Mad Snapper

Teapot Stop!

2012-02-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

We left Hungry Howie's Pizza Parlor and next to it in the mall parking lot was a carnival. I drove past because it was daylight and it was closed. Just as we passed it I slammed on the brakes and backed up screaming "LOOK its a TEAPOT" and so it Was! and so it IS HERE!

“Do you think I've gone round the bend?"
"I'm afraid so. You're mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland

“If you set to work to believe everything, you will tire out the believing-muscles of your mind, and then you'll be so weak you won't be able to believe the simplest true things.”

“She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it).”

“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others.”

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop”

“I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then”
“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” The MadSnapper that is WHO....

Above comments are shared quotes of wisdom from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

Happy Birthday Snapper II

2012-02-12T10:51:00.000-05:00

Snapper II is married to my best friend since Jr High and today is his Birthday, these are the videos made and sent to him and decided to share them with you so those of you who know him can pop over and say Happy Birthday.... Snapper II

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SNAPPER II

New TOY!!! OH JOY!!!

2012-02-12T01:00:00.001-05:00

Friday AM, Sandra Gets comment from new blogger. Sandra opens blog to return comment. Sandra Sees a photo of a dog that says, I had to take this photo with my laptop because if I got up, it would wake her up.

I learned all this from Nonnie the heater hog on Living In Grace. thank you Nonnie

"WHAT??" shouts MadSnapper "I can take PHOTOS with my laptop?" (yes that is my voice in the video)
I made the video above with my voice and creating an Avatar, whatever that might be.... I know there are many of you that knew this, but it is all NEWS to me!

Below see MadSnapper Just Playin!

see you later, I am off to take more photos with my lap top......

Tanglewood Tango

2012-02-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

Come do the ~~tango~~ walk with Rich and the MadSnapper, through the patio villas called Tanglewood.

Can you guess WHY it is named TANGLEwood?

No, the sun did not come out, the MadSnapper changed the White Balance on the last few, these are out of the camera except for re-size for web.

These Villas appear to be in an enchanted forest, the villas have a heated pool and tennis courts and are one of kind and really unique. All of this is mere steps to shopping, hospitals, doctors, dining and entertainment. Nestled in the heart of Bradenton. The Big Bonus is: Ten Minutes to our beaches and for me and Rich just across the street.

Over the next 3 weeks, my Friday Fences will show the stunning fences in this beautiful area. And coming soon to a blog near you.... The Trees/The Plants and of course Because I could shots in the area.

Friday Fences-Tanglewood

2012-02-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

Behind the fence, the fence and in front of the fence, this is what a a fence looks like in ~~Paradise~~ Tanglewood

Photo taken Feb 5th in Florida.... come on down.... are you jealous yet?

Click on photos to enlarge for details.

Come back tomorrow to find out more about Tanglewood

Post Script. 27 Years

2012-02-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

Bathroom is GOLD, it came that way, we both hate gold but love sunshine

Sunshine on the bed in below story

P.S. JUST IN CASE you think our marriage is perfect from my glowing report yesterday.

“Opposites attract” butBob and I are two peas in a pod. We are so much alike it is scary.

Yes, I know lace is OUT, but we want privacy AND sunshine

The good news is we both like the same food, the same restaurants;love the beach and the woods. We even love the same trucks and cars. We bothlove all things Sunshine and feel depressed if it does not shine, we like thewindows open in daylight and sun streaming in. we love our house and bought itbecause it is Sunny and bright.

Kitchen window always has sunshine

The bad news is: we both have fiery tempers with short fusesand we both are stubborn as mules and both of us are control freaks, as in weknow the best way to drive, repair things etc.

The good news is…. We both have a sense of humor and bothare quick to get over ourselves and both admit to our faults.

He never makes the bed, I mean never. I came home once andhe said come look in the bedroom. Ilooked and said WHAT? He pointed at the ceiling fan that used to have FIVEblades and now had FOUR?

I said. You made the bed, what happened? Here is the story.

The dryer cut off and he decided to put the sheets back onthe bed, it is the biggest King size made. He put on the sheets and flapped the blanket.Our blanket does not FLAP. It requires running around the bed to spread it out.

He said the fan was on, he flapped the blanket HARD and then when he went to smooth it out,he could not get the lump out of the middle of the bed, he took the blanket offand there laid the fan blade, he did not even know the blanket snatched it off.

We laughed until we cried…. And that is what has enabled usto stay together, Love and a sense of humor. YES, there are times I want tochoke him and he me…..
Below is The Way We Were from old scanned photos. WHAT HAPPENED??

Honeymoon 1985

Backyard the week we moved in this house 1989

Twenty Seven Years Today...

2012-02-08T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today is our 27th Anniversary. Our story is a little long, but I want to share some of it.

In May of 1984, after making a total mess of my life with less than stellar choices, 40 years old, divorced and in a state of never want to see another man in my life, I fled from the chaos of my life in Georgia, here to Florida.

I found a job as greeter dispatcher in Sears Automotive. And also found 2 other part time jobs just to live and pay bills. I moved here with everything I owned in the back of a very small, not paid for Nissan Pick Up Truck.

I will skip the DETAILS because they are not pretty and this is a happy post. I plead temporary insanity for the years it took me to reach 40. I swore I would never look at a man again.

Bob was a mechanic working in the shop at Sears, I was at the desk greeting and writing tickets and giving them out to the mechanics. I started there May of 1984. Bob says but I have no memory of it, that from the day I walked in, he was in love, but I ignored him and at times was plain rude,

as in when he said "I like your earrings" my reply was "Sooo?" (I have no memory of this)

What Bob does, while waiting on the MadSnapper

At the time CB's were in most cars and trucks, so being newly independent, I installed my own CB in my truck. It worked but had a lot of static when I keyed. I ask the manager if someone could take a look at it and he said, pull it in Bob Hangey's bay, he is really good with radios. I did and he said, you did a good job, you just have the ground wire on a screw that is picking up engine noise, he moved the wire and it was ready to TALK.
Bob says: What's your CB handle and I will give you a shout today when I get off work and test it, mine is HORRIBLE. say what? I thought?
I replied "mine is Cherokee Rose" and thanks for helping me.

My friends dog, all dogs love Bob

In the interest of blog land reading time, I will skip the rest of the details. We started talking on the CB every afternoon, and I got my first Kiss BEFORE we even had a date. When he left Sears at 3 I was driving to my 2nd job as a waitress, and we talked. He drove past the restaurant where i worked and waved at me each day, for about a month. On his 48th Birthday, he keyed the radio and said, "I see you still in your truck, I think I will stop for a KISS" and he raced his little GTO up beside my truck and leaned in the window and KISSED me. we had never even been out together. SEE ABOVE POEM... since my family thought I was nuts and I thought I was nuts, I followed my heart.....

NOT his Harley, he just wants it

and four months later we were married and here we are, Married 27 years.....TODAY!

Can you tell he is one of my favorite subjects to photograph? Happy Anniversary Bob, I still love you.

Sunshine, Butterflies and Puppy Dog TALES

2012-02-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

How could we not love her with a face like this

Have you ever seen a butterfly cry?: No, but I’ve seen a moth bawl!
How do you milk a caterpillar?: Find a very low stool!
Daffy-nition of a butterfly: A worm that’s won its wings!

Question: What do a moth, a butterfly and a fish have in common?: Answer: Scales!; FACT: Everyone knows that fish have scales. But, what about moths and butterflies? Well, it will probably come as a surprise to you to learn that the powder-like substance on the wings of moths and butterflies is actually tiny layers of scales. These layers of scales help give butterflies and moths their beautiful color. They also give out a special smell from some male moths and butterflies that make the females like them.

YES, we do have butterflies in January

Bray Park-Because I could

2012-02-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

Bray park is not just trees and flowers and squirrels and horseshoes, these are all Because I could shots.

