Summer Fun

Last month I had the long-awaited opportunity to visit Ashley and her family in the far-away place known as Ephrata, PA.  We lived next door to each other in our youth, and although youth is rapidly fading into our middle years, we are still close despite the miles between us.

So before I get maudlin, let's get on with the fun stuff.  Below is Sheba, a sweet, lovable Labradoodle who belongs to Scott, her oldest son. 

Not only is she adorable, she is smart too.  We were sitting outside with her and she was demonstrating her ability to come, sit, lay down, etc. when Ashley told Michael to have her l-a-y-d-o-w-n for a treat (spelling it out). Sheba responded by laying down.  We tried it again and she did it again.  We told Scott later that Sheba could spell.

While Ashley is born and bred a Southern gal, she has taken great pride in finding fun and interesting things to do in her own backyard. She truly does bloom where she is planted. And speaking of blooms, aren't these pretty?  This is a flower tree at Knoebels Amusement Park, about an hour or so from their house.

If you like groovin' to the oldies, the group singing here would be right up your alley, with such songs as Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Surfin' Safari and The Twist.

For a different kind of music, check out the old Wurlitzer Organ tapping out a lively beat.

What trip to an amusement park would be complete with a ride on good old wooden roller coaster? Well, it's not my cup of tea, but the boys enjoyed it. We all later enjoyed the Black Diamond ride through a haunted coal mine.

We capped off the adventure with a ride on the giant ferris wheel.  It had been a very long time since I had ridden one, but it was fun and afforded us a great view of the park, and the surrounding countryside.

The next day we traveled to Strasburg to ride the steam train.  It was a 45 minute journey through Amish country...literally through the cornfields.  The engine puffed black smoke from it's coal fire and chugged along at a leisurely pace.  Here you can see it at the station waiting to depart on it's next run.

As many exotic places as there are to explore, there are just as many here in our own corner of the world. With every trip I take I make new discoveries, whether it is a new destination or favorite vacation spot. Many thanks to Ashley and her family for hosting us!

Quote of the Week

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. - Elisabeth Foley

My best friend and I have many years of living in different states to back this up.  While we don't get to visit as often as we'd like, time magically falls away when we do get together, and we cherish each moment.

Psychic Reader

Image Source:  seedsforfood.org

Dear Psychic,

Thank you for your recent comments. I'm happy to see that you have been enjoying my weekly quotes.  I would like to share some of your most interesting thoughts with my readers.  Please forgive my delay in responding, but your comments were directed into my spam folder.

Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a 40 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation.  My iPad is now broken and she has 83 views.  I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

So sorry to hear that, but if you are truly psychic, you should have seen that coming.

We may have a link alternate arrangement between us.

No, sorry, I don't think so, but thank you for asking.

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You're welcome! I've been told I can successfully put two words together.

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Wow! I'd better get some gloves. Oh, by the way, you might want to consider a proofreader.

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What a keen eye!  This was indeed a technologically advanced illustration.

Your style is really unique compared to other people I have read stuff from, Guess I will just book mark this web site. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity.

I'm sure the "other people" are relieved that I didn't poach their stuff.

I would like to apprentice while you amend your site, how can I subscribe for a web blog site?

Wait...I thought you already had a site...you keep inviting me over. Remember, you even offered me a "link alternate arrangement".

I constantly emailed this web site post page to all my friends since if I like to read it afterward my links will too.

Thank you for spreading the word about Roses to Rainbows.  As always, I appreciate free advertisement.

Genuinely when someone doesn't know then its up to other users that they will help so here it happens.

Say what?  Let's try this:  When someone really doesn't know, then it's up to other users to help.  It begins here.

Oh by the way, do you see a lottery jackpot in my future? Hey, just asking...

As always, thank you for visiting here at Roses to Rainbows. 

Quote of the Week

There is so much good in the worst of us
And so much bad in the best of us
That it hardly becomes any of us
To talk about the rest of us.
- Edward Wallis Hoch

I think this is pretty much self-explanatory.  None of us is perfect, and we would prefer our imperfections, real or imagined, not be passed around like a plate of cookies until every last crumb has been eagerly devoured by an attentive audience.

The Faces of Lititz

Lititz, PA, a small town in Lancaster County, is nestled in the heart of Amish Country. Lititz, population 9,385 (2012), boasts a beautiful park with a stone-wall lined pond that stretches from one end to the other with a fountain at the entrance and culminating with the emergence of the underground spring at the end.

