tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21323143470972291632024-02-18T22:17:24.628-05:00Flights of FancyFlight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-32155153823013519762012-10-07T19:34:00.001-04:002012-10-07T19:34:14.820-04:00The pleasure of little pleasures:<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">We all
have them – those snippets of little pleasures through out the day - the little
things that lift my spirit or make me smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like many busy people I sometimes don’t have time to be totally aware of
these tiny moments and be grateful for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I was
putting clean towels into the linen closet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’d done this a million times in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that although I enjoyed this, I
hadn’t been consciously aware of the little pleasure it gave me – that it made
me smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That morning, I took time to
actually be aware of the sweet smell of fresh linens – enjoy the touch of the
terry cloth and pleasure of seeing the colors as they lay together on the
shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I surprised myself in realizing
I’d always enjoyed this experience but hadn’t consciously appreciated it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Do you
have a favorite place to have your morning coffee?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my little ritual – a simple pleasure I
indulge in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When traveling, I try to
park my travel trailer in such a way that I can watch the day begin out of a
window where I have my coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At my
house I have a favorite window too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seeing the night give in to day is a small pleasure</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHAKLX8WNp8Fol3JmsqVJmfcnkRMvl2c9SFCNkBqrpsD7qanFKLO0_KOxFLoegNMZef-9mjsYFCYbyAke5UuNNCLcoZJt2yyL0J_FMl7L1V_jgmH_QOCPQit0VJfZ1hgy30gvuoJC9vec/s1600/Three+birds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHAKLX8WNp8Fol3JmsqVJmfcnkRMvl2c9SFCNkBqrpsD7qanFKLO0_KOxFLoegNMZef-9mjsYFCYbyAke5UuNNCLcoZJt2yyL0J_FMl7L1V_jgmH_QOCPQit0VJfZ1hgy30gvuoJC9vec/s320/Three+birds.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another
simple pleasure is the way the sunlight dances on grass as filtered through
tree leaves and branches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It always
delights me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the feel of my
little dog on my lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her warmth and
complete trust in me is a little pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watching the movement of a river or stream carry sticks or leaves
downstream is fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some whirl
and dance around rocks or downed logs, others seem to get stuck there and I
watch hopefully for an extra force to free them to continue their journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is the glint of light on the wings of a
dragonfly – very brief, but a simple pleasure to see -the movement of wind
across a grassy field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0a8Dc1u40LLBMf4kaprpVGsvdVy3JMOItUMmA84Wvzzpg-fzaJl0tR8lclhEcAIwkmvNjF3Tw5aeK6madeMyrtDuLa8RslXYiGJc6N6PSb1xBgBvIowD_BHnzzgdPt6V_63fxXu73gu-/s1600/storm+coming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0a8Dc1u40LLBMf4kaprpVGsvdVy3JMOItUMmA84Wvzzpg-fzaJl0tR8lclhEcAIwkmvNjF3Tw5aeK6madeMyrtDuLa8RslXYiGJc6N6PSb1xBgBvIowD_BHnzzgdPt6V_63fxXu73gu-/s320/storm+coming.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Did you
like to lay on the grass when you were a kid and watch the form of clouds as
they drifted overhead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another simple
pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">So, so
many simple pleasures I need to be aware of and be grateful for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How wonderful is life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~Pam<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-73951576245778694412012-06-27T16:07:00.001-04:002012-06-27T16:07:20.781-04:00an author's insight<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUDG6pFROqGsB1-UyeOAMOoqiWv6Q3RX3Ws23fB9FLkNGAlOHcMgzVhPfQzORStLfv6woCf2nUPUdC-6L-rgeuV-nKy7rBy4uzqrwVE7c_dpQm2lBvuENkV2C0bMXfTvfmkorDCXAGCs/s1600/BoatRampL.Manatee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUDG6pFROqGsB1-UyeOAMOoqiWv6Q3RX3Ws23fB9FLkNGAlOHcMgzVhPfQzORStLfv6woCf2nUPUdC-6L-rgeuV-nKy7rBy4uzqrwVE7c_dpQm2lBvuENkV2C0bMXfTvfmkorDCXAGCs/s320/BoatRampL.Manatee.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat ramp Lake Manatee State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the
morning TV show I heard that author Nora Ephron had passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I always seem to be behind the times
regarding current events, I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t even know who this
author was or what she’d written!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Host,
Charlie Rose remembered interviewing her several times over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the videos rolled, I was fascinated!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My morning coffee got cold as I sat there
spellbound!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a remarkable writer she
was!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNnrOb8mbFkIOr5bMTDEBPNicHG7YgFuUJUFh5VawO9NzwkzFL48ydsTzFmeAb98Bop6mgUs60YsyY_LBmeefCOYFE2fuJBa3Hg4Wjk3DN0zJ0okDdHRB1QIXQC8OXMKI3CUfoZNy0lYL/s1600/Before+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNnrOb8mbFkIOr5bMTDEBPNicHG7YgFuUJUFh5VawO9NzwkzFL48ydsTzFmeAb98Bop6mgUs60YsyY_LBmeefCOYFE2fuJBa3Hg4Wjk3DN0zJ0okDdHRB1QIXQC8OXMKI3CUfoZNy0lYL/s320/Before+coffee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie & Willy wait for breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Ms Ephron
has the gift to be able to put into words the ideas and concepts that are
vaguely in our minds but most of us are unable to articulate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This principle is what makes a gifted
writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One line she said prompted this
entry in my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said (and I’m
paraphrasing) ----</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The concept of what may happen ‘next year’, when you’re 70
is much different than when you are 42”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wow! I
had been trying to explain to a friend why I am the gypsy I am and why I’m not
willing to waste even a minute of these years - the urgency I feel to attack
the “bucket list” of things I want to see and do while I still can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be 72 this summer and times a-wastin’ !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mantra could be “Life is short, eat
dessert first”!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLl1eFvNNVDVY_PSkAGZM5vbc7vHuP_Tt43lTUwtqak-oRafgnMfdrOuHAoeWSs6rRDDMluPN6u_1S0cqutHGpClP6CW0APRNqEPJGLM0-iSlV5RlI7eVyiSo8jw_P3i2JRVkuNlNYbsS/s1600/Goodby+Debby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLl1eFvNNVDVY_PSkAGZM5vbc7vHuP_Tt43lTUwtqak-oRafgnMfdrOuHAoeWSs6rRDDMluPN6u_1S0cqutHGpClP6CW0APRNqEPJGLM0-iSlV5RlI7eVyiSo8jw_P3i2JRVkuNlNYbsS/s320/Goodby+Debby.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">good by and good riddance, TS Debbie!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, on
the table beside me sits two of Ms Ephron’s books – “I Remember Nothing” and “I
feel Bad About My Neck”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This adventure
will take me far afield, while I sit in my little Travel Trailer waiting out
tropical storm Debby as she attempts to drown SW Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-43136236834954931842012-06-14T08:48:00.000-04:002012-06-14T08:48:16.474-04:00Summer Adventure 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
summer is a new adventure with my new (to me) travel trailer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead leaving it to languish in a storage
lot, I’ve moved to a State Park as a volunteer for the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was something I’d explored in a hit or
miss fashion before but never quite acted on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why did I wait so long?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Perhaps
it was a bit of fear of the unknown?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d
never done anything like this before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The stifling attitude of staying with the familiar was part of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My inner Gypsy was getting antsy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknyamC5siISX__sAuFPQCwdcCMi3VUzFKP4N1UBJE1eqdQCJil6hsedhTjNP5zKWeETXQViwobNHo0URouiqWCyhNmfSFzGC6ZQBnsMBNF39rtm_2-Xn8H8YyiznY3q-vADOeN87A0G35/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknyamC5siISX__sAuFPQCwdcCMi3VUzFKP4N1UBJE1eqdQCJil6hsedhTjNP5zKWeETXQViwobNHo0URouiqWCyhNmfSFzGC6ZQBnsMBNF39rtm_2-Xn8H8YyiznY3q-vADOeN87A0G35/s320/IMG_1156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Heck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did I wait so long?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a fun adventure but sure doesn’t cost
much in gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My ‘work’ puts me in touch
with others who are RVers as well as the other folks who enjoy State
Parks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I hear their adventures, I
‘see’ places I may never get to visit, I hear stories about people I’ll never meet,
I hear stories of snafu’s, and learn tricks of the RVing life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did I wait so long?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje-ywMz3EldE3dEny_hbHv2oobLqtLb2yYCAPuTt1teqp7s3GcsRYN0z-F4SpEOrjX3CmdGlXOIyJP4LcvltltLda1lxELK_ErEUxmqU-wvDzkYHs2j3PN773TbieaPSjhP_2GOXFrE2C/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje-ywMz3EldE3dEny_hbHv2oobLqtLb2yYCAPuTt1teqp7s3GcsRYN0z-F4SpEOrjX3CmdGlXOIyJP4LcvltltLda1lxELK_ErEUxmqU-wvDzkYHs2j3PN773TbieaPSjhP_2GOXFrE2C/s320/IMG_1155.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Changing
from a Class C to a pick-up truck and a travel trailer is its own
adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, no one was watching
as I worked at backing my 24 foot Coachmen into its’ spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was studiously remembering the advice I was
given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Put my hand on the bottom of the
steering wheel and slowly move it in the direction I want the trailer to go”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That worked for awhile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled forward and backed up again – and
again – and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking all the
while “remember – just do the opposite thing from what comes naturally”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More pulling forward and backing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to be in the shade of the tree and
leave as much space as possible for my awning – but not run completely over the
electric and water post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back up – pull
forward – back up – pull forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
awhile, I couldn’t remember which of the ‘opposite’ I was supposed to be
doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hilarious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like having my glasses on upside down or
something.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">At last
after about 3 gallons of gas, I’m in my spot for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why did I wait so long to learn how to do