"The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue."
--Anonymous
"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear."
-- Dave Barry

I told you Americans throw away everything, this is a barrel thrown in a ditch at the park. WHY? she shouts

I Found Florida-Age proofing my brain

2012-02-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Found Fotos on my walk with Rich were all contributing to age proofing my brain....

In the AARP magazine this month, there is an article by Beth Howard "Age Proof your Brain".

The article list 10 ways to fight off Alzheimer and Dementia and is well worth the read.
One of the ten ways is "Seek out new skills" Beth says Learning is like Rogaine for the brain, it spurs the growth of new brain cells.

The reason for the above photo is BECAUSE I COULD..... but you KNEW that, right?
Taking photos and editing photos and playing in photoshop with photos and creating post are all part of making the brain cells grow.... so Because I could is Medicine for My Brain Cells.

Check it out, we Found Florida on our stroll

Rich said "what are you taking photos of?"
"Acorns and Snail Shells" the Madly Snapping MadSnapper replied "because I can"

If you did not read the article above, number one brain cell workout is EXERCISE.. as in walking, running, pumping iron. Recommended is 150 minutes of moderate activity. Exercise can reduce dementia by 40 to 60 percent. HUP TWO THREE FOUR on the floor, pick up those feet.

Peekaboo, I see YOU

2012-02-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

Peekaboo... I see YOU! (just a few of the many squirrels in Bray Park)

Come Out, Come out where ever you are.

Hit the road Jack, it's a crazy lady with a camera

She doesn't scare ME at all, I will just Cute her to death...

Bye Bye, Be Right Back!

Bray Park-Squirrel Fun

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

Can you find the squirrel?

I decided to spice up my squirrel pics for you and besides I wanted to PLAY with My Memories Suite digital scrapbook thingy.

Above and below contain ERRORS! Oh NO.... not an ERROR. Idiot User Error

Thursday Trees

2012-02-02T01:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning I went for a stroll with my friend Rich, and OF COURSE I had my camera. Above and below shows the parking lot. On week days it is full of cars. Heritage Park is nestled in an oak grove

Storms make the oak grow deeper roots. George Herbert

Front end of my Saturn Vue

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut, that held its ground. David Icke

Proof not all trees stay green in Florida, but these will be back green in another month.

Pencil me Cute

2012-02-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Real ME..... 2 years old. I made my eyes green in the pencil sketch because they are green.

Sandra Back IN the Early Forties Sometime

If you want to become a pencil artist, make the sketch light, print on card stock and go at it with your pencil or pen or charcoals.... I tried it on the dog sketch and it looks pretty good.

Pencil Sketch in Photoshop 7.... Short Tutorial
Open photo
Create Duplicate layer
Click on bottom layer and Crl Shift U to de-saturate to black and white... or how ever you do it.
Click on top layer and Crl shift U, same as above (make the layers black and white, your choice of how)
Crtl I to invert
Click on top layer, go up to down arrow in blending mode. Color Dodge and photo turns white
Go to filters/Gaussian blur and drag it until it looks right
to make it sharp use Dodge and Burn tools. Burn makes it darker and Dodge lighter.
I found it works better to save the pic as a JPEG and then reopen it to use the Dodge/Burn tool

Diva Dog!

2012-01-31T01:30:00.000-05:00

This "Diva" is named Baby Girl.... But she has many other names that include, Princess and Queen Bee and a few more best left unsaid. (above photo our high maintenance Diva is waiting for someone to open the door, you can't hear it but she is emitting low whines)

YES, I KNOW she appears to be very low maintenance in these photos

I typed Define Diva in google and found this....

a bitchy (she is) woman (she is) that must have her way exactly, or no way at all (all true).

often rude (fits to a tee, she will bully her way over, under or through whatever is going on)

selfish, spoiled, and

overly dramatic. Baby will stand and stare at the sofa or chair until we put her blanket in the spot she wants it, if she gets cold, she will stand and stare at Jake, Mommy or Daddy, depending on which seat she wants. She stands and stares like an unmovable and deaf rock, whining in her throat waiting for someone to do her bidding.

If she goes down the hall to the bedroom and the burgundy baby blanket is NOT on her chair, she will come back down the hall and stand and stomp her feet, clicking her claws on the tile until one of us follows her in and spreads the blanket TO HER SATISFACTION... she does not like lumps, bumps and wrinkles.
DO WE STILL LOVE HER???? YES WE DO

Spoiled Rotten

2012-01-30T01:00:00.001-05:00

I spent part of Saturday/Sunday PLAYING.... Can you tell???? Above done with My Memories, Below with photoshop...

Old Photo turned into pencil sketch. I am afraid you will be seeing more of my week end play time..

the last photo I used the digital scrapbook software... I love my babies....

Bray Park-Trees

2012-01-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

Shade trees

Bray is not all Live Oak

Palm trees and rocks

Charlie Brown Palm

The Path I took

Decorated Knots on trees

Center of the KNOT

Ratty Palm Tree

Close up of ratty palm tree

“There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.”

Minnie Aumonie


Knot that formed a cup

Inside the cup

Stomp!

2012-01-28T01:00:00.001-05:00

I found the above package attached to the spray cleaner we use for... ummmm dog what iffers on the carpet. Everything comes in a spray bottle and when empty we toss it. I have been known to rant about throwaway plastic bottles until Bob starts to whine.

NOW, "THEY" have invented a wet pad, you open the package, lay the pad on the floor and stomp it and leave it for 30 minutes, then pick it up and the stain is gone and you throw the pad in the garbage.

NOTE: it says it might require 24 hours to lay there if it is a hard stain to remove. THEN it says Dangerous to pets and children, so my question is???? how do i keep the dogs from eating it while it lays there for 24 hours, or for that matter 30 minutes.

I am trying hard not to climb up on my Soap Box and deliver my Sermon On Waste Not Want Not Re-Cycle Re-Cycle Re-Cycle (oops I almost started the sermon)

One of my pet peeves is the waste here in America using "throwaway" everything and anything. Disposable this and that, filling our land fills with trash. I am an avid Re-Cycle everything we use, so I ripped this off and did my little rant and rave about what kind of trash they will give us to throwaway next.

I have included this sign that sits behind the cash register at our favorite buffet... JUST IN CASE any of you start to Whine about my sermon. IF YOU want to read about my PEEVE Click HERE for a past post

I typed the word Stomp in google and this is what i found. a Group called Stomp and all their music is done with recycled instrumetns or their hands and feet and chairs and all kinds of things. I LOVE THEM.

Who knew???

If you love the sound of drums like i do.... click on STOMP and pick your re-cycle drum material. I spent half and hour stomping and one of them has been viewed over 4 million times. Get Stomping and NO Whining please I posted a 44 second hands and feet. but to see the Real Thing you know what to do STOMP uses basketballs, trash cans, newspapers for instruments.

Friday Fence-Bray Park 1

2012-01-27T01:00:00.001-05:00

Bray Park has a fenced acre Horseshoe Park, I found a lot of pretty fences here, enough for several Friday Fence post

It is nestled in wooded trails on one side and the other by a soccer field.

So many beautiful trees.

Out side the fence and Inside the fence below

It looks a little like a cemetery doesn't it? The trees made me swoon with joy.

Purple Orchid Tree

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-05:00

Bauhinia purpurea: Purple Orchid Tree, a commons sight here in Florida. It can grow as high as 30 to 35 feet and at times is solid flower, but in January there are not as many blooms

The tree is native to India and China and is very invasive. It is related to Red-bud and Jerusalem Thorn tree, both of which are common here also.

Bray Park and the MadSnapper

2012-01-25T01:00:00.000-05:00

Live Oaks in Bray Park, about 3 to 4 acres just like this

We live 2.5 miles from the entrance to Bray Park. It is massive, it covers 120 acres and has 3 acre off leash Dog Park, hubby flies in one of the fields, well, he doesn’t fly, he flies his RC planes there.
See below the word ME shows the woods above from Google Earth and Hubby is where he plays with his planes.

