ABC -- F!

ABC is hosted each week by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and her team. It's a whole new way to learn your ABC's and it's fun!! Click on the icon, sign in and show how much you know! And the letter for the is --- F

F is for delicious Fish tacos!



The two
on the outside
so wrapped up
in themselves;

Shredded peppers
carrot slivers
streaks of onion
falling over each other
in delight
all whispering and gossiping
nestled amidst
cilantroed fish,
emerging from
a lashing of sauce.......

The middle one,
a bit older,
shrugs,
shoulder wide open.
The peppers
and onions,
and carrots,
wait;
Patience !
Life is more spicy
when enjoyed with
a green sauce
and a squeeze
of lemon...
Posted by Ugich Konitari to Sylvia From Over The Hill at February 23, 2010 9:36 AM

F is for Flowers!



Lots of Flowers!



F is for Flamingos!



Last, but not least is F is for Family Fun!

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.
Kahlil Gibran



Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
Kahlil Gibran



In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Kahlil Gibran



Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.
Rumi



But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost



We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.
Anais Nin

That's My World - Dahlia Festival

That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus and the My World Team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and myself. Each week people from all over the world join us to show the beautiful, interesting and fun aspects of their world. Click on the icon, sign up and share your world with us!



We've had sunshine for the past few days, spring flowers and flowering trees are just beginning to blossom, but not really enough to photograph. So, as I was looking through my photos, I found some real beauties taken by my friends, James and Chiaki from Portland. Last summer they went to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby, Oregon. They sent me these photos that I want to share with you today. The Dahlia has a very interesting history that I thought you might enjoy as well.



Very little is known about the dahlia prior to the time of the Aztecs. It is said that the Aztecs used parts of the dahlia for food and medicines, but most of this information cannot be verified since much of the Aztec culture was destroyed following the Spanish Conquest.



In 1570 King Phillip II of Spain sent Francisco Hernandez to Mexico to study the natural resources of the country. He stayed for 7 years and described plants that resemble dahlia species under the names, Acocotli and Cocoxochitl. The first drawings were made of the dahlias by an associate who was traveling with Hernandez and were published in 1651. The next time dahlias appear in history is 1789 , the director of the Botanical Garden at Mexico City sent plant parts to Antonio Jose Cavarilles, on staff at the Royal Gardens of Madrid in Spain. From these he grew and flowered 3 new plant forms, Dahlia pinnata, D. rosea, and D. coccinea. He named the genus after Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist. Seed and plant parts from Cavanilles dahlias were sent throughout Europe beginning in the early 1800’s. It was during this time that the scarlet Dahlia coccinea was crossed with a mauve-flowered species, possibly D. pinnata, which ultimately resulted in the first modern dahlia hybrid (Lawrence 1929). The new hybrid was easy to grow and hybridize so they quickly became very popular in European and American gardens. Through the 1800’s and 1900’s thousands of new forms were developed, with 14,000 cultivars recognized by 1936 and in the past century, nearly 50,000 named varieties have been listed in various registers and classification lists. All of these dahlia forms were hybridized from at least two, and possibly all three of the original Dahlia species from Mexico. The genus Dahlia consists of 35 species all of which are found in the highlands of Mexico and Central America. Most species have very restricted ranges and are probably rare. Very few are available to the dahlia grower. This is just a brief history, and there is much more information regarding the development of the modern dahlia. Reference: Encyclopedia of Dahlias, by Bill McClaren.

Microfiction Monday

>Susan at Stony River Farm hosts Microfiction Monday. She posts a picture and you compose a story in 140 characters. You can click on the icon to get further instructions. To help you along she has posted a wonderful link that counts your characters for you! How great is that! You can get the counter at Design 215.

This meme is easy and it's fun! Thanks, Susan for hosting.

And here's the picture for this Microfiction Monday!



Turn about's fair play, don't you think, Max? Just wait until you see who
I'll be pulling out of the hat tonight! It's payback time, Houdini!

Some Oldies But Goodies for the Day

How Fights Start

My wife sat down on the settee next to me as I was flipping channels. She asked, 'What's on TV?'

I said, 'Dust.'

And then the fight started...

******************************************

My wife and I were watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"

"No," she answered.

I then said, "Is that your final answer?"

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, "Yes."

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And then the fight started....

