A Lot of Catching Up to Do! - October 26, 2015

Well, folks have probably forgotten me after my long silence these past few months!  My India residence had the absolutely worst WiFi connection so I was seldom able to post.  

Besides that, my right shoulder has been insufferably painful and massage did little to relieve the agony.  I didn't get to San Francisco before departure so I was without my usual pain medications -the new Federal law states that you must have prescription in hand from your physician - no more phoning in to your pharmacy.  I can honestly say that Naprosyn does NOT alleviate that joint pain.  My total shoulder replacement is scheduled for November 18th so, thankfully, I should feel better as soon as the day after.  My left shoulder was done two years ago.  Of course, I will need about three months of physical therapy - and it is my right shoulder so I anticipate things will be a bit more difficult post operatively!  I'm trying to practice doing things with my left hand.

I flew from Mumbai to Tampa for a week with Charlene Payton, my dear friend of forty years.  I didn't really have jet lag, I don't think, but with her incredible sleep number bed, I made up for five months on that horrible mattress I had in Mumbai.  Blissful sleep, wonderful company, and great eating readied me for a week in New Orleans and my fifty year Charity Hospital School of Nursing reunion.

I stayed at the home of my friend of fifty years, Martha Meaux Genin.  What a joyful time we all had.  There were so many memories, a few tears, lots of laughs, fabulous food.

Finally, I made it to West Sacramento where I got the warmest welcome ever from my sweet granddaughter, Harper, and the granddogs.  She does not want me out of her sight now and I am being showered with hugs and kisses - when she isn't saying, "Nana, don't touch me!"  She has grown by leaps and bounds and has an incredibly amazing English and Spanish vocabulary for a 2-1/2-year old.

Now that I have really high speed internet, I'll be catching up on India posts and the rest of my world.  While this last stay in India was not my best, I do want to go back.  I can't end my visits to this "country of my heart" on a bad note.

More to come.......

Black and White Wednesdays - Buffalo at Kafe Kokopelli, Dade City, Florida - April 2, 2014

During my ten day January stay with one of my dearest friends in Zephyrhills,
Florida, we did quite a bit of excellent dining - which is responsible for the
extra pounds around my girth ( that and my lack of will power ).  We had dinner
one night at a delightful spot, Kafe Kokopelli, set in a hundred year old building
in Dade City, Florida.  Once the site of Model T sales, it now houses a terrific
restaurant with a varied menu and a crazy decor.  This buffalo is one of 
the critters that graces the interior.

I am participating in 

Black and White Wednesdays

Add your black and white 

photo to join in the fun.

The Bird D'Pot - Sandhill Cranes in Zephyrhills, Florida - February 2, 2014

I must confess, aside from pretty common bird varieties, I am no expert.  I confuse
egrets and cranes - though, of course, thanks to their color, I do know flamingos, and,
I can certainly spot pelicans and peacocks.

I am currently on a wonderful month long visit to family and friends in the southern
United States, figuring that, at the vintage age of 69, I might not have another chance 
to see some of the people that I love so much.  It has been a very special trip.

It began with a seven day stop in Florida, visiting Charlene Payton, my friend of forty
years.  We worked together for a year as young nurses in Tampa.  Throughout
the rest of our lives, we have often visited each other and traveled together.

While having breakfast one morning, I spotted these two birds out on the golf
course, among the beautiful old oaks draped in their Spanish moss, the setting
reminiscent of a Southern romance novel.  I immediately grabbed my camera,
intent on snapping a few photos.  Charlene told me the birds were sandhill 
cranes who would resent my intrusion and take to the skies.  They did not and
I blatantly stepped closer, barefooted, advancing slowly.  I had forgotten that
Southern grass is often full of "stickers".  

Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned a good bit about these birds, native to North America

and "extreme northeaster Siberia".  The sandhill crane ( (Grus canadensis) is a large

bird, weighing 8 to 10 pounds, in the adult bird.  Male and female look alike.  The

adult is gray in color and has a bright red forehead, white cheeks and a long pointed

bill.  The sandhill crane stands on long, dark legs.

These birds have a large wingspan and soar much like hawks and eagles, using

thermals to obtain lift.  The article said that they can fly for many hours, without

flapping their wings, conserving their energy.

For more information on the sandhill crane, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_Crane

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/id

I am participating in 

The Bird D'Pot

Send your bird photo and join in the fun.

Wolf Moon aka Mini Moon - Sky Watch Friday - January 17, 2014

Alas, travel and renewing friendships and eating at wonderful restaurants has limited my
online time ( and extended my waist size ) but I am sure all you blogging folk understand.
I couldn't resist getting out of the car the other night when returning from dinner at A 
Pearl in the Grove in Dade City, Florida  as the "wolf moon", the smallest full moon of 
the year, was making its debut.  The Indians ( native American ),  of what is now
the northern and eastern United States, a few hundred years ago, to keep track of
the seasons, gave names to each recurring full moon.

I am participating in

Skywatch Friday

Look upward, add your photo,

and join in the fun!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_moon#Farmers.27_Almanacs

http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/weird_full_moon_names_of_2014/22072416

Wordless Wednesday & Watery Wednesday - Forty Years Ago ( age 24/25 ) in Miami and Lake Tahoe - October 27, 2010

Wordless Wednesday & Watery Wednesday

Forty Years Ago ( age 24/25 ) in Miami and Lake Tahoe - October 27, 2010

I'm participating in Wordless Wednesday

and Watery Wednesday.