That's Life

A peaceful sunrise at Daytona Beach
from my camera in 2022

This week's writing prompts from Joyce led my thoughts to pondering lessons learned, reasons to be grateful, and acknowledging the benefits of adversity. If you want to link up with your own responses to the questions, click here.

1. What's something you enjoy now that your younger self would never have appreciated? .I've learned to be at peace with patience, which I define as "choosing to wait instead of fretting." Patience is a choice.

2. What was peaceful about today? .The retired life is, for me, relatively peaceful most of the time. Oh, there are the appointments for doctors and dentists, car maintenance, unsavory TV news, and life-threatening traffic (all of which are players for us this week). 

Ford dealership comes to our home
 for oil change and other services

To answer the question as to what has been peaceful about today: coming indoors to air conditioning after our daily bike ride, preparing a quiche for lunch and watching my husband get a second helping, and just in general deliberately focusing on the everyday blessings that can disappear at any time for all kinds of reasons. 

3. It's National Blueberry Day (July 8). Will you celebrate?  You can have one of the following right now-a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes...which do you choose? I would not refuse any of these options, but I do like fresh blueberries in pancakes. 

This or that-blueberries or raspberries? blueberries or strawberries? 

.Any of the above. . . . . maybe blueberries the most??? But with that said, the blueberries need to be fresh (No! to the canned ones that come in boxed muffin mixes)

4. Do you need a break? . Yes. From what? .The heat. I KNOW I'm not alone with that feeling. It's been a hot summer in so many places, including Great Britain and Europe, not just here in Florida.

5. What has surprised you most about getting older? .Relationships -- the ones that have lasted and the ones that have not. I'm realizing this is just life and not really unusual nor necessarily a bad thing.

6. Insert your own random thought here. .All 3 of my children have birthdays in June-July. Now fully grown with families of their own, each one of them is employed with the desire of their heart ("What do you want to be when you grow up?"). 

One is an international aviation pilot, one is a free lance graphic artist, and one is in the entertainment industry. I am pleased with their achievements.

learning life skills
1978

family hike in Colorado Rocky Mountains
1982

Children are a gift from God;

they are His reward.

Psalm 127:3 The Living Bible

 

Scripture tells us that children are a blessing from the Lord. While this is true, the word, "blessing," means more than happy, or fun times with rewards. "Blessing" is also God's means of "continuing education" for adults, whether they are parents or not so that we learn how to cope with life. That means sometimes our blessings feel more like the opposite!

Children are a catalyst for adult studies in sacrificial service, countless coping skills, balancing priorities, learning when to hold on and when to let go, and adapting to what is natural in the seasons of life. As stated earlier, this is just life.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

The Landscaping Saga and Beyond

 

Home Sweet Home

It hasn't been long since my previous post, but I have memories to add to this journal, so here I am. The above photo is how our front yard looks today. The photo below is how it was yesterday:

removing the old lawn

On Wednesday, after waiting from 8am to 5:30 pm and in that time placing phone calls that automatically went into voice mail, our promised yard contract saw absolutely no progress. To say we were angry and frustrated would be an understatement. By days' end we were finally told the scheduling in the office had messed up (duh!) and they would be out the following day. We impressed on them that "sooner would be better than later" since one of us had a dental appointment in the afternoon.

Gary (in white shorts) speaks to the supervisor

To their credit, the very next morning shortly after 8am a literal army of trucks showed up all along and across the street from our house. I lost count how many vehicles there were, maybe 5. 

8 men working

Many men wearing matching chartreuse, company logo T-shirts jumped out and after a brief consultation with Gary, began tearing up the existing lawn (what remained after severe winter-kill, extreme drought conditions for months) in preparation for the new sod. 

our new lawn on the flatbed truck

With all the right equipment, tools, and obvious necessary skills this army of men "got to it!!" with determination to get the job done well and in a timely manner.They reminded me of ants working hard and fast to accomplish their goals.

I admit that in spite of my irritation at the delay and lack of communication the day before, I was impressed with how well the job was carried out. We watched the entire process within their view -- not leaving any opportunity for people to goof off. There was none of that.

the end result!

