Z Is For Zzzz

I was out and about today and saw this goose taking a nap.

He was right in the drive into a parking lot.

Not exactly the most peaceful of places to sleep!

But he didn't even flinch when I drove past!

I, for one, am thankful I don't have to try to sleep while

balancing on one leg!  My parakeets do this, too! ha!

And this concludes the A to Z Challenge!  Yay!

Back to plain old random stuff from me starting tomorrow! ha.

It's been fun to take this challenge along with

1700 other bloggers for the second year in a row!

And I made a few new friends along the way, which

is really what it's all about!

♥

Y Is For Yellow

"Sundown, yellow moon.

 I replay the past.

I know every scene by heart.
It all went by so fast."

Bob Dylan

♫♫♫

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♥

X

To mark a spot

or check a box.

Send a kiss 

or make a wish!

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♥

W Is For Wedges

my new sandals

"1972: First woman falls off her cork sandals.

Millions follow."  ~ Vogue

I remember my first pair of cork wedges and it was in the 1970's!

I had just gotten my driver's license and it was my first 

shopping trip out all by myself....a trip to the mall for a

pair of new shoes.  They were my favorite shoes and I wore

them almost every day.  Fun memory!

 I've never, however, fallen off my cork sandals, thank goodness!

Now I just need a tan!  But with frost still on the 

ground in the mornings here...that isn't likely to 

happen in the near future. ha.

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♥

V Is For Violet

I have a huge violet patch under one of my crab apple trees.

I look forward to it blooming every spring and this week

the little lovely flowers came out!

Violet is another one of those homonyms...words that

sound the same and are spelled the same but have 

different meanings.  In this case, one is the flower

and one is a color!

Violets are not only pretty, they are edible and are used

in salads, to make tea and even perfume!

And do you know what their meaning is?

The violet is a pledge of faithfulness.

In his sonnets, Shakespeare used the violet as a

symbol of humility and constancy in love.

As if shy, these rich dark flowers withdraw their color

to the shadowy glade.  "How they would loose their beauty,"

wrote Keats, "were they to throng into the highway crying

out, Admire me, I am a violet!"

I guess that's what sunflowers do. lol....

And if you dream about violets, it might indicate

that you are shy, hiding in the background!

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Info from myflowermeanings.com

♥

U Is For Umbrella

It's U day at the A to Z Challenge!

Time for my annual nod to April Showers

and the Big Umbrella!

 The Big Umbrella was a two year project by Aleksandra Mir. 

 From 2003 to 2004, she traveled to London, Paris, NYC, Martinique,

Dresden, Copenhagen with the umbrella and documented social reaction.

The umbrella, which was twice the size of the largest men's umbrella on the market, could

shield 16 people from the rain.  But her question was, would 16 strangers really crowd

together under it's protection? 

She says, "Traveling the world with a familiar object of uncanny proportions can have some unexpected effects. While The Big Umbrella proved useful as a tool for plucking down stray balls from trees, its unwieldy size on busy streets turned altruistic motives into harassment. Providing a shelter, it brought some strangers momentarily together, while alienating others, and in its most salient moments, simply amplified the solitude of the bearer."

So, how about you?  If it was pouring rain and someone was nearby with a gigantic umbrella and offered you some shelter, would you take it?  I think I would, unless the owner of the umbrella looked like a real creep. lol.  In fact, I've offered to share my umbrella with a stranger before, but I'm just friendly like that. haha.  Anyway, I want one of these huge umbrellas!  Although, if the wind was really strong, I think it might carry me away like Mary Poppins! :)

If you'd like to read more about the Big Umbrella project click HERE.

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♥

T Is For "Top It"

It's usually a tacky thing to do.  You know the type...someone

tells about something they did or have and another person

has to out-do or 'top' their story or purchase or experience.

But I will admit that when I saw the back of this van in

the grocery parking lot today, I laughed and thought to myself

that I could indeed top that.  So they have 5 kids, 3 dogs

and 2 cats!  I have 4 kids, 15 cats, 2 parakeets and 1 rabbit!

So there!  lol....

