Choice Morsels

I've had so many good comments about my "Blogging Tips" from last Thursday, which I appreciate! There's so much bad news out there, I just like my blog to be a positive, up-beat reading spot. This weeks Mama Kat Prompt will be a list of Top 10 personal highlights from 2012 and, to give you a hint, one of my highlights was taking a beading class last fall, which taught me how to make a necklace or earrings, etc.  I finally put that to use recently and will be including a photo of the 2 necklaces I made using that skill. I had some Christmas money I spent on getting the tools---which is the biggest investment portion of the hobby. You need 4 primary tools just to begin the craft. My patient husband followed me around the beading area with the shopping basket at our local Michael's craft store for at least 40 minutes while I was deciding what pieces and parts to get for the 2 project necklaces I had in mind. The most difficult part of the art is actual...

Goooood morning and welcome back!  Almost a new year! Last full moon of 2012 will be this Friday! Did you have a good Christmas? The yahoo poll on that same question today was highest for Christmas being "as expected." I specifically asked for a fuzzy feeling new bathrobe, which my husband got for me and he needed a new belt. He also likes ankle socks---the kind that have a low rise of ribbing that go up the ankle 1 1/2 to 2 inches. And he prefers colors, but that's a challenge in that type of sock. Being a class of sport sock, they tend to be either black or white. Joe Boxer does make a set of red/blue/gray ones, but the color on them disappears inside the shoe, since the ankle ribbing on all 3 is plain black. However, I was lucky to encounter a different brand that had a visible stripe of color in actual ribbing. It was a set of 3, each with a different color stripe in the black or gray ribbing. He was quite pleased.   As for the garden---well, we ha...

I've spent the past couple days following butterflies around with my camera and actually did get some good shots! September is butterfly season in North Florida. It's also dragonfly season. I see them flying around in pairs often, which I guess is part of their courtship ritual. The type of dragonfly particularly common here is called the "Eastern Pondhawk." The males are the prettiest baby blue color. Because they tend to perch and just sit, I find them occasionally willing photo subjects. I captured some very find pictures of a young male Pondhawk yesterday "perched" on the top of an old day lily stem. (Young meaning not full grown in size.) I also have the biggest toad I've ever seen living in my front gardens. I startle him occasionally out of wherever he's hiding--from under the gardenia a couple days ago. My husband has seen him, too, out on the front sidewalk at dusk, under the outside light.  He's at least 3 inches in size from head ...