"HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL..."

     I was in the store buying groceries, and there he was in all his glory: Peter Cottontail.
     At first, I thought it was odd but then realized Easter isn't that very far away. I know this isn't officially the Easter season yet, but please allow me the liberty of digression.
     Ever since I was a child, I loved Easter. Now that I'm older it's about the true meaning but I still love it all: the bright pastel colors, the sign that Spring is just around the next corner, and the altogether hope that plants and flowers that were once dead and barren will soon become lush and beautiful.
     And all it took was Mr. Cottontail making his first public appearance of the season to remind me the best really is yet to come.
    
    

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

     This photo doesn't do today's blog entry justice, yet it's the perfect backdrop to what happened just the other day.
     I was headed home one day after running errands and noticed quite a few people gathered in the distance, staring in awe at a group of trees. The first thing I did was park my vehicle, got out and walked over to the small crowd of spectators.
     An older gentleman walked over to me and said while pointing to some trees on the distance, "A bald eagle's hovering over that area." And sure enough, it was. I'd never seen anything like it. It was a ways from us, but I could tell it was definitely a bald eagle.
     Being the intrigued passerby I was, I drove to the area where the eagle was hovering over and walked into the woods. It was about a half-mile, on-foot journey but well worth it. At the area the eagle appeared to be hovering over were some nests high in the trees. It might've not made the front page of the newspaper, but considering this day and time when there's nothing but bad news to report, it was kinda nice for a change.
     Just thought I'd share this with everyone. Hope you like it and find it just as fascinating as I did.

IT'S FUNNY FOTO FRIDAY!

HAVE A FANTASTIC FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

IT'S MY 100TH BLOG ENTRY!





   Yes, it’s official, dear friends! I've made it. This is my 100^th blog entry, and I couldn't be happier.
     For the past few days, I've wracked my brain trying to come up with something special for this particular entry. I couldn’t get something really outstanding together in time...SO…nevertheless, I thought I‘d share this with you: nothing but the absolute, unadulterated truth from my heart.
     There are those who scoff at us bloggers. Some roll their eyes and assume what we do has no real merit. How do I know this about pessimistic scoffers toward the blogging world?
     It’s quite simple. I used to be one of them.
     Then, I saw blogs by my fellow bloggers and my eyes were opened to wonderful and new possibilities. There were holiday-oriented blogs, feel-good blogs, blogs about family, crafty blogs, and blogs that encourage everyone to love God, country and themselves in a way they could’ve never imagined. I grew very excited discovering such wonderful, creative places on the Internet. Since then, I've been proven VERY wrong, had eaten a generous helping of humble pie, and have fallen in love with blogs ever since.
     See, while my personal and spiritual lives were, and still are, tremendously blissful, my professional life grew daunting and crazy. I had no outlet and needed something to take myself out of reality and enter a realm that was all my own; a realm where anyone could come to my little corner of the world just as they were, sit a spell with their favorite steaming cup, and was grateful for their visit.
     Then, PBE and my sister-in-law gave me the idea to start blogging. A blog…but about what??? So I took a chance. From that moment on, a love story was created and The Favorite Things Guy was born.
     Since day one, I’ve enjoyed writing this blog. I’ve taken great pride being The Favorite Things Guy. So, I do consider this, my 100^th blog entry a real accomplishment.
    And I have all you wonderful bloggers to thank. each one of you, in your own way, inspired me more than you'll ever know and I'm a better person for it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.

     I am, as always and will forever be,
          
           The Favorite Things Guy

DAWN AT TWILIGHT

     During the dawn at twilight, all of earth's activites grow still. The day comes to a close. The night's blanket fans the flames of the sun's daylight. It all gives way to the orange hues of a harvest moon.

     It's rather gorgeous. How beautiful it illuminates for all to see. Hypnotic, near paralyzing, and altogether stunning beyond words.

         

MY DREAM VACATION SPOT



     My dream vacation spot has always been Ireland. Don't get me wrong: I'd love to visit other parts of the world. There's just something about the lush, green atmosphere, as well as the history and folklore that surrounds such a beautiful place that's always intrigued me.      
     Gorgeous, huh?
     Anyone ever been to Ireland? Feel free to leave a comment and tell me your experience, as well as your favorite thing about this beautiful part of the world. In a future post, I'll let you know of another place in the world I've always wanted to visit during a particular time of the year. 

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PHOTO COURTESY OF www.pdphoto.org. (Per agreement to use this photo, information about this photo can be found by clicking HERE.)

IT'S FUNNY FOTO FRIDAY!

HAVE A FANTASTIC FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

WAKEY, WAKEY!

     Wakey, wakey, Mr. Leprechaun! Yep, I caught you napping in my backyard. Valentine's Day is officially over for the year, and Cupid's flown back into the Heavenlies to sharpen his love arrows for next year.

    So, rise from your slumber, my little friend! Paint the barren, brown world with green clover. Remind us that the bitterness of Winter's depth doesn't last forever, and the warmth of Springtime is always just around the next corner.    

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

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Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
When our time has come
We will be as one
God bless our love
God bless our love

Grow old along with me
Two branches of one tree
Face the setting sun
When the day is done
God bless our love
God bless our love

Spending our lives together
Two loves forever
World without end
World without end

Grow old along with me
Whatever fate decrees
We will see it through
For our love is true
God bless our love
God bless our love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(From the song, "GROW OLD WITH ME" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Lyrics written by John Lennon.)