As you can see, they did a good job. As the men cleaned up the work area, Gary was instructed how to water the new lawn for the first 30 days as the roots grow down into the soil to take hold. 

Then today we went to our water company to let them know that in these continued drought conditions, we will be exceeding the current rule to water only once a week. They understood. Their computer system issues naughty notices when their meters tell them a homeowner is exceeding the requirements; but today we were told it's okay to ignore that if/when it comes. Keep our paperwork and all should be well. 

It was time for fun. Gary suggested we have lunch at Swampy's, a riverside grill about 20 minutes from our house. I'm not sure we've been there since last fall, and it is one of my fav places, so off we went.

We've had the burgers many times in the past, and they are good. I snapped this picture of the menu to prove to those not familiar with Florida cuisine that serving alligator is not at all unusual. What would be unusual was if Gary or I would order that. We don't dine on reptiles. (The very idea makes me want to upchuck!!)

looking south on the Rainbow River and
the Hwy 484 bridge

About 90 percent of the dining tables at Swampy's are open air (no walls), with a small indoor seating area. But a huge draw to this place are the water-front tables. It's also a good idea to show up before the crowds, which we did.

looking north on the Rainbow River 

Countless times on this blog I have written of my love for eating within view of water. While that was pretty hard to do in my former home state of Colorado, here in Florida it's an easy goal to attain.

kayak traffic on the river

We have been a part of the river traffic in the past. The first time was via a shared kayak and the second time in a canoe. Both adventures were new to me, experiences Gary has given me (along with zip-lines, a couple of airboat rides, and steering a 2-seat catamaran).

Us

I do not mean to belittle myself when I honestly state that in comparison to my former self who preferred to sit for hours hunched over needlework and was a fraidy-cat to try athletic amusements, with Gary I've enjoyed amazing adventures. 

(Apparently my theme song has become, "What I Did For Love.")

Our food came and we thoroughly enjoyed it. My friend Sheila commented that the servings at Swampy's are huge. Well, yes, they are generous, but this open-faced Philly sandwich is smaller when folded over. But with that said, we couldn't finish all of our French fries, and I forgot to eat my pickle.

After the long wait for the landscaping project to get started, then the furious activity to get it done, and concerns regarding the water company, it was so good to get that all behind us. 

Today's retreat to a quiet place was wonderful. We are thankful to have that work done and to now be able to enjoy the fruits of labor, eat well, and doze in our recliners.

Arise, my love,

my beautiful one,

and come away.

Song of Solomon 2:10

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Our Anniversary Celebration

 Thank you, everybody, for the kind and thoughtful comments on my previous blog post where I made the announcement of our anniversary. The actual day was the 14th (yesterday, as I write this) so today I will show you the snapshots taken as we celebrated. 

cards and Mother's Day flowers

My guy has many sterling qualities. One of them is that he gives me THE BEST cards!!! I save them all, making note at the very bottom on the inside of the card the year it was given. Now after 4 years of birthdays, Valentine's, Christmases, and anniversaries, I have a wonderful collection of the sweetest, most heartfelt words. His sentiments are no joke (I mean, his cards are serious), which stirs my heart. My personal "love language" is Words of Affirmation, which explains why his cards to me are so precious. 

click here for
purchase information

By the way, if you don't know what your "love language" is, look up Gary Chapman's book, pictured above.

diamond and garnet earrings

We began our day with the exchange of cards and then a small black box appeared from Kay Jewelers, you know the company that says, "Every kiss begins with Kay". (it's true, you know!! ❤️) Inside was this pair of beautiful earrings that match the necklace Gary gave to me for Valentine's Day. So, be-decked with jewels and a smile on my face, we headed out for our day-trip.

anniversary celebration destination

We both have been to St. Augustine before, and more than once, but this was our first time to go there together. Having found the address for free parking at our destination, we entered that into the Waze map app I prefer to use. (it's free and very user-friendly. Check it out on your cell phone's app store) 

Waze

Although this was probably my 6th trip to St. Augustine, I had pretty much seen the same [few] things on every trip and had never taken a real tour. After enjoying the trolley tour during our November trip to New Orleans, I became convinced that is possibly the best way to acquaint oneself with more than a general familiarization with a city, so that's what we did in St. Augustine.

stickers on our shirts 
for trolley admission

While not an inexpensive option for sightseeing, we saw and heard a lot of information in a 90-minute ride that made the $$ worthwhile. There was also the benefit of free parking just steps from the ticket booth. 

