no matter what...

Gator Hunting

I went for a walk yesterday at Sawgrass Lake Park, my favorite path was blocked off so I turned around and headed to the observation tower. On my way I found the parks most popular residents, baby alligators! And yes, mama wasn't too far away!

This turned out to be a great place to people watch. So many ventured out to capture a glimpse of these cold blooded reptiles and many had tales of seeing the eggs hatch and how the mama moves them around.

I'll have to go back next week, hoping my trail will be reopened but I'll be just as happy to people watch the gator watchers!

Week 4 of gratitude quotes

1/22/13

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

1/23/13

“Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.” –Doris Day

1/24/12

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” — Author Unknown

1/25/13

. “Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” — Marelisa Fábrega

1/26

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” — Charles Dickens

1/27/13

“Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

1/28/13

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” — Eric Hoffer

The Squirrel

Yesterday morning while eating breakfast I was noticing the rather plump squirrels dashing around the water oak in the backyard and I was reminded of the first poem I ever read out loud, as a matter of fact I read it from the school office over the intercom to the entire school. I was in first grade.

The Squirrel

Anonymous

Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop;
Up he goes
To the tree top!

Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers
To the ground.

Furly, curly
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!

Where's his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell.

Rascal

This is my oldest child, her name is Rascal. She is a calico and I'm positive that she has a bit of Siamese in her somewhere! She is cranky but loving! She has the loudest purr in the world and is extremely stubborn.

I adopted her in January of 2000, she was about 4 months old and I fell in love with her unusual looks! I actually wanted a cat for my yorkie Widget to play with, Widget loved the cats at my moms house, but sadly she hated Rascal with a passion!

In August of 2001 Widget unexpectedly passed away. Rascal and I moved and while unpacking I found an old answering machine tape, I played it and heard Widget barking coming from the tape machine, Rascal jumped on the bed and started rubbing against the machine. She missed Widget even though Widget didn't like her.

By the end of October I found another yorkie puppy, Button joined us and go figure, Rascal became the queen of hiss for 2 days, then she decided the puppy was ok and started grooming her on a daily basis!

As Rascal has gotten older she prefers to be alone or on me. She is still very vocal and has the most flexible, constantly moving tail I've ever seen. I'll finish now, she's crawled back in my lap and craving attention.

26 days and counting

We're 26 days into the new year and just a few days away from my favorite month of the entire year (more on that next month)

I'm trying to blog everyday, so far I've only missed one day. I am hoping that writing in this blog will stir my creative juices and jump start my fictional writing as well. I have started re writing my favorite story, the characters rebelled and wanted a much different but similar story about them.

I have also been posting quotes about gratitude everyday on Facebook and then adding what I am grateful for. I'm going to continue to post quotes adding in others about hope, faith, compassion, being positive. I guess this is my way of paying it forward and staying grounded.

I am trying to stay on track, doing things to be a better person, a better me; eating right, being positive, trying to not get upset at work.

Only time will tell if I'm successful, so much for not making resolutions, guess I have after all...

4 more Fridays...

that is until NASCAR! Being at work most of the day I missed the breaking news story that Danica and Ricky are an item, well, duh, who did hear about this last season? I think it's great, both Rookie of the Year candidates are dating, each other! Will it last? Don't have a crystal ball, not a fortune teller and to be honest it's not my concern but I hope they have a chance, why not, should make the racing interesting!

The rest of my Friday evening consists of a nice dinner with the parental units, reading, pistachio ice cream and Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey!

Reading...

Believe it or not I am currently reading/listening to 5 books; 2 mysteries, 2 biographies and 1 sports book.

I love to read, it wasn't always that way I actually had to be forced to read when I was in the first grade. My teacher, Mrs Steinhouser suggested that I read everyday out loud to my mother, which I did and then she suggested when school let out for the summer that I join the summer reading program at the local library. That summer the theme was mysteries, I would find books to read then when I finished them I would have to tell the childrens librarian, Mrs Etta Banks, all about the books, she gave me a little folder and would write the titles of the books I'd read on little magnifying glasses made of paper and filled up my folder. After that there was no stopping me, Nancy Drew, biographies, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The House of 30 Cats, cook books, books about pets, poetry books.....

When I got into college I worked at the public library and found my way into paperback romances; Regency Romance and Barbara Cartland...happy endings of course...and there was my love of mysteries; The Cat Who Books, My favorite FBI Special Agent Pendergast, Grafton, Cornwall, Muller, Stabenow...

