Author Archives: Lenora Good

Spare!

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Weather in the Tries:
   Favorite Daughter has done her bit to convince the weather gods to send no more snow this winter—she bought a snow blower. And her Favorite Mother has done her bit to see to it we get no more ice—she bought a set of YakTrax. Of course, they aren’t here, yet. Looks like our lows for the next week are in the upper 30s except for a couple that will dip to freezing, but barely. And our highs are on schedule to be mid-to-upper 40s all week. A couple days with sun breaks, one with rain, and one day with sunshine!  We really do need the weatherman to come up from Tucson for a month or two and start giving us our sunshine back. This is the desert, y’know what I mean, Jelly Bean?? Sunshine, not clouds, not rain. Typical Seattle weather. But typical Seattle weather belongs on the Dark Side of the Cascades, not the Light Side where I live!!

Spare!
   There is a new book out, Spare. It took a few nanoseconds for the somewhat familiar face on the cover to register. I first thought it was about the little black dress. Well, I certainly no longer need a spare LBD in my closet. In the first place, I’m not so little anymore, in the second place, I don’t need any LBDs for my wardrobe as I’m retired. Now, a spare pair of dungarees… Then I thought maybe it was about tires. Now I do have a spare tire, it’s worn where I used to have a waist and is known as a love handle. I’d rather not have that spare, but… Then I recognized the face. And then the reviews started coming in.
   OMG, are we to be subject to another Narcissistic Victim whine and cry? It’s not his fault he came second instead of first, it’s not his fault he was born to privilege and feels guilt from everyone not born to his privilege, oh, oh, oh, woe is the Spare. 
   Harry, darlin’ if you want sympathy, it’s in the dictionary between stuff and syphilis. Before you bare your soul to the printed page, whining and crying about your heartaches and how you diss your family and they finally got to the point they’ve decided to be grown-ups and ignore you, don’t whine, cry, sob, etc. Go see a licensed therapist, preferably one in your home country who has an idea, no matter how far-fetched, of your family and personal woes. Watch the classic movie, Gone With the Wind one more time, and pay special attention to Rhett Butler’s signature line. Memorize it. In fact, here it is:
   “Frankly, my Spare, I don’t give a damn!” I do care that you hurt, but I’m not a psychiatrist; I can’t help you, the American public can’t help you, other than pour alms into your outstretched hands. I doubt the people of Britain can help you, either, beyond the adding of more alms in pay for your confession of being mere boy human, who perceives great wrongs by friends and family. You do hurt, but until you accept where you fit into the cause of the pain, you will always hurt. There is no magic pill, no panacea, only you can heal your wound.
   Or, if you prefer memes, here’s an oldy but goody: “Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.” You do have joys, do you not? I’m quite positive that answer is a ‘yes’—expound upon those joys, Harry. Help Rhett change his saying to something like, ‘Frankly, my Spare, I’d love to hear more. Would you like a cuppa?’
   I just realized that Harry wrote the book with a ghost writer and the book is filled with inaccuracies and untruths. Apparently, the ghost writer was George Santos writing under one of his thousand and one pseudonyms.

Kitchen Hack:
   Out of cream or milk for coffee, hot or cold cereal? Have I got a hack for you! Use ice cream. Any flavor works, and if you’re fixing breakfast for the kidlets, they will love you forever, but don’t use the ice cream forever, just once in a while as a special treat. 

Photos of the Week:

The Boys Club has returned, of course I don’t know it’s the same group of drakes that hung around all summer, but… I was taking the second photo as they decided to go check out the hens at the other pond. Before I could get them in flight, they’d all flown off. You can see them starting to take off in this photo Especially the first one on the left and the top one on the right. They all took off basically as one. And they are noisy when they fly, sound like a helicopter warming up as they flap their little wings— whomp, whomp, whomp.
Know what this is? It’s the Rotisserie Chicken bin at Costco. THE CUPBOARD WAS BARE! Had to wait 10, maybe 15 minutes, before they emptied one of the rotisserie ovens. If you’ve never seen how they do it, it’s pretty nifty. Guy number one takes a stack of the black trays and deals them out on the big table, three rows until the table is filled. As soon as he’s got a few down, Guy number 2 starts bringing the spits over with three chickens each. As soon as Guy number one is finished with the black trays, he’s back at the beginning putting the tops on, and then putting them in the bin. In all my years of going to Costco, I have never seen the chicken bin empty. The gal next to me, also waiting, says it happens to her more often than not. The chicken is worth the wait. 

