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An American-Only Epidemic

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Weather for Monday in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

Should be sunny and breezy most of the week. Highs in the upper 60 to mid 60s, lows down to 20 to 41. Sunday was hazardous weather, very high winds and dust storms that should die out around 5am Monday or so. Sunday was a perfect day to stay in and take online classes and read. (I often post this blog on Sunday.)

An American-Only Epidemic:

We’ve had yet another mass shooting. As of March 23, we’ve endured 107 mass shootings, 122 people dead, 325 people injured, for a total of 447 victims (that doesn’t count the families involved). The Boulder CO shooting was the 7th mass shooting in 7 days. Don’t bother to write your Senator. If s/he isn’t on the NRA welfare check system, s/he is already fighting to do something positive. If s/he is receiving welfare checks from the NRA, nothing you can say will change her or his mind. Your vote might, but your letter won’t. There are several lists of the welfare recipients online. If you wonder why we can’t get common sense gun control, check out some of the pages. Like Which Senators Have Taken the Most NRA money? and These lawmakers receive the most campaign money from gun-rights backers like the NRA. These sites may not be current, but they’ll give you a good idea. Want gun control? VOTE the illegitimates out of office.

So, I have an idea. I’m willing to change my mind, if someone gives me a better idea and or explains why mine won’t work. And is mine original to me? Probably not. Probably stole some of it from an episode of NCIS. 😉 But here it is. If you like my idea, please feel free to copy it and share with others who might care. In the meantime, perhaps our Courts can do something positive.

When someone is arrested as a suspect in a mass shooting (3 or more victims), do NOT release his name to the public. One thing these guys seem to have in common (and they do tend to be guys) is they love the notoriety that comes, the “hero” worship from other wannabees. So…

When arrested they are henceforth known as Defendant __ (first initial of last name). Their name will not be released to the public, under any circumstance. Their lawyer may know it but may not use it. No witnesses may use his name in court. IF he is found guilty, he will go straight to prison, will not pass Go, and will not collect his name. IF he is found not guilty, he may collect and use his name again. While in jail/prison prior to trial, he will be placed in solitary, not the punishment cells, but where he can’t really talk to other prisoners and give his real name, more like under suicide watch. 

Remember the old story, The Man Without A Country —by Edward Everett Hale? Well, I think these guys should become The Man Without A Name. They are entitled to a public trial, I believe, but they are not necessarily entitled to use their name. At least I don’t think they are. I may be wrong. I’d like to see them sent to Guantanamo, but that won’t happen. I’m sure there are all sorts of legal reasons why my idea won’t work. But maybe not. Maybe it could work. Records are sealed all the time. Those records that have his full name, etc., can be sealed. He doesn’t deserve to have his name on the tongues of newsmen/women, or anyone else. If found guilty, he will deserve to be forgotten by one and all.

And the public does not have a need to know the particulars of the shooting beyond the basics. The police, his lawyer, the courts have a need to know, but it doesn’t need to be broadcast on network or cable news. That he killed X number of people is all we really need to know, and the names of the victims. Be honest, it’s an almost prurient interest, not a genuine need to know. Knowing all the gruesome details will not bring the dead back to life. Will it? Or end the nightmares of those who survived?

Like I say, if you’ve got a better idea, I’d love to hear it. OK, read it. If you like my idea, feel free to share it. Anything that will help curb this madness is fine by me. And vote the gun lobby out of office! We are the only country in the world that has this problem.

An aside: Do you realize you really read with your ears? OK, you use your eyes or possibly fingers, to read the letters and words on the screen or paper, but as you read them, you hear them in your mind. That’s one reason why deaf people aren’t great readers. It’s like learning ancient Greek from a book and never hearing it. You recognize the letters, and eventually the words, but not the sounds. Very difficult to read and understand.

Entertainment:

Netflix: I’m back on my Korean kick — 100 Days My Prince. A RomCom. So far, I’m giving it a 3.5-4.0* rating. It’s pretty predictable, but the costumes are gorgeous. The young boy falls in love with the neighbor girl, who’s a tad bossy. But for her he will study. Then, he discovers his father has her whole family killed. Except she and her brother escape, are separated, and raised by other families away from each other. The boy never forgives his father, and then his father gives him to the King to raise as the crown prince. He’s married but has never slept with his (pregnant) wife. In an assassination attempt he escapes, is injured and develops amnesia. He’s taken in by peasants who don’t know how to deal with his noble-man’s speech and way of living. Kinda funny and I’m sure it will get better.

Books:  for complete reviews please see Rainy Day Reads at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

I haven’t finished any books this week, but I am about ¾ of the way through The Reluctant Queen (Book Two of the Queens of Renthia) —by Sarah Beth Durst. I mentioned a couple weeks ago how much I enjoyed The Queen of Blood and told y’all not to be put off by the title. Well, I’m back. And loving it. Delaina is still Queen, but is dying, and they have found a most unwilling woman, with great and untrained power, to take her place to keep the realm safe. Delaina’s chum from school is Queen in another country and is about to make war. The Spirits know the queen is dying and can hardly wait so they can wreak havoc until another human of power steps into the void.

A Hearing Aid Hack: I bought a new phone the other day (see below) and then had to stop in at the Costco Hearing Center to get my hearing aids connected to my phone. The technician took my phone and my aids and tried. Nada. He removed the batteries and dropped them from about 12-18” to the counter. They bounced like crazy. He did it again. Then said I needed new batteries and got them. I asked what he was doing, and he said the less the charge, the higher the bounce, the proceeded to drop the new ones. NO BOUNCE. Now, why do you and I care? Because if you’ve ever taken out your old batteries and laid them down ‘right there’ and picked up you new batteries and removed the tape and set them down to answer the phone or whatever and then you don’t know which is which, drop ‘em. If they bounce, toss them into the recycle bin, if they don’t bounce put them in your aids 😉 If you don’t wear them (yet) remember this hack, because you’ll be asked at some point to help someone who does.

