Bits and Pieces

Orchids For Rent has another gorgeous plant ready.  this one is unusual.  It looks like a purple finger tip holding on to a yellow butterfly.  

Some one has a sense of humor.    

Good advice for skiers.

True or False?   Time will tell.

Hey there Maxine, we all have days like that.

Well ! ! !    We let them get away with it.    They even give themselves raises.   They retire on the job and get paid forever when they do finally give up their seat.   

How true.

It's Tuesday all over again, seems to come around faster as the  weeks go by and we find things to keep our hands and minds busy.    I baby sat Emma yesterday and we did a little weeding and watering in Pat's back yard.    Emma was not happy with my hosing her favorite sunshine spot so she ambled in the house and left me all by myself.    She is such a beautiful animal and so smart.   She kept telling me she was hungry and wanted to be fed.   She has a set time and although she is aware that doesn't stop her from trying to get me to feed her earlier.     She walked by her bowl, sniffed it, took a sip of water and looked at me, with those great big brown eyes, pleading to save her from starving.   I fed her fifteen minutes earlier than she should have been fed, but then I was hungry and decided I would like company so we were both happy.  Christine and Patricia were back earlier than expected due to the heat over in the Medford area.   They said it was hard to breathe over there due to a big fire still raging.     It has been a very long hot summer for the fire fighters and for the folks who are threatened.     We have had two real true summer days here on the coast.  I think we hit eighty-six yesterday, a big change when only last week I was putting the furnace back on as it was so cold in the mornings.     I have a cross breeze here in the house when I open the back door and the side windows and put the fan on.   It stays nice and cool.  

Christine has been working on the computer setting up, or I should say, working with a program to publish one of my stories.    Joanne has been ill for some time and unable to continue to home publish so I have just waited in hopes she would be able to put a couple of more of my novels out there.    It was very interesting to watch Christine follow the instructions and see the book come to life as you get to choose the size, the color, put in a cover picture and then wait to be accepted before proofing it one more time and then wait to hear the novel has been accepted and will be printed.    I have no idea when the books will arrive but I'll let those of you who have been interested in having another of my novels when they are available.  With this program they can be ordered through Amazon.   I should hear from them once they set the books up and it is in the system.    I didn't opt for Kindle but it is a future possibility.   I am in awe at the ease with which my daughter makes her way around the computer.    I wish I understood it as she does.   She makes it look so easy.  I panic at the first freeze of the screen.    So "Chosen" has been accepted and now all I have to do is wait for them to be printed and send a check and they will be all mine.   Christine will be leaving us tomorrow so does not have time to add my other novel on there.   She will be back in September when Erin comes so maybe she can stay an extra day or two and help finish up my literary endeavors.   

So, if you have a story to tell, get busy and start writing.   You can and should make a family history for your children and grandchildren.   So much is lost when family history is not written.    It is an amazing trip back into the lives of our ancestors.    We learn so much about ourselves.    So, get busy and start today and see where it leads.   You may find out where you got that thin or thick hair;   the blue or brown of your eyes, the smile that lights up a room when you walk in and that wonderful 'attitude' that makes your world go around.     Hugs to all. 

Bits and Pieces

Controversy over prayer. . . it is one of our freedoms and a necessary one as there isn't any one of us that doesn't offer a prayer up to the heavens every single day for one reason or another.    It may be said as "God dam it" or "Jesus Christ, you didn't" or holding a rosary bead in your hands for comfort, but the very first thoughts and words for the day should be a plea to be the best you can be and making prayer an integral part of your day.   How much we need God in our lives no matter what name you call or how often the need.    

Here is a special reason to pray for there are so many who have the incurable diseases that make life a long painful road .

How easy it is to chop up three cups of tomatoes, 1/2 cup of bell peppers, 1 cup of onions and 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro. 2 tablespoons of  lime juice, 1/2 tsp. of cumin, kosher salt and a bit of black pepper....and 4 teaspoons of jalapeno peppers.   Get out the chips and dip . . . yum!

If you have been standing on your feet too long and have sore piggy toes, try a !4 cup of Listerine; 1/3 cup of vinegar and mix it into a 1/2 cup of warm water and soak for ten minutes....ah!

Talk is cheap, action would be a lot better.    I like Newt Gingrich even though he carried a lot of baggage at one time, he was man enough to stand up and be counted for and has never been afraid to speak out.  A good time to say a prayer or two that he will have the courage of his convictions.

