Poetry can touch you heart, even if there is no rhythm or reason in the words. I remember getting goose bumps when Kate Smith sang God Bless America, and if chosen to hold the flag for the class to pledge alliance, feeling special. I wrote this poem years ago, during simpler times, and have posted it before. It’s a favorite of mine.
This photo inspired my poem, I saw a bug colored red, white & blue, and hope you do too!
Red White and Blue
Can an itsy bitsy bug be patriotic? His red, white, and blue symbolic, A political view Understand freedom . . . be equal too
Like a school age kindergartner Raise his hand to hold the flag Chosen, glad with honor Knows to say a prayer
Can an itsy bitsy bug be patriotic? Puff his chest, recite the pledge Listen to a voice within Battle for the helpless, or let the bullies win!
Stand side by side with those who care Silently and stare Misty eyed while taps is played for those who dare Think America is beautiful
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Soraya Cafe 156 E Granada, Ormond Beach The Daytona Beach News Journal
Cluster of Stars
*’ORMOND BEACH — The owners of the new Soraya Mediterranean Cafe received a surprise visit Friday (June 23, 2023) by Melanie Griffin, secretary of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, who dropped by to participate in an impromptu ribbon-cutting.
(Pictured above are Melanie Griffin, third from the right, secretary of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, congratulates the owners of the new Soraya Mediterranean Cafe at 156 E. Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach, after participating in a ribbon-cutting Friday, June 23, 2023. Pictured from left: Ormond Beach Chamber CEO Debbie Cotton, Soraya co-owner Ayten Hooper, Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington,Griffin, Soraya co-owner Fay Sarshory and her cousin, Maryam Ghyabi-White.)
Sarshory said the cafe’s goal is to “expose locals to Persian and Turkish cultures beyond any political associations.”
Soraya Cafe offers Turkish and Persian desserts − including baklava, Turkish-baked rice pudding, and Persian homemade cakes − as well as Persian breakfast items, Turkish simit (similar to bagels), soups, salads and panini sandwiches. It also serves Turkish coffee and other espresso and tea drinks.
Soraya is Persian for “cluster of stars.” It’s also the name of the second wife of the last Shah of Iran. Queen Soraya enjoyed a brief career as an actress in the 1960s.
A photo of the late Queen Soraya, the second wife of the Shah of Iran, is on displayed along with interesting art
Sarshory is an Iranian native who, as a teen, fled with her family to the United States during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. She currently works as the broker/owner of Florida Property Experts in Ormond Beach. Hooper is a veteran restaurateur from Turkey
They met when Sarshory was a customer at Hooper’s Istanbul Turkish Mediterranean Cuisine Restaurant on U.S. 1. became friends and talked about starting a coffee shop together. Hooper has since sold the eatery.
When the building that previously housed a quilt shop became available, Sarshory leased it and invited Hooper to become partners in opening Soraya Cafe.
Hooper is the creative touch behind the food. Sarahory the interior design.
I am a coffee lover who had never had Turkish coffee. We when to lunch there last week and I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee, yes. . .But also the pricing.
According to FOX 10; “The financial services company found that guests across the country paid an average of $3.08 for a cup of regular coffee, $5.14 for cold brew, $5.46 for lattes and $3.74 for tea during the first quarter of 2024.” https://a.co/d/0dPrSi3m I had the Turkish coffee. It is very strong and hot, served without sugar or cream, half and half, or milk. It was an experience. You drink the water after.
I loved the ambiance and beautiful china. My husband had chicken salad on a simit. I had quiche and a pear cake. All tasted delicious
Please join me on Wednesday, June 26th, at 2PM at Soraya Cafe. I will talk about the writing process and read passages from my debut novel, Morningside Drive. Reservations (386-265-0137) are required since space is limited. A light fare of Quiche and Baklava plus choice of hot or cold beverage will be served, cost $25.00.
Who knew I would become a writer in retirement? Certainly not me.
How did this happen? Well, Bob and I retired in 2008. He took up golf and I took up writing. I had never kept a journal nor written anything other than lesson plans and a monthly business newsletter. But words began to dance around in my head and I started writing behind a closed door.
Bob inquired numerous times, “What are you doing in there?” And I admitted, “Writing,’ and joined a writing group where I learned to write and started blogging in 2011.
The idea for Morningside Drive developed after reading a newspaper article about missing people in 2014.
The process to publishing has been a challenge, and until recently said writing was a pastime that occupied my time and mind.
Little did I know promoting Morningside Drive would be fun.
Two events in Ormond Beach, the first on June 26th at Soraya Cafe (call 386-265-0137) and the second, July 20th at Halifax Plantation Club (call 386-676-9600 ex 337), have been planned. Reservations are required. I’m looking forward to meeting you.
