Spidey-Sense

Strolling down the driveway, I dropped a postcard in the mailbox to one of my chemo angels for the sweet embroidered kitchen towel she gifted me a week ago. Chemo angels are sweethearts writing correspondence during someone’s chemo journey, such as mine.

On my way back to the house, I noticed how the morning dew drops embraced the last of the hot pink knockout roses. Some of their velvety edges were frostbitten and vein-like with a tan hue.

As I leaned over to sniff the petals, a tiny surprise awaited inside one of the roses. An itsy bitsy spider was staring at me while positioned on the petals. Sweet serendipity!

“Hey, little bug, I’m not going to hurt you.”

I imagined what the adorable fuzzy spider thought…

“This woman is big and crazy! I hope I’m not in danger.”

Whatever direction I turned my head to study the little arachnid, he moved his tiny body with beady eyes, fuzzy jaws and feelers in the same direction.

I felt as if I was having a moment with nature.

I immediately asked him, “How are you little bug?”

It’s funny but incidents like these, bring me joy!

A whole new perspective on life awaits, when you face it head on. (Gazing into the spider’s cute eyes helped as well)

Now, if I had eyed this spider crawling on the porch or up the siding, I don’t believe I would’ve have given him a second glance.

But look at these photos. I mean, isn’t he cute?

Anyway, just wanted to share my discovery this Thursday morning.  Now everyone go have a great day!

Peace, Love and Coffee!

Sheree

******

Here’s a list of my books to get lost in!

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee, 2021 Royal Dragonfly First Place Fine/Art Photography, Honorable Mention Poetry

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author

https://amzn.to/2VKidbP

Observing the oddities of nature…..thoughts on squirrels and birds

Normally, I set out walnuts or pecans in the bird feeders, or on the deck rails early in the morning, but one day last week, I didn’t have the opportunity.

A squirrel scampered about the deck searching for sustenance. Skinny Squirrel (my nickname for him), hopped down from the rails and scuddled frantically about the deck. Within a few minutes, Skinny, noticed the cats inside staring at him through the French doors.

Skinny dashed up to the door and locked eyes with Pippin, one of our manx cats. Aggressively, the squirrel lunged, then pounced on the window as if he were trying to scare my cat. Pippin didn’t budge.

I laughed hysterically. Not finding any nuts or seeds, Skinny retreated to the comfort of the lush green yard.

Setting out halved-pecans on the bird feeder, Fat Squirrel quickly found the delicious treats and gorged on the nuts.

Cardinals and tufted titmice were snatching treats and taking flight. One little tufted titmouse attempted to snatch the pecan, appeared intimidated, and gave up. Instead, he preened his feathers while sitting in the center of the nuts on the ‘picnic table’ feeder. I found him extremely adorable.

Eventually Skinny reappeared and proceeded to nibble on the nuts scattered on the deck rail. He discovered ripe strawberries I tossed in the yard days ago. I enjoyed watching Skinny nibble on the luscious fruit in the shade of the deck.

For a second time, he inched close to the door. Momma cat, and her daughter, Ireland, were mesmerized as they observed nature while sprawled out on the kitchen table.

Hope you enjoy the photos of the squirrels and bird’s antics! Nature never ceases to amaze me, if we just take the time to look. Sometimes, I see myself in these squirrels and birds – often lighthearted, rarely serious, but many times searching for sustenance ….or inspiration.

Have a great day!

Peace, love, coffee and nature!

Sheree

Here’s a list of my books to get lost in!

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee, 2021 Royal Dragonfly First Place Fine/Art Photography, Honorable Mention Poetry

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author

https://amzn.to/2VKidbP

Thursday Thoughts

As I rest lounge in my oversize La-Z-Boy chair, my cat, Pippin, gazes at me from the comfort of his kitty hammock, cleaning the fur on his beautiful toe beans.

Momma Adeline lays sprawled out on the local city maps on the kitchen table, deciding which destination she’ll visit next. Ireland (aka Tater) laps water from the ceramic bowl, while Elvis (my big boy cat) sniffs the carpet near soft yarn toys. Midnight, the matriarch of the cats at 21.5 years old, saunters into the living room.

