If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be for? (Covid considerations are suspended for this question)
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love throwing costume parties. The anticipation of seeing everyone’s costumes is the best part.
Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.
I’ve taken a lot of pictures in my life, I’m not sure if they speak 1000 words but they do speak volumes about me.
Where IS Waldo? (Waldo, for those unfamiliar with him, is a cartoon character featured in many “find Waldo” images and puzzles) <—— WALDO
Waldo is taking a nap on my back deck. Waldo has been traveling a lot avoiding all the restrictions of Covid, When he landed in Jersey, I offered him our guest room but he really wanted to be outside. He’s hoping to see the new moon before anyone else.on… March 13, 2021
What’s the best part of waking up?
The smell of coffee beans being ground and then the aroma of coffee brewing. I love the quiet in the early morning as I patiently wake for my coffee.
Would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales? (Wee disclaimer. I’m certainly not advocating the slaughter of creatures and the use of their skins for clothing or accessories. No! This question is a ‘grow your own’ type question…if you had an option of your own skin being made of fur OR scales, which would you choose?)
Fur, it’s not exactly beach weather yet.
“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” —John Green
Painted the upper trim in front entry way. The last time it was painted my friend talked me into painting it the same color as the wall because it doesn’t really say anything. It doesn’t frame a window or define the end of a space. But I never liked it blending in. Today, I painted it the same color as the lower trim and the window. It’s now monroe bisque and if I do say so… what a difference. It adds some visual and makes my photographs pop right out.
I wore my boot for part of the painting and my sneaker for the other so I didn’t abuse the foot. I wish I could say one was better than the other. I’m writing this blog entry with a tens unit do it’s thing on my foot. It’s so frustrating that 5 months later the foot still hurts this much.
“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.” —Parker Palmer
Many people understand the importance of eating right but it takes more than eating the right food if your body doesn’t process the way it supposed to do. I know every time I go for my physical I have bloodwork done and it comes back flagged with 2 deficiencies. I eat fruits, veggies and drink almond milk everyday. Doesn’t matter. my bloodwork says vitamin d and vitamin b12 are deficient. So I take supplements..
I felt sad and anxious … assumed that being depressed was a norm. I discussed my feelings with my doctor which led to my bloodwork. What a difference in just a couple of weeks. I suggest if you’re feeling out of sorts or sad that you ask your doctor to check your vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels to be sure. Vitamins don’t make me feel funny or make me feel tired. Some medical practioner’s are saying vitamin D is helpful against covid as well.
Just a brief recap, Sept 30th, I fell down the stairs carrying a box that was going to my granddaughter in Maine. I got up and continued bringing the box to the car and fetched the rest. No big deal, who doesn’t fall. I checked it out before bed, no bruising but it was sore. We went to Maine the next morning and made the deliveries. The following week a dark discoloration/ bruise appeared and the pain level increased. So I thought, well I’ll get it checked out. Ex-rays showed the third metatarsal was broke but he was concerned about the extension of my achilles and the swelling that was appearing in my calf. Okay on to get an MRI. MRI showed the achilles was torn slightly so into this boot for 3 months. The break healed but the achilles was still causing my toes to curl and the back of my leg to spasm. So we began PT, and a home tens unit. Now, mind you we’re talking four months and I still can’t walk without pain.
That’s not going to work I have a house to pack, and painting to finish so we get the best possible selling price. So interest of doing insanity I found a way to work for a couple of hours, use the tens unit to manage the pain. It made the process slower than it needed but at least there’s progress. I go to the Doctor yesterday morning for a recheck. I ask why the outside of my foot has increased in pain while the rest has appeared to recover. He takes another ex-ray and I have a new break.
You have got to frigging kidding. I’ve worn the boot when I’ve had to be on my foot longer periods even after I was freed. I am beside myself with frustration. Now, another MRI appointment is for this afternoon. He said to wear the boot again to I see him on the 17th when he goes over the results.
I’ve got a realtor biting at the bit to show our house and I’m still trying to pack. Can we say timing sucks?
