Simplicity in Sunset

We've been experiencing beautiful, Florida springtime temps all week long, and I've been trying to enjoy them at every opportunity. This pis was taken over the ICW from a friends back yard, last Saturday nite...

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.~ John Burroughs

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Smooth Sailin'

Well, the weatherman was right, temperatures were above 70 every day this week; it's 64 degrees outside my door as I sit and type on this beautiful spring morning! This pic was taken from the canoe launch, out on Dutton Island in the ICW. Looks like a great day for driftin', don'tcha think?!

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.~ Annie Dillard

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Spring celebrations

The first official week of spring! Always a good week, in my book!

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


1. Last Saturday, we headed south again to visit with the mister's family. His siblings were all in attendance, all THEIR 'significant others', their mother and, of course, the fab four (the nieces & nephews)...not to mention everybody's dogs!! It was a full-blown celebration, with cake and ice cream, games to play, and all sorts of fun to be had!! Why were we celebrating, you might ask? Well....
2. This past Sunday, one of my favorite girls in the WHOLE WORLD turned 7 years old!! Happy Birthday, Savannah!! And, if that wasn't enough cause for celebrating,
3. this Saturday will be the littlest angel's birthday #2 (Happy Birthday, Abby!), and what better reason to let them eat cake?!
4. Oh, plus, when we were out shopping for gifts for the girls, I got myself a cute new purse! I'd look at it every time we went in the store, but if you know me, you know I'm pretty cheap thrifty when it comes to spending money on extraneous things, but this purse was on sale for -- get this --$3.99. (?!?!!) And, I gotta say, it's just the perfect size for me...not so tiny I can't fit a book in it, but not so big that I feel like a carpetbagger! Just perfect.
5. And, of course, my traditional every-other-Friday favorite: It's payday!!

And, what about you? What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

Painted Skies

Altho it's only 54-degrees this mornin', I can see the sun a-risin', and the weatherman tells me it should climb to near 70 before the weekend is through! Hope you all have a great one ahead of you...

The year's at the spring, And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven; The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven - All's right with the world!
~ Robert Browning

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Spring's a-springin'

It's been a pretty good week here at the beach, my friends; the weather is warmin' up, festival season is just around the corner, and life is finer than frog hair!

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


1. Well, unlike most other folks have been lamenting this week, I always like the time change, when we "spring ahead into the spring". It means the sun is up later into the evening, which means more time for walks with the hounds on the island, it means it's darker a bit later in the mornings -- my favorite, me-time of the day -- and just generally reminds me that the warmer weather is right around the corner, and that is ALWAYS a favorite thing!
2. This past Tuesday, the mister had a lean consortium to attend, which gave him a short day, and I was graced with his invitation for us to have lunch together! It was a nice little change in the middle of the week (Tuesday is laundry day, too - so any excuse, ya know?!). We had lunch at The Sun Dog Diner, I had an excellent sandwich of turkey, bacon and brie on sourdough bread, some superb coleslaw, and the best french fries at the beach!
3. After lunch, we stopped in at the local UBS (Tappin Book Mine) and I found new-to-me titles by three of my favorite writers (four, technically, if you would count both Preston and Child).
4. The last time I went to have my locks chopped, Rachel, my hair-gal, told me my hair was getting kinda dry, so we picked up some Redkin "Blonde Glam" hair conditioner from the salon, (which I never usually *do*, I just buy whatever's at the chain-mart when it's in front of me!) and, not only does it *really* work better than the stuff you get at the supermarket, but it smells delicious!!....
5. And finally, it's the start of the first official Spring weekend, and what's not to luv about that??!

So, tell us, what were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

Clouds Crashing

The weatherman was right, the temperatures have risen - it's 64 degrees right now, outside my back door - but, with the climb in mercury, come some cloud-filled skies, as well. This pic was taken in Jax Beach, during the prelude to some storm in August, 2009 (that's what the file folder says, anyway!) I like the way the clouds seem to mirror the crashing waves, as tho they're crashing over the horizon...

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Crazy Working Mom

Random Favorites

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc

It's been a pretty relaxed week here at our cottage by the sea...the weather is warming up nicely, albeit a bit soggy,
1. so we went to the garden center this past weekend, and picked up a few starter tomato plants for our little spring garden. If the weather cooperates, the plan is to play in the dirt this weekend!
2. One of my dearest old friend's celebrates her birthday today. While I haven't seen her in ages, and unfortunately have no concrete plans to do so anytime soon I'm afraid, she is still one of those friends with whom the years can pass, but you can still start right where you left off. I think I'll call her this afternoon, crank up the stereo and coerce he into having a birthday drink with me, long-distance! (Happy Birthday, Rita!)
3. A picture & a poem:

picture by Rhonda R. Napoleon; subject a member of the Skyline Forest Faeries & Guardians of Cloudcroft, New Mexico

Spring GreetingAll faintly through my soul to-day,
As from a bell that far away
Is tinkled by some frolic fay,
Floateth a lovely chiming.
Thou magic bell, to many a fell
And many a winter-saddened dell
Thy tongue a tale of Spring doth tell,
Too passionate-sweet for rhyming.

Chime out, thou little song of Spring,
Float in the blue skies ravishing.
Thy song-of-life a joy doth bring
That's sweet, albeit fleeting.
Float on the Spring-winds e'en to my home:
And when thou to a rose shalt come
That hath begun to show her bloom,
Say, I send her greeting!by Sidney Lanier

4. Well...I don't know about you, but in this house - with two hounds and a manx - we luv Febreze. And, this week, we tried their newest scent "Thai Dragon Fruit"...oh.yeah.
5. And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention (as usual) payday for the mister today! I'm not sure why that's always a fave, as much of it goes out as fast as it comes in, but it's nice to see that little jump in the 'ol checking account, no matter how fleeting it may be! ;)

What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

March in the Garden

Well, it's been a long, cold winter, even here in Florida, and I gotta tell ya, our little patch is certainly showing tales! But, this weekend passed, the mister got me out to the garden center, and we picked up a few starter tomato plants (eight, actually, two each: Roma grape, Bradley, Bonnie originals, and Big Beef), a small pack of zucchini squash and a pack of Brussel sprouts....(other veggies to start: beans, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, potatoes) Boy! the cold spell really raised the price of the veggie plants, let me tell ya! It's still not *quiet* warm enough to plant these outside yet, but we're thinkin' that's the plan for the upcoming weekend. First, we have to clean these pots out, the leftovers from last year's plants...

Plus, now is the time to prune all the cold-weather damage on some of the shrubs and plantings throughout the yard. It's best to wait until the first signs of new growth appear, so they don't take so long to recover. (Ya know, none of my azalea bushes bloomed this year...isn't it about that time?!) But, it IS starting to (FINALLY!!) look like spring is springing, my friends, and that means, soon, my jasmine will be blooming, the birds and the squirrels will be rustling throught the trees, and the sun will be upon us!! Don'tcha just LUV the anticipation of spring??!

Red Skies in Morning

Well, I'm still thinkin' it's not warm enough for my liking, altho the weatherman tells me this upcoming week will be more spring-like it it's temperatures. This is a sunrise pic, taken from my front porch...I just luv the color of the sky!

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!~ Mark Twain

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Week in Review

Here we are, with another weekend upon us (yeah!) and time once again for

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc

1. the fab four; This past weekend I got to spend Saturday with my favorite little people, and I had a blast! We ran around (you'd think I was still a kid myself), played freeze-tag, I got lots of hugs and kisses, and I luved every minute of it..
2.flexibility; And, I found that - at almost 43 years of age! - I can STILL do a cartwheel (one handed, no less), a back walk-over, a handstand AND a split! Plus, I could even walk the next day without (too much) difficulty! That, my friends, is a favorite thing!!
3. beautiful blooms; Even though it's still too cold for my liking, I do have an Amaryllis in bloom, which makes me think (hope!) that spring is just around the corner.
4. birdies; and on that same note, I've noticed several birds chirping and flittering around the yard, and that always brings a smile to my face.
5. Dutton Island Preserve; As I've mentioned before, we have a wonderful nature preserve just at the end of our street. It's a favorite place to walk the hounds, take pics, and just be outside in all of nature's glory!

And, what about you? What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

A Serene Scene

I had thought that the cold weather was all behind us, as we saw temps in the high 60's this week, but it seems Mr. Winter isn't done with us yet. The temp is hovering at 44-degrees as I type, and the weatherman tells me the weekend doesn't look much warmer. This pic was taken during our trek on the island last Sunday; a beautiful sky over the quiet marsh...

Beauty is the promise of happiness. ~Stendha

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the short list

well, this is gonna be another tuff one for me, cause not much has been happening in my little corner of the world, recently. But then, what a better time for this exercise, right?!

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


1. For starters, today is payday, and that's always a favorite thing!
2. Altho it's still craZy cold for Florida weather standards, spring IS on the way, and I do luv spring, so ...
3. The mister's mom got me one of those Snugglies for Christmas; you know what I'm talkin' about? One of those blankets with arms and a little foot pocket?! Yeah, well, it has come in very handy this week, so it has to make my list...
4. And, this weather makes my skin really dry, but True Blue Spa's Glove Potion #9 with shea butter really, really helps!
5. Dunkin Donuts coffee. yum

And, what about you? What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

In flight

Well, it's *still* too cold for my liking here at the beach; still at about 48 degrees outside my door, but the weatherman tells me we're in for a warm stretch... This big guy was sighted on one of our hikes on the island. (had to remove the phone wires, tho...makes a better pic, don'tcha think?!)

Given angel's wings, where might you fly?
In what sweet heaven might you find your love?
Unwilling to be bound, where might you move,
Lost between the wonder and the why?...~ Nicholas Gordon (poemsforfree.com)

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Be Happy

Well, folks, it's been a pretty low-key week here at the cottage; it's been too cold for me to want to get out and do anything. I've been spending most of my time watchin' the Olympics, catchin' up on my reading, and just generally hibernating until the sun comes back from its vacation! But, even so, with nothing particular that stands out for me this week, I wanted to play along, so I thought I'd share my five of my favorite quotations on happiness (which is always a favorite thing!)

