Fall Is In The Air

Photo Blogging Challenge for October:  Fall

Hey, is that Pac-Man?

Excuse me, have you seen Linus?

Sometimes Fall colors come in small packages.

I'll huff and I'll puff...Nah, I'll just use the leaf blower.

Nothing says Fall quite like the Fair!

Be sure and drop by our host at a 'lil hoohaa for more Fall treasures.

Quote of the Week

One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home.  
- Pam Brown

Dood, Rosie and Sophie

Today's quote is in honor of our feline friends. Full of love and personality, they definitely turn a house into a home.  Here are our three enjoying some quiet camaraderie.

Quote of the Week

We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. - Roderick Thorp

How often do we criticize ourselves even more harshly than we do others?  It is important to be kind to ourselves.  The Golden Rule tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  Well, maybe we should do unto ourselves as we would have others do unto us.     

So go forth and be your best own best friend and enjoy the company.

Quote of the Week

 

There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat.  - Tay Hohoff 

This is actually Beretta, the stalker cat from next door.  She was helping me with my leaf blowing last week.  Quite often she is there to welcome us home.

The Rose Garden: The Next Generation

"Gerry, it's time" shrieked Allison.

Gerald was going over some notes on his latest project in preparation for the presentation on Monday.  "What's that you said, dear?"

"I SAID IT'S TIME!"

"Oh...OH, it's THAT time.  These were the words he had both been looking forward to and dreading for the last nine months.  He had mentally rehearsed each moment and memorized every turn to the hospital, including several alternate routes in case of traffic.

Now the time had come.

"Think" he mumbled to himself.  "Grab the car, put Allison in the bag...hospital, I gotta call the hospital. No, bring the car around and wait, I'll get it...just calm down...and breathe."

"Gerry, I'm the one whose supposed to breathe.  You call the hospital and tell them we're coming, take the bag to the car and bring it around to the front.  We'll call Mom on the way."

"Sheesh, there's no one more nervous than a new father-to-be" declared Allison.  "It will be all right."

Gerald brings the car up the front drive and helps Allison into the passenger's seat.  "Let me slide the seat back for you."   "Thank God this is it" she exclaimed. 

Allison's size had been an extreme source of frustration from being unable to tie her shoes to the shapeless dresses she'd had to wear for the last three months. While she embraced the thought of motherhood, she was a fashionable gal, and did not enjoy feeling frumpy.  Even Gerald's constant reassurance that she was indeed the most beautiful woman on earth did not help when every time she walked past a mirror she saw a blimp in maternity clothes.

They reached the hospital without incident, and Gerald promptly announced "I need a doctor...We're having a baby."

"Relax" replied the nurse, calling for an orderly.  "We'll take good care of your wife.  If you would just step over here and fill out these papers.  We'll take you to her as soon as she is situated in her room."

"Is this your first?"

"My first what?  Wife?  Yes, we were married last year.  No, you mean baby.  Yes, it's my first, how can you tell?"

"Well, under reason for hospitalization, you put "we're having a baby."

24 hours later...

"She's beautiful," cooed a jubilant Gerald.  "She looks just like my mother when she was a baby.  I have her old photo album, and there is a picture of her in my grandmother's arms.  She had beautiful blond curls, too.  I'll have to show it to you sometime.  Oh, I've been going on and on, and I bet you just want to sleep.  I'll get the nurse to take the baby back to the nursery, and go make those phone calls.  Wait, I've got to get a picture to send everyone,  I know I'll just email them instead of calling. 

"Gerry, I love you, but just go...please.  It's been a really long day-all 24 hours of it.  I'll see you tomorrow.

Back at home, Gerald revels in his new fatherhood status, and prepares to send a picture of who?  She doesn't even have a name yet.  He regroups and sends a picture of his lovely new daughter...name TBA.

When Gerald arrived back at the hospital the next morning, he was so excited.  He knew what he wanted to call their daughter.  Upon entering Allison's room he blurted out "Her name is Abigail Christine!  For our mothers, that is if you like it."

