Daily Prompt: Unfurl the American Flag with Pride!

God bless America with all its imperfection.  After all, he who is without sin is the only one that can say a word against it without being a hypocrite.  Sadly it appears as if a certain faction in our own country is attempting to take away our history and heritage because they are “offended” all of a sudden.  There have been many offenses by many people.  If we all complained about something, what will be left or who will be left standing in this country?   A Coup d’ etat appears to be taking place because no one removes the history of a once great nation all of a sudden unless they are overthrowing it.  Something to think about.  These same people hate Trump and he wanted to make a better America.  They are trying to make him eat his words, instead they will bring the wrath of many against them and their fake causes.  Charlottesville police officers said “off the record” that they were not allowed to interfere in that protest by order of that city’s mayor.  Not sure how many are aware of what is going on right now.

 

Daily Prompt: Willy-Nilly Kaleidodesigns

Sometimes I like to play with the various Kaleidoscope effects my software offers. One just splits the image and another does the actual Kaleidoscope design effect and allows you to place it where you want it in terms of color and shape, lots of options.  The split effect they call kaleidoscope splits 4 images at a time.  There is a plan to what I do eventually but my designing does begin willy-nilly.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental Elements of Nature

Elemental Elements of Nature totally fascinate me.  When I was out in it yesterday, I was remembering how I spent most of my childhood outdoors, in my element for sure.  I love nature!  I have always been fascinated with the creations of God.  Flowers, trees & their fruits, birds, insects, frogs & tadpoles, ground rats (chipmunks), any kind of field or garden that I could spend hours in.

I would spend so much time just studying and looking for things.  If you looked close enough and long enough you could always find something awesome.  Can’t tell you what exactly, because it was different each time.  That was the excitement of it.

Super tomboys, my sister and I climbed trees and searched for tadpoles and snakes in the huge field up from Edward Hines Park in Nankin Township.  We found all kinds of things to eat as well.  Tons of hazelnuts grew wild there as well as berries.  We picked them and brought them home for us all to enjoy.  We ate the debatable Hawthorn berries that grew on the many trees in the park near our home.  You have to know how to eat them safely.

I miss those simpler times before media experts all over telling you every move to make and what you should and shouldn’t do.  I don’t even listen to the talking heads anymore.  I’m going back to my “second childhood” now.

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge Late: Unusual

This photograph reminds me of one of my favorite poems.  It is something to think about anytime you get caught up in the mainstream guilt of never doing quite enough in your life or in this world.  This poem really says it all in the grand scheme of things.  I never realized this as I “accidentally” leaned my homemade trellis against my garage one day when storm clouds came into view, planning to finish it later.  It had a very convenient overhang that kept all these little ones dry in the storm.  I looked out to see them all sitting there and took this shot with my telephoto from my house.  Unusual enough to make me dig out the camera for this shot and I felt happy for them that I did this.  I ended up leaving it here for the summer.

If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking

by Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin unto it’s nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction of a Life Well Lived

Today was a casual, easy kind of day.  Lots of strange things happening for sure, but that’s on par.  Today I have been in prayer since I woke & that’s how it used to be before everything in my life blew up approximately 8 years ago.  We won’t go into that.

I drank decaf today to start.  I prefer Tim Horton’s but I will drink Caribou because they are both water processed.  The only safe, non-chemical way to take the caffeine from coffee plus it takes most of it out.  The chemical way leaves more caffeine behind with the unneeded chemicals.  These coffees also start out with the Arabica Bean, the most flavorful with less natural caffeine than the Robusta Beans used in cheap coffee blends.  Only had my vitamins and a small piece of homemade coffee cake (recipe to come).  I put on my face and used my hot rollers for the first time in a couple of weeks due to the heat and humidity here were off the charts and decided to try my luck at the Farmers Market in town.

This is bee season and since I have already been stung once last month, I’m not venturing out that often til the first freeze.  They are very active and plentiful this year.  I do have allergies, but mostly localized.  I also had my first deer tick burrow.  Luckily it was not in my leg for more than 12-15 hours or so.  Supposedly if it had Lyme I understand it takes about 24 hours or so to transfer this disease.  Usually within a month you know if you were infected.  No bullseye rash or illness so far over a month now.  I was not feeling well for a while after the bee sting, tiny bee but multiple stings before I could get it out of my clothing.

I was thinking about some financial help I received recently, without requesting it and realized I was able to accept my much needed and deserved help without guilt or reservation because of the life I had lived.  A life of hard work and doing the right thing, never trying to get something for nothing.  I don’t consider my weekly lotto tickets something for nothing, they are an “investment” into our schools.  Also, I have yet to receive anything from my donations to the lottery fund but when I do is sure won’t be something for nothing.  That dollar win will have had many years of dollars given.  It did give me a certain satisfaction to know that God is good and merciful and even though we don’t usually get what we want in life, we usually get our needs met sufficiently.  Man’s problem has always been selfishness and greed and that’s well documented.  It’s when we let go of our wants & needs that I believe God is free to do His will without us fighting Him.  This is what Jesus tried to tell folks when he said not to worry.  Worry does not help anything.  It just gives you more frown lines.

I got some new potatoes to go with local green beans I had purchased the day before.  Love this combo with a little butter and cheese sprinkled on.  Some use bacon, but I prefer cheesing it.  Used Asiago I grated myself this time.  Made a nice lunch.

As I was walking through the small folksy downtown area, I came upon a window all boarded up and then another building in even worse condition.  I noticed the yellow tape to my right but realized I didn’t pay much attention because of various things they do downtown using streamers and balloons and the like, but finally stopped, looked around and realized someone had to have slammed a rather large vehicle into the buildings to do all this damage.  Being from the Detroit area immediately thought smash & grab, which they do all the time all around there and suburbs as well.  Checked online & this is what I found.

 

I also saw two shops are closing this month.  One a very popular coffee shop, eatery & gift shop of 20 years and another very cute Antique shop of a few years which already has another business in there within the month.  Not sure who.  I have no idea what’s to become of the coffee shop though.  I didn’t get a chance to speak to anyone yet.  Just saw the signs.