Tag Archives: Saying Goodbye to Thomas

And then along comes…

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Yā€™all know how Auntie Lenora hates numbers. If you didnā€™t know that before, you do now. I do not enjoy math, and I detest algebra. To me, the wonton mixing of numbers and letters is an abomination. Kinda like a tossed salad mixed with worms.

And then along comes AI thinking itā€™s an author, writing stories worthy of narration and publication. ā€œIt was Wednesday, and Nathan came. We spent three days ā€” On Thursday he went back…ā€ Even I, Numbers Phobe Extraordinaire, knows thatā€™s wrong. Sigh. 

My secret sin, I listen to way too many of these, I never comment, I do not wish to encourage more than I do by clicking on them, but I find them laugh out loud funny! The words are mispronounced, the abbreviations written are said incorrectly, and the stories are, well, think romance novels of the ā€˜70s and ā€˜80s. The SciFi ones are fairly well done, and fun, but again, very formulaic. The ones that come out of other countries are not always translated, often there are sentences and paragraphs in Asian languages, and I think Iā€™ve caught Russian in a couple. But they are great escape from the Un-named Person (UP) the news generated by same.

The Red Hijab by Bonnie Bolling

I honestly donā€™t remember who recommended this book, but I wish I did so I could thank them. Itā€™s about 70 pages of some wonderful poetry. As H. L. Hix says in the Forward, Bonnie Bolling ā€œ…lives a part of each year in Diraz, a village in Bahrain [and] is in position to offer, and does offer in The Red Hijab, an alternative to [news dispatches.ā€ I would like to know why she lives there part time every year, because Iā€™m curious. 

I found the poems engaging and telling of a life more as itā€™s lived than reported on the news. Yes, there are the sounds of shootings while a chicken cooks in someoneā€™s kitchen. There is rain and a soaked housemaid passing wearing her red hijab. 

Bolling takes us on a tour of day-to-day-living in a culture very unlike ours, and while I donā€™t think I would want to live in that culture long-term, I found it beautiful in its honesty, and of course, had I been born into it, it would be all I would know. 

From the first and title poem, ā€œThe Red Hijabā€ which begins: ā€œA hard rain falling on the corrugated roof / of the abandoned double-wide / across the steaming street,ā€ to the last poem of the book, ā€œOn a Balcony with the Lunch Poemsā€ which ends, ā€œalways the going, / always the returning, / the four of them wearing / Superman underwear.ā€ (she returns to California and her sons) we are treated with the beauty of words, and a country Iā€™ve never known and would like to meet. 

The book is divided into three parts, introduced by quotes by people as varied as Adonis, Virginia Woolf, Job, and Rumi. The word Azan appears many times, and when I looked it up, thinking it was a synonym for muezzin I learned something, which makes the book even more worthwhile. The muezzin is the man who calls/sings the azan, the call to prayer, from the minaret. There are several of the calls or summons to prayer on line, here is one classified as the ā€œMost Beautiful Azan Ever Heard.ā€ I cannot attest to that, because itā€™s the only one Iā€™ve ever heard, but it is beautiful. 

The Red HijabĀ by Bonnie Bolling
ISBN: 978-1-943491-06-3
BkMkPress, 2016
available fromĀ Amazon
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā I looked at abebooks.com and it cost twice as much plus an outrageous s/h fee. I could not find it on Bookshop.org. Amazon has new ones for $12.74
5 stars

First Goslings!

Our first goslings of the season were brought over to the small pond next to my office on Thursday. There were four of them. Parents very watchful and protective. A lot of folks donā€™t like Canada Geese, but they are family oriented. As more goslings come along, the families frequently band together, herding all the youngsters into a mass bundle of cuteness, and walk surrounding them, or swim surrounding them, to keep them all safe. Ducks donā€™t seem to be that caring. The drakes ignore the hens while they nest, so they must leave the eggs unattended while they eat, and when the babies come, the hens are protective of theirs, but arenā€™t smart enough to see banding together with other duck hens and young would add more protection. They will attack any duckling that wanders into their group or territory, as the usurper will steal the food of their babies. I donā€™t want to politicize our geese or ducks but they do rather remind me of our two major political parties. /meow/

I believe the gander is on the left, and the dame on the right. The four yellow spots are the goslings.

“The holiest place on earth
is where your greatest
enemy stands.” –unknown

Blatant Self-Promotion:
I’m sorry, but every so often I really need to self-promote
Saying Goodbye to Thomas.
If you would like to asigned copy, contact me.
The cost is $23.00 including shipping and handling,
otherwise, please check your local indie bookstore, Bookshop.org or the other place.
If you buy from me, I will donate the ENTIRE amount, split evenly, to
ALS Association and Death With Dignity.
Whatever royality I receive from bookstores/publishers
is also divided equally.
I make NO money from this book.

Unbuilding (a Book Review)

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Just finished reading a fun book, Unbuilding by David Macaulay. Itā€™s childrenā€™s lit, but great fun. In 1989, a Saudi Prince buys the Empire State Building, has it dismantled, labeled, etc., and put on a ship to Saudi where it can be reassembled. This is the story of Unbuilding the Empire State Building. Itā€™s full of pen and ink drawings, and if you have any budding architects, engineers, or builders in your sphere, you might want to consider the book for them. Itā€™s available from Bookshop.org or if you donā€™t mind a used book, from abebooks.com. Or from your favorite indie bookstore.

