Author Archives: Lenora Good

James “Jim” Walter Fiscus

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Weather in the Tries: Winds, diminishing tears, now and then clouds, and a bit of sun now and again. I’m not joking about the tears. One of my bestest friends died unexpectedly last Sunday (7 Nov), James Walter “Jim” Fiscus. I’m still crying. But not as much. You do know I lie a lot, don’t you?

Jim:

I first met Jim something like 35-40 years ago. Whenever I started attending the SFF Cons (conventions) About 5 years after we met, we started drifting into friendship. We kept it at friendship until last Sunday when he ruined it for all of us. Which is a good thing, because he met a young lady who became the light of his life, Shawn, and they have been happily married for several years. And Shawn and I are friends. 

I cannot even begin to guess at how badly Shawn feels. I know it is a lot worse than I feel, and all I can say is the edges of the hole through my life are if not healing, at least scabbing over. It takes time. But one thing I do know about Grief—you will grieve. Best to do it when appropriate, because if you stuff it somewhere, it will come to visit later, usually at a most inappropriate time.

If you are, or were, in the SFF community on the West Coast, you probably knew Jim. If you attended OryCon, you for sure knew Jim. If you belong to SFWA, you undoubtedly knew Jim. He was a photographer who was seldom, if ever, without his camera. He had a set up out his office window to shoot birds. His shots (photos) were amazing.

Have you ever wanted the release of crying, but just couldn’t cry? Every so often, I would play Who Will Answer? by Ed Ames and that would make me cry, but someone has added a religious blurb at the end of the video that is not in the song and is a great detraction. I found a different song that brings tears when I need them, The Sound of Silence by Disturbed. Kind of a heavy metal rendition of the gentle Simon and Garfunkel’s recording. Great fun to sing along with, though. 😉 Incidentally, I understand Paul Simon loved Disturbed’s rendition!)

Library Cards:

Remember the old Library Cards stuck in a glued-on envelope on the inside cover of the books the librarian let you take home and read? When you checked it out, the librarian put your name and due date on it and put it in a file and put another card with the due date in the book. And if you were late returning it, well, there went your allowance for the fines. And a stern warning from the Librarian.

In a conversation with a friend a couple days ago, she mentioned she had a stack of books she was getting ready to ship me so I could sign them and ship them back to her and she could then wrap them and ship them to whoever and wherever. I suggested she buy some bookplates, send them to me, with a sticky note on each one telling me who was getting the book, and their favorite color. I will sign the bookplate to the person, in colored ink, and mail them back to her. Much faster, and less expensive than mailing books.

So, I went online to find some blank bookplates, and found a packet of the old-style library cards. If you want to send someone one of my books, signed by me, send me a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) with the name of the book and the name of the person to receive it, and their favorite color, and I’ll send you a signed library card, which you can then tape into the book with a piece of double sticky tape. The cards are 3”x5.” I can just sign them, or personalize them, just tell me what you want. (Obviously, if you want special bookplates signed, send those.)

If you don’t have my address, either email me or use the “contact me” form requesting same. My books can be ordered from Amazon.com or your favorite bookseller. Please do not order from me, it will take too long for me to order them, sign them, and ship them on, and cost you a whole lot more money.

Photos of the Week:

These were taken Jan ’02 at my house in Myrtle Point, Oregon. He still looked pretty much the same the last time I saw him. A smidge older, a teensy bit heavier. At least that’s how I remember him. I’ll always remember Jim and his smile. I just wish I could remember the joke….

Entertainment:

TV News: Stephen K. Bannon got two criminal indictments. Finally, some good news! 

And how I hope there is at least one mother on the Kyle Rittenhouse jury to explain to the rest of the members that the tears were a great spectacle, but that’s all they were! It was Tantrum on Demand. Been there, seen that!

Facebook:

If you’ve missed me on Facebook, I’ll be back in a week or two. I’m just processing a helluvalot of hurt right now. 

Quotes of the Week:

“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” —Rabindranath Tagore

Mole asked Raven “…what happens at the point of death?” // Raven sat silently for a while, then said, “I give away my belongings.” —Zen Master Raven by Robert Aitken

And there you have it, another week gone, another week closer to Winter Solstice (Summer Solstice if you live Down Under), and another blog. Sammy is some concerned over my crying, so he’s hiding in the bed. In the meantime, remember, Books always make good gifts. One size fits all. And if someone end up with two copies of the same book, they will have one to cherish and one to loan 😉

Dune Again

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Weather in the Tries: Oh, yay! We are back to PST. Spring forward, fall back. I just wish ‘They’ would choose a time and make it all year long. Daylight, Standard, or split the difference!   Sorry for the rant. Most of our days will be in the mid to upper 50s, one day with a 40% chance of rain, and the overnight lows from 34 to 43. Yep. Fall has done fell.

Dune Again:

Remember last week when I reviewed Dune, and asked if any of you, or your friends, had seen the movie but not read the book and if so, did the movie make sense? Well, Craig Good (my brother) reviewed Dune 2021 on Letterboxd and indeed, a friend of his saw the latest movie, and had not read the book, and had no trouble following the story. I haven’t seen it again, but I hope to, soon, though the 3D version seems to have left the area so I’ll have to contend with the regular movie. Oh, well. It will give me a good comparison.

Do give Craig’s review a read-through. He brings a totally different element to his reviews than I do to mine. He’s worked in the industry for a long time—like, his whole adult working life 😉

News Again:

A week or two ago, Mary MacCarthy  was questioned about human trafficking while she was traveling with her bi-racial daughter, Moira. A lot has been said but the one thing I’ve missed is the relief, the gratefulness of the airlines personnel who flagged the mother/daughter for possible trafficking. They were already in grief over the death of a family member, so weren’t acting “normal” when they boarded. They were quiet. For whatever reasons, they set off alarms, and those alarms were acted on.

