We have a Pug. He snores. Not loud, more like heavy breathing, but if you lock onto it, you have a hard time sleeping. At times, it can wake us up, and when it does, you are up for an extended period of time. He cannot help it, and it is because of their recessed […]
Better than Melatonin — The Earth Spins
This morning another blogger wrote about magazine subscriptions and having to call one when they automatically renewed her subscription without contacting her. It brought to mind that I miss seeing magazines this week when I went to get my hair cut. No magazines and everyone was on their phone. As you might know by now, I was not. I sat staring at them, wondering if the hairdresser would get the “picture” of how I wanted my hair to look. Nervously, I opened my phone, found the picture and story and showed him only to have him peer in closely. It all seemed awkward. I thought of the day I was getting a pedicure and I noticed a customer reading. I asked the owner, “Do you have any magazines?” He shrugged, “No” and gesturing to the customer told me, “She brings her own.” Immediately, I felt a connection. I began talking more to the owner of the store discovering he was a collector of Chinese art and pottery. He began to describe to me the delicate beauty of the vases, paintings, etc. The same customer looked over and smiled at me as she noted my interest and confided, “I was eavesdropping.”
I liked her even more, after that. I am sure we were both surprised by the honest rambling of the Vietnamese owner professing his love of art, beauty and collecting Chinese dishes. I noted today that I follow 99 blogs. That is too many for someone who enjoys keeping things simple. However, I find something to follow in many of those: there is the Canadian teacher whose days I like to read about; the frugal mom in the Midwest raising 4 children with her husband; the couple who are expats; the Aussie who writes about Down Under; the New Yorker; the blogger who moved to Arizona with her husband and posts beautiful pictures; and the ones who never returned but yet, I keep track of them because they might return and I want to know when they do so.
It is like shoes. I have over 20 pairs but sometimes I wear them all at some point, so why should I get rid of them. The other day, I let go of some clothes, and jewelry. It was challenging but I did so. I don’t want new clothing just to pare down a little. The blogger mentioned that magazines are a dying breed. I agree as yesterday in Publix, I picked up a magazine. I think it was “Living Simply” or something like that. The cover had information about living the best healthy you through diet, exercise, etc. I looked at the price. I did not want to pay almost $5 for a magazine, so I returned it to the rack.
I remember as my mom got older how she loved to sit on the porch and read Vanity Fair. She loved the writers and the stories. We also kept old People Magazines lying around for entertainment. To be honest, reading a magazine on kindle is not the same feeling as holding the hard copy, turning the pages, and then returning to it during the evening…especially if you can’t sleep or have a cold. Remember those days of filling yourself with liquids, good reading material and staying in. The day is dreary outside as the weather is chillier and rainy; however, we have a reservation for Thanksgiving Dinner for 2 at a nice restaurant tomorrow.
We will be revived and ready to roll. I have decided to keep all 99 + of the bloggers I read, just so I can read what the retiree in France is doing, and what about the retiree in Florida: perhaps it is just the thrill of finding we are more alike than different. And to be honest, it makes my world bigger. So, just like the few magazines I still want to buy and read, I might put up with a few more inconveniences, and inconsistencies to know something from my past is still going strong.
And somedays, that is what you need to hear and know as the world continues slogging on despite our best efforts to slow down time. And sometimes nature takes it course and slows us down with a cold, so we can take the time to appreciate the small things when we get back on our feet, again. Happy Thanksgiving!
Which button would you press? Reminds me of my year in Abu Dhabi? For some reason, the entire year I thought they were asking if I were an Emirati would I want to receive my monies in gold or universal health care? Since the health care consisted of myself waiting in a room with 100 people, so that the doctor could write me a slip stating in between my hacking and sniffling that I was sick to take to my workplace, I figured I would choose the “gold.” Or maybe my lack of knowledge skills in the field of Arabic language proved to be detrimental to my mental and physical well being. It still does not explain why a couple from Georgia were determined to pass themselves off as Emirati’s….
And this is why I write fiction, mostly. Enjoy your week!
This may be my favorite!
I read my thoughts from over a decade ago: Writing is the balance of words, sentences with an author’s intent to involve the reader in something that will take an individual outside of himself. Writing is a delicate balance of hard work, perseverance and the right choice of character, story line and sentence structure involving the intent of the writer to grasp your attention quickly. Our society today functions and moves forward with pictures. Those who can capture our intellect quickly today are similar to magicians performing their craft.
Writing is like a boxing match: two opponents which are the pen and paper or the keyboard and the computer monitor. My thoughts flow in writing but my revisions are like being challenged to a new match where I must outpace my opponents. My greatest critic while writing is myself. Writing is a solidary are of which I must compete against no one but myself. I hope my students will discover the sheer joy of communicating through words on paper expressing what one feels but finds difficult, if not impossible to say aloud.
I read an old poem I wrote:
Re-solution
Flying elephants
Flew over my grave last night
He told me
I paused mid-sentence
Was it heavy?
He laughed like the rumble
of the train chortling by in the distance
Why, yes it was
And it be
They flew over my grave
And stepped on my toes
Heavy footed and striking fancy-free
He paused as if for effect
I asked him, so what did you do?
He told me, I kept on moving slowly
Until I rambled out of their eye sight
Then as they went on by
Waving their trunk
I took off my glasses
Poured a stiff drink
And welcomed the New Year.
I have noticed something interesting: the last two Fridays. The first was driving home from work: there was a man crossing the divider between very busy traffic to collect monies from a woman blaring her stereo with dance music. His sign read: I could really use a few dollars as I need a drink as I have had a rough week, treat me. So, she did. I mentioned this to my husband and today a week later, the same thing happened. A thin gray haired man was weaving between 4 lanes of traffic in the same spot on the divider looking for donations. A truck blared a horn to the right of me, a big work truck and the man went running over in front of my car to collect monies from the man.
My mind ran through all the possibilities: the same spot, rush hour traffic, the danger of accidents and why did people keep giving monies out the window. Why did people continue to ask for money on this dangerous corner leading to a very busy 4 way intersection. Why was there not a crash? Why just this morning a police officer had been run down and the driver fled the scene and had evaded capture momentarily and now was under arrest as was the person who helped him become a fugitive….
My husband said, “It is their good deed for the day.” I thought about this and all the liabilities that might have happened and decided if I wanted to feel good about myself that I could offer some encouragement to one of my fellow teachers at the end of a very busy and stressful week or maybe I could check in on an elderly neighbor in our hood or donate time to the Salvation Army. There are others ways I could get a foot up on the good side of my image or feelings without endangering someone else’s day or life. I am still amazed that no one was hit as monies were handed out. And for what, $5 is a cheap price to enter the gates of sainthood. Hey, thanks for listening. Enjoy the weekend!
Yesterday was a good day for us! We went to Belk’s Dept. Store and used our discount coupon to buy a few shirts for the husband, a top for me, and some other things. I love going to Belks. Since we were in the area, I also bought a set of paper trays for $10! It was a great deal and barely used. I found it on Facebook Marketplace. She sold me 3 perfectly fitted letter trays for $10.
However, getting the seller to commit was challenging for this $10 deal which is why perhaps it was still online a month later. I was finally able to commit and make it to her home and buy! I was delighted but had to pass several hoops to get the deal, or so it seemed.
Anyway, then after Belks where the saleslady gave us so many discounts that we saved $153, we went to Dunkin’ Doughnuts and I was able to try the Pumpkin Cold Brew which was delicious and the bagel doughnut holes with cream cheese which were good with all spices on them. Honestly, the customer service lady asked so many questions that I am just glad to get what I wanted. And to top it all off, they were playing Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. https://vimeo.com/549051961
The husband said, “You’re buying as you have the monies.” Because I was carrying the $$$ in my pocketbook.
Seriously, I asked myself does it get any better than this? Now, you know why I love Dunkin’ Doughnuts as they play Coldplay. We also had a view of the lake and the birds circling outside. Quiet and peaceful. Then we came home, tried on our clothes, husband watched the Virginia Tech game and I putzed around in the garden watering the plants, filling the fountain for the birds, and enjoying the cooler air as the temperature is 84 degrees.
This is what Fall looks like in Florida. How was your Saturday?
We will pause this message and return shortly. Do you remember these messages from the TV growing up? You know, the old standard TV, no muss or fuzz and we would all pause until the show returned. I remember teaching in South Korea when a warning would come over the public system: a loud buzz, eerie and we would run for shelter. Now, we hear alerts on our cell phone for vulnerable people lost or searching for someone messages. The other day in class, one of the newly arrived students from Cuba: her cell phone buzzed with that loud obnoxious noise and one of the other students had to show her how to turn it off.
There was a blogger I used to follow and he mentioned “pausing” as he said his wife was having some serious medical conditions. That was in 2020 and he has not returned. I checked the other day. I was reading some of my past blogs. You know how they come up when you write a new blog and some of the stuff may be familiar speaking of ‘Florida, family, home,’, etc. I was amazed at how often my memories run to familiar territory like a bag of coffee beans waiting for the right customer to stock up. I repeat myself surrounding myself with good memories: growing up in the Catskills, my mother, my travels, teaching English, the ‘pug’, our garden, etc. the influence of my husband, as I continue my path in the present.