Entertainment:
Books Read:  If I finish it, I review it:  https://lenoragood.blogspot.com
   Still reading Meru by S.B. Divya. It’s a long book at 475 pages, and I’m about 50% through. It’s quite a read. The more I read, the more I like it! I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel, due out in 2024!

Movies & TV:
   Am now in Season 4 of Babylon 5. I remember watching it 20 years ago and loved it. But I had forgotten so much. I’m watching it all over again for the first time. I miss Kosh. One episode had a news cast with one of ‘These Days in History’ parts, and in 2018 the first part of the foundation for a Moon colony had been laid. OMG! We were such optimists way back when this was written.

Sammy Brave Dog Says:
   He’s mighty grateful the days are some warmer and as long as it isn’t raining (which belongs on the Dark Side) he hopes to start taking his human on some walks. At least around the complex. Maybe even some exploring of the other streets. After all,he says, I am a desert dog from Chihuahua!

And along came Jones…

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Weather in the Tries:
   Looks like we’re getting into some Seattle weather, gray, cloudy, and good chance of rain most days. Highs mostly in the low-to-mid forties, and lows in the low-to-mid 30s. As we used to say when I lived over on the Dark Side, if you can see across the street, carry your raincoat, if you can’t see across the street, wear your raincoat. 

And then along came Jones…
   Okay, I don’t know if his name is Jones or not, or even if he’s a he or a she. But that song is all I could think of when I started to open the door to take the Brave Dog for a walk on Saturday and Jones slowly swiveled his head to watch me. I dropped the leash to take photos through the door. Then decided to take the Brave Dog outside. Alas, he was a.) more afraid of Jones than Jones was of him, and b.) enough ice remained on the pond that Grandfather Sky’s tears didn’t leave pocks, but the Brave Dog could feel them. Uh. No. No way was he going out in that. So, he went back in, and I went back out and followed Jones until he couldn’t be seen through the branches.
   This is the first Great Blue (in courting colors, by the way) I’ve seen in our finger of the pond. S/He is usually over in the larger pond. And too far away to get a decent photo. I got one photo last summer. Do you know how to tell a male from a female Great Blue Heron? I don’t, so looked it up. I must see them together; the male is the larger. But hard for me to tell when they are not with a mate for comparison. So I still don’t know if Jones is a he or a she.

Photos of the Week: Hokey Pokey
In case you’ve forgotten, you put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in, and you shake it all about.

Entertainment:
Books Read:  If I finish it, I review it:  https://lenoragood.blogspot.com 
   Haven’t finished any this week but bought a (so far) wonderful hard science fiction, Meru (book 1 of 2) by S.B. Divya. It’s a long one, and it’s my bedtime read. Loving it. At least so far 😉

Movies & TV:
Almost through with Season 3 of Babylon 5. Best Winter gift I’ve bought myself since I bought my Sleep By Number bed a dozen or so years ago!

Sammy:

 He really enjoyed the warmer days we had and thinks they should all be warmer. AND that Grandfather Sky should confine his crying to the hours between ten at night and five in the morning. Somehow, I find myself agreeing with that. Maybe we should move to Camelot? (And if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll tell you a secret—the link goes to Richard Burton singing Camelot in 1978. I was sniveling and sobbing by the end of it. I’m so darn pathetic!)

  

Happy 2023!!

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Weather in the Tries: 
   We had a few days of relatively warm weather, including a Chinook wind that came in and within 24 hours got rid of all the non-piled snow and ice. Well, there was and is still some ice on the pond but not much. Alas, this next week will be a tad cooler, with all the lows below freezing, but all the highs should be above freezing. A couple of days may even make it into the low 40s.

Happy 2023!!
Today is the first day of 2023, and I must admit I don’t think I’ll shed any tears for the year’s passing. 
   Speaking of passing, I have a ritual of sorts that I perform sometime over the Winter Holidays. I began this several years ago, without really thinking of it, it just happened. I go through the list of my friends who have died, and remember them, and think about the happy times we had. After all, as George Eliot said, “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” 
   How so I maintain my list? When I lose a friend, I delete his email, but not her name from my Contacts list. So far, I have 44 names on the list. I usually go through the whole list when I’m addressing my Winter Cards, which this year turned out to be a Winter Letter via email. If you didn’t get one, and would like it, please let me know. As I go to each name, I stop, think about the person, and either mail them a card/eCard or just remember the fun times we had. I often come across a name or two throughout the year, and consider it like an interruption from a long lost friend—which, in a way, it is—delightful. 
   I’ve thought of deleting the names, but that’s so, well, final. I prefer to keep them around, even if just in my thoughts. As I come to their names, I sometimes even talk to them, let them know how much I miss them, and that I look forward to meeting them again, sharing laughter and a cuppa. 
   Do you have a way of keeping your dead “alive” to you? If you do, and would like to share, please do so in the comments.

