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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| Tacos! Where I'm at in SoCal, tacos are a big hit. You can do tacos all kind of ways. I kinda like the Chipotle hard shell tacos with the carnitas and I get them with pico and lettuce. But there are a lot of business vendors who specialize in tacos. There's a whole business in taco vendors who cater. I'm looking for a good vendor who caters right now for National Dispatcher's Week. It's a challenge when you don't have connections, but I'm working my angles. Last year we had a lady come out who brought her flat top grill. I think 'blackstone' style flat top grills work the best but you can you can use any ol' grill. It's all about the flavor of the meat and there are plenty of mom and pop businesses my way who do a good taco! A good vendor also brings the sides: rice beans chips salsas limes onions & cilantro and small to med corn tortillas.  Yum! Taco Tuesday is seriously a thing in my neck of the woods. Question: Do you like tacos? What kind? |
| The Eaglets are looking for shade today with Jackie watching over them. You can see that one is clearly bigger than the other. It's kinda hot here in SoCal - it hit the 90's where I was at today so I definitely understand that they might need some shade. When it's hot out my way, I can feel the heat suck the life out of me and I don't want to do anything. Took son #1, Andy out to BJ's to celebrate his birthday. He's 23 tomorrow. I can't believe how quick the time has flown by!! Lots of good memories hanging out with Andy at Hurricane Harbor, bowling birthday parties, scouting and camping adventures. I remember one time when he was 14, we went on a backpacking trip with the scouts near Ojai called Bear Creek. It was a good 5-7 mile hike and we packed in our camping equipment. Thankfully we didn't see any bears. I was responsible for lunch so I packed in pitas, tuna fish and cuties for the people. we needed filters for our water. It was a good experience and I was very proud that I was able to do it. Can't say I've been to Big Bear to go camping, but I was up in the Lake Arrowhead area in 2019 for a week with the scouts for summer camp. Lots of hiking on that trip. Ah, nature! It really is soothing to the soul in a way. Question: where do you like to go camping? |
| It's time to Name the Eaglets! Friends of Big Bear Eaglet is taking names for the Eaglets. If you want to buy a chance to name the lil Eagles you can visit their webpage and donate: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/fobbv-chick-naming-contest-fundraiser/ It's a fundraiser so if you've been entertained by the Eaglets, and feel so inclined to donate, I say go for it. The eaglets haven't been up to much - just eating and wingspanning. One eaglet pooped right on Jackie. It was actually kinda gross soI won't link that, but Eaglet pooping is explosive, I'll say that. here's yesterday's video from the Bird Cam: Here's a cute story about Murphy who thought a rock was an egg: Okay, that's enough about the eaglets for today. I really don't have any misc thoughts for today. How's this: Drink water. haha. Question: What would you name Jackie & Shadow's Eaglets? |
| I heard the new "Hunger Games" book was out and bought it ASAP. It's called "Sunrise on the Reaping" and it'a about Haymitch's games. Honestly, I can't wait to read it. I was completely intrigued by the 1st Trilogy of books, Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Hunger Games & the series is dystopian fiction. I'd define dystopian as set in the future and a bit bleak. It explores extreme social & political systems in the future that I think are oppressive. Thus the story is often about the human spirit and exercise of free will. Usually a rebellion of some sort is involved. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the future, stifled by political/social systems requires a 'reset.' I suppose that's the intrigue of dystopian fiction. What did we do to ourselves in the name of science that ruined our civilizations? I think the new "Planet of the Apes" movies (#1 being Rise with James Franco) does a good job of being in the moment and exploring deeper thinking of our actions. What did Hunger Games mean to me? I saw the first movie on video and it blew me away. Jennifer Lawrence was phenomenal in that movie. Her acting tugged on the heartstrings and was believable. I read all the books after that and went and saw the movies in the theatres. I thought they were great "what if" movies that explored a lot of complex topics from the simple things that bind us together as humans and that government, while good intend, has lost it's way and has become out of touch with with the people they are suppose to support. I'm looking forward to reading the book about Haymitch. A recent interview with Suzanne Collins said she wanted to explore the following themes: Of media and propaganda used in society so I'm looking forward to seeing the book from that angle. Are you a Hunger Games Fan? Why or why not? Do you plan on reading "Sunrise on the Reaping?" Enjoy this reading by Suzanne Collins: |
