Last night we had a thunder storm. The sky was so interesting with constant lightning. I was able to capture a few photos, careful not to stay out too long and get struck by lightning. The sky was AMAZING.
Today, back to sunny skies.
Have a nice weekend!
I was at the store yesterday and it was amazing. Costco smelled like a florist. They had so many roses, these are just a few, imagine rows and rows of them, ALL colors.
I smiled when I saw two lucky pennies next to each other. Soon, we won’t have pennies anymore. So finding these felt special. Some Mother’s Day LUCK, “In God We Trust!”
We know Mother’s Day is in May, but it seems to sneak up on us. Suddenly, it’s “Hey, did you do something for your mother yet?” These roses were a big reminder.
So, don’t delay. There is still time to do something special for our Mom’s!
Happy Mother’s Day!
I was walking and happened to look up and saw these lines in the sky. For some reason, I immediately thought of Tic Tac Toe, we just need another two lines to set up the board.
Continuing along, I looked up again and saw a sheep.
How often do you look up at the sky? I admit, I don’t do it that often. I should, it’s fun!
Happy Pi Day!
The other day it was snowing. My daughter and I went walking and as we were talking, she suddenly said, “Look, Mickey Mouse.” We looked more closely and laughed, “YES, it sure looked like Mickey!!”
She was on a roll. As we walked, she kept noticing more snow art, it was so amusing. You can see from above, the left photo, if we blinked, we would not have seen Mickey, same with the other funny figures. We saw the figures at a distance, I zoomed in on them.
We “did” take the liberty of adding to some of the art, ie the snail, we added an antenna, the fish skeleton, we added the bones, that balloon, we added the string… but the balloon, you can see from left photo using our imagination, it was there… the added string, made it believable to “non-snow art-believers.”
Finally, for the GRAND FINALE, before we started to shovel snow… we saw this SMILEY FACE.
Ok… with this one… the EYES were THERE… my daughter added the mouth, but COVER the mouth and you can see how the EYES were talking to us in a “catch me if you dare,” kind of look.
What a fun walk. So, what snow art have you seen lately?
Well, I’ve done it! I’ve hit 10 years of Blogging.
When I told my daughters, it’s been ten years and I’ve decided to change my little bird photo. They said in unison, “Go Mama, rebranding your Blog.”
I didn’t think of it that way, but they’re right. Big corporations are constantly rebranding. I still sniffle that Aunt Jemima is gone, replaced with Pearl Milling Company brand name. Sometimes we miss the old brand. New is not always better.
Rebranding my Blog meant the hunt was on for a NEW animal photo / background color. As I went through my photos, I plugged them in to see how they looked. There were runners-up!
Each one special in a different way. I do like that sheep on the top right. Doesn’t he speak to diversity and uniqueness? The owl was amusing, as well as the other sheep.
After careful consideration, days of this or that, I decided on the eagle. Yes, he’s the WINNER.
So, here’s to 2025, embracing change and focusing on new challenges.
Cheers!
While in Florence, I walked through the Sister’s garden after breakfast every day. While it wasn’t a huge garden, it was a nice size. I was amazed at all the fruits / vegetables / flowers they had.
I loved the shape of this olive tree. Turning the corner, I saw this huge tree with pomegranates. I eat them, but I’ve never seen how they grow.
I had no idea what this was… ANYONE? The Canadians I met didn’t know either.
They had an over abundance of red peppers. They start out green, then turn red.
Their roses had the most fragrant smell.
A shamrock…
Rosemary, time to cook!
Finally, a pigeon. My grandmother used to feed the pigeons that came to her window every morning. So, I smiled when I saw this one, all alone
I enjoyed the peaceful garden walks every morning with a quick stop in the Chapel. The Nuns were putting fresh roses from the garden in the vase for the alter. It was nice to see them.
Every day is full of surprises. While in Florence, I stayed at Holiday House Borgo Pinti, run by the Oblate of Assumption Sisters. A beautiful sanctuary located behind the Duomo, a ten minute walk. Religious stays are interesting. Each place quite different; however, the common theme is peacefulness.
Every morning, after breakfast, I would walk in their beautiful garden, filled with roses.
On this particular morning, as I walked by this statue. I stopped in front of it, listening to the birds singing. For some reason, I looked down and something “white” caught my attention.
As you can see. I was walking on gravel, all the stones seem to meld together.
As I bent down, I found this, “Make a Wish” stone with a feather close by. How lovely.