By the way, here is the address of where we parked. If you plan a road trip to tour St. Augustine, put this into your GPS:

167 San Marco Avenue

St. Augustine, FL 32084

There are other parking options, but this one worked very well for us.

We had a choice of 4 different tours, each one including admission to features we preferred. Our tour had 22 stops:

Oldest Store Museum

Visitor Information Center 

Potter's Wax Museum, Old Drug Store, Huguenot Cemetery

City Gates and Pirate & Treasure Museum

Colonial Quarter, Castillo de San Marcos

Bay View

Hypolita St., St. George St., St. Augustine Shipwreck Museum, Medieval Torture Museum

Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, Grace United Methodist Church, Ancient City Baptist Church

Villa Zorayda Museum

Lightner Museum, Flagler College, A Ghostly Experience, Haunted Pub Crawl, Savory Faire Food & Wine Tour

Lincolneville Museum and Cultural Center

St. Augustine Distillery

San Sebastian Winery, Whetstone Chocolates of St. Augustine

Plaza de la Constitution, Government House, Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, Pena-Peck House

St. Augustine Marina, Ripley's Bayfront Mini Gold, Schooner Freedom Scenic Cruise, Eco Tours, The Black Raven, Spanish Military Hospital Museum, Zimenez-Fatio House, St. Augustine Parasail

Oldest House, Fernandez Llambias House

Castillo de San Marcos

Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Red Train Tours

Old Town Trolley Welcome Center, Ghost & Gravestones, Uptonw San Marco Shopping District 

Mission of Nombre de Dios, Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche

The Old Senator, Villa 1565

Fountain of Youth

me with Mr. Ponce de Leon himself!

The tour bus allows riders to jump off and on at any of the stops. Fortunate for us, one of the main things we wanted to see was at our last stop, The Fountain of Youth. This was one of 3 or 4 attractions included in our trolley fare, so we just had to show our trolley receipt to get in. 

The water for the Fountain of Youth was inside a stone building and dripping out of a clay urn. Disposable cups were provided. 

We both drank deeply and our thirst for hydration was satisfied. No immediate physical changes took place. It's now about 24 hours later as I write about it and so far we are both as gray-haired, wrinkled, and in need of an afternoon nap as we were yesterday. 🙄

However, as born-again Christians know, the real 'fountain of youth,' or another way of phrasing it, 'the water of life', is our belief in Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament where Jesus said, 

"Everyone who drinks this water

will be thirsty again, 

but whoever drinks the water I give them

will never thirst.

Indeed, the water I give them

will become in them 

a spring of water 

welling up to eternal life."

John 4:13-14

milky white Gardenias

After exiting that building, we toured through the gardens, which were much more quiet than the noisy (although enjoyable) trolley ride.

One notable exception to the tranquility were several peacocks strutting about announcing their presence with their noisy call. I took 3 snapshots of this one but even with the tools in my photo program, I'm not able to bring out the vibrant colors of his feathers. He walked in a particular way, much like those showgirls in Las Vegas when they wear huge headpieces as they swagger across the stage.

As I said earlier, our trolley fare included some attractions. After enjoying fast-food-type sandwiches (which were very good) at outdoor picnic tables, we got the tour of The Oldest Store Museum. My photos of that follow. Wax figures looked shockingly real.....

 

This (above), however, is no man made of wax! Nor is the jail bird pictured below.....

The Old Jail tour

Probably the most revealing information I gathered from the entire visit to St. Augustine was given at The Old Jail tour. Our guide (above) gave us a very interesting as well as entertaining excursion through the original jail house in St. Augustine. Comprised of 3 floors and lots of metal cells lacking absolutely any means of privacy for the most personal of needs, this tour should make anybody think twice before committing a crime -- at least in those days!! 

