Only one day in the 80s this coming week. The rest are in the 70s, and the lows are dropping to 43, with most in mid 40s and two at 50. The sun will be shining every day, though Friday will be partly cloudy. Or partly sunny, depending on how you like it.
One Podcast Two Conversations
I seldom listen to podcasts or books on tape, but come December, when I join the gym and will be doing a lot of walking on the treadmill, I think I’ll learn to like them. At any rate, my Cousin sent an email some time ago, asking me what my thoughts were on language and thinking. Specifically, I believe he asked if I thought our thinking was limited by language. I didn’t really have a clue. Although I know people who speak more than one language think about a lot of things differently that I, a one language person, think. So my simplistic answer was yes, I think our language limits our thinking.
Anyhow, Cousin sent me this podcast, one of the series by Hidden Brain. The first was a little longer than the second. Lera Boroditsky is the a cognitive scientist and studies how the structure of the languages we speak can change the way we see the world. The second conversation is with linguist and author John McWhorter, who shares how languages evolve, and why we’re sometimes resistant to those changes.
I read Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie. I was feeling a deep sadness, not sure why, but decided to use it to spend a lazy day and read. I read the book in one day. I’ll try to get the review up in the next day or two, I’m still not sure how I think about it. It’s a tragedy that would due the Bard proud, I think, but I couldn’t put it down. I kept hoping for the HEA, but it didn’t come. I do hope there is a sequel, that closes some of the open doors, but not sure I can buy and read it. If you’re the king of person who can feel better reading about other people’s problems that are worse than yours, you’ll love it. That ain’t me, Babe, no, no, no, that ain’t me. Babe. (HEA Happy Ever After)
Love and Honor came yesterday, and I just watched it again. I am so happy to now have the entire samurai trilogy. Alas, I haven’t watched any more episodes of The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I hope to get back to it this week. But, in my defense, I have worked on a couple of poems and have started a short story. I’m trying to keep it under 1000 words, but I may have to up it to something like 2500.
So there it is, my week. Incredible sadness for no known reason, and incredible joy at my new movie. The joy always wins so this nothing to worry about. How can I stay sad when I’ve got this adorable dog to keep me smiling?
Sammy wishes you a great week, and one without those terrible awful Zombie leaves that charge over the parking lot and sidewalks looking for dog brains to eat. Ewwww. Who’d want to eat dog brains? And I wish you a fantastically wonderful week where you accomplish everything you want to accomplish, go to bed every night with a smile on your face, and wake every morning with the same.
Any day you wake and are looking down at the grass is a good day!
Weather in the Tries: Looks like our week will be another gorgeous day in Paradise. Sunny most days, highs in the low 80s and upper 70s. Nighttime lows high 40s to low 50s. Air quality should be good most days, and no serious winds. BTW, back in 1962, we had a hurricane come up the northern coast of California, Oregon, Washington. and British Columbia. It wasn’t called a hurricane then (who would expect one in the Pacific NW and in October to boot). On the Pacific side, she was a typhoon named Freda and she slammed us on Columbus Day, 12 October 1962.
As you probably know, I usually write this a day or two ahead, then schedule it Sunday night for Monday morning. I started this on Wednesday and finished it in the days following.
From Charlie to Ian:
In 2004 I moved from the southern Oregon coast (Myrtle Point) to Port Charlotte, Florida. I think I moved in May. In August, Hurricane Charlie danced through town. And it was not a particularly dainty dance, as he was a high Category 4. The anemometers gave up at winds of 155 mph. Two more steady or sustained mph and it would have been a Category 5. Charlie was a skinny dude, about 35 miles wide by man oh man, he danced so fast we hardly knew he was there before he was gone. Okay I exaggerate a smidge more than a tad. Those of us who went through it, knew when Charlie came through. He was loud, he was ill-mannered, and did not clean up after breaking as much as possible. But he was fast. He travelled at 13mph, if my memory holds. He did a lot of damage, but not nearly as much as he coulda done at, say 3mph.
Welcome to Florida, he seemed to say. I remained there for one year fifty-one weeks. Yeah, one week shy of two years found me on the road heading back to the great Pacific Northwest!
Last week, I heard that Tropical Storm Ian was becoming a hurricane, heading up the Caribbean. Then the dreaded words, “It’s heading up the west coast of Florida to Tampa Bay.” No, said I to myself. The waters in Charlotte Harbor are warm and will sing its siren song. Ian will cut across Sanibel and go right up the Harbor, devastating as much as possible. I’m so sorry, I was right. He went up the coast, hit Naples, Sanibel Island, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte. Ian was angry about something. He was about 500 miles across, Charlie would have fit in Ian’s eye with room to spare. And by the time he made landfall, he had slowed from 10mph to 8mph, and was thought to go even slower, to 3mph. I don’t know if he slowed that much once his eye was all on land or not.
I still have friends in Port Charlotte. My Twin let me know she was okay as she and my brother-in-law were north up in Cape May. Today (Wednesday) she let me know she’d talked to a couple of our mutual friends and they’re okay, but that Port Charlotte is a mess. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from a couple of friends who live in Port Charlotte and hunkered down for the ‘cane.
When Charlie came, we didn’t have time to evacuate or head to shelter, we were pretty much forced into hunkering down. And those shelters that were open weren’t allowing pets. Leave my cat? Alone? While she gets carried off to Oz? Uh, no, I don’t think so. I put all her stuff—food, water, box, blanket, in my bathroom (inside room, no windows) and then my housemate and I stood at the back window/sliding doors (in the lee of the wind) and watched our world blow away.
The scariest part was when the porta potty that was outside at the neighbor’s house (being built) was picked up and blew up the street, I was concerned that it might come through my living room window, but it went to the empty lot across the street and was gently set upside down among the palms and trash pines.
