“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” –Charles de Gaulle

Man must show kindness from the heart towards animals, because those who use being cruel to them are just as insensitive to men.

[Immanuel Kant]

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains awakened.” –Anatole France

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.” –Milan Kundera

“The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat.” –Jules Renard

“One small cat changes coming home to an empty house to coming home.” –Pam Brown

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” –Josh Billings

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” –Martin Buber

“Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.” –George Eliot

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
― Mark Twain

Life Lessons from a Tree.

 

Life Lessons from a Tree - Location - Liège/Luik, Belgium -

Image by Guy Krettels,

Rainwater Harvesting. Great Idea. Reap what you Sow.

Changing Seasons - the Mud Maid is a living sculpture by Sue Hill.

Depending on the season, the mud maid’s ‘hair’ and ‘clothes’ change when the

seasonal plants and moss grow over the sculpture.

House of Succulents. Italy

Green Renaissance

@greenrenaissance 

What Part of "MEOW" don't you understand.

What is Luxury?

Charles Barrell

Move ONE Million

 

Barely the day started and... it's already six in the evening.

 

Barely arrived on Monday and it's already Friday.

... and the month is already over.

... and the year is almost over.

... and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed.

... and we realize that we lost our parents, friends.

and we realize it's too late to go back...

So... Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time...

Let's keep looking for activities that we like...

Let's put some color in our grey...

Let's smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.

And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let's try to eliminate the afters...

I'm doing it after...

I'll say after...

I'll think about it after...

We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours.

Because what we don't understand is that:

Afterwards, the coffee gets cold...

afterwards, priorities change...

Afterwards, the charm is broken...

afterwards, health passes...

Afterwards, the kids grow up...

Afterwards parents get old...

Afterwards, promises are forgotten...

afterwards, the day becomes the night...

afterwards life ends...

And then it's often too late....

So... Let's leave nothing for later...

Because still waiting see you later, we can lose the best moments,

the best experiences,

best friends,

the best family...

The day is today... The moment is now...

We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away.

NO SPEAKAH DA ENGLISH

A bus stops and 2 Italian men get on. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation.

The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of them say the following:

Emma come first.
Den I come.
Den two asses come together.
I come once-a-more! ..
Two asses, they come together again.
I come again and pee twice.
Then I come one lasta time'

The lady can't take this anymore, "You foul- mouthed sex obsessed pig!" She retorted indignantly. 'In this country, we don't speak aloud in public places about our sex lives!"

'Hey, coola down lady,' said the man, 'Whooza talkin' about sex? I'm a justa tellin' my frienda how to spell " Mississippi "

GRATITUDE IS AN INSTANT REMEDY TO ILLUSIONS OF LACK.

You were born with the natural ability to

 manifest what you want.

 You have been given the ability to 

imagine and visualize

 your desired reality into existence.

Direct your energy towards what you want.

Speak and think it into existence.

Believe in it so much that it must show up.

Believe in miracles, and they will believe in you.

To live your life in the way you choose, you have

 to be a bit rebellious.

You have to be willing to stand up for yourself.

Sometimes we don't need to have a plan.

All that is needed is to trust, breathe, release and be 

available to what unfolds.

GOD when I lose hope, help me to remember

 that your love is greater than

 my disappointments and your plans

 for my life are better than my dreams. Amen.

Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater

 power than defending or hanging on.

If you can't receive help with an open heart, you're

 never really giving it with an open heart.

Sometimes catching a glimpse of God's faithfulness 

in a backward glance is just what a heart

 needs to keep moving forward.

CHALLENGE: When a negative thought enters your mind, think three positive ones. Train yourself to flip the scrip.

A SMILE TO START YOUR NEW YEAR,

A PRAYER TO BLESS YOUR WAY,

A SONG TO LIGHTEN BURDENS,

AND HUGS TO WISH YOU ALL THE BLESSINGS.

                        

 

HAPPY 2021, MAY THE NEW YEAR BE FILLED WITH BLESSINGS.

 

I asked a friend who has crossed 70 & is heading towards 80 what sort of changes he is feeling in himself? He sent me the following:

1 After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2 I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3 I have stopped bargaining with vegetable & fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4 I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5 I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6 I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7 I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”

8 I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9 I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10 I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11 I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

12 I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.

13 I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.

14 I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

I decided to share this for all my friends. Why do we have to wait to be 60 or 70 or 80, why can't we practice this at any stage and age? 