It must have been a horrible thing, both for Mrs. MacCarthy as well as her daughter, who can be heard crying off camera. But at least the flight crew who reported it, and the cops were trying to protect the child from a nightmarish fate, if in fact, she had been kidnapped and was being trafficked. Now, if it was simply a brown skinned child with a white skinned woman, so of course there had to be something wrong with that picture, then it is not okay. Not okay for the flight crew to have thought that, and not okay for the cops to have acted on it. And if that’s the story, then shame on them all and may they lose some pay over it. Lots of pay. Enough to make them hurt.

But if it was not racial profiling, if they were in fact concerned for the child’s welfare, then hats off to them for thinking of the brown-skinned child and trying to save her. The world will be a much better place when we all have tea colored skin!

Photo of the Week:

Visited a friend last weekend, and there was a squirrel who played in the back. The poor thing was so camera shy, I never could see/shoot more of his face than what I got here. Not sure what the plant behind him is, but he sure loved playing, searching for foods in that one spot.

Entertainment:

Book: Remember, if I finish a book, I (eventually) post a review at Rainy Day Reads

Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans —by Melanie Mitchell

My book group chose this book. It’s not one that would have normally found its way into my stack of ‘to read’ books, but I wanted to give it an honest try. I believe it was about halfway through chapter 5 that she snagged me. She talked about her time in school when she got zero on a math page of problems. She had the right answers but hadn’t proved her work. By golly, that happened to me, too. Only I got 50% for having the correct answers. After that, I had to prove my work, show that I knew how to get the answer. And I had to do it algebraically. Some of the most fascinating parts in the book was looking at two photos of the same object. In one, the computer guessed correctly in the identical looking one, it was way off. If the picture was of a dog, it would be a dog in one and an ostrich in the other. But they looked alike. Well, no, not quite. Someone had sabotaged the second identical photo by moving/deleting a few pixels just enough to through the computer off. A stop sign might have a couple of pixels added/deleted that the human eye couldn’t detect, but the computer could, and it might read it as a speed sign instead of a stop sign. Not so go on a self-driving car, eh?

Anyhow, I’m going to give her 5 Stars when I post my review. Ms. Mitchell took a subject in which I had no interest and wrote about it in such a way I finished the book early. By the time I finished, I realized I did have an interest in it. Oh, not enough to rush out and take college level courses in it, but I now have a better understanding of AI, and find it less frightening (that seems too strong a word) than I did before.

Quote of the Week:

“Forget artificial intelligence – in the brave new world of big data, it’s artificial idiocy we should be looking out for.” —Tom Chatfield

So, Gentle Readers, another week has come and gone, and you know what? Winter Solstice is coming. Yes, it is. Honest. Trust me. And with it an array of holidays from several different religions. If you know the person is a member of one, by all means greet them appropriately, but if unsure, Happy Holidays covers Kwanzaa, Christmas, Solstice and at least a dozen more. And remember, the Solstice is the Reason for the Season. The nights will get shorter, the days longer, and our politicians can mess with our minds and sleep cycles once again when it’s time to turn our clocks ahead an hour. 

Happy Halloween (a day late)

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Weather in the Tries: Saturday and Sunday were cool but mostly sunny. Starting Monday it will be mostly cloudy with lows down to 30 and highs (one day) all the way up to 59. Most of the highs will be mid 50s, most of the lows will be high 30s to low 40s.,

Happy Halloween:

I hope we have our usual amount of trick or treaters tonight (remember, I write this the day before you read it) which is zero. We do have a couple of kidlets in the complex, but I have nothing to give out.

But I do have a Halloween story for you:

I was four, it was summer, I was bored, and we were poor (but I had no concept of that at the time) and I wanted some candy. I had been a good girl and thought I deserved some. Mom explained that we didn’t have any and we didn’t have money for candy. What was a girl to do?

I shrugged and said okay and went back to playing. But this devious mind of mine developed early.

Fast forward an hour or two, and Mom caught me chewing something and wanted to know what I was eating.

“Candy,” I said.

“Candy? Where did you get it?” Now that I think about it, there was probably a lot of concern I had no clue of at the time. What had I done for what dirty old man that he gave me candy?

I produced a paper bag with several candies in it. “From the neighbors. I went Trick or Treating.” I was quite proud of myself that I’d solved my problem, and my sweet tooth, without any adult help. Well, other than giving me candy when they answered the door.

Poor Mom, she had no idea who I had frauded, and she heard later from various neighborhood sources that some sweet little girl had come around Trick or Treating and she was so cute and the idea so novel, they had to share their largess.

But I learned we can only go Trick or Treating one night a year. Bummer, eh?

November is American Indian Heritage Month. I shall honor my Ancestors to the best of my ability. (I do that anyhow, but I’ll make a special attempt the whole month. Honest. Trust me.)

You can honor your favorite Catawba and buy my new book, The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings. A friend who is also a writer, says some of my stories remind him of Kurt Vonnegut! Wowser! Talk about high praise.

Photo of the Week:

One of my neighbor’s Jack O’Lanterns. One neighbor, with a short person in the house, got three large pumpkins and carved them, set them outside for all to enjoy. The skunks must have smelled dinner because within a couple of days they were pretty well demolished.

