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© Mary Strong-Spaid and Before I Forget/Stories with No Books, 2012-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mary Strong-Spaid and Before I Forget/ Stories with No Books with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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Recent Posts
- Cat Clinging to the Edge of Normal
- Christmas Lion 2020
- Monarch Butterfly Stops in San Antonio Mid-November
- Entomology Summer Camp Hands-On Experience
- Siamese Cat Shelter-in-Place Guidelines
- Covid-19 Life in a Darkening World
- Strong Civil War Connection to Fredericksburg
- The Little Eyes of Texas
- Good Friends and Auld Lang Syne
- Pulte New Home Nightmare
- Labrador Retriever Riding in Style
- Foster Kitten’s Grateful Prayer
- On the Path of Wind and Water
- Christmas Cat on Night Patrol
- Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ Christmas Magic
- Butterfly Love on a Leaf
- Hot Texas Summer Sun
- One Pink Wildflower
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Author Archives: Mary Strong-Spaid
Cat Clinging to the Edge of Normal
I do not understand! Why did you let strange people come in and rip out the rug beneath my feet? I loved that old brown, wall-to wall, dirty, dusty carpeting. Where will I go to cough up hairballs now? Do … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Humor, Pets
Tagged cats, Engineered wood, Flooring, hairballs, non-allergenic
20 Comments
Christmas Lion 2020
It is true that 2020 has been difficult for everyone, and the tail end of this unpredictable year has now affected Keona—our male Balinese cat. Keona was a happy Balinese cat until the vet shaved off half of his fur … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Arthritis, cats, Pets, photography
Tagged 2020, Balinese, fur coat, lion, long haired cats, New Year
13 Comments
Monarch Butterfly Stops in San Antonio Mid-November
Tasting red flowers and dreaming of Mexico in mid-November a monarch butterfly stops in San Antonio with little time to stay… Winter weather on the way. The peak time for monarch butterflies to migrate through San Antonio is from October … Continue reading
Posted in Monarch Butterfly, photography
Tagged butterfly, flowers, Mexico, monarch migration, San Antonio
9 Comments
Entomology Summer Camp Hands-On Experience
In July 2019, I was a volunteer assistant with the Entomology Summer Camp (ages 7-12) at Phil Hardberger Park in Bexar County, Texas. The camp lasted for 3 days and the group was led by Molly Keck, a Texas A&M … Continue reading
Posted in Bexar County, Entomology, Insects, Texas
Tagged Dragonfly, Phil Hardberger Park, Spiders, Tarantula, Texas A&M Agrilife, Walking Stick
33 Comments
Siamese Cat Shelter-in-Place Guidelines
Big blue eyes in a travel bag going nowhere ~~~~~~~~~~ Since they like to stay home and are perfectly happy in small places, our 2 Siamese cats (Siri and Keona) are trying to teach us how to effectively “shelter-in-place” during … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, COVID-19, Humor, Philosophy, photography
Tagged Guidelines, Pandemic, Pets, Shelter-in-Place, Siamese cats
27 Comments
Covid-19 Life in a Darkening World
Birds fly high above the darkening world below— It’s time to come home! sunlight quickly vanishes from the horizon. ~ms ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pandemic! All around the world, people are being ordered to stay home to avoid contact with a … Continue reading
Posted in Chincoteague Island, COVID-19, Nature, Virginia
Tagged Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Coronavirus, fear, Lighthouse, Pandemic, Separation
56 Comments
Strong Civil War Connection to Fredericksburg
I lived in the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania, Virginia area for 23 years, but I did not find out about my “Strong” and personal connection to the Civil War and the Battle of Fredericksburg until a few years after I moved to Texas. … Continue reading
Posted in American Civil War, History, Photo Essay, photography
Tagged Cemetery, Civil War, Decoration Day, Fredericksburg, God Bless America, Memorial Day
33 Comments
Good Friends and Auld Lang Syne
As this year comes to an end, I look back at years gone by once again. And I remember the house I once had in Virginia, where there was a room that belonged specifically to a baby grand piano. It … Continue reading
Pulte New Home Nightmare
Our Pulte built home is less than 3 years old—AND—it has cracked and separated exterior brick/mortar, cracked drywall and floor tiles, doors and windows that are out of square (one window is jammed), diagonal cracks in drywall above door and … Continue reading
Posted in American Dream, Construction Defects, Photo Essay, Pulte Homes, PulteGroup, Texas
Tagged Del Webb 55+, Dream, Home, Nightmare, Pulte
63 Comments
Labrador Retriever Riding in Style
It wasn’t a dream or a figment of my imagination. I actually saw a goggle-wearing Labrador Retriever sitting proudly in an antique car painted with red flames. This awesome dog was definitely riding in style and appeared to enjoy the … Continue reading
