Wednesday's Poetry Day ~ Cabin In The Woods

When the poetry mood hits me I find many things I've seen, heard or read that brings a picture to mind and words that turn into poetry swirling through my mind. The type poem I end up writing could be spiritual, happy, sad or comical. 95% of the poems I write are definitely not biographical as some may think. I find the subject and my thoughts take it from there. With that said here is a poem I wrote when seeing the following picture I happened to come across.

Cabin In The Woods

Watching the sun rise in the east
Sitting on the porch quietly alone
As daylight lights the morning sky
This, the only life she's ever known

Her little cabin hidden in the woods
Many miles away from any town or kin
She reads her books each and every day
Of faraway places she has never been

Her only companions are the wildlife
That greet her every early morn
She waves and smiles back at them
The white tail doe and baby fawn

The days and years pass swiftly by
And the sun still rises every day
The empty chair now on the porch
For she has quietly passed away.

Toni Taddeo ©

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Thought For The Day

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After I wrote the poem I felt a little sad but knew I had to write it anyway. I hope you see the sad lonely beauty of the subject. Until the next time dear family and friends, have a day of blessings.

The Garden Surprise

Here's this week's Toni's Creative Adventures. I enjoy doing this meme as It's always fun seeing how a story adventure can be created with just 4 fill in the blanks questions.

The Garden Surprise

1.   Walking through a public garden I came across the strangest and beautiful - among the wonderful flowers the most enchanting group of benches and chairs I had ever seen before.

2.   Truly in awe of what I see, I stopped and - decided to sit on the strangest chair I had ever seen. Beautiful strange art work yet inviting all to have a seat. I must say even though it didn't look comfortable it really was. As I sat I thought to myself

3.   Can they possible be meant to just be admired or is it possible to - relax on these beautiful chairs of art that were created just for the purpose of use. Hard to tell as I was the only one here in the garden and there were no keep off signs. Oh well,

4.   I'm so glad I decided to visit this garden today or I never would have - seen such beautiful and yes, comfortable chairs of art in this lovely public garden. Oh yes! I definitely will return.

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Go to the Toni's Creative Adventures blog to copy the meme questions by clicking on the graphic

In the meantime dear family and friends have a day of blessings.

My Mother In Law's Tongue

I bought a Sansevieria Trifasciata plant  (also known as a mother in law's tongue or snake plant)  through Amazon this past week. It's a plant which is primarily grown for it's slick sword like long leaves. This is a slow growing plant that anyone can grow because of it's low and high sun light tolerance and ease of watering. This is basically why I bought it. I've had too many problems with loads of gnats on other plants due to store bought soil that had eggs in the soil. I finally had to get rid of all my plants when I was living in another apartment in another town. And the first year here because of my love for bananas I had the same problem. Now it seems the bananas don't attract them anymore. Must be a new type brand banana. Hopefully I won't have that problem again.

Facts And Care I'm Told

• Temperature: Average warmth is fine of approximately 60-75°F (15-24°C) and no lower than 50°F (10°C).
• Light: The mother in laws tongue is well known for coping with direct sun and low light conditions, although bright light conditions with some sun light and shade is preferred.
• Watering: Because this plant is a succulent it stores water within its foliage, so it is not necessary to keep the soil damp. Water from spring to fall when the soil becomes dry to the touch and during the winter only once a month  (some say not to water for 2 months in winter).  Be careful not to over water as this can cause the root and base of the plant to rot.
• Soil: I would just use a common well draining cactus and succulent potting mix available from all garden stores.
• Re-Potting: The snake plant does not enjoy being re-potted very often, so re-pot only when the pot cracks from growth. They're best potted within a clay pot that can crack once maximum growth space within the pot is used.
• Fertilizer: During the main growing season (spring - fall) feed with a diluted cactus and succulent fertilizer once a month.
• Humidity: Average house humidity is advised - but this plant can tolerate dry air conditions and drafts.
• Propagation: Propagate by division when its re-potting time or when you see enough plant growth. You may also remove offsets that appear near the base of the plant or propagate 2 inch leaf tip cuttings. Dividing the plant seems to be the most successful approach.
• Note: This plant absorbs nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde and creates nighttime oxogen. In other words a good house plant. An interesting research program has been done by NASA using a few selected plants (one is this Sansevieria) for air purification and to curb "Sick Building Syndrome. "Short video below with my NYC accent LOL!

My maternal grandmother had one for 40-50 years she kept by her door with many other plants. It was tremendous and she rarely did anything to it. I'm told they can grow up to 3 feet tall. Every so often I'll let you know how it's doing. As for me, at one time I had 15 different house plants in my home and never had problems growing any.

