This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Author: Deb L Waters
I am an avid reader. I read mostly Amish fiction but also read other novels. I enjoy romance, mystery, and Christian devotionals. I enjoy hiking in the outdoors, especially in Greenways and State or National Parks. I love my grandson. He is my favorite subject, so I'll post about him and his antics.
The place I consider my Haven of Peace would be around the lake at Andrew Jackson State Park. Whenever I feel stressed and need a breath of fresh air and communion with nature, AJ State Park has been my go to place for years. It used to be a short distance from where I lived, not so much now.
Nowadays,my circumstances have changed. I do not have ready access to a vehicle anymore, so I can not just jump in a car and go to AJ like I used to.
What I do lately is to go out to a park, a greenway, or any place out in nature where I can be amongst the trees, creeks, rivers, or lakes. I often (when I have transportation) go hiking with my grandson. He loves being out in the woods with me. It is so peaceful. We enjoy gazing out upon the water wherever we might wander. When we are out in the woods the trails we hike are more likely than not next to or parallel to a lake or river.
When near a lake or river we stop, relax, and breath it all in and let the stress or worries flow out of us. The waters emanate a soothing, calming affect which is extremely peaceful.
These are all photos taken around the lake at Andrew Jackson State Park, my Haven of Peace.
Tea is a refreshing drink that can be fixed many different ways. It can be made hot or cold depending on one’s preference. Various flavors can be added to it to soothe and calm one’s senses or just for the enjoyment of added flavor. Most of the time I prefer to drink ice cold tea. I usually drink black tea, but occasionally drink flavored white or green teas. When I drink flavored teas, my go to flavors are a combination of peach and mango. Even though a good percentage of people will brew hot tea to make ice tea, I have always used Lipton unsweetened instant tea. It is quick an easy to fix and can be used for hot or cold and flavors can be easily added however you desire.
Echinacea Sombrero Salsa Red displays single rows of drooping, deep orange-red ray petals around a sombrero-shaped, orange-brown cone. The lightly fragrant flowers attract butterflies! They provide long lasting color in the garden.
Echinacea Sombrero Salsa Red Coneflower
These are reded daisy-like flowers with dark cones and are produced on strong, well branched stems. Echinacea is well known for its large, daisy-like flowers. It is a bold, sturdy perennial sporting flowers with a large cone-shaped center, hence its common name of Coneflower.
Driven is having a compulsive or urgent quality; highly motivated and energetic. Do you have a Driven personality? What is the force behind being driven?
Not everyone has a driven personality. I currently do not myself. People with driven personalities are ambitious, persistent, and have a strong desire to succeed. They put in a tremendous amount of work in order to achieve their goals. You might wonder what traits appear in someone with a driven personality. Let me make a list for you containing some of these traits:
Workaholic
Persistent
Tenacious
Willing to try almost anything
Needs to be in control of their environment including the people in it
Projects power
Admires success
There are many different things which can be the driving factor for a successful person. What a person is driven by is affected by what they value. Below is a list of some of the things which successful people value and are driven by to succeed.
Hunger – hungry to do more, to do better, and to always push boundaries.
Thinking outside the box – they gave the urge to do something different, to carve their own path, regardless of the risks.
Their need to evolve, constantly – Evolve in their ideas, thoughts, and goals.
Their need to make a change in society – Always try to do things to help people. Always trying to make a difference not being concerned whether it is bug or small.
Money – It might not be what drives every successful person, however, it is important. It gives a person the freedom to do whatever they want without being accountable to anyone.
Freedom – Freedom lies in the mind, open to the thoughts of other people. Being free to new ideas and concepts.
Passion – it is important to be passionate about life and all you do.
Knowledge – To be successful, one always needs to be learning from people, from books, and from your own mistakes. One should never stop learning.
Don’t be addicted to money. Work to learn. don’t work for money. Work for knowledge.
There are only a few of my personal belongings that I hold dear. The following are the personal belongings I consider myself to hold most dear to my heart.
A Five shelf light cherry stained shelf unit. You might wonder why I would hold a piece of furniture dear to me. The reason that I hold it dear to me is that my father made it specifically for me. It made it where the shelves are adjustable so I can readjust the space in between each shelf as I deemed necessary. I’ve had books on it, knickknacks, like bird statutes, and later bears (both figurines & stuffed).
