Horticulturally Speaking...

I don't believe I've ever mentioned it here, but I love plants. I should've studied Horticulture in college, but didn't want to leave my boyfriend to go to the Univ. of Illinois.
I have quite a collection of plants, but most of them are cactus and succulents. I love the desert, maybe that's why I favor cacti.
This succulent was purchased in November from a local greenhouse. They were having a sale and I bought 3 different ones total. I don't water them alot, don't want to kill them with kindness. This morning I took this one to the kitchen sink to water, took it out of the red Christmas foil, and noticed it has little sprouts around the edges. Babies! So in the spring, when it's warm enough outside, I'll probably transplant and see if I can pot the babies separately.

Cool Cathedral

I saw this on another website and thought it was interesting enough to post to my blog. Hope you enjoy, I think it's beautiful!

Las Lajas Cathedral: A Gothic Church Worthy of a Fairy Tale

The Las Lajas Cathedral is located in southern Colombia and built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara River. According to the legend, this was the place where an indian woman named María Mueses de Quiñones was carrying her deaf-mute daughter Rosa on her back near Las Lajas ("The Rocks"). Weary of the climb, the María sat down on a rock when Rosa spoke (for the first time) about an apparition in a cave. Later on, a mysterious painting of the Virgin Mary carrying a baby was discovered on the wall of the cave. Supposedly, studies of the painting showed no proof of paint or pigments on the rock - instead, when a core sample was taken, it was found that the colors were impregnated in the rock itself to a depth of several feet. Whether true or not, the legend spurred the building of this amazing church.

Waking up with Xena

Warm sunshine

Even though it's in the 20's today, the sun was shining brightly. Xena likes to lay on the sofa in the front window (south-facing) and enjoy the warmth from the sun! I woke her from her nap to take this shot.

Academy Awards Tonite!

I don't see tons of movies, but I did see Slumdog Millionaire on Christmas Day. Great movie. Makes you think. Tonite is Academy Awards show. Slumdog is favored to win a lot of the awards. I'll be rooting for it!

Spring is Here!!!!?

The view out my back door on Saturday morning. Guess the groundhog was right!
Note to those living in warmer climes, who think this might be pretty.... It is pretty in Nov/Dec... by the end of February I'm ready for little green things to be sprouting out of the ground!

From the net

I was forwarded this story through an email. Whether or not this is true, I don't know. But for an animal lover like myself, it's a sweet story! Enjoy.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:


Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith
_________________________________

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith , ' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

_____________________________________

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God


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You can't always choose whom you love, but you can choose how to find them. Start with AOL Personals.

Happy Valentine's Day

Xena wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! (me, too!)

Best in Show

I've watched the Westminster Dog Show the last 2 nights. All the dogs were beautiful! When it came to the Best in Show, I was rooting for The Sussex Spaniel, Stump. He is 10 years old, the oldest winner for this show.
Congratulations, Stump! Way to go old guy!

P. S. A funny movie to rent on this subject is, "Best in Show"

#2 V is for Volcano!

V is for Volcano!
This post contains a picture I didn't take, but I have a story to accompany it.
When my daughter was about 6 years old, she and I were having lunch and they played this song, "I don't know where I'm a gonna go, when the volcano blows!" It was very catchy, and at that time it was new to me. After researching, I found out that the song was "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffett. I bought a CD. We would listen in the car. We spent alot of time in the car, we were always on the go! I got more and more of Buffett's music. We both became fans. I took her (and my husband) to their first Jimmy Buffett concert at Poplar Creek. We sat on the lawn and everyone was so friendly to her. They gave her their glow-in-the-dark necklaces. Hubby didn't enjoy the concert, and told me that I was too old for it. I was probably in my late 30's at the time.
If you know anything about the ParrotHeads, you know that they range in age from 6 to 66. After that, I continued to go to Jimmy's concerts, and after a few years, my daughter joined me. She and I are both proud to be ParrotHeads, and try to attend his concert here every year. Needless to say, hubby never went to another concert. He is way older than his years. That's another post.

V is for Volcano!

V is for Velour

This was a tough one! I was planning all along to go with the obvious V is for Valentine. I also thought of going to the library and taking a picture of the volumes of books there. Then I noticed my daughter's bright blue robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Velour! So plush and pretty! So, more artistic than anything else, V is for Velour!

Prettier

 

Xena was a little upset that I had posted such an unflattering picture of her. She asked if I could post this so you all can see what a friendly, pretty girl she is! Smile!

