June 30th: A Patriotic July 4th Tuesday 4

 Thanks to Annie for today's Tuesday 4!  You can click HERE to join in!

The 4th on Tuesday 4

It's time again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4, and this week, our friend Susan suggested the topic of decorating our homes for the holidays, especially for the 4th of July, as it is the USA's 250th birthday.  So, let's do that.

On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence from the British Empire and King George III when the First Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.  We became a free and sovereign, independent nation on  September 3, 1783.

 

1. Will you or have you decorated for the holiday? If you don't reside in the USA, do you have a special holiday you decorate for on the outside of your home?  My flag flies every day.  I did put some red, white, and blue artificial flowers in my front yard.  Most of my holiday decorations are inside the house.

2. What special little touches do you add to the outside of your home?    Do you enjoy puttering around in your yard?  See above.  No, I do not enjoy puttering in my yard.  I don't care for yard work and am not a plant person at all.  I appreciate beautiful yards and know how much work they take.  It's just not my thing.

3. Are plants and shrubs an important part of your house decor?  No.  See above.

4.  On which holidays do you spend time decorating either inside, outside, or both?  I keep the patriotic things out for the summer, starting with Memorial Day, through Independence Day, and on to Labor Day.  I put a more fall-like wreath on the door after that.  I decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter as well.

Peace and Hugs!!

Thanks for your visit today!!

America the Beautiful 

O beautiful for spacious skies, 

For amber waves of grain, 

For purple mountain majesties 

Above the fruited plain! 

America! America! 

God shed His grace on thee, 

And crown thy good with brotherhood 

From sea to shining sea! 

--by Katherine Lee Bates; (1859-1929) 

June 29th: Monday Musings

 

Susan and I walked on both Friday and Saturday mornings.  That's the most activity I had all weekend!!  

I want to report a silly incident!  A resident of Mas Verde was walking his dog on Friday morning, and we stopped to admire the pup and give the dog a pat.  The man asked if Susan and I were mother and daughter. He has noticed us walking and wondered about it.  

WHAT?!!!  Susan is two years younger than me, is lovely and petite, and doesn't look old enough to be my mother!!  ...I just turned that around because we both "assumed" that he thought I was Susan's mother. I'm the one with the white frizzy hair!  Susan was horrified that he would insult me in that way.  I'm still chuckling about it!  

I was playing with ChatBot and added new backgrounds to two more photos of my boys.  Vinny found Casper on a tree limb in a forest of his dreams...

On Saturday, after my walk, I stuck my new, plastic, red-white-and-blue flowers in my front bed.  They don't show up clearly in the picture, but here they are...

A close-up of the flamingos...

I went to church on Sunday, did my laundry, and I had some leftover meatloaf for my main meal of the day, along with potatoes and green beans.  Caught up on Sunday posts in my YouTube subscriptions, and some more of season 16 of Murdoch Mysteries on Acorn.  That was my weekend!!

I'm walking this morning, have a prescription to pick up at Publix pharmacy, and need to do some cleaning.  I have a hair appointment on Wednesday.  Maybe I will talk to her about coloring my hair!!  😜  Thursday is Bible study and dinner out with the MV group, and I have special dinner plans with a blogging friend on Friday!!  More about that later!!  I'm going to the potluck at our clubhouse on Saturday.  Judy and Tim want to attend, and they need an invite from a resident (they don't live here now), so I put them down as my guests.  It will be fun and will be followed by the golf cart parade.  Happy 4th of July on Saturday!

Peace and Hugs!

God bless America

Land that I love...

June 27th: The Saturday 9

 Thanks to our hostess for today's 9 questions!  Join the fun by clicking HERE!

Cadillac Ranch

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so to speak. We encourage you to visit other participants' posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love answering questions; however, here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Cadillac Ranch (1981)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Bruce Springsteen sings about taking his father and his aunt to see The Cadillac Ranch. Have you recently taken a road trip? If yes, where did you go?  No.  The farthest from home was to Riverview for the baking class. Forty-five minutes. I don't classify that as a road trip.

