Life's Turning Point

This is Day 6 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Life's turning point. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt. -Max Lerner

Most of us are stronger than we give ourselves credit for being. Many times we only figure it out when we are faced with one of life's turning points. Now not all turning points are bad or stem from some tragic event, but those that do bring us face to face with the need to find our inner strength. If I had to define a "life turning point" I would say it is when something changes you in such a manner that you feel things will not be the same going forward. In other words, a turning point is not a bump in the road or a plot twist, it is a significant life event.


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Kidnapped

This is Day 5 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is A Fading Memory. Please visit the other participants to find out what has faded from their memory.

The story of Charlie and Alex continues as they are sitting in the pub reminiscing over events of the past year.

"That's another one for the history books" said Charlie, cradling his beer and staring blankly at the TV mounted on the wall.

"Yeah" agreed Alex, "We were nearly murdered by Colombians, but we sure got the last laugh on old Jorge. Then there was the camping fiasco. Poor Bobby! He took a lot of grief about being chased up a tree by a wild turkey. Did you see the Turkey-thug mugshot...the whole bureau was laughing about that."

"I seem to recall you took a fair amount of ribbing over your run-in with SWAT and the girl with mafia ties," remarked Charlie.

Alex grimaced, "That didn't look too good, did it?" Hopefully that's just a fading memory, eh?

"As Richard Fish would say, bygones" quipped Charlie.

"Who? Oh never mind." Alex called for another beer while he waited for Charlie to continue.

At that moment Charlie's phone rings. 

"Charles Shore" answered Charlie. "Yes." Silence as Charlie listens.  "New York. I see. Will do. Yes sir, thank you." 

"Well, we're off and running. That was the Deputy Director. We have a case. It's a kidnapping."

"Okay.  Details?"

"Here's the thing, it's not just another kidnapping. It's Jenna." said Charlie, closely watching Alex for a reaction.

"Oh." said Alex quietly, pushing his beer aside.

"Look, given recent events, if you'd rather not work this case..." The unstated implication was could he work the case objectively, and if there was any doubt he would be temporarily reassigned.

"I get where you're coming from Charlie, but no, I've got this, we're good. What do we know so far?"

For more adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

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Disappearing Ink?

This is Day 4 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Pen and Paper. Please visit the other participants to see what they have put forth on this mighty prompt.

The pen is mightier than the sword but the paper upon which the words are written is easily destroyed.

Early writing began some 5000 years ago with pictures, e.g. the cuneiform script, which were impressions made in a clay tablets with a blunt reed used as a 'pen'. As time moved forward, real languages were created and eventually, paper-like material made from the papyrus plant replaced clay and stone, and recorded history began being written on scrolls. 

Romans wrote on wooden tablets with sheets of wax, while Europeans used parchment with bone or metal writing implements. This is just a tiny sampling of how writing evolved chosen to illustrate how far we have come since those first primitive markings.

In the centuries that followed came the quill and inkwell, the fountain pen, ball point pens and the use-and-toss disposable Bic Stics, not to mention the lead pencils we began school with. Yeah I know it's really graphite. There are pens in all shapes and colors, some light up and some even talk. Do you really want a talking pen when you're trying to write? 

Anyway, with the age of the computer and the internet, keyboards and displays are rapidly replacing the art of writing - of actually grasping a pen and forming letters into words and words into sentences. A recent post on Facebook posed the question - should we still teach cursive writing in school?

If you have to ask that, is it too late already? Is this to be the fate of the pen and paper? I hope not!


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The Wonderful Potato

This is Day 3 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Life just wouldn't be the same. Please visit the other participants to see how their lives would be changed.

There are a lot of factors that can change one's life. Anything can happen at any time. Things beyond our control can spiral until we are left spinning into infinity. Relax, that's not where we are going here.

No, what I'm going to talk about today, while less ominous, is still quite serious. I'm talking about potatoes - baked, boiled, fried, roasted, scalloped, mashed, hashed or any other way you fix 'em. 

I was weaned on potatoes (a.k.a. taters). I love 'em. I could have hash browns for breakfast, fries for lunch and a baked potato for dinner. I couldn't imagine a world without potatoes.

Potatoes are healthy and nutritious, at least until you deep fry them or load them up with butter or gravy. One medium potato has about 165 calories and a whopping 70% of your daily vitamin C needs. They are also a good source for Vitamin B, Potassium and Magnesium.

There you have it folks. Taters are good and good for you. Life just wouldn't be the same without 'em!