The worst that happened to my house was the cage in back was destroyed. (Cages are the screened in areas usually over pools). And a bunch of junk was dumped into my pool, mostly tree limbs. I was very fortunate. We got the junk out of the pool, and out to the road where it was picked up in a couple days. Power was out, but the streets were clear. Verizon brought in a truck and anyone without power could bring their phone down and get it charged free, regardless who their carrier was. We helped each other. FEMA came through within a couple weeks. The National Guard checked on us daily, brought us bottled water and packaged food. (No Meals Ready to Eat), the Red Cross came when the Guard left. We helped each other. We got to know our neighbors, if we didn’t already know them. (One of the really neat things of living in Florida was the garbage was picked up twice a week. And people would put things they didn’t want with a sign that it was free, and if no one took it, the garbage folks did.)
Packed away in Shed 54 is a piece of Styrofoam insulation from a mobile home over a mile away. I don’t know which home, but the nearest park was over a mile away.
Insurance was reasonably priced, and I believe most people had it (if they had a mortgage, they had insurance!) when I was there. Now so many companies are bankrupt, or just no longer underwriting home insurance for hurricanes and flooding. People can’t afford it when they get it, and if one has a mortgage, the mortgage holder will get it, at a premium price. Not sure how to fix that. One of the things I think should be looked at is the barrier islands on all coasts. When they are left alone, they usually have lots of vegetation, and they act as a buffer to the mainland. As the vegetation is cut down, and homes and roads are built, they no longer serve as a buffer, just very pricey real estate.
Ian was considerably larger, slower, meaner, nastier. I’m willing to bet the streets are in worse shape, and it’s harder to check on people than in 2004. I hope neighbors are helping neighbors. People are being told to stay out of the water because you don’t know what’s in it—sewage, alligators,… And I wish my friends would check in on Facebook. In the meantime, I continue to hope they are not among seriously wounded—or the dead.
Sunday morning update: my friends checked in. She couldn’t get Facebook on her phone, but they now have power. Their house is ok, and they are ok. She’s the last little chick to check in. Mama Hen (aka Auntie Lenora) will rest easier now.
I found Love and Honor, the third of the Samurai trilogy (Twilight Samurai, Hidden Blade) online at a streaming site, LookMovie, watched it free and with no commercial breaks. Well worth the search. Then went back in to see if I could find my own copy at something less than the $95.00 at Amazon. I did. I found a used copy for under $30.00, and it should be here later this week. I will soon have all three of the movies (reviews posted above) to enjoy when I want.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. A Netflix series from South Korea. This is the third k drama series on Netflix I’ve seen where the protagonist has Autism and lives in the real world and is treated like a real person. And all have been very enjoyable. The other two are: It’s OK Not to be OK, and Move to Heaven. All are full of humor, and also I think, goodness. They are not soaps in our use of the word. Speaking of, have you ever wondered where the term “Soap Opera” came from? The early radio melo-dramas were broadcast during the day for the little housewife in her domain and sponsored primarily by various soap products.
And there you have it. I was too busy last week watching Ian to check out earworms. I did find a couple of quotes that are pretty good, and I am listening to The HU.
“Remember to set out cookies and milk for Jim Cantore on Hurricane Eve, or he’ll leave you with no electricity for a week.”
“People asked when is a good time to worry? The answer is when Jim Cantore shows up.”
Those of you who aren’t from Hurricane Country probably don’t understand why Jim Cantore is such a god of bad weather. He works for The Weather Channel (for over 30 years) and always goes where the worst of the ‘cane will his. I ‘googled’ Where is Jim Cantore? the day before Ian was scheduled to hit Florida. The answer came up in a couple of seconds—Punta Gorda!
Have a great week wherever you are, do what you enjoy, learn a new song, and dance with Crow. And remember, People are to love, things are to use.
Weather in the Tries: Mostly sunny days, one day up to 86, the lowest to 75. Nights will be high 40s to low 50s. More sunny days than cloudy ones. Now, I ask you, can it get any better?
Healthing.
As many of you know, I have neuropathy in my feet and legs. Primarily in my feets. Finally found a wonder drug that helps, and I seldom have a problem any more. With the neuropathy. But, for the past few years when walking I would more often that really appreciated, have my right leg feel like it was being filled with molten lava. The leg first felt tight, like it was swelling (it wasn’t) and then the lava came. Made for shorter walks. I’d make it home, grab a book, get more or less horizontal with my foot up, and I’d be fine. Usually about that fast.
The podiatrist said it was a nerve issue and if it got too bad, he’d send me to a neurologist or orthopedic surgeon and whichever I chose would probably send me to physical therapy first then talk about surgery. On my spine? Uh, I don’t think so. So, I thought about it, and had an appointment with my regular doctor, and told her what the other doctor said, and she said she’d send me to PT. I think I appreciate it. I tell Housemate I am dying. He says no, I am healthing. What does he know? My quads feel like they’ve been made out of jello. Lime jello at that, and everybody knows I hate lime jello. My knees feel like they’re made of lemon-lime jello. Barely a half step better than lime jello.
The PT has me doing exercises. I’m doing them. Most of them. Being an almost octogenarian and trying to do exercises is not as easy as it used to be! However, they must be doing some good, as yesterday when I got the mail, there was a package in our box for a neighbor on the 2d floor of a different building. Sammy and I took it upstairs. Sammy had NO problem with the stairs (he’s considerably younger than I am, and has four legs), and I had far less problem than usual! But when I got down on the floor a bit ago to do one of the exercises, I could not get up. Blessings upon Housemate! He got behind me and lifted me. This healthing is somewhat painful, and a lot of hard work but if I can get built up to walking long distances in a year, I’ll consider it worth the while. But it is asking a heck of a lot from an old lady.
(And, yes, I know where to find sympathy—in the dictionary between sh*t and syphilis!)
