tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83582246234483343522010-07-30T11:07:00.886-05:00Lake Mary MusingsRandom thoughts on life (past, present, future), my travels, lessons learned, things that interest me, and a search for a new "niche".CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.comBlogger389125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-77454291560355568732010-07-30T09:20:00.000-05:002010-07-30T09:20:04.136-05:002010-07-30T09:20:04.136-05:00Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes ala Betty CrockerDaughter Stefani and her family are here for a week. It's a perfect week, weather wise although today a thunderstorm blew through. It was gone in less than an hour.
This morning I made pancakes and it occurred to me that I haven't used a pancake mix for many years...making homemade pancakes is so easy and you almost always have everything you need in your pantry.
This is from the good old CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com3http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/homemade-buttermilk-pancakes-ala-betty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-55988424756689288662010-07-24T20:36:00.000-05:002010-07-24T20:36:17.481-05:002010-07-24T20:36:17.481-05:00Butterfly in my Garden - Camera Critters #120We were just pulling into our driveway when I spotted a huge butterfly fluttering around the perennial garden. I mean, it was HUGE! I whipped my camera out of my bag and crept up as close as I thought I could without startling it. I needn't have worried...it was so absorbed in its task it didn't even notice me.
Got a couple of nice shots, I think, as it flew from flower to flower.
So as CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com28http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/butterfly-in-my-garden-camera-critters.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-70887848240814339352010-07-20T10:25:00.001-05:002010-07-20T10:26:26.330-05:002010-07-20T10:26:26.330-05:00Climbing Flowers at Lake Mary
This is not a garden blog although I've posted more than my share of flower photographs! But summer is fleeting here in the upper midwest so it's important to enjoy the color while it lasts.
Climbing perennials are favorites...here are two of ours. These orangey-red blossoms are called honeysuckle dropmore. Silly name (dropmore) for a beautiful blossom. They climb up the side of our CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com25http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/climbing-flowers-at-lake-mary.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-57216780331299778832010-07-15T22:58:00.001-05:002010-07-15T22:59:23.535-05:002010-07-15T22:59:23.535-05:00Minnesota Natives - Butterfly Weed, Royal Catchfly, Coneflowers, Etc.Just a few photos capturing the current stars of our lakescape. I took these late this afternoon.
This is Butterfly Weed. It's part of the milkweed family. Our milkweeds haven't started to bloom, yet.
I just learned that much of the plant is toxic unless it's boiled but it's edible if you boil it. Who do you suppose was brave enough to figure that out? I dunno...not so sure I'd want to eatCherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com23http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/minnesota-natives-butterfly-weed-royal.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-53710950238632966352010-07-12T11:44:00.001-05:002010-07-12T13:22:37.836-05:002010-07-12T13:22:37.836-05:00San Francisco Botanical Gardens Photo Contest!
There are many, many bloggers who take amazing photos of pets and wildlife and other animals for the Camera Critters meme. I generally can only visit a few each week. I try to visit new posts...it's a great way to meet other like-minded animal lovers!
That's how I "met" Joanne of Poetic Shutterbug. She did a Camera Critters post on some of the animals at the San Francisco zoo and the photos CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com17http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/san-francisco-botanical-gardens-photo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-41298709090734995582010-07-10T06:00:00.001-05:002010-07-10T19:25:47.591-05:002010-07-10T19:25:47.591-05:00Bob and EvaWe are petsitting this week. Daughter Jen's cat, Eva, and her pet dove, Bob. Bob is 20 years old (at least). She got him when she was 14 from a school teacher who had several in the classroom and at the end of the year several lucky students got them as pets. Who knew they live this long???
Eva is 15 or 16 years old. They are her children (or "kids" as she calls them). "Mom, can you watchCherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com18http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/bob-and-eva-camera-critters-118.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-72345314272727341062010-07-08T21:36:00.001-05:002010-07-08T21:48:07.743-05:002010-07-08T21:48:07.743-05:00Messing around with blogger, againIt's not as if I don't have a million things to do...we're putting up knotty pine in our downstairs family room, we have an art fair this weekend, I'm supposed to be studying my A-List Blogger Club lessons, we have to go to Minneapolis on Tuesday, and we're getting ready for more company.
But I'm messing around with the templates on Blogger. So....what do you think of this template? Is it CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com14http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/messing-around-with-blogger-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-23417505340530313202010-07-06T09:39:00.000-05:002010-07-06T09:39:56.023-05:002010-07-06T09:39:56.023-05:00Summer SangriaOne refreshing beverage which the grownups enjoyed over the Independence Day weekend was a delicious sangria recipe from my daughter Stefani's collection of party treats. It's colorful, full of fresh fruit and easy to prepare.
