Remembering David Yeagley...

I am thinking of David Yeagley today.  Actually, I think of him very often and listen to his music, hear his speak on YouTube, read his essays.
He was one of the greatest men I know of and I want to introduce you to him.

Dr. David Yeagley

He has been gone from us since 2014 but to me, it seems an eternity without his voice and his wisdom.
He taught me so much.  He taught much about patience and steadfast love and courage and so today I celebrate his life and mourn the loss to the world of this great light.

David was Comanche,  Seventh Day Adventist, and as one called him, "an American Leonardo Da Vinci".    That is no exaggeration at all.
He graduated from Oberlin College, Hart School of Music, Emory University, Yale Divinity School and the University of Arizona and held a doctorate degree.
He was a professor of humanities and literature, a composer of classical music, a painter of portraits, an expert on Persia and so much more. He was brilliant as few are in the world. Absolutely brilliant. A humble, clear thinker, a man of deep kindness, love and bravery who stood up to evil.  Above all, he was a lover of God and of this nation. A true patriot son of America.

The great-grandson of Comanche leader Bad Eagle, David was himself a leader of men in many ways.  His biblical knowledge was amazing.   His soul bright and an inspiration to all who knew him. Even his enemies must rise up and salute him.
And he had enemies who tried to defame him in every way possible. They fail miserably.
 This nation, this world, will not see his like again anytime soon.

When you listen to his composition from Soul III, called Intervention, you will hear strong deep tones of the human soul in need of intervention from above.  And then a quiet answer to that minor chord with a lighter major chord. The intervention of God in redeeming the human soul is quiet and positive.
While the soul fights and its notes get heavier, the quiet answers never cease.
This is only a small sampling of his many classical compositions.

Get to know David Yeagley.        It will do you good in so many ways.
I also encourage you to read  this lovely post on him.

Post Thanksgiving

Really, there should never be a 'post' Thanksgiving.
We should be thankful every day of the year.

But it is a good thing to have a day set aside to remember from where our blessings originate and to make a public announcement of it throughout the whole nation.
Football and black Friday idiocy aside, there are those whose focus is on the One who, as it says, "You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."

Why do we pray two times for each meal, before and after?
It says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof". Therefore you steal if you eat without thanking your Maker. All things are His. We thank Him for it before we eat.

And after a meal we say grace because it says, “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and  you will bless your God for the good land which God has given you.”
It isn't a suggestion. It says "you will".
Today I am joining with Debbie's Friday Foto Friends.


 We are thankful for the beauty of the earth.

Trees are losing their color but Cedars and Pines stay green all year and the back bay area changes little.Deer munch on the grass, rabbits line their homes for winter, mink and otter swim a little less it seems and fish cease jumping as the water grows colder.

The open bay is just ahead

Thanksgiving place setting. Plates from Home Goods for 3.99 each. The silverware is by Wallace in Spanish Lace which I got as a  gift from my parents.

Crumbly Pumpkin Pie.

I realized I had made typos and mistakes in the recipe I gave here and corrected it. The recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk.  I used regular evaporated milk and had to add sugar and pumpkin pie speces to correct that. Kept tasting until I got it just right.
While this pie is nice, I still like the regular kind found on the Libby's pumpkin pie can the best.

The worst part of Thanksgiving is waiting hours after the meal  to eat dessert.  We eat the meal in the early afternoon and have dessert later that night.

Thankful!

Note: The recipe for Crumbly Pumpkin pie is wrong! It should be sweetened condensed milk!

I wish you all a very happy and inspirational Thanksgiving.

Night Encounter.. Bigfoot

          The Lonely Road
1.   You are driving down a lonely road at night when in front of you, you see
An extremely large figure standing in the road up ahead.
It seems to be looking off into the distance not noticing you or your car.
The figure moves off into the woods in two massive strides and you strain to see what it might be.
Why would a person walk into the  woods at this time of night? It is pitch black in there and there is no trail at this point.
As you question the sanity of the person  you notice your car is moving oddly and what do you know, you've got a flat tire.