A Singer sewing machine from the late 1960’s and its cabinet. This sewing machine is the one I learned to sew on when I was in Junior High School. I used it to sew all the sewing projects from my home economics class and still use it occasionally to this day.
Two Minolta XG-7 35 mm cameras. One is mine and one was my dad’s. The Minolta 35 mm camera was my first 35 mm camera. I bought mine when I was in high school. My dad and I took a photography class through adult education at a local high school. We learned how to develop film & had several projects in the class using black and white film.
The one (actually several) other thing(s) that I hold dear is/are a number of photo albums which contain slides that my dad took throughout our lives. They hold precious memories of vacations and other activities and events we did as a family.
These are things I will not get rid of in my lifetime. My children do not hold these same belongings dear to them. Hence, after I’m gone they will probably toss them out like rubbish. For them these belongings do not hold any special significance or memory like they do for me.
What personal belongings do you hold most dear? I’d be interested to see what y’all hold dear to your heart.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
It is also known by African Arrowroot, Arrowroot, Canna, Edible Canna, and Wild Canna Lily among a few other names.
The rhizomes of cannas are rich in starch, and have many uses in agriculture. All of the plant material has commercial value, rhizomes for starch (consumption by humans and livestock), stems and foliage for animal fodder, young shoots as a vegetable, and young seeds as an addition to tortillas.
Other interesting usesincludethe hard black seeds of the Arrowroot having been used in the 19th century as bullets when ammunition was limited. The seeds are also used for making jewelry and musical instruments such as rattles.
AnolIs carolInensIs Aka AmerIcan Chameleon (Green Anole LIzard) They are closely related to Iguanas. GraffItI Art under the BrIDge SmIleyFaceFootprInt In the TreeColeman sIttIng on the FIrepIt at Anne SprIngs Close Greenway
Beginning as a teenager I had a stamp collection which included United States and World stamps. Collecting stamps and placing them in the stamp album is something my dad and I did together. We would go to coin and stamp shows and look for ones we might like to add to our collections. Those are fond memories. I still have my stamp collection. I was given my dad’s stamp collection after my mom passed. It is one of several things I treasure, not for what it is but of the memories made with my dad.
Besides looking at stamps to our collections, I would look for postcards that I might like to add to my postcard collection. Whenever we would go any where whether it was a coin and stamp show, a museum, or on a trip across country I would purchase postcards to add to my collection. Some of the postcards I would use to send to friends and others I would add to the album where I stored my postcards. I have two photo albums that hold my collection of postcards. They remind me of places I’ve visited. Some of them are special in a different way, they are ones that used to belong to my maternal grandfather. What makes them special? The pictures on those postcards are of some of my maternal ancestors. Others tell the story of my maternal grandfather’s time in the military during World War I. They are special because they help tell the history of my ancestors. I will always treasure them.
Currently, I do not collect anything except for memories. Since I’ve grown older, I find the memories I make with friends and family (especially my grandson, Coleman) are more precious and valuable than any tangible item I could ever collect.
God Bless. Thank you for listening and sharing in my memories. I appreciate y’all.
PigGoatAmerican Brahman American breed of indicine cattle
The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. Zebuine (Asian humped) cattle were present in the United States from 1849, when a single bull of Indian origin was imported from the United Kingdom to South Carolina. Cross-breeding of these with local taurine cows was the first step in the creation of the Brahman breed.
Echinacea purpurea is recognisable by its purple cone-shaped flowers. It is native to eastern North America and present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern and midwest United States. It is often known as the purple coneflower.
In Silvertone Another Silvertone setting In Monochrome In Noir
Coleman & I went hiking along the Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway and spotted the sand and water underneath the bridge. He loves looking at the water and sand fascinates him. He would have loved to go down and play in it.
While he was watching the movement of the water, I decided to play around the the different black and white settings on my iPhone. The above photos are the results.
Artistic Door Inside Daniel Stowe Botanical GardensArtwork Seen Along the Path in the Gardens And Down a Different Path one Finds Interesting Artwork within the Gardens
Gastonia Transit Bus StopColeman waiting for the Bus to Arrive On the BusColeman’s first city Bus RideRiding the Bus to Highland Rail Trail for a short Hike Highland Railroad Tracks Coleman looking at the Train Tracks Coleman by the Highland Rail Trail MapColeman by the Rules sign for Carolina Thread Trail Usage Down the Paved Trail We GoAnd Go…AndGo Coleman GoesHighland Rail Trail Carolina Thread Trail Gastonia, North Carolina
This is my entry for Di at Pensitivity101 hosts Share Your World and here is my response for the week.
