Author / Cheryl Batavia

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Posts by Cheryl Batavia

A retired teacher and mother of three adult children, I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida with my soulmate, Robert. Leisure activities include discussing current events with Robert, watching movies, and playing Scrbble. Robert usually wins! I also enjoy going to the beach and taking road trips with my daughters. One of our favorite pastimes is observing the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us. I keep busy writing poetry, and I would be delighted if you visited my website!
by Cheryl Batavia

Vacation with My Daughters

Katey, Cheryl, and Ellen on the boardwalk at Big Cypress National Preserve Visitor Center. Selfie by Katey.

Vacation with My Daughters

Driving from Texas…

Welcome, Ellen and Katey!

Road trip tomorrow.

Robert at home in Port Charlotte, Florida. Photo by Cheryl.

Robert sends us off…

warm smiles, warm hugs, warm wishes.

I’ll call him each night.

View from the boardwalk at Big Cypress Preserve Visitor Center.

Boca Chita Lighthouse viewed from Biscayne Bay.

Katey and Ellen made friends with Big Foot in Everglades City, Florida. Photo by Cheryl.

Everglades, green shades.

Blue Biscayne National Park.

Rainbow-colored days.

Katey on Ten Thousand Islands boat tour near Everglades City. A mangrove island is in the distance. Photo by Ellen.

Alligator warming itself in the sunshine at Oasis Visitor Center, Everglades National Park.

Katey took many photos of these bottlenose dolphins as they played near our boat at Ten Thousand Islands, near Everglades City.

Marsh walks and tour boats,

alligators, anhingas,

dolphins, and egrets.

Family-owned Havana Spice Cuban Restaurant, Homestead, Florida.

Havana/Miami mural at Havana Spice Restaurant portrays the family’s emigration to the US. Photo by Katey.

Light and crispy fried plantains at the Havana Spice Restaurant. Photo by Ellen.

Chickee hut breakfasts,

stone crab claws, Cuban cafes,

Indian fry bread.

A rooster turns a tortoise into a taxi at Robert is Here.

Geese on parade at Robert is Here.

Goats at Robert is Here seem to be having a difference of opinion, or maybe they are competing for the affections of the cute goat watching them from above.

Turkeys, tortoises,

emus, chickens, geese, and goats

at “Robert is Here.”

We enjoyed the fruit we bought at Robert is Here. Ellen made this fruit platter to go with cheese omelets Cheryl cooked for breakfast back home in Port Charlotte. Photo by Ellen.

Cheryl likes the antique tractors at Robert is Here. Photo by Katey.

Honey, candy, fruit,

antique tractors, kiddie cars

at “Robert is Here.”

Sunset at Gulf Coast Visitor Center, near Everglades City, Florida. Photo by Ellen.

Katey, Ellen, and Cheryl… wet and windblown after an exciting cruise on Biscayne Bay. Visitor center at Biscayne National Park.

Photo memories

of joyous days together.

Back home to Robert.

Katey takes a selfie at Englewood Beach.

Ellen captured this view of the surf at Englewood Beach.

Lunching with Robert

at breezy Englewood Beach.

Great day for a swim!

I wonder what antics the goats are up to back at Robert is Here. Are they remembering Katey and all the romaine lettuce she fed them? Photo by Katey.

Bye, Ellen, Katey…

warm smiles, warm hugs, warm wishes…

Safe trip! Come back soon!

The majority of these photos were taken by Ellen Maher and Katey Batavia with their i-phones. I am not sure who took some of the photos. A few photos were taken by Cheryl Batavia and kind volunteers. Thank you to Katey for emailing the photos to me.

Thank you to Ellen for driving several thousand miles on this trip.

Thank you to both of my daughters for making it possible for me to take a trip I could not have taken by myself. They were wonderful company!

Copyright © 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

South Florida Places We Enjoyed Visiting

Big Cypress National Preserve

The visitor center has a beautiful short boardwalk among the mangroves and superb indoor and outdoor exhibits about the history and ecology of the area.

Also available: backcountry hiking and camping.

Everglades National Park

We enjoyed the Ten Thousand Islands Boat Tour at Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Our guide explained the history of the area and gave information about various plants and animals we saw.

