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 |   A terminal for all blogs coming in or going out. A view into my life. |
Started July 1st 2019 for contests, etc. as other blogs are filling up and have other purposes.  I'm starting a new blog because
I'll be linking to
I've started an appendix (I no longer have one personally) to keep track of my Space Cadet journals for Space Blog. It's a work constantly under construction. Mind the mess.
I needed to start a folder for contests as there are so many deadlines and details to remember.
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| O-2 46 cool crisp degrees at 7:47. I had to use the toilet and looked out the window. Peach puffs over Jumbo. I rarely seen the dawn. I sat by the window and took notes. I'm dealing with wax in my ears again and maybe dry scalp. I wonder whether or not this is seasonal. Anyhoo... I'm up. Convo at YCC: Kåre Enga > Moonlightcowboy • Calling Julia... she says Martin is still sleeping. I don't trust either... Could we get to the dreaded M storm? Moonlightcowboy > Kåre Enga • They’re all plum dreadful. Kåre Enga > Moonlightcowboy • Karl just kalled, wants to have a word with you... K has been relatively kwiet since Katrina... is it time? Seriously though, fishy fish can be beautiful. It's when land and humans get in the way that there are problems. It's almost 10. Time to do... something? Noon: so I took a shower and boiled and ate two hot dogs (with honey and yellow mustard). "Half of what I say is meaningless But I say it just to reach you, Julia Julia, Julia Ocean child calls me So I sing the song of love Julia Julia, seashell eyes Windy smile calls me So I sing the song of love Julia" Lyrics written and sung by John lennon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_(Beatles_song) (Eclipse Ep 8.1 07:59) Ayan to Akk: "Your face is warm, like a warm cup of coffee." KE: Your face, so warm, like a warm cup of coffee, invites me to sip the elixir of the morning, to kiss the break of day. Rewatched Eclipse and ViceVersa through Reactions by Javi (who lives in Orlando). It's only 9-ish and I'm  ... 56 outside. I keep the window open this time of year and a pot filled with water on the radiator.Earlier... was able to give 5 cans of food and two jars of pasta to Billie Joe. I think she still has meat. Hoping that Angie comes up with something by Thursday. Missing a nose-pad for one pair of my glasses. I looked but will need to get down on my hands and knees tomorrow. Thankfully I have two pair. Must pack masks. Laxmi has to wear one on her flight to Barcelona. O-1 It's after midnight... so...  oktober  .There are 5 farmers-market Saturdays in October... then it's over. I'll be able to go to the last one. Each day however = goodbye. 52 degrees at 10-ish. 40s in the forecast (for daily lows), no 80s. Autumn has arrived and our boilers are on (which means my window is open). I've regained weight, but I'll lose it when I travel. Cherry pastry $4. Honey pears (and a seckel) $4/lb. Got a bottle of watermelon-rhubarb kombucha. $3 Told everyone about trip to Thailand. Tootie recommends mango sticky rice. So I must. FB: Margaret recommends a massage. So I must. Scarlett's daughter-in-law is from Si Sa Ket in Isan. Slowly I get information, advice and support. Lundy wants to see me gone... but that's because he has seen how important traveling is for me. Pastry+milkshake = sugar high? Anyway, need to go home and eat. I have lots to eat. Home before the rain. Crossed the bridge. They are putting up the railings protecting pedestrians from falling into the river. They still have street lamps to install, but the progress is noticeable and welcome. Light rain and light breeze, 60 degrees (today's high?) at 5 pm. It will be a cool clear week. Lovely weather forecast. Montana defeats Idaho State 28-20 in spite of costly mistakes. ⌛ Finished ViceVersa 12 epidodes. Choose between work or love? Always choose love... in whatever universe you find yourself in, forever and ever, amen. For Steven and his contest: "Promote the contest at least every week and have fun with the prompt. You can do better than this: 1. Your seasons are mixed up and you're dressed like an egg or a bunny. You're a guest at the Penguin Palace... Down Under. Your host announces that there will be omelettes for breakfast and rabbit stew for supper. 2. Your birthday is the 24th or 25th of December and you're tired of sharing YOUR day with another, or worse it's the 26th and your name is Stefan. You're no martyr and tell everyone you're celebrating it this year at the end of October. But, alack, that weekend is booked at Beezlebub's Brew and the only date open is Monday evening, the 31st. You are warned that, like Cinderella, the party must end by midnight. 3. There was a witch sitting in the window. She looked lonely. You bought her and took her home. You were lonely too and spoke to her the whole month of October. She seemed to be a good listener, almost as if she could hear you. She was becoming more real every day. 4. Orange is not your color you remind me. Not neon, not sunset, not peach and most of all never pumpkin. It gives you nightmares. But I'm your therapist... I need to know why. 5. You love to bake and it's big-squash season. Which one will be sacrificed for supper? Will its friends hear of your plot before its too late? Do you suspect Buttercup, Butternut or Hubbard of betrayal? You haven't seen Acorn in awhile... These ideas are all available for anyone to "borrow".  Really.  "S30 44 degrees and cloudy this morning. It won't get warm. AQI is 11. Which is as good as it gets here. I need to rewatch Eclipse Ep. 8 1/4 as there's dialogue that would make a great prompt. I will buy groceries today. Need to recheck sales before I go. My mind isn't holding on to recent thoughts/memories.  Saw Laxmi. She's going to Barcelona and will be gone this October. I'll see her in December. Sat with Jamie. Her first question, "Did you buy your tickets." She's leaving next Friday for Tennessee. I'll see her before I leave. Plaques will be up on the 10th for the bridge commemoration. Saw them today. Extra lunch. I got vegetarian. Spoke with the Indian cook. Groceries: hot dogs on sale. Got ground pork. Frozen Mists: Chill crept into my bones, fingers first, toes next, ears and nose reddened and ready to fall off. The hills were dun colored, the valley a dull gold. Everything seen as if through dirty glass, darkly. The day mirrored my thoughts. The ones that niggled at the base of my neck, reminding me that I had forgotten something... something... September was dying across the land. Oktober was grinning. Old Man. Needs to be put down... "Not till November" he whispered back. The voice in my head faded out. Like so many thoughts... just beyond my reach on the other side of a dusty mirror that reflected nothing back. Echo? Nothing that the fog hadn't heard before and refused to pass on. Ideas frozen in time, stored in a locked box, key lost, where I put it — forgotten. The Mists of Tymes... that would be the title of my next work... if I could work it out. Ebola: Hug me till we die. Eclipse: You pass in front of my window to