Photos of the Week:

Remember this scene from last week? Well, the snow and ice hung around a few days and then…
…a warm Chinook blew in, and within 24 hours this is what it looked like. Still some ice, but only on the pond.

Entertainment:
Books Read:  If I finish it, I review it:  https://lenoragood.blogspot.com 
   Am reading a marvelous book of poetry, “The Geography of Absence” by Gayle Lauradunn. Thoroughly enjoying the book. As Rachell would say, “Watch this space” for announcement the book is finished and the review is posted.

Movies & TV:
   Am into Season 3 of Babylon 5. I keep thinking I should parse the episodes out and make it last longer, but I get too involved so watch the four episodes on the disc.
   Also watched the second of my Studio Ghibli movies, Castle in the Sky (or Laputa). See Movies & TV above.
   I am trying to remember to post reviews before I post the blog. In order to make the movies searchable by title or subject, I need to movies/TV as a blog. Which gets a tad confusing, at least to me. The easiest way to get the blog is to click on the title of the blog in email and it will go straight there. Same with the movie, click the title on the email and voila!

Sammy:
   We went to bed our usual time on New Year’s Eve and snuggled down to sleep. About midnight a neighbor set off a couple of what sounded/felt like cherry bomb firecrackers between our two buildings. Sammy and I both woke with a start, and after the second one, he decided he had better head to his private bunker, under the bed. About 12.30 he got back in bed and we went back to sleep. I don’t mind fireworks if I know they’re set off, but they are a bit of not nice to be awakened by. And here I am, grumbling about a couple fireworks, when the Ukrainians are getting not cherry bomb firecrackers, but the real things. Reminds me of the final stanza of one of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poems, 11 (untitled), “Yes / but then right in the middle of it / comes the smiling // mortician”.
   Sammy and I both wish you a peaceful and prosperous 2023 blessed by whatever God or Spirit you worship or don’t worship, we still wish you the peaceful and prosperous new year. 

Laputa: Castle in the Sky

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DVD, Studio Ghibli (Japan)
Anime
2 August 1986
Fantasy
English dubbing, excellent
124m

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The movie opens in an airship, similar but not quite, like a blimp. There is a young girl, Sheeta, unhappy, and an evil man in the same room. She looks out and sees pirates coming for the air ship. She knocks out the man, reaches in his pocket for a necklace, puts it on, and escapes out the window. 

The pirates want her. The government wants her. Or, rather, they want the necklace she’s wearing as it holds magical powers, of which she is not yet aware. Rescued by a young boy, they take off on the run trying to evade the government men, the pirates, and anyone else who wants her crystal necklace. Laputa is an old country that ‘floats’ above the earth, in the eye of a great storm, unable to be seen from Earth. 

People want to find Laputa, steal its riches, especially the technology so they can rule earth. Some know Sheeta is descended from Laputa’s royalty, they want her and her crystal. And will stop at nothing to have them both.No one does these movies like Studio Ghibli. Inspired by the book, Gulliver’s Travels by Dr. Jonathan Swift.

“The Earth speaks to all of us, and if we listen, we can understand,”—Uncle Pom

Laputa: Castle in the Sky Trailer

Tales From Earthsea

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DVD, Studio Ghibli
Animation, loosely based on the books by Ursula Le Guin
Fantasy
English dubbing, very good
115m

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Studio Ghibli animated and produced my all-time favorite movies, but this one fell a little flat for me. It could be I had a choice of watching it in Japanese or English, there were no subtitles. I’m a subtitle geek, I love hearing the story in its original language and reading the subtitles. I know. I’m strange.

The story is loosely, very loosely, based on the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. I remember reading them when they first came out many years ago. I barely remember them, but this story didn’t fit my memory at all. Some judicial internet searches, and voila! I know why.

One of the nice things about Studio Ghibli movies, they can be enjoyed by any age group.  The English dubbing is by top notch actors—Timothy Dalton, Matt Levin, Mariska Hargitay, Cheech Marin, Willem Dafoe, and others. Watch the movie, see if you can recognize the voices.

