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 |   Drop by drop the snow pack dies, watering the arid lands below. |
    Other Blogs and Journals containing the continuing writing adventures of Prosperous Snow celebrating   "The Snowflake Chronicles"  "More Snow Melt" "Writing in Snow" "Welcome to My Life" "Memories of Snow" "Dreams of Snow " Poet999's Thoughts about Writing and Other Stuff http://poet999writingthoughts.blogspot.com/ Poet999 - A Butterfly Emerges From Her Cocoon http://poet999.blogspot.com/ |
| Eleven days left in 2013! Eleven days until 2014 passes through the calender's birth canal. 2014 an auspicious year! The 100th anniversary of World War I.1 World War I the great war to end all wars, how do we remember and pay homage to the soldiers, the poets, and the veterans of the war that began a century of wars. We who were born in the 20th century have never known a world without war; we dream of peace, we pray for peace, we work for peace, and we live in a world at war. We live in a world at war, with itself, a world fighting because of secular and religious differences; a world that doesn't see, despite the minor difference humanity is a single species. These wars will end, humanity will come through this Armageddon that began on the battlefields of World War I; humanity will survive and unite, but until it does we can't give up hope or stop working for peace while remembering the veterans. Food for Thought" “In World War One, they called it shell shock. Second time around, they called it battle fatigue. After 'Nam, it was post-traumatic stress disorder.” - Jan Karon, Home to Holly Springs Footnotes |
| I went to my grief counseling group meeting this afternoon. The meeting lasted from 4:00 to 5:00 pm (at least I think we got out of there at 5:00). The counselor gave us two handouts by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. The first was "The Mourner's Bill of Rights" and the second was "Helping Yourself Heal During the Holiday Season". The topics covered in the second hand out are... "Love Does Not End With Death" "Talk About Your Grief" "Be Tolerant of Your Physical and Psychological Limits" "Eliminate Unnecessary Stress" "Be With Supportive, Comforting People" "Talk About the Person Who Has Died" "Do What Is Right for You During the Holidays" "Plan Ahead for Family Gatherings" "Embrace Your Treasure of Memories" "Renew Your Resources for Living" "Express Your Faith" I have to scan both handouts and e-mail them to someone. After that, I think I may use each topic as the inspiration to a poem or blog entry. I know I want to do something more then just read the handouts. I will have to meditate on the subject and see what I come up with. |
The December 16, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat is your favorite spiritual/motivational quote? Why? He who puts his trust in God, God shall suffice him, He who fears God, God shall send him relief. Baha'u'llah This has been my favorite spiritual quote for the past few months because my life seems to be stalled at the moment. I don't know when the house will close. I don't when I'll move to a new place. The one thing I'm certain of at this point is that God's will is working in my life. I don't have to worry about a place to live because I'm still living in Mom's house until it closes. I don't have to worry about a place to live because I'm sure something will open up in God's time. God will suffice me, God will help me find a place I can afford, find the money or assistance for my co-pays guide me to someone who will assist the move. There is nothing to fear because fear of God brings relief to my trembling soul, protects me from the terrors of everyday life, lifts my focus from the physical to the spiritual. Only trust in God and fear of God brings happiness to the lover's soul. |
| December is drawing to an end and I get the feeling that 2014 will begin a new chapter in my life. Mom died on November 29, 2012, I have spent the last thirteen months in the house that she and I shared. I have spent the entire time worrying about something or other. I now wonder what I am going to do with the rest of my life, however long that will be. I am not in good heath, but I do not think my health is all that bad. I will know just how good of health I am experiencing after I see the next two specialist. I am not worried bout my health because I do not know what if there is anything to worry about until I have seen the specialist. Waiting to see the doctor is a pleasant experience that is cool in spring and summer or warm in autumn and winter. I am going to the specialist because my regular doctor saw some issues in my last blood test that she wanted checked out, which means more test. There are a lot of thing I want to do in 2014 besides sitting in doctors' offices waiting to see a physician. Most of the time I do not have a long wait, at least not in my regular doctor's office. When I have went to specialist last year and the year before, the wait was not very long. The longest I have had to wait to see a doctor for anything is when I went to wound care, which seems to take longer then anything else; at least, when it comes to the waiting part. This is probably why wound care outpatient clinics have working television sits and cable