Choice Morsels

My life journey transitioned in 2020 when my husband of 38 years unxpectedly died in December that year. I was numb for months, yet still functioning thru day to day life. The Lord sustained me, granting me insights into my husbands death.  Now, looking back aside from those high-points, that first year is kind of a blur. Of course, priorities changed.  First thing I did,  right after his death, was adopt a cat from a local no-kill shelter. (She picked me!) We had a plan to adopt anyway and I enjoy a cat for companionship.  His death totally rearranged my life--I had to rearrange my daily routine, rearrange my house, my closets, my social activities... I'm still with the Navigators, doing ministry in the town I live in that's outside a military base, though now alone without my life partner. I don't have family in town or any children. So figuring out comfortable social activates to get myself out among human interaction became #1.  I joined a a local garden clu...

I have 2 Amaryllis, each in a container out in my front beds: one is a dark, solid red and the other is this reddish-orange & white. Both have been faithful to bloom for like 15 years! Today's other picture is Chinese Stonecrop in one of my patio containers, which is just now starting to bloom. I'm not quite sure how it got there exactly, but it looks really good!

I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, graduating in 1975 and back then, if you wanted to listen to music, you either bought records or listened to radio. Then, radio was as vital as cellphones are today for staying in touch with news or music. Everyone had one or more at home, and, if out and about, they could carry hand-size portable radios. Of course, everyone had radio in their cars. In was around 1972 that my Dad gave me a used radio he'd repaired. (Fixing electronics was his profession.) It had a boxy shape and played AM and FM. I was coming into my teenage years and started being more interested in listening to popular radio music.  They're rock classics nowadays, but Top 40 Hits of 1972 I remember well include:  Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by the Raspberries Knights in White Satin by The Moody Blues A Horse With No Name by America If Lovin' You is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Right by Puttin' Game Down American Pie ...

These white flowers are called Alyssum and the purple leaves are Purple Shamrocks.  I planted this Alyssum last spring---it wintered over, blooming like snow all winter, and now that's it's spring, it's spreading slowly.  To find things that grow well in Florida is actually amazing---so I was so pleased with this Alyssum, I bought more seed to plant! This second picture is one of my favorite Garden Art Pieces: It's 2 clay pots, a smaller one set at an angle inside a larger one, 2 Chicks and lots of Chinese Stonecrop cascading over the side! And the eye-catcher is the ceramic frog. Dollar Tree has the cutest little garden ceramics! Last year it was these frogs. (I bought 3, each in a different position.) This year, it's mushrooms. I bought 2 red ones, though the garden space I plan to put them isn't ready for decor yet.

   It was Christmas, 1969 when Santa Claus left me a Green Ghost Game, like the one this one pictured below.    The game consisted of the cool glowing board that stood on legs about 4 inches above the floor with black decorative pieces you slid into slots to decorate it.  (a spooky house, shipwreck &  tree). It included 1 large ghost spinner, 12 mini ghosts, 4 player pieces, 3 trap doors and keys to open those doors plus 3 card board box "pits" that fit under the doors that held "creepy" things. (feathers, plastic sticks and length rubber band's which represented "batwings" "bones" and "snakes" respectively.) To play, the game board, spinner and mini-ghosts had to sit out in the light several hours. Then, in a dark room, you'd set it up, dividing the 12 mini-ghosts between the 3 boxes, putting the boxes under the doors & distributing the keys among the 4 players.  The large ghost spinner clicked over a metal tab when yo...

Last week, one winter day when was warmish and muggy after a rain, I found this "Stinkhorn" Fungus in my flower bed that's along the walkway to the front door.  Also known as Column Stinkhorn or more amusingly, as "Dead Man's Fingers." Stinkhorns have emit a smelly odor to attract flies and so on, who then brush against spores and carry them off--that's how it reproduces.  They are quite unique---though I don't put my nose up close!   Last week we had our first hard freeze--everything except this Alyssum and the Broccoli in my raised garden got freeze-fried.  I was out of town right then, so unfortunately I wasn't able to cover my Salvia or anything. But amazingly, this Alyssum carries on!