Category Archives: Auntie Lenora

Picture of Peace, Business Cards, and 

1 Reply

Weather in the Tries:
Didn’t we, as kidlets, learn something about March Winds? March winds bring April showers and April showers bring May flowers. And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims!! /Bwahahahaha/ As you can tell, my Grump has packed up and gone somewhere else! We’ve had a few days of sunshine, and a couple more coming. Winds on Wednesday will issue in clouds, and probably rain showers on Saturday. Highs will range from 75 to 56, with lows mostly in the 40s with a dip to 39.

Picture of Peace:
I subscribe to the Story Sparks newsletter by author, Jane Kirkpatrick. I have had the pleasure of meeting and corresponding with Jane of more than a few occasions. She is one of the most generous of authors I have had the pleasure of meeting. In her March Newsletter, she had a copy of a prize-winning poster by a thirteen-year-old Slovenia student, Anja Rosen, a Primary student from Ravne na Koroskem. Her poster earned her the grand prize in the Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Brava, Anja!! Your poster is delightful.

https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/blog/Slovenia-teen-wins-grand-prize-in-Lions-International-peace-poster-contest

Follow-up on my new cards:
Alas, I am not getting the beautiful blue cards I fell in love with. I have use VistaPrint.com for various projects since Madame Dorion was published. I’ve never had a problem with them, until now. And you must know, they were more than helpful in correcting the problem. They replaced the first cards and when the second order arrived, it, too, was not correct, and they quickly refunded my cost. I still give them high grades, but not with the silvered foil print.

But, I really need some cards and Good Friend Barb recommended FedEx Printing. I needed a new card. I quickly scanned my photos, found one, but couldn’t get it and the type to both transfer to the FedEx link. Good Friend Barb to the rescue. Again. So here are my new cards. I will pick some up tomorrow (Monday) morning, and the majority of my order will arrive the following Monday. So here they are, and yes, the email is active. I’ll let you know when my new  Death Doula website is live.

Photo of the Week:

This photo was taken on the Oregon Coast, I think along Bandon Beach. I loved going there.

from the desk of the big chihuahua;
we have sunshine. i am doing my happy dance. that’s kinda hard when i’m in a harness. but my human lets me read more messages when we’re outside and doesn’t hurry me so much. after all, i have a lot of friends out there. i need to read their notes and leave my response. dogs are like that you know. this desert dog is loving this warmer weather and hopes you are, too.

Quote of the Week:

“Our life is March weather, savage and serene in one hour.” 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Videos of the Week:
The first is a short science fiction video on youtube.com: The 100 Year Journey to Proxima Centauri B (Sci-Fi Documentary) 18:54 minutes.

Second video is an old one, Johnny Carson with Jonathon Winters as his guest who tells us why he wasn’t a fit in the Marines. It too is pretty short.

Didn’t we vote to stay on one time???

Leave a reply

Weather in the Tries:
OMG! We’re only going to have ONE night of 32F temps, and all our daytime highs will be high 50s and even high 60s. Oh, be still my beating heart! Uh, no, don’t be still, but, well, you surely know what I mean, doncha?

Didn’t we vote to stay on one time???
I think we did, unfortunately, we voted to stay on Daylight Savings Time, which means it must be approved by congress, and you know they aren’t going to approve any such thing. According to the medical stuff I’ve read (and understood), we’d be better off if we stayed on Standard time, and THAT doesn’t require congressional approval.

The older I get the grumpier I get in the week following the time shift. So, Auntie Lenora is Aunt Grump this week. Deal with it!

And, I’m late again in posting. Deal with that, too;-) That’s because I spent yesterday afternoon napping with the Big Chihuahua and making and pinning the quilt sandwich of that loooooong and skinny quilt. I am going to start quilting it today, I hope.  

Today I have my “Let’s get to know each other” interview with End of Life WA. Perhaps, with enough coffee, Aunt Grump will take a hike before then. Do ya think?