A new week.     Hopefully sunshine and warm lazy days.   It is the last of summer and vacation time is ending, schools will be open and the children will be back learning all about what makes their world go around.   Let us all take a second to say a short prayer that they will become A students and open their eyes and ears to exciting and new adventures.    "School days, school days, good old fashioned rule days . . . reading, and writing, arithmetic, . . . la, la, la, and something about a hickory stick . . . "   I used to know the words but humming la, la, la does wonders for a song.     Wish the children well and be sure to donate to their cause.   There is a school bus to fill with all kinds of learning tools.   There is an envelope or two to be filled to help those who can't afford the school trips;   and offering a prayer or two will help more than you know, so pray a little or a lot and become that one 'good' person you are meant to be.
Put that smile on you face for the whole human race  and  don't forget to send our school child out with a hug or two to hold them for the day.    Hugs to all.  

Jewelry

Magic hands in the making of jewelry that is novel and different.

A work area for fire and flames to create some one thing of beauty.

A special pin made for a Queen for her Jubilee.

An Emerald ring of gold.   Emerald is my birth stone;  wonder how much this one cost?   Oh well, if you have t ask the price then you know it's not for you to own.

Queen Elizabeth of England is wearing her special pin for her Jubilee.. 

Kristjan Eyjolfsson  a very talented creator of jewelry .   

Natures beauty set u for a flower show.

 

Erin and Donaleo had an opportunity to visit the store and see the jewelry of Kristjan Eyjolfsson.    They were impressed with his work and would liked to have brought home a trinket or two but you know the price tags must have been eye provoking when you shop with a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook.   

Sunday morning, a new day to enjoy and appreciate.     Pat and Christine put on a dinner last evening to satisfy a Queen herself.    Real true fresh tuna grilled with a slight taste of ginger;   couscous cooked in chicken broth and added spices that made our taste buds come alive;   a lovely salad with lettuce from Jock's garden and a special vinegar dressing Christine made that added just the right flavor.     A tiny tidbit to taste, then a little more added, just one more bite and another and another.....thirds, well I can assure you no one at the table was interested in counting calories.    With a wholesome dinner like that there just isn't any calories.

So today plan a meal for you, and invite some family and friends in to help you enjoy the food you prepare.  Make it wholesome and hardy and enjoy every  bite .   It is always amazing when a healthy meal satisfies the appetite.     The best thing is you can do it all over again and for one reason or another food always taste so much better when shared.     Bon Appetite, go and enjoy your Sunday and don't forget the food goes down so much better with smiling eyes and lots of hugs for desert.     Sounds good to me . . . can I come?     I'll be there in spirit saying a special thanksgiving prayer for each one of you.    Hugs to all.

Food Shopping -Israel

How about a lovely white orchid, reminiscent of a lovely bride. 

All of the above pictures came in on an attachment showing how one can shop for fruits and vegetables in Israel.    I'd love to visit the market place and shop for my favorite fruits and vegetables.   There has to be some I've never seen or heard of.   Imagine the work that goes into displaying it all.   Imagine the upkeep of keeping the fruits and vegetables farm fresh.   It seems like an impossibility, but here is proof that it can be done.   They must have a wonderful customer base and good prices to keep the foods moving from the displays.     You would have to have a good reach in order to get to that one juicy fruit in the center of the display.   A real work of art.

I wonder if there are any outdoor movies left.    Many years ago before they put the speakers between the cars, we would hike over to the outdoor theater and sit on the fence and watch the movies.  We have come a long way with our new 'pods' , wonder if they show movies on them yet . . . I know they have books on them now.   I can't keep up with all the changes, much to fast a pace.    Half the fun was sharing our words, our thoughts, our deeds.  Now each one gets lost in a world all of their own , tuned in to a machine and tuned out of the world around them.  

Daughter Christine has arrived for a short visit.   She enjoyed the ride down the coast and being a workday she had to pull over and stop to solve a problem or two .   A prime example of the new technology which shows me that you never have 'alone' time and that is sad.   Maybe it is her choice, but it seems to me that once you turn the key in your car, you should be able to go about your business without having to answer a cell phone and be in constant touch with your working world.    Working at home has advantages and disadvantages, but losing ones privacy is really a 'mortal' sin.      We need alone time.  We need time to think, to breathe, to relax and to be all by ourselves without the pressure of being 'on stage' every second of our day.    The brain needs a rest too and I am sure if you are honest with yourself, you need some alone time, if only to day dream.      It's Saturday, all day, lose the gadget and find a spot and hide.    Have a good to yourself day and enjoy every second of it.    Hugs to all.

 

Ho Hum

Emma had company for a couple of days and this is how she reacted to their leaving . . . "Ah"



It is hard to believe that half of August has already gone by and soon the  children will be back in school. 

A glass window butterfly.  How unusual, and how lovely.

Granddaughter Erin has made it to London and is enjoying all the sights and sounds.  She thinks they talk funny . . . well they probably think she does too.     She will soon be on the plane coming this way and we can hardly wait to see her. We have her for a short visit and then she is off to Kenya to teach the deaf children as a Peace Corps volunteer.   

