Saturday Critters from Charleston

Welcome to

 SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

and City Daily Photo

I arrived back to Minnesota last night and if it weren't for work tomorrow, I'd be ready to fly back to the more desirable temperatures of South Carolina. We're expecting a low of 12 degrees this evening. Brrrr! 

Grace, style, dignity and proudness. All words that come to mind when I see these beautiful horses.

and as our guide said about his horse, a whole lot of wit, highly intelligent, patient and humorful, as he'll push the limit when he can.

Horses are a common sight on the streets of Charleston, South Carolina. There's a load limit for these horses and that's why some have two rather than a single horse. Notice the Horse Poop Catcher Bag?

I have to tell you we never once ran into any horse or dog poop for that matter, it's an extremely clean well-kept city.

Hello and Greetings, a huge Welcome from Charleston just for you.

"Your life determines your journey and explorations, so it makes sense that your journey and exploring determines your life."

Meet Pinckney and the horse that took us on our city tour carriage ride. I met several before we chose Pinckney and he goes home every day with his owner (our tour guide.)

Carriage rides are one of the major tours in Charleston.

(Not to forget we also did the Tour Guided Walking and Ghost tours as well.) 

"The wind of heaven is that blows between a horse's ears."

Arabian Proverb

"A pleasant traveling companion helps us on our journey as much as a carriage."

Jonathan Swift

and 

"May you live all the days of your life."

One artsy dog found in an antique shop.

"Our life is not short; the only thing short is our stay."

Nalini Dhiman

My daughter and I stumbled upon the

 Pounce Cat Cafe.

Besides petting and relaxing with cats they offer, Pet Adoption, Wine Bars, Coffee and Tea.

"Ultimately, everything that we do is merely in hopes of being loved or spreading it."

Nalini Dhiman

"Vision is the art of seeing things invisible."

Jonathan Swift

"We live on the scattered rocks of a large planet that burst out of emotions. Therefore, it is normal to experience pain and stress, it's how life is completed."

Nalini Dhiman

Honestly darling, there's not anything silly about my ears.

Mr. Pounce?

"Cats randomly refuse to follow orders to prove they can."

Ilanoa Andrews, from Magic Strikes

"Time does not change us. It just unfolds us."

Max Frisch quotes

"Cats are a mysterious kind of folk."

Sir Walter Scott

I believe this quote from John Steinbeck immensely defines my way of thinking and it's a great way of living life.

"I take pleasure in inquiring into things. I've never been content to pass a stone without looking under it." J. S.

Pretty much everything you see, feel or touch is a mystery begging to be solved.

Thanks for stopping in and know that I appreciate your comments as well. Thank you. Take good care of you.

Ecstatic Motion

 

Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.

Anita Desai

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.

Lao Tzu

Sometimes your adventures take you 30 miles away.

Downtown St. Paul, Minnesota

"Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small you are the universe in ecstatic Motion."

Rumi

"Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames."

Rumi

"The soul has been given it's own ears to hear things mind does not understand."

Rumi

Today in just a couple of hours I'll be flying to Charleston, South Carolina to meet my daughter and celebrate her birthday tomorrow! 5  days in Charleston, is going to be a well deserved getaway vacation.

Market Hall in Charleston, South Carolina.

See you in a few days.

Take good care of you.

Great Big Mess- November Theme for City Daily Photo

Oops, life and work has been a bit overwhelming, but we're not too far into November yet so here is my take on City Daily Photo and our November theme of "Great Big Mess" please enjoy.

Photo below live from yesterday inside our (a tad bit messy workspace) Pole Barn our visiting (moved in forever?) Peacock pretending to be a mechanic? Carpenter?

Perhaps our idleness lies scattered about in the hope of the great refreshing, redeemed and necessary awareness that one must harness some civilization and clean it all up? My thoughts anyway.

It's like the Beauty and the Beast, as our visiting, remaining yet, Peacock brings such a glorious sight and pure enjoyment for us (excluding my dogs opinions of course) and is often found in the messiest of situations. Secure safe and sound hiding places to preform the duties of preying upon some unlucky critters.

Even in our messiest of places, within our life and places, everything keeps moving forward. Thankfully.

"This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; a shower is forever falling: vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls."  John Muir

Catching the sun rays across his back.

When we only focus on grey clouds and the dark sky 

then you'll find yourself well, a bit gloomy.

How many of you have that unfinished project? I'm afraid to count the years that have flown by since we parked this 1949 Cadillac right here.

See, just another safe harbor for those critters looking for a peaceful surrounding.

Unfixed. (never started) Unfinished. (is there hope) We can always hope so.

They say no matter where you find yourself in life, 

there's always hope. Take control of those things, which you'll soon discover can lead to larger accomplishments and those goals you truly desire. 

"Progress is one step closer to excellence."

 Frank Sonnenberg from Listen to Your Conscience; That's Why You Have One.

Note: Sadly the link for this Great Big Mess closed on November 4th. Oh well I'm still learning, and even so, I hope you enjoyed my post! 

I thank you for stopping in and your comments. Enjoy your weekend.

Take good care of you and please stay safe.

In The Eye of A Cat on Saturday Critters

 Good morning all and welcome to another 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

 and City Daily Photo posting.

I open this with a photo from my relaxing day last Tuesday in charming and quaint Northfield, I've brought you here before. I'll post more from that day this week as I wandered through the most incredible peaceful pathways carved out of an empty prairie and decorated with not just nature's gifts but some incredible artwork as well and my first visit there. Trust me there will be more visits there.

There's something alive in this moment as reflections glisten across the water, peacefully unfolding from a bathing by nature's finest gifts, waiting just for us.

Karen Sather

and there will be lots of silent judging happening in these next photos.