2.   You stop the car and get out to check on the condition of the tire and discover it is indeed flat.
You sigh to yourself at the inconvenience of it all, and  you head around to the trunk to get out the spare tire and the lug wrench.  Should you try to change it yourself on this lonely forest

road so very late at night? You know the lug nuts are pretty tight.  You wonder if you are strong enough to get them off.
 No, you decide that it would be best to call Triple A and wait inside the car.  There are bear, cougars and coyotes in the area. You are safer and warmer by far if you stay in the car. It just isn't safe for a woman alone to be outside in this area.
AAA says they will have a truck out to you in 30 minutes which is a great relief and you are glad you signed up for the service after all.
The only problem now is that 30 minutes can be a lifetime when you are nervous.

3.   All of a sudden in the background you hear a deafening, bone chilling roar and   a deep,low growl. Then silence again until a howling sound breaks through the silent night. The hair on the back of your neck is standing up. . Whatever is making these noises has to be huge. This is no little animal.
A cold, evil chill runs through your body again and again.
You can hear something large crashing through the forest.

As a camper you know the sounds of the forest. You recognize a Mountain Lion's cries and roars, you know the awful 'terrified woman' scream of the fox.  You've heard the grunts and roars of bears.  You have heard coyotes howl and bark.  You know their footprints too.
This is none of these.
You've never heard one before but you suspect what it is. You are worried that you are probably right.  You hope with all your might that you are wrong.
The name Bigfoot, Sasquatch, runs through your mind.
You've listened to the Bigfoot Outlaws Radio for a long time and heard their stories. Tim "Coonbo" Baker is a former NASA scientist. He is reliable and has seen Bigfoot up close and personal. Some of the stories are downright horrifying.
You know the Navajo stories about this thing too. It isn't friendly.
With all this in mind you get in the car and lock the doors.
Of course you realize that if Bigfoot wants in, the locked doors will do no good.

When another ear shattering howl splits through the dark night,  you are relieved to know that the sound is moving away from you and you see the lights of the repair truck heading your way.
You want to run up and hug the guy from Triple A! You are so glad to see him.
He works hard to turn the lug nuts on the tire. He is a big, strong guy so you know you would never have gotten that off yourself.   It is a good thing you called and it is nicer not to be alone on this dark, seldom traveled road.
The fellow has the tire changed in no time and man, are you grateful!

4.   You then start your car and the repair truck leaves.
You head back to the highway. This is the last time you will take this old forest road at night!

After many years of wondering, I now believe that Bigfoot or Sasquatch is a real creature.
I try to base my stories on things I have experienced or know about.
In this case I know about it but thankfully have not encountered a Bigfoot in person!
Here is the Pennsylvania White Bigfoot video. One of the best I have seen.
Thinker Thunker makes a good case for authenticiy.



The photo above is an albino bigfoot and was taken from a video  made in Pennsylvania.
 I put stills from the video into Photoshop to examine them more closely and ran the video over and over frame by frame.   In Photoshop I am able to see the eyes inside the sockets and see minute facial movements too quick for the eye.
The facial muscles move and are not within normal human proportions.
As a human your upper lip is about 1 finger width from the bottom of your nose.
On this creature, it is about a 3 finger width and moves up and down with the eye movements.
Your eye sockets are not this low or this huge. These eyes are made for seeing well in the dark and designed to take in lots of light.
You can see pink skin below the white fur/hair. The mouth grimaces and the upper lip moves with it.  The skin and muscles on the skull move.
It cannot be  a mask anymore than the famous Patterson-Gimlin film of Bigfoot from  northern California is a suit.  In the Patterson film you can see the muscles moving in the buttocks, thighs and arms.     They move in unison and no suit can do that.
The gait of the creature is impossible for a human as well. The shin rise is not a human gait.
 A suit with arms as long as those in the Patterson film is also impossible as the hands actually move with the body.  The proportions are not human. Humans do not fit into suits that are not made according to human proportion.
The same goes for this video. The mouth moves, the nose twitches, the brow ridge moves with the facial expressions. This is not possible with a mask. A mask will also not  allow your eyes to be in the proper position on the face when the mouth is so distant from them.
It simply is not a human skull.

I hope you enjoyed this and please, give Toni's adventure  a try. It is a wonderful creative outlet.

The Creek

I   missed my doctor appointment yesterday morning because my ride was  late, so I canceled and will try again another day. I did other things instead.
Friday comes quickly lately. I think time goes quickly when you are not busy enough.,
But Friday is welcome as it brings Debbie's Friday Foto Friends and I really enjoy participating and having reason to go out and take photos.

