Friday, March 11, 2016

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic Video Review

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic - A wonderful video for kids
Photo from the Video Cover
"The Tale of the Bunny Picnic" is a wonderful children's classic video that is loved by all ages.   It is the perfect children's video for Easter, but will be treasured throughout the year.   

Jim Henson really out did himself when he created this story.  The story and the characters are beloved childhood memories for both of our children.  Actually, they still watch the video!

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic is an interesting twist to the "boy who cried wolf" story and has bunny rabbits for the main characters.

You'll love all of the bunnies, especially Bean.  You will even love the farmers dog.



 Jim Henson Video: The Tale of the Bunny Picnic [VHS]

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic Cover Story 

 

This adorable little bunny adventure is sure to win your heart!  The animated bunnies, dogs, people and other animals in Jim Henson's video, The Bunny Picnic," are all really endearing.

The story centers around Bean, a young, imaginative bunny who tells so many tales that when he really does discover that the farmer has a new dog to hunt rabbits, none of the other bunnies believe his warning.


The Tale of the Bunny Picnic Video Provided by: Heather Katsoulis


 

My Recommendation of The Tale of the Bunny Picnic

"The Tale of the Bunny Picnic" is a wonderful children's classic video that is loved by all ages.
When my now grown children were little, this video played constantly.  We memorized the songs and some of the lines.  Even today, when one of us randomly starts reciting sections of the tale, the rest of us join in with the appropriate character responses.  I truly believe when a story has that kind of lasting effect, that must be the best recommendation that can be given.

Here is an excerpt of our favorite part of the tale:

Story Teller: "Fox, Fox, I'm the Giant Hedgehog and even though I'm really, really big and you're really, really small, I'm not gonna hurt you and do you know why?" 

Little Bunny: "No Why?"

Story Teller: "Because those who hurt others, hurt themselves."


How to Purchase Your Copy of "The Tale of the Bunny Picnic"


Because these videos are no longer in production, they are not always easy to find.  Plus, when you do find a copy, they are often quite expensive.  I have honestly found the best place to search for the video is on Ebay.  The video may be used, but it is still worth buying your own copy.


 


Review of "The Tale of the Bunny Picnic" was Written by:
House of Sylvestermouse





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Brown Pelican Photos

Photographing Brown Pelicans is a Fun Challenge 


Brown Pelican photo by mbgphoto
Pelicans are fascinating birds to watch.When you see them waddle on the ground it is difficult to imagine them soaring gracefully through the skies. However, walk along coast in southern USA and you will dozens of them doing just that in the skies above you.

 I have photographed pelicans sitting on rocks, on piers and on the beach. The other morning as the sun came up I noticed a flock of pelicans gently gliding across the sky in the early morning light. I started snapping photos to get just the right shot of a pelican in front of the rising sun.

Photography and pelicans just seem to go together. I hope you enjoy the selection of photos that I am sharing on this page.  

photos by Mary Beth Granger


Pelican and Lighthouse 

pelicans at fishing harbor 

One of the best places to photograph pelicans is by a fishing harbor. You will always find lots of pelicans sitting around the fishing boats. Since their main source of food is fish, they can have quite a feast when the boats come in from a fishing trip and clean their fish. I took this photo early in the morning at the fishing docks across from the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse.
greeting card from florida
Source: Mary Beth Granger


Facts about Brown Pelicans - Pelecanus occidentalis

As I was preparing to write this page, I did a bit of reading on brown pelicans to gather some facts. I found them to be a very fascinating subject. I have listed my sources in the link list near the end of this page. Here are some of the facts that I found interesting.
  • Heaviest bird capable of flight
  • Adults weight as much as 10-17 pounds
  • Size 50 inches with a wing spread of 6 1/2 feet.
  • Diet is almost entirely fish
  • Found on coast of southern USA and south to the northern coasts of Brazil and Chile.
  • Live along coasts, salt bays, beaches and ocean. Mostly over shallow waters.
  • Known for their huge bill and expandable pouch
  • Male pelican selects a nesting site and then tries to attract a female using head motions.
  • Several days after nest is completed the female pelican lays 2-3 eggs. Eggs take about 1 month to hatch.
  • Both male and female pelicans incubate and care for their young.

Pelicans on the Beach - morning at the beach

pelicans on the beach photo by mbgphoto

About 8:00 one morning I was taking a walk at Jupiter Beach Park when I came across hundreds of pelicans on the beach. I walked up closer and found that thousands of small fish had washed up on shore and the pelicans and other birds were having a feast. I had almost left that morning without a camera, but at the last minute put my small point and shoot camera around my neck. I was sure glad I had the camera because I was able to get many photos of the pelicans. The photo above shows the sight at the beach and the ones below shows some closeups of a couple of pelicans that I cropped from the bigger photos.

pelican on the beach photo by mbgphoto

Pelicans in Flight - morning at the beach


pelicans in flight photo by mbgphoto

I could sit for hours and watch pelicans in flight and coming in for a landing. The photo above shows one in flight and the photo below is a pelican come in for a water landing.

pelicans over the ocean photo by mbgphoto


Pelicans at Fishing Pier 


It was 7:30 in the morning in Jupiter Florida and the fishing boats were leaving for a day of deep sea fishing. I was taking my sister and brother-in-law to meet their boat when I captured this photo of the pelicans all sitting on the piers. I love the look of them each sitting on a post. They appeared to be waiting for the boats to return and clean their fish.

pelicans at the pier photo by mbgphoto

On the Pier

pelicans on the pier photo by mbgphoto

 

Pelican Poem

Ogden Nash??

