A Christmas Puzzle

Christmas is a joyful time of year, but we put so much pressure on ourselves to find the perfect gift, or the right outfit for the party. So, let's all take a break from the hustle and bustle and stress of the holiday season and work a puzzle.  It's simple and colorful and will only take you about 5 minutes to complete. Just click on here Christmas Puzzle  to begin. (Note, the picture above is not the puzzle picture.)

A few tips - the pieces are not set in their final positions, they can be turned by degrees by right clicking on the piece.  In other words if it looks like it is the bottom right corner, it may actually be the top left corner. The same applies to all the pieces, otherwise it wouldn't be any challenge at all.

You can also view just the border or just the middle or all the pieces, and you can change the number of pieces to increase the difficulty, and you can preview the picture like looking at the box lid to a regular jigsaw puzzle.

It is timed, but just have fun with it, and if you enjoy it, feel free to share it.

Merry Christmas!

Quote of the Week

You can't cross the sea merely by standing 

and staring at the water.  ― Rabindranath Tagore

Not only can you not cross the sea by staring at the water, you can't accomplish anything by being a bystander in your own life.  From something as simple as an overstuffed closet or messy garage, to a major endeavor, you can't accomplish something you never begin.  

Like I'm fond of saying "those dishes aren't going to wash themselves".  There's no time like the present, so let's dig in and get our feet wet and our hands dirty and see what we can accomplish.  


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Quote of the Week

The best thing one can do when it's raining 

is to let it rain. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Spring 2000 - November 28, 2014

As some of you may know, we said good-bye to Dood on Friday.  We knew there was something wrong, but had no idea when we went to the vet Friday morning that would be our last moments with him.  To say that it was heartbreaking would be an understatement for me, having only lost Rosie a year ago.  Dood was really a comfort this past year, and we grew closer than ever.

If you're wondering what this has to do with the quote, it's simple.  For me the rain symbolizes tears, and sometimes the best way to deal with loss is to rain when you need to.

Love ya buddy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Image Source:  Frances Brundage

Happy Thanksgiving to our family and friends!

Quote of the Week

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. 

- Anaïs Nin, Diary, 1969

This is an unintentional continuation of the last several weeks' thought process.  We've talked about hindsight being the key to the future as it enables us to see the possibilities. Then we touched on our inner strength, which is always there, but sometimes seems harder to access.

This week we look at life and how full it is or maybe how lacking it seems.  Courage and inner strength are closely related and tie into our ability to make the most of what life has to offer.  

The point of today's quote is about finding the courage to move forward and broaden our horizons.  We only get out of life what we put into it, and sometimes that takes strength, courage and the ability to learn from our mistakes, as well as the courage to risk making those mistakes in the first place.






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Sun on the Water

Sunlight resting on the calm glistening water

what a peaceful feeling.

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Quote of the Week

We find in ourselves the strength to overcome every obstacle, which is a good thing, because we also find in ourselves every obstacle. - Robert Brault

Once again we take a look at the insight and humor of Robert Brault.  His quotes have appeared on Roses to Rainbows from time to time as I seek out words of wisdom, inspiration and humor.  He is a freelance writer who has been contributing to various publications for over 40 years.  He has recently published a book titled Round Up The Usual Suspects: Thoughts On Just About Everything.


Today we focus on our strength.  Sometimes we think - I can't do that, or I'll never get through this (see last week's quote).  

For many of us our problems stem from us turning minor setbacks into road blocks. However, within ourselves we have the strength required to see us through, to overcome life's bumps and change the road blocks back into merely minor setbacks. 

In reality, though, not all of life's problems are just bumps in the road or minor setbacks that could have been changed or avoided by a different mindset, but we must still focus our inner strength to meet these challenges.

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Autumn's Glory

Their fiery colors

Set the afternoon ablaze

Nature's off her meds

Quote of the Week

On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100%...and that's pretty good. 
- Unknown.

You've all heard the expression about hindsight being 20/20.  That usually refers to something that you should (or shouldn't) have done.  Our old friends shoulda, coulda, woulda, and if only gather around, often making us look back with regret.

