Weather in the Tries: IF, and that is both an operative word and a very large word, but IF my phone is correct, it will not get down to 32 this coming week. The lowest will be 33 all the way up to 36, and the days will mostly be in the 50s. With three days of sunshine on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!!
Maybe next year I’ll auction my shadow off—if I get more money to see my shadow and have 6 more weeks for the skiers to ski, or if the most money comes from the summer people… And all money will go to charity. What do you think? Should I auction my shadow off to the highest bidders???
An odd week, this: This past week has been a bit odd. I got a couple more books read and have about decided that Lois McMaster Bujold gets one more chance to worm her way back into my Kindle. What? You may be wondering did this fantastically marvelous SF/F writer do to upset me? Well, grab a cuppa, Bunky, ‘cause I’ll tell you.
Housemate Dan got me hooked on her Vorkosigan Series. There are 16 books in the series. The first two I read got me into the characters, who darn well should have been in the next few books, if not all. Well, in Book 2, she killed one of my favorite, okay, my favorite, supporting character. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that when you get stuck you kill off your darlings. Well, dammit, he was MY darling, and I’m not telling you who it was. Then, in Book 4, which I finished yesterday, NOT EVEN A MENTION of the series people. Not even a wee mention in passing of anyone in the series. Okay, I admit, book 4 was okay, but it was a real let down, because I expected someone to show up and recruit the kids.
All the books are stand alone, so I will try #5 and see what happens.
Photos of the Week: I was lying down with the Brave Dog the other day—something he demands at least once a day—and while I was reading, he was under the blanket until he got too warm then he squirmed until he was playing people in the bed. And, no, his nose isn’t sore, it’s the way his tongue cleans it, and the light in the room.
We also had snow the other day. Not much, but enough that the Brave Dog, the Big Chihuahua, said, “Walk? In that stuff? Not just no, but uh-uh, not me no!” Sometimes he really hates it when his people is bigger than he is, and had other ideas.
from the desk of the big chihuahua: my human says there should be no snow this next week, and we are scheduled to have three days of sunshine. that does, of course, mean there is nothing wrong with her phone weather forecast. sunshine! oh, this desert dog is soooo happy.
Sunny Day Quotes: “Even on a cloudy day, the sun is shining somewhere.” –@WillingToTakeActions
my human says if it’s cloudy you only have to go up thirty-five thousand feet. all you need is a big extension ladder. I don’t know how many feet that is, i’ve got four and she has two, and i’ve never seen an extension ladder, don’t know what it is.
Weather in the Tries: Well, the high’s will be between low 50s and 40s ranging from 41 to 53 in no particular order. The lows will be from 30 to 38 in no particular order. I do truly wish that butterfly in Beijing would face the other way when he waggles his wings. I’m ready for some warm. I think my wee beast is, too.
Death Café and Other Notes:
As you probably remember, I usually write this blog during the weekend and schedule it Sunday night for publication early Monday. I’ve mentioned the Discussion Cafes before, as I attend the Reflection Café twice during the month and beginning this morning, I’ll attend the Death Café. As my new friend and fellow Death Doula writes: “About this Death Café: This is not a grief therapy group. It is a friendly and interesting group of people discussing death, dying, and end of life concerns. Bring an open mind, an open heart, and your curiosity.” Now you know as much as I do, but I’ll learn more this morning (Sunday) and will share tomorrow morning.
Am back from the Death Café. Very interesting. A lot of people, of which I am old enough to be the grandparent of most of them. We sat at tables shoved together, and talked as a group, then because we were so many, eventually started talking in smaller groups. Someone brought a deck of Morbid Curiosity Cards. Some cards have trivia on them, some ask questions. One of the questions asked something like, if you were at a funeral and someone flirted with you, would you flirt back? I said, “Yes. After all, I’m not dead.” Then I thought a minute and amended it to, “Yes, as long as it wasn’t the funeral of my spouse or partner.” I’m not sure what caught the people more by surprise, that I said I would, or my age. The deck reminded me a lot of Cards Against Humanity. One of the few card games I enjoy playing. Alas, I’ve been all over the wonderful world web, and can’t find the deck of Morbid Curiosity cards.
I found it. I was searching for Morbid Curiosity, finally added ‘game’ and voila! If you’re interested, go here. And, like Cards Against Humanity, Morbid Curiosity has younger siblings to expand the game ~ Memento Mori and Postmortem. I can see where these cards could come in handy for people who aren’t sure what to ask, when to ask, how to ask. Great conversation starters.
Spring is definitely on its way. The days are warmer, the nights, while still cool, aren’t as cold. And I’m beginning to wake earlier. Which I think is funny, because my room has blackout curtains, and I don’t get light through them, but I am waking earlier than I was in Nov, Dec, and Jan. I’m sure it has something to do with hibernating. Yes?
If you missed my poetry reading on the 6th, this link will take you to it. I’m about 30 minutes in for about 15 minutes.
Photo of the Week: This is a true wee quilt. I think it measures about 8×9 inches. The background fabric is multicolored, and then I cut some scraps up and ‘sprinkled’ them to resemble a photo I took a couple years ago at my adopted Li’l Brothers’ home. The red was a red rhododendron seen between two trees. The sun shone on it, and it was bright red. The trees kept a lot of things in shadow, but the rhodie was gorgeous. The sprinkles were covered with black netting, and stitched about every eighth to quarter inch.
from the desk of the brave dog: it’s still cold out, no matter what my human says. but not as cold as it was. and the sun is once again shining in our sky. can you see me do my happy dance? now, if the rain will stay away, or only come at night. i think if the rain came while i’m snuggly with my human at night, and was gone when we get up, that would be fine. now that i have access to a computer, maybe i can figure out who to write with that suggestion. my human says we need rain, but not during the day, just at night.
Rainy Quotes:
“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.” ~ unknown
“nobody in their right mind would be in the rain let alone dance in it.” ~ sammy brave dog
Weather in the Tries: Cold is relative. When it’s low humidity cold isn’t so bad, when the humidity is high, cold is miserable! This coming week, temps during the day will be high 40s ~ low 50s. The ice is gone from our pond, and the lows at night will be mid to high 30s. No freezing on the agenda. At least not for this week!
Yes, I Didn’t See My Shadow: Writing this on 2 Feb 24, yes, Groundhog Day, one of the bestest holidays ever! I took the Big Chihuahua for a walk shortly after the sun came up, and I am pleased to say, I did not see my shadow. I did not see the Brave Dog’s shadow. I did not see a shadow at all. Yaaaaayyyyyy. Winter is about over!!
The reason this is a forecast primarily for those in the PNW is because I don’t know how far my forecasting capabilities go. I figure Phil’s is good for the East Coast people, and I’m good for the PNW, possibly all the West Coast. Perhaps the Continental Divide is our dividing line? What do you think? At least Phil and I agree this year.
Photo of the Week:
Near the summit of the Umtanum Pass. The pass was socked in except for this area. On our way to get Favorite Grandson so we could all spend Lucamas together. That’s our name for celebrating his birthday and our Christmas. It was the first time all of us were able to be together for a few days in a long time. Favorite Daughter really needed to spend time with her Favorite Son.
from the desk of the brave dog: my human and i got a real walk in today. it was chilly, but the sun shone down on is and that was good. then my humans left me for a long, long time. i didn’t know if they were ever coming home and my food bowl was empty. they finally came home and fed me then housemate dan took me for a nice walk.
what i really want to tell you is that my human will be the featured poet on tuesday night at the cobalt café. sign up here–https://poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/list.html if you want to come. she says it will be fun, but i’ll probably be in the bed keeping it warm for her. that’s one of my jobs. i also keep the humpfulumpuses off the furniture, the hippos out of the parking slots, and the giraffes and the alligators out of our pond. by the time i’m through with all my chores, i’m pretty tuckered and need a nap.
Quote of the Week:
“No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.” ~ Carrie Snow
Weather in the Tries: Yaaaayyy!!! the days of the coming week will be high 40s and low 50s! WaaHoo! And the nights above freezing. Oh, be still my heart. Well, it can’t be all goodness, I suppose. We do have 3 days with rain on the agenda. Some desert this is turning out to be! I don’t mind the rain all that much, but my short legged friend doesn’t like it at all.
Love in the Dungeon, encore: It must be the coming of Valentine’s Day, but I’ve been thinking of my days at Couch School in Portland, Oregon. Probably because I recently listened to a book, Lucky Supreme, that takes place in Portland, and the narrator pronounced Couch Street as Cowch Street. Uh, no. It really is Cooch Street. Anyhow, here is an encore read for you. Please enjoy it all over again for the first time.
Couch School, built in 1914, was one of four elementary schools in Portland, Oregon to contain an official school-board-sanctioned dungeon in its basement—with an Olympic sized swimming pool, into which all students were forcedto descend for weekly swimming lessons. Water terrified me. I did not enjoy playing in water deeper than my ankles. The lifeguard, rather than instilling confidence, instilled Terror, with a capital ‘T.’ I remained terrified of both the water and the lifeguard, and refused to learn how to swim. People would walk on the moon before I would learn to swim! Had I been a gambler, you could have made book on that statement!
Summer came, school emptied, and Mother and I moved. Again. This time to a small apartment only two blocks from Couch, so I didn’t have to give up my friends. By summer’s end, every kid I knew looked forward to returning to school, and structure, and learning–even me. But I did not look forward to the swimming lessons.
Too soon, the dreaded day came. Once again, I had to descend the dark brown stairs to the dank and smelly dungeon. Once again, I must face the dreaded lifeguard and her insistence that I learn to swim. Barely holding back tears, I joined my eager classmates, descended the steps to the girl’s locker room, squirmed into my hideous flowered swimsuit, showered, and prepared to face the she-devil in the pool area.
To my delight, a new devil awaited my arrival. There, by the pool, stood Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard. In my young body hormones began to stir, albeit sluggishly. I gazed upon the young Apollo, and fell in love. If Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard had asked, I would have jumped into either end of the pool and walked the full length to emerge at the other end. Fortunately, he didn’t ask.
But he did ask me to learn to swim, and with great patience he taught, and I learned. I assume he taught my classmates, but don’t know that for a fact as I remained blissfully unaware of them. I saw and heard only my beloved, my first love, Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard.
As weeks passed, I discovered he was single. Now, this was a good news-bad news type of situation. Yes, Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard was single, but I was no dummy. I knew I faced years of growth before he would even consider marrying me. But, O Joy! Mother was single. I began to plot. How could I introduce Mother to Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard? Especially since Mother also feared the water.
Then, one day, my dearly beloved announced to the class he would teach a Thursday evening Beginning Swimming class for adults. The solution to my problem. Mother couldn’t swim.
I begged, I wheedled, I whined, and I even shed some tears, until Mother, more fearful of water than I, agreed to take the classes. Harvey Anderson, wise to the teasing ways of his young students, locked the doors so we couldn’t come in and laugh at our floundering parents. Therefore, I missed the long-anticipated meeting of Mother and Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard. How transparent my childish machinations must have been to those adults, as they tolerated my feeble attempts at matchmaking.
Mother did learn to swim, but unlike me, she never enjoyed it. Once I could swim, and knew Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard (I always think of him with full name and title. Yes, even today.) would save me should I need saving, I became a water child they had to run out of the pool at closing time.
To me, Mother had always been young and beautiful. To me, Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard was handsome and old. In reality, there were far more years between them, with Mother by far the eldest, than between Harvey and me. When romance between them failed to bloom, my heart broke. Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard would not be my dad, and he was way too old to be my boyfriend, and way too young to be her husband. I found solace in swimming and in visiting the library for more and ever more books.
Years later, Mother and I had many chuckles over this love lost. Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard moved from Couch, as did Mother and I. Mother re-married, I grew up. Mother grew old and died, and now I am also old, and lie alone in my bed at night surrounded by my beloved books, and wonder if Harvey Anderson, once a Lifeguard and a Heart Throb, ever thinks back to the time one of his students tried to marry him off to her mother and smiles. I hope he smiles.
∞
About this memoir: Harvey Anderson, Lifeguard was originally published in a now defunct blog under the title Days at Couch. I did track down Harvey Anderson to send him a copy only to discover he had died a couple years before I wrote it. Couch School is still in Portland, but is now an office building. I wonder if the pool is maintained and used or if it was filled in and is now used for additional office space? Wouldn’t you like to work in an office building with a bona fide dungeon in the basement? and a pool? I would. Hmmm, I wonder if there are ghosts? or dragons?
Photo of the Week: Fibonacci Sequence, pattern by Carolina Oneto https://carolinaoneto.com This is easy enough for a beginner, it is 32” square.
From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua: the ice is melting, and the snow is disappearing. the days are warmer but the wind is still cold. this dog still likes naps, especially when my human snuggles with me. the sun comes out from hiding more often now. my human says winter won’t last much longer. maybe two more months. like what does that mean? how long is a month. and she says this year is a leap year. do I have to leap? how far? when? why? as long as I don’t have to leap into the ducks pond…
Weather in the Tries: It looks like our snow is about to go away. It’s still scheduled for today (Sunday) but tomorrow (Monday) has rain on the schedule and 39F. The rest of the week is high 30s and low 40s during the day, o’cast, but so far, no precip on the agenda. The nights will be freezing and higher. Monday morning: the snow is melting, the snow is melting;-)
Fridays with Thurber: Years ago, when I first started watching MSNBC, one of my favorite commentators was Keith Olbermann. He could even make me enjoy sports news. But what I enjoyed most was the sharing of his visits with his father. On Fridays he would read his father a short story by James Thurber, and on Fridays, he would also read a short story by Thurber as the last item on his broadcast.
Then, Mr. Olbermann left MSNBC and moved on to bigger and better, and the newest better is his podcast, Countdown, where he still reads a Thurber short story on Fridays. The podcast for Jan 19, is his most favorite of all the Thurber stories, and I think it is now mine—The Macbeth Murder Mysteries. Please give the podcast a listen to. And if you like the podcast, be sure to Like and Subscribe.
More on Ice Dragons: Well, the Ice Dragons imitated Icarus. I finally couldn’t up with put the constant below freezing draft on me, so covered the cardboard with a plastic bubble envelope, then lots of tape all around all four sides. The drafts stopped. Alas, the escape of the warmer, moister air from inside the apartment also stopped. The morning after adding the new envelopes and tape, I noticed the Ice Dragons had, like Icarus from so many years ago, fallen or slid, to the bottom of the window. By nighttime, they had faded away. Yes, I know. Icarus fell into the sea, but my Ice Dragons did the best they could.
I wrote a poem, Ice Dragons, Dancing, sent it, and last week’s photo off to Quill & Parchment online magazine, and I am so proud to tell you they will both be published in the February 2024 issue. When it’s published, I’ll let y’all know, and send a link.
Photo of the Week:
Ice Dragons imitating Icarus, fallen to bottom of window. By morning the next day, they had fallen to their eternity.
The new, improved, replacement window: Due to a series of ‘perfect storm’ type delays, the guys came out with the new window on Thursday. It was snowing. They removed the old window, brought the new window down, and the perfect storm continued—it was too small. The guy who came out and measured missed by 3 inches. They removed the new window (it’s still snowing), wrapped the old window in plastic and put it back. They hope to have the new (and improved!) window in one or two weeks. I know this company does good work, because they made the windows for my house addition a long time ago, and they replaced all my windows in my condo. We don’t get much snow in the Tries, and I think it’s affecting everyone;-) The old window is still broken, and the plastic isn’t quite as good as a double paned window. But it does close the hole.
everyone is entitled to my own opinion by Jeff Tiedrich:
I have been introduced to a new Substack, everyone is entitled to my own opinion. This is one of two I actually pay to read, the other is Sherman Alexie’s.
This column, a pastor was arrested for saving homeless people from freezing. what the [fark] have we becomesays I can share it, so it’s hot linked. The language is adult, but so are you. Most of the time. There are some excellent comments, should you be interested. Every so often, someone will ask me why I left Christianity and became an Atheist/Secular Humanist/Buddhist. This article does a fair job of explaining why I now consider myself a Recovering Christian.
And now a word on Fani: OMG, the OP and his cult members/followers are going after Fani Willis because she may have had an affair, may still be having an affair, with a member of her team whom she has known and been friends with for several years. Yeah? Really? This latest tangle of yarn by a CONVICTED RAPIST and his followers/members??? Ms Willis is an adult. Her friend is an adult. IF they had or have an affair it’s no one’s business besides themselves. I’ve said for years there are only two conditions for sex—consenting adults! Something the OP should learn. Except he’s too old to learn anything he doesn’t think of himself.
From the Paws of the Frozen Chihuahua: hello again. so glad you stopped by. please, will you cover me. i’m not really frozen, unless one of my humans make me go outside. then my mostly fat-free body starts to shiver and shake. my main human says i remind her of jerry lee lewis, then she laughs. i don’t know who he is, but heres his shakin’ song.
Quote of the Week: “My momma always said, ‘You and Elvis are pretty good, but y’all ain’t no Chuck Berry.” ~ Jerry Lee Lewis
Public Service Announcement: Don’t forget my 15 minutes of fame is fast approaching, on 6 Feb at about 8pm PST.
It’s farking cold! Indeed, it is. As I write this (Sunday) The hound and I arose from our warm bed to 7F outside. Believe me, he didn’t spend any more time outside than necessary! Mostly, it won’t be above freezing until Saturday next, when it is scheduled to get to 33. And that’s during the day. Nights are, of course, colder. My First Sister of Choice lives in Spokane. It’s even colder there. Fortunately, she has cats who are loving and help keep both her and First Brother-in-Law of Choice, warm. I hope they still have heat!!
A Thunder of Dragons: Yes, one of the names a group of dragons is called, is a Thunder. Also, a Horde, a Flight, a Clan, or anything else you want to call them.
I have mentioned a time or two before, that when something goes wrong, we just call the office, and they send over the maintenance guru. So, when Housemate Dan accidentally broke the window in our office, the inside glass of a double paned window, the office had a window guy out here toot sweet. Then the office called last Wednesday to say the window man would install our new window any time after noon that day. Today is Sunday. The window has not yet been fixed. Oh, well….
What has me concerned are the Ice Dragons. A few came yesterday, but last night a whole Thunder arrived, all trying to get through the window, at least through the cracks, if not the cardboard. Poor things, they’re cold. The only problem is, if they succeed in gaining entrance to the apartment, they’ll die in the warmth they seem so hell-bent to reach.
I think I would change Thunder to something better. These little guys are cute, delicate, downright beautiful. They are also stealthy. Hey! That’s it, a Stealth of Ice Dragons. The larger dragons thunder when in a group and beat their wings and ‘purr,’ as they did when smaller dragon larvae. The size differential between a dragon larva and a full-grown adult dragon, makes for a much louder and most frightening purr of dragons who love to fly and chase their meal; Ice Dragons are much too dainty to either thunder as they fly, or purr loud enough for mere mortal ears to hear. They also do not chase their prey, for they have none beyond the clouds of winter.
Photo of the Week: A Stealth of Ice Dragons on the outside of our office window, trying to sneak through the cracks of the inside window. Enough heat must escape they can feel it.
From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua: I told my human that enough is enough, and don’t wake me again until it’s warmer. Well, unless it’s for food or a very fast trip outside. She even comes into my room and pulls a blankie over me to help me stay warm on my bed. (She and I are still discussing the bed ~ she says it’s hers, I say it’s mine. It’s mine during the day, and at night, it’s hers, but we really share.)
Quote of the Week:
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” – Anton Chekhov
Public Service Announcement: …and Life Keeps on Happening: On February 6, 2024, I will be the featured reader at Cobalt Café, an online open mic for poets from anywhere in the world. Cobalt Café is every Tuesday night, 7.30 Pacific Time. If you want to read, you need to sign in at 7.15 Pacific Time. Go here to read more about the Cobalt Poets series and here to sign up to attend, whether or not you want to read. You will receive two emails a week from Rick Lupert, our host. One on Sunday and one on Tuesday, sending you the link. If you have subscribed to the Email list.
Weather in the Tries: Wellllll… the Great They had promised us single digits this coming week, and maybe snow on the week end. Looks like the Great They had a slight change of heart. The nights are going to be down as low as 10F and starting Friday it won’t get above freezing until next Wednesday. Unless the Great They change their minds. Again. The fun part is, we might get snow on Saturday, and it will stick around for a day or two. Maybe.
…and Life Keeps on Bringing Goodness: Backstory~ when our fiction critique group started, one of the gals was working on a story about a gal in nursing school. It was a fun story, but she had to depart the group to devote her time to her novel, not our writing. Understand that, I do! Anyhow, a week or so before Christmas, she emailed me and asked if I would like to be a Beta Reader. I said I would, but only after the holidays had come and gone. I think it was on Friday I received her ms. I was delighted to see it was the same story we’d critiqued the first few chapters of, and it was finished!
I figured I’d start it Sunday morning, read a few chapters, then go to a couple of my Sunday meetings, and get it finished by the next weekend. WRONG! Life (and a fascinating read) happened. I read it until time to leave for book group, and when we got back from discussing Devolution by Max Brooks, I got right back into the ms. I set the alarm so I could go to my afternoon poetry group, the alarm went off, I shut it off, and was going to read until the end of the chapter. WRONG! Life (and that pesky marvelous read) happened. A little after 10:00, I finished the ms and send it back to her. Like I told her in the email, I loved all her characters including the few we were meant to love to hate;-) I further told her that if I was 50-60 years younger, and a fictional character (there has been doubt on that off and on through my life) I woulda made a play for one of the characters in the story. 😉
I really hope she gets it published soon, because I think you just might enjoy owning and reading your very own copy.
All of that is to explain why Coffee Break Escapes wasn’t waiting in your mailbox this morning. Because I didn’t get it written yesterday.
Photo of the Week: I don’t watch TV, I watch Computer, to be specific, I either pop movies into my player, watch them on YouTube or AppleTV, or just watch YouTube. Somehow, I got to watching a short piece by a quilter, who was extolling the virtues of Hardware/Lumber stores in relation to quilting. Housemate Dan and I went to Harbor Freight the other day and I bought two items for my quilting/sewing. One of them is a 6” metal bowl with a strong magnet on the bottom. It sits on my sewing machine base and holds my pins. They had a blue one and a yellow one, and some unpainted and smaller. But I liked the red. Quilter do love, and use, their toys.
The other item I bought was a plastic small-tool organizer. Remember the new sewing machine I bought? It has NO attached storage. My older machine has storage in the top part, and part of the base is storage, and it comes off so one can have a small sewing area, perfect for cuffs on sleeves, etc. New machine has NO storage, so I bought a Small Tool Storage box, plastic, with 24 little cubes inside with removable dividers, in which to store my extra feet. Uh, sewing machine feet.
From the Paws of the Brave Dog: I’m off to a good start on keeping my resolution. Naps are good. Especially when I can make a nest out of my human’s sweater! There’s some sort of horrible doggie disease going around, and my human took me to the Vet the other day, and I got vaxxed. My human doesn’t want me sick, and if a bit of an upset tummy and extra naps will keep me from getting really, really sick, I’ll take the vax. So, I got extra naps in for a couple of days. And I won’t get that new disease.
Quote of the Week: “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.” ~ Richard Bach, Illusions
Weather in the Tries: The coming week will be low 30s at night and low 40s for highs during the days with a tad bit of sun on Thursday and a slight chance of rain on Saturday.
Some Happy News with Which I Begin 2024: Yeah, I know, I wasn’t going to write and post a new one until next week. But I had such a wonderful phone call the other day, I just had to share. My publisher and Good Friend called to tell me I’d sold 91 copies of Madame Dorian! Thirty were bought on one day!
Good news indeed, but also slightly puzzling. Oh, I’m not complaining, I’m just curious—why the sudden interest? Did a school buy them? Libraries? We have no idea, but Boy Howdy! are we celebrating!!
I’m truly grateful, but I wish I knew why, so I could maybe replicate it;-)
Update on Family Celebration: Favorite Grandson has a job he enjoys, and he spent the Holidays filling in for people who wanted the time off. He’s taking his time off the end of January, to cover his birthday. That’s when my Favorite Family and I will have our get together and celebration.
Goodbye and Hello: I am writing this on the last day of 2023, you will receive it on the first day of 2024. I have no idea when you’ll actually read it;-)
I am attending a New Year’s Eve Party tonight. The first one I’ve attended in so many years I’ve forgotten how long it’s been. Someone finally got an idea for said party I can go along with. We can come, drink how much we want and not have to worry about driving home with a road filled with (potential) drunks–including us. We’re having our party on Zoom!! It should be a lot of fun! Now, do I want wine or tequila? I have all day to reach a decision.
