Sand along the southern New Jersey shore is called sugar sand because it is a shade of pale beige or white and very fine.
But as the sun falls lower in the sky, the sand takes on a more golden hue.
Here is this weeks entry for Friday Foto Friends and Skywatch Friday.
Puppy tracks along the bay! The sun is getting lower and the sand is changing color.
the sun uses the cove as her mirror
As the sun nears the horizon, gold and pink become intense. You can feel the hot spots from the suns rays as they travel across the water.
liquid gold
"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."
The story of a 17 year old boy who falls head over heels in love with a pretty stranger. It makes for wonderful summertime reading.
... “Well, now I'm here, I might as well
go one more.
Fill 'er up again. Same.”
...
William Sylvanus Baxter paused for a moment of thought in front of the drug-store at the corner of Washington Street and Central Avenue. He had an internal question to settle before he entered the store: he wished to allow the young man at the soda-fountain no excuse for saying, “Well, make up your mind what it's goin' to be, can't you?” Rudeness of this kind, especially in the presence of girls and women, was hard to bear, and though William Sylvanus Baxter had borne it upon occasion, he had reached an age when he found it intolerable. Therefore, to avoid offering opportunity for anything of the kind, he decided upon chocolate and strawberry, mixed, before approaching the fountain. Once there, however, and a large glass of these flavors and diluted ice-cream proving merely provocative, he said, languidly—an affectation, for he could have disposed of half a dozen with gusto: “Well, now I'm here, I might as well go one more. Fill 'er up again. Same.”
Emerging to the street, penniless, he bent a fascinated and dramatic gaze upon his reflection in the drug-store window, and then, as he turned his back upon the alluring image, his expression altered to one of lofty and uncondescending amusement. That was his glance at the passing public. From the heights, he seemed to bestow upon the world a mysterious derision—for William Sylvanus Baxter was seventeen long years of age, and had learned to present the appearance of one who possesses inside information about life and knows all strangers and most acquaintances to be of inferior caste, costume, and intelligence.
He lingered upon the corner awhile, not pressed for time. Indeed, he found many hours of these summer months heavy upon his hands, for he had no important occupation, unless some intermittent dalliance with a work on geometry (anticipatory of the distant autumn) might be thought important, which is doubtful, since he usually went to sleep on the shady side porch at his home, with the book in his hand. So, having nothing to call him elsewhere, he lounged before the drug-store in the early afternoon sunshine, watching the passing to and fro of the lower orders and bourgeoisie of the middle-sized midland city which claimed him (so to speak) for a native son.
Booth Tarkington is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams among other works.
I thought it might be nice to do a bit of Sunday stealing today!
Bev Sykes is the proprietress of Sunday Stealing.
Click the logo to link up.
This week's topic is Food, Glorious Food!
1. Do you like pie? Yes I like pie a lot! My mom and grandmother made nice pies. Lemon meringue, apple, shoofly, custard pies. Yum.
2. Italian or Mexican? I love both, however, I think Mexican will take first place and Italian second.
3. Can you bake? If so, what are your favorite things to bake? Yes, I can bake. Pies, cakes and bread used to be favorites for me.
4. Do you use cook books or do you try to find recipes online? I have favorite recipes that I use but they are mostly memorized. I have too many cookbooks and just this past week got rid of a bunch for the 30 day declutter. I will look online for things I am not used to making or if I want to vary a recipe.
5. Do you own a kitchen aid mixer? No, too expensive!
6. Ever cooked a meal for more than 15 people at one time? Yes but now the record is usually just 7.
7. Do you like hospital food? Get outta here...
8. Favorite fast food restaurant? I hate fast food. Its disgusting.
9. Any picky eaters in your family? Yup, the Little can be picky.
10. Soda or Tea? Iced tea please though I used to be a Coca Cola fan.
11. Hot chocolate? No. Chocolate gives me migraines and all that sickening sweet.. no thank you.
12. Favorite holiday dish? Belgian Waffles for breakfast on the holidays, sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving.
13. What is the most tasteful strangest looking thing you have ever tasted? I can't think of anything. I stay away from odd foods. I don't eat pork or shellfish etc. and those are the only weird foods I can think of.