Education: I took my neighbor to the Verizon Store the other day to get her phone fixed. While she did that, I drooled over the new iPhones. Fortunately, they’re waterproof, at least against copious amounts of mental drool. Anyhow, when she was finished, the guy came over to sell me a new phone. Now, I really wanted one but had steeled myself to say NO, but when he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… basically, with my old iPhone as trade in, I got 60+% off. I have gone full circle, from buying a phone with a camera, to buying a camera with a phone! A couple of my friends have the iPhone 11 Pro and raved about classes they were taking, so I signed on with iPhone Photo Academy. Like the rest of life, it’s all online, but it’s wonderful. Took me two days to go through Module 1 and I can’t believe all I’ve learned. The last lesson ended with an assignment on focusing and exposure. Alas we have severe winds and dusts outside, while that may not bother the camera, they certainly bother me. So, tomorrow, I hope to go out and do my homework. (Note, I wrote this on Sunday)

I know you all don’t have iPhones, but I have a feeling if you have androids, you can find the same sort of classes geared to your phones. I had no idea I was holding my phone wrong to take pictures, or that I could go in and change the auto-focus to manual, or change the exposure. My guess is, you can, too, if you only learn how.

A delighted old-dog-learning-new-tricks Auntie Lenora and a Happy Sammy Brave Dog wish you all a fantastically marvelous week. 

Lazy Days

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Weather for Monday in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

Monday is supposed to be mostly sunny with a high near 57. SW wind around 16mph with gusts up to 22mph. Monday night is on schedule for a 40% change of rain after 8pm. Low around 43.  the rest of the week is basically more of the same, which highs in high 50s to low 60s with only one night low enough to freeze at 32F. In other words, it’s official, and it’s Spring 😉

Lazy Days:

Yeah, I know. Those are supposed to be in summer. But Anne Bishop’s new book, The Queen’s Weapons came out and I bought it. It really irks me to pay a high price for an electronic book that is really and truly only a long-term rental. If my account is closed for any reason, I lose all my electronic books. When I die, I can’t leave them to anyone. I guess I could leave my eReader to someone, with my passwords, etc. Bookstores charge higher prices because they have overhead, and staff that will dust the shelves, and use power to maintain heat and humidity. And have to cover for people who try to leave the stores with product and not pay for it.

But, I digress. On to the new book. The Queen’s Weapons is book 11 in the Dark Jewels series. I’ve read most of the book in this series, and all of her books in the realm of The Others (Written in Red is the first one of the 5-book series with two others in that world). Anne Bishop has a marvelous imagination and is one of the best world builders I’ve come across. There are lots of good builders out there, but Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Sara Beth Durst are three of the best. Honest. Trust me.

Jaenelle Satien has immatured into a spoiled and self-entitled adolescent. She is convinced she’s special, but not everyone likes her, and she can’t figure out why. She begins attending a private school for the aristo’s and is wooed into the wrong crowd, led by a bright, intelligent, scheming young woman who is sure she will be the next Queen, when she’s older, and to make it easier, she starts eliminating the potential rivals now, so when they’re all adults, she will be the “winner.” She’s sure she can handle Jaenelle’s father, Daemon Sadi, the High Lord of Hell, that she’s smarter than he is, more intelligent than he is, and, well, if you’ve ever been an angst-filled teen, or raised one, you shouldn’t have any trouble seeing that picture. 

The first time Daemon meets Delora, Jaenelle’s new friend, her psychic scent reminds him of Dorothea, and he even calls her that name. He does not like his daughter’s new friends. Not at all, and doesn’t see why Jaenelle Satien does.

To add to the general angst of the situation, Surreal and Sadi are having marital problems. This is not 541 pages of teen angst. There are even some humorous scenes. I opened the book as my nighttime read and read one chapter then put the book down and turned out the light. I promised myself I’d read one chapter per night. One. Only one. That promise wasn’t even as long-lasting as an ice cube doing the tango on a hot griddle. I spent three hours or so the next day reading, and on day three, I spent more hours than I want to admit reading, but I finished the book. And the Scelties are back. Love those little dogs. Let me expand—I love the Scelties in the books, but I don’t want them in my home. They would upset Sammy Brave Dog.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Dark Jewel books I’ve read. I’ve read most of them, but not all of them. They are a little more violent than many seriess, and sex plays a large role in the stories, but they are well written, and I think very enjoyable. If you haven’t read any of them, I suggest you read the first three, then you can probably skip around without getting too lost. You’ll know who the characters are, and the ‘back story’ will make sense.

Spring Plant. I haven’t a clue what it is, anyone have an idea? I think it might be cannibalistic, though. It seems to want to sprawl and ‘eat’ anything it comes in contact with. Or, maybe, that’s my imagination???

Atlanta:

I wasn’t going to say anything about the shootings in Atlanta, but damn! Those people who keep saying it wasn’t really a hate crime, that he just had a bad day (so, a guy has a bad day and women die?), are surely reading and watching different news sources than I am. It was a double double hate crime. It was a hate crime against Asians and a hate crime against Women. And his excuse that he was trying to eliminate temptation doesn’t fly, either. If he was really trying, he’d have gotten professional help for the problem. (Forgive me if I step on some toes here, but Pastors and their counselling do NOT qualify as professional counselling.) Or he could have followed the biblical injunction (good Southern Baptist that he was) to cut the offending member of his body off and cast it from him. Matthew 5:30 KJV. Bet his pastor didn’t counsel him on that one, misogynist that he is!

Entertainment:

TV? Who watched TV? I was reading a book, see above. /snark/

Books: for complete reviews please see Rainy Day Reads at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

The Queen’s Weapons— by Anne Bishop. 

Zoom: 

I have been attending various talks, concerts, and poetry readings via Zoom. One of the regular meetings I attended in person before Covid, has been meeting on Zoom, and the moderator has stated she’d like to continue to meet via Zoom even when we can legally re-congregate as she doesn’t have to pack so much stuff; however, she said maybe we could meet for social gatherings. I’ll agree to that. Love the Zoom meetings. No commute time, why, I can even stay in my jammies if I want! And if I want a glass of wine during the meeting, I’m not driving home 😉 Today I attended a poetry meeting from London, in a couple weeks I’ll be in ABQ for some meeting (via zoom), not to mention Yakima. All from my computer. Love it.