Yesterday I took Me, Myself and My Rebel and Coolpix for a 1 1/2 hour browse for new post pics.

The first thing I noticed were these leaves shining in the sun and as I stood and tried to figure out what was eating on them, I snapped just a few shots.

When I walked around the tree, I realized it is a Purple Orchid Tree. Tomorrow I will show you the Orchids and then LOOK OUT for all the Stuff I found...... over 100 pics and enough Fence Foto's for a month of Friday Fences.

Yes, the header is a preview of the orchids......

Archive Dive #3

2012-01-24T01:30:00.001-05:00

When I bought my first digital in 2002, it was a 3 MP Kodak Easy Share, 2004 I bought what I thought I wanted thinking 6 MP would be a faster camera. I wanted one that would fire as fast as I pushed the button, it was 2006 before I got the first Rebel DSLR

the point of all this blather, is I took great photos with the 3, 6, 12 and 16... we don't have to have a different camera, just keep playing with what we have (says the madsnapper on her 5th camera)

There is a reason the cameras are called Point and Shoot Cameras.... that is what I did at work and sometimes they thought there was lighting from all my snapping.

These photos were taken in 2004 with the Kodak 6 MP

Desperately Seeking Shoes

2012-01-23T01:30:00.000-05:00

I have STRANGE feet, so in the interest of time, trust me on this... having searched every store within a 5 mile radius of home base, I decided to venture out to the Prime Outlet Mall to the SAS shoe store.

It is only 8 miles, it took 25 minutes of THIS to get there and 35 to come home. for some reason South bound traffic here is always worse than North bound. I entertained myself at the traffic signal while waiting to turn in the outlet.

Yes, I did see a few odd looks, but who cares, I was planning this post.

I have not been to the Outlet in 10 years, so imagine my amazement when I walked up to one of many entrances

and stood and stared at the map and locations.... OF COURSE I was NOT at the entrance that was a reasonable distance to the SAS store.

I despise shopping and very much despise outlet malls that are spread over acres and acres of ground. I took the map photos for future use, I can find the store I want at home and park a half mile from it instead of 2 miles.

I was amazed when I stepped inside and found this beautiful old fashioned room to sit in and try on shoes.
NOTE: I had to run out and rob a bank in order to pay for my purchase of one pair of shoes.

the sky had changed when I walked out an hour later.... but still nor rain for us, someone send rain please.

do you shop Outlet malls? do you like/dislike them?

Does traffic make you crazy?

I got the below shot off the web site in case you want to plan your trip.. if you like Outlet Malls, it is a nice one, over 20 shoe stores, WOW Ellenton Premium Outlets

My Mothers Food Processor

2012-01-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

This wooden bowl and the chopper that went with it, was the object of my envy for years. I wanted it. Mother had it, she got it from her mother. Now, I have it.

I watched my grandmother and then my mother use this Ancient version of today's food processor.
When mother died in 1990, I brought the food processor home with me. I love it.

the good news is.... I used it to chop apples and pecans for my cranberry salad.

the bad news is.... I found my mothers hand holding the chopper for my self portrait.

today in Our Daily Bread the subject is Thank God for Music by Julie Ackerman Link
this quote is from the devotion, to read it all click on the link above.

Music plays a big part in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God enlists musicians to work on His behalf. He uses music to call people to worship and to send them to war, to soothe ragged emotions and to ignite spiritual passion, to celebrate victories and to mourn losses.

Sun Seekers

2012-01-21T01:30:00.000-05:00

Tuesday 11:42 AM

Archive Dive -#2

2012-01-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

Above is my good friend, Rich Rodgers. He is my Photoshop Guru and all the fiddling going on with these photos are the direct results of many hours of fun on his computer. He did have to listen to me complain about how difficult PS is and why did they make it so HARD.... you might say I did a lot of whining. I say now Thank You Rich, for where I am with my ART

I took most of these photos at Jungle Gardens in 2007, then in 2009 played with creative edits.

Above is the first creative photo I did while learning from Rich. I emailed the photo to him, and I played and he instructed. it is still one of my favorites since I LOVE PELICANS

Archive Dive-#1

2012-01-19T01:30:00.000-05:00

My first attempt at black and white and leaving color 2004

While searching for a photo, I opened a folder of our dogs, and there hiding was a folder marked ART. I decided to share a few of my early attempts at ART

2007 not sure what I was doing

All of these photos were FIDDLED with by The MadSnapper in Digital Image 9 or PhotoShop 7

Hundreds, maybe thousands of pelicans, early AM 2007 Anna Maria Island

Jungle Gardens Parrot April 2009

Did You Ever??

2012-01-18T01:30:00.000-05:00

Did you are Do you ever go to parties where they sell things and you really don't want to go but feel you have to? The last one I attended was about 14 years ago.

Cousin Shari called and invited me to A Pampered Chef at her home. All of you who follow me should know by now I DO NOT COOK! I despise COOKING!

(note: it has not been in the freezer, or microwave and I don't own a dishwasher so it is a safe bet it has not been in a dishwasher either)

I went because she is my cousin, but that was the last time. I came home fussing because I felt I HAD to buy something. this mixing bowl/measure cup with lid was the cheapest thing, 12.99, that I thought I might find a use for.

Hubby loves this 2 quart giant cup thingy. He mixes pancakes in it on Sunday Mornings.

I love it because HE mixes Pancakes for Me in it.....

SO Sorry! once again I walked in the kitchen and the sun was shining on it.

Blame HUBBY, he did not put it back in the cabinet when he cooked my breakfast. WHINING NOW

I JUST LOVE what Sunbeams do to the ordinary STUFF. Hope you do toooooo

Early AM Backyard

2012-01-17T01:30:00.000-05:00

These were taken Saturday AM at the same time, above shooting to the South at sunrise, below shooting to the East and into the rising sun....

This is what we watch as our Jake the Energizer Bunny chases his tennis ball, every morning at the same time, sun up means throw that ball.

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.
John Lubbock

She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain

2012-01-16T01:30:00.000-05:00

Sing with me now!

~~Baby~~ She'll be coming round the ~~pool~~ mountain, when she comes.....

Eat your heart out Jane Fonda.....

Not bad for an old lady of 10...

She Said He Said..... (note: the above conversation is my new desk top photo)

This Way and That Way

2012-01-15T01:30:00.000-05:00

When Jake and Baby play chase, he gets on the far side of the pool and runs back and forth, back and forth, making Baby crazy

Sing with me NOW
Did you ever see a laddie, A Laddie, A Laddie?
Did you ever see a laddie Go this way and that?

Go this way and that way,
And that way and this way,
Did you ever see a laddie
Go this way and that?

The JOY of it ALL

Great Idea!

2012-01-14T01:30:00.001-05:00

Whomever created these benches they have placed in our Mall, did a wonderful thing. Have you ever tried to sit more than two people on a bench? you can't carry on a conversation because you can't see the other people.

OOPSIE DAISY... this was supposed to be on auto post for TUESDAY. happy Tuesday

these benches were only a few short steps from the food court and and ice cream shop (no we did not have an ice cream)

As Hubby and I walked across the parking lot to my Vue, I had to snap this wonderful sky. It appeared the parking lot was in a big, blue bowl with fluffy icing.

Hubby was with me because I refuse to go there alone, last week a woman came out in this very spot where we are parked, and 2 men with guns, robbed her. (note: the building under those clouds is our Sheriff's Dept.

do you shop your mall alone? do you feel safe going anywhere alone? How is the crime rate in your city?

Peek-A-boo, I see YOU

2012-01-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

I am a sucker for sunbeams, no matter what they shine on....

Who knew I married a peeking ~~Tom~~ Bob? at first I thought he ruined my shot, then I decided I liked it.