In this photo, some government officials were having a meeting in one of the jailhouse rooms. Both men are made of wax. The one on the right, especially looked so real that I had to squint my eyes as I approached him, not sure if he was alive or fake. His left hand had the blood vessels and bones showing through his skin as it is on my hands. It was an amazing work of skill and art!

It may have been that same man who mercifully released us so we could leave the dark gloom of that jailhouse, (hopefully never to return!!). You see our documents of pardon pictured.

Back outside in the brilliance of sunshine and freedom, I couldn't resist taking this picture of Gary since his military service included law enforcement, security, investigating crime, and wrestling bad guys to the ground.

These two museums were in the area of our free parking, the kiosk where we had bought our trolley tickets, and a large, well-supplied gift shop. With plenty of touristy-type T-shirts in my closet already, I opted for refrigerator magnets. There were many from which to choose and they were reasonably priced! (such is not always the case)

The gift shop also had ice cream, so Gary got a chocolate mallow blend in his cone, and mine was rainbow sherbet. We enjoyed them in the car on the drive back home.

It was a full day, well-spent. We made more good memories to add to our happy marriage, for which we are both profoundly grateful.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara

Lakeland Daycation

Here's something to ponder, if an enjoyable adventure lasts only about 9 hours, can it classify as a vacation? Before you think too hard, let me just go ahead and answer that. YES!

This week we drove about 2 hours south to visit our blogger friend, Terri, who writes at Your Friend From Florida (click on the title to see her blog). This was my 3rd trip over the years to see her environment; Gary had not been there before. Believe me, it's a very pleasant place to visit more than once.

Terri studying the menu

We drove to Terri's home, were introduced to her 2 cats (who gave us reasonable acceptance considering we were strangers to them and tend to be more "dog people" than "cat people." 👍🏻) We talked about the drive and then, per our agreement on prior text messages regarding the trip, Terri took us to lunch at Metro Diner. 

Be sure to note the "diner" decor in the above snapshot: black-and-white tile floor, chrome and leather stools at the counter, 50's style light fixtures... "Where the locals eat".

Both Terri and I ordered the San Francisco style of Eggs Benedict (which included avocado with ample Hollandaise sauce 😋). Gary got a chicken dinner, two-thirds of which came home with us in a box for our supper!

Gary, me, and Terri

I wonder. When restaurant managers are interviewing potential wait staff, is it mentioned how often they may get asked to snap pictures of the customers?!! 🤔

one of Lakeland's many famous swans

With a very satisfying lunch behind us, Terri filled my request to see the swans at Lake Morton. As history states, Queen Elizabeth sent swans to Lakeland years ago where they have multiplied over the years and delighted many visitors. 

a black swan

There are black swans, too, that are very bit as beautiful as the snowy white ones. Terri cautioned that the black swans are more aggressive or territorial than the white, particularly with regard to humans and other birds.

Internet photo

A nest of 4 eggs was easily seen from our standpoint. We did not get close; I took the (below) picture using the zoom on my phone camera. Typically the mother swan does not leave the nest except to feed and to bathe; Mr. Swan is usually nearby and humans should not approach.

swan nest with eggs

There was a caged-in area where mama swans can be with their young in a protected environment. Due to the cage, it was hard to get as clear of a photo as I would have liked. Look to the left of the large white female to see the babies just a foot or two away from her. You can't tell in this picture, but their feathers were fluffy. Note that from their waterfront location, they have easy access for swimming lessons.

Terri gave us each a plastic cup filled with bird food that looked like dog food (kibble). I thought I had taken a picture of my cup but it was kinda tricky holding that and trying to take pictures, so I guess that didn't happen. Had I put the cup on the ground, it would have been quickly emptied!

Gary with the ducks

There were many kinds of birds on the shore of Lake Morton. The ducks were the first to spy Gary with food.