Arren, the runaway prince, comes back to the castle and kills his father, the king, stealing his magicked sword, and runs away again. Sparrowhawk, the Arch Mage, rescues Arren from various horrible things, including a slaver. Arren rescues a girl who is not grateful, and when Sparrowhawk takes him to visit an old friend, there is the girl. Eventually, the evil wizard gets the old friend, Sparrowhawk, and Arren under his control, and the girl takes Arren’s sword to him in the castle of Cob, where she learns his true name, and tells him hers. 

It’s a fairy tale, it’s meant for kids as well as adults. You know it’s going to have my kind of ending, relax and enjoy the story. 

Tales From Earthsea Trailer

Hey, Look at the New Pages!

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Weather in the Tries:
Looks like we may have some fairly warm days, at least by comparison to what we just went through, weather wise. From 37 to 42F in the next few days. The nights may be cooler, and snow on Friday, but longer days equate to warmer days? We can but hope. Of course, it’s still almost 90 days until Spring, so who knows what we’re in for between climate change and the whims of the weather gods.

Hey, Look at the New Pages!

Didja notice there is a new picture up above. Sunset over Rattlesnake Mountain and the Yakama River. What got cut out of the picture was the Columbia River and the second sun. Yep, we in the Tri Cities are special. We get two suns and y’all only get one! And, I have photographic proof!!! Take a look at the photo below, the second sun is almost at the edge of the photo on the right and down at the bottom right corner is a splash, literally, of the Columbia River. Bateman Island has a man-made isthmus of dirt for a roadway, and on the west side is the Yakama R. and on the east side, where I lived, is the Columbia R. Sunsets were often spectacular, as you can see.

I’ve been told by those who claim they know, that Rattlesnake Mountain is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States without a tree growing on it. I’ve heard it from enough people, I think I believe it.

When you click on the Movies & TV page, you will notice text. You must read the whole of it to find the key to the reviews. Once you have the key, you have the key to the kingdom, so to speak.

And, yes, I did get my packages mailed, and mostly they’ve been delivered. Thank you, Brown. Except for the ones I’ll deliver personally. Due to the forecast of freezing rain for this weekend of Saturday and Sunday, a few did not get delivered on time. But as one friend told me, not to worry—there are, after all, Twelve Days for Gift Giving! I’m delighted she told me that, hers is one that may not get delivered in time, but it is mailed! 😉

And many packages made it to my house—a book, We Had Our Reasons: poems by Ricardo Ruiz and other hard-working Mexicans from Eastern Washington (where Mr. Ruiz lives and where I live). The even numbered pages are in English, the odd numbered pages in Spanish. What a marvelous book! Thank you, ex-Boss;-) Another ex-Boss and her husband gave me a beautiful black and red cape shawl crocheted by a lady in Cuba. And they included a photo of the lady who made it. Do I have nice ex-Bosses or what? And I’m retired, so you know they aren’t trying to bribe me. 😉 And they are retired, so it’s no bribe to keep me from coming back to work. And another SOC, who is not an ex-boss, but claims credit for me getting into quilting, gave me a Mary Engel Dark calendar, which I love, a ceramic ornament from the Lubbesmeyer sisters, a bottle of spiced honey, and a couple doo dads that will become very helpful when I get back to quilting. All in all, I got quite the haul. 

Those of you of an age who are parents, probably remember Richard Scarry’s Gold Bug books. All the busy art work and the reader had to find the gold bug. My kids and I loved those books. Today, I found an online version put out by Washington Post, and hope the link isn’t paywalled. Actually, they have 6 pages up. Today was to find all 72 Snowmen. It was fun, though after 69 it got a little difficult 😉 But I hung in there, and found them all, thereby saving Christmas. You may thank me in the comment section. For the page: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/interactive/2022/snowmen-christmas-search-game/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere_trending_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&location=alert From there you can go to the other ones if you want. By the way, check out the selling price of some of the old Richard Scarry books. Wish I’d kept them!

So, on the 24th, Housemate Dan cooked lamb, and roast spuds, and steamed green beans. The beans are gone, the spuds were, well, he hollowed out my half and gave me a skin (not just my favorite part of a spud, but the only part I really enjoy) with some cheese melted in it. And the lamb. Oh. My. Gawd.  Talk about an orgasmic supper…  On the 25th we had turkey sandwiches. Yummm!

Photos of the Week:

Sunset Over Rattlesnake Mountain with Two Suns
Duck or goose tracks on the snow covered ice
Boy tracks on the snow covered ice.

