A Special Day Remembered

Today is July 5. The day after the celebration of Independence for the US, but for me it is a fun remembered day as it was my dad’s birthday.

IMG_20190616_150149 — My dad, a well known lawyer of our town

I remembered his favorite cake was a caramel cake – I think it was a white cake with a caramel type icing. And we also had a few left over fireworks along with the long standing hamburgers on the grill. He had this neat contraption that held all burgers in a wire grid and a handle and you could flip them all at the same time. I thought it was fabulous but have never seen another one.

The many fun trips we made on the rivers of Florida in our boat have wonderful memories as well. Was he perfect? No, far from it but at some time you just have to let the negative crap go and focus on the great memories. And although each child has a different remembrance of their time with their parents, you can generally hang on to a few of the great fun times and let that be the memory to hold fast to. For me there were a lot. I was the youngest so I actually got to spend more fun time with my dad that my siblings. So this day, his birthday, I honor him even though cancer took him from us over 20 years ago.

This is the smile I remember in a place he loved the best, our house in Florida. Happy Birthday Daddy. You are still greatly loved.

Remember how much a smile can make you smile and smile often. It is contagious, so smile and be kind.

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Cee’s FOTD, Daylily

My daylilies are finally opening. Crazy spring weather delayed a lot of my hot weather bloomers. Cee’s FOTD post for today was a daylily so I had to play along as well as I have four different types. A miniature variety was already here when I moved in, I planted a one to help take over a small flower bed(its doing a nice job), one was a mother’s day gift and one the birds planted. My miniature lilies are not open yet so they will make a future post.

The yellow one I planted, the pink one the birds planted and the reddish one was a gift. I loved the ones with the ruffled edges. Interesting as all centers of these are yellow.

I also have sunflowers growing that the birds planted that I will post when they open. Birds, my little helpers.

If you enjoy challenges, check in with Cee’s List of challenges and their hosts on any of her challenge posts and have fun.

And as you enjoy the fun of challenges, let that fun develop into a smile across you face to share with others to radiate kindness.

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Grandparent, An Honorable Position

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The fun and joy of being a grandparent should never be taken lightly. Families who hold to the bonds of family love through the rough times are the families who survive the whimsical nonsense of the coming generations. It shows them the importance as they grow that those with strong values of family, memories and grandparents helps the entire family stand firm.

I never really knew my fathers parents as he was the youngest of a large family and I was the youngest of our four, so by the time I was old enough to understand grandparents, they were both gone. But I did enjoy many fun memories with my mother’s parents. My grandfather was a farmer & a gasoline truck driver. And my grandmother was a school teacher. She was well loved by many through her years of teaching and I wrote a post about her in December if anyone cares to read that one as well. I remember the funny stories she and Buckshot(my grandfather’s nickname) would tell us about our cousins that I had never met who had other interesting nicknames like “Catgal”. I would love to know the stories behind the many funny nicknames of my ancestors.

Below are the pictures of both of my grandmothers, maybe later I will do a post on my grandfathers.

The is Lottie with Brownie, per pride and joy.

Some families do not have the luxury of sharing the memories of their ancestors. Some families who do not have that loving relationship or members who can’t feel that love from their family members are families that tend to disintegrate and scatter away from each other. It is a very sad phenomenon that I saw happen in my own family with my siblings from strained relationships or actions that can shatter a family. I also have this same type of disconnect with my own children where their relationships were severely strained as children and then as as young adults, my work scattered us 1000 miles from each other not allowing for a reconnect. I have grandchildren I have never held while the older ones have no real clue who I am other than a vague memory. It is a terrible thing to happen to a family. As my youngest told me, we never felt like we were a family due to all the disconnects, anger and frustrations we had. It ever reminds me just how fragile this life can be. But I am trying to fix that and hope that by year end, all strained relationships can at least be on the road to being mended.

This week Nancy Merrill challenged us with a photo of the week as grandparents. It rang true with me as I am trying to get better reconnected with my boys.

So I challenge all who read this to understand the values of all members of the family and to make all efforts to maintain as much of that family bond as possible and to make a connection whenever possible. Even those who fight it, they really don’t want to be left out in the cold. So try to reach out.

And in closing as I remind my readers – try to always be kind. It reflects the very love of God.

In Honor of Today, The Color Blue

I like to think of Blue as a positive color as in the US Air Force theme song Wild Blue Yonder or that person who remains with you thick and thin as a true blue friend. And the photos so far this month from Becky’s theme of July Blues has been amazing. To all photographers who play in this interesting world of blogosphere, I thank you for sharing your gift with the rest of us. Some of us (me) do not really have that gift so these challenges are a great way for me to play and enjoy others talents.

Below is my BLUE for today since this is a great day for the red,white & BLUE and I share it also with Cee’s FOTD for my daily flower post.

Weeds are flowers as well and some have the most amazing flowers. This one is interesting as it only have two petals – reminds me of a tiny mouse. And those of you who read some of my post know that I am always making other creations from flowers like angels, choirs and yes, even a mouse.

IMG_20190704_105018 — Two blue ears, two yellow eyes and a yellow nose

Enjoy your day and if you are in the US, Happy Fourth, share smiles and hugs when possible, and as always remember to be kind.

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The Great Outdoors, fpj-photo-challenge

While this week’s challenge from Jansen Photo is Outdoors, I believe it is meant for the beauty of nature…well, I am going to bend that just a bit and be amazed by the architecture of man spanning the Mississippi River. After all, it is outdoors. This bridge has been under construction now for about 2 years and I think it is due to open by end of next year. It has been amazing to watch, I posted earlier pictures in November if you care to go see those here. We went across to the other side and had to use this bridge – what a reroute you have to go through right now, glad I don’t have to use it everyday because the roads are moving as well.

But I was amazed at the progress, especially knowing the winter we went through and the massive flood (91 days) that has just now settled back into its banks.

So check out these pictures and remember even though man can aggravate you at time, he can be pretty amazing as well. I also realize that I am a bit of a geek since I came from quality management but I think these are neat. Hope you enjoy.

These white things sticking in the air are going to be archways spanning across.

And in closing, I remind you to maybe reach out and build a bridge over to someone or something who needs to cross into kindness. It may bring brightness into their lives.

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Letters and Number Challenge

Since it is lunch time and I am in the kitchen, its the perfect place for letters and numbers. Our kitchens are not always for food but are also our hub of organization and a center for family, at least in my kitchen. Stuff is stuck all over the fridge.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week is Letters and Numbers so enjoy my humor as I eat lunch.

As you have fun throughout your day remember not everyone is having fun. Share a smile and be kind. It may just brighten their day.

KINDNESS10

July’s Colors and Letters, Citysonnet

Photo A Day Challenge from Citysonnet looks to be fun during the month of July. Well, a lot of the challenges do but looking over the list, these I can do without having to go far with my camera. Since my month has the potential to be out of control, this one may be an easy one for me to do.

July 1 is FAVORITE COLOR – that is easy – purple.

Purple is Skeeter’s favorite color as well.

Skeeter at Work — Right down to her purple polka dotted shoes.

And as always, I remind myself and all others the power of being kind. It has lasting power you may not visibly see but the brightness of it shines forever.

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Escapist Coloring Club,July 1

It is so much fun to see the creative colors and images we come up with for Linda Hill’s monthly Escapist Coloring club. I enjoy it’s fun but also I remind myself on those night when I can not sleep that I am working on a project for the Escapist Color Club prompt.

This month I have colored the delicate flowering hippo, a new breed for the tropical zones.

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She wears green eye-shadow to accentuate her lovely blue eyes. No self respecting male hippo would ever wear green eye-shadow.

Come join in on the fun and color with us.

As I was researching new ideas for showing kindness I found an entire website of pages to color that represent kindness. I just typed in “pictures of kind and coloring”.

color kind — I will have to print this and color it for next month

So remember to always be kind.

A Special Kind of Stupid

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows that I am a major supporter of being kind and trying to find the best in people. And I believe that is how everyone needs to be treated. That is what is right. However…(Don’t you hate it when a sentence starts off with a however or a but after a statement like that has been said. You know it doesn’t bode well.)…People are not born stupid but they sure can act stupid and this guy was a special kind of stupid.

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It’s Friday evening and we usually always go out on Friday evening but because of the week we both had, we decided on take out. The casino about 15 minutes from the house has a pretty good little restaurant with sandwiches and stuff so we opted for that. I ordered ahead and went to go pick it up. As I got there, there is a pickup truck kind of out by itself and the windows are cracked and a dog was barking from inside. That made me unhappy as it is still 86 degrees and too hot to leave your dog in a car with only a small crack, but I see other movement so I figure and hope there is a person also inside.

I pickup my sandwiches and head back to my car and the dog is still barking. This only exacerbates the dogs situation because he is guarding the truck, he is hot because it 86 degrees – I don’t care that the sun is starting to go down, its still hot. Unacceptable practice in my book.

So I drive over by this truck to check out the situation and yes there is another body in there, a second dog. So now I am really mad. I am mumbling to myself the cruelty of this guy as I am looking for a scrap sheet of paper as I am going to leave him a note and get his tag number. So I write my note to put under the windshield and then get out of my car. Dogs have a body language and dogs who are wagging their tails so hard that it wags their entire back end are not ferocious dogs. I speak to the dogs as they are trying to get their heads out the window for attention and then I head around the front of the truck to get to the drivers side windshield. Now you need to visualize this, as this is the funny part of the story – this truck has massive mud bogging tires on it and I am only 5’4″, this was going to be a challenge but I was determined. As I place my hands on the hood of the truck to lift up and grab for the windshield wiper, I came back down with a shock. The truck is running. Whhaaatt??? Right now, this area is having an issue with car thieves and you are going to purposely leave your truck with the window partly down with dogs inside that are obviously not really mean dogs…and it’s running.

I got back in my car as I realized the dogs were okay and …this guy was not.

Stupid2

We really should not judge people but sometimes their actions make us shake our heads in disbelief. “What did you do with your brain today? Take it out and play with it like a slinky?”

Forgive me for this unkind post. God did not give this guy the disability of not being able to think, especially if he is driving a 35K pickup, although he is throwing away money at a casino…so…

And what am I doing at a casino…just getting food. Casinos are known for good food and this one is pretty good and its close.

Forgive me again as I totally believe in always being kind. Lord give us strength to deal with those who try our patience. And try to be kind.

nature

I have no cute anecdote type picture to close this post so just enjoy the beauty of nature.

Angels in Orchids

I do enjoy my flowers but I also enjoy the many photographers who take pictures of flowers and life who then share them with us like Cee’s photos and challenges, Nancy Merrill’s many challenges or Irene’s many beautiful flowers she comes upon in the various gardens or trails she goes on.

I posted my orchid the other day with Cee’s “3” post but I am posting it again for the angels that I can see in these flowers. The beauty of flowers to me shows God color palette of the day and gardens are an amazing place to find and see His handiwork. Maybe I can go to our botanical garden this weekend.

Below are my angels of today.

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This angel has a skirt of lovely pink finishing in white at the bottom with a yellow bodice and the sleeves raised in praise are pink to match the skirt. There is a turtleneck color in creme with pink splotches and her hair in veiled in white. And her wings are splayed out behind her in graceful elegance. I realize that may be a little too much out of the box for some but I love to play and visualize other creations out of the beauty we find in nature.

Below is this same orchid with its fellow angel above it that if you follow the same patterns of color, this one seems to have its head and hands lowered down in prayer.

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The angle difference of the top flower makes the sleeves look like they are attached at the top and the yellow center looks to be a yellow muff for the hands. The head seems to be more in a downward tilt looking at the yellow muff in a stance of prayer.

Hey, its all in the eyes of the individual artist and we all are artist in our own realm. As long as we look, admire and enjoy their beauty, its all good – even if it gets a little quirky. As you admire the beauty around you, take time to smile and let your smile shine. That shine may be just the thing to dispel the gloom of someone else’s bad day. So shine on and be kind.

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