How Grand!

The Grand Old Gal

On this Thoughful/Thankful Thursday I decided to concentrate on the thankful.  For me, there are skads of things I am blessed with but, since the weather has been doing a flip for the better lately, my thoughts drifted to traveling.  My hub and I love to hit the road and venture into places unknown, at least to us.  That being said, we have our favorite places and Mackinac Island (not Mackinaw like the on-shore city) is right near the top of

I remember when...

High tech back in my day!

Whatever Wednesday is my free day to discuss anything that happens to pop in my noggin and today that will be looking back at how things have changed since I was a young squirt.

I remember when pocket calculators were brand new and a simple one, as shown on the left, went for $395 ($1950 in today

For Chocolate Comrades Only 

Yum and ya-ummm

It's a special chocolate oozing Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday with recipes to tempt and try.

The recipe for Homemade Magic (or as I spell it, "Majeek") Shell is to be found at the following link..

Taking it to the streets

You can't always believe what you see!

Another Mesmerizing Medium Monday is upon us and today I will feature Street Art.  I've seen Sidewalk Chalk Art like this making the Social Media rounds and you may have as well, but it's still positively enchanting!  It leaves me dumbfounded on how these talented artists can convey

Simple Sunday-Cold Soul

Is my life as frozen as the leaves?

My help is as near as the sun.

My soul cold in a state that grieves

Is my life as frozen as the leaves?

A warm beam near, heart internally heaves

freed from the icy casing, my freedom won

Is my life as frozen as the leaves?

My help is as near as the sun.

CCB

4/25/2015

A Triolet

Times, they are a changin'

First to wake up

It's Snapshot Saturday and it's time to let the photos do most of the communicating today.  Lots of Spring pics to oogle...enjoy!

Don't forget to click on Read more!

These are a few of my fav-o-rite things

My 'ol Pal

It will be a personal walk down memory lane this Flashback Friday, covering a few of the earliest and favorite toys of me tyke-ish years.  To the left is, best as I can gather from online sources, Wonder Mare.  I'm sure this little gal spurred my love of horses (pun!) as I loved to bounce around on her for many joyful hours.  I

Our "holey" life

Ringo finally made it solo!

I was scanning the news and learned that Ringo Starr had finally been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 19th and my brain started to ponder on Mr. Starkey and how he, without realizing, has effected my life.  So without further adieu, I'll start with 

Cheers for Ears

My thoughts are on the warmer weather and what it brings...corn on the cob!  So this Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday will dwell on the golden nuggets of summer sunshine.  Last year the hubster and I discovered a super-cool and easy way to cook cobby corn in the nuker.  I forgot about it until I was reminded of it on a Facebook post and thought I'd share. Check out the vid on the left.  Now,

Gotta go Zydeco

Gator like to dance

Well, it's the start of another week and time for Mesmerizing Medium Monday.  Dance is a beautiful art form and I don't think I've touched on it yet, so here it goes.

I went exploring the web and found an exhaustive list of dance forms and went to the very end of the alphabet and found Zydeco.  I think this caught my fish-eye (pun alert) since I was somewhat familiar with the Zydeco music form, making 

Simple Sunday-The Sign

Walking the trail of country breeze

A brisk, sun-tinged Spring day

I spied a sign deep in the trees

 what it read I could not say

I crept closer, not too far away

 Shooing shines while on I tread

the ancient obelisk appeared a fray

Believe John's numbers, that were said.

Once rails and ties and spikes and trains

this pathway tells many a story

in the clear days or in the rains

here the iron horse sped in glory

claiming her place in legend-filled history

I think about where these grounds had lead

and the writing, sign birthed in quarry

Believe John's numbers, that were said.

The writing half washed away I find

these numbers, I muse, of a forgotten mile

But also of another ancient way to mind

a way and the way, a light-bulb smile

In farm-field stillness I pause awhile

A sign links the sign in those digits I read

these symbols they swirl and bequile

 Believe John's numbers, that were said.

In awe of this day, of things long ago

of  machine and man and life of bread

The three, one, six has much to show

Believe John's numbers, that were said.

CCB

4/17/2015

A Ballade

Living in Dangerrrrr!

Those were the days...

It's Friday, it's Friday, it's Flashback Friday!  Today I will cover some of those so-called dangerous toys (hee hee) that my generation used to play with.  What article on killer playthings would be complete without mentioning good 'ol Jarts.!  These were around our house for years...in fact they're still around MY house!  Yup, we still have an original set

Cowboys thinkin'

Smart cowboy :)

Howdy, pardnars!  Welp, another week just went a-wanderin' away and brought us back to Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday.  I was ponderin' on what to write about for y'all when I tumbled on this here quote from Willie and it spurred me (fun pun) on to this here cowboy way a thinkin'.  Okay, done with the cowboy accent for now (I think it was starting to get painful for both of us!) and onto the thoughts.  As I related above, I found the Words

Family Feud Fun

So true in our family

So do you know what today is?  It's W/E Wednesday and does anyone know what I'm going to discuss-with-words?  Well, the pic to the left pretty much gives it away.  I first learned how to play a card game called Canasta when I was 10 years old and that was a loooong time ago.  This game is 

Kitchen Magician 

Hmmm, ham :)

Hey hey, it's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and in honor of this special occasion I will showcase some recipes that involve using leftovers.  "Leftovers, special?" you may exclaim. But remember, we are taking something and making it different 

Don't take my Kodachrome away

Gotta take a photograph :)

Ah Monday, Monday again.  Feeling a bit blue?  Maybe mien blog will help put you in the pink again (ah, I love puns).  On this Mesmerizing Medium Monday I'll focus on (punny) photography.  