 I had a little time Thursday since I missed the appointment,  so I went to the creek to take some photos with my phone.
This is the creek that flows into the bay. It flows lazily in places, rapidly in others and is mainly cedar water with its distinctive tea color.
The Pine Barrens go on for millions of acres.

Pine Barrens are sandy and filled with holly, pine, cedar, maples and oaks.Pine Barrens are found from New Jersy and all the way down to Florida.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Psalm(Tehillim) 96

Autumn colors are fading now

It rained all morning but the sky became clear and blue in the early afternoon

It was chilly and the air by the creek is clear and clean.  The sky was beautiful.

The girls sometimes swim here in summer. We havepicniced  here and played on the monkey bars and swings

The tea colored cedar water reflects the clouds.

It is a pretty place, quiet with air scented with pine and cedar.

The Creek widens, becomes salty and empties here into the bay. This photo looks creek-ward. The bay is to the left.

Looking out into the open bay.  

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Food! Glorious food

Here are some recipes
I will make for Thanksgiving.
Perhaps you would enjoy them as well.

  Corn Pudding

It seems corn would have been on the menu for the first Thanksgiving. A native staple, maize was important in the diet and its harvest helped save the first colony when Indians taught the Pilgrims to add fish heads to their plantings. God bless them.
This is the sweet version of the pudding.

Preheat your oven to 400F
Grease a casserole that holds 2 quarts

 Ingredients:

 5 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup of melted butter
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of milk or cream for a richer taste
Place these in a bowl and whisk in 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch.
Now stir in 1 can (15oz size) of whole kernel corn, or use thawed frozen.
15.26 oz can is just shy of 2 cups or 1.91 cups to be exact. Just measure out a wee bit less than 2 cups and you will be fine.
Now add 2 large cans of cream style corn. (This is the 14.75 oz size can)
Mix all of this with your spoon until mixed together.
Place it in your greased casserole and bake for about 1 hour.
I use frozen thawed corn because it has no salt added and canned corn has tons of sodium.
I also think it tastes better. I use the white sweet corn.
I used to use dried corn but I can only find it in Pennsylvania and have not been there to buy groceries in a long time. I go to my mother's hometown to buy things when I can but it is on top of a mountain and once autumn sets in it's not a great drive up.
This is the sweet version of corn pudding.

If you like a savory version try this one:

New England Style Colonial Corn Pudding

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
5 cups canned corn ... drain it well. (you can also use thawed frozen corn or fresh)

1 cup half and half
½ teaspoon  salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
a bit of grated fresh nutmeg
¾ cup crushed oyster crackers
3 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup shredded very sharp cheddar cheese
Paprika
Assembly:
Set the oven at 350 F
Use some of the better to grease a 9-inch casserole pan. It can be round or square
In a separate bowl mix the cream, eggs, salt, and pepper and dash of nutmeg
Now add in half the crackers and 2 Tablespoons of butter
Pour the mix into the baking pan and then cover over with the cheddar cheese
Place the rest of the cracker crumbs over the top
and place some sprinkling of paprika on the top to decorate.
Now, bake it for 45-50 minutes. It will be puffed a bit and the edges browned and crisp.

My Mother's Candied  Sweet Potatoes

Cook 2 lbs yams or sweet potatoes in water and bring up to boil.
Lower heat and cook 25 minutes.
Cool down and peel and cut into chunks or do as my mother did and half them lengthwise then half them lengthwise again.. you will have long thick sticks that way.

Combine 1/4 cup of real Maple Syrup
1/3 cup of brown sugar packed
1/4 tsp of real cinnamon
1/4 cup of butter

Cook this until the mixture boils.
Pour this over the potatoes in the baking dish and bake them for about 40 minutes at 350F.

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

I don't have a recipe for this so I will list the ingredients I use and you will have to wing it.
But you can make your regular dressing.. like a sage and onion style and add walnuts and breakfast sausage, apples etc. to it. You can even add dried cranberries to it.
It is like a meal in itself and everyone loves it.