Do you find yourself doing this? Have you ever reread your old blogs and noticed they were similar to some of the themes you discuss now? However, I am happy to notice how my life continues to move forward with new things. I guess that means we are still in the game.
The game called LIFE. That is all. Enjoy the weekend.
And then I spoke to my husband about repeating myself…I asked him, “Can you believe that?” Much to his credit, he said, “Sometimes, it needs to be reinforced.” Well, thank you for that! I have been told at work, “Did you not say that before?” or something like that. That’s all!
Update-I wrote this ahead of Hurricane Ian and scheduled early to publish but as it happened the best made plans were bound to change. Life is a throw of the dice and we hope to win, mostly. After Hurricane Ian, all bets are off but we remain in the process of clean up. Pictures after our clean up from hurricane Ian.
“Take a breath and breathe” is good advice for the morning after Hurricane Ian blew through. Husband hammered down a shutter from the front window which came loose. I ran to the backyard and saw that we lost branches from our cherry tree and that our smaller tree in the container had turned sideways. Husband joined me speaking, “I think I can fix that like we did in the front yard.”
Then I took the pug for a walk in the neighborhood meeting some of our neighbors. We all agreed we had been lucky. A few branches were down but we were okay. We had never lost electricity, only for a few minutes. We talked about the 1921 hurricane which hit Tampa very hard when it was mostly an uninhabited area.
Husband was outside when I returned. He was bagging palm fronds, branches from the front driveway. I watched him for awhile and then ran back in to take some photos of the back yard before joining him to bag items from our driveway. We bagged ten bags and then he used his blower and blew the front yard. It is 69 degrees out there. When he heard the beautiful weather expected for the weekend, he said “Good time to work on the backyard.” Inwardly, I moaned but I realize we were lucky as I heard about people going to Orlando but now floodwater was affecting the roadways. Hurricane Ian has now moved on to Saint Augustine.
The hurricane is fickle and hard to predict. Husband is talking about propping up the tree. We shall see. I will take some photos and post.
We respect the forces of nature and as we move forward look forward to the last day of hurricane season: November 1st. One of my friends laughed and mentioned that he now knew the hurricane was referred to as ‘Ion” and I quickly said, “I am doing too many things at once. “ I was also feeling mild hysteria and nerves as we listened to the howl of the wind outside. What I learned is to again appreciate the big things and focus on one thing at a time as I lay in bed last night reviewing my whole work schedule, my husband’s health, the walk with the pug, and the hurricane fate of those in Fort Myers, and Captiva.
Prayers to those on the front line and those directly impacted by Hurricane Ian. Thank you for reading.
Woman and coupons: the other day, I received coupons in the mail. I love coupons, so I began to clean out my old file of coupons for nearby restaurants. I asked my husband, “If I should keep one?” He hates when I ask him these questions. During the hurricane preparation, I asked him “Should we bring this in or tie it down?”
He said to me, “You are an intelligent woman. You can make that decision.” He was in the middle of doing something else. I thought, “Yeah, I’m intelligent but I like keeping to the coupon decision rather than the bigger hurricane one.” I was thinking ‘can this be a projectile?’
We think differently: men and woman. There is an expression I ran across recently “Not my circle lifestyle guru.” Yeah, we can marry, live together, make decisions but those small things divide us sometimes. Like with yoga and acupuncture. I am convinced that acupuncture helps my right hip which is weak, as does yoga. My husband is glad it is helping but he remains a little suspicious of acupuncture. So, I take the easier route and when I visit I try not to glowingly talk about my acupuncturist because it sounds as if I really am crazy about him. And then my husband found out, he also teaches yoga at my health club facility. I think he rolled his eyes but I wasn’t quick enough to catch him but then again, that is my tell.
Oh, no…we need a little humor these days. I was not able to play my video of the hard rain hitting our garden late afternoon yesterday but I found this. It does explain some of our thoughts, not all. Disclaimer: we are taking Hurricane Ian seriously but where it will land is off to bets.
Wishing everyone the best!
Hurricane Ian is on its way. It slammed Cuba as a category 3 storm and now has sights set on Florida. Hurricane Ian was also named in 2016. If I had the inclination I would search for what happened, but right now I am shell stocked as we tie down items, move in items, and the husband is off for some supplies at Home Depot. Mike just returned from buying bags of pine bark and mulch to load against the garage door and our front door in case we have a storm surge. We are not in an evacuation zone and are up high but the water has been known to seep nearer to our door. Stay tuned. Garage door is locked and we are in for the day.
The days before a hurricane is beautiful. The fall before the storm: the sun shines, there is an eerie silence, the birds collect their feed, the crickets chirp and then there is an eerie silence … the only rush to be heard in the stores as customers clear the shelves of water, canned vegetables and stock up. Hurricane Ian is on the way. Where will he land?
EEny mEEny Mino mo…and the shopping for water, supplies, canned goods is on. Stay safe.
Update-Now on track for Northern Florida.
And that is why they sell winter coats in Florida.
I love the little quips my husband makes as they ring true and make me smile. I was reminiscing about working for a buyer at Sak’s Fifth Avenue, New York City. It was one of my first jobs and so glamorous, at least in theory. My last blog was about thrift shopping with my mom. My mom had an excellent eye for fashion and style having worked as a stylist for several well-known photographers including Francisco Scavullo (before he became well known) and also for NBC studio. She introduced her sister to the Eileen Ford agency and my aunt graced the pages of Seventeen Magazine.
When I was growing up, I felt the allure of glamour, and mystique in the small Catskill town listening to my mom’s stories of life in the city and her jobs. My father would roll his eyes as I practiced fashion in front of the big mirror trying on clothes, belts, shoes, and even trying on my mom’s suits. It is no wonder that halfway through my college program that I looked into studying fashion and thought of designing and going to the Fashion Institute of Technology.
I visited the school in Manhattan with a college friend. Unfortunately, I discovered I had no talent for drawing or design and decided to remain majoring in English Literature. When I returned after graduation to the City, I searched for a job recommended by a friend and settled in. It was not too long before I remembered my first passion: clothing and realizing that I was in the fashion capital, New York and searched for a job in the garment district. I began as a buyer’s clerical and eventually landed a job at Sak’s working with the buyer’s department.
I remember the glamour and also the nitty gritty of crunching numbers, counting merchandise, and the details of the day. I never realized how tedious and hardworking buyers were. They kept a strict eye on their inventory and how to merchandise so as to catch the eye of the consumer. So, the other day, I remarked to my husband, “Buyer. That was a job I really would have enjoyed!” We were talking about the mundane work days and how long they seemed. All those details and meetings, paperwork. My husband remarked, “They don’t have the job of being a buyer nowadays.”
I remarked, “Why?” He said, “It is automated.”
And then he remarked, “And that is why they sell winter coats in Florida.”
It is true. The human touch and mind cannot make this mistake but the computer can. It is a never ending source of confusion to enter a store in Florida where winter items are being sold. The only ones buying are the snowbirds.
I was happy to read recently about several celebrities who enjoyed thrift shops. The first thrift shops I was introduced to were in New York City, on the Upper Eastside. My mom and I would take the short line bus from the nearest city to our small town in the Catskills and 2.5 hours later, we would arrive on 42nd street hustling to leave this area, take the train to Queens and settle into my grandmother’s apartment. We would buy delicatessen items and settle in for the long haul-2 or 3 days in the city thrift shopping. We would walk everywhere once we hit Manhattan and of course visit museums, Lord & Taylor, Alexanders, and of course, thrift shops located in great areas.
My mom was a trend setter because not everyone bragged about going to the thrift shops or wore any indication of needing assistance as a status symbol. Back then, I had no idea at my school who received free lunches and who might be receiving government assistance. It was not something to be proud of or tell others or even to indicate you needed help. We knew in our village who needed help. As a child, I never knew if they received help but we knew who was struggling. My family was not struggling but my mom was careful with money, so she wanted me to look nice. I was the only girl raised with older brothers. We shopped carefully buying at marked down racks at old big name department stores like Alexanders, Lord & Taylors searching for bargains.
We loved going to the Thrift shops together and then afterwards, we would stop in at Chock Full of Nuts for coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. We would people watch. My mom taught me how to find bargains in the thrift shops. We perused the jewelry counters, found new pairs of shoes used once and then with the tags still on, thrown away. We looked for good labels and good quality clothing. We found some interesting jewelry which I kept. One was a copper bracelet with a dragon head and little emerald eyes. I keep meaning to have someone look at it and tell me the origin and the worth of it but somehow it was always off to the corner of my thoughts and I forget. I do enjoy wearing it on special occasions. I remember one time my mom asking my brother’s wife to return an item for her at the thrift shop. I gather my mom was thrifty and having no need for the item decided to return it, so someone else could use the shoes. She did much to my brother’s chagrin endearing herself to my mom.
