Just Dance

JUST DANCE!

When I was a teenager, or even before then, I loved to dance. My dream was to become a Broadway dancer, you know, like in the musical Chicago. I truly thought that one day I’d do that, but then life puts us on different paths than the ones that are old stars in our eyes. Not bad forks in the road, just a shift in priorities or perhaps an even more exciting direction. I did take ballet lessons in my twenties, but ooh, that was not a pretty sight.

I still listen to music that makes me want to get up and move. I jiggle all the way to work listening to upbeat dance music. I have not been to a night club in eons but just might have to do that in the near future, just as research mind you—I have no intention of looking at the cute young hotties out there these days—or maybe I do! Hey, I ain’t dead yet, just married :-) For a long time. To a man who doesn’t like to dance anymore. I don’t think he was ever very crazy about dancing but he’d let me drag him out onto the dance floor after he’d had a few. He’s really a sweetheart.

Now I’m dancing for the exercise--in private. I turn on my favorite dance music and just make myself move as I do things around the house. I have let myself get way too out of shape, so now I have to work doubly hard to get the extra pounds off. So…I say just dance.

IPod Music
Move While You Walk

Here is a “short” list of some of my favorite current dance songs – I have so many that I decided to list just a few of the songs that are now playing on the radio: Check out the music videos on Youtube too, they are always lots of fun, quite creative and very interesting! And even if this is not the kind of music that you normally listen to, just give it a chance. Sink into an alternate personality and let that crazy wild WOMAN/MAN out of the closet!  I think you will be surprised at how it makes you want to move your mojo and it’s quite fun. You just might feel like a teenager again, I know dancing makes me feel younger, even if I have to do it with myself. Hmm, maybe I could hire a Gigolo to take me dancing. :-)

I have these on a playlist on my Ipod© and walk to the music too, and it helps me speed walk on my work breaks, kind of sort of a speed walk - working on that too! But here's a good list to get you moving whether it's walking or dancing! Enjoy. :-)

Happy Dancing

Wendy Treitel

Just Dance by Lady GaGa
On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez
Bow Chicka Wow Wow by Mike Posner
Grenade by Bruno Mars
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars
E.T. (feat. Kanye West) by Katy Perry
Higher by Taio Cruz
S&M by Rhianna
The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani/Akon
Animal by Neon Trees
Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
Get This Party Started by Pink
Raise Your Glass by Pink
Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake
Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You) by Enrique Iglesias
Won’t Go Home Without You by Maroon 5
I Like It by Enrique Iglesias
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
All The Right Moves by OneRepublic
Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback

The Moon And It's Effect On Our Moods

Ever since I was a little girl, (and I’m not divulging how long ago that was so forget it!) I’ve had this fascination with the moon, like zillions of other people I’m sure. I swear, when I look up at it at night, I know I can see that “Man in the moon”. Today I was feeling a bit sluggish and I wondered if the moon could be the cause.


Admittedly, I’m hooked on my daily horoscope that I get on my IPhone©  every day and along with it comes my Tarot Card reading, so I decided to check my out for today and see how close it comes to how I actually feel. I’m always testing them :0)   Today’s said:

“You’re in a right sulk today, dear Wendy. The alliance of the Moon and the Tower is indicating some aggravation within the family or relationship. Instead of retreating into your shell with an ugly smirk, just say straight out what you want from your relationships, be they with a lover or family. There’s no worse enemy than silence when discontent sets in.”

Well, I guess my mood is because my twenty-seven year old son is moving out (he’s been out and back a few times, not unlike myself when I was young), but I am genuinely happy about his moving on up and out into the big bad world, again.

Anyway, my point is that the moon definitely affects our moods and it has now been proven that this is indeed fact. Below I have listed several website that have some great information about the moon and how it affects our moods.

The Moon and You

By Daniella Breen

http://www.usenature.com/article_moon_cycle.htm

Moon Phase Calendar for June, 2011 and other interesting info about the moon – I was especially interested in the Blue Moon as I had the opportunity to see the last one that occurred and even took a picture, although with my camera it just looked like a normal moon, but I know better. J I swear that’s not a fish story either.

