This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Cabbage
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-Close Up or Macro
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: The Garden in The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Farm and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Dan’s Thursday Doors
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all.
What are your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenges is something I don’t really think about, but maybe I should.
Day to day challenges would involve raising my grandson. Trying to teach him right from wrong, trying to teach him to follow simple instructions ( which he tends to ignore and can be frustrating), dealing with his hyperactivity ( it’s like he’s the energizer bunny without an off switch).
Then there’s the financial challenges trying to make ends meet and sometimes struggling to pay bills. Trying to meet my own needs and still help my daughter in providing for my grandson’s needs. Maybe I shouldn’t help her so much, but I can’t help myself in providing what my grandson needs.
Thankful that I have little to no health related challenges other than some allergies and seasonal sicknesses which are very few.
Other life challenges could involve friendships (or lack thereof), lack of direction/motivation, lack of meaning/purpose, love ( or lack of a love relationship), and possibly stress. However, I don’t let most things bother me. I have strong opinions on some things and not everyone agrees with me, but am I gonna stress over it? No, it would do me more harm than to just let it go.
One way I cope with things is to write down my thoughts. Some of those I share here and others I keep to myself in a journal ( in an actual book, not online.) I loose myself in books, I can imagine being there with the characters as everything is transpiring. I feel sad, happy, excited, and all sorts of emotions when I am reading. It is a way to destress, relax, and rejuvenate the mind and body.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Cee’s asking us to post photos of RED for the Fun Foto Challenge this week. Looking through my archives and recent photos let’s walk through the Red doors to discover what I selected.
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I hope you enjoyed your visit. I appreciate y’all very much.
2024 is a bright new year, hopefully more optimistic and positive than the past couple of years. I have been consistently blogging daily for the past five hundred twenty-one (521) days. To me, that is a tremendous achievement. This past year I broadened by blogging horizons by participating in several different challenges. Monday Window is just one of many I have tried to participate in on a regular or semi-regular basis. I hope to continue participating in the various blogging challenges and posting various activities with my grandson.
The first Monday Window for 2024 was taken along the Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway while hiking with my grandson, Coleman.
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Looking Up from the Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway; Icon on the Greenway Apartments; Gastonia, North Carolina , USA
God Bless. Have a Blessed New Year & Keep Photographing, Writing, and/or blogging sharing your thoughts and artistic talents with the world. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #123
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: Grist Mill; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Savoy Cabbage
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Farm and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: The Farm & Nature Trail; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a happy and Blessed New Year! I appreciate y’all very much.
From My Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max:
From My Canon EOS Rebel T3i:
Last on the Card-December 2023
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s Last on the Card photos. I appreciate y’all very much.
John’s Cellpic Sunday
XingfuMama’s Whatever is Lovely Challenge: 2023 – Week 52
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 13 Pro
Location: Landsford Canal State Park; Catawba, South Carolina
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. What are y’all looking forward to in 2024? May God grant you many blessings, love and happiness as you journey through life in the New Year. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee’s Which Way Challenge-Which way with any holiday theme
Photo Credit; (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. OI appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit: (c) 2022 Deb L. Waters
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I do not get mine done very frequently. The last time I took myself anywhere to get anything done to my hair was in before 2014. When I did go I often went to my cousin to get a haircut, a perm or sometimes even dying my hair. There was no better beautician in my book other than my cousin, Carol. [Actually she was my first cousin once removed’s wife, but why get technical.]
Why talk about haircuts anyway?
You might be wondering why I chose to discuss haircuts. This week I decided it was long overdue for me to get my hair, at least trimmed if not a complete haircut. Lately, my hair has been tangling up quite a bit, especially if I slide on brushing daily or twice a day. It had gotten so long that when I would lend over to clean my hair would fall into whatever I was cleaning. (Not a good thing if it is the commode one is cleaning.) Yuck.