Entertainment:

Movie: Dune 3D.  OMG. I have to go back and see it again!!! This is the first time I’ve been in a theater in about 10 years. I have avoided them like the plague (or Covid). They are sooooo loud, they not only make my ears hurt, they give me serious headaches for a couple days. But I so wanted to see the new Dune on a big screen. AND in 3D. The last time I saw a 3D movie I was in elementary school, and they had the lenses in two colors glued into cardboard. These glasses were plastic, and the lenses were clear. I’m assuming they were polarized, but haven’t bothered to look it up.

The ONLY gripe about the movie is its Part I. We have to wait a couple years for part 2. If you are familiar with the story, get thee to a theater, preferably a 3D one. Yes, they left out a couple scenes that I remember as being important, but it’s been 21 years (at least) since the last time I read it. They made some changes, but one can’t just dump a book into a movie without some changes. The movie got to about the half way part of the book, according to something I read. And, no, I’m not going to tell you any more than that.

Oh, and the soundtrack was loud, but not LOUD like the last time I was in a theater. I had actually removed my hearing aids and was preparing to put in some really good ear plugs. I ended up putting my aids back in my ears and enjoying the movie. If you’re not familiar with the story, I think it would still make sense, but I don’t know for sure. If you’re not familiar with the story, and go see it, would you please let me know if it made sense?

Quotes of the Week (from the new Dune movie):

“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.” – Jamis

And of course, the most famous of all Dune Quotes, book or movie:

“I must not fear. Fear is the Mind-Killer. Fear is the little death that brings obliteration.” — Litany Against Fear, spoken by Lady Jessica.

Personally, I prefer Reverend Mother Odrade’s version better: “Face your fears or they will ride your back.” As she said, it’s much simpler to remember. (I think that was from Chapter House Dune.)

And there it is, Gentle Readers, your Coffee Break Escape for the week. Uh, don’t try the movie during coffee break. Unless you take your boss with you. I had a couple of bosses back in the day, who would have gone with me and loved it. But one would have felt dire guilt, I think.

And a note on the brave dog. I was gone all day Saturday from about 7am to 9pm and I left Sammy with a neighbor. He was a good boy and loved every minute. No heart ache I had left him. He seemed to know I’d be back. Of course, he visits that neighbor every day or so and “inspects” the floor;-)

Having yourself a fantastically wonderful week. And go see Dune 3D. 

Too Much Cancel Culture?

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Weather in the Tries: Rain for Sunday, looks to be cloudy with sun breaks throughout the week, high of mid-low 60s until 68 On Thursday, going down to 55 after. Nighttime lows mostly in 40s, but next Saturday heading into 30s.

Hey! Thanks to all of you who contacted me to see how I was feeling. By the time you read the blog I was considerably better, perchance if you read it in the afternoon, I was back to my normal curmudgeonly self.

Boy Howdy! Have we gone overboard on Cancel Culture or what?

I agree it’s sometimes hard to separate the good guys from the bad guys, and what do we do when a bad guy is really, really talented somehow?

Years ago, I became in literary lust with a particular author. He wrote prose, he wrote poetry, and as far as I know, he still does. Good stuff, at least the stuff I read. And then it came out that he also used his fame and glory to molest women, that he used his fame and glory and higher status to his benefit, but not anyone else’s.

I immediately cancelled him out of my life. But I couldn’t toss his books. I just couldn’t. a) I’d invested too many dollars in them and b) I’d invested too much time and c) they were just too darned good. 

Life isn’t black and white. There are many shades of gray between the black and the white. Why should I give up good writing, something I enjoy, just because? Besides, he doesn’t come home to my house, he goes home to his house, his wife, his kidlets. But it’s hard to separate the Art from the Artist.

Take Thomas Jefferson. Please. I’m finding it very difficult to find any socially redeeming qualities about him. Yes, he was a fantastic writer of fiction. Read our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Aren’t they beautiful? Well, if you belong to the dominant caste, I guess they are. But if you belong to a lesser caste, they ain’t.

Speaking of the dominant caste in this country, what is it the White Supremacists say? If you have a bucket of white paint and put a single drop of black in it, it is no longer white? Well, they need to get their DNA done. All of us are at least 3% African American, and many are more. All of our ancestors walked out of Africa at one time or another.

And the Aryan Race? According to Wikipedia that is “a debunked historical race concept which emerged in the late 19th century.” Some were pale, many were darker brown. Oh, my. It’s an interesting article, check it out. But then, the term “Race” is a human construct. It’s one way for the dominant caste to keep the subordinate castes subordinate.

But, back to Jefferson. He did write beautifully. And he did recognize his own hypocrisy. But from what I’ve read he did not free his slaves when he died, except for Sally Hemmings. He did not free his children by her, because he was in such horrendous debt, but he did allow them to “walk” and often asked trusted friends to help, especially with his daughters. Some of his sons helped build the college they would never be allowed to attend. I’ve also read in several places that his sons were unmistakably his. At least Washington freed his slaves on his death.

I wonder what threat or inducement Jefferson used on Sally to get her to return to slavery, for she was legally free when they lived in Paris. She could have left him at that time, there was help. I wonder if she thought she loved him. Once she got on the ship heading west, she was doomed. He owned her siblings, at least some. Perhaps they were the price she paid. He is said to have said that Sally had sons, he didn’t.

Something like twelve of our early presidents owned people. And then, we have President Abraham Lincoln who said, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.” (Definition of Democracy, August 1, 1858?) Surely, there are some socially redeeming qualities to those 12. They knew it was wrong, some freed their slaves on their deaths. I wonder if any of them kept families together?

Enough of my ranting. I had ancestors on both sides. No wonder I’m conflicted!