Photos of the Week:
Like I had energy to walk the dog AND take pictures? OK, here’s a couple from days gone by. The yellow flower is a Prickly Pear I took on the side of a road back in 2007 when Kay and I toured the country, and the other is fog on the Columbia River.
Watched four movies this week. Ashes of Time Redux, Lars and the Real Girl, Twilight Samurai, and The Hidden Blade. If anyone knows where I can buy (for a reasonable amount) a copy of Love and Honor, the third in the Samurai movies by Yoji Yamada, please let me know.
My good friend Dixie recommended a K-Drama series she thought I might like, The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. She has a photographic memory and knows how to use it. She has some other issues, to. She is the first autistic person appointed to the Bar and, admittedly, I know very little about autism, so don’t know if she’s playing it “correctly” or not but I’m enjoying it tremendously. Thank you, GF Dixie 😉
I think LA Law was the first time they actually had an actor with Down’s Syndrome play a character with DS, and his girlfriend also had DS, and I believe she, too, had DS in real life. I don’t think the star of Attorney Woo is autistic, but she’s doing a good job, I think, of portraying it. What I like is the fact that this is the third K-Drama I’ve seen where one of the main characters is somewhere on the spectrum, and they are a part of the ‘real world’ and not portrayed as undesirable, or unwanted, or victims needing rescue.
And that’s it for this week. No Earworm, no Quotes.
However, I truly wish to tell you about a new way to eat ice cream. Put ice cream in the bowl. Add chocolate sauce. Still with me? Okay, next grab your jar of Chili Crisp (Housemate and I like Fly By Jing), stir with a fork, and take a fork full of the crisp and dribble on the chocolate sauce. Oh, yummmmmmm.
Have a great week. If you can’t stay out of trouble, for heaven’s sake, don’t get caught! And don’t forget to find out where your nearest Middle Eastern bakery is, and give them some of your business. And if you want some cookies that aren’t all that sweet, try the sesame cookies or the date biscuits. Yummmmm. Every country has their own styles, and I think it’s safe to say that every area/city/town has their own way of baking and cooking, too.
Weather in the Tries: We are, I believe, in our cooling times. The weather this past week has been in the 80s and 70s, and coming up is more of the same, but more 70s than 80s. The nights are in the 50s. Sammy is much happier sleeping under the blanket now ;-)just about all of our days will be sunny, or partly so, with 40% chance of wetness falling on Thursday. Or only 40% of the Tries will get wet? Whatever.
Bread and Soup:
Favorite Daughter and I decided to go shopping at Al Basha Market last weekend, it’s our local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Grocery, and carries such wonderful foods. Of course the store has the most wonderful of smells as you walk in—spices, coffees, teas, and the freezers are filled with all kinds of bread (none of them American), meats (halal), fish, and who knows what all? The guys who own it work there and are very helpful. I always try to buy at least one thing I’ve never had before, and the other day I came home with a jar of stuffed small egg plants. Yummm.
But, I digress. For whatever reason I got to wondering if we had a local Middle Eastern bakery, so looked it up on my favorite frenemy, Google. There is one in Kennewick, and it is literally right next door! So favorite daughter and I stopped there first just to see what they had. And what they had was marvelous—bread so fresh it was still warm! And all sorts of other goodies. The pistachio baklava is to die for! And I saw date things, and kunefe, which I’ve yet to try. Favorite Daughter liked hers—a lot. I finally tried the Kunefa! It is a marvelous, wonderful cheesy delight. They make theirs with sweet cheese, and a shredded phyllo dough that I understand is slightly different than our phyllo dough. Oh my oh my! Auntie Lenora gained 5 pounds yesterday, yes, it’s that good, stop and have some. The happiest 5 pounds you’ll ever wear.
Mr Al-Hayyawi putting samoon dough on the ‘record’ and his helper removing it
For me, the hit of the show is the samoon, an Iraqi bread. Unfortunately, I could probably live off bread, and having Somer Bakery so close, an easy and way too short walk, may prove to be more of a temptation than I can handle. (Somer means Civilization, and I am for sure positive they will civilize me!) The single breads cost a dollar, or $4.95 for a bag of five. Samoon is a pocket bread, like pita, but nothing like the pita from your friendly grocery store. The bread is thicker, about like a slice of our bread, and has a marvelous taste and texture. So far, I’ve had mine with olive oil and za’atar (thyme, salt, and sesame seed), with the stuffed eggplant, with scrambled eggs, peanut butter, onion jam, butter, and just plain. (I can see my friend who lived in Palestine for several years and was married to a Palestinian for 55 years shuddering and shaking her head in disbelief at how I have desecrated the almost holy bread with things I shouldn’t. Maybe she won’t read that part of the paragraph 😉 (I hope we’ll still be friends.;-) (I also like olive oil and za’atar and chipotle powder on my popcorn. She just knows I’ll pay for that eventually 😉
The oven he uses is a thing of beauty—and magic. It looks kind of like a large record turning on the player at about perfect number of rpm that produce breads instead of music. Well, the bread is a symphony for your tastebuds, so music it makes. Mr. Al-Hayyawi puts the dough on it as it turns, and when it comes around again after passing through the heated part (maybe he has tamed some small dragons? or djinn?), it’s baked and nicely browned. And also puffed up. I swear, I can gain wait just inhaling the perfume of fresh baked bread!
They also make pies—pizza-like pies. Their pies have several different toppings—ground beef, za’atar, cheese, spinach, and all sorts of wonderful goodnesses. They are wonderful. They also have a more traditional pizza, but why would anyone want that when they could have the Iraqi pie?