******************************************

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped into the garage. I hooked the boat up to the van, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.

I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible.."

My loving wife of 5 years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?"

And that's how the fight started...

******************************************

I rear-ended a car this morning.. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny? Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.... He was a DWARF!!! He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!"

So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?"

And then the fight started.....

*****************************************

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds.'

I bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started...

******************************************

When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her some place expensive... so, I took her to a gas station.

And then the fight started...

******************************************

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License to verify my age.. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.

The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office..

She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too.'

And then the fight started...

******************************************

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.

My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'

'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'

'My God!' says my wife, 'who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'

And then the fight started...

******************************************

I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason took my order first. "I'll have the steak, medium rare, please."

He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?""

Nah, she can order for herself."

And then the fight started....

******************************************

A woman was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not happy with what she saw and said to her husband, "I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'

The husband replied, 'Your eyesight's damn near perfect.'

And then the fight started

Pet Pride!

Whoopeee!! Have you seen the portrait Bozo's human made of him? It's hot stuff, man, I mean really! Get your human to click on the icon and sign you up so you can check it out! It's awesome!!

We're both feeling really good this weekend because we've got SUN! Spring is on the way! Pretty soon we go down to the beach, have our buddies over to roll and play in the grass. But the week didn't start out like that. I was worn out from guarding the house while Dad was in Canada.



And Sam -- well, what can I say??? He was doing his usual, sleeping on his Mom's bed, of course!



But then Dad came home and the sun came -- for real!! And Sam was out on the deck before I could bark twice!!



And as for me, well, while Dad was at work, I did my dog yoga meditations in the sun! It was terrific!



Sam and I are both happy campers now!!

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.
Anais Nin



The second one : Rocking in the Sun

Snuggled around,
fluidly blanketed,
smoothed
and water eroded
they lie
protected.
Amidst some weeds,
and possible
hiding fish,
safe, and away
from the cares
of a world.

But for some
it's about learning
how to live
when
the ebbing starts;
waves
touching and shying away,
leaving you
and yours,
however young and green,
to face bravely,
a drying, pleasant,
yet warm,
sometimes comforting,
morning Sun.
Posted by Ugich Konitari to Sylvia From Over The Hill at February 20, 2010 7:44 PM

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin



Dreams are necessary to life.
Anais Nin



I will not be just a tourist in the world of images, just watching images passing by which I cannot live in, make love to, possess as permanent sources of joy and ecstasy.
Anais Nin



The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.
Anais Nin

Shadow Shot Sunday!

Time to chase the shadows once again!! Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted each week by Tracy at Hey Harriet. It is addictive, but it is the most fun ever! Click on the icon, sign up, get on your sleuthing clothes and start looking for shadows!!

We have SUN!! The last two days have been gorgeous, almost warm and I didn't know where to start first! Unfortunately, it was a very busy day here and I didn't have as much time to prepare for tomorrow as I would have liked. So, I just ran around clicking on everything in sight -- I'll extend my search over the weekend so I have something for next week -- who knows what the weather will be then?????

Mojo was in hog -- doggie heaven!



The neighbors garage door was just too busy with shadows of everything!



The lilac tree is full of leaf buds and drinking up the sunshine!



And flowers! Blooming!



Mojo caught in a red shadow!!



And Mojo wondering who that long creature is????

Some Sad News

I learned this evening that a cousin of mine that I spent every summer with when we were growing up, passed away this evening. She had been battling cancer for the past year and a half. I'm so grateful that I was able to spend time with her this summer when the remaining members of our family got together in Houston for a wonderful visit. She was younger than I am by several years and a very talented musician. What a loss to her family, her husband and two daughters. One can't help but wonder, why?? But then I guess there are many of us who ask that question many times in our lives.

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. ~Proverb



Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams



April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe



Remember, men need laughter sometimes more than food. ~Anna Fellows Johnston



How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~John Muir

Why Some Men Have Dogs And Not Wives

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
2. Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.
3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
4. A dog's parents never visit.
5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
6. You never have to wait for a dog; they're ready to go 24 hours a day.



7. Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk..
8. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
9. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, "If I died, would you get another
dog?"
10. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
11. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.



12. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.
13. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.

And last, but not least:
14. If a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff.

Lock your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car for an hour. Then open the trunk and see who's happy to see you.