A theory...

Have you ever heard the theory that long married couples tend to look more and more alike with passing time?

I have heard that, and Charles and I have talked about it over the years and observed it in other people we have known.

It is sometimes only in small ways that you may notice these similarities - mannerisms that are common to both, for example. Or in their ways of speaking, with each using the same words or phrases. Often, too, in their inner most beliefs- political...religious... family attitudes, etc...

(In this part I've wondered if perhaps the dominant, or stronger of the 2 sides of this union, won the other over.)

It's seen in the physical look of the long term couples, too.

I don't think I would find it too difficult to pair up a room full of couples, unknown to me, if given a few minutes to observe them in action. (or non action, in some!)

I believe we tend to marry (or stay married to longer) people who are more like ourselves.
And I guess the more things we have in common the more likely we are to stay together! And those things in common, I have found, often include the similar looks of us, too!

All this 'deep contemplation' has been brought about by a blog friend I think most of you know-
Cliff Morrow.

Actually, although Charles and I have noticed couples around us becoming more and more alike, I think we both felt secure in our own personal idenitity and individuality.

:)

Cliff noticed that we (C. and I) look a lot alike, though, and was kind enough to do the work- up and offer proof!




And...Danged, if he ain't right on with this!!

:) I never realized before!

(Thanks, Cliff)

~~~

Here is an interesting story about this subject!
( look alike partners )



Love,

Junie Rose

Messy job!

OK ~ It's a messy job but somebody's gotta do it!

... but first let's sample the fruit to see if it's worth the trouble!

Here is Charlie fixing a big bowl of oranges to chill in the fridge...


and me giving my approval!

"Yummy," says Junie Rose!









Yep!
A messy job, for sure ~ but worth it!









~~~

This is a picture I took yesterday from my kitchen window. I saw these little Mourning Doves eating seed around the feeder in 'Ma-Ma's garden' so I grabbed my camera! I like the cropped picture of the birds...but the original shows the the orange trees across the back yard. There's SO MUCH fruit on those trees!











Two good things about these weeks of 'winter' here in north Florida are... the citrus fruit and the Camilias in bloom! Yesterday I went out and picked this bouquet! We have just 3 colors, though there are many more. Ours are the red and light pink (shown here) and a pure white one! Charles compares the Camilia to the rose... but really- the only thing they have in common is that they both have (or CAN have) many petals in the flowers. Oh, I won't argue with him...If he sees them as rose-like - ok! And- at first glance - yes - I can understand what he means!






But nothing can equal the rose! IMHO ... And speaking of roses...mine are in sad shape again and I will have a lot of replacing in a few weeks!




So it goes~ here on the farm!



Love,
Junie Rose

A dismal day!...AND~ Dan Fogelberg

Today has been the perfect model of a ' Dismal Day.' I slept later than usual because I was up late last night. When I awoke, the day had the feel and appearance of around 7:00 AM. It seemed darkish out...with not much light coming through the blinds and lace curtains! To my surprise, when I checked the time, I saw it was almost 9:30! This gloom has lasted the whole day, with no sunshine at all!

Charles has been working , with a neighbor's help, in putting up a 3 board fence along our property on the east side. We had it fenced before but over the years the boards have rotted away...well, not totally, but it needed to be replaced! I'll be happy to have it all fenced in again! Nothing says 'country' like a board fence for me - and you all know country is what I like! :)

This is the side, also, that has my wildflower meadow that I love so much in the spring! There is a road (not a through road, but more a lane that leads to 4 neighbors beyond our place) that is next to our meadow on the east side of our place!

Some pictures of the meadow:

To the left of the tall cedar you see the lane that runs by our place...and that's where the fence is being put back. This runs North & South.

The other is a close-up of my beloved Meadow Flowers.








