Not long ago I had the occasion to page through a coloring book that had been completed by the small child of a friend. Not sure of the child’s age, but this youngster had been unusually exacting in her work. She had carefully filled in the empty spaces of each and every cartoon character, tree and flower exactly to the bold black lines of their respective borders.

I think it takes a special kind of person to do this, that is, one who is especially meticulous, patient and attentive to detail. I would be inclined to believe that that this little girl will grow up to be an accountant or maybe an engineer. Continue “Coloring within the lines”

A summer afternoon thunderstorm in Florida is a sight to behold, at least on those rare occasions when our lives slow down long enough for us to view the event as a something other than an annoyance. If you live down here, you know how it goes: Darkening skies and winds whipping ominously through the trees warn of the approaching tempest. Birds fall silent. Then, a brilliant flash of light and a terrifying, teeth-rattling crack of thunder. The lightning bolt has surely split open the very fabric of the sky. Water cascades through the fissure, forming heavy raindrops that bombard everything below. Drainpipes gush. More flashes. More peals of thunder. Dogs and small children seek safety under bed quilts.

Continue “Stormy weather”

Some time ago Gypsy Dave and I had an email discussion regarding the dreams we have while sleeping. He wrote of a recent experience where not only did he have a dream that was utterly fantastical but he was fully aware that he was dreaming throughout the two-hour experience! I have come to learn that lucid dreams of this nature are not necessarily all that unusual. But they can definitely be spellbinding.

And then there are those recurring dreams which we all have from time to time. I told Dave of a dream of mine that I had experienced over and over many years ago, and then it simply disappeared. Then, bingo, a few weeks ago it resurfaced after being AWOL for at least ten years.

Some dreams just don’t give up.

Continue “Dream on me”

I have never been particularly fond of insects. But, if one opts to settle in for the long haul here in the Sunshine State, as I did many years ago, one must develop at least a working relationship with these creatures.

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As I may have mentioned in earlier writings, our critters down here in Florida can become unnervingly healthy, since they are not normally killed off by winter freezes. For example, we are famous for our palmetto bugs. These guys can grow up to an inch long and love kitchens. They also seem to live forever. Years ago, I resided for a time in a house where our palmetto bugs had been around for so long we gave them names. (“Jeez, Brad, you need to leave some of that pear for the rest of us!”) Continue “Eight is enough”

Years ago a friend of mine owned a cockatoo (I think that’s what it was). My friend’s name is Lee and he named his avian pet “Barnie” after the like-named character from the classic television series, The Andy Griffith Show. This was particularly apt since Barnie was quite adept at whistling the musical introduction to that series. Adorable.

Barnie was a small bird, only about twice the size of a parakeet. He had gray feathers with a white topnotch on his tiny noggin.

During that time Lee, who lives in Orlando, and I were partners in a business venture which required frequent visits by me to that city. Lee and his wife were kind enough to invite me to stay as a guest in their home during these routine overnight excursions.

Continue “Birds are for the birds”