My grandson, Coleman enjoys getting his haircut. When his hair starts hanging down in his face, he’ll hold his hair up and make cutting gestures with his fingers.
So, between yesterday and this afternoon noon, he and I both got our haircuts taken care of. I went and had my haircut done yesterday. It is a little shorter than I anticipated, but it will grow and is a lot lighter on my head. No more hair falling into places we prefer them not to be.
This afternoon while running errands, I gave in and we took Coleman to “his barber” in “his barbershop” for his haircut. Yes, he does have a favorite barber and he’ll tell you how to get to “his” barbershop. He was so ecstatic to be getting his haircut. He was smiling from ear to ear during the whole haircut.
God Bless. Treat yourself to a haircut, make-over, or whatever to help yourself look and feel better. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Greetings, Christmas Day maybe over , but not necessarily the celebrations and we still have the new year a coming. Since we’ve been sick and not out much I’m choosing to make my selections from the last time I was able to get out ( this respiratory infection, RSV, doesn’t seem like it was to disappear.)
I’m taking you on a walk through The Farm ( one of Coleman’s favorite places) at The Schiele Museum of Natural History.
Entering The Farm …
Turning Right past the farm you enter the Nature Trail. This directional sign points the way.
Now let’s enter The Farm and have a look around…
Let’s take a look to see what we can find growing in the garden …
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-December Pick a Topic from my Photo
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️ 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens. Also used Canon EF-S18-55mm lens on the directional signs (Second Photo.)
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Thank you for walking around The Farm with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all very much.
1. What will you be eating today?
What did I eat for Christmas dinner? I’m going to answer this in two parts. Part One, entails what we ate for Supper on Christmas Eve; that included Baked Chicken with Knorr Chicken flavored Rice with Pillsbury Biscuits. We have all been sick with a bacterial respiratory infection so, needless to say, I did not feel up to cooking a major dinner. My daughter did have her daughter with her for a few hours, but she could not stay long enough to eat with us.
Next is Part Two, I was feeling a little better but still under the weather. I managed to fix our supper mid-day (and yes, I do 99% of the overall cooking fir the household.) I fixed homemade ground turkey enchiladas with black olives and diced chili peppers. My grandson (at this time) will not eat anything that has a slight kick to it (even making it super mild is too much for him). Therefore, I cooked him some veggie chicken dinosaurs.
2. What was your favourite gift?
I do not have a favorite gift from this year. For several years now, I have only received a Christmas gift if I bought something and gave it to myself. My most favorite gift I have ever given myself is my Canon EOS Rebel T3I camera.
3. What is the worst bit, if any, about celebrating (Christmas or otherwise)?
The worst bit of any celebration is having family that chooses not to celebrate with you. It is also feeling alone whether or not you are physically alone. I have not been surrounded by much of my family for any special occasion (except my daughter) in an extremely long time. It is also a time when I reflect on past times with my dad and wish he could have lived longer.
4. Do your pets get to join in with the fun?
Growing up my mom always got our dog a Christmas gift and placed it under the tree. As an adult most of the places I have lived have not allowed pets, so it was no issue as to whether or not to buy a gift for a pet.
Gratitude:
I am grateful for the opportunity to write whatever I want, upload photos I’ve taken, and participate in blog post challenges here on WordPress. I am grateful for all of you who follow, like, and or comment on my posts. I am grateful for the friendships I have made over the years. I am grateful for my family and the times we do share.
Share Your World – Christmas Special Edition
God Bless. Thank you for sharing in my world. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Have a wonderful enjoyable weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
When I think of Gold or Silver I think about a Scripture verse in the Holy Bible. It is actually the first portion of Acts chapter three verse six.
“Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: …”
Acts 3:6 NKJV
Gold, especially, was a symbol which stood for anything of great value. There are many things considered to be more valuable than gold or silver. The things to which I am referring to are not tangible, but still extremely important and valuable. These things are (in no particular order):
Y’all are precious to me. I value your friendship, kindness, wisdom, and encouragement. Below is my selections for this week’s challenge I choose to share with y’all on my insights for GOLD or SILVER.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Gold or Silver
Photo Credit:©️ 2023 Deb L. Waters
God Bless. Thank you for following, liking, and/or commenting on my posts. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. They/You are valuable to me. I appreciate y’all very much.
2023 — A Year in Review — Second Chance/LastChance
July 2923:
August 2023:
September 2023:
October 2023:
November 2023:
December 2033:
Lens-Artist Photo Challenge—Last Chance
God Bless. Have a blessedly wonderful New Year. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
2023 — A Year in Review — Second Chance/LastChance
Posting a Year in Review is something I have never done or dreamed of doing before. It is, however, a chance to reflect on the past year and reflect on the choices I’ve made. Why was one picture chosen previously, but not this particular one? Isn’t this picture worthy of being shared as well? I have decided to divide this challenge into two parts. Part One will be covering the first six months of 2023 giving a second/last chance to a select chosen photo from each month. In Part Two, I will dedicate to the last six months (including this one) of 2023 breathing life into previously passed over photos.
January 2023:
February 2023:
March 2023:
April 2023:
May 2023:
June 2033:
Lens-Artist Photo Challenge—Last Chance
God Bless. May your New Year be Blessed, Be Prosperous, and Full of Happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
As we have been sick with a respiratory virus (not Covid)since Thanksgiving; we haven’t been out much due to rain and feeling under the weather. Therefore, I am pulling a few succulents I enjoy from my 2023 archives.
Ragtag Daily Prompt- Monday—Succulent
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️ Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: 1) iPhone 14 Pro Max; 2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens; 3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250 mm lens.
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina , USA
God Bless. I trust y’all had a wonderful holiday. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Karen Myers
God Bless. Remember the Reason we Celebrate. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all.
Memories from Christmas Pastimes ranging from 1956 – 2023 in no particular order or pattern.
Photo Credit: ©️ Deb L. Waters
Created with Google Highlight Video Creator
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photographing Public Art Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️ Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Telephoto Camera
Location: S Main Street, Clover, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy Kwanza! Enjoy your holiday weekend whether you celebrate with family and friends or spend it alone, you are never alone. Know that you are loved and appreciated. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Debbie’s Six Word Saturday
XingfuMama’s Whatever is Lovely Challenge: 2023 – Week 52
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250 mm lens
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
No matter where you are or who you’re with, sometimes you just need to sit a spell and have a bit of a REST.
Photo Credit: ©️ Deb L. Waters
Cameras: 1) iPhone 11 Pro Max – Wide Camera; 2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250mm lens
Location: 1) Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Cozumel, Mexico; 2) The Schiele Museum of Natural History, Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much,
Sunday Stills – Monthly Color Challenge – Red & green
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. Have a Wonderfully Blessed Holiday. I appreciate y’all.
Cee’s Which Way Challenge-Which way with the colors of brown or black (or dark gray)
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF75-300mm lens
Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-December Alphabet two T’s
Photo Credit:©️ Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: 1 & 3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250mm lens; 2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens.
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all very much.
Dan’s Thursday Doors
Photo Credit:©️ Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: 1) iPhone 14 Pro Max; 2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250mm lens; 3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens.
Location: Holiday at The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Here are this week’s questions:
1. Do you enjoy or get frustrated with the run up to the festive holidays?
The older I get the holiday festivities are not important. I do not do a lot of extensive shopping or engage in any festivities anymore. My family no longer congregates together for holidays. I wish it was different, but it’s not, so no point in getting frustrated over it.
2. Do you like family gatherings on a regular basis?
When I was growing up family gatherings happened often with extended family, however, that seemed to end after my maternal grandfather passed. Nowadays, each part of the family unit tends to do their own thing and are not interested in gathering for large family get togethers. I miss them, but I don’t stress over them.
