Anniversary for Socks the Cat

Today, August 7th, 2011, marks the 1 year anniversary since we lost our beloved cat Socks.  In his memory, I am posting his obit (which I don’t think I did last year) so that you can see what a special little guy he was:

“Socks” – A Barnyard Cat Who Came Into Our Hearts Forever

Here's Looking at You Kid

Socks was born in 1998 or 1999 and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on August 7, 2010. He was 11-12 years old, as best we can figure. Socks has been with us since May 2003. Socks was a beautiful, energetic, and attention getting male Maine Coon cat; tabby & white with 4 white paws, hence the name “Socks”. We refer to him as the “Ultimate Fluffball”. His siblings/friends are Penelope (15 year old Maine Coon) and Yoda (black cat about same age as Socks, who came with him from Missouri via way of Texas).

Socks has lived in Missouri, Texas, South Florida, Central Florida, Louisiana, then back to North Florida. Socks was the barn yard cat of a friend of ours uncle in Missouri. When our friend adopted Socks, he moved to Texas, then to Florida. Our friend lived with us for several months while he was getting situated with a job and place to live in Florida. He brought Socks & Yoda along, and of course we fell in love with them both immediately.  We had recently lost Gracie, the half-sister of Penelope to cancer, so Socks

A Little to the Left Bob

and Yoda helped to fill the emptiness in our hearts. When our friend moved to a small condo and accepted a job that entailed a lot of travel, he asked us to “baby sit” Socks & Yoda. After 2 years, he said the cats were officially ours and of course, we agreed!

We moved to Louisiana temporarily for a few months in 2009, and of course, all our kitties came with us. Then it was back to Florida.

Socks liked to ride in the car and check out everyone in the cars that passed by. He also liked to look at the birds and the sky as it passed by in an ever changing view for him.

We used to live at a private airport community and Socks loved to go for a ride in the kitty stroller on the taxiways to watch the dogs, cats, birds, people, and planes. He also liked to ride in the golf cart and the electric Think car. His favorite place was on the dashboard

Socks in a Majestic Pose

with a big fluffy towel as padding. That way he got the full panoramic view, and we would sit next to the runway and watch the planes take off and land. He seemed to wonder how the planes could do that. He enjoyed smiling at the other people and dogs & cats in the other golf carts.

Socks has eaten a diet of Hill’s Science Diet since we had him, a mixture of Hairball Control, Oral Care, Sensitive Skin, and Sensitive Stomach. At the end of his time on earth, he had moved “upscale” and liked grilled tilapia and salmon.

Socks’ favorite napping place was a white sheepskin rug in the living room in the evening when we watched TV. That way he could nap, but yet keep his little eyes cracked open to be sure he didn’t miss anything. He prepared his sleeping spot by

Socks Says "Welcome"

“kneading biscuits” to get his spot in the center “just right”.

Socks loved to help us in the office. We are self employed and work from home. We each have office space in our home, and Socks takes turns with each of us sitting at the computer, on the desk, or in a chair nearby, although he seems to favor Bob’s desk as he has more monitors and keyboards to be intrigued by and lay up against. He does like to go out on the screen porch or patio, but he seems to find as his primary responsibility to help in the office instead.

We used to live in a home with a separate 2 story hangar building on the property where we had our offices. In the morning we would say “time to go to work” and he would bolt out the patio door, hop across the patio, and wait for us to open the office door. He would always beat us there. No lizard or squirrel could side track him from his self appointed

Socks Ready to Work

duties. He would catapult up the stairs, stop at the landing midway, look to see if you were giving him an audience, then catapult himself up the remaining set of stairs. When we were done for the day, we would just say “Socks, time to close the office” and he would get down from where ever he was perched and hop down the stairs, hippity-hop across the patio and into the house ready for dinner. For some reason, maybe because of his size, he would hop like a bunny rather than run like a cheetah. I think we will remember him most for that.

When he sat on Agnes’ desk, there was a different configuration. So he would sit along side her atop the desk and rest his paw on her arm, as if he was guiding her typing on the keyboard.

Socks Thinks He's Invisible

His favorite toy is the Cosmic Country Catnip pouch. He loved to lay on top of the Cosmic Catnip when he was “off duty” and not at work.