this? Inertia?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I think
I’ll blog about that!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~pam & poochies<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-58041168059810868162012-04-12T09:32:00.000-04:002012-04-12T09:32:27.525-04:00An afternoon idyll<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Springtime in SW Florida is so lovely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gardenias are blooming, citrus just finished blooming, a neighbor’s peach tree has half grown fruits on its branches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not heavy enough to bend the branches, but heavy with promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfKN92hjhhMT9Y7cdSi8k5eVyGfc3z81v40-FkUM3s7ftLHctcOFbKatvNZkoEFsXUAkjiM0vM0jVupCdhK8OkFWCJ3MAFGXgChAjk8nzIKrkV97MrDxLKHcCbXcd4x5tNduOdfRNFgxj/s1600/PeaceRVresized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfKN92hjhhMT9Y7cdSi8k5eVyGfc3z81v40-FkUM3s7ftLHctcOFbKatvNZkoEFsXUAkjiM0vM0jVupCdhK8OkFWCJ3MAFGXgChAjk8nzIKrkV97MrDxLKHcCbXcd4x5tNduOdfRNFgxj/s400/PeaceRVresized.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace River at Wachula</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was too nice to just stay home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Housework is never done – I have sewing and knitting projects unfinished, the yard needs raking – Heck with them!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loaded the kayak and took off for one of my favorite spots – the Peace River at Brownsville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was sunny (no surprise there, huh?) temp in the low 80’s with a light breeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">The county park was busy with people enjoying it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man was grilling hamburgers while keeping an eye on his 4 year old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cluster of kiddoes were splashing in the shallows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A chartreuse colored kayak had just landed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up river I could see a group at the big gravel bar – fossilers I supposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’d brought my fishing pole, but the fish were feeling as indolent as I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that fiddling with pole, line and bait seemed to be too much work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laid it aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current is very slow in spring so it took no effort to paddle upstream to see what the group were finding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This must have been one of the guided fossil hunting groups because they had an expert with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One woman had a nice fossilized horse tooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d never seen one so complete except in a museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was probably the size of my thumb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a thrill it would be to find something like that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">After the group went home, the river emptied out of everyone else too - supper time for most folks. It was so silent except for a few birds I couldn't see. The sunlight dappled across the water as it filtered through the Spanish moss and dangling branches. Cypress are just coming into leaf with their feathery leaflets. I lodged my kayak into the gravel bar and just sat there absorbing the atmosphere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tiny, tiny fishes nibbled at my ankles. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I scooped up gravel and sand in my hand and let it sift through my fingers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would you know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a tiny shark’s tooth in my palm!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So tiny it would have drifted through the screen I usually carry when I go fossiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEgokwVbttyhnH7IwfdAuG80kInZawaEEeTLeUQKcyqyxODwAkHMdNB85gFkx9g10rlMn4PysxR6ULO5JsgRH0STkbsTyYUjibVrQfNB-mrawf4SX01mufHgf3HUlBs9LgczItoImKYTR/s1600/sun+beams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEgokwVbttyhnH7IwfdAuG80kInZawaEEeTLeUQKcyqyxODwAkHMdNB85gFkx9g10rlMn4PysxR6ULO5JsgRH0STkbsTyYUjibVrQfNB-mrawf4SX01mufHgf3HUlBs9LgczItoImKYTR/s400/sun+beams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">This afternoon the river is well named - the Peace River. </span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-20147384139413540022012-03-16T08:37:00.000-04:002012-03-16T08:37:29.792-04:00fishin' with the 'gators<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Alligators are naturals when it comes to catching fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a granny like me it is a long delayed skill I’m trying to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg06KbNG-n6jMQ8yrns2hAHyiO8a_TULZchrUpwxRQT2EbZEABo214_Ghs-VxjhrjJmohUi5XdL54lAoad2U3EFlvlNizpcp0UYQzW8_wfkRtnxio_qyA8nbEXZyE8vxk4rOCoywE9i__/s1600/100_1034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg06KbNG-n6jMQ8yrns2hAHyiO8a_TULZchrUpwxRQT2EbZEABo214_Ghs-VxjhrjJmohUi5XdL54lAoad2U3EFlvlNizpcp0UYQzW8_wfkRtnxio_qyA8nbEXZyE8vxk4rOCoywE9i__/s400/100_1034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan with his bird followers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXtL87u_DgKhE3_C50yF1sGe2WiSXcRKes7kaTBCGpwI96x1pMC2Byzo4oU1rV_YKXpQ7wp-C8SfvzD5TXEYNPtUevc4XKySlfWYdU8s-QfeUDtuFbtLEp-NYx-N_LrMu9hpEIG_vFNG8/s1600/100_1034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Friends and I gathered at Myakka State Park this week to fish for tilapia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Myakka has an over abundance of tilapia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are easy to catch and easy to cook up for a fantastic fish fry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose a spot on a high bank, put a worm on my hook and tossed my line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right away, we all began reeling in fish after fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many were too small and tossed back, but there were the occasional 2-3 pounders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The males are the prettiest colors of blue, pink and aqua.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNhYldvLzRT_d3PgJ_hMlCXPj7MCOOv9rYY4-bOubqo9BTTp4Cxcrr0SNZqlpSqCrd8WKHVFtG0FPZviQgdxHFbcui946TvLONx4Ox7m_2Z7XunQPsugwnTcXxL4hO4koGe7lLiDB6lNu/s1600/100_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNhYldvLzRT_d3PgJ_hMlCXPj7MCOOv9rYY4-bOubqo9BTTp4Cxcrr0SNZqlpSqCrd8WKHVFtG0FPZviQgdxHFbcui946TvLONx4Ox7m_2Z7XunQPsugwnTcXxL4hO4koGe7lLiDB6lNu/s320/100_1040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at Ugly behind my bobber</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">We were pretty absorbed with reeling in fish, re-baiting and reeling in again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, Carol said – “Jeff!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that a gator down there”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, there was a ‘dead log’ that glided slowly toward our fishing spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you would expect, our activity of catching fish was now tempered on watching that gator who was watching us just as intently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Calvin saw a few more alligators down the bend in the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except for the first one I’ll name Ugly, the others stayed where they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugly would cruise up and down where we were fishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He/she’d disappear under the water sometimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was nervous when I could see him and even <u>more</u> nervous when I couldn’t! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Al had chosen to use a cast net for his fishing method.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once Ugly figured out Al would have more fish than we did, he began to follow Al up and down along the bank of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Storks, cranes and egrets followed as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to wade across the river, Al had to toss fish on the bank to distract Ugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcubpLIyDBkjFZjDk4CEqriJotRcz1Awu522vsI8QMDtUQrK6nrQbj5e9kKOOkZiUYS1R9qz8pxQJqdWpS9jei1sFdu9XxlMr7qKf_-O9_7RxR4xkO6RoyAa_pG09ANGomp460096I3Cjm/s1600/100_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcubpLIyDBkjFZjDk4CEqriJotRcz1Awu522vsI8QMDtUQrK6nrQbj5e9kKOOkZiUYS1R9qz8pxQJqdWpS9jei1sFdu9XxlMr7qKf_-O9_7RxR4xkO6RoyAa_pG09ANGomp460096I3Cjm/s320/100_1042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here he comes!!!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Finally, I hooked my biggest fish of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shouting “Get the net, get the net”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, here came Ugly right after my fish!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I screamed and tried to run away from the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My feet got tangled in the tall grass and I fell, rolling down the opposite side of the bank away from the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ron came running and whacked Ugly on the snout with his fishing pole over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hear the pole whistling through the air and the whop, whop whop as it hit Ugly’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugly gave up and slid away into the water. But I had my fish and he didn’t get my pole either!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the excitement was over it was time to laugh and laugh and laugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I cast a few more times after that, but the fun was out of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugly had won, even if he didn’t get my fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-24313860885855502412012-03-04T14:35:00.001-05:002012-03-04T14:39:20.206-05:00busy having fun<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Its been a long time since I’ve posted anything. What’s my excuse? Busy? Yeah, I guess---- It’s said retired people are the busiest. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijWhtm4VBrpfESWq_-r1-LmPusI1CU_AZEvBvYzya4Vhs7p-0g2Zly91eP7dyMfJk-RaD9oK-ePXEAKjsjeejuIb5qPOdvTdwMQJ2lMxxp5C9rhiefqj9HInbrgO2lh9yIRlSG8zgdnBt/s1600/Canal+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijWhtm4VBrpfESWq_-r1-LmPusI1CU_AZEvBvYzya4Vhs7p-0g2Zly91eP7dyMfJk-RaD9oK-ePXEAKjsjeejuIb5qPOdvTdwMQJ2lMxxp5C9rhiefqj9HInbrgO2lh9yIRlSG8zgdnBt/s400/Canal+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canal leading to Peace river</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Once I’d returned to my SW Florida home it seemed I hit the door at a fast trot. There was catching up to do around the house, re-connecting with neighbors, getting settled in again. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">One big change was that I sold my beloved motorhome before leaving Missouri. Maintenance had become just too much for this 70+ granny to care for along with the house here. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Well---- those who have been reading my post would know the Gypsy in me nagged me almost to death about no wheels! I argued with her over several months – reason vied with desire. End result is I now own a 24 foot Coachman travel trailer. I already have a full sized pick-up truck so I can pull it. Now, all I have to do is learn how to do that. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RvY5YgF82AxhXpBitdEVSepaxIc4ykz06He5_BM9ij2Lgg80opYSS7Ox6CR6Ciz-l5AOEEiFKAYaQWKWPkWo0maTERk5-xvzlMAbxv3naAow7sqVHJUtJGyPHXjEeGGMrISpVwu22Rqt/s1600/Canal+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RvY5YgF82AxhXpBitdEVSepaxIc4ykz06He5_BM9ij2Lgg80opYSS7Ox6CR6Ciz-l5AOEEiFKAYaQWKWPkWo0maTERk5-xvzlMAbxv3naAow7sqVHJUtJGyPHXjEeGGMrISpVwu22Rqt/s400/Canal+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back water to Peace River</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">My special delight this winter was making friends with another solo RVer. She is from Canada and spent few months here in our warm winter climate. We did many things together: sewing charity quilts, going antiquing, attending music performances, eating out and most fun of all, kayaking. We paddled the canals and Gulf Coast in Punta Gorda. Several times we paddled my favorite Peace River. She was fascinated with the fossils that can be found and probably took home a coffee cup full of sharks teeth and a few other bits of turtle shells and bones. We already have plans to get together next winter when she returns. </span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-7824308816665558842011-12-26T09:37:00.000-05:002011-12-26T09:37:13.787-05:00A SW FL Christmas Eve.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Christmas eve morning, we drove to Jiggs Landing in Bradenton to spend the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d never been there before but it will be on our list from now on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEWnRxeGhi1wVk_LB5tasPzFzJxk-715-Yc0hy824pBtfN52Mr9nQu_dSdy_dklnpUVc4jnJS5MJXLM-LNO2NeNbUb1HMSNPoWNUThchuKTiPkYihYeTGi53-3ixZM4SNIiVKunebNCdR/s1600/3+jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEWnRxeGhi1wVk_LB5tasPzFzJxk-715-Yc0hy824pBtfN52Mr9nQu_dSdy_dklnpUVc4jnJS5MJXLM-LNO2NeNbUb1HMSNPoWNUThchuKTiPkYihYeTGi53-3ixZM4SNIiVKunebNCdR/s320/3+jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Jiggs landing is named for the original fish camp established in 1946 on a loop of the Braden river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freshly redone, it now has a visitor’s center, modern bathrooms, rental cabins, a playground neat and clean with a astro turf surface and wonderful boat ramps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has the most wonderful is the kayak launch I’ve ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get into the water and out without wetting anything more than the tip of your paddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyzRa4EQfU_nKv2dfDtw1zCPL1mdiYwn9ueUz2c2O1EuQBD8tFgjoiHn8cHgA59reGi_2Wyd5Im07rulGt4GKzgEufAPU0otwqEOkILXpZrbRFrZ183j_G7j5PCebMIp9KjrvOsNwpl75/s1600/5+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyzRa4EQfU_nKv2dfDtw1zCPL1mdiYwn9ueUz2c2O1EuQBD8tFgjoiHn8cHgA59reGi_2Wyd5Im07rulGt4GKzgEufAPU0otwqEOkILXpZrbRFrZ183j_G7j5PCebMIp9KjrvOsNwpl75/s320/5+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguciphcmuCJ6MPUwJMTyMOmgVXd_cxXTm8CEM7I64dVYSVArP2aFDSM8clCfxw_RdMU2H3MLdyJBPaGIpVhGITRp82VumKWExuLi6VKdsSA7QVH80J-Rw8Ta6xFJoCluszoRlUesjquqw4/s1600/resized+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguciphcmuCJ6MPUwJMTyMOmgVXd_cxXTm8CEM7I64dVYSVArP2aFDSM8clCfxw_RdMU2H3MLdyJBPaGIpVhGITRp82VumKWExuLi6VKdsSA7QVH80J-Rw8Ta6xFJoCluszoRlUesjquqw4/s320/resized+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I saw more water birds than I do paddling the Peace river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must be that the birds here are more used to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most populous were common coots and moor hens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I were an accomplished birder, but I know some other birds I saw were Herons and perhaps a Crane of some kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of turtles too, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt there were the ubiquitous alligators, but I didn’t’ see any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being nearsighted has its advantages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As we were unloading our kayak, another boater was launching his small boat to the accompaniment of four squealing, laughing, wiggling kiddies that appeared to be about 6 to 8 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I could imagine the scenario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“For cats sake – take these wound-up <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>kids out of the house for awhile so I can finish Christmas preparations!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>says the young momma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appeared these two young daddies had decided a boat ride was just the ticket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Launching the boat was a snap – loading the kiddies – not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard one daddy say “Everyone will wear a life jacket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>--- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NO</b> – I said <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">everyone</b>!” Jason!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get on the dock!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Everyone</b> stay on the dock!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looked much like the phrase ‘trying to herd cats’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More squeals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fisherman had dumped a small bucket of minnows on the grass and the kids were tossing them at one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, I saw them motor out to the main channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I miss those days?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were fun then and I have many beautiful memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I’m glad to be the age I am now and be free of all the hassle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-27103515335652563092011-12-17T07:53:00.000-05:002011-12-17T07:53:06.936-05:00all the time in the world<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">What an incredible and priceless gift is the gift of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to simply watch waves chase one another onto the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch the shells tumble and spin it its wake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to observe the seagulls wheel and turn in the sea breeze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The leisure time to watch a small sailboat traverse the bay from south to north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a Senior, I now have the prized gift of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enough time to observe the world around me - enough time to simply ‘waste time’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Z8t2THr6ifitxAIBd9IRuMMuhozq9ltYl1OJEuuCtU8XZaDXLAjl_Moy8LTq7EK5oy5u1HemovXzN2pk8yiDGbrl7O-FAS4t8C_YptbjVW7ouaMwqpGR8BFKy312AIUqZluuaRlTqcZL/s1600/BahiaHondaSP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Z8t2THr6ifitxAIBd9IRuMMuhozq9ltYl1OJEuuCtU8XZaDXLAjl_Moy8LTq7EK5oy5u1HemovXzN2pk8yiDGbrl7O-FAS4t8C_YptbjVW7ouaMwqpGR8BFKy312AIUqZluuaRlTqcZL/s400/BahiaHondaSP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Getting old isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It’s so much better!</b> I’ve found that instead of something to dread, it is a pure gift to live long enough to be beyond the busy-ness of raising a family, tending to a husband, working a job, keeping house and hearth together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except for caring for my two little doggies, I have nothing I ‘must’ do every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can neglect housework, let laundry pile up, prepare only simple meals, sweep floors only when I’m inspired to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">A few days ago I visited a small bayside park on Charlotte Harbor in SW Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a sunny, breezy day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only a few fishermen were on the fishing pier far out on the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There isn’t really a beach here, just a short piece of rocky shoreline so I sat in my car listening to Classical Christmas music and reading a book interspersed with long stretches of just looking at the scene before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pachelbel’s Canon seemed perfect inspiration for the gulls as they swooped across and down then up again into the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Right next to the parking area was a tiny 1950’s era bungalow and small back yard that ended right at the shoreline. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched an equally tiny lady as she puttered about her yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a few perennials and a few small palms – nothing needing much care like roses or vegetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a few clothes on her clothesline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I have ‘time to waste’, I made unfounded guesses about what her life story might be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long had she lived there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was she a transplant from a different climate like me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw no evidence of pets – but perhaps she had a cat inside the house? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably she was a widow – but perhaps she had been a single all her life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had a better imagination, all this could be the menu for a novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could make her out to be anything I could fancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now – isn’t this a wonderful thing ??? To simply have the time to simply sit still and let my imagination take Flights of Fancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~Pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-87748781413741468552011-11-28T05:44:00.000-05:002011-11-28T05:44:40.470-05:00Little pleasures<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Life is so full of little pleasures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I take the time to really notice them, it’s amazing what little pleasures can do to life the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why in the world am I rattling on about a little pleasure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just struck me as I was pouring my first cup of coffee of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I no longer have to wait until the entire pot is brewed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This newest coffeemaker has the interrupt feature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as there is at least a cup full brewed I can just pour it out and return the pot to finish by itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No waiting – no watching the pot so it doesn’t boil over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another little pleasure?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My little Doxie/Chihuahua wants to snuggle on a chilly morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s a joy to hold – like my own live babydoll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dad held her so I could get the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlU6V8U3EXVhWPHtPgOdy4a_5WSWjAi-u_CiJIniUWeasiJYAA7fIxE6dYVFSdEE4i-PFcZkhRreIvxgti0fIt3esMPhpPjVZClKoyQLYLBxpPdEBynsX6Wp-tfoybkecAmQPDaNxrsYD/s1600/snugglerAndDewey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlU6V8U3EXVhWPHtPgOdy4a_5WSWjAi-u_CiJIniUWeasiJYAA7fIxE6dYVFSdEE4i-PFcZkhRreIvxgti0fIt3esMPhpPjVZClKoyQLYLBxpPdEBynsX6Wp-tfoybkecAmQPDaNxrsYD/s320/snugglerAndDewey.