Photos of the Week:

Fall is arriving. Bateman Island from my back yard. Note the fog by the water.

Curb maker. The concrete goes into a bin (my technical term) and gets extruded as a curb. You can see one across the street. No forms to build or remove. Kinda fun. But still not as excited as the Road Eater from a few weeks ago.

Entertainment:

Alas no new movies or series. And, no, my love of K-Drama has not made me even a wee bit curious about Squid Games. Have any of you seen it. Whatcha think?

Books: Remember, if I finish a book, I review it here.

O.M.G!!! I finished reading The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze. What a fantastic book. I loved it. I am in deep literary lust! There wasn’t a single poem in the book (560 pages) I didn’t love. Some I loved more than others. I am in awe of his long poems where sections are numbered. Shucks, I am in awe of him!  If you don’t want to make a long-term commitment, don’t buy this book, but buy one or two of his smaller ones. Go to your library and check one out.   

I also got some other reviews up for books (novels) I finished a couple weeks ago—A Day Like This: A Novel —by Kelley McNeil, Peace of Music (Book 1 of 3) —by Denise Kahn, Swimmer in the Secret Sea —by William Kotzwinkle.

“I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel.” April 4, 1864 – Letter to Albert Hodges 

The two Lincoln quotes are from Abraham Lincoln’s Quotes on Slavery. 

Poor Sammy Brave Dog. The Zombie Leaf Warriors keep attacking him to eat puppy brains. Leaves have fallen off the trees, and the wind skitters them across the parking lot, or down the sidewalk, and he doesn’t like them at all! I suppose if I was his size and that close to the ground, and dried leaves blew in my face, I wouldn’t like it, either. He sends pupkisses to you all!! And Auntie Lenora sends virtual and socially distanced hugs to each and every one of you ;-)cancel culture

Stirred, Not Shaken

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I apologize for the brevity of today’s post. As I’m sure I told you in prior posts, I usually write this ahead of time, and schedule it for publication in the wee hours of Monday. Alas, I’m a bit under the weather, and it has interrupted what concentration I have. I’m sure I’ll be fine in a day or two, however…

Daniel Craig certainly stirred the Conversation Pot this week, didn’t he? And, ya know what? I see his point of view. When I took my first and only cruise a few years back with my friend and travel partner Jan, she introduced me to the gay bar onboard the ship. I asked how she knew it was gay before we got there, and she explained that Friends of Dorothy was for LGBTQ and Friends of Bill was for recovering alcoholics. We spent a few nights in the gay bars, having a drink, sitting at a table, and enjoying a conversation. The music was quiet, people danced, they talked without yelling to be heard, and it was pleasant. I would have no qualms going into a gay bar, especially if I was in a strange city.

But I can also see the other side of that coin. There aren’t too many places members of that community can go and feel welcome and accepted. The bars really are theirs. It’s where they can go, and just be themselves. They don’t need straight people in there cluttering the place up. And they surely don’t need straight gawkers coming in to watch the “show.”

I think a few straight bars can take a lesson or two. Tone it down, have music at a reasonable decibel level, encourage civility (OMG, what a concept!) and leave the biker bars for those who need to prove they’re the strongest of the strong, the meanest of the mean. Know what I mean, Jelly Bean?

There used to be a bar in downtown Portland that catered to businessmen and women. A woman could go into the bar alone, and not be hit on, she could sit, have a drink or two, and enjoy. Even at night, they kept that ambience. If anyone got drunk and disorderly, they were quietly taken care of. (The bar was in a hotel, so maybe they disorderly one got a room put on his tab? I dunno, I never saw anyone get kicked out.)

There’s a tavern where I live that I used to meet my gal pals when they got off work. It’s what my daddy would call a working man’s tavern. Most of the guys who come in are laborers, and the women work in the shops. It’s a blue jeans and steel toed boot kind of place. Families come in. It’s amazing how small children can keep the civility at a reasonable level. The music is seldom loud, and the food is good as long as you want pub food. I have gone in alone and felt quite comfortable.  The owners opened an upscale place a couple miles away. I never go there. Too hoity toity, and the Reubens suck bilgewater.

So, if you are ever on a cruise ship and want a quiet drink, check out Friends of Dorothy. Especially if you’re female and just want to be alone. But then, why are you on a cruise? Oh, well, we all need some down time, alone, yes?

The books haven’t changed, neither has the tv watching. And that’s it for this week. See you next week. 

The Assassin

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Weather in the Tries: Coolish to Cold. Honest. Trust me. 

The Assassin:

I thought I’d share a short piece of fiction that I sold a few years ago to Flash Fiction Online and have also published in Writing Women and my book, The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings. The book is available from my publisher at https://www.cyberwit.net/authors/lenora-rain-lee-good and from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/818253772X. If you have a favorite brick and mortar store, take the title and ISBN to the store and they will happily order it for you. ISBN 13: 978-81-8253-772-9

Anyhow, I thought you might enjoy a sample of my fiction. The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings contains this story, and more. It also contains some short memoir pieces and some poetry. So far, all the reviews have been 5 stars. Please feel free to add to it. My publisher is going to post it as an ebook. If you want an ebook, please check your normal source and feel free to contact the publisher.

The Assassin

Fiction

I crawl to the crest of the hill and slowly raise my head enough to see the other side. The wind blows in my face bringing the laughter of the men in the campsite below, the smell of their cooking. If I can smell their camp, they cannot smell me.

 Fools. They think their hideout is safe and stand too close to the fire. There are no out-guards only the two armed men who stand and face the fire instead of watching the meadow and forest beyond. No one looks up the hill in my direction. If anyone attacks, they will be blind when they turn away from the fire.