Out of all the cats we have had over the years, Socks had the most vibrant personality of them all, almost human-like. Where our other cats chose to sleep most of the day, Socks would be awake, following us around and helping in the office. At lunch or dinner he would quietly sit in the chair between us waiting for his opportunity to go back to work or watch TV. He liked to watch the Nascar and Indy race cars, not just watch but he got involved with the race.

Another quirk Socks had was he liked to see his reflection. He knew he was special. We had a stove with a black glass oven front that he would sit at for long periods looking at his handsome reflection. And chasing sunbeams was another pleasure of his. We had sheer curtains that would flutter with the breeze and would make the sunbeams dance

Socks Guarding His Turf

on the floor. He tried his best to catch them, and when he thought he had one, he would lay down, proud of his capture.

Another place he liked to help was in the bathroom, whether you were taking a shower or taking care of your private business. It simply did not matter what you were doing, he would be there to supervise.

We love him and will miss him dearly. Even though he did not make a lot of noise meowing and such, he had a huge presence with a dynamic and magnetic personality. His absence has left a huge void and a silence in the house that only his warmth and charm could fill.

He is at peace now, no longer in pain, and no longer having to take his medications which he was not happy about. He is at peace in Kitty Heaven, and getting to know his

Socks Waiting for Santa

“sister” Gracie.

We love him so much and will miss him forever.

“Polish” Stuffed Bell Peppers – Episode 4

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This is one of my favorite dishes to prepare using the Ground Meat Base Mixture that we prepared in a previous video (Episode 3, Parts 1 & 2).  So if you missed it, be sure and go back to view it.  There is no Polish sausage in it unless, that is, you added some Polish sausage in the Ground Meat Base Mixture when preparing it before.  It’s just that I am Polish, so everything I cook I like to call it “Polish This” or “Polish That”.  It keeps my guests on their toes, thinking I have used some “secret” Polish ingredient, or used some special Polish way of cooking.  Well, I guess it is my special way of Polish cooking.  So be ready for a really delicious meal when you prepare these stuffed bell peppers.  And you can prepare as many or as few as you want at the time.  If you prepare extra, then you can freeze them in individual freezer storage bags and simply take out for a quick meal when you are pressed for time.  MIGHTY TASTY!

End of an Era – Final Space Shuttle Flights

Night Space-Shuttle-Launch Photo from the Internet

As you all know by now, the Space Shuttle has had its last flight, that is unless something changes in the future.  Thousands of people have lost their jobs, and business that supported the space program have had to close down.  And an era that most of us grew up with is now over.  I grew up in Houston, and when I was older I lived for several years in a neighborhood directly across from the main entrance of the Johnson Space Center in TX.  In high school, many of my classmates’ parents worked for NASA, since we were located in the south part of Houston, not far from the Space Center.  Most of us can remember where we were and what we were doing when the astronauts landed on the moon, just as we can remember where we were and what we were doing with John F. Kennedy was shot.

Now living in FL for the past 25 years, we were fortunate to see several of the shuttle launches, one at night from the Kennedy Space Center itself, a once in a lifetime experience.  Later on, we lived about 40 miles from the Space Center, and could see the launches from our home after the Shuttle cleared the tree line, then it flew towards our home’s direction, and on a clear day we could actually see the solid rocket boosters separate.  Last year, we moved a bit further north, so the drive down to the Space Center area was about 1 1/2 hours, but it was worth it.  The 2nd to the last Shuttle launch, Endeavor, we actually were in Titusville, sitting on the shore of the bay directly across from the launch pads.  Unfortunately due to the cloud cover rolling in, you could only see the launch for 22 seconds, but what a magnificent 22 seconds it was.

Endeavor Final Launch 05 16 11

We braved the crowds for the last Atlantis launch, but this time we did not go as far as Titusville, due to the constant local news coverage telling us what a gridlock situation it was there.  Instead we opted for a small town just to the north that had a lovely park right on the waterway that goes past the Kennedy Space Center.  So we had a great view, although from a bit of a distance, but it meant so much to us to see history being made.  The Shuttle cleared the tower, and we could see the flame trail once it cleared the rooftops.  Again, the cloud cover cut our viewing time short, but just to know that we saw that magnificent sight one more time was awe inspiring.