the world leaving me in shadow, a pale reflection seeking to warm you, warn you, like moonlight sifting though the pine on a cold January night. How long do I have to die in these shadows. My embers still glow but weaken. I crave the cold fire of your embrace, the stark sunlight caressing me face. Even zombies want to live again. To Tina: "I haven't been well. Other than my blog, my writing has been sidelined. I'll be back in October, but there's little reason for me to be here at WDC. If I could export my entire portfolio I would consider leaving. I go to Thailand in November. I will take pictures, write, send postcards. Few will notice, fewer will care. K." S29 It will stay cool 60s today with some rain and wind. 56 degrees at 9. Ian may be over Florida but it ain't over till it's over, Carolina. I'm awake but nursing my first coffee. No infused wisdom yet. Sat with Angie and Billie Jo. Shared melon and a peach. I told Angie how concerned I am about BJ and myself. I'm okay at the moment. Listening to calming music. Ate a pork sandwich. Sipping another coffee. I should cut back. May be contributing to the jitters.I chose my seats on Asiana: SEA-ICN 24C Aisle. It's a very long day flight with little to see until we fly over Japan. ICN-BKK 76D Aisle. 2nd tier, long flight after dark. Middle has 4 seats... if I get lucky... BKK-ICN 82A Window. 2nd tier, long flight after midnight. ICN-SEA 34H Aisle. Long 'sunset' flight. Upper cabin is quieter... they say. We'll see. I was very nervous because I didn't want to get assigned a seat. Usually I choose the aisle on long flights. Seat pitch is 32-33 on Airbus 350-900, 33 on 380-800. 18" shoulder. Inches matter. Seats may be hard, but Asiana is a classy airline. I wanted to fly ANA! The EVA flights were better, but I had stressed enough and decided to do what I did. I now have one month to straighten out other issues. Like... find my camera.   On YCC: "I don't know Miami nor the specific situation. However, as a born and bred Bills fan, I can vouch that the region responds to tragedy. Every so often we would get buried and blown away by a blizzard (Cat 1 winds with ice) and the community always came together. Very generous people. My specific group sent money to Darlington after Hugo. It wasn't much but it was personal." YCC re 'the cone': "An analogy is election polling. People want predictions to be 100% correct and depend on black/white distinctions. People crave certainty. But life is a myriad shades of grey. And sometimes 10% wins... like 10% of the time." Thailand: Holify e-sim; Bolt; ATMs use bank (bank hours?). S28th Iansday Following Ian. I suspect Patricia in Naples will be impacted, even if she left. Beautiful day here. I feel okay... but I'm not. Details at some future time. I bought a ticket to Thailand... not happy, but I have until tomorrow evening to cancel. I didn't buy seats... and that's an issue. Fortunately Asiana has legroom. S27 MattMo at YCC: Darwin smiles... 11 am here and 59 but warming. Will get hot. Felt good this morning. Kit'z Higher Ratings Contest - Second Place - August, 2022  "Oubliette" KohlRabi: "I was a keeper, they said. A real keeper, they said, as they put me in the Crisper and then forgot me." Very stressful trying to buy tickets. Time is running out and websites won't let me buy my preferred flights. I'm mourning by eating hummus. Feeling weak... must lay down in spite of it being too warm for a nap. Forgot it was Tuesday and my last chance for peaches... so out I went. Too late. They were sold out. Next year. I bought some small hard green pears. Just frustrated. I wanted to have this trip planned... maybe later tonight if I feel better. S26 At YaleClimateConnections re Hurricane Ian: HiWay: I fear the "now" culture and "prove it" culture may be problematic with this storm and getting people out of danger. Me: "Now" and "Prove it". Spoiled and skeptic, maybe ODD. I fear you may be right.  Montana 50 degrees at 9:09. Pleasant day forecast but my nerves still rattled. So I'll go to God's Waiting Room and see if I can work something out. Now? Shower and get ready for the day. I've had one cup  .Can't complete a sudoku = mental slipping. Sat with Kathy, Laxmi... Tried to work on flights... again... slippage. Fog eating = not good. 80 degrees at 5 pm. My take on Typhoon Noru: "Looks like it's a tad SW. DaNang would be on it's north and wet side. Mukdahan in Thailand is probably in its path. As is Suvannakhet, Laos. It should be in Suvannakhet early Thursday morning (Wednesday afternoon in the US). Forecast is strong south wind at 2 am. and strong NWN wind at 8 with a light breeze at 5 am." PeterTakesPictures @YCC: "Well this is all a bit too much for me, and I'm tired, so I'm off to bed. Hope I don't wake up to something super-grim and that surprise exclamations of "Dry air!" "Rapid weakening!" "Unexpected cold eddy current!" "Ian's mother-in-law's in Tampa and he's decided to head back out to sea!" greet me, or something. Still a few surprises left in this one, I'm sure." Speed Cubers: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/more-people-should-watch-this-surprisi... Leaving America: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-case-for-leaving-america-to-escape-racism/... LGBTQ: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cuba-legalizes-same-sex-marriage-in-histori... Ukraine: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/top-diplomat-warns-russian-army-of-trojan-h... Racism: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/karens-and-beckys-put-on-the-spot-in-n... Theocracy: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/iranians-are-ready-for-a-different-approach... Inequity: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-i-want-brett-favre-to-know-about-poverty-... Pro Plastic?: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/why-bag-bans-are-nothing-but-absurd-virt... Julia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_(Beatles_song) LGBTQ & book bans: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/christian-woman-claiming-to-speak-for-god-and-... 6077 |
