Posted in Uncategorized

Opposites do Attract

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/opposites/

Nature. So many opposites are always confronting me. There are the  hummingbirds who are all different species here at Villa Migelita. They are definitely opposites! Even if they are the same species. They fight and fight each other all day long…and if there is a wasp they hover around it until they can find a time that is safe to land for their precious nectar.Hummingbird battles 023

Then there is the animal and human connection. However, we co-exist so beautifully. I love this photo that I took recently. Love is in the air!Orion in the lake and hummingbird in the house 013

Then there is my bird Luci who is a total and completely fearless little being. She has clipped wings but that doesn’t keep her from being mobile. She is always terrorizing my dogs…sometimes she stands where they leave to go out to the yard and bites their feet when they pass…they run from her. It is really funny. I wake up every morning and smile when I see big Orion run away from her.Luci and Orion 001

How about age? Here is a photo of me dancing with a man that is part of my family who is now 104 years old…amazing really. He still dances and enjoys life with zest…I could be his granddaughter!Hike and family 033

 

Posted in Dogo Argentino, Uncategorized

Orion the Best Partner Ever

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

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There is no one I want to be partners with more than my dogs, but Orion is just the best ally a person could ever have. He protects, loves and gives so much. He is a gentle giant that looks like a bad ass. He is the mascot of Villa Migelita. We have so many tourists, guests and family that visit. No one can leave without their requisite photo of Orion. He is just such a celebrity. Seriously. I think I could make an Instagram account of him just having fun, lying around, swimming, or with a cast on. Yes a cast, like for breaks. He has broken his front paw and his back leg femur. He is a delicate dog, even though he doesn’t look like he is. He is always hurting himself. I am always worrying about him.

If Orion had his way, he would just sleep all day and all night with a person lying on top of him, hugging him and cuddling him. He has no idea he is huge. Orion is an albino Dogo Argentino. He prefers a body to his dog beds…yes he has many dog beds because Orion is the king, el rey, of Villa Migelita

me and farm visitors 019
Me using Orion as a pillow

Orion has a job to do, and he knows it. At night he is a protector of my castle and he does it well. No one would dare enter my property with Orion guarding the palace. NO ONE. But, he has never been aggressive with a human, and I hope he never will have to be. However, he knows his position and every night when it is time for bed he goes to his dog room, yes he has his own room as in bedroom, and sleeps with one ear always perked up for any noise he is not familiar with.

Feliz y Ano 003
Love snuggles

So when you come to visit me at my Bed and Breakfast be prepared for big love from my big ole dog…and enjoy a very good night’s sleep while he watches over my lovely finca in the mountains of Colombia. He will always be available for a photo, a treat and a big doggy kiss. He is the most amazing dog, and he is a rescue I adopted. He is growing old way to fast, as time quickly moves on. I worry about him getting older and am already looking for a Dogo puppy. The tradition of Orion must live on.

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Posted in Colombian life, Perfection and Peace

Perfection

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

http://wp.me/p23sd-12×7

I have come to realize that spending time alone is my idea of perfection. Time doing what I want when I want to. Realizing I am comfortable without anyone talking, just listening to the sounds of nature that surround me. Reading, writing, studying, and accepting the simple life I have chosen as a very different alternative to my past life as a flight attendant, when I would be surrounded by over a thousand people a day when I worked domestic flights. Perfection to me is being alone and in harmony with myself.

Perfection is this photo of a simple home along a walk . A cat resting, a dog sleeping, and everything is so simple. The bamboo trees, the color of the house, the simple stables. The curtained window with the flower baskets hanging. Perfection.

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Perfection is the beauty of the country with a river flowing, listening to the sounds of water rushing with my dogs next to my side. The rainforest sounds of birds and insects. Perfection.

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Perfection is sharing part of my day with any of the horses or cows that greet me on my hikes. The life of a true minimalist. Perfection.

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Perfection is quiet solitude when I study Spanish in the evening, or read a book that grips me immediately and I can’t put it down. While looking at the sunset, the mountains, and the home I have created here in Colombia. Perfection.Franchesca

Perfection is seeing many flowers blooming at once. Something I never enjoyed in Florida. Exotic flowers, flowers that I would see for sale in the store but never live on a real plant. Perfection.

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Perfection is a hummingbird sitting on a branch while I do Yoga looking out at the mountains and watching them flit right next to me. Perfection.

Hummingbird video 003

Perfection is a perfect sunset as a rainstorm approaches. Perfection.rainstorm sunset

Perfection is a butterfly on a branch as I walk by. Perfection.Hike to Raul's hacienda 013

Perfection is living my life as I see fit, not caring if others approve or disapprove, living my adventure one day at a time. In peace and happiness with my animals on my beautiful farm in the mountains of Colombia. Perfection.

