I Spy ...

 One of the reasons I love taking pictures; is because the photo captures the beauty of what the eye sees ...

And holds it there,  forever .

I love the way the sun wrapped this mushroom up in a haze ...

 And the curvy shape of this mushroom ...

A mom, The American Red Cross, and her son ...

There are times as a Military Mom where dealing with organizations outside of the Military, but for the benefit of your service child, are necessary.   The fear of giving my child's personal information, hits closer to home than any mother would like.  It puts a new light on the phrase ~  "loose lips sink ships".  Throughout the Military career of my son,  I was told and taught the cause and effect of giving out too much information.  It is drilled into your very skull.   I know the dangers our military men and women are faced with daily; it's seen on news channels, it can be read in the newspapers, and even watch as it is streamed across internet feeds.   Still, it does not make it any easier to spell out his first and last name.  Recite the digits of his social security number.  Even replaying his birth in my mind, as I speak his birth date.

A few weeks ago I contacted The American Red Cross, word needed to be delivered to my military son.  A message, that I felt, shouldn't be read in an email from either family or friends,  and not seen on a social networking site.  Death of a family member {any member}should be heard the proper way, we all deserve that right, no matter where you are.  My son was not in a position to receive such a phone call, so contact with the one organization whom could ensure such a delivery, The American Red Cross, was made.  This was the scariest phone call any military parent could make.  I knew my son was alright, there was no need to fear anything as far as that goes,  but handing over such personal information ... to a stranger on the other end of a phone ... quite frankly,  scared the crap out of me.  

With each question asked, my mind raced in a thousand different directions.. 

Full names of Service Member?

What branch?

Birthday of Service member?

The questions continued, and I found myself beginning to relax.  The voice on the other end wasn't stiff and cold as I had envisioned rather, she could have been a close friend of mine.  She made me feel at ease, comfortable, and made it a point to state "the information you are giving today will not be shared with anyone outside this office".  Something in her voice told me she was speaking the truth.  I could trust, and count on her, and the organization, to get the necessary information to my son.  No matter where he was. 

Days, weeks, and it could have even been years that passed by, when my phone rang ....  Alright, so it wasn't days, or even weeks for that matter.  OK!!!  Not even years went by, but when waiting for a phone to ring, it sure does seem  that long.   The next day,  my son called me; he had just gotten word from The American Red Cross via his CO.  Plans were in the making for him to come home.   Throughout the whole process, The American Red Cross phoned me, making sure I had heard from my son, asking if there was anything else they could do for me, they even said when my son arrived stateside and was unable to fly all the way home, that The American Red Cross would help with that as well.   Every step of the planning, the men and women of The American Red Cross were right there with me.  Checking to see if they could assist any further,  to see if my sons flight plans were made, making sure my sons travels brought him right to our home airport.  It was the best feeling ever in the world, knowing they were there making sure he made it home safely. 

Ugh !!! Those lines ...

Working the Pharmacy Department, I realize just how many people look over a few simple steps in their Health Care Management System.   Things we all too often just don't think about.

For example: Jobs ~ When relocating to another city or state, we tend to "dot" the i and "cross" the t when it comes to job hunting or transferring from the company in one state to the same company in another.  You are prepared, know exactly what you are doing, working, and who is your first point of contact before your first scheduled day.  With Schools ~  We read and take into consideration the feedback of those who might have left good or bad comments.  We visit the school and the area in which it sits.  Check out the classes available, the activities offered to our children, and even investigate to see if there are any criminal backgrounds on the teachers.  We look into the local hospital, the Physicians offices, Malls and Grocery stores. 

No stone is left unturned,  right?  You have pretty much covered all the basics and have done the proper homework.   The move goes off without a hitch.  Everything is in your new location.  You are all settled.   Perfect, couldn't have been better.  

Every Day Beauty ...

While {and in between} working on my mothers property, and ours ...  I took photos that caught my interest, captured my inner curiosity, and stood back and caught some of the prettiest colors in the sky.  I thought I would share them with you today. 

