Tuesday, June 25, 2013

An "Ice Cold" Cup and Summer Smiles




A cup of ice tea and a huge smile!  James and the girls...they are getting so big!
Love all the smiles :)






                                                          Hannah

                                                           Kaylee-Bug


Soon to celebrate Kaylee's 8th Birthday. I know she has gotten her "Birthday Wish", already!

(...my daddy...)

Waiting for the next bout of rain...coming this evening.  The garden loving the tropical heat and moistness.





The first blooms already visible on the strawberries...planted less than a week and a half ago as dried roots.  Tributes are amazing!

                           





And in the flower beds more roses are starting to bloom. These are the delicate-petal single version that owe a great deal to their wild cousins. The stems are so covered with stickers that aphids don't bother them and they are virtually pest-free...including cuttings by the gardener...who prefers to enjoy them al fresco for obvious reasons.

 (...less bloodshed...)

Ran across a 2009 "sequel" to Sidney Sheldon's "Master of The Game" this week.
The book by Tilly Bagshawe: Mistress of The Game.



Where the Kruger-Brent/Blackwell saga continues to play out through the Grandchildren and Great grandchildren of Kate Blackwell. Riveting new characters. Well written...flows seamlessly from the original book...even providing background and answering questions that Sheldon left behind. If you enjoyed the work by Sheldon you are going to LOVE this book. The author picks up where Sheldon left off and continues the tale...better still...she obviously spent a lot of time with the original book as the "voice" of the book is definitely Sheldonesqe.






 In the World...Edward Snowden has now taken the place of Hoffa in the "Where's Waldo" Summer Olympics...who is truly a man without a country...facing even problems with sanctuary in Ecuador after their government has been warned that trade-sanctions would be put in place if they offer him a place to land.  The sad news of Nelson Mandela's (eminent) demise. Leaving behind an anti-apartheid legacy. And we wait...for the outcome of the Prop 8/Doma decision by the SCOTUS...fairly confident that both DOMA and Prop 8 will be pronounced unconstitutional...but wary after the recent changes to the Voter's Rights Act...that they will not go the extra mile to encompass all 50 States in their decision. Hoping they realize that like the Civil Right's Act their decision is the only way to assure that all citizen's (gay and straight) will have the same federal rights/responsibilities in their marriage. Effectively, end the debate. Otherwise expect to see this issue brought before the Supreme Court repeatedly...State by State. Not only eating away at States Resources...but wasting the Supreme Courts time...as one by one they must declare the marginalization of a minority by a majority thereby creating a secondary set of US Citizens...unconstitutional...any way you slice it.
 Let's finish this thing.

Love you son...enjoy the time with your girls!