2) The Cadillac Ranch is real. It's an outdoor art installation in Amarillo, TX. Tell us about a statue, mural, or other piece of outdoor art in your community.  Lakeland has lots of murals, but this one is my favorite.  I'm sure you aren't surprised!

3) Not only is Bruce singing about a real place, but he also mentions three real people. The first is "James Dean in his Mercury 49." That refers to the 1949 Mercury driven by James Dean in his first starring role, Rebel Without a Cause. Though he remains a legendary star, Dean made only three movies before his death at age 24. Have you seen any of his films?  I have not, and perhaps need to remedy that!!

4) The second is "Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline." Junior Johnson was a folk hero, famous as a NASCAR driver and notorious for running moonshine through North Carolina. He was the inspiration for "Midnite Moon," an animated old Ford in the 2017 Disney movie Cars 3. What Disney movie did you enjoy when you were growing up?  I don't really remember enjoying Disney movies as a kid, but I loved watching Bobby and Annette on The Mickey Mouse Club, on TV (in black and white!).  The movies I loved were The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan!!

5) The third man Bruce sings about is "Burt Reynolds and his black Trans Am." This is a reference to Burt's biggest hit, 1977's Smokey and the Bandit. Burt also had success as a restaurateur. He co-owned Burt and Jack's, a popular steakhouse at Port Everglades, right on the water. Tell us about a restaurant that offered both good food and a memorable view.  No notable restaurants with a view in my hometown when I was growing up, but Weldon's Ice Cream was right on Buckeye Lake and offered (and still offers) a nice view of the Marina and the water. 

Here in Florida, there are many on the Gulf, but The Garden Bistro, right here in Lakeland, offers a lovely view of Lake Mirror.

The View...

6) For decades, Cadillac was the gold standard of luxury. For example, an eatery referred to as "the Cadillac of restaurants" would be best or most prestigious. Think about your neighborhood. Tell us about a restaurant, hotel, or business that is "the Cadillac" of your community.  The Polk Museum of Art (aka AGB Museum of Art) would certainly be one of them.  I might be a little partial, however, having worked there for 20+ years.

7) Since he's been singing about America and cars for decades, it should come as no surprise that Bruce Springsteen has a collection of classic American cars. For the cover of his autobiography, he chose a photo of himself leaning on his favorite, a 1960 Corvette convertible. Think about your favorite photo of yourself. What are you doing?  Laughing at something Joe said...

8) In 1981, when Bruce released this recording, Dolly Parton had a hit with "9 to 5." What's your favorite Dolly Parton song?  How about her 'Coat of Many Colors'?  I also like '9 to 5', and that movie is hilarious!

9) Random question: When did you last DIY and fix something around your home or yard?  DIY is my favorite thing, so I don't have to pay someone!  LOL  My favorite way to fix something is with either duct tape, zipties, or Velcro!! LOL again!  And then, I call someone!

Happy Saturday!!  And thanks for coming by!!

Peace and Hugs!

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us sing,

Alleluia! Alleluia!

June 26th: Friday Focus

 

Fridays seem to get here faster than they did when I was working full-time!!  Goodness!!

We had a huge rainstorm yesterday, in the late afternoon.  There were 40 mph winds and heavy rain for nearly an hour!  It honestly felt like a hurricane was coming.  We need the rain, but I can do without those winds.  I posted photos of the pond by our clubhouse earlier this week, and took this one yesterday.  It is beginning to fill up again.  That rain yesterday will have helped a lot.  I'll keep you posted.

This was all dry in April!

On Monday morning, there were four of us walking!  Sharon has been busy with their grandkids, and Sandy was sick with a bad cold for over a week.  Sharon only walks with us about once a week.  She and her hubby, Jim, are runners and have a schedule they follow for 4-mile and 6-mile runs.  It is fun when all four of us are chatting and catching up as we walk through the community.  