Of Great Interest

@OfGreatInterest 

To be beautiful, all you have to be is you,

 

You do not have to be tall to be beautiful.
You do not have to be thin or long-limbed.
You do not have to have long, straight, shiny hair.
You do not have to be an hourglass or a string bean or a pear.
You do not have to be blemish-free, without freckles, scars, or tattoos.
You do not have to fit or demolish certain physical paradigms.

You do not have to be buxom to be beautiful.
You do not have to possess va-va-voom curves or full lips.
You do not have to resemble a movie star, or a lingerie model, or a porn star.
You do not have to sexualize your exterior to be beautiful.
You do not have to neuter your exterior to be beautiful.

You do not have to wear makeup to be beautiful.
You do not have to wear skirts and heels.
You do not have to cover your grays or disguise your cellulite.
You do not have to shun or accept practices of dressing or personal presentation.

Those who quantify beauty as genetic makeup, symmetry, mathematical ratios are, to me, as wrong as those who accept beauty as a set of societally-imposed ideals and standards. To rank beauty, classify it, assign it biological markers and geometric requirements is to say to some people, “No, you cannot have this. It is not for you.” And although many will disagree with me, I believe that beauty is a feeling, a freedom, a pulse from within that says, “I am worthy, lovely, strong.” And I believe every single human being has a right to feel it.

Beauty is not definite, it is relative.
Beauty is not exclusive, it is infinite.
Beauty is not for others, it is for you.

And to be beautiful, all you have to be is you, you, you. 

Sally McGraw 

3 INGREDIENT CHEESECAKE

             

1 litre plain double cream yoghurt

1 tin condensed milk

200g tennis biscuits, crushed

Press the biscuits into an even layer at the bottom of a deep microwave-safe dish.

Mix the condensed milk with the yoghurt and carefully pour the mixture over the biscuit base. Smooth the top, then microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes, or until set.

Refrigerate until cool, then slice to serve.

Lekker soetgoed

@lekkersoetgoed  

Jalapeno Popper Chorizo Cheesecake

              

Ingredients

• 1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2+ jalapenos, diced

directions

1. Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, before setting aside.
2. Add the onion to the pan and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking until fragrant, about a minute, and removing from the heat.
3. Press the mixture of the cracker crumbs and butter into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
4. Mix the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream before mixing in the cheddar, chorizo, onion, garlic and jalapenos and pouring into the pan.
5. Pour the batter into the spring form pan, wrap the bottom of the pan in foil, place in a larger pan with a small amount of hot water and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until set, about 60 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold!

https://www.closetcooking.com

Bicoitos Italianos

INGREDIENTES 
300g de açúcar
300g de farinha de trigo
1 pitada de sal
1 colher (chá) de erva-doce em grão torrada
1 colher (chá) de mel
1 colher (chá) de fermento em pó
1 colher (chá) de extracto de baunilha
2 ovos
150g de amêndoas peladas

100g uva passa

1 gema batida para pincelar
açúcar para polvilhar

PREPARAÇÃO 
Numa tigela misturar os ingredientes secos, excepto a amêndoa.
Juntar a baunilha e os ovos e amassar. Juntar as amêndoas e amassar.
Tender 3 rolos cilíndricos com 12cm de largura e achatar as margens dos rolos de forma a obter-se uma secção em meia-lua, com 2-3cm de altura no centro.
Levar ao forno sobre papel vegetal ou tapete de silicone, afastados, pincelados com gema e polvilhados com açúcar, a 200ºC durante 15-20min..
Retirar deixar arrefecer 5min. e cortar, com uma faca grande de chefe, em palitos da grossura de um dedo.

Levar os palitos ao forno, no mesmo papel, durante 5min. a 200ºC para secarem e ficarem crocantes.

Kindness

    K I N D N E S S    

One of the greatest gifts you can 
 bestow upon another. If someone is in
need, lend them a helping hand. Do
not wait for a thank you. True
kindness lies within the act of
giving without expectation of
something in return.

(Author unknown)