Monday A to Z Backwards..F

F..
Flash!
Frantic fraulien finds frisky felines fleeing frozen fields..
found flying friendly skies..
...Florida-bound!
Funny,huh?
Feasible though..
Felines..Cats..
Furbabies mine!.
..From the first fluffy furball which I conveniently "found"  at a tender age and enticed to follow me home, cats have always held a deep fascination for me..
Perhaps it is their independent nature.. their unconditional love once you've been chosen as their designated human.
Each with it's distinct personality has brought so much joy and delight..and sometimes anger..to my life..
I can't stay angry for long though..each plays me to his own tune..

Cat Ballou..
.. came to me as a mass of horribly matted gray fur, huge green eyes..the most antisocial behavior..now with generous doses of love,plus a trip to the kitty parlor and a good trim..he's come into his own! He is generous with love and kitty kisses..always within sight of me..at nite, he has his place next to me.
BeBe....

..tiny longhaired Calico too was a rescue. Her previous owner dubbed her the cat from Hades,called me one morning and said I was told you might take this cat, otherwise, she goes to the pound! Of course, I accepted her sight unseen! I gave her a new name, a new collar, loads of love..discovered she has only one front fang..and  dubbed her BeBe. She readily accepted me and has been MINE from day one. 
She is the most independent, but the most obedient and loving of the three.
 Again, she is always right next to me, wherever that happens to be. I've had her for 2 of her 3 years.
Bubba G..

..I have no idea how he came to be on my front porch a year ago on a frigid December day! opening the door to check the mailbox, a cardboard "banana box" was next to the door. When shoved aside as I opened the door, a  faint meeoow was heard..I thought..oh no..not another cat!?
Brought the box into the laundry room..out jumped a full grown ORANGE male cat.! He hissed, bared his teeth, and growled! Quickly he disappeared behind the washer..Food and water as well as the litter box was there for him as I closed the door, leaving just a crack. The others were so curious..peeping in only to be met by angry hisses..after 24 hours, I said enough of this! I sat in the floor with a bag of catnip, sprinkled some on me and waited! Out came Bubba,rolled all over me and the catnip, purring and loving me..he has been tame ever since! He too has his antics, and sleeps on my other side..
He has never been accepting of a collar nor a harness. I think he probably was abused at sometime in his life, but whomever left him included a bag of food, two bowls and a toy in the box! 
BeBe taught me early to put the leash and harness on her for outside forays in the grass! Ballou wants no part of being outside the safe confines of home..
All three are indoor cats who will sit for hours watching the squirrels..
All three have been neutered!
Please be kind to your pets..practice Spaying and Neutering!
Feline furbabies forever in my heart..now residing in Kitty Heaven

♥Goldie Girl ..June15,1992.............................................April 4, 2007♥

♥Peachy..April 29, .....................................................1993-April 5,2003♥
♥(no photos available at this time)♥

♥Bruiser Baby..May 5, 1996..........................................February 10,2008 ♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥

flit,fly..flee..on over to Jen's Unglazed for more FUN with the letter F!

Z to A Monday.. G

G..what a Great letter!
Greetings of the happiest kind! Gee! Golly wow!
Gloves..either rubber,woolen ,boxing or for me, cotton gardening..

Grecian Isles, urns.. and ruins..and Athens..

Green growing things..

Grandmas with a ready supply of hugs and kisses ..

Great state of Georgia USA with yummy peaches,Vidalia onions and  pecans 

Grand as in  Grand Teton mountain..

Grand Ole Opry..the greatest stage for country music artists..

Grande Canal.. the main watery "street"  in Venice Italy where Gondolas rule supreme!

Gigantic Gators.. gliding silently through southern swamps to the Everglades

Gatorade..sports drink founded in Florida.by the Gators of course!

Gelatin.. the basis of jiggly Jello

Girls..giggly,all sugar and spice, everything nice as well as sporty, independent, gracious...
Gentlemen..some merry and old, others ..well..they fall into a variety of catagories..
Grits..the southern staple..

G.R.I.T.S...Girls Raised In The South..