Also available are boat tours at Flamingo Visitor Center, the only place in the park to see flamingos and saltwater crocodiles. Shark Valley Visitor Center features a tram tour and an observation tower. Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo Trail are at Royal Palm Visitor Center. Kayak and canoe rentals and tours are available at several locations in the park.

Biscayne National Park

Most of this park is underwater. We enjoyed a boat tour to Boca Chita Lighthouse. We spent an hour touring the lighthouse and the island, once part of the Deering Estate. Our guide gave a very interesting history of the park and talked about the environmental challenges the park is facing due to rising sea levels. We saw Turkey Neck Nuclear Power Plant in the distance and learned that the power plant is surrounded by warmer water that sustains a population of saltwater crocodiles.

Also available are snorkeling and diving tours where you can explore shipwrecks on the bottom of Biscayne Bay.

Robert Is Here, Homestead, Florida

This is a fruit stand founded by Robert in 1959 when he was six years old. Robert still works at his fruit stand, which features locally-grown vegetables and about one hundred varieties of locally-grown exotic tropical fruits, some from Robert’s own farms. Service is friendly and helpful. They made sure that we had chosen the best fruit and packed it on ice to make sure it got home safely. There is also a huge assortment of raw Florida honey, preserves, candy, and baked goods.

You can enjoy a lunch of tropical fruit smoothies and pulled pork barbecue while you are here. The fresh coconut water is awesome!

On the premises is a large animal enclosure where you can feed giant tortoises, Brahma calves, emus, chickens, geese, turkeys, and goats. Ellen had the emu eating pellets out of her hand. This is the most beautiful animal enclosure of its kind that I have ever seen! There is also an aviary with tropical birds and parrots who like to converse with visitors. Scattered throughout the grounds is Robert’s collection of antique tractors. Tricycles and kiddie cars are provided for young visitors to ride.

Miccosukee Indian Village

Outdoor exhibits are located in several chickee huts and demonstrate traditional Miccosukee life. There is an alligator show and an observation platform overlooking the marsh. There are picnic areas and a small indoor museum of Miccosukeee history. The gift shop displays hand-crafted traditional clothing and jewelry, books, and other souvenirs.

Across the road, you can take an airboat tour of the “River of Grass.” I have taken many classes to visit the village and to take an airboat tour. The guides were always knowledgeable and informative. Here, as in the national parks we visited, you will learn about preserving the natural environment.

Indian villages are scattered throughout Everglades National Park along US 41. There are multiple airboat operators and some small restaurants featuring traditional Miccosukee cuisine. Alligator and Indian fry bread are likely to be included on the menus.

Miami/Miami Beach

The beach is still lovely, but crowded and noisy. I did not enjoy the loud music, pervasive Jamaican cigar and marijuana smoke, constant racket of small planes flying up and down the beach advertising parties at local night clubs, and incessant chatter of other beachgoers. If you go to Miami Beach, you will see a lot of Brazilian bikinis and maybe some bare bosoms. Be prepared for horrendous traffic and very steep prices. We paid $20 for two hours of valet parking, $20 to rent an umbrella, and $20 to rent a chaise lounge. A large bottle of Pelligrino sparkling water was $9.

If you have a big budget and lots of time to spend, there are many great attractions in the surrounding area. I have listed a few that I enjoyed in the seven years I lived in Miami Beach and at various times in the twenty years since then:

Bayside in Miami, Miami Beach historic art deco district, Lincoln Road Mall in Miami Beach, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Jungle Gardens, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Viscaya mansion and grounds, a gorgeous world-class concert hall and opera house in Miami, Miami Beach Ballet Company, Miami Beach Symphony, Miami Metro Zoo, Miami Seaquarium, and boat tours featuring celebrity homes on the islands. Miami holds an annual book fair which I attended five years ago.

There are glitzy, huge new cruise terminals. If you are a sports fan, you might enjoy Marlins baseball or Miami Dolphins football. If you like to wager, consider nearby jailai or horse racing.

This list just scratches the surface of things to discover in Miami/Miami Beach.