Foster Kitten’s Grateful Prayer
Dear God, I can’t see or walk very good yet and I am too little to take care of myself, so I am grateful that you gave me a foster mom and a safe place to stay. Without her, I … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, cats, Family, Pets, Photo Essay, photography
Tagged foster mom, kittens, prayer
26 Comments
On the Path of Wind and Water
Sailing on water created by winds of thought, my soul travels on. Many years ago, in the late 1970s, a 29 foot sailboat carried me around the Hawaiian Islands on a path of wind and water. Although the old photos … Continue reading
Christmas Cat on Night Patrol
It was the night before Christmas, and the area directly beneath the sparkling tree was under close surveillance by our two stealthy cats. I could tell by the stern looks on their faces that they were not going to let … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Pets, Photo Essay, photography
Tagged cats, Christmas, Jobs, presents
42 Comments
Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ Christmas Magic
The spirit of Christmas put a warm arm around me and suddenly I believed. This year, the Veteran’s Club in our community coordinated a drive for donations of new, unwrapped toys for the Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ program. … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Christmas, Inspiration, Music, Photo Essay, photography
Tagged Marines, Santa Claus, Toys for Tots
8 Comments
Butterfly Love on a Leaf
Intriguing orange butterfly love on a leaf— October surprise! From a distance, I first thought I was looking at one large orange butterfly on a wax myrtle tree branch. But when I came closer with the camera zoom lens, I … Continue reading
Hot Texas Summer Sun
Rocks glowing beneath fire-breathing dragon hot Texas summer sun. The temperature for this area is predicted to reach 105 degrees (Fahrenheit) today, and I can already hear the hot sun hissing on the horizon. Luckily, last winter, we had Emilio Ramirez … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku, Nature, photography, Poetry, Summer
Tagged agave, cactus, desert, Grasshopper, heat, Texas, yucca
23 Comments
One Pink Wildflower
Surrounded by jealous weeds, a pink wildflower danced in the warm sunlight for one glorious day before vanishing from sight. Unfortunately— in the darkness of the night, ‘something’ ate this flower and the buds below, leaving nothing behind but a … Continue reading
Cat Warmth and Wisdom
Cat wisdom knows exactly where to find warmth and comfort on cold December days. Look! The wise cat knows exactly how to quickly transform an inexpensive insulated shopping bag into a comfortable bed— (just don’t sit on the zipper). Actually— … Continue reading
Autumn Pampas Grass Magic
Summer green has been replaced with Autumn’s sunlit leaves sparkling gold and red colors evoking visions of magic everywhere. Like the changing leaves at the end of October, Halloween celebrations give us the opportunity to boldly imagine and create new … Continue reading
Grasshopper Camouflage
Standing motionless surrounded by old brown grass baking in the sun, how did you notice me and my perfect grasshopper summer camouflage? ~ms I saw the grasshopper from a distance, in spite of its clever camouflage, because its long legs … Continue reading
Virginia to Texas through Hail and High Water
Illuminated by lightning striking darkness followed by thunder, Gulf Coast toad shivers drips falling on the threshold of an unknown door. When wild winds blow and rain falls sideways, normal vanishes and new directions appear. ~ms Considering everything that I … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Photo Essay, Poetry, Storms
Tagged Alabama, Floods, Georgia, Hail, Misssissippi, Monroe Louisiana, Samaritan's Purse, Texas, Toads
25 Comments
Disco Disaster
Back in 1989, a friend took me to a night club called Studebaker’s, where there was loud music, swirling disco lights, and wandering eyes searching for the perfect date. I didn’t like it there. Two years later, in an English … Continue reading
Posted in Creative Writing, Hawaii, Honolulu, Humor, Relationships
Tagged Dancing, Disco, Night Club, Studebakers
54 Comments
Valentine’s Day Wrapped in Memories
Oh please, don’t be sad! I was thinking about you and I was going to call, but I accidentally spent the entire day wrapped in memories. You see—I was going through boxes of ‘paper clutter’ and throwing things out, because … Continue reading
Winter’s Shroud Descending
Birds quickly flew away through barren earthbound trees, in hopes of escaping the coming winter storm. One crow remained behind like a cold grim reaper staring down from above at foolish souls below. And then the snow appeared carried on … Continue reading
Posted in Nature, Photo Essay, photography, Poetry, Snow, Storms, Winter
Tagged Crows, Death, east coast
22 Comments
