Weather in the Tries:

Wowser!! Fall has done fell. Highs will be 60-61 and lows 43 to 38. It got cold enough the other night that I couldn’t sleep. Turned on my sheet warmer and it didn’t come on. Figured out the next day I was pushing the Off button. Sigh. We also had rain a couple times, but nothing is on the schedule, rain wise, this coming week. However, there will be clouds, so who knows? If one leaks, we’ll have a bit of wetness, which the Brave Dog DOES NOT LIKE!

Addendum to the Weather: Hoo Boy! Do we have rain. It was not forecast on my phone, but is now. If you live in the Tries, carry a bumpershoot and or rain gear with you. Sammy is sad.

Creams? Cosmetics? Botox?

It got noticeably colder, both at night and during the day. I was grateful for my leather jacket, and the heavy-duty hoodie my elder brother of choice (EB)C) gave me. It is way too big for me, but it’s warm!  I can wear it inside and or outside. And, I suppose, if I wear it with the hood up, I’ll get funny looks from passers by;-)

Found a really fun site today (remember, I’m writing/posting this on Sunday), Goodbye Crop Top. It’s written by Wendy, in “response to a profound lack of women my age across the media landscape. I was 49 years old at the time and I noticed it was a rare thing to see women over 40 portrayed in a positive way in print, on television or across social media platforms.” She goes on to say that “Goodbye Crop Top is really just a metaphor for what to let go of and what to hold onto.” 

Wendy even has podcasts for women over 50, which is not the new 40. Well, she’s still a heckuva lot younger than Auntie Lenora who is staring at 80 and on the downhill side, picking up momentum as she goes. I think the brakes are gone. But I like Wendy’s attitude. I’ve read some of her posts, and hope you will also give them a read.

I’ve watched/read many of the ads touting this or that to get rid of wrinkles, reverse aging, and anything else they can use to guilt us from enjoying our age. Hey! I’ve earned those wrinkles. They’re my friends. I’ve even named some of them. Get rid of them? That would be like getting rid of friends. Shoot them with a needle full of botulism toxins? Paralyze my face so I can no longer smile, laugh, move my eyebrows to full advantage. Just so I can convince myself I’m not almost 80? Fuggedabout it! So what if I suddenly look 10 years younger? I’m still a Crone. 

I know a lot of women are worried about growing old, especially when the estrogen quits flowing and our bodies change, and we are no longer the sex kittens we used to think we were. We have entered the era of Crone. And I think that’s a great age in which to be. Nobody takes us seriously. But what the heck, did they ever? We can’t get pregnant 😉 (Been there, done that. And don’t want to repeat it!) No matter how hard I try, I’ll never have a body like Cher, so why not just relax and enjoy the one I’ve got? And wear clothes I like and that I’m comfortable in. 

I can even wear purple and red togetherreams. And I do! And I eat pickles and bread. For those of you who have never read Warning by Jenny Joseph, or who have forgotten it, it begins, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple” I believe it is still under copyright, so please go here to read it all the way through.

So, if you’re worried about looking older, give up your crop top and laugh! The crop top was never your thing, anyhow. I’m sorry, I know I wasn’t supposed to tell you… Stop buying all those potions and do-called beauty and anti-aging things. You’ll have a lot more money and you can spend it on important things—like books!

Books I’ve read and reviewed are at: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Finished The Raven Song: A Novel (A Conspiracy of Magic Book 2) —by Luanne G. Smith. I read book one, The Raven Spell some time ago, and loved it, and found this book to be great fun. I also read and thoroughly enjoyed The Vine Witch. The Raven Song is book 2 of a 2-book series. I really think you should read them in order, though, if you read a lot of fantasy, you might be able to read them backwards and not get too lost.

Movies/series I’ve watched and reviewed are at: https://rainydaysmovieoftheweek.blogspot.com

Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior, 1980 directed by Akira Kurosawa. It’s a War story, and as I knew who one of the players in the war was, I was pretty sure I knew how it would end, but it was as to be expected from Kurosawa: wonderful! My biggest problem was Toshiro Mifune wasn’t in it. No real eye candy. Sigh. It really was a bit of a shock not to see him, as he and Kurosawa made 16 movies together. I think I’ve seen most of them. And I think Mifune could have played Tokugawa wonderfully—he did in Shogun;-) (Actually, in Shogun, he played Toronaga who was based on Tokugawa.)

I will get the reviews of The Raven Song and Kagemusha up in the next few days. As I told the people in my writing group when they wanted to know what happened next, “Patience, Grasshopper.” How many of you know who Grasshopper was?

Sammy doesn’t know, so don’t bother trying to sneak the question to him. He’s too young! And I seldom let him watch TV. Gives him nightmares when he sees the other dogs. And the ad out now where the wolf goes to Grandma’s door and snarls and Red opens the door and gives him a squeaky toy, well, Sammy hid his eyes at the wolf, but the squeaky toy sent him under the bed. I don’t think he had any toys when he was a puppy or was allowed to play. He’s terrified of anything that squeaks, and toys and balls are all given a dirty look and a wide berth.