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THE SUICIDE THAT ROCKED THIS SMALL TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY, THEN NEWS THAT QUICKLY SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD

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This post is breaking protocol in my mission here to spread good news and help people get out and about to find the free and ever accessible joy and peace of nature, while sustaining what we still have for the future. Due in part to our fascination with social media, news of the initially questioned suicide of a thirty-year-old pastors wife, Mica Miller on April 24, 2024 quickly spread like a west coast wildfire in gusty winds. Protesters spent this Fathers Day in South Carolina enduring sweltering heat to passionately chant and carry signs in front of the church where Mica and her husband, JP Miller worked and worshipped.    Protestors chanted and angrily jabbed accusing fingers directly at the church near its signs on the church lawn which encouraged love and forgiveness. Police officers stayed close to protesters the entire time to keep them safe and orderly, and kept traffic moving on the busy through-street that runs in front of the church. Men were also protesting and sho
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Only a Few Decades Ago, You Wouldn't Have Seen This

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Happy International Womens Day March, 8, 2024 Look closely! The expressions on these players and refs faces say it all, watching #15, the first female on this soccer team go for a head ball. Her look of sheer determination reminds me of all the women - and men who never stopped pursuing their true passion or denied themselves their dreams. I'm so grateful for the choices and opportunities we have today  because those who came before us refused to be content with or to be bullied into accepting the status quo. Just for fun, I wished a few friends, "happy Womens Day" and was surprised at the fountain of stories of trials, perseverance, and victories that flooded back to me.  One story was from a University of Virginia alumnus who just learned that the school recently released a cap with the simple logo, "1974" across the front. She's in her early 40s but was shocked. What was so surprising she said, was that it was to celebrate the first coed class at this pre
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Seeing Mating Dragonflies Assures True Love, Now and in the Future According to Old Wisdom

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This is How Courtin' is Done in The South Dragonflies have survived here for millions of years and they are the stuff of romance in their enthralling lore and captivating superstitions to many. Many perceive and adopt them as their "spirit animal" for this very reason. Their mating ritual however is anything but romantic, definitely not enjoyable for the female, and I wondered how the species has survived for so long.  Read on.  It was mid September in the south so I was on a hike and a mission to see what the last blast of summer would offer me.  At first I could only see a hint of what I thought may be a dragonfly. Dragonflies frequently mate mid air and the scientific term for their ritual is, "tandem linkage," for obvious reasons. What are the chances they would be in the precise time and destined place in their mating ritual that I could not only see them,but have enough time to complete this shot.  I think painting this would be very enjoyable, both in acr
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Does the Stormy New Year Have your Embers Merely Smoldering? Jumpstart Your Psyche With a New Passion!

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FULL DISCLOSURE: I RECEIVE NO INCENTIVES, MONETARY OR OTHERWISE TO PROMOTE THESE TOOLS TO YOU. I'M OFFERING THEM MERELY TO HELP YOU FIND THE JOY AND SATISFACTION I'VE FOUND IN TRACING MY ROOTS.  What Does "Tis the Season" Mean to You? It could be time for a trip to Grammas attic to see what photos and forgotten treasures you can                                                 discover like this one a new friend shared with me Every year starting at Thanksgiving, I set aside time to reconnect and give thanks to those in my life who have blessed me. A few years ago, I discovered "Finding Your Roots," the PBS television show with Dr. Henry Louis Gates and I realized how thankful I am to have discovered genealogy research. The incredible ancestors I discovered awaken my spirit and inspire me, but also new friends I've made and what has trickled down has been extremely rewarding. It had always been in the back of my mind to find out how and when our famil
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FOR THE LOVE OF BLOOPERS AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! MY MOST EMBARRASING TV MOMENT

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                                                                  What's a Girl to Do? To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity. William Arthur Ward As we were digesting our holiday dinner we discovered, https://za.investing.com/magazine/most-expensive-news-bloopers-and-fails-in-history-2 and had a lot of laughs scrolling through them. FULL DISCLOSURE! I AM ON NOBODYS PAYROLL AND HAVE SOLICITED NO ENDORSEMENTS, CASH OR OTHERWISE FROM ANY SPONSOR(S). It reminded me of when I was being taped for an HGTV television show I was hosting and had slipped up to the restroom while they were working on video in another area. Behind closed doors - or so I thought, I began talking to myself, coaching myself, refreshing my memory, and doing…….. well, you know what people do in a restroom. Luckily, my considerate sound man broke in fairly early and says - I'm sure as casually as he could, "ummmmmm Miss P, are you aware
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Do You Believe in Ghosts?

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                                        Hannelor Osfolk in 2010, Bier Garden Owner  Anton and Hannelor Osfolk never expected to provide home and haven to a ghost when they left Germany to make a better life for their growing family in America.  Hannelor said she loved to cook and people would always compliment her concoctions, so recipes and talented husband in tow, they took a chance and opened the Bier Garden in Olde Town Portsmouth, VA in 1997.  She said her husband was skilled in all the brick and mortar aspects of the restaurant so they ultimately added a charming outside garden which butted up against an old courthouse and jail. To add to the intrigue of their endeavor, they learned that the historic jails lawn had been the areas execution grounds for prisoners. Executed prisoners ranged from sailors in the wrong place at the wrong time to turncoats, murderers, and everything in between during this historic prisons heyday. Along with all the challenges one encounters when startin
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Ghosts and Hauntings and Ladybugs OH MY!

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This haunted waterfront town is filled with curious ghostly tales and centuries of engaging history so obviously it's one of my most favorite to visit in October especially. Even as far back as Captain John Smiths recounts of his explorations, he mentions Portsmouth, VA in 1608 when he writes of a Native American village in the now "hospital point" area of the city.  FYI! Visiting it after sunset is even more exciting, so go for it and let your curiosity and imagination take over. The city's havoc-filled history includes the famous and the infamous such as traitor Benedict Arnold and famous Brit, General Cornwallis.  The strategic port city was even headquarters for the British forces in 1781. Besides the many elaborate church steeples adorning the skyline, I think my most favorite is a building completed in 1845, with an unusual and intriguing connection to its adjacent structure so read on.  It's the old Norfolk Courthouse and is in the "prison square area&
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