If that wasn’t stressful enough, Vic’s mother collapsed again. She’s in the hospital because of oxygen deprivation and disorientation which go hand in hand. She lives in the St. Louis area, easy enough to get to if you hop on a plane. If you have the money to do that or feel comfortable flying with all the covid issues. Timing again, yesterday was Vic’s 68th birthday.
These are some of the crochet projects I completed during my time out from writing. My granddaughter , Olyvia was very happy with her albino bat like the one in Roblox, Stitch, Mike and Sully, and Rudolph. I made a few of the Plague doctor and nurse with cards saying 2020 survivor. And of course, hats and scarves for family. I did make all the grandchildren a reindeer for their holiday decorations. I made productive use of my time in the boot and restricted walking.
I’m going to close this entry with one of my go to quotes when I feel overwhelmed.
“On your darkest days do not try to see the end of the tunnel by looking far ahead. Focus only on where you are right now. Then carefully take one step at a time, by placing just one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you will turn that corner.” ― Anthon St. Maarten
“If we allow ourselves to stay amazed and astounded at the vibrant instants of every day and do not feel ashamed of admitting to being speechless or dumbfounded sometimes, we can uncover unsuspected sparkling gems hidden in the nooks crannies of our mind.( “Skyward, over and above”.)” ― Erik Pevernagie
I was listening to another pissing contest among our politicians which led me to this ramble.
I think the word dumbfounded is another one of those compounds I love to ponder. Only this one seems to make sense. It is like finding dumb. Like finding you are at a loss for words (completely amazed and astonished). At that very moment I was officially and irrevocably dumbfounded. There was no way to for me to explain what had just happened.” ― J. W. Lord
I feel fantastic, bombastic,
Ecstatically astounded
How a girl can really lose her brain
I feel surrounded, confounded
Emotionally dumbfounded
To think you've nearly won your game
My album choice came about because I was going through another box of papers. I uncovered my mother day letters that Amanda emailed while she was in college. They were summaries of her year from each Mother’s day to the next. I cried and laughed as I re-read those printed out emails from so very long ago. Which led to me to recalling her unusual entrance into this world and what was happening in our lives.
I had stage 4 cervical cancer and it had spread to my uterus. She was supposed to be delivered by c-section so they could remove everything at one time. Except, she decided to come earlier than her due date by eleven days. And when we were at the hospital, the doctor discovered she had flipped so her entrance was feet first. Her breech was kind of like a foreshadow of her life, she’s off and running once her feet hit the floor even forty years later.
Bet you’re trying to figure out what this album has to do with my story. My first husband, her dad was a huge fan of Waylon and wanted his daughter named Amanda. I agreed because knowing she was definitely going to be the light of my life.
She was indeed a force to be reckoned with our Amanda, with white blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled like raindrops on a sunny day.
The letters I read earlier were also signed, the light of your life, always Amanda. That hasn’t changed much but than that’s always true of a youngest child in a parent’s eye much to the chagrin of the older siblings.
“I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane.” Waylon Jennings
I’ve held it all inward, God knows, I’ve tried But it’s an awful awakening in a country boy’s life To look in the mirror in total surprise At the hair on my shoulders and the age in my eyes
Amanda, light of my life Fate should have made you a gentleman’s wife Amanda, light of my life Fate should have made you a gentleman’s wife
It’s a measure of people who don’t understand The pleasures of life in a hillbilly band I got my first guitar when I was fourteen Well I finally made forty, still wearing jeans
Amanda, light of my life Fate should have made you a gentleman’s wife Amanda, light of my life Fate should have made you a gentleman’s wife
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as one of the founding pioneers of the Outlaw Movement.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with one of the darker periods of Waylon’s life. It happened like this. “In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings’s first recording session, and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.