South Florida Restaurants We Love

Triad Seafood Market and Waterfront Cafe, Everglades City, Florida

We ate outside overlooking a lovely water view. Ellen and I split an order of very fresh stone crab claws with mustard sauce. Our hush puppies and sweet potato fries were great! We enjoyed a delicious salad composed of spring mix, walnuts, dried cranberries, red onions, tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing. Katey, not a fan of seafood, ordered a cheeseburger and salad, which she said were very good.

Roasters ‘N Toasters New York Deli, Miami Beach, Florida

Ernie and Richie’s was our neighborhood Jewish deli when we lived in Miami Beach twenty years ago. Roasters ‘N Toasters replaced it and maintains a similar vibe and menu. Katey and I split a delicious Reuben on rye sandwich. My Caesar salad came with a homemade garlic dressing. Ellen’s chopped liver sandwich was intensely flavored and good. The carrot cake with cream cheese icing that we shared had many thin layers and was suitably decadent. The flakey rugelach cookies were made with dark chocolate and flavored with cinnamon. Katey and Ellen liked the matzo ball soup. We all loved the well-prepared latkes with sour cream and apple sauce.

Havana Spice Restaurant, Homestead, Florida

This is a really wonderful Cuban family restaurant with fun, funky decor. We ate there twice. Ellen and Katey enjoyed Cuban coffee and expresso. I ordered my favorite, lechon asado (Cuban roast pork.) It is marinated with mojo (bitter orange) sauce and slow-cooked with onions. I also liked their maduros (fried ripe plantains.)

The second time we ate there, Ellen and I shared a big plate of sliced fried plantains that were unbelievably light and crispy. I tried guava cheesecake, which was very sweet. I wished I had gotten my favorite, flan (baked egg custard.) It looked great in the dessert case!

*Having gained several pounds on our vacation, I have returned to my usual low-carb diet.

by Cheryl Batavia

Blissful Days Ahead

Katey, Cheryl, and Ellen. Selfie by Katey. Photo taken on our last road trip, November, 2021.

Blissful Days Ahead

Anticipation

blowing in like a March wind.

Blissful days ahead,

exploring with my daughters

Mother Nature’s Wonderland!

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia.

Road Trip

My daughters, Ellen and Katey, will be visiting from Texas, March fifth through the eleventh. Our eagerly-awaited four-day road trip will take us through Everglades National Park to Miami Beach and Biscayne National Park.

We have planned two boat tours, a day at the beach, a visit to the Miccosukee Indian Village, and a walk across the saltwater marsh that I once enjoyed nearly forty years ago. We look forward to encounters with alligators, dolphins, and colorful tropical birds. Local seafood, Cuban cuisine, barbeque, and matzo ball soup are also on our itinerary.

I will share stories and photos of our trip when we return.

by Cheryl Batavia

Love Endures, Happiness Thrives; Ongoing Effects of Hurricane Ian & Other Disasters; Karma

Photo by Freestocks from Unsplash.

Love Endures, Happiness Thrives

A baseball cap on your profile page?

You were recommended to me,

so I’ll try to engage.

You’re probably bald, but we shall see!

Someone in emails, so much like me.

Southern drawl on the telephone.

I’m sure we’ll discover an affinity…

though I don’t know if you’re “the one.”

A two-hour lunch we’ll always remember,

sharing fajitas and conversation.

Feeling like I’ve known you forever;

from that day on, I had no reservations.

Joyful hours and days when time flies,

coming to know we are soul mates,

making promises, merging our lives.

Lucky we met. We thank the Fates.

Day by day, we grow old together…

A decade of wonder and surprise.

Through all the storms we weather,

love endures, happiness thrives!

Ongoing Effects of Hurricane Ian & Other Disasters

I think the internet is finally fixed! Monday the technician tightened a loose wire at the central box! Our internet, TV, and house phones were off for five days, the third such outage since the hurricane shook things up. Robert is out $250 for a modem the internet provider had recommended. It didn’t solve the problem, and Robert returned it, but they said they had never received it and refused to refund the money.

I got up one morning last week and discovered that a tree had fallen from the wooded lot behind us onto the power company right-of-way behind our house… five months after the hurricane!