Entertainment of the Week:

I’m now on Season 2 of Babylon 5. I still say it’s the best Science Fiction series ever made and aired. As much as I liked the Star Trek series, I like Bab5 a whole lot more. I’m also jazzed that a new Bab5 is coming out next year (which will be here in just a few days), and they are bringing all the original cast members back for cameo appearances. Well, all the cast members who are still alive, though with today’s CGI, they may be able to bring the deceased ones “back” too. Yes? No? It would be wonderful if Walter Koenig reprised his role as the Psi cop, Alfred Bester. Would he come back more evil than before, or would he have realized the error of his ways, and come back reformed??? He’s so good at evil (whatever happened to our sweet Star Trek Chekov?) I hope he doesn’t reform.

Books Read:  If I finish it, I review it:  https://lenoragood.blogspot.com 
Take the Sun with You and Other Stories —by Gregory Allen Mendell. And, yes, the review is posted at Amazon and Goodreads as well as the above link. A collection of 10 short stories that are fun. They are safe to read before turning out the light at night—no nightmares from these stories! But lots of laughs.



You do know the New Year is almost here, don’t you?

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Weather in the Tries:
I am pleased, actually some more than pleased, to tell you it didn’t get down to 12F last week. However, this coming Thursday it’s scheduled to get town to 3F for our low and 12F FOR OUR HIGH! Then, again, I refuse to panic just yet. One, nothing I can do about it but snuggle in bed with the dog, and two, the weather is more than likely gonna change.

I still say we should borrow the weather person from Tucson, or Las Cruces, just for the next 3 months or so. Then they can go back home for the rest of the year.

You do know the New Year is almost here, don’t you?
And that it comes one week to the day after the 25th of December? Every year Christmas and New Year’s fall on the same dates, yet so many people seem so surprised when they roll around every year at the same time.

I’m not surprised, but I’m also not ready. I have most, if not all, of the mailable packages ready to mail, and tomorrow, I hope to finish the baking. I’m seriously considering mailing everything after the 25th, so no postal person will feel an obligation to get them delivered before the 25th. A poetry friend says I’ve got until 6 Jan to get them mailed. Twelve days and all that. She’s become my new BFF;-)

I think this commercial showed up in a FB link, but I’m not positive. For some reason I watched it, and shared it on FB, and I’m delighted I did. I believe it was Sir Laurence Olivier who commented many years ago when TV was just coming into his own, that he truly wished they would stop interrupting the commercials with the programs. The really good acting was in the commercials! I do believe he was correct. There are a few commercials that in a minute or less have reduced me to tears. The Folger’s commercial where Peter gets leave and comes home for Christmas is one. And now this one. I’m so grateful for the www and search engines. I can watch some truly great acting any time I want. And this is one I will watch several times—and probably cry each time. (The first time I watched it I sobbed for five minutes! It’s now down to snivels.) Watch this, all the way to the end.  https://tekdeeps.com/the-jb-ad-in-which-a-grandfather-learns-to-put-on-makeup-to-receive-his-trans-granddaughter-for-christmas/?fbclid=IwAR0tAQkn1JGdzdLrQfQU1c7vaZ_Fh6UfKzuK8SD6n2bzKNLopiV0k6XxKWAOf course, when the New Year rolls around, it’s time for a lot of new things. Rearrange the living room, get the office organized, clean out the refrigerator, change the look of your blog… Yes, sometime between now and 1 Jan 23, my Blog Guru and I (actually, she) will change a few things. Like a new photo instead of the escaping pelican, some new pages, including my MOVIE/TV reviews. I’m leaving the old page up, but not maintaining it, am moving to this site, where I can not only add new reviews, but change/correct stuff the old page won’t let me do. No longer will I be limited to 150 words. No longer will Netflix be the default.

Photo of the Week:

My Christmas Tree is packed somewhere and I can’t find it. I’m pretending this cedar is my tree.

Books of the Week: https://lenoragood.blogspot.com/ 
I will continue to maintain the book blog where it is. It’s kind of nice keeping track of how many books I’ve read, especially since starting the blog in 2012 (645). Alas, all my reading has been online, I haven’t picked a book up, not even an ebook, in weeks. If you’re looking for something, feel free to prowl around my book blog. With 645 reviews, you’re bound to find something to read.

Movies & TV: It’s gonna be above, so stay tuned—changes, New Year, remember?
In the meantime, you can go to my old movie review blog at https://rainydaysmovieoftheweek.blogspot.com/ I won’t be maintaining this blog, but there are a few reviews there, starting in 2011.