Business Cards:
Follow up on my cards came, and they were beautiful, except where the “Dea” of Death wasn’t silvered. I randomly checked through all 500 cards, and it was missing on the several I checked. I called Vista and they immediately said they would replace them, and that I could keep the ones I have and use them in the meantime. Nice people to deal with!

Way Back When:
I had a long arm quilting machine. When I sold my house, I had to give it up as it took up too much room. As I recall, there were two rollers in the front, the quilt backing was loaded on one, the quilt top on the other, and the batt was pulled up between them. I had my batt in long tub on the floor, and wouldn’t cut it until the quilting was finished. Everything was rolled onto one roller at the back of the machine. So, I was watching a randomly picked quilting show on YouTube the other day, and the quilter showed how she makes her sandwich. She went to her favorite hardware/lumber store (a quilter’s best friend after the fabric store), bought some pre-finished 1”x2” and taped her fabric for a sandwich to them, rolled them, and voila! Looked like a great idea, so I went to my favorite store, bought an 8’ piece of same, and they were kind enough to cut it for me.

Came home, cut my fabric and batt, got it rolled, and yesterday, I unrolled it in segments, sprayed adhesive on it, pinned it, and rolled the the sandwich into a single roll that will sit in my lap as I run it through the sewing machine. I’ll re-roll it, and repeat until it’s quilted. However, one should NEVER work on a quilt when one is grumpy, so it may take a day or two until I get to it. When you quilt and are grumpy or angry, bad things happen to the quilt and you spend a whole lot of time picking stitches out and do-overs. 

Anyhow, here is a picture of the long skinny quilt on 3 rollers. In this case, the backing is plain muslin, but if it was printed, it would be rolled with the print on the down/outside, and you’d see it on the roll. Note, it is wider than the batt, which is also rolled and flattened, and then the top, which is rolled so the print is on the top as it’s unrolled. For you quilters out there, it is a neat trick, and I wish I could give credit to the quilter who showed it, but it came up randomly and I wasn’t paying attention. Bad me. Truly. I do enjoy giving credit when and where it’s due.

Photo of the Week:
rolled fabric. exciting, huh?


from the desk of the big chihuahua–
i don’t know why my human is so grumpy or sleepy, but i love it when she’s sleepy enough for afternoon snuggles and naps. she gets grumpy now and then, but seldom at me. it is getting warmer outside, the cold will surely be gone soon. then it will nice for longer walks. if you want to go walking, and you come to visit, my human will go with you and take me. walks are fun.

Quote of the Week:

“Dear daylight savings, I asked for more sleep. Not more sun.”

–unknown

Soundtrack of the Week:

Dune Part Two by Hans Zimmer.
We’re going to the movie this week.

A Sneak Preview of my New Business Cards

1 Reply

Weather in the Tries:
I do believe Spring is riding her pogo stick to get here. We have a few nights on the agenda to get below freezing, but not seriously. And our days will all be high 40s and 50s. With cold winds.

A Sneak Preview of my New Business Cards:
But first a follow-up on the quilt sandwich. It is quilted and the edging is almost finished. And I have approval on the fabric for the 100-inch long by 10-inch width quilt which is next up. No, they don’t have a pet snake that likes to stretch out to sleep, they have a cat who likes to sit on the top of the wood headboard of their bed and look outside, and they don’t want the headboard scratched. Then up will be a set of 4 placemats and my Winter Gifts will be finished! And I can get back to the mountains for my friend. That’s going to be fun to work on. I’ve got a start. It will be easy, once all the pieces are sewn and the picture decided on. 

