Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition - Part 2

This is the last of the photos I wanted to share from the sidewalk chalk art competition in Winter Park yesterday. Since most of the competitors were under age, I've erased their names from the photos I've posted but I retain the original photos with the names intact.

Sidewalk Chalk Art Competition - Part 1

While strolling around Winter Park today, I came across a sidewalk chalk art competition. Several different schools were competing, and some adults. Below is a sampling of what I saw today. Since most of the competitors were under age, I've erased their names from the photos I've posted but I retain the original photos with the names intact.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest!

A Politically-Correct Dictionary for Dogs

This came from an old issue of a gem of a magazine called Going Bonkers?  The self-help magazine with a sense of humor.

Please enjoy "A Politically-Correct Dictionary for Dogs."

Archaic                                         New
Dog                                              Domestic Partner
Hound                                          Canine Companion
Person                                         Quadrupled-impaired
Pet                                               Roommate
Master                                          Master chef
Owner                                          Automatic door opener
Command                                    Suggestion
Pot roast                                      Dog food
Groomer                                      Spa
"Accident"                                    Self-expression
Barking                                        Discussing
Discipline                                     Assertiveness training
Obedience                                   Self-actualization program
Shedding                                     Self-renewal
Digging through trash                  Recycling
Dog pack                                     Fraternal organization
Guard dog                                   Defense chief
Sheep dog                                   Agricultural mgmt.                                                                                     professional
Lap dog                                       Personal advisor
Stray                                            Explorer
Kids                                             Assailants
Bath                                            Obsolete

Book Review: To Bless the Space Between Us

Just finished this lovely book of poetry, To Bless the Space Between Us, by the late John O'Donohue. I first came across his poetry a few years ago and I have loved his work ever since. 

The book is divided into major life categories with poems within each chapter that cover pretty much anything you can think of.

Chapter 1: Beginnings

Chapter 2: Desires

Chapter 3: Thresholds

Chapter 4: Homecomings

Chapter 5: States of Heart

Chapter 6: Callings

Chapter 7: Beyond Endings

While I liked almost all of the poems (some I just could not make heads or tails out of at this point in time), some of the ones that spoke the most to me were A Morning Offering, For A New Beginning, For A New Home, For Freedom, A Blessing of Angels, For Longing, For the Traveler, For A Mother-To-Be, For a Friend on the Arrival of Illness, For a Parent on the Death of a Child, To Come Home to Yourself, Before Sleep, For Courage, For An Exile, For Solitude, For Grief, For the Interim Time, For One Who is Exhausted, For A Nurse, For the Time of Necessary Decision, For Citizenship, For a Leader, On the Death of the Beloved, and For the Dying.

O'Donohue's poetry touches my soul on a personal level. I would have loved to have known him in person, but the perception I have of him through his poetry is that he seems to have been a very intuitive and kind man who sought to give everyone who crossed his path kind words and comfort on the journey of life. Definitely a must-read for any of his fans. Be sure to check him out on YouTube, too!


All opinions are my own. I am not receiving compensation for this review.

Ten Feet Tall!

Today would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

My dad at about age 2

His enlistment photo

With me

Mom and Dad

I spent some time visiting with my dad's family out of state recently and had an opportunity to visit his grave after many, many years. Days like today are hard as I remember my dad and certain childhood memories.

One memory that really stands out for me is when my dad stood up for me when I told him about a bully at the bus stop who always gave me a hard time. He would push me out of line to get on the bus and make me go to the back of the line, and he called me horrible names. I put up with it for a long time out of fear before finally telling my dad about it. 

My dad called the boy's father immediately and got things straightened out. The very next morning, that same bully was the most apologetic and gracious kid I'd ever seen and I never had another problem with him. My daddy was 10 feet tall that day! ♥

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I miss you!

Love, 

Peanut

Happy Halloween, Boys and Girls...

Hope you get all the sweets you can handle! Sleep tight...

if you can.

When Death Comes

When Death Comes

by Mary Oliver

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

For Courage

For some friends and for myself on occasion when life seems so very dark. I hope you will find comfort in these words by the late John O'Donohue.