14. Fries or tater tots? Either one is okay with me.
15. Do you like cheese? If so what kind? I do like cheese and Jarlsberg and super sharp Cheddar are favorites.
16. Home made or can soup? Home made. Canned has too much salt.
17. Do you like to eat out? Yes, I love to eat out.
18. What kind of food is popular where you are? (Like in Alaska it is seafood) Italian food and seafood since I live by the seashore.
19. Do you like cotton candy? Yes, I do.
20. Turkey or Chicken? I like both.
21. Hamburger or tuna helper? Hamburger helper if I had to choose but I don't eat either one.
22. Raw or cooked veggies? Cooked mostly.
23. Do you like salad? If so, what is your favorite kind of salad? I love salad with cooked ground turkey or beef, tuna or eggs, tomatoes, almonds, lettuce, seeds, balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise, cracked pepper and Italian seasoning.
Hello and welcome to my blog!
Today I am joining in for Saturday 9 and the topic this week is Gidget!
If you would like to hear the song listen here so you have an idea what is going on!
Saturday 9: Gidget (1965)
1) Gidget was a sitcom that ran only one season. Have you ever seen it?
Yes, and I really like it! Also saw all the movies with Sandra Dee and others.
2) Gidget is a high school student who is more interested in surfing and boys than in the books. When you were Gidget's age, was your top priority getting good grades? Or were you more involved in the social side of student life?
I was more involved with the social side of student life. Loved sports, clubs, newspaper, managed the school radio station. I was very into the beach and surfing and boys and never opened a book. However, I got straight A's and was an honor student.
3) Gidget's father was nearly always unflappable when it came to his daughter's high-spirited shenanigans. Who is the coolest, calmest person you know?
My father was cool and calm. Never cursed, never got angry, always seemed steadfast.
4) Gidget spends as much time as she can at the beach, hanging out with her best friend Larue. Fair-skinned Larue doesn't share Gidget's passion for surfing and prefers to stay on the beach blanket, wearing a floppy hat that protects her from the sun. Are you a sun worshipper? Or, like Larue, are you careful about your exposure to the sun?
I also spend a lot of time by the beach and especially in high school years etc. However, I never allowed much of a tan on my face. It ruins your skin. I don't burn, I tan but it's still not good for you.
5) Gidget, the quintessential California girl, was created by Freidrich Kohner, an Austrian-born screenwriter. Can you think of another Austrian import?
I think Arnold Schwartzenegger.
6) Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller wrote this week's Gidget theme. They also wrote the 1960 hit song, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool." When is the last time you felt foolish? I don't recall ever feeling foolish.
7) This is the show that introduced Sally Field. She went on to win two Oscars and four Emmy Awards. When you think of Sally, what role comes to mind?
Her role in Murphy's Romance, a favorite of mine because the opening sequences remind me of me and my little boy reestablishing our lives after divorce. I also drove a truck and raised horses back in the day.
8) Today Gidget is a grandmother. Sally reports that her grandchildren especially enjoy "sleepovers at Granny's." Where were you the last time you spent the night away from home?
It's been a long, long time since I went anywhere at all. But, boy could I use a vacation. Won't happen though. I am always the one left behind to care for other people's responsibilities while they party it up. Annoyed much by that? Yup.
9) Random question -- Describe your perfect lazy afternoon. Being by the water, watching the kids surf. I also just like sitting around making a puzzle :) or watching some Agatha Christie Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.
This week is over and I hope the coming week is much nicer though it seems more storms are on the way.
Here are my photos for Friday Foto Friends and Skywatch Friday. They are taken with my phone and for some reason did not save as jpgs and also appear very grainy. I never had this happen before and not sure why it did happen this time.
Inside the tiny cottage, it is cozy....
Outside, the boats anchor for the night...
Below is the actual photo I took with my Android phone and then below that is a jazzed up photo.
Here, below is how it was jazzed up using edit on Instagram.
I like the original much better, frankly.
The bay turns pink at sunset and gets pinker as the sun goes down. No editing on any photo except where noted.