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The view from the top
Posted in Uncategorized

Rebuild the World by Stopping the Hate

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

http://wp.me/p23sd-12uv

My blog is about my life in Colombia plus some personal musings. I often share my thoughts on my personal problems but today I am sharing about the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States. I live in a country now as an expat that has rebuilt itself from a horrible and violent past. I have also rebuilt myself in a way, not as violent as Colombia used to be, but certainly a tragic past with so much sadness I cannot get out from under some days. My daughter’s death rests with me in my soul always. I take the death’s of others really personal now. This happens when you lose a child. Every person in that nightclub in Orlando was someone’s child, sister, brother, friend and they were massacred by a man able to gain access to an assault weapon without a problem. This is when I have to speak up. I know some think “oh she left the USA and is an expat without regard to her country” which cannot be further from the truth. I left because of personal reasons and have found a better life in my pursuit of happiness. With my new life, I see a way of living which gives me so much peace and contentment. I might never get over the loss of my daughter, but I live without fear and with a great sense of accomplishment.

Why is it possible to gain access to assault weapons in the United States? I would think after the massacre of little children that legislation would have changed immediately. It didn’t. It seems the USA has become desensitized to the lives of people killed in these mass shootings. I see so many political posts from each ‘side’ about how guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Let us examine this argument. 1. Guns are designed to kill, no other reason. Way back when the constitution was written, guns are for killing our enemies. So YES guns do kill people, especially when any person can obtain one. 2. Second amendment rights: Why have assault rifles? They belong in the hands of the military, the SWAT teams, the FBI, the police, but not ordinary human beings. I truly believe a gun in your home for defense is fine, but not an arsenal of ammunition and militia to hurt others. This has to be reformed and I hope the Gay community can do it! I have never seen a better group of people in my life. I know, I grew up with them. They are harassed and persecuted for their entire lives. They live with condemnation every single day from hate filled people. They are still nice and non-violent. I started working as a flight attendant at the age of twenty. I had no one telling me anyone was ‘bad’ nor ‘good’. I decided for myself, and always have. The gay community are my very great friends.  3. We have regulations for driving our cars, for insurance on our homes and cars, for drunk driving, for living in any land including Colombia which I go to the USA every year to renew my Visa. I am now able to obtain a residency. Why not for guns? What the heck? Make the people by insurance for them at least! Why give killing machines a free pass? 4. I have a right to live my life with my granddaughter when I visit to the USA without fear. I no longer feel that way and avoid places that are crowded; such as movie theaters, any high-profile place such as Disney in Orlando, or crowded venues of any sort. Why should I adapt my life around people who want to parade their guns in public? I certainly would hightail my ass right out of any business that allows someone to open carry a gun!

My last words and not because I am condemning a culture. But I live in a controlled country that got rid of violence. They got rid of it with the help of the USA. Why then is it possible to mass murder others the way it happens every damn day in the USA? I have no idea, because I live peacefully, without fear in a lovely and very loving country now. I wish everyone could put aside political correctness, religion, racism and more an examine why they think it is OK for a terror suspect to actually buy a gun legally, even after being investigated twice by the US government? Do you really want an assault weapon that much? That innocent lives are taken? Because you know, no one has come for your guns, and your guns are killing people!

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized

Pure Beauty, Pure Color, Pure Happiness

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

The word pure brings to mind so many images. They can be real, they can be bright, they can be simple, full of innocence, or just natural like the featured image of the water as the rain slowly fal…

Source: Pure Beauty, Pure Color, Pure Happiness

Posted in Uncategorized

Pure Beauty, Pure Color, Pure Happiness

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

http://wp.me/p23sd-11Np

The word pure brings to mind so many images. They can be real, they can be bright, they can be simple, full of innocence, or just natural like the featured image of the water as the rain slowly falls over a lake with mountains in the background in Colombia

. A child smiling, a brightly colored street. Pure is a thought process that all of us delve into daily. We wish we could live a pure life, a life free of stress and silly annoyances. We wish we could see everything we take in on a daily basis in a way that shines brightly to our soul with divine beauty. Here are a few photos I love.

Posted in Zoos need to go!

RIP Harambe

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

Another senseless death at a zoo of an innocent animal. The leader of the troop at the Cincinnati gorilla enclosure is dead.  Harambe shot dead for protecting a child. Look at this article and the videos. By all eye-witness accounts this happened because the mother was not attending to her child.  This magnificent gorilla did not deserve to die.  Just last week two lions were also shot dead due to the illogical actions of a mentally deranged man in a Chilean zoo. I think zoos are a thing of the past. Let us have sanctuaries like my friend’s in the Tampa area. Let us bring our children and grandchildren to places that harbor and protect all animals. Let them interact, not gawk! I digress. I need to put my feelings about poor Harambe into words.

First we need to discuss the mother. I want everyone to know I do not JUDGE others, but where was she? I see videos online of her child in the enclosure with Harambe. Then I find out her profession is child care. If this had happened to my child I would have crossed fences, nets, everything to get to my child. I hear her say “Mommy loves you.” It seemed phony, not what I would have done…I would have hopped over that damn fence and dropped in even if I broke something.  Where was Mommy while child entered this area after repeating to anyone who could hear “I want to go in that water?” It makes one ponder for just a moment this world of social media we live in. Is it possible this was the greatest scam ever? I have not seen any eye-witness say anything other than the child kept repeating he wanted to get in the water. Now, if we heard our grandchild or child say this, especially at the age of three, we would either pick them up or put them in a stroller. It is simple. End of this part. I don’t have facts, just opinions. My opinion is that the mother was negligent.