or satellite access to television stations. I have reviewed my year looked at issues that trouble or perplex me, but I still think I have missed something. I have answered the twenty-one question in "Questions to Answer When Reviewing the Year" of "The Snowflake Chronicles" in "Welcome to My Life" , but for some reason I think I have missed something. Perhaps it is because I reviewed at the end of the year instead of doing a daily review of my actions during 2013. Perhaps that should be one of the twelve or nineteen goals I sit for 2014. December is half over and I have to get my goals, income/outgo, and banking spreadsheets in place for 2014. I do not want to spend half of January sitting up spreadsheets that I should have in place by January 1, 2014. I cannot simply copy the templates I used in 2013 to my 2014 spreadsheets because my life situation has changed and is still changing.Thought of the Day: "New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights." ~Hamilton Wright Mabie |
| I don't know why people consider Friday the 13th unlucky because today was a very lucky day for me. First, I no longer have to worry about the power being turned off on Tuesday, December 17; which means I can go to my optometrist and relax knowing that when I get home the I will have electricity and the house will be warm (at least warm enough to keep me from freezing to death). Second, when I went to Lutheran Social Services today I was able to get a ten pound bag of frozen chicken, so now I can have fried chicken and make chicken vegetable stew. It was a good day and I'm tired. I'm not sleepy so I may not go to bed until later tonight. My back hurts, which is normal since I carried in two large and half full boxes of food. I was able to get a couple of salads, several container of yogurt, and other stuff. I don't have to worry about food this week end because I have to focus on eating the things in the refrigerator that I brought home today. I have some pork and hamburger in thawing in the fridge. I'll fix the pork tomorrow with some eggs and squash, if there is any pork left I will cook it and freeze it for another time. I'm one of those people who can't become a vegetarian of any type because I need meat in my diet. I prefer my meat with either vegetable or in a sandwich, so the things I got today will make me a good week end meal. I'll have to take the trash out in the morning because by the time I got home and everything put away I had to rest a bit. I also did dishes which didn't help the pain in my knees and back. I can stand up for just so long before I have to sit down and rest. I may have to eat something before I go to bed so that I can take another pain pill. The first one helped, but I'm not sure I can sleep with the pain tonight. I may try, but if I can't lay down without pain then I'll have to get up and eat something so that I can take that pill. I hate taking pain medication, but if the pain is so bad that it interferes with sitting in a chair or lying down to a half-way good night's sleep then I have to take the meds. Food for Thought: "Its Friday the 13th! It's only bad luck if you put it in your head. Think its just another day & stay positive. Have faith with God!" - Unknown |
| Today, December 11, 2013, I feel like a butterfly larva in a cocoon. I feel as if I'm ready to transform into a winged insect from a ground crawling worm. I feel like there si something I need to do before breaking out of my cocoon, but I'm not sure what. I feel frustrated that getting out of this house isn't going as fast as I'd hoped or planned. I thought I would be out of the house by now; perhaps I should say hoped I would be out, but I'm not. Again this month I'm faced with bills I can't pay and am going to have to ask someone for help. I don't like asking for help, but there is on other option because if I don't pay the power bill by Monday then the power will be turned off. I feel helpless. I want to cry. I want to give up. I can cry, but I can't give up. I also want to be warm again. I turned the thermostat off for a while and hoped that would bring the bill down, but it didn't and I'm faced again with the damn bill. I'm tired of having to worry about paying bills. I'm tired of living in a house I can't take care off. I'm tired of being cold. I don't know why this December seems colder then last year, but it does. I had to turn the heat back on, but it doesn't seem like it's any warmer. Perhaps part of the problem is my health and physical condition. Maybe it's because I can't focus on or complain about anything except the cold. The more I complain about the cold the colder I feel. Right now I'm sitting with a blanket wrapped around me, but it doesn't seem to help. My shoulder are warm and the rest of me is cold. I have a parody of two write, but this evening I can't focus on writing the parody. I can chose from two different songs or I can combine the two songs into one poem. I can think of a start, but I can't seem to get past the first couple of lines. Maybe I should listen to the songs again before I get off line. I still have work to do, so I can listen to them a couple of times while I'm writing or reviewing or whatever I'm going to do until 9:00 Pacific Standard Time. I wonder if a butterfly larva in a cocoon would feel as cold as I do tonight? I doubt it because I think the cocoon would be like the warm wool blanket I snuggled under when I was a child. I wonder what ever happened to that blanket, not that I could use is because I suspect I've developed an allergy to wool. I guess a person can develop an allergy to wool or anything else. |