Friend Micki saw my quilt, Stars Falling on New Mexico Mountains, and wanted one like it only different, she wants Mt. Shasta and her three sister mountains. I can hardly wait to get to it. I will try to remember to take pix during the process in case you ever want to try it 😉

Stars Falling on New Mexico Mountains, about 53″ x 19″

I don’t think I told you about going to a networking evening with people who work with Seniors (as in old farts and fartesses, not high schoolers). In talking with some of them, I realized I really do need to get busy, so I have ordered a set of business cards from Vista Print they should be here Wednesday. I found some on a foil background and can hardly wait to get the cards and my new alias email set up. I had it, then wanted to edit, and hit delete instead of edit and now I have to wait until Wednesday to set it up. Stupid computer, I’m allowed three alias emails, it counts the ones set up, not the ones deleted. Really looking forward to our March meeting.

Please don’t try the email in the card until at least Thursday.

I volunteered with End of Life Washington, and hope to begin training soon. Also, I volunteered with Heartlinks Hospiceto be an Eleventh-Hour volunteer, who will be called when a client is “actively” dying, to go and sit with him until life ceases. I will begin training with them soon. I think the phrase, “actively dying,” is beyond a little odd, but extremely accurate. The first time I heard the phrase was when the hospice nurse came to check onmy Favorite Uncle (also my only uncle) and she used that term. His body was shutting down, including his thermostat. 

He reached his left hand across his body and picked something out of a nonexistent bowl and moved it to his left side and dropped it in another nonexistent bowl. Eventually he stopped doing that, and slept a bit. I sat with him for 30 some hours, and kept a diary of what he did. Turned it into my poem, Marking the Hours. Which is the title poem of my book, Marking the Hours. Sometimes he was lucid, mostly mumbling. I wish I knew then what I know now.

Found a fun piece of music on YouTube, Hunnu Guren – Batzorig Vaanchig & Auli. It’s throat singing from Mongolia and Bagpipe and Drum music from Latvia. Not the HU, but fun, and gorgeous scenery. Right now as I write this, I am listening to Hauser play his cello. From The HU to Hauser. Do I have eclectic taste in music or what?

from the desk of the big chihuahua:
my human is going to go away today. i just know it. she’s talking about pizza and beer and bookgroup. if i could reach the lock on either door, i’d go outside on my own, but i have to wait for her and then walk in a harness. she won’t let me run free, says something about me being owl bait, and she says she doesn’t want an owl. she wants me. i’m not afraid of no stinkin’ owl. but, why take chances/ that’s supposed to be a question mark but i don’t know how to get it, after all, i’m just a dog.

Quote of the Week:

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations from Filling the Jars

me again, the short legged kid. this is what we get outside right now. don’t know this dickens guy, but he nailed it. oh, a funny happened to my human yesterday. a zombie leaf attacked her face. now she knows how it feels. but she wasn’t scared, just called it a star farker and kept on our walk. is star farker a nice word/ she says it a lot, so it must be.

An odd week, this:

2 Replies

Weather in the Tries:
IF, and that is both an operative word and a very large word, but IF my phone is correct, it will not get down to 32 this coming week. The lowest will be 33 all the way up to 36, and the days will mostly be in the 50s. With three days of sunshine on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!!

Maybe next year I’ll auction my shadow off—if I get more money to see my shadow and have 6 more weeks for the skiers to ski, or if the most money comes from the summer people… And all money will go to charity. What do you think? Should I auction my shadow off to the highest bidders???

An odd week, this:
This past week has been a bit odd. I got a couple more books read and have about decided that Lois McMaster Bujold gets one more chance to worm her way back into my Kindle. What? You may be wondering did this fantastically marvelous SF/F writer do to upset me? Well, grab a cuppa, Bunky, ‘cause I’ll tell you.

Housemate Dan got me hooked on her Vorkosigan Series. There are 16 books in the series. The first two I read got me into the characters, who darn well should have been in the next few books, if not all. Well, in Book 2, she killed one of my favorite, okay, my favorite, supporting character. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that when you get stuck you kill off your darlings. Well, dammit, he was MY darling, and I’m not telling you who it was. Then, in Book 4, which I finished yesterday, NOT EVEN A MENTION of the series people. Not even a wee mention in passing of anyone in the series. Okay, I admit, book 4 was okay, but it was a real let down, because I expected someone to show up and recruit the kids. 