"Good morning to you, too, Gerry.  Of course I like it.  It's perfect!  I just wish I could have met your mother."  She smiled a sad smile, remembering the yellow roses.  "We shall call her Abbey, and paint her room yellow - no pink for my daughter."

Gerald laughed at the thought.  For all her femininity, Allison hated pink, especially that pale, baby girl pink so many mothers dressed their little girls in.  Not for Abbey!

"The doctor said you can go home this afternoon, and everything is all ready so all you have to do is rest.  Janet even brought over a casserole and chocolate cake for our dinner."

"She's a sweetheart" replied Allison, "and such a good cook.  Oh, is my mother coming over?"

"Of course she is" said Gerald with a smile.  He truly liked his mother-in-law and welcomed her help.  He knew that most new mothers wanted their mothers nearby.  Since babies don't come with instructions, their experience is appreciated.

Once they got Allison and Abbey settled into the master bedroom where the crib had been set up, Gerald set about heating the casserole and setting the table.  He knew Allison wouldn't feel like sitting up too long, so everything was in place before he brought her to the table.  

"Put me down, please" she complained.  "Thank you for caring, but I can walk.  I just had a baby, not a broken leg."  Abbey was in a baby seat on the chair facing Allison.  Christine, Allison's mother, sat cooing at the baby, "you are such a beautiful baby.  I love that little yellow outfit.  It's perfect for you."

As they sat enjoying their dinner, they heard an odd sound coming from the side porch next to the kitchen.  Gerald went to investigate, but saw nothing and returned to the table.  There it was again.  It sounded like someone walking in the kitchen.  Again Gerald left the table.  What he saw when he walked into the kitchen filled him with great joy, and at the same time left him feeling most uneasy.  

There in her apron with her white hair neatly coiled atop her head stood his mother.  Well, not exactly in the flesh, but nevertheless, it was her, and in her hand was a bouquet of exquisite yellow roses.

"Hello Gerald" she whispered.  "These are for Allison.  I am so proud of you and your lovely family.  I loved her from the first time I saw her in the garden."

"Oh Mother, I knew you were here.  That I wasn't crazy or imagining things.  It is wonderful to see you now.  I have so many questions...like how...?"

"Would it be too much for an old woman to ask to see her grandchild?" interrupted Abigail.

Gerald was stunned, totally at a loss for words.  What would they think?  How could he possibly explain this?

"Gerry, who are you talking to", called Allison.  "Was someone at the door?"

"Be right there dear" he called back.  He was so used to talking to his mother in the garden he forgot to keep his voice down.

"Now what do I do" he whispered?

"Let me handle this.  After all it is my afterlife, right?" answered his mother with a smile.

With much trepidation, Gerald watched as his mother marched into the dining room to stand before Allison.

"Hello, I am Abigail, Gerald's mother.  I am so pleased to finally meet you."

Without blinking, Allison extended her hand toward Abigail and said "I am equally pleased to finally meet you as well."

Well, Gerald's jaw nearly dropped to the floor and Christine turned several shades of pale.  Although she believed in life beyond death, she had never actually encountered it herself.

"You mean you knew?  How..."

"First of all you spend an awful lot of time in the garden talking to yourself when you think no one notices" explained Allison.   "Then there was the appearance of the yellow rose on my plate after our first dinner together, and the brooch at our reception with no explanation for that either.  It was just too much to be a coincidence."

"At the hospital, when you told me what you wanted to name her, I almost said I wish I could meet your mother instead of I wish I could have met, your mother." 

"It helps, too, that I believe in the afterlife.  You see I had a 'visit' from my grandmother when I was about ten.  She had passed away a few years earlier."

Allison turned to her mother-in-law, "would you like to meet your granddaughter?"

She nodded. 

"Say hello to Abigail Christine."