CDC Guidelines: You can read them here. There are new relaxations, but best you read about them, and follow them, and still wear your masks in public and avoid large gatherings. If your Governor says one thing, and the CDC says something else, although the Governor’s words may sound like more fun, follow the CDC guidelines. Better a bit more irritation than one more death.

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog wish you a Fantastically Mahvelous day, and a super good week.

Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To be…*

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Weather for Monday in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

A slight chance of rain in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a high of 53F. The rest of the week looks to be some cloud, some sun, with highs up to 70 and lows down to 32, but higher temps prevailing. 

Mommas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To be….*:

WARNING: Snark Alert!

This isn’t the blog I planned to write, but the subject came up and is too good to pass on.

I saw a 2-minute excerpt of Pastor Stewart Allen-Clark’s sermon the other day and haven’t been able to stop chuckling since. You know him, he’s the Baptist Minister who exhorted the women in his flock to model themselves after our former first lady, the one who has all those soft-porn nude pictures on the internet. (Oh, yeah, they are there.)

So, Pastor Stewart Allen-Clark stands before his congregation telling women they should not wear casual clothes, especially when their man is home. By the way, he was wearing casual trou, shoes, and a dark brown shirt. The shirt was buttoned, but designed to be worn casually, over the casual trou. Alas, it did not hide his beer gut.

Oh! Surely that’s not a beer gut on a Baptist minister! Surely, it’s just a flab gut from all the junk food he eats while in his office working on his exciting misogynistic sermons. Yes?

He goes on, from what I saw and what I read, exhorting the women of his flock to model themselves after the most spectacular, epic, trophy wife ever, Melania Trump. I noticed he did not exhort their husbands to fork over hard-earned cash to pay for personal trainers, or nannies, or household help to help their wives be able to spend the hours necessary getting their bodies into shape, size, and couture. 

No, all Pastor Flab-Gut could talk about was how it’s the woman’s fault she’s home raising his kids, trying to clean house, do the shopping, cook, etc., all while taking care of her man. Eating on the go, because she doesn’t have time to eat properly, and he doesn’t have the income to pay for it, anyhow. And it’s all her fault he’s a victim because he hasn’t the intestinal fortitude to keep his pants zipped when out in the pasture fleecing the flock. And, while she’s at it, why doesn’t she get a real job and contribute to the household? OK, I added that sentence, but you could hear it in the longing of his voice. He’s such a victim.

I can’t help but wonder which photo of Melania he was seeing in his other mind’s eye as he thumped his bible and spouted his hate. Was it the one of her on the faux fur skin on the airline bed? Or one of her standing in nothing but a pair of high heeled shoes? Perhaps he envisioned the one where she was on her stomach, torso raised on her elbows, with her soft breasts hanging down and into his…oh, never mind.

And, Pastor Flab-Gut is, to a point, correct. It is her fault. She should have had better sense than to marry him and buy into all his God put man as head of the house, and then expect her to up with put all his el torro poo poo. 

I just think it’s hilarious that he expects her to look more like the soft porn star, while he looks more like Larry the Cable Guy, but isn’t nearly as funny or as intelligent. Do you think there is just a wee teensy bit of double standard here? And wouldn’t it be both proper and fun if men are going to control our bodies, we should be able to control theirs? Oh, well, I really don’t care, do you?

*Apologies to Waylon & Willie. 

If the World Seems a Tad Off-Axis: Did you set your clocks ahead? Did you Spring into a new time zone? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a hoot in someplace hot what time we stay in, but that’s the operative word: STAY. There is NO valid reason to keep switching clocks. None. And I don’t buy that “it’s for the kids” that if we stay on DST they’ll have to stand at the bus stop in the dark. It’s an easy fix, start school later. Just, please, for the love of whatever Divine Being you follow, please pick a time and stick to it!

Entertainment:

Netflix: I gave up on Vincenzo, my K-dramedy series. It’s slowed down considerably from what I hoped it would be, but there are plenty of laughs, just not enough of the vengeance parts 😉 Auntie Lenora is warped! She’s also easily bored. There are 20 episodes to this series. No. Nada. Zip. Now watching something different that should have much more humor. More on the new series next week.

Books: for complete reviews please see Rainy Day Reads at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Queen of Blood: Book One of The Queens of Renthia —by Sara Beth Durst. Don’t be put off by the title, it’s one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in some time. I can hardly wait to dive into Book 2 😉

Allow me to harken back to last week and my extolling the AWP Conference. I mentioned I’d ordered a few books, two of them were plucked from the mail box yesterday. The Art of Voice, Poetic Principles and Practice —by Tony Hoagland with Kay Cosgrove. Oh, my goodness. Another collection of essays on poetry by the late master! Yes, I started it as soon as unwrapped. And exercises after each essay. A portable class by the late, great Tony Hoagland!

And then icing on the bookcake: When the Living Sing —by Yalie Kamara. I really enjoyed the panels I saw her on, and loved her poetry, so ordered her chapbook. What delightful poems. Yalie is Sierra Leonean-American and brings a shining voice to American poetry!

CDC Guidelines: Oh, joy! The new guidelines are out for those who have had their shots, and I’m one of them. I’ve passed the two-week mark and am considered immune. I still wear my masks in public, and socially distance in public, but contrary to what I said last week, I actually ate in a restaurant the other day. Seoul Fusion (Korean) was open, and there were few diners, and we were all socially distanced. It felt odd, but wonderful. And I had company yesterday, who had also passed their two-week mark, and we were maskless, inside. But socially distant from each other. Oh, it felt downright decadent!

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog ask you to please continue to observe the rules, wear your masks, socially distant yourselves, unless CDC approved to do otherwise. Let’s get through this and come out on the other side. See you next week 😉

The AWP Conference

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Weather today in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

The forecast for Monday is 51 High and 32 Low, Mostly Cloudy all day. Light and variable winds becoming west 5 – 7 mph in the morning. It ain’t freezing and we don’t have to shovel it or scrape it. And the best thing is, I’m not having to wear my fingerless gloves to type so much anymore. Yahooooo!!!!!!