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">My list of little pleasures include watching the sunlight glint off the swaying Areca palm outside my door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beautiful winter sunsets that are like fire in the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Foggy, misty mornings watching the Florida sun give birth to the day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">When I was a young momma, I just had to snatch a minute here and there for these little pleasures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My days were full of caring for my kiddies, husband, job and home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">So the last of my pleasures I’ll ramble about is really a big, big pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gift of time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">incredible gift</b> of time to do the things I didn’t have time for when I was younger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to tend to a few rose bushes - walking my doggies – a bike ride through the county park – reading an entire novel in one day– needlework – the time to wander through the entire newspaper and enjoy my second cup of coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~Pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-53003792449769413302011-11-18T11:02:00.000-05:002011-11-18T11:02:46.126-05:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">This morning was the first foggy morning of many that we’ll have this winter in SW Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztqnu3R8PiW79VAYpZcU0DTwXM1OQBjQZ-BlEhabyh9XrcjSYVO_9ocVgLisz07wx6IwevhOkN7XfZmfvbGmfJFKPJw4v875BBfqC1XwxS6BjVzOx7B8z8-czXM3AAom0l0-33whgXC0d/s1600/horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztqnu3R8PiW79VAYpZcU0DTwXM1OQBjQZ-BlEhabyh9XrcjSYVO_9ocVgLisz07wx6IwevhOkN7XfZmfvbGmfJFKPJw4v875BBfqC1XwxS6BjVzOx7B8z8-czXM3AAom0l0-33whgXC0d/s320/horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I love this kind of morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the flow of traffic - trucks, cars and school buses are the same as any weekday morning, the fog seems to dampen the sound somehow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is mystically quiet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like being inside a dream that you can barely recall when awake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">In one way, it is like the first soft snow of winter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That too seems to dampen sound, making the world a grey/white blur of quiet, like a Monet painting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only the impression of the trees and houses penetrate the fog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sharp lines are blurred and softened, like the softened sounds all around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Don’t get the idea I want to experience winter and snow again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No way!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Memories are enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell folks that if I want to see snow, I’ll buy a picture calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">P.S. the photo is <u>not</u> SW Florida, but was taken in Missouri last summer, but it's pretty isn't it?~Pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-10678257251681739262011-11-04T13:17:00.000-04:002011-11-04T13:17:30.291-04:00Newspapers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThSq_e3Qes-AAsW3Q7r-8jlQML0XF6v5aJ8bXNXBgPcgz7WeLAq3koY_TUWd5sOvrjAHxwh5YXR2JFoIEaplE4INanVwWActHXJQonsnNBOn4qUCIXY_St7EkMazrvMb6rZS8iuzrMNdl/s1600/PeaceRvBrownsville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThSq_e3Qes-AAsW3Q7r-8jlQML0XF6v5aJ8bXNXBgPcgz7WeLAq3koY_TUWd5sOvrjAHxwh5YXR2JFoIEaplE4INanVwWActHXJQonsnNBOn4qUCIXY_St7EkMazrvMb6rZS8iuzrMNdl/s400/PeaceRvBrownsville.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Oh how I love local newspapers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I’m traveling, I always like to buy the local newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will read everything, from local news articles, upcoming events, editorials and even skim the classifieds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is for sale?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cattle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which breed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the price of housing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What sports do the local highschool participate in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there issues to be resolved about street lighting, school board squabbles, fresh water or sewer problems? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">What can give me the flavor of a community better than seeing what is considered important to the local people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this is addressed in the local newspaper more accurately than the glossy brochures from their local Chamber of Commerce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, you can imagine how thrilled I was when my seasonal visitor and special friend and neighbor here in SW Florida brought me The Chronicle Herald from Halifax, Nova Scotia!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the insert ads are interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Canada Tire has 30% off on your own sauna “safe, reliable and easy to assemble”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never imagined having my own sauna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe Missouri’s and Florida’s hot, humid summers mean I’ll pass on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She couldn’t have brought me <u>anything</u> I’d have liked better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Are you a newspaper reader?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand that people younger than my 70+ years get most of their news from the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve no argument with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for now, I’m glad I can pick up the daily newspaper from my doorstep, get my morning coffee and read what is going on in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now – to a major gripe with my partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Sun Herald comes in several sections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stickler in me requires that I re-fold the section I’ve read back to its original order when I’m done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I pick up section B to read about the latest squabble at the City Council meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Councilman X accused the Mayor of mis-handling city funds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Voices are raised in the Council room--- to be continued on page 4.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>But there is no page 4!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did he take it to the bathroom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The porch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is that it crumpled up on the chair?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time my blood pressure is up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Watch for tomorrow’s newspaper headline – “Man beaned with skillet in the Senior Citizen Mobile Home Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charges are pending”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-63028230973835516982011-10-23T09:24:00.000-04:002011-10-23T09:24:34.374-04:00One size does NOT fit all!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Sub-tropical winter here in SW Florida is just a bit unlike winters further north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughter, in eastern Colorado, says they’re expecting snow next Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know in the Midwest, it could snow by Thanksgiving – or on a mild winter, never snow at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">What amuses me are the ads I see from the big chain stores here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knee high boots, leggings, heavy coats, wooly caps and thick gloves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder - do the buyers of Dillards and Macy’s in Port Charlotte, Florida actually stock these things?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we going to walk in wearing our shorts and sandals in 70 degree weather and purchase this polar wear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their marketing department is just going with one size fits all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a plus size granny and I assure there is no such thing as one size fits all!!!! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifODdiP5lqyRJuTH4ujTMMovv0_uv1rHIup-sKdyWJb4IITHauF3oRowrdP7U_Hgu7FEczcDinGmGEAN5E8B-19gcqzTo7umxVmJXyBZBea4_nO_cNWR_peKu5G2pBP3bEiK5A2oRsqOzA/s1600/Big+eyed+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifODdiP5lqyRJuTH4ujTMMovv0_uv1rHIup-sKdyWJb4IITHauF3oRowrdP7U_Hgu7FEczcDinGmGEAN5E8B-19gcqzTo7umxVmJXyBZBea4_nO_cNWR_peKu5G2pBP3bEiK5A2oRsqOzA/s400/Big+eyed+girl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">My sofa has a big, soft loose cushion to rest your back against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sophie has claimed it as her spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She can lay as you see her here, or turn around and bark at neighbors she can see out the window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It won’t be long until she’s made a permanent dished out place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well – I love her more than the sofa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ~pam</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-18277456605896965592011-10-13T16:13:00.000-04:002011-10-13T16:13:26.867-04:00Old Things are like Old Friends;<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Returning
home after months away is a bit of a reunion.
Of course, it’s saying hello to neighbors and friends as you might
expect. Beyond that is the reunion with
familiar things – my favorite tea cup, pictures on the wall, my comfy chair, and my
treasured Friendship Quilt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">You may
have some idea what a friendship quilt is.
Mine uses the pattern known as Jewel Box and is comprised of many jewel-toned
pieces of fabric set off with pure white.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">This
quilt began as an internet swap with other online quilters. It was planned by one person, known as
“Mother”. She chose the pattern and
decided on the size of each block. The
invitation then went out to all quilters in that group to make up one or more
blocks and mail them to “Mother”. After
the designated time period, Mother sorted all blocks received and mailed a
packet to each participant. If you sent
in 10 blocks, you got 10 different ones back and so forth. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZg1Ef1GweBYPzjJIzdXqpEajEa6ODq7OggCB9y8GG-A4SunW-RPI16rfV0T4wM_slxFymevQFhXnlyvxar1PrAQuwKRhoRf8XeDKvQqNmo7mHWNNpmQ_By0aRCKD4zWy08v0ee5QvTHS/s1600/100_0892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZg1Ef1GweBYPzjJIzdXqpEajEa6ODq7OggCB9y8GG-A4SunW-RPI16rfV0T4wM_slxFymevQFhXnlyvxar1PrAQuwKRhoRf8XeDKvQqNmo7mHWNNpmQ_By0aRCKD4zWy08v0ee5QvTHS/s400/100_0892.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">The
variety of colors and patterns delighted me.
These quilters were unmet friends that I like to speculate about. Looking at the fabrics used, I can see some
quilters loved florals, some used geometric patterns, some just vibrant
solids. Some blocks are carefully color
co-ordinated, some were just scrappy – a mish mash of what looked good
together. Most signed their names, some
added their state or province, some their entire email address. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">There weren’t enough swap blocks for an
entire quilt, so I made up more leaving the white portion of each block
blank. This took several years as I was
still working then. Once I retired, I
put them all together into a quilt top.
