Some Enchanted Evening

Marriage is like a thrill ride at Disney World.
You enter it with happiness, a degree of fear, and with great expectations.
What lies ahead is reality of the ride.

Living on a shoestring many years ago, I planned our wedding, managing to spend a total of $300.00—dress, flowers,and a prime rib dinner for 28 close friends and family.
Today's couples spend, on the average, $20,000 for the wedding of their dreams.

Despite the romance a marriage conveys—much the result of Hollywood movies, television, magazines and advertising, one soon realizes, upon entering the institution of marriage, that it's a fine meal of sorts.
It needs spices, sauce, sugar, and some time to bubble and simmer.
Keep romance revved up.
Be ingenious—write your spouse a poem or a love letter, surprise her/him with candy, a card you've made..a long kiss.

As for everyday life, I have to say my husband kicks in with housework, especially the vacuuming. What a guy..I don't expect it. It's a romantic gesture, I guess.
Tom's a man of schedules. Everything, including eating is at a specific time.
Me, I'm spontaneous and flexible as a stick of gum.
Want to go to lunch or a movie at 4:00, I'm there!

We are polar opposites, but the main ingredients to our thirty-seven years together have been love, compromise, and respect.
Each of us contribute personality attributes and qualities to the marriage.
Some are quirky, that goes without saying.

Yes, marriage is the reality that you do find cereal crumbs in your shorts, or an edge of toothpaste stuck to the corner of your mouth..

Off The Cuff..

Strange and Utterly Useless Trivia
borrowed from an unusual site, http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/trivia49.html

with some added comments from me:


*It is impossible to lick your elbow.
I might try if I'd stuck it in a chocolate truffle cake!

*The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China.
I thought it was that ugly car, 'Edsel' I saw the other day!

*A crocodile can't stick it's tongue out.
I don't think I'll verify that one!

*40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.
Leashes, please!

*A shrimp's heart is in it's head.
I always wondered about that..

*Most car horns honk in the key of 'F'.
...and people in the key of A,B,C,D,and E!

*People say 'Bless you' when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.
People quit saying 'Bless you' to me since my sneezes are like rapid gun-fire!

*The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
Saddam must be a close second..

*A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
She should've watched out who she was swimming around with!

*The serial number of the first MAC ever produced was 2001.
I'm a PC..

*Rats and horses can't vomit.
I'm not touching that one!

*Most people button their shirt upwards.
It's logical since there's always an extra buttonhole if you start at the top!

*35% of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
I thought the produce aisle in the market was a good pickup spot for lonely hearts..

*23% of all photocopier breakdowns are caused by people sitting on them while photocopying their rears.
Anyone over 130#'s shouldn't try it!

*Most lipstick contains fish scales.
Is that why it smells like tuna?

*More than half the people who read this will try to lick their elbow.
Good grief!

Now for a closing thought:

When I woke up today,
I wondered
What should I say
In my blog to you all,
With my head in a fog..

With coffee perking,
And my chores still lurking,
I surfed the web
To inspire my head
With ideas for my blog
But my brain's in a clog.

Must be all the smoke
From the Cypress fire
That's raging in the 'glades
From afar..

Tomorrow is another day
Inspiration is on it's way.

Best of the day to all!

Mirror, mirror

According to my spam folder today, I might get rich by purchasing an internet wealth kit; I've also won an international lottery worth millions.
There's a berry drink to help one lose weight, and an ad for a lunchtime face lift. Wow, I've got it made!

Some of these intriguing [and deceptive emails] are meant to lure one into an alluring new you. Personally, I'm happy with who and what I am.
Who couldn't use a quick way to make money? I didn't know that I'd entered a lottery, or that a magistrate from a foreign country wanted to bestow an inheritance to my name.

So I get a new wrinkle in my face, or I'm a little softer around the middle.
I'm drinking more water, so I figure I'll help hydrate my skin--maybe diminishing some of the new wrinkles.
If I opt for the lunchtime lift, I might look smooth and alluring for awhile, but I'll also be in the hole for a couple thousand.
As for my waistline, I can increase my exercise routine, and I don't need a gym for that. Bending, stretching, and putting a zipper on my mouth will certainly help.

It's up to me if I want to take advantage of the email hype, but I'm happy with
who and what I am.

Have a wonderful day!

Ashes, Ashes..

The wildfire in the Big Cypress Preserve in the Everglades continues to burn, shutting down Alligator Alley for the second consecutive day,and possibly,through to Monday. Containment is about 30%.
Tuesday morning's thunderstorm over the 'Glades triggered a lightning strike.

My first thought when hearing of this disaster was to think that someone's careless cigarette had been flipped out of a car window.
Unfortunately, that action is a common sight, and wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

The Everglades span the entire southern half of Florida. Over a million and a half acres, with a maximum elevation of no more than ten feet above sea level, the Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland in North America. This massive watershed provides a subtropical refuge for unique wildlife and endangered species.

I've taken Loop Road 29 which draws you through a corridor of hardwood trees.
On one side, the vast prairies stretch out almost endlessly.
Great White Herons and other bird species share the saw grass marshlands with their neighbor, the alligator. It's also reported that some 30,000 Burmese python now inhabit areas of the Everglades.
On the opposite side of the loop road, Blue Night Herons, Egrets and Ibis roam the deep forest sanctuaries.

The Big Cypress Preserve has always been a favorite photographic junket of mine. There's an amazing solitude that prevails, a wonderful peace, with only the chants of wildlife breaking the silence.

When something as devastating as fire engulfs and threatens people's lives
and homes, or rages through a precious ecosystem such as the Everglades, it saddens me.