You will need about a pound of Banquet Beef Breakfast Sausage or a pound of Jenny O Sweet Italian Sausage.  You can use both and a lot of it. These were the sausages mentioned int he original recipe which is old. You can substitute sausage that taste similar to them.
Other ingredients are :
chopped celery
chopped sweet yellow or Vidalia onion
chopped apples
pecans or walnuts chopped a bit
Bell's(Or similar) Poultry seasoning
Turkey or Chicken broth
Bread cubes or the stuffing they sell especially for Thanksgiving time.
You'll need enough bread to match the number of veggies and sausage that you use.
Saute the veggies and apple in butter or Oil or even Pam.
Add Bell's seasoning to them to taste.
There is enough salt in the sausage so I don't add any more.
Fry up the sausages and chop up into bite-sized pieces.
Now you mix the veggies and meat and nuts with the bread.
  Now moisten the stuffing with Turkey stock or broth.
Don't make it soupy but add enough to keep it nice and moist and remember some will evaporate in the oven. You don't want a dry stuffing.
I bake it in a big sheet cake pan for about 50 minutes at 350F. It isn't a think layer either. I make a lot of this stuff.
Check it from time to time. You can add some stock if you need to but remember you aren't making soup here.
You can taste it as you go when preparing to get the seasoning right.
I have sometimes added a couple of beaten eggs to the mix as well, but I don't find it necessary really.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Ingredients:

pie crust

5 Granny  Smith Apples. Tart apples make the best apple pie.

2/3 cup of sugar

1 1/3 cups of sour cream

pix via Pillsbury

2 Teaspoons of vanilla

3 Tablespoons of flour

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp of salt.

Peel and cut the apples...Make your apples thinly sliced, they bake nicer that way.

Mix the sour cream sugar, salt eggs, vanilla and flour smoothly.

Add your apple slices and stir it to blend into the mixture.

Place this filling into the pie crust.

Now place the topping on it all:

3 Tablespoons of sweet butter. The unsalted kind is best

1/4 cups and 2 Tablespoons of sugar

1  teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons of flour.

Mix these ingredients and then crumble it over the top of the pie.

Bake it for about 60 minutes in a 350 F oven.

Now if it isn't done, bake it 15 mins more but cover it with foil before you do to keep it from scorching on top. 

 Cool it down and enjoy it.

Crumbly Pumpkin Pie

You can just buy a graham cracker crust for this one but a regular pie crust will do just as nicely.

Mix 15oz of Libby's plain pumpkin with 14 oz of   SWEETENED condensed  milk.   

Add 1 egg and 1 Teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Put into the pie crust

Bake for about 15 mins at 425F but no longer

Streusel top Pumpkin but it looks like my recipe

Then reduce the heat  to 350F and add the topping

Topping:
1/2 tsp of brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of flour
2 Tablespoons of cold butter
3/4 cup of walnuts or pecans.
1/4 cup of cinnamon.
Mix all the ingredients then cut in the butter until crumbly.
Stir in the nuts gently and spread over the pie when reducing the heat to 350.
Now, bake it for another 40 mins at 350F.
Test with a knife.. it should come out clean from the center.

I hope you enjoy these!

Women, Know Your Limits!

Harry Enfield made the most entertaining comedic films and BBC Worldwide has uploaded some of them on YouTube.   I would love to share them with  you.
These funny films make powerful statements about how some men view women and mocks that point of view quite well!

The first one is entitled "Women, Know Your Limits" and is a wonderful send up about educated women.


The second title is "Women, For Pity Sake, Don't Drive" a spoof on women drivers from the male perspective.




It's a cold day here and was 32F this morning when I saw the Little off to her bus.
She was bundled up warmly after a breakfast of a thin bagel toasted in the pan and filled with fried egg and cheddar cheese. 
Autumn is in full swing and I hope it doesn't warm up again. I don't like the back and forth warm/cold weather we sometimes have. I think it's unhealthy, don't you?

We will be 7 ot 8 for Thanksgiving Day...not sure yet but the menu is set.  We start out with Butternut Squash soup and canapes.
 Then comes Turkey, candied yams, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, cranberry sauce, green beans  and my  sausage stuffing.
 For dessert I will make pumpkin pie, sour cream apple pie, and chocolate mousse pie. Unsure if I will also make a pecan pie  or a Shoo Fly Pie as well. I don't know what my stamina will be and my oven is broken. I will be using my convection oven for cooking and let someone else roast the turkey.
Tomorrow I will post the recipes for Sour Cream Apple Pie and My Sausage stuffing.