All the books are stand alone, so I will try #5 and see what happens. 

Photos of the Week:
I was lying down with the Brave Dog the other day—something he demands at least once a day—and while I was reading, he was under the blanket until he got too warm then he squirmed until he was playing people in the bed. And, no, his nose isn’t sore, it’s the way his tongue cleans it, and the light in the room.

We also had snow the other day. Not much, but enough that the Brave Dog, the Big Chihuahua, said, “Walk? In that stuff? Not just no, but uh-uh, not me no!” Sometimes he really hates it when his people is bigger than he is, and had other ideas.

from the desk of the big chihuahua:
my human says there should be no snow this next week, and we are scheduled to have three days of sunshine. that does, of course, mean there is nothing wrong with her phone weather forecast. sunshine! oh, this desert dog is soooo happy.

Sunny Day Quotes:
“Even on a cloudy day, the sun is shining somewhere.” –@WillingToTakeActions

my human says if it’s cloudy you only have to go up thirty-five thousand feet. all you need is a big extension ladder. I don’t know how many feet that is, i’ve got four and she has two, and i’ve never seen an extension ladder, don’t know what it is.

Death Cafe and Other Notes

2 Replies

Weather in the Tries:
Well, the high’s will be between low 50s and 40s ranging from 41 to 53 in no particular order. The lows will be from 30 to 38 in no particular order. I do truly wish that butterfly in Beijing would face the other way when he waggles his wings. I’m ready for some warm. I think my wee beast is, too. 

Death Café and Other Notes:

As you probably remember, I usually write this blog during the weekend and schedule it Sunday night for publication early Monday. I’ve mentioned the Discussion Cafes before, as I attend the Reflection Café twice during the month and beginning this morning, I’ll attend the Death Café. As my new friend and fellow Death Doula writes: “About this Death Café: This is not a grief therapy group. It is a friendly and interesting group of people discussing death, dying, and end of life concerns. Bring an open mind, an open heart, and your curiosity.” Now you know as much as I do, but I’ll learn more this morning (Sunday) and will share tomorrow morning.

Am back from the Death Café. Very interesting. A lot of people, of which I am old enough to be the grandparent of most of them. We sat at tables shoved together, and talked as a group, then because we were so many, eventually started talking in smaller groups. Someone brought a deck of Morbid Curiosity Cards. Some cards have trivia on them, some ask questions. One of the questions asked something like, if you were at a funeral and someone flirted with you, would you flirt back? I said, “Yes. After all, I’m not dead.” Then I thought a minute and amended it to, “Yes, as long as it wasn’t the funeral of my spouse or partner.” I’m not sure what caught the people more by surprise, that I said I would, or my age. The deck reminded me a lot of Cards Against Humanity. One of the few card games I enjoy playing. Alas, I’ve been all over the wonderful world web, and can’t find the deck of Morbid Curiosity cards.

I found it. I was searching for Morbid Curiosity, finally added ‘game’ and voila! If you’re interested, go here. And, like Cards Against Humanity, Morbid Curiosity has younger siblings to expand the game ~ Memento Mori and Postmortem. I can see where these cards could come in handy for people who aren’t sure what to ask, when to ask, how to ask. Great conversation starters.

Spring is definitely on its way. The days are warmer, the nights, while still cool, aren’t as cold. And I’m beginning to wake earlier. Which I think is funny, because my room has blackout curtains, and I don’t get light through them, but I am waking earlier than I was in Nov, Dec, and Jan. I’m sure it has something to do with hibernating. Yes?

If you missed my poetry reading on the 6th, this link will take you to it. I’m about 30 minutes in for about 15 minutes.