Surrounding the spring-fed pool is a stone wall covered in plants, moss and amongst them - spider webs, resembling those made by a funnel spider.

These, however, looks like faces on the wall.

Can you see the faces looking back at you?

Look at the wide eyes on this one. I think we frightened it.

Spiders aren't the only ones making faces. Take a look at this tree. This tall fellow looks like he was sticking his tongue out at us.

Of course, a trip to Lititz Park wouldn't be complete without ducks...lots and lots of ducks.

Take a stroll along Main Street and pop into some of the shops. There are furniture shops, restaurants, specialty boutiques and even a wine shop. This one has some colorful mushrooms for your garden. In case you can't read the sign, it says: We are so excited about the garden we wet our plants.

How much is that doggie in the window?  Isn't he cute?

If you have a chance to visit this quaint little town, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Look here for more on Lititz from my last trip.

Quote of the Week

It is only when the mind and character slumber that the dress can be seen. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sleeping ducks in Lititz, PA

It should be our inner selves that make the impression, not how fashionably (or unfashionably) we are dressed.  

Quote of the Week

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not! -Unknown

Image Source:  Niner Bakes

Time for some long-awaited R&R.  

Have a nice week everyone!

Quote of the Week

Colors are the smiles of nature. - Leigh Hunt

Tulip Poplar

Flowers and trees
Butterflies and bees
Sunrises and sunsets
Are all nature's smiles

Dood Climbs a Tree

You're probably thinking what's the big deal?  So the cat's on the cat tree, what a surprise. Well, it was. You see after years of living with cats, we finally got a tree for them. This was shortly after Sophie came to live with us (2007), and we thought they would all enjoy it since there are multiple perches and hidey places. There's even a crows nest on the top which Sophie claimed right away.

Look at me!

In fact she was the only one interested in the tree at all.  Rosie would lay along the base in the sun, but never ventured up (well once and then he was in pursuit of Sophie).  Dood just ignored it.  Maybe because he had climbed the real thing outside...who knows.  He doesn't like catnip either.

So imagine our surprise one day when we found Sophie in one of the tubes and Dood sitting above her looking down.  We figured it was like with Rosie, he followed Sophie. Now we occasionally find Dood perched on the tube nearest the window surveying the world outside from a different perspective.

Hide and seek?

I can see clearly now!

One theory is that Dood frequently took his cues from Rosie so maybe since Rosie didn't use it, he wouldn't either.  At any rate, our kitties continue to surprise and delight us.

Quote of the Week

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance. 

- Woodrow Wilson

Having just celebrated our 238th birthday as a free nation, it seems appropriate to look back at just how important those documents signed long ago still are to us today. Our founding fathers put pen to parchment to declare us free, and much has been sacrificed to achieve and maintain our freedom.

The signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Image Source: Wikipedia

They further ensured our rights with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Among other things, we can speak freely (First Amendment) and protect and defend not only ourselves and our families, but defend our freedoms as well (Second Amendment.) The 15th, 19th and 26th amendments ensure our right to vote.

Image Source: Wikipedia

The 13th amendment abolished slavery. Inspired words from Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address in 1863:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal .... that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." 

Image Source: Wikipedia

Let Freedom Ring!

Quote of the Week

Is the glass half empty, half full, or twice as large as it needs to be? - Unknown

We've all heard "is the glass half full or half empty".  This is a new perspective on that old saying.  

Now, half empty signifies that the observer is a pessimist, while half full indicates the person is an optimist. 

What does it mean when we are asked if it is twice as large as it needs to be?  My take on that is this.  A glass twice as large as it needs to be makes things look out of proportion. Skewed in other words, depending on your view of the world. If you have the same amount of water in a smaller glass it will always be full.

To illustrate this, I used two wine glasses (colored water, people, it's too early on a Saturday morning for drinking), and filled them each with about 6 oz. of water.  

As you can see, the larger glass is half full, or half empty depending on your view, or love of wine, while the smaller glass is full.  

I know most serious wine drinkers would prefer the larger glass, but for the sake of illustration, we are going with the small glass being the ideal point of view.

Fungus Among Us

This was such a bright splash of color among the green and brown of it's surroundings. It almost looks like a tomato on a stem.  After a lot of Googling and comparing pictures, I determined that this is likely an Amanita Jacksonii.