Great Auk..a really funny looking extinct  bird..

Gladiolas..and Geraniums..gorgeous flowers both..

Gardenias ..ahhh..heavenly scent..

Gloriosa Lily..which  really is a  beautifully flowered vine..

 Greenland, an island country in the northern Atlantic..

Great Barrier Reef..an underwater delight for divers....

Great Britain..an island country ruled by Elizabeth, the Queen

Green beans..a staple of many meals
Green veggies..eaten both raw and cooked

Great White shark found along the great barrier reef..or as in Jaws..

Great Blue Heron..a stately bird..

Grey/Gray..a color..or the lack of color..ashen..pale.
Grapes..yummy eatings, or stomped to make wine, dried as raisins..

Grapefruit.. so named because they grow in clusters like grapes..

Goats..grown for wool (think angora) milk and cheese..

Giraffes..tall, long necked spotted animal..

Google  search engine who makes it easy to find so many things on the internet..

Googly eyes..go figure!

Gene..'" the dancing dentist of Oxnard, California"..nuff said!
George Strait..country singer from Texas..whom I ADORE!

G.. the beginning , middle and ending in so many words..
Gulf of Mexico..the grand, glorious body of water along my beach which is missed much..

 G.. for the greatest giver of all..the creator..
GOD..
who makes all things possible..
I thank Thee!
Goodnight to all..
get going, gallop on over to Generous  Jen's Unglazed for more G stuff..

A to Z backwards Monday..H

H...
is for Heart....the center and core of being
H..is also for Home..
Home is where the heart is..
Home is where our stuff is..
Home can be a Castle, a Mansion,an Apartment, a Condo or a simple cottage in the suburbs.
Home is where we look forward to returning, day after day, to the security and happiness we've created between those four walls and a roof..
Home is FAMILY..children are born, reared,leave the nest to repeat the cycle of having a home of their own.
Home is where we bring our children to visit their grandparents as we return ourselves to become children again..to relive the happiness and innocence of childhood.. if only for a brief  interlude..
There comes a time in our lives when HOME can no longer be our sanctuary, becoming a hazard to our health instead. Parents become unable to continue being the strong healthy folks we always see in our minds,instead time has taken its toll on their bodies giving frailty in place of vigor,along with dimming of vision and less than perfect hearing. Time the thief silently steals their abilities and functions, leaving behind diminished capacity for everyday living and memory. 
It is at this time of life decisions have to be made for practicality and safety, often with reversal of roles.  Adult children try to gently lead their parents by showing examples of assisted living facilities  with the hope they will see the advantages of safety, medical and appealing amenities. Some will embrace this new chapter as an  adventure of  newfound independence, while others will only balk and have to be dragged literally kicking and screaming all the way.
With one partner already having suffered not one fall but two, the final being a broken thighbone, he has not been at home since Easter. It has been hospitals, rehabilitation centers, a brief stint at home where he suffered the last fall... and with each new crisis, and each move, the "Sundown Syndrome"  has taken away a bit more of the man we knew. At times he is totally lucid, at others, yelling and screaming that he will check himself out of this hotel and go back home, and still other times where he will call in the wee hours of nightime, pleading , please, someone  come to his rescue.. he is so lonely and all alone with only the beeps of machines echoing the loneliness of our once proud Father.
It is with heavy heart that Mom has to make the decision to leave her beautiful home, the heart of her life for forty years, which has now become her prison. She lost both her freedom and independence five years ago when due to failing health, she no longer could drive. Gone then were the carefree days of retirement,luncheons, and committee meetings and church socials. She alone has suffered greatly if not the most. She who is of the generation of the man being the head of the family, In this case, it is a great man who has been supported by a loving spouse, but not from the shadows. She has had her share of  the limelight before marriage, and continued to be a partner while also being a known entity of herself. It is with sadness she has reached this point, finally agreeing to and making the decision to join her husband of  sixty two years, following the sacred vows of that union as they together, in sickness and health, go into assisted living.  It is her heartfelt emotions leading her to believe that by she herself becoming a part of the familiarity of home furnishings and mementos that she can help restore his memory as well as his health. 
So, the process begins.. the unit is selected, finances discussed and arranged, and keys are handed over.
We walk through the rooms of their current  home, knowing the transfer in thought has already taken place. She points to photos, explaining where and when each was taken. So many memories are contained within these walls, this empty shell of a former home. Lovingly, she chooses items for the "new" place, each with a history; chosen for sentimentality as well as functionality. I listen rapt as she speaks, answering questions and voicing opinions only when asked while making note on the growing list. The hours pass slowly as I follow her through the winding path of her memories . Finally we are done. She is exhausted both mentally and physically.
Over a cups of steaming tea, a meeting with the movers agents is held. In the next several  days, selected possessions will be measured and computerized 3-D renderings will finalize their placement; personal items will be boxed and crated, the movers will arrive to load her precious cargo. Unloading and final placement in the new home will occur down to the tiniest detail..clocks will be restarted, beds will be made with fresh linens, mementos back in familiar spaces. Fresh flowers will be placed on the beautifully set table. Everything in its designated place, silently awaiting  the return of this loving couple, who in this latest chapter of their lives, restores the heart into the home..only this time..at a new address.

