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Guided by prompts from WDC blogging challenges... and of course, life |
HI! I'm Jenn - and I'm all over the place (well, at least my mind is). In this blog, I have attempted to gather my thoughts on things prompted/inspired by WDC blogging challenges from "Journalistic Intentions"  , "The Soundtrack of Your Life" , "Blogging Circle of Friends " , "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" and, well, LIFE.    |
| While times have been rough for me of late, yesterday was even more so. The day began like normal: coffee, news, more coffee, followed by a trip to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions that were filled for this week. It was a gray, drizzly morning so I chose to go through the pharmacy's drive-thru rather than go in to get the meds. I never left my vehicle while on that trip into town and pulled into my garage as soon as I returned home. I tell you that so I can tell you this (as my darling husband likes to say) - When it was time to leave again, this time for work, I put the Jeep into reverse and began backing out of my garage. I heard a "clunk, pause, clunk" as I emerged from the garage onto the drive. It sounded like there was something stuck under the Jeep, so I put it in park and got out to look underneath. I didn't find anything under there, so I jumped back into the driver's seat and put the gear back into reverse. That's when warning lights appeared on the dash and warning dings started sounding. I decided to check the limited information that my Jeep puts on the digital dashboard to see if that might tell me anything. The tire light was one of the lights that had appeared, so I checked the tire pressure readout on the dash. It said my front driver's side tire only had 18 PSI. It didn't look flat when I went into the garage to start the vehicle. (Yes, I checked. I check every time I have to drive anywhere. I've been stranded because of problematic tires before.) Well, I got back out and looked again. Sure enough, the tire was flat. I got a huge knot in the pit of my stomach. What the hell could be wrong? I've gotta get to work and Mark is out of town for the day. Damnit! Tires don't just magically go flat. I had just driven the Jeep earlier, and the tires felt and sounded fine on the road on that trip. No "clunk", no pull to the side that the tire is on, which would have happened had the tire been flat or even low on that first journey into town. I thought I might have hit a nail or something while I was backing out. It wouldn't have been the first time someone's road fodder (or my husband's misplaced junk) ruined one of my tires. So, I ran my hand around the tire to see if I could feel anything stuck in the tire. Something poked my hand. What the Hell! I'm bleeding! What is that? Whatever it was that was stuck in my tire was more to the inside, and it was spikey. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and maneuvered it back there so I could take a picture of the mystery object and maybe get an idea of what it might be. I had no idea what I would find. This wasn't anything of my husband's. It wasn't road fodder either. There was a homemade tire spike in my tire. Someone had taken nails and welded them together, sharp side out, in a manner that resembled a jack (remember playing jacks as kids?). Someone deliberately made this object to ruin someone's tire - and I was the unlucky recipient. What do I do now? I tried to call my husband, but he didn't answer. Tried again, still to no avail. Then I phoned my boss and told her what was going on and that I would most likely be late getting to work. I didn't hold back with my frustration, and more than a few F-bombs escaped my mouth while I was on the phone with her. She started to laugh. I told her I was serious and she said, "I know. It's just that I have never heard you say 'f*ck' so many times in one sentence!" (Well, I'm glad that gave her a chuckle. I was still none too happy about the situation.) She told me she was sending someone to pick me up. At least I had a ride to work. I left my Jeep parked in the drive and locked it up when my ride arrived to take me to work. Well, with that taken care of, I tried calling my husband one last time and finally got hold of him to tell him of the whole damned issue. He was incensed, certain someone had come into our garage and placed the thing under my tire or left it on the driveway for one of us to run over. Whether it was actually meant for one of us or not, whoever made the thing did so with the intent to cause damage to someone else's vehicle/tire. I mean, I doubt (and seriously hope against) anyone around here would be making bombs, which is the only other reason one of these not so little quad-spikes would have been made. Yeah. I'm fine, made it to work on time, and my tire has been fixed, but I still don't feel too safe on the road now. Ugh. |
| I've been with WDC for seventeen years as of today. It feels like just yesterday that I joined. Granted, I did take a bit of a break from the site for a while during my later years of university and my early years teaching, as I was focused on my education and my career. But this site is magical, and it called me back just as my brain itched to write once more. There are so many wonderful and encouraging people here. I have begun to build friendships with some and still more entertain me with their stories and poems. Seventeen years and I'm still learning all the intricacies of writing, I'll never stop learning. But it is here on WDC where I find the most support, the most encouragement, and where I often get honest reviews of my work. For those honest reviews, I am grateful. They help me to become a better writer and allow me to see my work from another's viewpoint. When I first came to WDC, I only wrote poetry. But here, I was encouraged to step out of my comfort zone and attempt different types of writing. I've tried my hand at short stories, and of course blogging. Longer stories are still daunting to me, but with the encouragement I receive here, I am sure I will one day top that mountain as well. So, to everyone here on WDC, thank you. Thank you for making me a better writer, thank you for the help and confidence, for the friendships, the honesty. And most of all, thank you for being here. You are all what makes WDC so very magical (and addicting). Seventeen years doesn't seem like very long, really. Here's to at least seventeen more years here on this awesome site! |