What is the difference between a Peeping Tom and a person who just got out of the bath?
One is rude and nosey; the other is nude and rosey. THH (tee hee hee instead of LOL)

Friday the 13th Fences -Drive By

2012-01-13T01:30:00.000-05:00

Sitting at the four way stop sign on our street, 1 block from home, below added texture because I could and just learned how to create my own. ( note: we can't sing don't fence me in for this one)

LINKING TO FRIDAY FENCES

Above is in the Goodwill Parking lot, I assume it is for lunch time or the smoking lounge, since no one would want to picnic there. Although behind me is Wendy's....

Another 4 way stop on our street........ Yes, I was the only one there so no one was Waiting For The MadSnapper to stop Snapping!

2 blocks from home, this orange vine is every where this time of year, it grows into the tops of the trees and on fences. (don't you just LOVE the leaning fence and the Big Red Trash Can?)

You Might ask WHY??

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

I KNOW you are asking Why would she create this.... Here is the story.

At the park I took this motorcycle pic, just because back in 2008 i think.

A few nights later I recorded Ghost Rider. Hubby hates all thing ScyFi, so I watched it all alone. I was fascinated with the the special effects of the blazing motorcycle. I love Sam Elliot and Nicolas Cage and they were the blazing stars.

My brain kicked into what could i do with the bike in Microsoft Digital Image 9.... I cut the bike out

I used Google to find the blazing man, and cut him out (not very good, but I was just learning)

then I started to CREATE and PLAY and CLONE and Cut and Paste and what oh what could I put him ON so i found this photo taken on Christmas morning several years ago and here we are with the perfectly useless creation at the top of the post. UNTIL NOW I did not have the courage to post this. BUT

Guess what, Ghost Rider 2 is coming out in February. Have you seen Ghost Rider? Will you watch Ghost Rider 2? and YES, I realize my ghost rider has no legs, but then he is a Ghost...

Cage will be at it again in Ghost Rider-The Spirit of Vengeance Feb 17th

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

2012-01-11T01:30:00.000-05:00

We ate Christmas Dinner OUT, as in a restaurant. We were standing in line with over 100 people waiting to get inside and I glanced at the window and saw this. SNAP! because I could

The Ladies restroom wall at Goodwill.... Snap! because I could

K-Mart Parking Lot. Snap! because it was so cute and lonely

Dove on Back yard power line. To far way, wrong light. Snap! because who cares if the light is wrong

Java Jive!

2012-01-10T01:30:00.000-05:00

Sidewalk Art Downtown Bradenton

I love coffee, I love tea
I love the Java Jive and it loves me
Cofee and tea and the Java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (boy!)

Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug and I'll cut a rug just snug in a jug
A sliced up onion and a raw one, Draw one, waiter, waiter, percolator.

These are words are from a song Java Jive Written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake in 1940 and recorded by The Ink Spots. The Ink Spots were previously known as The Riff Brothers and The Percolating Puppies.

Shadow Baby

2012-01-09T01:30:00.001-05:00

Can you find Baby Girl in the shadows?

Forget the Shadow Shots, Baby says to Jake... Wanna Play Chase?

Copyright Warnings and Shadows on my wall

2012-01-08T01:30:00.001-05:00

Kitchen Wall Shadow Shot and you can see how fast the sun was moving up the wall, in the blink of an eye

I have never put my name on my photos but there is a new kid in town.....PINTEREST

Our morning news says Pinterest, the new Pin it to the Bullentin Board has 4 million hits in a day, and may become more popular than Facebook. It requires no personal info like FB does.

Angela from West Virgina Treasures emailed me that one of her photos showed up on this board. I had never heard of it. Per our news person people are addicted to going here and PINNING any photos or videos they find on the web for others to see to say I like this. (good news is, if that person clicks on your borrowed photo it goes to your blog)

I personally do not know why anyone wants to go find photos someone else took and post it on a bulletin board and say I like this. Also, they post your recipes, there are many categories. this seems like Forwards on Steroids to me. (NOTE: I delete all forwards without reading)

This means if you want credit for your photos, you will have to put your copyright on them. I have no easy way to do this and it is making me crazy so will just leave them without it.

Arcade Visit

2012-01-07T01:30:00.000-05:00

The Day after Christmas, in addition to Theresa's for breakfast, and Rusty Cricket Gift shop, we strolled in the doors of The Arcade on Main Street. Above and below is the view when we stepped inside.

Alas! all the beautiful shops upstairs and down were Closed for the Monday After Christmas Holiday.
And double Alas! so were the Rest Rooms....

The Oil painting in the little Cafe was for sale, along with many others, and the Cafe was open, but we had just finished breakfast. To bad, the sidewalk cafe would have been a fun place to eat.

The view as we left the arcade. All dressed up for Christmas (the arcade not us)and All Closed up for the Holiday

Rusty Cricket

2012-01-06T01:30:00.000-05:00

After we had breakfast at Theresa's, we wandered through The Rusty Cricket Gift Shop

Gecko's Galore

Diane's toes on the floor.... She bought this one because it's face looked like her dog Sammie, a Jack Russell, or so she said....

Racoons

AND.....ummm Whatevers.

And all this was on the front PORCH.....

Inside I found a Pink Glass Octopus Christmas ornament, if my tree were large enough I would have bought it ( I am blaming the poor quality of the photo on Low Light and NOT Photographers Skill)

No Internet No Phone

2012-01-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

WOKE UP WITH NOT INTERNET NO PHONE, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE IT COMES UP, GOES BACK DOWN... THAT IS WHY I AM NOT COMMENTING.

Heart-y Welcome!

2012-01-05T01:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Theresa's Restaurant, downtown Bradenton. Don't you love the heart eyes?
Linking to Random Hearts because today the "eyes have it" for HEARTS and because Diane and I Heart Theresa's.

Reflections while Looking in the window above and inside view from that window.

and the back corner which is where Diane and I headed on the day after Christmas for our Holiday Breakfast. Can you believe I forgot to take a photo of my omelet? .

Question is: when you eat out with a friend, do you choose the place by
A. Food
B. Price
C. Ambiance or Character of the place.

C. is my answer. Diane and I choose Theresa's because we love the look, the feeling, the Quaint Old Feel, and lucky for us the food is as good as the look.

Sandy PAWS

2012-01-04T01:30:00.000-05:00

I found the ONLY Self Service Dog wash I have ever seen, only 5 minutes from home.....if you want to check out prices (really reasonable I think) and what they offer Click HERE....

Sandy Paws Self Service Dog Wash even has a claw foot tub... HE HE HE

PLUS outdoor Facilities.... HE HE HE (remember, my NY resolution, no more LOL)

Just down the street about 10 blocks away, I found these wonderful Pups in Waiting, sitting across the street from the owner who was sitting at the sidewalk cafe drinking coffee.

When I showed these to my hubby, he said "this would be perfect for a dog car wash like the one in K-9"

One of our old favorite movies that we have watched numerous times is K-9 and Belushi takes his
Shepherd Police dog, Jerry Lee, through a car wash in a convertible, because Jerry Lee Refused a bath.

What's Blooming In Florida?

2012-01-03T01:30:00.000-05:00

Did you know they make Tea with Hisbicus? Serendipiti Tea just in case you want to try it.

Hibiscus come in Hardy and Tropical. Ours are all Tropical.

These bloom year round in our back yard, but remember they are TROPICAL. They will not tolerate more than a night or two of light freezes. Even one hard freeze (below 25) could kill the plant. These plants are native to sunny, warm and usually humid tropical places. NOTE: to have these you have to put up with 97 percent humidity on New Years Eve

They detest cold, rainyweather and cold wet soil. SO DO I... they love dry and Humid. I LOVE the Flowers NOT the humidity

I brought this to the kitchen table because it was practically laying on the ground and that is beyond this old lady. BUT I can sit at the table and Snap! Snap! Snap!