Please join us at Jen's Unglazed for more H words...♥

Z to A Monday.. I

I..is for Ice as in cold..very, very cold
Ice can be quite nice when used in Iced Tea...
or ice Cream.

.so refreshing on a hot summery day..
But come winter,when summery winds have changed to ICY blasts..
Ice can be very UNCOOL...
It is on those howling blustery days,snowy, Icicly days..

Icicles glisten ....
.but can be deadly when falling..
When refrozen, melted snow forms Black Ice..
creating very hazardous driving conditions..
my thoughts turn to home..
southward and warmth.. 
tropical warmth..

like  ISLANDS!
Being a native Floridian..
my idea of Islands other than Santa Rosa Island..
(That is a barrier Island where Pensacola Beach is located..)

The Islands I'm thinking of are the Florida Keys!

Stretching 127 miles from Miami to the Dry Tortugas,1700 islands make up the Florida Keys.

From the mainland to Key west,southernmost and only 94 miles from Cuba., the Keys are linked by 42 bridges.
Interesting facts..
Keys is a corruption of  Spanish  word for Cayo meaning island
Early inhabitants were Calusa and Tequesta Native Americans who were found and charted by Juan Ponce de Leon.
In 1910, railroad magnate Henry Flagler opened the keys to travel and commerce via his Overseas Railway.
The Labor Day hurricane of 1935 destroyed the overseas railway which was never rebuilt. Construction continued on the  Overseas Highway as a replacement  as the main transportation route from  Miami  to Key West.
The Keys divide the Atlantic Ocean from The Gulf of Mexico. the waters flow together through the Florida Straits.
Due to the tropical climate of the Keys, most any thing will grow and thrive in the moist wet, humid season from March until November.
Key Limes are golf ball sized..but  are delicious for Key Lime Pie!
Famous inhabitants  have been Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Calvin Klein, and Jimmy Buffett,,..many other celebrities choose the laid-back island lifestyle over the hectic chaos of other large cities.

Hemingway house  and Polydactile (6 toed cats)

Calvin Klein house

Tennessee Williams house

Myself, just a Navy wife spent three years there in Key West..loved it and hated it equally.

The weather was wonderful, but quickly tired of wearing terry cloth and swim suits as regular attire.

The tradition of wandering down to Mallory Square for sundown was delightful..Anything imaginable could be seen in what was an ever changing street circus!

Tourists on mopeds made navigation nearly impossible..

Palm trees decorated with pink and purple lights  was not my idea of Christmas.
Got stuck on the old two lane seven mile bridge  due to a crash at midsection..

was not a fun place to be.. especially when traffic was stopped in both directions awaiting rescue and fire services.The new four lane bridge was completed just as I departed for Spain..
Another story for another time..

Yes.. the keys are interesting to visit..but I would not want to live there again!..
So grab a cheeseburger in paradise while humming Margaritaville,hop on a scooter and zoom..
right on over to Jen's Unglazed for other Interesting I things..