Weather in the Tries: HOT! WE HAVE AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 11:00 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 17. All triple digit days, with the remainder of the days in the high 90s, which, due to all the buildings and concrete, etc, are often higher than at the airports where temperatures are normally taken.
No, Iâm not seeking sympathy, I know many of you have it hotter, and with more humidity, Iâm using the temps as PSAs to help you plan/not plan your trip to the Tries. đ And isnât it nice to know Climate Change is a hoax????/snort/bwahahahahaha/
This just came into my email, thought youâd all like it.
I think Saying Goodbye to Thomas is basically done. It is out to a few readers who will go through it, tell me where itâs broke so I can fix it, and maybe re-order the poems so they make more sense. Once I get it all prettified, and fixed, it heads out to publishers. Sending it out now, keeps me from fiddling with it. By sending it out to readers, I am, essentially, putting it on a shelf and forgetting it for a couple of weeks. at the moment it has 27 or 28 poems and including all the frontis & backis pages, is 44 pages long.
The below was written by Good Friend John. He has friends and family all over the world, or at least the western hemisphere, studied Russian in college, and lived in the Russia House where they only spoke Russian (if my memory serves), and when he sent me the paragraph, I asked permission to share with you.
âUnrelated in a way, but in a way, not: I saw a comment by one of the Russia-Ukraine analysts that he asked a Russian opposite number, who he has known for years, if there was anything, anything at all, that would bring Russians out on the street en masse, from the Baltic to the Bering Straits, and despite the police reaction, given that the Ukraine invasion has not. He replied immediately: Abortion. If the regime prohibited abortion, the reaction would be immediate, not only in the big cities, but even in the Muslim areas, even in the most machista parts of the nation. A Russian might beat his wife, but he stands for her right to an abortion. The Russian sociologist (if that’s what he was), said that he, himself, can’t really explain the degree of feeling on the matter.â
I am quite surprised that abortion is allowed in Russia, given the âreligiosityâ of Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church. I wonder if the OP knows that? Bet he doesnât. For surely, if he knew his hero allowed it, he would not be so proud for killing Roe v. Wade.
Yâall stay cool. Read books. Stay hydrated. And remember, the Wednesday special at The Pub is wings! Bone in or bone out, and lots of sauces from which to choose. I wonder if they have vanilla ice cream. I bet a black beer and vanilla ice cream would make a bang-up float!
I donât remember if someone sent this one to me, or if I swiped it from Facebook, but Iâve kept it for years and when I need a good laugh, itâs usually the first thing I go to. For years I kept it on my desktop so I wouldnât have to look for it.
Weather in the Tries: We actually had a wee bit of rain today! As well as heat. Humid. Blech!!! Still, weâre in the upper 80s and lower 90s, at least for another week when it goes triple digit again.
Iâve started to put my chapbook togetherâSaying Goodbye to Thomasâand thatâs what Iâve mostly been concentrating on. I hope youâll like it when it comes out some day, some year?? All the royalties will be divided between the ALS Association and Death with Dignity. So plan on buying a few copies, okay?
Do you know âThe Kiffnessâ? He has a real name (David Scott), and is from/in South Africa. He loves making music with animals, especially cats. Please check him out. Itâs too hot to think, and too hot to do anything else, we might as well have some fun, yes???
Okay, thatâs it. You want more, you can find them on the telly, uh, âputer.
As far as DuhSantis goes, I went all week and managed not to think much about him. Too interested in the latest indictment of the OP. We do live in interesting times, yes?
Yâall stay cool, stay outa trouble, and have a great week. Alright, if you canât stay out of trouble, at least donât get caught!
Sammy Brave Dog says heâs ready for some cooler weather. He wants to snuggle in the night and he does, then he gets way too hot. Not to mention his melting human;-)
Looked outside as it was beginning to get dark, and saw this rock in our pond. It didn’t look right (it was darker than the camera shows), oddly what I could see were the feet. So I took her picture. Don’t know if she spent the night there or not, but she blended quite will the rocks behind her even though they appear white and she dark.
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 donât know what I did to upset you, if you will tell me, Iâll do what I can to make it up to you.Â
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 donât 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 âpendingâ comments from people I didnât 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, itâs probably the software, for I truly donât think itâs 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: âThey are a very aggressive and invasive species.â I couldnât help but laugh. But then I do wear this tee shirt:Â
I do take my humor where I can find it.