Over time, going thrifting became trendy and in style as did admitting you needed help. I see it often on social media pages and my first instinct is to note how much times have changed. Sometimes I think of the families who needed help. Recently, I heard that one of the daughters retired from the Navy and was doing well. I remember the little business my family owned and my mom adding a extra dap of whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate to the banana split sundae. I figured our town watched out for some and they knew all along what they were doing. I have included some photos of celebrities and their reasons for thrifting. I like Lorde’s best.
I still enjoy going to thrift shops and find great items. I have dry cleaned stylish pants, blouses, and had alterations to some items. Sometimes it is even about the discoveries, finding out the eccentricities people buy and used or how we are all more similar than we figure. I head for the book section and sometimes the clothing area. From time to time, I score brand new items with the tags still on. For me, it is much better than Amazon and a great way to score entertainment and a few good buys. I have found some great artwork, globes, etc., and a few other items for the home. Our home is full and we no longer need many of these items but it is still a great way visiting a new area to get a feel of the lay of the land by going to the local thrift shop.
And you never know what you might find. On a sadder note, after my mom passed away and my dad was living in Nevada near one of my brothers, he decided to get rid of some stuff before traveling to visit me in Florida, so he piled some things in a suitcase and delivered it to the nearest thrift shop. I believe my mom was approving this move up above as she passed away two years before him. As for my journals and photo albums, sometimes I wonder if they might also end up in a thrift shop as my families collection of memories seems to end with me. The memory taker.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
Nobody jumped to edit my first completed book, but I wanted to let you know that I asked a few bloggers and some attempted and some put it on the back burner. I understand. They are retired and editing is work, so I get it. The good news is there is someone I worked with and he now publishes books! Yay! He offered to publish my book and I signed a contract. Right now he is editing my book for me. Stay tuned for news. I will give you tidbits as we continue but you must be listening. I told him to take his time as I am busy working and have a few pans on the burner.
Meanwhile, I wanted to sing my praise to Jeani Rector who publishes The Horror Zine. The publication is interesting and they do accept fiction, poetry and art. This month she also discusses reputable publishers that don’t require a literary agent. I would definitely recommend subscribing to the Zine. I am honored to be published by her in the past and to be named ‘poet of the month’ for my work.
I was looking for a new file cabinet and found some of my old poetry written ages ago. Here is my share:
Tea is for ladies
a sip of persimmon
and then utter silence.
Tea isn’t for bosses
tea is for subtlety
mixture of sweet amber liquidity.
and a favorite of mine “South of the Border” which was published by a weekly newspaper operating near the Gulf of Mexico, a beautiful area introducing me to the South.
Crawfish
lying nestled in orange crates
Two halves
half by half by half
One by one along to eight on eight
Claws picked out by tweezers
Nestled in a bed of lettuce next to the Times Picayune
Playing words and joining spirit
Saluting a tumbler of ice cold beet
And your neighbors down South.
I follow another blogger who asks at the end ‘what we learned this week?” What I learned is that I am one of the crazy honest viewers who publishes ‘what I learned’ and everyone else a) likes her post b) chooses to comment on someone’s answer. It reminds me of a game, “Who will jump first?” Sometimes, you get pushed if no one jumps. Sometimes you get pulled into a conversation, hmmm….but what is the fun of sharing if the other doesn’t or if they don’t jump. So someone ends up doing the jumping or more of the risk taking. Hmmmm…My husband told me the best question to ask those if asked an inappropriate question: Why? So the next time I am walking and the little Eastern European man asks me something inappropriate like my age, my work status, married, etc. Ask ‘why’. I am thinking why did I not think of that? Hmm. I was raised to be polite and answer questions, mostly. But the real question is ‘why does he want to know that?’
I found this blog from a blogger who stopped posting about a year ago. Sometimes I peruse her blog to see is she is till there and she is not but I am reposting this from her blog because I enjoyed reading it. I especially enjoyed how she tied in the end to something personal and encouraging you to offer any life lessons we can use. Thanks for reading and to blogger, Suzy. I hope you are reading this and we hear from you soon.
I am reading and reading this book written by Anglo Indian writer Ruskin Bond called “Crazy times with Uncle Ken”.
One of the chapters has a list of proverbs created by the author’s grandmother which she had put up on her pantry door in Dehradun, a small town on the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Some are funny and some make you think. Here they are:
2. Better a small fish than an empty dish.
3. There is skill in all things, even in making porridge.
4. Eating and drinking should not keep men from thinking.
5. Dry bread at home is better than roast meat abroad.
6. A good dinner sharpens the wit and softens the heart.
7. Let not your tongue cut your throat. ( I didn’t understand this one, but all the others seem simple home truths and commonsense. “
Let me know if you understand the last one or have proverbs you or a loved one has made up but has life lessons, any of us can use.
“Hanging on a flagpole is a matter of balance.”
“It is the one sided deal we make with ourselves.”
In Plain Sight is the binge worthy series which is moving me forward these days after a long day of work. We are nearing the last two episodes as there are 5 seasons on Prime. The series focuses on the life of witnesses placed in Wit Sec. We follow the two investigators as they protect those relocating to Albuquerque. The fast paced drama is full of quips like the ones above which add to the show. The series revolves around Mary Shannon, a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, office of the Federal Witness Security Program, more commonly known as the Federal Witness Protection Program. (Wikipedia).
Last night, after a long week of setting up my classroom, learning a new curriculum, and the additional responsibilities of writing IEPs for my students, I was ready for a new life. And that is what watching In Plain Sight did for me. I was transported to another world with witty quips, and an inspector with a complex home life. Both were bound to keep my mind on the moment.
Sometimes that is all we need when we are hanging on to a flagpole and as one of the characters mentioned last night, “We dress according to whom we want to be.” Because, you know, in between I was figuring out what to wear, what to eat, and how to juggle all the balls which were not connecting. Which one hopes, over time, will….and sometimes in the face of changes and adapting, it is nice to enjoy the seemingly normal like choosing the right outfit, coordinating your morning breakfast, or baking a low carb keto dish.
That’s all folks, I am still around. Let me know if you turn on In Plain Sight and let me know what you think. I am disappointed the series was cancelled as is often the case of changes and adapting. Once you adapt and just in time, become adept things change. What has been your strongest adaption that you have recently encountered and met the challenge, head on? How do you cope with fast changes while maintaining normal?
I found this old posting from when social media was the rage and we were current. I remembered how lucky we were. I am getting ready to return to work next week and like most teachers I have a corner or two set aside in our home with things to hang up, cleaning supplies, and papers to hand out. I have spend a few weeks using my laminator, having posters blown up, and making copies along with plans. I have learned that it is best to have some kind of plan but anticipate most plans fall short. Then, you must improvise and adapt. There will be a new school which has retained me in a VE/ESOL push in/pull out position; so, there is that. I interviewed over the summer and was happy to land the position. I am a little anxious working at getting my body and mind in shape for the next couple of weeks. The chair yoga and a visit to the acupuncturist helped with the hip pain. I had to remind myself last night of the many good things which came with new knowledge, new experiences and new serendipities. So, I posted this. See below. Thanks for reading and have a good weekend. Thanks also for allowing me by this blog to ‘scrape the peas off my plate’, so I move forward.
July 29, 2015
This is Michael’s posting on his facebook. I copied it because I know I seemed slightly hysterical the last week without him and running the store and without a car but this is what has been going on. And if you need to get checked out, do!
I am out of the hospital finally, My recovery will be slow, and Hope it is all over.
This is what happened and it is worth the read, because God walked into our house last month, sat on the couch, and told me something needed to be fixed. I know this to be true because of a single phone call.
It was the VA hospital, and they wanted to know if I was interested in becoming a part of a new procedure being tested that would replace the need for colonoscopies. I was 6 years into my 10 year cycle and in no rush to get one I did not need, but they explained that I was over 50, and over 5 years since my last. I said okay, let’s do this. Turns out I was part of the control group and would be getting the “old” kind, not the new “take a pill” kind. So they set it up for two weeks away.
Came the day of the procedure, and all went well. Woke up in recovery, was discharged and went home. No sooner had we closed the door than the phone started to ring off the hook. More than once. They had “found” something. They would not say what, just that it needed a re-look. Okay. Let’s re-look.
I was given little information about what, but was scheduled very quickly for a surgical consult. What? Who said anything about surgery? Well, as it turns out, a bunch of doctors had. I figured I would wait until my consult to find out the details, discuss with Eve our options, and make a decision based on the information they provided. Wrong.
My consult was not really a consult, because I was not being consulted. The Doc explained the details, and sent me to the lab. Then the neurologist, then an anesthesiologist, and the head nurse, then the cardiologist….you get the picture. This was more like prep than a consult. And it was. When I asked the doc when we could decide, she looked at me and said that was going in Wednesday. Period.