Yesterday morning was Bible study, and last night the MV group went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner.  I had a steak and coconut shrimp with a baked sweet potato and broccoli.  It was delicious!  I haven't had a steak in so long!  Yum!  I didn't think to take a picture.  It was just Tim, Judy, and me again this week.

Today I will be decorating my front flower bed with some red, white, and blue plastic flowers I got for a patriotic look over the 4th of July.  I will get it done after my walk, and then I will take my shower!  It's just too hot to wait for later in the day, and I'll already be hot from walking.  I'll take a picture to post on Monday.  LOL  Plastic flowers work for me and are hard to kill!!

I'm still coloring a cat picture every day, using an app called Happy Color.  It's a fun half hour or so and is a bit of a puzzle, finding all the areas for each color.

Happy weekend, all, and thanks for your visit!

Peace and Hugs!

Verse 1

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus

Sing His mercy and His grace;

In the mansion bright and blessed

He'll prepare for us a place.

Chorus

When we all get to heaven,

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,

We'll sing and shout the victory!

When We All Get To Heaven   
--Eliza E. Hewitt and Emily D. Wilson

June 25th: Whimsical Fashion Fun

 

There isn't a linky, and there aren't any rules!

Take a look at the dress and help decide which shoes look best!

It's all for fun and just a whimsical thing!

Photos are from The Storybook of Dreams and Beauty!

Whew!  It's hot here in Florida, and probably where most of you are, as well.  This is a fancy cocktail dress (do women still wear cocktail dresses?), and she needs to pick the right pair of shoes for her evening out.  Count down 1-2-3 and tell us which ones you think go best with the dress!

My thoughts:  This is not a dress I could wear these days, but it is quite pretty.  I rather like the color!  The shoes would all work, I think, but I'll pick #3 this week because it looks like a steadier heel.  It's only dress-up!  What are your thoughts?

Peace and Hugs!  

Thanks for your visit!!

Verse 3 Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless. And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word and trust His grace, I'll cast on Him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet Hour of Prayer  --William W. Walford, 1842

June 24th: A Very Summery Wednesday Hodgepodge

 Thanks to our hostess, Joyce!!  Join the fun HERE!

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 659

1. Summer's here!  In the northern hemisphere, anyway. If you're in the southern hemisphere, substitute winter for the word summer.  What do you love most about summer? What's your biggest summer pet peeve?  Summer is my least favorite season in Florida.  It is hot and humid.  My only pet peeve about summer in Florida is the humidity.  God bless the person who invented whole-house air conditioning!!

2. What song always reminds you of summer?  Ricky Nelson's Travelin' Man.  See below for the explanation.

3. What's something you remember about your childhood summers?  When I was 9 years old, the summer after third grade, I got a season pass to the city swimming pool.  Travelin' Man, by Ricky Nelson, played over and over on the juke box.  The teenage girls stood at the juke box and just kept feeding it nickels for the same song.  I still know all the words, and can smell chlorine every time I hear that song!  My nickel bought me a frozen Milky Way candy bar!!  Do you think kids today get to enjoy summer the way you did as a child?  No, sadly, they don't.  Elaborate.  The 1950s were a different time.  Today, a nine-year-old girl would not be riding her bike in a bathing suit, by herself, to the swimming pool, which was a good three miles away.  Mom didn't have a car because Dad had it at work, and there were two other little ones at home.  I'm not saying bad things didn't happen, but it was a safer time for kids back then.  I've been pretty independent for as long as I can remember, because I was out and about and on my own often.

Third grade me... and I look like my dad (below)!

4. We celebrate Father's Day on June 21st. Do you favor your dad in looks or temperament? Tell us something about your dad. Or your husband as a dad. Or a son/son-in-law as a dad. Or your grandpa.  I definitely look more like my dad and the Kelly side of the family.  I chuckle when I tell people that I take after my dad... I'm tall, I have his bad arthritic joints, big feet, and a flat chest!  He wasn't always the most patient parent, so there is that as well.  He was a wonderful family man who loved his kids and his wife.  We never doubted that.  He worked hard for us at a job he didn't really enjoy.  He was a civilian Air Force employee who managed a warehouse for guidance system parts for aircraft at the Newark Air Force Station in Newark, Ohio.