Iā€™m going to have to try his other books. Well, some of them. Heā€™s got bunches and they look way fascinating. Heā€™s got at least 25 listed on Bookshop.org. ranging from Castle to The Way Things Work to Mammoth Math: Everything You Need to Know About Numbers to Rome Antics. Iā€™ll probably skip the Mammoth Mathā€”itā€™s hardback, and I prefer softback /snort/. (for those of you who donā€™t know, I prefer letters and words to numbers and equal signs)

However, since Iā€™m on the topic of books, when Covid hit, I attended a book launch by Arthur Sze of his book The Glass Constellation sponsored by Rain Taxi. It was via a zoom-type of program, so no one was crammed in a seat next to 100 of their new best friends, we were all given our own little ā€œroomā€ on a screen. Sze was maybe a quarter of the way through with his presentation, and I had already ordered the book. Iā€™d never heard of him before that night, but thatā€™s how impressed I was with his poetry. When my book came, itā€™s a compendium of several of his earlier books, all bound together with new and selected poems. I literally consumed the book withing r or 5 days. I have since added several other books to my collection, including his latest, or one of his latest ones, Into The Hush. Not only do I love the book, but I was invited to join a group of poets who will gather for 6 meetings to study the book, its poems, and do writings inspired/based on his poems in the book. 

The small group I am in (3 per group) decided to study/work on Letter to Tao Qian. Thanks to Favorite Daughter, I have The Silk Dragon II, a book of Chinese poems Sze translated, and the first 5 poems are by the Ancient Chinese poet, Tao Qian. Itā€™s very interesting to read those 5 poems and find the references in Szeā€™s poem. Homework has never been such fun. 

My Winter Gift from me to me this year was Szeā€™s book, The White Orchard. It is a collection of some of his interviews,  essays, and some poetry. The most interesting parts to me are the areas where he talks about how he writes. He often uses disparate phrases and fragments of sentences for his lines, but all of the lines are deliberate, and in a deliberate order. Because we all bring our own stories to the ones we read, we are each given our own interpretation as to what his lines mean. Is he telling us to stop, relax, breathe, acknowledge there is evil in the world, but to spend more time on the beauty? I have started writing ā€œlikeā€ Sze, but not like him. My mind is trainable, but I donā€™t want his voice, I want his style. I want to keep my own voice. I want someone to read my poem and say, ā€œAh, sheā€™s read Arthur Sze!ā€ It is very difficult for me to think in segments and fragments, but I have written a couple of poems with one-line stanzas, in disparate fragments. I am also working on a long, sectioned poem like he writes, with each section being in a different format. Those are the poems that caused me to order The Glass Constellation.

Of course, there are many poets out there I really likeā€”the ever-gracious Naomi Shihab Nye, the late Lucille Clifton, the late Paul Monette, the effervescent Diane Seuss, and the incomparable Eduardo C. Corral. But I am in Literary Lust with Arthur Sze šŸ˜‰

Imagine You Are Madame Dorion

So, I log onto YouTube and am looking at the videos on my home page, and notice a photo of buffalo in a snow storm that looks familiar, like one I took, and then I look at the words, and it IS one of my photos from when my friend and publisher of Madame Dorion put together a promo video for my book. Wow! Something from ten years ago showed upā€”a whole video of my photos.  On my YouTube home page. If you didnā€™t get it on your home page, it is here ā€” a smidge under 7 minutes. And, if you havenā€™t read the book, you can find it at your favorite bookstore (they may have to order it) or at bookshop.org. Historical fiction at its finest, not that Iā€™m biasedā€”or bragging. By the way, the cover on Madame Dorion was painted by a descendant of Madame Dorion.

And Remember

If you donā€™t yet have your copy of Saying Goodbye to Thomas, you may pick up, or order, a copy from your favorite bookstore, or order a copy here, at Bookshop.org. All proceeds go to the ALS Association and End of Life Washington/Death With Dignity.

William Stafford Challenge

Today, 16 February 2026, is the 31st day of the William Stafford Challenge. The Challenge goes from 17 Jan to 17 Jan (his birthday, and we write a poem a day), on the 17th of January, I had written 22 poems, having started on the first of January. By this morning my number of poems written is currently 68. More will come this day, I am sure. 

Now, they arenā€™t all good poems, though a couple are, but they are all seeds to go back and edit, revise, and have good poems emerge. 

A fond memory of my road trip through the Southwest a couple years ago. The tall skinny ones are saguaro cactus. It was warm. Blessedly warm.

Be Happy, Be Well, Be Safe

Ready or Not, 2026 is Here!

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9 January 2026

Well, this is embarrassing. I wrote a post on the first (see below) and tried to post it, and something was amiss, so I contacted my webmistress, and she got it fixed and let me know a couple days ago all was well, and I forgot to go in and post it. So, now itā€™s a double post.

Except this one will be extra short šŸ˜‰

And I wish you all a bang-up marvelous 2026. May goodness outweigh badness to the nth degree this new year!

1 January 2026

2025 is now in our rear-view mirror! And you know what Iā€™m thankful for? Groundhog Day, the movie, is pure fiction. Lordy, lordy, but I hate even the shivery thought of having to repeat 2025. Ever.