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml

The Spiritual effect of the moon on man:

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/articles/id/spiritualresearch/spiritualscience/spiritualeffectofmoon_on_man

Nice website: You will have to copy and past this website address into your browser to get it to work:

Ecogirl and Cosmoboy’s Blog
http://ecogirlcosmoboy.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/top-ten-ways-the-moon-affects-us/

Happy Moon Mood to you all!

Wendy Treitel

Drawing on the Exciting Energy of Others



Books and Stories
Getting Published! Woohoo!

 A lot of good things have been going on lately. My friends are getting published and I feel the hum of their energy as if it were my own.  In my many years of searching for inner peace, as with many of you I’m sure, I’ve read volumes of self help books, been in therapy, joined group sessions and attended various churches in order to make myself “well and happy”. It seems I’ve always been searching for something elusive. Something I just can’t seem to put my hands on or sink my heart into with a frenzied passion like other people seem to possess.

I wish I had known this a long time ago, but now I know my passion is writing and writing for success. I’ve known I wanted to write and become a published author for years, sure, but not to the extent that I feel it now, and that I was willing to truly work my ass off and sacrifice certain things for it.

But I am now.

 I want to taste that sweetness, feel that rush, and own that victory! I want to be able to hold up my hand the next time a speaker asks, “How many of you are published?” I will get there, this I know, somehow, some way, I will get published.

I feel honored to be able to surround myself with some amazing women and men whom I get to call friends and family. People who are as determined as myself to reach success and who are doing it in a wonderfully positive light.

Woohoo, doing
the Happy Dance!

Congratulations to all of you who have published recently, and an especially big congratulations to our own Jennifer August and Roxi Cox.

You ladies rock!

Thanks to you all for allowing me to drift into and soak up your dynamic light! You are awesome and I am privileged and blessed. Thank you, God, for giving me this opportunity. And thanks to my family for having confidence in me.


Positive energey looks
kind of like this to me.
Soak up the rays!


To me there is nothing more energizing and motivating than the power emanating off of people who know where they are going, know what they want, and are going to go get it, by God!

I love it!
I want it!
I will get it!  

Happy success seeking!

Wendy Treitel

I Love My Car!

How is it that our cars manage to nuzzle up to us, get under our skin and get into our hearts like pets? Are they alive like in Stephen King’s Christine? Well, I think my car is. I only know that when I have to do without her I go into withdrawal and it makes me crazy and throws me totally out of whack.

It took me nearly 40 some odd years to get my own BRAND NEW vehicle. I’ve had it now for 7 years and it’s all paid off, runs like a dream and has been very dependable for me. Prior to getting my Impala, I’ve been the owner of many hand-me-downs, to name a few:

A 5 speed Subaru GL10 (I believe, can’t remember the model). Cute little car, but was forever having to climb through the leaking sunroof to retrieve forgotten keys left in the ignition - back before the car would ding at you for leaving the keys in. Should have seen me crawling on top of that car and squirming my way in through the sun roof - whew what a sight that must have been :-) Although I was younger then and my ass wasn't as big.


OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating
a little bit, but not by much!



A rusty beat up red Ford Pickup truck – nuff said!

An ancient pukey green grandma’s Oldsmobile Cutless! Again nuff said – this one was a beauty.


Think there might be a few
miles on me? Watch it, Buster!


A faded black Ford Taurus that had more miles on it than a hooker from the old west!

These last 2 weeks have been interesting because my trustworthy paid-off 2003 Chevy Impala, which I love, has been sending me messages in the way of warning lights. My Security light is flashing, my big red Battery Warning light is flashing and pinging, and my Service Vehicle Soon light is flashing as well.

Kind of freaked me out to see all three of them going all at once.