******************************

For Courage

When the light around you lessens

And your thoughts darken until

Your body feels fear turn

Cold as a stone inside,

When you find yourself bereft

Of any belief in yourself

And all you unknowingly

Leaned on has fallen,

When one voice commands

Your whole heart, 

And it is raven dark,

Steady yourself and see

That it is your own thinking

That darkens your world,

Search and you will find

A diamond-thought of light,

Know that you are not alone

And that this darkness has purpose;

Gradually it will school your eyes

To find the one gift your life requires

Hidden within this night-corner.

Invoke the learning

Of every suffering

You have suffered.

Close your eyes.

Gather all the kindling

About your heart

To create one spark.

That is all you need

To nourish the flame

That will cleanse the dark

Of its weight of festered fear.

A new confidence will come alive

To urge you toward higher ground

Where your imagination

Will learn to engage difficulty

As its most rewarding threshold!

morningstar mini-storage

There is a local mini-storage facility in my town that employs somebody with a good sense of humor to write sayings for their sign out front. It's always good for a chuckle and I take a picture whenever I get an opportunity. Here are a few that were posted recently. Hope you enjoy them.

I'm one of them, lol.

Taken this past spring.

My Norwegian friends enjoyed this.

Not sure if they meant to say Adobe, rather than Abode, 

but either way, it's pretty funny. Heaven knows how

many times Adobe updates their stuff.

Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's photo quiz...

Playing with photo software...

Any guesses as to what the original photographs were?

Miracles

The Journey of Life

Here is another lovely poem by Terah Cox. Hope you enjoy it!

Measure of a Man

Found this lovely poem by Terah Cox that I thought you might enjoy.

Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons...

Just some wise advice, in case you were thinking of meddling in the affairs of dragons, or anything. ;-)

Book Review: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

This book is the latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's series, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I became a fan of this series through the movies that had been made out of some of the books. 

Precious Ramotswe is the kind, warm and "traditionally built" owner of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and Grace Makutsi is her associate detective. Where Mma Ramotswe is gentle in her inquiries, Mma Makutsi tends towards being much more direct and outspoken in her opinions and methods of questioning and has ruffled more than a few feathers.

In this installment, the owner of the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon enlists Mma Ramotswe's help in finding out whom is sabotaging her business. In a separate case, a lawyer approaches the agency for help in determining whether a young man is who he claims to be, as he stands to inherit his uncle's very successful farm. There is enough doubt about his identity and enough other people who would benefit whether he inherited or not to keep Mma Ramotswe on her toes and there is a surprise twist to the story that I did not see coming.

In addition to everything else, Mma Makutsi gives birth to her first child and things at the agency go into a bit of a tailspin without her day-to-day presence. However, childbirth and even a meddling aunt-in-law cannot keep Mma Makutsi out of commission for very long and she is soon enough able to assist Mma Ramotswe with resolving the cases and still being there for her new baby.

This was a fun read and I would recommend it to fans of the series or anyone else looking for an engaging read. If you are into mysteries with lots of blood and guts and assorted other violence, this series is not for you. You can check out more about the book here.

Note: I am not being compensated for this review. 

Book Review: The Hexed

Getting in the mood for Halloween, I guess. This is the second book by Heather Graham that I have read. She is quite the prolific writer! This story is set in Salem, MA, and is about a series of modern day murders that tie back to the Salem Witch Trials. 

I read the book in one day, so it obviously held my attention. There is a good bit of history involved and the characters are well written with a red herring or two here and there to keep you off balance. I do have one bone of contention involving something the protagonist did (with no explanation that I could see) that seemed, to me, very out of character with her behavior in the rest of the book, but apart from that, I enjoyed the book immensely. You can check it out here. 

I am not being compensated for this review. 

Bullying

Bullying is a huge problem for many people today. Poet/Spoken Word Artist, Shane Koyczan gives a fabulous, funny, and heartbreaking TED talk about bullying and his personal experience with it. Please take a few moments to watch this. It is worth your time.

Love

This is in honor of a friend whose sister passed away from cancer about a week ago. Godspeed, Holly. Be at peace and know that we are all looking out for your brother.