The cardinals perched on the Rose of Sharon branches chatter, keeping time with the Caterpillar earth mover beeping in the distance.

Silence can be both confusing and peaceful.

Lately, I’ve found it difficult to create – unsure if it’s the unpredictable weather or general burnout.

Problems of the world weigh heavy on my mind, just as the earth mover weighs heavy on the soil it’s turning and churning.

Lavender, magnolias and dogwood are in bloom, spreading the scent of spring, and hope in the air.

Eyelids heavy, three of the fur babies now rest near the open bay window, listening to the chirping of song birds. I can only imagine their thoughts…of escaping.

Warmer days are ahead. I decide my plan for the day.

What will it be?

Peace, Love, Coffee!

Sheree

Here’s a list of my books to get lost in!

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author

https://amzn.to/2VKidbP

Chasing Autumn

Wind rustles through the trees,

as leaves fall

like snowflakes to the ground,

blanketed with colors of autumn harvest.

Two Capiz shell wind chimes tinkle

creating delicate murmurs…

almost whispering,

“We welcome you, Autumn.”

The sky melts away gray abstract clouds,

so heavy,

you can visualize the earth

spinning around the sun.

Wind tickles my forearms, knees,

and shoulders.

Blustery weather impending.

Cleomes and morning glories

shrink,

laden with dried seed pods,

ready for rebirth.

The birdhouse is abandoned…

baby wrens birthed and fed by mama,

have flown the nest.

In my life, two dog children

have passed on…

The wide-eyed striped gray and tan cats,

rest on the knobby rug

peering through windows,

breezes ruffling silky fur.

Summer has come and gone.

Leaves turn golden amber,

crimson, burnt sienna.

Soon, winter will be chasing autumn.

Nature at Its Finest – The Little Things

As I reflect on the past month, I’m happy to say that I loved seeing glimpses of nature at their finest.

Seated under the Emerson lights by the fire pit and gazebo with friends, Nancy and Kim, and hubster, Russell, we watched, mesmerized, as a lime green inchworm slunk along a trail of thread overhead nearly four feet straight up leading to a weathered tree branch.

One morning, a bee, head deep in the center of a Morning Glory vine, showed his fuzzy butt to me just long enough to snap a photo.

Standing on the deck, a hummingbird sipped nectar from the lavender and red-violet Cleomes, unaware I was in his presence.

Tree frogs alighted on windows and doors waiting for the next bug that could be their dinner.

A huge spider spun its web at night using the Bradford pear tree and the Rose of Sharon bush as his boundaries to entice insects into his silky lair.

Baby bunnies munched on blades of grass in the yard.

A tiny house wren became disoriented, landing on our porch. I love animals and birds so much, I quickly drove her to a bird rescue.

All these images come flooding back over the last few days.

How powerful these tiny creatures are in their own way. Their detail and beauty, the luminescence of nature surrounds us right in front of our eyes…if we just open them to see.

Just wanted to share this with you on this 21^st day of September, eve of the autumnal equinox.

I wish you nature!

Peace, Love and Coffee!

(Tree frog photo by Russell Nielsen) All other photos by me.

__________

— Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Any of these can be purchased from Sheree directly so she can autograph for you!!! Visit her facebook page at Sheree K Nielsen, Author.

Why are people nicer to you when you have dogs?

Sabrina and Bordeaux loving their car ride

Have you ever noticed when you’re motoring around with dogs in your car, other drivers seem to be more respectful – allowing you to go first at 4 way way stop signs, or not getting too close to the rear end of your automobile, or even pulling alongside you in traffic giving you and the dogs a big smile?

I think it’s because you’re carrying precious cargo.

I know my dog babies love to feel the fresh air on their fur as they poke their heads out the car window. My blue-eyed mini-Aussie loves to look back at other drivers…the corners of her flew upturned in a grin. She even studies the traffic lanes inquisitively.

Red Dog’s caramel-lemon eyes soak in and memorize the route from home, to the park, to the nearest coffeehouse drive-through, and back again.

The fur kids even know which drive-throughs supply treats – whip cream at the local Starbucks, and dog biscuits at the bank.