Photo of the Week:
This is a true wee quilt. I think it measures about 8×9 inches. The background fabric is multicolored, and then I cut some scraps up and ‘sprinkled’ them to resemble a photo I took a couple years ago at my adopted Li’l Brothers’ home. The red was a red rhododendron seen between two trees. The sun shone on it, and it was bright red. The trees kept a lot of things in shadow, but the rhodie was gorgeous. The sprinkles were covered with black netting, and stitched about every eighth to quarter inch. 

from the desk of the brave dog:
it’s still cold out, no matter what my human says. but not as cold as it was. and the sun is once again shining in our sky. can you see me do my happy dance? now, if the rain will stay away, or only come at night. i think if the rain came while i’m snuggly with my human at night, and was gone when we get up, that would be fine. now that i have access to a computer, maybe i can figure out who to write with that suggestion. my human says we need rain, but not during the day, just at night.

Rainy Quotes:


 “Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness 
has never danced in the rain.” ~ unknown

“nobody in their right mind would be in the rain
let alone dance in it.” ~ sammy brave dog

Yes, I Didn’t See My Shadow

Leave a reply

Weather in the Tries:
Cold is relative. When it’s low humidity cold isn’t so bad, when the humidity is high, cold is miserable! This coming week, temps during the day will be high 40s ~ low 50s. The ice is gone from our pond, and the lows at night will be mid to high 30s. No freezing on the agenda. At least not for this week!

Yes, I Didn’t See My Shadow:
Writing this on 2 Feb 24, yes, Groundhog Day, one of the bestest holidays ever! I took the Big Chihuahua for a walk shortly after the sun came up, and I am pleased to say, I did not see my shadow. I did not see the Brave Dog’s shadow. I did not see a shadow at all. Yaaaaayyyyyy. Winter is about over!!

The reason this is a forecast primarily for those in the PNW is because I don’t know how far my forecasting capabilities go. I figure Phil’s is good for the East Coast people, and I’m good for the PNW, possibly all the West Coast. Perhaps the Continental Divide is our dividing line? What do you think? At least Phil and I agree this year. 

Photo of the Week:

Near the summit of the Umtanum Pass. The pass was socked in except for this area. On our way to get Favorite Grandson so we could all spend Lucamas together. That’s our name for celebrating his birthday and our Christmas. It was the first time all of us were able to be together for a few days in a long time. Favorite Daughter really needed to spend time with her Favorite Son. 

from the desk of the brave dog:
my human and i got a real walk in today. it was chilly, but the sun shone down on is and that was good. then my humans left me for a long, long time. i didn’t know if they were ever coming home and my food bowl was empty. they finally came home and fed me then housemate dan took me for a nice walk.

what i really want to tell you is that my human will be the featured poet on tuesday night at the cobalt café. sign up here–https://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/list.html if you want to come. she says it will be fun, but i’ll probably be in the bed keeping it warm for her. that’s one of my jobs. i also keep the humpfulumpuses off the furniture, the hippos out of the parking slots, and the giraffes and the alligators out of our pond. by the time i’m through with all my chores, i’m pretty tuckered and need a nap.

Quote of the Week:

“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.” ~ Carrie Snow

A Thunder of Dragons

1 Reply

Weather in the Tries:

It’s farking cold! Indeed, it is.  As I write this (Sunday) The hound and I arose from our warm bed to 7F outside. Believe me, he didn’t spend any more time outside than necessary! Mostly, it won’t be above freezing until Saturday next, when it is scheduled to get to 33. And that’s during the day. Nights are, of course, colder. My First Sister of Choice lives in Spokane. It’s even colder there. Fortunately, she has cats who are loving and help keep both her and First Brother-in-Law of Choice, warm. I hope they still have heat!!

A Thunder of Dragons:
Yes, one of the names a group of dragons is called, is a Thunder. Also, a Horde, a Flight, a Clan, or anything else you want to call them.

I have mentioned a time or two before, that when something goes wrong, we just call the office, and they send over the maintenance guru. So, when Housemate Dan accidentally broke the window in our office, the inside glass of a double paned window, the office had a window guy out here toot sweet. Then the office called last Wednesday to say the window man would install our new window any time after noon that day. Today is Sunday. The window has not yet been fixed. Oh, well….