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Ha-Ha Thought For The Day

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As for you dear family and friends, have a day of blessings.

Wednesday's Poetry Day ~ Echoes Of Times Gone By

I've had nights when I couldn't sleep with memories from long ago that I would like to forget. The past few years my body doesn't know the difference between day and night. This had encouraged me to write the following poem awhile back.

Echoes Of Times Gone By

Memories keep flooding back
Good and bad my eyes do see
In echoes of times gone by
And years now fast do flee

Lack of sleep yet half awake
Rarely do the days pass on
Yet sleep or awaken, my mind
Can't keep those memories gone

As time and years swiftly fly
And memories haunt more each day
I try to busy my body and mind
In hopes of keeping bad memories away

How I long to sometimes forget
The darken days of yesteryear
And then happy times do wash away
Those memories I've come to fear

Yes, memories come flooding back
The good and bad my eyes do see
And echoes of times gone by
And the years now faster flee.

Toni Taddeo ©

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The painting shown above my poem is by American Painter Edward Hopper. You can look him up on the net. He doesn't have a website. With not much else to post, until the next time my friends, have a day of blessings.

Presidents Holiday

In honor of President's Day here some favorite fun facts about presidents:

• George Washington was the only president unanimously elected. Meaning all of the state representatives voted for him.
• John Adams died on the same day as Thomas Jefferson, July 4th, 1826. This day was also the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence! He was also an accomplished architect. He designed his famous home at Monticello as well as buildings for the University of Virginia. James Madison and George Washington are the only presidents who signed the Constitution.
• James Madison was the shortest president at 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds.
• Abraham Lincoln was the tallest president at 6 feet 4 inches tall (L.B. Johnson was also 6' 4").
• James Monroe was the 5th president, but the 3rd to die on the 4th of July.
• On the day he was shot, Lincoln told his bodyguard that he had dreamt he would be assassinated. He often stored things like letters and documents in his tall stove-piped hat.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt met President Grover Cleveland when he was five years old. Cleveland said "I am making a wish for you. It is that you may never become president of the United States". FDR was also the first president to appear on television during a 1939 broadcast from the World's Fair.
• At 42 years, 10 months, 18 days old Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest man to hold the office of president. Ronald Reagan was the oldest at 69 years 11 months. John F. Kennedy was the youngest to be elected president. He was the first president who was a Boy Scout.
• Teddy Roosevelt was blind in his left eye due to an injury in a boxing match.
• When Ronald Reagan was shot by an assassin in 1981, he joked "I forgot to duck".
• The "S" in Harry S. Truman does not stand for anything.
• Woodrow Wilson was buried at the Washington National Cathedral. He is the only president buried in Washington D.C.
• Andrew Jackson was shot in the chest during a gun dual, but managed to stay standing and shoot and kill his opponent. The bullet could not be safely removed and remained in his chest for the next 40 years.
• George W. Bush is the only president to have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
• Barack Obama won a Grammy Award in 2006 for his voice on the audio book Dreams From My Father. After working at a Baskin-Robbins as a teen, President Obama no longer likes ice cream.
• Bill Clinton enjoys playing the saxophone and was a member of a band called "Three Blind Mice" in high school.
• Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born as a citizen of the United States. The presidents before him were born as British subjects. He was the only president to speak English as a second language. His first language was Dutch.
• William Henry Harrison was the 9th president. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was the 23rd president.
• John Tyler had 15 children. The White House must have been hopping!
• James K. Polk was the first president to have his photograph taken while in office.
• William Henry Harrison died just 32 days after becoming president. He died from a cold he got while standing in the rain giving his inauguration speech.

Quote Of The Day

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Hope you enjoyed these fun facts as much as I did. And now In the meantime dear family and friends, have a holiday of blessings.

Dessert For Thought!

Happy Presidents Weekend. So instead of a cherry pie I thought you might want to try this Cherry Chip Cookies recipe. They are delicious and easy to make.

Cherry Chip Cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cherry chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour and baking soda. Mix until well blended. Add cherry chips and stir until well distributed. On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop rounded teaspoons of dough, leaving at least an inch between to allow for spreading. Slightly flatten each cookie with the back of a spoon.

Note: This recipe does not call for any eggs. A rounded teaspoon makes a fairly small cookie. If a larger cookie is desired, use approximately 50% more dough. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 9 minutes (11 to 13 minutes for larger cookies). Remove from the oven and allow cookies to set on cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes to firm up slightly before removing. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

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Thought Of The Day

Hope you try out the recipe and let me know how the cookies turned out. I found them delicious. Until the next time dear friends be blessed.