With slow deliberation and great care I raise my night scope to check the area below. I avoid the campfire, or I too will be blind. Five men. There should be six. I listen and I watch. I hate this part of the job. I hate this job. All of it. I want to retire but, in this business, there is no retirement.

Ah there he is. The sixth man. He walks into sight from behind a rock zipping his pants. I chuckle. More than one man has lost his life while taking a leak; kilts make a lot of sense! I’m only paid to assassinate the one but taking all six will be just as easy. Easier because I won’t have to go down and risk being caught. Collateral death happens.

I lower the night scope, load and attach the grenade launcher to my rifle, sight on the fire and wait until they are all near it. I do not have long to wait they are careless and soon all huddle around the fire for warmth. They drink their booze and laugh too loud. The two guards come closer to get food. At least they aren’t drinking. But it doesn’t matter. I aim at the fire. I squeeze the trigger. I watch as six men—six brothers, six fathers, six sons—hurl in tiny unrecognizable pieces all about their campsite. I wonder if any but the wolves and scavengers will find them?

I go back down the hill. I lope at an easy pace to my waiting vehicle. I dream of the home cooked meal that awaits me when I return. I do not think of the six men again.

I try to figure out how to retire. I hate this job.

***

I walk into the employment office. I tell the sweet young thing behind the desk with the nameplate Angie I want retraining. She looks up my record and laughs.

I tell her for the umpteenth time I want to retire. She laughs. Again. There is no sympathy in her laughter. Or empathy in her eyes; she is a hard, cold bitch.

She knows she is safe from me. She knows that I, a trained, skilled and bonded assassin can only kill those for whom I have a valid state-sanctioned contract. All my contracts go through her. Most all my contracts go through her.

I squeeze the ampoule of poison into her face. The shock causes her to inhale the odorless and fouled air. She laughs, thinks it a joke—a bit of assassin humor. She will die in two hours, probably while at lunch. I turn and walk out of the building. I don’t know why I had the contract on her or who bought it; all I know is that it was legal and sanctioned and for once I almost like my job. She was a nasty piece of inhumanity. I smile as the door closes behind me.

***

The smells of dinner waft through the house. Marie always makes my favorite after a contract is complete—meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. For dessert she’ll have brandy and chocolates. It’s my comfort meal.

I water the flowers in our bedroom—bright, perfumed, and alive. I see movement in the door. It is Marie. She smiles, “Dinner is almost ready.” She opens her arms wide, and I walk into her enveloping embrace. God, how I love this woman!

“It’s time,” she whispers, and I feel her mouth, soft and yielding on mine, and then I feel the pain and the terrible cold. Marie, also a licensed, bonded assassin, knows I hate my job. I fall to the hard floor, whimpering. Marie holds me in her arms until the pain stops… 

***

“Angie?” Marie yells, “Angie! Will you help me get this old fart into his bed? He fell out of his chair again and splattered his meatloaf dinner all over the floor. Call an aide to clean up the mess, will ya? And don’t slip on the chocolate pudding. Shit! What a mess these old geezers make.”

About this story: Old geezers love to tell stories, and to them, they are all true. At least at the time they tell the story. This story was originally published by Flash Fiction Online, https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2016/11/27/the-assassin/ November 27, 2016. A recording, by the author, was published in the July 1, 2021 newsletter, Writing Women at https://writingwomen.substack.com. 

Photo of the Week:

Entertainment:

Television: Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. 

Books: I’m reading Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell, which I’m actually enjoying. At least so far. I got all the way to page 2, and no math. Yet. 

I’m also still on The Glass Constellation by Arthur Sze. It’s a hardback book, which means it’s heavy and it’s over 500 pages of poetry. I’m about 2/3 of the way through. I’m loving his style, his word usage, I think I am once again in literary lust. Have even written one long poem (7 pages) based on some of his poetry styles. Mine isn’t as good as his, but by golly, I’m learning something. Our styles of writing are also different. I don’t want to write like him, I want to write like me, but use some of his ideas.

Quote of the Week:

“Writers and politicians are the same—paid, professional liars. Oh, I lied, writers aren’t paid.” —unknown

And so we have made it to another Monday. I would do my best to guilt you into buying a copy of my book, but then I’d feel guilty. Look at it this way, it’s only what? the price of 3 or 4 lattes? I don’t know, I can’t afford lattes, let alone books, but you surely can. Can’t you?

Sammy Brave Dog wants summer back. He’s not a fan of cold. At least he snuggles at night. 😉

Relax and Enjoy Your Food

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Weather in the Tries: Our weather is for sure moving int Fall. Cooler, more clouds, and now and again bits of wanna-be rain. I admit, I’m a bit of a rain snob after living in both Florida and New Mexico where they have real rain. Where it blows in, dumps goodness, and then leaves. Here, we get a drizzly rain. Too much to go without a rain jacket, not enough to put out a fire. And it hangs around and teases. But, we have no rain coming this week, at least not on the schedule. Clouds, and sunshine. Yes indeedy. Our highs will be 75 for a few days, and then down into the 60s. Lows range from 48 to 36. Yep. Fall had done fell.

Relax and Enjoy Your Food:

Basically, I’m publishing my book review here. Though it will be some amplified from what I’ll post on Amazon and Goodreads.

I ordered and received my copy of the book, Relax and Enjoy Your Food: Save your money, your health, and your sanity by separating fact from flapdoodle —by Craig Good. (And you thought my titles were long?) Yes, here I shall admit that I not only know Craig Good, but he is my kid brother. Younger brother. Well, maybe kid, too, as he’s still pretty young at heart.