The December 10, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isDecember 10th is Human Rights Day. What do you consider to be the rights of every human being in the world, not just here in the U.S. What do you feel should be the most important right of all guaranteed to every human. Explain why. The theme for this year is "20 Years Working for Your Rights"2. The Vienna Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on June 25, 19933 and December 10 was declared Human Rights Day in 19504 in order to bring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights5 to the peoples of the world. All human beings are entitled to all the human rights set forth in the Declaration of Human Right and all these rights are equally important. I think at this point in the history of Earth there are some of these rights that need to be focus of media attention educate people on the violation of these right. These rights concern Article 4, which concerns forbids slavery and the slave trade in any form. Article 16 which concerns the right of people to marry anyone the chose regardless of race, religion, or nationality. Article 18 which concerns "freedom of thought, conscience, and religion" and states that people have the right to change religions as they chose and practice their religion. Article 26 which is about the right of people to an education. The article I am most conscience of is Article 18 because of the imprisonment of my coreligionist in Iran for nothing more then practicing the Baha'i Faith and following Baha'u'llah. To read The Universal Declaration of Human Rights go to http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml. Thought of the Day: "As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, let us intensify our efforts to fulfill our collective responsibility to promote and protect the rights and dignity of all people everywhere." - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Footnotes |
| One of my weekly writing goals is 2,000 words per day. Some days it's easy to write 2,000 words and I exceed the goal. Other days it's more difficult and I tend to fall short of the goal on those days. Monday seems to be one of those days when it's difficult to make the goal. I don't know why Monday is so difficult, true it's the first day of the work week, but I don't see why that should make writing 2,000 words difficult. I mean it's not like I have to leave the house to go and work for someone else. I haven't had a job like that since 2007, so you would think that working online and writing would be easy. For some reason, my muse wants to take Monday off. Maybe the problem is that I sit down at the computer and write 7 days a week. Perhaps I should take a day off and go do something fun (I'm not sure that is the right word because I find writing fun). A day off from writing, especially in winter is difficult. It's too cold to go a park for very long and I'm not crazy about clothes shopping or shopping of any kind if I have to do it by myself. That's probably why I'm in desperate need of some new clothes because it would be easier and more fun to shop with someone else. I have to get over the notion that shopping with someone else is more fun because I don't have anyone to shop with (well maybe I can find someone). Perhaps that should be one of my goals for 2014: "Find someone to go shopping with." However, that doesn't solve the problem of why it's difficult to write 2,000 words on Monday when I have no difficulty writing that many words on Sunday. If I have difficulty writing that many words on Monday then it bleeds over into Tuesday and even Wednesday. I need to get in a routine that will help me write. Perhaps the problem is the time I write. Maybe I need to divide my writing time up into two session by doing a morning and evening session. I thought of doing this before, but once I start doing something I don't want to stop until it's finished because I'm afraid I won't finish it. The only thing for me to do is to keep trying or perhaps pick Monday as the day I take off from writing. Perhaps I should take my day off following the solar day, which is from sundown to sundown. That way I could take the evening of one day off and go to be early then I would have until sunset the next day to go shopping or do whatever I wanted except writing on the computer. I would, of course, carry my pen and paper journal with me in case I got an idea. Food for Thought: “I like to believe that you don't need to reach a certain goal to be happy. I prefer to think that happiness is always there, and that when things don't go the way we might like them to, it's a sign from above that something even better is right around the corner.” - David Archuleta, Chords of Strength: A Memoir of Soul, Song and the Power of Perseverance |