True, there were some good things that happened, most notable being that Saying Goodbye to Thomas (Finishing Line Press) is now published and available at your favorite bookstore. And, should you not wish to purchase from the big A, and not have a store near you or itā€™s too cold to go out, I suggest www.Bookshop.org. True, youā€™ll have to pay s/h, but not much, and a certain percentage of the purchase price goes to independent bookstores (you can even choose your favorite).

And, of course, your favorite Old Auntie survived the identity theft and resultant aches & painsā€”many thanks to the help of Favorite Daughter. To be honest, Iā€™m not sure I could have survived without her help.

I did get some poetry written and published (Thank you Quill & Parchment and Dos Gatos Press). Watched way too much YouTube. Not too much on the political front, as those tend to add to the depression Iā€™ve been fighting, and mostly winning, for the past 14 months. The new AI stories, most on revenge, and pretty funny. The stories, the obvious lack of I in the AI, especially the so-called military ones. No, I do not leave comments, nor click on them. Iā€™m pretty sure many of them are out of China, but if you listen, you can tell theyā€™re AI. Maybe A+ would be a better descriptor? A-?? Also one of the ways to tell if the news youā€™re watching by your favorite pundit is really Pundit or A+/-. Listen. Youā€™ll know.

On 1 June 2018, I welcomed a rescue large Chihuahua named Sammy, into my life. He was literally afraid of his own shadow, of dead, dried, zombie leaves that ran at him to eat puppy brains, any other human that spoke to him, dogs on leashes, ducks on his sidewalk, thunder terrified him, as well as fireworks. With thunder, he becomes highly (lowly? his legs are pretty short??) agitated, and he jumps off the bed, goes under the bed, then back on the bed, and repeats until the offending sounds finally quit. I changed his name to Sammy Brave Dog, hoping it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Last night, New Yearā€™s Eve, the fireworks started somewhere around midnight (I assume) and I braced to become his launchpad off the bed to the floor when he nosed his way under the blankets and snuggled next to me, and didnā€™t so much as shiver or shake the rest of the night. In checking my smart watch, I see I was awake for a little over an hour roughly between midnight and 1:10am. When the fireworks were going off. And my puppy slept through it!!! 

And the zombie puppy-brain-eating-leaves that attack him at the whim of the wind? For the most part, he now just raises is back leg and tells them who the boss is!

While visiting a friend the other day, I was struck by a black/white photo of a white wolf in snow, on her wall. The outline was there, but it was almost all white except the eyes and nose. So, I came home and started playing with my camera and my mini-wolf. He is an extremely shy dog, but here are a couple photos, one as he looks, and the other in my feeble attempt to make him a white wolf.Ā 

Sammy Brave Dog as he is.

Sammy Brave Wolf as he thinks he is.

Are You Adoptable?

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Oh for heaven’s sake. Somehow, when I copied and pasted, I dropped the lead paragraph: This is a reprint from my now defunct blog, Odds n Bods, from a different tim, with a few changes, and additions. /sigh/

I read an article the other day that got me to thinking a tad bit about old age, growing older, and all the related implications.

The article, “He was one of millions of Chinese seniors growing old alone. So he put himself up for adoption.” is by Emily Rauhala at The Washington Post, May 2, 2018.

It is about an 85-year-old Chinese man, a widower, with children who had long since moved away and had lives of their own. The old ways in China are dying, if not dead. Modernity has come, and with it the fact that children are not always in a position to care for aging parents as once was the norm. Han Zicheng, tired of being alone, of having no sons to care for him (he claimed he had two, one of them said there were three), posted a note in a public place asking for someone to adopt him so he would not die uncared for, alone.

Loneliness is a terrible thing, and we, as a species, seem to feel it more when we are surrounded by people, strangers. I wrote a blog about it December 28, 2015, Are You Lonesome Tonight? on a now defunct blog and even had a link to Elvis singing his popular song. Fortunately the YouTube link to The Kingā€™s recording is still available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XVdtX7uSnk.

My memory of the article about Mr. Han is he was “needy”ā€”he complained about his plight, he didn’t want to do for himself, he expected others to do for him. He refused to go to a nursing home. There were people who maintained contact with him, sporadic at best, but not his family. 

I’m sure we all know people like Mr. Han, I certainly do. They are very needy, and though surrounded by people, no one pays them much attention because they are always angry or complaining. Most of them are also excellent manipulators, and often one doesn’t realize what is happening until they’ve been sucked in. Needy people are exhausting people. They don’t want to help themselves; they want someone to “fix” it for them, whatever “it” is. There is a reason I never became a counselor. 

Someone sent me a quote by Cynthia Nelms the other day, “Nobody cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.” It’s good advice. Truly, nobody cares. Oh, that’s not to say, when the now and again calamity hits they don’t care, but it gets jaded hearing nothing but complaints from people, even when couched in such a manner they think they’re being cute and people won’t notice. Complaining is a habit, and like any habit, it can be broken with a little work. Okay, a lot of work. Still it’s a habit that can be broken. Or continually reinforced. Pay attention to what you think, speak, and write. Is it positive, or is there a hint of whine? Cheese not included. 

