A Rough Week In Philly

This is Day 5 of the 2017 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Philadelphia. Please visit the other participants for more stories.


Our favorite FBI Agents, Charlie and Alex are back with more adventures. When we last saw them they had just wrapped up a kidnapping in New York City.


"Hey Alex, what's up? asked Charlie.

Alex groaned, "This paperwork is killing me. You know I'd rather be out in the field than sitting here pushing a pencil around."

"You know we have computers for that...and admins," quipped Charlie. "What's the deal?"
"It's just beauracratic BS. Since I knew Jenna from before the last case, and we ended up involved with the mafia and then the kidnapping, they want to make absolutely, positively 100% sure I had no involvement with any of the suspects. Some things just don't die easily. On top of that, we've had dinner a couple of times and that was relayed to the bosses."

"Didn't I suggest that you might let the dust settle a bit before pursuing a relationship," reminded Charlie?

"Ah the voice of reason. You might have mentioned something to that effect," replied a chagrined Alex, "but it will all be sorted out shortly, and they haven't pulled me from active duty, so please tell me we have a case."

"As a matter of fact that is why I was looking for you. The Philadelphia office is a bit shorthanded, since several guys retired and a couple more are out with injuries, so they've ask me to take my team to Philly to help out for a few weeks. I'll clear it with the department chief for you to go, unless there is some particular reason you'd rather not take this assignment," grinned Charlie wickedly.

"Like you said, I should let the dust settle," Alex sighed.  "Jenna is still a little shaky, so some time and space is probably a good idea. She's got my number if she needs anything. When do we leave?"

"Sunday night," Charlie replied, "so we can start pitching in Monday morning. I don't know what we'll be working on, but hopefully it will just be routine. We could use a bit of that after these last few cases. At any rate, we will be assisting, not taking the lead this time. I'll call Kyle and Bobbie and fill them in. I expect they are itching for some action, too."

The team arrives in Philly on Monday to find the place in chaos. "Well, so much for a piece-of-cake assignment," Alex stated matter-of-factly. As it turned out, the lead agent on a big case came down with the flu. 

"Agent Shore, you're the senior agent so you run point and our guys will follow your lead," instructed the local agent.


One week into their two-week relief effort, they slide into a booth at the end of a long day. Day meaning about 36 hours straight of surveillance, intel gathering, search warrants and subsequent searches. "Whew," huffs Alex, "and we thought the Colombian case was bad. This has been a rough week."

"Yeah, maybe that pencil pushing is looking better" grinned Charlie, "but I think we're gonna nail this one shut in a couple days."  To be continued...



Other 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

Jenna's Misfortune

Murder in the Warehouse

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That Darn Ball

This is Day 4 of the 2017 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is I Found a Ball. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

I found a ball

upon a wall

I picked it up

I dropped my cup

I sat down

with a frown

upon a stump

with a thump

oh my dear

what's that I hear

are those bees

I scrape my knees

away I run

not having fun

may I say

it's not my day

I know it's lame

I lay the blame

upon that darn ball

that is all

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Photograph

This is Day 3 of the 2017 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Photograph. Please visit the other participants for more stories.


The beauty of this challenge is that you can take the topic and go in any direction you choose and write whatever speaks to you. That's what I'm going to do.

When I looked at the today's topic, Photograph, the very first thing that came to mind was the 1973 song by Ringo Starr. He co-wrote Photograph with former band member, George Harrison.  An article from Rolling Stone lists the top 10 Beatles singles, and Photograph was #7.

While John, George and Paul didn't always get along with one another, they each remained friends with Ringo. In fact, right after the Beatles broke up, the only thing they could agree on was Ringo. They loved him, and wanted to do everything they could to help further his career, so they each worked on his new album (separately of course). 

Ringo, in turn, stayed close with them, and he performed Photograph at the Concert for George in 2002 on the first anniversary of his death. It was an emotional moment when he sang  "All I've got is a photograph and I've realized you're not coming back anymore." 

Those are touching words, and I have some special photographs, too.

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My Little Red Wagon

This is Day 2 of the 2017 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Little Red Wagon. Please visit the other participants for more stories.


Every kid had a little red wagon, didn't they? 

Not only did I have one, I had two. The first was sized for a toddler and I would haul things around in it, probably toys or stuffed animals, or maybe books because Mom said I would carry my books around all the time. While not having a lot of real memories at that age, this is what I expect I did with it. Perhaps I was even pulled around the driveway along with my animals.  