Xena

 

You would never know it by this picture, but Xena is the most timid, gentle dog I've ever known! But lucky for us, she has a big bark and can look pretty intimidating, don't you think?

Things I Love - M

Betty gave me the letter M for this little challenge. It took me a lot of thinking and several days to come up with the following list. I hope this will jar some memories for anyone reading. If so, please leave a comment! Oh, and please note, these are not listed in any particular order!

M&Ms Who doesn't love these little guys? Melts in your mouth, not in your hands! I'm not crazy for the peanut, prefer the plain, unadulterated chocolate. But I do especially enjoy the crispy ones! I also would probably love the dark chocolate, but haven't had the guts to buy a bag, yet! Step away from the M&Ms!!!

Margaritaville The restaurants started in the name of Jimmy Buffett. I'm a long-time Parrot Head and love being able to visit these restaurants when I'm vacationing near one. There are none in Chicago (come on Jimmy!) I was at the Orlando Margaritaville last weekend in Universal. Prior to that, in September, I visited and shopped at the Margaritaville in Cancun. I enjoy shopping for tshirts and other paraphanaleia almost as much as I do eating there!

Music Ok, everyone loves music, whatever there genre may be. I've been listening to music ever since I was about 10 years old, putting my transistor radio under my pillow and listening all night to the Silver Dollar Survey and WLS. I was a Beatlemaniac, watching and crying when they were on the Ed Sullivan Show. And the next summer, taking a bus, alone, halfway to the Beatles concert which was being held at Comiskey Park (White Sox park). I've always enjoyed certain groups and/or singers and have seen them in concert. Besides the Beatles, I've seen Three Dog Night, Neil Diamond, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Elton John, Barry Manilow and Jimmy Buffett.
Oh, and although I don't play anymore, I played piano throughout school and some after. I was also in the chorus in high school and a soloist!

Barry Manilow Yep. I'll admit it. I'm a fanilow! I've seen Barry many times in person, most recently, this past summer. Even though he's in his 60's now, his voice is still beautiful and he hasn't missed a beat. His songs make me cry!

Steve Martin Ok, Barry makes me cry, but Steve makes me laugh! I saw Steve Martin at the beginning of his career here in Chicago. He had an album out and was doing the arrow through the head thing. I remember laughing so hard that night that my mouth hurt for days after. I still enjoy seeing him on SNL.

Martinis Lol. Ok, there are many different types of martinis, and I'll bet I'd like most of them. But my favorite drink is a Bombay Blue Sapphire Extra Dry Gin Martini with a twist of lime and blue cheese stuffed olives. So dry that you just wave the bottle of vermouth around the glass. In other words, STRAIGHT GIN! Lol, but this is still considered a martini. Go figure. In the summer, I also enjoy a gin and tonic. Refreshing!

Marlboro Man If you've read The Pioneer Woman's Blog, you'll know that she calls her husband the Marlboro Man. The first time I read that I couldn't believe it. You see, I have my own Marlboro Man. He is someone I dated many years ago and he was so good looking, tall, dark and handsome, that my girlfriend and I referred to him as the Marlboro Man! Unfortunately, because he is soooo good looking, I always felt that I was not good enough for him, that I wouldn't be able to hang onto someone like him. So, I let him get away. We lost touch for several years, but a few months ago I received a call from him. He said that he was looking through his phone book and saw my number and wondered if it was still my number. We're now renewing our friendship, just emails and phone calls, but I do get to see him when he is on the job. I posted a picture of him previously.

Month of March Yep, it's the month we celebrate my birthday, but that's not the reason I love this time of year. It's the beginning of spring! After a long Chicago winter, we see signs of spring and green around the middle of March. Spring is my favorite season because it feels so full of hope! I love to see all the new little sprouts coming through the ground and I love being able to start anew in my garden! The nurseries start filling their stock and I start to plan what new plants I will try this year. Yep, I love March, and May isn't bad, either!

The Moon Ok, I'm trying to get to 10 things, but I do love looking at the stars and the night sky. The moon has been especially bright and beautiful the last few nights, and has been hanging around with Venus. I remember the day man landed on the moon. I think it was a Sunday, but I'm not sure. I do remember sitting in front of the tv when Neil Armstrong said those famous words, "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind" I was in awe that he was speaking and walking on the moon, and I was able to sit in my living room and watch and hear him at the same time.

Memories Sometimes memories are all you have left of someone you love. Sometimes I think I need to sit down and concentrate on remembering these special people, places and events. One of my favorite songs of the Beatles is "In My Life". See if you remember this song....


There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends
I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
there is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more