In this photo you can see how grainy. It doesn't look like that on the phone. Just when downloaded.
Earlier in the evening the pink was not as evident.
Pain from severe sciatica has kept me from posting all week. I just hurt far too much to even care.
I
am always in pain from my spine and have been for most of my life. That's life my friends.
Outside my front window a tiny bird is singing her lovely little song while she sits on top of the little bird house I nailed to the side of the house. Maybe she sings a lullaby to her babies. She is accompanied by the sound of the fountain in the little pond and boats passing by on the bay.
It is a pretty day today--not too hot, not too cool, no real humidity--- and time for Friday Foto Friends hosted by Debbie and also Skywatch Friday hosted by Skyley.
Here are my contributions for this week.
Clearing out your mind...
Clutter doesn't just litter your home with useless junk, it also burdens your mind and body with more useless work.
The mind reacts to clear, orderly space in a positive way.
It reacts to too much clutter and a busy landscape in a negative way.
In a clean and orderly place your mind will work with efficiency and higher capacity.
In a cluttered,disorganized space the mind will work more slowly, your body will take on a burdened, lazy attitude and your thinking will be skewed. You'll get headaches and indigestion too.
Your mind looks at the disorganization and sighs. It sees too much work, too much stuff, too much to clean and that alone is tiring and deeply unsettling to you and others.
God is the author of order, not chaos.
So, let's get rid of the clutter and free the mind and body of useless energy drain and work.
Here are some keys to help.
1. Start by working on one area of the house at a time.
Let's say you work on the kitchen today.Perhaps the next place is your bedside table drawers. Organize the work in chunks. Set a time, say half an hour and work at the job. Don't tackle the entire house at one go.
2. Have 3 bags or boxes: Blessings, Junk and Maybe
Blessings are things you will give to others or perhaps list on eBay or Etsy.
Don't view removing something from your home as loss to you. View it as a blessing for someone else who may have need of it.
The maybe pile are things you are not sure what to do with. Decide after they are removed from the area but learn to be ruthless. 3. Throw out duplicates or bless someone else with them.
4. If you haven't used it in 6 months, you aren't going to. Get rid of it. 5. Most things can be replaced. If it's broken and not been fixed, throw it out.
How many broken appliances are sitting around? Why?
6. Mementos mean more if there are VERY few of them. Get rid of the rest. Do you even look at the stuff?
7.You are not defined by the things you own or keep. Pare down.
Meditate on this one because it is the root cause of why people hold on to things.
8. Keeping something for someday holds you back from living today.
9. If you have to move things to clean, if you have to clean in order to clean or are constantly moving things from one place to another get rid of it.
10. Throw things out before they accumulate and clean as you go.
Junk mail should go right in the garbage..right now.
Don't save old pens or broken flashlights. Don't save rubber bands.. come on folks. Its junk.
Get rid of the junk drawers.
You don't live a in junk yard.
11. Organized clutter is still clutter.
Just look at homes filled with baskets and boxes filled with "stuff".
Homes where children have far too many toys kept in baskets, bins that take up entire rooms are over kill and teach greed and mess.
Why?? Put it out for bulk collection. Its nonsense!
12. Value your health.
If you have asthma or COPD, get things out from under your bed. Its a health hazard. Throw the stuff out.
13. Don't be greedy or needy for possessions.
You don't need 20 T shirts, a dozen sweaters,10 pairs of shoes, 5 coats, dozens of pants, shorts, or purses.
How much is too big?
How much is too small?
Why do we horde things for later? Give them away to someone they will fit and who may really need them.
Bless someone else with your excess.
If you can't get into your closet.. something is wrong. Remedy that.
14.Stop being a hanger on...
When you buy something new, throw out 2 of the old things.
Need motivation to start?
Genesis chapter 2..... God commanded the man to dress and keep the garden.
The garden, Paradise, was their home and they were commanded.. not asked.. to work it..for that is the real translation and keep it maintained. You are commanded by God to work on and keep up your home. That includes inside and outside.
Keep is from the word shomer. Shomer means you guard, preserve, upkeep and faithfully maintain something.
Are you keeping this commandment?
