Puzzles, Pasta and Peace

 

Our newest pastime: jigsaw puzzles

Is it only Wednesday? It's been a mind-occupying few days for me and I feel like this should be Friday afternoon. I'll fill in some of the specifics as I respond to Joyce's Hodgepodge questions for this week. 

To put you at ease, I will say that even with the challenges of late, it's all good. So don't read thinking that I'm leading up to bad news, because I am not. 

👍🏻  👍🏻  👍🏻  👍🏻  👍🏻

Gary and I are really into jigsaw puzzles these last couple of months. Both of us enjoy them so much, assembling them out here on the brightly-lit lanai (only in daylight hours, that is). At times we work on a puzzle together, but sometimes that means one of us has to work the pieces upside down, and that's tricky, of course. I'll share some of our works both in finished and incomplete phases.

my friend Joline had a puzzle with a missing piece!!

I've been giving a lot of thought as to how these puzzles are similar to life with necessary problem-solving and how to handle as much as we can with calmness and good sense.

a particularly crazy design that was tucked
into Gary's cabinet when I moved into his house

Today I'm comparing puzzles (jigsaw puzzles, to be clear) with life, problem-solving, and handling that with calmness. 

Looking for a red head with a yellow shoulder scarf
(this is some of my personal puzzle-assembly strategy)

Much of life seems to be a puzzle. How well we separate the pieces, sorting them into groups, and then fitting them into a neat design tends to say something about how well we cope with the dilemmas of life. 

Here are my responses to Joyce's Hodgepodge questions for this week. If you want to connect with your blog, click on this link: http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/07/hodgepodge-questions-volume-664.html

1. What was the last thing you celebrated? 

While it was not a celebration with cake and party hats, I had plenty of reason to rejoice yesterday AFTER a techie-type problem with huge implications for disaster found me and I was able to not only get it resolved in about an hour's time, but I was CALM about it. 

Then today I had extensive follow-up work to complete repairs from the mess encountered yesterday. I can say with pretty good confidence that I believe all the i's have been dotted and all the t's are crossed. Of course, time will tell.

So to get back to Joyce's question about "celebration," I am just very thankful that the Lord is maturing me with confidence to handle adversity better than my past history has shown. For me, this is celebration.

2. July 29th is International Day of the Tiger. Besides the wild animal itself, when you hear the word tiger what's the first person-place-thing-whatever that comes to mind? 

Orange Tiger Lilies. In 1974 we moved into military housing at the Air Force base where my husband was stationed. It was a spacious 3-bedroom duplex with a single-car garage and a front flower bed filled with gorgeous Tiger Lilies planted by the previous occupants. 

3. The expression 'eye of the tiger' describes someone with intense focus, determination, and the drive to succeed. What area of your life are you currently bringing that kind of energy to?  

one of many peaceful scenes
in our +55 retirement community

In my current season of life as a retired senior citizen, I do my best to not get 'wrapped around the axle' nearly as much as I used to. This week's test with techie things was a "pop quiz", so to speak, but as indicated above, it's gone well.

4. What was the last meal you cooked? 

Gary does most of our cooking but from time to time I give him a break with things like quesadillas, egg salad sandwiches, grilled ham ’n cheese sandwiches, quiche, and Pasta Alfredo. 

The last time I prepared a meal for him was probably about 2 weeks ago. There are times when I need to refresh my culinary skills and let Gary just sit. 🥱😴💤

Speaking of pasta, I bought this refrigerator magnet when we were visiting Terri D in May. Carbs can provide a calming effect when we are stressed out.

I love to combine a pot of cooked pasta (any kind, any shape that's in the pantry) and smother it with a heated up jar of Alfredo or Marinara sauce, topped with shredded Parmesan cheese. I serve it in pasta bowls (the wide diameter and curved sides make chasing the noodles so much easier) and sometimes eat with a spoon instead of a fork.

5. Describe your July using exactly five words. 

Puzzles, food, contentment, peaceful sleep

Us enjoying lunch at
The Whistling Duck

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

In closing, I've done some research on the benefits of jigsaw puzzles.  

Sorting and connecting pieces forces us to mentally rotate shapes and assess how small parts fit into a larger image.

sorting puzzle pieces into categories

Assembling these puzzles strengthens working memory, helps with goal setting and systematic planning, and step-by-step problem-solving. (really???)

cheerful designs make it so much more fun

This hobby also builds long-term cognitive reserve, a protective factor against cognitive aging. (quoting Artificial Intelligence here) It aids in creating a “cushion” that helps the brain better compensate for age-related decline or symptoms of dementia. (!!!)

a car puzzle for Gary

Who knew such a pleasant activity could benefit us so much?!!