This beautiful mushroom is found in North America from Quebec to Mexico, and resembles the Amanita Caesarea, which is found mainly in Southern Europe and North Africa.

It is said to be edible, but it is not recommended because other members of this family are poisonous.  Here it is shown in it's just-emerged, immature stage.

Here is a pretty white, cone-shaped mushroom that sprang up on an old stump.  As you can see he has a unidentified friend nearby.  Until I started searching for what these might be, I never realized how many fantastic fungi there are in every shape and color imaginable.

I saw this one a few days later on another stump, and at that time it looked similar to the one above.  The picture below was taken today and you can see how it has changed.  As it matured, it opened up, flattened out some and developed brown spots.  These may both be Parasol mushrooms.  True Parasol mushrooms are said to have exceptional flavor, but again, not something you want to eat unless you really know what you're doing since they can be confused with toxic varieties.  

What is sprouting up in your area?

Quote of the Week

The trouble with, "A place for everything and everything in its place" is that there’s always more everything than places. - Robert Brault

Question:  Do you need less stuff or more places?
Answer:  A little of both.

I think most of us have things that just sit around collecting dust that we haven't touched in years. Some have the philosophy that if you haven't used it in two years, throw it out.  That may be a good rule of thumb for some things and some people.

Others hang on to stuff for decades because they might need it someday. To be clear, I'm not talking about hoarders like you see on TV who keep everything that comes into their house, including trash, and things used up or broken beyond repair.

I have things packed away that I don't use. Do they take up space? Yes. Should I get rid of them? Some would say yes, and in time I may...when I can let go.  

Do we have more everything than places? Yes.  Is it junk?  No.  Hubby has a project he's working on. He needs something, goes into the basement and voila, he finds something that fills the bill. It is likely something that I would have thrown out years ago.

Just this past weekend I was making something and I needed some double-sided tape. I went down to a shelf in the basement and rummaged through a box of all kinds of tape I'd brought from my parents' house years ago. I found what I needed and finished my project.

So while there are extremes on both sides, and as much as we strive to maintain the balance, we always have more everything than places.

Quote of the Week

Do it, and then you will feel motivated to do it. 

- Zig Ziglar

It's true. The longer you put something off, the less you will feel like doing it. No matter what your project, digging in with both feet will energize you. Once you begin to see some progress, you will be even more motivated to keep plugging away.
  

Class of 1943

Today would have been Mom's 89th birthday. Seventy-one years ago she graduated from the Mattanawcook Academy. The academy was founded in 1847 as Lincoln High School. The name was changed to Mattanawcook Academy in 1850.  Today it is part of Regional School Unit No. 67, which includes Mattanawcook Junior High School, and Ella P. Burr Elementary School.

Here are some facts and other tidbits about her home town.

Lincoln was a small town with a population (according to the 1940 census) of 3,653, and the major business in the area centered around sawmills along the Penobscot River and the pulp and paper mill.  Mom's younger brother worked for a while in the paper mill, and if you have ever smelled a paper mill in production, it is not a scent you will forget.

As of the 2010 census, Lincoln had a population of 5,085 and having increased less than 1,500 in 70 years, it is still a small town.

Every area has their signature food, and a favorite of mine is the New England staple...Bean Hole Beans.  These are absolutely a treat.  First dig a big hole and build a fire.  Then take a cast iron pot with a lid (I have one of these), fill with beans, salt pork (or bacon), onions, dry mustard and molasses.  Bury the pot in the pit of coals and wait...8-10 hours later you will have a delicious pot of beans. I remember Mom telling me about eating bean hole bean sandwiches for breakfast.

Above and beyond the bean hole beans, the food that brings me a sigh squeal of delight is fried clams, preferably those found at clam shacks along the beaches.  Others may favor the oohed-and-aahed-over Maine lobster, but give me a plate of fried clams (whole or strips) dressed only in salt, and I am one happy camper.

These are from the Sea Hag in Florida.

On rare occasion you can actually get good fried clams somewhere other than New England. While these aren't quite the same, they are a good substitute.

Along with the good comes the not-so-good.  Black Flies.  If you live or have visited in the northern states in the summer, you know about Black Flies. They bite, but even more irritating to me is the swarming around your face. They are tiny, a 16th of an inch or less, and they can get in your eyes, so you are constantly swatting them away.

