The Butterfly Experience

I love those incredible, unexpected moments in life that you hope would never end.  Visiting the Butterfly Exhibit was one of those moments. A few years ago, my grown daughter and I were at the Wild Animal Park (now called Safari Park), we stumbled upon a Butterfly Exhibit, before we walked into the Bird & Butterfly Aviary, what i expected to see was some dead butterflies on stickpins in a glass case with labels saying what they were and maybe a few butterlies enclosed in a small enclosure.


What I found instead was a large, beautiful aviary full of trees, plants and flowers, some interesting birds and an amazing site,..butterflies everywhere!! The air was thick with them, there were some large ones and vivid blue ones and others in an array of colors. There were only a handful of people there besides my daughter and I. One little girl had a large, vivid blue one land on her then she let the butterfly land on my hand.  It just stayed there on my hand, that butterfly and I had a special moment, I didn't want to leave.  We talked about spending the night there, just me and my daughter. It was closing time, I guess that was one of the reasons why there were so few people where we were.  It was so hard to leave and say good-bye to the butterflies, we promised to come back.


We came back the following year ( or was it 2 years later?), they only have the exhibit once a year for a few weeks. While it was still a nice experience this second time we went, it was very different and not magical like that first time. The aviary was FULL of people.  A few of the badly behaved kids trying to get the butterflies to land on them or chasing after them. It is very humid inside so a lot of people and humidity is not a good combo.  The secret was out, it wasn't just the butterflies and us this time.


The butterflies are there again and it is time to take a visit, hopefully next week.  I'm really hoping it will be more similar to our first time :)

I'm going on Sunday!

I was thinking back of some of the reasons why I am not a fan of not being at least somewhat in control when I'm going out for a night with friends. The reason why I was not in control this night is because I drove in my friend's car and since it was kinda far away (too far to take a cab ride), I needed to ride home with her otherwise at the first sign of this bar I would have gotten in my van and driven myself home.

The following story was diluted quite a bit since I posted it on my FB wall, just keep in mind that it was worse than what I typed. It was definitely a Watch Yourself night.  The fact that my friends didn't look inside and run away is amazing and I was stuck being there. This happened last summer.


Dive bar; You know I've seen plenty of men type in Dive Bars as their interests. No biggy, I have a dive bar that I go to. It's where most of the people need makeovers. Some of the bikers have skin as worn as the leather vests they wear but it's local and there is usually a live band playing. Since last night though, I am now re-thinking whether it can still be classified as a dive bar when I compare it to my latest experience of a Dive Bar :/


The night started off pleasant enough at a little wine bar hosting a comedy show. I will spare u the details of how my two girlfriends and myself ended up at this second place for the first (and last time) but it lived up to the title of Dive Bar for sure. From the very beginning it was questionable, the sign on the door warning "No colors (warning to biker gangs) and no weapons allowed." I also saw a guy out front in overalls looking like he came form the Backwoods and then I saw some more Backwoods types and knew it was not gonna be good.


Some shows of tackiness happened, my girlfriend said not to show the look of disgust (or something equally negative) on my face while I was there which I proceeded to tell her that I am not gonna hide any expressions I may have and they're lucky I'm not being vocal about it, although I did warn a couple people to basically stay away with a hand gesture,etc. (not the finger, the
Stop, don't come any closer" type gesture. If you're wondering how bad it was, it was pretty bad but no knife fight or worse occurred. I did see 4 guys (or so) take off their shirts which was unpleasent to say the least, I guess to compare how bad their tattoos were? Not quite sure. I did read one guy's T-shirt after he put it back on, it said "SLAVERY- the way to get sh*tdone". One half naked guy and some female made quite a scene on the dance floor since she was grabbing his package every chance she got. After that I decided to just sit on my barstool and only look directly ahead. I will just say that also happened to be pretty gross, something different and lucky for me, directly ahead. Lucky for you, you don't have to read the description of what i witnessed!