AWP Conference

AWP stands for Association of Writers and Writing Programs. It also stands for Arctic Warfare Police, and a few other things that probably won’t ever make it into my writing. Anyhow, I’m using the first definition, which should be obvious.

First off, I love writerly conferences and have attended them for years. I especially liked attending the Science Fiction/Fantasy ones, they were short and not as pricey, and a lot of fun. When you factor in hotel rooms, transportation (I always went local), and food, they became pricey enough for my skinny wallet. I used to attend the local SF/F Con, as they are called, RadCon, as a pro so got my membership free. I usually stayed at the hotel and limited my paid meals to one a day, munching in the Green Room for the rest of the time. The panels were good (especially the ones I was on. ahem.) but the real fun came later, in the bar, schmoozing with the writers. And then I developed an allergy to the dry chemicals the hotel used to clean the carpets and decided breathing was more fun than the Con, so quit attending. Not just RadCon, but all Cons.

The “literary Cons” tended to be a tad pricier—they were also farther away, lasted longer, and I couldn’t attend as a ‘pro’. For a Litcon, I could easily drop a $1500.00 bill for a weekend. Uh, no. 

Then Covid came. And the AWP Conference went online. I looked at the cost ($60.00 for seniors), checked out the panels, and signed up. I think they were scheduled to hold it in Kansas City, but, obviously…. For a 5-day conference it would have been totally out of my league, thank you very much. But online? Oh, wow! And, oh joy of joys, it will be available on demand after for a month, so I can visit the panels I missed because two or more I wanted to see were on at the same time!

The panels were recorded earlier, but the panelists were live on Chat. So, there was some live interaction. I got to see one of my favorite poets read for 10 minutes! Now, he would have been one I’d like to have met in the bar later to share a beer with. Just to listen to his voice. Sigh. And before your mind goes there, he’s the same age as my son.

I heard lots of new poets, and writers. Or, new to me. I attended panels on memoir writing, poetry, a tribute to Tony Hoagland, and one on the difference between literary fabulism and sf/f. Learned lots of little interesting tidbits, and the scariest thing of all? All of this for only $60.00 because age has its perks, yes? Why is that scary? Because I also found a couple hundred dollars’ worth of books, I now need to buy 😉 Several of which have already been ordered. But that’s part of the fun of attending the Cons. Meeting new authors, buying and reading their works. 

I also attended the Keynote Speaker, our national poet laureate, Joy Harjo. What a delight. She has a small jazz band, and she wrote and performed a long poem with her band in the background, ending with a riff on the song Kansas City. 

Because I’m hard of hearing and my office is under my neighbor’s bedroom and they work shifts, I do all my zooming wearing headphones. they are not the most comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and it was a bit difficult to hear Harjo over some of the music, but what a joy to see her. By the time I was through for the day, my ears hurt from wearing the headphones for so many hours.

Many, perhaps all, of the panels had Handouts, which I didn’t tumble to until Saturday. They were listed in the Chat room under Files. However, I can go back to the panel and see what they had. 

I truly do like computers (except when I don’t) and I truly am thankful to AWP for putting the conference online. I hope there is a way they can do it for their next conference, even if it’s live, because for us old farts and fartesses on limited incomes, it’s the only way to attend far away and pricey conferences. Maybe record the panels and give them to us on demand? With no chat? I dunno, but I’m sure they can figure it out 😉

Entertainment:

Netflix: I’m still watching two episodes/week of Vincenzo, my K-dramedy series. I thought it was going to be a shoot-‘em-up-bang-bang gangster series, it’s got way too much humor in it for that, but oh, when the bad guy is bad, he’s marvelously bad! Wish I didn’t have to wait for the weekend and two new episodes!

Books: for complete reviews please see Rainy Day Reads at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Friday Night Bites, Book 2 of the Magic Market Mysteries —by Erin Johnson. I think this is the 3d of the books I’ve read. Great fun. Cozy mysteries with a twist. Great fun.

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog 

hope you all are still wearing your masks, socially distancing, staying safe, and staying healthy! And we’ll see you back here next week, same bat time, same bat channel.

This is my friend from Florida. Doesn’t he have a nice smile? I used him on a Winter Card one year with a bubble that said “Ho, ho, ho!” Auntie Lenora has a sick sense of humor, doesn’t she?

Write That Letter!

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Weather today in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

I do believe Spring has sprung! The air feels different, the sun is out, the birds are noisy, and today’s high is on schedule for 58F and Mostly Sunny. Pack a lunch, head to the Columbia!       

Write That Letter!

You know how I’m always yammering at you to write a review, let an author know you liked his book, her poem, their song? Well….

I believe I told you way back in January that I’d broken down and made a New Year’s Resolution, something I never, EVER do. OK, if you forgot, I signed up for A Word A Day years ago, and every Monday through Friday I get a new word with the parts of speech, etymology, and lots of other good stuff in my inbox. And I started writing something each day it comes, using that word. Some things are silly, and some aren’t too bad, but I’ve been doing it.

The words each week are related, and each day the previous ones of the week are posted. So, on Friday, the word was body blow, for the week they were merchant prince, journeyman, gold-digger, roughhouse, and body blow. I got the first four written, but on Friday, I came up with

Oh, Woe, Woe, Woe…
the body blow
to the merchant prince
came shortly after he
and his journeymen
lost an easy election
to outright theft
and fraud that didn’t
exist. The gold digger,
forced to move
from his cushy
and protected home,
lost not only shelter
in his position,
but money, and now
must rely on others
as he prepares to
play roughhouse
in various courts
of law.

and thought it was kind of fun, so sent it off to Anu Garg, who is the Wordsmith of A Word A Day. On Sunday, he sends a compendium of all, or at least many, of the emails he receives, usually a lot of limericks (I couldn’t write a limerick if my life depended on it!). He actually published mine in his compendium (AWADmail Issue 973)

So, that was fun, a fun poem, and a fun publication, and today I received an email from Lisa, and print it here with her permission, “Hi Lenora, Really enjoyed your pangraph in last week’s AWADmail. I hope you continue! -Lisa”. A short note, but you know, I was down just a bit, had received another rejection, and in popped Lisa’s note. The sun got so excited, it banished the clouds, and joined in my happiness. I don’t know Lisa, but her short note meant a lot to me. (Anu publishes email addresses in the Compendium) So, because someone I don’t know took the time to write, I’m now doing a happy dance!