For those of you who would like to catch up, here are the first 4 parts of the series.
The Rose Garden
The Restoration 
The Rose Garden:  Allison
The Rose Garden:  The Wedding

Quote of the Week

To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
- Reba McEntire

Today we have a lighter view of old wisdom.  The wishbone is your dreams, your future.  The backbone is the inner strength you call on in times of trouble.  And the funnybone is your ability to laugh at yourself and not take life's little bumps too seriously.  These three bones give you a combination for success.

The Road to Nowhere

Photo by Mark Haley

Spying an old man

Sitting beneath a tree

I pause and asked him kindly

Just where does this road lead

The man just sat and stared 

Beware the road to nowhere

Was all that he would say

Written for Magpie Tales #188

Quote of the Week

WHAT IS LIFE?
Life is an Adventure ... Dare it
Life is a Beauty ... Praise it
Life is a Challenge ... Meet it
Life is a Duty ... Perform it
Life is a Love ... Enjoy it
Life is a Tragedy ... Face it
Life is a Struggle ... Fight it
Life is a Promise ... Fulfill it
Life is a Game ... Play it
Life is a Gift ... Accept it
Life is a Journey ... Complete it
Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it
Life is a Goal ... Achieve it
Life is an Opportunity ... Take it
Life is a Puzzle ... Solve it
Life is a Song ... Sing it
Life is a Sorrow ... Overcome it
Life is a Spirit ... Realize it

- Unknown

Just a few thoughts for the day!

Quote of the Week

We go all wrong by too strenuous a resolution to go right. - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.  Among his ancestors was John Hathorne, who was a judge at the Salem Witch Trials.  He was the only one who never repented his actions, thus prompting Nathaniel to change the spelling of his name so as not to be associated with him.

He published several short stories and novels, including The Scarlet Letter and Twice Told Tales.                                   

In an effort to do the right thing, we often make mistakes when we try too hard to accomplish a task, realize a dream or even lend a helping hand.  

Four Years Running

Image Source:  D. Sharon Pruitt

Really...has it been that long?  It seems like just yesterday when I was agonizing over blog names (How I Named My Blog parts One and Two) and blogging platforms.  In spite of the fact that many people praised Wordpress, I ultimately chose Blogger, and it has worked well for me so far.  

So today I celebrate my 4th blogoversary without much fanfare, words of wisdom or unsolicited advice.  Nope, it just snuck up on me and here I sit with nothing to offer.

If you read the above links, you will know how I came about the name Roses to Rainbows, and that my blog was never about roses or rainbows, but rather just a mixture of facts and fiction, fun and frivolity, and most importantly, friends and family (including our cats who are most definitely family). 

As much as I have given to this blog, it has given back to me by providing me a place to explore my creative side through my fictional characters and the occasional stab at poetry.

I've tried to create a positive place for folks to visit, and offer a peak into my little corner of the world.  Please feel free to come in and take a look around.  The coffee's always on and there's wine after 5:00.  Don't worry, it's always 5:00 somewhere.

Here's to another year of blogging, and now to wrap this up I offer you Lynn Anderson singing "Rose Garden".  Cheers!

Quote of the Week

I tell you this, and I tell you plain:
What you have done, you will do again;
You will bite your tongue, careful or not, Upon the already-bitten spot. 
- Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960


Mignon was an American journalist and author, and also worked on both Vogue and Glamour magazines.  She wrote two volumes of the Neurotic's Notebook, and is often quoted from them.  The first was written in 1960.  That was a good year....I must read that book!

I found this under the category of "How True", and true it is.  Over and over again until you'd rather risk starvation than put anything else in your mouth.  

So, has anyone out there NOT done this?

Artistic Rosie

Rosie was feeling a bit artistic today.  He went from this...

To this...in four easy steps.

It's amazing what you can create with a digital image and some computer software.

You can make your own customized digital artwork.  Just choose your photograph, add one or more special effects to create a colorful design.