When I was young I heard a poem about a pelican that has stuck in my mind. I had always thought it was written by Ogden Nash( and I have found it is often attributed to Nash) but I have discovered it was written by Dixon lanire Merritt around 1910. I find it to be a catchy limerick about the pelican.
A wonderful bird is a pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week;
But I’m damned if I see how the helican.
sunrise in florida photo by mbgphoto

Pelicans at Sunrise

soaring over ocean

I love to sit on our Florida balcony at sunrise and watch the pelicans soar over the ocean. I have spent many mornings trying to capture the birds in the early morning sunrise. Here is one of my efforts.

Pelican on Beach Mouse Pad
Pelican on Beach Mouse Pad by mbgphoto
View more Pelican Mousepads at zazzle.com
Here are two of my latest Pelican photos. These Pelicans were resting on the rocks by the pier in Jupiter Florida.
pelican on the beach photo by mbgphoto
pelican resting on the beach photo by mbgphoto



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Wednesday, March 9, 2016

My Computer Bible

I'm sure you are asking yourself if you read that title correctly and the answer is yes!  It says MY COMPUTER BIBLE!  The next question you are asking is " I've never heard of it!" or  "Is it on the Best Sellers List?"

The resounding answer to both of these questions is a big bold  NO!

Now comes the important part, why you should make sure that there is a Computer Bible in your house!  How do I get one and just what the heck is it? And do I really need one?

Please read on and I will explain it all, and I bet it will make a whole bunch of sense to you once you open your eyes and see why you should have this neat tool at your home or work space.

Since the boom of the internet and all the ways in which we use modern technology, one thing has become increasingly difficult for me personally, and I am sure I am not alone.  As a matter of fact, I know that I am not alone, because I have asked many people what their one (most prevalent) peeve is about modern day life......

Inevitably, it will have something to do with computers, social media and the need for passwords to prevent or at least slow down the opportunities to Hack into your space on the World Wide Web. Whether you use social media to converse with friends and family, or whether you use social media to broaden your horizons or work and play together, Your ability to keep yourself safe and your information safe on social media is to have strong passwords to protect your property.  Just as we have locks on our doors to keep out strangers, so we need locks on our 'CYBERSPACE" to keep it safe and secure too.  We don't want to find that our BLOGS, FACEBOOK PAGE, WEBSITE, OR any other place where we work and play can be easily taken over by HACKERS!

This is where the Computer Bible comes in!  My Computer Bible is a beautiful hand bound leather covered blank book where I keep a list of all my passwords.


open book

What is in there?  All of my logins, my accounts and every password to every social media site I use. My Twitter name and password, Facebook names and passwords, my passwords to courses I take on other peoples sites, my cpanel log in and User names.  Anything that I do that requires a Username and Password is recorded in my Computer Bible!  When a password changes, the date and new password are logged in as well.

You may ask, why do this?  Well from experience, I know that as I get older, I don't remember things as well as I used to.  One of my websites was lost, because I could not remember the password and has lost the page where the information was located.  I was not very organized at that time, because I didn't have the need.  I could remember these things and a whole lot more.  Then came that inevitable day, when I could NOT remember and I wasn't organized enough.

Now I know and have been taught by several of my "computer guru friends", that keeping a Computer Bible is a necessity.  And just like a Family Bible that has a special place in your home, so your Computer Bible should have a place that is safe, secure, and accessible should you need it.


You see for me this is very important, because I also use this book to keep all my Affiliate Logins and Passwords, my blogging Passwords, and anything that I do on the web for pleasure or for profit. Because I do a lot of blogging for pleasure, I donate whatever monies I make, to charities that mean something to me. If ever the day should come and I can no longer do this myself, there will be all the information there for someone else to take over should they want to continue doing what I do now. My Computer Bible is not only my #1 reference guide, but it is also all the information anyone could need or want should I no longer be able to continue. Like the family Bible, it has a special place and only a few people know where that is. You don't want all your hard work falling into the hands of someone who really doesn't care as much as you do.

Working in Cyberspace, has it's benefits and it's pitfalls, don't let forgetting passwords and logins be one of yours.  Life is so much easier, with so many less things to remember.  A quick flip through my Computer Bible, lands me in the place that I need to be, and gives me the information that I seek, without sweating bullets or trying hundreds of different passwords to unlock what you remembered you put there yesterday.....or was that last week or last month?????




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Reviewing The Ides Of March

Beware The Ides Of March

julius caesar statue
Julius Caesar
The famous line spoken to Julius Caesar by the seer, warning him to beware of the 15th day in March as harm was to come to him. It is said that as that infamous day was approaching its end, Julius saw the seer in the market and remarked that the day was almost over and nothing had happened. "Ahh, but the day is not gone," retorted the seer. Julius Caesar went on to the Senate of Rome and met with his death on that day, the Ides of March. 