When I got home from work, frazzled because I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, wasn’t sure she’d get me all the way home, so my honey fixed me a glass of wine and I sat down at the computer to see if I could find a copy of my owner’s manual online because I can’t find the actual book anymore. I used to be so organized but that has gone out the window with most of my good habits. I love the internet. I quickly found a copy of my owner’s manual and looked up the yapping warning signals. 

The manual tells me that we need to take it to the dealership. Well, we’ve been trying to avoid that because we know they’ll find something wrong or something we need to buy, and we’ll be charged out the wazoo. So in an effort to save on what is sure to be a large expense we took it to two different car shops. The first said they couldn’t do anything unless they could see the lights coming on, and of course while my husband was driving her, the stinking lights wouldn’t come on. This always happens to me, be it cars, computers, etc. whenever I ask someone else to take a look, whatever it is won’t do what it was doing to me. Things blink, ping, stare and jump at me, but not for anyone else – no, I know I’m not losing my mind! They wouldn’t come on for anyone else but myself.

So, I was forced to drive my husband’s old, very used, many repairs later, Durango to work, which is a vehicle sorely lacking in many fine comfortable things. The radio sounds like you're inside a tin can (bad start), the seat wobbles and slides a few inches back and forth every time you hit the brakes or the gas pedal, oh joy!


Yikes!


We took my car to another shop and the mechanic said they had another car in there doing the same thing. He was able to see the lights though, and he checked the battery (which was fine) and whatever else he could and said the most he could do right now was to disable the warning lights. Fine.

Well, guess what came on, on the way to work this morning! Yep my Security light is flashing, my big red battery warning light is flashing and pinging, and my Service Vehicle Soon light is flashing as well. So, I get to drive the Durango again tomorrow. Now we have to take the Impala to the dealership to get it checked out because no one else can figure out what is wrong.

I firmly believe that the factory sets some of these warning lights to go off after a certain number of miles and they are the only ones who can figure out what is wrong, if anything, and they are the only ones who can service these warning signals.

What happened to the old kind of car that anyone could fix with the right tools? They’re making vehicles so complicated these days with all the new technology, technical wiring, and groovy upgrades, which I’m a fan of, but now it’s so difficult and costly to get a car repaired. When I was younger, I could do a few things to my car, check the oil, change a battery if I had to, change burned out fuses, change a tire, even put a new window in a door once, but gosh even those simple things have become complicated. Getting the battery out of the car is a real chore.

Oh well, I guess we have to adapt to the technological changes and just go with the flow, but really, should it be this difficult to get a car repaired? I think not!

So wish me luck, my car will be in the shop, again, tomorrow. At the dealership this time! I want my car back!

It fits me!
I love my car!
Happy Driving!
Wendy Treitel 

Childlike Excitement

When I think about it, I’m sort of glad that I have a long drive to work. It’s thinking, reflecting, singing time for me. By the time I get there, I’m more relaxed and you would probably think the opposite because of all the crazies out there, but for the most part, I kick back, get in the old lady slow lane and listen to my radio and think. I absorb all sorts of inspiration.

On my way to work this morning, I passed two young boys  riding their bikes to school. They were both pedaling as fast as they could to get their speed up so they could coast down the upcoming hill.

When they reached the down slope, one of the boys lifted his arms and proceeded to coast hands free. The laughter and whooping they were doing reminded me of those crazies (yes, you know who you are!) on roller coaster rides who scream bloody murder with their hands raised in the air. Unlike me who gave those life-threatening rides up years ago. I watched this boy’s face in the rear-view mirror and the huge smile, wide-eyed, heart-slamming exhilaration on his face got me thinking.

When was the last time I experienced that kind of childlike excitement? And how often do we even look for that elusive feeling? What can we do to get it back occasionally? Maybe we just get complacent and the emotion is there, we just have to reach out, grab hold of it and allow it back into our hearts.

Think back to your own childhood, as far back as you can go in your mind, and try to remember the events or even favorite items that brought out that childlike happiness and joy. Now try to think of things in the present world that give you the elation that you remember feeling back then. I think you will be surprised as I was that even small events can bring back that indescribable childlike excitement.