For this I used Paint Shop Pro, and layered the textures of mosaic antique and soft plastics followed another application of mosaic antique and finally applied the kaleidoscope as the finishing touch.

What interesting things have you done with your photographs?

Everything Is Coming Up Rosés

Wine Merchants Gourmet

For Wordless Wednesday...

Quote of the Week

Don't water your weeds. — - Harvey Mackay

The weeds will take over the flowers in your garden if you let them.  Likewise, if you feed your bad habits, they will gain on and eventually overwhelm the flowers of your life.

The Winged Woman

Written for Magpie Tales #184.  Click on the links below if you would like to read Eli's adventures up to this point.

Birdman?
The Princess
Eli and the Redhead

Remember Eli?  He's the guy who woke up in a giant bird nest.  As it turned out it was really a dream, but what had precipitated it?  His mother told him fairy tales about giant birds who lived in the enchanted forest.  They even raised a child among the tree tops and made her a princess of their family.

artwork by Jeanie Tomanek 

That was just a fairy tale, or so she said.  She never admitted any different or denied the possibility that it was more truth than fiction.

When we last saw Eli, he had just woken up with a substantial hangover after drinking himself into oblivion over a redheaded vixen named Judy in the Come As You Are Saloon.

With his head throbbing, he stumbled into the bathroom reaching for the alka-seltzer, or pepto or anything else that could slay the herd of elephants stampeding through his head. "Why?" he asked himself over and over again.  "Why do things like this always happen to me?"

He fell back on the couch and drifted off again.  Soon he was dreaming of tall trees and sunlight streaming through to the moss-covered ground.  On a branch just above his head he saw a woman.  She was beautiful with soft brown curls framing her face.  What he noticed then took him aback.  She had the most magnificent white wings.  Was she an angel?  Had he died?  Shortly before he had felt like it. 

"Who are you?" he asked, puzzled that there would be a winged woman in a tree.

"Fear not, Eli" she replied in a singsong voice, "for I am your mother.  You do not recognize me because to you this is a dream.  This is the only way I could tell you the truth.  I know you have wondered for a long time.  I know of your dreams.  I was part of those dreams.  It was my way of bringing you to the truth."

"Mother" he began, searching for words.  "All those fairy tales about the princess...that was really you after all wasn't it?  I felt it in my heart, but knew that logically it was impossible.  Birds are birds and people are people.  People don't fly or live in trees, well except for Tarzan, and he didn't fly." 

As he stood there silently staring up at the woman in the tree, he saw her begin to change.  Gradually her soft features became more angular and her curls changed into sleek white feathers.  The basket she had held in her hand fell to the ground.

"Good-bye Eli."

Suddenly there on the ledge appeared a white bird, and much to Eli's surprise he understood what was being said.  

"Come Princess, it's time to go. He knows the truth now and that knowledge will serve him well."

"Yes" replied his mother, "He will be all right now." 


The Quote of the Week will return next Monday!

Welcome to a New Blogger

Please join me in welcoming a new talent to the blogosphere.  Meet Jim (aka my hubby), the author of Field Expedient Repair.  

After several years of lurking about and peering with anonymity into the lives of unknowing bloggers across the globe, he decided to take the plunge and become a participating member of the cyber community.

For over 26 years, we have laughed together, misunderstood each other and found humor in our miscommunications.  Every time I laugh until I can't breathe over some verbal misstep, he says, "you need to blog that".  Now I can say that.

Jim has a wide array of interests, including metal working, electronics and welding.  He has heard things like "don't do that", "are you crazy?" and "be careful" more than once with reference to some of his more interesting endeavors.

You can find him sharing his latest trials and tribulations projects, some he said/she said stories and, of course, a cat tale or two here at: 

Field Expedient Repair – Or Not…

A perfectionist meets baling gum and chewing wire…

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. 
- Mahatma Gandhi

Following this advice, we should always believe the best of ourselves.  

Believe in yourself and see what you can become.

