When the Sun Shines

Photo by Nikita Tikhomirov from Unsplash

When the Sun Shines

When the sun shines, I love you.

When the rain falls, I love you.

When the wind blows, I love you.

In the moonlight, I love you.

In the starlight, I love you.

In the dark of night, I love you.

In the hurricanes of life, you are there.

When all of nature smiles, you are there.

Every moment of my life is better

because you are there!


Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

Love to our soulmates,

to friends and family,

to fellow bloggers.

Love and Joy to the world!

Life on the Blue Planet Here! Finally!

My Mother, Marian Nicholson at the beach a week before her 90th birthday.

Quoting Mom

__Life on the Blue Planet


You Might as Well Laugh as Cry!

For about three years, this book has been ready to be published. I approved it for publication in September, 2025 and announced here on my blog that it was coming soon. I am so sorry for the delay in publication and for the unauthorized disaster of an ebook!

I do not understand quite how that happened, but rather than trying to place blame, I will just take my mother’s good advice… laugh, and continue working on the projects I have underway. I hope to return to blogging soon.

Love to all my Fellow Bloggers,

Cheryl


Press Release


Foreword &Acknowledgments



Copyright© 2025 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!