September 25  Drinking out of an orange "Social Worker" cup. Should give it to Angie. My cup emoji was facing the wrong way. I corrected it. I'm left-handed. Should start giving things away. I've thought about going through my canned food and offering duplicates to Billie Jo. I can pick up freebies in God's Waiting Room from time to time. How many cans of beans does one need at the end? (Later, I gave her three cans.) Everyone at YCC going nuts over Ian. He can't make up his mind and get his act together... Wannabe him-a-canes are sooooo fickle. There is other snews, but algorithms favor the hysterics of certain political buffoons. I have no legitimate reason to avoid my chores. I posted at YCC: "When we don't have him-a-canes, her-a-canes and them-a-canes swirling around the GOM bathtub I'll think of posting something about how disasters aren't just climate/weather driven. Poverty, politics, racism, xenophobia, urban-planning, zoning, education, ignorance... in other words PEOPLE create situations that are a major factor in who lives and who dies. BUT... plenty of folks here don't want to talk about that. However, when it calms down..." 66 degrees at 1:41, which is high noon in Missoula. Now after 10 pm. I haven't accomplished much. Nerves went and I'm still not doing too well. I'm having trouble doing Sudokus. Bills lost 19-21, dominated the game but made costly mistakes. It warmed up some, but now 57. I should try to stay awake for awhile.  24  44 degrees on a what will be a pleasant Homecoming day. Hot sugar-spice coffee in my Hawai'i cup this morn. I'm trying to get in the habit of using stuff. I have too much stuff. 8:27 ... need to fuel up before I go out. Need to write "Den Siste Hausten". I got yellow peaches and a chocolate-cinnamon milkshake. Bought a book placed in Cambodia. The slightest thing triggers my traumas. This isn't good. Part of me wants to crawl under a rock. But the day is bright and shiny and I can breathe well without the smoke. Ate spicy chicken. Montana won 53-16. Place is quiet. Wannabe him-a-cane Ian is spinning and Floridians are panicking. Typhoon Noru is Cat 5 and crashing into Manila, then VietNam and Thailand. Women are declared 'wombs' in Arizona according to an 1864 law. Gnus is unsettling. 56 degrees going on 11. Warm days and cool nights = perfect autumn weather. 23  42 and fog as I sip cold black liquid out of my lavender Piglet coffee cup. Plus cake, the breakfast choice of champions. It's 8:37. Lentil soup and chicken for lunch. Nice chat with Jamie. Picked up chicken and pork at grocery store (no ground pig). Puddles from yesterday. Wore my suede jacket as no rain forecast. 67 degrees at 4:50. Finished "21 วัน มีฉันมีเธอ | 21 Days Theory": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7SEEXZtL4 It was light and short but watchable. 🌀 Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian... Watched episode 7 of Eclipse. The OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVRzQhRf0Z0 22  50 degrees at 9 and raining... all day. SW breeze to boot. Very odd here but welcome. Gender roles... a bane of testing. Better for a counselor to ask teachers if they are paying attention. I am drinking out of my England mug this morning. 🏴 Sat with Billie Jo and Angie. Windows shut due to rain. Shared yellow watermelon. Sweet and juicy. 48 degrees at 2ish. Will rain through afternoon into the evening. Lunch: tuna fish sandwich. 48 degrees at 8 pm.  but tapering off in a couple hours then  tomorrow. It felt great writing in my journal by hand. It really helps. Baking chocolate cake with coffee-lavender. It's cool outside and my window is open so it won't get too toasty inside. A new WDC group has formed on facebook from former bloggers. We'll see.  My comments on YCC: "I spoke with aficionados of electric cars last Saturday. My answer was public transportation, bicycles, walking... not cars. I would add living closer to places where one eats, entertains, works. Rural Montanans don't grasp that idea. NewYorkers would." "My friend Laxmi would say "fewer people". My quiverful friends would disagree. Folks here would block immigrants, be they from Louisiana or Puerto Rico. I don't live in a heart-filled place. Long term? Stop abusing Mother Nature. Short term? Colonize the Moon? Turn the Sahara back into savannah?" "That's far too cynical for me. Humans can be kind and cooperative. By-the-way, not everything is black/white liberal/conservative. Plus, Americans do not have all the answers regardless of religious or political or traditional persuasion." 21  Ran out of instant coffee. Put grounds into cup instead of pot... *sigh* ...it's after 10 so I have no excuse. 56 degrees, 22 AQI and a stiff Hellgate breeze from the east. Sunny, but it'll rain later. Tomorrow is the equinox. Gasoline went up to $4.93/gallon; milk is now $8.50/2gal. Today is grocery day. I put pumpkin spice and some lavender in my coffee. I'm using my maroon cup. No ground pork, no chicken thighs.  Bought coffee, butter, cottage cheese (on sale). Scored pancake mix at the Center. Today's lunch was meatloaf. Must've been over 100 people. Birthday cake too.Sprinkles by 9 pm. I'm having a panic attack. Must be careful what I watch. Triggered. 20  52°F this morning. Promising to be a cool, dry, windy day. My coffee in a blue cup this morning is light and sweet with a dash of cardamom. Long live the King. Can we move on to other news now? I mean... I don't care what so-and-so wore to the funeral. Elizabeth Regina had a long productive life. Let her rest-in-peace. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/i-thought-wed-learned-nothing-from-the-pandemi... The Pandemic was devastating to me in many ways. I felt shut out, angry, abandoned. However... the idea that major catastrophes lead to re-evaluations rings my bell. 1974, 2003 come to mind. I survived... but did I? Both led to changes in how others perceived me as I slowly went through a metamorphosis... more like a bug's instar than a butterfly. The Thing-about-Towers-Tumbling is that not all survive the falling... or the sudden stop. My own calamities were personal, are personal. Yet I do share... but, no one has commented in this blog in a month. I gave up commenting in other blogs as a test... yep, no one noticed. I'm unhappy about the lack of community in Missoula. A safe-place for creative misfits became a cage guarded by mountains and inhabited by heartless people. And WDC became a ghost-town of everything shallow and silly. And many Americans have embraced fascism. Move? Move on? Where... the common denominator is ME... "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant". Which perhaps is one reason why I left years ago. We take our baggage with us wherever we go. God's Waiting Room. Didn't order lunch, but Kathy gave me a slice of pizza. Scored left-over goulash. I've transferred notes to my hand-written journal. Finished Spring. On page 5286. Now on to summer... Bought 4 collegiate ruled notebooks. Book 68 of my journal is purple and begins on the 22nd. Farmers Market tonight: nectarines, yellow watermelon, canary melon. Saw Jaffri, met Dani. Now 63 degrees at 6:45. Breezy. This week's forecast in Mahasarakham: H 85-88, L 74-75. Winds from the NE. Rain every day. Took a bath. It's been ages. My feet need to soak and my entire body appreciates it. Water wasn't very hot though. Fiona is now a Cat 4 hurricane just north of Turks & Caicos. 