Solomon said, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might!"There is also the saying "faithful with a little, faithful with a lot".
If you cannot manage your home, how do you manage the things of God?
What if you are tired all the time and find it hard to get things done?
See your doctor. It isn't normal even if you are older.
B12 can help. Getting proper sleep and eating proper food too. Are allergies making you sluggish?
But a big culprit of being sluggish and tired is that not moving makes you tired. You aren't getting the oxygen your body needs. (on that note.. ever had a sleep study test? Not breathing at night can make you sleepy during the day. It isn't normal to be sleepy all day. Most insurance covers this and a CPap makes a huge difference in your health and well being) Sleep apnea is very common and a cause of high blood pressure,heart disease, strokes, depression, lack of energy, etc.
Moving creates energy and exercise creates good hormones that elevate the mood!
The tired of hard work is not like the tired, dull, heavy feeling that comes from not doing things. They are completely different feelings.
Real physical tired is not sluggish, heavy or dull minded. That is not the same thing.
Rejuvenate yourself by moving.
If you are in pain, get physical therapy for it if possible and exercise as recommended but do not stagnate.
Get up, get dressed and get busy.
Next time I will talk about my routine in cleaning and then what to do if you have no help around the house.
And if you need further inspiration, join us for the 30 bags in 30 days declutter challenge.
Throw out a bag full of clutter every day for the next 30 days.
Sophia is a fellow New Jerseyan and a lovely girl.
Enjoy the video.
(the accent is French)
The fireworks never came!
After paying $17,000 for them, the company couldn't get a hazmat driver to deliver them and so our towns were left without one of the largest displays in our county. Seems they won't be doing them on another day either. It's one of my favorite holidays too. But people around the bay set off fireworks on their property and we could see pther displays across the bay and we had a wonderful time sitting just watching the gorgeous sunset with the lovely salt water scent all around.
We did have our barbeque and it was nice as well.
It is Friday Foto Friends time once again and for Skywatch Friday and I will join in with few photos I have taken.
I took this photo a few years back, added to it and turned it into a postage stamp.You can see the fireworks reflected in the water below.
Reflection of leaves and moonlight on the pond. No, not Moonlight in Vermont but it will have to do.
The big pond
Another view of the big pond
Fish are jumpin'.. and the cotton is high. Oh, wait. we don't have cotton. Will Cat tails do?
Evening sky
Every one of my photos from yesterday turned out very badly. So badly they aren't worth even trying to doctor them up at all.
Let me invite you to my neck of the woods with some drone footage of the area.
I hope you enjoy it. I know I do every time I see it.
This is home for me.
And here's to Buzz wherever he may be.....
I eat this almost every single day. I vary it by adding tiny tomatoes but, this is a staple of my daily diet and I just love it.
Gurkensalat
2 big cucumbers, sliced and drained
Vidalia onion sliced very thinly or red onion sliced thinly.
1/2 tsp of salt to pull out moisture
(1/2 tsp of mustard if you wish.. but I don't use it)
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 T. of white vinegar
1 tsp of dried dill weed
1 tsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of paprika
Remove as much of the water from the cukes as you can. Some use salt to do that and let stand for 30 minutes to drain them out. Drain on paper towels.
Squeeze out the moisture a bit.
Mix the sour cream , vinegar and spices into a small bowl and fold in the cucumber and onion slces.
You need to refrrigerate over night to marinate the flavors.
Sprinkle with a wee bit of paprika and serve.
Emerging to the street, penniless, he bent a fascinated and dramatic gaze upon his reflection in the drug-store window, and then, as he turned his back upon the alluring image, his expression altered to one of lofty and uncondescending amusement. That was his glance at the passing public. From the heights, he seemed to bestow upon the world a mysterious derision—for William Sylvanus Baxter was seventeen long years of age, and had learned to present the appearance of one who possesses inside information about life and knows all strangers and most acquaintances to be of inferior caste, costume, and intelligence.
Clutter doesn't just litter your home with useless junk, it also burdens your mind and body with more useless work.
4. If you haven't used it in 6 months, you aren't going to. Get rid of it.
8. Keeping something for someday holds you back from living today.
Gurkensalat