But I don't think I'd ever put that many little character stickers

on the back of my Jeep. 

Ok...no more tackiness. Promise. ha.

On a more serious note...did you know that authorities advise

against these stickers if they have your child's names on them?

Child predators can use a child's name to help lure them away.

They seem more credible to a child if someone knows their

name and says,"Mom sent me to pick you up", or whatever.

Just a thought there...you don't want to make it easier

or put your child in any danger!

So there you go...silly to serious all in one post. ha.

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♥

S Is For Seek...Hide And Seek, That Is!

Jack, Shadow and Cinder, having a little outdoor fun!

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R Is For Mt. Rushmore

It's been a while since I saw a face in my strawberry!

But this one made up for it, not only in size, but

in number of faces!  haha.  Yep, I thought of Mt. Rushmore as

soon as I saw it.  And since I just admitted yesterday that

I was feeling like I was cracking up, nobody should be

surprised at all that I'm seeing things!

Unless you see it, too!  Then you, too, can be a crazy loon!

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♥

Q Is For Quack

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed!  haha.

I think I'm multitasking my multitasking!  I am

busy...crazy busy! I worked an auction yesterday

and work another tomorrow.  I also had a doctor's

appointment, a grocery trip and a day of planning

and shopping for a 4 way graduation party in a

couple of weeks!

This week The Mister and I also toured a new facility in

our county which has a free day program during the summer

for teens with autism.  They called and said they had

three spots remaining and wanted to offer them

to our boys!  Sounds great, but we are cautious.

 We wanted to know more before we said yes and

asked for a tour and some time spent observing the

kids there and the staff.  More on that to come on this

at a later date.  But I will say that it was a good visit.

If it was up to me today, I'd send Spencer right away!

Haha...he's been hanging on my last nerve since

he got off the bus this afternoon.  lol....

I guess you can say I'm about to QUACK up.  haha.

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♥

photo from arkinpatch.com

O Is For Oatmeal

Have you ever noticed that some nouns also described that object's color?

Oatmeal is like that.  Oatmeal is a food and a color.

I have an oatmeal colored sweater!

Orange is like that.  So is peach, wine, and sapphire.

They are a type of homonym...words that are spelled

and pronounced the same but have different meanings.

Can you think of any?

How about olive?

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♥

N Is For Nest

Vacancy ~

Charming one family dwelling in rural Greene County, Ohio.

Perfect starter home for a young family.

Lovingly maintained, gorgeous surroundings and

landscaping.  Turnkey ready for immediate occupancy.

Available on a first come first serve basis.

Can be rented monthly for a song. :)

*****

I made a spring wreath for the front door today

and couldn't help but put a little nest in it!

I'm hoping a bird couple comes and makes it a little

home for their eggs!  

I had to smile at memories of my mother-in-law taking

a broom and shooing away birds from her hanging pots

and wreaths!  And here I am begging them to come!

I can almost feel her looking down at me from 

heaven, shaking her head and smiling. :)

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♥

M Is For Moon

The moon above my home last night, April 13, 2013.

I see the moon.

The moon sees me.

The moon sees somebody I want to see.

So God bless the moon.

God bless me.

And God bless the somebody

I want to see.

A little Jim Brickman for all my lovely blog friends.

I wish I could see you!

Lucky moon. :)

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♥

L Is For Lambs

Photo taken while out and about today.

Clifton, Ohio

They've lost their heavy wool winter coats!

The shearer must have been making rounds!

They were laying in the green grass, taking

an afternoon siesta.

I guess they're really sheep.

But I need an L!  Yeah, they're lambs!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! haha.

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♥

K Is For Kitty

I couldn't do K for the A to Z Challenge without thinking of kitties! 

 And recently Anita commented that she'd like to see a collage of all the cats from the zoo.  

So, here they are!  All of these cats have been in our neighborhood and found

 there way to our back porch. 

Three litters from two moms, with the addition of Jack and Cocoa on separate occasions.

We've fed and cared for them and then had them fixed

 so hopefully the stray cat population will get under control!  Two cats are no longer with us, Mustache and Tipper. 