19  Cool 50° but hazy morning. AQI is 20 (lowest in quite awhile) so it's most likely low clouds or fog. I went to bed early, got up before midnight, back to bed. Slept? I'm fine... I think... but deeply depressed. Trying hard not to add to any drama here, there or anywhere. Meatballs on the menu today. Do I go but avoid people? Looking forward: Hellgate winds Wednesday followed by a rainy Thursday. We could use a long widespread rain. It's 9:27 and time to check the news as I nurse my coffee (black cup today )I've been following her-a-cane Fiona. Hugging Dominican Republic this morning. Augustine V at YCC: "probably busy with stupid storm that keeps dancing about like a tap dancer and moving slower than an old man cart at publix LOL but in seriously, probably going to later today. Euro isn't 100% sold on it so that might be the delay" My response: Sorry... but you made me laugh. Never took tap dancing but I've become that old man. Thanks for the making me smile. I've become old. It's not the age. Elizabeth II was never 'old'. Ancient, yes, even fragile towards the end, but never old. She seemed old because she harkened from a different era. Charles will move the clock forward a few minutes; but, youth won't be satisfied by grandpa-as-king. That said, the US Congress and WH is lead by those even older. I do wish some leaders in their 40s and 50s would take the reins... and reign. But regardless of biological age I want to see stability with growth not stagnation, not living in the past, and NOT mean-and-ugly (are you listening wannabe Saint de Santis?). Swedish meatballs on rice in God's Waiting Room. Sat with various folks. Wrote in my journal... up to June 12th... only 3 more months to go. Odd experience tonight. I don't think I've ever felt quite so unwelcome in the last 14 years in Missoula. Anyhoo. Buffalo Bills won 41-7 so I'm sure my family is happy. Gnus lynx: Abortion: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/when-abortion-isnt-a-partisan-issue/ Montana trans rights: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/montana-to-allow-transgender-people-to-change-... Nebraska mothers denied: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nebraska-judge-rules-against-same-sex-couples-... Malephobia: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/im-always-afraid-male-teacher-says-he-refused-... Black and gay and banned: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/author-speaks-out-as-his-book-becomes-one-of-t... “The problem is when you decide that your concerns about your own child should apply to everybody else's children,” she [Summer Lopez] added. Banned book is All Boys Aren't Blue by George M Johnson. Covid depression in minorities: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/black-and-brown-americans-had-higher-ra... Thailand cave rescue story: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/netflix-s-authentic-thai-cave-rescue-and-the-t... Boredom: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/boredom-is-a-warning-sign-heres-what-i... Retirement lifestyle: https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/which-retirement-lifestyle-is-right-you?cid=2... Solo traveling? https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/10-unexpected-destinations-for-solo-f... Going in a group or staying in a resort isn't going solo. Retire in Cincy or Wilmington? https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/the-no-1-best-city-to-retire-isnt-in-... Declutter: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/home-and-garden/how-to-declutter-fast-10-sim... Travel tips: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tips/i-was-a-flight-attendant-for-10-years-here... I've been to 8: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/19-places-in-the-world-that-are-cheap-t... Banned book: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/girls-who-code-founder-speaks-out-after-pennsy... Tiny homes: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/do-tiny-homes-really-work-as-a-soluti... Holy War: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russian-orthodox-church-argues-that-sacrifi... Covid peptides: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/new-discovery-can-kill-covid-with-hugs-...  |
18 septembre ... Montana 44 degrees at 8 am. but hazy. 46 AQI. Today is Wash-day. We'll see what gets done. Her-a-cane Fiona: landfalling as the high towers circle around each other like Hulk in a wrestling match or a two rooks in game of chess, the pawns in the middle windblown and wet. Who will wipe away the tears of Ponce? The Mona Passage keeps its wisdom close to itself while Hispaniola holds its breath ready to blow Fiona north, hoping for a mere scrape of a breeze, some showers. I did my wash. Met a 'hunk' from Butte. Very personable. Drank Dr. Pepper as a treat. Harvested (gleaned) three marigold flowers to dry as an herb for cooking. Now home with a pork sandwich. Shirts, linens, underwear hung up to dry. South  + = stormy. Smells fresher than before.  17 septembre ... Montana 47 degrees and 39 AQI at 9:30. Time for farmer's market. They had honeydew! Bought white peaches. Ate my cherry pastry on way to Butterfly Herbs. I should've brought my notebook. It's a bright breathable morning. I should be energized. I'm not yet.  ViceVersa episode 10 came out this morning, around 8 am. MDT. Today's color is pink. Last week it was midnight black. Need coffee = drinking coffee. Last night I was 'fog' eating. Just kept eating... now, after one cherry pastry am I experiencing a sugar low? I dunno. Finish up, go home? Said hello to Irina. Picked up buttercup squash from Johnsons. Interesting conversation with Holly, a protestor outside of market. Sat with Becky by her Tesla. At home... a tuna with mayo and terragon sandwich. Still binge eating. Found an unused red notebook I can use for autumn's journal. If I'm smart... I'll buy another with collegiate spacing. But... I have a notebook as a backup. Moved old journals and put them where they're supposed to be! This sorting is taking forever. I came across a bunch of maps, brochures, postcards from Taiwan. I could sit and use each one as a talisman and see what's spews forth. What should I call my upcoming travels? "Final Global Tour" sounds a bit overdone. But... it could very well be Sayonara... a long final gasp lasting 2-5 years. I try to be present but I find no joy in the present. 16 septembre ... Montana 56 AQI and 52 degrees. Summer is over but at last I can breathe. Very dry mouth this morning. Hmm... Went to market for eggs and oil. Bought eggs $3.49/dozen and a big bottle of cheap oil that won't go bad on me. I prefer olive oil but... Sat with Laxmi, Kathi, Monte, Phil, Dalton. Chatted with Myrtle. Stuffed pork... not great; but, dal was very good. 62 degrees at 2:30 and 65 AQI. We had rain. I saw puddles! I'm hungry. Just had raisin bran... still hungry. I'm flummoxed. Ate hummus on crackers. Lots of hummus, lots of crackers. 68° and 55 AQI at 6-ish. I'm enjoying this break. For most of a month it's either been heat or smoke. I really wanted to escape but felt trapped. I should stick to plans and leave anyway. To Starling re spelling and grammar critiques: "I tell English Lit majors that they critique literature while I create it. This attitude regarding proper language is still colonial in the sense that some groups are favored over others. James Joyce and Emily Dickinson were treated unkindly by people of their day, as was most any person-of-color. Those attitudes still hold sway in certain corners of Academia... but it's quite American to mock and put down others for something that isn't important, like the dress they wear or how they color their hair, even how they speak or express themselves. I would like to think that it's only young newbies who are uneducated or ignorant... but, alack, I'm your age and sadly it's common. "AQI of 43 at 8! I will be able to sleep better. ![Merit Badge in Don't Quit!