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People and Places

This is Days 1 and 2 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa.  I was a little out of the loop on this and now racing to catch up. I will be covering the prompts Who Am I and Your Favorite Place today.

Humans are multi-dimensional, complex entities who breathe life into the world and have all sorts of interesting relationships. Relationships with people, animals, their careers or really anything that brings emotion into their lives.

Humans have personalities as diverse as the universe is wide. In the mixing bowl of life we have the funny, the serious, the silly, the sane and insane, the wild and crazy and the quiet and reserved...and that could all be the same person.

Humans have likes and dislikes, their  favorites and the "no way I'm going to...eat, drink, play, watch or go there".

So who am I? I am a roll of the dice...I am a human.

As for my favorite place, anyone who reads my blog can tell you that I love the beach, most specifically, Florida beaches. We vacation regularly at Madeira Beach just outside the city of St. Petersburg, FL. I love the beach, and I love the city. 

That being said, as much as I love the beach, traveling and exploring new places, my favorite place is home. I don't live in a mansion, not even close, and you're likely to find cat hair and toy mice under the furniture, and dust on the mantle, but home is comfortable, familiar and it's my own space.


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Welcoming the New Year

It is New Year's Day, 2016, and the world is still turning. The sun came up this morning long before I crawled out of bed. Last night we rang in the New Year with friends, bubbly and New Year's Crackers (also known as Christmas Crackers). We toasted, we hugged and we closed the chapter on 2015.

Now we look forward to a new year. The world is not a perfect place, nor are there perfect people, but I still believe it is a good place, filled with good people. I shall be counting my blessings for all the goodness in my life.

This is also a leap year, so we have one more day of winter...or another day to be grateful for - however you choose to look at it.

May each of you be richly blessed this year with health, happiness and peace.





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Peace, Hope, Love!

Wishing all my friends and family a joyous Christmas 

and a blessed New Year!

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The View at the Top

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, 

not of words. Trust movement. -Alfred Adler

Words are just words until they are followed up by actions. Yes, words and conversation are important. Very much so, but the real essence of living is doing, not just talking about it.

This picture was taken last summer from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The action of walking up 219 steps brought us to the gorgeous view.


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I'll Fly Away

We were walking along the Marsh Walk in Murrells Inlet last week watching the wildlife and enjoying a nice fall day at the beach when this fellow decided I had gotten a bit too close. I managed to catch him before he got away. Some of the other posts were resting places for gulls and cormorants.

Here are some interesting facts about the Brown Pelicans:

They are sometimes the victims of theft. Gulls often try to steal fish from the pelican's pouch as they drain the water after a dive, sometimes while perched upon the pelican's head. How rude!

Pelicans incubate their eggs by standing on them. When startled, a hasty takeoff can cause them to crush their eggs.

Brown Pelicans are only one of two species of Pelicans that plunge dive for food; the other being the Peruvian Pelican.

They live on both the East and West coasts. They breed on the barrier islands of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Mangrove Islets in Louisiana and Florida, and rocky islands off the West Coast.

Pelicans eat mostly small fish such as mullet, anchovies and herring, diving from heights of up to 65 feet. Their throat pouch can hold up to 2.6 gallons of water, which they drain before swallowing their catch.

Adults are silent except during wing-jerking displays that forces air out of their lungs and produces a rather hoarse sound. Like most birds, the young call for food when they're hungry.





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Peace on Earth

He who has not Christmas in his heart 

will never find it under a tree. - Roy L. Smith

Here it is the first day of December and the Holidays are finding me busy with much left on a never-ending to-do list. Christmas cards to write and gifts to agonize over and hope Amazon delivers in time.

Still, I'd like to take a moment to reflect and ponder that there is more to Christmas than the perfect gift or the right party outfit. It is being peaceful and enjoying being with friends and family. Everything else will sort itself out, and if it doesn't, it probably wasn't all that important anyway. 




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Color The World

My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
- Shel Silverstein, "Colors"

The world isn't black and white and neither are people. We are as multi-colored as we are multi-faceted. Everyone is their own brand of unique. We are colorfully complex individuals; a living garden of humanity. The more we are different from each other, the more we are the same. Being unique individuals is what we have in common all across the world. This is something we should embrace, learn from and treasure.