By the way, the poem is called a Pangraph for using all the words for that week.

So, when you read a book you like, leave a review (they are important) and for shorter pieces, drop a note to the author (they are important, too). Most authors have websites, or in the case of something this short, an email posted on site. 

Second Jab!

Easy peasey (for me). 😉 Again, kudos to our Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Army National Guard medics! Hats off, you gals n guys! You’re marvelous.

Jab Day, by the time I went to bed I was aware that the cute Army medic assaulted my arm, but no pain.

Day 2, still no pain. By bedtime I was a little stuffy and my head hurt a little bit. The winds were really blowing, figured it was dust in the air, and my chronic headache. And I was really tired.

Day 3, rolled over to right side (I always get shot in dominate arm if possible) for a bit in the morning, and could definitely feel the shot. Still windy out, still stuffy head and mild headache. Neither of which are (I’m fairly certain) from the shot. Besides, the medic who gave it was tooooo cute to give me side effects, too 😉

Day 4, too boring to continue. But several friends have also reported being more tired than normal, so that might be part of it.

There is a lot of conflicting info out there, and I’m easily confused, so I have made up my own mind on the idea of restaurant dining. April. That’s when, all things being equal, I will consider dining in. In the meantime, if it’s sunny and not windy, I’m willing to dine out at a restaurant.

Entertainment:

Netflix: OMG. Too much going on in my life at the moment. I needed something to escape, and Netflix sent me an email about a series they thought I’d like, Vincenzo. “During a visit to his motherland, a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice.” Oh, yeah, baby. This is my kinda show. At least the first episode. Alas, I’m starting close to the beginning, so will have to content myself with one a day for a couple more days, and then wait until next weekend for new episodes. Great English subtitles, but it’s funny when the worst swear word is ‘gosh’ 😉

Books:

The Meaning of It All, Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist —Richard P. Feynman. In a word: disappointing. I believe this is a transcription (unedited) of three lectures. Live, they were probably very entertaining, but on the page they were flat. He rambled and never made a point. Read his other books. They’re marvelous.

Other Stuff:

“The world is a beautiful place

to be born into…

    …but then right in the middle of it

                                                       comes the smiling

mortician” 

—Lawrence Ferlinghetti, #11, Coney Island of the Mind

Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti

March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021

I was introduced to Ferlinghetti’s poetry via Coney Island of the Mind, while in WAC Basic Training, and his poem, #11, (the second one, there was one earlier on) got me through Basic. He was 101 years old when he died, and like a lot of his fans, I was pretty sure he had figured it all out, and would be here for at least 101 more years. We were wrong. Sigh.

From my walk with friends the other day. Just thought the reflections were stunning. That’s “my” island in the background.

Wear your masks! Get your shots. Stay Healthy, Stay Safe

Happily Ever After (HEA)

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Weather today in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):

The weather person has scheduled a high of 59F. At 5am it was at 50, with 23mph winds and should be partly sunny later one, with SW breezes at 24-28mph and gusts as high as 28mph. A far cry from the past week of below freezing. 

Speaking of weather, I was introduced to a great weather app for my phone: WTF Weather . There are controls so you can control the language content, and the voice. But it’s fun. Check it out. And so far, it seems to be in sync with NOAA, just funnier.

Storm in Texasland and Elsewhere:

Like you, I have friends and family not only in Texas and the surrounding area, but throughout the South and the East Coast. Fortunately, they are all safe, though the ones in Texas got more than their share of cold. I hope Texas is now going to update and winterize their grids systems, and I hope the rest of the states will pay attention and do what updating they need to do to theirs to keep them going at optimum capacity. The absolute coldest winters I’ve ever spent were in the South, Texas, Alabama, Georgia. This wasn’t that much of an anomoly.

Friends in Portland OR lost power for three hours during the storm, but it came in the middle of the night, and they didn’t know until they got up the next morning and the clocks were blinking. Now, if you must lose power, do it right, do it while you’re sleeping and have it come back on while you’re still asleep.

Happy Ever After (HEA):

I’m no expert on publishing, but I’m pretty sure that stories/essays/et ceteras are accepted for publication weeks, if not months, prior to actual publication. As you may remember, I subscribe to Emergence Magazine (free) at https://emergencemagazine.org/explore/ and I heartily recommend it. One of the essays in the latest issue is Thirteen to One New Stories for an Age of Disaster by Marie Mutsuki Mocket.

Ms. Mocket had the foresight to be born to a Japanese mother and American father. She grew up bi-lingual. And in this essay, tells about Onamazu, the giant catfish who lives under the Japanese islands and is held in place by the Shinto god Takemikazuch. When the god dozes off, or drinks too much saki, or gets distracted, Onamazu moves, creating earthquakes.

While I found her essay and the story of Onamazu, riveting, the part that reached out and grabbed me was when she told of her mother reading her a nursery story that did not have a happy ending (Gon the Fox), and how she cried. She was raised in a culture that insisted she should aim for happy endings all the time. I’m one of those people, I want HEA in the stories I read. Especially fiction. I read enough nonfiction to take care of the sad endings. And I’m pretty sure I raised my kids like that, too. Did I do a disservice to them? Did I just take the easy way out?

This is a direct quote from the article: “Sometimes when I talk to audiences about the differences between Japanese and Western fairy tales, someone—usually a mother—will ask me, “How do you keep your child from being scared?” I always think back to my mother and her rage at Gon the dead fox, and for a long time, I wasn’t truly sure how to answer the question. Now I say, “You don’t.” Because I am now very clear: disaster is endemic to the structure of the world in which we live.

Things should scare us.”  

I’m too old to raise my kids again, and besides, I don’t think they’d appreciate my trying, but it is something to think about. A lot of ‘literary’ fiction has bummer endings, which are probably more true-to-life than my HEA stories, but at my age I’m going to pretty much stick to my HEA books. I get enough sadness in the nonfiction and poetry I read; I don’t need any more. 