Some of my own memories of this feeling occurring when I think back to the time my father bought me beach gear for my birthday. We lived in Pensacola Florida at the time. I was asleep and on my birthday morning, he came in our bedroom (I shared a room with my little brother – bunk beds) he slid a fully inflated float through the rungs at the end of the bed, right on top of me. I remember waking us so exited because I knew this meant I was going to get to go to the beach that day! I loved and still love the beach.

Another time I remember was the first time my mom let me go shopping for whatever I wanted for my birthday. I had a blast.



Now this little one is
much braver than me!

 One more time was when my parents would allow me to go to the country with my best friend. We would ride on the tailgate of her grandpa’s old beat-up white pickup truck on our way out to feed the cattle. With our feet dangling over the side and every bump threatening to spill both of us out onto the hard ground, we’d giggle and loudly sing off key “Somewhere over the rainbow”. Happiest of times in my memory.

So I thought about now and what gave me those same wonderful, warm and fuzzy feelings and made a short list. And if I keep thinking more occasions pop into my mind.

Visiting with my children
When my husband or children buy me a thoughtful gift out of the blue
Whenever I get to go on a trip to anywhere
Sitting in the middle of a bunch of feeding deer
Whenever I come up with a new story idea
Getting a new electronic toy
Taking off of work
Seeing Babies
Getting my own domain name

Give it a shot, see what wonderful things you can come up with on your list. I bet you’ll be surprised how many things you can name.

Happy childlike excitement reliving!
Wendy

Everybody Has An Idea

Every ? is an idea! 

It seems like everyone has a great idea for a book. Don’t you run into that? Almost always when I tell someone I write, they say they have a cool idea. Actually, I truly do enjoy hearing people’s ideas and I also tell them that I may use those ideas someday, if they don't mind. And most of the time they love that someone would want to use something that they had thought up in their own minds. I have compiled tons of notes for stories to come.

The other night, while sitting in my kitchen at the dining room table, I’m mumbling out loud about how I need a subject for my blog. I'm blank at the moment. My husband who is preparing dinner, or rather sipping wine more than cooking, begins telling me about how he has this idea for the next NYT best selling romance novel. Not wanting to burst his bubble, I said, “Okay, tell me about your story idea.”

Well, my husband's a golfing addict (and he's good natured and won't mind me poking fun at him), and one of our sons works for an exclusive golf course in town (now this might embarrass him because he's still at that embarassable age), so you can guess what the Hero and Heroine do, in his mind.

"The Hero is the assistant pro," my husband went on, "and the Heroine is the exec assistant to one of the members. The head pro is the villain getting inside information regarding Wall Street and Washington and turning it over to foreign spies who are also somehow involved with Donald Trump!" And he goes on and on, but when I started asking him pertinent questions about goals, motivation, and conflict for the characters, he said, “I don’t care about the why stuff! You have to figure that out.”

"Exactly!" I said loudly.

Sometimes the ideas
 just don't come!
But all you have to do is look
around or announce you need
a subject and boom,
you've got the germ!

Now if I tried, I could probably make something out of this, but right now I eat, live, and breathe golf stuff all around me, so I'll think about that one. Perhaps I’ll take a look at a later date. At the moment I write to escape and love creating imaginary worlds rather than my own.  

I’d love to hear ideas from anyone who is willing to share. Let me know if you are willing to allow me to use them, or not. All I need is a germ of an idea and my mind can go running wild and that's how it begins. In fact, my brain is going crazy over a spark that someone shared with me this weekend. We'll see where that one leads... 

Got any ideas?
Come on, share :-)

Happy Idea Listening.......and gathering.....