Technology has become my best friend when it comes to books, I can reserve books from the library without ever going there except to pick them up, I can download them onto my Kindle, I can listen to books on CD...and yes, the book is better than the movie 9 times out of 10!

Happy Birthday Madeline

Not at all unexpected, today my thoughts drifted to my grandma, if she was still with us she would be celebrating her 98th birthday.

She and I had a strange relationship, I was her first grandchild and the only granddaughter for close to 20 years. She babysat me, made me dresses; she was an incredible seamstress, she broadened my young taste buds and is the reason I adore broiled swordfish with onions and stewed tomatoes! She introduced me to musical theater, took me to see fireworks every 4th of July I spent with her and my grandpa. And she drove me nuts when she opened her Christmas presents early, one year she actually opened one my mother sent to her house for me; she rewrapped it when she realized her mistake and said it was delivered while my aunt and I were out shopping!

She would talk to anyone and everyone, she loved good food, she loved her family.

So, Happy Birthday Grandma, you are never far from my thoughts. I love you and miss you!

week 3 of Gratitude quotes!

I can't believe the new year is already 3 weeks old...proving once again the old adage that time flies...

Here are the quotes I posted on facebook the last 7 days.

1/15

“An attitude of gratitude brings great things.”

― Yogi Bhajan

1/16

“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”

― James Herriot

1/17

 “Find the good and praise it.” — Alex Haley

1/18

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” — Ralph H. Blum

1/19

 “When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” — Chinese Proverb

1/20

 “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie

1/21

“Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future.”

― Robert D. Hales

Monday Monday

My day has turned into night, soon I will turn off the light for a few hours of sleep...

I've been mulling over several thoughts to write about but nothing seemed to work...

I'll try again tomorrow...must be the whole Monday Monday thing about can't trust that day...

Feline Sibling #5

16 days after having surgery for an abscess Gus is having his staples removed tomorrow. He was housebound for a week but since being allowed back into the outdoors he seems to be coming home more often. He is the sweetest cat; falling at your feet to be petted.

lazy, long weekends...

I love weekends when I have absolutely nothing to do...I wish I could remember the last time that happened!

Started off fixing a problem Pops had with his "Word" program, he's writing a script and must have hit something that caused a formatting glitch, I took the easy way out and cut and paste his script to right before the error started happening and made a new document, so far so good. Then Mom and I headed to Tampa for lunch and Godiva, slight traffic issue and I helped direct us to a fast route both coming and going since there was a back up going home as well. Back at the house Pops set up the new computer but couldn't get the internet going, no he didn't read the instruction but I figured out how to get thing connected anyway.

Now I am exhausted, too much brain work for a Saturday! Think I'm taking tomorrow off!

Blessings

For the past 17 days I've been posting quotes about gratitude on my facebook page, that simple act has made me realize how blessed I am.

I have a wonderful family, 4 legged children, friends, co workers, I have my health, I have an interest to learn and be creative.

I have so much, I have blessings in abundance and when I start feeling down or frustrated I need to remember this!

My latest addiction

It really doesn't take much to amuse me and a couple of months ago I discover Pinterest. Pinterest is a like a virtual bulletin board. I actually have 119 "boards", each one has a topic and in some cases clever "titles" , my board with roses is called "By any other name", pins about the movie Star Wars is called "May the Force, others are just obvious, like "Bacon Bacon Bacon", "Autumn" and "Things I Like".

The really fun part is other pinners follow me and repin what I've repinned from someone else! It's never ending. It's a great way to pass time....too much time....escapism at its best!

oh no!

yes, I fell asleep at my computer last night about 9pm and didn't blog at all...to be honest I wasn't inspired to write anything...guess my body knew that...hoping tonight will be different and I already know that tomorrows blog will be late.....

Gratitude week 2

my gratitude quotes for the 2nd week of the year...

1/8

“Got no checkbooks, got no banks. Still I'd like to express my thanks - I've got the sun in the mornin' and the moon at night.”

― Irving Berlin

1/9

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”

― Alphonse Karr

1/10/13

“Happiness is itself a kind of gratitude.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

1/11/13

    “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

1/12

“Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.” — Henry Ward Beecher

1/13/13

    “The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” — Eric Hoffer

1/14/13

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop