AN OLD PHOTO OF ME WITH MY OLD TEDDY BEAR

I was about or 8 or 9 years old in 1958-59, and when Dad had a day off on a Sunday, we would all go for a ride in the countryside and have a picnic. I was standing on a small stone bridge over a stream. This was/is my much treasured teddy bear that was given to me by my parents on my first birthday. 

I have mentioned Teddy before during the lifetime of blogging, and may have shared these photos already. Even back then he had been well loved with one missing eye, and an ear that had been sewn back on at some point. He is wearing a red corduroy dress and jacket my sister gave me, which had come from one of her dolls, on loan for the day. We were going out after all, and “Your teddy needs to be dressed” my much older and wiser sister told me (older by three years). I can’t remember much about my dress and cardy, but I can definitely remember Teddy’s outfit for the day.

Sheri mentioned in one of her comments yesterday that she would love to see Teddy sometime. She also mentioned that her mother collected teddybears, as do I, though I haven’t added any for many years. I didn’t want to forget, so here you go Sheri, my much beloved Teddy.

Below is a more updated photo, taken in a December. I always put the teddy family out for the 25th.

Thanks for reading my latest ramblings. 

Wishing you all a very happy day.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - TODAY AM SHARING A MARGUERITE DAISY

 As you can see. it has a tiny visitor, a hoverfly I'm thinking. I remember how much I enjoyed taking photos of these flowers, such a pretty bloom.

It is the Marguerite Daisy

This pretty yellow flower (scientific name Argyranthemum frutescens), belongs to the Asteraceae (daisy/sunflower) family. White is the most common native color, but because of selective propagation, you can now find them in vibrant yellow, pink and burgundy.

It originally came from the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago which is roughly 60 miles (100 kilometers) off the northwest coast of Africa. They belong to Spain despite the fact that they are over 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) away from the Spanish Mainland. They sit directly opposite the border between Morocco and Western Sahara and are just north of the Tropic of Cancer. 

In my youth, long before I met my dear other half, my first job out of school was working at a travel agents and I often dealt with the paperwork of people who had booked their holidays there. I wanted to go myself one day. But I'm getting off track, back to this delightful Marguerite Daisy.

Because of its Mediterranean heritage, it thrives in coastal locations and can tolerate sea winds very well. It is described as an evergreen shrub or tender perennial. In cooler climes that experience hard winter freezes, it is widely grown as a seasonal annual.

The Marguerite Daisy is a pollinator magnet and its center is packed with hundreds of tiny individual disc florets that do an amazing job of attracting butterflies, bees and other helpful pollinators, like our hoverfly.

That's all about the Marguerite Daisy today, with my little detour to the Canary Islands. My curiosity always gets me off track and yes, here I go again because my memories have started flowing. 

I have always loved geography, which is why I thought it would be a great idea to get a job with a travel agency. I had grand ideas of taking a holiday or two. Except that they didn't pay diddly-squat and I eventually left to find a higher-paying job, so that I could save up and go on a couple of vacations with my friends.

 A conundrum to be sure, but at least I was able to save up more easily, go out with those friends to the local disco occasionally, buy myself a dress or two, and pay room and board. 

Anyhow, from a glamorous sounding travel agency job (it wasn't), to one in a legal office with the local government. Kind of boring to someone my age - even though I was grateful I hasten to add, and I was able to join my friends on a couple of those winter skiing holidays. We all had to save up the whole year to do that even then, but we got there. I also had a couple of other jobs later, being given good advice by my friends to look for a rise in pay when something became available, but I'll leave those 'exciting adventures' for another day (that was a bit of tongue in cheek, they weren't exciting).

I'll end this before I take you on yet another memory bender.

What a pretty daisy that was! 

My attention span seems to be that of a gnat these days.

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERONE - ODDS AND BODS AND A RAMBLE FOR 8/23/26

Good Morning.

I am having a good start to the day here. I hope you are too. 

Say cheese!

I am sure my energy level will disappear later on, but I can always rest during the day if I have to. You can find me here lolloping in about.......... 

I am looking forward to the cooler weather and can feel it in the air already. Cooler in the mornings and evenings, windows wide open. We are having quite a downpour right now though and it is thundering and lightning. I hope all is well in your part of the world. I know you have been having some horrendous heat and fires. I hope you get a good downpour for a few days to ease things.

Here is my imaginary house/houses. I was torn between two places today. You are going to have to imagine what the rest of the house looks like, but aren’t they gorgeous? 

Time for a recipe or two. I don't make what I share but they are on an ever-growing list for future Monday Morning Recipe Posts.

Amish Chicken Noodle Salad, a creamy, sweet and tangy salad that’s perfect for potlucks, 

picnics and family gatherings. Serves 8 to 10. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Chill time: 

4 hours or overnight. Ingredients - Salad: 12 ounces egg noodles (or spaghetti broken 

into thirds - 3 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great) - 3 hard-boiled 

eggs, chopped - 1 cup celery, diced - 1/2 cup sweet onion, finely diced - 1/2 cup sweet

pickle relish (or finely chopped sweet pickles - 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional) 

1/2 cup shredded carrots (optional, for color).  Dressing: 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise -

2 tablespoons yellow mustard - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons 

granulated sugar - 1 teaspoon celery seed - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder - 1 teaspoon 

garlic powder - 1 teaspoon salt - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Instructions: 1. Cook the

noodles just to al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, and allow them to drain very

well.  2. In a large bowl combine the chicken, eggs, celery, onion, relish, peas and carrots.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until smooth. 

4. Fold the cooked noodles into the chicken mixture, then gently stir in the dressing until

everything is evenly coated. 5. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, though overnight

Is even better because the flavors meld together. Before serving: the noodles will absorb some 

of the dressing as they chill. If the salad seems dry: stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

or mix 2 tablespoons mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of milk for a lighter refresh.

Delicious add-ins: diced cheddar cheese - chopped ham instead of (or in addition to) 

chicken - chopped green onions - diced red bell pepper - sliced almonds or chopped

pecans for a little crunch.  Make ahead tips: keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4

days. Do not freeze - the mayonnaise dressing can separate after thawing. This recipe

is ideal for preparing the night before a gathering. From My Kitchen to Yours....Notes....

Quick Homemade Bread - ready in about 20 minutes. What you will need: 2 cups all-

purpose flour - 2 teaspoons baking powder - 1 teaspoon salt - 1 cup milk - 2 tablespoons

melted butter.  How to make it: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees

Celsius) and grease a baking pan.  2. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Stir in milk and melted butter until combined.  4. Pour into pan and bake for about

20 minutes.  Soft, simple and perfect fresh out of the oven.

Fun With Food

for the little kiddos and also 

 the bigger kiddos!

How about a word of the day? 

Isolophilia: A strong preference or love for solitude where one enjoys 

being alone, associated with peace, introspection, or personal space.

Another with a little humor (in this case a very cute donkey or is he a mule? He does have rather long ears).

Word of the Day: “Curple”, the curved part of the hindquarters of a horse, mule or donkey. 

In modern day terminology I think it is called a ‘croup’. We need to ask Sandra or Val about that. 

Kindness

When you get frustrated with older people because of what they can't do, 

think of how frustrated they must feel because they can no longer do it.

Wise Words

Things to let go of: fear - chasing perfection - need to please

toxic relationships - comparison - past mistakes - self doubt

things you have no control over

Stay close to those who give peace to your soul.

Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.

Chinese Proverb

Be kind to your mind, it’s where your peace lives.

Don’t let the hard days win. 

A better day is waiting for you.

And let’s…

Grow slowly but never stop. Keep growing.

It’s important to…

Stay Calm and Meow…

and 

Have a Happy Day!

A final touch of the whimsy, along with the important reminder.