I can relate to this first quote, apparently attributed to Roger 

Simple Sunday-Dream Reality

  Vast 

dreamy mist

all about, around

silent sound

Lasts

Eye

searching long

stretch out perspective

detective

view

Head

ponders back

to many a night

see this sight

bed

Sleep

or awake

the two are as one

thoughts do run

deep

CCB

4/8/2015

A Cinquain

Hot Dog, goin' to the Drive In!

Oh, what fun memories of going to the drive-in :)

Yet another Flashback Friday is open us and this week my thoughts are drifting back to one of the most sentimentally satisfying areas of my memory bank and that would be the old Drive-In Movie Theater.

It was a kid's paradise to get the treat of going to see a show in the outdoor arena.  First cool thing...you usually got to wear your p.j.s or some similar comfy clothes.  The drive there was a euphoric feeling of heightened anticipation that grew stronger the 

Interesting Idiom

Phew!

"What can I write about for Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday?" I contemplated just this very day and here's what I came up with.   I like idioms even though, or even perhaps because, it sounds like the word idiot.  Many are pretty evident in their origin while some take a bit of  homework to decipher their roots. "By the skin of your teeth" sounded like one that deserved some analyzing so here's what

Batter up!

It's the most wonderful time of the year :)

Since it's W/E Wednesday I can post w/e I want, so today I'm thinking baseball.  It was Opening Day this past Monday so we're starting a fresh, new season of fun in the sun, watching the Boys of Summer do their thing.  I just adore the image to the left as this is baseball in it's purest and most fun form, just a group of kids playing (emphasis on "playing") for the sheer enjoyment of it!  I grew up in a baseball family and I remember watching my brothers play...sometimes 

A-peeling Tips

This really works!

Ah, it's time for another Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and I'm going to pass on a tried and true method for peeling kiwi fruit.  I used to struggle with a paring knife, tediously trying to peel the skin off and ending up with a juciy mess and half the fruit left on the peel.  Well, if you're still preparing your kiwi in this fashion, struggle no more!  It's as simple

Do it, just do it!

Very good advice!

I ran into some interesting quotes today and it didn't even hurt! It's a  corn-pone joke but it hits the intention-mark on this  Mesmerizing Medium Monday.

Today I'm going to try and coax you to free those imprisoned artistic fantasies caged up inside of you.  Perhaps you are like me and already "let your people go", so kudos to you, but don't stop as there's always that poor, little, starving waif of an idea huddled 

Simple Sunday-Truth Love

Truth Love

Love

It was that sent Him down

Love

He spread from town to town

Love

He has for everyone

Love

 It said “Thy will be done”

Love

He in the Garden stayed

Love

Though with a kiss betrayed

Love

For us He took the pain

Love

For we would heaven gain

Love

Walked down the sorrow street

Love

Took nails through hands and feet

Love

 He died there on the tree

Love

For us, though sinners be

Love

From death to life did raise

Love

His wondrous gift we praise

Love

The truth has set us free

Love

United with the Holy Three

Love

Holy Spirit, Father, Son

Love

Easter Victory has been won

Cheryl C. Burney

3/10/2004

Beyond Tradition

Lily View

Snapshot Saturday will cover the topic of  Easter traditions at my home.  I love all kinds of flowers with all their diverse colors, shapes, sizes and textures, so it's a no-brainer that I'd bring some inside, especially at Easter with it's Spring-in-the-air vibe.  I always adored the Easter Lily ever since I was a young girl. My Mom would frequently buy them for our home back in the day and I would just stare into it's long tunnel of petals and then focus on the end at those yellow parts that reminded me of egg yolks and would make 

My Easter Era

Yum...candy in a basket

Flashback Friday will meander in the Easter theme as I reach back and recall the holiday as it was when I was a wee tyke. 

I always looked forward to my Easter Basket!  My Mom went to elaborate measures to craft my surprise using a big, pink plastic basket, translucent green grass which nested a grand array of edible goodies and toys all wrapped up

Thank You

On this Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday I was having a difficult time in coming up with an idea but finally concluded on opening up my Writing Vault and bring out one of my older works.  It is about "thanks" and it does pertain to Easter (my running theme this week) so here it goes with lots of pretty-pretty pictures for your enjoyment purposes!  Click on "read more" to enter in...

Hitler, Cake and Mr. T

Mein Hasenohren 

Hitler in bunny ears?  Could it be?  Naw, it's not for real but perhaps I  fooled you on this W/E Wednesday which also happens to fall on April Fools Day.  I was trying to find items that tied into the Easter Theme I've been using this week and this was the first thing that popped up and it had me do a double-take so I was