Monday Adventure

Welcome to my blog this rainy, chilly Monday.

Yes, it is raining here in beach land. Tourists have gone home now aside from the diehards who come every weekend until they can't stand it anymore.
They walk the beaches, eat on the Boardwalk and then go home again.
Summer homes are closed up for the winter and people have returned up north or flown down to their winter homes in Florida.
Sissies 😉😊
Meanwhile, leaves are glued to the roadways, porches, etc today and the effect is quite autumny and polka dotty with a riot of color.
Today I am doing Toni's meme. Click to graphic to visit her site.
My fill in the blank answers are in italics.

The Caribbean Cruise
1.   While on a Caribbean cruise, I take the elevator to get to my room. Accidently pressing the wrong button, the elevator doors closes then opens and I find myself in a huge office
building in the middle of Manhattan!

Chrysler Building as seen from the Empire State Building

I know it's Manhattan because I can see the familiar skyline through the huge windows in the wall across from me.

Yes, there is the Chrysler Building.

Why, to have this close a view from above I'd have to be in the  Empire State Building!

2.   Being the curious type, I leave the elevator and start to walk down the hallway and soon come to the Heartland Brewery and Rotisserie.

Heartland Brewery & Rotisserie

Yes, this is the Empire State building.

I ordered a hamburger, fries and a stiff drink. After all I needed to bolster my courage for this adventure and the brain could use a bit of lubrication too. Well, so I reasoned anyway.

The clock on the wall said 1:00 and it was dark outside. One in the morning? 
It was early morning on the ship.

I was well on my way to lubricating my brain beyond all recognition when the bartender said they were calling for last rounds.

I decided to leave. 
A bit of advice for you in the future: It is no fun sitting in a closed restaurant after everyone else has gone home.. including the staff. So, best to leave.

3.   Now worried,(because I was not as drunk as one needs to be to endure such a weird situation) I turn around to go back to the elevator when I suddenly see  a very tall rabbit in a finely crafted blue coat running down the hallway muttering  "I'm late, I'm late. Oh this will never do. I have a very important date! This will never do. Never, never, never!"

He had a curious little pocketwatch in his hand or paw I suppose and kept looking at it anxiously as he ran along.

He stepped into an elevator and I quickly ran up and slid in beside him.

"Oh, do be careful how you slide into elevators you silly girl. Don't you see you nearly

bumped into me? What is your hurry anyway? You have no important date to keep, of that I am sure."

"Rude little rabbit"I thought to myself, "I could have an important date just as much as he could".  I mean really who did he think he was?
His abuse continued.

"And besides, you smell like a brewery! Ugh!" He screwed up his pink nose in disgust and
took a hanky from his pocket and covered his nose with it.

"You're a fine one to talk with your outdated ruffled shirt. It's so, so... 70's" I replied in my best Valley Girl accent.
He looked like a reject from  a fairy tale.

"You're talking nonsense. I have no time for nonsense and ridiculous girls.  Now get out of this elevator at once" he demanded thumping his furry foot ont the floor.

He sniffed loudly and averted his head to avoid looking at me.  But, from time to time, I saw his bright golden eyes steal a glance in my direction.

Well, I did not take his advice but rode the elevator with him down to the first floor.

Perhaps if he had been a more polite rabbit I might have listened to him but he was annoying me. Besides, it is difficult to exit a moving elevator.  I should know having tried it numerous times and failing miserably.
Hmmph....Dumb rabbit should know that.

The elevator came to a halt with a decided bump and the doors glided open. Why do elevators do that? Are they afraid you've fallen asleep in there?

Anyway, the rabbit hurried out the door into the  late city night and bobbing and weaving through traffic and  people made his way to the Manhattan ship terminal at Pier 90.

What a trek!

There as my cruise ship The Alice W sitting docked and empty. It looked forlorn.

"Ah, my ship has arrived," he said breathing heavily. "I am not late after all"
"Ridiculous Rabbit," I said.  I was annoyed at him. "What will  you do on a cruise ship? You belong in a story book."