Wendy Treitel 

The Easter Calendar

__________________________________________________________

First I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers are with all of the people and families who have suffered because of the Texas Wildfires. I recently did a post on Possum Kingdom and am terribly saddened to know that so much of that area, and the poor animals living in the wild, has been destroyed by these fires. Please take a moment to pause and pray for everyone and everyhting involved in this devastating situation.
______________________________________________________________________

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday falls on Easter Sunday this year. While conversing with a coworker, I realized I couldn’t remember my birthday ever falling on Easter Sunday before. So of course I went to the internet to see if my birthday had indeed previously fallen on Easter or not. Check out this great link I found to the Astronomical Society of South Australia and a list of all of the dates for Easter for the years 1700 through 2299, along with loads of other useful and interesting info.


http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html



My birthday, April 24th, appears this year and not again until 2095, 84 years in between the times since my birth year (year date held hostage by it's owner pleading the 5th) my birthday falls on Easter Sunday. Then again in 2163, which is 68 years later and then 2231 which again is 68 years later. So I was right, I’ve never celebrated my birthday on Easter, not in this lifetime anyway - perhaps in another?

I vaguely recall hearing about the complicated dating method of the Easter Calendar in the past, but the information has obviously not remained in my brain and I’ve never associated the date with my own birthday before now. And the timing has definitely made me stop and think about many things. 


I have to say I feel highly special to be celebrating my birthday on such a glorious day!


This link to the *Calendars Through The Ages website has loads of information and variety of interesting calendars for various religions and nationalities. Below I am quoting from their website an explanation of what Easter is and how Easter Sunday is dated. Please visit their website for so much more interesting information.  * {Douma, Michael, curator. "The Christian Calendar-Easter" Calendars through the Ages. 2008. Institute for Dynamic Educational Development. 21, April, 2011.}


http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-christian-easter.html#anchor-golden-number


What is Easter?

In the Christian world, Easter (and the days immediately preceding it) is the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus in (approximately) C.E. 30.


When is Easter? (Short answer)Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox.


When is Easter? (Long answer)The calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was crucified immediately before the Jewish Passover, which is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Celebration of Passover started on the 15th day of the (spring) month of Nisan. Jewish months start when the moon is new, therefore the 15th day of the month must be immediately after a full moon. It was therefore decided to make Easter Sunday the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox. Or more precisely: Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the "official" full moon on or after the "official" vernal equinox. The official vernal equinox is always 21 March. The official full moon may differ from the real full moon by one or two days. (Note, however, that historically, some countries have used the real (astronomical) full moon instead of the official one when calculating Easter. This was the case, for example, of the German Protestant states, which used the astronomical full moon in the years 1700-1776. A similar practice was used in Sweden in the years 1740-1844 and in Denmark in the 1700s.) The full moon that precedes Easter is called the Paschal full moon.

Two concepts play an important role when calculating the Paschal full moon: The Golden Number and the Epact. They are described in the following sections. The following sections give details about how to calculate the date for Easter. Note, however, that while the Julian calendar was in use, it was customary to use tables rather than calculations to determine Easter. The following sections do mention how to calculate Easter under the Julian calendar, but the reader should be aware that this is an attempt to express in formulas what was originally expressed in tables. The formulas can be taken as a good indication of when Easter was celebrated in the Western Church from approximately the 6th century.


What is the Golden Number?
Each year is associated with a Golden Number. Considering that the relationship between the moon’s phases and the days of the year repeats itself every 19 years (see astronomical basis for calendars), it is natural to associate a number between 1 and 19 with each year. This number is the so-called Golden Number. It is calculated thus:
Golden Number = (year mod 19)+1


In years which have the same Golden Number, the new moon will fall on (approximately) the same date. The Golden Number is sufficient to calculate the Paschal full moon in the Julian calendar.


How does one calculate Easter then?
Under the Julian calendar the method was simple. If you know the Golden Number of the year, you can find the Paschal full moon in this table: (Please see website for the table)




Can't have an Easter without

Easter eggs and bunnies!

 

Happy Birthday to all the April birthdayers

 and especially to the April 24th, Easter Sunday, celebraters!