What has me concerned are the Ice Dragons. A few came yesterday, but last night a whole Thunder arrived, all trying to get through the window, at least through the cracks, if not the cardboard. Poor things, they’re cold. The only problem is, if they succeed in gaining entrance to the apartment, they’ll die in the warmth they seem so hell-bent to reach. 

I think I would change Thunder to something better. These little guys are cute, delicate, downright beautiful. They are also stealthy. Hey! That’s it, a Stealth of Ice Dragons. The larger dragons thunder when in a group and beat their wings and ‘purr,’ as they did when smaller dragon larvae. The size differential between a dragon larva and a full-grown adult dragon, makes for a much louder and most frightening purr of dragons who love to fly and chase their meal; Ice Dragons are much too dainty to either thunder as they fly, or purr loud enough for mere mortal ears to hear. They also do not chase their prey, for they have none beyond the clouds of winter.

Photo of the Week:
A Stealth of Ice Dragons on the outside of our office window, trying to sneak through the cracks of the inside window. Enough heat must escape they can feel it. 

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:
I told my human that enough is enough, and don’t wake me again until it’s warmer. Well, unless it’s for food or a very fast trip outside. She even comes into my room and pulls a blankie over me to help me stay warm on my bed. (She and I are still discussing the bed ~ she says it’s hers, I say it’s mine. It’s mine during the day, and at night, it’s hers, but we really share.)

Quote of the Week:


“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer
when they’re happy.” – Anton Chekhov

Some Happy News with Which I Begin 2024

1 Reply

May your 2024
Be the Best 2024
You’ve ever had!!

Weather in the Tries:
The coming week will be low 30s at night and low 40s for highs during the days with a tad bit of sun on Thursday and a slight chance of rain on Saturday. 

Some Happy News with Which I Begin 2024:
Yeah, I know, I wasn’t going to write and post a new one until next week. But I had such a wonderful phone call the other day, I just had to share. My publisher and Good Friend called to tell me I’d sold 91 copies of Madame Dorian! Thirty were bought on one day!

Good news indeed, but also slightly puzzling. Oh, I’m not complaining, I’m just curious—why the sudden interest? Did a school buy them? Libraries? We have no idea, but Boy Howdy! are we celebrating!!

I’m truly grateful, but I wish I knew why, so I could maybe replicate it;-)

Update on Family Celebration:
Favorite Grandson has a job he enjoys, and he spent the Holidays filling in for people who wanted the time off. He’s taking his time off the end of January, to cover his birthday. That’s when my Favorite Family and I will have our get together and celebration.

Goodbye and Hello:
I am writing this on the last day of 2023, you will receive it on the first day of 2024. I have no idea when you’ll actually read it;-)

I am attending a New Year’s Eve Party tonight. The first one I’ve attended in so many years I’ve forgotten how long it’s been. Someone finally got an idea for said party I can go along with. We can come, drink how much we want and not have to worry about driving home with a road filled with (potential) drunks–including us. We’re having our party on Zoom!! It should be a lot of fun! Now, do I want wine or tequila? I have all day to reach a decision.

And the good news doesn’t stop!
On February 6, 2024, I will be the featured reader at Cobalt Café, an online open mic for poets from anywhere in the world. Cobalt Café is every Tuesday night, 7.30 Pacific Time. If you want to read, you need to sign in at 7.15 Pacific Time. Go here to read more about the Cobalt Poets series and here to sign up to attend, whether or not you want to read. You will receive two emails a week from Rick Lupert, our host. One on Sunday and one on Tuesday, sending you the link. If you have subscribed to the Email list.

Photo of the Week:
Took this a couple years ago. Not sure if it was windy, or my telephoto wobbled, but it’s slightly out of focus, and l think it looks like a painting. It’s a juvenile Great Blue Heron.