| EAGLET UPDATE from BIG BEAR: Well, here's Shadow hanging out with his Eaglet Mini Me: Well the video I shared was marked private, so I'm taking it off the link. Sorry guys. Big Eaglet showing off his wings: Go here: https://www.facebook.com/FOBBV/videos/1411918359961005 The eaglets have gotten much bigger from last week. Looks like it's a nice sunny day. Curious about eagles now I did a little research. Eagles for the most part, pretty much mate for life, but if one dies, believe me, they'll find another mate. And sometimes, a male will even kick out another male. Let's just say Shadow is Alpha Male. According to Friends of Big Bear, Jackie was hatched in 2012 in Big Bear. Her parents were Ricky and Lucy.  From a USA today 2023 article: Big Bear resident Sandy Steers lives half a mile from where Jackie was born and watched her grow up from a distance. "You could see her practicing flying, you could see them (Lucy and Ricky) bringing her food," Steers said. "I stood there for hours every day just watching because I was fascinated. That got me hooked and then I just wanted to see more." Steers eventually raised 10K for an eagle cam and kept it trained on Jackie. In 2017, she had her first romance with an Eagle named Mr. B. They had a couple of eaglets, but then a new eagle came to town. Shadow came to Big Bear in 2018 and chased off Mr. B. (guess Mr. B was a whimp as an eagle?) How does an Eagle mate? It's kinda awkward if you ask me. I suppose there has to be some eagle attraction going on, but the male gets on the female's back and they jiggle and after a couple of seconds it's done. Finding a good mate usually happens in the fall and then the couple start nest building in Dec and Jan. According to the USA Today article, Jackie is the BOSS. She's determined, serious and expects gets her way. She's bigger than Shadow (females eagles usually are) and is the main defender. Shadow stands up to Jackie from time and time and Jackie seems to like that, according to article. Jackie and Shadow had eggs hatch in 2019, 2022, and 2025. I've also included a link to a history of Jackie and Shadow. What's next for Jackie, Shadow & Eaglets? Well, I guess the eaglet have to get bigger so they can "fledge" which is basically learn to fly. The Eaglets will be in the next for about 11-12 before they get their juvenile feather and start to "fledge." AND I FOUND A NEW EAGLE COUPLE!! This couple is on 2 Harbors, Catalina Island. They're called Chase and Cholyn. They're an older couple, about 27 years. They've laid of couple of eggs and we're just watching for the eggs to hatch. Here's the time line: 3/9: Laid first egg. Expected hatch around 4/15. 3/13: Laid second egg around 21:16. Expected hatch 4/18. There's not a lot of video on these guys - there is a live cam, but I couldn't find many video snippets. I'm on eagle watch for the eggs though... References: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/animalkind/2023/03/05/big-bear-bald-eagle-li... https://journeynorth.org/tm/eagle/annual/facts_fledglings.html https://www.facebook.com/FOBBV |
| April usually brings the Basketball and Hockey playoffs. That's only the really time I watch the games. Playoff Basketball and Hockey is exciting to me! Basketball #1 team is the Boston Celtics and then the LA Clippers, but I'm pretty easy about my teams. I like players. I like Luka Doncic as a player so I'll watch the Lakers to watch him but I'm not much a Lakers fan and I'm not much of a LeBron James fan either. HOCKEY: My Bruins are out of it, but I see the LA Kings have a playoff spot so I'll watch for them. Those Florida Panthers are wicked and they won last year's Stanley's cup too. and MARCH MADNESS is right around the corner, but USC didn't make any brackets so I'll watch with passive interest. Red Sox opening day looks to be the 27th of March! Can't wait. Walker Buehler comes over from the Dodgers. Looking forward to seeing him play for the Red Sox.   |