Photos of the Week:
The end of ThymeOur pond with the main pond in the right background
Books of the Week:
Would you believe Iâm still reading, havenât 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 itâs 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 donât have Cpt Kirk dashing off to every planet he comes across, because Bab5 is in stationary orbit. In fact, we donât 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 donât appear to have learned much đ 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 guysâTHAT 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.
Weather in the Tries: Mostly sunny days, one day up to 86, the lowest to 75. Nights will be high 40s to low 50s. More sunny days than cloudy ones. Now, I ask you, can it get any better?
Healthing.
As many of you know, I have neuropathy in my feet and legs. Primarily in my feets. Finally found a wonder drug that helps, and I seldom have a problem any more. With the neuropathy. But, for the past few years when walking I would more often that really appreciated, have my right leg feel like it was being filled with molten lava. The leg first felt tight, like it was swelling (it wasnât) and then the lava came. Made for shorter walks. Iâd make it home, grab a book, get more or less horizontal with my foot up, and Iâd be fine. Usually about that fast.
The podiatrist said it was a nerve issue and if it got too bad, heâd send me to a neurologist or orthopedic surgeon and whichever I chose would probably send me to physical therapy first then talk about surgery. On my spine? Uh, I donât think so. So, I thought about it, and had an appointment with my regular doctor, and told her what the other doctor said, and she said sheâd send me to PT. I think I appreciate it. I tell Housemate I am dying. He says no, I am healthing. What does he know? My quads feel like theyâve been made out of jello. Lime jello at that, and everybody knows I hate lime jello. My knees feel like theyâre made of lemon-lime jello. Barely a half step better than lime jello.
The PT has me doing exercises. Iâm doing them. Most of them. Being an almost octogenarian and trying to do exercises is not as easy as it used to be! However, they must be doing some good, as yesterday when I got the mail, there was a package in our box for a neighbor on the 2d floor of a different building. Sammy and I took it upstairs. Sammy had NO problem with the stairs (heâs considerably younger than I am, and has four legs), and I had far less problem than usual! But when I got down on the floor a bit ago to do one of the exercises, I could not get up. Blessings upon Housemate! He got behind me and lifted me. This healthing is somewhat painful, and a lot of hard work but if I can get built up to walking long distances in a year, Iâll consider it worth the while. But it is asking a heck of a lot from an old lady.
(And, yes, I know where to find sympathyâin the dictionary between sh*t and syphilis!)
Photos of the Week:
Like I had energy to walk the dog AND take pictures? OK, hereâs a couple from days gone by. The yellow flower is a Prickly Pear I took on the side of a road back in 2007 when Kay and I toured the country, and the other is fog on the Columbia River.
Watched four movies this week. Ashes of Time Redux, Lars and the Real Girl, Twilight Samurai, and The Hidden Blade. If anyone knows where I can buy (for a reasonable amount) a copy of Love and Honor, the third in the Samurai movies by Yoji Yamada, please let me know.
My good friend Dixie recommended a K-Drama series she thought I might like, The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. She has a photographic memory and knows how to use it. She has some other issues, to. She is the first autistic person appointed to the Bar and, admittedly, I know very little about autism, so donât know if sheâs playing it âcorrectlyâ or not but Iâm enjoying it tremendously. Thank you, GF Dixie đ
I think LA Law was the first time they actually had an actor with Downâs Syndrome play a character with DS, and his girlfriend also had DS, and I believe she, too, had DS in real life. I donât think the star of Attorney Woo is autistic, but sheâs doing a good job, I think, of portraying it. What I like is the fact that this is the third K-Drama Iâve seen where one of the main characters is somewhere on the spectrum, and they are a part of the âreal world’ and not portrayed as undesirable, or unwanted, or victims needing rescue.
And thatâs it for this week. No Earworm, no Quotes.