And the good news doesn’t stop! On February 6, 2024, I will be the featured reader at Cobalt Café, an online open mic for poets from anywhere in the world. Cobalt Café is every Tuesday night, 7.30 Pacific Time. If you want to read, you need to sign in at 7.15 Pacific Time. Go here to read more about the Cobalt Poets series and here to sign up to attend, whether or not you want to read. You will receive two emails a week from Rick Lupert, our host. One on Sunday and one on Tuesday, sending you the link. If you have subscribed to the Email list.
Photo of the Week: Took this a couple years ago. Not sure if it was windy, or my telephoto wobbled, but it’s slightly out of focus, and l think it looks like a painting. It’s a juvenile Great Blue Heron.
From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua: My human says it’s time to make a New Year’s Resolution. Whatever that is. She explained that people decide to improve their lives, and make a resolution, a promise to themselves, to do whatever to improve. How can I possibly improve me? I mean, I’m the Big Chihuahua! The Brave Dog! Oh, wait, I know. I hereby resolve to take more naps and get my human to join me!!!
Quote from Jimmy Carter (via Robin Givan and NYT): “Hospice care is not a matter of giving up. It’s a decision to shift our efforts from shoring up a body on the verge of the end to providing solace to a soul that’s on the cusp of forever.”
I know, many of you consider yourself Christian, but there are many more religions out there that celebrate sacred and holy days at this same time of the year, and I don’t want to slight anyone who may be reading this. I hope you’ll click the link above and check it out.
This has been both a very full year for me, and a very empty year. I spent a lot of time in Kirkland WA the first couple of months, and then moved in with my newest Sister of Choice and my Elder Brother of Choice the last 3 months of my EBOCs life. The last few months of his life, I could almost see the decline from one day to the next. ALS is not a disease to live with, and especially to die from. Fortunately, Washington State has medical assistance in dying (MAiD) if desired. My EBOC used MAiD and died on May 30th. He fell asleep 4.5 minutes after drinking the cocktail. I am honored to have been one of his caregivers, and that I was able to hold his hand for the three hours it took for him to die. I hope it brought him some comfort.
When I came home I was met by a small dog who came as close to crying as I’ve ever heard a dog come. He was sooooo happy. He was my shadow for a couple days, and he did not like it if I left. He still doesn’t like me to go away, but he’s not quite as clingy. But he is so happy when I come home.
I lost two more friends within 3 weeks of my EBOC’s death, then three more friends in the last 7 months. I don’t have that many friends that I care to lose more especially by dying, so NO MORE!! Are you listening? You’d better be!!
Hope holds that the chapbook of poems I wrote about EBOC’s death (and no, they are not all tear-jerking!) will find a home with one of the publishers who now have the manuscript. I’ll be sure to let you know when it comes out.
Of course, I wrote poems about my EBOC’s passing. I shared a couple with some of his other caregivers, and two of them suggested I might consider becoming a Death Doula. A what? I asked. A death midwife, the explained. You know, like the gal who mixed and gave him the drink? The gal who came out and answered all our questions about death, especially EBOCs. I came home did some research, talked to a few people, with the upshot that I am now a Death Doula, having completed the course through A Sacred Passing. I will take the class through End of Life Washington to be able to administer the cocktail myself. That will prove a bit of a logistic problem as I’m required to shadow someone for a few times as they mix and administer. There is no one in the area where I live to shadow. I’ll probably have to commute to the Seattle area.
Grief Brain has struck again. I’m able to get a few things made for gifts, but can’t, yet, handle cards. Which is weird as they are so much easier to do. Maybe it’s self-preservation so I don’t have to see in my mind’s eye, all the people I’ve lost this year. So, this is my card too all of you, my Favorite Readers and Goodest Friends. I should be able to function by next Winter Solstice. No promises, though.
Leaving you with a bit of happiness, I will spend Christmas with Favorite Daughter, Favorite Son, AND Favorite Grandson. Housemate Dan is going to visit his Favorite Daughter and family, so he’ll be with some Favorite Grands, too. I just don’t yet know what day we’ll be celebrating. It depends on Favorite Grandson’s work schedule. But, my family is used to not always being able to being together for the 25th of December. We’ve actually celebrated on Eastern Weekend. But, we’ll be together, whenever it is.