Before their performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa, for himself, Jennings, and Tommy Allsup, to avoid the long bus trip to their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota. Following the Clear Lake show (which ended around midnight), Allsup lost a coin toss and gave up his seat on the charter plane to Ritchie Valens, while Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper, who was suffering from the flu and complaining about how cold and uncomfortable the tour bus was for a man of his size.[30][31]
When Holly learned that his bandmates had given up their seats on the plane and had chosen to take the bus rather than fly, a friendly banter between Holly and Jennings ensued, and it would come back to haunt Jennings for decades to follow: Holly jokingly told Jennings, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up!” Jennings jokingly replied, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes!
Later that morning, Jennings’s family heard on the radio that “Buddy Holly and his band had been killed.” After calling his family, Jennings called Sky Corbin at KLLL from Fargo to say that he hadn’t been aboard the plane.[34] The General Artists Corporation promised to pay for first-class tickets for Jennings and the band to attend Holly’s funeral in Lubbock in exchange for them playing that night in Moorhead.[35] After the first show, they were initially denied their payment by the venue, but after Jennings’s persistence, they were paid.[36] The flights were never paid,[37] and Jennings and Allsup continued the tour for two more weeks, featuring Jennings as the lead singer.[19] They were paid less than half of the original agreed salary, and upon returning to New York, Jennings put Holly’s guitar and amplifier in a locker in Grand Central Terminal and mailed the keys to Maria Elena Holly. Then, he returned to Lubbock.[38]
In the early 1960s, Jennings wrote and recorded “The Stage (Stars in Heaven)”, a tribute to Valens, the Big Bopper and Holly, as well as Eddie Cochran, a young musician who died in a road accident a year after the plane crash.
For decades afterward, Jennings repeatedly admitted that he felt responsible for the crash that killed Holly. This sense of guilt precipitated bouts of substance abuse through much of Jennings’s career. ” ~
Later that morning, Jennings’s family heard on the radio that “Buddy Holly and his band had been killed.” After calling his family, Jennings called Sky Corbin at KLLL from Fargo to say that he hadn’t been aboard the plane.[34] The General Artists Corporation promised to pay for first-class tickets for Jennings and the band to attend Holly’s funeral in Lubbock in exchange for them playing that night in Moorhead.[35] After the first show, they were initially denied their payment by the venue, but after Jennings’s persistence, they were paid.[36] The flights were never paid,[37] and Jennings and Allsup continued the tour for two more weeks, featuring Jennings as the lead singer.[19] They were paid less than half of the original agreed salary, and upon returning to New York, Jennings put Holly’s guitar and amplifier in a locker in Grand Central Terminal and mailed the keys to Maria Elena Holly. Then, he returned to Lubbock.[38]
In the early 1960s, Jennings wrote and recorded “The Stage (Stars in Heaven)”, a tribute to Valens, the Big Bopper and Holly, as well as Eddie Cochran, a young musician who died in a road accident a year after the plane crash.
For decades afterward, Jennings repeatedly admitted that he felt responsible for the crash that killed Holly. This sense of guilt precipitated bouts of substance abuse through much of Jennings’s career.” ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waylon_Jennings
Do you remember the Dukes of Hazzard? My son’s used to beg to stay up later on a school night to watch that show. Waylon was the narrator or balladeer as he liked to be called. Shortly after that time In the mid-1980s, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Nelson, and Jennings formed a successful group called the Highwaymen.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, will be the first woman to lie in state in the United States Capitol on Friday. The practice of paying tribute to distinguished public servants by having them lie in state at the Capitol dates to 1852 and is among the rarest of posthumous tributes for government officials in the United States.”
“Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.” ~ Ginsburg
“It helps sometimes to be a little deaf (in marriage and in) every workplace, including the good job I have now.”~ Ginsburg
“This is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” ~ Ginsburg
(of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption.
Consequences Holding her beloved mirror in hand the young woman studies her lost love. Her smoldering eyes peering barely hidden behind her lush lashes and ruby red lips in a brief shy smile. As she watches him with their son walking hand in hand toward their home. Her hand trembles slightly, a tear drop falls for this living forever isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Yet the young woman thought she could handle it never considering how desolate eternity could be without her love, her child. She sighs deeply knowing, another tear falls In her heart, the choice was right though the price was high.