Allen Point of Bateman Island. Notice the ice in the inlet. Taken a couple days ago.
Great Blue Heron sitting on patch of ice above.
Coots, gulls, and Great Blue on the ice and in the water.

Addendum to Last Week’s Addendum: I’m now being offered $50.00 to delete my bad review. Do I hear $60? Do I hear $70? The offer is still coming from Belinda, so apparently, she didn’t get fired. 

Entertainment:

No tv to speak of, barely even news. Was busy working on my stuff. Did spend a lot of time listening to Rocabilly on Pandora.

Books: Please go to Rainy Day Reads for more complete reviews.

I did get some books read, or perhaps I should say finished.

Occoquan —by Gary Worth Moody, historical poetry that takes place along, or in, the Occoquan river. 

Gone Astray —by Terry Korth Fischer. I actually read this a while back but had to wait until it was available to readers to post my review. A marvelous mystery!

the lost spells —by Robert MacFarlane and Jacki Morris. Loved this book! One of those books I deliberately read slowly, parsing out the poems and the art. 

Other Stuff:

Had hoped to give you an update on my second jab, but the freeze and snow delayed it from Saturday to Wednesday, so stay tuned for a follow-up on that one.

In the meantime, Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog wish you to stay safe, stay well, and stay socially distanced even though you’re wearing your mask and have had your shots. You can still spread it, even if you won’t catch it.

I Feel a Homesick Coming On

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Weather today in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco): 

currently 21 and snowing, humidity is 100% (which makes it colder than a well-digger’s bottom), wind chill brings it down to 25. Under Hazardous weather conditions until noon. High today expected to be 30. See pictures at end of post.

Homesickness is coming:

One of the absolute bestest things about the time I lived in Florida was Swarm X of the cicadas. My first summer there, Swarm X emerged. OMG. I loved it. There were loud, but wonderful. I slept most nights with my window open just to hear them.

Swarm X is the largest of the swarms, and it will emerge again this year. And oh, boy, do I feel a homesick coming on. Frankly, if I spent 17 years underground and finally came out, I think I’d be pretty loud, too! Whoopeeee. Free at last. Free at last!!!

I’m no expert, but I believe all cicadas are underground for that period of time, fortunately, they are on different cycles so those fortunate enough to live in cicada country get to hear their mating songs every year, just not in the same numbers.

If any of you live in Swarm X country, send me a tape of their singing, will you? Please. Pretty please.

There are lots of things I miss about Florida. All the friends I made, and all the wildlife. Cicadas, birds (fortunately, we have several same or similar birds here on the Columbia River), even the reptiles—especially the alligators. The spiders, not so much. I wasn’t at all tempted to bring any of them back. 😉

Atlas Obscura, one of my favorite sites, has a short article on The 17-year Cicada Swarms of Brood X here.

Speaking of a homesick coming on, I realize I’m remiss in keeping the Entertainment Section current and up-to-date. I just know at least one of you cares. Don’t you?

Addendum to last week’s post: This past week, I was offered $40.00—again—and begged to delete or the poor thing is going to be fired by her boss in this time of covid. Last week she made it sound like she was one of the owners. Alas, I have not heart strings for her to pull. Actually, I’ve been told I have no heart. I contacted Amazon and filed another complaint and was assured they would be investigated. I wasn’t sure the first complaint went through, but one of my Amazonian friends checked, and this one went through.

Entertainment:

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Yes, I like some of them. And I tumbled to a new, to me, Gourmet Detectiveepisode the other night. I actually like most of the mystery series they have except the one about the flower shop. And the reruns of old network shows. I don’t care for most of those, now that Columbo and Perry Mason are off the schedule.

Books: Please go to Rainy Day Reads for more complete reviews.

River Hoard —by Neil Leadbeater. Poems of Scotland. A mini vacation to Scotland.

The Cup (The Moroccan Empire Book 1) —by Melissa Addey. This is a fascinating novella to lead us into the series I have not yet read but intend to. An excellent historical adventure.

The Consorts (Forbidden City Book 1) —by Melissa Addey. Another novella to lead us into another historical adventure of the Forbidden City in the 1700s. I can hardly wait to read the rest.

Death Retires (Death Retired Mysteries Book 1) —by Cate Lawley. What a hoot! One of the deaths (who knew there was/is more than one?) retires to a nice, quiet neighborhood with his ‘pet’ bobcat, Clarence who steals every scene he’s in. Laughed all the way through it.

The Cooking Gene —by Michael W. Twitty. Second read, second review. That should tell you something, eh?

Cozy Up to Death: a novel about a bookstore, a cat, knitting, and blood (The Cozy Up Series Book 1) —by Colin Conway. All I can say is to buckle up, Buttercup. This ain’t your standard Granny-owns-a-bookstore cozy! A one-sit read and I’ll get the rest in the series. (First clue it’s different: the author is male!)

Twenty Poems That Could Save America and other essays —by Tony Hoagland. A collection of 12 of Mr. Hoagland’s essays about poets and poetry. Loved it!

Other stuff

I ain’t goin’ out any more than the dog demands! Fortunately, he isn’t very demanding 😉 We got another few inches last night, and it’s still coming down.

We’ve been in the midst of a cold spell, really cold. Here are a few snaps I took to give you an idea of how cold. By the time Tuesday (tomorrow) rolls around, I believe it will be a week of never getting above freezing.

Me in my double mask and double had (the outer had is merino wool, the inner hat is really just an ear warmer)
That’s not fog / twixt the far shore and me / Tis morning snow / through which I cannot see
Inlet between Bateman Island and where I live. Those are gulls walking on the ice. The Columbia River is beyond the island.

I subscribe to Rafael Jesús González blog. He is bi-lingual and writes in both Spanish and English. His post of yesterday was on Valentine’s Day, and it is here for your enjoyment.

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog want you to stay safe, stay warm, and keep wearing yur mask, even after you get your vaccination!

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog (who sees no socially redeeming quality to snow!) want you to stay safe, stay warm, and keep wearing your masks even after you get your vaccination!