After a series of unfortunite events,the night couldn't have ended sooner, one guy topped it off when he decided he was gonna lay this unwanted, slobbery takeover of my one girlfriend's face with what one could call a kiss? I saw what looked like slimey cow tongue, it was gross. I let out an audible "Ewww!" He was then delusional enough to give her his ph.no. Then he walked towards me like he was gonna do the same, so this is the literal meaning of Sloppy Seconds, no thank-you!  I think I gave him the "Are you delusional?" look and said something like "Oh no, not gonna happen."  Finally, we left!  The night wasn't a total loss, we got to laugh about it AFTER it was over! I also got to experience a real Dive Bar.  End of story.


I just relived some of it while reading this, it was bad. It reminded me of the movie "Deliverence", "squeal like a pig"- anyone remember that scene? It's a  horrible story but well made movie.  Haven't seen it in decades, don't want to either.

I love you Mom.  I pray that on some glorious day we will meet again.

WE SHALL MEET AGAIN
If I should leave this world without a warning, And not even whisper a fond farewell, Grieve not for one more message from the lips that God has stilled .But just remember me with love and prayers for my soul's journey to that fair land beyond life's tears. It may be lonely, and I hope you miss me just a little, because I have loved so deeply. Forgive me if I have ever hurt you and remember me for what I longed to be. Have faith that I am nearer than your dreams and fondest longings. For the God of love shall keep all kindred spirits close together, Though the misty vale between this world and that to come keeps us from each other's sight Whisper softly that you love me and it shall linger on within my soul until you come. Say not good-bye, for on some bright tomorrow we shall meet again.

Mtn Sunny and bepositive-I love you two ladies!!  Thanks for visiting my thread and leaving 2 thoughtful posts :)


Mtn Sunny- I'm happy to hear you had such a great mom, I had a good one too!  My mom taught me everything important in life. 


I agree with what you said about Dagney. I cannot imagine her as an old lady, she may be bitter and empty and won't be able to handle her wrinkles and everything else that may happen, she will no longer be appealing to the sheer masses of men she thinks want her now.  I do feel sorry for her in a way but at a very far,safe distance.  I'm sure she is acting the same way but on another site. 


I wonder too if collectively we made her think just a little?  Oh well, guess we'll never know.


Something I've been meaning to ask you since some time has passed.  How is your father doing?  How much has he improved? I heard that 6weeks is a good guide to know where a stroke victim will be.



Bepositive, I'm sure your husband is/was so thankful that you could take care of him. Caretakers are like angels.  It really is the hardest, most emotional job in the world.  It must have been devastating, sorry you lost him but you will meet again, I am sure of it!   I only had 4 months to help take care of my mom.  I wish i could do it again.




Thanks for your help and keeping me informed with you know who!  Mtn Sunny got a dose of her too! "Cream and D...." ,just WOW!




Thanks both of you for your thoughts and prayers for my two friends.  I really can't do much for them but pray.  It is frustrating to not be able to do anything more but I do appreciate any prayers said for them.




Feel free to come back and type something/anything about yourselves or just say hello :) We can all learn from someone's stories whether they are good, bad, happy or sad.


PS- I love those beds so much, they really spark my imagination.  One of my favorite scents is the warm ocean air and water mixed with sand and coconut oil.


              See you around the blogs/forum!!

Hi Jen,
My prayers are with Johnny and Rose.  Caring for my husband of 30 years and watching him die of cancer was terrible.  With cancer comes so much pain, thank God for hospice and morphine.  I was fortunate to be able to keep my husband home and give him all the medications he needed.  It sounds like Johnny is not that lucky.  I hope there will be someone there to care for him.
On your second post "the wicked witch is dead" is too funny.  She was an advocate for children and bullying yet she was bullying people on this site on a daily basis.  She has been removed along with all her nasty comments.  Thank heavens.
John and Rose are lucky to have you as a friend....all you can do is be there and show your support.  Hang in there my friend.  Prayers and positive thoughts are on the way....:)

A quick look at the latest singles experiences.  Experiences is a questionable choice of words, I could have chosen "disappointments" but none of them really get to that point.  Here they are...


1) I've been waiting to find out if my current online interest is real.  He has only one photo on his profile and there's the question of why he hasn't called me yet when I gave him my number a few days ago. Is it because it's hard to call from Nigeria? lol. He also has not sent me or posted new photos like I asked him to. I think I will give him a couple more days before I tell him I think he is probably a scammer.