Harambe described by many as a gentle giant who visit this zoo. He was the leader of the troop of gorillas and now they are all grieving for him. We can watch the many videos of Harambe pulling this child through the moat and react with horror, or we can think about how we would react if we saw a child drowning or hurt in the water. Harambe was reacting to an emergency, the way a gorilla would with his troop. The injuries at first reported as grave, serious and more. In actuality they were a concussion and some scrapes, the concussion most likely from the fall the scrapes from Harambe pulling him away from the moat. He then stood protectively over the child. It is obvious from the many observations from eye witnesses and the video footage.

Finally, this begs the question “why have zoos anymore?” They are outdated and cruel. This should never have happened, we shouldn’t go to see animals in cages. If we want to educate our children and grandchildren there are so many other ways. Take them on a safari, buy them books, let them watch the discovery channel, go on nature walks with them, take them to animal sanctuaries, but please stop going to zoos! RIP sweet Harambe. I know you were protecting and you didn’t deserve to die.harambe-22

Posted in friendship

Apology to Spare?

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

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Gabe and Michele photo
My best friend for 38 years. A friend is always by your side and supports you. Gabe personifies this and more.

Why is it so hard to apologize when you are wrong? I often wonder this in my musings and meditations. I have a lot of acquaintances, but only a few I consider friends. These are friends who are with me when I need them. Some who show up out of nowhere, just because they heard I have trouble. People whom I have never had a harsh word with, nor have I ever had a snide comment from them to me or me to them. If they want to tell me something, they do. I listen. If it is not something I want to hear, I still listen. I take it under consideration and I learn from their advice. After all they are my friends and their advice is worthy of consideration. Always. I love them. They support me, even when I up and move to Colombia with a younger man. They support me because they see I am doing well. They support me because they are proud of me. They just support me. This blog is for them. I can’t put everyone here…but I will put a few. Because I appreciate all they have given me in life. I love you all very much. You know who you are. Some are newer to my life, some have been with me and my adventures since I was a mere kid…some I lost touch with but they found me because they missed me. I have found some of my old friends on my own also. I have no words to say except thank you. This blog is for all of you who have never spoken an unkind word about me, who have been there for me through my best moments and my most horrible moments. You are really wonderful friends.

So if you need to apologize you should. Life is short and apologies are sparse. If I offend someone I say I am sorry. Always. Maybe, just maybe this will change just one person out there who needs to apologize but hasn’t. Is it really worth losing a friendship, family member, lover, marriage over? I don’t think so. Apologies are a way for us to make things right again.

Misha and I with Marley
My daughter was always my best friend, no matter what we went through
Posted in Uncategorized

What a Ride!!!!

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

I had a bucket list adventure with my best friend recently. It was something I thought about for over five years. I finally did it, and believe me that day we left I was in a panic. Who jumps off a…

Source: What a Ride!!!!

Posted in Uncategorized

What a Ride!!!!

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/jubilant/

Gabe Parapente 5
Gabe is sideways because he asked his pilot to take him on a crazy ride, which he wrote about later…he had the best time ever, and is still talking about it. He went sideways, almost upside down and with the air current wherever it took them!

I had a bucket list adventure with my best friend recently. It was something I thought about for over five years. I finally did it, and believe me that day we left I was in a panic. Who jumps off a mountain? How could I commit to this? YIKES! I have to admit I always thought this when I take my guests on the Parapente adventure here at Villa Migelita. I would say ‘Oh, wow this is the most famous sport for our area of Colombia!” While I was thinking OMG I am not brave enough for this! Guess what? I was fine. I committed to it because my best friend and his partner were here and I thought ‘now or never’ because if I was going to do this it would be with my best friend. I did it. I still feel elated and surprised by such an amazing experience and will always recommend it for everyone who visits because now I have done it.

Parapente 22
Flying above The Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Parapente 21
Floating

It was a very peaceful experience for me. It was not scary. It was a gentle lift and I was soaring over our precious Earth, looking down as if I was an astronaut in a space shuttle. I felt as if I was a flight attendant looking out of the window of the airplane after we took off when I worked for Delta. It was so harmonious with what I believe in. It was the Universe and being in touch with the cosmos. It was quiet, it was tranquil, it was not a rapid descent but a very slow floating above the beauty of the mountains. I never even had a flutter of trepidation when my pilot strapped me into the little chair I sat in. I just lifted up like a cloud into the sky before I even thought that I was leaving the mountain.

With all the Parapente offered here in Colombia, you can enjoy a ride like my best friend who went all in for a ride of a lifetime, with a lot of turns and ups, downs and roller coaster adventure. You can do what I did and just float down to the ground enjoying the views while the cool air brushes against your face. It is about what you want. I highly recommend this wonderful sport to anyone. I see young children on the Parapente all the time. Anyone, any age can do this. It is not an extreme sport it is a gentle passage into the sky that will leave you breathless with excitement and wanting to do it again!