I have included some photos here, some that we took ourselves and some that came off the internet.  Also, here is a link to the LA Times that had an article with a fantastic photo of re-entry taken from the International Space Station http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/07/atlantis-return-from-space-nasa-rick-perry-.html .  Also in this article from the LA Times, be sure and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to a YouTube video that someone took from Cancun in the early morning darkness of the Shuttle streaking across the sky heading home one last time.

If you have an interest in the Space Program, NASA, and the Space Shuttle program, you will want to visit the NASA website at www.nasa.orgwhere you will find a wealth of information, amazing photos and videos for you and your children to see and learn about.  Also, if you are ever in FL you may want to take a side trip to the Kennedy Space Center for the tour.  However, now that the Shuttle program is over, I’m not sure how it will affect the visitor tours, so you best check their website or call ahead.  We had been out there several times, and it truly is a wonderful and informational trip for young and old alike.

Atlantis Final Launch 07 08 11

Now you can visit the Shuttle at museums around the country.  The most impressive air museum we have been to is the Smithsonian Air Museum located at Dulles airport just outside of Washington, D.C. 

So we bid farewell to the Space Shuttle program and wonder what will the future hold.  Will America step up to the plate to be the best in the quest for space exploration?  Where will future generations take us?  To galaxies beyond our current comprehension?  Will space travel one day be as common for the every day citizen like traveling across the US or across the globe to foreign countries that we do today?  Whatever the future holds for us, I don’t think it could ever be replace by those first trips in a rocket:  Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle program and the first 7 astronauts that had the “Right Stuff” to be brave enough to be those first pioneers to venture into space, a place that once was only in our dreams and fantasies.

The Lady with 700 Cats

by Diane Herbst

Cat House on the Kings is a very special and unique no-kill cat rescue/clinic/retirement home for cats in California. So you shouldn’t miss National Geographic’s special about it and the woman who behind it all called The Lady with 700 Cats. “I’m not crazy. What I do is crazy,” says Lynea Lattanzio, Cat House on the Kings’ founder.

The Lady with 700 Cats Cat House on the Kings special will air on Nat Geo Wild (NGW) at 10 p.m. ET on July 30.

Tune in and watch this amazing story.  For more information and to watch the amazing video clip please go to this link:  http://halopets.com/freekibble/donation18.php

Ground Meat Base Mixture – Episode 3, Part 2

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This is a short video that is a continuation of the Ground Meat Base Mixture that we started in Episode 3, Part 1.  This takes you through the final part after the meat has cooked and cooled down to room temperature where you can then place it in freezer storage bags to be used at a later time for quick, easy, and nutritional meals for your family.  Be sure and come back often to see the other recipes we have planned using this basice ground meat mixture as a base.  MIGHTY TASTY!

Basic Recipe for Ground Meat Base Mixture:

• 3 lbs. ground sirloin (you can use ground white meat turkey, ground turkey meat, or any other ground meat to your liking)
• 1 large sweet Vidalia onion (or other variety to your liking), chopped or diced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or you can use the jar minced garlic) add as much or as little to your liking
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• Season to your liking:
• Mrs. Dash (we don’t use salt, so use the original or any other flavor of Mrs. Dash, or you can use salt)
• fresh ground pepper, season to your taste

For extra fiber, texture, and to make this dish go farther you can add:

• 1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 – 15 oz can red kidney beans (you can substitute any other type can bean to your liking)
• 1 small container of fresh sliced mushrooms (I prefer the Baby Bella variety) or you can use the mushrooms in a jar

Brown meat in large skillet with first 8 ingredients (through the fresh ground pepper).  Continue to cook until all ingredients are cooked through.  I prefer to wait till the meat is cooked through before adding the canned beans and mushrooms then cook a few minutes more 10-15.  If you are cooking for a crowd, you can use larger quantities of all ingredients, just add proportionately. 

La-Di-Da Ladies Serving Suggestion:

You can use this base right away for a base for spaghetti sauce, tacos, enchiladas, chili, etc.  I divide the meat mixture in four parts, freezing in quart size zip-lock type bags for use later as a quick meal base for spaghetti sauce, tacos, enchiladas, chili, etc.  This can really stretch your food budget.

