THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Not being a tall person I usually hang things within reach. And sometimes this creates problems for the people around me that are taller. Because our house is the way it is, you can not hang anything from it, on the outside. So... years ago I used the lower branches of a backyard pine tree to house all my wind chimes. I must have had a dozen or more dangling there. I loved it because each one had a different tone and when the breeze came through... it was like a symphony playing. Unfortunately the height of the chimes became an issue when my husband was cutting the grass. They were so low they hit him in the head. Needless to say, this made him an unhappy camper. And he would tug at the ones bothering him the most and they would sometimes fall to the ground. I would then pick them up and re-attach them to the tree. On a windy day, I had the same problem, though... on the ground they would go. Over time it just became too big of a hassle to keep doing it. So the sweet music of the chimes faded from my yard. At first it made me sad, then I got used to the sounds of silence. The other day I happened upon a display of wind chimes and I felt that old tug of my heart. I left without one, but I'm tempted to go back and buy one... to start my collection all over again. What do you think??? Is it worth the trouble or not? 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG WITH A SEASONAL DELIGHT

Spring and Summer are not my favorite times of the year. But with all the snow we had this winter... I found myself longing for them to come. One of the things I do like about these two seasons is the food. Fresh fruit suddenly becomes more affordable. And, you can get it everywhere. One of my favorite places... makes a great fruit plate with chicken or tuna salad. I went there the other day and ordered it to usher in the season. All the different flavors on the plate made SPRING come alive. My only complaint is... the scoop of chicken salad is too small. It is homemade... and really good, so it always leaves me... wishing for more. Otherwise, it's delicious. Do you have a favorite dish you like to eat in the spring or summer?

BUNNY BUSINESS & EASTER

In search of the perfect bunny 

I started looking...

This last one was my personal favorite.

Not too big. Not too small.

Perfect to sit inside a pretty basket.

HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER!

ROAD WORK AHEAD

Spring has finally sprung. It's going to be in the upper 60's for the next four days. And it is a welcome change from all that colder weather we had. But the residual effects of the harsh winter are still everywhere around us. I'm talking about potholes. You have to be so careful driving, for fear your car will hit a one, and get damaged. Up in Michigan gigantic sinkholes are appearing and swallowing cars. The roads are in terrible shape from the thawing and freezing cycles. Not to mention all the salt used to melt the snow. And water main breaks haven't helped. Do you have problems with potholes where you live???

FISH TALES AND PETS

When I was a little girl I had a pet goldfish. It lived in a small glass bowl, the kind you get in a five and dime. It had gravel on the bottom and a tall plastic plant inside it. The bowl was on a shelf that bordered the living room and dining room. I remember feeding the tiny fish every single day. It just took a  sprinkle of food in the top of the bowl. I used to enjoy seeing the little fella come to the surface to gobble it up.  But at my tender age I was a tad bit curious. I wanted to know what fish food tasted like, so I also remember trying a spoonful. It wasn't too bad, as I recall. This was my first exposure to having a pet and I LOVED it. The only problem was the fish didn't like captivity. It refused to stay in the bowl. It kept jumping out and landing on the floor with a big wet splat. Needless to say the goldfish didn't survive these antics. So... we were always replacing it, with a new one. After a while this got ridiculous and my parents decided a dog was a better bet. At the time... I thought so too. Though, I admit to growing up and owning an aquarium at one point in my life with exotic fish. Do you like fish as pets or do you prefer to eat them for dinner?