Raven Haven

 It is day 6 of the 30 minus 2 days of writing hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  This is written for the prompt "Haven".  For more great stories, check out the list on Nicky's post.

Big Pinnacle in Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina is the nesting site of the Common Raven.  They are on a watch list which means they are considered rare but not in danger from a conservation standpoint.  On a walk around the base of the pinnacle, they can be seen soaring high above the trees.  Even though they are part of the crow family, they soar and perform aerial acrobatics like the hawks.

The Big Pinnacle has been closed to the public since the late 70s.  The old staircase by which one reached the summit finally fell apart and was removed.  

I remember climbing that staircase.  It was back in the 60s and I think I was about 5 years old.  It's not something I would do now, but I'm glad to have had the experience - even if my memories are vague.

Not only is Big Pinnacle a haven for rare birds such as the Raven, as well as Falcons, Woodpeckers and Turkey Vultures, it's 4 acres contain rare ecological features not normally found in this area.  Among these is a rare oak called the Bear Oak, which is on the Threatened list and found in only four locations in the state.  For these reasons, the Big Pinnacle will remain closed in order to preserve our treasures.

Some Raven facts:

• Ravens are the largest bird in the crow family.
• They weigh around 3 pounds.
• They have a wing span of over 3 feet.
• They are intelligent, with the ability to learn a series of tasks to reach a goal.
• The Raven's call can express a wide range of emotions.
• They live from the desert to the coniferous forest to coastal cliffs.

For more information on Pilot Mountain and the Big Pinnacle read here. 

Speaking of Ravens, congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on winning the Super Bowl.

Hold On

It is day 2 of the 30 minus 2 days of writing hosted by Nicky and Mike of  We Work For Cheese.  This is written for the prompt "Hold On".  Check out the list on Nicky's post to see who else is holding on.

Hold on

to your dreams

to your beliefs

to your goals

to yourself

Let go

of your fears

of your worries

of your problems

of yourself

Embrace

your talents

your uniqueness

your imagination

yourself

Up a Tree

This picture makes me happy!

Rosie will be 16 years old in June.  As you know, he has been struggling with diabetes for several years now, and he is currently on insulin about twice a day depending on his blood sugar levels when we test him.  In addition, he suffers from allergies, chronic sinus issues and ear and skin conditions which cause him to cough, sneeze and scratch.  He goes to the vet regularly for shots to control his symptoms.  These shots in turn raise his blood sugar.  

In spite of all this, Rosie is still a happy cat, or as we like to say "an awesome cat".  He still loves life.  However, he has good days, and not so good days. 

So why does this picture make me happy?  This was one of his very best days lately.  He loves Sophie and he was chasing her around the house.  But amid chase, Sophie went up her tree.  Uncharacteristically, Rosie followed - at least to the first perch.  He's feeling good, and that makes me happy!

On top of the world.

Sophie is the only one who uses the cat tree.  It is her escape and a good place to oversee the outside, or just catch a few uninterrupted zzz's.  Occasionally, Rosie will lay on the base and soak up a few rays.

It's nappy time!

Pelican Party

As you know, we love to go to Florida.  That is where I recharge my internal batteries, and let life take a slower pace for a while.  Every so often we like to visit the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.  This is a wonderful place where all sorts of injured birds are rehabilitated and released.    For some release is not possible, and they live out their days here in relative peace.  I say relative, because anywhere you have a bunch of birds, it is seldom quiet.

The Sanctuary is located in Indian Shores, about 15 minutes from where we stay in Madeira Beach.  It is between Gulf Blvd. and the Gulf of Mexico.  This sign welcomes beach goers and beckons them to visit the birds and the gift shop.  Visiting is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

 This handsome fellow (No, I'm not sure of his/her gender) looks like he is standing guard.

A large number of the birds you will find here are pelicans of all ages and varieties.  There are several large areas dedicated to them, each with their own swimming pool.  Below you will see what a grand time they have splashing around.

For more information, visit their website - Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary.

First Snow of the Winter

Well, we finally got it.  The white stuff fell for a few hours last night after several days of rain.  While we didn't get a great deal of snow, since everything was saturated from all the rain, hubby's car doors were frozen shut when the temperature fell into the 20s. 

This is what it looked like just before dark last night.  We even had a few rumbles of thunder during the snow.

A snowy sunrise.  The sun shining through the snow covered trees is so pretty.