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I wanted to thank all my fans of [Link To Item #2109126] . Without your encouragement and support, this challenge wouldn't be the success it is today! Thank you! *^*Bighug*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Don=t_Quit=33.gif) If Jodi only knew... 15 septembre ... Montana I took a damp cut-up sock and caressed the leaflets of the scheffleria. Not many, but it'll look better and breathe better (hopefully, the top layer is waxy). If I were to do a bit every day? Not likely. I am still going through boxes most every day. Little progess and no end in sight. I had a random thought about Peru. I visited there in 1974. Odd how stray memories bubbled up this morning. Arequipa, guarded by snow-capped Misti and the earthern bowls used for bathing in the monastery. Looking down at the soft green and greys of Macchu Picchu from the heights of Huayna Picchu. Pizarro's flesh rotting in a glass casket in Lima. One flash of seeing a man pee against a tree in the middle of Avenida Brasil... manjar blanco, inca cola, the stench of Cusco. If I let my thoughts wander what other images would rise from the recesses of my mind? Speaking of pee. 24 ounces overnight. I weigh less? Perhaps I'm properly hydrated and can drink less in the evenings? Time for coffee. It's a cool 50 degrees at 9ish, with an AQI of 134. Weak sun. Sat with Angie and Billie Jo. Shared cantaloupe. Ate porridge with butter and sugar; ate porridge with blackberry sause; ate porridge in tuna-mushroom soup. Still have some left. AQI still unhealthy at 130. Links: Montana, Trans sports rights: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/montana-judge-rules-transgender-sports-rule-un... Montana, Trans rights: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/montana-ban-on-changing-gender-on-birth-certif... Montana still denying Trans-rights: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-run-state-vows-to-ignore-judges-orde... Buffalo, racism: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/loved-ones-of-buffalo-massacre-victims-speak-o... Thailand, volunteering: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/how-to-retire-in-thailands-%e2%80%9crose-o... Taiwan, wai/ben-shengren: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/opinion-i-am-part-of-a-dying-breed-of-taiwa... QueerRights, Iowa: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/iowa-town-s-library-closes-after-almost-all-st... QueerRight, POC: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/its-infuriating-how-fly-by-nig... Baha'i, Iran: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-steps-up-bahai-persecution-with-wave-o... Ex-pats, Mexico: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/column-the-new-generation-of-smug-american-... Inner Child: https://www.facebook.com/stacylm/posts/pfbid02dkFSK2WrFm3nfMYwXCBe6gZK5YRpQZ48WN... HSP: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/are-you-truly-an-introvert%e2%80%a6-or... Color: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-colors-mean-in-other_b_9078674 Saturn: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/an-old-moon-of-saturn-might-have-put-a... Screed on Christianity: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/christianity-are-your-religious-beliefs-sim... AQI falling... now 81 which is okay. But... it's 8 pm. and I seldom shop at this hour. Do I dare hope for rain? It's 61 degrees and sprinkles are in the forecast but last time it barely wet the pavement. 14 septembre ... Montana Third complexity badge... ![Merit Badge in Complexity
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For the fascinating and different poetic form used in "A Hatchling".](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Complexity.gif) Complexity 49 degrees at 8:20. 167 AQI. Very depressing. Sun peeking out at 11:15 but 54 degrees and 169 AQI. 67 degrees and haze at 3. Another tooth fell out. No pain, no nothing. Coffee... isn't giving me energy nor helping with depression. Ate with Robin and Kathy at God's Waiting Room. Goulash. Now having a peach at home. Dylan borrowed my coffee grinder... such a soft knock. I'm grieving. It's been a rough year. And unless you've been reading my blog you don't know. I'm 'on hiatus' because I'm withdrawn. If no one wants to connect with me why bother? Smoke isn't helping. 13 septembre ... Montana Suzanne's birthday today.
I posted the above and got some response... and a purty yellow ribbon.  58 degrees at 8:43 and 172 AQI. The skies are deathly white but there's some hope for rain. did rain! A few drops  enough to wet the pavement but the skies are still ashy-white. Still 58 at 1 pm. Heat's gone. Summer may be over. AQI is 180? We need more rain. The cake... turned out more like a fudgy brownie. Very tasty. Gave a slice to Billie Jo. She gave me some rice and roast beast. I'm stymied and stuck. To JamesTaylor at YCC: "I suspect that some folks don't understand what you are saying. I'm all for the defeat of Putin... and no acquiescing and no appeasement... but... how to best get there is the challenge. US defeat of Japan is a good example of a successful resolution. Provoking China and the subsequent mess in Korea is just the opposite. WW1 lead to horrible consequences in Central Europe. WW2? Better. I'm not bloodthirsty. Neither are many Russians." 58 at 7-ish. Never warmed up to 70. AQI of 187 is brutal. It's been bad all day. Never went out. 52 at 11:30.  but... AQI 191? Not so cool. Ate some white corn, yellow peach, chocolate cake... a bit late for coffee... oh well. 12 septembre ... Montana I dreamt that I wasn't who I am. I had a group of friends (like I would if I grew up in Thailand) and I was at 'school', maybe a boarding school (that spoke English). My 4 groupies (that I didn't recognize) came to rescue me because I'd broken the rules. Truly, all I wanted to do was sleep. Must've been a waking dream because I don't remember dreams like others do. I daydream and if I don't write them down there disappear. Although nightmarish in a way I was more angry and curious than frightened. It wasn't a normal recurring nightmare. I don't know what year it was. I suspect I was out of time and place. I should be thankful for friends? Maybe brought on by the choke-smoke? IRL: 166 AQI and 48 degrees at 8. Not a great start to the day.  = more like a wall of white or a ceiling of death. Complexity There's an ominous orange glow in my room. When the sky turns to ash and the sun glows like an ember... On the internet: As the country remembers and honors those victims, the U.K. prepares to lay Queen Elizabeth II to rest. In light of both events, her words she penned in a letter to the American people in 2001 becomes even more touching today: “Grief is the price we pay for love.” Sat alone, but Monte, Kathi, Dalton and Laxmi joined me. I went because: it was close and I had to take out the trash. Meal was fine. I liked the broiled vegetables: b-sprouts, onion, carrot, potato. Bought sourdough baguette and hummus. Bernice's now has indoor seating and open till 6. Le Petit is only open till 4. It used to be 8 and 6. Sun has broken through the pall so it has warmed up to 77 at 3 pm. AQI still dangerous at 171. The Senior center is only 2 blocks away down the alley and Le Petit and Bernice's Bakery are on the way back on Myrtle Street. If I had to choose one memory to take with me through eternity? Hard to choose. I tend towards the bittersweet. To Kim re "Dancing in the Earthlight": "Thank you for reading and reviewing. And thanks for noting the spare descriptions. Personally, I try not to go overboard with describing how people look as I think their personalities are more important. Here, the narrator is clearly manic and not bound by rules whereas the companion isn't as clear other than a joyful red on red... and the cultural repercussions. I don't write Regency or Gothic Romance so I'm more keen on allowing the reader to use their imagination to visually connect the dots." 68 degrees going on 9 pm... so heat isn't an issue; never got as warm as predicted. AQI of 171 = bad, very bad. Monte and Michael both mentioned the AirQualityIndex today. People are aware... which is good. Cooked up a pound of goat meat. Added onions, rosemary and curry (garlic, ginger, cumin, pepper...) and glazed some with blackberry sauce. Quite lean. Didn't shrink much. Tasty. No complaint from me. No oil, no eggs? Substituted mayo and butter. Dark-Chocolate cake with lavender and coffee. Fact: I moved into the room next door on September 12th, 2008. It's been 14 years. |