| Blogging Circle of Friends - DAY 3477 - August 27, 2022 Music Where words leave off, music begins.” — Heinrich Heine What kind of music helps you get by when things are stressing you out? I tend to look toward happier, more upbeat music to de-stress me or calm me when I am stressing out. There are many songs I listen to. Here are a couple of my favorites: (Yeah, this one does it for me every time) Have a wonderful and blessed day everyone! |
| Prompt: Birthdays happen whether we're ready or not. Some people celebrate them by having parties, traveling, shopping, or doing nothing at all. How do you celebrate or not celebrate yours? Many years I do not celebrate my birthday at all and treat it as just another day. There were years when my girls would surprise me by baking me a cake and my husband would take them to find me a gift or two. But more often than not, my birthday would just be "just another day." My birthday this year was different though. I decided to celebrate another year of life. I wore a plastic crown and a button that said "Birthday Girl". The day was set aside to do things I wanted to do - and I had a wonderful time. My husband and I even went to a putting competition where, to my delight and surprise, all my fellow disc golfers sang me happy birthday and I surprisingly did quite well in the competition. It might have just been my lucky day, or I might have been flowing on all the awesome birthday vibes - but I was putting much better than normal. Maybe I'll again set aside time for me to have a "ME" day on my birthday in 2023. Life is too short not to celebrate another year of being alive, after all! |
| Just when I think I'm getting a handle on things, something happens to turn everything on its head again. I'm not one for a lot of change. I like things simple, almost predictable. Complications are distractions, uncomfortable and many times anxiety provoking. The world in recent times has drained me mentally. Dissention and fighting amongst everyone, uncertain times, and this whole state in which the U.S. has mired itself have resulted in a lack of zeal about life. I fall asleep early and prefer it if I could just hibernate until things settle down a bit. Hey, I'm an adult. I know I can't do that. I have a job to work at, bills to pay, responsibilities to meet. So I wake up, go to work, come home, and go back to sleep. In my dreams, I'm not bombarded by the insanity. But waking life has still become too much to handle. Maybe it's because I'm an empath. Everyone else's emotions affect me directly and there's just too much negativity going around and not nearly enough of the positive and I can't seem to distance myself and my emotions from the influence of other people's lives and drama, try as I might. If only there was a way to put me in a stupor, to decrease my awareness to the point of being oblivious... But wait! There is! It just doesn't help when life's curve balls hit me all at once. Physically and medically, I'm doing great (as far as I know). All the doctors' tests have come back looking good. So here I am. I'm finally fully able to enjoy life again and additional circumstances work to keep me down. My daughter lives in a dope house and refuses family visits to see the new baby - but she sends loads of pictures. We are stressed about the immigration issues in the US (my husband is Canadian but has permanent residency in the US) and what it means to us. My grandma's health has taken a downturn. And as the icing on the recent shit cake that I call my life, my favorite aunt (everyone has a favorite right?) was just diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given less than a year to live. It's hard to celebrate to good things when the bad seems to overwhelm. Maybe I'm just being a Negative Nellie, I'm too close to the situation to tell. So, I pray. And I work, and I pray. Work keeps my mind occupied for a while each day. The constant stream of people coming in and out of the store keeps my mind focused on things other than my personal issues. I'll probably work myself into my own early grave, but then, life will be someone else's problem. |
| Today begins a week of celebration for myself and my husband. It's Canada Day and my husband is Canadian. We begin celebrating today and continue to celebrate through the Fourth of July and after. The Fourth isn't just Independence Day for us. It's also our anniversary. This year marks 22 years of ups, downs, and everything in between - 22 years of being there for one another through thick and thin, and through bouts of mental instability and long times of health issues. I couldn't even imagine being married to someone else. His sese of humor and kindness has seen me through some of my worst times. He's my best friend, and my confidante. He's my Canadian Dream Boat, my knight in muddy Dickies (he owns & operates an irrigation business). So to begin our celebration, Happy Canada Day to everyone out there. |
| It's a typical Texas summer day. The overwhelming heat has wilted the leaves on the lantana and scorched the bare earth. The sand burns the bottoms of my bare feet as I walk outside to check on my flowers and trees. The heat presses down on me, even in the shade. I pant for lack of air cool enough to breathe and my arms glisten with the formation of sweat after only a few minutes outside. My dog is at my side, faithful as ever, even though the thickness of his fur is surely making things even harder on him. There are no birds or little mammals out right now. They're probably hiding in their burrows or in the deep shade of the woods to escape at least some of this heat wave. I read the thermometer after I woke this morning; at 8 a.m. it was already almost 95 degrees Fahrenheit. I must be getting old because I remember days like this in my youth, days where this inescapable heat didn't affect me the way it does now. Memories of a young me popping the tar that bubbled up from the road in front of my childhood home with my bare toes. I know I couldn't do that now. The heat is too much for me. It steals my breath and energy, and it presses down on me like an invisible wet blanket. I should be in the house, basking in the cool air of the A/C. Instead, I am outside making sure this horrendous heat isn't sapping the life from the plants I so lovingly planted and care for. And the dog remains beside me, too overheated for his usual antics. I should probably hurry up out here and get back inside. Back to the coolness of the house and a soft place for the dog to rest. The forecast is for triple digit heat today after all. And it's not even July yet. It's going to be one Hell of a summer. |