This lane, when we first moved here, was unpaved and with hardly any traffic . It's paved now and with the horse farm at the end of the lane, plus Charlie's cow and hay deal going, plus- a new house that has been built- there's more traffic than there was in the past! In the early days our 'grands' had the run of the place- literally- on their bikes and later with a golf cart we had for their use. (and ours, too :) ) Our cows are at the end of this lane, on property we own, but not directly attached to our home spot here. It's catty-cornered to the edge of this 5 acres where our house is. (and the small rental cottage) Anyway, just remembering how much fun the kids used to have, growing up here... Alli and Zach, especially, liked going down to the pasture to check out the cows!

On days/nights like this we would often plan a bonfire! Sometimes there would be hay rides included! Dang it! I DO miss those old times! Can't help it!

~~~~

Around the blogs I have picked up that a lot of folks are getting weary of winter and wanting spring to get here! I am among them, after this cold and gloomy day!

~~~

Last night, while talking with a friend, we happened upon some new Youtubes that have been added of Dan Fogelberg's music! I was hoping for this and you all have to know I am thrilled with this discovery!

I will always be sad about Dan's passing (so early in his life) but am so happy with this beautiful music available to me!

The music means so much!
( and friends to share it with)

Here is the wonderful Dan Fogelberg!





Love,

Junie

Blessings Award

Blessings Award

Today I got this Blessings Award from my dear friend Pea at Pea's Corner!
Thanks so much, Pea!





( rules from Pea's site)


Pea says,

" Here are the rules."


The blessing is as follows: The idea…it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for 3 blog friends. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you receive a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world.


~~~~

I will choose these three to receive this Blessings Award.

1- Merle
2-Rachel
3- Susie


~~~

Note:

I would like to display this on my side bar, along with other awards I have received in the past, but I always manage to mess up everything when I try to do that! :) So, for now, I will just have it here on my blog post!

Anyway - Thanks to you, Pea, for thinking of me!


Love,
Junie Rose

We did it!

Yep- we did this first thing this morning... I didn't, much, feel like getting out -and am not over the top enthused with any of the candidates- but it's something we had to do, nonetheless!

The place where we vote is just 5 miles up the road from us at this old and charming church! I love seeing these little churches and we have a lot of similar ones scattered around our area.








Well, I look like pure 'heck' in this picture and as usual Charles looks dapper and cool as all get out! So it goes!

(so it goes with your Junie Rose...but, what you see is what you get ~ sorry!)





I think it's the beard that does it for him! LOL- I tell Charlie, "If I only could, I'd grow me one of those!" :) But really, I better be careful of what I wish for!




On our way back home we drove by the site of that tragic 'accident.' I wished we hadn't because it only served to bring fresh tears to me!
The papers are full of all the details of the remembrances of these young men - the mourning of their friends and loved ones left to deal with this!
The investigation and facts that are coming out have been low key, so far, out of respect - as it should be!

I'm just baffled that anything this horrible and senseless could happen!

But life goes on...


~~~~

I will leave you with this happy picture of Charlie and our world here! :)











Junie

5 Years Today

Today is the 5th anniversary of Mom's leaving us. The date had not hit me until my sister reminded me tonight!

I never would have thought this day could slip by without me remembering but I know Mom would understand and forgive me with all this sorrow that's in my heart with the recent events in our community.

Mom would be so hurt to know of the loss of these young men's lives....It wouldn't matter that she had not known them- just as it doesn't matter that I didn't know them!


~~~

Mom and me in 1977...31 years ago!...This puts Mom's age here just about a year older than I am now!




Folks say I look like my mom ~ and I say, "Thanks!" :)




Love,
Junie

Update on Crash story !

Update in story below!

This is heartbreaking!


Junie

Tragedy!

Charles and I were out for dinner and came upon a most horrible scene that we had known nothing about, having seen no local news today.

As we neared home, on the road that runs just north of the beginning of the air strip that is used by residents of the Flyer community of Jumbolair, we saw a huge congregation of cars, police cars... cameras set up....lots of people milling around. We managed to get just a little information of an accident, but no details. ( except 5 deaths involved) We hurried home and found this information online here! The beginning of this runway ( or maybe the end of it- not sure which way it goes) is a bit more than a mile from us, but we hadn't heard about the horrible accident.

