort of drainage spot in your house, where you can put the end of the hose and allow the water to run out the end. Just a thought :) God bless, FL, and take care.

Terra said...

Those Bible verses help me often. We are weak and He is strong. I am glad to hear you made it safely through the hurricane/storm. How neat that a butterfly landed on the delivery guy. Your marble slab is gorgeous but you are right, you must not move it. Your dehumidifier sounds ideal for your Florida cottage. I do use dehumidifier packets which hang in our closets. I saw on your sidebar you like Terry Hershey, I love his free Monday newsletter.

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Hello there Lorraine, how wonderful that the humidifier is working so well for you, what a blessing to find one that works so well! I just loved seeing all your beautiful blooms, they are glorious! Your blooms are so different from mine, and I love seeing them. I hope you are safe from the tropical storm Elsa that came through. We are having terrible heat and drought here, we could sure use some rain from a storm like Elsa! I pray that you have healed up from hurting yourself moving that marble piece. Prayers and hugs for you!

Jillayne said...

Hi Lorraine,

I hope your back is much improved and am glad to read you are more comfortable with having the dehumidifier in place now... every little thing that gives us some comfort and relief in whatever way we need it is a blessing.
Thinking of you and glad you are doing well.

Take care,

jillayne

Carolyn said...

Good morning! Hope all is well with you! Miss your blogs and have been concerned, it's been over a month since last port!

Lynn and Precious said...

Precious and I hope you and Miss Tork are staying relatively cool and
safe. Lynn

Red Rose Alley said...

I'm sorry you pulled a muscle lifting a piece of marble, Lorraine. I pulled a muscle many years ago lifting a heavy piece of furniture, and could barely move, and the pain lasted for a long time, and it even acted up through the years if I ever lifted anything heavy. I hope you have healed since you did this post. Your garden always looks wonderful with a variety of flowers to appreciate when you go outside. I look forward to seeing your charming home during the Autumn season, Lorraine.

~Sheri

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