Suite Memories

2012-01-02T01:30:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is DIRT on Babies back, she just rolled in the dirt pile

You can tell something is NEW.... 3 weeks ago, Krista of Picture Imperfect did a blog giveaway and even though I do not as a general rule enter, I did enter this one and I WON..... Click Here to see the giveaway, but remember it is OVER and I WON! did I say I WON????

the software is called My Memory Suite 3 see it HERE if you want to purchase one. I do not scrapbook but if you do this is a must have. It is fun and easy to use.

NOTE: SquirrelQueen has a 10 dollar coupon on her side bar, if you want to pick it up to buy this.

Jake asking for what Mommy is cooking....

Mommy said no to what she was cooking.

This software includes having your scrap book printed in a book, print the pages and put in your book, choices of sizes for the pages or on a DVD and many other things, NO I don't get a thing. Just Sayin you might like it.

New Years 2012

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

I took this photo of my candles and lights....by sitting the camera on the counter, setting on slow shutter speed, and zoomed while the photo was taking.

took this photo of hubby's watch and combined

and added the year and my name and here we are in 2012 (to see details if you right click and open in a new window, voila a much enlarged photo)

To all of you, my blog family, I wish you Joy and Peace in the new year.

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!
May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you

Irish Blessing

Ummm..It's TIME to er.....umm

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000-05:00

Ummm..It's TIME to er.....umm Make New Years Resolutions.... today I thought I would share mine.

And number two is.......

When I hear a funny joke I will not reply, "LOL... LOL!"

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. ~Carl Sandburg

The Old Year has gone.The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!
Edward Payson Powell

The two photos above are of a sunbeam hitting on my friend Rich's Grandfather clock.

Friday Fence- Warnings

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-05:00

Some of you might remember the post about our local hospital and the battle to open a trauma center. Blake Hospital WON the battle and now there is one 2 miles from my front door and I love the sound of the helicopters saving lives.

Blake has declared the entire property smoke free. They removed all the smoking zones for visitors and employees.

This bright orange fence warns us there is still construction going on and NO SMOKING.

NOW I wonder, what will they do if someone Dares To Smoke in the parking lot? a whipping? a fine? your picture in the news paper? it just warns, but does not tell what the penalty will be. Since I am not a fan of being told what to do, I Thought About, trying it to see what would happen. Drat, I had no cigarettes or matches.

Actually a fence is somewhat of a warning. as in KEEP out.

Does a sign that tells you NOT to do something make you want to DO it? come on now, be truthful.

Join the fun at Friday Fences

Canine Christmas-2011 The End

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000-05:00

You are safe now, this concludes my post on the Canine Christmas Festival... Until NEXT YEAR

Sarasota Singers entertained and some of the singers had their dogs with them.

Almost fell asleep while they were singing but at the last note his eyes popped open.

I saw these sweeties coming in as I was leaving.

MadSnapper Blather

2011-12-28T02:00:00.002-05:00

Scene: 4 A.M. Kitchen of our home, MS turns on hood light over the range/stove

"OH NO!" MadSnapper shouted!
"What? what's wrong?" MS Hubby calmly asked

" THE BULB burned out, it just FLASHED when I turned it on" says MS

" No Problem, get me a bulb" says MS Hubby then he calmly twisted the bulb off and left this in the HOLE

THEN He LEFT it laying on the counter in PLAIN VIEW of The MadSnapper.

What else could I do? huh? huh?

MadSnapper said "I FEEL A POST COMING ON" and she grabbed the camera (it's all his fault, he should have put it in the garbage and I would never have seen it.)

This same MadSnapper had a complete Duh moment and sprayed my HAIR with Eye Glasses Cleaner

Well! they do sit side by side on the shelf and are about the same size... did you know Eye Gas Cleaner Wets the hair and makes the curl come OUT? well? did you?

NO they don't sit on the kitchen counter, but when I carried them in the kitchen to take their photo for this post, there lay the shadows........ besides, I could not take the camera to the bathroom shelf because, well, there was a tad of DUST.... but that is another story.

OK!!! Which one of you just said "can't she EVER take just ONE photo of something?"

Canine Christmas 2011 -Boxers

2011-12-27T02:30:00.000-05:00

Boxer Rescue told me they have 90 boxers to place in homes which makes me so sad. I have a passion for Big dogs and they are the hardest to place in homes.

Last years photos are under my labels Canine Christmas on the side bar. this sweety was waiting for a home. this year's Festival is label Canine Christmas 2011

this sweetie wanted to be adopted and I hugged and kissed this sweet guy and told him I would take him home if I could.

can you tell I love boxer butts?

Below is a 6 month old Mastiff that will weigh about 170 when full grown

Rich and I got many pets and kisses....OOOOOOOHHHHH

Candlelight and Humor

2011-12-26T01:30:00.000-05:00

You know what a camera is? A mirror with memory and these are my memories of my Christmas Candles

Q. What kind of candle burns longer, a red candle or a green candle?
A. Neither, a candle always burns shorter.

What did one candle say to the other candle? Lets go out tonight!

Last week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang Happy Birthday.
Steven Wright

So many candles.. so little cake.
A birthday saying for those getting on in years

Epitome of CUTE

2011-12-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

OK, I know they are CUTE.... but what are they to me and my husband? this is the question. Patti is our niece, daughter of Bob's sister. Patti's daughter is our great niece, and these are her children.

UPDATE: all photos today were taken by Patti, the children's grandmother. they live in PA and she emailed me these photos.

They are the grandchildren of my husbands niece, Their Pop Pop is a volunteer fireman and they were at the Fireman's Christmas party.

Besides being the Epitome of Cute... what are they to us. Great Great niece/nephew? I am waiting to here.

Meet Cody, the one sitting on Kayla... who knows why, but it looks like fun to me.

I watched The Christmas Star on Hallmark HD and it is a wonderful story if you have not seen it. Ed Asner as an escaped convict in a Santa Suit. LOVED IT

Take A Walk Through Bethlehem

2011-12-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Lord of Lords

God of this World

Savior and Redeemer

Lord, Jehovah

Jesus Christ

Author of Life, God of Glory, The Promised Holy Spirit

Take a walk through Bethlehem

Come and kneel before the Lamb

Good news for every man

Walk though Bethlehem

Joseph and Mary walked more than 80 miles to get to that manger, it probably took them a week.

this is a another favorite song There's A New Kid in Town

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-05:00

Linking to Friday My Town Shoot Out-Lights

Oh, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,
Shining afar thru shadows dim,
Giving a light for those who long have gone, have gone;
And Guiding the Wise Men on their way
Unto the place where Jesus lay,
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, shine on.

Below is my favorite song at Christmas, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem by Patti Loveless.

for those of you who are not country fans, click Here to find the song by many others. or got to YouTube and type in the name, there are many other artists there.. the photo is the Star on my Tree in The Nook.

Christmas Cards for YOU

2011-12-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

Billy: How come you never hear anything about the tenth reindeer, Olive?
Tilly: Olive?
Billy: Yeah, you know... Olive the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names...

MadSnapper and the Vanna Hanna

2011-12-21T02:00:00.000-05:00

The Reason For the NAME MadSnapper is right here in plain view..... I just can't help myself once I start SNAPPING.

I named my hand Vanna Hanna and am hoping some talent agent will CALL NOW....

For those of you who do not know Vanna White, she is the Puzzle Board Turner on Wheel of Fortune (TV Game Show). Her salary is FOUR MILLION PER YEAR.......... GASP!!!!

If you would like to SEE her.... go HERE where I found this info and scroll down for videos. There is one on how to do what she does, I am going to watch it several times and HOPE someone Calls Me Now!

Are you ready to HIRE MY VANNA HANNA??? hummmm????

Christmas Cactus and the Header

2011-12-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

After the "White Bloom Shoot" at posted Saturday, I decided to PLAY with one bloom off the dark pink Christmas Cactus.

TO Dark.....

NOPE! try again!

OOPS! whose toes are those???

AHA! Moment.... lay it between the two Christmas lights. Not exactly what I wanted, tired of Snapping (YES, that does happen occasional) I dumped an hours worth of snapping in the computer and thought I don't really like this a whole lot, wonder what I can DO to it in Photoshop

Thus goes the story of the Christmas Cactus that turned into a header.....

"Drive About"

2011-12-19T02:00:00.000-05:00

I love Crocodile Dundee and his "walkabouts" but mine were all "drive about" this past week.

Found this treasure next door to the gas station

Above is an attorney's office behind our library, I did NOT snap this while moving...

One of our local high schools, Manatee High, won the state finals Friday night, I assume this was caused by that. Could not resist this Drive By Shoot

Saturday AM as I put groceries in the back of my Vue, a van was parked next to me with a woman, who appeared to be a grandmother, 3 children under 10, all girls and LOUD. I laughed all the way home over this comment.
Grandmother in a super calm voice, said: "your voices are making me crazy, your VOICES are making me crazy" she did not raise her voice or get angry at all and there was instant Quiet. I drove home pondering what would have happened if they kept talking.

My Most Favorite Treasure of ALL

2011-12-18T02:00:00.000-05:00

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” ¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

Another gift from my daughter-in-law, she, gave me this statue 15 years ago. It is not packed away and has a place of honor in my living room 365 days a year. I love the detail and just looking at it.

Schlumbergera

2011-12-17T02:00:00.001-05:00

Schlumbergera say that three times really fast. OR you can say Christmas Cactus. This is the plant hubby dragged out of the garbage 7 years ago, with only one piece alive. Now it lives on the front porch. My blog friend Tammy wanted to see it. I said it is to low to the ground. Hubby brought it in and sat it on the kitchen table. Need I say more?

OOOOPSIE DAISY..... MadSnapper Madly Snapped with out LOOKING

Searching Santemental Sandra Claus

2011-12-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

OK, you all saw the photos yesterday.... those were from Santamental Sandra Claus from Dec 2009.
The one in the mirror yesterday was from 2004 and you will notice I used a Kodak. The red puffs were from 2008. That is how long I have played Sandra Claus at the nursing home.

The dark off center photos today are what hubby took and what I took in the mirror when I got aggravated at what he was taking. they were HORRIBLE so I used Christmas PAST

It is OK to laugh.... starting NOW NO you do NOT have to adjust the brightness on your screen, these are OUT OF THE CAMERA

I am just THANKFUL they were to dark to see me

Below is the actual photo at the nursing home on Dec 12, 2011.... taken by the activity director

She's Watching YOU

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

Now baby doll, sweetie-pie, sugarplum
Honey-bunch, angel face
You know you better be good
Be careful what you say and do
Cause Sandra Claus is watchin' you
She's everywhere, she's everywhere

So where's Rudolph??
He's on a stakeout at your house
You can run, you can hide, but you can't get away
Got binoculars focused on you everyday (verses taken from Ray Stevens- Santa Claus is Watchin U

I Sandra Claus have a certificate stating my rating: It says I AM officially NICE not Naughty, and it is registered at the North Pole
if you want to find out if you are naughty or nice go to Naughty or Nice Determinator and get registered today. IF YOU right click on above certificate and choose open in another window, you can read it.

The Moth, the Hinge and the Hisbiscus

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-05:00

December in our Back Yard and a break from all the holiday stuff

What is a myth?
A female moth!

What insect lives on nothing?
A moth, because it eats holes

moth with a 3 inch wing span. no clue what it is, anyone know?

What do you get if you cross a firefly and a moth?
An insect who can find its way around a dark wardrobe!

My Favorite Santa - Bit by Bit

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

During the month of December he resides on the breakfast bar

Santa made from cardboard and stiff paper, a gift from my daughter-in-law almost 20 years ago.

Santa Claus is a jolly fellow! Imagine all that driving and still being able to say, "Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Santas of it All

2011-12-12T02:00:00.001-05:00

these are my favorite Santa's, tomorrow I will show you my MOST Favorite One of them All

Where does Santa stay when he's on holidays?
At a Ho-ho-tel!

What do the elves call it when Père Noël claps his hands at the end of a play?
Santapplause!

any sightings of MadSnapper in above and below photos???

Santa Baby,
Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in me, Hurry down the chimney tonight

The Sparkle of it All

2011-12-11T05:20:00.000-05:00

If you hitch your wagon to a star, be sure it's the Star of Bethlehem. Spencer Walton

Selfishness makes Christmas a burden;
Love makes it a delight.

The joy of brightening a child's heart creates the magic of Christmas.
--W. C. Jones

It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you...yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.
--Mother Teresa

Christmas is a spark that ignites in someone's heart. Helen Keller

These are a few of the residents on the glass shelves in my Christmas Nook,
The shelves are above my head, I took the pieces down to post them, the sparkle of it all is what I love.

My Other Tree

2011-12-10T02:00:00.000-05:00

I have two small trees, one for the nook and one to sit in front of the window by my rocker.

This is my fun tree and all the decorations are dollar store finds, packages on garland

Fun miniature angels, elves and snowmen.

All decorations on this tree are unbreakable since it sits in the "danger zone" where Jake and Baby RUN to WARN us someone dared to drive in the yard OR Heaven Forbid walk up on the porch.

And Yes, we do still have OUTDATED verticals at that window for the same reason the tree is unbreakable.
think shredded curtains or bent mini blinds....

The most fun part of this tree for ME is the fact, when Christmas is past, I put the whole thing, decorations and all in a bag and tie the top and sit it up on a shelf until next time.

And on Top is my Santa climbing up to put the angel on top....

Coming Soon to a blog near YOU.... The rest of my Santa's

PS if you have DOGS read this comment from my friend Peggy....

Do you know about pumpkin for dogs? The regular kind (not pie filling, just pure pumpkin--orange can) provides fantastic fiber that makes them go if they are stopped up and gets rid of diarrhea if they have that. It works both ways. Also helps with dogs that drag their butts because those glands are not being emptied right. And dogs LOVE it! We give it to both of ours once a day. Rufus, our 50-pounder, gets about a serving spoon's worth on his food every night, Sawyer gets about a teaspoon or so. It's really good for them--if you aren't using it, you might want to get a can to try it. Be sure it isn't the pie filling kind. I bet they really like it, and it will regulate everything.

Good News for Pets

2011-12-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, You, all you Pets out there, Santa Does Love you.... here is PROOF Santa Bob and Jake

Here Comes Santa Claus WOOF WOOF

He's gonna get Uuuuuu

P.S. Santa needs no red coat, boots or gloves in Florida, but he will Suit Up to visit all you good Pets in the colder parts of the country

NOTE to Remington who Steals My Heart.... Jake would not let me dress him up so I dressed up Daddy so maybe you need to pop down here and give him a few lessons.

More Good news, this is for OLD dogs... the kind who are having trouble "going"

Baby is 10 plus a few months and is not very active which causes the "going potty" problems. I bought these Granola Biscuits and she gets 3 at breakfast and 3 at lunch and VOILA with in TWO days she is "going"

Holiday Dream

2011-12-08T06:36:00.000-05:00

I love the Chevy Santa Commercials and this one is my favorite. Before you watch it, I will share a dream I had last week.

In the dream, I was terrified, we got out of bed and I followed Bob through the dark house to the sliding glass door .

Bob was dressed in a black suit, with black turtleneck, he was standing just outside the door shouting at two Santa's that were floating in the pool on their backs with a lot of beer sitting on their bellies. I was standing in the door with arms extended and a pistol in my hand aiming at the Santa s, shouting move move, I can't see them....I can't see them.....

The Santa's in the dream were just like this guy, you see I have watched this commercial and 2 others over and over, by rewind/fast forward. (This explains the Santa.)

The night of the dream we watched a movie in which the Killer wore a black suit with a black turtleneck. the female cop spent most of the movie with her gun extended, sweeping the halls and down dark alleys. (This explains me with pointing the pistol.)

My question is...
why TWO Santas? why were they in the pool? where did the beer come from? Why was I afraid of two Santa's floating in the pool? Would I shoot a Santa if he floated in my pool? Why was Bob in a Suit when we got out of bed?
the video is only 30 seconds, I LOVE his expression....

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It's Christmas-Bit by Bit

2011-12-07T02:30:00.000-05:00

Each year I switch between two small trees for the nook and try to put something different on the tree. This year I wanted all silver and crystal, but crystal ornaments are way beyond my pocket book. I went to my Jewelry box that has no Jewels in it, found this blue bead from a broken watch band and below, my Santa earrings that I have not worn in YEARS.

Since 1 bead and 2 earrings does not a tree make, I added the 12 pink disco balls from last year. My brain said HEY how about crystal beads, the tree is small.

I hopped in my Sandra Claus ~~Sleigh~~ Vue and landed in the crowded Wal-Mart parking lot. First I checked the garden shop to make sure crystal ornaments did not appear there since the day before when I wandered up and down the aisles, (NOTE: I had Vanna White hold this for me)

I headed to the four corners of the 6 acre store to find the craft aisle with which I am not acquainted because I have not one craft gene in my body.

I never did find the craft aisle because on the end cap of the Drapery Aisle, I found a box of "crystals"

30 in a box for THREE DOLLARS..... 4 sizes 4 shapes Genuine ~~Cut glass~~ Plastic Crystals.

Drapery Aisle ????

I have no idea what they were meant for, but they now reside on my tree as tree ornaments.

Can you find the MAD MadSnapper in the above photo?

It's Christmas-The Nook

2011-12-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

Black Friday was spent decorating this NOOK while watching the movie, The Town Christmas Forgot.
if you want to read the why and the how and the aggravation of this Nook ..... click on NOOK

Same time, same place but look at the difference in the photos. Above with White Balance on Shade
and below is White Balance on Tungsten....

The snow is on the ground.
The family's all in town, it's Christmas.
The children want to know
Why we hung the mistletoe, it's Christmas.
Then silently the night turns on a magic light
And it's Christmas all over the world.

And I hope that Santa Claus remembers every child
Because it's Christmas.
The lights upon the tree
Make delightful melody, it's Christmas.
There's a choir out in the night,
singing songs by candlelight, it's Christmas.

These are the words to Ronnie Milsap's It's Christmas, one of our favorites.

Caniine Christmas-2011 Talent IV

2011-12-05T02:00:00.001-05:00

NO! I am NOT going to do my tricks.

OK! Here is ONE....

I am done now

Sit

Say your prayers

this little guy refused to do his tricks... adorable

Twins, Sit, Down and Roll over Together.

kinda sorta synchronized

Second Chances

2011-12-04T02:00:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Cactus, 5 of the 6 we have, are confused and in full bloom for the last week of November.
This large plant above, belonged to my mother and when she died in 1990, I brought it home. The plant has been near death many times, but each time Bob broke the root system up and made other plants.

The vivid pink on the left in above photo and the second photo down is a white one. Both of these plants were found in the trash bin at church about 8 years ago, they appeared to be dead, twisted and in tiny black containers, tossed away by someone who stopped caring.

Hubby dug them out and brought them home and here they are, victims of bad things and being dismissed as trash, now living a life with a second chance. They live on our porch side by side, blooming and creating beauty for a few weeks a year.

These brilliant magenta flowers were once ugly and almost dead, Bob gave them a second chance.

There is nothing we have done or could ever do that would turn God away from us, He is a God of 2nd Chances.

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 ESV

Canine Christmas-2011 Husky

2011-12-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

I wanted a shot of this beautiful face, so Mom got him to stay for me.

Laughing at the photographer

Second Post since I am getting request to put back the dogs and silliness..... here you go silly me with a second post.

Tales of the Timer

2011-12-03T02:00:00.001-05:00

Above is my Very Old timer that I have had since 1979 (yes, I know when I got it, since that is when I joined Overeaters Anonymous, but that is another story.)
Since I am a TAD older than the timer and my memory cells have all pre-deceased my body, I use this each morning to remind me to take my 8 am Pill.

As an Official Old Person, I take a pill at 4 AM and another 2 at 8 AM and All The Rest at 5 pm.

Problem #1: NO COFFEE may be guzzled for 30 minutes AFTER that 4 AM pill,

Hubby drinks his and slurps and smacks and makes comments about how good the coffee is today.... (the pill does not have to be taken at 4 AM but is at wake up before eating, 4 AM is our wake up time and that to is another story)

Problem #2: I get so caught up in my morning email/blogging I forget the 8 AM pill.. (this is the acid reflux pill and by 3 PM, THEN, trust me, I remember)

Are you thinking take them at all at the same time? Can't, per the teeny tiny, read with a magnifying glass instructions written on the bottle. See those little words that say Take On An Empty Stomach?

Problem #3: the 8 AM pill has to be taken FOUR HOURS after the first one, thus the OLD timer....

did I lose you? are you wishing for all the dog pictures to come back? huh? huh?

Friday Fence - Funky Art

2011-12-02T02:30:00.000-05:00

Just in case you are thinking "MadSnapper has gone Mad" this is NOT a fence. Oh YES! it is.

This fence is in the Village of the Arts and each post has a different face on top of it. Would you like to have these faces on your fence?

Linking to Friday Fence

Canine Christmas-2011 Heart

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-05:00

YES! I did pay to kiss this pooch..... linking this heart to Random Heart Thursday

The worst prison would be a closed heart.

-Pope John Paul II

There are many things in life that will catch your eye. But only a few will catch your heart....

-Ben Crenshaw

All these LITTLE GUYS catch the HEART of dog lovers everywhere.

Walk Softly Carry a Big Stick

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Our Man Jake, enjoying the sun and his Stick.... all you bloggers that are out their shopping for your pets, I DON"T HAVE TO.... this is his favorite toy.

Flat Caleb and Nana Lola

2011-11-30T02:30:00.000-05:00

My friend Lola is assisting her grandson, Caleb in a school project based on Flat Stanley. I had never heard of flat Stanley, and if you have not click on that link and read all about it.

Flat Caleb was created in school by Real Caleb and then Flat Caleb traveled here to Florida from Alabama via Branson, Missouri ALL PHOTOS TODAY TAKEN BY FLAT CALEB'S NANA

This is Flat Caleb and Caleb's mission from his 2nd grade teacher, is to present a report in January of 2012 on the adventures of Flat Caleb, where he has traveled and what he has seen.

Flat Caleb has been photographed by Caleb's Nana Lola in many exotic places. Fron very imaginative Sand Sculptures to Umbrellas on the beach

Can you find the bug in Flat Calebs visit to the bush here in Florida, if so what is it?

Flat Caleb visited Branson Missouri with Nana a few weeks ago

And then Flat Caleb went to the Chalk Art Festival in Sarasota.... He is now on his way to Australia with one of Nana's friends.

Caleb will have a wonderful report in January.... Flat Caleb is more traveled than I am for sure.

Trust Me Tuesday Tip

2011-11-29T02:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever struggled to open one of these child proof lids?

I have, and was getting to the point I would have to ask Hubby to open it for me.

I also drop things a lot.

A therapist (not the MENTAL kind, even though our are thinking I must need one), said get a squeeze ball and squeeze it, start now, do it every day.

I got the ball a year ago but kept forgetting to DO IT. (senior memory GONE)
One week ago, I placed the ball in a green lid (off my memory pills bottle, I did you not) and sat it on the breakfast bar at the place I eat all my meals.
(note: I never FORGET to EAT so this is the best place)

Three times a day... Pick up the ball and squeeze

Three times a day, TEN times each hand.... I think that comes to 30 squeezes per hand per day, right?

THIS WORKS.... Trust me!
yet another OLD AGE thing is a Thyroid pill that I take at 4 AM because I can't have coffee for HALF HOUR later. At 4 AM without coffee I am supposed to open this lid. Bob is in the pool when I need his assistance.
In ONE day, I could remove the lid and by the 2nd day, I opened it with no problem and I have only dropped one thing since I started this.