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:
My human says it’s time to make a New Year’s Resolution. Whatever that is. She explained that people decide to improve their lives, and make a resolution, a promise to themselves, to do whatever to improve. How can I possibly improve me? I mean, I’m the Big Chihuahua! The Brave Dog! Oh, wait, I know. I hereby resolve to take more naps and get my human to join me!!!

Quote from Jimmy Carter (via Robin Givan and NYT):
“Hospice care is not a matter of giving up. It’s a decision to shift our efforts from shoring up a body on the verge of the end to providing solace to a soul that’s on the cusp of forever.”

My 2023 Ubiquitous Winter Solstice Letter to YOU! Ho! Ho! Ho!

1 Reply

I know, many of you  consider yourself Christian, but there are many more religions out there that celebrate sacred and holy days at this same time of the year, and I don’t want to slight anyone who may be reading this. I hope you’ll click the link above and check it out. 

This has been both a very full year for me, and a very empty year. I spent a lot of time in Kirkland WA the first couple of months, and then moved in with my newest Sister of Choice and my Elder Brother of Choice the last 3 months of my EBOCs life. The last few months of his life, I could almost see the decline from one day to the next. ALS is not a disease to live with, and especially to die from. Fortunately, Washington State has medical assistance in dying (MAiD) if desired. My EBOC used MAiD and died on May 30th. He fell asleep 4.5 minutes after drinking the cocktail. I am honored to have been one of his caregivers, and that I was able to hold his hand for the three hours it took for him to die. I hope it brought him some comfort.

When I came home I was met by a small dog who came as close to crying as I’ve ever heard a dog come. He was sooooo happy. He was my shadow for a couple days, and he did not like it if I left. He still doesn’t like me to go away, but he’s not quite as clingy. But he is so happy when I come home.

I lost two more friends within 3 weeks of my EBOC’s death, then three more friends in the last 7 months. I don’t have that many friends that I care to lose more especially by dying, so NO MORE!! Are you listening?  You’d better be!!

Hope holds that the chapbook of poems I wrote about EBOC’s death (and no, they are not all tear-jerking!) will find a home with one of the publishers who now have the manuscript. I’ll be sure to let you know when it comes out. 

Of course, I wrote poems about my EBOC’s passing. I shared a couple with some of his other caregivers, and two of them suggested I might consider becoming a Death Doula. A what? I asked. A death midwife, the explained. You know, like the gal who mixed and gave him the drink? The gal who came out and answered all our questions about death, especially EBOCs. I came home did some research, talked to a few people, with the upshot that I am now a Death Doula, having completed the course through A Sacred Passing. I will take the class through End of Life Washington to be able to administer the cocktail myself. That will prove a bit of a logistic problem as I’m required to shadow someone for a few times as they mix and administer. There is no one in the area where I live to shadow. I’ll probably have to commute to the Seattle area.

Grief Brain has struck again. I’m able to get a few things made for gifts, but can’t, yet, handle cards.  Which is weird as they are so much easier to do. Maybe it’s self-preservation so I don’t have to see in my mind’s eye, all the people I’ve lost this year. So, this is my card too all of you, my Favorite Readers and Goodest Friends. I should be able to function by next Winter Solstice. No promises, though.

Leaving you with a bit of happiness, I will spend Christmas with Favorite Daughter, Favorite Son, AND Favorite Grandson. Housemate Dan is going to visit his Favorite Daughter and family, so he’ll be with some Favorite Grands, too. I just don’t yet know what day we’ll be celebrating. It depends on Favorite Grandson’s work schedule. But, my family is used to not always being able to being together for the 25th of December. We’ve actually celebrated on Eastern Weekend. But, we’ll be together, whenever it is.

Photo of the Week:
Pulled the ice tray out for a couple of ice cubes and two of them were constructing a rocket launcher (?) or whatever. They were over an inch in length. (Did they know I bought Margarita mix? Were they going to launch themselves into my glass?)