This book packs an enormous amount of information inside its 127 pages about food—eating food, what to buy, and what not to buy, and all the reasons for making those decisions.  He writes in a very relaxed, conversational style, uses humor to make his points, and tells it like it is. Or at least, should be. 

His advice on anorexia nervosa is spot on. I ran it by a friend of mine, a retired pediatric neurologist and he agreed. He covers it all in this book. One to buy copies of to give away as gifts. Winter is coming, and I’ve just helped you with your gift list. This truly is a one size fits all kind of book!

If I tell you this is the book on nutrition you need to read, I’m afraid I’ll scare you off. But it is. Craig tells us the good, the bad, and the ugly of supplements, of organic vs. non-organic foods, the myths of food and how they became imbedded in our psyche, and the facts we need to make good, flavorful, and healthy decisions. Oh, and save oodles of money while doing it. That makes it worth the price of admission, yes?

The book is available as a paper back, electronically, and audio book (I recognized the voice on the audible sample. Yep, my little bro!)

The book is available through Amazon, Apple Books, and I imagine by order from your favorite brick and mortar store.  Under $10.00. For the price of two lattes, you’ll have an enjoyable read, get smarter, and have several good laughs. Oh, be sure to read it cover-to-cover. Good advice from a master instructor.

Photo of the Week:

Entertainment:

Netflix: I hate to admit it, but I barely turned the tube on all week, and didn’t watch any entertainment type shows. I think I’m in mourning for Lucifer. What a corny show. One of the best ones I’ve seen in a long time! I may have to binge it all over again 😉

Books: when I finish a book, I review it and you can read it at: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

 Relax and Enjoy Your Food: Save your money, your health, and your sanity by separating fact from flapdoodle —by Craig Good. Well, you know this one.

Peace of Music —by Denise Kahn. This is the first of a trilogy, all three are out, and I will probably buy the other two soon. An historical novel through the centuries following a Goddess-Blessed vase on its journey from ancient China to modern day China. A quick read, put it in the Brain Candy file. Four stars.

Quote of the week:

“Eat your veggies first.” —Craig Good

And we have made it to another Monday. Those of you who still work for a living don’t understand about week ends. But those of us who are retired, we know. We never, ever, get weekends. So enjoy them while you get ’em. Once you turn old and retire, you will never have another week end. Honest. Trust me.

Rainy Day and the Wet Dog (Encore)

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Weather in the Tries: Whoa Doat!!! We have an 80% of rain on Monday! Seattle, over on the dark side of the mountains is possibly going to have enough rain to slide off on the Salish Sea. In the meantime, our highs are moving down into the 70s and high 60s.

Must be the end of summer doldrums have hit, but I am feeling really, really lazy. So I’m doing an encore presentation of an old blog from years back, just for you.

Rainy Day and the Wet Dog

As you know, if you know Rainy Day at all, she’s a sucker for small, furry creatures. She’s always liked cats, hamsters, bunny rabbits, and even the now and then dog. She likes large, furry men, too, but that’s another story.

One day several years ago, Rainy D and Friend, were out driving, and came upon a dog in the middle of a busy street. The dog was a tad frightened, terrified would be a good word, and Rainy D and Friend managed to not only catch him, but to talk to some of the neighbors, one of whom knew the dog, made a couple of phone calls, tracked down the owner, and told Rainy D and Friend the dog had been dumped up in the hills, unwanted. Dog wasn’t much more than a puppy, and cute as all get out.

Rainy D is quite proud of herself – both the owner and the messenger who related the information remained alive. Barely. It took a great deal of restraint on Rainy D’s part to allow that.

Friend couldn’t have a dog, so Rainy D ended up with him, a mini Australian Shepherd mix, she and Friend named Mr. Lucky Dude, who may not have felt quite so lucky a few days later as he underwent surgery and forever more barked soprano. Cat was NOT pleased at the new sibling, either. But a strange thing about Cat—she is not a very friendly cat, hates laps, barely tolerates pets, &c, unless she has competition from a dog. Then, and only then, she is Miss Lovey Dovey. I like having a dog just for that reason.

When Rainy D had a photo she took of a coyote printed and framed to enter in the fair, she stood it on the floor in the living room. Poor Mr. Lucky Dude freaked out. He was terrified. He barked, he growled, he whined, and he ran. Rainy D suspects when he was dumped in the hills above her home, the coyotes chased him back into town. It being summer, they wanted to play with him, not eat him. He eventually accepted that the vicious coyote in the living room would not chase him, or eat him, but he always eyed it warily. The previous owner still lived, but only because Rainy D didn’t know where.

While Mr. Lucky Dude lived with Rainy D, until she could find a good home for him, he loved to go outside, roll around in squirrel poo, and when it rained, play outside until he became thoroughly wet. He never quite understood why Rainy D always toweled him off when he came in. Especially when he’d been to the Doggie Boutique and wore not only wet fur, but eau de Squirrel Poo. Such a handsome and debonaire dog!

Eventually, Rainy D found a good home for him, and he now has another dog to play with, and fields in which to romp, and even a child or two to herd. He loves to herd – squirrels, cats, humans, other dogs…he never quite understood why Cat not only didn’t want to play (she was too old for such childish things) but didn’t appreciate being herded through the house, either.

Cats, Rainy D says, are much more socially acceptable than dogs. At least they don’t roll in squirrel poo, nor do they play in the rain. But, she admits, they are not always as loving as a dog.