I read an article the other day by a counselor, and I now wish Iā€™d marked it, written it down, but I didnā€™t. Old age, ya know? Anyhow the counselor said that forgiving someone isnā€™t about them, itā€™s about the one who forgives. You can hate someone for your whole life, and guess how much sleep the hated person loses over it? Yeah, none. How much do YOU lose over it? The counselor suggested even if you donā€™t really want to forgive the offending person, pretend to forgive them. Every time you think of them, and start getting angry, etc., stop and say something like, ā€œ(Name) you really hurt me. I forgive you.ā€ and then go one with your day. Repeat as often as necessary. Eventually, youā€™ll really forgive them without really noticing, and youā€™ll start to feel better than youā€™ve felt in years.

At some point in my life it came to me that I’m probably going to be alone far more than I’m going to be coupled, and if that’s the case, I’d darned well better learn to like myself, because I’m going to be the best, and possibly only, company I’m going to have as I age, grow old, and die.

By the way, this idea of being afraid to die alone is rather odd, if you think about it. Two things we always do alone are being birthed and dying. There may be friends and or family present, but when push comes to shove (pun intended) we’re gonna do it alone. If it frightens you, I suggest you do some searching as to why it frightens you, and then act and change so it doesn’t. Educate yourself. If the face of the god you worship is a vengeful, wrathful, frightening one, consider finding a more forgiving, humorous, and loving face of your god to worship. As Reverend Mother Odrade, BG, said, “Face your fears or they will climb over your back.”

Are you lonesome? Want someone to adopt you? Are you adoptable? Which baby do you gravitate toā€”the happy, bubbly baby, who loves to burble and smile? ā€”or the grumpy one who would rather cry and whimper and scream? Who would you adopt?

Public Service Announcement: I sent two checks off to the ALS Association and End of Life Washington today, in memory of Thomas, each for $80.00. Thanks to all of you who bought the book. And thanks to all of you who will buy the book, the next check will go out in February.

Lenora

“Donā€™t take life too seriously. Youā€™ll never get out of it alive.” –Elbert Hubbard

Lost Files and Box of Books

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Lost Files:

As mentioned a couple posts ago, I had my identity stolen last Aprilā€”the nightmare that keeps on giving.

Once I had my computer back (note: the thief didn’t steal the actual computer, he hijacked my iCloud files) from the thief, I took it to a trusted computer store, and had it ā€˜scrubbedā€™ for any trojans, viruses, etc. that the thief may have planted. It came home all squeaky cleanā€”and missing about four and a half years of my poetry. I thought my files were backed up, but, alas, not to be found. Talk about grief and depression!Ā 

The thief also stole my phone number, and many thanks to the crew at our local Verizon store, I got it back the night before my number was to go back into the pool of numbers and beyond retrieving. We had to take my phone back to factory settings to get the thiefā€™s phone number off it. Which meant Iā€™d lose all the apps Iā€™d put on. No biggee, just a pain. Well, one biggee, Iā€™ve not been able to find the solitaire game I had enjoyed. The new ones are subpar in my opinion.

Sooo, last Monday night, I saw an app on my phone I didnā€™t remember seeing. Called ā€œFiles.ā€ Now, Iā€™m just a tad leery of clicking on things since the Great Hijacking. But eventually I had to click on it. And there were my Document files. Would my lost files be there? I wasnā€™t sure I wanted yet another major loss, and it was with a great deal of trepidation I scrolled down and there they were and are. Depression cured. 

When I was spending so much time in Kirkland, with Thomas, I started saving everything to the cloud so I could access files I needed/wanted from my iPad. Then, after I came home, where I had my computer, I forgot about it. Apparently, when I started backing everything up to the cloud, a magic app appeared on my phone, which I never saw (wasnā€™t looking for it). I couldnā€™t figure out why the thief would want to delete them, and seriously doubt he did. Not sure where they went, but Iā€™m beyond delighted to have found them. 

Box of Books:

I ordered books from the publisher and received 15 pounds of books in a box the other day, direct from the printer. Books ordered from the publisher in ones and twos, such as pre-orders, should be arriving in your mailboxes this week. I am thrilled with the way it looks. The cover photo by Sherry Walker turned out great! Thank you, Ms Walker!!!

I havenā€™t received my hardback book yet, but Iā€™m sure it, too, is gorgeous. If you havenā€™t yet ordered your very own copy, please consider ordering from the publisher, your local indie bookstore, or any of the online stores. 

Saying Goodbye to Thomas
by Lenora Rain-Lee Good
ISBN 979-8-89990-036-5 First Edition
Finishing Line Press (dot) com

Paperback: $17.99
Hardback: $27.99

Remember, all royalties will be divided equally between the ALS Association and End of Life Washington (and no, it isnā€™t suicide).

Please consider ordering a copy, and if youā€™re in the Kirkland area of Washington State, please consider combing by The Book Tree from 5:24 to 8:22 pm on August 2, 2025 for a Special, Remembering Thomas, and the official launch of Saying Goodbye to Thomas. Enjoy a great night of poetry by poets who knew and loved Thomas.

ā€œA poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.ā€
~ Robert A. Heinlein

Hello! Remember me?

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Your friendly, neighborhood poet. And do I have news for you!!! Saying Goodbye to Thomas has been released by the publisher. If you pre-ordered a copy, I thank you, and it should be in your hands maybe next week. If you didnā€™t pre-order, thatā€™s okay. In fact, perhaps youā€™ll be gladā€”there is also a hardback book, if youā€™d rather not have a paper/softback copy!