Some Canadians were walking by, I showed them. One of them immediately said, “that’s a dandelion,” there is spiritual significance in that. I hadn’t noticed the dandelion. I was focused on the words, “Make a Wish.”
This was important, staying at a spiritual place, behind the Duomo. A wish could come true! I looked up at the sky, sun shinning, thought of my Italian grandmother, was this HER doing?
Sure enough, in researching the spiritual meaning of the dandelions, it is said they provide resilience, hope, transformation, new beginnings and the ability to manifest desires. Wow, I sure needed that!
So, with the holiday season here. We have many challenges in life. I share this with YOU.
MAKE… YOUR… WISH!!
Miracles happen…AND… follow your instincts, ie me looking down and finding this stone.
Happy Thanksgiving!
As I was exploring small streets, I came across Dante’s Church with all of these “love locks.” Will they work? I think it is the ritual for people / couples, to add a lock, and “feel” their love lasts forever, right?!
In that frame of mind, I saw these teddy bears in a window, positioned in such a humorous way. I thought of an older couple, comfortable in their relationship.
Of course, we must see a Pinocchio. Again, another humorous siting, next to Tigger. Whatever sells, right!
I walked by this toy store. I liked the world puzzle map they had. In America, we are focused on the 50 states and American history. Yet, our kids still need to learn more about the World.
This was funny. I was sitting and having a gelato. Different tourists walking by. I heard this man telling a younger guy he was with. If we get separated, just look for my green shoes. Of course, my ears perked up, I looked and he was right… no chance of missing the “green shoes.” Brilliant idea!
I discovered this shop with the most beautiful colored pencils. I have not heard of this Italian brand, Fabriano. I liked the pouch the colored pencils were in. I wish I was an artist, I would have bought them.
Of course, I have to end with a photo of the Ponte Vecchio. Gold prices were so high, that they don’t have beautiful jewelry anymore. Also, there is an owner that must own 7-10 shops on the bridge. They sell the same jewelry, so it was a bit boring looking in the windows. This is a view of the entire bridge.
I’ve been to Florence, so I was not there as a tourist. I mean, touring monuments, etc. This time, I was just going around. I walked the streets, I had walked with my Florentine grandmother when she was alive. One thing I forgot to do, was walk back to see her home, etc. Next time, there’s always a next time.
Ah, Florence!
I was recently in Florence, Italy. My mother was born / raised there, so it feels like a second home. I was fortunate, there were not many tourists. I was able to walk the streets and actually “see” the buildings, etc.
And guess what I saw… YES, a Starbucks! Amazing how they are everywhere. You’d think in Italy, they have the best coffee, who would go to Starbucks? Obviously, people go. Same with McDonald’s which is by the train station, always packed with people.
I noticed that more cafes offer coffee to go. Years past, that was not an option.
Oh, and of course, I saw the Apple Store too.
Imagine walking by the Duomo and being able to walk right in, no long line. That hasn’t happened in years. I lit a candle, look how full, so many prayers.
It’s interesting, no matter how many times I go to Florence, I still take photos of the Duomo as if it is the very first time. I was thinking about that this trip when I took photos.
Did I need another photo of the Duomo? YES, of course!
Happy Traveling.
AerLingus sends me promotional deals a few times a week. Normally, I delete them without even a glance. However, back in September, as my father had just passed… I thought, maybe it’s time to go “somewhere.”
One promotion was focused on reduced fares to Europe. I looked and I found a “good deal” to Munich, flying through Dublin. I really enjoy Munich, so I knew being there would lift my spirits.
I enjoy flying AerLingus, they are still clean and orderly when boarding and in flight. I don’t want to bash other airlines, but traveling is not fun anymore. It’s gotten so crazy and chaotic.
Oh, flying is a good time to catch up on movies we haven’t seen. Also, it makes the 7-8 hr flight go by very quickly. I enjoyed this movie, “Wicked Little Letters.” It’s a true story.
Another nice thing about AerLingus is that the flight goes through Dublin, we clear U.S. Customs / Immigration there. So, when we arrive in the U.S., we can immediately head home.
Oh, I smiled at this. When I was in the Munich airport, food choices were healthy sandwiches / big German pretzels. When I got to Dublin, no more sandwiches, instead, a pub and pre-packaged sandwiches (yuck!). The U.S. is the same, hard to find healthy food in an airport. Why is that?
Glad to be home! More to come…
Brilliant Viewpoint 