Merry Christmas

 Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Winter Cheer

It is feeling much like winter today, without the snow. We had freezing rain earlier, but now it is just cold, having apparently reached the high today of 36, and we are headed down to 28 degrees tonight. I would have much preferred to look out the window this morning to something akin to the scene below. Alas, the 10-day forecast is for dry and mild-ish days and cold nights so it seems there will be no white Christmas for us. 

Mild and cold are relative terms, of course. What is weather like where you are this year?

 

I Missed It!

Can you believe it? I actually missed my 11th Blog Anniversary Date! I guess this year has really messed up things. So, instead of reminiscing or rambling down memory lane, I will show you our lovely Sophie.

I love to use the features of my smart phone camera to enhance pictures, adding special effects and a frame. I took this one a step further into Autodesk Sketchbook and softened the background because this was just an random picture taken in a cluttered room. Pretty cat but not so pretty backdrop.

Thanks to Sophie for helping me belatedly acknowledge my 11th blogoversary (September 20, 2009).

 

Project Obliteration

The dog days of summer are brutal here in the South, and sweat runs in rivers before you have taken three steps. Alas, we must push onward. There is much to be done. Unfortunately, I again failed to take before pictures, so my description shall have to suffice.

This has been an eyesore for years with overgrown vines covering fallen sticks and hiding rocks from past flower gardens. The vines were mostly obliterated with the weed eater and out of control bushes were given a dramatic makeover. It's not finished, but at least it is not the embarrassing mess it was.

Project Obliteration shall continue until all the vines have been...well obliterated.

Garden update: We have gotten a number of shishitos from our one plant. The poblano has several peppers, as well as the bells. One tomato plant has some green tomatoes on it. The other, I think, is too chewed off to bloom. Maybe I can get some carrots planted for fall. Right now it is too stinking hot for tender plants to survive.

I'm okay and so are you!

It is a beautiful Sunday morning. 

Let this little red leaf remind you that it's okay to be different.

 Be yourself and enjoy your day!

The Sky Aglow

Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under! –C. JoyBell C.

Original Photo of Roses to Rainbows: St. Pete, FL 2018

It would be a shame to let such beauty go to waste, and as you can see, we did not. This was our view over the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago. My advice, when you see a beautiful sunset, is to drop what you're doing and go enjoy it.

Shishitos and a Garden Update

This year's garden has not produced much to date...except for these little beauties. These are Shishito peppers and the first thing to be harvested. I'm looking forward to trying those tonight.

My green beans weren't great to begin with and then they got the tops eaten off by, most likely, deer. The same ones that munched on the tomatoes. The tomatoes are surviving, blooming even. We put cages around them and tied white plastic shopping bags on the wire. I read that it might discourage deer.

The bean plants are still hanging in there with a few beans almost big enough to pick, but I didn't see any more blooms. I suppose I will pick what there is an try replanting.

I did get some carrots on my first try, so maybe I'll plant some more for a fall garden.

Other things include parsley, green onions, a zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers and a poblano. And that is how the garden grows so far this year.

Independence Day 2020

Again, a bit sporadic with the posting. Such is life, and life has been busy and we are adjusting to a new normal. I don't know if the new normal will be with us forever or this is just another season. What I do know is that teddy bears are like a big hug, and couldn't we all use a hug now?

I don't know if you are busy or bored, happy or sad or just putting one foot in front of the other, so here is my big teddy bear hug to you. 

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Gentle Waves

Many of us find peace at the beach. For me it is a great place to recharge my internal batteries. If the beach is your thing and your batteries are running on low, I hope you can recharge and draw some peace from this picture.

Love from Sophie

Sophie sends her love in this autographed photo. She is absolutely the sweetest thing, and makes us smile many times every day.  I hope she helps you, too.

Down By The River

This is a beautiful, peaceful place. Drink in the beauty and let it soothe your mind and soul for a moment...or ten.

