Hello dear friends! It’s that day again. You know the one – the FIRST of the month and by golly, the time has flown by! Don’t you think so? It’s February 1st 2018! Wowsza!
So here’s my little reminder to make you smile! Don’t forget to say,
Rabbit, Rabbit,
White Rabbit, White Rabbit
this morning! If you don’t understand why you should utter those words, then please click here for the explanation!
Shine On!
xo
All different tracks in the snow! And none of them human!
So I went outside after the snowfall and in the back of our property here, there were tons of footprints in the snow! It was, as if once the snow stopped, all of the little animals came out to play and Waaaaa!!! I missed the show! You know how I love my little animal friends. It looks like they had a party while I was asleep.
None of the tracks were human. There were no shoe prints, only interesting tracks and all different kinds. There were a few more photos that I took, but they were blurry so there are an additional two different tracks still unnamed. Maybe you can help me figure out who made them? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
1. Who made these tracks?
2. Do you think it’s a deer?
3. Bunny?
4. A herd of deer perhaps?
5. Any ideas?
6. This was in a pattern too.
7. Last but not least…who made these tracks?
For ease in identifying them, I numbered them 1-7. If you have any ideas or know about paw prints, please let me know! I thought it was a fun way to put your expertise to the test because I am certainly clueless with these!
Thanks for any and all help!
Shine On!
xo
In this photo, you can see one fire lantern has been released and is the floating orb. A red one and three others await liftoff! I’m not sure what I captured on the left (shooting star?) I wish my phone camera could have captured greater detail because it was fabulous to watch with the naked eye! ♥
I felt the darkness of the Solstice especially this year. Perhaps due to the changes in my life or due to the healing that has been surrounding me and integrating inside of me. I feel like it may be a communal change of enlightenment. Do you feel it too?
I was grateful to have been invited to a Solstice Ceremony. What a magical experience! The energy was fabulous as we all gathered together under the stars on the beach. A ceremonial fire was built in a fire pit, under the stars while we were serenaded by the waves of the ocean gently lapping rhythmically to the shoreline. Unbeknownst to us, there were others who were not in our group, but on the beach, closer to the shoreline, setting off those fire lanterns to the sky. What an added bonus to watch as they gently lifted up and over the ocean! It truly was beautiful. Even the winds died down and the air was not frigid during the ceremony.
Letting go of what doesn’t serve me anymore and allowing the fire to help me to release was an amazing feeling. Then, we each also prayed and sent out our intentions for the new year. I had never experienced such a ceremony before and honestly I was hesitant to attend, but I am so grateful that I did! It seems as if God and the Universe are bringing healing in all sorts of ways to me and I am ever so grateful!
As the longest night of the year, the Solstice reminded me to continue to shine our heartlights and to honor the darkness for that’s when we see the light best. I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas Day with my children this year and even though I will attend Mass alone on Christmas Eve, (because they will be with their dad), I feel at peace for the first time in a long while.
I hope you have a lovely time of year, whatever you are planning. May peace and love be with you always!
Shine On!
xo
A loving bond is forming with Charlie.
My third horseback riding lesson and I’m hooked on horses! Between Sam and Charlie, I can’t choose between them although I will say that even though Sam is bigger, I think he’s a bit easier to ride because he’s, dare I say it?, not as energetic as Charlie. Charlie, on the other hand, has a faster gait so I have to keep my balance more in check, but that’s how you learn to ride, right?
I likened it to gymnastics at my last lesson because it’s all about balance in the saddle. I am learning to ride English which means there’s no horn to hold onto on the saddle. In most movies, I saw the horn and thought of it as a safety handle to keep me in the saddle. Guess that’s not going to happen for me. LOL
Oh, so much to learn and to experience! Sigh…and big, wide grin.
So grateful for the healing of horses!
Enjoy your day dear friends! Anyone else horseback riding?
Shine On!
xo
Happy Halloween to you! In honor of the holiday, I thought I’d take a few photos of the critters I’ve seen recently at the house.
BIG SPIDER – at my front door. Glad he didn’t knock!
Cricket on the back patio during the day. I thought they only came out at night?
Dead Katydid at the back door
Sadly, dead moth who was feeding the ants as goes the circle of life.
Mr. Squirrel posing
But the best part? The deer who were just standing outside the barn after my last lesson. Sorry for the grainy photo, it was dark out!
I have missed seeing the deer in my new house. At my old one, I would see them passing by at twilight across my neighbor’s front lawn. But when I recently left a horseback riding lesson, while walking to my car, I thought a big dog was scampering past me. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw an entire family of deer a few yards away from me. How glorious for me! As I quietly talked with them, they stood there listening intently. It was such a precious moment! They even patiently waited while I grabbed my phone and took a few photos. This was the best photo of the group I got, although I’m sorry it’s so grainy. It was dark out, but I could see them and their eyes twinkling in the night.
I love deer. I’ve written about them before in my blog. I love all animals, even little Mr. Mousey who hopefully lives outside only. You know, I have two cats in my home whom I adore. Hopefully one day, I will even get a big dog, but that will have to wait for now. Maybe I won’t be able to get a dog, but perhaps someone will share theirs with me so that we can play fetch and romp with enthusiasm outside.
Happy Halloween from Tiffy the American Bobtail and her favorite Witch!
There’s something about animals that I adore. Sometimes, I think they are better than humans for they are more honest and loyal. The older I’ve gotten, the more attuned I seem to be getting with animals, especially wildlife. I wonder if it’s the Pisces in me?
I hope you have a lovely day.
