Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/20/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. Discovering, on our recent stay at Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen GA, an aquatic plant that I have never encountered before: Bladderworts.

And they are carnivorous!

“Bladderwort (Utricularia) is a genus of carnivorous plants, mostly aquatic, that use tiny, bladder-like traps to capture small prey like mosquito larvae, zooplankton, and other microorganisms, supplementing their nutrient intake in nutrient-poor waters. These free-floating plants have finely divided leaves and produce small, snapdragon-like flowers, often yellow, that rise above the water.” animalogic

2. Speaking of discoveries, yesterday on a walk here on Skidaway Island near Savannah, where Robert and I are house- and dog sitting for daughter Amy, we came upon our first alligator of the season.

Wait! Look closer.

HR’s photo

Alligators are very common in the Savannah area, often seen sunning along the rivers, lagoons and marshes.

You simply learn early on (and teach your children) to give the gators their space. And to NEVER walk your dog along the water’s edge.

HR taking a picture of me taking a picture of the gator. 

We did not venture any farther along that path!

3. Giving heartfelt thanks to Mother Nature for her incredible abundance and remarkable diversity. May we resolve to take better care of Her.

4. Robert’s Buttermilk Fried Catfish breakfast the other morning.

Oh my Goodness.

5. Making it through (early this morning) the third and final part of my lower back procedure trying to help with my crazy back pain. Radiofrequency ablation. My orthopedic guy said it will take 5 to 7 days to see if the procedure was successful.

It better be. Each of the three parts had a $395 co-pay! (Healthcare in the United States.)

Make you take Great Care of your Health this weekend.

(P.S. I’m in and out of sleep, so this blog post may not make much sense.)

Posted in One-Word Wednesday

One Word Wednesday 3/18/26

“Walk”

HR and I are house- and dog-sitting for daughter Amy for a few days.

Here’s Coastal, ready for her evening walk.

And here’s Coastal every few minutes, ready for a belly rub.

A lovely Wednesday evening on Skidaway Island near Savannah.

Posted in Holiday Joy

St. Patrick’s Day Away

HR and I live in Savannah, home of one of the country’s largest (and rowdiest) St. Patrick’s Day Parades. We live directly on the parade route, which sounds terrific, and I suppose it was for the first couple of years.

But the parade (and even the days before) soon became somewhat of a headache, at least for us. Very party-oriented folks heavy drinking, property destroying.

So anyway, Robert and I get out of Dodge for a few days.

This year, we escaped to Magnolia Springs State Park and one of their cottages, a couple of hours north of us.

We didn’t have a parade, but we did have peace.

And color.

That’s Robert in the distance, talking to the clouds, I believe. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day … Night 2026.

Posted in T-shirt Tuesday

T-Shirt Tuesday: “Franklin’s Farm”

For the last few years, Robert and I have taken part in a wonderful program here in our home state of Georgia: Farm Passport.

Over 100 farms are involved, and Passport participants travel to as many as they like: “Passport travelers will discover where their food comes from, meet the people who grow it and see firsthand how diverse agriculture is across the state! With each visit, travelers can get stamps in their passports, and they can earn prizes. The love of exploring Georgia, supporting local farms and eating fresh is lived out when traveling with this passport.” Gfb.ag

Today we visited our first farm for 2026 (the program just started for the year): Franklin’s Farm in Statesboro GA. This farm is primarily known for their wonderful satsuma mandarins.

I love their Georgia fruits and vegetables T-shirt.

Posted in Cellpic Sunday

Cellpic Sunday: “Masquerade” 3/15/26

Here’s my first post for Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday blog category.

Daughter Amy and grandson Daniel in NYC over the weekend for Masquerade. An immersive Phantom of the Opera show.

From the opera’s website: “Step into the world’s most haunting love story in a new production of Phantom of the Opera. Masquerade – the world’s first immersive musical.”

I texted Amy and asked how it was. Her reply: “Amazing! Also they kept picking Daniel and me out to do little things. 😂”

Photos above taken with iPhone 16 Pro.

Coincidentally, Daniel played the part of Raoul in Savannah Children’s Theatre’s production of Phantom a few years ago.

The two photos above taken with iPhone 14 Pro.

Originator of Cellpic Sunday:

https://photobyjohnbo.com/2026/03/15/cellpic-sunday-the-artist/

Posted in Five Friday Happy Bringers

Five Friday Happy Bringers 3/13/26

My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.

1. HR all excited about his new Canon EOS R100 camera.

Can cameras really cost that much?!

2. Our great buddy Margaret being recognized at church for her 84th birthday.

3. The ability to AGE. (It is world’s better than the alternative.)

4. Chuckling at the important question in the bathroom at our Airbnb in Macon GA today:

5. The beauty of purple in Macon.

Early wisteria!

GOODness! The aroma.

I hope your weekend smells good!

Posted in Thursday Doors

Thursday Doors: My First Post

Today I’m joining in on the hoopla about doors on Thursday.

Robert and I are spending a couple of days in Macon Georgia. Walking to dinner in the historic district this evening, we came across these doors, all decorated for Macon’s upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival.

Hello, Thursday Doors!