SWEET MEMORIES OF YESTERDAY

     Before I begin, I must thank someone who thought along the same lines as me.
     One of my fellow bloggers named JANE (you can check out her wonderful blog, "COUNTRY BUMPKIN JANE" by clicking HERE .) had exactly the same idea I had. Jane, I cannot share royalties with you since we do this for free, but I can offer a big THANK YOU for having the same idea I had.
     In a previous post,  Jane commented on receiving Valentines at her school when she was a child. Ironically, I was going through an old wooden box I've got several blasts from my pasts in and found these two Valentines I gave as a child. The first card was a standard, dime store card, but do you remember the second one?
    As a child, I remember fondly going to the local store and seeing rows upon rows of wonderful greetings. They had G.I. Joe, Barbie (which was mainly for the girls), Transformers, NBA player Valentines, Care Bears, Holly Hobby, and the list goes on forever. I always loved taking a box home and tearing the cellophane wrapping. All the greetings would pour out and the fun would begin.
     I loved this tradition so much that I gave them to everyone: classmates, teachers, people I attended church with, etc. It was always just a wonderful way to get into the spirit of the season, and something I'll never forget.
     Perhaps that's why I carry such things into my adulthood. There are so many worries and woes when a person reaches adulthood: trying the survive in an economy with a highly-questionable future, and a time that seems to only get worse. I know we're supposed to move ahead with the times, but there's some things that'll never change with me. 
    Yes, I still love the old Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny cartoons, watching kites fly in Spring's cobalt-blue sky, and playing in the snow with the "babies". I love those things, my dear friends and always will. 
    See, my motto in regards to dealing with all-things uncontrollable is quite simple. As my Great Aunt Sara used to say: "The Good Lord blessed me with such things, and I'm gonna enjoy every one of them!"
    And you know what? I have been ever since and wouldn't have it any other way.  

IT'S FUNNY FOTO FRIDAY!

IN LIEU OF VALENTINE'S DAY...

HAVE A FANTASTIC FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

A BLAST FROM MY PAST

     I wanted to share with you something I have owned for nearly twenty years now.

     Back in 1992, I got my first VCR for Christmas and this was the first VHS I ever owned: Walt Disney's FANTASIA. A lot of my old VHS tapes have come and gone, broke and slowed down with age, but not this one. The tape is my favorite. 

     And believe it or not, I still own a VCR. Not my first one, of course. It ate Walt Disney's BAMBI, and I had to get a new one...long story. I have one of those VCR/DVD combo machines. Don't get me wrong, I love DVDs but there's something special about owning a VCR.

     I know it's probably not considered "with the times" to have a VCR or VHS tapes, especially in this Blu-Ray and DVD era, but I still watch them. One of my fondest memories in my youth was going to the video store. Remember that? The racks of movies would stretch out as far as the eye could see, just waiting to be rented. You'd get home, rush through the front door, pop it in, and all seemed right with the world.

     There's something about the click you hear when a tape is inserted into the VCR. You hear the click and get excited because you know real entertainment will soon come in the form of your favorite Hollywood heroes and heroines.

    Times may change. In fact, there will come a day when the DVD and Blu-Ray players will become mere things of the past. Twenty, maybe even thirty years from now some kid will blog about how they still own a classic DVD player, causing the new generation to scratch their heads and wonder what a DVD player is. 

    Nevertheless, there's a lesson to be learned. Enjoy everything in the now. Enjoy these precious gems that are on loan to us, because when they're gone we'll then understand they were the things that will stand true in our hearts when the next big thing roles back into town in another five years.

THE LOVE BOX

     This year, the Favorite Things Household made a vow to never take even the slightest thing for granted. And Valentine's Day is no exception.

     When I was a child, my mom and I (before my sisters came along) always made a Valentine's Day box. We'd stuff it with valentines and made sure the box was anywhere between half to nearly all the way full. On Valentine's Day, I'd come home from school and we'd open the box. It was a truly unforgettable memory.

     The best part is each Valentine's Day from now on will possess a love box filled with various mementos, warm memories, and displays of love to last a lifetime. Neat, huh? It's truly amazing what can happen when you add tin foil, some construction paper hearts, a steady hand and a lot of love.

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX

     I was sitting in my living room watching television when, low and behold, I had an unexpected visitor curiously snooping around my front yard.
     My neighborhood has a few dogs and cats that come around just to say hi. Well, the more I looked at this little guy, he didn't appear to be a cat despite the pointy ears and the closer I looked he wasn't a dog. He's a fox.
     I was sorta taken aback, because I'd never seen a fox in person before. He was kinda cute and didn't hurt anyone. It surprised me the babies, who have built-in radar, didn't see this cute little critter and go into hysterics.
     But there he was, nonetheless, watching traffic and secretly plotting his next move. I walked outside to greet him, and he mysteriously ran away. Where was he going? Who was he going to see? The tortoise, the hare, the hound...maybe even Henny Penny. 
     The world may never know.

IT'S FUNNY FOTO FRIDAY!

HAVE A FANTASTIC FRIDAY, EVERYONE!

A CLOUDLESS DAY

     This picture wasn't altered or "Photoshopped" in any way, shape or form. I took this picture a few days ago. And when I took it, I had the current weather conditions in mind.
      My location, East Tennessee, is getting pounded with rain, while the majority of the country is getting more than their share of snow. In lieu of that, I wanted to show this picture of a cloudless, cobalt-colored sky. With Spring officially one month away, the current weather conditions and this picture kinda put something into perspective for me.
      It doesn't matter if fierce, brewing storms are weather-related or personal. If we hang on a little while longer, the treacherous storms will eventually pass and be replaced with many more cloudless days to come.  
     To sum up: today's forecast calls for threatening weather, but the look ahead is, as one song says: "nothin' but blue skies from now on."