In Stitches

Hey everyone! It's been a while (again), but I've been a bit preoccupied with what has been going on in the world for the last few months. We won't talk about that now, though. I think we could all use a little chuckle.

When I sat down to write, I looked into my drafts folder and found this fellow looking back at me from an otherwise empty page. What is his story? Let's listen in and find out.



















"Hey Spud, what happened to you?"

"Aw Doc, they put a newbie on the plow and he dang near sliced me in two" groaned Spud. "Can you fix me up?"

"Yep, but I'm afraid it will leave a scar and you won't make it to the gourmet aisle. Nope, you'll probably end up bagged and tagged at Walmart" said the Doc.

"That's okay, Doc, at least I won't end up in one of those new frou-frou recipes, you know boiled, whipped, beaten and baked, then drowned in cheese, or spiraled into boiling oil. No, I want to be fried up nice and crispy in some hot bacon grease.   Now that's the way to go."

The Doc was nearly in stitches himself, and laughing he said "good luck, Spud. I'll be looking for you in Wally World."

Are You Really Living?

If you are not living this moment, 

you are not really living. - Eckhart Tolle

I'm not sure that this even needs an explanation, so I'll pose a few questions instead. 

How long has it been since you took a quiet walk in the woods? 

When was the last time you sat outside in the sun's warmth eating an ice cream cone? 

What did you talk about over dinner last night?

These are examples of moments to be lived...fully and completely, and these are times we are more likely to "live in the moment". However, each day is made up of moments that too often pass by without a thought or glance. 

Think about this next time you see the sunset or watch the birds at your feeder or visit with a friend. Cherish the moments. Live life!

On the Whole

The years teach much which the days never knew. 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live our lives day by day, putting one foot in front of the other and taking each day in stride. Yesterday was not so good. Today is better. What will tomorrow bring? Each year however, is the sum total of all the days, and it brings a multitude of experiences and lessons. As each year passes, we have the opportunity to learn far more from the whole than from any one part.

Please share your thoughts.

Are you Limited Edition, too?

You may remember that I have a Zazzle store called Rosie B. Designs (shameless plug). Anyway, I found this particular saying quite appropriate for me and so I created fridge magnets to sell in my store. I figured they would also make good Christmas gifts for a few other special "limited edition" people in my life.

They received them with a smile and "that's cute"! I hope they took it as the compliment I intended it to be. If you are also limited edition and would like your own magnet, you can click the link above.

It is also available as a T-Shirt and bumper sticker.

Oblivious

People aren't ignoring you. They are busy with their lives. And the way to stop feeling ignored is to get busy with yours. - Robert Brault

Do you feel ignored or unnoticed, like perhaps you're made of cardboard?

Life is busy and many of us go about our day in our own little world of work, family and necessary errands, stopping only when the day is done, the kids are asleep and garbage has been pushed to the curb. Rise and repeat the cycle until everything blurs.  

Sometimes we are oblivious to those around us who may be longing for a bit of human interaction, or just to make a connection and hear "hello, how are you"?

The author suggests to those folks feeling left out or ignored to just get busy with your own life, and you will no longer feel ignored. That is true in part, but then we risk becoming like everyone else who is too busy to pay attention to others.

How about the next time you think "I'm too busy" or "I don't have time right now,"  just change directions and say "Hey, do you have plans tonight?" or "Let's grab a bite and catch up."

I've had this sitting in my draft folder for maybe a couple years or so. I pulled it out and tweaked it a bit. I think it is still just as relevant today. Maybe more so! 

What are your thoughts?

Changes for 2020!

Here we are settling into a new year. Wow, how time flies. It's 2020 already - can you believe it? 

Roses to Rainbows turned 10 last September and hasn't been remodeled in years. Because it is not only a new year, but a new decade, I figured my space should reflect that so I decided to tackle the long-overdue chore of updating of this blog. It will be a work in progress for a while as I patch test new paint, rip out the carpet, work out the technical kinks and then haul the debris away.