It cost $1, 200 to get this large oak tree cut up and removed. The new roof, wall repairs, and previous tree removal are covered by homeowner’s insurance, but not this tree!

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world

and loses his own soul?

Bible, New International Version, Mark 8:36

No good deed goes unpunished!

Oscar Wilde

Karma

A corrupt quartet

sought profit from others’ loss,

but karma stepped in!

Inflicting loss on others,

without gain, they sold their souls.

On Saturday afternoon, I was shopping at Publix supermarket when a woman, who apparently spoke little English, came up from behind me. Saying “Please,” she pointed and gestured for me to reach a product on a high shelf for her. Two times I tried, and she shook her head, but the third time I handed her the item, and she said,”Thank you.” When I went to the checkout a few minutes later, I discovered that my wallet was missing.

Suddenly, I realized the significance of my encounter with the woman and told a manager what had happened. Publix security cameras clearly showed a man acting as a lookout, a woman distracting me by asking me for help, and another woman removing my wallet from my tote bag in five seconds! The theft was recorded at 3:59. At 4:15, before I even missed my wallet, the security camera at the Walmart across a four-lane highway recorded the thieves trying to use my credit cards to pay for $504.94 worth of drinks and other groceries.There must have been a fourth person filling the cart at Walmart while the other three were robbing me.

All the cards they tried to use were declined because the credit card companies’ records show that I rarely spend more than $100 at the grocery store. All the four thieves got for their trouble was $8 in cash and incriminating videos in two stores. I hope they are caught and can never again do this to anyone else!

The wallet contained my drivers license, voter registration card, insurance and credit cards, checkbook, and my $450 car key fob. I will never again put my key fob, check book, and every card I possess in my wallet. I will never again leave my wallet in a tote bag, but will carry it in a small cross-body purse or a fanny pack. You are never too old to learn to do things differently!

A Publix Manager said that in the seven years he had been at the store, no customer had ever been robbed. Lucky me…I am the first! After I waited for two hours at Publix for the police, The manager gave me my groceries for free, and one of the Publix employees took me home and brought Robert back to pick up the car. I soon had to return to the store to fill out a police report. Finally, late that night, I got a chance to cancel my cards and order new ones.

The next three days were spent at Motor Vehicles (twice) who wanted proof of residence, the bank (twice), who needed my driver’s license, and the bureau of elections. I had to change my checking account and online banking and call Social Security and insurance companies about changes in my direct deposit. I contacted Medicare, AAA, AARP…The details are endless, but I am gaining on them. Though everyone has been unbelievably helpful, it has been an ordeal!

I don’t know how I could have managed without Robert’s help! While I was waiting at Motor Vehicles and the bank, I wrote a Valentine poem for Robert and later made it into a card.

Yesterday, we went to the car dealership to replace my key fob and reprogram Robert’s. When we returned, there were eight roofers on our roof installing new shingles. Robert and I were nervous about the shingles we had selected, but we are very happy with the finished roof! The next thing we have to do is hire someone to repair the numerous hairline cracks in our walls that appeared in the weeks after Hurricane Ian…

Robert followed up his recent pacemaker surgery with a cardiologist last week. Many tests are scheduled, some this week, some after Robert’s daughter visits in a couple of weeks. Then my daughters are coming in March, and we are planning a road trip. I will post the photos!

No need to worry. I promise you, I will not be bored anytime soon!

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

❤ Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone! ❤

February 14th

May you enjoy the love of the special people in your lives on Valentine’s Day and always!

by Cheryl Batavia

Fresh Apple Cider

Photo by Louis Sankey from Unsplash.

Warning: Slightly “Gross” and Disgusting!

It was the “sixties” and I had just entered my teens. My somewhat older peers were becoming “hippies,” “turning on and dropping out,”marching for civil rights, and burning their draft cards. I remember causing quite a stir on the school bus with my newly self-inflicted “Beatles haircut,” and was clandestinely reading my cousin’s Mad Magazine, learning guitar chords, singing Joan Baez songs, and telling “knock-knock”and disgusting “green hair” jokes with my friends.

My uncle, who had served in World War II in Europe, described, with his usual drama, people making cider by pressing apples through straw. He thought that was pretty unsanitary. Inspired, I wrote this cheery little song to “gross out” my brother and sister and our friends and to annoy our parents.

