wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Coming Together
- 10/21/25 04:32 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Coming Together
Larry and I noticed a tree that looked as if it had started as one, grew apart, then came back together.
Hmmmm…there’s an analogy in there, isn’t there?
This phenomenon is called inosculation in the world of horticulture. It is when two trunks, close together to become one.
Ecologist Suzanne Simard famously says that trees are “social creatures.” Like humans, they converse with one another, help each other out when in trouble, and even form bonds.
If trees can do it, I think it’s time for us to learn to inosculate.
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
Ryunosuke Satoro
It takes … (17 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…You Lookin’ At Me?
- 10/07/25 01:29 PM
Wordless Wednesday…You Lookin’ At Me?
Larry and I love seeing the wildlife in our area. (except for snakes!) Squirrels in our backyard and in the parks where we walk are treated to unsalted roasted peanuts.
We have a backyard buffet for birds in our backyard that serves bluebirds, blue jays, mockingbirds, Carolina chickadees, cardinals, hummingbirds, and any migratory birds that stop by.
We let Mother Nature do her thing, which means predators are allowed.
This is what our squirrel was looking at the other day. The hawk is beautiful, but it also considers our backyard as its personal buffet.
If you have time in your … (14 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Garbage Collector No More
- 09/30/25 01:39 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Garbage Collector No More
At his preschool graduation, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Raffe said A garbage collector. When he was a toddler, he was fascinated by all kinds of trucks and construction equipment. While there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be a garbage collector, we knew that he would change his mind.
This week, we got to see Raffe pitch his first game at their first game! He was great and ended up with the game ball!
He got to slide into base…what little kid doesn’t want to do that and steal two bases!
Children … (21 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Bluebirds of Happiness
- 09/23/25 05:31 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Bluebirds of Happiness
When I learned that today is Bluebird of Happiness Day, I couldn’t resist. Larry and I monitor and maintain bluebird boxes at Kickerillo Mischer Preserve and one in our backyard.
Bluebirds are cavity dwellers. With developers encroaching on wooded areas, the removal of dead trees due to land management, and the introduction of European starlings and house sparrows, the availability of nesting sites decreased.
Throughout the country, volunteers have placed bluebird boxes along established bluebird trails. Because of these efforts…bluebirds are back!!!
Besides their vivid blue color, especially during mating season, bluebirds carry with them a spiritual meaning of “happiness and … (16 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…I Made It, Nina!
- 09/09/25 05:09 PM
Wordless Wednesday…I Made It, Nina!
Our Anna "Banana" Kruchten group invited us to have some fun and share recipes on weekends in the Group Bananatude. (I feel that if you wanted to, you could share them any day of the week!)
Will Hamm shares recipes with us every Sunday. Roy Kelley shares recipes from his lovely wife, Chef Dolores.
What’s even more fun is trying a recipe and letting us know how it turned out for you! What changes did you make (if any) to put your own twist on it?!
Kat Palmiotti made my salmon recipe with some twists of her own. It … (14 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Peeking At Our Wildlife
- 09/02/25 05:34 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Peeking At Our Wildlife
To beat the heat this summer, Larry and I have attempted to head out earlier for our morning walks. This summer, it was already 80+ degrees when we headed out to walk.
In addition to it being cooler (it’s all relative), it’s also when the wildlife are taking their morning strolls.
Deer have excellent senses of hearing, smell, and vision. We saw these two across the creek, and they saw us as well! They were about 50 yds away. If you are out early and see a deer, stop, be quiet, and enjoy the view.
Next, we came across … (19 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday...When You Gotta Go...
- 08/26/25 01:29 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Being Prepared
We’re still in hurricane season, with the busiest months being August, September, and October. It’s important not to let our guards down just because summer is behind us.
Keep your emergency gear in good condition, batteries charged, and ensure you have everything you need in case you need to evacuate...
The best alternative to hope is to set up multiple
backup plans.
Anas Hamshari
… (19 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Our Zoo
- 08/19/25 01:45 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Our Zoo
It’s been a bit since I’ve brought out my brag book showing our backyard animals. During the Spring mating season, it’s all about the bluebirds.
The juvenile bluebird shown below doesn’t know what to think of the funny-looking hummingbirds hanging in front of him. We love these mobiles because they not only glow at night but also change their colors.
All of the birds love the suets that supplement their menu of worms, grasshoppers, and other edibles! However, because of their size and long tail, they usually end up hanging upside down when trying to eat at the suet.
THIS … (19 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…He Was All Over the Cupcakes!
- 08/12/25 01:48 PM
Wordless Wednesday…He Was All Over the Cupcakes!
Raffe (my niece’s son) celebrated his birthday recently with not one but two parties. The first was at Dave & Buster’s for his young friends and family members.
We hosted more birthday celebrations at our home on Sunday. My wonderfully creative niece loves planning parties and decorating.
She isn’t the only one with creative talent in her family! Her husband made the cute cutouts on the cupcakes using Canva, scissors, and a lot of patience!!!
By the way, the cupcakes, from Whole Foods, were delicious!!!!!
… (16 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Bzzzzzz
- 08/04/25 04:43 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Bzzzzzz
In our warmer weather (with temperatures reaching 100 degrees last week), we have more visitors than usual at our birdbath.
BEES
We’re happy to ensure that all our backyard friends have food, water, and whatever shelter we can provide. Some of our squirrels and birds are leery of these new fountain guests. Having experienced a few bee stings, I understand their caution.
In addition to the need to hydrate, bees use the water to dilute the honey in the hive for consumption, as an ingredient for their “bee bread” that is fed to their larvae, and…what I found most interesting…to cool the hive!!!
They … (17 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Share Your Hugs
- 07/28/25 06:39 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Share Your Hugs
While I grew up in a caring and loving family, I don’t recall it being a Hugging family.
