me

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2020/07/27/share-your-world-july-27th-2020/

 

Questions:

Are you a clean or messy person?

I’m a neat pack rat. Yeah I know, there’s a bit of a contradiction here. Pack rats tend to have things every where. I do but I’m OCD about it being organized. Everything in my world has a place.

I don’t function well with chaos whereas my hubby’s desk looks like a hurricane blew through. 🙂

If I asked you to describe yourself in five words – what would they be?

Follower of the old ways.

Do you enjoy being out in nature?

I’m a tree hugger, avid gardener, bird watcher and I have a huge fascination with the ocean at sunrise. My hubby wishes I was fascinated more with sunsets, he’s not an early riser.

What could you spend all day talking about?

I can’t decide. Tarot cards, writing, crocheting,  my fur babies, gardening, roses. my children, my grandchildren, and yeah my awesome hubby too!

letter-c day 65

/ lyncrain / 3 Comments

I didn’t feel like writing day 64. I’m over the letter-c, I’m over the covid-19. I’m over with this isolation while cancer is dictating my thoughts. I just need normalcy. I needed time with good friends sitting across the table from each other.

Spaghetti and meatballs with a salad. ❤  Just an everyday meal but it had a bonus. Laughter and good conversation with people I adore. I slept like a baby last night, it’s the first time in I can’t remember when I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night thinking about all the things I need to do so I can focus on recovery.  Thank you .  (You know who you are.)

Two tomatoes, 4 banana peppers, scallions all from my container garden.

I was upset to see the cabbage worm invasion that did a number on my kale. So frustrating to lose a green veggie I love. I took the whole rail planter and dumped it in the compost bin. I know I could continue trying to treat it but at this point, I have lots of Swiss chard and beet greens to enjoy for now. They are handling the heat well and seem to like the dosing of mint tea and dish soap.

I was surprised to see my compost bin temperature at 90 degrees this morning at 8:30. It was warmer than the outside temperature. I gave it a good turn and wet it down a little. I don’t want my good microorganisms cooking.

Hopefully, by the time our move happens the dirt will be ready to put around the roses for the next owner. I’m going to miss my beautiful roses the most. My container planters will be traveling to our next location. I’m tired of thinking about the crap.

106236020_10219698627911011_2223134212195417881_n

Let’s see what good culinary cancer tools we have next.

Mustard seed is an appetite stimulant and a digestive aid. That explains why I’m always hungry when I eat pickles. Dang. Mustard seeds allegedly  slow down cancer growth.

Nutmeg is also an appetite stimulant, digestion aid, nausea reducer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Nutmeg tastes awesome in cookies, muffins, breads, but did you know it’s awesome on top of oatmeal. I lightly sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg together with diced green apples. Yummy!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutmeg-benefits

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-mustard-good-for-you#nutrition

The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson

I chose a BeeGees song- “Words”   today because of all the things happening in my world. A pending foreclosure, a move impending and a cancer diagnosis. I’m trying not to feel overwhelmed.  That’s why yesterday was so important, my husband and I needed the distraction.

Lyrics
Smile an everlasting smile
A smile can bring you near to me
Don’t ever let me find you down
‘Cause that would bring a tear to me
This world has lost its glory
Let’s start a brand new story now, my love
Right now, there’ll be no other time
And I can show you how, my love
Talk in everlasting words
And dedicate them all to me
And I will give you all my life
I’m here if you should call to me
You think that I don’t even mean
A single word I say
It’s only words and words are all I have
To take your heart away
You think that I don’t even mean
A single word I say
It’s only words and words are all I have
To take your heart away
It’s only words and words are all I have
To take your heart away
It’s only words and words are all I have
To take your heart away
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Barry Gibb / Robin Gibb / Maurice Gibb
Words lyrics © Crompton Songs, Universal Music Publishing Int. Mgb Ltd., Universal Music Mgb Songs, S D R M, Redbreast Publishing Ltd., Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ltd

 

 

Superhero or simply a perverse fascination with Death

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

cineworld_30_day_film_challenge_new

https://sandmanjazz.wordpress.com/

I’m going with Dead Pool because of the weird twists that began in the comic strips with Thanos, Death and Dead Pool. Who doesn’t love quirky romance? Bonus, we’re given quite the story.