If you try this, don't forget to do the TIPS of your fingers 10 times also. If you don't have the problem now, start before you get OLD like me.

TRUST ME! you will get OLD! and quicker than you think, quicker than a blink

The good news is, the excerise allows me to open the bottle
The bad news is, it did NOT make my hands look younger or remove the WRINKLES
Heaven forbid I get to the place where I could NOT Snap Photos

Canine Christmas-2011 Talent III

2011-11-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

Service Dog demonstration....

He hands her the cup she dropped

Realizes SOMEONE is Madly Snapping and gives the photographer The Look

She said he helps her with her laundry, puts things in and takes them out, hands them to her to fold. Amazing

Service dogs are trained for Therapy and to detect cancer, for Veterans to help with daily life skills.

If you are interested in seeing how smart dogs really are go to YouTube and watch
this video... Moscow's Stray Dogs Master Using the Subways

SUPER DOG!!!! she is jumping more than twice her height..

Berry Beautiful

2011-11-27T02:00:00.001-05:00

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it. Mother Teresa

I almost missed this beauty because I was focused on the train, I backed into the bush as I tried for a better angle....
Life is like that, we miss the beauty that hides in the corners of our lives while we focus on the BIG THINGS in life, when it is the small things that can bring beauty into our lives.

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earthbe glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fieldsbe jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of theforest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord."(Psalm 96:11-13)

Manatee Village-Train

2011-11-26T02:00:00.000-05:00

Above is the General Store at Manatee Village. A blogger friend asked me to take photos of this old train for her series on old engines.
Click on Mama Bug to get info on this old train and the rest of her series

In my quest I found a Gecko that lives on the General Store Porch Railing

Climbing up the side of the General Store.... we grow them BIG in Florida

Ginny of Let Your Light Shine and I both love the Geico Gecko, so this post is for YOU Ginny

Canine Christmas -2011 Talent II

2011-11-25T02:00:00.000-05:00

Love those Eyes and See her Jump

Jumping

Sitting

Dancing

Obedience

Wooo Hoooo Up and Through....more Jumping

Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-24T02:00:00.000-05:00

On November 22nd in Our Daily Bread devotional, I found these words.

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” G. B. Stern

The whole reason for saying thanks is to let the giver of a gift know how much you appreciate something.

Thank you all for being my blog friends and thank you Kim of Stuff Could Always Be Worse for telling me we have royalty free photos and clip art at Microsoft Images and that is where I found this beautiful turkey dinner.

Canine Christmas -2011 Golden's

2011-11-23T02:00:00.000-05:00

Can you believe there is a rescue needed for these beautiful and wonderful Golden Retrievers? they have many just like these.

Pretty from the rear

pretty from the front

Stunning from the side...

This golden was staring at Rich and I clicked the camera for above shot

She snapped her head around and looked right in my camera lens... the owner said she is a camera hog and when she hears the word camera or the click of the shutter she comes running.

NOT your average Golden here, but a Golden Mutt and I fell in love. He kept saying Don't stop scratching, Please ooooohhh feels good.

Canine Christmas 2011- talent

2011-11-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

If I were the judge, this dog would have one first place. Sorry for so many photos, but I can't help myself. Scroll down fast to see the show...

MOM, come ON! I did the TRICKS.....

Canine Christmas-2011

2011-11-21T02:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday my friend Rich and I went to the Annual Canine Christmas festival sponsored by the Animal Network to raise funds for our local animal needs.

As I strolled and Rich rolled, we were met with signs everywhere.

I took this so my blogger CAT friends would not panic thinking Dogs Only
No kitties present because of more than 1000 dogs that attended. But they do get part of the funds raised.

Can you guess who paid the DOLLAR to kiss the pup above? don't tell them but I would have paid 5.00 to kiss him.

I copied this message from the official web site of Canine Christmas,

Canine Christmas 12 was an incredible success. We had over 30 dog or potential adoptions. It was a beautiful day, and as usual it is amazing to have over 1000 dogs behaving so well. We had a record setting 50/50 raffle with the winner and the Animal Network splitting $ 3,440.00. All together we raised close to $ 10,000.00, which is also a record. I would like to thank all the participants, vendors and volunteers who contribute so much to make our event such a good and profitable time.

Laurie Crawford

You can tell we were comfy temps wise, bright sunshine and lots of shade.

Plus Rudolph the Red Nose ~~Reindeer~~ Donkey, my friend Skeeter

Dogs little and Dogs big... almost every breed was represented. I took 386 photos, look for ALL of them this week..... KIDDING! don't panic, only a few dozen will appear.

MORE PHOTOS ON THE WAY.... are you SHOCKED???

Shadow Shot Sunday

2011-11-20T02:30:00.000-05:00

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.
Aesop

Time flies over us, but leaves it shadow behind.
Nathaniel Hawthorne

Jake In the Grass

2011-11-19T02:00:00.000-05:00

I want to give you all a heads up to something I learned that you might or might not know. I read on this blog All About Az or Not that all of our images on our blogs are available to the public in Google/Images.

I went to www.google.com and in top left corner clicked on Images, which I have been doing for YEARS and typed in Steam Engine Trains and up came thousands of images, so I added Madsnapper and there were all my photos of trains and other things.

Google Images feed off ALL photos and images that are posted on blogs/websites. When we go there, we go there to get an image for our blog, we are using someones photo from their blog. Also this means even professional photographers that post family photos on a web for clients to order, the photos are in images.

Then to my surprise after learning this, I got this comment on my last January post.

On this post, I had googled Rooster Cartoon in Images and posted two that belong to Dan Reynolds. I removed his work from my post, and wondered how he found it there from a year ago. I went to images and searched by Dan Reynolds Cartoons and a gazillion came up, I found the one I had Stolen and touched it with my mouse and it showed my blog name and took me to the post.

This is all news to me and I remembered that someone said they saw one of their photos on someone else s blog and that they had stolen if off their blog.
I think they found the image in Images and like me, thought they were there to be borrowed.

This means all our images are out there to be borrowed and we should not be borrowing others from there unless we check with the person it belongs to.

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB...

Jake was chasing one of our Gazillion Lizards, just like this one. this little guy is 1 inch long and he was sitting high up on the broom, away from The Hunter

I WILL BE OUT AND ABOUT AT THE CANINE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL TODAY TO SEE WHAT I AM DOING CLICK ON LABELS ON SIDE BAR CANINE CHRISTMAS OR HERE

Village Of The Arts-Fence Friday

2011-11-18T02:30:00.000-05:00

Silly me once wrote on a blog that there are no fences here, that I live in the city. The Village of the Arts has a fence in almost every yard, I could post a different fence each day for months.

If you missed my first three Post on The Village, look on the side bar at Label Village of the Arts or scroll down to the last 3 post.

Linking to Jan's Friday Fences, join the fun, or just check out the fences.

Village Of The Arts-Charisma

2011-11-17T02:30:00.000-05:00

This House was behind this fence with the sign on it, but I don't think the house is the cafe. I believe this is just an artists home and the sign is pointing down the street. Next time I go I will research it.

Two very elderly ladies were enjoying the sunshine on a park bench in Miami. They had been meeting in that park every sunny day, for over 12 years...chatting, and enjoying each others friendship.

One day, the younger of the two ladies, turns to the other and says,... "Please don't be angry with me dear, but I am embarrassed, after all these years...What is your name? I am trying to remember, but I just can't."

The older friend stares at her, looking very distressed, says nothing for 2 full minutes, and finally with tearful eyes, says...
"How soon do you have to know?"

Village of The Arts-Stained Glass

2011-11-16T02:30:00.001-05:00

Sandra French Stained Glass Studio is brightly colored and I love her sign and glass garden. Meander through the photos while you read a few ways to tell if someone is GOOFY

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?

My personal favorite...
She's always late. Her ancestors arrived on the Juneflower.