When I got too old for that, then I got my big-girl wagon similar to the one in the picture. Just like with my sled, (read that story here), Daddy would hook my wagon up behind the lawn mower and away we would ride. It wasn't too many years before I gave up riding the wagon for riding the mower but that's another story. Needless to say, those were some great Daddy-Daughter moments.

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In A Nutshell

This is Day 1 of the 2017 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is explain your blog. Please visit the other participants for more stories.


With another year under our belts and new adventures on the horizon, we embark on another writing challenge to energize us and get us back into the proverbial blogging saddle. Giddy-up! The first challenge is to explain our blogs, how they came to be and what makes them tick. 

Way back in the summer of 2009 I was walking through a rose garden with my hubby and some friends, and we were talking about technology and social media such as Twitter when out of the blue I said I could write a blog. I had thoughts, ideas and opinions and decided I could share those with anyone and everyone who cared to listen. That I had no idea how to do this didn't matter. From that walk in the rose garden sprang From Roses to Rainbows. (Also see how I named by blog Part 1 and Part 2.)

Here comes the explaining part. It has absolutely nothing to do with roses or rainbows, aside from the occasional, non-related pictures. The simple explanation is that it is a place for me to express myself through writing fiction, poetry, travel stories, and cat tales, to post pictures, to muse over daily life and to offer encouragement and inspiration through quotes and interpretation. In other words, it is an eclectic collection of self expression.

Alas, over the past few years, my writing and posting have been sporadic and even my quote series has fallen into neglect. Having said that however, I have participated in month-long writing challenges since June 2012, including the previous two January Chills, and not missed one day.

Hopefully having just written these words, I will be inspired to revive some of characters and tap out some new adventures, and that is what it is all about.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2017. Let us begin!

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Are You Ready to Chill?

It's that time of year again. Yes, that's right. It's time for the

Writing Challenge!

Starting tomorrow...details found here.

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Christmas 2016

On the Eve of another Christmas, let us rejoice and be glad. Let there be peace on earth and goodwill to men.

Merry Christmas to all!

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Still Waters

This is a peaceful little cove off of Lake Panasoffkee in Florida. This is the home of Tom and Jerry's Air Boat Tours. I purposely kept the boats out of the picture to maintain the peaceful feeling.

I have lots of pictures and video from the tour to sort through and write about. Stay tuned.




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The Hidden Path

Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley. - Theodore Roethke

Just because something can't be seen doesn't mean it isn't there, and just because you don't have the answer right now, doesn't mean you won't find it. Patience and perseverance will reward you with the path you seek.



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Welcome to Autumn

A Pennsylvania corn field

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket

 than all the other seasons. -Jim Bishop

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The Joy of Color

Embrace your inner you, whatever that may be!

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Life Unlimited

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it. - Sai Baba

Born in India in 1835, Sai Baba was an Indian spiritual master and was regarded by his followers as a saint, fakir and satguru. It was uncertain whether Sai Baba was a Hindu or a Muslim, but he was revered by both. 

Some things never change. This was true from the perspective of a 19th century Indian guru, and it is true today. Step up to the challenges, meet life head on with joy and song, and make the most of everything. Stop chasing life and live it.

Once again, my posting has ended up on the back burner. Good intentions and all... Anyway, happy mid-week y'all. I hope everyone is having a good summer; ours has been interesting. Please feel free to share your adventures. 

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An Ancient Beverage

He was a wise man who invented beer. - Plato

Now Plato lived some 2,300 years ago in fourth century B.C. and beer had already been around for a long time.

Tests performed on ancient pottery from Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq and parts of Iran, Syria and Turkey), indicate that beer was produced there some 7,000 years ago, and a 3,900 year old poem contains the oldest known recipe for beer. 

The process of making beer was passed along to the Greeks who then taught the Romans. Beer was important to the early Romans, but was eventually replaced by wine as the alcoholic beverage of choice, rendering beer at that time, fit only for barbarians. Obviously this opinion didn't hold for long as beer brewing has continued throughout the centuries and in many cultures. 

If you doubt the historical importance of beer, consider that the desire to make beer led people to give up a nomadic lifestyle to form villages, cultivate crops and develop agriculture, thus leading to civilization.

What started small thousands of years ago, rose to a multi-million dollar industry and mass production, is now returning to it's roots with this new concept of microbreweries and craft beers. 

Last night we met up with some friends at the tasting room of a local brewery. They have lots of different beers on tap, some with exotic names and flavors. However I chose Carolina Blonde, a cream ale, which is lower on the bitterness scale. It is light, smooth and refreshing, especially on a hot summer evening.



