Tag / Environment

by Cheryl Batavia

Hanging Out With Wild Animals II Review

By Katey Batavia as told to Cheryl Batavia

Katey Gets a Kiss from Skipper, the Dolphin, at Theater of the Sea, Islamorada, Florida.

Cheryl, Katey, (about Age 5), and a Baby Alligator. Florida Everglades

Hanging Out with Wild Animals

II & III,

Two Books to be Republished

These two books are no longer available except for the ebooks. They will be republished under my copyright as soon as possible. Unfortunately, dishonest publishers have kept most royalties from my books for the last five years.

You can check out self-publishers on the “Writer Beware” website to rule out many of the dishonest ones.

I am working on eventually getting every book under my name and copyright so that publishers can never keep my royalties again. This has happened to many self-published authors. Don’t let it happen to you!

I hope you will be hearing good things about my books in the coming year or two. Cross your fingers for me; I will cross mine for you. As my late husband’s grandma used to say, “May all your dreams and wishes come true.” ❤️

by Cheryl Batavia

Life on the Blue Planet Coming very soon!

Press Release

Dedication

Photo by Jason Buckeye from Unsplash.

Foreword &Acknowledgments

Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia

To My Fellow WordPress Bloggers

It’s been a long road for this book. It languished in a notebook during more than a year of illness for both Robert and me. Today, I signed the galley approval document! Within a week or so, I expect to announce that Life on the Blue Planet is live.

I would like to thank my fellow bloggers for all of their support and encouragement over the last few years. It means a lot to me!

❤️

by Cheryl Batavia

Hurricane Milton

Photo of a hurricane by NASA from Unsplash

Hurricane Milton

Monster storm approaching

from the Gulf of Mexico…

Days of rain and wind,

watching hurricane news…

endless models and predictions.

Considering our options,

we decide to shelter in place.

Gusty winds howling

around the corners of our house,

blowing rain against the windows,

dry palm fronds falling.

Darkness descends, storm subsiding.

Power fails;

we go to bed early.

Soothing breezes rustle trees.

Ecstatic the worst is over,

talking, laughing, loving

by the glow of a tiny flashlight.

Lying in bed, holding hands,

enjoying bands of thunderstorms,

last vestiges of the hurricane.

Grateful to be alive,

happy we still have each other.

No TV, no internet, no phones…

Our thoughts turn

to the people northeast of us,

wondering how they fared

in the path of the storm.

Copyright© 2024 by Cheryl Batavia

Epilogue: After the Storm

A week later, our power returned, and we became aware of the devastation in nearby cities and communities. Milton was a major hurricane. Due to storm surge, high winds, and numerous tornadoes spawned by the category 3 storm, people in several states lost their homes, businesses, vehicles, and boats. Roads and other infrastructure are damaged or destroyed. More than a dozen people lost their lives.

Electrical, roofing, and general construction companies, military personnel, and relief workers from many states have come to help those who suffered losses in Hurricane Milton. There are many heroes in our region in 2024!

This poem was written shortly after Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida on October 9th. I was on break, and didn’t post it.

Robert’s sister and daughter visited for three days last week. We wanted to take them to a nearby beach, but beach restoration is still not finished. A tsunami-sized wave had washed sand up on the beach higher than the two-story restaurant where we had lunch. The bulldozers are still leveling sand, and the beach is still closed!