I don't know the origin of this recipe (pre-Stefani) or I'd give credit where credit is due but it's a keeper.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup brandy
2 CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com19http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/summer-sangria.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-88961011016772619382010-07-03T08:10:00.002-05:002010-07-06T15:31:36.980-05:002010-07-06T15:31:36.980-05:00Lazy Days of SummerFishing off the dock on a perfect July day is the ultimate summer fun at Lake Mary. Here are Jack, MJ and two young fishing enthusiasts enjoying a little bonding time.
If you enlarge this photo you can read the back of Jack's shirt..."Old Guys Rule". Jen bought this for him when we were in Los Angeles a couple of years ago.
Then there's the annual Strawberry-Picking-With-Grandpa Event. EveryCherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com20http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/lazy-days-of-summer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-33297271385452046642010-07-01T07:58:00.001-05:002010-07-01T08:02:45.264-05:002010-07-01T08:02:45.264-05:00A Thoughtful Prayer
I don't know where I first read this little prayer but I copied it into a little black notebook that I carry with me. Yesterday I was looking for a phone number in that little black book and as I was leafing through the pages, this caught my eye. So I thought I would share it...enjoy.
Dear God,
So far today, I am doing alright.
I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com13http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/07/i-dont-know-where-i-first-read-this.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-26807622484756703212010-06-26T15:04:00.001-05:002010-06-26T20:13:32.733-05:002010-06-26T20:13:32.733-05:00Flowers and Water FowlIt's Saturday and I'm off preparing for out of town guests. But I photographed some of the flowers in my perennial garden and thought I'd share them as a quick post, today.
This is a view of my perennial garden. I should have taken more shots, today, because I think it's even more in bloom. Perhaps I'll have time later in the day.
I love these yellow lilies. Their color is just so sunny...CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com15http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/flowers-and-water-fowl.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-23112985928984888272010-06-23T07:09:00.003-05:002010-06-23T07:24:06.177-05:002010-06-23T07:24:06.177-05:00Fear of Failure and a Few Good Quotes
This is a re-post of a post (does that make sense?) that I wrote back in 2007 when I was just starting to blog. Here we are three years later and I'm marginally better in this struggle. The quotes are favorites of mine...I think you'll enjoy them and maybe even relate to them.Here's a confession. Fear of failure has haunted me a lot during my life. I don't know why. Every time I learn a new CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com11http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/fear-of-failure-and-few-good-quotes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-83264099276564206732010-06-20T16:42:00.002-05:002010-06-20T16:45:31.166-05:002010-06-20T16:45:31.166-05:00A Baltimore Oriole is not a Hummingbird
Well, that does it...we've got to get a new hummingbird feeder. Possibly one without perches.
I like this feeder because the container is glass and it's easy to clean. And it gives the little hummingbirds a spot to rest for just a minute while they gather their nectar. But it dropped one day. Several of the little white feeding slots broke and one of the perches. Up until then just the CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com14http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/baltimore-oriole-is-not-hummingbird.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-83629116521595854442010-06-16T13:09:00.002-05:002010-06-16T13:18:40.289-05:002010-06-16T13:18:40.289-05:00A Great Blue Heron on Lake MaryThis morning Jack spotted this Blue Heron from the porch window. It was walking very, very slowly and deliberately along the shallow edge of the lake. It was most likely scanning the shallow water for fish or frogs.
It ducked it's head and slid underneath our dock and then up on our neighbor's dock still looking for possible delectable morsels to snatch from the water.
Aha! It seems to haveCherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com11http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/great-blue-heron-on-lake-mary.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-89294926354179359222010-06-14T07:30:00.004-05:002010-06-16T22:45:22.069-05:002010-06-16T22:45:22.069-05:00A Rant about Blogger or Why you need to read the fine print.
Update - June 16: I have come to terms with the new Blogger template issue and have found and modified one of the new templates. I'm fairly pleased with it but "the jury's still out". This could go on for quite some time, actually. I'm not known for my decisiveness.
I'm very frustrated with Blogger. My new blog template is terrible. I have serious "new template remorse."
Last week CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com17http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/rant-about-blogger-or-why-you-need-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-74112867278843886402010-06-08T12:12:00.002-05:002010-06-08T12:15:33.115-05:002010-06-08T12:15:33.115-05:00World Oceans DayThis is a photograph I took of the Manhattan Beach Pier in Manhattan Beach, California. It was a stormy day about a year ago. I can't tell you how high the pier is but it's high! Probably 20 feet...maybe more...from the pier to the shore. The surf was actually reaching the boardwalk.
