January 2025 – Page 2 – Ruth E. Hendricks

Look What’s Happening in Niceville Florida! Guest Blog

6:57 am update from Niceville adding to

Original post

“All done I think. Currently, 22° and 5 inches of snow that stopped about 11 PM last night. Most major roads are currently closed.

We had a snow sled that we bought at a yard sale about 30 years ago. At 22° outside, I am not planning on getting it out! 😁”

Unexpected text from a friend with this scene in Niceville, Florida!

Earlier it was 28 degrees and temp lower now

“Almost 5 inches of snow and still accumulating. So glad we moved to Florida. A good day for soup and. . . . Homemade pumpkin bread! Your mom’s recipe. First time we’ve tried it and it is good!” Shuey

**“Magnolia leaves are fairly large and collected quite a bit of snow until they shed it due to the weight. The end result is the driveway looks like the end of a snowball fight.” Shuey**

It was almost 13 years ago that our family friend Shuey sent this wonderful photo of the Barred Owl and was guest blogger. It was the most viewed post that year!

Shuey photographed this handsome Barred Owl

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 by Ruth Categories: Photography, WeatherTags: Florida, friendship weather, guest blog, Niceville, photography, postaday, snow, Snowstorm, winter 21 Comments

Lines in Winter

January 20, 2025 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: lines, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, shadow, shovel, snow, tracks, trees, weather, winter 8 Comments

Choosing Love

As I was watching NFL playoff games today, I noticed the words on the backs of helmets Choose Love or Be Love.

Turns out they’ve been there awhile but I must have been looking at my knitting.

Being curious I googled to ask why the football players were sporting these words. Started as a response to a shooting in Buffalo, classified a hate crime.

Then I learned that there was backlash from some fans about this simple message being displayed. “Choose Love” was controversial?

According to the NFL, the meaning behind the slogans are straightforward. “Be Love” is a reference to the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Center’s Be Love campaign. According to the King Center, Be Love is a movement “born amid the immense uncertainty and global tension of the past year.”

Here’s an article from The Football Educator “The Power of “Choose Love” in the NFL”

“Choose Love” has become more than just a slogan within the NFL; it’s a unifying force that transcends the boundaries of the game. NFL players wield considerable influence both on and off the field, and through the “Choose Love” movement, they’re using their platforms to promote positive social change. This initiative encourages individuals to look beyond competition and rivalry, focusing on compassion, empathy, and community. (Click for original article )

Compassion, empathy and community?

“ I choose love.”

**Art Room Hands** I photographed years ago which my friend Joanne had saved in a folder on her computer and sent me today.
Thank you

January 19, 2025 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: art room, children hands, choose love, community, compassion, diverse hands, Dr.Martin Luther King, empathy, NFL, photography, postaday 10 Comments

Palm Desert Guest Blog

My friend Marianne in on vacation in Palm Desert, California. She sent these beautiful roses.

When she saw them, she said she thought of me. ❤️

Marianne M is guest blogger today.

We need some color to break up the winter gray!

“The rose garden on the Walter and Lenore Annenburg estate in Palm Desert. We did the tour today!

A few photos of parts of the estate we were allowed to snap photos.” **Marianne M**

January 18, 2025 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: California, flowers, friend, guest blog, Palm Desert, postaday, Rose Garden, roses, vacation 14 Comments

It’s Been Done but I Found One on Monday

A Ghost sign.

One time I tried to do a Faded Friday Signage theme. It didn’t last long.

But I saw this one Monday morning on Penn Ave. in the Strip District.

There was already a show of Pittsburgh Ghost Signs in 2014. I missed it. Kelly Bogel was the photographer.

“I always wondered why we like these things,” said Professor Will Zavala, “I think it’s because they are a mystery. They’re a mystery because their literal meaning is sometimes a puzzle, sometimes they’re advertising products, for the most part, that don’t even exist anymore for companies that aren’t around, even though they must have been household names at the time.”

Here’s one I found years ago

January 17, 2025 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: ghost sign, neighborhood, Penn Ave, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, SIGN, signage, Strip District 17 Comments

Our Family Friend Wrote a Book

Our family friend Rob Bard has written an amusing book titled My Dog Ate My Bird . When I told my son Mark about Rob’s book he said, “I remember that!”

You might remember a post featuring Rob when he was judging pie.

Rob wrote then- On Saturday is the Amateur Division and these are the best. These pies are made by people like you and me. They are made with love and they are truly your “homemade” pies. I love judging that day. With over 900 pies entered, judges are divided up and we sample just a certain type of pie. There are 18 categories. I try to always select the cherry pie, my favorite. The most pies I have ever judged was 28 different cherry pies over 2 days.

Sunday is the Professional Division and these are just that. This category are those individuals that have “made a living” selling pies and the professional pastry chefs.

I have met some nice people along the way. Pie has a way of bringing people together.

Rob’s also been featured in the blog’s Gallery of Veterans. We met him when he was stationed at Ft. Knox Kentucky and our eldest sons were classmates in elementary school.

And the link to Amazon to read more about Rob’s Book

My copy has been ordered.

Congratulations Rob!

January 16, 2025 by Ruth Categories: books, PhotographyTags: author, bird, books, dog, friendship, photography, pie judge, postaday 18 Comments

January 13, 2025January 14, 2025 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: bulbs, flowers, paper whites, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, Spring, tulips, winter 15 Comments

Split Second Cookies

My friend Jen gave me a lovely large jar of Bonne Maman jam which was perfect for the Split Second Cookies Recipe.

This morning Jen came over and we had coffee and eggs. I gave her a couple of the jam filled logs wrapped in foil. Apricot and Four Fruit Preserves were the two flavors I used.

After you bake the cookie all at once, when they are cool you slice them.

They are a dense buttery shortbread with the fruit jam in the middle.

January 12, 2025 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, Bonne Maman, cookies, food, friendship, jam, photography, postaday, recipe, split second cookies 10 Comments

Month: January 2025

Look What’s Happening in Niceville Florida! Guest Blog

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Lines in Winter

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Choosing Love

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Palm Desert Guest Blog

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It’s Been Done but I Found One on Monday

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Our Family Friend Wrote a Book

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Snow Shoveler Shadow

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Wordless Wednesday

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Bringing Spring Inside

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Split Second Cookies

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