However, I truly wish to tell you about a new way to eat ice cream. Put ice cream in the bowl. Add chocolate sauce. Still with me? Okay, next grab your jar of Chili Crisp (Housemate and I like Fly By Jing), stir with a fork, and take a fork full of the crisp and dribble on the chocolate sauce. Oh, yummmmmmm.Â
Have a great week. If you can’t stay out of trouble, for heaven’s sake, don’t get caught! And don’t forget to find out where your nearest Middle Eastern bakery is, and give them some of your business. And if you want some cookies that aren’t all that sweet, try the sesame cookies or the date biscuits. Yummmmm. Every country has their own styles, and I think it’s safe to say that every area/city/town has their own way of baking and cooking, too.
Whoa, Doat! It looks like Friday was (note that, past tense) our last hot day for a while, maybe even until next summer. This week looks mostly sunny with temps from 81 to 93, with most in the 80s someplace. Itâs nice to not just think about cooler weather, but for a while to enjoy it. Until it gets super cold this winter. Actually, I donât mind the cold either, if I can dress for it, and the dog can go out in it, but that time isnât here. Yet.
There Are Two Kinds of People
Okay, there are probably several kinds of people, but I believe most people will fit into one or the other category. 1. The LOVE talking to computers and playing games with AI. Many donât want the personal touch of a human, they want to get in, get out, get back to what they were doing. Or, 2. They hate talking with computers, they want a person who can understand them, hold their had (virtually, if necessary) and take care of business with a smile in their voice, and a nice goodbye well-wish. Iâm in the latter category. I hate having to push buttons for this, for that, for anything. When I call a business, I want to hear something like, âPlease listen to the following menu as weâve made a few changes. If youâd like to talk to a living, breathing human, press 1; if youâd like a computer who doesnât give a frap about you or your piddling problem, press 2.
I hate it when I say I want a representative and the AI says, âBefore I connect you, please tell me a little bit about what you want.â So I, being the dumb person I am, say, I need a pin number. âOh, I can help you. Do you want to cancel your account? Press 1. Do you want to cancel someone elseâs account? Press 2. Would you really like to unplug me? Press 3.â
I suppose, another way of saying there are two kinds of people is to say there are old farts and fartesses, and young farts and fartesses. Those of us who grew up when telephone operators were there to help like real people. Those who grew up taking computer classes in the second grade, want to talk to AI.
Then, if youâre a fan of AI, may I recommend a book? I read it 25 or 30 years ago, and am sure Iâve forgotten a lot of it, but I remembered enough that I went looking for it and have a new (used) copy to reread again. Lady El a science fiction novel by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas. I had just about given up on the book as the beginning was pretty roughânot the writing, the story line where a little girl (black) was the smartest in her class and was on her way to college in a few years and then her stepdad pimped her out. Uh, no. I donât need that kind of a story, but I gave it another chapter and BAM!! All that was back story that was necessary, but that wasnât made clear. Anyhow, she escaped, made her way to NYC, worked at menial jobs, but never THAT job, and spent her spare time in the libraries reading (my kind of gal). When she got her ID card, she signed up to be an organ doner. Yeah, you guessed it, she was shoved between the subway and wall, and was crushed to death. Ewwww. BUT the military was looking for ten good brains, from heads that werenât damaged.
When she came to she found herself in a computer. The other nine either didnât survive, or couldnât handle the new them. But Lady El, she was on an adventure. She could visit any and all libraries in the world. She could read and comprehend books in mere seconds instead of hours. She could get even with her stepfather (stand up and cheer!!), she could go anywhere, and do just about anything. Yep, her death was the beginning of a new and best life ever! The best one she could have ever imagined. If you want a fun book, hit your favorite used bookstore and get Lady El, by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas.
Photos of the Week:
I may have put this enthusiastic dabbler in before, but I just love him and his kicking. All the other ducks are much more couth. But this little guy is having FUN!One of the dragonflies. Alas, they are mostly gone now.
I not only finished the four Golgotha books that are out (two more are comingâeventually) I ordered his other two series!
I did buy and read a new chapbook. Itâs a small book with about 22 pages, 20 poems in Spanish and English, written by young men between 13-17 years of age who were, at the time of the writing, unaccompanied minors waiting in the Selma Carson Home in Pierce County WA to find out if they could stay or would be shipped back to their home country. Really, they were boys, but their poetry says they are old for their years. My review is at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com. The book is $12.00 including shipping & handling. Buy the book at https://www.collateraljournal.com/community. Youâll be glad you did. These young men have found the beauty in life, the book is full of hope. I hope they all got to stay. We need people like them.