Terri

The Ibis and ducks saw free food in Terri's hands, which led to more birds flying in to feed.

I have to say, tossing the food out to these birds was a lot of fun. Unlike the tendencies of human children, not a one of these birds refused the fare with negative comments. Wherever we tossed the kibble, there was an immediate rush to gobble it up. They were at our feet, not attacking or otherwise bothering us at all. I could feel their gratitude!

Ibis at my feet

The Ibis, in particular, held my attention. Their curved beaks are dark-colored, which I assumed was due to pecking into the dirt for food. While that may be true in part, my research tells me their beaks typically change in color depending on their age and during breeding season.

I have to say, feeding the birds was the highlight of my day.

Anhinga

We saw at least one Anhinga (bird). Their feathers are not waterproof, so they will stand with their wings spread out, making them to look like they are drying out their armpits!! They do that to dry their feathers. This enables them to maintain buoyancy and to prepare for flight. 

Some 40 years ago when I was living in the Washington DC area, the newspaper published this silly little ditty about ducks. I quoted it to this duck as it approached me: (suspend your sensibilities and just read it aloud as you see it)

M R ducks.

M R not.

O S A R!

C M wangs?

L I B!

M R ducks!

Leaving Terri and Gary behind, I had walked some distance along the shore with hopes to get closer to more of the swans, but apparently they were in another area. As I approached my human companions, I saw that the birds were hopeful for more kibble, but by then it was all gone. 

Terri snapped this picture of us and then it was time to see the AGB Museum (formerly the Polk Museum of Art), which was nearby. Terri worked there for many years and has employee friends who greet her every time she brings visitors.

Internet photo

The short drive to the museum was beautiful, with large trees, green lawns, flowers, lakes, birds, the campus of South Florida University, architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, and many, many of 1920s craftsman-style bungalow houses. Terri said many of them have been renovated, which seems good since their designs are 100 years old! My goodness, I would love to wander through these houses and claim one for us; but that is a highly, highly unlikely idea. This style just looks like "home" to me. 

The Brown Bungalow, 2013-2017,
for which my blog was named

Some of my long-time readers may remember that years ago this blog was named, "The Brown Bungalow" for the house I had in Castle Rock, Colorado. Now returning to the present day...

me with an art piece
made with a lot of pink

Once inside the museum (where admission is free!!), "the facilities" were found. We wandered on the first floor to see creative art from several ages and civilizations. The afternoon was getting away from us and we had some 90 miles to travel before supper, so we did not make it to the upper floors.

However, the gift shop could not be left out, and even more so because Terri still has a discount that she shared with me. My purchases were narrowed down to these 2 refrigerator magnets:

a bit of beaded art work

And this, which just made me chuckle:

I feel sure this is a true statement for many of my readers..... Carbs do have a comforting ability when life hits hard.

We expressed our thanks to Terri for showing us such a good time (she's a wonderful hostess and tour guide), hugged her goodbye, and then headed north up to our part of the state. One stop was made along the way for soft serve vanilla ice cream cones at a Burger King.

When we pulled into the garage, we had one of those "when life hits hard" moments -- the semi-annual arrival of Love Bugs is here. Blessedly, this curse lasts only about a month (TWICE a year), but when they meet their demise on the windshields and paint of vehicles, the dead bodies of these bugs are a bummer to remove. Their chemistry eats into the car paint, so it behooves us to remove them as soon as possible. 

Gary cleans the love bugs off the car;
note the front bumper.

A combination of liquid insect remover and scrubbing with fabric softener sheets gets the job done, along with a determined amount of elbow grease.

Aside from the love bugs, it was a most enjoyable daycation with a focus on friendship, shared experiences, and beauty in several forms. We went, we saw, we enjoyed, and then we got to sleep in our own bed at night!

Regarding our enjoyment of nature, these words from the Old Testament book of Job phrase it well:

But ask the animals,

and they will teach you,

or the birds in the sky,

and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth,

and it will teach you,

or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know that 

the hand of the Lord has done this?

Job 12:7-9 NIV

Until next time, grace and peace.

Barbara