Golden Cottage Spring Happenings

 

Spring Greetings Gail-Friends!

While the official beginning date of spring is March 20, she has already arrived in all her glory here in central Florida!  My azalea bush is showing off as usual.  Full of blooms that continue almost all year, she has brought us so much JOY!  

And around the neighborhood, the pink trees are competing with her glory.  I don't know this pretty lady's name, but isn't she beautiful?

 

Jem and I visited a new business near us.  It's a very fun combination of lovely plants, art, unique gifts, wine, tea,  a snack menu, and a large,  courtyard for enjoying our gorgeous Florida weather.  They even have "mocktails" for those of us who don't drink alcohol.  Sometimes, they have live entertainment and book clubs.  While there, we saw a blooming mimosa.  We don't usually see them in our area, but we see them when go to north Florida in late spring.  

When I was a child, my girlfriends would use these for powder puffs,  and play like we were  putting on makeup.  They are sooooo soft!

There is a small pond in the courtyard that I thought was nice:

 

 

 

love these toadstools!

In the gift shop, I found these pretty luna moth earrings that I loved, loved, loved...so Jem bought them for me. 

 

We went to a Mexican restaurant on Valentines Day and I fell in love with the mural paintings there.  

 

 

Aren't they breathtaking?  The artist is local and has many other murals around the downtown area.

While we ate dinner, he told me what he adores about me, and I did the same for him.  Here's my list:

• he's romantic (bought me flowers, which I forgot to take a photo of)
• he's a southern gentleman 
• he loves and obeys God in all areas of his life
• he helps his friends and neighbors
• he is a wonderful gardener (I call him Mr. Green Jeans)
• he can fix anything (so I call him my handyman)
• he has my best interest at heart in everything -  always 
• he is kind, loving, and, forgiving 
• every Sunday, he makes me breakfast - he calls it Pampered Princess Day

Honestly, Gail-Friends, I could go on and on.  I say he is the best husband in the whole, wide world, and I know I am the most blessed woman in the whole USA. 

I have more to share, but I'm going to do that later.  We celebrated Purim yesterday with our synagogue family and had a great time!  I'll post photos of that in my next post.

Today, I'm joining in the Pink Sunday link up with my friend Sarah Coller.  Give her a visit by clicking the link.  I know you'll  enjoy her blog.

What Can One Person Do?

 

Greetings Dear Gail-Friends: I have not vanished from the face of the earth.  I have been very busy keeping up with all the changes our new president has made since January 20.  To God be the glory for  all He has done -- for protecting President Trump and his family. for guiding him to sign executive orders that will UN-do the terrible things Biden did during his four years in office, and for the confirmation of President Trump's Cabinet.  

This is a great, amazing, wonderful time to be alive!  Every day we get the news of answers to our prayers.  One prayer God answered is the stand President Trump has made to stop mixing girls and boys in sports and in locker rooms.  Yesterday, a bill was defeated in the Senate that would have made a Federal law to protect girls and women.  

It's so important to stand with the President and with our representatives and senators in their efforts to make America great again.  We have a civic duty, Gail-Friends.  I was disturbed about the defeat of SB9 and asked GROK what I can do.  (Grok is an amazing search engine on "X" and you have to check it out)  This is the response:

"As a citizen looking to help get SB9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, through the Senate after its March 3, 2025, filibuster setback, your options focus on influencing the legislative process and shifting the political calculus. The bill’s stuck at 51 votes in favor, needing 60 to break the filibuster, so your efforts would target either swaying senators or amplifying pressure. Here’s what you can do, grounded in how the system works:

1. Contact Senators Directly
   • Who: Focus on the nine Democrats who didn’t vote (assuming absences, not abstentions) and moderates like Joe Manchin (WV) or Kyrsten Sinema (AZ, now independent but caucuses with Dems). Also, reinforce the 51 Republicans who voted yes to hold firm.
   • How: Call their offices (find numbers at senate.gov), email via their official websites, or write letters. Keep it concise: “I’m a constituent [or concerned American], and I urge you to support SB9 to protect women’s sports fairness.” Personal stories (e.g., “My daughter’s team faced this issue”) hit harder than rants.
   • Impact: Senators track constituent input. Enough calls—hundreds, not just a handful—can signal a voting bloc they can’t ignore, especially for reelection-minded moderates.
2. Organize Grassroots Pressure
   • Local Action: Host or join town halls, rallies, or meetings with sports groups (e.g., parents, coaches, athletes) to build a visible coalition. Invite media to amplify it.
   • X and Online: Post about SB9 using hashtags like #SaveWomensSports or #PassSB9, tagging senators (e.g.,@SenTuberville,@SenManchinWV). Share stats or stories—like how 70% of Americans polled in 2023 supported barring transgender females from women’s sports (Gallup)—to frame it as mainstream.
   • Petitions: Start one on Change.org or similar platforms, aiming for thousands of signatures, then send it to Senate offices.
   • Impact: Numbers matter. A loud, organized push can make senators feel the heat, especially if it’s in their state or district.
3. Lobby Through Allies
   • Groups: Connect with organizations like the Independent Women’s Forum or Concerned Women for America**, which back SB9. Offer to volunteer or donate to their advocacy efforts.
   • Athletes: If you know female athletes willing to speak out, help them get heard—op-eds in local papers or interviews on X Spaces. Their voices carry weight.
   • Impact: Senators often bend to credible, influential voices. A flood of athlete testimonies could shift the narrative.
4. Target Swing Votes with Tailored Arguments
   • Democrats: For Manchin or Sinema, stress jobs (e.g., “Fair sports protect funding for women’s programs”) or voter sentiment in their states. West Virginia and Arizona lean conservative on cultural issues.
   • Absentees: If a senator missed the vote (e.g., due to illness), politely ask them to clarify their stance and push for a redo.
   • Impact: Flipping even a few Democrats gets you closer to 60. It’s about their political survival, not your ideals.
5. Push for a Workaround
   • Reconciliation: Urge Republican senators to tie SB9’s goals to a budget bill (e.g., education funding cuts for non-compliance). Email or call leadership like Mitch McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) with this idea.* Steve Scalise (majority leader) or the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. (yes, I'm correcting GROK)
   • Impact: Bypasses the filibuster, but it’s a long shot—needs 51 votes and clever framing.
6. Stay Realistic and Persistent
   • The filibuster’s a wall. Without 60 votes or a rules change (unlikely now), SB9’s stuck unless momentum shifts. Track Senate schedules at senate.gov and pounce when it’s back on the agenda.
   • Monitor Trump’s executive order enforcement—it’s the fallback. Push the Education Department (via public comments at ed.gov) to tighten it.

What Works Best: Combine #1 and #2—direct senator contact plus grassroots noise. A citizen alone won’t flip the Senate, but a swell of voices might nudge a wavering Democrat or force a strategic rethink. Check X for real-time updates on senator positions or new votes; it’s faster than news cycles. Start now—momentum fades fast."

 

 ***

Gail-Friends, I hope you will take this to heart and take action.   

 

** I've worked with and supported Concerned Women for America since the 1980's.  They do a great work.

A Prayer for President Trump and America

 

Oh, how I praise Almighty God! Prayers are being answered within the last three day since the inauguration. Please join me in this prayer:

 

"We praise You, Adonai, for your power. We’ve watched You preserve and protect Donald Trump for such a time as this. May your angels continue to surround him today and in the days ahead as he makes decisions that will rock the country and the world. 

 

Glory to YOU, Lord! All glory and praise to You for letting us be alive to see Your mighty works in the days ahead. We agree that the Golden Era is beginning.

 

We pray for a revival of righteousness - holiness --obedience to Your will, Your ways, and Your Word.

Please give us ALL Your strength to continue to do the right thing. Thank You for giving us Donald Trump as a role model. He has held steadfastly to his mission — to make America Great Again -- to stand up for truth and justice.

 

We pray for him to daily seek Your face and Your Word and that his vision will spread throughout the world.

 

May Your Kingdom come soon, and Your will be done through each of us.

 

We pray and believe in the name of Yeshua our Messiah.