I took it around to current friends and neighbors who were nice to sign
the plain blocks. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRUfJCamyV_fMrBFU3lL70jQgEYvRGBJ1bU87i97oYQmY5D0cO_HxN7cqZiHkVaHIERmN7mDfvsr-xADkvZcH71ZbM_lZWliKsSZ6daHIqFUuthbvGjHHO_HC8AkRI3Y-bW4EuNRWA1Uq/s1600/closeup3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRUfJCamyV_fMrBFU3lL70jQgEYvRGBJ1bU87i97oYQmY5D0cO_HxN7cqZiHkVaHIERmN7mDfvsr-xADkvZcH71ZbM_lZWliKsSZ6daHIqFUuthbvGjHHO_HC8AkRI3Y-bW4EuNRWA1Uq/s320/closeup3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">In my
highschool days a popular object was the autograph hound. It was a fabric covered stuffed dashhound about
12-15 inches long. Does anyone remember
them? We had friends sign the dog with
an ink pen and it became something to go with you to college to remind you of
friends of earlier years. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPYwHrsmwJmw39vcDo-GjRoVa06sSdfzoCLkhbKGLchic4BCaVPppxcyFu3-mE99-sfVRZ6AYR3IXvOcTsMzReTWgXznHwz5a5pvCEXLZax8CcbVEy7aMIYGVorrJQfTFRrjK4kxRHQhz/s1600/100_0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPYwHrsmwJmw39vcDo-GjRoVa06sSdfzoCLkhbKGLchic4BCaVPppxcyFu3-mE99-sfVRZ6AYR3IXvOcTsMzReTWgXznHwz5a5pvCEXLZax8CcbVEy7aMIYGVorrJQfTFRrjK4kxRHQhz/s320/100_0890.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Now, as
I lay under the quilt, I feel the love and friendship of each signature. I can look at them, touch them and renew the
memories I have with each signee. ~pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-72011625203968715072011-10-11T09:15:00.001-04:002011-10-11T09:15:57.866-04:00sights to see<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;"> I’m a
list maker, the list I’ve added to all summer was put out on the table and I
begin to finalize it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*enough dog food
to last a week:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*add padding to the
dishes in the RV: *change mail delivery: *sort items to take or store -----<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This part of travel isn’t what I enjoy – but once on the road?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whee!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYRLwM-X74i1R-L7ezOm2bh5xONtAq4SSBs5DNcmoE-vgn1__LgyhHpKkbd3bQcgSsu55zROC344Jt2rHFQFMh1yLbbNPk6nYAk_SaTWyf9M3nnmwMGt5Cb_Zjf0Lm2f0g4-ivjDxXS8h/s1600/Ferry+Ride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYRLwM-X74i1R-L7ezOm2bh5xONtAq4SSBs5DNcmoE-vgn1__LgyhHpKkbd3bQcgSsu55zROC344Jt2rHFQFMh1yLbbNPk6nYAk_SaTWyf9M3nnmwMGt5Cb_Zjf0Lm2f0g4-ivjDxXS8h/s320/Ferry+Ride.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">If
possible, I try to vary my route just enough to “see new sights”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I headed SW through southern Illinois to cross the Ohio on the ferry at a funny named town,
Cave in Rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ohio River takes a
sharp turn west there attempting to carve away the tip of Illinois
and donate the land to Kentucky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Illinois
resists with a rocky bluff of limestone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This bluff is pock marked with caves giving the town its name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories say that in the 1800’s, river pirates
hid in these caves which gave a grand view of any unlucky river traveler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must have been a lucrative endeavor.<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">As mentioned before, little dog Sophie wasn't thrilled with the ferry ride, except from the safety of the passenger seat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I always
watch for the first palm tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One year
I saw them planted in front of a hotel in Montgomery,
AL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not natural, but Hey!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That counts!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gradually, I began to see Spanish Moss in southern GA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once in FL, I watched for the first “Welcome Center” to get a small glass of fresh
orange juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw many an RV with
plates from Ohio, Michigan,
New York and Indiana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All escapees like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The influx
will increase, I was just among the vanguard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now at home in my Senior Park, I’ve seen ‘reserved’ signs pop up like
toadstools in the rain on empty RV spots just since the first of the
month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpzVyQ558GqZWsE6ZsGdP6bm931eRc0BZ0cd7_bcb5__I4mieY6mG2syGj6i_Qw35wsbu1vfRj89kFl3eFhPoC30q7drPyWwzBadKmIblsqw94fZNQv6l8fzprxSPaJG0NAZu-v_wFUD6/s1600/BoiledPeanuts+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpzVyQ558GqZWsE6ZsGdP6bm931eRc0BZ0cd7_bcb5__I4mieY6mG2syGj6i_Qw35wsbu1vfRj89kFl3eFhPoC30q7drPyWwzBadKmIblsqw94fZNQv6l8fzprxSPaJG0NAZu-v_wFUD6/s320/BoiledPeanuts+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s such
fun to see what people are thinking and doing..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can you imagine the odors drifting from this rig?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine it sitting between the funnel cake
wagon and the cotton candy machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>URK!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeYT5lpea7PmkiqpQM7F453T5k1_H2ne_UY-92AYRnpMdJVtyKOLw6s-j4FyaSJIyeoDthkQX-gY9Iphyphenhyphen1oewdw60ZfzqgUKA5ABYYkrlxk08sUKgfKwk4hoXmDGKKrJ4xrvYffwPsAjA/s1600/What+breed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeYT5lpea7PmkiqpQM7F453T5k1_H2ne_UY-92AYRnpMdJVtyKOLw6s-j4FyaSJIyeoDthkQX-gY9Iphyphenhyphen1oewdw60ZfzqgUKA5ABYYkrlxk08sUKgfKwk4hoXmDGKKrJ4xrvYffwPsAjA/s320/What+breed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, I
ask any of you poultry fanciers – have you ever heard of this breed of bird?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Must be some kind of new hybrid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ~pam</span></span></div>
Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-28798815647115044272011-10-04T07:29:00.000-04:002011-10-04T07:29:08.223-04:00Home again!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fling
off the shoes!! Pack away the jacket!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Slip into flip flops and tees and make sun tea by the gallon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m home again in SW
Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Traveling
is always fun for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the destination
is wonderful, that’s even better!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqdbWoY6AnDyb9g4uvZ73g7TrUu8X_s8gr-wbNBMFPR6yJ-WrN2yWL1CQ9BcRY0rQ4aNtDa2Bgu8eI0aEWipmYxH0WrHNS4a6Gc5aMcoRl7uh1AhC0Csn6hYrHZgNvOmFI1dOg_Q5rzBC/s1600/CaveInRockFerry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqdbWoY6AnDyb9g4uvZ73g7TrUu8X_s8gr-wbNBMFPR6yJ-WrN2yWL1CQ9BcRY0rQ4aNtDa2Bgu8eI0aEWipmYxH0WrHNS4a6Gc5aMcoRl7uh1AhC0Csn6hYrHZgNvOmFI1dOg_Q5rzBC/s400/CaveInRockFerry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
crossed the Ohio on the Cave in Rock Ferry at
the tip of southern Illinois.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQJy639465oyTluiGHeDcABwxQ0lLF6rClNZzXg5_wk4jMNnOPWFvr1_q9Plu_rqU9bzdEm3wl0bji8AnYAt37SSif-TLaxyBJpWTOFpiQvN0j-XFL7_1LyJXWoHByOKOiyKmkEqIl-zz/s1600/100_0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQJy639465oyTluiGHeDcABwxQ0lLF6rClNZzXg5_wk4jMNnOPWFvr1_q9Plu_rqU9bzdEm3wl0bji8AnYAt37SSif-TLaxyBJpWTOFpiQvN0j-XFL7_1LyJXWoHByOKOiyKmkEqIl-zz/s320/100_0883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>My young dog, Sophie, didn't know just what to think. After this shot, I took her out to the edge of the ferry to see the water. No, no! She put all four feet down, nails out against the steel deck. She isn't a water dog!! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>Taking the side roads and back roads always means interesting things to see. The opposite side of the ferry is still farm country, but the little towns all had their own individuality. One tiny burg had a huge Victorian Queen of a house - probably a dozen rooms at least. It was painted in the gay colors of that era and even had decorative shingle work in it's mansard style roof. All the other houses in town were little white clapboard boxes with rooms added on as needed. The Queen looked so regal among her more common neighbors. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>In another town, maybe in Kentucky, I saw a Pamida store. Hadn't seen one in years. Tied to one of the light poles was a horse fully saddled - just another 'parked car' on the parking lot. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>Raw soil in the Midwest tends to be yellow clay or deep, dark loam. As I moved into Georgia, I began to see the well-known red clay. Now, it's the white sandy soil of Florida. My houseplants that travel with me will have a shock of bright sun again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>Go traveling if you can. It's a fantastic land we live in ~pam</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span></div>
Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-39865972027552150202011-09-30T10:25:00.001-04:002011-09-30T10:25:32.613-04:00Travels with my doggies<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Time for my annual flight from the winter cold in the MidWest to my home in sunny SW Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been planning this for a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anxious to leave, but first one thing then another seemed to delay me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Family activities --- a BBQ, high school football games, and band competitions for me to attend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, the car wanted attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">At last!!! Flight to warmer climes in just a few days!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s the opportunity to just be rolling along. It gets my blood flowing – almost a euphoria of excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just love to travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Destination isn’t as important travel itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSEtRglHH-XK-FB-FlZY1X4xtSgsS38mx5LTtB_TB6ZC7UwaXo2MM2blbv4_EfK0cZThtu4Z9PT0pKu4HUpO3BzN2G66djrHDk5Bo3Yk6reW8azZ5F8pBj-Ds_wAjZC2itTEFtfkl849C/s1600/Olden+times2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSEtRglHH-XK-FB-FlZY1X4xtSgsS38mx5LTtB_TB6ZC7UwaXo2MM2blbv4_EfK0cZThtu4Z9PT0pKu4HUpO3BzN2G66djrHDk5Bo3Yk6reW8azZ5F8pBj-Ds_wAjZC2itTEFtfkl849C/s640/Olden+times2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Rolling south out of MO, I made a sight seeing detour into St.Francois county, MO. I'm fascinated with the conundrums in life. this farmstead is probably at least 150 years old. No one lives there at present it seems, but it was inhabited not long ago - note the TV satellite dish on the porch roof. ha, ha. Maybe they were still using the outhouse, but then can watch ESPN.