Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for everything that makes our lives special.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

My husband

My friends

My cats

Good food

Wine 

Diet beverages

Being safe and warm in my house

Being able to buy groceries

Dining out

Summer days

Going to the beach

My sense of smell

My health

Exercise

My leaf blower

Electricity

Being loved

Clouds

Sunlight

Evening strolls

The freedom to be myself

Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

The Chilly Side

Waves on the Gulf

Result of last night's cold front.

It's a bit cooler today.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Kicking Back

Today's Lunch - Fish & Chips

We're taking some time for a little R&R.  We will return to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

It's a Good Life

A few of my favorite shots to brighten 

an otherwise dreary day.

I love my blankie

Queen Sophie

A sunny spot

Three's Company

Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween

Image source: Joelk75

All kids, big and little, like Halloween, right?  All the candy, and parties and candy, and now the latest craze - Trunk or Treat, which I just heard about last year.  This is a relatively new Halloween activity where children go from trunk to trunk in a parking lot collecting candy, and is a safer alternative to traditional door-to-door trick or treating.  All you need is a parking lot, cars with decorated trunks and loads of candy.  Add ghosts, goblins, pirates and super heroes, and throw in Cinderella and a witch or two and you have the ideal Halloween recipe.

When I was growing up, we walked around our little neighborhood which had all of four streets.  There weren't even any street lights back then. As the sun was setting, the neighborhood kids, decked out in dime store costumes, took to the streets toting their bags or plastic jack-o-lanterns hoping for the "good" candy.  Yeah, baby, I'm talking CHOCOLATE!

The pictures below shows the bag (front and back) that my Mom painted for me one Halloween.  Did I mention that she was creative and talented?  This bag is one of my treasures.

Who wouldn't want a custom made, hand painted Halloween treat bag?

Fast forward to adulthood, and living on a busy road that isn't suitable for trick or treaters.  Upside?  I get to eat ALL the candy.

Now we come to my artistic talents.  I painted some treat bags a few years ago when Ashley's kids were here.  Below we have a witch with some bats and a ghost.  Scary, huh?

Boo!

And here we have a very spooky tree, a full moon and a black cat - all essentials for Halloween.

Mrrrooowww!

I'd love to hear about your Halloween memories.

All About 60 (in 55 words)

Image Source:  Herkie

There are 60 months in 5 years.
There are 60 inches in 5 feet.
There are 60 minutes in an hour.
There are 60 seconds in a minute.
60 years - known as the diamond wedding anniversary.
A mile is 5,280 feet and is divisible by 60.
60 years is also known as three score.
Zero to 60 is an automotive standard of performance.
Gone in 60 seconds.

 

This was written for Friday Flash 55.

The Bubble Bug - Identity Revealed

UPDATE:  Last year I posted a picture of a bug I spotted while walking at Salem Lake.  I'd never seen one like it before, and thought it looked like a bug in a bubble.

While looking up another critter from the insect world, I recognized this as my bubble bug.  

Mystery solved.  It seems the little guy is called a Tortoise Beetle.  While the markings on my beetle aren't identical to the one I found online, tortoise beetles come in many other colors and patterns.

Varieties of the tortoise beetle are found throughout the world.  They are common, and apparently harmless to people.  Agriculturally considered a minor pest, they can attack foliage but rarely cause significant crop damage. 

The Deer Roam Free

My husband's brother and family live in a small town a few miles from us.  Their property backs up to a large park, so this is a normal sight in their yard.

When we were leaving a few nights ago, there were two deer in the yard just past the driveway, two more in the yard across the street, and we spotted several more as we left the neighborhood. 

The deer roam free

In our town

Beware the deer

At sundown

When darkness falls

And shadows flee

In our town

The deer roam free

Fortunately, they also come out during the afternoons for photo ops.  Hubby got this with his cell phone.  The deer rarely make an appearance like this when I'm there with my camera.