My thanks to Pinterest for today’s inspiration, and also in my signature sign-off there are several loving components from my life, all designed to give you a few smiles, hopefully. 

A long ramble so feel free to skip.

The bird is there because you all know I love birds, and the same for the squirrels. 

The dog is our sweet Bridgette who came into our family already named when our son was eight years old. She was a black labrador/dalmation mix. He pleaded her case when her human told him she was taking her to the pound, and did he want her. She was a year old and she stayed with us for 15 wonderful years. 

The cat was my childhood pet Binkey. I always thought of him as my cat. Years later my sister told me she always thought of him as her cat. No doubt he thought of us as ‘his’ humans. I still remember his contented purrs as he curled up on my lap. I don’t ever remember getting one scratch from him. He was a great yowler at midnight with all the other neighborhood cats, and also a great stalker. Cats were let out at night back in those days. We found many an interesting 'package', occasionally left inside. Yak!

The desert tortoise was son’s first pet, Big Al, so named after a movie character he watched, a gangster movie (no, not in our house, we had rules on TV watching but he had plenty of friends he could go to watch gangster movies). Big Al was the first pet to join us two years before Bridgette. He renamed him Big Alice when she laid an egg.  

Bridgette was a bit jealous of Big Alice. One day I was reading and I saw her flash by me and through the open door to the outside. It took me a few minutes to think that furtive flash was just a bit off. I went to check and Big Alice was firmly gripped between her teeth as Bridgette was digging a hole and getting ready to drop her in. (Her past human told us "she's a little bit of a digger."). Our sweet tortoise was none the worse but had a small dent evermore in her shell from Bridgette's incisors. We kept an eye on both of them for a long time afterwards. We always made a huge fuss of Bridgette whenever we could, and all seemed well. She and I had chats about her not doing that ever again.

I forgot to add the pet white rat I was given by a little boy I knew. That only lasted for a day when I came back home from school to be told that rat missed its mummy too much and asked to be taken back. Apparently mother could speak ‘rat’.  Who knew? 

The goose and sandwich in my hand came from a memory as a child. For all that I was running scared from what I thought was a crazy, hungry goose, husband said he was surprised I wasn't afraid of them to this day. I am not, still love them. You can read that story here if you missed it. 

The rabbits were also from my childhood. We had lots of them as pets. My dad built fancy rabbit condominiums on one side of our garden. At least they seemed like that to me and I didn't even know what a condominium was, but these were double decker rabbit hutches. Dad was a great hobbyist carpenter. We used to make little trails with homemade fences on each side from all dad's bits and bods and old cardboard boxes cut up. They got their daily exercise that way without getting lost. We also let them into the house occasionally.

He also had a great voice and played the piano, sang for anyone who asked. At special times of the year we all joined in many a sing-song, with our immediate family and visiting grandparents, aunties and uncles, and many friends. We had no television growing up. That was our entertainment. 

Dad built things in his spare time. He worked long hours, but he always found the time for a bit of woodworking. It was his way of relaxing. Later he put together bird houses and gave them away to anyone who asked for one, always having spare bits of wood around from his many projects.

 Dad was an animal lover, and he wanted those pets as much as we did. He always had dogs as a boy and his mother fed many stray animals in their neighborhood. Mum didn't grow up with animals. When I think of her now,  I admire her for being such a good sport about it all, though I heard, "Oh Stanley....." quite a few times.

Dad tested her patience once when he took us to a swampy pond area nearby. He brought a bucket of tadpoles home and put them in a large steel tank that he stored in the shed. He wanted us to watch as they slowly turned into frogs. It was a very rudimentary rustic pond he put together, but he filled it with mud and plants and logs from the pond. No, it wasn't pretty, but it had its own charm. Mum wasn't too thrilled when what seemed like a thousand of the little hoppers were jumping all over the place when she stepped out the back door one morning. Our garden was a perfect sanctuary for frogs, but I daresay they made their way back to the bigger pond eventually, which wasn't too far away.