The choice made at the time didn’t consider the incessant ramifications of living forever. I thought of how I would feel if the opportunity arose guaranteeing their health and happiness in exchange for my soul, could I do it as I wrote this Halloween poem. I know faced with assuring they’re healthy and happy once doesn’t stop… oh wait but they’ll be dead and I’m still living. That incessant detail isn’t forefront because we want the best for our loved ones.
“Incessant smiling is one of the deadly tools used by someone whose intent is to make others cry.”― Michael Bassey Johnson
“Writing is my passion, expression and an incessant obsession.” ― Pushpa Rana
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Excuse is defined as an attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify. Or a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.
I’m not going to offer either one. I’m not the easiest person to live with. I’m inherently stubborn and opinionated. For neither will I make an excuse. I’m who I am no more … no less. But I do have feelings.
In a conversation this afternoon, about a situation we have going on and I said jokingly to another friend that I would be the disrupter on our mutual friend’s team because he’s a manager after our email exchanges. Of what doesn’t really matter. I just know we don’t talk the same language outside of our love of writing. Anyway, the response back was, you would never be on his team. I agreed initially because the two men do seem to talk a language I don’t.
But as I mulled the conversation later, yeah, yeah,… we’re all guilty of mulling things afterward. His laize-faire comment hurt. No, I don’t function in the business arena but I have skills that neither of them are even aware nor has it been necessary to demonstrate my hidden talents anymore than I’ve asked either of them to demonstrate theirs. Here I go making a fucking excuse when I didn’t intend too.
Our connection is foremost writing and occasionally drinking together. We’re friends. And some times unintentional things are said that are upsetting. What he said did hurt. I’m also aware it wasn’t said to be hurtful either.
Truth be known….I truly wouldn’t have wanted to be on their team either in the business world. There’s way too much testosterone and we would have butt heads all the time.
My inner voice is right, if I had been crazy enough to seek working for him… I wouldn’t have been there long. I’m a damn independent thinker, and my days of worker bee mentality is gone.
But looking at the bigger picture, I’m also the person holding our group together. That’s the reality. I keep the dots connected. I’m very aware of their roles in the background and equally aware of my role in the foreground. My contributions aren’t light. Unfortunately, this covid crap has definitely impacted the group dynamics. I totally get how challenging it is to be online one in one more zoom meeting. I don’t do as many as them but I certainly spend a lot of time online with the different groups. It’s a matter of making a choice. It’s apparent to me the choice was made.
Today I’m reminded again of one of my favorite quotes “familiarity breeds contempt.” Did you know the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to use this expression back in 1300’s. It appeared in the Tale of Melibee.
It wasn’t my intent to turn this post into a rant either. I’m kicking the negativity to the curb.
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Definition of credibility
1: the quality or power of inspiring belief an account lacking in credibility.
2: capacity for belief –Her account exceeds credibility.
“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure no one listens.”
― Judith Lewis Herman
In my first marriage, my husband took perverse pleasure in making sure no one would believe me because he couldn’t silence me.
“Integrity is more than truth and honesty; integrity is an unshackled mind, a happy heart, and a light spirit. Integrity is inner peace with a clear, clean conscience. Integrity is self-respect, honor, and credibility. Integrity is healthy and unfettering, and it is worth defending.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
It took me a long time to reach this point where I’m truly happy and the shackles of the past have finally been tossed aside.
We’re writers and here’s a golden opportunity to see a famous library and a shipyard graveyard. Our muse should be inspired by one them to discuss. Maybe even both.
Discuss what you enjoyed on the tour or the library, or the shipyard graveyard or even the restaurant. Maybe all of them. Have fun!
Our hotel is average but then it’s only for one night.