In the meantime, I’m still on Season 1 of Babylon 5. I’d forgotten how absolutely wonderful this show was and still is. 

Happy Holidays

to you all. I just looked up one site that lists at least 17 Winter Holidays celebrated worldwide ( https://blog.remitly.com/lifestyle-culture/winter-holidays/ ). I’ve seen other sites which list something like 25. So I wish you Happy Holidays, with sincere wishes, hugs, and love, no matter what one/s you worship.

Never Insult Your Computer for, Like Dragons, They Have Long Memories and They Get Even!!!

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Weather in the Tries:

Sunday (today) and Monday are the only two days scheduled to be above freezing. Monday is scheduled to be sunny, all the other days are scheduled to be cloudy, BUT so far, no more snow or serious rain scheduled. The low is gonna be too low 27 down to 12F; the high at 30F down to 20F. Wear your long johns.

Never Insult Your Computer for, Like Dragons, They Have Long Memories and They Get Even!!!:

Dear Computer, I don’t know what I did to upset you, if you will tell me, I’ll do what I can to make it up to you. 

Gentle Readers, I have checked all the boxes I can find that say something to the effect that I would like a notice when someone comments on one of my blogs. I do try to go in and check, but once the newer blog is posted, I don’t go back. I just went in to the back of the blog, you know, where the gray-haired dude is standing behind a curtain, pulling levers, pushing buttons, and realized I had a bazillion ‘pending’ comments from people I didn’t know had commented. Sigh.

I offer most humble apologies, and I have approved you all, so you may once again comment and not have to go through such things as being approved. I have gotten a couple of people who phishing or otherwise being inappropriate, and I did not approve them, but reported them (to the man behind the curtain) as spam. 

Actually, it’s probably the software, for I truly don’t think it’s my beloved computer. My computer knows how much I love and adore it.

Aggressive Invasive Species:

A friend posted a photo of a Eurasian Collared Dove waiting for the feeder to be filled. A person with a very Euro-centric name responded: “They are a very aggressive and invasive species.” I couldn’t help but laugh. But then I do wear this tee shirt: 

I do take my humor where I can find it.

Photos of the Week:

The end of Thyme
Our pond with the main pond in the right background

Books of the Week:    

Would you believe I’m still reading, haven’t finished a single book!

Movies/TV Reviews of the Week: 

Still watching Babylon 5, still on Season One. For those of you unfamiliar with Bab5, I think it’s one of the best SciFi series out there. It takes place on the last of a collection of huge space stations, open to Aliens from all over, as well, of course, to Terrans. Of course, we don’t have Cpt Kirk dashing off to every planet he comes across, because Bab5 is in stationary orbit. In fact, we don’t have Cpt Kirk at all. The mission of Babylon 5 is to promote peace and understanding between all the peoples of space. Takes place is  2258. And we don’t appear to have learned much 😉 However, the Bridge Officers must have gone to the same Officers Training School (OTS) that Kirk and Company attended. I will never understand why the script writers always send the high ranking members of the Bridge Officers  (ie Captain, First Mate, etc.) to check out the bad guys—THAT is the job of the Marines! I know, I know. The stories are never about the Marines, only about the Bridge crew. We must have drama over realism. Oh, sigh.

Happy Holidays

No matter which holidays you worship, they probably contain the idea of the giving of gifts. May I remind you that Auntie Lenora is a writer of words, and has books for sale. They make excellent gifts, and are always the correct size. Please click on My Books, above for a list of the books. They are available through the big box store that fits in your computer, the publisher, or your favorite brick and mortar store, though they may have to be ordered.

Auntie Lenora’s Excellent Adventure

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Weather in the Tries:

As of Sunday night, it’s wetting and snowing. At 27F out, it’s freezing is what it is! It says snow later tonight, then cloudy, and a 50% chance of snow on Thursday. It will have to be in the morning or evening, because the low is only 29 and the high 40. Tomorrow it will be up to 33, and Tuesday, it will get to 39, with sunshine. Our high for the week will be 40, but ya know what? That’s a lot warmer than 32! The nights will be freezing, but that’s ok, I have a bed, a sheet warmer, and a dog!

Auntie Lenora’s Excellent Adventure:

It seems like forever since I last touched base with you. But it’s only been three weeks or so. Anyhow, I drove to the Dark Side on 7 Nov (where we had more sun than here at home) and spent 3+ weeks with my EBOC (Elder Brother of Choice) Thomas, while his primary care-giver was on a much needed vacation. Thomas is my primary mentor for writing poetry, stories, novels. He’s not afraid to tell me where something is broke, and when I fix it, I have a much better piece of writing. He truly is a gem of great worth.