From what I could gather, it turns out there was some little cells that were misbehaving and looking to do some ugly damage to the area where my colon meets my small intestine (there is some valve there), and although they were not being aggressive cells, they would at some point go looking for a good time. So, they took out the valve and a bunch of colon (a foot) to isolate and eliminate the threat and the doc said it is less than a 3% chance of becoming anything more.
Now, if I had not gotten the call, or opted to not participate, or come up on the “pill” side of the test, it would have been YEARS before they would have scheduled me, and no telling the damage, but I am guessing that I would have had little chance of this going away on its own.
Only God can put that many variable in play and have it work out for me.
Update: Husband is around being treated successfully because the cancer was discovered. Store is closed but we have been through some trying times and survived. We are still here, still together moving forward.
The husband bought a few lottery tickets-as we got up this morning, I asked him, ‘where did you buy them?’ He told me, ‘the gas station on the corner.’
‘Oh, we never have luck there.’
‘It’s all random.’
I kind of believed it. Kismet though is not a number. It turns out we did hit 3 of the numbers and on a separate line one of the multipliers, so we won $12 back from the $20 spent. I thought it was pretty amazing to match 3 of the numbers!!
There is no winner for the jackpot and the pot today was $487.9 million. That is an obscene amount of dollars to control. I hope the person, people or corporation who win it (as many are buying the store) know how to spend it responsibly. If you can, as I guess common sense might be frittered away after you pay off the necessities.
It is a beautiful day out there. I am reading a good book which is part of a series: Rachel Hatch written by L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea. I am on book 2: Downburst. She is kind of like a female Jack Reacher who takes me on a good voyage and out of my line of comfort, , kind of like if I won the jackpot. Although to read her requires no advisors (financial) of any sort, just imagination. Reading series now is something I am enjoying. Perhaps I am reminded of summers years ago reading all the Nancy Drew Series and then Chronicles of Narnia.
Our side yard is easier to handle. The side yard was a mess. Unfortunately, no before pics. Mother in laws tongue (See photo below frog) Snake plant or Mother-in-laws tongue (Sansevieria Trifasciata) Origin: West Africa: toxic to cats and dogs. We planted one when we first arrived believing it would be a good plant to protect the small window before we were recognized as being in a popular area. It grew, grew and was a mess to weed after I planted cactus. The husband attacked it one day last week and this is what we put in. Thank you, thank you! That was an ugly but needed job.
Hostas: manageable and no weeding. My frog moved from backyard to front.
Kismet: noun, often capitalized. Arabic roots. Synonyms include: fortune, fate, lot, circumstance, destiny.
I do believe in a little kismet but I believe more that no one is going to give me the monies today and I will most likely not win the monies ( a fortune) as many are in the race, also. If I do, it is kismet; meant to be and I will most likely be hiding somewhere nice, with a martini and a chef nearby thanking ‘kismet.’ And I will take my husband with me, maybe a few friends or family to enjoy the ride will know my location in hiding. It will be most likely a mountain, near the ocean, lots of books nearby. That is all I am going to say or maybe I will stay ‘hiding in plain sight’ and keep on going in our neighborhood. It is fun to write fiction, isn’t it?
Until then, we keep on trekking, pulling weeds, taking care of the details, as the summer nears the end. Enjoy!
“Forgive my asking you to use your mind. It is a thing which no novelist should expect of his reader…”
― Owen Wister, The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains
Laughter and tears are both responses to
frustration and exhaustion. I myself
prefer to laugh, since there is less
cleaning up to do afterward. (Kurt Vonnegut)
“Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.” Emily Dickinson
I’m Nobody! Who are you?
I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!
How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one’s name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!
Emily Dickinson
When my father came to live with us the last years of his life, he told me ‘I want to ride the roller coaster’ indicating Busch Gardens. I would grimace and think, ‘hmmmm…’ My husband was not eager to ride the roller coaster, either. This week, my husband’s brother stayed for the week becoming more familiar with both of us and the area. He loved it but he expressed no desire to ride the roller coaster or go to Busch Gardens.
We spend lots of time talking and he loved our garden. I was happy he made the visit. I thought of my dad the first day and remembered during the time he came that we were very busy attending graduate school and working two jobs. I can’t say for sure if I took the dare and rode the roller coaster with him but in my dreams, I did. I accepted the challenge, and I can visualize strapping myself in the car and then screaming as the car danced slowly up the steep hill and then rushed to the bottom with me screaming and my father laughing.
I thought, ‘yeah, my dad the risktaker and I wondered if he wasn’t sending me a message he learned early growing up in New York ‘Take the ride. Accept the risk. Strap yourself in and open your eyes. Scream, as needed.’ I like to think I took that last ride with him but I am not sure if I just blanked it out because the times were so busy and the road was so steep.
And that is what family does for you. Makes you think. And sometimes, they make you appreciate more what you have.
In the month of July, I do appointments: medical, dental, hair, and what not. Because I will return to work in August as a teacher. It is kind of funny because I have a hard time pulling the trigger on a hairdresser. I always anticipate a better deal around the corner and of course, I come armed with a photo. I scream outrage over the prices, especially when one requested a down payment for balayage hair. That was scary leading me to investigate the local academies of hairdressing and group on. The husband was listening to me for about 2 hours or more reviewing this and looking into a nearby acupuncturist for my hip and knee which is hurting.
He said, “Let me try” when I mentioned to him all the information required for the acupuncturist. He found one, called, put me on the line. When I balked at the $30 more asked than the first one, he shook his head and said, “take it.” He pulled the trigger and I followed through booking the appointment, half furious and half relieved. The only thing which bothered him was it was not as close to the house as they had moved. Then, the hair dresser: we discussed it and he asked ‘what about the guy nearby….he meant the Lebanese hairdresser who does a steadily wonderful job with cutting my blonde locks. I said, “I don’t know, maybe his prices have gone up too much.” He said, “Call them.” So, I did and he told me the price which I repeated. The husband said, “Take it.”
I did. And so, he pulled the trigger, again. Being cautious is a good thing but At this point in life, I have to know how to give the trigger a pull more often. I was so fussy about the acupuncturist that I was looking for a specific person similar to the treatment and what not I received in Korea. The same with the hair, so I gave in to a well styled cut, bought my own hair color at CVS and planned on half balayage later on about a month into the year. As for the acupuncture, the husband encouraged me, ‘get the treatment.’ I will be on my feet and moving quickly, hopefully during the coming months so I need to put my best foot forward. The VA has determined through scans there is nothing physically wrong with my hips, so the treatment will help. It did me good in Korea! And he is qualified. I just have to go with my gut more often and pull the dang trigger when I can!
Thanks for listening!
“Where there are cupcakes, there is life.” Found this quote from the blast of the past. The “Night Howl” was one of our favorites and my creation: chocolate cake stuffed with caramel and brewed coffee, then topped with an expresso frosting that in my husband’s words ‘is sure to delight the coffee drinkers most discriminating taste buds, and also give you an energy jolt to get you going again.’
I kept all our menus and they read like the leading credits of a film: Fox’s Delight; Sleepy Hollow: Citronic Blast: Orange Dreamsicle; Dade City Wrangler; Federal Mint: Brownie Rebellion...etc. How did we come up with the names and the stuffing? Some of the iconic names were penned by my husband and some by me. For example: I came up with the insides: mango, vanilla and granola and the husband found the name: Last Mango in Paris. He owned all the snicker doodle dandy, mudslinger, m & m’s gone wild…and came up with the Seedless Watermelon (which was filmed by A & E!!) There was a blogger I followed a long time ago who inspired me. He claimed that he and his wife of “Jaret’s Stuffed Cupcakes” in New Jersey were the originators of the stuffed cupcake. He was also a poet and wrote an interesting blog. Such is the stuff of memories to keep us sharp, together, and moving forward.
We will have one guest for the next week from my husband’s side of the family and it has been awhile. So, we are preparing the grill and the home for company. I keep thinking of things I want to tell all the bloggers and relate to my blog as I might not be posting for a week. I remember that I promised the recipe for the 3 ingredient yogurt cake. Here is the link. https://kirbiecravings.com/3-ingredient-yogurt-cake/
As for my book, I am waiting to hear more from the publishing house I sent it to. I lied to everyone: the book is not entirely fiction and you know it is my memories which include a character who has owned a cupcakerie with her husband who happens to be retired military. Lets say I use characteristics which depict people and settings familiar to me with my main characters. Some are entirely made up. I would not be a writer if I did not know how to utilize fully my experiences. Each day is a story and some years, we have more stories to tell than than other years.
I expect with my husband’s brother arriving next week, the stories will begin again and we will catch up on some years. Until then, keep on creating new stories and eat well! The best, Ms. E. Last thought of the day: whether I am published by a publishing house or self published, I wonder if I should print my real photo or will be a character playing me….hmm, remembering that some authors seem more like movie star attractive in their photos. I leave you something to think about. Thanks for listening!
I saw a quote the other day, “If you are afraid, you are on the right path.” I wrote it down as it seemed like something I needed to remember all those times I feel afraid. To treat fear as something to be embraced because it teaches us and we adapt. To break a big job into smaller components-and look fear in the eyes.