My dad... cover his hair and it looks like me.

Joe was a great dad, and I am blessed to have seen him in action during the boys' teen years and into adulthood.  

I had three grandpas, which included my mom's stepdad.  They were all different but loving and attentive as we grew up and into adulthood.  I've been very blessed by the men in my life.

Me and my (step) Papaw James

Me and my Pawpaw Kelly (and Granny)

Me and my Papaw Cameron

5. Let's wrap up with a summer this or that-

• flip flops or sandals  sandals
• beach or pool,  I don't do either because of skin cancers
• watermelon or peaches, both, please!
• shorts or sundress  how about capris
• iced coffee or ice-cold lemonade  iced tea, please
• amusement park or water park, I'm done with  both (sorry!)

6. Insert your own random thought here.  Our pond, beside our clubhouse, is beginning to fill up with the rain we've been having!!  So happy!!

April

Last week!

Peace and Hugs!!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!!

June 23rd: The Tuesday 4

 Thanks to Annie for today's questions!  You can click HERE to join the fun!

So Tell Me....

 This week's questions come from Sparky! I hope you enjoy doing them.  

Let's talk about you .....

1. Music. What kind of music do you enjoy?  I listen to oldies (60s/70s), Prime Country, Smokey's Motown channel, and some 40s on SiriusXM, in the car.  Are you musical?  Not anymore.
 

2. Travel. Where have we been? What's your favorite destination(s)?  Home is my favorite place to be, but Joe and I loved our trip to Italy.  It's always nice to visit family.
 

3. Occupations. Did you end up working at what you wanted to be?  Do you wish you'd done something else? If so, what? etc.  At one time, I wanted to be an art teacher.  Instead, I ended my career working for 20 years in an art museum.  It was a win/win for me!!

4. How do you keep from being bored?  I'm retired!!  I have wonderful friends, a comfortable home, two cats, a computer, a cell phone, and a 55" TV.  I am rarely bored.  There is always something to do!!  I really enjoy Happy Color on my phone!

Peace and Hugs!!

Chorus

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning

New mercies I see.

All I have needed

Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Lord, unto me!

--Thomas Chisholm

June 22: Monday Musings

 

Hmmmmm... It's the "official" first day of summer.  Here in Florida, it has felt like summer since mid-May, so perhaps we will just applaud the longer days for now.  It isn't even dusk here until nearly 9:00 p.m.

I had a great lunch with Shirley on Friday!  She likes Pizza Hut pizza, thin crust, and meat lovers.  That's what we had, and it was yummy!

Shirley will be 90 this year.  She has been sharing concerns about how big her house and yard are, etc.  I have suggested an independent living facility (across the street from Mas Verde) for the last several conversations.  On the spur of the moment, I asked if she wanted to go look at it.  She agreed, so off we went.  

The manager welcomed us (and said Shirley looks so familiar), gave us a tour, and showed us a lovely one-bedroom apartment.  When we were sitting in her office talking, church came up.  They go to the same church!!  That's why the manager thought she knew Shirley.  The atmosphere in the office changed, and they talked for another 20 minutes or so!  I was so happy because it would be so good for Shirley.  She can even have her dog there (there is a dog park).  I can't push her, but I have such a good feeling about it.  Shirley even has someone who might be interested in buying her house.  Time will tell.  Praying about it!!

My weekend has been very quiet.  I filled up the car on Saturday and went to Publix for a prescription and a few BOGOs.  Sunday was church and laundry.  Lots of TV and relaxing!  

I'm streaming the new season of Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. I finished the book Penitence, by Kristin Koval.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.  The ending dragged on and on for several chapters, and it never really ended.  The first 2/3 of the book kept me interested.  The last 1/3, not so much.  Just me.  I like to read for entertainment, which is why I probably prefer simple Cozy Mysteries and Janet Evanovich-type books.  Just me...