| Just some more random thoughts... EAGLET UPDATE: The Big Bear eagle cam confirmed that the 3rd eaglet died in the winter snow storm. Now that the snow in the nest has melted, they caught one of the parents pick up the remains of the dead eaglet and fly off. It's kinda gross so I won't show it. At least I have closure now. SPACE X Wicked excited that the 2 Astronauts who were brought up in the Boeing starliner are coming back today. I watched them de-dock (? is that a word?) from the space lab earlier. Splashdown is set for 557 pm EDT which is 257 pm EDT my time, Gosh, it's just around the corner. Splashdown point is just off the coast of Tallahassee. I've been interested in space since I was a kid in the 1970's. Sending good vibes for a speedy recovery. PIZZA Today's random thought was pizza. Mind you, it's hard to eat pizza on weight watchers because 1 slice is a lot of points and I really need to plan if I'm going to have pizza so I can budget the points, but I can honestly say there are times when I need to budge the points because I'm craving the cheese. I like the wafer thin crusts a lot. I also like a pizza hut deep dish pizza, but only pizza hut's. For regular crust pizzas I like toppers or roundtable. I don't mind dominos and I'll get them when I do "saturday night snack" at work. I'm always game to find a good mom and pop pizza shop, and I prefer my pizza a tad on the 'toasty' side. I remember eating pizza in Germany and it came whole, not sliced and you would have to eat it with a fork and a knife. I still eat my pizza with a fork and knife. My favorite place to go at my first duty assignment was a pub in downtown Handorf, Germany. They had a shrimp pizza to die for! I remember the German liked salami, too. I always liked going out to eat in Germany. Good times - pizza - and beer. What's your favorite pizza? |
I thought I'd share some thoughts on a coffee brand that I buy today. I'm not a Starbucks fan. I used to be, but I found their beans are too in your face. When it comes to coffee, I'm always looking for American Micro brands. I also like American Micro brews when it comes to beer, as well. Question for you: Do you drink coffee? Have a favorite? Or do you prefer tea? I have a Pine Needle Tea that I like, but I also enjoy Chamomile and some others. Product: coffee What is it: beverage Address: Mailing: P.O. Box 1344, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82003; 401 W 19th St., Suite 301, Cheyenne, WY. Owned by: Tej Gill, Family owned, veteran operated, Doug Juelfs is the registered point of contact for the company. From the Website: Founded by Navy SEAL combat veteran Tej Gill, we are veteran owned, and we are family operated. We take great pride in being coffee connoisseurs who don’t like to compromise. Our crew consists of passionate coffee lovers who would fight even Davy Jones for an aromatic cup of coffee. We are veterans, NYPD, wives, and a 30+ year coffee roaster. Taste and stimulation. Whether you're a coffee enthusiast or a casual drinker, you will be blown away by our blend’s smooth-as-silk flavor, intoxicating aroma, and rich body. But don’t worry. It’s not all just bells and whistles. When it comes to stimulation, our blend is unrivaled. You will find no acidity, no bitterness, just raw, pure coffee energy that will get you through the day. Taste is #1 We are on a mission to make gourmet coffee a part of your daily routine. Every single bean is roasted in the United States using traditional roasting methods with a single goal; make every cup unique. Warpath Coffee is meant to be drank black. Our coffee is perfectly roasted so there is never a bitter or acidic flavor, you don’t need sugar or milk with Warpath Coffee. Drink it black, be healthy and enjoy the perfectly roasted coffee is this bag. Roasting Beans: We small batch roast, meaning we do batch by batch, old school style Jabez Burns roasters were around since the civil war, the original civil war roasting style. Perforated drum, no tipping going on (burning the tips of beans). It's the historic American way of roasting. Hot air goes through the beans and escapes through the perforated holes in the side of the drum. We roast to caramelize our beans, that's why is tastes so good black. Most roasters carbonize(burn) their beans, that's why you need milk and sugar with other roasters. My