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc

• Some pursue happiness, others create it. ~Unknown

• People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~ H.Jackson Brown Jr.

• I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greatest part of our happiness or misery depends upon our disposition, and not upon our circumstances. ~ Martha Washington

• Accept the pain, cherish the joys, resolve the regrets; then can come the best of benedictions - 'If I had my life to live over, I'd do it all the same'. ~ Joan McIntosh

• Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious. ~ Bill Meyer

So, what about you? What are the five favorite things YOU want to share today? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and add your Friday Faves. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

brighter skies

Well, as I said, it's about 48 degrees outside the cottage, and it wet & rainy. Not a good day for a walk on the island, better to stay inside with a good cup of coffee, my snuggly robe, and a good ol'fashioned whodunit! This was taken out at the Preserve, looking south on the ICW..., on a warmer, drier occasion!

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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An early start

Hi there, friends and readers - I did get an early start to my day today; the mister's internal clock, it seems, is still set to awaken him at 3a.m., so that he might be TO work by five; however, since the start of the year - with the new salary in effect and all - he doesn't begin his day until seven, now...so, his puttering around the house this morning for an additional two hours has gotten a bright (or, rather dark, actually), early start to my day (!), and given me ample opportunity to construct my list (lol);

a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc

1. Coffee yes, 3:30 a.m. IS quite early, isn't it? SO, one of my very favorite things, this morning, is coffee: plain old coffee, no mocha-latte-chino stuff, no flavors, just regular, old-fashioned bean-juice. WIth a little milk or cream, but no sugar. Thanks.

2. It is also a bit chilly this morning. I would say "cold"...because for Florida, it *is* cold, but I know, I know...we're not getting the snow whopper that those to the north are, so I won't even mention the temps (42-degrees, and raining, just sayin'...) but I will mention my nice, snuggly pink robe, that is keeping me warm and toasty this morning. (Did I mention that it was an early morning??!)

3. Also, again because we Florida beach-dwellers are not accustomed to these lowER temperatures...and, as my floors are all wood & tile, another of my favorite things this morning are my slipper socks...Luv. them.

4. The humidifier we got (for the Murphy, who has allergies, don'tcha know; ah, the things we do for our pets!) , along with the meds seem to be helping her with her 'stuffy-ness', so that's a favorite thing this mornin', too; the poor, pitiful thing is now asleep on the couch!

5. All of my blogger buddies, who will, coincidently, give me something to read on this - yes, I'm going to say it - Very. Early. Morning.

And, what about you? What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants. And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!

Solitude of sunset

I think the sun is coming back to the SUNshine state; I see temps in the low 70's on my thermometer, but it looks like we may get some rain later today...

Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. ~Hans Margolius

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Rejoining in the rejoicing

Hi there, friends and readers - After a long break in posting to my blog(s), I've decided to try and get back to it; And, since this has always been a favorite exercise of mine, I thought I'd jump back in here today, by participating in


a place to come on Friday's and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, etc., etc


1. my favored blogging memes ~ one of the things I missed most about blogging were the weekly exercises that keep me in touch with those bloggers who are of like mind, so to speak! So, I participated in many of my favorites this week (Cats on Tuesday; Tuesday Teasers; Wondrous Words Wednesday; Dogs on Thursday; Look at the Sky on Friday is up next, and of course, Friday Fave's!) Lot's of fun, and lots of great folks who I missed 'chatting' with...It's good to be back, y'all!

2. good reads ~ While I was away, I also took a hiatus from reading; Not purposefully, mind you, it just seemed that nothing I picked up could hold my attention for some reason. But, recently I've decided to go back to some authors who are "old favorites", and that seemed to get me out of my slump and back in the swing of things! This week, I'm reading the next installment (for me) of Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child's books, "Brimstone" (I do luv me some Agent Pendergast, now!) and so far, it's really, really good...

3. spinach & feta salad w/ raspberry vinaigrette dressing ~ I seem to be totally addicted to this stuff; but, I suppose, health-wise, if I'm going to be crazy over some food, this isn't a bad choice at all!

4. a little extra cash ~ The mister was recently put on salary where he works, and it seems that with the transition, accounting had somehow missed a week's pay (actually, they held a week when he started, and are now paying for the current week's work, so it wasn't technically "missed", just a bit behind!), and this week they remedied that situation, which means a little more in the 'ol bank account, and THAT'S always a good thing!

5. Christmas pics ~ I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time with the mister's family over the holidays, which means I got to spend some time with my favorite kiddos, and just this week, my beautiful SIL sent me some of the photos that were taken during our visit:




And, what about you? What were the highlights of your week? Be sure to head on over to Living to Tell the Story and share your Friday Faves with Susanne and all the other wonderful participants! And, until next time...

May every day be filled with your Favorite things!