This book is available from your favorite bookstore. Admittedly, youā€™ll probably have to order it, as not every bookstore carries every book, but…. 

All you need isĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the title:Ā Saying Goodbye to Thomas,Ā 
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the author: Lenora Rain-Lee Good
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the publisher: Finishing Line Press
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā the ISBN:Ā 979-8-89990-036-5

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā paper back: $17.99
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā hard back: $27.99

I will be holding a book launch at The Book Tree, in Kirkland WA the afternoon/evening of 2 August 2025, starting at 5:15pm. This was Thomasā€™s favorite indie bookstore. If youā€™re in Kirkland area, come on by!! There will be other poets there, who knew Thomas, so it will be a Thomas night superb.

Speaking of Indie publishers and bookstoresā€”support them when possible. Buy books from the publisher, buy books from the indie bookstore in your town. 

Remember, I make NO money from this book. ALL royalties received will be divided between the ALS Association and Death With Dignity. Incidentally, DWD isĀ notĀ suicide, it is a hastening of certain death, usually slow, painful, and robbed of personal dignity, that will happen within the next six months or less.

Please consider buying a copy.

“In a world largely uncomfortable with death, Lenora Rain-Lee Good writes through the process of embracing grief as it approaches, “It’s so easy to be brave / when not required,” she writes, yet these poems remind us that every day, each moment, requires its own braveryā€”that even the rehearsals for the great performance of death demand our presence, demand that we connect with one another, insist that we open ourselves to love even thought it will break our hearts–because it is the only way to live.” ā€”Zach Hively, Author, Owl Poems

And We Were Granted A Miracle!

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!!!!Public Service Announcement!!!!

I have just been informed that my book, Saying Goodbye to Thomas has been posted to:Ā https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/saying-goodbye-to-thomas-by-lenora-rain-lee-good/Ā for pre-orders. I ask you to seriously consider pre-ordering as it is the number of pre-orders that will determine the amount of royalties I receive. PLEASE NOTE: I will, upon receipt of all royalty checks, immediately split the amount and sent to ALS Association and End of Life Washington. I will keep NO monies from this book.Ā 

Weather in the Tries:
The schedule looks much better. Not a single day or night lower than 32F and the days will all be in me mid- to -high 50s!!! Wahoo!!! The Brave Dog is jumping with glee. Now, if the rain will fall during the time heā€™s inside napping instead of the times he needs to go outside to visit the Grass Gods ;-). Maybe not seeing my shadow did mean Spring is near šŸ˜‰

And We Were Granted a Miracle:
No matter if you worship Ma Nature, Evolution, a named god, Selu Corn Mother, or none of the preceding, we still had a miracle this past week. An ill Leonard Peltier finally went home to his tribe, his family, his people, his land. As he said, ā€œI am free.ā€ And he is home for the first time in more than 50 years. (He was taken from his family and home when he was nine and sent to a Government Boarding School. Heā€™s never really been home since then.)

I remember the gun battle where he allegedly shot and killed two FBI agents at point blank range, I remember reading about it, watching tv about it, all the conflicting stories. I vaguely remember that more than one witness was given a fair amount of booze, some money, and a one-way ticket to another state and told not to come back. Everything I read through the years lead me to think that yes, Peltier was there, that he fired his weapon from a distance and in self-defense, and that he did not shoot the two agents. In fact, I read a few accounts by people who were allegedly there, that the two agents were collateral damage shot by other agents. Which would help explain the rabid response of the FBI to Bidenā€™s commutation.

At any rate, Peltier spent 5 decades in prison, and none were in Club Fed. He did not have an easy time. And yet, when he left, he had the respect of his jailers who lined the walkway as an honor to him, and Peltier shook each of their hands. I betcha there was no such honor for the J-6ers who were released. That should say something about Peltierā€™s character vs. that of, say, the ā€˜heroesā€™ of FFOTUS. 

Photo of the Week:

Proposed cover for book, taken from the front porch of Thomas’s Cabin in the Ozarks, and my back cover photo.

from the desk of the brave dog;
ooooh, can you see this puppy do happy dance. the cold weather has moved on to somewhere else. Iā€™m not sorry at all. I hope it doesnā€™t come back. Maybe Iā€™ll get longer walks again. oh, here I go again, tap tap taptaptap, hap, hap, happppppyyyyyyyyy dance.

Video of the week:
Somehow, I got hooked on the Change Cleaning Services Center YouTube channel where they clean old and filthy carpets. Well, Iā€™ve said for years that work fascinates me, I can sit and watch it by the hour šŸ˜‰ 

Earworm of the Week: 

Why thisĀ opening is so powerfully iconic. And now I canā€™t get it out of either of my ears;-)

Quotes of the Week:

ā€œIt took the Naziā€™s 1 month, 3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, 40 minutes
to dismantle a Constitutional Republic.”
~ J. B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois

ā€œ…Fascism is the politicization of toxic masculinity.ā€
~Joe Wright, filmmaker of series ā€œMussolini: Son of the Centuryā€

ā€œRe-examine all you have been told. 
Dismiss what insults your soul.ā€ 
~Walt Whitman

MitĆ”kuye OyĆ”sā€™iŋ ā€œWe are all relatedā€ ~ Lakota Saying

Love n Hugs to you all, 
be well!