Here it is Friday all over again.   Another weekend coming up and hopefully a fun one filled with summer fun and more of the garden vegetables to enjoy.   I have four beautiful ripe red tomatoes from my neighbors garden which are mouth watering.   Mary tells me they are plentiful and she will come over with more.   She said her husband, Joe, planted some purple ones.  I've never seen a purple tomato but I'm more than willing to try them.   I think I'll bake some cookies as a thank you.     So I have my day planned, how about you?    Mary brought her new granddaughter over for a visit yesterday and she has filled out so fast.  Two months old and so beautiful with smiling eyes and already making sounds and reacting to voices.    She is going to be a quick one.  Tiny ones, so easy to love.
 
Some one left me a bag filled with fresh rosemary and I have no idea who.   It is to deter the resident deer from chomping all my Rhody's, but more so, the cats who are using my side yard garden as their private bathroom.  I hope it will work but I have my doubts as I have a patch of rosemary growing in one of the side front areas and the deer walk pass like it wasn't even there.    They probably think the little purple patch is pretty. The thought was great and I am thankful for the gift.

Work on your attitude.   Check off the chores that have to be done and get on with making your weekend free to enjoy.    The mind needs time out away from any and all gadgets.   We are becoming addicted and that is not going to be in our favor in the long run.     Your world will not stop if you hide the 'gadgets' for a weekend.   A bit of old fashioned conversation might be what is needed to balance yourself out.    We lose a bit of ourselves when we are out of balance, so test yourself and see how long you can go without picking up one of your latest pods.   Let me know if you succeed . . . I'm working on turning off that Candy Land game as it eats up my seconds which I could put to much better use.     Wish me luck as I don't want to be addicted to anything and hopefully you do not either.     Bad habits are so easy to follow . . . but so had to break.    Maybe it is time to call a halt and get on to bigger and better pursuits in our lives.  Hugs to all.

 

Beauty

Sheila posted a picture of her snapdragons in her garden.   How beautiful they are.   I smile because I can never pass a snap dragon up.  I want to make it talk.   Remember when you did that?   

Blue Velvet comes to mind.    We are blessed with such beauty in our lives.   

This little guy just makes you smile looking at him or her.  Reminds me a bit of Zorro complete with mask.    A daring darling of the bird world.    I have a tiny budgie bird that chirps at me when I am standing on the porch.   An old friend who sits on the fence and looks for bird seed.  

Jock send these pictures in this morning as he just returned from a fishing trip up in Washington State.   Jock didn't get his picture taken with the 'big' one but his son Dean did and it is a beauty.  I'd turn the picture up but don't know how . . .you will just have to bend a little and enjoy the catch.   What fun.  Hopefully Jock will be in with a piece of the prize fish and cook it up on the grill for Pat and hopefully I'll be invited.   I got to eat one of the biggest most luscious peaches I've ever had.   Big and ready to gobble up.  The kind where the juice dribbles down your chin and you sigh with the taste bud in full swing.   Thanks for sharing Jock.

Life becomes special when you have friends and neighbors who share.    Those with gardens come to mind and as they labor in love of growing their own special vegetables and fruits, the abundance becomes fruitful to all within their sight.     When they fish and hunt as well, it is heaven sent and in the sharing and caring it becomes a welcome gift from loving hearts.     I count my blessings and am very thankful to be a part of the 'receiving end' of such unselfishness.    I hope that you have such people in your lives, or are one of those who has no problem sharing and caring.    Life becomes alive when you can bask in the sunshine of this particular kind of love.    Hugs in the form of  fish, fruit and vegetables . . . see, I told you, there is all kinds of hugs and all they do is make you feel very happy and content.    Share your bounty and find out what it is like to have the sunshine smile on you.    Hugs to all.
 

Stairs and Steps

Peldanos del Canon in South America

The Rock of Guatape Antioquia, Columbia -702 steps.

Steps carved into rock in Peru. 

Inca Trail in Peru between mountains and hills.

an extra step or two

Stairways in our world.   If you are looking for a hiking vacation there are plenty of places in our world for you to visit.    I have trouble walking on flat land, imagine the effort it would take to climb the stairs in all of these places.     I'll stay on top and you do the walking.

Our lives are filled with stairs, going up and going down.   We learn early in life how to cope with the changes, some we could do without, others we welcome.     Each of us has to walk our own path but isn't it special when we find someone who keeps in step with us and is willing to share life's experiences, both good and bad.   We are responsible for our own choices, but isn't it special when you find someone family member or friend who understands you and accepts you for the person you are.    We all need love and understanding.   So do your share of sending a bit of love and laughter to those you really care about.   Save a bit for those you really do not care about as they are in the most need of a warm hug.   Don't be shy, give a little and you will get a lot!   Hugs to all.