The Big Chihuahua and Auntie Lenora wish all of you, my Favorite Readers, the Bestest Ever Happy Holiday you’ve ever had. Eat dessert first (who wants green beans baked in mushroom soup, anyhow?), drink your Favorite Libation–responsibly, keep the Pink Bottle close, give out hugs every chance you get, kisses too (if appropriate), and laugh, and laugh, and laugh!

Auntie Lenora is taking some time off to hopefully get a few more things made for the Winter Solstice; she and the Brave Dog will be back January 8, 2024. Wow, already yet and it’s gonna be 2024. How time flies when you get old. It ain’t fair. It should go along at the slow, plodding pace it did when we were young.

May your new year be the bestest 2024 you’ve ever had!!! Auntie Lenora sends hugs and love, and Sammy sends pupkisses to you all! 

A World Religion Holiday Season Calendar should be looked at. Be sure to scroll down the page a bit.

It’s so good to be back!

1 Reply

Weather Forecast for the Tries:
Gonna dip into the high 29-low30s for the next few nights. Probably until the horny hare makes his appearance next spring. The days will all be in the 40s. The rattlesnakes, and others, are by now either in a ball underground hibernating, or on a heat rock in some kids bedroom. Hope his mom is okay with that. We’ll have a flake or two of god’s dandruff, and more than a few hours of his tears. Otherwise, it will just be overcast. There is a possibility, regardless of how slight, it’s still a possibility, we’ll have measurable white stuff for the Solstice and or Christmas. The Pass (Snoqualmie) is getting lots of snow as I write this on Saturday. 

It’s so good to be back:
No, I haven’t gone anywhere. Our internet provider did. Or at least the wire that leads from the junction box to our apartment did. We lost service Friday night, had it intermittingly Saturday, and Sunday until about 6 in the evening, and then it left for good. The tech was here yesterday for about an hour, in the afternoon, and got it reinstated. By then I had two zooms and….

It’s amazing how much we use our computers. It’s also pretty amazing (to me, anyhow) how quiet it was without them. Housemate Dan and I share an office, and we’re both pretty good about using headphone so our computers don’t compete, but we’re both guilty of reacting, verbally, to what we watch. With nothing to watch, we were quiet. It lasted 5 minutes beyond our reinstatement, and then he was growling and I was howling.

I’m not big on podcasts, but methinks that’s about to change. When I first discovered MSNBC years ago, I started watching because of Keith Olbermann. I liked his style, but I really liked how on Fridays, he would read us a James Thurber story. He told us about his dad, and how he always read a Thurber story to him. And then he (Keith) was gone, moved somewhere else. When I found him, I couldn’t get the station he was on, so I watched his replacement. Well, the other day, I was listening to some news on YouTube, probably Glen Kirschner, and was in the other room, sewing, when his show was over and the old theme song for Countdown, Keith Olbermann’s old show, and I’ll be hornswoggled, he has a new (to me) show on YouTube. It’s a podcast, but it’s interesting.

Countdown was on last night as I had a few minutes between zoom meetings, and it didn’t take long before I was howling with laughter. Especially the story about meeting Mr. & Mrs. Carlton. And I agree with the Mrs. that I don’t care much for sports but she and her husband watching him every night and thoroughly enjoyed his show. Oh, Mrs. Carlton was a Brit, and that is the name he heard, not the name she gave, and by the time he was through with the story (it comes toward the end of the show) I was almost falling off my chair as I laughed. 

Photo of the Week:
This is from last August, the Brave Dog was in our office sleeping on the floor. Doesn’t he look brave? I’ll have you know he hasn’t run from a single Zombie Leaf this season. He actually stomps on them and raises his hind leg! He’s showing them who the Big Chuhuahua is! Grrrrowl!!

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:
It looks like the Weather Human finally listened to my human and sent the rain away. My human said we got rain because Seattle got a pineapple express, and some of the clouds made it over the mountains and we got leftovers. I usually like leftovers, but not leftover rain. I don’t like rain at all, it’s wet. Wet only belongs in my water dish! But my human tries to keep the rain away, and I love her for it.