Moving Sound The Trumpet Flowers

Toxic Trumpet Flowers

Whether Brugmansia or Datura — Angel's Trumpets or Devil's Trumpets — make no mistake, these flowers are highly toxic to mankind and to pets and animals.

Why? you might ask, use my picture of the white trumpet flower to announce that I am moving. My answer, quite simply, is that finding these flowers while walking with my dog Valentino this week seemed appropriate as I find myself teetering on the fence of mixed emotions in reaction to this inevitable move.

Sound The Triumphant Trumpets

Feeling trumpet-like and quite triumphant, we are leaving Florida, leaving behind our living in a toxic environment. (Enough said!)

Taken aback by many tepid reactions to our move, I have remained tenacious in my efforts to make a new and improved life for me and my dog Valentino. I have dodged many a thwarted plan to realize a pathway to a non-toxic life for us. Neither the naysayers nor those who choose not to encourage me in this move shall thwart this plan.

Moving From Florida To Ohio

I now have a job waiting for me and I have rented a home for me and my dog. Sound the Trumpets!

O-HI-O Ruthi aka abitosunshine Postcard by abitosunshine

Yes, this triumphant feeling has me looking forward to a move back to Ohio, the land of my birth. This move is made possible by many who are supporting me emotionally and financially. For these friends and strangers I will forever feel thankful.

I shall forgive those who chose to add to the toxicity in my life, for it is my nature to love even those who have a funny way of showing it in return. I shall never forget those who are encouraging me across every mile. These are the ones who are the light of my way home.

To hell with the devils among us! I hear the Angel's Trumpets ringing loud and clear, singing their trumpet-like song for me and Valentino — Triumphant, together.

I share my moving emotions beginning with the letter "T" this week in the ABC Challenge, my feelings being TRUMPET-LIKE and TRIUMPHANT.

NOTE: This will be my last submission until I am back up and writing from my new home. I will continue the ABC Challenge of Emotions upon my return. This link-up will remain open for you to share the links to your emotional articles in my absence.

Disclosure: Ruth Cox is an Associate of Amazon and of Zazzle and may earn income based on purchases made through links in this article.

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Sunny Side Up

I awoke to the beauty of a sunny day, glanced at the still sleeping hound at the foot of my bed, and somehow just knew ours was to be a sunny-side-up kind of day, come what may.

I immediately began to make it so. I fried up a pair of eggs for myself, adding an extra for my dog Valentino, of course. As I topped his breakfast bowl with warm egg yolk drizzling into his kibble, Valentino tap danced on the kitchen tile floor. When I knew he could wait no more, I sounded the Good boy, go! command.

While eating my pair of sunny-side up eggs on pita bread toast, the telephone rang. I smiled at the picture of an old friend in Ohio popping onto the cell phone screen. Ah! It really is the start of a grand day!

Valentino soon danced in front of me, begging for his morning walk. "No more time to talk," said I to my friend. "I need to walk my dog."

Then I grabbed my dog's harness and leash and out into the sunshine we went. We walked and jogged the neighborhood loop, took care of dog business, then walked the loop again.

We both drank our fill of cool water along our way and again upon our return home nearly an hour later. Temperatures were rising. It was going to be another hot and humid day under the Florida sunshine.

Enjoy my poetic creation, a visual display of the promise of a sweltry day, written in Cinquain poetry form.

Sunny-side Up Cinquain Picture Poem by Ruth Cox

And know this ... I plan to hold on to this sunny-side-up feeling all day long and then some!


Disclosure: Ruth Cox is an Associate of Amazon and may earn income based on purchases made through links in this article.

Join us for the ABC Challenge!

From this list of emotion words that begin with the letter "s" ... What word would you use to describe how you are feeling today?

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Ruth I Am

There came a time in my life when I began to appreciate my given name — Ruth. Yet, still, I must wonder about the gift of such a namesake.

In the beginning was a baby girl — ruthful — having a full life stretched out before her. In the end is an old woman — ruthless — having become less than she once was.

Then and Now - Ruth I Am

I am Ruth - Amazon Books

Through the passages of a life of strife, just like the biblical Ruth from whence my name came, there have been blessings for my ruth-full-ness of which I am grateful. Nonetheless, there are those times when my emotions get the better of me and I pen a poem from the tenderheartedness of Ruth.

Ruth I Am

©Ruth Cox

Ruth I am

Feeling ruthful.

Then I age

Growing fruitless

With no more

Living youthful

Still I do

Wander rootless

As of now

Speaking truthful

Ruth I am

Feeling ruthless.