Second Anniversary: Meet and Greet

Dear Readers:

Another year has rolled around, and tomorrow Roses to Rainbows celebrates its second anniversary in the blogosphere.  Last year I listed for you the things I had learned during my first year of blogging, and introduced you to some of the people I had met.

This year I would like you to introduce yourselves to me.  I would like to meet those of you who pop in and leave without a trace.  This is not the FBI, but you are all on my most wanted list.

So whether you drop in regularly or this is your first visit, please look around and make yourself at home.  There's a pot of coffee on for you morning folks, and a glass of wine for the evening crowd.  Don't be shy now - you are among friends here.

You are all important to me.  I want to thank the regular R2R crowd for sticking with me, and invite everyone else to join in the fun.

Cheers, everyone!

The Quote of the Week will return next Monday.

Signs of the Season

This little leaf caught on the remnants of a spider web, danced for me in the breeze.

The Tulip Poplar is the first to release her leaves.

Pretty red Dogwood seeds will feed the birds this winter.

 Sunlight plays on these bushes turning them golden.

 Mother Nature highlighted these leaves on an otherwise green tree.

Written for Friday Flash 55.

Pennsylvania Part 2: Ephrata

Yay!  We finally made it to Ephrata.  My best friend, Ashley, and her family moved here last Spring.  Having had some time to adjust, they have decided that they love the area.  The schools, parks, shopping and the library are close to their house.

Ephrata Borough, Lancaster Co., PA

As you can see, it is a quaint town that make you feel like you have stepped back in time, and when you see the horses and buggies of the Amish you may think you have.  This was taken at the local Walmart.  

Horse and Buggy parking only!

This year was exceptionally hot with days of triple digit heat indexes.  Like many areas in the northern part of the country, very few homes have central air.  But winter is coming, and the boys are looking forward to the snow.  They have already located a good hill for sledding/snow boarding.

Main Street in Ephrata

There is a nice park just blocks away from Ashley's house with a large picnic shelter, playground, a walking path along the creek, and plenty of benches to sit and watch the kids play or just relax with nature.

A park within walking distance

When you have kids, knowing where all the parks and playgrounds are becomes important.  This park has a ball field, playground, and walking paths, one of which leads to this pretty lake.  It was late afternoon, and the sun was playing off the trees and their reflections in the water.

Just a few miles down the road from Ephrata is another small town called Lititz.  It was a nice day to stroll up and down Main Street and visit the Wilbur Chocolate Company.  From the moment you step inside your senses are assaulted with the fragrance of chocolate.  They sell a huge variety of chocolaty treats, which are made upstairs above the shop.

There is a natural spring in Lititz Springs Park.  It flows into a pool and then down a shallow "stream" with stacked rock walls on either side.  It is filled with ducks, coming and going.  It looks like a lazy river ride - ducks just walk over to the edge and plop in.

A lazy river for ducks!

Here is a short video of the ducks swimming up and/or downstream.

This is a natural spring and the water is quite cold, and very clear.  When I looked into the spring where the water was still, I actually couldn't tell there was water there.

This tells more about the history of the spring and the park.

Here is the lion guarding the spring.  I believe the original lion was carved into the rock below, but has worn away over time.

After walking through the park, and sampling chocolates at Wilbur's we enjoyed some great pizza at a Roma Pizza on Main Street.

On another day, we visited Ephrata's Green Dragon.  The Green Dragon is a farmer's market and flea market all rolled into one.  There are many vendors including the Amish.  You can find just about anything there from fresh baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses to clothing, sunglasses, household goods and too much more to list.  People come from miles around to shop here, and it only operates on Fridays.

Image Source:  The Green Dragon website

Where Were You?

We all remember September 11, 2001 - the worst terrorist attack on American soil.  As with all life changing events, it is natural to remember what was going at that instant in your life.  No matter how mundane the task, it is cemented into your brain.  This is how I remember it.

We were vacationing in Madeira Beach, FL, as we do most years.  It was a beautiful morning with barely a cloud in the sky, and nothing to portend what was about to happen.