This is the place where John Travolta has a home...as well as others who fly and use the runway there. The first thought for me was that it had been some sort of air craft accident! But no...it was something less explainable...and more horrible!

This is such a sad and tragic story!


Junie

Lazy day

Could it be that my music listens of late last night helped me sleep a long, restful sleep?
...( and without a sleep aid of any kind, I might add! )

What do you think?
I spent about 2 hours of viewing vids of Led Zeppelin and then ended the night's listening/viewing with some WHO at WOODSTOCK!

Naah!
It was probably the lateness of the hour (almost 2:00AM ) that promoted my sleep - NOT the music choices I had made! :)
Whatever- I had an enjoyable evening AND a good nights sleep!

Thanks ~ to whom ever or what ever is responsible in helping this to happen! :)

~~~

We had sort of planned a ride for today but the weather is not suitable; rainy and gray, along with chilly temperatures. So it's been a lazy day around here-so far!

Of course , there's that messy kitchen to get to- and that's the only excitement I see in my near future! lol- but it IS good to see the bottom of that sink, occasionally! Charles did me the favor (or not) of cooking us a big breakfast! Unfortunately, that doesn't usually include a clean-up!
Make that never! :)

Enjoy your day!


Junie Rose

A day in the life~1~25~'08

Had a good night's sleep with the new sleep aid- though a bit groggy for awhile this morning! I took just a half and that's all I will ever take...if I continue with this!

Actually, I probably would have slept without anything- as I had a long, enjoyable night of my music listens! :) Didn't wind it up until almost 1:00...but that's the best time for me to give it up!

This was my shopping day but first I went to visit my sister for a couple hours. We had a good time talking and having a light- early lunch. After an excellent tuna salad sandwich and a home made brownie I then went on to Wal-Mart!

... I didn't buy much except the essentials this time! I DID search out the music section but nothing grabbed my attention today in CDs or DVDs. I am still hoping to replace that Beatles- 'Help' DVD- but they haven't had any more copies! I should go online to search, I guess! (I bought this awhile back -only to find one of the disks defective - so I had to return it!! ) Hated that! :(

Oh!! But this book by Stephen King was on display and I had to get it!






King and Koontz are my favorite writers...well- 2 of my favorites! Charles got me this latest Koontz book for Christmas and I just finished reading it! I enjoy both of these guys very much and have for many years- have read almost everything each of them have written!! Of course I'm never out of a book to read...but King- right after Koontz - seems fitting! Perfect timing! :)


Didn't have to cook dinner tonight as I had this meal left over from last night! That was good to know because a trip to Wal-Mart is a day's work, in itself! This Rigatoni was was good last night and good again tonight! Not one of Charles' favorite things...but he managed to do ok with it! ;) Both nights!










Tonight I plan to get into this new Stephen King book!


Tomorrow-perhaps a Victory ride. ;)






Love,

Junie Rose

Last Night

Last night was totally different from the previous one!

Last night I made no attempt to get to bed early. (with no reason to get up early the next morning) I was up until a little past 12:00.

I relaxed with some music of Dan Fogelberg in the early part of the night. ( It makes me sad now to play his songs, but at the same time makes me feel good to hear him.)

Also, had a conversation with a friend I had been out of touch with for awhile -and that always cheers me! :) We talked about music and politics and sleep and dreams. Lol- As always our talk just wandered in all directions.

SO- I finally ended my music listening with some Youtubes of Jethro Tull! Tull is a band from late 60s- early 70s that I have become really taken with in just the past couple years! They had a unique sound and way of presenting their music-IMO

Here they are:

Jethro Tull ~ Ian Anderson

This is from 1971
'Life's a Long Song'





:) And I am listening to them again tonight...at least during the time it has taken me to find and post this video!
...Isn't that a nice song, though!!

~~~

I have at least an hour before I will head off for bed~ I want to be ready for sleep when I go!