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Have you ever read “Travels With Charlie” by John Steinbeck?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I’d read of Steinbeck in college was so gloomy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so this book!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could really relate to his experiences as he drove his self contained rig through 40 states with his dog Charlie on the passenger seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is the way he describes what he sees and the way he uses words, that alone is a pleasure to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a section I really liked --- </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .4in; margin-right: .4in; margin-top: 0in;">If one has driven a car over many years…nearly all reactions have become automatic…This being so, a large area of the conscious mind is left free for thinking…I myself have planned houses I will never build, have made gardens I will never plant, written long detailed letters never to be put to paper, much less sent….And how about the areas of regrets?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only I had done so and so, or had not said such and such – my God, the damn thing might not have happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding this potential in my own mind, I can suspect it in others… </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELr1Pyqru92E_6qBoGFSCWg7eavaxz7rc84kBmMUxgo5mSKkT1zX0PipNORuCPkaaohoK9oA3ft1Ku4yiTCT7JjBur8Co8Vno66sJv07VBFqOVBzr0yw_GUU_eo6ZXnO9YJB3FTcUv4CN/s1600/riding+along.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELr1Pyqru92E_6qBoGFSCWg7eavaxz7rc84kBmMUxgo5mSKkT1zX0PipNORuCPkaaohoK9oA3ft1Ku4yiTCT7JjBur8Co8Vno66sJv07VBFqOVBzr0yw_GUU_eo6ZXnO9YJB3FTcUv4CN/s400/riding+along.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">I once read some research by grad students indicating some people have born-in wanderlust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They thought people with Plains Indian backgrounds seemed to have this factor more than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well – in the alphabet soup of my ancestry I do have some American Indian – Choctaw and Cherokee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cherokee were an Eastern tribe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubt they traveled beyond their mountain home except at the demand of President Andrew Jackson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Choctaw are Oklahoma plains Indians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So perhaps that explains why I don’t stay in one place long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of years max and I’m ready for different scenery.<span> </span>Having my own RV is a bit more sophisticated than a tee-pee, but just as easy to move around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ~pam</span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-47361572867157656892011-09-25T11:02:00.000-04:002011-09-25T11:02:24.849-04:00change of place & seasons<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mornings have been dipping into the upper 30’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Florida thin blood has me bundled up with hat, mittens and coat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My doxie/chichihua mix needs her sweater and stays under the quilt when inside to stay warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll be headed south in just a few more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiMDh0BrXGbkc1Cz2Rd47sPvqtdPkN_odhtHl0xJky0EfVOFT0qBqbmucyBDWXHm5NrZnsIDDp5xk6Jc3K-3ZJNn_c_ZJDCznvs-mJnlMcVAvmU1eVPD3U-a_J9GNUsw-7vjALFsOJc6Y/s1600/ragweed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiMDh0BrXGbkc1Cz2Rd47sPvqtdPkN_odhtHl0xJky0EfVOFT0qBqbmucyBDWXHm5NrZnsIDDp5xk6Jc3K-3ZJNn_c_ZJDCznvs-mJnlMcVAvmU1eVPD3U-a_J9GNUsw-7vjALFsOJc6Y/s320/ragweed.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Beauty knows no climate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ragweed makes me sneeze, but it’s beautiful on foggy mornings covered with dew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horse in the next pasture looks surreal as he watches us walk by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HFuIbcEScW9Ody_HK2FDTAVqsqpJrI_GHt1khg1J25EW_aEKb_a6kLG3_uzyv9FDxoaqMxhAEMkOX6s0_4be60UazJy72obmfR2jy-tPKHXyQZ3ztEhR_BFj_ab39MLxj4uE_cU9xk2M/s1600/horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HFuIbcEScW9Ody_HK2FDTAVqsqpJrI_GHt1khg1J25EW_aEKb_a6kLG3_uzyv9FDxoaqMxhAEMkOX6s0_4be60UazJy72obmfR2jy-tPKHXyQZ3ztEhR_BFj_ab39MLxj4uE_cU9xk2M/s320/horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOfYTjHXn2TjlnOvzqQ_zwen52syW7SrsTQtQLfMynw5VO_RjCfeaKcrQx1mwrJTzPBMH1CT6PuoQqCtofDHmVsNHCg-yC3QZTqY6H6GJC0Jq0jOUrS3y5x7tm4k3NOh4-xekYq1csm4t/s1600/Daylilies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOfYTjHXn2TjlnOvzqQ_zwen52syW7SrsTQtQLfMynw5VO_RjCfeaKcrQx1mwrJTzPBMH1CT6PuoQqCtofDHmVsNHCg-yC3QZTqY6H6GJC0Jq0jOUrS3y5x7tm4k3NOh4-xekYq1csm4t/s320/Daylilies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One thing about staying so late in this climate is the remembrance of autumn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not so evident in a zone 11 climate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, it’s a #5 Agricultural Zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big hay rolls from summer have faded to grey/brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sumac and sassafras are already coloring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Squirrels have been very busy with the acorns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to be extra careful for invading spiders and mice that would rather spend the winter in my RV safe from the elements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-22494915718351341042011-09-02T06:12:00.000-04:002011-09-02T06:12:28.852-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiYTg-2X0PE1kbEeeNokiZ4pWqjI_OE8SsxPRDq0e6JdWGXACytbLA8KBOSaDneAoPB4HPJtelnguq1WDpDAAB_rUD1J8-LVkpOJ9tySBHZ9qx2LhX0El8hJetgyvBN9y9ac47Og4fniO/s1600/FlipFlops+in+BocaGrande+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiYTg-2X0PE1kbEeeNokiZ4pWqjI_OE8SsxPRDq0e6JdWGXACytbLA8KBOSaDneAoPB4HPJtelnguq1WDpDAAB_rUD1J8-LVkpOJ9tySBHZ9qx2LhX0El8hJetgyvBN9y9ac47Og4fniO/s320/FlipFlops+in+BocaGrande+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Don’t I wish I was sitting on a Gulf Coast beach in Florida right now! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I’m still in the Midwest waiting for a few more family events before I can return to my adopted home of SW Florida. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFAdvosBnjJZASocu6pDTTKl54lrbDCGg2WAwy1eqtEP3lE3hp_Rf1RC9NaIsLOTLWhOg1-JknpB5L456qD2pqpyHT0hpCCZgqxKSSGuL07Gu-QiCVbgt1uxTGDLsSKlki5uYhtFMEWcw/s1600/Sasafrass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFAdvosBnjJZASocu6pDTTKl54lrbDCGg2WAwy1eqtEP3lE3hp_Rf1RC9NaIsLOTLWhOg1-JknpB5L456qD2pqpyHT0hpCCZgqxKSSGuL07Gu-QiCVbgt1uxTGDLsSKlki5uYhtFMEWcw/s320/Sasafrass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">It would be hot there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But - it’s hotter here in the midwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as anyone knows there are different kinds of hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both locations would be sunny and humid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the still, windless days of August in the Midwest feel hotter than the same temperature and humidity with a nice salty breeze off the Gulf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">The change of seasons are more subtle in the deep south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, early signs of fall are seen in the woods and fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the first to turn into fall color are sassafras trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The green of the other trees are a tired, worn out looking green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Summer itself seems to be tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fencerows sport scarlet patches of sumac and brown dried grasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m seeing Monarch butterflies and birds are beginning to gather into flocks, practicing for their return to their winter home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I make my morning coffee while it's still dark. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">In just a few weeks, this snowbird will happily return to SW Florida - to my home of winter sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always like to make note of the first palm tree I see on the drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One year, I saw them in Montgomery AL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course they were intentionally planted as part of the landscaping in front of a expensive hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It meant I was getting close to home!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-12926395945256059672011-08-27T14:10:00.001-04:002011-08-27T14:11:05.032-04:00Memories of Lois<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">This morning I attended the funeral of Lois Brooks. A recent widow, for 20 plus years she was almost my sister-in-law. In the first pews sat her immediate family - children and grandchildren. Beyond those seats were neighbors and friends like me who had come to say good-by. Those people and their own memories of her are the legacy she left us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW-9Zy90OW-5QBdCz5j-R3VRiDSWAgC8Xiun1B-HJcfQND13JHpdp8XriIZ9ufUAubpukYqBN9zSMSfw-5t1d0NPkqzXmZH34w3XU4D5-_OW1kTVRWPXh0Er9W-070lLAavrcsVqoYsNB/s1600/GulfCoastSunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW-9Zy90OW-5QBdCz5j-R3VRiDSWAgC8Xiun1B-HJcfQND13JHpdp8XriIZ9ufUAubpukYqBN9zSMSfw-5t1d0NPkqzXmZH34w3XU4D5-_OW1kTVRWPXh0Er9W-070lLAavrcsVqoYsNB/s320/GulfCoastSunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">I remembered episodes of our relationship: She loved to sing and would sing bits and pieces of songs at unexpected times. I loved that about her. Because of her and Wilbur’s winters in Florida, I became a resident there too. I am grateful to her for that as well. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Sitting in church listening and observing I pondered the end of life questions the Pastor was attempting to answer. Why are we here? What happens after we stop breathing? I like to believe that the essence of who we are, our soul or psyche lives on in a new and different way in a spiritual realm I can only speculate on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;">Where do we go, how much of the life we had on earth goes with us? . Who really knows the answers to those questions? I guess Lois knows them now. ~pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-65086195984146569772011-08-23T11:36:00.000-04:002011-08-23T11:36:26.387-04:00Kansas revisited<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiArg2W4mAisN1HLvPw1AHMJnVPWOoylmmX62xKHAuWSLWuERdh4JOhvVHeed0z-HAyuc401eZctTsCX6RCAOkTaoXKGX-Or7At0bom3rcu3enab9-MMW-fh4ooOeApVfqPcyjrmd3LQ1I/s1600/Dawn%2527s+early+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiArg2W4mAisN1HLvPw1AHMJnVPWOoylmmX62xKHAuWSLWuERdh4JOhvVHeed0z-HAyuc401eZctTsCX6RCAOkTaoXKGX-Or7At0bom3rcu3enab9-MMW-fh4ooOeApVfqPcyjrmd3LQ1I/s640/Dawn%2527s+early+light.jpg" width="552" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"> Now why would anyone visit Kansas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know all the “Dorothy” jokes about Kansas – hear tales of boring drives across it’s flat expanse – jokes about it’s corny-ness in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My two small dogs, Willy (in front) and Sophie (behind him) decided it was best to just sleep through Kansas. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXjFN-HYQMRsgrUvOS16UD6nyM0KrZg0VDTywjvYbk8bzb0Uw0mR36WOaRDuHmHVOljSvcabx_cHTqZsfbNCFuZvTUvWjWrZefbrKrUpGh5NKnlA_faS8LSMcy4eQBFQyvSc6Qu2XZnZ/s1600/boring+Kasas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LXjFN-HYQMRsgrUvOS16UD6nyM0KrZg0VDTywjvYbk8bzb0Uw0mR36WOaRDuHmHVOljSvcabx_cHTqZsfbNCFuZvTUvWjWrZefbrKrUpGh5NKnlA_faS8LSMcy4eQBFQyvSc6Qu2XZnZ/s400/boring+Kasas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Well, that’s just what I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I visited Kansas in August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And – I loved it!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4839Ze_z8jYI0gLB0D1-Rnog_Q3zeKZccJa9cb8pzGp3GNMnpwI5eV2KKPjeuetel_KuGuKzIjtqL1v-s8bf3d9Kp2SlX5z-6XPlpc1rlismfelEfN55iCPmbzkyd1ji5hXm0uXCIo94m/s1600/Flint+Hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4839Ze_z8jYI0gLB0D1-Rnog_Q3zeKZccJa9cb8pzGp3GNMnpwI5eV2KKPjeuetel_KuGuKzIjtqL1v-s8bf3d9Kp2SlX5z-6XPlpc1rlismfelEfN55iCPmbzkyd1ji5hXm0uXCIo94m/s640/Flint+Hills.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">My excuse is I was born there, so I always have a sense of being home again when I’m there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, its flat prairies and constant wind are an inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to sing out loud, want to swing my arms as wide as the sky and if my 70+ knees would stand it, run against the perpetual wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I notice myself breathing deeply as though I could suck in the simple beauty of the rolling Flint Hills dotted with scrubby stands of cottonwood and willow in the draws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be even more beautiful in spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then --- most places are prettier in spring.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII5O8P42LgFPL5cTL3K-5x_QvcXEKycn84esF4KeHY3JbRMB11duj5Bb0xOKknN086c_BB7b0gSEhNr8Coq9cM3wwZXpkaBc60rIr8-qt1ItAZhz4P4J0Yj2s-BTmM-_sH3wzfnt93xgs/s1600/Old+Farm+in+Flint+Hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII5O8P42LgFPL5cTL3K-5x_QvcXEKycn84esF4KeHY3JbRMB11duj5Bb0xOKknN086c_BB7b0gSEhNr8Coq9cM3wwZXpkaBc60rIr8-qt1ItAZhz4P4J0Yj2s-BTmM-_sH3wzfnt93xgs/s640/Old+Farm+in+Flint+Hills.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"> In the above photo I liked the contrast between the abandoned limestone farm house and it's old fashioned windmill with the modern wind turbine you can see faintly in the center rear. As I continued west along Interstate 70, the windfarms followed the crest of the hills for miles and miles. If there is one thing Kansas in abundance it's wind and limestone. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3OZG7veO9rAS5vUBlusMHeaFJq29uJl6BZVU6Cm1ucHCFtregZ23CJP-lgAEBxMJ32j-WgSqM8gIv2LCLKcyopa-88q7K160rb85TbMQWCGI_CeNx5kku8W8AEZ23nT0f_oYdVKEuVlP/s1600/KansasWindFarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3OZG7veO9rAS5vUBlusMHeaFJq29uJl6BZVU6Cm1ucHCFtregZ23CJP-lgAEBxMJ32j-WgSqM8gIv2LCLKcyopa-88q7K160rb85TbMQWCGI_CeNx5kku8W8AEZ23nT0f_oYdVKEuVlP/s640/KansasWindFarm.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Standing in line at a fast food place, I heard people who talk just like I do – a flat kind of drawl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have to interpret their language and nuances – everyone spoke just like they <u>should</u> speak!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plainly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hee, hee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all in the ear of the beholder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRyetnEO3qfT5s5135tk-9RYlhTAZu5_5VfpxKwIl9E2UjMJVe5ay15Izj_VknNphewBXKyEGcEmJXAOfOUSsB4vXTlTpTRaxd014OF90o1GYD6bPokvUpSPgW7auJVczYIV_Mm_qDvWc/s1600/Hot+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRyetnEO3qfT5s5135tk-9RYlhTAZu5_5VfpxKwIl9E2UjMJVe5ay15Izj_VknNphewBXKyEGcEmJXAOfOUSsB4vXTlTpTRaxd014OF90o1GYD6bPokvUpSPgW7auJVczYIV_Mm_qDvWc/s320/Hot+day.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span> Visiting Lingsborg, KS on a 100 degree day wasn't as much fun as I wished . As you can see my doggies have their tongues hanging out. I quickly closed my panting mouth long enough for a kind stranger to take this photo. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14pt;"><span>My recommendation is to visit Kansas if you must, but only in May or September. ~pam</span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-49955781176687924562011-08-04T16:48:00.000-04:002011-08-04T16:48:36.533-04:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16.0pt;">Well now – have you ever felt like this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are days when my old bones do indeed feel just this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DFSA8fXS2UtHtGC1BBNMkbyI6gjaQP9xNdnVHzeilZqHQXxja6VFTxVNNwEYfVbY_MENHfidcJbnKvntuA8c6xWgCrmJ0SiWhrFQb6yaFZfWBHcRtj3A6z5c5DIowEXgiSA_9VVv7E2T/s1600/SoTired1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DFSA8fXS2UtHtGC1BBNMkbyI6gjaQP9xNdnVHzeilZqHQXxja6VFTxVNNwEYfVbY_MENHfidcJbnKvntuA8c6xWgCrmJ0SiWhrFQb6yaFZfWBHcRtj3A6z5c5DIowEXgiSA_9VVv7E2T/s320/SoTired1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16.0pt;">I came upon this pair in a prairie dog town between Boulder and Longmont, Colorado on a recent visit there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made me laugh to just see them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <u>had</u> to stop and get some photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZPIf0Hra2Ma_Ts2W1AviTktd7HgDg4TPuKGPUaYgBT-GWwYTpwcqnTL4VWSpB_s_Goz8aU46zdusuY5DZ34oxPM3dP5avPk97pI_Vu8XQnOrRkmfsIp0cZ1jCkxUnP4cqN-_KEkdAhh2/s1600/SoTired2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZPIf0Hra2Ma_Ts2W1AviTktd7HgDg4TPuKGPUaYgBT-GWwYTpwcqnTL4VWSpB_s_Goz8aU46zdusuY5DZ34oxPM3dP5avPk97pI_Vu8XQnOrRkmfsIp0cZ1jCkxUnP4cqN-_KEkdAhh2/s320/SoTired2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16.0pt;">Looking around, I tried to figure out why these two were here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no indication that there was ever a home there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No crumbled foundation anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then again, no home would need a ‘his’ and ‘hers’ would it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, I thought of a church or even a school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, no indication of any building nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16.0pt;">After looking more, I noticed several fallen down, fenced off areas, like paddocks and at the end of the field the type of open ended shelter used for livestock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this had been a stock auction or small rodeo grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 16.0pt;">Wouldn’t it be interesting to talk to some of the locals who have been here 50 years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’d have the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it is, speculating on the former life of these old outhouses is as much fun as actually knowing the facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-39529215230621108722011-07-24T07:51:00.000-04:002011-07-24T07:51:41.204-04:00Summertime - and the livin; is easy. NOT!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dawn of a summer morning looks serene and quiet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compared to a spring morning with the cacophony of bird song, there is actually little sound to reach the ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, under-laying that surface quiet is the energy bursting from the sun – a different kind of ‘noise’ if you will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpSyVjUQbFwEZGQgqILjxGo58HIile0c4oS0z1HT-1U-CLWhRHNEn6GLN8Ex2_ERG8XpaugXE9DuAdY9JUGDs0fmCA4WDkwepXxXujAnDx0jaY1AG9W3Jp1pvyx9DIM1SQIsQGez4gPjU/s1600/Hot+summer+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpSyVjUQbFwEZGQgqILjxGo58HIile0c4oS0z1HT-1U-CLWhRHNEn6GLN8Ex2_ERG8XpaugXE9DuAdY9JUGDs0fmCA4WDkwepXxXujAnDx0jaY1AG9W3Jp1pvyx9DIM1SQIsQGez4gPjU/s320/Hot+summer+morning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">In high summer, the most fierce energy is the relentless, burning sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thunderstorms which would cool us a bit, if violently so, seem not strong enough to push themselves against the power of the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even pernicious weeds in fencerows wilt against this intense sun energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Local farmers have labored in 100 degree heat to cut and bale hay for winter use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two tractors with sun burned men chug back and forth across the field cutting, drying, windrowing the hay for three searing, hot days before it’s ready to roll up into bales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of energy in man power, sweat and tractor fuel are flung against the face of the summer sun</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">A well-known summer resident is the Red Tailed Hawk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They literally ‘make hay while the sun shines’ in these suddenly scraped fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mice, quail and rabbits have lived safely under cover of the tall hay until now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must seem like a war zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hawks dive and strafe the field like fighter bombers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mice and rabbits flee in panic to safety under my porch only to find another danger – the teeth and paws of my twelve pound terrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gershwin wrote “Summertime – and the livin’ is easy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well --- not always or for everybody. </span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-59228206960106741132011-07-10T15:19:00.000-04:002011-07-10T15:19:52.893-04:00Making Hay While the Sun Shines<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m not an authentic country girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up in a big city of concrete, asphalt and brick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But – I think I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">should</b> have been born a country girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s where my heart lies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAg-Pciu084kRo9A1I6K4vE6xYpZU8U2hOCzXKR_6tQ4UCAp6jemXNjspq5Aq1LvjYXebzemA-UnOKi_yoajsWF2BhJYcmyplDJOmRE4Uuv_Ng36gU_nD9ab4Mj1yWlHT_fE0Yo9NZT84/s1600/Making+Hay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAg-Pciu084kRo9A1I6K4vE6xYpZU8U2hOCzXKR_6tQ4UCAp6jemXNjspq5Aq1LvjYXebzemA-UnOKi_yoajsWF2BhJYcmyplDJOmRE4Uuv_Ng36gU_nD9ab4Mj1yWlHT_fE0Yo9NZT84/s320/Making+Hay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">The farmers around my summer home are working in the worst kind of summer heat cutting and baling hay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotter the sun, the better for putting up hay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One evening, just before predicted 3 rain free days, I saw his tractor going back and forth across the field cutting hay after dark by the headlights of the tractor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twice the next day, he came with a rake and turned over the fresh cut hay to make it dry and cure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third day, he was out again doing the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By evening, he had his baler going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rolls along behind the tractor appearing to do nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, suddenly, it opens it’s big mouth and spits out a big round bale of hay that goes bouncing across the field to a stop. Later, they'll line up these big balls along a fence line out of the way of the second cutting in fall. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Squadrons of Barn Swallows escort me as I mow the field in the early evening with my own little tractor and mower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like that analogy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes me think of scenes from old black & white war movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I can see are their flittering silhouettes against the fading summer sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They appear from nowhere after my first pass of the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their aerobatics are quite remarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They dive and swoop after dislodged bugs in steep patterns too extreme for even the most accomplished air show pilot. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">This field takes almost an hour for me to mow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I’ve made a dozen passes, I see some swallows sitting on the elec. line, preening and resting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose they’ve had their fill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others are still following me across the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The supply of bugs and the supply of swallows apparently is neatly matched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Back and forth, across and down I mow over and over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, it seems almost meditative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not boring at all.- like following a knitting pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knit 2, Purl 2 around and around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Normally I don’t consider myself a patient person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waiting for an upcoming trip, waiting in a grocery store line, or for a very long stoplight makes me fume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the kind of patience needed for mowing a field or knitting a sock is strangely comforting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How is it different?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-84068298236716517052011-06-16T17:22:00.000-04:002011-06-16T17:22:42.104-04:00Old Dogs & Old Tricks<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Sometimes I’m amused at myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My old hands are having trouble doing the most simple things that I’ve done for a lifetime without even a second thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My gramma complained about Ol’Arthur who had taken to living with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s gotten into my right hand and I’m a ‘rightie’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A round doorknob is so painful to grasp and turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m gradually changing all doorknobs to the lever style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The latch on the bathroom door in my rv requires me to press a button in with my thumb to release the latch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just can’t do that anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m trying to learn to do things with my left hand instead of my right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Therein lies the new problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always bragged that I do many things with my left hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I play the guitar a bit – left hand fingers the frets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use my left hand on a computer mouse and use the keyboard in the correct method – left hand on a,s,d,f.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knit, crochet and do hand quilting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All these things require the left hand to do certain things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU8BmAA_Rlr-v9iHKuDSWIsAzrSzLUbcaWVL_a-RiqeRcCGGqzzgsevz1uWSzoUWWhSeCWHzMABsxL_fTNzHE5aAx8Q7h19f7ATLDIBBIv5VjxTd8VURPkOxB2jVysbphFiibRiywNtxe/s1600/old+dogs%252C+old+tricks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU8BmAA_Rlr-v9iHKuDSWIsAzrSzLUbcaWVL_a-RiqeRcCGGqzzgsevz1uWSzoUWWhSeCWHzMABsxL_fTNzHE5aAx8Q7h19f7ATLDIBBIv5VjxTd8VURPkOxB2jVysbphFiibRiywNtxe/s320/old+dogs%252C+old+tricks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But, HA!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple issue of learning to pin clothes to a clothes line with the left hand seems to be impossible!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many miles of diapers have I hung in a lifetime?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know how to hang clothes – just do it with my other hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple, huh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But my left hand just seems to be a dummy trying to manipulate the pins, squeeze them over the clothes securely and smooth the item with my right hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fumble the pins, drop wet clothes on the ground, pinch my fingers, if I squeeze the pin a bit off center it goes sailing across the ground to be pounced on by my little dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s funny and frustrating at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Probably, the issue is my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>re</u></b>-learning curve is pretty steep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problem if the left hand was taught it’s duty from the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But trying to switch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This old dog is struggling to re-learn an old trick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~pam</span></div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2132314347097229163.post-9229957361573732822011-05-31T08:39:00.000-04:002011-05-31T08:39:37.602-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mxSfL1K5aLoC_qM9tIj2CtNOJwVgOosdURiGGVorZHrYGH6l_sqKbuD0_WGWw04hjsJoESGPH_T8pIfVbxMgt4JDW6vqn8yZ0qtQXAKcpaSj0jSEwNLUhc0jgWRt8RwCfsaIcImHorCp/s1600/PickleCreek4blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mxSfL1K5aLoC_qM9tIj2CtNOJwVgOosdURiGGVorZHrYGH6l_sqKbuD0_WGWw04hjsJoESGPH_T8pIfVbxMgt4JDW6vqn8yZ0qtQXAKcpaSj0jSEwNLUhc0jgWRt8RwCfsaIcImHorCp/s320/PickleCreek4blog.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m in love with words – how they sound, what they mean and the uncountable shades of meaning they contain. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sympathy is the word I’m thinking of today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to a dictionary – these are ways I see the use of the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">To agree with some one’s opinions or feelings is to be “in sympathy” with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When tuning my guitar, sometimes other strings vibrate “in sympathy” or agreement in tone with the one plucked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an art sense, two lines with the same curves or angles are said to be “in sympathy” with one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now enter the conundrum:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In human relationships we offer our sympathy to a neighbor or friend who has gone through a traumatic experience - trying to say, I care, or I want to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always thought it was the kind, caring thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just recently, I found out what it’s like to be on the receiving end of this sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised at my reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hated it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recently, in a novel I was reading, the main character has had a series of miscarriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She began avoiding friends because she couldn’t stand any more expressions of their sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each expression of sympathy from a friend dredged up the pain all over again when she was trying to forget the incident and go on with life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what I was doing too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stayed away from people so I wouldn’t have to dredge up all the crud to explain it and be polite and thankful for their expression of sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A close relative is experiencing the same avoidance of people who want to express sympathy for the coming elimination of her job of nearly 12 years..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our culture says it’s the caring thing to do – to express sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always done that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Gabriola; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, I will try to find another way to express sympathy and caring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe just a friendly wave, or a chat about something entirely off the painful subject?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the person wants to talk about the incident, they will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you handle expressions of sympathy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever been on the receiving end until your reaction was “Enough Already”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Flight of Fancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12484420384568964261noreply@blogger.com0