The second prompt for December 7, 2013 for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" is2 December 7th, 1941, 72 years ago Pearl Harbor was attacked. What do you know about that time? Did you have family on those ships? Do you believe it could happen again? December 7, 1941 was a day that will live in infamy. It was the day that took America into World War II. All day I have thought about the events that occurred 5 years and 17 days before I was born. I want to commemorate that day through a poem, but I don't know where to start. I'm not sure what my father did in World War II. I know that he was in the Army Air Corp and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. I know that he and my mother were married at the time because Mom worked at what is now the University Medical Center and I know that Mom took a bus to and from work. I took the bus because she and Dad lived on or near Nellis at the time. I know that the following picture was taken about the time my parents were married, but I am not sure of the exact date.  My parents were divorced when I was young because of my father's alcoholism. Mom never talked much about their life during World War II and I never ask. I regret that now, but there isn't a lot I can do about it because most, if not all, of the people who knew them then are dead or out of my life. This brings me to the point of wanting to write a commemorative poem, but not knowing where to start. How do I begin a poem about Pearl Harbor? I think I need to do a little more research, which is the way I usually begin writing poems about historic events. Thought of the Day: "Everybody knows about Pearl Harbor. The thing that really fascinated me is that through this tragedy there was this amazing American heroism." - Michael Bay |
The first prompt for December 7, 2013 for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" is1 There are no shovels, all you have is your hands and your creativity and lots of helpers. What are you going to build with all that snow? I've always wanted an igloo6 to call my own, a nice warm little snowhome, where I could bundle up with my fleece blanket and wait for the Las Vegas summer to arrive to melt my snowhouse by June or July. If I could build a snowhouse, I could live upon Mount Charleston all winter long. A white snowhome hidden in winter's snow pack where Nellis Air Force Base7 drones would not detect me in my igloo home. Food for Thought: “May you have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart” - Eskimo Proverb Footnotes |
The December 6, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isDo you believe world peace is achievable? World peace is not only achievable, It is inevitable. The initial steps toward world peace were taken in the twentieth century. Even though we cannot see it, the movement toward world peace has picked up in the twenty-first century. The proof of this increase in momentum is the conflicts facing the world today. We, the human species, will survive these present conflicts and emerge from them into a peaceful world. As individuals we have a choice, we can either chose to impede the the progress of peace or we can chose to help accelerate its progress, but we cannot stop it. Food for Thought: "The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet—in the words of one great thinker, “the planetization of mankind”." - from The Promise of World Peace |
| It's December 4, 2013 and already I've written five Christmas poems, which are "The Christmas Truce of 1914" , "Santa Stalker" , "A Commercialized Christmas" , "Christmas 2013" , and "Crusty the Zombie" . Two of those poems are parodies of Christmas Songs. "Santa Stalker" is a parody of Santa Baby while "Crusty the Zombie" parodies Frosty the Snowman. The only one of those five poems that comes close to being a traditional Christmas poem is "The Christmas Truce of 1914" . I would like to write about 25 or 30 Christmas poems this year and I doubt that any of them come close to being a traditional Christmas poem. I'm just not in the mood to write the tradition Christmas poem (it there is such a thing). This year one of my favorite Christmas sons is Grandma Got Run Over by a Reinder. I'll admit that if you listen to it long enough it becomes a bit irritating because you can't get the song out of your head, but this effect usually doesn't last beyond December 31. Another song I like (in the original version) is I Ain't Gettin' Nutin' for Christmas. Now that I come to think about it, the only time I enjoyed traditional Christmas music or poetry was when I listened to it with my Grandparents. This may explain why I enjoy writing parodies of Christmas songs and listening to nontraditional Christmas songs. |
December got off to a good, but chilly, start. On December 1, I posted the first entry for the month in "Welcome to My Life" titled "Sunday Review: The Count Down Has Begun" , which I am using to review 2013. I plan to post an entry every day that review 2013 with ideas or goals to accomplish in 2014. I also managed to be the first to post in "Invalid Item" , for which I received a merit badge. I also received a merit badge for a post I made in "Memories of Snow" in November for a "Invalid Item" prompt. The title of that entry is "November Memoir: These are some of my favorite things" .![Merit Badge in Opinion