RUTHFUL and RUTHLESS are my chosen words for the ABC Challenge of Emotions.

This week we are writing about our emotions beginning with the letter "R" and hope that you will share your feelings with us by linking up with an article of your own.

Disclosure: Ruth Cox is an Associate of Amazon and may earn income based on purchases made through links in this article.

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Quixotic Certainty

Recently, an impromptu discussion on a social site has me questioning the pathways I have traveled along my life journey. As we talked of growing where planted I wondered if I had moved on from a place before reaching the growing season.

My Vision in the Sky of Quixotic Certainty

I wonder if it is possible to return to that place from whence I came. Had I been planted there for a reason, perhaps to live through and to reap the full potential of rewards held within that season of growth? Would it be possible to meld the old, the bad, and the dark gray with the new, the good, and the brilliant blue?

Don Quixote by Cervantes

I daresay, I am feeling quite quixotic! I am about to embark on a road of life which may or may not have a positive outcome on my future, as well as that of others.

Why do this? one might ask. I plan to make this move because it is the right thing for me to do. I must believe good will prevail over seemingly insurmountable odds, as did the character Sancho in the literary classic Don Quixote.

As a realist, I believe that no matter the consequences of this decision, I will have climbed above that mountain of odds before me. In so doing, I will reach my full potential in my own emotional growth. Perhaps the miracle of following my feelings.

Like them or not, I cannot help but question whether the paths I have trod have led me to plant myself right where I need to grow. Back to my future I travel — taking no wrong exits and no infelicitous dead-end streets.

Note of thanks to Renda and Ben for their enlightening inspiration for this article.

Disclosure: Ruth Cox is an Associate of Amazon and of Zazzle and may earn income based on purchases made through links in this article.

My article topic for today begins with the letter "Q" for feeling QUIXOTIC.

Each week we share emotions from A to Z in the ABC Challenge.

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Tired of Feeling Pooped

I'm feeling pooped! Why? Because... Chit happens!

In all seriousness... There is a lot going on in my life (past, present, and probably future) so I have good reason to feel pooped. A dramatic life can be exhausting!

No doubt many of you will agree with me on what to do when life seems to dish out more than we think we can handle. For what I call "emotional constipation" I have the cure!

I'm gonna grab my shovel and scoop that poop right out of my life!

Life Pooper Scooper Postcard by abitosunshine
Make your own Custom Photo Postcards on zazzle.

Seriously, chit can that negative drama, and thinking, right out of your life, just like you would pooper-scooper up the "business" end of a dog's life.

Guess how you feel when you do... Just like the dog does when he's dumped his stuff. The dog is done and runs off full of energy, ready to have fun!

Our time for not feeling pooped has come. Our time for living life with a flair for fun has come. Let's go Scoop da Poop!

I feel better already, don't you?

My article topic for today begins with the letter "P" for feeling POOPED.

Each week we share emotions from A to Z in the ABC Challenge. Hop along with us!

Disclosure: Ruth Cox is a Zazzle associate and may earn income based on purchases made through links in this article.

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Infelicitous Dead End Street

When feeling ill at ease with where we are, it is a sure sign it is time to back up, return to that intersection, and turn the other way — before that infelicitous feeling takes over.

Who wants to live on an unhappy dead-end street forever?

Failure to read the signs on the road map of life which warn of possible danger ahead often leaves us feeling infelicitous with our circumstances. Fortunately for us, opportunities will arise to change our ill-chosen direction, thereby turning our life around on a newly chosen path.

It is through redirections that we learn valuable life lessons that will help us make better choices in the future. (Hopefully a little more quickly than we did in the past.) It is these redirects that often turn us from being unhappy campers into feeling felicitous with our life choices.

I have made a few U-turns along life's way and am about to do it again. A couple of years ago I moved from Ohio to Florida, which has left me feeling infelicitous. I am currently making preparations to leave the state of Florida with my hound dog Valentino. Ohio is our tentative destination but who knows how Signs shall sing to me along the way!

SIGNS by The Five Man Electrical Band

Video by Steve Carlsen

I will definitely read the signs and/or create a happy sign or two of my own, as the song saying goes, to ensure better odds of a happy landing rather than getting in a stew due to someone else stirring my emotional pot.

My topic today for the 26-Week ABC Challenge of emotions begins with the letter "I" — feeling INFELICITOUS.

Read all about the ABC Challenge and join us here each week as we write and share emotions from A to Z.

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