But wait there's more! Along with the new look will come a new name. I have not decided on that yet - I'm still contemplating the possibilities and the direction of the blog. 

The URL, however, will remain roses2rainbows.com for now as that is my domain name.

Stay tuned as I muddle through this much-needed renovation.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone! I'm not much for New Year's resolutions, but as I pause to reflect on past years and the new year ahead, here are a few things that come to mind.

• Smile more.
• Laugh first at ourselves instead of laughing at others (unless they are comedians).
• Say please, thank you and excuse me - manners y'all.
• Hold doors for others, especially folks with mobility issues.
• Don't be so easily offended, not everyone is out to get you.
• Do things without being asked or told, it will be appreciated.

In other words, just be nice. It doesn't cost anything, and everyone reaps the benefits.

Now back to the real purpose of the internet...puppies and kittens!

Welcome to 2020! Many blessings to you and yours this coming year.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Roses To Rainbows Turns Ten

Well y'all it has been ten years! Can you believe it? This blog has been a lot of things over the years. It has been a place for me to share my cats, trips and other adventures. It was where I learned I could write fiction (at least to some degree), waxed poetic on occasion, cooked, cleaned and chased clutter six ways from Sunday. I quoted famous people and then told you what they really said.

Last year I started an online store, Rosie B. Designs, and made the announcement here with occasional promotional posts.  The store is where I get to explore the other side of my creativity. It is tough getting a new venture going in such a competitive market, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop by and look around. Pictured below is a sample from one of my collections.

As you can see from the rest of the pictures and the past few posts, I have gone off on yet another adventure, gardening. My garden is very small scale, consisting of a few beds and containers. However, we did have green beans and squash a plenty this summer, and some of the best parsley I've ever had.

These are a couple of my sweet snacking peppers and my plant still has lots of peppers on it. They are ready when they have turned orange. Aren't they pretty?

Also, given my love of all things potato, I planted potatoes in buckets. I made the mistake of planting too many taters per bucket and they didn't have enough room to grow, so this is the sum total of my crop. Live and learn, and I'll do better next year...I hope.

In the ground for fall are some beets. It has been so hot with no rain so they may not do well. They have just sprouted and I do keep them watered, so we'll see. I plan to get a bulb of organic garlic to plant next month.

In conclusion, this blog turns ten years old today and has been through a lot of phases and seen a lot of changes. It has also been woefully neglected of late. In fact, I dropped out of the "Chill" writing challenge last January because I was just not inspired. That was a first! I like to write fiction and fun posts for challenges but the topics just didn't work for that. 

So what does the future hold for Roses to Rainbows? That is TBD, but feel free to explore the archives and dig up some oldies but goodies!


If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Mid-August Garden Update

It has been a hot summer with what little rain we got coming in fits and starts. Four inches here, a half inch there, and plenty of sunshine. This meant lots of watering, and I was nearly as wet as the garden when I was done. It would have been nice of all that rain we had back in the spring had been spaced out a bit.

The second run of beans is still producing and we had a great dinner last night of fresh squash and beans, and a pepper from the garden cooked in with some fried potatoes. I should also mention that fresh-from-the-garden-parsley is amazing. Now I know that parsley actually has a fragrance. It was so good in my parsley, garlic, anchovy and olive oil sauce for our skirt steak. Yum! If you don't grow parsley, you should.

The squash have had a good run, but they are winding down and will soon be removed to start the fall garden. 

Hubby's tomato now has 5 tomatoes on it and we are hoping they will survive to ripen. Did I mention we are not seasoned gardeners? In my other bed, I have three zucchini and another pepper. The tag says it is ancho/poblano. Could be one or the other or a mixture. Doesn't matter to me...it's all good. After the yellow summer squash, I am looking forward to some late summer zucchini.

Still to come are beets and maybe some more radish, and I hope to get onions and garlic in around the first of October.

What's in your garden now?


If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.