I want to thank the readers of claudiajustsaying.com for encouraging me all these years. I’ll continue to blog and hope you’ll continue to read.
Yesterday a new subscriber viewed this post that I wrote in 2012, thirteen years ago. Rereading the memory of my Aunt Carol made me smile and I thought you might smile too. Please let me know.
My aunt died recently at the age of ninety-two. Peculiar was how my mother described her sister. It was a kind word choice considering, and gave my aunt personality and style, rather than label her strange.
Born on January 13, 1920, her dad, Charles Achilles DeSalvo, named her Marie Antoinette while his wife was sedated. She was called Carol and legally changed her name once she was twenty-one.
As a twelve-year-old, I watched her layout under garments (padded bras, garter belts and silk panties) on the bed, to wear after a bath and thought she was a princess.
She wore high heel, open toe, sling back shoes lined with Kleenex tissues, as slippers; bathed with Palmolive soap, used a pumice stone to ward off foot callous, brushed her teeth with tooth powder and applied makeup sitting at a dressing table in a house coat. The final step once I zippered her newest dress was to take out the Bobbie-pins and comb through her hair. She did not dilly-dally but was fashionably late for cocktails.
Aunt Carol was frozen in time. Nothing changed for her since 1958 when she owned a green Buick. She had a Nancy Regan style, but never went to Washington.
Her hair-do the day she died was the same as the day my parents married. She never had children and did not marry until sixty. She did not wear slacks, low shoes, socks, or sneakers. Every dress she owned was individually surrounded with plastic and stored in a closet. I still can hear her response to the mention of denim, “Only cowboys wear denim,” she said with a sharp rise in her voice, clutching a tissue.
Aunt Carol loved to shop and demonstrated peculiar behavior at the checkout. She watched carefully every item rung up as though it was her first trip to Disney then waited for the cashier to ask, “Will that be cash or charge?”
Aunt Carol eventually said “Credit Card,” with a look of disdain, then opened the metal clasp on her black leather purse, and removed a zip lock bag. A wallet wrapped in Kleenex tissue secured by a blue rubber band was inside the plastic. Unwrapping, the wallet was a slow process that suspended time for everyone around her. Eventually she removed a credit card and paid.
I wonder what her life would have been as Marie Antoinette DeSalvo.
*Purchase of the printed book is $15.00 with free delivery with Kindle Select.
*This cozy/mystery book is an easy read, without violence and the romance is behind closed doors.
*Please consider commenting after reading Morningside Drive. I’d love to hear from you and even one word will let me know your thoughts.
Book SummaryFollowing the sudden death of her husband, a grieving Joy Webb Garner leaves her Fifth Avenue apartment in NYC and returns home to Daytona Beach, FL to confront her past. She fled her beachside community as an 18-year-old college freshman who just found out she was pregnant and believed her father was a murderer. Thirty years later, Joy finds a lot of resentment and slammed doors on her way to uncovering the truth.
In a previous post I talked about the Composting Guru who provided a five minute video on composting. I watched the video and followed the steps.
We didn’t have an old beat-up bin so I bought one. Just as well because it is going to be kept outside and in Florida would be considered unsightly. Fortunately I found a lovely purple one. Unfortunately the strong sun will fade it to a dingy violet in no time.
I put Bobbie C to work drilling holes in both top and bottom.
He took the job seriously. It was harder than we thought.
The next steps were easier. S
Steps to composting
1. Add dried leaves
2. Add soil and water3. Dump in smelly yucky compose and mixed slightly. Cover and set in the sun.
It was quite gross. The filter inside the lid of the kitchen bin prevented my from smelling the decomposing fruit and vegetable scrapes.
Since we are three miles from the beach our soil isn’t really soil, it is sand. I’m hoping this will help things grow. But it is probably just another one of my “great” ideas to fight global warming.
What’s new at my house? Well there haven’t been any health events, thank God.
I’m a full time care giver now. Those of you who have been there, done that, know what it entails. There is little time for other things, especially writing. But occasionally there is something new.
Doesn’t this Crofton Countertop Compose Bin (only $14.99 at Aldi’s) add a decorative element to my kitchen? It’s useful too.
“Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. The resulting mixture is rich in plant nutrients and beneficial organisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and fungi.” (Wikipedia)
This past week I added fruit and vegetable peels expecting the decomposing to occur. . . magically? Am I naïve, old or just plain dumb?
Today I realized the bin is a collection item and the magic takes place outdoors when soil, leaves and water are added.
Fortunately Composting Guru who provided a five minute video on what to do. You’ll need to view or skip through two ads to see how easy it is.
claudiajustsaying 