The snow plow spreading salt.

This is a different view of the pond in our ditch, which was frozen over this morning.

A icy look down the street.

By now the the sun is out bright, the temperatures are rising and the snow and ice will soon be a thing of the past.  A typical snow in our area.

Beauty at the Beach

Wordless Wednesday 

Special Delivery

Internet shopping equals boxes and boxes equals a happy cat.  Just another reason to love Christmas! 

Sticky Business

It's hard to believe another Christmas is almost here.  Another tree carefully selected and decorated.  Gifts ordered with the click of my mouse.  So what is different about this year?  Well, this is the year that my 15 1/2 year old cat started taking insulin.  We have been fortunate to maintain his condition for nearly 3 years with food,  Alas, that time has passed.  Now it is twice daily shots for Rosie B.

He's a good boy and so patient with all of our sticking and pricking.  He, as well as Sophie and Dood, are really enjoying the Christmas tree.  The tree skirt rumpled and covered in cat hair, but I don't mind.  It is as much for them as it is for us.

Waiting for Santa

Rosie and Sophie

Wordless Wednesday...no words required!

Something for Everyone?

Just in time for Christmas, Scotch introduces the stiletto tape dispenser.  Available in other colors and styles.  I guess there is indeed something for everyone!

A Holiday Project

Every now and then we start and finish a project.  This is the guest bathroom in my parents' house - otherwise known as the big bathroom when I was growing up.  I've written before that I still have this house, and it has served many purposes since I inherited it.  The most important was when my best friends lived there for a while.  It has provided extra storage, served as a backup when our power was out and is a place we can fix up and maybe move into.

We started Phase I of this project on the Friday after Thanksgiving and the carpet was laid down Tuesday night.  The project consisted first of taking up the toilet and reseating it so that it was level and no longer threatened to unseat its users.  Nothing in an older house is as simple as it should be, but I am pleased at how quickly this came together.

Next we bought a carpet remnant and my handy hubby made a paper pattern and cut it to fit.

 

After months of seeing the plywood covered by a few throw rugs, here is the nearly completed Phase I.  All that remains is a window treatment and a few decorations.

Phase II will consist of painting the cabinets (built in vanity) which are to the right, and replacing the sinks, counter top and faucets.

Stay tuned for more exciting home renovation projects.

Down by the River

Semi-wordless Wednesday!  

Dinner at Skippers Fish Camp on the bank of the lovely Darien River.  Tasty!

The Waiting

I sit and wait.  The waiting becomes unbearable.  I wonder will my suffering never end?  Suddenly I hear a deep rumbling growl.  Startled, I look around...nothing.  Tick, tick, tick.  I hear the clock slowly, painfully clicking off the seconds one by one.  Just when I think I can't take another minute - Ding!  Pizza!

Written for Friday Flash 55.

A Day in Lake City

As I alluded to in a previous post, there was more to my Lake City detour than just a waterfall.  The main purpose was to meet up with my friend Sara Healy, whom I met through the wonderful world of blogging.

We met through her site, "a sharing connection" about three years ago when I first participated in one of her story photo challenges.  I don't think I've missed a post since.  A sharing connection is funny, thoughtful and thought provoking.  Sara puts herself into each photo story challenge, offers words of wisdom and delights us with her fictional stories.  She has also been a great inspiration to me as I explore the world of writing.

So after a number of emails and Google searches for a place to meet, we finally settled on a date and time, each coming from a different direction.  We spent the night in Brunswick, GA and they drove in from Tallahassee, each about two hours. 

I had been looking forward to this for a long time, and I will tell you that Sara is just as delightful in person as she is online.  We had a wonderful double date with her and her boyfriend.  The long-awaited lunch took place at Mike's Cafe & Grille.  

I was worried about being late, so we ended up at the restaurant about a half hour early.  We walked in and when the hostess asked "two for lunch?" we told her we were having lunch with another couple that we hadn't met so we chose a table where we could see the door and keep an eye out for them.  Even though we'd never met in person, it was instant recognition, like greeting old friends after a long absence.

We chatted non-stop for two hours trying to cram as much in as possible.  We talked about food, wine, traded cat stories, and talked about their home renovation project (I hope that has been completed now), and of course, blogging.

Sadly, lunch was over way too soon - I felt like we had barely gotten started and could have gone on talking for hours.  We hugged, took pictures, and they headed home while we set out to see what Lake City had to offer.