Her appearance Lady Death, the personification of death itself, debuted in Captain Marvel #26 in 1973. Lady Death’s powers found her possessing infinite knowledge and power, and often materialized as a humanoid female, residing in an area known as the Realm of Death where she disrupted Thanos’s plans because she struggled with the possibility that he might actually love her. Stephen McFeeley in an interview said, “We talked about his motivation, and much of the motivation connected to Lady Death is about balance,” Feige added. “It’s the balance between life and death, the belief that life was getting unchecked and out of hand and there needed to be a correction. We wanted to make that the driving force of Thanos and his backstory.

Death’s relationship with other villains has varied, she is most famous for her “romance” with Thanos – though she often appeared to shun her would-be-lover, perhaps playing him as somewhat of a fool as her rejection made him ever more determined to prove his worth. In a cruel twist of fate, Thanos once obtained absolute omnipotence in the form of the Infinity Gauntlet only to find that Death still would not address him, this time due to the fact that Thanos was superior to her.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_(Marvel_Comics)

https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Lady_Death_(Marvel)

The Deadpool-Thanos-Death Connection: Marvel’s Weirdest Love Triangle

 

 

Limerick fun

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

https://esthernewtonblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/laughing-along-with-a-limerick-19/

Today’s prompt was moan and of course my  dark maybe a bit sarcastic humor kicked in with another unusual limerick. 9/9/6/6/9 is the required syllable with a rhyme pattern of aabba.

Did you say you overheard her moan
or was it a marginalized groan
to eclipse her pleasure
women like to measure
let’s face it some men are prone to drone

Come on face it, we’ve all had interesting experiences with men and women where you’re truly not sure if it’s real or memorex when it comes to sex.

 

 

 

letter-c day 63

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

Culinary and cancer tool kit:

Buffalo wings and buffalo cauliflower… yummy.   I took the prilosec an hour before dinner as instructed. I thought the chicken and cauliflower came out delicious on the grill. Vic liked the chicken but not the cauliflower. He thought the seasoning was to strong on the cauliflower. I agree that the seasoning was more intense on the cauliflower but I liked it. It’s been two hours since dinner and the only discomfort is in the shoulder but no reflux or vomiting. YAY!

We did an early morning run to the grocery store.  I dread going because everything has increased in price.  We stopped at customer service to complain about the still missing inventory. Why is there still no decaf tea? The clerk said that inventory issues are because of the virus. I asked why other stores are not having trouble getting tea. She said the suppliers are causing the issue. Why would distributors select one grocery store over another?  Did she bother to write down the items that are missing on the shelves. Hell no, she just kept nodding her head. Maybe she’s hoping her brain will fall in place. Sorry, I’m tired of not finding the products I enjoy on the shelf or the clerk taking our request seriously. So screw it, I get my coffee in the mail by subscription now I’m going to get my tea the same way. Twinings has a website and there’s a larger selection than Wegman chooses to offer. Unfortunately, Wegman pushes so much of their own brand that variety is lost when the customer seeks it.   https://twiningsusa.com/collections/decaffeinated

I’m really fond of Nightly Calm and the Peppermint that Twinings carries which have totally vanished from Wegman’s shelves. Did you know Mint has some great qualities to help fight cancer?

Mint is a digestive aid as well as being antimicrobial. I love that relieves indigestion. But did you know it’s rich in vitamin c and beta carotene.

Mushrooms are anti-inflammatory but did you know mushrooms help our immune system, some say it helps us resist cancer.

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/peppermint

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017674/

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/mushrooms-pdq

The weather:

I ‘m glad its been raining. I’m not happy about the wind and the hail. The hail broke a lot of my cucumber and zucchini leaves. The rain pelting and the wind whipping in the last three storms have broken my rose bushes and my gladiolus beds. Gladiolus I was able to bring in and put in vases. But the rose bushes required some major pruning. I did some on the biggest bush but I still have two to go. Rome wasn’t built in a day. But’s that okay.

Did anyone get to see the Comet Neowise? Our sky unfortunately had so much cloud cover the last three nights it hasn’t been possible. If you don’t know about Neowise I’ve included a link. I love looking at the night sky.

How to see Comet NEOWISE

Our next full moon is August 3rd.

Lack of sleep, and migraines:

The storms are raising havoc on my migraines and disrupting the little sleep I’ve been getting so this afternoon Macavity and I grabbed an afternoon siesta. I enjoyed the warmth of his little body wrapped around my legs. The nap helped take the edge off the migraine today and with the meds… I’ll make it until my nerve block on Tuesday. Which leads me to my song choice for today. Another Alice Cooper song. Welcome to my Nightmare.