Photo of the Week:

The Fearsome Coyote

Entertainment:

Netflix: I watched the final episodes of Lucifer this week. I admit, I’m sorry it’s over. There was a bit of sadness toward the end, and I watched the last couple minutes thru my tears, and at the end, I was laughing harder than I’ve laughed in a long time. Corny, schmaltzy, downright dumb, and full of laughs—one of the best series I’ve ever seen.

Books: when I finish a book, I review it at: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Finished Slaughterhouse Five. I truly don’t understand what all the hoopla is/was about. Unless it was one of the first books with an anti-hero. Yes, it’s antiwar, but so are a lot of books that I found a lot more interesting. Unfortunately, every time he used his signature phrase to emphasize how uncaring his hero was, “So it goes,” he threw me clear out of the story. But I finished it, so I reviewed it.

Also finished The Father poems by Sharon Olds, which was marvelous, Mother Country poems by Elana Bell which rounded out the cycle, and Bayna Bayna  by Zeina Azzam. Bayna Bayna roughly translates from the Arabic into Betwixt and Between. 

Quote of the week:

“Now tell me, what is it you truly desire?” —Lucifer Morningstar

We can really use the rain, but I know one small Brave Dog who just hates it. Water belongs in his dish, not falling out of the sky. He has no fat, and not much fur, and the drops are cold, and sometime painful if it’s a hard enough rain. He hates wearing a rain-coat, too. It’s hard being a small dog. Wanna guess what he truly desires??? Go forth and have a great week. And make sure your dinghy is well caulked. Just in case…

Have You Ever…

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Weather in the Tries: Quite pleasant, actually. Our upcoming week will range from 72-86, with lows 41-48. That’s pleasant. We had a smidge of rain the other day, well, it wasn’t really rain, but heavy sprinkles which helped clear the air. And winds which sometimes clear the air and sometimes make it worser. 

Have you ever had a chance encounter with someone who made a major change in your life?

When I was a kid, my mom and my aunt loved opera. To me it sounded like someone was disemboweling a live cat on stage without benefit of anesthetic. Nope. Didn’t like it.

Then many, many years later, I started dating a gentleman who did like opera. He saw GI Jane one weekend, and a couple days later took me to see it, not because the movie was so good, but because of the aria in the movie, O Mio Bambino Caro. It was OK, but not worth sitting through the move for a second time. But, because we were at the beginning of our relationship, I stopped off at the Silver Platter on my way home from work a couple nights later and found someone who was helpful. He knew exactly the piece I was interested in, and I either bought a CD (silver platter) of the opera from which it came—Gianni Schicchi—or a CD of several of Puccini’s best-known arias. I ended up with both at different times.

We were talking and I explained my antipathy to opera, and he looked down his nose (he was somewhat taller than I) and explained it was time for me to look upon human voice as musical instrument. Huh? What? I love instrumental music, why hadn’t I thought of that? I think I may have bought both CDs. Anyhow, I gave one to my friend, and he was thrilled, and I kept one for me.

Then my friend decided we should get the DVD of Madame Butterfly to watch. No. I did not like that opera. That was the first (and at that time only) opera I had seen, and I hated it. No. NO. NO!!!! Several years later, I moved to Florida and going someplace listening to the Matinee at the Met and there was this beautiful music on. I pulled into the parking lot where I needed to go and sat and listened to the opera until break time. The act finished and the announcer said, “We shall return to Madama Butterfly…” and I broke into great belly laughs at the joke on me. I hurried up with my shopping and made it back to my car before the next act. When it was over, I called and told my friend and told him what happened. We still laugh about that.

I probably still wouldn’t like opera if not for that young man in the Silver Platter, and my friend. I do miss that store! Gianni Schicchi is a delightful comic opera I’ve seen a couple of times and own the CD. Puccini was a fantastically wonderful composer. And if you haven’t listened to or seen Gianni Schicchi, it’s a comedy and great fun, and only an hour long.

I love it when I meet someone who can make me think and see a new way of looking at something.

Before I met the gentleman above, a young friend Brandon, was a radio DJ. He was really a friend of my son’s, but he and I became friends, too. We were talking one day when I lived down on the Oregon Coast and he had settled in LA, and I mentioned something about the primary choice of music available where I lived—Country Western or Country Western. He laughed and said music is music. Made me think, and by golly, he was right. While CW is not my favorite, I really do enjoy Rockabilly music. CW can get to be a bit whiny for me. Too much victim. But I can enjoy it and do now and then listen to it. By the way, I haven’t talked to Brandon in years, but his radio station is still going strong, check out https://substation.one which may or may not still be his, but still the same great music, especially if you’re not in the mood for Bach or Billy Joel 😉

Photo of the Week:

Something a little out of this world, eh? Okay, I can’t fool you. It’s one of the hot springs at Yellowstone NP.

Entertainment:

Netflix: Watched the final episode of Hospital Playlist. They haven’t made up their mind if there will be a Season 3. I hope so, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. A fun two-season K-Drama series.

And the final, sixth, season of Lucifer is playing. I’m trying not to binge on it. But don’t think I’m doing very well. Truth to tell Lucifer is a bit on the corny side, but there are some real honest to goodness belly laughs. Pure calorie-free enjoyment 😉

Books:

Still reading Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I have a couple weeks to get it finished 😉

“Music can change the world because it can change people.” —Bono

And there you have this week’s missive. Hope you enjoyed it. See you next week. Honest. Trust me.

Where Were You on 9-1-1?