Earworms:
3 hours of Spanish Guitar. Great background music while you rest, read, work.
It gonna be hot, today and tomorrow 96, 99. Then up to triple digits until next Monday. Where I will be is gonna be in the 80s. Nights down as low as 55, mostly in 60s. You just have NO IDEA how happy I am knowing that Climate Change is a hoax. That keeps me mighty cool.
How My Brain (or at least whatâs left of it) Works:
Okay, I really donât know how it works, Iâm just grateful it still does. Well, it sorta works. I forget words now and then, but since I bought a Bling-y phone cover, I havenât lost my phone.
I also bought a new headset with mic a while back. Itâs really kinda neat. For sure itâs more comfortable than the one Iâd been using. It also cost more. Noticeably more. And it comes in colors (mine is lilac and cost a dollar less than Housemateâs default black one). Itâs a gamerâs headset. The only game I play on my computer is solitaire. The sound effects are of cards being shuffled, dealt, etc. Certainly nothing requiring such a headset. It is fun hearing commercials in stereo though as the music comes in one ear and goes out the other. Itâs also wireless. When Iâm in a zoom gathering, I can get up to get more coffee and not miss anything (unless I nuke it, then the headset goes off until the nuker goes off). And it has an on/off button.
There are four notes that go up for on and down for off. And thatâs what made me remember my Auntie Marieâs old Chinese Myna Bird, Mac. Everyone in the family would talk to Mac, and we would give him the same four notes, A, B, C, D going from low to high, and he would repeat it. Until my cousinâs husband gave him the same notes. Mac would look at Husband and say the same notes backwards, D, C, B, A. We never did figure that one out. Until that old bird died, he never slipped up and repeated it âcorrectlyâ nor did anyone else get the same reverse treatment.
I tried one time and gave him D, C, B, A. He looked at me, then admonished me that it was A, B, C, D. You have not lived until youâve been admonished by a Chinese Myna Bird.
For his sleep at night, Auntie Marie would put a paper lunch sack in his cage and Mac would go into the bag, tuck his head under a wing, and sleep. All night. Unless he woke. Auntie Marie woke one night and heard Cousin sewing out in the other room where Mac lived, but she was doing it in the dark. Auntie Marie got up to tell Cousin to turn on the light, she needed more than the sewing machine light. She went out into the room, and no one was at the machine. Mac had awakened, and was apparently bored, so thought heâd âsewâ himself a new outfit.
âTheyâ say smell is one of the best triggers to bring up memories, but in this case, itâs four notes on my gamerâs headset.
Restaurant Hack:
One of my favorite sandwiches that I only eat in restaurants, never make my own, is a good Reuben, on grilled rye bread. Alas, we seem only able to convince local restaurants to use the marbled rye bread instead of a good black rye. If they can make a good Reuben with the marbled stuff, you know itâs good. But then, Cook ruins it by placing the hot sandwich on the plate so the bottom slice of bread steams and gets soggy. I always ask for fries as my side, and I ask the waitperson to please ask Cook to put the sandwich on top of the fries. Of course, then I have to explain the why of itâwhen the sandwich goes on the fries, it has air under it as well as heat, and doesnât get soggy. So, there you go. If you order a grilled sandwich in a restaurant, ask for it to be placed on top of your fries. If you can afford the restaurant and really wanted a side salad, order it, you can afford it. You donât have to eat the fries. The fries are there for your sandwich. Try it, youâll like it. Unless, of course, you like soggy bread on your grilled sandwiches.
The reason I only eat Reubens in restaurants and not at home is they are treats. If I make them at home, they are no longer a treat. I also donât cook lobster at home for the same reason. Going to a restaurant is a treat and I never order anything I can make at home. I also find myself not ordering salads all that much anymore either. Thatâs because Housemate makes killer salads, why would I pay for lesser eats?
“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” âJudge Roy Bean
“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.” âUnknown
“Always drink upstream from the herd.”âWill Rogers
I will probably be a wee bit late next week. Iâm going to be on the road coming home Monday, so Iâll do the best I can, but it might even be Tuesday before Mondayâs gets posted. Patience, Grasshopper!
