A Cardinal is a blessing for the whole day!

 

I heard someone say that about Cardinals and I've never forgotten.

My husband and I have been very blessed over the years and we are thankful for that.

(taken on a hike on the Florida trails last month)

But now we are going through a very hard time and I wanted to write and ask you for your prayers.

Ron has a very rare cancer....B cell Lymphoma.

There's a good article HERE. He has the Splenic subtype. 

It is too advanced for surgery to remove his spleen so they have started Chemotherapy treatments. He's been in the hospital receiving blood transfusions too. 

I'll update you all when we get farther into the treatments. I had thought about taking a blog break but I get so much enjoyment from reading my favorite blogs and I know you will all give me encouragement.

I've come to know most of you over the years of blogging and know you have all been through hard times too and I have prayed for many of you over the years. So I'll thank you in advance for your prayers and I will be around to visit soon. I know I'll read my favs and I'll comment when I can.

God bless you, your blog buddy Diane

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

Slow down, You might miss something!

 

Slow down? I don't think anyone has actually said that to me lately.

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Lizard on a log

Grasshopper in the pine needles

Hoverfly in the sky

They 'hover' and stay so still that if you can get your camera to focus on them, you can get a photo!

I walk at a pretty slow pace and I stop and look around at odd times.

Armadillo

It's amazing how many times I've stopped to get a drink of water and noticed something interesting in the forest.

Or if my battery gets low on my camera and I have to change it, that's a sure way to have wildlife saunter by.

One day we were hiking near Shangri-la and a bike rider stopped to say he had pulled out some crackers to have a snack and a bear poked his nose out from behind the tree. We asked him where and he pointed to a spot close by. And no....I don't think he stayed long enough to share his crackers with the bear.

Anyway, I thought I would find those photos of the small things we see when we are hiking that often get left out of a post.

Bear Scat (poop...not zoomed in!)

You may WISH I had left out more! hahaha!

 

Someone dropped their walking stick in the forest. I hope they came back to get it!

Happy Hiking! It's just a walk in the forest!

 A chance to get out in nature and enjoy the scenery...watch where you walk!

And enjoy your day!

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Spring Wildflowers and Butterflies

Every Spring we see some of the same wildflowers here in Florida! 

But can we remember the names of them? Don't answer that! It's a rhetorical question....heehee!

We do sometimes see something new and this is 'new to us' this Spring.

It's an Orange Milkwort, or Candy Weed.

We hiked a little farther on a trail last week and saw it in a low spot alongside the trail. Well, hubby saw it! I think I had my head in the clouds....looking for birds!

This is a Common Buckeye Butterfly.

And these tiny beauties are Phaon Crescents. 

They were only about an inch wide but aren't they showy!

The flowers they are on are Daisy Fleabane and they are teeny tiny too!

Another favorite is the Gulf Fritillary.

It's quite common here but oh so beautiful.

Have the wildflowers made a showing where you live? We are still doing okay. Are you well? Please stay healthy and let me know how you are in your comment!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

"The Happiness of Pursuit"

I checked a book out of the library this week and was inspired. Even the title inspires you!

The Happiness of Pursuit : Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to your Life by Chris Guillebeau

I couldn't stop reading it and now I'll go back and read some of the pages I bookmarked. (reading it as an ebook allows you to bookmark multiple pages to find easily)

 

I'll use the quote from Goodreads, "A remarkable book that will both guide and inspire, The Happiness of Pursuit reveals how anyone can bring meaning into their life by undertaking a quest. A book that challenges each of us to take control – to make our lives be about something while at the same time remaining clear-eyed about the commitment -- The Happiness of Pursuit will inspire readers of every age and aspiration.  It’s a playbook for making your life count."

 A Common Buckeye photographed at the Pruitt Trailhead of Halpata Tastanaki Preserve

It's very inspiring no matter what your circumstances. I'm not going to travel to all the countries in the world like he did, but I have some new ideas about my hiking adventures. I've made 127 hikes this year so far. I'm wondering how I can use these concepts to 'up my game'. I definitely want to hike some new trails in my area and find some landmarks that I've read about. Have you read a good book lately that I might like?

 Enjoy your day! 😎

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays  and

Katherine's Thursday Favorite things HERE.

 

 

"Old Fashioned Florida"

We see lots of  'old timey' things here in Florida!

These golfers were right behind my house playing a round of golf in their old fashioned golf attire!

I guess they were okay with me running out the back door to take pics! lol I've added a few of the airplanes we've seen lately. Flying small aircraft is very popular here!

And we are enjoying so many Spring sights on our hikes. There's a Common Buckeye in these photos and a huge bloom on the prickly thistle! The long leafed pine is putting out new sprouts too!

Are you seeing signs of Spring where you live too?

I’m joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE   

and Cooking and Crafting with J&J HERE.