Thailand:"Thailand planning 2022"  11 september 43 degrees and an AQI of 92 this morning. My skin, eyes, nose and throat complain. Lost an update to this entry. Chromebook issues => closing tabs. Poor connectivity. I'd like to pick up eggs and oil but I'm not venturing out until the air is breathable. Thought: could I write a sci-fi travel book? "One with the Rock" with a species that can swim through rock better than I swim through water (I float or sink; I do not swim.). It's a bit tricky and accidents do happen. Many choose to become 'one with the rock' when life is no longer has a viable path forward. Me? living in a place where stone walls don't keep anyone out would take some getting use to. Can wood be swam through? Can certain guards be set (fragrance, magnetic, electrical, chemical...)? If the species is no smarter than humans then ways to protect privacy and limit access will have been found... and ways to get around that protection as well. I'd have to go around, over, under and find a door. One way to keep me out would be 'no door' . Closing tabs: Zelenskyy's "Without You" speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl11Ek5oO20 Sexuality: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/the-first-movie-to-use-the-word-homosexual... Travel: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/ive-been-on-110-cruises-here-are-6-of-my-f... Rights: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-christian-school-in-florida-told-parents-tha... Religion: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/dear-mormons-in-a-faith-crisis... Sexuality: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/woman-realises-she-s-gay-at-35-so-ditches-... Travel: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-best-villages-in-the-world-for-si... Travel: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/bordering-on-the-ridiculous-the-world... Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN9sr5wVkik Travel: https://www.ana.co.jp/en/sg/japan-travel-planner/niigata/0000003.html To Roseille: "Yes, I like this. ... and water is 'midori' ... green? Do they use 'ao' for the light. I never asked when I visited... 7 years ago... already? Yes, I've heard of the internet cafes where one can spend the night. My friend Hiroki is in Europe these days. He somehow escaped. But Tokyo? Better in the rice-fields of Niigata bent over? Gazing at the clouds in the 'water mirrors'. It's a lovely piece." AQI over 150. The sky is white. As death descends from above to shroud us. (at 5-ish) 69 degrees at 8:30. It was forecast to reach 90; I doubt that it got up to 80. Thick haze all day long. AQI of 169 (unhealthy) at the moment. I need <100. It's so hard to unwrap myself of the unhappiness that has kept me warm for so long. 10 september 40 degrees at 7:43. Cold. Another tooth is loose. I'm not happy. In bed early so I was up during the night as well. Not feeling great. A quarter till noon and warming up. 58 degrees. Will be nice for the football game. South Dakota visits. I told Cathy Mae that I'm not doing well. There's nothing she can do but... kindness matters. Scored! a honeydew?  and a cantaloupe. A raspberry pastry, white corn and yellow peaches. And ground goat meat.  A bit shaky... not bad but I saw the waves in my coffee, the swirls from the cream... my future staring back at me, waving Fate's fickle finger.. What I posted at YCC: "Politics are relevant. The only major storm now is threatening Taiwan and possibly headed towards Shanghai. I can assure you that both countries are monitoring the weather. China has had a rough year weather-wise. And that's not mentioning covid. Climate change is highly political. As is whether or how we respond to weather diasasters. The War in Ukraine has affected the agriculture and shipping throughout the region. People starve during and after wars. And severe drought elsewhere has threatened the global food supply. Charles III may be more inclined to promote environmental awareness. In the USA there are those who oppose any alternatives to the fuel industry destroying everything. Politics is VERY relevant to climate and weather issues. To me, everything in interconnected." And: "I don't doubt the chaos that may come with climate change. Nor do I deny the effects of warming in certain areas. My degree is in Biology. I've lived in Costa Rica where farmers understand that they need to change crops due to the change in climatic conditions. Few deniers there. But... does an anti-science White American Suburbanite attending a MegaChurch every Sunday understand this? People-of-color are already suffering from decisions made my mostly Older White Men who belive in money and power. As long as Pakistanis are dying do they care? But how many scientists here and elsewhere think of it as only a rational scientific problem, denying how it's affected by cultural, religious, political issues like class and racism? Until the public (especially the Bible quoters) understands that they need Science I am pessimistic. One fault with the above... there's nothing positive mentioned. A warming moister weather pattern may promote a return to savannah in the Sahara and large parts of the north may become conducive to agriculture. But chaos... brings war due to migration and lack of food." And: "Beyond $$$ it's really hard to make people leave their comfort zone. I hang with old folks in God's Waiting Room. Many are just interested in being comfortable. Thinking hurts and so does making sacrifices or any change in thier behaviour. As for young people... those concerned feel stimied. Think how Greta is treated by Gen X. Yes, the party is over but like the movie Sixth Sense, some don't know that they're already dead. " Only 75 degrees at minutes before 5 pm. Still a lovely day. U Montana wins football game 24-7 over South Dakota. Does it matter? The locals are happier after a win.