After a frustrating week with no internet, I am posting this little ditty I wrote in high school. You have been warned!

I will be trying to catch up on my emails, and I look forward to reading your blogs. ❤

Photo by Liana Micah from Unsplash.

Fresh Apple Cider

Fresh apple cider

just squeezed from rotten apples

by the chicken coop on the hill.

The worms relayed the message:

Make the cider free..

a nickel for the jug!

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

Photo by Averie Woodard from Unsplash.

by Cheryl Batavia

Just the Two of Us

Dark Hollow Falls, Shenandoah National Park. Photo from Adobe Stock Photos.

Just the Two of Us

One day we made the winding, steep descent,

enchanted by the waterfall’s sweet song.

In pools below we swam to heart’s content,

the two of us together all day long.

One day we climbed up to the mountaintop,

where winter winds had dwarfed the ancient trees,

and we lay dreaming on a sun-warmed rock,

our skin caressed by every summer breeze.

One day we strolled among the ferns so green,

a fragrant carpet on the forest floor.

Below us stretched a peaceful valley scene.

We thought our love would last forevermore.

Oh, those were golden days I spent with you,

enjoying nature’s wonders, just we two!

(C) 2011 JOHN BILOUS. Ferns in Shenandoah National Park from Adobe Stock Photos.
(C) 2011 JOHN BILOUS Shenandoah National Park. Photo from Adobe Stock Photos.
A white-tailed deer fawn standing in a meadow in Shenandoah National Park. Photo by Paul from Adobe Stock Photos.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

Dedicated to the memory of my first husband, Frank Wightman.

by Cheryl Batavia

Envision Peace on Earth

Christmas Tree, Dnipro, Ukraine. Photo by Valentyn Cherretskyi from UnSplash.

Envision Peace on Earth

Tears are falling still.

Destruction and death drag on.

Love of country remains

in the hearts of the people

who fight and die for Ukraine.

Photo by Sebbi Strauch from UnSplash.

Brave Ukrainians

work, endure, celebrate life,

smile, laugh, play, sing, dance!

They light the candles of hope,

envisioning peace on earth.

A protest in Japan. Photo by Breakify from UnSplash.

Our war-weary world

remembers; Sovereignity

defended world-wide

preserves the rights and freedoms

deeply cherished by ourselves.

Protest in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Dea Andreea from UnSplash.

Dictators may rise,

seizing control over nations,

ending human rights.

Tyrants may try to dominate…

even your country or mine.

Ukrainian flag flying in Norway. Photo by Anastasiia Dudnyk from UnSplash.

The world remembers,

“Eternal vigilance is

the price of freedom.”

Ukraine, you are not alone.

We share your vision of peace.

Children’s paintings on display in Prague, Czechia. Photo byYura Khomitskyi from UnSplash.

Protest at the White House in Washington, DC. Photo by Gayatri Malhotra from UnSplash. Demonstrations in support of Ukraine have been held in cities and towns across the USA.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.“

This famous saying seems particularly applicapable in our times. In various forms, it became popular in the early days of the United States of America. Variations are attributed to many people, including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. It is thought to have originated from an earlier quote. “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” John Philpott Curran, Dublin, Ireland, 1790

Bumper Sticker in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Lenny Honn from UnSplash.

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

Additional Photos

The photos in this post show some of the many countries that support Ukraine.

I wish I could show all of them!

Poland has sheltered huge numbers of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. A demonstration in Poland. Photo by Eugene T Kachenko

Protesters in Lithuania. Photo by Dovile Ramoskaite from UnSplash.

Calgary, Canada. Photo by Ahmed Zalabany from UnSplash.

Photo by Ahmed Zalabany from UnSplash.

St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia. Russian citizens have suffered as a result of the war against Ukraine. Protests in Russia have been suppressed, and many protesters have been arrested, jailed, or have disappeared. Large numbers of young Russian men have fled the draft into neighboring countries.

A Demonstration in France. Photo by Cedric VT from UnSplash.

London. Photo by Ehimetalor Akere Unuabona from UnSplash.