Alligator Lake Park

First up was Alligator Lake Park.  Although we saw no alligators at the park, we did see a long-legged white bird hunting for its dinner, squirrels and dragonflies.  There was a playground for kids, and a wonderful screened in picnic shelter overlooking the lake.

Spanish Moss on a Live Oak

Then there was this old bearded tree.  At least all the Spanish Moss hanging from its limbs made it look bearded.  While I always thought that Spanish Moss was hazardous to trees, I find that is not true.  It is actually not even related to moss, and derives its nutrition from the air and rainfall.

Pretty Berries

I have no idea what these berries are.  I found these at Falling Creek Falls on a bush growing beneath a large tree.  They almost look like miniature grape clusters.  If anyone knows what they are, please share in the comment section.

Falling Creek Falls

Falls were not something I expected to find in Florida, the land of the flat, so I had to check this out.  While it doesn't have great height, only about 10 feet or so, it is still pretty and peaceful.  I posted the video of this recently.

Overnight at Cabot Lodge

Calling an end to our Lake City adventure, we looked for a place to bed down for the night before continuing on to St. Pete.  Thank goodness for smart phones, and Trip Advisor.  We found this small chain hotel only a few miles away.  Can you guess what was a big drawing point at the end of the day?  That's right!  They have a nightly social hour from 5:30 until 7:30 where they serve beer, wine and snacks.  There was a TV in the lobby and baseball fans were gathered around routing for their favorite team.

This was a lovely day, and our visit with my friend, Sara was definitely the highlight.

No Alligators?

Lacking in anything creative today, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into Alligator Lake Park.

Beautiful clouds.

I have dubbed this the year of the clouds.  Everywhere I've been, including my own home town, I've seen the most amazing clouds, and pictures rarely do them justice.

Where are the alligators?

Yes, I had actually thought to see alligators. 

Explaining the importance of this area.

This is a major player in Florida's drinking water.

This is just one of the places we visited on our recent vacation.  Stay tuned next week for "A Day in Lake City" where I reveal the main reason for our little detour.

Intracoastal Sunset

I love sunsets, especially at the beach.  I usually focus on those over the Gulf of Mexico.  The most beautiful sunsets are those with interesting clouds to absorb and reflect the sun's rays.  This evening, however, the beauty lay in the other direction.

Here are some satellite pictures of the area.

I took the picture from the end of the Boardwalk facing the islands.

The drawbridge has been replaced and was under construction when these images were taken.

This was one way to get from our condo to the Boardwalk.  We love having such a great choice of restaurants within walking distance.  

This was truly a beautiful evening!

Tis the Season

Today

They are all 

Blown away

More will fall

Tomorrow

Above My Head

I'm jumping in on day 3 of the 30 days of photographs hosted by Ziva and MikeWJ, however my participation in this challenge will be sketchy.  For today I did find this squirrely thing that was definitely "above my head", which is completely different from being "over my head".

Go here for some more upward looking photos.

Quote of the Week

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.  - Aristotle

We continue today with another quote from an ancient philosopher.  Aristotle was a student of Plato, who was taught by Socrates, and together with them, he was one of the most important founding figures of Western philosophy.  

In recent generations we have heard the term "finding ourselves" among the young.  This may be more than just a hollow excuse for poor behavior, but growing individuals struggling to understand themselves and find their way in a world of new experiences and opportunities.  There are choices and decisions to be made.  Wisdom is, therefore, not an age, but an understanding of self.  

***********************************************

And now for the moment you have all been waiting for...Drumroll please!

Hubby drawing the winning name.

And the winner is:

Babs is author of the hilariously funny and truly delightful blog Beetle's Memories & Ramblings.    

Looking Ahead

This is a photograph taken at Reynolda Gardens that inspired the name of this blog.  While you sometimes see them here, the blog isn't about roses or rainbows, but about life and what goes on in my head.  This is expressed through fiction and poetry, through pictures, through the antics of my cats, and thoughts and questions that come up through every day living.

Thank you for joining me in my journey over the last three years, and as we look ahead to what life holds in store.

Reynolda Gardens (How I Named my Blog - Part I)

It's All in the Name (How I Named my Blog - Part II)

Today is the last day of the Roses to Rainbows Third Anniversary Giveaway.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.