comments: I found Warpath Coffee through an online recommendation. As I love coffee, I was game to try it. One of the benefits for me was that Warpath was American made and I have a passion to buy American so that was a nice little incentive. They sell beans whole, ground, and k-cups. I can do any of the above but prefer k-cups. TASTE: I love the taste. When they say never bitter or acidic, they mean it. Honestly, this is the best tasting coffee I’ve had in quite a long time. It's very well balanced, even the dark. SHOPPING: You can buy direct from the website. You can also find Warpath products on Amazon as well, but I buy direct from the website. Currently, I have a bag of ground beans - Dark Blend which I recommend. Also, I had subscription to the Med Breakfast Blend K-cups. Now usually, I don’t subscribe to products, but that was a good subscription. I canceled it when money got tight, but now I might go back to buying the K cups. When I had the subscription, I had no issues with the subscription. PRICE: I think the price is reasonable for being a company where most sales are from the internet. The price for my K-cups are $12.99 (you can find K-cups in stores ranging from 6.99 to 12.99), so perhaps a bit on the pricier side, but I’m willing to pay it because the quality is there. UPDATE: They did away with the 12 box of K cups and now offer 42 k cups for $30.00, IMHO that's a good price. OTHER PRODUCTS: They also sell coffee mugs on their website. They also sell gourmet coffee such as maple bacon, maple bourbon, and dark chocolate. WISH LIST: I wish they sold bumper stickers, hoodies, and t-shirts. I’d definitely buy some. I did not find where they made donations to any charities online. They are a newer company, with a start up date in January 2022, as far as my research can tell. I highly recommend Warpath Coffee. The coffee is one of the best tasting coffees I’ve ever had and I’m very happy with the subscription to the K-cups. Honestly, I can’t give this company a better recommendation and they’re Made in America! References: https://www.facebook.com/Warpathcoffee/ https://twitter.com/CoffeeWarpath https://warpath.coffee |
| EAGLET UPDATE Friends of Big Bear are reporting that an Eaglet died in the winter snow storm that hit 2 days ago and they think the remains might be in the nest but it's hard to tell because there's still a lot of snow. Sad news indeed! I'll keep on top of the story. FAST FOOD So my husband just sent a text and asked us if we wanted Frostys from Wendy's. Since I'm on Weight Watchers and just ate my fair share of thin mints, I said I'd pass but the boys are in. It got me thinking... What's your favorite Fast Food Restaurant? I suppose my #1 favorite is IN & OUT BURGER because the burgers are very fresh and they have great tasting fries. Service is good and the price is good but they only do burgers. They have a special menu like "animal" style and "protein" style -- I'm more of an protein style person myself. #2 would be MC DONALDS because I like their small fries and hamburgers. And I like their pies. #3 POPEYES - I like how crispy the chicken is. Of course I'm a wing lover and they have good pies too. #4 EL POLLO LOCO - because I like the flame grilled wings and salsa. Okay, the hubby is bringing back a thin mint frosty. I can't pass it up... Sigh.. Smiles to all Steph |
| Oh no!! The 3rd Eaglet is missing!! Here's the update: I think about 2 days ago the 3rd Eaglet was there and then there was a winter storm. They have video of Jackie all covered in snow sitting on the Eaglets and now that the weather has cleared, there's only 2 eaglets. Curiosity has my cat! Where is the 3rd eaglet? I hate to suggest it, but did it die? Is it in the nest? Did one of the parents take it out? Where's Shadow? Hunting fish? I want answers!! To that, I find the story of Jackie & Shadow and their eaglets have really have interested me. I'm invested. Why? Is it because I'm watching nature in all it's gritty glory? Do I appreciate the fact that Jackie and Shadow are two committed parents and working hard to be good parents? I believe Jackie & Shadow have been together since 2018 and come back to this nest ever since. They've laid eggs every year since 2018, but they've only hatched in 2019, 2022, and 2025 - every 3 years. I want to see what happens. That said, eaglets are pretty ugly. Just my 2 cents. Question: do you want to see what happens to the Eaglets? |
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