Walking into new situations, like the beginning of a new school year, a new class, or a new school, trying out a new health club, finding directions in the middle of rush hour traffic, getting lost temporarily. Being afraid to take a small risk, feeling penned in, adapting ‘all or nothing’ mindset. My husband and I play the slot machine at the Seminole Casino differently. He has a system and plays systematically never varying often from his bet while I analyze the situation looking for the corner machine and then returning to one I am comfortable with after I take in all the photos and the new added memorabilia of the Hard Rock Casino area. I peruse the menus, the people, view the hard bitten and the ones there for entertainment. When I play the machine, I begin small but then I take bigger risks and play all lines finally anting up $1.00 on one bet on a Nickle machine with a bet of 20 lines. The mathematics of it seem logical but I know it is luck meeting patience. We come with a small set amount and when it is gone, we leave. We are here for the entertainment.
In the car, we spoke of our different styles. I hope to win big and play randomly switching numbers, pressing buttons, etc. Michael is the systematic player and often he hits. When I hit, I hit big (sometimes) but so has he. I don’t like to be systematic. I want to see it is chance, opportunity. As I view the crowd around me, I notice the interesting characters. We speak briefly of my brother and how we might find him in the poker room as he is skilled with this. I think of James Holzhauer, his poker face, and his “all in” gesture. We acknowledge there is a difference between a skilled poker player and someone just playing or pushing the button. I argue vehemently that with my random system, I might hit very big, one day. We have different styles but we appreciate the other’s style. Usually we don’t sit together, so we can’t comment on the other’s style and jinx them. Different styles, different comments. He tells me he has spend $20 and is up to $60. I text back, “Where are we going to spend it?” I take my time and leisurely sit down but my monies go quicker as my bets are bigger. Pure entertainment.
It is still a good morning out. Best deal of the day though was a small tucked away bookstore: garden book, cozy mystery, Tom Clancy’s Commander-in-chief for a total of 4.50-with a .50 cents tip. A family café tucked away in the same non-descript plaza, a little run down but the café was beautiful inside. Hot, hot day and now it will rain, so it was a great day to be out and about. Summertime.
Interesting story: I thought of changing my introduction to my blog. My husband said, “I don’t want you to forget about cancer and push it aside. It is important to remember.” A lot has changed since we closed in 2015. I have been published in a few more places including “The Writing Disorder” for “Listening to the Voice”; “Spillwords” for “Laughing Africa” and “The Stray Branch” for “The Spirit is Willing.” I was nominated by Spillwords for ‘writer of the month.’ Why was I thinking of changing? Because life has changed and we are still going strong. In the end, I decided to keep what I had. I remember every time I have messed with something already set up including writing, I seem to go ‘one step forward and two steps back.’
We are a small husband/wife gourmet cupcake place. Our inspiration comes from our eclectic background. I taught in Abu Dhabi for one year and spent time visiting cupcake spots with character. Mike has trained with an award winning culinary arts team and had the honor of working with James Beard prior to his time as an Intelligence Analyst travelling through the Middle East, Horn of Africa, and Asia with the United States Army. His MBA certainly helps us with the small business arena. My mom won awards for her down home cooking. I read cookbooks for fun and grew us in a small business arena in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. My family owned the local “gertrude’s” ice cream shop. My current background is as an English/ESOL Instructor. Prior to that, I worked in Merchandising in the Garment District and held other jobs including a manager of a bookstore in Orange Beach, Alabama. We try to do one thing and do it well. Come visit. (Update) Our store closed last December (2015) after Michael was diagnosed with cancer. It was caught early and hopefully it will stay in remission. We cut back on our hours and eventually we followed the doctor’s recommendation for a life with less stress and closed our store. I still love writing, and teaching English, so you’ll see me around and I hope you will continue reading the blog. With the store closed, I found more time to write and was able to get published. I am now a published writer on Amazon, so if you google me, the publications will come up. Michael and I are enjoying a life with less stress and finding more time to get some important things done like enjoying down time. You haven’t heard the last of us! Published writer of fiction/non-fiction and poetry: The Bella Online Literary Review; “Down in the Dirt” magazine v 144 (April 2017); “The Horror Zine” Summer 2017 hardback; “Mused Literary Review” (2017) and “The Stray Branch.” (Fall/winter 2017) We found out this past July 2017 that his cancer has returned but the VA has a plan for his cancer which has now metastasized in his small intestine stage 4. Stay with me for the journey as friends who listen are appreciated.
Thank you for listening.
‘Ain’t that the truth?” and so the beat continues…..We shall see….I wrote in response to another blogger’s comments that most questions, real questions, can be answered by yes or no. Are we still alive? Yes. Answering beyond that required more thought and research as to why some people get cancer, etc. but for for now I am happy to say, “Yes” we are still going strong. Both of us. Thank you for reading.
As promised, pictures of our renovated mailbox to an interested blogger. We took a left over and made it into something we can appreciate. And our new mailbox is cemented into a pot and left alone. So many years ago, we seized the opportunity and the plants keep on growing. If you click on ‘Post Box Project’ you can pictures of the new one.
We went nursery shopping. I found an interesting place to peruse through the web but the more interesting place was discovered by chance. A nursery we bought hostas, healthy and ready to bloom, for our side yard and we explored a sunflower field. Sometimes at the bigger stores, they are not quite like the ones you find in nurseries. You either hit pay dirt or you languish waiting for your opportunity to seize the plant. We found the perfect opportunity in a small family run nursery in Plant City-and then stopped for Cubans at a cute place called Strawberry Hut Sandwich Shop where the line was long, the price was right and we ate on a picnic table. The temperature was 95 degrees!! Hot, hot, hot…but we felt we get what we came for. Enjoy the summer!
Another blogger asked this recently and if the definition of ‘love’ had changed. I replied that ‘I thought with each new decade and culture, love changes.’ Then, I found an old memo I kept and decided to repost because so much is true. Sometimes I have felt guilty and awkward about having separate interests but what Paul Newman said still rings true. Perhaps the best of ‘love’ is fluid and mercurial but it is the solidness which you remember. The longer you have been a couple, you realize this. Just as I have come to realize that sometimes silence between couples is not a bad thing-when you feel comfortable enough to say nothing.
Paul Newman
“I’ve repeatedly said that for people with as little in common as Joanne and myself, we have an uncommonly good marriage. We are actors. We make pictures and that’s about all we have in common. Maybe that’s enough …
“Husbands and wives should have separate interests, cultivate different sets of friends and not impose on the other. …You can’t spend a lifetime breathing down each other’s necks.”
Marilyn Monroe
“Experts on romance say for a happy marriage there has to be more than a passionate love. For a lasting union, they insist, there must be a genuine liking for each other. Which, in my book, is a good definition for friendship.”
Sylvester Stallone
“Love is absolute loyalty. People fade, looks fade, but loyalty never fades. You can depend so much on certain people, you can set your watch by them. And that’s love, even if it doesn’t seem very exciting.”
Billie Holiday
“Mom and Pop were just a couple of kids when they got married. He was eighteen, she was sixteen and I was three.”
Socrates
“My advice to you is get married: If you find a good wife, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.”
Elizabeth Taylor
“My mother says I didn’t open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked.”
Alfred Hitchcock
“The ideal husband understands every word his wife doesn’t say.”
Welcome to our domain…
Through the garden, we move….silently….
into the domain, we move silently seeking respite…
we found an upside down pail and drilled a hole to hang…
No need to water as hurricane season begins with afternoon rains…
Sometimes the universe surprises you…
as the garden comes into its own…..
We often weed, down on our hands and knees…
We found the right feeder with the dome to keep out the bushy tails.
Handle with care. Picasso’s paintbrush, we don’t always remember the names of the plants but we remember to water, cut back, trim, and take care of that which nourishes us.
I like the idiosyncrasies of our domain. I like the ability to chose where to display items and unlike where I must confirm to rules, regulations regarding height of flowers, width of park bench: the quirks are ours to choose and this makes it a place to call home. Most of all, I like the ability to move and rearrange as it suits us. Thanks for reading.
Recipe by: Hilary Meyer
Low-carb gluten English Muffins (great for breakfast)
Ingredients
5 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 pound) 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions
3 ingredient Yogurt Cake is the last picture-3 ingredients and it doesn’t require flour, butter or oil! The batter takes only 5 minutes to prepare and you don’t even need a mixer to make it. (Recipe to follow-next week). So, now you know how I enjoy my summer vacation-a little gardening, finding the sunflowers, reading a good book, some baking of keto and a few other things. Husband mentioned if we had the store still, we would definitely sell out with the Yogurt Cake. In retrospect, it is more fun to try out at home and be an armchair dessert sampler.
Is there a job for this? What dream job have you thought about recently? Are you enjoying your summer?