Sammy is thrilled. Iâm leaving him with Housemate. Housemate spoils him rotten. Does he get water in his kibble dish like a normal dog? No. He gets organic chicken stock! And special treats made just for him. I won’t worry, though, unless he starts eating salads. If he and I have to fight over Housemate’s salads, there’s gonna be a come to the table meeting!
Well, Tuesday was supposed to be cooler, I guess if you consider 102 cooler than the todays 106, then yes, it will be cooler (I write/schedule this on Sunday). If my phone isn’t telling tall tales, we will be triple digit for 3 days, then high 90s for three days, then back to triple digit. It would be considerably more bearable if we could get nights down to low 60s or lower. Oh, well, this is the desert, and better here with far less humidity than over on the Dark Side of the Cascades. They are really miserable over there.
On Writing:
Received an email from ProWritingAid on Tuesday with the title: Does Good Gramar Make You More Sexy? ProWritingAid is an app that can help anyone become a better writer, or so they say. In the meantime, I had to chuckle at some of the results.
Apparently, men say that good grammar is important, then swipe their dating app for physical attributes. However, younger women are â31% more likely to choose well-written profilesâ over ones filled with grammatical mistrakes. But the one that got me was that Americans seem to care more about good grammar than Brits. This surprised them?? Obviously, they never read Eats, Shoots & Leaves that was written a few years ago by a Brit.
Admittedly, grammar is not my strong suit, but I also don’t claim to be a grammarian. I tried, but could not read what should have been Eats, Shoots, & Leaves. The one thing I understand, at least most of the time, is the Oxford comma. It serves a vital function. And, besides, itâs cute.
However, back to the ProWritingAidâs surprise about Americanâs being more caring about grammar than Brits, I remembered something from my time in the military and being stationed in Germany. Many of the GIâs were able to wrangle assignments to the University of Heidelberg. Because they were considered foreign students (Brit or Ami) they had to take and pass an English testâin a German University. Go figure. All the guys gathered for their test, and much hilarity ensued with one group teasing the other about not speaking ârealâ English but speaking American. So, the forty or so guys filed into the testing room, took their test and re-assembled in the hall waiting for their scores. To a man (no women were in this group) all the Americans passed with high scores, and all the British flunked and had to take remedial English to qualify. Apparently, at that time, the English saw no reason to teach English to those born there and growing up using the language. I donât know if anything has changed or not, but I assume (silly me) that itâs not, as they were surprised at the outcome.
I spent some time on dating apps in years gone by, and I found good grammar a turn-on v. bad grammar. I had never given it any thought, really, as to why, until now. At some level bad grammar told me he probably had lower self-esteem, a younger sense of humor (think 5th grade potty humor), possibly be more needy and looking for mama, probably preferred sports to good booksâif he read at all, and would have more limited conversation skills. Now, according to this article, women with good grammar were penalized more. Ya know what? Thatâs probably okay. An intelligent woman wants a partner in a relationship, not a boy to raise, especially if sheâs of an age and has already raised her children.
ProWritingAid is a for-profit app, I do not use it, but do receive their emails. If you are looking for a writing app to help you, check it out. read the fine print, and then draw your own conclusion. And if anyone cares, my title today is On Writing. That is also the title of an excellent âHow to Writeâ book by Stephen King. Itâs okay. One may not copyright a title.
One more thingâŠHousemate sent this to me. He found it in a book online, and thought Iâd like it. He was correct, and Iâm sharing it with you for the same reason, I think youâll like it. One of those things that we probably all know at some level but have not consciously cogitated. From The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase. Adjectives, writes the author, professional stickler Mark Forsyth, âabsolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that order in the slightest youâll sound like a maniac.â
Poem-a-Day. Itâs no secret I love poetryâreading it, writing it, living it. I subscribe to at least two Poems-a-Day, and one I get on Mondays only. The one that came on 27 Jul, Why Do You Love the Poem? âby Charles Bernstein, is one of the best Iâve read in a while. I use repetition, both in my poetry and in my prose, though not so much there. Iâm a firm believer that when used to good effect, itâs worth the while. Give this poem a minute of your time. Even if you donât love poetry. (Stretch yourself now and againâitâs good for you.;-)
Photos of the Week:
One of our more melodic residents enjoying the sprinkler. Who called this meeting? Why?I got a new phone cover. the sides are encrusted with wee diamonds (glass) and the back is dynamic with the sparklie’s moving. Originally purchased for fun, but all the bling sure makes it easier to find my phone!