2) Had a halfway decent, first conversation with a local guy (hardly ever is there a local guy), after that he had a couple of spur of the moment, "let's meet in 10 minutes" tries on his part that I declined. One of  those he was going to be with his buddy at a winery, last thing I want to do is to meet someone for the first time when he is with his friend, kinda awkward. It wouldn't be so bad if they were bowling or something but the winery just wasn't right to have a tagalong friend right there next to us during a first meeting.


 Then I tried by casually inviting him in advance to an event, he never even bothered to reply!  How rude!  Locals around my age always suck. They have no clue what manners are.


3) My girlfriend and I were at the local pub. This one guy was talking to both of us, after a bit, I sensed something odd.  He was just TOO interested in both of us.  I backed down. Later I found out that his single girlfriend/buddy was not that at all single and neither was he.  They were swingers, secret swingers who finally told my girlfriend the truth because she drove them home.



4)Someone on here today asked me what my sign was.  NEXT!!  I cannot  consider dating anyone who think that your "sign" makes a difference.  I don't believe in astrology or horoscopes.


There's more but 4 is enough to type about.

Jenknee,

Love the day beds!  I saw the one on the blog I posted on, great bed except in Colorado, it would be a flying day bed.    The other one looks wonderful!  I wish I had a porch to attach it to.  Defiantly will keep it in mind for the future.

Your comment about the forum gave me my first laugh for the day.  :)  She did turn tail and run.  Wondering if any of it hit home for her or she just decided being the center of attention in that fashion, wasn't the kind she was looking for.  I feel for her, when true joy and beauty doesn't come from within, I'm not sure how one finds it in the world.  There is a lot of sadness around us, also emptiness in the material world.  I find that if Christ doesn't sit on the throne of my life, if I'm not in fellowship with Him, I start feeling the darkness of this world close in, it robs you of true inner joy and peace.  My mom use to say that when you step out of the umbrella of God's love and protection, that you place yourself at the mercy of this world...that really stuck with me and found it to be...Oh so true.  Mothers...although we at times rebelled against them in our youth, they were always right it seems...at least mine was.  My mom was a wonderful Christian women, filled with joy, a loving and giving heart, and you could see how God's love shined through her.  She was also, one smart women.

Not to say our lives will not be effected by unforeseen circumstances, but we realize this is just a stop over, that our final home will be with Him.  As Christians, until then, were here to love, support and share.

Have a wonderful week!  I have your friends in prayer.
Mtnsunny

Here is the hanging outdoor bed I would sooo love to have. Which one is better if I had to choose just one? (The other pic. is directly below this post) I would choose the daybed shown on the beach.  I like the adjustable suncover on it.

Yes!!  Got some good news today :)  Someone who was causing problems in our forum on here is gone. Lol, why is the line- "The Wicked Witch is dead" coming into my head?  Unfortunitely some of her toxic words are left behind.



It was cold & rainy yesterday but I am keeping in mind that Spring is going to happen soon : ) Spring comes early in southern California.  Sunday is Daylight Savings Time, the longer it takes at night to get dark, the better! I love warm evenings. 


Can't wait to use my new, extra wide hammock and hopefully share it with someone special. We can look at the stars together from it. I have a balcony that I am gonna hang it from the railings up there. I recently saw 2 daybeds that I would love to have, I'm posting the pics of them here. In the meantime, I will just enjoy my hammock :)

Hope you are having a better day than I had so far.

	First, my morning started with finding out I was lied to by someone I was interested in online then I read a very sad message frome someone who is a cyber acquaintance online that he is suffering and is in so much pain from cancer that he wants to kill himself. Plus I am concerned about my sweet neighbor, Rose, who is very sick and is also in constant pain that she is withering away. She has just about a month before she gets a treatment in the hospital that I have never heard of before. I was talking to her husband, he said they are going to "kill" her thyroid, they won't remove it. I need to do some research on it.   My cyber friend is someone I really don't know well. Something told me that he may be in bad shape and to contact him so I did. He is only 33 years old and has cancer for the second time from what i understand. I wish I could tell more because that would mean I know more. He lives in a far away state )Geogia)so I can't help him physically. I asked him some questions today, he may not have the strength to answer.   One of the biggest questions I have is why does God allow good people to suffer so much? It is a mystery that will just have to wait to get answered when I die. Maybe it is just that we are not living in Heaven, our bodies can fail us. Life here is not perfect and is certainly not fair. Sometimes we do receive intervention , I know I have. Miracles do happen.     if you're reading this, please keep Johnny and Rose in your prayers.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.
-Rainer Maria Rilke

I am definitely like a dragon waiting for one good, steadfast man to discover my soft spot.

I checked before I joined the various Christian sites. Settled on this one and joined.   I put in a very reasonable search, basically you can't be married search. For my zipcode, there was ONE MALE..just one!!  How pathetic is that?


You have to pay a membership fee for any communication so needless to say, I am not going to pay to communicate with ONE person who is probably on other sites and may not even be an active member.





I am so sick of this single status of mine. I'm close to giving up.

I wrote this advice article a year or two ago. I think it about sums it up. What do you think?

I found the key to lure men,lol..Hot Buttered Rum!!  I will be making more of it in my future. Of course, hello, the topper is fresh whipped cream. No talk of New Year's resolutions and goals, it is all about the rum in my thermos with 2 cups.  Okay..I thought of a goal!  What is the best way to transport whipped cream?  I will find the way ;)


*I think I already know the answer :) A ketchup container!  Or the option would be I could buy a can of whipped cream. Of course it isn't as good as fresh whipped cream but I may give it a try.

Update: My "Lure Men" statement may be misconstrued, that is if you don't know me, and that would mean any readers right now. To set it straight, I only lure one at a time, geez!  Wait a second, if I have a girlfriend around, I may lure two,lol.



I did find a can of whipped cream that actually contains real cream!  Who would have thunk? So I have it all down to a science now :)

Merry Christmas!!

Dear St. Nick, I don't want much this year, I just want the person reading this to be HAPPY. Friends are the fruit cake of life --- some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet, but mix them together and they're my friends. At Christmas you always hear people talking about what they want & bought. This is what I want: I want people who are sick with no cure to be able to be CURED. I want children with no families to be ADOPTED. I want people to NEVER have to worry about food, shelter & heat. I want PEACE and LOVE for EVERYONE!

Since when did Slutty Halloween transfer over to Slutty Christmas?  I know I am going to sound extremely conservative (which I'm not) but the idea of dressing up in slutty Christmas costumes and the making the rounds wherever, doesn't suit me (pun intended).  Today for instance , it was the Wineries Tour, yes, we must all dress like complete sluts, add alcohol to the mix and viola! Actually some of the costumes were okay where others found yet another excuse to look like sluts. I know a few that act like it too so hey, no hypocrisy there!



 I didn't go but saw plenty of pics that were shared on fb, I didn't go for a reason, just like I didn't go to The Rocky Horror event, etc., etc.. Geez, I need a new group of classier friends who like to socialize. I do have some but they are the ones that are doing family events ,etc.


I prefer the "Tacky Christmas Sweater Contest" party  or the "We're Santa's Elves" Pub Crawl much better.  I was at a particular establishment recently when in walked Santa and his troup of helpers doing a Pub Crawl.  Now 2 helpers were particularly cute, dressed like twins but they weren't twins, I loved it!! I'm including a pic. of Santa and his two Helpers that I mentioned. Note:This was a separate
event from the slutty one that was happening today.
Update: The tacky behavior is now beginning to show in the photos of the slutty Christmas winery tour that's happening today. Photos of debauchery along with one holding a sign that says "Zero to naked in 1.2 bottles of wine."  And that about sums it up!

Newtown, CT. news

My daughter subbed a class of 2nd graders for the first time yesterday. Three of those sweet kids gave her an apple. To think that sweet, innocent children lost their innocence today is so sad. Let alone the devastating loss of losing a child is beyond comprehension. My prayers go out to all those affected today by this tragedy.

It's decided, I'm going to have a party, that's right, me, Jenny is throwing a party :)  It has been a long time since I've hosted one but hey, the world may end the next day so if there is any reason to party, it will be that night-December 21st!!


P.S. I absolutely do not believe one iota that the world will end because it's the end of the Mayan calender but it is a great excuse.  *We have to go through the Tribulation first, it's 7 years long.