A protest against atrocities comitted against Ukrainian civilians. London, England. Photo by Andreea De Santis from UnSplash.

Zimbabwe. Girl supporting Ukraine. Photo by Ben Masora from UnSplash.

Vienna, Austria. Photo by Tetiana Shyshkina from UnSplash.

In peacetime, Ukraine supplies food to many countries. There are food shortages in some countries due to the war. Ukrainian wheat field. Photo by Polina Rytova from UnSplash.

by Cheryl Batavia

Another Year Together

Photo by Bolivia Inteligente from Unsplash.

Another Year Together

Together we faced

the challenges of the year

with love and courage…

disappointments and setbacks,

lucky breaks and happy days.

This new year will bring

unforeseen challenges and

unexpected joys.

Thank you for sharing the years,

walking hand-and-hand through life.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Photo by Kelly Sikkema from Unsplash.

Another Year

“Another Year Together” was written for the holiday card I put in Robert’s Christmas stocking this year. We have had a very personally challenging 2022: sickness, surgeries, extensive dental work, unexpected expenses, and family visits cancelled by weather and illness. The whole world has had a challenging year: wars, violence, storms, fires, floods, famine, supply chain issues, inflation and financial distress, a continuing Covid 19 pandemic compounded by widespread outbreaks of several other viruses…and on and on and on..

Robert and I have met the challenges of 2022, including Hurricane Ian. Although we are a little tireder and a little older, we have survived! We have also savored the pleasures of everyday life and the blessings that came our way. Our hopes are high for a better 2023, both for ourselves and for everyone worldwide.

We wish you courage for your journey, strength to meet the challenges you encounter, hope in your heart, and peace of mind. We wish you fair weather and good fortune. May you be inspired, creative, and productive. May you be surrounded by the love of family and friends.

❤ Happy 2023! ❤

Photo by Austin Schmid from Unsplash.

by Cheryl Batavia

Holiday Gifts of Childhood

Photo by Clint Patterson from Unsplash.

Holiday Gifts of Childhood

Mid 1950s, Western Pennsylvania

Christmas morning at our grandparents’ house.

Doll with golden curls, evening gown, and pearls

waiting for me under the Christmas tree

when I was six or seven.

Photo by Marina Ambrosimova from Unsplash.

How excited I was!

Soon, though, I cut the doll’s hair in a crew cut,

wore her pearl choker on my wrist,

and went looking for bugs, rocks and frogs!

Late 1950s, Tidewater, Virginia

Christmas mysteries were in the air at our house

when I was nine or ten…

All of the colorfully wrapped presents under the tree

had been squeezed and shaken for days.

Photo from Pixabay.

On Christmas morning, there was a huge surprise…

Parked around the Christmas tree, there were

three Christmas bicycles for my siblings and me!

Mine was sky blue.

The three of us were always on the go,

bicycling far and wide for the next five or six years,

enjoying our newfound independence,

challenging our mother’s peace of mind!

Early 1960s, Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

My brother, sister and I grew strong, riding our bicycles

up and down the steep hills of our little town.

Our mother soon learned not to worry…

to the extent that mothers can ever be free from worry.

There were no bicycle helmets when I was a child. For safety, wear a helmet! Photo from Pixabay.

Late 1960s-1980s, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Christmas Eve…we exchanged gifts at my parents’ home.

My husband, Frank, and I were expecting a child in the spring.

The gift from my mother was an album of old family photos,

including pictures of my father and me on our tricycles.

In my future, there were three children

receiving bicycles for the holidays.

Like my mother and all other mothers before her,

it was my turn to worry!

Girl on a tricycle Photo by Tuan PM from Pexels.

I was shocked at first when our daughter Ellen,

age three, requested a motorcycle for Christmas,

but her father saved the day!

He found a yellow plastic motorcycle/tricycle.

Ellen was overjoyed on Christmas morning

to find the tricycle parked under the Christmas tree.

Like her mother before her, she was empowered.

She rode the little yellow “motorcycle” toward independence.

Several years later, Ellen received a shiny new bicycle.

She still bears scars from surgery that followed an accident.