Here's a way that hindsight can make us feel better instead of longing for a do-over.

For example, you're having a bad day, the boss yelled at you, someone ate your chicken sandwich and you just lost your last dollar in the vending machine.  Or, your sitter called at the last minute to cancel because she has the flu and she sat for your kids yesterday.

Whatever the situation, you will get through it.  Why? Because you always do, and when you look back on the incidents or issues that caused such distress at the time, you see two things.  First, you are here.  You got through it. And second, it was not nearly as bad as it seemed, or maybe not as bad as it could have been.



Hindsight can provide a little insight into how your next jog in the road will turn out.

Please share your thoughts or stories in the comment section.


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Tis The Season!

Tis the season!  This phrase has many meanings.  The Holidays are nearly upon us, but for those of us with trees, it is now leaf blowing/raking season as well.  Remember when you could rake them up into a big pile and after an afternoon of running and jumping into them, you would rake them back into a pile and burn them? I guess some folks can still do that, but not us city-dwellers.  Nope, we rake, blow or otherwise collect bushels and bushels of leaves to deposit at the street for the city to come by with their huge leaf-sucking machines and vacuum them up.

Now for a look at the more traditional season.  That's right, Turkey Day is just around the corner. Christmas parades, tons of food, long siestas, and of course, football, team up to make the fourth Thursday in November, not just any day, but Thanksgiving Day.

I must one of the few people on the planet who doesn't get all wound up over a big Thanksgiving Day meal. It is a day that gives us license to make enough food to feed a starving army - to serve a half dozen people, and then eat as if we were that starving army.  I realize that many gatherings are much larger, so just multiply by your gathering by a factor of 10 and you will have comparatively the same amount of food per person.

Thanksgiving also gives us license to eat as if it's our last opportunity to feed for the next year.  

Picture this:

Frank: "I'm stuffed."

Bob: "I can't move...I can't even breathe."

Ron: "Alice, why did you let me eat so much?"  [belch]

Then you hear a voice from the kitchen.  "Does anyone want more pie?"

Frank: "Yeah, I'll take a slice."

Bob: "Me too!"

Ron: "Maybe just a small piece."

Do you hear conversations like this around your house after the big meal?  It's like we become bottomless food pits, and despite all the moaning and groaning, we continue to pick away at the leftovers until they are secured in plastic take-home containers for us to recreate the feast the next day.  No one walks away empty handed.

Guess what? Christmas is only 47 days away, and we can start all over again.  Click here for an update on how long you have left to shop!


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Word Challenge

We've all played scrabble, done crosswords and word find puzzles, and in the age of technology we play with (or against) people across the street or around the world.

This challenge is a little different.  There is no list of words to find, no points to count and no competitor to defeat.

All you have to do is sit back, look at the chart below, and write down the first three words that you see.

What are your three words, and do you think they describe you?

Explain why they do or don't describe you.

If your first words don't describe you, choose your own three self-descriptive words.

Bonus:  In 50 words or less, write a paragraph describing yourself using those words (or your own three words).

Have fun, and please share your words and/or stories in the comments section.

Remembering Rosie

This week's quote is in memory of Rosie.

Another cat? Perhaps. For love there is also a season; its seeds must be resown. But a family cat is not replaceable like a worn out coat or a set of tires. Each new kitten becomes its own cat, and none is repeated. I am four cats old, measuring out my life in friends that have succeeded but not replaced one another. -Irving Towns

It has been one year since I bid my Rosie a final farewell, and not a day goes by that I don't think of him in some way.  Remembering him with smiles, laughter and tears, he will always be a part of my life.

I clearly remember the day we brought him home as a kitten.  He was four months old, with big feet and big ears.  He had so much long hair in his ears that the folks at the Humane Society called him Mr. Tufts.  He eventually grew into his feet and ears - hair and all, and developed the most magnificent mane.  My mom came over to see our new addition, and the first things she said was "He's so gray!"  Well, yes, he was.

Rosie was special not only in his overwhelming sweetness, but also his breed.  It was only after his passing that I discovered what kind of cat he was.  In my post What is a Nebelung?  I talked about that, and included a video describing the Nebelung breed.