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Congratulations on adding [Link to Book Entry #797346] to your memoir project, in response to the November 2013 prompt at [Link To Item #1745875] . *^*Smile*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Opinion-1150.gif) ![Merit Badge in Seasons Winter
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Thank you for posting the first entry in [Link To Item #1354469] ...the countdown is on! Your participation is very much appreciated. *^*Delight*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Seasons_Winter.gif) Very early this morning, I I posted to "Invalid Item" , "Weekly Goals" , and made today's entry in "Welcome to My Life" called "I have to Remember to Clean my Balls in 2014" . This week I have four goals which I have listed in "Writing in Snow" under "Invalid Entry" . I rechecked this week's edition of the fantasy newsletter (a few minutes ago after drinking my second cup of warmed over leftover coffee) to make sure I did not miss anything when I checked it over last night. I also wrote two Christmas poems yesterday "The Christmas Truce of 1914" and "Santa Stalker" , which I entered into contests. I also started another Christmas poem called Christmas 2013, but I could not get it to work the way I wanted so I went to bed. I will go back to it after while and see if a different approach helps.It seems like just yesterday New Year's fireworks proclaimed the year's birth, now 2013 complains of the pain in arthritic fingers and toes: where did the year go? Thought of the Day: “How did it get so late so soon?” - Dr. Seuss |
The November 30, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWe have 31 days left in 2013, looking back over the past 11 months what have you accomplished? What have you left to do? And are you already thinking ahead to 2014? Looking back over the past 11 months what have I accomplished?  I completed my 2013 NaNoWriMo novel "Midnight in Suburbia" and wrote 54,658 during the month of November. I edited and updated "Map of My Port" .  I began putting my mother's poems in "My Mother's Poems" . I began keeping a record of my accomplishments in "Writing in Snow" . I started writing my memoirs in "Memories of Snow" . I admitted I have a problem with maladaptive daydreaming and joined http://wildminds.ning.com/. I started keeping a pen and paper journal again. I began making and printing off a daily To Do List. I started reading One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant.What do I have left to do?  I need to be more consistent when it comes to writing 2,000 words per day. I need to begin editing and rewriting Scavengers. I need to stop eating right before I go to bed. I need to finish my 2012 nanowrimo novel "The Typewriter" .Am I already thinking ahead to 2014?  I have listed questions I need to review 2013 in "The Snowflake Chronicles" "Questions to Answer When Reviewing the Year"  I have downloaded a 2014 calendar and began setting up my 2014 goals spreadsheets.31 days left in 2013 what else do I have to do to prepare for 2014? Food for Thought: "We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce |
Serial Prompt! Part Two: The November 30, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWhat are you thankful for? On the first day (yesterday), give me an overview of everything you were thankful for at the age of 10, and everything you are thankful for in your life currently. Feel free to make two lists. How have your lists changed? On the second day (today), think about your future self and make a list of what you will be thankful for in the future. Please be inventive with this. Make a life for yourself and imagine what the world may be like 20, 30, 40, 50, etc years in the future. November 30, 2033 The world has changed in twenty years humanity is overcoming its xenophobic fears and planetary citizens is carrying the torch of peace across the world. Each nations boarders are secure and the rights of each of their citizens to worship God, pursue happiness, and life and liberty secured and recognized. The oneness of humanity is established and the light of unity is being carried across the planet Earth. On this last day of November in 2033 we raise our songs of gratitude and say thank you to those who have established humanity's unity. Thought of the Day: "The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Day Star of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. The one true God, He Who knoweth all things, Himself testifieth to the truth of these words." - Baha'u'llah, Gleanings From the Writings of Baha'u'llah, Page 289 |