3. What is your favourite family memory?
I’m not sure I have a favorite family memory. I treasure the memories I spent with my dad, sharing a common interest in stamp collecting and photography. We took a class through adult education on the local high school in photography where we learned how to develop 35mm film. The time we spent together was what was memorable.
4. Do you prefer to be a host or visitor for a special occasions?
I would have to select visitor. I have never had a suitable place to host a special occasion.
Gratitude :
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all.
White can be found all around us if we take the time to look around, especially so during winter.
First, let’s have a look at White in the museum.
Now, for a look around The Farm.
I’m sure y’all will be displaying many fascinating White photos which I’ll be looking forward to observing.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-White
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️ 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens; 2) iPhone 14 Pro Max; 3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 55-250 mm lens; 4-5) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens
Location: Holiday at The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Holiday at The Farm with us and for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all.
Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Sharon, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
List your top 5 grocery store items.
These are the top five items that we use most frequently. The Lactose Free milk for my grandson. He goes through about a gallon and a half per week. My preference and my grandson’s is the Oatnut bread. He does not care for other types of bread, The Bisquick I use to make Coleman homemade waffles for breakfast a couple Tonya week. We also use an egg for the waffles and for homemade French toast. My grandson won’t eat eggs any other way. Most of our suppers are made with ground turkey or fresh chicken.
What are your top 5 grocery store items? Looking forward to seeing what’s on y’all’s lists.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Here are this week’s questions
1. What is your favourite song or artist beginning with the letter D?
My favourite song beginning with the letter D would be “Daddy Sang Bass” by Johnny Cash and my favourite artist beginning with the letter D would be Dolly Parton for female artist and Neil Diamond for male artist.
2. When was the last time you visited a church?
The last time I stepped foot into a physical location of a church would be in 2020 before everything was shut down due to Covid-19.
3. If you celebrate Christmas, when do you put your decorations up? If not, do you decorate your home for other traditional occasions?
I celebrate Christmas, but have not done any decorating for the holiday since my mom passed in 2019. I’ve been in limbo since then living in various locations and it just hasn’t been feasible.
4. Do you like a glass of wine with your main meal of the day?
I have never cared much for wine and gave up drinking any kind of alcohol many years ago.
Gratitude:
Share Your World-Week of 12.11.23
God Bless. Thank you for being apart of my world and for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Holiday at The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Here are this week’s questions:
1. What is your idea of a good holiday? Seeing the sights, lazing on a beach, hitting the night spots, getting away from it all……………….
My idea of a good holiday is spending it with those I love and care about. Now if you want to talk about seeing sights or petite on a beach, to me, that would be a vacation not a holiday.
2. You are offered tickets to a show. Which would you prefer, Opera, Play, Cinema, Entertainment, Ice Gala, something else?
If offered tickets to a show I would go see any of those choices, however, my favorite would be to attend a local play.
3. Have you ever won a sports trophy (or something similar for a particular achievement)?
No, I have never won a sports trophy or any other kind of a similar award.
4. What is your dream car (fact or fictional)?
My dream car would not really be a car ( in my opinion), but it would be a camper van. I long to own one and travel across America visiting every one of the forty-eight connected states. I would travel to see National Parks and monuments as well as visit family and friends in the various cities and states while traveling to my heart’s content.
Gratitude:
Share Your World-Week of 11.20
God Bless. Thank you for sharing in my world and for sharing your titans thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Dinosaur 🦕 Exhibits; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Construction on the new school and windows continues. Progress is being made, however, probably will not be completed until Spring of 2024.
This new school addition is located to the right of The Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Near the Museum; Gastonia, North Carolina , USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max; Google Video Creation
Location: Holiday at The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
Happy Holidays. Happy Kwanzaa. Feliz las Posadas. Merry Christmas to one and all!
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Stoneybrook Avenue; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 