I’m inclined to agree with the reviews about the Mosque, the architecture is average nothing outstanding other than its size compared to other buildings in this location. I’m glad we moved onto the Galerie Zeinart. The textiles were colorful and quite pretty. I like that local artisans are preferred. I purchased a pair of earrings, I do enjoy colorful dangle earrings.
My overall opinion of this tour was it was a waste of my time except for the Galerie.
Day 2838: August 24 Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Prompt: Take a look at Nouakchott 2020 https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293815-Nouakchott-Vacations.html and answer these questions: What is the best of Nouakchott? Why?
I’m glad we could choose the rest of our day because I moved on to Banc D Arguin. It’s a Mauritanian national park ideal for sighting the birds that migrate from northern Europe and Siberia. How cool is that? We discovered hundreds of birds and we saw dolphins too! The guide said, “this park is one of the most important zones in the world for nesting birds. In addition, This park is formed of sand dunes, areas of coastal swamps, small islands and shallow coastal waters. The austerity of the desert and the biodiversity of the marine area results in a land and seascape of exceptional contrasting natural value.” Lunch was delightful.
The guide told us Nouakchott was a mid size village of little importance until 1958, when it was chosen as the capital of the nascent nation of Mauritania. It was designed and built to accommodate 15,000 people, but drought and increasing desertification since the 1970s have displaced a vast number of Mauritanians who resettled in Nouakchott. “Nouakchott is largely flat and only a few meters above sea level. It is threatened by the sand dunes advancing from its eastern side which pose a daily problem.[8] There have been efforts to save particular areas, including work by Jean Meunier. Owing to the rapid build-up, the city is quite spread out, with few tall buildings. Most buildings are one-story. Nouakchott is built around a large tree-lined street, Avenue Gamal Abdel Nasser, which runs northeast through the city centre from the airport. It divides the city into two, with the residential areas in the north and the medina quarter, along with the kebbe, a shanty town formed due to the displacement of people from other areas by the desert.”~ wikipeida.
The interesting view of Mauritania’s Bay of Nouadhibou is spotted with rusting hulks in every direction, ships that were cheaper to illegally abandon in the harbor than to correctly dismantle. It seems that in spite of it all the rotting ships have produced a few surprising benefits. In addition to a continuing salvage industry that has sprung up around the wrecks, their deteriorating hulls have actually provided new habitats for fish and undersea life, giving the city’s vital fishing industry a much-needed shot in the arm. If only the ships could talk what a story they would tell.
I found the Library of Chinquetti overwhelming. I had no idea how many old documents were stored here. What to look at? Where do I begin? Today there are five such libraries left in Chinguetti containing some 1,300 Quranic manuscripts, as well as civil records including contracts, bills of sale, and legal judgments. The dry desert air and dedication of generations of custodians have helped preserve the fragile parchments, often rolled inside bamboo tubes. We learned the crumbling texts are gingerly inspected by scholars who still visit the site to study Islamic Law. Preservationists have attempted to relocate the collections or set up restoration programs locally, but the libraries’ private owners resist. UNESCO has awarded Chinguetti and other nearby ancient settlements World Heritage status, and efforts are being made to save the city and its libraries from neglect.
So much history… in the water and in the library. But I’m so thirsty especially with this dry heat.
Restaurant Al Fantasia is pretty inside but with all the heat of the day, I’m more thirsty than hungry. The pizza that Blue ordered sounded really good so I decided to get one as well. I felt bad for the waiter, as soon as he filled my glass I downed it and held my glass out again for a refill. I told him I was thirsty but I’m not sure his language skills were up to par. Anyway, I didn’t guzzle the second glass. Sandy and Petra looked tired as well. I didn’t see Neva, I wonder if she’s already headed up to bed. I’ll check at the front desk.
I’m glad we’re moving on this is location looked more appealing than it actually is or maybe it’s just the fact we’ve been traveling 24 days now. Tomorrow we’ll be in Marrakech,Morocco our last location in Africa before moving onto South America.
Mauritarian Proverb
To manage yourself, use your head; to manage others, use your heart.
lyncrain 