Back to being respectful when dogs are in the car…

A few months ago, lovely people in separate SUV’s, going in the opposite direction in the parking lot by the local Starbucks, waited for me to back out of a parking spot when they saw the pups in the car.

I gave the kind spirits a hand wave, showing them I appreciated their gesture.

Such simple random acts of kindness from strangers are a gift and a positive start to your day.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted.”

~Aesop

Peace, love, and sand dollars,

Sheree

****************************

Sheree is the author of four books –

– 2019 Royal Dragonfly First Place for Poetry, First Place for Fine Art/Photography, Honorable Mention for Coffee Table Books Mondays in October

– Chanticleer semifinalist Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Her newest book, Coffee Coma – poems and photographs about our love affair, and life with coffee is due out by Shanti Arts Publishing – tba

Double Yolks? Pregnancy in your 60’s?

As I was crisping my bacon today in the microwave, the thought of scrambled eggs popped in my head. So I snatched the last two cage-free eggs in the frig, and proceeded to crack them in a cheery aqua starburst-patterned ceramic bowl. Much to my surprise, the first egg was a double yolk.

Curiosity struck, and before I could begin my scramble, I just had to google the meaning of a double yolk.

According to a bon appetit post on Gail Damerow, a prolific chicken writer, who operates a family farm in Tennessee, Gail can spot a double yolker without even cracking them.

“It takes 25 hours to make one egg,” says Damerow. “When a hen is hatched, they come into the world with a certain number of ova – it’s like a bunch of grapes that’s hangs from the backbone.”

When a hen is mature enough, ova grow one at a time until they’re the size of a yolk. Breaking away from the ovary, it moves through the oviduct, her glands secrete a substance called albumen (the white), and a substance to form the shell. An egg is born.

Typically, a double yolker normally comes from a young hen.

The article in bon appetit goes on to say, “If you find yourself with a double yolker, think of it as a gift of an amateur hen’s early work, like the joyfully scribbled drawings of a toddler but more nutritious.

Interested to find what symbolism or superstitions comes with a double yolk egg, I googled further…

According to the Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster, double yolked eggs are believed to be a sign of good luck. It can also mean that someone in your immediate family is pregnant.

I doubt if I’m with child, as I just started my official reign as a geriatric – collecting social security. My niece is young and unmarried, and just started a new career. I have second cousins that are of childbearing age. Girls are you not telling us something? Keeping a secret, eh?

The spiritual meaning of a double yolked egg is they provide great luck and happiness. Chances of cracking a double yolker are 1/1000! I feel really special…sort of like winning an egg lottery.

Some people have even found triple yolks, and as many as nine yolks in one egg.

As I sit here feasting on my crispy bacon, scrambled eggs with dill, and multigrain toast with butter and lingonberry jam, I can’t help but think how the yolk is my favorite part of the egg, and today I was lucky enough to discover two in one.

Please enjoy my favorite key lime pie recipe made with just egg yolks:

 

Mrs. Biddles Key Lime Pie

One 14 oz. can sweet and condensed milk

4 egg yolks

½ cup key lime juice (or lime juice)

Combine milk and egg yolks at low speed. Slowly add juice, mixing until well blended. Pour into 9” graham cracker pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for an hour. Serve with whipped cream.

___________________________________________________________

Sheree K. Nielsen is the award-winning author of four books  –

Her newest poetry and photography collection, Mondays in October, recently won the Royal Dragonfly Book Award: First Place – Poetry, First Place – Fine Art/Photography, and Honorable Mention – Coffee Table Books. Mondays in October is Sheree’s love song for the beach, and her eternal companion water. She’s dedicated the book to the Siteman Cancer Center Nurses who helped her make chemotherapy more bearable.

Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits – An Emerson-Inspired Essay Collection on Travel, Nature, Family and Pets, based on her adventures (Chanticleer Semi-Finalist for Nonfiction Guides – Insight and Instruction)

Folly Beach Dances is her 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner, a healing coffee table book inspired by her lymphoma journey

and coauthor of, Midnight the One-Eyed Cat, 2019 Chanticleer Little Peeps First Place Winner for Early Readers, Montaigne Medal Finalist, and Foreword Indies Review Finalist

Mondays in October – My love song for the beach, and her eternal companion water – dedicated to the St. Louis Siteman Cancer Center nurses

Mondays in October….Happy Book Birthday Baby!