Musing on... the coming week!  I have a CT scan scheduled on Wednesday.  It is a follow-up and nothing I am concerned about.  Bible study and the Mas Verde dinner out on Thursday.  That's it.  

Father's Day did not include a celebration here, though my dad and Joe were on my mind.  Joe loved his boys and was a great dad, full of fun.  My dad was one of the best in every way that counts, with love at the top of the list.  Blessed.

Thanks for stopping by!!  Your comments are always appreciated!

Peace and Hugs!

Serve The Lord With Gladness, Verse 2

Serve the Lord with gladness, thankful all the while

For His tender mercies, for His loving smile:

Blessed truth enduring, always just the same,

We will serve with gladness and praise His Name.

--B. B. McKinney

June 20th: The Saturday 9

 Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's Saturday 9!!

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks, we do "random questions," so to speak. We encourage you to visit other participants' posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: The Men in My Little Girl's Life (1965)

 

 Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. Chosen for Father's Day.

1) In this song, a father shares the story of his daughter's life through the first boys, then the men she brought home. The first is Rod, a little kid who wants to play in the backyard. Who were your playmates when you were young? Did you find it more fun to have them over to your home or to go to theirs?  My playmates when I was very young were my siblings and my cousins.  When I was in fifth grade, neighbors were playmates.  There were 10 kids in that family, and it was constant noise and constant action.  We moved from there, and my BFF Elaine lived across the street.  We are still friends, after all these years, and I feel so blessed by her friendship more than 60 years later!!  We bounced back and forth between our homes.  I still call her mom "my other mom," and she calls me her 4th daughter.

2) Then his daughter asked if Lee could carry her books on the walk to/from school. During your junior high years, how did you travel to school (by bus, bicycle, carpool, shoe leather)?  Shoe leather!!  We lived one block from our school.

 

3) Throughout this song, the father recalls that his daughter alternately called him "Daddy," "Dad," "Popsie," "Pop," and "Father." How did/do you address your father? He was always Dad.  We lost him to cancer in 1989.  He was only 63.

 

4) The song ends with the daughter asking her father to babysit. When did you last look after someone else's child?  If grandkids count, it was a long time ago.  They are 37 and 30 this year.

 

5) This record was a Top 10 hit in the US, and it made the Top 20 in Canada. Much of its success was attributed to Mike Douglas' TV popularity. From 1965 to 1981, he hosted a daytime talk show. Do you watch much daytime TV?  I used to watch the Mike Douglas Show and several soaps when I was much younger.  Now, I rarely watch daytime live TV.

 

6) Mike Douglas was a father himself. He had three daughters, including twins. Are there twins in your family?  Not in my immediate family, but my cousin Pam has paternal twin boys.

 

Now about Father's Day ... 

 

7) Retail chains like O'Reilly Auto Parts, Auto Zone, and Jiffy Lube are all promoting gift cards and car-related gifts for Father's Day. If you got a gift card from one of those stores, how would you upgrade your ride?  I would save it for a new battery in a year or so.  Batteries don't last much past three years here in Florida.

 

8) Dick's Sporting Goods also enjoys a spike in gift card sales around Father's Day. Have you more recently given or received a gift card?  I gave gift cards to my two sisters for their June birthdays.  They weren't for car parts!!

9) In days gone by, ties were the #1 Father's Day gift. But as today's workplace has become more casual, fragrance has taken over the top spot. Dove Men+Care offers gift sets with shampoo/conditioner, body wash, and antiperspirant. Think about your shower routine. Are your shampoo, body wash, and antiperspirant all the same brand or the same scent?  No, and I don't do heavy fragrances.  Neither did Joe, because we were both sensitive to heavy scents.

Wishing all the dads a Happy Father's Day tomorrow!

Peace and Hugs!

Thanks, Dad, and I

hope you hear this in Heaven!