The pie menu. I’ve had the Lahm bi ajeen and the Manaeesh Zatar, both are delightful. –photo by Sonja Smith
Since I like to shop local when I can, and put money back into my local economy, and prefer locally owned and operated, when possible, I know I will be putting a fair share in the new Somer Bakery, 5601 W Clearwater Ave, Unit 111, Kennewick WA 99336. They are wheelchair accessible, have free wi-fi, accept plastic, have contactless payments, and even use Apple Pay. Hours during the week are 7.00-7.00. Weekend hours are a little shorter.
There are tables and chairs, so you may sit and eat, converse with a friend, (and dare I say that everyone in there is a friend waiting to be introduced), read a book, drink coffee or tea. If I was a bona fide food critic, I would give Somer’s 5 out of 5 stars. But since I’m just a wannabe blogger, and I make my own rules, they get 10 out of 5 stars. Don’t ask me how I do that, I just do.
The bread of heaven–samoon
Since I know a lot of my readers don’t live close enough to the Tries to visit, try the next best thing—see if you’re fortunate to have a Middle Eastern Bakery in your town, and if so, check them out. In the meantime, if you’re heading this way to check out the wineries, etc., plan a stop at Somer’s bakery. Everything goes better with good bread. It’s worth the drive. Honest. Trust me. I understand that in many areas of the Middle East, one can take their bread dough to the baker and he will bake it, then you return to pick it up.
Rolls and other yummy breads.
A link crossed my screen the other day from Cooking Professionally, with a recipe for Football Soup. Of course, I had to check it out. I was interested in whether they used brand spanking new footballs, and if so, which brand (or does it matter?), how many and what part, or if they used well-kicked footballs for tenderness. And do we use American footballs or European footballs. Are they cooked and seasoned the same? Of course, I had to check the recipe, because to be honest, footballs in my soup just doesn’t sound like anything I really want to try, though it is a novel way to dispose of them. Now, though, I’m curious if the people who posted the recipe could be sued for lying? There is no football/soccer ball listed in the ingredients. Just the same, I’ll stick to nail soup or stone soup, thank you very much.
In the last few days, recipes for Fairy Bread, Cemetery Cake, and Teacher’s Pet Casserole have all come across my screen. Now, I know there are those who claim fairies don’t exist, but obviously they do exist or there wouldn’t be a recipe calling for them. I mean, how could anyone make bread out of Tinker Bell and her siblings? I truly do not understand how anyone can make bread out of Fairies, cake out of Cemeteries, even assuming they just use the flowers, and not the bones, but making a casserole out of pets is too much—well, possibly if one’s pet is an alligator, but then why ruin it in a casserole when ‘gator bites are so delicious? Oh, wait. Maybe said teacher uses the student who is her pet? Oh, no. Surely not. No, it must be the guinea pig? Or???
Photos of the Week: What? You want MORE photos? Oh, alright…
My first ever samoon with some extra virgin olive oil and some zatar. There truly isn’t a better way to eat bread, but there are some different ways, which are very good, but olive oil and zatar are truly hard to beat.
And there it is. This week’s Coffee Break Escape! Cooler nights, cooler days, everyone seems happier. And Housemate Dan and I didn’t turn the a/c on once this summer, using open windows and fans. Even Sammy Brave Dog seems happier.
Our temps are all down in the 80s & high 70s. Which is wonderful, but we have smoke, which is not, I can feel it, but will hunt down my masks and filters.
25,550+ Days!!!
2 June 1953. It must have been one of the last days of the school year, I was ten years old, so probably fifth grade? Maybe fourth, I don’t remember, but I do remember the school had a black and white television, and just the size for a moderate blue collar home to have, and they placed it on the stage in the auditorium, and each class came in for an hour or two, to watch whatever portion of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II their room was assigned. It was broadcast live all the way from London to Portland, Oregon. The picture was black and white (I already said that, didn’t I?) and so much snow it looked more like a blizzard in the Arctic than inside of a cathedral. My class was in the auditorium for the actual Coronation. I seriously doubt I was so taken with the history as I was with the television.
As I grew, I began to be a bit more aware of the Royals, and the history I watched as a kid. I never had the complete fascination with the Royal Family as some of my American compatriots have, but I’ve found them interesting from time to time. And now that the Queen has actually died (I thought she’d go one forever), I find it utterly amazing she was on the job for seventy years, 25,550 days. Actually, she was employed in the same job longer than that, I didn’t figure in leap years. She was Queen. Was she ever Mummy or Auntie, Grandmum, was she ever invited girl’s night out, or to a friend’s house for an R-rated movie and a beer? Did she ever see Shirley Valentine? Did she laugh? Did she wish she could leave like her uncle? Like Shirley?
I was in school when she became Queen, and I grew, got married, divorced, put time in the military, remarried, had two kids, divorced, worked a job until I could retire, then started working on my dream of becoming a writer. And all that time, she was Queen. To my knowledge, she never complained about it, she knew her job, and though she may not have asked for it, she knew what it was, and she knew had an obligation to the people, the crown, and I’m sure, to herself.
For 25,550 days she was, at least publicly, unflappable. And while she was Queen, she was steadfast, and always, always, proper. It must have broken her heart when Andrew’s friendship with Jeffery Epstein became known, as it must have also broken her heart when Diana and Fergie both divorced her sons. And Anne, Princess Royal also divorced her husbands. It looks like Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex is still married to his first wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones.
Gads, I barely made it through my job long enough to retire, I don’t know how I would have handled being Queen of some country. Probably not well, and certainly not with the panache Elizabeth II presented the world.
It will be interesting to see how Charles III handles the job. Will he stay until he dies? Will he bring William in as an assistant to the king? It seems like an awful thing to saddle a young person with, I hope Charles spends a few years teaching William what he needs to know. But then, maybe Grandma has been doing that right along.
I have a little empathy for both Charles and William. They were raised to succeed in that job, in a way, they were raised like girls—be sweet, don’t argue, never show you’re more intelligent than a boy, learn to cook, sew, be careful how you dress, play a musical instrument, learn to be a housewife and servant to your husband, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Photos of the Week:
These are the man-made lakes/ponds where we live. I think one reason I like them so much is they remind me of the bayous and swamplands of the Southlands. Alas, gators couldn’t live here. They’d like the summers, but not, I’m sure, the winters. Just about all the others wildlife could live here. Well, birds, and squirrel sized things, but they’d be considered invasive, but a gal can dream, can’t she?
I have started Brotherhood of the Wheel, by R. S. Belcher. Not very far into it, but so far, it’s pretty good. Got a little gruesome at the beginning, but then I remembered Golgotha did, too, so I kept reading and the next chapter equaled out quite nicely.
Hey, you knew I couldn’t pass up on Queen music and quotes.
Quotes from Freddie Mercury: (Farrokh Bulsara, iconic singer with a 4-Octave range! And, of course, founder and frontman of Britain’s other beloved Queen.)
“I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.”
“I’m hopeless with money; I simply spend what I’ve got.”
“You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be.”
And so a week has passed and the world continues to turn. The nights and days are cooling, and once again Paradise and Kennewick become synonymous. Except the smoke is moving in. Some of the masks work really well to keep the smoke out.
Whoa, Doat! It looks like Friday was (note that, past tense) our last hot day for a while, maybe even until next summer. This week looks mostly sunny with temps from 81 to 93, with most in the 80s someplace. It’s nice to not just think about cooler weather, but for a while to enjoy it. Until it gets super cold this winter. Actually, I don’t mind the cold either, if I can dress for it, and the dog can go out in it, but that time isn’t here. Yet.
There Are Two Kinds of People
Okay, there are probably several kinds of people, but I believe most people will fit into one or the other category. 1. The LOVE talking to computers and playing games with AI. Many don’t want the personal touch of a human, they want to get in, get out, get back to what they were doing. Or, 2. They hate talking with computers, they want a person who can understand them, hold their had (virtually, if necessary) and take care of business with a smile in their voice, and a nice goodbye well-wish. I’m in the latter category. I hate having to push buttons for this, for that, for anything. When I call a business, I want to hear something like, “Please listen to the following menu as we’ve made a few changes. If you’d like to talk to a living, breathing human, press 1; if you’d like a computer who doesn’t give a frap about you or your piddling problem, press 2.
I hate it when I say I want a representative and the AI says, “Before I connect you, please tell me a little bit about what you want.” So I, being the dumb person I am, say, I need a pin number. “Oh, I can help you. Do you want to cancel your account? Press 1. Do you want to cancel someone else’s account? Press 2. Would you really like to unplug me? Press 3.”
I suppose, another way of saying there are two kinds of people is to say there are old farts and fartesses, and young farts and fartesses. Those of us who grew up when telephone operators were there to help like real people. Those who grew up taking computer classes in the second grade, want to talk to AI.
Then, if you’re a fan of AI, may I recommend a book? I read it 25 or 30 years ago, and am sure I’ve forgotten a lot of it, but I remembered enough that I went looking for it and have a new (used) copy to reread again. Lady El a science fiction novel by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas. I had just about given up on the book as the beginning was pretty rough—not the writing, the story line where a little girl (black) was the smartest in her class and was on her way to college in a few years and then her stepdad pimped her out. Uh, no. I don’t need that kind of a story, but I gave it another chapter and BAM!! All that was back story that was necessary, but that wasn’t made clear. Anyhow, she escaped, made her way to NYC, worked at menial jobs, but never THAT job, and spent her spare time in the libraries reading (my kind of gal). When she got her ID card, she signed up to be an organ doner. Yeah, you guessed it, she was shoved between the subway and wall, and was crushed to death. Ewwww. BUT the military was looking for ten good brains, from heads that weren’t damaged.
When she came to she found herself in a computer. The other nine either didn’t survive, or couldn’t handle the new them. But Lady El, she was on an adventure. She could visit any and all libraries in the world. She could read and comprehend books in mere seconds instead of hours. She could get even with her stepfather (stand up and cheer!!), she could go anywhere, and do just about anything. Yep, her death was the beginning of a new and best life ever! The best one she could have ever imagined. If you want a fun book, hit your favorite used bookstore and get Lady El, by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas.
Photos of the Week:
I may have put this enthusiastic dabbler in before, but I just love him and his kicking. All the other ducks are much more couth. But this little guy is having FUN!One of the dragonflies. Alas, they are mostly gone now.
I not only finished the four Golgotha books that are out (two more are coming—eventually) I ordered his other two series!
I did buy and read a new chapbook. It’s a small book with about 22 pages, 20 poems in Spanish and English, written by young men between 13-17 years of age who were, at the time of the writing, unaccompanied minors waiting in the Selma Carson Home in Pierce County WA to find out if they could stay or would be shipped back to their home country. Really, they were boys, but their poetry says they are old for their years. My review is at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com. The book is $12.00 including shipping & handling. Buy the book at https://www.collateraljournal.com/community. You’ll be glad you did. These young men have found the beauty in life, the book is full of hope. I hope they all got to stay. We need people like them.
Earworms:
3 hours of Spanish Guitar. Great background music while you rest, read, work.
The nights are for real getting cooler. The days are, too. At least most of them. This week will be mostly in the 90s, with three days at 101, as of 4.30 Sunday afternoon. Who knows how it will change by Monday, and No one but that wee butterfly in Seoul, South Korea knows if we’ll still get 3 hot days.
I Don’t Read…
As most of you know, perhaps all of you know, I do not read books on math, spy stories (nonfiction or fiction), romance, or horror. Heaven’s to Murgatroyd! I found a series of books that are classified as horror, and I’m having a hard time putting them down. I have read books 1, 3, 4, and am now on 2. Five and 6 are somewhere between the author’s computer and my bookshelf. It is the Golgotha Series by R. S. Belcher, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The horror is more along the lines of ewww and yuck than nightmare horror. Of course, there is violence, but something occurred to me the other day—I don’t mind violence in shows or books as long as it is improbable. Our Hero single handedly saves Los Angeles from the bad people, the rock falls from outer space to the desert only to not be a rock, but an egg of a violent predator who loves warm blooded beings. Only one person, also from another planet, can save us. Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman. And the violence in these books is like that. Totally improbable. Think of the old Lethal Weapon movies. Now throw in some spirits, ghosts, wayward angels, and other such stuff all in a desert town in Nevada with the name of Golgotha, where everyone is welcome. Some are welcome to live, some are welcome to die, but all are welcome.
I heartily recommend the series by R. S. Belcher, and I strongly recommend reading the first one first, Six Gun Tarot. The others you can read as you find them, but you’ll have a great grounding if you start at the first. It’s far less violent than Game of Thrones was/is. And I’m considerably chuffed that Six Gun Tarot was Mr. Belcher’s debut novel. How cool is that?
Speaking of, I understand there is a prequel out, now, to GoT, The House of the Dragon (???) I imagine it will be as violent as the original, possibly more so. George RR (RailRoad) Martin is involved in this one, too. If any of you watch it to the end, I’d appreciate your comments. I quit GoT at the end of Season 5. I was afraid they would kill off the few favorite characters I still had standing. Especially Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). I did see the episode where he offed Daddy Dearest and thought that was awesome. (I didn’t like his Daddy at all). I know that when the story lags, an author should kill his/her darlings, but damn, I’d get emotionally involved with a character in one episode, and the next s/he would be offed. And I really didn’t want anyone to kill the dragons.
Remember when Diana Gabaldon came out with the Outlander series? My housemate at the time and I bought the first three books, heard the fourth came out and headed to our local bookstore. We went up and down every aisle but the Romance one. Finally, we asked for help. The books weren’t in historical novels. They weren’t in thriller. They weren’t anywhere to be found and yet the store advertised they had them. Yeah, you guessed it, they were in the Romance Section.
I seldom buy fiction books. They take up too much room, they weigh too much, but there are some authors I really, really want to own their books and not rent them. Patricia Briggs, Ann Bishop, and now R. S. Belcher. I’m pretty sure they’ll play well together on my bookshelf. And notice their last names all start with B so as my mind slip/slides away maybe I can still find my old friends on shelf B.
Photos of the Week:
You looking for a good book to read at the beach on your last summer get away? I suggest this one. And I won’t even be begging you for a review, Amazon has heard all us authors whine and cry, and now you readers can just go in and give books you’ve read a Star Rating, no words involved. How about them apples? Huh? And this book is just chock-full short pieces—poems, stories, and opinions. Honest. Trust me.
No knew books this week. I’m still working on #2, and I’m reading it very slowly because I don’t want to finish it and have to come home. I kinda like Golgotha. It’s a happening place, know what I mean, Jelly Bean? 😉
Earworms:
Went to YouTube to check my music videos, and there was a new one for me, Arabian Harp. What lovely music to have in the background while I work on the computer.
“Faith without doubt is addiction.” —Salmon Rushdie
“From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.” —Salmon Rushdie
“We all owe death a life.” —Salmon Rushdie
“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second.” —Salmon Rushdie
We’ve had cooler weather, and Boy Howdy! is it nice for sleeping. I’m pretty sure it won’t be too long before I have to put the heavier quilt on the bed, but for now both Sammy and I are enjoying the lighter weight of the summer quilt. I believe next week end is Labor Day weekend, the “official” end of summer, at least for a lot of kidlets, and their teachers, unless they’ve all quit. When I worked at The Boeing Company, I was rather surprised at all the teachers I knew who worked there. Far less hassle, better wages, better hours, and no kids allowed. Enjoy this week, especially if it’s your last one of the summer 😉
MOS (More of the Same), i.e. extremely warm to hot. 😉
Home Again, Home Again…
Arrived home from the Dark Side a couple hours or so ago. And, yes, the Dark Side was dark for a couple of days. And cool, and I found myself wearing jeans instead of shorts, and a lightweight house jacket thingy I made years ago.
BUT, and this is the important part: I had a wonderful visit with friends. I left the Brave Dog home with Housemate, and am glad I did. The drives over and back were hot and stressful. Lots of traffic that actually moved quite well, until the Road Work signs appeared. Ugh!
Have four books to review and post, but probably not tonight. Have read volumes 1, 3, 4 of the Golgotha series, 5 & 6 are not yet published, and volume 2 was waiting when I got home. Volume 2 is a trade paper book, the others are mass paper, and in the beginning of V2 is a map of the town of Golgotha. As you probably know I love maps! Can you tell what I’m going to be doing in just a few minutes?
Because it is still Monday, I wanted to get something written so your Monday won’t be a total loss without a new Coffee Break Escape, I’m putting it together, and will get it sent soon. While it’s still Monday.
My friend who lives in the Dark Side, is dairy intolerant. It is also difficult for him to get around, so we want NOTHING with dairy to come into his domain. I found a recipe I thought he’d like, Apple Fritter Cake, which is to die for. It calls for melted butter, I ignored that, and the glaze is to be made with milk—I substituted Scotch Whiskey 😉 You may have to subscribe to their free newsletter—believe me, it’s worth it. This cake was a huge hit, for those fortunate enough to get any. Next time I make it, I think I will nuke the apples, sugar (surprisingly small amount), and cinnamon with a bit of cornstarch for a few minutes, then mix it in. The apples were good, but not quite as done as a bakery fritter. And, being a cake, it was baked not fried. I baked it in our new Anova Precision Oven, and it was quite interesting to see the whole degree of flex to maintain the temperature for baking.
I think the cake would be good with peaches, blueberries, cherries—whatever your little tastebuds have a hankering for. You might want to adjust the cinnamon appropriately 😉 Very little sugar (1/4 cup), no egg (12 oz of beer).
My friend’s youngest son, Alex, was there when I arrived. He looked so much like my Favorite Son, I did a double take. There are differences, but still…. 😉 And, like Favorite Son, a delight to meet.
Photos of the Week:
Two shots of one of Sheryl’s Hydrangea plants. Sheryl is/was a Landscape Architect, and her yard is fantabulous. More shots next time.
Books 3, 4 of the Golgotha series and two books of poetry, Discovery by Don Krieger and I Am the Rage, by Martina McGowan. Two powerful books of poetry. Anyhow, I’ll try to get all the reviews up in the next couple of days.
Earworms:
I wasn’t going to have any earworms this week, but I remembered an old song I learned in Girl Scouts, Make New Friends, and thought I’d share it. It one of those simple songs that goes into a ‘round’ easily and I think it’s a song we big people ought to learn and sing more often than we do. Check it out. This version is a bit longer than I remember, but I surely do like it.
“The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.” —John Lee Hooker, blues singer, songwriter, guitarist (1917-2001)
“There’s no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in Chicago, I’m playing up-to-date, not the blues I was born with. People should hear the pure blues – the blues we used to have when we had no money.” — Muddy Waters (1913–1983)
“The blues is celebration, because when you take sorrow and turn it into music, you transform it.” —Odetta Holmes, Folk, blues, spirituals guitarist, lyricist (1930-2008)
Sammy was delighted I came home. I sat on the sofa for a good half hour, and he snuggled in my lap. I came into the office to write this, and he was over talking to Housemate. Aah, the fickleness of animals. My folks and I used to have a cat who would ignore is for days when we’d go someplace and leave him. If we were gone a couple days, it wasn’t much, but if we were gone a month, he’d ignore us for at least a whole week. The neighbors thought it funny. He’d still go to them for food. Tis good to be home. I missed Sammy and I missed you all, too.
It gonna be hot, today and tomorrow 96, 99. Then up to triple digits until next Monday. Where I will be is gonna be in the 80s. Nights down as low as 55, mostly in 60s. You just have NO IDEA how happy I am knowing that Climate Change is a hoax. That keeps me mighty cool.
How My Brain (or at least what’s left of it) Works:
Okay, I really don’t know how it works, I’m just grateful it still does. Well, it sorta works. I forget words now and then, but since I bought a Bling-y phone cover, I haven’t lost my phone.
I also bought a new headset with mic a while back. It’s really kinda neat. For sure it’s more comfortable than the one I’d been using. It also cost more. Noticeably more. And it comes in colors (mine is lilac and cost a dollar less than Housemate’s default black one). It’s a gamer’s headset. The only game I play on my computer is solitaire. The sound effects are of cards being shuffled, dealt, etc. Certainly nothing requiring such a headset. It is fun hearing commercials in stereo though as the music comes in one ear and goes out the other. It’s also wireless. When I’m in a zoom gathering, I can get up to get more coffee and not miss anything (unless I nuke it, then the headset goes off until the nuker goes off). And it has an on/off button.
There are four notes that go up for on and down for off. And that’s what made me remember my Auntie Marie’s old Chinese Myna Bird, Mac. Everyone in the family would talk to Mac, and we would give him the same four notes, A, B, C, D going from low to high, and he would repeat it. Until my cousin’s husband gave him the same notes. Mac would look at Husband and say the same notes backwards, D, C, B, A. We never did figure that one out. Until that old bird died, he never slipped up and repeated it “correctly” nor did anyone else get the same reverse treatment.
I tried one time and gave him D, C, B, A. He looked at me, then admonished me that it was A, B, C, D. You have not lived until you’ve been admonished by a Chinese Myna Bird.
For his sleep at night, Auntie Marie would put a paper lunch sack in his cage and Mac would go into the bag, tuck his head under a wing, and sleep. All night. Unless he woke. Auntie Marie woke one night and heard Cousin sewing out in the other room where Mac lived, but she was doing it in the dark. Auntie Marie got up to tell Cousin to turn on the light, she needed more than the sewing machine light. She went out into the room, and no one was at the machine. Mac had awakened, and was apparently bored, so thought he’d “sew” himself a new outfit.
‘They” say smell is one of the best triggers to bring up memories, but in this case, it’s four notes on my gamer’s headset.
Restaurant Hack:
One of my favorite sandwiches that I only eat in restaurants, never make my own, is a good Reuben, on grilled rye bread. Alas, we seem only able to convince local restaurants to use the marbled rye bread instead of a good black rye. If they can make a good Reuben with the marbled stuff, you know it’s good. But then, Cook ruins it by placing the hot sandwich on the plate so the bottom slice of bread steams and gets soggy. I always ask for fries as my side, and I ask the waitperson to please ask Cook to put the sandwich on top of the fries. Of course, then I have to explain the why of it—when the sandwich goes on the fries, it has air under it as well as heat, and doesn’t get soggy. So, there you go. If you order a grilled sandwich in a restaurant, ask for it to be placed on top of your fries. If you can afford the restaurant and really wanted a side salad, order it, you can afford it. You don’t have to eat the fries. The fries are there for your sandwich. Try it, you’ll like it. Unless, of course, you like soggy bread on your grilled sandwiches.
The reason I only eat Reubens in restaurants and not at home is they are treats. If I make them at home, they are no longer a treat. I also don’t cook lobster at home for the same reason. Going to a restaurant is a treat and I never order anything I can make at home. I also find myself not ordering salads all that much anymore either. That’s because Housemate makes killer salads, why would I pay for lesser eats?
“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” —Judge Roy Bean
“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.” —Unknown
“Always drink upstream from the herd.”—Will Rogers
I will probably be a wee bit late next week. I’m going to be on the road coming home Monday, so I’ll do the best I can, but it might even be Tuesday before Monday’s gets posted. Patience, Grasshopper!
Sammy is thrilled. I’m leaving him with Housemate. Housemate spoils him rotten. Does he get water in his kibble dish like a normal dog? No. He gets organic chicken stock! And special treats made just for him. I won’t worry, though, unless he starts eating salads. If he and I have to fight over Housemate’s salads, there’s gonna be a come to the table meeting!
Oh, my goodness gracious. We’re headed back to triple digits Today and Tues, then 99 to 97 for the rest of the week. Can you spell H-O-T? But I can’t complain–for a couple of reasons: 1. nobody cares and 2. it’s my choice to live here 😉
I read this article the other day and it got me to thinking, again, of an old idea of mine.
We have nine, possibly ten (one source says the US Merchant Marine is, another says not. Who knows? Above my pay grade) uniformed services in the US. The Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and National Guard under the Department of Defense. The US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the NASA Commissioned Officer Corps, and, I think, the US Merchant Marine. Remember that the next time you attend trivia night at your local watering hole. But don’t bet money on the Merchant Marines. They may well not be considered part of the Uniformed Services. Things change; I’m old.
I understand why we no longer have the draft, and I agree. However, I’ve long thought all citizens should put some time in for their country—”ask not what your country can do for you—ask, what you can do for your country.” From President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 (it’s a short address, give it a read through).
Are you a pacifist, who would rather die than fight, great! No, seriously, great. It’s easier to fight than turn the other cheek. There are jobs for you, too. When I was stationed in Germany during the Viet Nam era, I worked with several young men who were registered Conscientious Objectors. They were all Medics. And some of the bravest young men I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. You can still do something for your country—save lives. I’d like to see the Public Health Service expanded so those who have reasons to not join the military can still put their time in for their country at the same pay scale and rank structure as the military.
Also, while in Germany, I learned that in the French Army (at that time, who knows what they do now) there was no such thing as a “4F” classification. If a young man wasn’t able to do anything but sit on a stool in the kitchen and peel potatoes for two years, then he sat on a stool in the kitchen and peeled potatoes for two years to help feed the rest of the troops. Got bone spurs on your feet? Sit on that stool and peel spuds!
Would I like to see the draft reinstated? No. Well, I don’t think so, and yet… I would like to see something like the draft, but not as we used to have it. (Figuring that one out is also above my pay grade.) I think everyone should put in a minimum of two years for their country. Don’t want to join the military or the Merchant Marine? Join the Public Health Service. If you qualify for a commission, such as a RN, MD, DDS, etc., good on you. If you don’t qualify for that, go in as ‘enlisted’ and become a medic, technician, etc. Go where sent and expect to be sent to areas where there are few if any medical personnel. Help in ORs and ERs, inner cities and rural. While we’re at it, let’s set up some “free” college programs, payback in time. Four-year RN degree? Five years of service in Public Health afterward. (I think that’s the pay-back required of the military academies but won’t swear to that one.)
A final quote from the same inaugural speech by President Kennedy:
“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Maybe a few of our so-called politicians should read and cogitage this, eh?
Another article just came across my screen from MedPageToday that says Americans Have No Right to Healthcare—It’s high time we change that. Indeed, it is! Click here for the article. It’s not long, and is in readable English, not Medicalese. And if you think Americans are entitled to health care as a right, contact your congresspeople, and if they disagree with you, vote the suckers out in November.
Photos of the Week:
Our apartments buildings each have a large, open entry with individual doors off the large hall. Housemate and I came home the other afternoon and these 6 ducks came out of our entry. I have no idea what they were doing, but they looked guilty as sin! Yes, there are 6 ducks, the first one is black and almost at the water. He looks more like a shadow than a duck.I think this is a Muscovy duck, she’s really quite dark, almost black with a striking white head with red eye patch. Anyhow, she’s sitting on a nest. I haven’t seen how many eggs are in it, but I’m concerned that the babies won’t be big enough to fly south this winter. Perhaps the hoax, aka climate change, has her biological clock mucked up?
Books: Remember, if I finish a book, I review and post it to http://lenoragood.blogspot.com.
I’m in a fiction kinda mind these days. Am reading Six Gun Tarot, the first in a series by R. S. Belcher. Not sure how to classify it—cowboy noir fantasy weird twisted? It starts off in 1869 in Golgotha, Nevada. A friend gave me a bundle of ebooks, and book four of the series was in it. I started the book, and decided I wanted to read the series in order. I don’t usually have a problem coming into the middle of a series, and didn’t have a problem with this one, but the universe was enough different, I wanted in at the beginning, Six Gun Tarot. I’m about 1/3 of the way through and thoroughly enjoying it. So far it gets a strong recommendation. Here is an excerpt from GraphicAudio.
Earworm: some of JFKs likes in modern music taken from Return to Camelot
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” – John F. Kennedy
“Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men.” – John F. Kennedy
“The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.” – John F. Kennedy
Sammy Brave Dog says he isn’t too sure of my likes in music. I found an hour plus concert of The HU. Sammy says he’s really glad I wear my new head set so he doesn’t have to listen. I think Housemate is probably happy I have new headset, too. It’s a gamer’s headset, and really pretty good but I can’t move the mic and when I talk on it, I can’t hear myself speak. It’s a weird sensation, but people at the other end of the phone or zoom meeting have no problem, so I guess I am talking 😉 Oh, and on the front of each ear piece is a long thread light that changes colors and reflects on the outer edge of my glasses lenses. Kinda neat. My new mouse also has a light, but it doesn’t change colors and is nice to find it in a hurry. (It sits on a pull out keyboard drawer in a shadow.)
