Jenna's Misfortune

This is Day 10 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Misfortune. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Sitting there in the pub, Alex listened quietly as Charlie shared what was known up to that point.

Image Source: Dave Newman

"It seems this photographer took a picture of Jenna during the SWAT rescue and associated her with the mob, and then some whack job gets it in his fool head that she is some sort of mafia princess and kidnapped her. He is holding her for a $1 million ransom. He's obviously not blessed in the brains department. The kicker is that the mob leaders don't know or care who she is or what happens to her. That makes her useless to him if he figures it out, and him a target of the mob just because...they've offed people for less.

"So it seems she had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...again" stated Alex solemnly. 

"Well" said Charlie, she does have a habit of dating the mafia."

"That could change...when we get her back" replied Alex. "I guess we're off to New York. What was she doing in New York anyway? Wait a minute, she said something about auditioning for a part in a play but I didn't think she was serious. That'll give us a place to start. We'll hit the theaters, show her picture around and see if anyone has seen her."

Charlie agreed and called for the jet. "It's 9:30 now, we can be there in two hours. Do you have your go-bag with you?"

"Always! I'll meet you at the hangar."

"Touchdown at 11:30, Agent Shore" said the pilot as they boarded the plane. 

"Thanks!" Charlie checked his messages and called Kim, their liaison in New York, to get rooms reserved, contact information and a list of all the theaters.

"Hey Charlie, I always figured to go the theater when I was in New York, but this isn't what I had in mind" stated Alex wryly. "So where are we staying?"

"The Hyatt Midtown. It's not The Plaza, but it'll do. I just hope you don't snore this time. This is New York City, we get one room and I've got first dibs on the shower" said Charlie looking over his glasses at Alex.

When they arrived in the city, they had their list of theaters and contacts. "What are the chances we can find anyone to talk to tonight?" questioned Alex, eager to get started.

"I get your impatience, Alex, but the last performances began around 8 p.m. It's almost midnight so the theaters are probably closed now. I got a text from Kim and she has arranged space for us at the Midtown South PD, so we'll go there first and meet with the officer on duty. We want everyone on the same page," said Charlie as they climbed into their standard black SUV rental.

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

Kidnapped

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Out of Luck

This is Day 9 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Slim Pickings. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Have you ever gone to a potluck and find you were just out of luck instead?  There is a local event that I have attended a couple times. The decorations are tropical and the atmosphere is festive. There is music playing as people stream in to find a seat - friends and strangers sitting together at the many tables, each adorned with a centerpiece and a label. 

That label, my friends, is important. You must take note and pay attention. Each label on each table is an island name such as Oahu or Maui. To get to the food that each of you has lovingly prepared (or bought on the way) and carefully placed on the long serving tables, you must now wait for your island to be called. 

And wait...and wait...until all the other islands have been called and yours is the only table left sitting and there are three tables worth of people still in line ahead of you. By the time you inch your way to the front of the line, what looked like food for an army is now slim pickings indeed!

Now don't get me wrong it is a fun, hugely attended event and the staff goes out of their way to ensure everyone has good time...you just might not want to go hungry. In all fairness, my table wasn't always last - once it was next to the last.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Vitamin Nature

This is Day 8 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is A dose of Vitamin N. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

What is Vitamin N? The answer is simple. It is Nature. You may be wondering why nature is now classified as a Vitamin.

Let's look at it this way. Think about how you feel after a walk in the park, a picnic by the lake, a visit to the zoo, or a camping trip. Okay so all camping trips aren't great, particularly when Mother Nature is not cooperating, e.g. rain. But still, you are out in the wide open spaces, building fires, playing ball, or whatever gets your nature-related groove on. You get the idea - you just feel better.

We are connected to the earth, grass, trees, sky and water. All of these are things we, as humans, are hard wired to love. It's in our DNA so to speak, and we can actually suffer from withdrawal when we are deprived. Our connection with nature helps reduce the stress that builds up in our technologically-powered lives.

Being one with nature is also good for the brain. While getting some exercise outdoors in the fresh air, we breathe more deeply thus supplying our brain with an abundance of oxygen. Did you know that your brain uses 20% of body's oxygen supply? Studies have even shown there to be a connection between ADHD and the lack of vitamin N. Children across the board respond to nature therapy with a reduction in symptoms.

There is even a term for the lack of nature in our lives. It is called Nature Deficiency Disorder? The good news is that it is totally curable.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get yourself a big dose of Vitamin N, the ultimate natural vitamin.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

What Is That Scent?

This is Day 7 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Summer Rain. Please visit the other participants for more interesting views on this topic.

Do you ever step out the door, sniff the air and say, yep it's gonna rain today? Do you wonder why you know this? I'll tell you. It is called petrichor, and is often used to describe the scent of rain in the air. More specifically, it is an oil from the earth that is released into the air just before a rainfall. 

It is a smell that most people are familiar with, whether or not they know why. It is suggested that we find this scent pleasing because we inherited our fondness for it from our ancestors who relied heavily on rain for their survival.

Right before a rain there is increased humidity which penetrates the rocks and soil and is just enough moisture to release the petrichor. This is even more evident when the rain actually begins to fall and the scent is carried on the wind. I notice this earthy fragrance most during an early Summer rain. 

Check out this video to see how this happens.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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!


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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!


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.





If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Peace, Hope, Love!

Wishing all my friends and family a joyous Christmas 

and a blessed New Year!

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.





If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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. 




If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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?



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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?



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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. 



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

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.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.