Under her chin, are traces of gravel from later accidents…

Ellen always got back on her bicycle; she lives her life that way!

1990s, Miami Beach, Florida

Hanukkah menorah, dreidle, and presents. Photo by Dad Grass from Pexels.

Celebrating holidays with Drew and our children…

Joe, age eight, always adventurous, ever nimble,

climbed the trellis to the rooftop with his new telescope

from Dad, exploring the wonders of the night sky.

Our daughter Katey, age six, was dazzled

by everything she saw and wanted all of it, too…

but in the end, she was delighted with every gift she received,

a new bicycle or the small, sweet surprise of Hanukkah gelt.

Hannukah Gelt. Photo by Joey Dean from Unsplash.

Katey loved unwrapping a gift on each night of Hanukkah

and receiving Christmas presents, but most of all, she valued

being surrounded by the love of family and friends,

that most precious of holiday gifts.

Photo by Any Lane from Pexels.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Unsplash.

Happy Holidays!

Wherever you are, whatever holidays you celebrate,

we wish you childlike wonder, pleasant surprises,

inspiring experiences, and auspicious new opportunities.

We wish you health, love, and joy in every New Year!

Robert & Cheryl

by Cheryl Batavia

One Earth

Embrace the World. Photo by mrcolo from Pixabay.

Photo by NASA from Unsplash.

One Earth

Our Earth, one small blue planet, spins in space.

By day, we turn toward one blazing star.

By night, one moon reflects our star’s bright face,

one star among vast galaxies afar.

One fragile atmosphere envelopes Earth.

One rocky mantle guards its molten core.

One water fills the deep and gives clouds birth.

One land, five continents defined by shores.

Rainforest monkeys chatter in the trees.

In beds of giant kelp, sea otters play.

The lungs of earth are places such as these;

preserving habitats our task today.

All living things are one, fates intertwined;

Earth’s fortunes shape your destiny and mine.

Sea otters in a bed of giant kelp. Photo by Kieran Wood from Unsplash.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba from Pexels.

Photo by Rodnae Productions from Pexels.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Update

A couple of weeks ago, we found undiscovered hurricane damage to our house. Dealing with the insurance company, roofing companies, and contractors is consuming a lot of time and energy, and I have had to put my planned projects on hold. The insurance company has approved a new roof, payment for tree removal, and some needed repairs. Contractors are very busy with all the damage to properties here, and ours is not an emergency, so it may be some months before the work is completed.

by Cheryl Batavia

Harvest & Heritage

Photo by Zefong Li from Unsplash.
Hayride. Photo by Randy Fath from Unsplash.

Harvest & Heritage

How warmly now the summer sun does shine

on bees at work in clover fields so fair!

Sweet ripened fruit hangs heavy on the vine.

Perfume of roses lingers in the air.

How softly ripples wheat in summer breeze!

Bright roadside flowers nourish butterflies.

In orchards, apples ripen on the trees.

Abundant food the garden plot supplies.

As birds fly south, the leaves turn red and gold.

In autumn, nature’s bounties harvesting,

we labor to prepare for winter’s cold

and save some seeds for planting in the spring.

At harvest, we give thanks for all good things:

our life and strength and gifts that nature brings.

Photo by Max Gorin from Unsplash.
Photo by Marek Studinsky from Unsplash.
Photo by Jakob Owens from Unsplash.

Restoring Our Connection to Nature

Hydrophonic gardening on a balcony. Photo by Lettuce Grow from Unsplash.

On small family farms like the dairy farm where my mother grew up and in home gardens that were the pride of my grandmother and my father, there is a profound connection to nature. People work in cooperation with nature to provide for themselves and their families.

In the time of large corporate farms, most people do not live on small family farms and raise all of the food they eat. Many people may have lost the connection to the land and to the changing seasons.

Whatever our work, wherever we live, we are a part of the cycles of nature. We can help to preserve and renew the environment. We may not be able to do everything, but there are things each one of us can do to renew our connection to the natural world.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Photo by Megan Lee from Unsplash.

Happy Thanksgiving to All My Fellow Bloggers!

After this week, I plan to take a couple of months off in order to regroup and focus on some long-deferred projects. Happy holidays to everyone!