You make known to me

the path of life;

in Your presence there is

fullness of joy;

at your right hand there are

pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

Until next time, grace and peace!

Barbara

Seeking the Cool Places

 

Early Floridians were surely made of sturdy stock. That has to be true since they persisted in settling here in spite of nearly year 'round heat, insects, reptiles, and hurricanes. 

Of course we have central air conditioning now. Otherwise, I would not be a resident of the Sunshine State and the Lightening Capital of the United States.

Oh wait! I just now did a fact-check and learned (to my surprise) that Oklahoma (the land of my birth, by the way) has recently unseated Florida as the lightning capitol of the USA; this is according to recent annual environmental monitoring reports. 

Returning to my reasons for this post, we have not allowed the daily heat and humidity to stop us from getting out and about -- as long as our destinations have air conditioning, of course. But we are spending a little less time on the lanai because it has only windows and fans, no A/C. Time spent out there has been abbreviated in spite of the new furniture that we love.

In "Seeking the Cool Places" we drove across town to the Appleton Museum of Art. It is a part of the College of Central Florida, here in Ocala. Admission is free for the entire month of July. 

I have been to this museum several times in the past 7 years of living here, but Gary had not. These whimsical  elephant sculptures playing in the fountain were a fitting welcome on a hot summer morning.

In addition to the appeal of an air-conditioned venue, we wanted to see the advertised patriotic display for our nation's 250th Birthday. One long wall was devoted to a time line of Florida's history from [way back when] to present day. That was tricky to photograph, so I don't have that to share, but it was very informative.

Of particular interest to me was this quilt (below) made entirely of Prairie Points (uniform squares of fabric folded to make points) and sewn together:

Those who do not quilt may be surprised to learn that a piece such as this is quite heavy. There is no way a person could comfortably sleep under this even on a cold Florida night!

There were references to wars of the past, which always catches Gary's interest.

The museum has many other exhibits but we saw what interested us the most and then exited through the gift shop. 

Keeping up with my usual habit, I bought a refrigerator magnet to remember the occasion and also a post card to send to my sister-in-law. She lived in this town for many years but now lives farther north. She has encouraged us to visit this museum, so I sent the post card as proof-positive that we had.

the boy, Jody Baxter, main character in
The Yearling

On another day we took a couple of neighbors to lunch at The Yearling, an "old Florida" restaurant that I included in a post this past April. Named in honor of the well-known book by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling is quite rustic with a lot of dark wood, many antiques, taxidermied (is that a word?) animals, countless old books for sale, and several dining rooms of varying sizes. This place is an icon.

"Old Florida" has grown on me over the years since I moved from Colorado. It portrays this state before the Mouse bought up a lot of land, followed by Sea World, Universal, and others. Especially for those of us who have "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" at the flashy theme parks, these quieter historical locations hold a lot of appeal.

When I moved to Florida in 2017 (and then to Ocala in 2019), I barely remembered the story from my younger years of The Yearling. 

I knew nothing at all about the book, Cross Creek, also written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, until our late blogging friend and New England resident, Vee of "A Haven for Vee" assumed I was aware of all that. I checked the book out of the library, bringing myself up to speed. 

I also watched two movies that have been made, based on the book, Cross Creek. I enjoyed the second (newer) film more than the first, although it did depart from the book. Here is a link to that one, the 1983 movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC7ikRDWkwg

The menu at The Yearling serves venison, gator, cat fish, and other exotics as well as burgers and more traditional fare.

Gary and our friend Darryl had burgers and fries. Vickie and I chose salads. We joked about our choices. Gary and I have a personal rule that we "don't eat scavengers." 

When I say that some of the walls are lined with books, I am not exaggerating in the least. There is a sign that says the price of each book is inside the cover, so you can buy them if you want.

Those who read my blog post last April will remember the 13-foot gator on display. But for those of you who didn't see it, here he is:

And then, just to be a bit macabre, here's another view I took this week: 

This is the gator's gaping open  mouth -- truly the stuff of which nightmares are made!!