 

Welcome to my nightmare
I think you’re gonna like it
I think you’re gonna feel you belong
A nocturnal vacation
Unnecessary sedation
You want to feel at home cause you belong

Welcome to my nightmare, whoa-whoa-oh

Welcome to my breakdown
I hope I didn’t scare you
That’s just the way we are when we come down
We sweat and laugh and scream here
Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home here

Welcome to my breakdown, whoa-whoa-oh
You’re welcome to my nightmare, yeah-yeah-ah

Welcome to my nightmare
I think you’re gonna like it
I think you’re gonna feel you belong
We sweat and laugh and scream here
Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home here

Welcome to my nightmare, ooh-ooh-ooh
Welcome to my breakdown
Yeah

Did you Alice Cooper’s real name is Vincent Damon Furnier and he’s 72 years old. It;s hard to believe his music career has spanned 50 years now.” In 1968, the band learned that Todd Rundgren also had a band called Nazz, and found themselves in need of another stage name. Furnier also believed that the group needed a gimmick to succeed, and that other bands were not exploiting the showmanship potential of the stage. They chose the name “Alice Cooper” largely because it sounded innocuous and wholesome, in humorous contrast to the band’s image and music. The legend that the name came from a session with a ouija board was later discredited. In 1975, Furnier adopted this stage name as his own to avoid legal complications over ownership of the band’s name.[19] Furnier, now known as Alice Cooper, later stated that the name change was one of his most important and successful career moves.”~ Wikipedia

My connection to his music began with School’s Out. But I was more familiar with How You Gonna See Me Now It was my ex-husband’s favorite song, he’d sing it to me after he hurt me, guess he thought it was a good apology.

“Dear darlin’ surprised to hear from me?
Bet you’re sittin’ drinkin’ coffee, yawnin’ sleepily
Just to let you know
I’m gonna be home soon
I’m kinda awkward and afraid
Time has changed your point of view
How you gonna see me now
Please don’t see me ugly babe
‘Cause I know I let you down
In oh so many ways
How you gonna see me now
Since we’ve been on our own
Are you gonna love the man
When the man gets home” Lyric Find
My reaction to his drunken behavior mirrored another one of Cooper’s song. Never Cry.
If there is a tear on my face
It makes me shiver to the bones
It shakes me, Babe
It’s just a heartache that got in my eye
And you know I never cry, I never cry
Sometimes I drink more than I need
Until the TV’s dead and gone
I may be lonely
But I’m never alone
And the night may pass me by
But I’ll never cry
Take away, take away my eyes
Sometimes I’d rather be blind
Break a heart, break a heart of stone
Open it up but don’t you leave it alone
’cause that’s all I got to give you
Believe me Babe, it ain’t been used
My heart’s a virgin, its never been tried
And you know I’ll never cry
And you know I’ll never cry
And you know I’ll never cry
Never cry, I’ll never cry
Break a heart, break a heart of stone
’cause that’s all I got to give you
Believe me Babe, it ain’t been used
My heart’s a virgin, its never been tried
And you know I’ll never cry
Never cry
I’ll never cry
Source: Lyric Find
I hid the pain all the time. Unfortunately, I still feel the need to mask my pain, my sadness. Letting people in I’ve learned invites more pain. It’s easier for me to write it, doesn’t matter who reads it or doesn’t. But I don’t actually have to maneuver the questions.
You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” – Bob Marley
”Challenges are part of life; We weaken our spirit, when we act in fear and lose hope. But we strengthen our spirit, when we fearlessly with faith and hope, rise up to meet and conquer the challenges.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
Alice Cooper reminded me of a poem I wrote a while back about illusions.
The Red and The Black©

Debonair in a black tuxedo and top hat,
he entered the room with a haughty confidence.
Dashingly handsome in his borrowed finery
men and women alike envious of his allure.
Oblivious to all, his eyes scanned the room
seeking the vain wealthy woman in flaming red.
He strode with determined arrogance but
she did not turn but continued with her story.
Entertaining all the handsomely attired men
with her amusing tale and seductive voice.
Sensing his presence but wanting to hold him at bay
the ambitious young carpenter knew he must make a move.
The rules of upper class society be damned, only wanting his prey
he spun her to him in a forceful manner, sweeping her away.
Arousing the tempers of her youthful entourage,
she fluttered her fan holding them at bay
He pressed his hard muscled body against her while dancing
knowing the effect he was having on her, eager to score.
Whispered words of endearment and encouragement, he hopes
success is within his reach, however, remembering his last bitter failure
he knows, he must slow down and make the illusion last.

We all have our illusions, some would say they’re more like delusions.

letter-c day 62, rules and more

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/51828229/posts/21532

Esther says, It’s Thursday and our new five-word challenge is here. Last week, she wanted to know about our MONEY. This week, she wants to know what we think about RULES. So can we tell a story in five words, using the word RULES in it somewhere?

No rules, that’s wicked cool.

Only a fool follows rules.

Rules invite resistance, my dear.

If only I did rule.

*************************************************************************************

As a baby boomer in my youth, I pushed the rules and advocated for a new norm because it was in my nature to be contrary but unfortunately us baby boomers got lazy, distracted …. complacent and things are a frigging mess. Looking at our world today, I’m hopeful that the millennial’s advocate hard for a new norm as well because to quote George Carlin, “The planet will be fine but the human race is fucked.” We are. Change requires us adhering to different rules, not clinging to what no longer works. Look around us, glaciers are melting, the air is difficult to breathe, plants and animals are dying because of our behavior.  COVID-19 has us all in crisis mode. Yes, there are letter-c’s creeping into this entry too, c’s that aren’t cancer but equally as dangerous.  Choices aren’t by chance, they’re all around us for to consider and possibly connect. You’re reading my blog and hopefully not by coincidence but that my contemplation conveys information for you beyond culinary consumption.

“You can spend all day trying to think of some universal truth to set down on paper, and some poets try that. Shakespeare knew that it’s much easier to string together some words beginning with the same letter.” ― Mark Forsyth

“And they always slept better with blades beneath their beds.”- Cinda Williams Chima

“Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!”― Hergé 

Or is the counterpoint true.

“Alliteration seems to offend people.” ― Dean Koontz

Is it true that only poet’s enjoy alliteration? I’m inclined to think we have a stronger awareness than some writers or readers but I’m open to discussion my fellow bloggers. Is alliteration enjoyable or offensive?

Well, if I haven’t convulsed , chafed or crossed you with all the c’s let me give you Alice Cooper’s Caffeine….  Coffee the nectar of the Gods 🙂 ahhhh

“Welcome to my nightmare
I think you’re gonna like it
I think you’re gonna feel you belong.
A nocturnal vacation, unnecessary sedation,
You want to feel at home ’cause you belong
Welcome to my nightmare whoa, ho, ho, ho
Welcome to my breakdown
I hope I didn’t scare you
That’s just the way we are when we come down
We sweat and laugh and scream here
‘Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home, here
Yeah, welcome to my nightmare yeah, hey, hey, hey
Welcome to my nightmare
I think you’re gonna like it
I think you’re gonna feel you belong
We sweat and laugh and scream here
‘Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home, here
Welcome to my nightmare
Hoo, hoo, woo, hoo
Welcome to my breakdown
Yeah
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Keith Nelson / Alice Cooper / Robert Alan Ezrin / Tommy Henriksen
Caffeine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music Inc
Yup, I can be comedic at times.  But then to Esther’s point about rules,
Rules need to be broke!

 

letter-c day 61

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

It’s just a peachy day, I’m trying to rob Peter to pay Paul again. Cash flow as an insurance agent during this COVID crap is challenging. People are hesitant to spend money because of their own financial insecurity, which I totally get but that also impacts our financial security. Mortgage companies want to be paid regardless. Some companies are a bit more accommodating but ours isn’t.  I’m in the mindset now, just give them the fucking house. Stress is the last thing I need with cancer looming over me. My husband is trying, truly he is but the reality check is this house is too expensive with this fucked up economy. It has been for a while but I was scared to make changes. Now,  I just want the weight of the world gone and I’m reminded of a conversation with my grandpa. I had made a snarky remark about his camp… He said, looks don’t matter girlie, I have everything I need because I have love.  We have  love just not the money to fix the house so we sell at a price to cover the mortgage. Grandpa was right, looks out on the outside are very deceiving. All the pretty houses on the outside have skeletons and they cost a lot more than my shack. Grandpa said some day I would know what he meant and everything else will  eventually come together.  I know there are many people like us struggling to meet their expenses so we’re  at least in good company.