I hope you enjoy them ...

 

Why throw away that old BBQ grill?  This worked out perfect as a planter.

 

Hold on to the Pineapple top, and plant it.  My sweety said it will root and produce fruit.. Well, why not?

This it the ramp at the front of my mothers house.  My brother Mark build it out of  the brick roadways form Ybor City . 

The Backyard Treasure...

Know when you are driving or visiting some place during the daylight hours and everything around you is perfect,  but then you find yourself in the same location at night.. suddenly your surroundings don't appear to be the same.  The thought comes to mind that maybe you're lost, took a wrong turn, or flat out ended up in Tin-Buck-Too. 

I am intimidated by my surroundings at night, especially if I am not familiar with the area, and more so if  seeing the area for the first time.  Pretty sure I am not the only person who feels like that though.  The other night, my sweety took me into the back yard of the property.  And I don't mean a tour via pictures, I am talking a nature walk through King Kong's front door.  It just so happens that it was twilight when the walk started, and before either of us knew it, the light in the sky; escaped us.  Now, Paul knew where he was going, could have walked the back yard blindfolded I am sure.  I on the other hand {who's middle name is "chicken"} have an overactive imagination, that tends to operate in super high gear, during OCD uncontrollable moments.    Which happens to be anytime I panic over not having direct control over any given situation; for example: driving in a very heavy down pour rain and visibility is almost zero ~ only I am in the passenger seat, or being in the woods in the dark ~ and not knowing a way out or seeing clearly the protector in the relationship.

Before it became to dark, I captured some photos that later when I was reviewing them; fell in love with what I saw .....

Going back to the beginning ...

 Waste not one second of your day pondering if help is needed  ....

 The most full fulling part of any day, are during the times when I'm helping another person.  A small deed or a grand project, the feeling and emotions are always the same.  One of the best movies I have ever seen  is "Pay it Forward".  A very inspirational movie, just wonderful.  If you have never seen it, I strongly suggest you take the time to watch it. 

"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."

~ William Shakespeare 

 

 

  There hasn't been a time when faced with a day off, that isn't planned with something to do.  Lately, we have poured ourselves into Operation Property Clean Up.  As you have seen in my past blog; there is plenty of work to do on the property.  When I arrived in Florida, and pulled into my mothers yard, I took mental note of what projects would be tackled first.  It wasn't long, maybe a day, that we dove head first into taking care of a small portion of the list.

The front yard ~ entrance way

 The house ~ parking area

 

 

 The back yard ~ property line

The Beauty Above ....

 I haven't ventured out, or done any site seeing, since I have been back in Florida, but I have fallen in love with the sky.

  Seagulls in flight ..

When the sky is really blue, the clouds appear in 3D, like you can jump on them and ride them into the sunset.

 Ride the cloud wave ..

Silly Humans ...

While my sweety and I have been on Operation: Property Clean Up, it seems we intrigued two very demanding helpers.

Thorn {on the left} and Tesla {the thick monster on the right}

There came a point when we were not quite sure, if they were adding limbs to the pile; or taking them off.  Either way, they kept themselves busy... and we found them very entertaining. 

Operation: Property Clean Up ...

  "Clean up the front of the property first, then we  move on to the back."she spoke like a pro landscaper

"check into one of those rental dumpsters for the renovation, and place it just over there" she had it together, directing without missing a beat. She has vision.  She has drive.  

"I can see it now, it's gonna look great.  Perfect".  She looked around pointing, talking as if the place she was seeing, wasn't where she was standing. 

"We'll start with this fence line, remove this tree, and that one, and the smaller ones over here.  Brighten up the place, let the sun in and shine down on the property"    He just listened, said a few "Yep"  followed by a nod every now and then. 

 Front yard, closest to the front entrance

 Where there is vision, you have everything, and anything becomes possible.  One just has to look beyond what is already there. 

 Front entrance