Sunset (Click pictures for larger views) "This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears.
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought."
Seagulls in flight. "This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere."
Golden crocus in bloom."This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one."
Autumn splendor. 
"This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home."
~ Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1901)
Thursday it was warm, even hot by many standards. Friday a front went through; temperatures dropped forty degrees and a cold rain moved in. Saturday brought more showers, gray skies and in some areas, short spits of snow... but not at our house. Today the sun is shining and glorious, yet the wind is blustery and biting. Change is inevitable. Temperature, weather, seasons, locations, circumstances, cultures, governments... the list seems endless. But God never changes. The intricate patterns of His Creation continue to reveal His Glory and Majesty. This is my Father's world.
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Soda pop and soft drinks tickle the nose.
(Click pictures for larger view) "The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like and do what you'd druther not." ~ Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835 - 1910)
My grandfather loved Dr. Pepper and believed the the advertisement... "It's good at 10, 2, and 4." My mom grew up on Dr. Pepper and poured it over vanilla ice cream to create a float. I've always known this Dr. Pepper float as a "black cow". So it's natural that I should love Dr. Pepper too. Unfortunately, I also love Pepsi, Coke, and Ginger Ale.. especially Vernor's. Root beer is good too, if you can get it in those frozen mugs at the drive in curb service stands with the waiters on roller skates. But Dr. Pepper is my favorite.
One day I was calling a pathology report to another doctor's office. My standard phone etiquette includs identifying myself to the nurse on the other end of the line. It must have been near the end of a very long day and I was put on hold. I don't know about you, but my mind tends to wander when I'm on hold. Suddenly jerked back to reality when the nurse picked up, I said, "Hello, this is Dr. Pepper and I have a path report for Dr. Gates." At this point the nurse disintegrates ino a fit of hysterical laughter on the other end of the line and then more laughing around her and so on. Composure was eventually restored after several minutes, the report was transmitted and the call ended. I can assure you that while my last name starts with the letter P, I am NOT Dr. Pepper. I think that was the day I decided it might be best to cut down on the soft drinks.
Tea for two, and two for tea. "When the world is falling apart around you, drink tea." ~ Unknown
Tea has also been and still is a favorite of mine. Iced tea with lemon and sugar, or low-calorie sweetner now. In the northern states iced tea is served plain. Ask for sweet tea above the Mason-Dixon line and the waitress will look at you as if you are insane. Ask for iced tea in the South and she will smile sweetly and ask, "Would you like that sweet or unsweet, ma'am?" Of course all the "long i" sounds will be drawn out and delivered with a slow southern style and pace, and the "ma'am" might be replaced by "darlin" or "sugar". Only true Southern Belles know how to make real sweet iced tea and garnish it with lemon, orange or a sprig of spearmint. My daughter Nyssa, a true Mississippi belle, was a waitress in the little sandwich shop in our town and learned this secret. You'll just have to ask her to teach you some time.
You can lead the cat to the sink and the dog to the pan,
but you can't make them drink. Oh look... that doesn't seem to be a problem here. "The dew was falling fast, the stars began to blink;
I heard a voice; it said `Drink, pretty creature, drink!'" ~ William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Our cats have a fountain that filters their water. They love to drink from the flowing or dripping stream. A dripping bathroom faucet draws Chloe like a magnet. I have also seen Mr. Nicky spread eagle on the toilet seat with his head stuck in the bowl but my compulsive "Get out of there!!" makes him start with the most guilty look on his face and then he runs off to hide in shame. Max, the dog likes his water in the big orange dishpan. Both cats and dogs love the addition of ice cubes, not only in summer but in cooler weather as well. Max tends to eat them, crunching them up but this seems to hurt his stomach so I try to limit his ice.
Nyssa in the Atlantic Ocean... landed in the "drink". "You've been walking in circles, searching. Don't drink by the water's edge. Throw yourself in. Become the water. Only then will your thirst end." ~ Jeanette Berson
Let's review. We have soft drinks and tea representing the "noun" and drinking children and animals to demonstrated the "verb" form. This last picture might seem off topic but it really isn't. One definition of the noun "drink" is a large body of water and the ocean is all that. Come summer the waters will be warm, the air hot and the sun baking; it will feel good to plunge head first and land in the "drink".
The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "drink". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.
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Hot time.. summer in the city.
(Click picture for larger view) "Long lion days
Start with white haze.
By midday you meet
A hammer of heat...."
~ Philip Larkin (1922-1986)"Long lion days"
I've seen my share of 100+ degree days in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Mississippi. I've seen air conditioners that have exploded after a power failure on these days; the overworked condensers not able to handle the pressure. I've seen cars with boiling radiators, their drivers standing on the side of the road with sweat pouring down their faces. I've seen my beagle struggling to breath, her tongue and gums turning blue as her body's ability to regulate broke down and her core temp soared above 108; a heat stroke. And I've felt that thick and heavy weight of tropical humidity in the deep south that makes even temperatures under 100 feel like 120.
This picture captured the heat wave of summer in New York City. No breeze to evaporate the sweat on your skin, no clouds to break the pounding sun, the deep red haze of the heat that did not abate at nightfall.... 104 in the shade at supper, 103 at midnight, no relenting, no rain, no storm... just heat. Broadway shows, museums and restaurants are the coolest places in town. Oppressive, stifling, overpowering heat... just thinking about the summer heat makes me appreciate the cold front that just came through... Oh, the joy of 40 degree temperatures!
Submission for PhotoFriday topic "heat". (end of post)
...and skimming stones "As on the smooth expanse of crystal lakes
The sinking stone at first a circle makes;
The trembling surface by the motion stirr'd,
Spreads in a second circle, then a third;
Wide, and more wide, the floating rings advance,
Fill all the watery plain, and to the margin dance."
~ Alexander Pope, "Temple of Fame"
How many of you have stood on the edge of a smooth calm lake, taken a flat stone and skimmed it across the top of the water? I have seen it done but am a complete failure at the whole process. Perhaps I've never been able to pick the right type of stone or hold it just right or get enough spin or force on the throw; mine simply do a big "kerplunk" and make ripples outward from the point of entry. After three years of Physics in high school and college, I could have explained how it worked but I've just never been able to do it. This should go on the list of 1,000 things I want to do before I die, but it would be one that never gets done. My dad can do it. I bet my brother can do it. I can't. And I really love the look of the rippled waves that spread from the touched zones as they move across the water and interact with each other. If I ever come across someone skimming stones, I'll be sure to capture it with my camera. But until then my single splash will just have to do.
Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "water". (end of post)
Sunset (Click pictures for larger views) 
Seagulls in flight. 
Golden crocus in bloom.
Autumn splendor. 