Heroes and Hallowed Ground

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I have been asked by a friend who has recently been diagnosed with macular degeneration, if I could read and post my blogs. I am going to try to do so each time I write and post a Coffee Break Escape. The recordings will be on The Spoken Word page above. Heroes and Hallowed Ground is now posted for your listening pleasure.

Weather in the Tries:
Huzzah! Huzzah! Monday, today, will be 91F and it goes down from hereā€”all the way to 74F during the days, and the nights drop from 68F to 53F. While itā€™s not bring out the down jacket, it may be time for a light sweater when out at night. And for sure a light blanket on the bed, or a summer quilt or two!

Heroes and Hallowed Ground: 
A great cartoon I found on Facebook: shows an old fashioned Catholic Nun in her black habit & white wimple walking down a school hall with a cat following. She had one hand holding the ear of a young Vance and the other hand holding a ruler. The bubble from the Nun says: ā€œWeā€™re going to have a little talk about childless cat ladies.ā€ Love it! 

Another Facebook one I love shows a GI, with all identifying tags blocked, holding a sign that reads: ā€œI have never stood in front of a grave and given a thumbs up with a big smile, but if I live longer than he does it could happen.ā€ And now you know why last weekā€™s post was so short. I was too angry to really write anything light and not angry.

Itā€™s a week later, and Iā€™m still irritated over his desecration of the graves of my family in uniform. Note, I said irritated. I was angry. By the time you read this, I expect the irritation to be mostly gone. There is nothing I can do about it, besides vote against him. And you already know Iā€™m going to do that. Yes, I hope you do, too. But all Iā€™m going to say about that is I encourage you to vote your own conscious, your own character, vote for the best woman to heal our country, just get out there and vote! 

I am not fond of plane travel. I do not like forced sitting that long. But I for sure will wear my WAC Veteran tee shirt and fly back east to have my thumbs up photo taken over his grave. I do intend to live that long! Besides, I pinky-swore with my friend Ann, to never die! Maybe Iā€™ll do a ā€œFonzieā€ with both thumbs up, Aaayyyyy!

By the time you read this, I should have the two pins out of my toe and be able to walk more or less normal. At least, it should be my choice whether to continue hobbling or not. I imagine my foot will be a tad bit tender, but still, having the optionā€¦ I canā€™t tell whether my foot is swollen or not, but there are times when it feels like there is some swelling under the assaulted toe, but since I canā€™t put my foot down flat, I donā€™t know if it really is, or just feels that way because of my current walking on the side of my foot.

Public Service Announcement: 
Getting ready for my road trip, leaving out at 0:Dark:00 on the 21 September. Have ordered some junk food to eat on the road, have ordered some instant coffee to take with, as I will be staying with people who donā€™t drink coffee, am beginning to figure out clothes, etc. The first week will be a writerā€™s retreat in Dallas, TX. (It will take me 3 days of driving to get there). Since Iā€™m not writing anything prosy, and will only have my iPad to take, I am printing out a stack of poetry, and hope to maybe put a book together. A whole book, not a chapbook. 

Speaking of chapbooks, remember, Saying Goodbye to Thomas will be ready for pre-order next Feb/Mar. The amount books I sell on pre-order will set my royalty amount. And I want a huge amount. Not for me, but because all my royalties from the book, or any poems therein I sell individually, will be split between End of Life Washington and the ALS Association. So, start putting your list together of people you want to give the book to, and when I post the link, you can pre-order.

For those of you who pre-order, and would like a signed copy, or copies, all you need to do is send me a self-addressed stamped envelope and tell me how you would like it/them signed, and I will send you back individually signed book plates that can be placed in the books. You can email me when the time comes, to get my snail mail address, if you donā€™t already have it. šŸ˜‰

Now We Know:
For years now, Iā€™ve wondered when mass shootings happen and people want some honest gun control, not taking all guns, just banning assault rifles and asking for background checks, a certain party that claims family values, and children are important, and … yadda, yadda, yadda ā€¦ and when the topic comes up, these people who bow to the NRA say, ā€œNow is not the time.ā€ Many of us have wondered if not now, when? Now we know. J. D. Vance told us, and NO ONE from the Republican Party changed or corrected what was spoken. I canā€™t remember the exact words, but basically, he told us that mass shootings in schools is the new normal and kids, teachers, and families have to learn to live with it. Now is not the time to discuss gun control, not gonna happenā€”EVER! If they have their way.

I donā€™t know a single Democrat, or Republican, who fears being deprived of their guns. They just want assault rifles banned. NO ONE needs an assault rifle unless they want to kill as many humans as possible in the shortest amount of time. That is the reason, not one of the reasons, the  reason, those weapons were developed for the militaryā€”to kill as many enemy as possible in the shortest time. If you take an AR hunting Bambiā€™s daddy, and use it, you wonā€™t have enough usable meat to bother packaging and placing in your freezer for later eating. A total waste of good venison!

When ARs were banned in ā€œā€¦1994, it was only for ten years. The ban applied only to weapons manufactured after the date of the banā€™s enactment. It expired on September 13, 2004, following its sunset provision.ā€ (Wikipedia) Once the ban expired and the party who loves fetuses, but thinks kids make excellent targets for practice, blocked the renewal of it. 