Pier 90

"Now you listen to me you little pipsqueak," he said glaring at me defiantly. "Don't you try to tell me where I belong or don't belong. I am a free and independent rabbit and I go where I please, nosy girls aside!"  He wagged his finger at me accusingly.

Pushing me out of his way,  he ran up the gangplank and disappeared inside the ship.

Running around Manhattan had rid my brain of any fuzziness  I believe I may well have been thinking clearly again..but I am not sure.
I am never sure. 

I called Uber, had the driver take me to the Plaza and booked a room for the night.

I would take the train home the next day.

The cruise was a complete bust anyway.

Imagine the nerve of a cruise ship line having wonky elevators that take you to Manhattan?

That was the last time I would book a cruise. 

I considered suing for false advertising since they had touted a 6 day cruise to the Bahamas and here I was at the Plaza!

Well, I prefer the Plaza to the Bahamas anyway so no great loss.  I've never been to the Caribbean but I have been to the Plaza and it's infintely nicer and the food is great.

4.   A little relieved to be in a nice comfy suite at the Plaze and laughing to myself I realize that I have never been inside the Chrysler Building and it did look nice from inside the Empire State Building.

First thing tomorrow I will have breakfast at the Palm Court downstairs and then go to the Chrysler building and look around.

After lunch I might head home but I hope I don't have to deal with that exasperating rabbit again.
I imagined him basking on a hot beach in the Bahamas annoying tourists with his smart remarks.  

My fill in ideas  for Toni's adventure this week were the result of several things.

When I was in high school the man in the post office called me "Alice". I suspect it was how I wore my hair at the time but I am not sure. Whatever it was, his name for me was Alice.
Alice got me thinking of the White Rabbit and how interesting it might be to run into him on the adventure.

I have never been drunk in my life and thought that the idea of my being drunk would be interesting so I included it. Besides it might really be the only way to handle such a weird situation  👀

I've never been to the Bahamas so why start now?  I diverted my trip to places I actually could go  and have been like the Plaza Hotel, my favorite place to stay in NY.
I hope you enjoyed the story and I wish more of you would join in for Toni's Adventures. They are a fun way to connect with other bloggers.

Join me again tomorrow won't you? I look forward to your visits.

Mismatched Photos

Veteran's Day 2017....We Remember

 Temperatures have dropped to 24 F today but I was warm and cozy inside most of the day.
I made a quick trip to CVS with the Little and we stopped for hot Pumpkin Spice drinks which were very nice and warmed us up nicely.
    
Friday seemed to come very quickly. But every day is welcome and today was a busy day for art that needed work and writing that took up much of the day.
Then, of course, there was the Sponge Bob Squarepants movie that we watched. (Yes, I love Spongebob as must as the Little does. She is 9 and well, I am not much older.)

Since it is Friday, I am adding my addition to Friday Foto Friends.  
This week it is a collection of mostly unrelated photos.

Photo Bomb....
 The Famous Anonymous was invited to meet the Queen and when photos were taken of the Queen she had to jump in and ruin them!   You can't take her anywhere!
Well no, that never happened.   I simply Photoshopped her hand into a photo of the Queen.

100% pure Photoshop! No artificial ingredients added 😉

Garfield. He was with me 21 years and in my heart forever. What a handsome golden man he was.

On a shelf, the little coach heads for Boston....Bon Voyage!

Meanwhile the bay is getting colder. No boats out today.

The Little at the Vatican

Out the window on a stormy night

Phragmites goes to seed. It's so fluffy. I love the oatmeal color. Looks like it is made of wool.

On the water taxi leaving NYC for home. Doesn't take long by water.

The Little getting her hair done for cheerleading with the big purple bow. She won't be cheering next year. Her coach was over zealous. When the Little couldn't complete a split she pushed her head down forcing her into one.  That's extremely dangerous.  So she opted to stay out next year.  Honestly, can't adults get some kind of normal balance in kid's sports and activities?

In the Kitchen dining area last Spring. 

Beautiful Puerto Rico this past Summer before Hurricane Maria. This is taken in  El Yunque national forest. The water is pure, the air is pristine and there are no bugs because the birds deal with them all.

So much destroyed by that awful storm. Please remember the Puerto Rican people. They are wonderful people and they even serve in the military for little reward. They still need our help to heal.