Cartoon Rosie

Do you remember when the primary function of a phone was making calls?   Not too many decades ago, phones were wired directly into the walls.  Now we walk around not only carrying our phones in our pockets, but the internet and multi-feature cameras as well.

I was playing around with the cartoon setting on my phone's camera the other day and this was the result.

This is what my Rosie looks like after having been cartooned.  It reminds me of an old paint-by-number picture.

Quote of the Week

Unclear expectations lead to inefficient processes and subpar performance. - Christine Lotze

Much like the making of fine wine, in order to achieve your goal, you need  a clear understanding of what you're doing, where you're going and how to get to there.  Anything less produces a less gratifying result, be it wine or personal or professional achievement.

Know what is expected, hone your skills and reap the rewards.

Quote of the Week

Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
- Karen Ravn

Keep growing, going, seeing, being...keep dreaming!

The Fluffernutter

This was my lunch the other day.  Hopefully the nutrition in the peanut butter offset the empty calories of the marshmallow creme - a gooey layer of carbs and sugar slathered on a slice of white bread.

The Fluffernutter was a phrase coined in 1960 for the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.  Marshmallow Creme (also known as Marshmallow Fluff) was credited to several inventors Emma and Amory Curtis in 1913 and Archibald Query in 1917, both from Massachusetts.  During World War I Emma Curtis created a recipe using peanut butter and marshmallow creme on white bread, which she then sold to Durkee-Mower Inc.  They changed the name to Marshmallow Fluff, which paved the way for today's Fluffernutter.  It soon gained popularity and has been proposed as the official state sandwich of Massachusetts.

The Fluffernutter is still most popular in New England, so what is a Southern gal doing eating one?  My Mom was from Maine and she would occasionally make them for lunch as an alternative to the many, many bologna sandwiches I ate.

Now that I've admitted it, who else enjoys a Fluffernutter?

Quote of the Week

The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today.  - Harriett Beecher Stowe

A Moment in Time

Your past helps build the person you become.  How you live the present represents what you have learned, and how you view the future reveals where you are headed.  All of these concepts are intertwined into your life at this moment in 

time - today.

Quote of the Week

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lake City, FL

Clouds and Trees, Florida 2012

 

 I-275 in Florida en route to St. Pete

Quote of the Week

In a world where you can be anything, be yourself. 

- Etta Turner

Man is the only creature that will try to be something or someone he's not.  Be yourself and what you accomplish will be your own.

The Stalker

http://callmelindi.deviantart.com

Stalking is something that happens to other people.  You know famous people, important people.  I never figured that would be me.  She is beautiful, I will admit, and I suppose I'm partly to blame for my situation.  I took pity on her and friended her because...well she lives with a bunch of real dogs.  

Now I find her waiting for me when I get home.  She appears from out of nowhere whenever I venture outside.  She boldly shows her affection for me and tries to force her way into my home. To get my attention, she throws herself at my feet, and when I try to leave her, she chases me down and trips me.  She even attacked my hubby.

To make matters worse, she lives next door and can scale the fence in two seconds flat.  Who knows...I may have to become a hermit.  Where is the "unfriend" button?

This is the face of a stalker!

She really is beautiful.

You know I'll find you!

Her moods can be as explosive as the pistol she was named for, but in all fairness to the lovely Beretta, she has calmed down some, and I no longer fear a feline home invasion.  Maybe living with six humans and a pack of dogs is sometimes just too much for her and she needs a little one-on-one with a cat person.  I can understand...that would make me a little nuts too.  I guess she could use a friend.

Quote of the Week

Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in few.
- Pythagoras

Some words of wisdom from another of the great Greek philosophers.  Also for those who remember some of their grade school geometry, this is the fellow for whom the Pythagorean theorem is named.  Philosophy and math makes an interesting  combination plus he also founded a religious movement called Pythagoreanism. 