Growing up, were you closer to your mother or father, or was it a balance of both depending on the circumstances? Growing up I was always closer to my dad. It was never a balance and when he passed away in 1996 apart of me was lost. What little there was between my mom and I became nonexistent sad to say.
What was your favourite toy as a child, and do you still have it? I’m not sure that I had a favourite toy growing up, however, I do have a red and white stuffed monkey with a banana in one hand that I have had since I was about five years of age.
Did you have any secrets? I don’t really have any secrets, but that doesn’t mean that I tell anybody and everyone about my life history. My life story is mine to tell when and if I choose.
What did you want to be when you grew up, and are you anywhere close? I’m not sure if I remember what I wanted to be when I was in grade school. It might have been a teacher since I played school occasionally. The closest I came to being a teacher was being a substitute teacher for many years. In high school I thought I wanted to be a nurse and took a nurses aide class my senior year. In college I never did very well with the science classes especially anatomy and physiology. The closest I ever came to being a nurse was working as a nurses aide for a couple of years. After I got married, I became a teacher, nurse maid and many other things to my family. My oldest son has/had dyslexia and the school didn’t think it was something they Neto work with; therefore I taught him at home until he went to middle school. In my perspective, a mother (or parent) performs many diversified roles throughout their child/children’s life’s.
Gratitude Gratitude It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.
Skyscape/Cloudscapes over Carowinds Charlotte, North Carolina (taken with an iPhone X in May 2018)Skyscape/Cloudscapes over Port of Galveston Galveston, Texas (taken with an iPhone 11 Pro Max in February 2020)Skyscape/Cloudscapes South Carolina Welcome Center Fair Play, South Carolina Looking at Lake Hartwell State Park landing (Taken with an iPhone 11 Pro Max in April 2020)Skyscape/Cloudscapes Dairy Barn Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina (Taken with an iPhone 13 Pro in December 2022)Skyscape/Cloudscapes Horse Road Entrance Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina (Taken with an iPhone 14 Pro Max on May 22, 2023)Today’s Cloudscapes from our Backyard Gastonia, North Carolina (Taken with an iPhone 14 Pro Max)
Naps are beneficial and not just for children. Naps can be a way to refresh and recharge mid-day. They can give you the boosted energy you need to meet the demands of your afternoon and evening. They can help to improve your mood, mental awareness, and added energy levels. They help in reducing daytime sleepiness, also boosts your learning and performance. For children, they can improve their behavior and emotional self-regulation, as well as aid their memory and language learning.
My grandson, Coleman
Coleman doesn’t like or want to take naps if you suggest or tell him to take one. That being said, when he is worn out he will nap basically anywhere. Sometimes I just wish he would nap sooner so he would listen and follow instructions better, instead of falling asleep when he’s supposed to be eating.
Naps are not for everyone, but if you feel like you need to take a nap do not feel guilty about taking one. Remember naps are beneficial to the mind as well as the body.
Playground at Gable Oaks Apartments in Rock Hill, SCPlayground at Gardner Park Elementary School Gastonia, NCPlayground at Schiele Museum Gastonia, NCMy grandson’s preferred “playground” out on a trail. Persimmon Trail Carolina Thread Trail Belmont, North Carolina Chewbacca
All of the butterfly 🦋 photos I’ve captured so far were all taken within the grounds of Anne Springs Close Greenway. First photos are of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails shot with an iPhone 13 Pro.
Male tiger swallowtails are bright yellow with black tiger stripes on the tops of their wings. You can sometimes find groups of male swallowtail butterflies gathered on the ground around mud puddles or other damp spots. This is a behavior called puddling. The butterflies are sucking minerals and other substances out of the damp ground. (This behavior can be seen quite often at the spillway at Anne Springs Close Greenway.)
Eastern tiger swallowtail
Other butterflies found within Anne Springs Close Greenway:
Asterocampa celtis, the hackberry emperor, is a North American butterfly that belongs to the brushfooted butterfly family, Nymphalidae. It gets its name from the hackberry tree. [Camera: iPhone 11 Pro Max]Red-spotted Purple – Limenitis arthemis Limenitis is a genus of brush-footed butterflies, commonly called the admirals. [Camera: iPhone 11 Pro Max]
Children aside, do you celebrate your birthday/anniversary or is it just a normal day for you?
