Tuesday, January 31, 2017

My January Book List!

It was a good month for reading. I set my goal this year for 55 books (I read more last year) and so far I think I’m on target. I don’t usually do book reviews but I wanted to share what I’ve read and recommend them…one and all! I write reviews in Goodreads and it’s in my sidebar if you are interested.

51wHxxVu -L._SY346_

I read Queen of Hearts by Rhys Bowen. My rating, 7 out of 10.This is a new series for me and I loved the characters. I jumped into the series but now I will go back and start with the first book and read them in order. I love mysteries!

51w2OshuXuL._SY346_

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal. My rating 7 out of 10. I liked this mystery series too and plan to read all of them this year. Love the time and place. (a bit of fictionalized history)

51nB44IA80L._SY346_

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny, 8 out of 10. I LOVE this author and had somehow missed #4 in this series. Now I’ve read them all and HIGHLY recommend them! I am SO in love with Inspector Gamache! Read them…you’ll LOVE them too but remember, I have dibs on Armand Gamache! heehee!

51IjpXdA3WL._SY346_

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabriella Zevin 8 out of 10. Such an interesting story. Not my usual genre but once I started it I could not put it down. Reminds me a little of a Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 9 out of 10, that I read last year.

51PvgpAyM4L._SY346_

The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg 8 out of 10. You just can NOT go wrong with a book by Fannie Flagg! Many of you have probably read or seen Fried Green Tomatoes by this author. Filled with interesting characters and LOADS of good humor! You will be laughing OUT LOUD! Very FUN!

So that’s what I’ve read this month. Do you have a good book you’ve read this month that you would recommend?

Monday, January 30, 2017

A True Mosaic for Mosaic Monday!

I was delighted to see this mosaic wall at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens!

DSCN0916

My mind started spinning…

wallDSCN0944

thinking of all the fun photos to share.

mosaicbest6

Of course then I got a ‘low battery’ on my camera.

bunnyDSCN0942

But it was hubby to the rescue!

DSCN0937

He had brought his little Nikon Coolpix P300 in his back pocket.

So I ‘traded with him’! teehee!

bunDSCN0945

I just kept walking around to see what else I could see!

gnomeDSCN0935

And I can’t wait to go back to see what I missed!

wallDSCN0927

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

A Day at the Ocean “Canaveral National Seashore”

As part of my birthday celebration, my sweet hubby wanted to take me to my MOST favorite place on earth, Canaveral National Seashore. The weather was in the 70s with light winds and abundant sunshine. So we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the beach.

dianeoceanIMG_7171

There is something so calming about the sea…

oceanIMG_7184everything about it!

IMG_7188

It wasn’t crowded at all and there were plenty of seashells along the edge of the water.

dIMG_7145

We also drove to the Visitors center and saw some amazing sights on the Intercoastal Waterway.

dolphinIMG_7142

Dolphins at play!

dIMG_7148

They were splishing and splashing and have a fun time!

3924

Here’s a map to give you an idea of where it is.

seagullIMG_7173

Seagull

pelicanIMG_7179

Brown Pelican

It was a fabulous day! Can’t wait to go back again soon! How many day trips do you think I can get out of one birthday? heehee!

IMG_7189

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Fall colors on a Winter Day in Summertime weather!

Ahhh…the joys of living in Florida!

We’ve had a beautiful winter so far with lots of opportunities to get outside.

IMG_6538

So we’ll take another walk through Shalom Park today to see some Fall colors!

03Shalomtext

I laughed and said this looked like child abuse! This kid did not want to ‘perch’ in this maple tree!

IMG_6528

So let’s keep walking!

IMG_6607

Walking down this trail will take us under a beautiful tree with deep yellow leaves.

IMG_6611 

(maybe a butternut?)

fenceIMG_6615

Thanks for walking with me today! Have you had a chance to get outside this week?

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays

and Good Fences today!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Cutesy? Quirky? OR…downright SCARY? Let’s take a poll! UPDATED!!!

I miss taking polls! It seems like when I first started blogging a lot of the blogs had polls. Usually it was about decorating or trying to discover what interested us most.

IMG_6912

But how about this? At the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, we saw several gazing balls! And I really fell in love with them! And when I realized our reflection was in the ball, I thought it might make a cute button for my sidebar.

DianeRballIMG_6910

So I cropped it and resized it and it looked pretty good. But then I put text on it,

Step through the Looking Glass, Walk with us!

DRBallText2IMG_6910

Does it look like we are asking you to walk into the Enchanted Forest or some place dark and scary?

So what do you think?

In the comments you can ‘give me a clue’.

A. It’s Cutesy

B. It’s Quirky

C. It’s Scary

D. You could care less about what I put in my sidebar and think I should spend more time walking than staring into gazing balls. Rolling on the floor laughing

UPDATE : So HERE we go! Since I can’t stare into the gazing ball today, I’m working on the button for my sidebar! Thanks for ALL of the cutesy comments!

I liked Sam’s very first comment, “D lol Just kidding.”

But was that the most honest answer or was it Judith’s, “E, It’s Brilliant!”

And then Karen Ann said a softer border might look better! So that’s what I did. Oh and I added stars to the sky…less scary, don’t you think?

This was FUN! Now maybe I should do some REAL work today! (or pack my bag to go to the beach) Island with a palm tree

Sun Enjoy your day! Sun

Hope it’s cutesy or quirky (and never scary) !

Monday, January 23, 2017

Birthday Adventure at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Thanks so much for all of the sweet birthday messages! We spent the day at the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, FL. We packed a picnic lunch and some snacks and headed out for an adventure (it’s only about an hour drive from our house).

IMG_6717

Now grab onto to this wild grape vine and we’ll swing over to my favorite garden.

IMG_6856

“The Children’s Garden”

DSCN1011

It was so whimsical and FUN!

DSCN1031

Everywhere you looked was something cute!

meercatsDSCN1012

We spent over 4 hours walking (some in the morning, most in the afternoon).

IMG_7097

They’re NOT real, Vee!!!

DSCN1058

And before we left, we walked BACK over to the children’s garden to look some more!

DSCN1027

AMAZING!

DSCN1028

What a FUN day!

DSCN1029

Hubby planned it as a surprise so that made it even more special! Thanks sweet hubby!

pond

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Are these Birthday Birds? Answer at the end!

The weather has been so beautiful lately that I’m taking more neighborhood walks. It’s usually in the 70s at around 4 pm and several of my friends walk then too. A walk with a friend goes SO much faster!

So in between hikes with hubby, I’ve been walking around the neighborhood…which always takes me past the little pond.

littleblueIMG_6409

Look at this gorgeous Little Blue Heron that has been here all week!

lbIMG_6413

There were some clouds in the sky so there’s less glare from the water and you can see his true color.

lbIMG_6406

What a rich blue!

lbIMG_6407

And just when I turned to go home, a Red Tailed Hawk flew up into the tree near me.

IMG_6510

So I snapped…

IMG_6511

and snapped…

IMG_6512

until some neighbors pulled up in their golf cart to see what I was looking at.

IMG_6504

Then it flew. But how neat to see where it went and what it was doing. Maybe getting ready to build a nest for babies!

hIMG_6513

So are all these birds celebrating their birthday today?

Probably not.

But guess what!

I AM!

So hopefully I’m away from my computer for the day, having a birthday adventure.

I’ll visit you when I get back!

squareDiane2yrs04

(and yes that’s me at 2 years old, riding my bike with one leg in the air, always the daredevil!)

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.