Wendy Treitel



Text Messaging Codes

I recently upgraded to an IPhone ® and am trying to learn more about the fascinating language of message texting. Unfamiliar with all of the acronyms, I did a quick search on the internet and was amazed to find a huge A to Z listing of texting codes. I don’t text that often, but am beginning to participate more and more and would like to learn some of these keyboard shortcuts.

At the gas pump this morning, I saw a sticker on the pump announcing that you can now text your payment for gas! Not sure how that one works, but I thought that was kind of cool.

Below I have listed just a slight few of the more common text message acronyms, or the ones that I thought I might use. I am also attaching the link so you can check out all of the others.

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

Although most of mine will probably come from the senior list.

I know it's not necessary to say but I'm going to say it anyway,  PLEASE, DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!

I recently received an email that I would like to share with you as well (Senior Texting Codes) – please look for this below the first list. I’m not sure where this email originated, but I thought you would all enjoy the list.

Happy Texting!

Wendy

A few common Texting Codes

?                     I have a question
?4U                I have a Question for you
@TEOTD      At the end of the day
.02                  My or Your two cents worth
121                 One-to-One – Private Chat Initiation
143                 I Love You
1432               I Love You Too
182                 I Hate You
10X                Thanks
1DR                I Wonder
20                    Location
2NTE              Tonight
88                    Hugs and Kisses–also means Bye-bye (Mandarin Chinese txt msgs)
A3                   Anytime, anywhere, anyplace
AATK             Always at the keyboard
AFFA              Angels Forever, Forever Angels
B4N                 Bye for now
BAG                Busting  a gut
BASOR           Breathing a sigh of relief
BBL                Be back later
BICHOK         Butt in chair hands on keyboard
CTHU              Cracking the heck up
DIIK                Darned if I know
G4C                 Going for Coffee
IFYP                I feel your pain
ROFLMAO     Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off

Since more and more Seniors are texting and tweeting, there appears to be a need for a STC (Senior Texting Code)...

If you or your loved ones qualify for Senior Discounts, this is the code for you. Please pass this on so inter-generational dialogue can go on forever!
               (Or as long as the eyes can see that teeny tiny lettering).

ATD:                 At The Doctor's               
BFF:                  Best Friend Fainted              
BTW:                Bring The Wheelchair              
BYOT:              Bring Your Own Teeth              
CBM:                Covered By Medicare             
CGU:                 Can't get up              
CUATSC:          See You At The Senior Center              
DWI:                 Driving While Incontinent              
FWB:                Friend With Beta Blockers              
FWIW:             Forgot Where I Was              
FYI:                  Found Your Insulin             
GGPBL:           Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!             
GHA:                Got Heartburn Again              
IMHO:              Is My Hearing-Aid On             
LOL:                 Living On Lipitor             
LWO:                Lawrence Welk's On              
OMMR:            On My Massage Recliner              
ROFL/CGU:     Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up              
TTYL:              Talk To You Louder              
WAITT:            Who Am I Talking To?              
WTP:                Where's The Prunes?              
GGLKI:            Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In

Disconnect to Reconnect



A view outisde our cabin.

While recuperating from dental surgery, my husband kept suggesting we go to Possum Kingdom. After a couple days of boredom lying around watching TV, I agreed.

Going to the lake was the best thing I could have done for myself. What a great way to heal the body and mind. When we found our destination spot, Golden Cove, we were pleased with the view of the lake so we decided to stay there. Besides the fact that the small cabin (Who needs much room at the lake? We spend most of our time outdoors anyway - just a place to flop at the end of the day.) didn’t have a closet or pegs or anything to hang clothes on, or that it didn’t have pots or pans, or any kitchen utensils, or a remote for the TV (Hubby’s necessity), the cabin was comfortable. Next time we will be more prepared and know what we need to bring. Most of the other places we’ve been do provide those items listed above, or they used to.



Beautiful Sunset at Possum Kingdom

We didn’t check out the cabins before going because my husband used to work the area and he knows his way around and wanted to hunt for just the right spot. I’m glad we set out with no firm plans except for location. We hit a few other spots, but liked this one for the view and super easy access to the boats, as they rented them right there.