Hubs and I had gone to John's Pass to buy him some flip flops.  We walked into the beach shop and as usual, there was a radio on.  However, it wasn't blaring the usual Top 40, rock, rap, or whatever was the clerk's choice that day.

Instead what we heard was news.  We heard words like "attack" and "World Trade Tower".  "Is that real" we asked?  A quiet 'yes' was the response.

Like everyone else we strained to hear every detail.  Our country was under attack.  There had been attacks on Americans before, but this was larger and more deadly than anything previously in my lifetime.

For me, stunned and shaken were understatements.  Already there were three planes down, thousands of lives lost, and the landmark World Trade Towers lay in ruins.  The terrorists used our planes as weapons against us.  At that moment no one knew the full extent of the attack.  Would there be more?  The situation was frightening and there were questions on everyone's minds and concern on their lips. 

Outside the skies were silent.  It was an eerie sound.  Yes, silence was an eerie sound that day.  On any given day you would see planes coming and going over the Gulf, some pulling advertising banners, others carrying passengers far and wide. Instead of the roar of the jets and buzz of single engines, silence ensued.  All planes were grounded. 

We seldom watched TV on vacation but now the TV was nearly always on.  It was heartbreaking to watch as we suffered with those who lost friends and family.  We felt pride for New Yorkers, and for heroic citizens everywhere as they pulled together.  The wave of fear that washed over our nation was quickly replaced with outrage.

This tragic event brought about much grief and suffering, but it also united a country against those determined to destroy us.  Americans are strong.  We won't be broken, and we won't back down.  

We will always remember where we were that day.  As a nation, it has been carved into the steel of our resolve.

Written for the Tribal Blogs 9/11 Tribute.

Meeting the Challenge

Philadelphia Street Art

Today's post is the product of a challenge issued by my friend Nicky at We Work for Cheese.  She is funny, talented, and loves cheese!  So when I read her latest post, "The I’m Hungover And Have To Go To My In-Laws Post" wherein this challenge lies and saw that she had opened it up to whomever wished to participate, I jumped right in.  The challenge is to link to seven posts in the following categories.  I mulled over nearly two years of posts and came up with these to meet the challenge requirements.

1. Most Beautiful Post:  This one is, for obvious reasons, a tie between two posts.  Happy Birthday Mom and Daddy and Me.  My parents have been gone from my life for some years now but I remember and think about them every day.
2. Most Popular Post:  The Peace quote.  This is one from my Quote of the Week series.  A blogger friend had a picture on her blog that included the quote in a photograph she'd taken.  With her permission, I used her picture for my quote and interpretation.  This post was stumbled and I still get traffic from it.
3. Most Controversial Post: Charlie Sheen: Don't Feed the Frenzy.  Tribal Blogs hosted a blog carnival and the hot topic of the day was Charlie Sheen and his impending meltdown.  I chose my angle to express my distaste at how the media exploits and distorts the personal lives of celebrities.
4. Most Helpful Post: Ten Things I Have Learned From Blogging: Anniversary Edition.  In celebration of my one-year anniversary in the blogosphere, I shared with my readers some of what I had learned over the year.
5. Most Surprising Successful Post:  Conversation in the Tomato Patch.  This was written for Magpie Tales based on a picture prompt of...you guessed it...tomatoes.  Some of the other veggies joined in a spirited conversation about their impending harvest.
6. Post that didn't get the attention it deserved:  Five Things You Should Never Pay Full Price For.  I am a bargain hunter, thoroughly trained in the skills of effective shopping by my Mom.  I use store sales and coupons to maximize my savings, and like to share those strategies with others.  Some things are just way over priced, and I show you how to reduce the impact on your wallet.
7. Post I am most proud of:  I Sing No More.  This is another of my Magpie Tales creations.  The prompt that week was a sculpture.  A bust of what looked like a girl singing.  This is probably one of my best pieces of poetry.

Ah, this is the point where I am supposed to nominate a half dozen or so unfortunate lucky bloggers to participate.  I know a lot of people don't like to be singled out, so I'll leave it up to you whether or not you play the game as it makes its way around the blogging world.  My only request is to please include a link back to this post.