ā€œAfter Bill Clinton banned assault weapons in 1994, mass shooting deaths dropped by 43%. After the Republican Congress let the ban expire in 2004, they shot up by 239%. We donā€™t need to arm teachers; we need to BAN assault weapons again!ā€ ā€”Lee Turner, Democratic Congressional candidate for South Carolina District 04.

As Jeff Tiedrich said in his 5 September 2024 Substack article, everyone is entitled to my own opinion, ā€œshove your thoughts and prayers, weā€™ve been thinking and praying since Columbineā€”and it hasnā€™t done shit.ā€ I couldnā€™t have said it better. (If youā€™re paywalled on this one, let me know, itā€™s worth the read.)

In his Sunday article, ā€œno, you fucking ghouls, school shootings donā€™t have to be a ā€˜fact of lifeā€™ā€ Jeff has more good words to say. Normally, Iā€™d apologize for the f-word, but yā€™all have heard it, deal with it. Heā€™s right. And, frankly, if I knew of a stronger word, I think Iā€™d use it. The time is NOW, lets get something positive done.

If you really want to own and fire an AR, then store it at your National Guard Armory, and only use it on their firing range. And for the sake of whatever god you may or may not worship, donā€™t buy one for your kid!!!

Photos of the Weekā€”use your imagination and see:
   All the empty desks. 
   All the smaller holes dug in hallowed burial grounds. 
   The parents, siblings, grands, aunties, uncles, friends, family of blood and choice who cry.

from the desk of the very sad chihuahua;
mom says I need to write funny, but Iā€™m still trying to picture the photos above. I donā€™t like what Iā€™m seeing.

Earworm for the week:
Send In The Clowns ā€” Olā€™ Blue Eyes and Tony Mottola

MALA
Make America Laugh Again!!

OMG!! Dick & Liz Cheney endorsed and are voting for Kamala!!! 

PIFA
Politics Is Fun Again!!

Saying Goodbye to Thomas

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Weather in the Tries:
Oh my goodness gracious sakes alive! A week of sunshine is ahead of us. A tad cooler than yesterday, the temps will mostly be in the 80s until the weekend, when it will drop to the 70s. And the humidity, though higher in the morning and night, will be low enough that the heat will be heavenly.

Saying Goodbye to Thomas:
In case you missed the wee bit in last weekā€™s post about my chapbook being accepted, Finishing Line Press has accepted my chapbook, Saying Goodbye to Thomas. These are the poems I wrote, mostly in the final months of his life, about his dying. No, they are not all doom and gloom, you know me better than that. At any rate I think Iā€™ve calmed down a wee bit from the excitement. It will spike again, when I get the contract. Then it will be really real;-) 

Here is their acceptance. Well, a small portion thereof, Iā€™m sure you donā€™t want to read the whole thing. This is the important part:

ā€œThank you for submitting to us. Your manuscript has been accepted for publication. We would love to publish your book.ā€ Every time I read those three sentences I just get giddy all over again šŸ˜‰

Please check Finishing Line Press out and consider buying a book. Small Press publishers are a mainstay for poets. Not sure which one to buy, get Finding Her by Kristie L. Williams. Itā€™s a great book.

Iā€™m a writer, Iā€™m used to rejection. But sometimes, when enough come with no breaks, itā€™s hard to remember that editors arenā€™t rejecting me, they are rejecting my work. And they can reject it for a myriad of reasons. Maybe I used a word they donā€™t like, or I wrote about peace instead of war, or I wrote it in this form and they really love another form. Or, as so many rejection/pass letters state, my work just didnā€™t grab them. Any and all of those reasons are valid, plus the plethora I didnā€™t list.

Itā€™s really nice when acceptance letters come in like rejections usually do. Within a month, I had something like 8 poems accepted/published. Huzzah! for editors šŸ˜‰

Depending on your frame of mind, you may or may not want to download the WeCroak app. They will send you 5 messages a day to remind you, you are not a permanent fixture as a live person. Itā€™s inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily. I just went to the computer one, and they have ā€œthe final word on advice columnsā€ you can ask Death for advice on current events, relationships, etc. and so forth. Iā€™m enjoying it very much, but then, Iā€™m weird. However, should you get it for your phone or ipad or watch or whatever, let me know what you think of it. They have both ios and android.

I keep hearing Johnny Mathis singing Chances Are. Yeah, Iā€™m wearing that silly grin, but itā€™s not because Iā€™m in love with some guy, itā€™s because my book about my Elder Brother of Choice is being published. Oh, happy dance, happy dance. Oh, wait. Yeah, I am in love with some guy. Heā€™s a spoiled rescue dog!

Speaking of being a spoiled dog, heā€™s finally taking treats from my hand! Thatā€™s huge. I used to have to set them down and walk away, or gently toss them near him. Even the one that looks like a stick to him. Especially the stick one. Now he takes it from my hand. Sometimes it takes a bit. Iā€™d sure like to know how badly he was abused. I think itā€™s worse than I imagine, which makes me want to hold him and cry and then go find the abuser and abuse him the same way he abused this poor puppy.

Photos of the Week:

Thomas loved watching the bunnies in the yard.

And he loved tossing peanuts out for the crows. One was fairly tame, Thomas called him Podjo, Old Friend.

This Rosemary plant is huge, and was right next to the outside door to Thomas’s area, and when the sun shone, and it was warm, we’d open the door and enjoy the perfume.

from the desk of the big chihuahua;
my human seems tremendously happy i am now taking treats from her hand. i wish i could tell her why it took so long, but she has been patient. sometimes, i still canā€™t do it, but she doesnā€™t seem upset when i want it tossed to me. 

Earworm of the week:
Need you wonder? One of my girl-hood heart throbs, Johnny Mathis sings Chances Are. 


Quote of the week, compliments of Good Housekeeping:

ā€œLive out of your imagination, not your history.ā€ ~ Stephen Covey

New Title: Happy Dance! Happy Dance!

2 Replies

Weather in the Tries:
Days in the coming week will ge as high as 95F, or higher. In fact, we have 2 days scheduled in the 70s, 1 in the high 80s, with the last four in the 90s. I believe the swimming pools will be crowded šŸ˜‰ We have two pools. This complex used to be large, and then the owners divorced and one got Clearwater Bay, the other got Herron Lake (sic) but about the time we moved in, they went back to one complex, but maintained the two names and two addresses. And each complex has their own pool. Isnā€™t that just a fascinating bit of trivia? Not.

Holidays andā€¦ New Title: Happy Dance! Happy Dance!
Yessiree Bobcat, last Monday was a holiday and I took it. For those of us who used to work for The Boeing Company, it was our first 3-day weekend of the year. The company and our union negotiated trading the week ends until Memorial Day for the days off between Christmas and New Year. Having those days off in the winter were marvelous. If the days fell ā€˜rightā€™ we could take a couple days of vacation and get two weeks off. It was worth the price! It gave us workers a great break, and the company a chance to do annual maintenance without us underfoot!

Last Thursday (30 May) was the first Deathversary for Thomas. I went back to the Dark Side and spent some time with my Bonus Sister. On Friday, we took some of Thomasā€™s ashes down to Golden Gardens Park. Bonus Sister Sheryl found a nice tunnel of greenery we walked through to the beach. It was quite windy on the water, but my Bonus Sister found a large, flat piece of seaweed and put the ashes in it, rolled it, and tossed it into the water. Sadness accompanied us, for a short time, but once he was back in the water, his beloved Puget Sound, we wore far more smiles than tears.

On the way back home, she stopped by the Nordic Museum, where we took photos of Frankie Feetsplinters, the resident troll, then went inside to the snack bar and had a very good Ginger Beer (Reedā€™s Extraā€”look for it) and a cookie. Then back home for happy hour with the two across-the-street neighbors who were so good to Thomas and Sheryl and me. It was so pleasant, we sat on the patio! There are trolls all over the western part of the state. Or at least Puget Sound area. All made from reclaimed wood. All made by Thomas Dambo.

On Saturday, we were invited to a good friendā€™s houseboat on Lake Union, where we were feted with salmon grilled on a cedar plank. OMG! It was marvelous. cooked to perfection! We ate on the deck, watched the water traffic and had a marvelous visit. Thomas used to love going to the houseboat to visit and eat. We sat outside and after the other guests left, we watched the sunset, and dropped some more ashes into the lake, followed by a tequila toast to Thomas. Hope the fish appreciated that very good tequila! Sheryl found one of his poems, Water Remembers, one of the last ones he wrote, read it aloud, and then we left.

On Tuesday morning, I tried to post this blog, but as I discovered this morning, Word Press has gone in and changed things that werenā€™t broke andā€¦ Yes, Auntie Lenora got very frustrated, so she went to lunch with a good friend who used to live in the Tries, was forced to move to the Dark Side for personal reasons, and is looking at apartments to rent here, so she can move back. She thinks she found one, I hope so. It will be great to have another friend close by.

Got home from a great gab fest and then had some pooch time and a nap. Woke from the nap to an email that Finishing Line Press has accepted my chapbook, Saying Goodbye to Thomas. What a fantastical addition to the blog, eh? So, prepare yourself for updates. I do know one of the things they require are pre-sells, and when I find out more about it, I will be asking you all to buy a book. Or two or more. When I do ask, there are two things you should consider: 1. No, is an appropriate answer. (You wonā€™t have to see me cry.) and 2. Remember, I am making no money off this book. All royalties will be divided in half, with half going to the ALS Association and the other half to End of Life Washington. Both of which brought a lot of help and succor to Thomas.

Pictures of the Week:
Sheryl walking through the tunnel to the Sound

A sloop, as seen through the tunnel. Thomas had a sloop. The mountains in the back are the Olympics. They used to be white all year. Amazing what a hoax can do, isn’t it?

Frankie Feetsplinters, Troll

Crossing Lake Washington on one of the floating bridges with Mt. Rainier in the background

Sunset on Lake Union, Seattle

from the desk of the not lonesome anymore dog:
my human came home. my human came home. she was gone like forever. i didnā€™t think she would ever come home, but she did. housemate dan said she would, but i wasnā€™t sure. it was so lonely, especially at night. it wasnā€™t warm, she wasnā€™t there. but sheā€™s home now. see me do my happy dance.

Quote of the Week compliments of Good Housekeeping:

ā€œLife is a song ā€“ sing it.Ā 
Life is a game ā€“ play it.
Life is a challenge ā€“ meet it.
Life is a dream ā€“ realize it.
Life is a sacrifice ā€“ offer it.
Life is love ā€“ enjoy.ā€Ā Ā ~ Sai Baba