That's my family ramble over with. I have probably mentioned a few of these things before but I'm repeating it for our son's benefit. This blog started out as a record for him to read about his family. I would have loved to have known my own mum and dad's ramblings, though fortunately I do know many stories mum told me, which I have put on my private blog. We are living in a great age for keeping a record aren't we? Come to think of it, son has probably heard all these before. On that note I'll finish my ramble.

Did you have any pets as a child? I would love to hear about them in the comments if you care to share.

Bye again.

I HAVE LIVED IN VIRGINIA…

 

Where is your favorite place that you have lived? For our American friends what State, and for our overseas friends (translation of picture below this post), what county, province, area that you have loved living in? What was there that you enjoyed? My favorite places are the Shenandoah and Williamsburg to name two, love the countryside and my trips to the ocean, but any body of water I enjoy.  If you have followed me for a while, every botanical garden that I come across. I also love all these trees.

When we moved here our son was 10 years old, and after we had settled a little, we asked him how did he like it? His exact words were, and with emphasis, “l don’t like it, it’s too GREEN!” Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather. But, what he was really saying was “I miss my friends and everything that was familiar to me.”

Fortunately, once school began, he met lots of friends. 

Now as an adult he loves Virginia as if he had been born here, though he and our sweet daughter-in-law started out in California (both dads were in the military). 

My dear husband is a Virginia Boy and first arrived in this world 200 miles south. His parents were also navy and hubby followed in his father’s footsteps. After his retirement, that's when we moved back. 

Both our son and I were homesick for California for many years. I also missed my friends and everything that was familiar to me. 

However, after several more years, we went back to San Diego for a vacation. Once that was over I realized I was looking forward to getting back 'home'. When I walked in our front door I realized that yes, it was indeed home, that I had fallen in love with this State and am now just about as content as I can be. I love Virginia! 

I still enjoy California the times we have been back (not for several years now), so does our son who just returned from San Diego with our d-in-l two weeks ago. But Virginia is home now and I hope it always will be. There are always unforeseen circumstances of course, but we certainly don't intend moving again at this stage of our lives.

We lived about 20 miles from the City of San Diego. It had rolling hills, deep canyons and elevated ridges. In some places if there was no rain, the trails and the hills at the back of us could get very dusty, and every once in a while, we would come across a few rattlesnakes. We lived at the bottom of Black Mountain that rises to 1,500 feet. We watched hot-air balloons float low over our heads. They landed a few hundred feet away in a level area. One time they landed too soon at the bottom of the street, and the neighborhood kids got a free ride about 30 feet up while they waited for a truck to come and deflate and pack up the balloon. 

A few years later they started dynamiting the mountain and our whole house shook at every blast. There were times we didn't know if it was an earthquake or blasting. That went on for over a year as a good part of the lower mountain was made level enough to build dozens and dozens of homes. Sad, sad, sad we were to see what a change it made to that beautiful mountain, and no more waves from friendly, smiling balloonists as they floated overhead. But we have great memories of seeing their faces as they waved down at us. Many, many other great memories from those days.

62% of Virginia is covered by forests, totaling roughly 15.72 million acres of land, and celebrates the largest trees. Yes, it is very green and we love them. So does our son. This website will give you more information on how they are protected.

Free therapy: sunbathing, grounding and tree hugging. 

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day.

For our overseas friends to use the Translation/language button on my side bar. 

Names on the post on the right-hand side.

Shanandoa National Park

Blue Ridge Parkway

Shenandoah Valley

Chesapeake Bay

Williamsburg

Roanoke

Charlottesville

Virginia Beach

Appalachian Trail

The mug next to the white daisies says "Virginia".

The sign being held by the lady says, "I have lived in Virginia off and on for 50 years. Finally moved here permanently in 1990. I love Virginia."

The top blue sign says "Welcome to Viginia. Virginia is for lovers."

Mountains

History

Country Roads

Front Porches

Sweet Tea

Strong Roots

Proud Hearts

Home Sweet Home