{c} I came across some drama here at WDC. I'm staying out of it because I don't have time to find out what's really going on. Plus, I'm 'on hiatus' to avoid drama. Others will have to negotiate or sort it out. Short discussion with Laxmi today about how the seniors we know are 'shallow'. It was nice to hear that from someone else. I feel that way here at WDC as well. 9/9 48 degrees at 10 with a forecast of cool temps and a brisk NE breeze. AQI is 58... a good sign. Even with the end of the Second Age of Elizabeth, Trump still garners headlines. Long live Charles III. Too much sleep? Coffee should help. A shower seems to have helped. Cool sunshine invading my space should help. The slant of the sun reaches in with his soothing tendrils, lights my shoulders, brightens the day for the flowers set back from the window that've waited for his return. Gasoline down to $3.89/gallon. Ate lunch alone and then joined friends. George gave me milk for lunch that I brought home so I could eat me raisin bran later. This evening I'll bake the pork I have marinating in beer. I don't drink alcohol but beer-batter and beer-brats come to mind. The alcohol will steam off while cooking. Baking three pieces (about one pound total) at 250°F. Turned the pieces over and put bacon on top. I find beer-smell nauseating but the fan is going. I used a local beer. Have no idea why I had a bottle of it. Very pleasant day here. Blue-ish skies and the air is breathable. 66 degrees at 3:03. 68°F at 5:15.  AQI 71.Pork is done. I ate some. Turned out okay but not as great as last time. Wrote some. I may be able to enter a couple contests this month. The Big One though... not even one comment or acknowledgement that I entered in July. So far, I'm not inspired by the quote, other than to vent about my 3rd semester in college... what a hoot that was! NOT. Maybe just venting and sharing will help even if it's not acknowledged. More stuff for Secondtime Around... Friends went to a free Japanese movie tonight. I'm not motivated to do anything. After Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNnGl_unNo8 KE: I've never died before, so I couldn't tell you what that would be like. And now that I'm dead I hesitate. No, there's nothing to fear; but... perhaps you should wait a while and live to the fullest until that moment comes. It comes to us all, y'know. There's comfort in that, and focusing on living each moment prepares us. One hint: take care of the mirror of your soul. Everything else is mere details and dross." An internet comment from a Christian: "I hope at some point in his training he received discipleship that would help him relate to his siblings in Christ in ways that are more biblical than Victorian, more Pauline than pornified and more Christ-like than cultural." 8 september 69 degrees at 10-ish. It'll only be in the 70s today. AQI of 72 is moderate but doable. Still hazy. Breakfast of the early-waker and late-raiser: chocolate cake and coffee. Interesting dream this morning. A gentle twist on a usual nightmare. I'm not doing well mentally. Pulled pork. Bought two lunches and shared with Angie and Billie Jo. 73 at 4-ish which is great! But very smoky and AQI over 150 = stay inside. Queen Elizabeth II dies (1926-2022). My mother almost outlived her (1922-2022). There has never been another British monarch in my lifetime. 7 september 61 at 8:10. AQI is 118 this morning = hazardous to sensitive groups. Today is grocery day... will I venture out? I wish... a lot of things. Catching up on the news. Orioles had a great game yesterday and Odor had the slide of the year. Gnus = same-o-same-o. Lasagna... but couldn't eat the gyro-kale soup. Broth was good. Sat with Merry and then Laxmi. Merry gave me cans of beans. Met Kent from Kansas who was working on one of the computers. Wish I were in Kansas.  Should I write a book of poetry for students of limnology? "Lotic: the non-erotic system of water running away from you in a stream." Got an old textbook of limnology down from the shelf.  "You! Yes, you, blowing smoke in my face, slashing the windows with merely a drop. False hope that I'll be able to breathe with your gift of a breeze. O wandering witchery. O west wind." Strong gusts blowing the dust around. My eyes sting. 88 degrees and 144 AQI just before 4 pm. Now 81 degrees at Ten till Six. AQI down to 93. Forecast to cool down tonight, tomorrow and Friday. Ventured out. 78 calm degrees and 74 AQI (moderate) at 7:30 pm. Market: Spent exactly $20. Got cake mix because I can bake with the cooler temps coming in. Plus... I'm having a craving for chocolate. Forgot to get oil but I bought 2 lb. of butter. In a better mood now.  6 september 52 degrees at 8 till 8 in the a.m. Very dry inside. Heavy haze. Says 90 AQI but it feels worse. Can't type this morning. Eyes hurt. After 2 days stuck inside I'm planning to get out if there's someplace to go. Went to bed early last night so I woke up very early and finally decided to get up. Meatloaf and very good green beans at God's Waiting Room. Sat with the usual suspects. Did more research on flights. 86 degrees at 3:40 but an AQI of 106. Not good. may be stuck at home. 5:05... an AQI of 139... def not going out. Means I can't get peaches. 🍑 AQI now 158. To explain to those who are scratching their head: this side of own closes early. There's basically nowhere to go after 6. Plus... if there were I'd have to walk there. Understand?There are times I just want to crawl under a rock. Saw Julian. Gave them Lavinia's copy of "This and every November" that she returned to me before she died. Plus, I was able to pay them for the sugar. 🤎 Gervic's Candle: I would weep for you if I could, wax melting, my luscious lavender filling the air. I would gladly give my life to light your way. Trim my wick! Find a match! I'm waiting to brighten your day. Inhale my fragrant gift. To Dobby at YCC re proper word for forecast/forecasted and AP style: "The problem is this: there are many Englishes around the world and grammarians can be gatekeepers for the elite (American or British or...). Corporate-speak is one such elite dialect as is legalese. Although useful for clarification, these dialects also are abused for power and control. For the rest of us communication is key. As a poet and writer I don't correct other people's honest efforts to connect." 5 september 140 AQI at 5 am, now 118 at 8. My nose, my mouth, my essence... parched. 53 degrees outside. Can't go outside. Very difficult to breathe. Nowhere to go on a day when many places are closed. The coughing and sneezing... Took a nap. Not bad, not good. Ate white-corn off the cob, white rice (paella-spiced) with brown oyster mushrooms, a white peach. Feeling okay. 81 degrees at 2:30. Nice, but AQI of 127... not healthy. AQI of 101 at 4:20. I was waiting for it to go below 100 to risk going out. 8:35 75 degrees and 35 AQI (good). I have door open, fan going. Expect it to cool off inside as temps will go down into the 50s. Hope smoke doesn't build back in. I've caught up with "ViceVersa". Latest episode was 'cloudy grey'. The choice of color does set a mood. Almost caught up with "Eclipse". Very edgy drama, dark with excellent acting. Added bacon and eggs to my left over rice. Wise choice. 68 degrees at 10 pm. Hopefully not so hard to sleep tonight. It's been a brutal end of summer. Gnus: "Then the Republican Senate Committee, in particular, has what I call a GOP problem: Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania," he quipped." I thought this witty. |