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A Cup of Memories

If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited it will calm you. 
- William Ewart Gladstone

Apparently tea is a beverage for all seasons and all reasons. My Mom would drink hot tea year round, any time of the day, while I prefer iced tea. When I was a kid, she and I would make ourselves lunch on a warmish winter day and take it outside to eat. We would find a sheltered place in the sun, usually next to the house behind a big bush and sit and eat. I remember she would fill a jar with a lid with hot tea instead of using a cup. Those were good times.

Does a cup of tea conjure up any memories for you?



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Got Mussels?

Since everyone loved my (non-compensated) review of Phillips Maryland-Style Crab Cakes so much, I thought I would bring you another new-found seafood favorite of mine - straight from your grocer's freezer.

I would like to introduce you to Pier 33 Gourmet Mussels in Butter Garlic Sauce.

Not all frozen seafood is created equal, and not all of it is good. I've eaten mussels from many restaurants and there were some winners and losers there, too. 

Why, you ask, would I suddenly buy frozen mussels? Well, I'm a frugal shopper and avid seafood lover, so when I saw them on a buy-one-get-one-free sale, I said, why not, and grabbed a package.

Within a day or so, those little fellows were in a pot getting ready for a prime-time performance as an appetizer. To prepare you simply cut open the package and empty the contents into a large lidded pot and heat on high for 8-10 minutes and presto, you have a bowl of steaming mussels in a yummy sauce. 

We complimented them on their performance by quickly reducing them to a pile of empty shells.  They had good flavor and texture, and were tender and grit-free. 

Pier 33 Gourmet Mussels are pre-cooked and pasteurized and contain no unpronounceable ingredients. Mussels are also high in protein, Omega 3, Vitamin C, and Iron.

We gave them two thumbs up, and I went back and got two more packages while they were still on sale. They retail for around $4.99, and you get about two dozen per package.

Mussel Trivia: Did you know that the orange mussel meats are females and the white mussel meats are males?



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Another Rainy Day

A pleasant smile is the wisest comment, always interpreted favorably and rarely misquoted. - Robert Brault

Being at the beach always puts a smile on my face, so on this rainy November day, I look back, remember and smile. The gull in this picture is getting his smile on, too.



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Just A Rock

There is nothing special about this rock. I did not sit on it in contemplation. It does not mark the site of a buried treasure - that I'm aware of anyway. It is just a rock in the woods along the Salem Lake trail. It caught my eye by the way the afternoon sun shone on it bringing out all the different layers of color and texture.



Posted for Photo Friday prompt - Minimalism, and yeah I know it's Saturday. 



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Sky On Fire

Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under.  - C. Joybell C.

Take a moment and relax to a beautiful sunset and the sounds of the waves gently lapping at the shoreline.



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Just Chillin'

Enjoying a little R&R. 

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Fall Is Upon Us

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. 

― L.M. Montgomery

There is as much beauty in one simple leaf as on a whole mountainside.

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A New Season

Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin.... We anxiously anticipate it every year. -Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, October 2010

Hawks Pumpkin Patch

Move over roses - everything is coming up pumpkins! It goes beyond pies, muffins and lattes. There are pumpkin spice marshmallows, English muffins, bagels, cream cheese and yogurt, but it doesn't stop there. There is even a pumpkin spice kahlua. Want more pumpkin? Check out this list of foods for the pumpkin season.


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Still Going

Celebrating 6 years at Roses to Rainbows.

What is blogging? Blogging began as a web log, an online journal of whatever you wished to write down to share with friends, family or just for yourself.  Over time the web log has evolved into the blog, or blogging, and one who writes a blog is called a blogger. Our thoughts are now shared on a much larger scale as we try to reach out to people all around the world.

Why do people blog? For some blogging may be an extension of a business website; for others it may be a means of staying in touch with family and friends. 

Some bloggers get recognized for their content and go on to write books. I've watched bloggers go from small sites to national recognition, magazines and TV shows. Is this the norm? Nope. It is the few of the few, so why do the rest of us do it? As self expression, a creative outlet, or as some people state, "I can't not write".

These are some of the things that got us started, but what keeps us coming back to the keyboard? What keeps us pressing publish, sharing our thoughts, our words, our stories?

I have previously shared this quote "Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self." I often wonder what Cyril Connolly was thinking when he said those words? Born in the early 1900s, he was a widely published British author, so apparently he was not lacking a public for whom to write.

For whom am I writing?  For anyone who takes the time out of their busy lives to read my posts. For anyone who reads my words and smiles. For anyone who happens by on their way to somewhere else. 

What is my goal? To reach out to people, to make them smile, make them think, to encourage and motivate them. I serve up a mixture of facts, fiction and anecdotes, tossed with humor and inspiration and sides of pictures and poetic ponderings. 