Serial Prompt! Part One: The November 29, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWhat are you thankful for? On the first day (today), give me an overview of everything you were thankful for at the age of 10, and everything you are thankful for in your life currently. Feel free to make two lists. How have your lists changed? On the second day (tomorrow), think about your future self and make a list of what you will be thankful for in the future. Please be inventive with this. Make a life for yourself and imagine what the world may be like 20, 30, 40, 50, etc years in the future. What was I thankful for 57 years ago at the age of 10?  The television set at my grandparent's house because I could watch my favorite TV shows when I was there. Hot coco, my grandmother or mother made, on a cold winter morning. A chocolate cake on my birthday. A Betsy Wetsy Doll. Peppermint candy canes. Coloring eggs at Easter and chocolate Easter bunnies. Snow on Christmas. Staying up until midnight on New Year's Eve. Eggnog. Staying overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's house.What am I thankful for today?  My car because otherwise I would have to take a cab, a bus, or walk when I have to go to the store. My cellphone because I can carry it with me when I leave the house and do not have to use a payphone for emergencies. Because I can keep in contact with my nieces and nephews. A place to live. Bananas one of my favorite fruits since I got my dentures. Hot coffee in fall and winter or iced coffee in spring and summer. Extra income when I can earn it. Autumn leaves. Rain Writing.comThought of the Day: "Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse." - Henry Van Dyke |
It's Opinion Thursday! The November 28, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isThanksgiving. Do you live in the US and celebrate it? What does it represent to you today versus what it might have represented in the Holiday's infancy? Do you live outside the US and don't care about Thanksgiving is? Give us your thoughts. On Thanksgiving Day people in the U.S.A. count their blessing, pray or say "Thank you for..." When I was growing up, Thanksgiving Day was for family getting together, saying grace, eating a turkey, watching television, or going outside to play. Thanksgiving was a time of gratitude, sharing your blessing with the less fortunate (even if those less fortunate were only family members), stuffing yourself with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes (at least two kinds and one kind with gravy), salad (at least three kinds), and pie (at least two or three kinds). Thanksgiving Day was for tradition and, for me, it is still a time for practicing tradition (even though some of those traditions have changed over the years and for gratitude. On this Thanksgiving Day I am alone for the first time in 66 years, but I still practice one of the traditions Mom and I began a few years ago. I am not sure when Mom and I began the tradition of eating pumpkin pie with whipped cream, or its equivalent, for breakfast while watching the morning news. This morning, I warmed over some coffee in the microwave and cut myself a piece of pumpkin pie. I put a whipped cream equivalent on it (probably too much) and then I took my food into the living room, turned on the television, and watched the morning news. I did not expect to do this today, but I am glad I did because I saw President Obama pardoning Popcorn (the national Thanksgiving turkey) and commanders in Afghanistan serving the troops Thanksgiving dinner. It is nice to know, that despite the sacrilege of stores beginning their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Day, tradition is still alive and practiced in the United Sates of America. I am staying home today, I am not going to attend pre-Black Friday sales. There are a few things I did not get when I went shopping yesterday, I will wait until tomorrow to purchase them. I know that my single protest will do nothing to stop stores from starting their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Day, but they can damn well do it without my help and approval. On Thanksgiving Day we are supposed to be grateful for what we have instead of trampling other human beings to increase a merchants bottom line. Quote of the Day: "Black Friday: Because only in America, people trample others for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have." - Unknown |
It's War Chest Wednesday! The November 27, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isThere's something you want very badly but can't have it. Your only way of obtaining it is to sacrifice something else of true importance. What do you want and what would you give up to get it? What do I want but can't have? An interesting question, which I find difficult to answer at this time in my life. I don't know what I would want so badly that I'd sacrifice something else for, any more then I know what I'd sacrifice. I've been required to make a lot of sacrifices in my 66 years, eleven months, and two days on this planet. I've usually never considered the sacrifice until after it was made. That could mean that the thing or things I sacrificed weren't important enough to remember or consider a sacrifice. It could also mean that what what I received for the sacrifice was more important then the things sacrificed. After the age of 27, I realized that sometimes the sacrifice is more important then the item or items sacrificed. I think that had to do with giving my daughter up for adoption. I knew I could not take care of her and I knew my living arrangements were not the type that would encourage her talents and living a fruitful life. After that sacrifice, all other sacrificed paled in comparison. The other sacrifice I made was getting out of the workforce to care for Mama. At the time, I didn't consider the financial burden it would place on me after Mom's death, which was probably the most important thing I sacrificed to become a caregiver. I'm still struggling with that sacrifice because I'm not financially