| I hate Tuesdays. They're worse than Mondays for me. By Tuesday, my entire body is throbbing in pain, deep and overwhelming. Along with the pain comes the itching, discomfort, and annoyance of being bothered. Every little thing can set me off and usually does. Tuesdays are the days that I wish Wednesdays would hurry up and get here, along with all of the sickness and wonkiness that my Wednesday medication dosage brings. Wednesday is the day I take my Methotrexate. The dosage is supposed to last the entire week, but by Monday I start to see feel the symptoms again and by Tuesday those symptoms are almost too much to bear. The pain gets so bad that it makes me nauseous, weak, and dizzy more often than not. Thank my immune system for that, for all of it. It makes some days almost impossible to get through. Take today for an example. I am in so much pain that I would love to cry. I'd love to curl up in a ball and let the world pass me by until tomorrow gets here. But I can't do either. And curling up in a ball would hurt, just like anything toughing my skin hurts. But I have to work today, and tears don't come too readily anymore. You ever wonder what it would be like to not be able to cry? It ain't fun, I'll tell you that. Sometimes, a person needs to cry. Of the many autoimmune diseases I have, Sjorgren's syndrome is one of them. Sjogren's attacks the salivary and tear glands, leaving mouth and eyes dry. I used to get those effects from smoking weed. Now I have them all the time, no weed needed. The Lupus SLE is the culprit behind all the pain, and itching, and the lovely red spots all over my face (and quite a few other things too). Living with it is hard, but at least I'm still alive. These symptoms are all small prices to pay for the privilege of being alive. But that doesn't mean it doesn't bother me, and it doesn't mean I'm not driven to complain from time to time. On Tuesdays like today, there's nothing I can do but wait for tomorrow and the promise of a few days without pain that Wednesday's medication brings. Good thing I don't have to do it alone. On days like today, the Lord carries me through the day so I can see tomorrow. Until next time. Thanks for reading. - Jenn |
| "Update Your Blog," an email tells me every morning when I log on. But aside from being hellaciously busy at work, nothing has really been going on. What would I blog about? New managers to replace the old and everyone that quit? That's all normal life stuff. It happens to everyone at some point in time. The only part that might be different is that I am the only one from the old crew who still remains. I didn't owe my allegiance to the old manager. Yeah, I went there to work because they seriously needed help, but the store still needs help and they're paying me well enough for my time and effort. And the new store manager is a pretty nice young woman, maybe they should have given her a chance. But that's what's been engulfing most of my time - and keeping me away from writing. I do still set back some time each day to spend with my husband. There are many days we will go to the disc golf course and play a round of golf before the sun sets or take the dog to the park for a little romp. The together time has been good for us. In other news, I got my order in the mail yesterday. A new golf disc and a new pair of socks. Before you laugh, let me explain. They're specialty socks for disc golf. They even have a disc golf basket printed on the side of them - and because they are for me, they have crazy patterns and colors on them. I ordered a new computer too, but somehow it has been delayed mid-shipment. At least, that's what the UPS tracker for it says. Looking forward to getting that baby in, that's for sure! But that's all that has been going on. Not really blog-worthy, but it is what it is. See you all on the flip side. |
| Prompt: Environmental - In Las Vegas summer usually means triple digit temperatures and excessive heat warnings. How do you deal with excessive heat? If you live someplace where you get excessive cold, how do you deal with that? One of the things you should know about Texas is that we have seen excessive temperatures on both sides of the temperature scale. Granted, where I live experiences many more excessively hot days than cold. Triple digits in the summer are commonplace. How does one deal with it? When I was young, my mom kept only the screen doors shut during the days and the windows were open all day and night. Most of our days were spent outside in the sprinklers or at the lake or the pool. Anything that would help keep us cool. When it would get really hot, my parents would finally close the doors and windows and turn on the air conditioner for a while. Nowadays, it's all about the air conditioner in the summer - and often in the spring as well, as we experience temperatures in the mid 90's in April and May from time to time (like right now). If there is a blackout or the air conditioner breaks, I think I'll be finding my way to a lake or something again, I suppose. Shade can only do so much when the thermometers rise to heights such as we commonly see here in the summers. I'm not much for the heat. Or the cold, honestly. But, the way I see it, if it's cold, you can keep putting on layers to help you stay warm, whereas in the heat you can only take off so much before it either becomes indecent or you run out of clothing to remove.  |
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Glad you're OK.
You're so right, they are definitely perceptive. They know when you need extra attention, and they know when to keep an eye out for you. They are definitely a blessing from God.