I got the Ambein ...but after reading all the possible side effects , I kinda wish I had kept my mouth shut with my doctor and trusted in Melatonin and my 'imagination' to get my sleep! :(

LOL- I'll see how it goes! Expensive stuff- so it should work!

Sweet Dreams, All,

Junie

PS~ I'm finding that on the nights I do my music listens I sleep much better...whatever the music is! :)

At the risk of boring you to tears...

At the risk of boring you to tears, my blog buddies, I have to record here in my journal of life
yet another endless-sleepless night last night!

And - yes, indeed, I did take my MELATONIN. This usually works for me but I have found there are some nights when the stress and worry level is just too high and I can expect to be awake all night!

It would not have mattered-as I could have slept whenever it came-whatever the hour, day or night and got caught up- but I had an early Dr.'s appointment which had been postponed twice already, that I had to keep!
This fact in itself was one of the things keeping sleep beyond my reach, along with numerous other things that I couldn't shut off!

I tell you- it's no fun going to bed at 11:00 PM and still being awake at 5:00 AM. I finally did get a couple hours before getting up to get ready for my 9:00 AM appointment!

The appointment was a follow up on lab work I had a few months ago and, apart from my sleep problem, things are ok with me! (Well, mostly ok)

The doctor was skeptical about my Melatonin use as a sleep aid and repeated what I have heard other folks say...that it may work if I THINK it works!
( LOL- Which makes little sense to me...either it will work or not- no matter what I think about it! )
Anyway, my doc, being in the business to write prescriptions, did just that...a prescription for a sleep aid. I have used this one before and it does work well but leaves me more groggy than Melatonin did! My doc says Melatonin is not regulated and he doesn't approve of it's use for his patients! OK - I will give this new pill a chance- and hope it helps me!

Hey-I wonder if it requires me to BELIEVE it will work-as the Melatonin does!! :) A question I should have asked my doctor!

~~~

After coming home I went back to bed and was able to get a good sleep...Isn't life strange! (same bed-nothing really changed...)


...But life is good, too!

This little story that I read tonight made me smile!


~~~



Stowaway kitten makes it home again
Man who picked up the wrong suitcase returns the missing Florida tabby





updated 2:26 p.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 23, 2008

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - How many lives did kitten Gracie Mae use up when she crawled into her owner's suitcase, went through an airport X-ray machine, got loaded onto a plane, thrown onto a baggage belt and mistakenly picked up by a stranger far from home?

"She's got to be at four or five now," Seth Levy said after his 10-month-old pet was returned Sunday night by a kind stranger who went home to Fort Worth, Texas, with the wrong bag and Gracie inside to boot.

The last time Levy's wife, Kelly, saw Gracie was before she took her husband to the airport. The 24-year-old went back to her house in Palm Beach Gardens late Friday to find the bottom step, where Gracie would usually be waiting, empty.

She tore the house apart looking for the cat, who had been spayed just days before. She and her dad took out bathroom tiles and part of a cabinet to check a crawl space and papered the neighborhood with "lost cat" signs.

Then she got a phone call.

"Hi, you're not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth, Texas, and I accidentally picked up your husband's luggage. And when I opened the luggage, a cat jumped out," Kelly Levy quoted the caller saying.

Rob Carter said he made it home with the suitcase before realizing it was not his — and there was a big surprise inside.

"I went to unpack and saw some of the clothes and saw it wasn't my suitcase," he said. "I was going to close it, and a kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl."

Carter said that he eventually was able to get the cat to come out from under the bed.

"In the morning, I got close enough to see its collar and the phone number on it," he said. "So I called the number and got a hold of the crying wife of the traveler."

The tabby made the 1,300-mile trip home on an $80 plane ticket. Carter said he considered keeping the cat before he knew she had a home.