Since there weren’t any closets, we were going to live out of our suitcase, so I unpacked the laptop and turned it on, but couldn’t get a WiFi connection to the internet so gave up trying. This actually turned out to be a good thing and kept me from being able to log on and use up precious disconnection time. Disconnect to reconnect.

Disconnect from the internet and social media and Reconnect with the soul, nature, and real face-to-face people.

Once we settled in, we put our lawn chairs out and watched the golden oranges and reds of the Texas sunset settling over the water. I brought a variety of “soft foods” for me to eat because of my recent dental work, but since I couldn’t cook anything, there wasn’t much for Honeybunch to eat, so we went out to dinner at one of the local restaurants. Turned out they didn’t have a lot I could eat, but that was okay since I could stand to lose a pound or two.



Deer outside our cabin

Later, while looking out the sliding glass door of our cabin, I noticed there were shadows lurking about. Once fear subsided and my focus could figure out what the heck was out there, I realized deer were grazing. Several! We watched them graze for a long while mesmerized by the fact that there were so many of them.



My own picture of Hell's Gate!

The next day we spent on the lake, adventuring around staring at all the gorgeous homes surrounding the area. A friend of my husband’s owns a home out there so of course we had to find it so we could take a picture from the water. We also could not miss Hell’s Gate because it’s one of the prettiest spots to visit. It was mighty cold, but we allowed our teeth to chatter and enjoyed the ride anyway. We fished a little but not much because of the cold and because we kept getting snagged and losing lures, so we’ll have to go back when it’s warmer to justify the thirty dollar fishing license fee. It was worth the trip anyway. Sometimes you just have to say, “What the heck?” and splurge on yourselves. You are worth it!



This is the tree we sat under
 and we covered the table and seat
 with corn too.

Earlier that day when we went to rent the pontoon boat, my husband saw that they had deer feed for sale. Dime-candy sized brown bags of loose corn for a dollar. We bought four and spread the corn all around the front area of our cabin. Then we placed our lawn chairs near a big tree…and waited.



One of the deer peeking at us through the fence



My absolute favorite picture! This little guy was checking us out around the tree trunk. We were right behind it.

We hadn’t been sitting there long when we spotted a deer in the distance. Soon it and a few others came sniffing around. They kept peeking at us through the fence and around the tree to see if we were safe. We tried to keep fairly still so we wouldn’t scare them away. One, two, three, five, seven, and they kept on coming. Last count I had there were twenty-three deer munching corn off the ground, and we were sitting right in the middle of them! I took pictures and was taking a video when the batteries in my camera lost their charge! Darn! I did however get a little bit of footage when there were seven deer around.



Several were beginning to show up!

We sat for the longest time just amazed and feeling like we were in the middle of a National Geographic film shooting! I could never begin to express how excited I was and how this memory will be imprinted on my mind forever. At one point a young buck stood up on his back legs. You don't realize how tall they are until they do that. I didn’t quite know what to think of it until another buck did the same thing and the two got into a boxing match. I could not believe I was sitting there watching this take place right before my eyes! I remember I just kept thinking, I sure hope they don’t move to far in our direction, because those guys were kicking ass!

Lone wolf wanted water!

The two bucks continued socking each other like teenage boys trying to win a girl, until one finally gave up and left the area. I felt sorry for the loser and he wandered off, often looking back at the group. We sat for the longest time, but after that excitement there wasn’t much that could have topped it for the evening so gently got up and went inside. I had trouble tearing myself away from the window. I always feel like I'm living a little bit of heaven when I get to experience such wonderous things.

That had to have been one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. What a treat! Thanks, Honey, for talking me into going. I’d love to hear some of your memorable experiences. Please leave me a comment!

Happy exploring and making memories!