Ground Meat Base Mixture – Episode 3, Part 1

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This is a very informational video on how I make my ground meat base mixture that I can then use just as it is or as a base for countless other dishes:  spaghetti sauce, tacos, enchiladas, Shepherd’s Pie, stuffed bell peppers, Sloppy Joe’s, and many, many more.  You make a big batch at one time, you can all sorts of beans and/or other vegetables, and then freeze it in smaller freezer storage bags so that when you come home from a long day at work, you can prepare dinner for your family in short order.  So be sure and come back often as I will be featuring my other recipes that will use this base ground meat mixture that will make your meals MIGHTY TASTY!

Basic Recipe for Ground Meat Base Mixture:

• 3 lbs. ground sirloin (you can use ground white meat turkey, ground turkey meat, or any other ground meat to your liking)
• 1 large sweet Vidalia onion (or other variety to your liking), chopped or diced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced (or you can use the jar minced garlic) add as much or as little to your liking
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• Season to your liking:
• Mrs. Dash (we don’t use salt, so use the original or any other flavor of Mrs. Dash, or you can use salt)
• fresh ground pepper, season to your taste

For extra fiber, texture, and to make this dish go farther you can add:

• 1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 – 15 oz can red kidney beans (you can substitute any other type can bean to your liking)
• 1 small container of fresh sliced mushrooms (I prefer the Baby Bella variety) or you can use the mushrooms in a jar

Brown meat in large skillet with first 8 ingredients (through the fresh ground pepper).  Continue to cook until all ingredients are cooked through.  I prefer to wait till the meat is cooked through before adding the canned beans and mushrooms then cook a few minutes more 10-15.  If you are cooking for a crowd, you can use larger quantities of all ingredients, just add proportionately. 

La-Di-Da Ladies Serving Suggestion:

You can use this base right away for a base for spaghetti sauce, tacos, enchiladas, chili, etc.  I divide the meat mixture in four parts, freezing in quart size zip-lock type bags for use later as a quick meal base for spaghetti sauce, tacos, enchiladas, chili, etc.  This can really stretch your food budget.

Onions, Chopping & Freezing – Episode 2, Part 2

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This video is a continuation of Episode 2, Part 1.  Again, I got a little long winded talking about onions and all the things you can do with them, and I probably rambled on about whatever else was on my mind.  So this video finishes up the process of getting your chopped onions ready to freeze and enjoy with your meals that you will be making very soon.  MIGHTY TASTY!

Onions, Chopping & Freezing – Episode 2, Part 1

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This video will show you the basics on chopping up onions and getting them ready to freeze in freezer storage bags so that you can easily and quickly use them in future meals.  When you buy onions in bulk, like a big netted bag, you can usually save money on a bulk price rather than buying them individually by the pound.  But unless you like to eat a lot of onions daily, you need to somehow store them so that they don’t go bad on you.  Now onions typically will last pretty long, longer than most other vegetables, but they will eventually go bad if you don’t eat them.  Also, if you are preparing a meal after a hard day of work, sometimes you don’t want to take the extra time it takes to chop up that onion to put into the dish you are preparing.  By having your onions pre-chopped in storage bags, you can take out as little or as much as you need for your recipe, and you will save time and a little bit of stress by doing it this way, and your meals will be MIGHTY TASTY!

Quirky & Interesting Places to Visit

Coming soon:  Tours, videos, and articles about area places of interest. These would include an herb farm, hydrophonic farms, plant nurseries, wineries, and more. Look for new places to visit and learn about in the upcoming future. Stay tuned for some exciting items in this section!

Life on the River

Pink Sunset on the RiverSunset on the River with the Dock

Sunset on the River with the Dock

Sunset with a Single Rain Cloud from an Approaching Storm

Golden Sky Over the River at Sunset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The River During a Storm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life just doesn’t get any better than this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Florida State Panther

Ice Blue Wedding Tabletop

Ice Blue Wedding

Another beautiful tabletop designed for the Daytona Beach Symphony Guild Art of Dining event.  This design was from either a department store or an interior design group, I don’t remember which.  The vase of branches had votive candles hanging from soft ice blue sheer ribbons.