Iâve started a couple of books. One is the fourth in a series, and I became intrigued enough to buy Volumes 1, 2, & 3 and put 4 away until I get the others. Not sure exactly what the genre is, western, horror, fun??? Then I started another urban fantasy. And then along came Jones, slow walkingâsorry, I got carried away for a few seconds. I decided itâs time to haul out some novels Iâve written, and go through them again to polish as much as possible, then see if I can interest an agent and or publisher.  If those count as books read, and read again, and yet againâŠMy Adventures as Brother Rat and Forgotten Daughter. Does it count that I need to read them cover to cover to make changes? Those of you who have read any of my novels as a reader, I would appreciate knowing which novel you read, and if you had problems with the names.
Earworms:
Years ago, waaaaaay back in my own ancient history, Folk Music was the big thing in music. I loved it. I loved Joni Mitchell. Then I wandered away from folk music to rock n roll, blues, classical, whatever. At some point I remember that Ms. Mitchell had some health problems and alas, she dropped off my radar. Well, the other day, someone sent me an NPR link about the Newport Folk Festival concert where Joni Mitchell made a surprise appearance and stole the show. Her voice is deeper, but sheâs still got what it takes and then some!!! Check her out. Read the article. Watch all the videos! Joni Mitchell, entertainer extraordinaire!!
Just Like this Train
Both Sides Now with Brandi Carlile (shall I admit this is one of my âIâm gonna cry nowâ songs? Naw, I donât think you need to know that do you?)
âAll my battles were with male egos. Iâm just looking for equality, not to dominate. But I want to be able to control my vision.â âJoni Mitchell
âI see music as fluid architecture.â âJoni Mitchell
âI learned a woman is never an old woman.â âJoni Mitchell
I think the Brave Dog will be happy when this heat dome dissipates. The sidewalk doesnât seem to get too hot, but the driveway does, and the mid-late afternoon walks are of necessity, short, and usually in our small yard. The early morning walk is usually the only âlongâ one of the day right now.
Aw shucks, what can I say? Itâs gonna be some warm with more sun than clouds mostly in the 90s & up. Itâs okay, unless it gets too humid. Come on downâŠ.
Not a Rant:
I truly do appreciate yâall allowing me my now and then rant, but ya know what? They are somewhat exhausting to write. Hope they arenât too hard on you to read.
So, when I lived in ABQ, I put a quilt top together, and pieced the backing. Then, I moved back here, so packed it. The other day, I decided to dig it out of Shed 54 (my storage unit) and bring it home to finish. I found it, brought it home, and unfolded it to iron and butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Not only was the top pinned to the back (no batting in the âsandwichâ as this is a summer quilt) but Iâd started quilting, and as luck would have it, I still had the same thread. I set my machine up and started quilting. Now, when I pin a quilt together, I use small curved stainless-steel pins, and I seldom fasten them, then as I quilt, I remove them. Wow. I was sore for several days from patting my back at how smart I was to have it already to go.
Yeah. Right. I got the first 3 or 4 rows quilted, and then ran into a rusted pin. Not only was the pin rusted, it was rusted to the fabric. Draw something to scale that is 65â on top and bottom, and 91â on the sides. Every five inches horizontal and vertical, put a pencil dot. Now, just for grins, go in and randomly erase any 20-25 dots you want. Yeah, whatâs left are the rust zits on my quilt.
Fortunately, my ex-neighbors in Florida worked in a hospital and had access to the salespersons, and got me a good, metal forceps. They used theirs for joints, I use mine to pull the quilting needle when itâs got too much fabric on it. Or, if the rusted pin has melded with the fabric, I use it to pull the pin out. So not only does my quilt have rust zits all over it, there are also some wee teensy holes.
I have the bestest familiesâbut you already know thatâboth of blood and of choice, and Iâve got cousins and sisters of choice who quilt and I put the word out, and they in turn put the word outâhow does one get rust out of fabric??
One does NOT use bleach, unless one has Stop Bleach (Sodium Thiosulfate) at hand. I donât. But several people suggested white vinegar and sunshine. Of course, they werenât thinking of a huge quilt, and their directions read almost like Martha Steward wrote them. Lay the fabric on a clean, old, folded towel, pour a bit of vinegar on the spot, let set a minute or so, blot with a clean cloth and place fabric in the sunshine to dry. The combination of white vinegar and sunlight should cause the rust spots to fade. I canât deal with the pouring of the vinegar on each and every zit on the quilt let alone using something to politely dab it onâIâm going to buy a gallon of it, put the quilt in a tub, add vinegar, and agitate every so often. Alas, I have to do this at someone elseâs home because though Iâve got the sun (see weather above) I donât have the space to lay the quilt out. Unless IÂ float it on the pond, and I think that would upset the ducks. The geese would just walk on it. And the turtle? Who knows what sheâd do?
Seriously, there is no place big enough to lay it out that has that much sun. We have a lot of trees, so though we get sun, itâs spotty. A couple hours here, a couple hours thereâŠand we have ducks, geese, turtles, frogs, dogs, and kids. For the most part, the dogs are leashed.
Iâm going to visit friends this next week, and though they live on the Dark Side of the mountains, they may actually get sun for an hour or two (snicker/snort), and they do have a couple of yards big enough, I hope, to lay the quilt out, if not on the grass, on the bushes. So, perhaps, Iâll have a ânewâ quilt next week. Summer quilts are nice on cool nights when a sheet isnât enough, and a regular quilt with a filling of some sort is too much. They were/are used a lot in the South in the summers, hence the name.
Speaking of turtles⊠a few days ago was the first I knew we had any in the pond, and the ladies who told me said it was pretty big, maybe 8â wide by 10â long (shell size guestimate), they had found it in the road and put it back in the pond. I got ready to run a couple errands on Thursday about noon, and there was a huge turtle in our yard. She had dug a hole and was laying eggs, I stood âguardâ so no one would pick her up and put her back in the pondâand one gal came by, saw her, and reached for her before I could stop her and ask her to leave her alone. When I explained why, she stopped, and looked, and allowed as how it was pretty neat. I waited a bit longer, and she covered the nest in fact itâs pretty hard to see. I marked it with a big rock next to it, not on top, until facilities can come by and paint around it, or something. Donât think the riding mower will do the eggs any good, but anyhow, I have pictures and one video of mama turtle laying eggs and covering nest. She then started heading someplace not safe for her, so I picked her up and put her near the pond. She wasted no time to get back in the water.
Photos of the Week:
Yep, that me inside of Roses Cantina, having almost finished a quart of Margarita! I could still walk when I left đIf there is no picture, click on the ‘start’ triangle to see Mama Turtle. I’m not sure ‘mama’ is a proper term, she lays the eggs, covers them, then goes back to the pond with no maternal instinct. They should hatch around mid September.
El Paso, Marty Robbins. Yes, Roseâs Cantina is real, thatâs where I got a top shelf margaritaâa whole 32 ounces in a quart canning jar. Fortunately it was a lot more mix and less tequila because I drank the whole thing. Oh, if you ever get to visit, the food (and drink) is (are) wonderful, but please, donât play the song. The staff will appreciate you more.
Big Iron, Marty Robbins. Yeah, I like Marty Robbins. And I like the Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. Shucks, if Marty sang it, I love it.
Seven Spanish Angels, Willie Nelson & Ray Charles. Two of the all-time greats, together.
âSewing small pieces together gives me a peaceful heart and a quilt to wrap you with, my love.â â Benita Skinner
âOur lives are like quilts â bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love.â â Unknown
âAfter all, a woman didnât leave much behind in the world to show sheâd been there. Even the children she bore and raised got their fatherâs name. But her quilts, now that was something she could pass on.â â Sandra Dallas
The Brave Dog here. She is in getting more coffee, so I jumped up on her chair. Back to the turtle–believe me, it wasnât even worth a sniff, let alone worrying about. Humans! But I have to admit, my human checks the walkway and driveway with her hand before she lets me walk. Thatâs because she doesât want my wee feets burned. Favorite walking time is early in the morning or after sunset in the evening. See, my human really does love me. Okay, she’s coming back, I’d best get this posted so she’ll think she did it before she filled her cup.