Okay, how many of you have known someone who, however likable, could talk for an hour and you were none the wiser for having listened?  Out of all the words they used, most are repetitious and only a very small percentage of them actually contained any real information.  Sometimes it's as if they are on an audio loop and you would desperately like to push pause.

I could spout out a lot of words about why I think this happens based on the individuals and their different life circumstances, but I won't.  I'll just leave you with this thought:  Talk less and say more.

 

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.  – Alexander Graham Bell

Bell, a creative man with a sensitive nature and talent for the arts, produced his first invention at the age of 12.  He invented a machine for dehusking wheat, normally a laborious process.  He was later, and most well known, for inventing the telephone.  

I wonder what he would think about how his invention has evolved over the years.  When you couple this with the quote from the Chairman of IBM a few weeks ago, I think both men would be amazed at the Smart Phone which combines the computer with the telephone.

It seems to me that Bell's quote is quite clear.  We miss opportunities by focusing on the past rather than looking ahead.  The closed door is the past.  We can't change that.  The open door represents future opportunities.  When the door opens, step inside.

Beneath the Poplar Tree

I planted this tree a little more than 20 years ago as a seedling that I dug up from the woods next to our house.  It started out in a large soft drink cup and when it outgrew the cup and looked like it was going to make it, I planted it.  My guess is that it's nearly 2 feet in diameter and at least 50 feet tall.  Although the tree did all the work, I am very proud of having grown it from a mere sprout. 

So many people around here now are cutting down perfectly good trees and leaving their yards looking sad and naked.  It just breaks my heart when I see those lovely, healthy trees destroyed, leaving only ground out stumps and piles of sawdust.  I guess it is the fear of what might happen one day.

We are having a tree taken down, too, but for safety reasons only.  If it were healthy, that old maple, with all it's interesting character, would remain there shading the house for many years to come.  Fortunately, it is on the north side of the house and the neighbors have a large elm nearby so there will still be some shade. 

This is why it has to go.  It is so hollowed out it's a wonder it's still standing, but to look at the top of the tree, you'd never know it.  We (mostly me) have been putting this off for a long time but each year the hollow gets bigger and bigger and sooner or later, something will set up housekeeping in there, or it will go over in a big puff of wind...not a pleasant thought.  So Friday down it comes [sniff].

For now, cheers from beneath the poplar!

Quote of the Week

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. - Unknown

No matter what our education, or social or economic standing, there is one thing that we have in common and that is the continuing need for self-improvement.  Whether we have room for anything else or not, we all have room for that.

Quote of the Week

A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you can’t get very far until you change it.  - unknown

Our attitude influences our day and if it's having a bad day, so are we.  Like a car on a drawbridge, your life comes to a standstill.  So don't let yourself smack into the wall of a bad attitude. 

Freaky Fungi

I found these interesting looking critters under the dogwood tree this morning.  They are called Mutinus Elegans, more commonly known as Elegant Stinkhorn, and while they are found up and down the East Coast, I've never seen one before.  However, with the aid of Google I was able to identify these unusual fungi.

They are reported to have a foul odor but considering how close I got to take the pictures, I didn't smell anything.  The brown coloring is actually a slime which flies and other insects feed on which disperses the spores.  Yuck!  Because of their odor, they are not considered edible for humans.

Interestingly, in a study of a variety of mushrooms, the stinkhorn showed antibiotic activity against all six of the human bacteria tested including E.coli and Salmonella.

Has anyone else seen these or have them in your yard?

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. - Thomas Watson (1874-1956), Chairman of IBM, 1943

He was one of the richest men of his time, and was called the world's greatest salesman when he died in 1956.  He had no idea when he made that statement just how far computers would go or to what extent they would change the world. 

Quote of the Week

Facts are the enemy of truth.
- Don Quixote - "Man of La Mancha"

The facts and the truth should be one and the same.  However, many times what we believe to be the truth will later be dispelled by the introduction of the facts.  Often this is unintentional brought on by misinformation.  Other times this occurs when people dig in their heels and insist their version of the story is the truth.