Category Writing

Summer Puzzling…

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I was at Hobby Lobby recently. They were having a puzzle sale, 40% off. Now, that was a good deal. So, I looked at my options. I found this one by Brother Sister Design Studio. I was curious about the “soft touch.”

This was a fabulous puzzle. First off, it’s so cheerful. I was surprised at how huge the puzzle pieces were. I give a comparison, see the blue puzzle piece, it’s from a 1,000 piece puzzle I’m working on. Then to the right was a puzzle piece from this puzzle. Fun, but it did feel a little bit like going back to grade school.

Finally, the finished product. HOWEVER, it’s hard to fit the pieces in the box, see photo. I mean, who wants to “carefully” stack puzzle pieces in a box, so they will fit?? Not me, but I do LOVE this puzzle.

So, I guess I’ll have to stack them nicely… LOL

Cheers to more puzzling.

Chicago – NASCAR Street Race is in town. Happy 4th of July!

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Wishing you all in America a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

NASCAR Street Race is in Chicago again. Here’s a YouTube clip showing the road course. You can watch the actual race on Saturday, July 5th and Sunday, July 6th on TV.

Happy 4th of July!

Summer has started, time for FIREWORKS!

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You know summer has started when you go for a walk and you see the kids RUNNING & SCREAMING! At first, I thought, “What the heck is going on??” Then I realized — SCHOOL’S OUT!!

That means July 4th celebrations are around the corner. I’ve been eyeing this puzzle for a while. I was drawn to the Fireworks in the background. So, I took the plunge and bought it.

Life is FUNNY! Last night, I got the fireworks done. Just after I finished them…

I got a call. A family wedding next Saturday! I chuckled to myself.

So, that’s why I did the fireworks!! Can’t you FEEL the different explosions of color!

The Universe has such interesting SURPRISES this year!

It’s SUMMER… On my walk, I got wet by a water sprinkler. Obviously, I thought I could “beat” the timer of when the water would hit me…

I was STARTLED!

It was REFRESHING!

Have a great weekend!

Why did you get divorced?

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Ok, I think we all need a good chuckle on this Friday afternoon. I was at the store recently and I saw these hamburger pillows. They are so funny. Why?

It’s part of the reason I got divorced many years ago.

When my eight year old daughter was asked why her parents divorced. She said, “Because my dad ate too many hamburgers and didn’t talk enough.”

Ok… that’s how I had explained it to my children when they were little. I gave an example of their friends from school and reasons why they didn’t get along with their friends, which was similar.

So, when I saw this stack of hamburgers it brought back funny memories.

GUESS WHAT my ex/husband is getting for Father’s Day! YES, his very own hamburger pillow. He will laugh, it’s been a joke of ours for years now.

We can always find humor in challenging situations.

Happy Father’s Day… soon… I’m ready!

Photograph – Lightning up close…

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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!

Mother’s Day… still time!

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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!

You are beautiful!

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You are beautiful… Have you been told this before?

Imagine my day… pouring rain, on freeway, tire pressure light goes on, panic, stopped at two gas stations, air pressure machines not working, no umbrella, sopping wet, frustrated, worried…

Stopped at third gas station… a nice man asked if I needed help. He told me of a tire place around the corner… as I was about to leave, with sincerity, still looking me in the eye, he said, “You are beautiful!”

A Guardian Angel moment… I was caught off guard. I looked like the dog in the photo.

One side of my brain was saying, “Come on, look at you, such a mess, how could he say you are beautiful?”

The other side of my brain was grinning, “Look at you, even with no makeup, sopping wet, someone thinks, you are beautiful!”

I thanked him. His words have stayed with me.

As I drove off, smiling / puzzled, I thought, “Have I ever been told I was BEAUTIFUL?”

No, I have not. Sure, if I was dressed up going to a party, someone “might” have said, “You LOOK beautiful tonight, but not you ARE beautiful.” I thought about the difference in these words.

So, here is to a Guardian Angel type of moment. The Universe sending me a sweet message out of the blue.

Bucket List – Someone has said, “I’m beautiful!” Done – feels good, especially coming from a stranger, no prompting. We should all be told we are beautiful, once in our lifetime.

PAY IT FORWARD… Now, I will have to do the same for someone else. Give someone a compliment. It warms our hearts, it makes us feel good.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Great Audio Book by Abraham Verghese!

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I enjoy working on puzzles while listening to an audio book. Finding the right book is tricky. The story line has to be engaging, but also the narrator’s voice makes or breaks the story.

Bingo – Abraham Verghese’s, “Cutting for Stone” was a fantastic family saga set in Ethiopia with a focus on medicine. Sunil Malhotra was a perfect choice to narrate the book. I immediately sensed the author had a medical background, the surgery scenes were so detailed. Oh, not gory, not like that, professional.

I don’t want to give the story away. Verghese did a wonderful job of building the scenes and giving a good ending, ie, not a predictable one. He’s Indian, lived in Ethiopia and works in the medical field. The sign of an excellent book is when you keep wondering whether it really happened! He accomplished that.

Here is the puzzle I worked on. A lot of fun.

Now, I’m off to find a NEW book to read. Maybe Verghese has another one I will like.

Any recommendations, let me know. I tend to enjoy historical fiction.

Enjoy the weekend!

The Bald Eagles had two babies…

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Credit: Pixabay, Photographer: Schlappohr

Did you know that the Bald Eagles had two babies recently. They are so big already.

There is a live feed owned and operated by Friends of Big Bear Valley. They have strict copyright rules in place for screenshots / videos, so be mindful if you want to share with others.

The Eagles have names. The Father is Shadow, Mother is Jackie, the eaglets are Gizmo & Sunny.

I visit daily to see them. I’m curious to see what happens when they take their first flight. Also, I learned the other day that the eagles will not have white hair until they are five years old. Yesterday, Shadow brought a huge fish to the nest. They were all happy!

If you have an interest, venture over to YouTube, there are a lot of videos to watch.

Last year, the eggs did not hatch. This year a success!

Flower first, THEN a fruit!

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Nature is amazing. While I eat fruit, I’ve never thought about “how” it is grown, start to finish.

My friend was excited to show me that her fruit trees are budding. A few years ago, she planted a cherry tree. The tree became huge, but no cherries. After investigation, they found that they needed a “second” cherry tree for pollination.

Here you see the Black Tartarian Cherry:

Next, the Santa Rosa Plum:

Here you have Nectarines:

I’ve always preferred nectarines over peaches. Although, sometimes peaches seem juicier.

Have you planted any fruit trees?