Jabbed!

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My neighbor got signed up for her Pfizer covid19 shot and gave me the number so I could, too. I couldn’t get through. All I ever got was the fast busy signal that tells me the system was over-loaded. Then she said she got registered, and her appointment was Wednesday, 27 Jan, at 8:50 in the morning at the local fair grounds. Could I take her?  Sure.

So we left a tad early, and got to the fair grounds at 8:30. And from the judging of it, we were a couple hours too late. We were almost at the end of the line.

I have to admit, it was well organized, we drove two by two down one parking aisle, then up the next, and after doing this for an hour or so, we got to a human. She asked if we were both registered, “She is,” I pointed to neighbor, “I’m just hoping they’ll have more.” She laughed and said I’d be fine. After about 30 more minutes, we approached a couple young GIs (Army -National Guard?), they gave me a form to complete, and sent us to follow directions of where to park car. I get my flu shot every year from the pharmacist, and I can always tell if he was military—better at giving shots 😉

With both windows rolled down, we each got our jab. First jab of two. Being the old Fartess that I am and having spent the 9 years 5 months 23 days (but, who’d counting?) in the military that I did, I’ve had my fair share of jabs, shots, and vaccinations. I’m here to tell you the Army (probably all military) medics do the best job. The least amount of pain—both for shot and after-pain. Alas, any reactions one has is not their cause. Of course, it probably helps that I’m not afraid of needles and my arm is totally relaxed.

So, this cute young GI (I may be on a diet, but I can certainly read the menu!) came to me, rubbed my arm with alcohol or something equally cold, and it was over before I knew it. I was watching as the needle went in. I NEVER FELT IT! If you’re hesitating at all, stop. Get the shot. And if your governor has activated your National Guard to give them at mass inoculation sites, get in line! Eye candy to go along with a life-saving jab 😉

The only time I felt the shot, was if I tried to do an impression of Red Skelton with his Gertrude and Heathcliff seagulls. Now, my understanding is, the second shot gives both extra protection, and some extra and temporary effects for 24-48 hours. I can live with that. You can, too.

Outro:

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I do believe it’s sunshine, not an on-coming engine! Yes, I’ll probably have to wear the masks for a few mor months. Yes, it will probably be end of summer before we are back to normal, but normal (if we can remember what it is) is closer now than when we started this rodeo. But when it’s over, there’s inside restaurant dining to look forward to, road trips, visits with friends and family. Yee-haw! We’re on our way!!!

Stay safe, stay healthy, for Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog, if we’re the reason you need.

Color Me Jealous

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Intro:

Words have meaning. So does context, and part of the context is the person who is speaking.

Many years ago, while still a teen, I was visiting my paternal grandmother, and something came up and I either said something or acted jealous of someone. I honestly don’t remember what precipitated the discussion, or rather “the talk” but I must have done orsaid something, because I got one of the most valuable adult-to-child talks ever by a woman who loved me dearly.

“Don’t be jealous, Lenora. It’s a wasted emotion.” She went on to explain that if I allow myself to be jealous, the only person I hurt is me. I’m the one who loses sleep, gains an ulcer, etc., the person I’m jealous of is totally oblivious. Well, duhhhh…. It made good sense to me, and I’ve never been truly jealous since. Oh, sometimes, momentarily, something happens, so when I say I’m jealous, or write it, you can bet dollars to donuts I’m not. Not really. 

Well, maybe a little. Amanda Gorman earned my jealous on Wednesday. She’s young, beautiful, skinny, poised, and smart as all get out! She is also the youngest poet to read her work for a President’s Inauguration, and the very first Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America! I think Dr. Jill Biden chose the absitively posolutely bestest person to recommend. I just can’t think of a better poet to have been asked. Shows how intelligent President Biden is—he listens.

If you missed it, take a scant six minutes and watch her here. And watch her hands. OMG, such beauty, such grace. A performance poet of the highest caliber. Listen to the words. And know I am celebrating her. I am truly pleased with our youth and her representation of them. America, I am excited that our youth will take good care of our Democracy if she is their representative. And, I’m not really jealous. Honest. Trust me. 

Entertainment:

Peacock: I am pleased to say I have watched all 69 episodes of Columbo, in order. They held up remarkably well and were great fun to re-watch. I think out of the 69, there was only one I couldn’t remember seeing, so probably didn’t, I think it was S6 E1. A wonderful alternative to the politics of the day 😉 

Books:

Am finishing up The Cooking Gene, and a couple others. It’s my second time through The Cooking Gene, and I’m amazed at how much I forgot from the first read. I’ve read a few articles by researchers that you don’t retain what you read on an eReader as well as what you read on paper. At the time, they didn’t know why. The first time, I read it on my eReader. I seldom read nonfiction on my eReader, because I know I don’t retain it as well as when I read a paper book. Part of that, for me, is I’m spatial and have an image of what I’ve read, and where it is. On an eReader, all I know is, it’s out there, somewhere 😉 I read fiction on electronic devices, and fact and poetry on paper. (Poetry because the white space is important and it’s lost on eReaders.) And I have a good friend who disputes the findings. That’s all he ever reads. The only books I’ve seen in his house are either books I’ve given him, or loaned him.

Outro:

Oh. Em. Gee. Yes, I’m excited, thrilled, happy, that we now have a President who is intelligent, thoughtful, empathetic, and who understands and will fulfill to the best of his ability the oath he took. And I’m truly excited at the mask mandate. True, it’s only on planes, buses, trains, and at airports and on all Federal property. But he’s also asking everyone to wear a mask for 100 days. He said please. We can do it! Remember, if your nose isn’t properly dressed, you aren’t properly dressed!

Stay safe, stay healthy and if you live near Auntie Lenora, enjoy the snow! It started snowing last night, and is still coming down strong. A really good day to stay inside! Unless you have a camera 😉

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog!