July 30 – published by Shanti Arts, Maine

For me, this collection is about time, nature, art, movement, and learning to slow down. During the creation of this book, I was forced to take a step back and look at life differently. In November 2018, I began chemotherapy for Waldenstrom’s lymphoma.

At the end of April 2019, chemotherapy was finally over. As for life, well, I imagine things in a simpler light. I’m in remission. I’m grateful for a publisher like Christine of Shanti Arts who was both patient, understanding, and kind, throughout the book’s journey.

I’ve dedicated Mondays in October to my husband, my fur babies, the tango dancers Elise and Marco who I met on the beach that Monday in October, and the St. Louis Siteman Cancer Center nurses who aided in my longest days of treatment with a smile, a kind word, and even a joke.

The photographs and poems are places, people, animals…and nature….that I hold most dear. They are my gift to you…..my love songs for life.

“Like the cricket’s song serenading a marsh at sunset, the wind’s harmonies causing waves to lap to shore, or two lovers dancing the tango in the sand, Sheree K. Nielsen’s Mondays in October’s collection of poems and photographs suggests easy movements in nature, and a time for us to slow down… like October…and imagine a simpler life.

Mondays in October are Sheree’s unmistakable love songs for the beach and all things water – vulnerable, blissful, and sensual.”

Here’s a page from the book titled Red Dog’s Observations at the bottom of my blog page.

Red Dog was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his heart on Monday. We are cherishing our days with him….however many sunsets he still has….

This post is for him.

Peace, love, and sand dollars,

Sheree

Offering a Seed – Cardinals Feeding Rituals

 

While preparing my Irish oatmeal this morning, gazing out the window, I noticed a sweet sight that brought me to tears.

Two cardinals, one male – crimson berry red, and one female, pale reddish-brown were perched on the deck rail. The male selected a pecan bit that I scattered on the rail, hopping back to her, offering her the snack – beak to beak. He repeated the process seven or eight times. Before he offered her the sustenance again, her tail feathers shook and ruffled. I couldn’t detect if something was wrong – was she sick, blind, unable to care for herself?

The resident squirrel hopped up on the deck rail, which startled the male cardinal, causing him to take flight, abandoning the female. She seemed agitated and upset – her head tuft was at attention. Looking around, she flew to a magnolia tree branch for refuge. Eventually the male returned, snatching a few pecan pieces from the deck rail, feeding the female.

I was concerned about the female, so I did some research online, and this is what I found  –

One the website http://www.sciencing.com, I discovered the male cardinal offers the female cardinal a seed (or in this case a nut) as part of the courtship ritual even before the two establish a nest. He will continue to bring her food before, and after she lays eggs. Males are especially attentive, and have even been seen feeding their young, in addition to other species of birds.

After the female lays the eggs, the male continues to bring her food, so she can remain on the nest. After the chicks have hatched, the male may continue to feed the female, and the young for almost two months.

The male cardinal just happened to be feeding a juvenile cardinal! I have never seen a baby cardinal before! (Compare my photos to this link of a juvenile)

Both parents continue to feed the young, until they can forage for themselves. This way mom can keep an ever-watchful eye on the nest. Cardinals are monogamous, and typically have two broods during their lifetime, building a new nest each time, when mom is with child.

I find this fascinating, nurturing, and so sweet. Shortly after this scene unfolded, mom hopped up on the deck rail, and daddy and baby bird flew off.

Wouldn’t that be lovely if our mate prepared dinner for us every day during pregnancy, and for two months after? Just a thought.

(Full disclosure – I have animal kids.)

What do you moms and dads think?

Peace, love, and sand dollars,

Sheree

Hop on over to the books tabs on my blog, and check out my publications! I’m in the midst of editing my fourth book!

ALL DOGS SAY THEIR PRAYERS – PART TWO

My husband started a cute routine with the dogs awhile back – a prayer before their meals. When the pooches spot him with their food bowls, they know it’s time for dinner, but importantly, it’s time to be silent and listen to what Daddy has to say.

I tried my hand at this concept again this week at the beach. Food bowls in hand, I say a prayer at each meal. On a couple of occasions, our mini Aussie who knows how to ‘say her prayers’ even bowed her head in reverence.

My original blog post from May 2014 focused on the dogs being thankful for special things in their lives. However, I left one important element out. How could I? Let’s see if you can figure out what I left out.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this food.

Thank you for everything you do for us.

Thank you for CHICKEN!

Thank you for long walks on the beach,

new canine friends,

long rides in the car over the intracoastal waterway,

and CHICKEN!

Thank you Lord for the screened in sun porch at the beach house

to observe passersby on Main Street,

and CHICKEN!

Thanks to Mom and Dad for the trip to the beach.

Thanks for letting us lick the bottom of the cappuccino milkshake cups.

And most importantly,

CHICKEN!

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Brina and Mr. B

Well I hope this little dog prayer brightened you day. I know it did mine.

We’ve got a few more days at the beach, and I’m sure the dogs won’t let me forget to put some chicken on their Purina dog food.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Sheree is the author of three books –

– Chanticleer nominated Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits

– Montaigne Medal Finalist Midnight the One-Eyed Cat

– 2015 Da Vinci Eye Award Winner Folly Beach Dances

Her work can be found here:

https://amzn.to/2NDanYo
https://amzn.to/2zLgqFm
https://amzn.to/2zNuoq9

 

The Dolphin’s Dance – A gift from Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits book release day

Spot and Craig, photo copyright by Jason Belport

It’s book release day for Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits – An Emerson-Inspired Essay Collection on Travel, Nature, Family and Pets, and I couldn’t be more excited. In the coming days, there will be giveaways for free books and Starbucks gift cards.

Writing this book was a labor of love. It was a difficult decision which essays to include in the book. That’s where Trina Sotira came in. An early content editor, she organized the book into sections for me, advising what worked, and what didn’t. Although, I removed some of my favorite essays, there’s always another book to be penned.

So here’s a sneak peak at one of the best days in my life, the inspirational individuals, and special friends I met that unforgettable day.

This excerpt is taken from “The Dolphin’s Dance”.

“Following a second morning dive, Big Sister revved her engine, and steered a course to our afternoon site – The Wreck of the Kissimmee, a Cayman energy tugboat well past her prime, deliberately sunk in 1982 to aid in the reef system. As the boat killed her engine near the northern shore, we recognized a familiar face portside.

Spot had returned for an encore. I clapped my hands in delight. The dolphin patiently waited at the surface for our group to re-enter the ocean’s warm embrace.

We dropped quickly to the sea bottom, where visibility was excellent – as far as one’s eye could see. While exploring the wreck’s nooks and crannies, Spot lingered in the sand flats close by.”

If you enjoyed the sneak peak, you can order the book here or request it at one of your local bookstores. Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits includes complementary photographs and Emerson quotes for each essay.

Peace, love and sand dollars,

Sheree

In Search of My Kindred Spirit – An excerpt from Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirit

Today my thoughts are with those affected by the hurricane. My friends in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, seemed to have fare a little better than the other coastal towns like Wilmington. So in honor of them, here’s an excerpt from my book, Ocean Rhythms Kindred Spirits, to be released Tuesday, September 25, 2018. Hope you enjoy it.

The essay is titled, Finding My Kindred Spirit, and it talks about finding a perfectly inspirational place some search for all their lives. I was lucky to find this place of calm about 7 years ago. So drawn to this spot, I return year after year…

“Two days later, on a radiant Carolina morning, with canteens and cameras in-tow, hubby, the dog and I, made our journey down the beach to the Kindred Spirit Bench from the 40^th Street beach access. Along the way, we took time to soak in the sights and sounds – seagulls soaring overhead, driftwood wash ashore, and children building sandcastles.

Arriving at our destination, my carefree animal child with the ice-blue eyes hopped up on one of the two weathered benches aside her Earth Mother. We cast a gaze onto the flat hard sand watching passersby carefully select seashells from the shallow tide pools.”

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peak. The quote below precedes the essay in the book.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

Emerson

Peace, love and sand dollars,

Sheree