Wendy

Bird Watching and the Reality of Nature



Male Cardinal



Female Cardinal



In our back yard, nestled in a corner near the swimming pool, we started out fifteen years ago with a simple bird feeder hanging on one of those decorative shepherd’s hooks. Slowly the birds began to find their way to our backyard. Now we have concrete in the corner where the bird feeder used to reside, so we sprinkle a few cups of seed right on the concrete so the birds are much more comfortable while they munch away. No more teetering on a little bird feeder for our entertainers.




Reb Breasted Robin

  Last summer we purchased an Orbit Lounger and now we can stretch out on our patio and bird watch. Every year we get lots of couples of sparrows, red breasted robins, white winged dove, grey dove, woody woodpeckers, cardinals, wren, blue jays, and mockingbirds. Wow, I didn’t realize how many different breeds until I started listing them. I haven’t seen Tweety Bird yet, but I know he’s coming.



It is such a pleasure to sit back and watch these birds and their natural feeding rituals. They most definitely do things in a certain pecking order. It’s fun to watch the birds run each other off. Now they also know they can squawk at us and we’ll get them some more bird seed. Wild birds make excellent and low maintenance pets. All you need is bird seed and perhaps water for a bird bath. How easy is that?



Red Bellied Woodpecker



A few years ago we were watching our new pets, and all of a sudden something huge swooped into the bushes and snatched up a Sparrow. My husband and I stared at each other. “What the heck was that?” we both said in unison. Later we saw it again and realized a huge hawk was hanging around. We’ve seen him numerous times now. He’s getting braver and will fly not too far from my husband head. I sure hope he doesn’t try to peck him on his shiny bald head! Hmmm. Death by Hawk pecking. Might make an interesting mystery. Oops, getting off track. Back to the birds. Now this is where the Reality of Nature comes in.



Red Tailed Hawk - Amazing Powerful Bird



I know this hawk has been feeding on some of the birds in the neighborhood otherwise he wouldn’t still be hanging around. The other day he swooped into our bushes again while the birds were feeding and snatched a dove. I mean this dove was a very big bird too. I was shocked. I was standing in my kitchen watching through the glass door and I wanted so bad to run out and rescue the dove. I wanted to shoo off the hawk, but I forced myself to resist interfering with nature. The hawk had the dove down on the ground and I couldn’t see either one of them because of the ground cover. Then there was a shuffling, leaves flew around and the dove got loose and flew to the fence. The hawk zoomed off in the opposite direction. I have to admit the hawk is an amazing bird. Very large and powerful. I remember when I was young having dreams of flying like a bird, I wanted that free feeling. If I were a bird, I do believe I'd want to be one of the larger species, like the hawk, or perhaps an eagle?



A dove and her chic.




Oh my, I was surprised as I watched the dove recover itself. After a few shaky minutes on the edge of the fence, the dove flew away. I was amazed that it had escaped, but I was certainly glad that it had. Sometimes I feel guilty that we are feeding the birds and in turn supplying a feeding place for the hawk, but I think our birds would get very upset with us if we quit putting food out, because they certainly come looking for it and they let us know when they’re unhappy.





Beautiful Hummingbirds!

 On a lighter note, we also get a wonderful surprise each year when the hummingbirds return. We get the cutest two couples that come back year after year. Now they may not be the same ones as I know the life span is only five to nine years, but even if it’s not the same couple, we usually get two sets of them each year. It is amazing to watch these tiny birds feed and fight over the feeder. One will hide in the bushes and when it sees another approaching, it will rush out and run the other one off. Too funny to watch.

And if you’re lucky, they’ll get used to you being out there and will fly right by your ear and you can hear the speedy hum of their incredible rapid wing beats. Did you know the wings beat up to 53 beats per second? They are three to four inches in size and weigh only 0.07 to 0.21 ounces! Tiny little things!

So do you bird watch? Have you witnessed natural things that were upsetting to you, but you knew you shouldn't interfere with Mother Nature? Did you interfere anyway? I'd love to hear your stories.

Eager to hear your fun experiences,

Wendy