Photo of the Week: Pulled the ice tray out for a couple of ice cubes and two of them were constructing a rocket launcher (?) or whatever. They were over an inch in length. (Did they know I bought Margarita mix? Were they going to launch themselves into my glass?)
The Big Chihuahua and Auntie Lenora wish all of you, my Favorite Readers, the Bestest Ever Happy Holiday you’ve ever had. Eat dessert first (who wants green beans baked in mushroom soup, anyhow?), drink your Favorite Libation–responsibly, keep the Pink Bottle close, give out hugs every chance you get, kisses too (if appropriate), and laugh, and laugh, and laugh!
Auntie Lenora is taking some time off to hopefully get a few more things made for the Winter Solstice; she and the Brave Dog will be back January 8, 2024. Wow, already yet and it’s gonna be 2024. How time flies when you get old. It ain’t fair. It should go along at the slow, plodding pace it did when we were young.
May your new year be the bestest 2024 you’ve ever had!!! Auntie Lenora sends hugs and love, and Sammy sends pupkisses to you all!
A World Religion Holiday Season Calendar should be looked at. Be sure to scroll down the page a bit.
Weather Forecast for the Tries: Gonna dip into the high 29-low30s for the next few nights. Probably until the horny hare makes his appearance next spring. The days will all be in the 40s. The rattlesnakes, and others, are by now either in a ball underground hibernating, or on a heat rock in some kids bedroom. Hope his mom is okay with that. We’ll have a flake or two of god’s dandruff, and more than a few hours of his tears. Otherwise, it will just be overcast. There is a possibility, regardless of how slight, it’s still a possibility, we’ll have measurable white stuff for the Solstice and or Christmas. The Pass (Snoqualmie) is getting lots of snow as I write this on Saturday.
It’s so good to be back: No, I haven’t gone anywhere. Our internet provider did. Or at least the wire that leads from the junction box to our apartment did. We lost service Friday night, had it intermittingly Saturday, and Sunday until about 6 in the evening, and then it left for good. The tech was here yesterday for about an hour, in the afternoon, and got it reinstated. By then I had two zooms and….
It’s amazing how much we use our computers. It’s also pretty amazing (to me, anyhow) how quiet it was without them. Housemate Dan and I share an office, and we’re both pretty good about using headphone so our computers don’t compete, but we’re both guilty of reacting, verbally, to what we watch. With nothing to watch, we were quiet. It lasted 5 minutes beyond our reinstatement, and then he was growling and I was howling.
I’m not big on podcasts, but methinks that’s about to change. When I first discovered MSNBC years ago, I started watching because of Keith Olbermann. I liked his style, but I really liked how on Fridays, he would read us a James Thurber story. He told us about his dad, and how he always read a Thurber story to him. And then he (Keith) was gone, moved somewhere else. When I found him, I couldn’t get the station he was on, so I watched his replacement. Well, the other day, I was listening to some news on YouTube, probably Glen Kirschner, and was in the other room, sewing, when his show was over and the old theme song for Countdown, Keith Olbermann’s old show, and I’ll be hornswoggled, he has a new (to me) show on YouTube. It’s a podcast, but it’s interesting.
Countdown was on last night as I had a few minutes between zoom meetings, and it didn’t take long before I was howling with laughter. Especially the story about meeting Mr. & Mrs. Carlton. And I agree with the Mrs. that I don’t care much for sports but she and her husband watching him every night and thoroughly enjoyed his show. Oh, Mrs. Carlton was a Brit, and that is the name he heard, not the name she gave, and by the time he was through with the story (it comes toward the end of the show) I was almost falling off my chair as I laughed.
Photo of the Week: This is from last August, the Brave Dog was in our office sleeping on the floor. Doesn’t he look brave? I’ll have you know he hasn’t run from a single Zombie Leaf this season. He actually stomps on them and raises his hind leg! He’s showing them who the Big Chuhuahua is! Grrrrowl!!
From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua: It looks like the Weather Human finally listened to my human and sent the rain away. My human said we got rain because Seattle got a pineapple express, and some of the clouds made it over the mountains and we got leftovers. I usually like leftovers, but not leftover rain. I don’t like rain at all, it’s wet. Wet only belongs in my water dish! But my human tries to keep the rain away, and I love her for it.