They just disappeared and never returned.

But the door is always open!

We don't see all of these cats daily, but have a group here most 

of the time.  They come and go, but I think they think of us as the home base.

Many preferred to sleep here during the winter

and some like to just eat and be on the run again.

And just think, if I hadn't had them fixed and the girls each had a litter of

four in the last two years, there would be 48 more cats!

Oh, I'm so glad that isn't the case!  haha.

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♥

J Is For Junk

One man's junk is another man's treasure!

And in this case, I was working at the auctions and brought home

this French-Bauer milk crate!

I happened to be clerking at the time. 

 It was at the very end of the auction and most people had left for the day.

  We were on the last table

of goods and it was full of military items, uniforms, canteens and

boxes of ammunition.  There were only a half dozen men there bidding...

hunters...rougher looking guys than the ones that were there to

bid on the front tables of fine china and collectibles earlier in the day. :)

The very last item, which didn't seem to fit on this table, was a "french

dairy crate" as the auctioneer called it.  Bids?  Any?  haha

Those men, with their arms full of boxes of ammo, had no more interest

in a pink tutu than a French dairy crate.  haha.  So, I bid!

And brought it home for $2.00.  

One just sold on etsy for $75.  No lie!

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♥

I Is For Indigo

Anemone, blooming in my yard today!

Indigo.  A deep and bright shade of blue.

The color is named after the blue dye derived from the

plant Indigofera tinctoria.  The color is placed on the

electromagnetic spectrum about 420 and 450 nm in

wavelength, placing it between blue and violet.

And of course we all knew that, right?

Maybe we would have never heard of indigo if it

wasn't for science class and the famous

Roy G. Biv, for remembering the colors of the 

rainbow in their correct order!

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♥

H Is For Hydration

I've never been one to drink a lot of water.

I guess I don't usually feel thirsty and don't even

finish a glass with a meal!

But we all know that we're supposed to take

in 64 ounces of water daily for optimal health.

And half the population is at least mildly dehydrated!

Proper hydration helps us feel more alert,

balances mood, improves coordination, even 

 helps in better decision making and concentration.

It also helps manage hunger and weight control

and just allows our bodies to work better.
And it flushes toxins and sickness from our
bodies.  That's why doctor's orders usually
include, "drink plenty of fluids". 

It was also my main New Year's Resolution.

(yeah Pat and Silver, I know how you feel..just

spare me the snide comments this once. haha)

And I'm happy to say that over three months

into the year, I'm still drinking my water!

And you know what?  I feel better!

(I'm still drinking my pot of coffee, too!

Can't give that up! ha.)

So, get hydrated and see if you feel 

a difference, too!

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Hydration facts from goldsgym.com

♥

Grilled Turkey Burgers

I had never made these, but have had a turkey burger before.
So when I had a coupon for $2 off any freshly ground turkey
from the grocery and found a package in the clearance bin
marked half price, I thought it was time I tried making
them myself. I mean, the meat was practically free!
If made correctly, turkey burgers are juicy and full of flavor!

Grilled Turkey Burgers

1 1/2 lbs. ground fresh turkey

1/2 c grated white cheese (I used Jarlsberg)

2 t grated fresh onion

1/4 c fresh cilantro, snipped with scissors

1/4 c bread crumbs

1/4 c Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper

Mix well and form into 4 patties.

Grill as you would for beef burgers but 

cook through just until there isn't any pink

in the middle.  Don't over cook or they will be dry.

I topped them with additional cheese, mayo, and lettuce.

Now if it was summer, a slice of tomato would 

have been the finishing touch!

******

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♥

Famous Folks' Felines

My current series fits perfectly with the 

A to Z Challenge and the letter F!

And this time, look who is featured 

in the Famous Folks' Felines series!

At age 59, he was voted 'Sexiest Man Alive'.

At age 69, he was voted 'Sexiest Man of the Century'.

"More than anything, I'd like to be an old man

with a good face, like Alfred Hitchcock

or Pablo Picasso."

Sean Connery

Scottish Actor and Producer.

1930 - 

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♥