“She is always able to spin everything into a positivity. She didn’t have an enemy in the world. When she walked into a room, the room smiled.” Those impossible platitudes we often hear on 48 hours or at a final retirement article. Recently, we heard them weekly about a news anchor in our area who was retiring after 33 years or so on the air. There were many platitudes and tribute played about her long career covering news in the Middle East, travelling to Asia and being part of our hometown. It was nice to see and to recognize that reporters were not always piranhas and the villains they are portrayed today as “stretching the truth.” At one point, they were our voice and our ear, honestly tuned to the street without any agenda (real or imagined) in mind.
My husband told me a story of meeting her and her husband in an airport in Oklahoma. He mentioned how petite she was and that her husband was friendlier, willing to trade stories and hunker down for awhile but she kept urging him, “We have to go. We have to catch a plane.” As he told the story, I could imagine the scene easily and it led me to wondering this: in a relationship, there is always the pragmatist and the idealist. The pragmatist urges ‘lets move forward and get it done’ and the idealist laments the things that often cannot be changed.
This year, this academic year was rough for me with a very challenging new position, new paperwork in a turnaround school which is code for ‘get ready for changes’ at any minute, so I tried my best to be flexible and on drill or whatever. Inevitably, at times I was exhausted, crabby at home and felt unconnected. When I could, I read voraciously, drank my coffee, keto-ed, slept, and did my best to stay healthy. My soul really felt the year as did my feet and hips.
I am the idealist and my husband is the pragmatist. As we continued the year, my husband’s quips got me through because as the pragmatist, he helped with many things needed at home. I am not retired, yet and he was an immense help to me. We got through and I realize that through the years of our marriage I had adapted many of his skill sets with thinking ahead when buying and he had adapted some of my softness or empathy at times, as the idealist. We won’t change our mindset completely but we adapted the better parts of our half. The other day I said to him, ‘I don’t really enjoy people who are positive all the day.’ We were watching about the news anchor and I said, ‘People like that have sometimes led me down a rocky path. I would prefer someone to tell me the truth without blinders on.’
He agreed. I know he likes the truth, also. And yeah, I know she had done a hell of a job for an anchor and the time of glorifying anchors and news media is over, so I can appreciate where she has been as I am of her generation but I think I would prefer chatting with her husband in the airport. At heart, I am still the idealist wanting her image to remain untainted but just a bit of reality from her other half will comfort me.
Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend and enjoy your summer! How about you? Do you prefer someone to spin the truth or hear it straight, good with the bad? Do you enjoy someone always viewing the positive or do you enjoy more the pragmatist?
I have had a challenging year and one of the ways I have escaped is by media: namely, the New York Post app on my phone along with listening to MJ “Idiots in the news” which ultimately makes me feel better about getting up at 5 a.m. and trying to juggle my work. One thing I learned this year is that “The greatest chef in the world cannot make an omelet if the chicken doesn’t lay the eggs.” (The Earth Spins).
My husband said this to me after listening to me hunt down people for information and go running to find people who neglected to tell me that they would not be where they were. In the hot Florida sun, and in a fairly big school-I run around often like a chicken without my head leading my husband to suggest, “Don’t ever run after people. They know where to find you. If you go and they are not there, move on.”
Good advice and it is something I don’t take well but in retrospect, he is right. Sometimes the ball must fall in their court when work is dumped upon you. Move the ball back to them. So, like a chess player I have been thrown in the mix this year and survived learning a few new tricks which goes to show at any age, you can learn.
Headlines in the New York Post which keep me intrigued and entertained: Who was that masked man? Man knocks mom, 4-year old son to ground in NYC robbery: video; NY electric bills expected to jump 12 percent this summer; ‘Drove for 3 hours’: Formula shortage hits NYC parents, special needs kids hard” Why do I read the New York Post? I like it. I remember in our cupcakerie a man who came in once a week before noon carrying the paper copy of the New York Post and then would sit in our little store savoring a cup of coffee and something sweet. When he left the paper, he would wink at me and say, “Would you like it?” Uh, yeah.
And for my next foray, I will discuss “Birds are not real” a theory recently introduced to me on 60 minutes. It is described as a “joke that thousands of people are in on” and after the past couple of years, we need a good joke to keep going! Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
“9-1-1 is a good number but 9, 45, 380, 357 are better numbers.” A remark made by my husband to me this past month. You see, we found a quarter on the front doorstep. We have a long brick entrance to our house. I had walked the pug and returned. In the early afternoon, I went outside to sweep down the entry way and water the plants. Upon returning, I noticed a quarter laying in an odd position outside the front door. There was no way to miss it and since we don’t often use the front door-walk the pug, go outside to collect the mail, we would have noticed. I picked it up and told my husband. He said, “That is very strange. Did you notice it this morning?” No, as that morning after walking the pug, we went out using the garage exit taking the car and returning about noon.
My husband looked it up and read about potential burglars casing homes and occupancy by attaching monies or dropping trash, coins, and other things. So, he told a few neighbors including the police neighbor nearby and they had not heard of it. One suggested I post on the site “Next door neighbor” and so, I did. This is when it became really weird.
The first post asked, “Have you lost someone close to you lately?” Uh, no, another posted, “Are you sure it wasn’t you who dropped the quarter?” No, we don’t carry change. Someone else posted, “Amazon delivery?” Uh, no, as husband usually meets them halfway up the driveway. Then came the next barrage of comments including, “That is weird!” “Is this some kind of joke-are you a Karen?” Another person posted in response that I might be a Stepford wife. Considering we live not in a gated community but a fixer up area being revitalized known for both good and bad, in a working class area…hmmm….one person replied caustically to another post, “And do you believe the tooth fairy left it?” I had about 35 comments, some highly insulting, so I ended by saying, “Well, if I have helped one person and they learn something new…..” I took the high road.
About 2 weeks later, someone posted about finding a piece of tape on their door, so when they opened it the tape came off. They called 9-1-1 and reported it. Another blogger posted, “Someone else mentioned something weird happening.” I chimed in “That was me. We looked it up and google brought up articles about homeowners discovering trash left in highly unusual places to see if the homeowners were there and noticed.” Since, our car is in the garage and our home often appears unoccupied on a quiet street. Hmm…..validation. V-A-L-I-Dation as I had been insulted, accused of being a Karen, etc. I asked my husband as the poster asked “What did the neighbors tell you to do?” and he said, “9-1-1 is a good number…..” His response brought 35 likes and is still adding likes to the post. There was silence from her but many of the posters found her posting valid and offered suggestions. No one accused her of being a Karen or of over reacting by calling 9-1-1. There was no way I would call the police over a dropped quarter that looked as if it had been placed in the center of the welcome mat.
I was a little confused. Had the crime rate gone up that much in 2 weeks that everyone thought she was more valid than I? What was going on? Hmm…..someone even asked if they would take the piece of tape for fingerprints….hmmm…..who knows? Validation feels good though. But you can bet that I don’t like being attacked on social media and unfortunately will think twice about posting again on this site.
Someone did say, “Thank you for sharing.” And during these times, or all times this is what we can do-share, put it out there because if it has happened to you then it might be happening to someone else. And we now have ring camera in the front yard and the back yard. We recently did catch some weird behavior by camera-flashlights looking over our fence at 4 a.m. We woke up because we heard a crash next door. The neighbor next door leaves his gate open frequently. We showed the video to our neighbors who confirmed it was flashlights looking around the area including over our fence.
Are we more careful? Yes. Do I feel comfortable posting on social media again? No. Update: the husband said, “Be prepared that not everyone is going to like what you just posted.” Well, the truth is often stranger than fiction and you can’t make this stuff up. Enjoy the weekend.
…..the backyard is springing back to bloom with hard work from the husband and a new fence highlighting the garden. I weed and keep the bird baths filled. The white fence really picks up on everything, so Mike was out last week working, weeding, laying some sod around the open parts of the fence as there was a little gap. The past weekend, I was weeding and planning on what to plant. Working outside relieves me of the stresses of the week. Today, I have off but I brought some work home with me to finish as the end of the year is coming with a bang.
Returning home yesterday after a stressful week, I took a big risk. I pushed myself to discover where a road went that I was curious about. It was off a very well-travelled route and dirt with 6 mailboxes at the entrance. I had passed by many times curious but kept going, so yesterday about 4 p.m. I travelled this road less travelled. It was rough going with mud indentations but I kept to the path and finally passed an interesting farmhouse, old style and a little dilapidated but I could tell someone still lived there from the vehicles. There were a couple of bicycles nearby and some children’s toys. Suddenly, I stopped because in front of me was an open pasture with an open door and a bull was eying me. He was still laying down. My eyes widened. I looked back at the house. Nothing was stirring. Beyond the bull was lots of land and there were also a mama with her baby goats. Slowly, I backed up and prayed that I would not meet anyone on that single car road this afternoon. And I didn’t. I reached the mailboxes noticing that 4 were dented and the covers open and only one was serviceable. Again, I wondered who lives here as I slowly turned right onto the highway and headed toward home.
And that made my week because I conquered my fear of the unknown after a highly stressful week of dealing with many unknowns and coping. As for my husband’s response, “You might have been shot. That was a private road and they have the right as you are a trespasser.”