"We were going to name it Suitcase," he said.

~~~


...So...How was your day?


Junie

(ceaseless and sleepless :) )

June the ceaseless

My Royal Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Milady the Most Honourable June the Ceaseless of Lower Hellswicke Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I found this visiting my blog friend, Mary (Momma) here! 

I thought it would be fun to check it out!  And it was! :)

 ;)  Well, I don't know about you but  I think that title fits me just fine~ especially the ceaseless part!

Junie Rose

 (the ceaseless)

Fun, Snowy Encounters

I was just at B13's site and he had on this cute vid of one of their Border Collie Pups that went to a new home a few weeks ago!

I enjoyed watching this!
I bet you will, too!

Those Border Collies are very smart dogs! And fun ! :)

~~~

...AND ~ It reminded me of this very cool youtube video I got in an email today!

LOL!

VERY COOL, indeed!
You'll agree!





Enjoy!



Love,

Junie

Old memories ~ and The Beatles

OK...

The early 60s had me occupied with my babies, (as the post below shows) while most of the country (and the world??) was being engulfed in 'Beatlemania!'

;) It's really a bit comical, (knowing what a phenomenal force the Beatles became) to know how untouched I was by it all! ;) Yes, I'm sure I would hear their songs, but I really don't remember being overwhelmed with their music at all.

I DO remember playing the music of Peter, Paul and Mary, especially 'Puff The Magic Dragon,' with my little boy. He loved the story of Puff, The Magic Dragon! My girls really were just babies in the early 60s, so it was mostly Christopher and me who enjoyed 'Puff!'

It was all about doing things with my babies in those early days! So that's how I missed out on the Beatles! :)

It was a good trade-off...and my 'mommy' days memories are the best ones I have!

~~~

Each thing has it's own time slot in our lives, IMO,

And...all those years ago of the early Beatles was just not my time for them!

NOW is my time! (The past 2 years, to be more exact) For instance- last night I played ' A Hard Day's Night' and then I ended the listen with 'Rubber Soul.'

Wanted to do more but it got too late, too early! :)

I enjoyed it, more than I can say!

~~~

Found this on YouTube ~ 'A Hard Day's Night' ~ for your viewing pleasure!

Enjoy,

Junie Rose

Happy Birthday Tina!

Update:

This is Tina and her kids today! We had a good time!



~~~





Tomorrow will be Tina's birthday celebration. Her birthday is on Monday but tomorrow works better for everyone. Well, not everyone will be able to come but those of us here will have fun!
We will miss Marc - and our folks in Orlando! ;(

:) Tina is my youngest daughter...
K- she might not want her age told here...so I won't say.
( but she's almost 23 years younger than me! :) )

My kid's birthdays are beginning to make me feel old! LOL!

Maybe we can all shave a few years off our ages! (my kids AND me) ...Or maybe start skipping some of the birthdays as the years come around! Oh, there must be a way! We just need to work on it!

Lol- I'm just being Silly Ginga now! We really don't mind the birthdays accumulating!

~~~

Being a young mom was, no doubt, the happiest period of my life!

Some pics of our Tina~ and her brother and sister!


Happy Birthday, Tina!


Love,
Mom

Of fruit and cats

It's been a long, mostly un-eventful day for me today~ although I DID get some juice made. Had the oranges already picked but had to go pick a bag of grapefruit.

This is some close-ups of the grapefruit trees and the fruit! I like getting underneath the trees and looking upward. The fruit is smaller this year but still as good and juicy as ever! Thankfully, the 2 or 3 freezing nights we have had didn't damage any of the fruit.

The grapefruit trees:




































This is one of the orange trees in our back yard. This is a Valencia tree. I haven't even sampled this tree's fruit for juice yet, (because the Honey Bells are so good and abundant) but just look at the amount of fruit on this tree!















Caught my cats in a play-Cat Fight today. (They would never have a real fight!) They are both such sissies...couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, if truth be told, but they like to play it tough! HaHa - yes- even Tiger who came to us as a grown cat, without claws!

Tiger is a lover and when we got The General as a kitten, Tiger was very taken with him- very protective of the baby kitty. They have always been best friends! So all their fights are fake ones!