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Breathe and Enjoy Your Day!

You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust and let go and see what happens. - Mandy Hale

Enroute to Skippers Fish Camp in Darien, GA

We did have a plan when this picture was taken. A very definite plan, indeed. Dinner at Skipper's. What was different was our choice of routes. This was by far more scenic and well worth the change to our plan. 

Not every aspect of every day of your life needs to be planned out to the letter. Sometimes it is better to just go with the flow and see where you end up. Allow your day to be like a Sunday afternoon drive in the country with no definite place to go. One of those you'll know when you get there kind of days.

So sit back, ditch your well-thought-out plans, take a deep breath and go where life leads you. You may find something great waiting for you just around the corner.


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Smiles Matter

Image Source: Wikipedia

It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Smiles cost nothing, are easily given and may do more good you can possibly know. They can brighten days, change minds, modify opinions, enhance first impressions, bolster spirits and make both the giver and the recipient feel better.

Often we march through life with our faces in neutral, or worse, frowning or scowling at some injustice, whether real or perceived. If you see that person without a smile, give them one of yours. If you are that person, look around you and find something to smile about. 

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Troubled Times

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein

I have come across this quote often over the years and passed it by in favor of more upbeat, positive choices. Now I think it's time has come. It appears the world has completely taken leave of it's collective senses. I can't imagine, nor do I want to know, what goes through people's minds when they commit such atrocities as we have seen recently. 

Human beings are blessed with the ability to think and reason, and the capacity to feel empathy and compassion. We also have been taught the difference between right and wrong and good and evil. Yet there is so much anger and hate brewing around the world now, and groups that continue to perpetuate feelings of ill will and violence. 

I say it is time we get over ourselves and quit labeling and categorizing people and stop promoting violence against them. Whether your life matters shouldn't depend on what color you are, what restroom you use or what you do for a living.

We should just live our lives and tend to our own business and let others tend to theirs. I still believe mankind as a whole is good, but looking at recent events I'd say there are more than a few tainted apples in the barrel.




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What was I Thinking?

We are what we think...
All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.  -Buddha

Often we find pearls of wisdom from many different people and cultures. When I first read this I wasn't sure that I agreed with Buddha's statement. We don't always act on what we are thinking, and thankfully so or many of us would be in a world of trouble.

However, I believe there is some truth here, and most certainly something to be taken away from this quote. 

On the negative side, too often we are hit with "What was I thinking" so we should guard our thoughts and be aware when what we are thinking is something with which we would not want make our world.

The converse is also true, and if our consciousness is filled with good, kind and loving thoughts, we can indeed make a better world for ourselves.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, everyone!



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Some Things Never Change

Image Source: Wikipedia

The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and to have courage when things go wrong. 

- Laura Ingalls Wilder

We live in a world that seems to be far removed from that of the author of this quote. But is it, really? We have automation and technology which have considerably changed the way we do things, but when you really look at life itself, things are pretty much the same. 

We laugh, love and dream and if we treat people well, look forward to each day with thanks and accept the ups and downs with grace, then we are pretty much living as many generations before us have lived.

Let's take a little time today and look around at what's really important in our lives and how we present ourselves to others.


I have fallen off the blogging wagon lately. I've been somewhat uninspired and out of focus on writing, or maybe just plain lazy. I would like to change things up a bit here at Roses to Rainbows, but haven't come to any conclusions thus far on what that might be. Thoughts, comments and suggestions are welcome!


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Just Thinking

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. ― Lorraine Hansberry

I would say these pelicans have got that down pat. 

They are living out their days at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores on the Gulf Coast of Florida.



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Moments

We do not remember days, we remember moments. - Cesare Pavese

Not all of my moments are preserved in pictures although it is much easier now, in this digital age, to pull out my phone and snap a picture. 

Here are a few:

This is a huge Live Oak in St. Augustine just across from the lighthouse. It is magnificent. It would have been nice to have that in my back yard when I was a kid (read tomboy). I loved to climb trees.

A close up of Rosie after devouring his birthday present at his Sweet Sixteen party. Details here. Miss you buddy!

This is one of the best pictures I have of Dood. He never seemed interested in the cat tree. That was always Sophie's domain. Until one day when he decided to venture up to the second perch right next to the window.  I miss you too, Dood!

What's better than a beautiful sunset at the beach? We were vacationing with friends and this was our bon voyage gift from the beach.

They are more than just moments, they are precious memories. The days go by...the moments remain.


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