You ever utter those words? Write those words? They make me want to jump all over the person who says or writes them, with hob-nail boots! If you really want to thank them, do so. Donât tell me you want to thank them, just thank them.
âI thank my mother for raising me, my boss for hiring me, my teachers for tryingâŠâ
Can you tell that phrase really knocks Auntie Lenora off her nice soft office chair and into a flash mini rage? Of course, if you want to commit murder and mayhem, well, maybe you shouldnât do that. Leave it to her, sheâs probably a better shot than you. (Expert with the M-16. I was asked to be on the Air National Guard Rifle Team, but they wouldnât buy my practice ammo. Even way back then, it was pricey!)
We all have words and phrases that affect us adversely for any number of reasons or rationales. Another phrase that sets my teeth on edge is, âMe andâŠâ It was ok for the country song, when she sang about âme and Bobby McGeeâ because in the song she wasnât too well educated. But itâs not all right for everyday usage. You wouldnât say, âMe stood on the bridge today.â Would you? I guess if you would, well, what can I possibly say?
I find that phrase mildly acceptable in dialog in a story, provided someone informs the speaker of the correct usage. If youâre of an age, you remember the old tv show, Leave it to Beaver from 1957-1963. When Wally, the Beav, or any of their young friends used a word incorrectly, Mom was quick to remind them of the correct usage. When my kids were young, they were watching reruns, and Wally used a word incorrectly, without thinking, I corrected him. I was echoed by Mom on the tv. Boy Howdy! Were my kids impressed! I was as smart as a tv mom đ !
Then, thereâs âgiftingââIâm going to gift my friend with yaddah, yaddah, yaddah. And my friend says, âI was gifted withâŠbut I canât use it, so I got permission and Iâm gifting it toâŠâ It may be right proper correct grammar, but it sounds funny. Any Grammar Naziâs want to weigh in on that one? Or, for that matter, any of the ones Iâve mentioned.
Speaking of Grammar Naziâs, itâs not that I am one. Iâm not. And Iâve gotten more or less to the point where there, their, and theyâre used improperly donât do much more than make me wince. I just figure the person is either uneducated, lazy, or dyslexic. (Iâm dyslexic, so I try to pay extra special attention to those kinds of words.)
I do, however, have friends who are Grammar Nazis. And you know what? Iâm thrilled weâre friends because they will often read my stories and correct my mistrakes. I love those folks. I truly do, they do their best to make my writing if not great, at least acceptable. Hugs to you.
Is alright one word or two? I have a friend who insists it one or the other, and I can never remember. I just tense up when I write it and wonder which it is. How I love Wordhippo.com and Dictionary.com. Years ago, I had a terrible time with lay and lie. My dearly beloved affianced used to pounce every time I used the wrong word. I got to where I would say, âIâm going to go get horizontal on the bed.â Problem solved. Then we broke up, and the problem was not only solved, it disappeared completely. đ
What are your pet peeves? I know youâve got them. What words or phrases set your teeth on edge? Use the Comment section and let us know. Please.
Hot Spring at Yellowstone National Park
Entertainment:
Holy Moley, guacamole! I havenât watched a single thing on tv that wasnât news, or news related this week. BUT, I have just about finished a quilt. Be sure to tune in next week for a picture of the finished product.
I did finish a two-part workshop on writing ekphrastic poems. An ekphrastic poem is one that uses a piece of art as inspiration. Iâve been writing them for years, and itâs one of my favorite forms. In the meantime, Iâve managed to have two published in the last few days.
See Rainy Day Reads for reviews and mayhaps a bit of snark. Who? Me? Snark? Bwahahahaha!
I have almost finished Rage by Bob Woodward. I should have the review posted in the next couple of days.
Outro:
Wearing a mask is a proven method to help slow down the spread of Covid19. Please, wear your mask. And wear it properlyâkeep it over your nose! (Some people donât realize if the elastic isnât tight enough to keep it over their nose, they can tie a knot at the end of the loop. Feel free to educate them.) And Socially Distance! Your Uncle and your Grampy appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, I promise when you stop by for a fresh cuppa and homemade biscotti, weâll be properly socially distanced so you may remove your mask at that time. Honest. Trust me.
THOU SHALT NOT COVID THY NEIGHBOR’S LIFE–WEAR THY MASK! (Swiped from the www.)
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