Yes, well I thought of growing up in the mountains and all the properties we trespassed as kids and for a moment I was transported to another time and another place. I felt like the old me returned. Enjoy the weekend! My question: what is a small challenge you have accepted lately that made you feel great?
You are in the grocery store. Which newspaper or magazine do you peruse? Sometimes when I am busy, I treat going to Publix like entertainment because it can be. When I walk in, I peruse the cover of the New York Post because it is always entertaining and then at the check out line, I check out some of the magazines focusing on the recipes, losing weight, getting more energy, etc. Sometimes I observe people’s buying habits or watch which lottery card they chose. I really enjoy the ones who pick out the $20 tickets and then scratch it off quickly while still in the store. I want to hear someone yell, “I won $1 million.” I asked one woman once who was in front of me returning after she scratched it off, and she replied, “I won $50.” I like how they take risks but I just can’t spend that much: instead it is several $2 tickets or maybe two $5 tickets.
When I had some time recently, I made an easy keto apple tart which smoothed my quest for something sweet. Husband and I also checked out “Craving Doughnuts” for some good doughnuts, not carb free after a very busy day. I did crave the carbs and they were in our area. So to some keto ideas, I said “Kiss my grits” and treated myself. However, here the recipe for the apple tart can be found easily under http://www.ibreatheimhungry. cum and it was delicious. Let me know which newspapers or magazines you like to view. I also like the price of the daily for the NY Post: for $2 daily, it is entertaining on the go.
Another question which kept me awake in the wee hours-have you ever been outside a group and when you were finally offered the opportunity to join the group felt disappointed and realized you were not really missing anything all along? So, your choice…I look forward to reading your responses.
Enjoy your weekend!
Susie Shy 45, From Michigan to Germany, Teresa Dovalpage: A Cuban Writer, Roadtripping with Ron, Korea Twenty Years Ago, Just Joan 42-some of the bloggers I enjoyed reading who disappeared between 2-3 months ago. Will they return? If you are out there in cyberspace reading this, give a holler!
This is just a short blog to say I miss them and reading about their experiences. I hope they return! Have you ever started following a blogger and they disappeared. If your blog disappeared, who would miss it?
I , you, he, him, she, her, and we “think you better slow down.” The other day, I mentioned to my husband “we think you better slow down.” We were going out to breakfast as an early Saint Patty’s treat. It was lovely but we or better yet, he took the curves a little fast on a country road and I was like, “we, we, we…” He asked, “Who is we?” Oh, you know..the speedometer registering 55 mph in a 40 mph zone and myself.
And he may be right about that but I was right about the speed! We have so many pronouns being slung around lately that I wondered how they are being taught and if it sounds less officious in a foreign language like French, Je, tu or vous, il, elle, you get the point. I am not sure what they are thinking in France anyway because the only way to know for sure is to be present in the country.
Just like you can’t know much about a neighbor or home by looking at the exterior. You might see the blinds roll back slowly or if you are walking at a different time in the morning see them up, so you know someone does live there. My favorite are the fake vines which hide over a window, so you can’t really see what is going on. You can order it on Amazon but again the only way to know what is actually going on is to be present in the moment.
So that is my message for today. As I watch people texting on phones as they enter the breakfast place and in their cars, walking down the roadways…be present in the moment. Leave the phone in the car and listen to the person opposite you. And if there is no one, then listen to yourself. Take the time to observe around you. You might be surprised by what you learn. Posting some pictures of the outdoor market in Webster-this is what you see since you can’t be physically present in the moment. Thanks for reading!
As you can see, lots of diversity but who is to say “We can’t all get along…perhaps he, him, she or her…..and just who are they? Just for the record: husband says my favorite pronoun is “we.” We know that!
It began to rain mid morning when I started my course for my job and by the time I finished 3 hours later the modules, the rain stopped. In between, I took some pictures of the cactus. Another blogger mentioned a cactus doctor stopping by their home. Something we don’t often use as cactus grows easily in Florida. I posted some pictures of hanging cacti and some spring plants growing.
I have off for Spring Break! A few more work things to finish. The weather is supposed to drop later on this afternoon and by tomorrow when I am running around with a few favorite chores, I will be wearing my jean jacket as the highest temp is 69 degrees. I have a good but busy day planned!
Enjoy your weekend! What are you up to? Oh, and I need to clean the cat bowl in the front of the house. Domestics.
Have you ever thought of an unusual business that might remind you of your past and that you would like to see in the future? I have. I thought of a store that would resell 1-3 month old magazines like Readers Digest, National Geographic, Consumer, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, People Magazine, Vanity Fair, etc. ? What is your favorite magazine that you would like to read and wouldn’t mind it being a few months later?
And the little store would also sell a few keto desserts, good coffee….where have all the old magazines disappeared to? During Covid, medical, dental, and some business offices stopped leaving out magazines. We were forced to wait playing with our phones. For an old schooler like me or a tactile person, I missed my magazines and the rich feel of flipping through one to find the pictures.
Are magazines going out of business? What are some magazines you still buy? Would you be willing to buy old magazines, a few months old? You might even meet a few people at the store you could actually enjoy chatting with in person instead of by text. What would you talk about? Whatever came to mind, whether it was the latest or 3 months old news from Russia or Georgia or the latest scoop on ‘stars who went to school together.’
Or is there another business idea you have from the good old days which you think just might work. Do tell.
I thought of this as a unique question but discovered it is one most googled. I found out that people who are good with dealing with the practicalities of everyday life are referred to as having street smarts whereas those who are very educated are book smart. Usually people who are book smart are good at trivia games and crossword puzzles. I am horrible at trivia and crossword puzzles but if you ask me to read a situation and people I find that I am usually right even if I don’t find out till somewhere down the line. I have good instincts brought about by experience and age. Even in my younger days, I was always very aware of my surroundings which might have been fostered by a mother who grew up in New York City always telling me to ‘look around.’ When I lived in the City after college, she told me ‘get to know the people in the apartments around you.’ It did come in handy, so she was right. So often I am an observer before jumping in. I am more educated than my mom was with a master’s degree as my mom started NYU for fashion merchandising but left after a year to work in the fashion industry as a stylist and to start a family.
“Street smart” is an alternative form of streetwise. “This word is succinctly defined as being the knowledge and experience required to handle dangers and potential difficulties in an urban setting.” Book Smart implies having knowledge of books and being scholarly sometimes implying that the person might lack common sense. Can you have both? I think of my years after college in urban settings-was I simply lucky to come out alive of some hairy situations by trusting my instincts or intuition or did part of my book smarts come in handy? Did I make some good choices and stayed away from trouble by trusting my intuition which was not gained by real life experience but was around, somewhere…..
My favorite definition is that being street smart means you learn to trust your own judgment. So the other day, I was happy to notice that I am finally accommodating and adapting to being a full time teacher again when I was able to hold my bladder and wait until I had free time. In other words, I have finally figured out the right amount of liquids to hydrate and the time I have until I have to be in the classroom. This past week, I stepped up to substitute for two absent teachers helping out and discovering that I was able to hold my bladder for longer periods of time. Between the practicing fire alarms which went off, finding an available bathroom, and the time-I felt streetwise in a sense like this morning while speaking to a neighbor and knowing it was time to step inside the house when we both noticed a couple approaching us with a big bulldog, two small mean looking dogs, a baby carriage, and all the dogs off the chain. Common sense prevailed but then again, isn’t it fun to engross yourself in a novel about an outlandish plot or even about people and the sometimes strange choices they make. Being educated doesn’t always mean understanding the people around you.
What do you think? Have a great day and enjoy the weekend! Or is it simply the luck of the draw that keeps us safe? Or is it someone looking out for us and if so, my Irish mother in heaven or somewhere, your job is done! I am still here going strong! That’s all!
What I really respect about my husband is he keeps me on my toes-calling me from Aldi’s to measure the picture, so we can find the right box. Me, measure…hmm…like when I was in grad school and he suggested being a security guard on weekend as an excellent way to earn extra monies without too much trouble and be able now and then to review my notes, etc. It turns out he was right and going outside my comfort zone was good for me! And he notices things which escape me-like the Lucille Ball picture at the market and the fact that the woman parking near our car had 3 dents-“can she drive, really?” while I was taking notice of the stores in the plaza like the shoe store, Target, etc. and he does notice the details which help me. I am not more detailed than before. What about you? What does your husband notice that totally escapes you or what have you picked up and acclimated according to your daily life? In other words, what does he do that makes sense, mostly?
The husband and I are getting ready for a morning trip to pick up a few donuts, books and enjoy the triviality of running a few errands together. You see, he is feeling much better and we both had an excellent sleep last night. I slept like a log and even the pug’s snoring did not awaken me. While the husband took the pug for a walk and met a few friends, I put on my makeup leisurely, curled my hair and thought of the good doughnuts we would chose from the truck of owners we once knew as they had a shop near us. They are doing very well and visiting them was something we used to do often in the past.