Thoughts in Sparkle's head:

If I sit here real quiet and pretty maybe they won't notice me and feel forced to add more things to my body for this thing they call "Halloween" as quite frankly they are all a bit weird looking today. Look at the dog.

"I mean what is Artemis trying to prove here?" Questions Sparkle.

Sparkle attempting the cat-strut-stealthily-hoping-to go unnoticed. 

and of course Lou-Lou was all upset because nobody bothered to dress her for Halloween.

Wait!

Until they did! Careful what you wish for. 

Emphasis on really? has reached a new meaning with this expression!

The occasional resistance and dramatic pause is often so cat material.

In a cat's eye all things belong to cats.

Always, and forever.

Self-reflection is the School of Wisdom

Baltasar Gracian

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

Ernest Hemingway

"Cats have it all - admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it."

Rod McKuen

To be loved by a cat is rewarding beyond words. Try it sometime.

It applies to the love from a dog as well, never forget that.

WooHoo an extra hour of sleep tonight.

Remember here in the United States we are turning our clocks back one hour tonight for 

Daylight Savings time.

Keep Calm and Carrot On

Rusty offers this good thought that too often we forget to apply.

"Practice the pause. Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you're about to react harshly and you'll avoid doing and saying things you'll later regret."

Lori Deschene

 

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Your comments are so special to me.

Enjoy your weekend and the autumn-like weather

 as we all know around these parts what lies ahead for us.

 Take good care of you and stay safe.

 

Food for Thought

Use each interaction to be the best,

most powerful version of yourself.

said the cat and

Marianne Williamson

Okay as I promised is this the kitty cat post today?

Nope, that's saved for this coming Saturday's Critters post with Eileen. Instead, a bit of kitty cat wisdom about an important experience I had last week.

"Blessed are those that love cats, for they shall never be lonely."

Love given is love returned. Same goes for volunteering.

Just one of the many opportunities working for Target offers us. Although I already knew about "Feed My Starving Children of Minnesota" through the Lions Club (their motto, We serve) this time I went with co-workers. I'm  Posting to City Daily Photo.

"It's not the love you make. It's the love you give."

Yes, that's me in the center along with four other team members from our store. 

As this video shows music playing in the background as we work,  music sets the mood, I'm not kidding. They play upbeat songs all through the process of putting the bags together. Your first visit you may enter meek and unsure of what's going to happen but you leave energized in so many ways. 

"Let go of certainty. The opposite isn't uncertainty, It's openness, curiosity and a willingness to embrace paradox, rather than choose up sides. The ultimate challenge is to accept ourselves exactly as we are, but never stop trying to learn and grow."

 Tony Schwartz quotes

and 

"Each of us has a finite reservoir of energy in any given day."

Life often feels like a guessing game.

Should I engage or walk on by?

If you have a choice to interact

 face to face,

do it!

Let The Art Of Conversation Grow.

I don't know if it's the aftermath of COVID-19 taking over/consuming  our lives but I stumbled across this awesome quote today.

"In these times I don't in a manner of speaking, know what I want; perhaps I don't want what I know and want what I don't know." Marsilio Ficino  Born 1433 and died 1499 amazing right?

A delicious close to food for thought is this.

Never underestimate the power of kitty-cats and sweets.

Thanks for sharing time with me. Your visits and comments are special.

Take good care of you and enjoy your week.

 

Color My World With Critters

Happiness for me is surrounding myself around critters. Welcome to another Saturday posting of critters within my world. I'm also posting to City Daily Photo.

I begin today with this quote from Nakeia Homer it's what I've learned through the years, and especially from my pets.

"Remember the last time

you thought you couldn't do it,

but then you did?

Do that again." Nakeia Home

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

Welcome to the pups in my world and sorry kitties you aren't in this line-up today. 

Meet Bugsy my oldest son's pup.

Royal pup in my eyes Artemis (a girl) named by my daughter from Artemis, The Greek Goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon and Chastity. 

Rusty (my youngest son's pup) is the sweetest of all pups ever here with one of his boys!

Yikes, Rusty what are those green hands behind you rising up from the ground?

My daughter and her pup Artemis!

My beloved pups, Dash (also named by my daughter as Dashiell Hammett one of her favorite writers) above and below with Misty.

"You got to look on the bright side, even if there ain't one." Dashiell Hammett

Also my oldest son's pup, sweet little Emme who graciously allows her brother Bugsy to take center stage until she doesn't! hehehe.

"The love of a dog is a pure thing. He/she gives you a trust that is total. You must not betray it."

Michel Houellebecq 

"Like literature, music can overwhelm you with sudden emotion, can move you to absolute sorrow or ecstasy; like literature, painting has the power to astonish, and to make you see the world through fresh eyes.

Come close and let me tell you an ancient story.

But only literature can put you in touch with another human spirit, as a whole, with all its weaknesses and grandeurs, its limitations, its  pettinesses, its obsessions, its beliefs; with whatever it finds moving, interesting, exciting, or repugnant." 

Michel Houellebecq

This quote, pretty much explains what the critters in our lives master as well.

Update on our peacock that so far as yet still remains with us.

"If you stare at someone long enough, they'll eventually look back at you."

Cory Doctorow

I hear your approach! 

Always on the run though. When we stay quietly inside watching through a window we get a lovely show, even see the beautiful fan of feathers.

 

Risky business coming this close to our pups view though, and he's off and running again.

"If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree."

Og Mandina

Random hikers with their pups. All lost in thought.

"You can't discuss the ocean with a well frog, he's limited by the space he lives in. You can't discuss ice with a summer insect, he's bound to a single season."

Zhuangzi

Some faces are hard to resist.

 

"The real world is much smaller than the imaginary."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valleys you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop."

Og Mandino

 

Thank you for sharing time with me.

Take good care of you and be safe.