Mostly, we read each other’s works, talked writing, I cataloged his morgue (collection of his writings that have been published), and drooled over the up-coming T-Day dinner we were promised. His good friend, Carla, said she’d bring us a Greek lemon soup with lamb meatballs. 

But that day dawned with some real excitement. Thomas woke and wanted to get from his recliner where he sleeps, to his wheeled steno chair where he sits to work. He’s done it a thousand times, and saw no reason, even though he’s lost quite a bit of strength, why he couldn’t do it himself and let me sleep. Something happened and as he started the transfer, the chair got away from him and he fell to the floor.

Naturally, I was sleeping on the sofa, 5 feet away, as he fell, he started hollering for me to call 911 so the medics could come and lift him back into his recliner. No way could I lift him. The sudden awakening, the confusion, the adrenaline rush–I jumped out of bed, found my phone, called 911, and unlocked the door so they could get in. I stood by his recliner and when Dispatcher hung up, I fainted. I haven’t done that in years. So, Thomas is on the floor, at the north end of the room, and I am on the floor at the south end of the room. Surely there is some sort of Feng Shui about such a symmetrical arrangement?

Anyhow, Old Auntie Lenora managed to crawl into the nearest chair. The medics came. They lifted Thomas up and put him back in his chair, then came for me. I kept telling them I was fine, they ignored me. They took my blood pressure. Well, they tried to, I didn’t have any (it was 50 over something), they pricked my finger, and I was not low on sugar, in the meantime, I really didn’t feel too good. But I was feeling better. They called the hospital, and the dr. said to bring me in. So, I had a free ride to the ER and didn’t have to wait in the lobby;-) Well, free until the bill comes.

Once I was safely in the hospital, the guys confessed, they were sure I was having a heart attack. I wasn’t. They took a quart or two of bodily fluids through an IV, and the dreaded wee cup found in all hospital restrooms, checked me out, and about 3 hours later, released me to go home. It appears I fainted. Well, dohhh…

Got back to Thomas’s and spent most of my afternoon supine on the sofa. Carla came and fed us. OMG! I simply must get the recipe. I’ve had some sort of Greek lemon soup in years gone by and didn’t care for it, but this was to die for!

Believe me, that was enough excitement for both of us. And Thomas promised not to try that transfer again without help!

When I drove over, the only snow I came across was between Yakima and Cle Elum. Snoqualmie pass was bare, dry, and sunny. In fact, when I got to the end of my trip, I had 6 feet of sunshine on top of my car! When I decided to come home, there was a snowstorm in the pass, and chains were required unless the vehicle was AWD. Alas, Big Red is not AWD, and I don’t have chains. Couldn’t put them on if I did. So, I decided to drive an extra 175 miles and go south to Portland, then east to Hermiston, then north to Kennewick. It was a nice drive, took about 7 hours, but the only snow I saw was on the trees left over from a few days earlier. The day after I got home, the pass was bare and wet. Sigh.

Photos of the Week:

Alas the photo doesn’t do it proper–the sun was on the tree and it just glowed red, like it was on fire
Snow Stars

Books of the Week:

Can you believe I didn’t read a book while I was gone 😉 I did read a bit more of Travels With Charley by Steinbeck, but that’s all.

Movies/TV shows of the week:

We watched at least one movie just about every night. 

PBS: Native America. This is a 4-episode series, and we watched one per night. Very interesting and enjoyable.

Netflix: Lucid Dreaming. A K-Drama (movie) about a man whose son is kidnapped, and he finds him through lucid dreaming. Great fun.

Netflix: Kingdom: Ashin of the North. Another K-Drama (movie) about a young girl who is the only survivor when her village is destroyed and all in it killed, and how she goes after vengeance. Very well done.

Netflix: The Old Guard. 2020 American superhero movie starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, and others. We loved this one. Four Immortal’s discover a fifth Immortal who isn’t all that keen on it, fight scenes are well choreographed, the evil dude is superbly evil, and we can hardly wait for the sequel next year. We laughed at the fight scenes. Terrific.

Netflix: Chocolat. Oh, if you haven’t seen this movie, or if it’s been a while, watch it all over again for the first time. It is as delightful as the last time I saw it. Dame Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, and others. It’s a marvelous movie, well worth your time.