During that time in our history, March in the Roman calendar was actually the first month of the year. The ides occurred in every month around the middle, usually the 13th except for the months of March, May, July and October. The Romans used the ides, whether in March or any month, as a reference point of determining days of the month. They did not count the days consecutively like we do now, but instead counted back from three points of interest. The Nones occurred around the 5th or 7th day depending on the length of the month in question, the Ides (13th or 15th) and the Kalends which was the first of the following month. Golly, it sure would have been difficult to quickly know what day it was! 

If you are a history buff, you know that on the 15th of March in the year of 44 B.C Julius Caesar was assassinated by of group of some 60 people led by Brutus and Cassius. This event led to a civil war, the end of the Roman Republic and the rise to power of Octavian who would later be known as Augustus Caesar. You can read the facts in a history book, you can see the play by William Shakespeare or read a book by a multitude of authors to find out more. 

One of my favorites about the man, Julius Caesar and the events that led up to that fateful day in March is The Ides of March: A Novel by Thornton Wilder. The book was first published in 1948 but is still fascinating to read today. It is a novel so much of the story is based on Wilder's interpretation of letters and historical facts about the ruler of the Roman Republic. What I like about it is that it gives us a possible insight of the man and the ruler. The book allows us to see this historical figure as a human being with strengths and weaknesses that we all have in our souls.

If you like to read historical fiction and are interested in the era of time that the Romans ruled much of the world, I think you will like this book. I believe it is a good read for the month of March.



Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Monday, March 7, 2016

Covergirl +Olay Tone Rehab Review

COVERGIRL +OLAY
Choosing make up can be a nightmare.  The time it takes, the cost,  and the disappointment after you wear it once or twice and realize that it is not what you were looking for.  The seemingly infinite number of brands, products, and color choices add to the difficulty of the purchase. If you are looking for an inexpensive user-friendly foundation, I have the solution for you. This is my Covergirl +Olay Tone Rehab review.

My Covergirl +Olay Tone Rehab 2 in 1 Experience


If they were told I was writing a make-up review, folks who know me on a daily, face to face basis, would respond with a puzzled look and a "what?"  But after reading to the end, it would make perfect sense. You see, I am not a girly-girl.  My extent of putting on make up consists of washing my face, sometimes applying moisturizer, and applying mascara.  I have ever so rarely used foundation or eye shadow. And only slightly more often have worn blush. Make-up to me is bothersome.  It feels funny on my skin and I don't want to pay good money to feel funny.

But at age 50-something, and during certain recent events, I decided I needed a bit of make-up.  I was tired. My skin was splotchy and there were sleep-deprivation bags under my eyes.  I wanted to appear fresher than I was feeling.

I wandered the make-up aisle for literally an hour. Choosing, then changing my mind, and changing my mind back again.  I have never really worn foundation because it feels thick on my face, it often feels greasy, and as I've gotten older I began to notice that it seems to enhance the lines in my face. I have never been able to choose colors that seem to match.  I really like the natural look and feel. And on the rare occasions I tried make-up, I did not end up with that natural look.  And I certainly did not want to be one of those women with the distinct line of make up on their jaw or the big smudge of foundation on their sweater.

I was very lucky to by chance notice the Covergirl +Olay foundation.  I ultimately chose it because I know that I like Olay products. Olay is a moisturizer that I've used frequently over the years.  It tends to feel the least greasy and it has never caused me to break out.  And frankly, the swirls of foundation and moisturizer that were visible through the bottle were visually appealing to me.



Online, I just now realized that Covergirl advertises the +Olay Tone Rehab 2 in 1 as being able to -

  • Instantly covers discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles, while helping to improve skin tone over time
  • A foundation focused solely on tone discoloration and age spots
  • Provides beautiful even coverage
At the time I begrudgingly chose this foundation. Since then I have grown to love it and use it on a fairly regular basis. Without knowing the claims listed above, I learned that is exactly how this foundation performs.  

I found that Covergirl +Olay - 
  • Evens my skin tone 
  • I appeared "fresher" - even when sleep deprived
  • Moisturizes - smoothing the dry spots
  • While I can feel that it is on my face, it does not feel "caked" on, heavy, or more greasy than the moisturizer I often use
  • I adjust how much I use - using just two small "drops" for my entire face.  
  • It is a more sheer color; no annoying make-up line along my jawline
I don't blame you one bit if you don't trust my Covergirl + Olay Tone Rehab review.  I'm a make-up non-enthusiast who is recommending make-up. That is either a bit strange or a REALLY strong endorsement. If you prefer more experienced opinions, check out the reviews on Amazon. At the time of this writing, it is rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars by 285 customers. 

Thank you Covergirl and Olay for partnering to bring me a product that works so well for women like me. 







Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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Review This Reviews is Dedicated to the Memory of Our Beloved Friend and Fellow Contributor

Susan DeppnerSusan Deppner

We may be apart, but
You Are Not Forgotten





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