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Weather in the Tries: Looks like we’re scheduled for another week of Paradisical weather here in Paradise. Well, it would be Paradise if we didn’t have smoke in the air. We are currently scheduled for a week of mostly sunshine and temps in the low 70s to low 80s. Porch sittin’ weather! 

Good news! My publisher is going to put The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings up on Kindle and drop the price for eBooks. I don’t know how low the price will go, but it will be lower! Those of you who read eBooks, be patient! So far, I have one 2 5-Star reviews up on Amazon and 1 on Goodreads! Woot! Woot! I am hearing from people who are reading the book they really like it and they promise to put a review up when finished.

Where Were You On 9-1-1?

Yes, I know I’m a couple days late, but Jerry Coyne asked this question on his blog. We remember where we were when we hear bad/shocking news. I took a sick day from work and was home, in bed with the flu when President Kennedy was shot. I was working in the office of the 555 Company (US Army) in Karlsruhe, Germany when Bobby Kennedy was shot. The radio was on, and I was typing, and I heard it. No one else did, and they didn’t believe me. Kept telling me I’d heard it wrong; they were talking about JFK. And then they listened. I was at an auto race at the Hockenheimring, near Hockenheim, Germany when Martin Luther King was killed. It was announced over the loudspeaker, in German, and I didn’t understand enough know what had happened, but I knew it was something bad. I was in Fort Leonard Wood MO and had just finished reading a novel about an Apollo mission that went wrong when the news came over the radio about Apollo 13.

On 11 September 2001, I was in bed, asleep, on the Oregon coast. A friend called, explained what happened, and while speaking to him, I got up and turned on the tv. We watched our tvs at the same time and saw the second hit. We were without words.

We were angry. We were in shock. We were frightened. Both of us has been “through” Vietnam. He’d been there, I was in uniform, but hadn’t gone. We hung up to watch and process on our own. I was so grateful Aaron Brown was doing the broadcasting on CNN. He was calm, professional, and one of my favorite broadcasters. His calm demeaner as he broadcast, was much appreciated. I still miss him.

I spent the day in front of the tv. I remember chanting, softly, to myself. I think it was Green Tara’s chant (Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha). It might have been the Om Mani Padme Hum, probably both. As an atheist, I knew my prayers would do no one any good. As a Buddhist I needed those prayers for me. They gave me something familiar to hold while my world burned. I had recently gone through the deaths of 11 of my co-workers and friends in less than 2 years, and then I retired to take care of my uncle the last 6 months of his life. He died in my home. I needed the sleep, the healing, and the love however I found it.

I did not think war was the answer and was sorry our elected officials did. I feared before the election that Jr. would get us into a war if elected. He stated he wanted to be a War President, like his daddy. I believed him. And, frankly, I often wonder, and still wonder when I see the pictures of him being told, if he didn’t know something was coming down, he just had no idea exactly what or when. His reaction was too much a nonreaction. Even in front of the little people he was reading to. So much for my conspiracy theory.

I’m still very saddened and embarrassed by the sudden rise of hatred against Muslims instead of anger against the perpetrators. I’m very saddened and embarrassed we, as a nation, did not try to find out the true cause. What had we done they felt the need to do what they did? Yes, we are the victim, but why? It wasn’t just Desert Storm and allowing women to drive jeeps, we did other things, too, that dissed the Arabs. But we’ve never really asked, nor have we truly apologized for whatever we did, nor have we learned anything.

I am still an atheist, and I still follow many of the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism (which are NOT religions, but philosophies or ways of life). The nice thing about Buddhism and Taoism is they are AND philosophies. One can be a Christian and a Buddhist or Taoist, a Muslim and…, a Hindu and.., and whatever one’s religion is or isn’t and a Buddhist or a Taoist.

But I digress. Where were you on that fateful day, what were you doing when you heard the news of 9-1-1? If you are old enough to remember it, I bet you remember where you were and what you were doing. Would love to hear from you in the comment section.

Photo of the Week:

My Homage to Georgia O’Keeffe

Entertainment:

Netflix: Watched the penultimate episode for this season of Hospital Playlist. I understand they are debating whether to have a season 3. I sent a note telling them I thought they should. Will they listen to me? That’s a rhetorical question, you don’t need to respond. 

Finished Home to Heaven, another Netflix K-Drama. Not as good, but good. Home to Heaven is a father-son company that goes in and cleans the homes after someone dies. The father died, the sun is Autistic, and an uncle the boy (young man at 20) didn’t know about was named guardian. Lots of fun areas.

Books: If I finish it, I review it, you can read it at: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

I am reading four books at the moment. I might have one or two finished by the time you read this.

Novel: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I can understand why it was so popular when it came out. But I’m not sure I’m all that fond of it. I’ll keep reading. he uses the phrase,  “so it goes,” every other page and throws me out of the story each and every time. I’ve finished a couple other books and my latest reviews are on my book review blog above.

Poetry: The Father by Sharon Olds. Beautifully written poems about her father’s dying. Sad, poignant, well done.

            Mother Country by Elana Bell. Another collection of poems by a woman who so wanted to become a mother, even after so many setbacks (miscarriages).

            American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes. All are sonnets, all have the same title, and some are laugh out loud funny, some are cry real tears sad, and some will flat out make you angry. Great poems, well written. Food for thinking on some of the tougher aspects of life.

Quote for the Week:

A Buddhist chant, chanted at the opening of an illegal temple in the midst of a Khmer Rouge prison camp in Cambodia:

Hatred never ceases by hatred

but by love alone is healed.

This is an ancient and eternal law.

And there you are my kind and gentle friends. Sammy Brave Dog and Auntie Lenora wish you a terrific week with lots of goodness to fill your days.