Which brings me to my song choice today, one I actually heard on Free Fallin’s blog but it feels perfect.  Here’s the link if you want to read her response about Dorothy’s Ain’t Our Time to Die.  Thank you for highlighting this song, I wasn’t familiar with this artist or song. I’ve added her to my playlist.

https://freefallin.home.blog/

“I’ve been obsessed
Seducing your mind
With all my inner demons
To prove that I’m fine
You’ve got to believe, baby (you’ve got to believe)
You’ve got to believe, (you’ve got to believe) baby
You’ve got to believe, baby (you’ve got to believe)
You’ve got to believe me, baby (you’ve got to believe)
It ain’t our time to die, oh whoa
It ain’t our time to die, ah ah
I talk to myself, ah ha
And it always sounds sweet
Ah, gaught up in the violence
It’s no good
And it rapes everything, oh
You’ve got to believe, baby (you’ve got to believe) yeah yeah
You’ve got to believe, (you’ve got to believe) baby
(You’ve got to believe)
You’ve got to believe me, baby (you’ve got to believe) oh oh
You’ve got to believe, (you’ve got to believe) baby
It ain’t our time to die
‘Cause when a heart
Gets warmer with wine, hm
Got mountains to move
So this better be, the last time
I’ve been bitter and angry, yeah
Can’t be like everyone else
So I hang on, hang on, to the bottom
‘Cause I go down, I go down by myself, no
You’ve got to believe, baby (you’ve got to believe)
You’ve got to believe, (you’ve got to believe) baby
You’ve got to believe me baby, (you’ve got to believe) yeah
You can believe me, baby (you’ve got to believe)
It ain’t our time to die, oh whoa
It ain’t our time to die, -ie
It ain’t our time to die
No, it ain’t our time to die, ah ah ah
You’ve got to believe me baby, oh
It ain’t our time to die, oh ho
You’ve got to believe me baby, oh oh yeah
You’ve gotta believe me, mm hm”
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Linda Perry / Dorothy Martin
Ain’t Our Time To Die lyrics © Universal Music Corp., Roc Nation Music, Razor Heart Inc., Peermusic Iii Ltd, Deep Dark Robot Music, Razor Heart Inc.

No it ain’t my time either. I have a lot to accomplish yet. I’ve got mountains to move. So what if living in my stone fortress isn’t in the cards any longer. I’ve enjoyed 16 years living here but now my situation comes down to  the quote I saw about the three c’s. I believe that was on Enlightenedmind622’s blog. Yes, I do read my fellow blogger’s post. Choice, chance and change. Everywhere I look the signs are clear. C’s seem to be ruling my life. I’m not like everyone else. I’m just me, blessed to love and to be loved. Vic and I can be together anywhere.

https://theenlightenedmind622.wordpress.com/

“The 3 C’s in life.

Choice, chance, change.

You must make the choice,

to take the chance,

if you want anything in life to change.” ~ Unknown

Writer’s Connection:

Tonight’s our Wednesday night Critique group. I’m looking forward to hearing my fellow writers work but , yeah there’s always a but… Marcus and Victor both have work obligations so they’ll be missing in action. They bring an energy to the group that I can’t.

Culinary and Cancer tools:

I made a pasta dish with mushrooms, tomatoes, clams, kale and summer squash. It’s very tasty but unfortunately it gave the hubby and I both heart burn. I’m not sure what set that off because we’ve had it before. I didn’t put anything in we haven’t eaten before. So I’m inclined to think it’s triggered by stress more than the ingredients. Oh well, thank goodness for Prilosec. That helped.

Let me give you a couple more cancer fighting tools for your arsenal.

Mangoes are anti-inflammatory as well as being an antioxidant. The author of Cancer Fighting Kitchen says mango extract may help keep healthy cells from turning cancerous. That’s a score.

Maple Syrup, especially the grade A, dark amber is an antioxidant but did you know it allegedly helps with DNA repair. I didn’t know maple syrup was high in zinc either, did you.  Another healthy bonus.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111154926.htm#:~:text=Summary%3A,cancer%20cells%20in%20the%20lab.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4358083/

Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson.

PS. I don’t work for them, I was given the book and have found many good recipes in addition to some great cancer fighting information that I’m sharing with you.