I cannot imagine what this would be like if the surf was spewing tons of gallons of oil onto this pretty CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com18http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/world-oceans-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-78766142590791236932010-06-07T20:47:00.001-05:002010-06-07T20:48:59.444-05:002010-06-07T20:48:59.444-05:00Red Sky in the Morning
This is the sunrise I awoke to this morning. It's an "all's well with the world" sunrise. I quickly pulled on my clothes, grabbed my camera and dashed outside. Sunrises and sunsets last just a very few minutes so if you can capture them at their peak...well, there's just nothing prettier. I captured this one at its peak.
Now that I think about it, isn't there a proverb about red skies?CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com16http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/red-sky-in-morning.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-22631377425590072202010-06-06T06:00:00.000-05:002010-06-06T06:00:06.197-05:002010-06-06T06:00:06.197-05:00Monarch Butterfly in Our Cranberry Bush
I actually took this photograph through our dining room window! And the window, I'm embarrassed to say, is not exactly sparkling clean...so it's not the best photo but I like the way the butterfly perched on the blossom. It stayed there for a very long time, too.
I did crop the photo to get this close up ... hope it translates well in your browser.
This is my photograph for Camera CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com17http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/monarch-butterfly-in-our-cranberry-bush.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-81384231775031302232010-06-05T06:02:00.003-05:002010-06-05T06:07:54.903-05:002010-06-05T06:07:54.903-05:00Writer's Cramp
Well, there you go...that's what the problem has been all along! The words are in the wrong order!
This was in our Sunday newspaper magazine...CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com10http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/writers-cramp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-78413354910402633302010-06-04T08:00:00.002-05:002010-06-04T10:57:28.503-05:002010-06-04T10:57:28.503-05:00A Guest Post on "Eat at Home"
Another blog that I follow is "Eat at Home". It's a food blog nicely organized with menus and recipes. On the "Menus" tab you will find a week's worth of menus including recipes and a shopping list all ready to print out in pdf form. It's especially great for families but even though there are just the two of us here at Lake Mary (okay, okay, we're a family...but you know what I mean...CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com9http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/guest-post-on-eat-at-home.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-82227715981884064402010-06-02T15:09:00.001-05:002010-06-02T15:10:38.975-05:002010-06-02T15:10:38.975-05:00Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow
It's "Show and Tell" time...
Jack came in yesterday with this little beauty. He was gardening and pulled out this baby oak tree! The acorn and root were beneath the soil and the leaves (or beginnings of the trunk) were reaching out of the earth.
What I love is how you can actually see how the leaf/trunk grows up and the roots grow down. Of course, I tried every way imaginable to take a CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com18http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/mighty-oaks-from-little-acorns-grow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-39935861772351611262010-06-01T07:00:00.033-05:002010-06-01T07:00:06.371-05:002010-06-01T07:00:06.371-05:00My Mystery Prize
I won a prize! It was one prize in a giveaway that Jenny Matlock had following her famous Garage Sale. She had a drawing from hundreds of comments on her blog and offered two prizes...a lovely casserole dish and a "mystery" prize. You should visit her blog...it's called Jenny Matlock...off on my tangent.
Well, I'm happy to report that I won the mystery prize which was.......drum roll....CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com13http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/06/my-mystery-prize.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-21126343483350700442010-05-30T14:31:00.002-05:002010-05-31T07:09:24.312-05:002010-05-31T07:09:24.312-05:00A Memorial Day Wish
A happy and peaceful weekend is my wish for each person reading this post...for those of you in the United States, a Happy Memorial Day.
We all are grateful to... and remember... all of the brave men and women who have given their lives over all the years to try to keep the world a safer place.
This photograph is one of my favorites...I took it in Mendocino, California a year or so ago when CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com14http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/05/memorial-day-photo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-3642442257396964702010-05-29T08:00:00.006-05:002010-05-30T11:29:53.771-05:002010-05-30T11:29:53.771-05:00A Little Garden Friend - Camera Critters #112This is my Camera Critters photograph for this weekend! I took it last year, actually, but it's froggy time again. I'm going outside to see if I can spot a few of these camouflage experts since I'll be gardening today, anyway. It's almost impossible to see them unless they move...very clever, Mother Nature.
I'm not entirely sure of the difference between frogs and toads...I should look it upCherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com29http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/05/camera-critters-112.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358224623448334352.post-32177605642958607422010-05-27T07:34:00.001-05:002010-06-01T16:14:55.909-05:002010-06-01T16:14:55.909-05:00Facebook - The Good, The Bad, The UglyI have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.
The Good: Popping in on friends and family just to see "What's Up"? Pictures of a horse show or birthday party or learning that my nephew's wife ran a marathon for charity. The birth of a baby or wedding pictures (but not 50 of them, please) are perfect to share with friends and family. Pictures of a new puppy or kitty. Or how a garden is CherylKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04021319020150945676CherylK@lakemarymusings.com11http://www.lakemarymusings.com/2010/05/facebook-good-bad-ugly.html