Mr. Towns measures his life by the number of feline friends with whom he has shared his life, no one replacing the other, but adding to the fullness of his life like the rings on a tree.  I am many cats old, and currently share home and heart with the two other sweet felines who enjoyed lazy days and warm sunbeams with Rosie.

Fall Fungi

A while back, I told hubby that I was doing another post on the interesting fungi I found in the back yard, and he said "Oh really, is that a bunch of fun guys having a party?"

So without further ado, here are the 'fun guys' I found hanging around my back yard.

I scanned hundreds of photos in an attempt to ID these fungal visitors.  Alas, I was unable to determine what they are.   So who's having a party in your yard this Fall?


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Quote of the Week

To err is human, to purr is feline. - Robert Byrne

Just back from vacation, so I have no words of wisdom today. But one of the best things about returning home is getting to hang out with Dood, who's getting into the Halloween spirit.

Quote of the Week

Those that say you can't take it with you never saw a car packed for 

a vacation trip. - Unknown

We're taking a little R&R this week, and if you had seen my car, you would know the truth of this quote.

Quote of the Week

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see. 

- Winston Churchill

View from the Ferris Wheel

The past and the future are irreversibly connected. This does not suggest that we live in the past, simply that understanding and acknowledging the past brings more clarity into the future.  The deeper you look into the past, the more you understand, and the more that you understand, the further you can see yourself going in the future.  Wisdom gained from the past equals wisdom for the future.

My earliest memory involved chocolate.  Fact...today I still like chocolate.

More Than Just a Number

Do you lurk, secure in your anonymity?  Do you regularly visit blogs, read their words and smile, laugh, or even cry and then slip quietly out the back door?  Is that you?

Image source: calitomshots

I thought so! I see your footprints, so I know you've been here, but your identity is only a number to me.  

Come now, don't you want to be known by more than just a number? We're real people here. We have names, personalities, interests and thoughts.

Our church has a ritual each Sunday wherein each person (or couple) signs a pew pad which is passed down the row and back to mark our attendance and alert us to visitors.

I will admit that at first we did not sign the pew pad...we weren't ready to be identified. Eventually that changed, and now our attendance is recorded by name, and not just by someone counting heads.

I hope that you will soon feel at home here, and 'sign the pew pad', so to speak, by leaving a comment and let me know how I'm doing.

As always, thanks for visiting Roses to Rainbows.  Y'all come back now, y'hear.

Quote of the Week

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came,—

The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The sunshine spread a carpet,

And every thing was grand;

Miss Weather led the dancing;

Professor Wind, the band....

The sight was like a rainbow

New-fallen from the sky....

- George Cooper, "October’s Party"

In our part of the country, October is a beautiful month, often warm with breezes that tickle the leaves from the trees.  

What is October like where you live?

Quote of the Week

Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. - Unknown

We often think that the best way to show love and friendship to our friends and family is being with them and sharing with them as much as possible.  We want them to feel cherished. Our loved ones know and understand that.  They also sometimes need space to just be themselves and do whatever brings them peace, contentment and fulfillment.  

Healthy relationships are not lessened by this, they are strengthened, and it allows us all to bring more interesting things back to the relationship.  

Playing With Words

Rule #1 This is just for fun.

Choose a letter A-Z

Write down the first 5 words that come to mind beginning with that letter. Don't think of anything except that they start with that letter. Totally random, non-related words are better. Don't use variations of the same word such as bake, baking, baker, or groups such as food, feast, flavor.

Next write a poem or micro post of about 50 words, or up to 10 lines for a poem.

This is a fun mental exercise - not creating a masterpiece, so take about five minutes and see what you come up with.  

Rule #2 Please share your gem in the comments section.

Image Source: sweeter-than-reality

For mine I chose H.

My words were:  hollow, hump, heavy, heart, hook

Upon a hollow log
Sat a heavy frog
He jumped and jumped
Over the mossy hump
Bless his little heart
That old frog was smart
Until he landed in the brook
And he got caught
Upon an old fish hook