Have I Got Holes in my Head?

Don't answer that!

How come it is when you wait until you have time to sit and write down all the thoughts rolling around in your head, they seem to have rolled right out.  It’s like my head has holes in it, and my thoughts and ideas just plop right through the holes.  That’s it – my head is a sieve.  Nope, that can’t be it – then everything would fall out.  I must have a flashing sign inside my head.  One that says “All good ideas must exit here”.  

It’s a one way door like a turn style.  Oops, no can back up.  Sorry, let’s keep it moving.  Don’t want to create a bottle neck.

Then the lights are out and the door is locked.  A couple of the bolder ones pound on the door but the guard just yells “Go Away – She’s done thinking for today."

Daddy and Me

Daddy and Me.

This was taken during some quality time with Daddy.  You see Daddy was a truck driver, and this took him away from home a lot, especially when I was little.  That made our time together even more special.

As I grew up, he was always there for me.  I got my first bicycle with training wheels when I was 6.  I still have that bike.

While we sat outside as he grilled steaks, he took the time to explain how patents worked.

He paid for braces at 14, and took me to get my license the day I turned 16.  He bought me my first car that June.

He was there every step of the way.  He watched as I got married, and loaned us money for a down payment on a house.

He was always there to help us, but never offered up advice or opinion unless asked, and then sometimes he would pose a question instead of giving an answer.

He was born July 30, 1928 and grew up in a small town in Southern Virginia.  He enlisted in the Army/Air Force in 1946 when he was 18.  And after serving 6 years, he moved to North Carolina to begin working as a truck driver.  He and my Mom married in 1956 in Dillon, SC.

He worked hard his whole life, and lived a life of which he could be proud.

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone very special to be a little girl's Daddy. He was the best a girl could ask for, and I miss him every single day.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

 

Is It My Turn?

The cat carrier, that dreaded implement of transportation.  As much effort as it is to get them into the carrier for a trip to the vet, you'd think they wouldn't hop in of their own free will.  

Sometimes, though, it makes a great place to hang out for a little down time.

Is it my turn?

Even Rosie takes his turn.  Sometimes you can even hear him snoring away in the box.  All cats love their hidey places.

Peek-a-Boo

Apparently it is also a source of entertainment, too.

Who's in there?

And, not to be left out, Dood peers out of the "fun box".

Can you see me now?

  

A grand time was had by all, and I guess it was a lesson in taking turns.

The Sights of Minnesota

OK, so we're here in the state of 10,000 lakes.  They're everywhere!  There's practically a lake on every corner in the state.  Why, then, cannot we not find a lake?  Because Minnesota is a big state.  The corners are farther apart.

There was supposedly one at Como Park where we went to the zoo.  Didn't see it. 

We did see the mighty Mississippi River as she flowed powerfully 

through the city.

Then there were tall buildings in the city of Minneapolis.  All lovely and interesting, but I want to see lakes!

A trip to Minneapolis isn't complete without a visit to the Mall of America, complete with it's own amusement park.  Again, no lakes.

Finally, on our way to Stillwater, we stumbled across Lake Elmo Park Reserve.  Here is a man fishing with his son, who just caught his very first fish.

Here is an satellite view of the pier, courtesy of Google Maps.

At first glance this appears to be another lake.  It is actually a swimming pool.  It is filled with chlorinated water and filtered just like a regular pool, but has the look and feel of a lake with a beach.

It was cool and overcast, but there were still folks in the water...kids, that is!

It looks like I was looking through a window doesn't it?  Well I was, sort of.  This was a tiny building at the end of boardwalk through a marsh-like area leading to another lake in the park.  Tall grass on either side was nearly as tall as me.  I think this was built as a shelter to observe wildlife. I love getting back to nature, although we didn't see much wildlife.

Except for this little guy!

So while I did get to see some of Minnesota's beautiful lakes, it was only a drop in the bucket.  There are about 9,998 to go.