While doing research for this post, I found a list of residents buried at the South Lincoln Maine Cemetery, also known as the Mohawk Cemetery.  A number of my relatives are buried there, including my grandparents, great grandparents and uncles.  There is an old wrought iron fence around the cemetery, and at the gate there is (or was) a water spigot for visitors to get water for the flowers.

There is a lot more to the State of Maine and the Town of Lincoln, but these are a few of the things with which I have a personal connection.  For anyone interested, there is more information at their web site Welcome to Lincoln.

I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still
The deepest impressed on my heart.
- Eliza Cook

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Links to pictures and more info are in bold.

Quote of the Week

Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. - Robert Henri

I've always had a love for the beach, beginning with the first trip that I can remember to Topsail Beach. I was about six, and Mom made me a terry cloth beach jacket (we called them beach jackets in those days instead of cover-ups).  It wasn't ideal weather for a first visit to the beach.  It was overcast and drizzly, but I still was out there playing in the water in my bathing suit and windbreaker. On our last day, the sun broke through the clouds and I got what was probably my first sunburn.

Now I look at all the beaches I've seen, North, South, East and West, and there is one thing they all have in common.  They allow me to recharge my internal batteries.  I can sit for hours listening to the water as the waves run up the sand and retreat, repeating the pattern over and over...timeless. 

The ocean is a vibrant, living thing, and a wonderful place to think, to dream and to ponder the mysteries of life.

7 Ways to Brighten Someone's Day

Image source: deviantart

Today's post was inspired by this week's quote "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention" and the concept of *Random Acts of Kindness. Being kind to one another is so important that they even set aside a week in February specifically for engaging in random acts of kindness, which is commendable. While this puts kindness in the spotlight, it is something we should practice every day.

It is said that charity begins at home, and charity, in this instance, means showing love and kindness. Here are a few budget-friendly ways to show charity to your friends and family.

1. Call or e-mail a friend. It's always nice to answer the phone or check your inbox and reconnect with a friend, perhaps someone with whom you have lost touch lately.
   
   
2. Treat a friend to lunch. We will often treat people for birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions, but why wait? Surprises are the best special occasions.
   
   
3. Send a card. With today's technology it's easy to overlook the simple things.  Send a fun card to someone to let them you you're thinking of them. It is a small act that can have big benefits. Choose a happy, uplifting card and write a short note. This is sure to bring a smile to the recipient's face.
   
   
4. Make a gift basket. Small, thoughtful gifts don't have to break your budget. You can find small baskets, candles and holders, soaps, silk flowers, ribbon and other small items for a few dollars.  For a work-at-home friend a gift for the home office can fill the bill. Put together some small note pads, pens, and paper clips in an inexpensive desk caddy. Hint: Visit the dollar stores, but keep it tasteful, not tacky, and customize it for the individual's personality.
   
   
5. A gift from the heart. Nothing says love like a homemade gift, especially if you bake or garden. So, instead of shopping, use your talents instead. Bake muffins or cookies, make a soup mix with dried beans and seasonings, or harvest a basket of fresh tomatoes or squash from your garden. This is a chance to let your inner light shine.
   
   
6. Make a charitable donation. Choose a charity close to their heart (or yours) and make a small donation in their name, or in honor or memory of someone in their family.
   
   
7. Brighten a stranger's day. It is easy to do things for our friends, but not always so easy when it comes to strangers. How to approach them, what is appropriate and how will a random kindness be received? Here are some thoughts. Smile at someone first, pay them a compliment, buy a coffee or share a cab and pay the fare or pay their bus fare.
   
   Don't do something just to get something in return...you will see the rewards in your own life.

Please share your ideas or experiences in the comment section.

*The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is an internationally recognized non-profit organization founded upon the powerful belief in kindness and dedicated to providing resources and tools that encourage acts of kindness.

Quote of the Week

The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention. - John Burroughs

No matter how small the act, any deed well done for the good of someone else is worth more than all the good intentions, however big or small, that are never acted upon.  So don't just talk the talk, follow your words with action.

Night Falls

As night falls

And evening fades

Painted into subtle shades

Of purple, blue and gray

Quote of the Week

"Silent" and "listen" are spelled with the same letters.  - Unknown

These two important words go hand in hand since you can't do the second without being the first. But really listening to someone is more than just being politely quiet while awaiting your turn to speak. It is listening intently and with as much interest as we display when we are speaking. Perhaps we should listen unto others as we would have them listen unto us.  

Today's lesson is to think about how we listen.