Shine On!
xo
I have always loved visiting The Waving Girl in Savannah, Georgia. I’ve spent a lot of time down there, especially over the last few years and I always have the urge to go to visit her statue. It started when I was younger and I was first on River Street with my family and heard about her. From then on, she stayed in a special place in my heart for reasons unknown to me.
On River Street, the above statue stands as a testament to The Waving Girl. She was a woman named Miss Florence Martus who, by waving her handkerchief in greeting to the passing ships, grew a beautiful legend by her simple act of connection and kindness.
Here you can read all about her!
Have you ever been to Savannah? There is so much to do there! It’s an amazing city full of Southern charm, ghosts, good food, shops, antiques, history and of course, my favorite, The Waving Girl.
What entices me about her? I guess it’s the simplicity in which she changed the world around her. Above you can read how many ships she greeted in her lifetime and what her simple act did for the crews on the passing ships. They looked for her greeting and looked forward to seeing her waving her handkerchief to them as they passed by. To me, it’s like smiling at strangers in the grocery store or on the street. You hope that by that simple act, you connect with someone else for a moment in a good way.
Imagine our world if we were all to greet each other with kindness, with a smile or a friendly wave, asking nothing in return except for a similar greeting! Oh my, I can feel the world now smile with joy for the love that would surround Mother Earth! Can’t you?
Here’s Miss Florence Martus waving to you!
Won’t you please greet the next person you see with a smile?
Shine On!
xo
**Photo of Miss Florence Martus, 1931. Photographer Unknown. Courtesy of Bull Street Library, Georgia Live Oak Libraries.
** Photo “Waving Girl” Statue on River Street, 2016. Courtesy of Alison Lechner from the Georgia History website.
People who inspire me – one was Mary Tyler Moore. I really loved the theme song to her show, Love Is All Around. It brings back happy memories for me as I remember watching the show and wanting to be independent like her character. She was an icon for so many women in that role.
Now that I’m a single woman, out on my own again, I am looking to her. A good girl, who was comfortable in her skin and happy! I loved that enthusiasm she had for life in the show. She was real. She was your friend. She was goodness personified. You couldn’t help but love her.
Shine On!
xo
Like most people, I know candy corn isn’t a food group. But there’s something special about it for me. It’s a fond memory of autumn days gone by with my family. My mom always had a candy dish filled with candy corn when we were little and we would just dip our hands in it from time to time, to gather a few and pop them into our mouths! Sometimes, I would bite each section of color, savoring the artistic manner of eating! Ha!
Whenever I see candy corn now as an adult, that sweet memory returns. The nostalgic ache of being a child when there wasn’t any worry about sugary snacks (as long as they were enjoyed in moderation!) nor of calories and the worry of extra pounds that in adulthood seem so hard to shed now.
Is there a fall treat which you relate to in a happy way? Please share! I’ll be passing the candy corn dish around…what will you bring to our nostalgia party?
Shine On!
xo
I figured with the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, a bit of gratitude during Thanksgiving week would be appropriate ~ and give you a chance to expand your blogging reader instead of your waistlines! 🙂 So…first of all, my sincere and sweet thanks to Holly Michael at award-party(her blog is called Holly Michael’s Writing Straight ~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life’s Crooked Lines by Author & Freelance Writer Holly Michael). Holly’s inspirational blog along with her amazing photos of faraway places that she’s visited in her blessed lifetime will keep you coming back post after post! Thank you again Holly for all! I feel so grateful! xo
Now for the super sweet and gooey:
Rules for this award include: Thank the super sweet blogger who made the nomination, Nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers (below) and answer five questions:
And for the sweetness award, I nominate these super-sweet blogs:
Christina’s got the amazing wildlife in Florida front and center! She makes this big ol’ world seem manageable with her photogenic views of Florida and its inhabitants. Sprinkle in a big of inspiration and you’ve got FeyGirl’s number. Not to be missed!
2. waitingforthekarmatruck.com
Mimi’s got it going on at the Karma Truck! Stop by and see her…share a cup of coffee on her porch as she’s always got something fun over there on her blog!
Antonio’s poems in English and Italian will delight you as well as his photographs! Perhaps you’ll be inspired to learn Italian?!
Rich’s blog is full of fun ~ stories to be read, cartoons to write captions for, news to understand…there’s so much to enjoy! Make sure you stop by to check him out! You won’t be disappointed!
Bonnie’s blog always has something special for you as does her Etsy business. She’s a lovely lady who may keep her heart in her pocket, but captures all of ours.
Jump on clouds and ride along the journey of a woman who speaks so openly and lovingly about her recovery from PTSD and her Mom’s recent brain cancer diagnosis.
7. livingsuccess3d.wordpress.com
Judit is an amazing coach who will give you tools, strategies and tactics to help you with successfully transforming not only your own personal and professional world, but the world around us ~ you can count on inspirational stories, straight talk and no mumbo jumbo…what a special find!
Kristin’s blog is a plethora of information, inspiration and tips for your life! Get ready to find how to Let Life…and soar!
9. hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com
Esperanza will hug you in her special way…enjoy her special brand of Hope & Hugs! You know you’ll get hope because that’s what Esperanza means!
10. thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com
Patty helps those in the military connect ~ in addition, she shares heartwarming stories that will always bring a smile to your face!
Please check out these super sweet bloggers…you will be happy that you did! They are awesome!
Happy Thanksgiving week! I”m grateful to ALL of You for your amazing posts!
Keep on Blogging!
xo
Misifusa's Blog 