Friday Photo Friends ~ Strolling The Neighborhood

Redheaded Sand Hill Cranes photos from my daughter. I love the way they are just able to walk freely in Florida neighborhoods. In my area of upstate New York it's White Tail Deer that walk around roads, towns and countrysides. I never have a camera ready when they are around.

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If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name or her Logo on the left side menu. It's a wonderful photo meme and a wonderful bunch of ladies who join in. And now until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Wednesday's Poetry Day ~ A Special Valentine

Hope your Valentine's Day dear friends is a day full of blessings.

Toni's Own Soup

Have you ever looked in your freezer and seen so many frozen bags of vegetables and all of a sudden you felt like grabbing a few and decided to make your own kind of "Vegetable Bean Soup"? Well I did that yesterday and here are my results. In the following order:

• Two tablespoons oil in a 4 quart saute pan
• one cut up onion until translucent
• 2 cloves garlic cooking just 2 minutes.
• 1 bag each of broccoli, cauliflower, brown rice, kale. Each partly microwaved to soften
• 1 box frozen peas as is
• 1 can of cannellini beans with liquid
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 4-5 cups water, preferred over store broth too much salt content
• black pepper, oregano, parsley and basil.

Brought it all to a boil then lowered the heat to simmer for a couple of hours. Here's the results. First photo simmering, second photo finished product.

This may not be to your liking then you can always add your own veggies. I decided not to use carrots as I don't like them cooked, didn't use potatoes or pasta as it would have been too much. I do know this is the best way to rid your freezer of vegetables that were in there too long and I now have 6 cooked ahead soups in my freezer. Actually there was 7 but I ate it for last night's dinner. Delicious if I say so myself.

Thought For The Day
Soup Humor

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Until the next time, have a day of blessings my friend.

The Bridge Across The Bay

Here's this week's Toni's Creative Adventures. I enjoy doing this as It's always fun seeing how a story adventure can be created with just 4 fill in the blanks questions.

The Bridge Across The Bay

1.   Walking slowly on the bridge across the bay I suddenly stopped to watch - A beautiful sailboat sailing across the bay with the sun just about setting behind it. It is such a peaceful early evening and wonderful sight to see. I stopped and just took it all in.

2.  A feeling of peaceful serenity came over me as I - watched the wind slowly move the boat along the bay. From the boat two people waved to me and yelled across to me, "Hope your day is full of blessings!", I yelled back that I wished the the same.

3.   The sun rays in the water captured the sheer beauty of - the bay, sailboat and setting sun and knowing it was now time to go I walked on even though I wished this day would never end.

4.   Reaching the end of the bridge I thought to myself - I must do this again and just maybe that sailboat and nice people will welcome me aboard. And that would surely make my day.

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Go to the Toni's Creative Adventures blog to copy the meme questions by clicking on the graphic

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I hope you join in and play along too. In the meantime dear friends have a blessed day ahead.

Friday Foto Friends ~ Come With Me

I love to travel but nowadays I do it from home through the web. There are so many beautiful places in this world and this time I didn't travel to countrysides but country villages. So for today's Friday Foto Friends I'd like to take you on this trip with me to visit 4 beautiful villages that are considered in the top ten.

Montmartre District In Paris

Bibury, England

Manarola, Italy

Hallstatt, Austria

If you're interested in joining the Friday Foto Friends you can visit Debbie by clicking on her name or her Logo on the left side menu. It's a wonderful photo meme and a wonderful bunch of ladies who join in. And now until next time dear friends have a lovely weekend.

Yesterday's Snow Storm

Yesterday's snowstorm came and went. Not sure how many inches but it looked like 6 to me. But the cold just hangs around. I spent the day catching up on this season's NCIS show through CBS All Access on my Roku. Hopefully they'll soon show the last few episodes. Anyway here's a poem I wrote awhile back that I thought would work with yesterday's weather.

Town In White

Town streets laden down with snow,
Watching people covered from head to toe.
Those not used to this winter white,
Are hating the town's cold snowy sight.

Wishing they were home all safe and warm,
Instead of out in this terrible storm.
A change of season come soon oh please,
I need the warmth of a summer breeze.

How strange to see this town in white,
It makes for an unusual blustery sight.
A hot steamy drink would warm me now,
As I shovel and wait for the town's snow plow.

Toni Taddeo ©

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Hope you all are safe and sound with better weather. Until the next time be blessed.