What keeps you writing or reading?

The quote of the week returns next week.

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Nature's Way

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, 

and to have my senses put in order. - John Burroughs

Nature affords us the simple pleasures that relax and soothe us, and make all right with our world again. Whether we gaze out over the ocean, hike a wooded trail or while away shady hours beneath an old oak tree, nature brings us back in touch with ourselves.




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Shine On!

I wish I was a glow worm,

A glow worm's never glum.

'Cos how can you be grumpy

When the sun shines out your bum!

- Unknown

Have a safe and happy Labor Day!

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Golden Sunset

St. Augustine Beach, 2015

Sometimes Nature saves the best for last! This was taken on our final night at the beach.

Posted for Photo Friday prompt, Clouds.








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Walk With Me

The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul - Robert Wyland

St. Augustine Beach, June 2015

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Who Are You?

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is

 no one alive who is you-er than you! - Dr. Seuss

Well said, Dr. Seuss. You otter just be yourself.  Go on, revel in your you-ness.

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Photo Friday: The Mighty Oak

Giant Live Oak on Anastasia Island in St. Augustine, Florida

June 2015

Posted for Photo Friday prompt, Trees.






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Being Yourself

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. 

- Joseph Campbell

Don't waste it trying to be someone else. Just be the best you that you can be.

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The Slow Lane

I regret less the road not taken than my all-fired hurry along the road I took. - Robert Brault

It's not so much which road you take, as what you do on the way. It is like taking the Interstate in an effort to get where you're going fast versus taking some back roads and just enjoying the ride. 

Sometimes life is better in the slow lane, so no matter which one of life's roads you're on, take time to appreciate the journey.



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Turtles Go Round and Round

We love to vacation in Florida, and Skipper's Fish Camp is one of our favorite stops along the way.  We go there for the food, which is outstanding, but we also love to just stroll around and enjoy the critters. Here are some of the turtles drifting lazily around the pool.

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking pictures.  I just love the shadows cast by the swimming turtles.

Hi there. Aren't you cute! I used to have turtles when I was a kid, back in the day when you could get turtles at the pet shop. I called them Perky and Flipper. Now I just enjoy them in their natural habitat, or in this case, their swimming pool.

Here's the little fellow, up close and personal. 

"Hey, where's my shadow?"

No, that's not a real alligator, although there was one in the river. I'll get to him in another post.

Please enjoy the turtles going round and round, and as always, thanks for visiting!

If you can't see the video, click here.

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It's Your Life

Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, "Is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test?"...Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, "We hate to tell you this but life is a thousand word essay. ― Charles M. Schulz

Life is not a series questions and even if it was, they could not be answered with a simple Yes or No, or choosing by A, B, or C. 

Life is a series of events and experiences that cannot be expressed in monosyllables or by filling in the blanks. Lives well lived can produce not only thousand word essays, but literally fill volumes.

It's your life to live and your story to tell.






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The Little Elf

I met a little Elf-man, once,

Down where the lilies blow.

I asked him why he was so small, 

And why he didn't grow.

He slightly frowned, and with his eye

He looked me through and through.

"I'm quite as big for me," said he,

"As you are big for you."

- John Kendrick Bangs

Don't judge people by what you expect them to be. Give them a chance to be who they are and maybe both your lives will be richer.

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Spooning?

During our recent trip to St. Augustine, we had several opportunities to dine near the water. While we were having lunch at the Conch House restaurant one afternoon, this fellow was panning for his lunch in the shallows near the marina. 

This is the same location where we saw the manatee, pelicans, baby sharks and a sea turtle. Click the link to read about that...don't worry, I'll wait.

Okay, let's meet today's special guest.

This is a Roseate Spoonbill. From a distance we were reminded of a Pink Flamingo, except for his flat, paddle-like bill. For more information on the Spoonbill and hear what he sounds like, click on the link.

The Spoonbill is a wading bird of the Spoonbill and Ibis family, and is found in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

They feed in shallow fresh or coastal water by swinging their bills from side to side as they walk, often leaving a trail behind them as they sift through the mud.

Their diet consists of aquatic insects, frogs, newts, crustaceans and fish too small for other wading birds.

After lunch, I got some video of him feeding and leaving a trail in his wake.

To see more of my videos, visit my YouTube channel here.

The music in the video is called "Squiggly Line" by Podington Bear found at http://podingtonbear.com.  I think you'll see why it is so appropriate for this video.

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