While I'm most definitely not a lover of reptiles of any kind (ok, maybe turtles are an acceptation ....), you may agree that they do make for interesting "blog fodder."

We all thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere. I brought home about the last 1/3 of my salad to enjoy for supper that night. Among the choices of salad dressing was Mango Cream. I took a chance with that and was not disappointed. It was all so very good!

As I conclude this post on seeking the cool places, a verse from the Old Testament comes to mind:

The Lord watches over you,

the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

Psalm 121:5

A commentary I read explained it this way, "God is close by to protect you from the heat and heavy burdens of life." I like that. We all need the safety and comfort of His protection. I seek the Lord daily for those very benefits.

Until next time, stay cool in grace and peace.

Barbara

Sweet and Sour

In case you are wondering, yes, you have arrived at my blog with its new header design as well as a different "selfie" in the sidebar. Terri at her blog, Your Friend From Florida, recently changed her header with the help of ChatGPT. It looks so good that I decided to give it a try. 

After a couple of what felt like bumbling efforts, I still don't know just exactly how I did it. But with that said, it was pretty easy and I was very surprised with what "they" (AI, I assume) came up with. I only tweaked one detail and decided it would work for me. 

My hope and assumption is that this was entirely free. There are opportunities to sign up for discounts and such, so that tells me one can get into paying for it. I have avoided all of that and plan to be satisfied with what I have. I definitely did not give them any $$ information, etc.

This is Wednesday, so I'm responding to Joyce's Hodgepodge questions, which are all about lemons and yellow. If you want to link up your blog with this meme, click on this link:

http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2026/07/hodgepodge-questions-volume-663.html

1. Do your goals and dreams energize or exhaust you? Elaborate. 

Goals and dreams: at my age, the really important ones have been achieved. The Lord has given me so much that I wanted and also used some of life's "hard knocks" to change my desires.

There is a heartwarming TV commercial here in Florida for Publix grocery stores that includes the statement, "Mistakes . . . . were made." I like that. When we own up to our errors, we free ourselves to do better. 

As for current goals and dreams, I try to avoid the busyness and preoccupation with things that used to tie me up in knots. My last 5 years have been a very personal, intensive study of human psychology and relationships. My current "goal" or focus is learning how to relate better to people.

If you want to see the commercial, which is short and really cute, click here: Say It With Pie. (Click on the link, not the photo.)

2. July 23rd is national lemon day. Are you a fan of this flavor? What's a favorite dish or beverage you enjoy that calls for lemons? 

Lemon Meringue pie and lemon bars are favorites with me. (Hmm. I've not made Lemon Bars in a long time. I should do that!)

3. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"...is this something you're pretty good at managing? Have you had to do this recently? If so tell us about it. 

We do ourselves a service when we make a practice of transforming lemons into lemonade. It's a survival skill. When we come to the realization that life is NOT all about me, sweetness tends to flavor the sour.

While I've tried to have this attitude most of my adult years, the COVID pandemic and all that has transpired with me since then have taught me to be more flexible, more resilient, less critical, and to make the best of what's happened.

With tongue-in-cheek, if I were to claim a superhero for myself, Elasticgirl from the Disney The Incredibles movies would be my choice. Click here to see a brief portrayal of her flexibility and resilience.

4. Something you love that is lemon yellow in color? 

This is what we like to use at our bathroom and kitchen sinks. I took this snapshot because my preferred shade of yellow is not "lemon" but more of a "banana pudding", something more mild and mellow, like what's at the bottom of this bottle. 

5. How would you describe your attention to detail? 

It all depends on what the subject is. Some things just aren't that important and "artistic freedom" is allowed. But for what demands accuracy for a correct outcome, I do work hard to get the details right. Bookkeeping is what comes to my mind and that definitely needs attention to detail.

BTW [by the way], that particular task (finances) is not something that needed my close attention until a few years ago because others took care of that for me --- until they didn't. With that said, my attention to detail changed (a lot).

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We tend to handle or respond to life based on how we have been treated and taught. Some manage better than others and there is no doubt that with all of us, "mistakes were made" along the way. (thinking of question #3 above)

A lesson I am learning is that I need to forbear with those who are not navigating well. We are all in process. We need to give space to those who struggle, just as we want for ourselves. None of us get it right every time. But mercy and grace help.

Be ye kind to one another,

forgiving one another, 

even as God for Christ's sake

has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Now I think I'll go check my pantry to see if I have what is needed to make those lemon bars!