On Healing

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Intro:

I’m still pretty damn furious, and if what is coming out on the news is accurate…. If investigation confirms that some lawmakers not only verbally incited, but actually gave “recon” tours during lockdown, if they pointed out offices, if they had anything to do with the removal of office “Panic Buttons,” if they had anything to do with the threats on the lives of fellow lawmakers and their families – well, I’ll be beyond angry/mad/furious/seeing red. Personally, I think they should receive a fair trial and a life sentence to Guantanamo! Not that I have strong thoughts about it.

I rather like what my Auntie Marie told me several years ago, “I forgive, and I forget, but I remember always!”

That oath I first took in 1965 meant something to me, I volunteered. I knew what it meant. My country means a whole lot to me. Part of me doesn’t understand how people like Ted Cruz & Co. can act like they do—other than greed and selfishness.

Last week I said I didn’t have a clue how we move on. This week, I have that clue. I remembered a book I read maybe 30 years or so ago, Inside the Criminal Mind by Stanton Samenow, PhD. I had a person I my life who was very difficult to be around, highly manipulative, but not, at least when I knew him, a criminal. A friend recommended the book. One of the best I could have read. It has since been updated, and I’ve long given my copy away to someone I thought could use it, and we all know how my memory, what there of it, is.

My memory is Dr. Samenow and some cohorts worked with some pretty nasty criminals within the prison system, to see if it was possible to get them back on the straight and narrow. And they succeeded, with an extremely low rate of recidivism amongst the men (I think they were all men). As I recall, the first thing the prisoners had to do before they would be accepted for enrollment in the program, was to admit responsibility for what they had done. They couldn’t play victim; they couldn’t lay blame anywhere but at their own feet. They had to admit they were wrong and be willing to accept their punishment.

Again, memory says that those who went through the process got out early and, I imagine, had support on the outside, but their rate of recidivism was something like 1% if that. But you know me and numbers. Not to mention me and memory!

I think that’s where the healing must start. Those involved must accept their responsibility, must admit the lies they spread caused great and grievous harm, they must accept the will of the people, and either resign or be expelled. They not only put lives in danger, they caused serious injury to many, both physical and psychological, and the deaths (so far) of six people. They played. Now they must pay.

Another book that has helped me through the years since reading is The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. This is a short essay/memoir about his time as a prisoner in various concentration camps in Nazi Germany. It takes up the first half of the book, which ends with the question, What would you do (in regards to forgiveness)? The second half of the book are short essays/answers to that question by various people from religious leaders around the globe to people on the street. The only people who can truly forgive a person are the ones hurt by that person. I can’t forgive George for beating the stuffing out of you, only you can, providing you want to and live to do it.

So, until Cruz & Co. (and all those who support them) stop the lying and truly apologize and ask for forgiveness, admit their guilt if you will, there can be no healing. Until Jim Jordan and all his buddies go on Fox News, etc., state that there was no fraud, the election was not stolen, but honestly won by Joe Biden, until they all own their culpability, I cannot forgive them. I cannot forgive them for killing Officer Sicknick or the others. Only the deceased can forgive that one. Their families can forgive for their loss. Once Cruz and Co are serious about their apologies, that is the time those of us who have been hurt can forgive. Not before. That is when the country can pull together and begin to put all this behind us.

The Washington Post put together a timeline of incidents, it’s 14:27 minutes long and worth the watch. Or at least, the read. 41 minutes of fear: A video timeline from inside the Capitol siege. Guantanamo may be too good for the seditionists. 

Healing will begin with admission of personal responsibility and then forgiveness. Remember, forgiveness is primarily for the person forgiving, not the one begging for it. Consider your forgiveness accordingly.

Auntie Lenora! Enough of the rant!!

Yes, yes it is. Time to change the subject!

Remember my New Year’s Resolution to write each day A Word A Day (AWAD) popped into my inbox? Well, so far, I’m doing it. Sometimes I have to wait till the end of the day to get it, but I’m doing it. Some words are pretty, well, hard to place, but I’m a doin’ it. Whatcha gonna do with vardy, or meech, or juberous? Yeah, I understand.

Well, this is embarrassing. I believe I told you about my new kitchen toy, my sous vide? The more I cook with it, the more I like it. I’m actually cooking real meals and sitting down at the table to eat now, instead of dumping everything into a bowl, nuking it, and eating while doing something else. So, the other morning, I decided to try cooking soft boiled eggs. My brother says they’re the best ever! (And he’d never lie to me). I took my eggs out early to bring them up to room temperature. An hour before I usually eat, I brought the water up to temperature. Forty-five minutes before breakfast time, I put my eggs in to cook, set the timer on my phone, and came in to work. Timer went off, I nuked the beans I wanted with the eggs, and realized the eggs weren’t ready. They weren’t even a wee bit cooked. I’d set the timer on my phone, not the timer on the sous vide. sigh. As Annie used to sing, Tomorrow,  there’s always tomorrow! 😉

Wednesday is the tomorrow I’m waiting for. It will be a breath of fresh air and sanity blowing through our country. 

Books:

I read a couple of fun books. One, A Cat’s Guide to Bonding with Dragons by Chris Behrsin, is a Teen/YA book, and a lot of fun. Poor Ben, a happy, spoiled, and well-fed cat in the south of Wales ends up between one bite and the next that never came, serving an evil mage in another plane. Ben is not happy, until he meets and bonds with his dragon.

Murder on the Old Bog Road: The Galway Homicides Book #1 by David Pearson is a delightful murder mystery. The description of how the body became a body is short, and not particularly gruesome beyond the obvious, there are no gun fights, no car chases, not too much bad language and what is there, it fits the story, and a bare bit of sex, but not in your face. You could give it to your grandma. Really loved visiting the Irish countryside, not horribly far from where Ryan’s Daughter was filmed so many years ago.

Still reading The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty, very enjoyable, and The Lost Spells by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris.

Outro:

So much has happened since the New Year. Frankly, old Auntie will be glad when things simmer down. 

Covid19 is out of control. You all know the drill. Don’t be selfish. Don’t get sick. Don’t give sickness to someone else. Mask. Socially Distant. An irritation now, a life later.

It’s cold out, and some of you are really, REALLY cold, so here’s a photo from last summer, a time of sunshine and warmth, of a Great Egret across from my home.

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog