Month / December 2023

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Life Goes By

Photo by Nathan Jennings from Unsplash

Life Goes By

We experience life,

soaring

to heights of ecstacy,

plunging

into depths of despair.

Mostly,

we live the humdrum days…

all the in-between days.

Days laughing, days crying.

Most days,

sighing, as life goes by.

Days pass,

whether or not we are

mindful,

like the blink of an eye,

the twinkle of a star.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

  Happy New Year,

2024!

Thank you to all of my WordPress friends for the wonderful posts you have shared this year. Reading what you have written and enjoying what you have created has enhanced my life. Thank you for reading and commenting on my work this year. Your support means so much to me!

A special thank-you to those who wrote interviews and reviews of Earthly Days and those who bought my books. I am grateful for the WordPress community, a place where we encourage and support each other.

May peace and harmony come to our troubled world. May brotherhood replace anger and conflict. Where there is destruction, may people work together to rebuild. May we find the will to heal and restore the Earth, our home.

I wish all of my WordPress friends love, health, happiness, and success in 2024. May all of your dreams come true!

Warm Wishes,

Cheryl

❤ ❤ ❤

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Christmas in Virginia/ Christmas in Florida; A Little Chat with Santa

Brazilian Pepper Tree, formerly known as Florida Holly. Photo by Ann Murray, University of Florida.

Christmas in Virginia

Poinsettias indoors.

Cardinals at the feeder.

Red holly berries.

Red bow on evergreen wreath.

Christmas time in Virginia!

Christmas in Florida

Poinsettias outdoors.

Red poison ivy, palm trees.

Red Bow on faux wreath.

“Florida Holly” berries.

Christmas time in Florida!

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels.

A Little Chat with Santa

Q. I know you grew up in Virginia, Cheryl. Do you feel that Christmas is too hot in South Florida where you now live?

A. No, South Florida weather is lovely at Christmas, Santa.

Q. Why do you have a fake wreath on your door?

A. Real wreaths dry out and turn brown within a couple of days here. Fake ones last forever!

Q. Florida Holly Trees are so pretty! Why don’t you plant some in your yard?

A. Brazilian Pepper Tree, sometimes called “Florida Holly,” is an invasive alien species related to poison ivy. It is irritating to some people.

Q. Oh! Why do you even have such a plant in Florida?

A. Florida has outlawed Brazilian Pepper Trees, but birds eat the berries and spread seeds everywhere! Despite our best efforts, I think that tree is here to stay.

Q. Why don’t you have a bird feeder? Don’t you like birds anymore?

A. I love birds! But Florida birds can find their own food all year long.

Q. Don’t you ever wish for a white Christmas? Snow is so beautiful!

A. No! I enjoyed snow when I was younger, but it got old scraping the windshield. I am glad we don’t have snow here. I wear flip flops and shorts every day. No need to bring me any mittens, Santa!

Q. Don’t you ever miss Virginia?

A. Sometimes…although I have lived in Florida for thirty years.

Q. Thank you for taking time to chat with us today, Cheryl. Merry Christmas!

A. My pleasure, Santa. Merry Christmas to you! I am sorry we don’t have a chimney, but I will leave you a key in the poinsettia pot by the door.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

A Very Merry Christmas

to All of Our WordPress Friends!

Robert and I hope

you get something special

in your Christmas stocking!

We wish you peace, love, health,

& lots of smiles in 2024!

❤ ❤ ❤

 

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

We Celebrate Life

Winter Wonderland, Christmas Market in Old Toronto, Canada. Photo by Manpreet Singh from Unsplash.

We Celebrate Life

We celebrate life

in the sad, dark days of wars…

an act of courage!

Believing in a future

of brighter, happier days.

Living in chaos…

We envision harmony!

Living in wartime…

We seek negotiation,

cooperation, and peace!

Whether Diwali,

Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas,

or Winter Solstice,

we celebrate brotherhood

and one human family!

We celebrate life,

cherishing nature’s wonders ,

and our hopes and dreams.

Mindful of the light that shines

in the darkest hour of night.

We celebrate life

in the sad, dark days of war…

an act of courage!

Hope, like a glowing candle,

illuminates the new year.

Diwali lamp. Photo by Janardan Mahto from Unsplash.

Ramadan Lanterns. Photo by Rawan Yasser from Unsplash.

Hanukkah Menorah. Photo by Robert Thiemann from Unsplash

Advent Wreath, Christmas. Photo by KaLisa Veer from Unsplash.

Bonfire, Winter Solstice. Photo by permission of the photographer.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

PEACE

“Let There Be Peace on Earth…”

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Ellen & Katey Visited a Ranch…E-I-E-I-O!

Ellen & Katey Visited a Ranch…

E-I-E-I-O!

Ellen and Katey visited a ranch…E-I-E-I-O!

And on this ranch they had some cows, E-I-E-I-O!

With a moo, moo here and a moo, moo there.

Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo, moo!

Ellen and Katey visited a ranch…E-I-E-I-O!

Adapted from the traditional children’s song, “Old McDonald Had a Farm.”

Photos by Ellen, Katey and friends.

With a neigh, neigh here…

and an oink, oink there…

Here a mew, there a mew…

Everywhere a mew, mew!

Katey and Ellen visited a ranch. E-I-E-I-OOO!

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, my daughters from Texas and I visited Zoo Tampa and had a wonderful time. On Wednesday, they visited the ranch of some of their friends in nearby Arcadia. I stayed home to rest and prepare for Thanksgiving dinner the next day.

I love the photos Katey and Ellen shared from that trip. Katey and Ellen love horses and volunteer at a ranch in Texas that uses horse riding therapy for disabled children. The pig in the pictures is a rescued wild pig. Cats and kittens on the ranch are very affectionate. One in particular seemed to want to go back to Texas with Katey. They also fed peanuts to a friendly squirrel!

After a quiet Thanksgiving and a dinner of ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, and ice cream, we rested up for a boat tour and dinner overlooking the bay in Punta Gorda on Friday. Robert was supposed to go with us, but the weather was a little cool and windy. On Saturday, we took a water taxi to an island restaurant, then had decadent deserts in Boca Grande. The girls went for a swim at the beach near the lighthouse.

Katey Batavia, Ellen Maher, Cheryl Batavia on the water taxi.

I have been under the weather, so we didn’t take the road trip we had planned, just some day trips nearby. Allergies and a sinus infection, followed by 24/7 migraine headaches for several months have slowed me down. I recently had an MRI, which ruled out the most serious possible causes of the migraines. A neurologist’s visit is scheduled for March to follow up. Meanwhile, a prescription for migraines from my family doctor should ease my pain. Hopefully, next year, my daughters and I will take our usual road trip.

Katey Batavia

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Eighth Night of Hanukkah

(Reblog)

Happy Hanukkah!, Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Eighth Night of Hanukkah

(My memories from the 1990s)

On the eighth night of Hanukkah,

We’re celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa.

Candles will shed soft light

on the faces of our family tonight.

Children light the menorah carefully.

Their father smiles approvingly…

A quiet moment lingers like a dream…

before latkes, applesauce, and sour cream.

Enjoyed by glowing candlelight,

Hanukkah gelt is a sweet delight.

Children eagerly await

opening present number eight.

Photo by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

We sing,”Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel.”

Our pennies are on the table.

Spinning dreidels with Grandma, it’s clear,

“A great miracle happened here!”

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights that commemorates the rededication of the second temple. There was enough oil in the temple lamps to burn for only one night, but miraculously, it burned for eight nights. “A great miracle happened here!” is the message conveyed by the Hebrew letters on the dreidel. A dreidel is a top that is spun in a traditional gambling game. Our children and their grandma played for pennies.

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights. At sundown, the Hanukkah menorah is lit. One candle is lit on the first night. Another candle is added each night until, on the eighth night, all eight candles burn. Children receive a present on each night of Hanukkah.

A traditional Hanukkah food, latkes are grated potato pancakes fried in oil often served with applesauce and sour cream. The oil symbolizes the oil that burned for eight nights in the temple lamps. Hanukkah gelt is chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Our family also enjoyed chopped liver on matzos (similar to crackers) and matzo ball soup at Hanukkah.

Happy Hanukkah!

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Have You Visited a Zoo Lately?

Have You Visited a Zoo Lately?

Zoos of yesteryear…

grim prisons for animals

innocent of crimes.

Entertainment for people…

Animal exploitation.

Zoos of the present…

appropriate habitat,

animal rescue,

endangered animals raised

to be returned to the wild.

Forward-thinking zoos

enlightening the public,

classes for students,

funds raised for wildlife preserves.

Golden Rule for animals!

When my daughters visited from Texas recently, one of our excursions was to Zoo Tampa, rated the number five Zoo in the US. We participated in a “Feed the Rhino” experience and learned about how Zoo Tampa’s breeding program is helping to prevent extinction of the Indian Rhino. The “Feed the Rhino” animal encounter and photo purchases also raise money to support this program. Katey Batavia, Ellen Maher, and Cheryl Batavia.

Cheryl feeding collard greens to a young Indian Rhino. Notice the prehensile lips and short horn that distinguish Indian rhinos from African rhinos.

We enjoyed a ride on the old-fashioned carousel. Katey posed on a carousel animal.

On “safari” through the African animal enclousure, we relaxed on a tram riding past elephants, giraffes, storks, and painted dogs.

West Indian Manatee entering the viewing area. We also saw a beautiful manatee mother and calf in the aquarium/reptile exhibit. Zoo Tampa has a manatee rescue program for manatees injured by boat propellors. In spite of boating laws to protect them, some accidents still occur.

American flamingos wowed us in the Florida native animal area. They now live in the wild in Everglades National Park after a hundred-year absence from Florida in the wild. They unexpectedly reappeared about twenty years ago. There is speculation that they came from South America. Photo by Karolina Bobeck from Unsplash.

Endangered Florida panthers are featured in the Florida exhibit. Florida panthers are being bred in captivity and are rarely seen in the wild. Bobcats, also featured in the exhibit, have adapted to living near people and are a common sight in suburban Florida neighborhoods.

A sun bear was a delight to watch as he played with a toy that dispensed a snack.

Afternoon meeting on the primate island.

Ellen and Katey. Photo by Cheryl.

Heading home from Tampa. Sunset from the St. Petersburg Skyway Bridge. Photo by Katey Batavia.

We had a great time at Zoo Tampa! Rhino photos by zoo photographer, other uncredited photos by Ellen and Katey.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

Two years ago my daughters and I visited a lovely Florida zoo for rescued animals. If you missed that post and would like to check it out, click here:

Animals at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park & Poems about Some of the Animals