| September week 1 "The Daily Poem" 7 daily poems. Did one."Charlie Chaplin Chews Chocolate Chutney" Did 6:Alliteration uh? about a book, alone alot, awake, a Wookiee awoke or not.  Sara shimmied out of her shift, shimmered in the moonshine's shadow as she shaped the shades into shields, showered the winter's night with starlight. Wednesday's willow-witch: when will the whale's whispers allay my woes and heal my wounds. Make me a Man, from the Muggle's mud, or a Monster from the Maggot's minions, Oh, Mighty One. Ibrahim of Iberia: an itch indicated injury, its indigo infestation invading my inner impotence, importance its illusion, its ichor imbuing ignorance, leaving me an idiot, irrelevant and illiterate, as any insane innocent can witness. Don't say ixnay. Oh, the irony. Ding, dong, dilly, dally, deep in the dells of Derry, dearie. Die in the depths of dearest Derry, oh delicious daring Dellie. THE BIG ONE "Quotation Inspiration: Official Contest" Quotation Inspiration Prompt for September 2022: "I've always loved the first day of school better than the last day of school. Firsts are best because they are beginnings." -- Jenny Han One young friend dead in an accident, one friend's father dead of old age. It went downhill from there. By the third week of the semester I had drowned my sorrows in a thousand page book and a roadtrip to Connecticut. I'd done well the previous semester. As and Bs and the promised C in Spanish. A roommate I liked a got along with. Now I had a roommate and dorm-mates who loathed me. I was so upset I flunked the first exam in my major. I wanted out. Should: Gervic's Candle: I would weep for you if I could, wax melting as vanilla filled the air with its luscious flare. I would gladly give my life to light your way. Trim my wick! Find a match! I'm waiting to brighten your day. Inhale my fragrance I waft your way. As my wax melts think of the gift of giving and how I longed to warm your night hugging/forgiving/living/sinning/beginning/stripping/shipping/sniffing/kissing/cuddling like the sun's halo/kiss/kissing warmed your day. "2022 Poetry" Piano (hitting the high note, the low note, your limitations now surpassed), plus wellness and improvement. "Into The Darkness " Death in the Key of C https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP5KWdyRpHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qiaz1e2lNqo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLx6fnxQw_k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frxT2qB1POQ  ~~Image #2279787 Sharing Restricted~~ "Spirits at Lighthouses Challenge" The Window Washer? Did they die? Does the spray wash them now?Ingrid, heir apparent to the House of Indiana admired the view of Lake Michigan. She imagined that it admired her, her unbraided hair, her wild laughter. She had no visitors, only a delivery service that came cloaked in darkness once a fortnight and left food by the dock, always scurrying away before she could ask who they were. When she heard the soft slap of the oars she hurried to get the food before the circling gulls had a chance. A prison is a prison, no matter how pretty the view. And it was a magnificent view in all 4 directions. At dusk and dawn she'd look at the sky and converse with the clouds. She wasn't crazy, just lonely. A cat or a crow would've been an excellent companions, even a ghost would do. If there were any they hadn't manifested themselves. Ingrid knew the melody of the seasons as winds played symphonies of stormy crescendos and calm interludes, as waves sprayed foam at the windows, decorated the eaves with icicles, erased her ennui. So she set aside some flour to bake a loaf of bread, then fished for her daily supper. She looked north toward Superior. Was her uncle snowed in yet? He too languished in a lighthouse, left to chat with the gulls. Were they as troublesome as these? Did the cackle? *** He came to her in a dream then rowed to the landing in a dinghy. It was a calm day, nary a gull in sight, the fish not biting. He was better than any fish she had seen in a long long while. A bit ragged but hungry enough, or polite enough, to not complain about the day-old rind of rye she offered him. Bread and water for a morsel of news. He was more interested in the weather. But, she insisted. He grunted about the cranky new king, the old cranky princess, the recent war. War? How could she see no signs? Ingrid insisted that he spill the beans or spend a night. He spilled one bean at a time for a week. When the delivery boat came there was no sign of his dinghy, no sign that anything was amiss. She'd put out the flag as usual and attached a note that she needed more flour... and salt, if they could... The next week they fished, tying the gutted fish by their tails, hanging them in pairs on a pole in a room as far away from theirs... yes, they were getting along as it were. And the windows sparkled as never before. *** A dinghy could row out as well as row in; but there was nowhere safe to go. So they decided to stay and make the best of it. She finally got a letter from her aunt crowing that her uncle had finally, fortunately died and that the new king had set her free! Ingrid shed a tear at her glee and vowed not to respond. The flour and salt kept coming, the boatswain even showed his face one day and a crew member showed her more. She wasn't interested. She had had bigger and better and her portruding belly vouched for that. She didn't dare let them see that. They delivery boys, as she called them, were being less careful. She wasn't fooled. She remembered their faces from long ago, and they weren't friends. So they were careful. Fishing on days away from the shore. Cleaning one window at a time. Managing the tiny garden and the plants harbored inside. The dried fish were reduced to flakes, fish guts thrown to the gulls or fed to the worms in the compost heap along with any seaweed they could gather. Soon... they would have three mouths to feed. If he could enjoy the making and she could endure the baking then both could figure out how to ensure the birthing. ... Tethys/Thalassa they named her, princess of her tiny kingdom empress of the waves *** 9 Years had passed and her parents passed too 7 as she looked out at the waves 9 and planted crops and fished the waters 6 gently tended their graves 9 months of ennui enduring the calm 6 thrilled by the ice storm's rage 9 She was the window-washers' daughter 6 trapped in her crystal cage *** "RWB Presents: WDC 24th BD Poetry Event " so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens Him-a-cane while the thunder makers hang out north- north-east earl the nekkid swirl pirouettes ponders his uncertain / a Bolshoi debut. future YCC: arnldziffel > SoonerShawn "Earl the nekkid Swirl" If you must... blame arnldziffel > SoonerShawn: "Earl the naked swirl" Him-a-cane while the thunder makers hang out north- north-east earl the nekkid swirl pirouettes ponders his Bolshoi debut. Regarding Kay: 1858 revisited. Calling all moisture. Looks like future-Kay (special-Kay?) could become a monster in SoCal's break-fast bowl. As for Hinnamnor: In coming missile, loves kimchi and Russian dumplings, wouldn't mind some sushi, if you please, or Kuril caviar, isn't picky, shrugs off fur-coat bears. Apparently Hinnamnor is Lao ຮິນນາມນໍ. Still want to know what it means. (rock/water/horn?) Her-a-cane Fiona landfalling as the high towers circle around each other like Hulk in a wrestling match or a two rooks in game of chess, the pawns in the middle windblown and wet. Who will wipe away the tears of Ponce? The Mona Passage keeps its wisdom close (to itself) while Hispaniola holds its breath ready to blow Fiona north, hoping for a mere scrape of a breeze, perhaps some showers. No prompt: "SENIOR CENTER FORUM" "Kit's Higher Ratings Contest" "Poetic Traditions Poetry Contest " Birthday prompts I'll avoid "Barrel of Monkeys" "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" 22 lines 22++ words, 22 lies. "Lies I believed" To all those who tried to love me: Let me count the ways... 1 ... 18 ___ 19. After your silence the shunning began. 22. "Shadows and Light Poetry Contest" Mystery  "The Bard's Hall Contest" |
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