OOPS! Hope they don't read this...wouldn't want to offend them with my talk of their
being wussies!

I'm kidding, of course!
They be sweet old cats! ;)





Love,

Junie Rose

Visitors!

Today these fine folks came to visit us ~ Tina, Alli and Alli's 2 best friends!

Funny how everyone starts objecting when I bring out my camera~ but they always come through with the smiles, nonetheless! :) SO...I choose to take that as a go-ahead with my plan to document all my days and gatherings with all my folks and friends!

OH! Is Charlie showing an interest in my computer? :) I think that's all a phony show he's giving us! 'Prolly' making fun of Ginga! ;)








My cats~The General and Tiger~are always happy to pose for a picture! Especially that 'General!' But - handsome as he is, who could blame him?
( Tiger...you're pretty, too!! )




















My day was good! How about yours?


Junie Rose

Tomorrow is my '2 year anniversary' as a blogger!

It sneaked up on me!

( or-would that be snuck?) Either way, it took me by surprise!

I wudda baked a cake or something...or maybe a Banana Pudding or Harvest Loaf... but the date came upon me, unexpected!

(Not even time to make a pot of grits!)

Well...I knew it was close but I just didn't know how close!

Sure enough...it was exactly 2 years ago, on Jan. 16, 2006, that I was able to figure out this blogging thing and get my very first post up!

Who wudda thought that 2 years later I would have posts numbering in the hundreds! LOL- YES! I do post a lot...almost every day!

Hey! I don't want to be forgotten, ya know! Besides, I have a LOT to say and a lot to show you! :)

Seriously, thanks to all who have made this new thing for me so much fun! Thanks for reading my ramblins' and for posting to me. Thanks, most of all, for your friendships!

~~~

This was my very first post:

Hello!

Can't believe it! Am I actually going to be allowed to post here on my own blog?!

Yes!!!

For the first time I am really able to type in this big box!

And, wouldn't you know it- I find myself speechless!

Thanks to all who have tried to help me...however, none of your suggestions worked! LOL!

It just decided to let me in - perhaps sensing all the cool and extremely important things I will post here in the future! :)

(now- those who know me-realize that's a joke!)

Anyway, for better or worse- here I am!

Let the fun begin!

Junie

posted by JunieRose2005 @ 10:15 AM 0 comments

Monday, January 16, 2006

Welcome!

posted by JunieRose2005 @ 8:25 PM 6 comments

Love,

Junie Rose

Our Day~1~14~'08...Poem: My Love

Today was our monthly meeting for lunch with some of the old guys and wives from Charles' past years as a policeman in So. Dade Co- Miami, Fl. . We have been doing this for a long while...and we never know who might turn up- or how many there might be.

This time the group was very small but it was nice for the guys to get together. Charles and I missed the December luncheon, due to the holiday preparations- etc.

One of our friends, Sandy, is in the hospital with knee surgery, but her husband was there. We were sorry to hear that, and wish her well and hope to see her there next month.

These pictures we made at out house as we were about to leave. I planned to take my camera but after taking several pics of each other the batteries went down. I didn't want to take the time to change them as we were running late.

LOL!

No!

We didn't break the camera! It's fine!

:) It does the best it can with the subjects it has to work on!
haha

Love,
Junie

(the old farm folks~ Junie & Charlie)

~~~~

~A poem I wrote - 2006 ~~~ another re-run~

My Love


These years we’ve been together,
down this road of life…

through calm or stormy weather…
through the pain and strife…

through the happiest of seasons that, so,
out weigh the rest…

sharing what we’ve treasured…
time has been our test!

Both learning, as time passes,
the craft of compromise…

how, overtime, things change a bit,
may take us by surprise.

Sometimes change feels threatening,
seems like the winter’s wind

that howls in it’s persistence,
impatient to come in.

Changes are just ripples,
can’t touch us - you must know-

or break the bond created,
all those years ago.


June Kellum
2006

( More of my poems here )