Bell Pepper Preparation – Episode 1, Part 2

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This video is a continuation of Bell Peppers Part 1.  When making these first videos, we forgot to check with YouTube to find out that your videos couldn’t be longer than 15 minutes.  Ooops!  Well I went a little longer, but I thought the information was very practical, so I wanted to leave it all in.  So please enjoy the second half of the bell pepper preparation video, and you will be ready to prepare some great meals!  MIGHTY TASTY!

Bell Pepper Preparation – Episode 1, Part 1

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This video is a first in our cooking video series “Hot Flashes in the Pan”.  In this video, we are chopping up bell peppers getting them ready to freeze in freezer storage bags to use with meals prepared at a later date.  By chopping up your bulk vegetables after you purchase them then freezing them in smaller packages:  1) you save them from going bad before you have had time to use them; and 2) you save time in preparing your future meals, because the vegetables are all ready for you to use.  Be sure and check out Part 2 of this episode where we will prepare the bell peppers for freezing.  Hope you enjoy our cooking video series, and be sure and tune back in for future episodes!  MIGHTY TASTY!

Meat Nutrition Variations at the Supermarket

On my recent trip to the grocery market, I decided to take Dr. Oz’s advice and really look at the labels of the products I was buying, in particular the meat.  As I was preparing to purchase meat for my ground meat mixture recipe, here is what I found at the local national chain market.

The following information is based on 4 oz. servings:

Beef Category:

Lean Ground Meat (The butcher there could not identify if it was ground sirloin or what cut of meat it was, he just said “lean meat”.  OK then.)  This was 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat 2 of which were saturated, at 31.1 cents per ounce.

Ground Round was an 85/15 lean meat to fat mixture, 230 calories, 17 grams of fat 7 of which were saturated, at 22.2 cents per ounce.

Red Meat was a 73/27 lean meat to fat mixture (Again, the cut of meat that was included was not labeled, just that it was “red meat”.)  This was 350 calories, 30 grams of fat 12 of which were saturated, at 16.3 cents per ounce.

Turkey Category (this really suprised me):

Ground Turkey labeled as 85/15 lean meat to fat mixture was 240 calories, 17 grams of fat 5 of which were saturated, at 13 cents per ounce.

White Meat Ground Turkey was 140 calories, 3 grams of fat 1 of which were saturated, at 23.1 cents per ounce.

So it is true what they say “you pay a little more but you get healthier food” which in turn hopefully will help you spend less money at the doctors by eating a healthier diet with less fat and more lean protein.

LaDiDa Ladies Back with New Features!

Orange Supreme Heart Cake

Hello Friends,

It’s been a while since I posted any new information.  I’ve been on hiatus from the blog, but I am back with what I hope will be some new and exciting features for you.

The most exciting of which is a series of videos on cooking, I’m calling it “Hot Flashes in the Pan”.  Now I don’t profess to be an expert chef or anything close to it.  But my friends tell me I am a pretty good cook, and that I do try to make dishes that are simple, easy and budget friendly.  I don’t use any exotic ingredients that you have to shop at specialty stores for.  And I try to incorporate lots of shortcuts so that healthy and great tasting meals can be put together quickly and easily, especially after a hard day of work.  “Mighty Tasty”!

I have the first video posted now and look for many more to follow.  These videos will also be posted on YouTube.

So get ready for an exciting, fun and informational time on LaDiDaLadies.com

See you back here real soon!

Fresh Peaches – Slicing, Storing, & Freezing – Episode 5 in a Series

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E0A2maWVS4

“HOT FLASHES IN THE PAN” Video Series:  This video will show you how to slice fresh peaches and get them ready to freeze in storage freezer bags so that you can use them all through the season and beyond.  As you know, when you buy fresh fruit, you typically have to eat it pretty fast before it goes bad on you.  If that happens, and the fruit goes bad, then you have wasted your money and missed out on some delicious fruit dishes.  You can buy fruit more economically if you can buy in bulk, as from a farmer’s market or fruit/produce stand, but unless you plan on baking a lot of peach pies right away, this method helps you to preserve the fruit so you can enjoy it at a later time.  Now the texture and appearance will be slightly different after you thaw the fruit out, and you will have a lot of fruit juice along with it, but it will still be MIGHTY TASTY!

Victory Gardens Return to Popularity

With the tough economic times we are facing right now, families are looking for ways to stretch their food budget dollar.  A good way to do that is to look back in time around the World War I era, when “Victory Gardens” became popular.  Community and family gardens were planted anywhere a small patch of land could be found:  yards, city parks, public lands, and even railroad rights of way (this could pose a challenge when tending your garden).  These gardens were planted by families as well as for community cooperatives.

During World War II, the Victory Garden emerged again.  Due to the rationing of food products, the Department of Agriculture informed citizens that if they wanted fresh fruits or vegetables, they should plant Victory Gardens.  Americans took hold of the suggestion, and immediately started to grow vegetable gardens.  It is noted in some accounts that Victory Gardens produced around 40 percent of the nation’s produce.  Can you imagine that?  Now we get our fruits and vegetables from all over the world, shipped in various forms of transportation, burning whatever fuel it takes to get those fruits and vegetable here.

With the economic downturn, wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the effects of global warming and our carbon footprint, protecting the environment, concerns over food safety, and wanting better tasting food, folks are looking into the Victory Gardens once more.  Community gardens are great, especially in the inner city, as they encourage social interaction and self-reliance, beautify neighborhoods, produce nutritious and good tasting food, help families with their food budget, and as a side benefit offer recreation, exercise, education, and therapy for some. … Continue Reading

All God’s Creatures, Great and Small

This article came to me from several of my friends who have pets.  It has been circulated around the internet several times, and the Author is Unknown.  If only we humans could learn from our animal friends how to be so compassionate.  Enjoy!

A True Story.

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog.  The dog had been locked in the shed and abandoned..  It was dirty and malnourished, and had quite clearly been abused.  In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need.

Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust.  It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.  They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.  Jasmine, however, had other ideas.  No one quite remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary.  It would not matter if it were a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting animal.  Jasmine would just peer into the box or cage and, when and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick..

Geoff relates one of the early incidents.  “We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line.  One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross.  They were tiny when they arrived at the centre, and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee.  Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.”

“But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits.  She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings.  She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose.” Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary’s resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born.  The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, fifteen chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and fifteen rabbits – and one roe deer fawn.

Tiny Bramble, eleven weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field..  Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster-mum role.  Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection, and makes sure nothing is matted.  “They are inseparable,” says Geoff.  “Bramble walks between her legs, and they keep kissing each other.  They walk together round the sanctuary.  It’s a real treat to see them.”  Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life.  When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely.  She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

Pictured from the left are: “Toby”, a stray Lakeland dog; “Bramble”, orphaned roe deer; “Buster”, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; “Sky”, an injured barn owl; and “Jasmine”, with a mother’s heart doing best what a caring mother would do…and such is the order of God’s Creation. And, just in case you wondered, Snopes.com has verified the truth of this wonderful story and the reality of these photographs which accompany the story - so you can pass this story on, and help make someone else’s day to be just a little brighter!

Wedding Sentiments Tabletop Design

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” is the theme of this beautiful tabletop designed for the Daytona Beach Symphony Guild Art of Dining event.  Each of the 4 settings relates to each of the four good luck sayings that brides have, and a different china and flatware setting was used for each saying.  There is a massive centerpiece made like a wedding gift, with a floral arrangement of hydrangeas coming out of the top.  Of course, for practical reasons, the centerpiece is not functional for a real life seating of guests, as they would not be able to see across the table at each other for conversation.  In real world, the box and flowers would have to be adjusted in height, and/or adjusted as well as set up on a narrow pillar, as not to block the guests view.

A ribbon with each of the sayings painted on is streaming out of the gift box towards each place setting.  Each china, flatware, and crystal pattern is different, denoting the “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”.  Additional adornments include an framed wedding photo from the bride’s mother from the 50′s.  An alternative would be to place a photo of each of the bride and groom’s parents and grand- parents at the different alternating place settings.

"Something Old"

"Something New"

"Something Borrowed"

"Something Blue"