They morphed into a food truck which is doing very well. The normalcy of little things: what a difference it makes. Found the Jack Reacher new series on Prime; the weather becoming more normal; and putting on makeup to go out with the husband. They are small things but a return to normalcy. Reading my list over of tv shows I enjoy watching from the past: Walker, Kojak, Charlies Angels…how we give away our age by our memories! Which tv shows do you remember and your visual images tweak as your hand pauses on the clicker?
Yesterday, I felt optimistic and had enough energy after work to stop at an old $1 store on the way home. It was in a hidden location which you might not see easily but had to be looking and the owners were Asian. It was exactly as I pictured: a mix of eclectic items from kitchen to kitsch. I returned home with 6 giant sunflowers made of felt and which I had been eying from roadsides many times and a few small goodies for my treasure box. Of course, the clothes were too small and I was definitely unsure about size 10 shoes and if they would really fit but I enjoyed the neighborhood friendly conversation overhearing a local ask questions for his friend about renting a part of the lot for washing cars. Isn’t this what makes a neighborhood and a return to normalcy?
Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend! And as for those two doughnuts…I will be looking for something with bacon and apple. The husband wants jelly and they do have guava, of course.
Mea Culpa. A confession: I have been taking care of my husband and myself as we were not feeling well. We are slowly getting better with rest and staying in, mostly. My husband spoke to the VA and after listening to him on the phone the Doctor diagnosed him with a possible case of pneumonia. He refused to go to the emergency room and be poked and prodded once again, so I bade my breathe, took care of my aches and pains and finally am beginning to see the light. He is a challenging person to take care of but I am doing my best with both of us!
We are slowly mending. My illness was healed more quickly than my husband’s as my immune system is strong but I have increasing sharp stomach pains, so I must be careful of what I eat. I also have a new female doctor with the VA, so I look forward to meeting her. My husband has felt very depressed with the VA that since COVID, he feels that he has been neglected by some of his specialty cancer doctors and he had a long conversation with them about that over the phone. I am glad he told me this as I had no idea but I did realize that he was feeling depressed about something.
He also told me that when he felt better he wanted to work on his bowling game and take a few lessons to improve his throw. My mouth dropped open. Well, first I was happy that he was mentioning an activity and feeling better but second I was surprised. Then I remembered who my husband is: a very directed person. The person who when I suggested opening a cupcakerie worked out the details; the man who played golf in Hawaii during his military days and became pretty good at the game; the marathon completer in Hawaii. You see, I am not so directed by specifics. If you asked me “what I wanted to do?” and I was feeling off track my goals would be huge: finish my book, get it published. I am not specific and frequently overwhelmed by enormous goals, wants, and needs.
Marrying my husband was a good decision because he taught me the rule of 3. When you are having a rough start, focus on 3 things you can do or can control. One might be ‘making your bed’ and the second might be a household chore but the third just might get you out the door. If you complete the smaller items, you are more motivated to stay moving. During times of challenge in my work and personal life, this rule got me started and helped me stay on track. As my husband’s hacking becomes less, my cramps fewer and I anticipate a return to the work week, I think of all the moments he was there for me: waiting once a week sitting outside in our old car waiting every night for 3-4 hours worried about my safety as I taught English in a detention center for deputies. The setting was not pleasant, some of the characters were unsavory and he was little worried about me. He drove me there and then drove us home arriving at home around 10 p.m. I won’t deny that it has been a challenging time since January 23rd when these medical problems began but we are getting back on track. Now you know why I have not been on WordPress often.
Thanks for listening! Have a good weekend, everyone! Out of curiosity, do you focus on the big pictures during stressful times or can you work on the details best. Which is more helpful to you?
We have been hibernating last night as there was a freeze watch in our part of Florida. This morning was in the 30’s when I walked the pug and it is now 52 degrees. Both of us felt a little under the weather this past week, so we haven’t been on WordPress often. Today, I went out to grocery shopping picking up some bagels for Michael at Panera Bread and some of his favorite foods encouraging him to eat. My jeans are very loose as I lost a few pounds not feeling any hunger this week. I am hoping that as the day wears on, he will feel better. I feel good now and took a few pictures as the best time to take them is with the blue of the sky and the brisk coldness which adds for a good backdrop. This past week, there was frost on the ground.
I bought from Amazon “Unbroken Threads” a first novel by Jennifer Klepper. It was published by Red Adept Publishing. I thought the premise was great as was the tie to the title: “Jessica Donnelly’s life is beginning to unravel. When the attorney turned stay-at-home mom tentatively volunteers to represent Amina Hamid, a woman seeking asylum, Jessica must learn an unfamiliar area of the law.”
It sounded interesting and I was looking forward to reading more about Syria. Instead, I was more entwined in the life of Jessica which I did not find interesting. I think many assumptions were made about the characters and some of the fine lines drawing the characters together were not really elaborated. This is her first novel, so I look forward to her second novel. I sped read through it.
I was eager to dive into the newest Jack Reacher “Better Off Dead.” I am on page 117. It is cowritten with Lee Child and Andrew Child. It is a little different from his other novels. While I really enjoy the novels of Diane Capri : The Hunt for Jack Reacher Series as the characters are interesting and the writing moves quickly, but I am not finding this novel a quick read. I am taking my time perhaps because as a gift of a hardback book from my Christmas present to Barnes and Nobel, it was more expensive. If you remember, I prefer library books and using my kindle. I am not finding it a fast read meaning I am able to easily put the novel down although the beginning was fantastic with a twist to reel in the reader. My other Christmas novel is Heather Graham “Danger in Numbers” which I have not started yet as I have the latest Lisa Unger “Last Girl Ghosted” which I am enjoying, as a short nosh after dinner or on a slow afternoon of a Saturday. It is perfect! Light, not too heavy and teaches me a few new things.
All in all, a great retreat from work and entry into the new year! Enjoy the weekend! What are you reading? Note to self: I do enjoy looking at the back cover of the pics of the author, yet I wonder often if the real picture of the author is displayed. I know it is the real picture of Lisa Unger because I met her at a book signing in Clearwater. Unfortunately, our cupcakerie was closed the day she visited Mel’s Hot Dogs as we were baking for his celebration of 40 years in business. That brings to mind another question: if you published a book, would you publish your real picture or if you had someone stand in for you-who would you chose?
Choose 4 things within 4 feet of you and write for 4 minutes. One sentence each.
or choose 4 thoughts in front of you and which to let go and which to take on the road of completion with you…..
This is one of my favorite questions to answer and it comes from this blogger:
A continuation in the male vs. female: what was said?
We hear different things even in dreams. I dreamt of a python biting me in the neck. Upon waking up, I researched the meaning of the dream: it meant someone close to me was a back stabber. Immediately, I reviewed mentally my family, friends, work associates as it warned me to take care. I mentioned it to my husband and he said, “Last night, we watched a tv series Tin Star on Prime about a little boy going outside in the night opening up a briefcase and a viper lunged at him. “Yes, that is it” and so I stopped googling dreams.
The husband was replacing recess lights with nicer lights. I was finishing up school work, cleaning the computer with a spray and then air spraying the keys. I made a remark about using it on a hanging basket on which there were clumps of dust. He mentioned he used it in the garage and it was now $8 a can. He looked into ordering on Amazon some kind of compressed air machine as the option was cheaper than the cans. He showed me the picture. “It looks scary” I said as he mentioned it must be plugged in consistently. Different views and we are still debating this one. I want the can spray as it is the one I understand. He wants the other which is more cost efficient and one which I will probably not use as much.
On the other hand, I found a cute little waffle maker at a nearby local store for $6 and made some paleo waffles. You know the one with the almond flour, a teaspoon of coconut flour, etc. which is very dry unless you add some fruit and a solid piece of butter with sugar free maple syrup. The husband said, “It is dry but that is keto. I will have to buy regular waffle mix. Though the consistency is good.” He mentioned buying a perfect pan for omelet he had found on Amazon. I don’t know about you but these little inconsistencies are okay with me. If I want a perfect omelet, I will go to a mom and pop diner. Then he said, “This is something you can get me for Christmas.” I thought “Huh, Oh the compressed air machine.”
And I was going for a comfortable pair of sandals. For myself, I was prudent and took the picture of the perfume I like along with the store which carries the brand. With he said, she said you have to check the punctuation, you know. Thanks for reading!
And for some added information: the husband told me yesterday morning after waking up after our Thanksgiving Day: “I just has an epiphany.” He proceeded to tell me about this realization in the early morning hours. I realized I have them also but refer to them as revelations, giving me insight into people’s actions or my own actions. This day, he shared his and I shared mine. It was revealing, how very similar we had second thoughts about something that happened leading us both to check out the actions of one person. My dream or image told me to think twice as did his. So our dream or state of dreaming but eyes wide open told us something else. For the second image, I told him my thoughts and revelations and he shared his insight. It is interesting what dreams can tell us or that state of reverie being half asleep and half awake can if we listen. Although this time, I might borrow my husband’s line as he said, “I just had an epiphany.”
It sounds better than she said, “I just had a dream and in this dream…..”
Cupcakecacheblog 