That all changed after college. Where I worked, everyone hugged. (This was way before PC entered the workforce.)
Let’s just say, I am a big hugger now.
Today is Share Your Hug Day.
Hugging has its advantages, both mental and physical. It’s good for your heart, reduces inflammation, calms you, and besides…it is a generous gift you’re giving to the recipient.
Your hug says you care.
To the person you’ve hugged, it lets them know they are not alone.
In today’s world of Zoom calls, work-from-home jobs, … (20 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Playing Around
- 07/22/25 03:21 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Playing Around
One of the advantages of retirement is the ability to choose how we spend our time. Larry and I enjoy observing Mother Nature…where we walk and here at home.
This week we had fun watching these 2 characters having fun…or as our parents used to say…horsing around.
Sometimes we forget how important PLAY is, whether you’re a child or an adult!
The opposite of play is not work. It's depression.
Stuart Brown.
We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.
Charles Schaefer.
… (14 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Come On Down
- 07/15/25 05:21 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Come On Down
Spider webs have always fascinated me. The skill Mother Nature has provided spiders with to create these architectural wonders is unbelievable.
Most of the pictures I capture are vertical webs I see in the early morning when the weather is just right. It’s usually foggy, allowing the webs that are always there to be visible to us humans.
Look at what we saw recently!
It’s a Funnel Spider Web, and the spider is known as a funnel web weaver!
I picture the spider sitting at the base of the funnel, waiting for its prey!
Wherever there is faith as slender as one strand … (17 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Let Your Listing Shine
- 07/08/25 04:41 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Let Your Listing Shine
Even when we travel, Larry and I try to have our morning walk. Such was the case on our recent trip to Kansas City (Lenexa). When we walk in a neighborhood, we love looking at the different elevations and landscaping.
We saw these solar lights for the agent’s sign. There may be some HOAs that won’t approve, but what do you think???
By the way, you can purchase these at Harbor Freight for under $10.
… (18 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Pitstops for Butterflies.
- 06/30/25 06:24 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Pitstops for Butterflies.
We were in Lenexa, KS, last week visiting family and friends. One of our routines is to continue our morning walks when we’re there. We love the neighborhood, which is on a golf course. This area is not flat, like Houston, so we have a good cardio workout.
We saw this Monarch Waystation in the neighborhood! If you’ve read Jeff Dowler, CRS’s posts about his Monarch butterflies, you’ll see how beautiful these little flying creatures are.
Did you know…
Growth and development of highways, businesses, and structures in the U.S. consume monarch habitats at a rate of approximately 6,000 acres … (22 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Just YOU
- 06/22/25 06:49 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Just YOU
On our walks, we have found painted stones with inspirational messages on them. One of the artists we met hoped passersby would take one if the message “spoke” to them.
Larry and I saw this different “sign” last week. It’s a good message for many of us.
You be YOU. No one can do it better!
Be confident enough in your actions not to need to explain yourself. Trust yourself and act.
Bernard Roth
I am me, nothing more, nothing less, and that is enough.
Harpreet M. Dayal
Stop hating yourself for everything you’re not; start loving yourself for everything you are.
Ritu Ghatourey
… (17 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Watch Where You Walk…
- 06/17/25 04:30 PM
…And Walk Where You Watch!
You know the old saying…Watch where you walk and walk where you watch!
The weather is warmer, and that means snakes are out. We’ve seen 2 copperheads at Kickerillo in as many weeks and a coral snake at another park.
This is why it’s so important to watch where you walk…even on a paved walking trail. One morning, this little guy was on the path. You couldn’t miss him…unless you weren’t watching.
As it turns out, a young woman was walking her dog and looking at her device. She or her dog came this close to stepping on the snake. … (18 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…Danger, Will Robinson!
- 06/10/25 01:55 PM
Wordless Wednesday…Danger, Will Robinson!
While I love technology, I’ve never been overly fond of robots. I can understand them in manufacturing plants but in restaurants?? I suppose it’s inevitable with staffing shortages, and it’s also a nice marketing gimmick.
From my reading, The Rise of Restaurant Robots, I learned they can also carry a heavier load than you or I. Think of those huge trays some servers carry!
Saturday, at my niece’s birthday lunch, we had the opportunity to see them in action. They got my attention!
Like the Roomba vacuums, they had some trouble maneuvering around chairs but all in all, not bad! … (20 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…What the Heck is THAT?
- 06/03/25 04:22 PM
Wordless Wednesday…What the Heck is THAT?
My cousin’s husband, Ed, loves his garden. We’re lucky because this is the time of year when the other members of the family get to reap the benefits.
A few weeks ago, we had freshly picked tomatoes. Yesterday, Elaine brought a bag loaded with more tomatoes, eggplants, regular cucumbers…and this…
It’s an Armenian cucumber!
This measured at 15 inches long, but I was told they had others that were longer. When cut, the Armenian Cucumber looks like the cucumbers we’re accustomed to, but not as wet.
Thank goodness my niece dropped by! With a family of 5 who love … (17 comments)
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wordless wednesday: Wordless Wednesday…More Signs and Messages
- 05/27/25 05:49 PM
Wordless Wednesday…More Signs and Messages
While I don’t have scientific proof, I believe in signs and messages from the universe, Mother Nature, God, guardian angels… the list is long.
Our walks at the Fallen Warrior Memorial and the adjacent park often feel like a fun Easter egg hunt. A few years ago, I wrote about a lady who leaves painted stones along the path leading to the Memorial.
Here are a few of her latest “inspirations” she shares with us…
She leaves them hoping they will inspire others. And, if a stone or its message “speaks” to them, they are welcome to take the stone.
Do … (19 comments)
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Wordless Wednesday…Coming Together
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