Netflix: Slumberland. Primarily a movie for adults to watch with their kids, but we enjoyed it no end. A girl is orphaned at age 11 or so, and becomes the ward of her stuffy uncle whom she’s never met. She wants her Dad back. (Presumably Mom died years ago, she was raised by Dad) and in dreaming, she meets a character her dad told her about and they set out to find a secret map and the pearl that will grant their wishes. Jasan Momoa is marvelous as the Outlaw, Flip.

Netflix: Sand Storm. This is an Israeli drama about a Bedouin family living in a settlement/ghetto in Israel. The sand storm is not an haboob. It is the family. The oldest girl learns to drive from her father, she goes to school, she dreams of taking control of her life and marrying a boy from school, a boy of her choosing. The family have other plans. Father brings a second bride into the mix, mother is not happy, father agrees to marry his daughter to the son of a friend, none of the females are happy. The movie is well worth the time to see it. There is humor, there is pathos, the ending is correct.

Netflix: Mudbound. This movie is a 2017 historical drama that takes place in the Mississippi delta of the deep south, primarily just after WWII. About an African American family and a Euro American family who are tied to the same land. Two veterans, one white, one black, return from the war, each to his own family. They have served with honor; they have grown past the racism of their families. This movie should be seen by all. It is not a feel-good movie, American Noir, I think. If you watch nothing else on this list, watch Mudbound. Then watch Chocolat and feel better.

Amazon Prime: Columbo. YES! Thomas had never seen the old series, so we started with S1, E1, and got as high as E9 before I came home. This series has held up remarkably well. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen the episodes, Not sure I’ve ever seen them in order, and I shall have to continue. 

We enjoyed all the movies. Even Mudbound, though it is dark, it is necessary. Things haven’t changed so much. 

My Winter Gift from me to me came while I was away. I now have the complete Babylon 5 series, the movies, and Crusade all in a boxed set. I had just finished watching Crusade, again, when I decided to see if I could get Bab5. I could, and I did. Yes, I now have two sets of Crusade, a spin-off of 13 episodes. I’m so sorry the powers that be were so short-sighted they cancelled it when they did. It would have been a tremendous series.

Happy Holidays

to you all. I know many of you celebrate different holidays this winter season, and not wanting to offend any of you by mentioning one without all the others, I wish you the warmest and most joyous holidays of your choice/worship. 

Hey! I’m Higher than Tennyson or Neruda or even Bukowski!

2 Replies

Weather for the Tries: 

Beats me. I’m gonna be gone until December. Check your phone or computer 😉

Hey! I’m Higher than Tennyson or Neruda or even Bukowski!

Well, I’m on top of them, anyhow. See photo below. This is a status a friend of mine wrote about reading the Bride’s Gate. I did ask him what he does with the torn off pages—give to his wife? Fold into paper airplanes and fly out the attic window? Mail them to a friend? He ignored me. But he did give me permission to quote him, and use the photo.

“A bit more news based on my progress with your book? Bride’s Gate has become my favorite tear-off calendar. I jump around like a horny jackrabbit. It is not a book to occupy a vertical position on my bookshelf. Bride’s Gate is placed on its side atop a Pablo Neruda collection, a book of Tennyson’s poetry, partly covering Naked Lunch by Bill Burroughs. That about covers the length of your book. I wondered aloud to the Pittsburgh winds (howl, not how) Lenora likes her company on my bookshelves… I have taken a picture of your literary superiority on the shelf, as you can see. I view Bride’s Gate as a special kind of achievement, suitable for both writers and those who read, and hopefully BOTH. A piu tardí, Giulio (It just means—Later, Giulio”

Giulio is a poet of some renown, and I’m thrilled we’re friends. He has a marvelous book out, The Color of Dirt. 

And, now for the news. You probably noticed this is a more or less truncated post. I’ve been uber busy the last few days as I’m getting ready to head over to the Dark Side until December. I’ve been keeping my weather eye tuned to the Snoqualmie Pass, and think I’ll be just fine going over on Tuesday. (Famous last words?) I am going to visit my Poetry Mentor or if you prefer, my Elder Brother of Choice (EBOC). At any rate, I’m hoping to get some poetry written, and help him with some projects. Which means, I probably won’t get any blog posts written while gone.

Enjoy your vacation. Go play in the snow. Write a poem. Take an extra nap. Visit a friend. Bake some cookies. Lots of cookies. You’ll have the time, now.

PHOTO of the WEEKs

And look where he placed my humble little book on his book shelf;-)

Monday, today, I will finish packing, load the car, finish baking, and snuggle extra with Sammy, who will stay and keep Housemate company.