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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