For me, my birthday is just an ordinary normal day. It is not recognized by my children. Oh, I wish and long for acknowledgement, but henceforth it does not come and by nightfall I am disappointed.
Do/did you always give your child a birthday party when they were young?
I did not always give my children a birthday party. However, when I did it was usually just with family including cousins.
If your child was born on Christmas Day (or a few days either side of the 25th), did they have a ‘half birthday’ in June, two presents/celebrations, or something else?
None of my children were born near Christmas, but I do have a good friend and an “old” neighbor who was born the day after Christmas. If I remember right, and I might not, his parents tried to make his birthday special & not just combine his birthday with Christmas.
I do have a daughter that was born on “traditional” Memorial Day (traditional meaning before they made it always on a Monday). We tended to celebrate her birthday with the patriotic theme of red, white, and blue.
Would you prefer to give your child a party, or take them and a few friends on a special outing?
A party is nice, but also a lot of work and expense. When my children weren’t so young, I took them out to a restaurant of their choosing. I remember, in my teen years, my parents took me out for my birthday at the restaurant of my choice with cake and present(s) at home afterward.
A Red Rose Bud for my birthday (Not really my rose, but I can dream) Photo Credit: (c)Deb L. Waters
As a side note, today’s my birthday. I spent the day with my grandson, Coleman (But then again, I usually do). We took the city transit bus into downtown. His first time on a bus ride. First time for both of us in this area (we only moved here in February). We rode the bus downtown and then walked a short distance and hiked the Highland Rail Trail. (He loves to go hiking). The paved trail was just 1.8 miles in length one way. We stopped shy of the end of the trail and walked back to the bus station to wait for the bus to return home. (Coleman was ready to go.) After my daughter got home, she insisted on us going out to eat for my birthday. We hadn’t done that in over three years. We went to a new to us restaurant called Noodles & Company. World Kitchen. It serves many different times of noodle dishes. Italian, Asian, Vegan, and more. I had the Zucchini Pesto with Grilled Chicken. It was delicious. My grandson had the kids grilled chicken, but he was too antsy to sit still and eat. (He fell asleep shortly after we got back home). I did very much appreciate her thoughtfulness. My sons couldn’t bother with acknowledging my birthday. I am thankful for my online friends new and old who sent their birthday greetings. No body wants to be forgotten on their birthday even if they don’t care for celebrations.
Clematis viticella, the Italian leather flower, purple clematis, or Virgin’s bower, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to EuropeShades of Purple in a Garden PlanterSalvia officinalis, the common sage or just sage, is a perennial, with blue to purplish flowers. Sisyrinchium angustifolium, commonly known as narrow-leaf blue-eyed-grass Viola × williamsii, known as hybrid horned pansy, tufted pansy, or just horned pansy
Steps Landsford Canal State Park Catawba, South CarolinaLadders Lake Haigler Entrance Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina Coleman on Steps Lake Haigler Loop Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South CarolinaColeman on Ladder Lake Wylie, South Carolina John Thomas Waters And Mary Alma Waters on Back Steps 14 Walnut Street Great Falls, South Carolina Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge Steps or Ladders
This week Cee asks us to share photos of catching people unaware. These photos were taken from the Duke Kimbrell Trail of the Matthews-Belk South Fork River Corridor which is a part of the Carolina Thread Trail network of Greenways, trails, and blueways.
The people were enjoying a day on Lake Wylie with their families and friends. They were completely unaware that someone hiking along the was taking photos of their activities.
The young girls were enjoying Stand-up Paddle boarding on the waters of Lake Wylie as their family watched and gave any necessary advice and/or assistance.
As you can see one is having fun with stand-up paddle boarding and another chose to sit and kayak along through the water.
This activity may still be fairly new to them as it seemed they didn’t venture too far away their families Pontoon.
Coleman and I had fun to stopping along the trail to watch their activity. Coleman would probably have preferred to be in the water along with them.
This Artistic Door is located inside Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens building This one is located along the Garden pathway.As we walk along we encounter even more artistic doors A lovely painting. Each Artistic Door is accompanied by a card listing the artist.
View from our picnic table Notice the Visitor Shot on Canon while Coleman snacked Eastern Carpenter Bee on Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Purple’ Foxglove Earliest blooming of all Foxglove.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 