independent and I need to rely on other people to help me financially. The house closes next week and I don't have a place to live; I may have to go to Searchlight to live with my sister, which means I may have to give up my Cox Communications internet connection for a while. I don't know how I'll be able to live without a reliable internet connection because the only connection I may have is through a satellite dish, which I don't trust because of the sunspot cycle we are experiencing. I could be concerned over nothing, because one of the waiting list I'm on may clear so that I can get a place here in Las Vegas. Living in Searchlight would be a sacrifice because I have to come into Las Vegas or go to Boulder City to shop and pick up my prescriptions. If I have to go to the hospital or an urgent care facility then I have to come into Las Vegas. When I see my doctor or any doctor, I have to come into Las Vegas. Then there is the $200.00 I have to pay to get out of the bundle I have for my internet, phone, and television. The land-line and the television are not big deals, but I would miss the reliability of the cable modem. What do I want that I can't have? I may be able to answer this question better next week. What would I sacrifice for what I want but can't have? This is another question I can probably answer better next week. Food for Thought about Sacrifice: “Seven Deadly Sins Wealth without work Pleasure without conscience Science without humanity Knowledge without character Politics without principle Commerce without morality Worship without sacrifice.” ― Mahatma Gandhi |
}It's War Chest Tuesday! The November 26, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isHave you ever risked your life to save the life of someone else? Would you if the situation arose? Who would you risk your life for? (If you would prefer to answer a slightly tamer version of this question, replace the word "life" with reputation.) Have I ever risked my life to save the life of someone else? No. Would I, if the situation arose, risk my life to save someone else? I would like to say yes, to this question, but the truth is I have absolutely no idea how I would respond in a case like that. Would I risk life and limb for another human being? I hope the answer would be a resounding YES. The prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isApparently, there is a National Day for just about anything. Today, November 26th is National Cake Day! If you had to represent us in a world bake off, what cake would you bake to best describe us and why? Bet some of you are going to immediately say "fruitcake"  I have made many cakes in my life. I have baked cakes in conventional ovens and I have bake them in microwaves. I have make cakes from scratch and I have used mixes. I have made chocolate cakes, I have made mayonnaise cakes, I have made all sorts of cakes, but I have never made a fruitcake (all though I've dated a few). If I were going to bake a cake for National Cake Day, I would like to bake a fruitcake simply because it would be a new experience. However, I would not bake the conventional fruitcake because I would not bake it from scratch. The way I would make a fruitcake is to start with the pound cake mix I have in the refrigerator and the can of mixed fruit I have sitting on the breakfast counter. I would mix the cake according to the directions on the box, except I would substitute some of the liquid in the mixed fruit for the liquid ingredients the cake mix direction calls for. After mixing the cake, I would put the cake in a casserole dish and put it in the microwave for about ten minutes. Then I would see if the cake was done clear through by sticking a butter knife in the middle. If the cake was not baked through then I would put it through the bake cycle for a few more minutes or seconds. |
It's Wildcard Monday! The November 25, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWhat is your first reaction when you forget something? Take us through your initial terror and following thoughts. Anecdotes are helpful! Forgetting something used to scare the shit out of me, but lately I have other things to worry about. There was a time when I thought the problem was an indication of Alzheimer's disease; however, I now realize it is a part of stress. I am dealing with the stress and the forgetfulness (not necessarily in that order). Panic does not help may memory, in fact it just makes the momentary issue of C.R.S.8 worse. The best thing to do is just calm down (it that is possible) and go through the steps of where I last saw the item I forgot. A To Do List helps, provided I remembered or took the time to print the list out the night before. Prayer, placing the situation in God's hands, and writing helps. A good To Do List has A, B, and C, with the C priorities being those that it doesn't matter if I forget because I can do those either once a week or once a month and after I complete the A and B priorities. Another thing that helps with forgetfulness is the desire to do something that you have to do; just because I have to do something does not always mean I want to do it. I have to find the motivation to do things I do not want to do, but have to do in a given situation. Lately, I have found that fear, which is a part of stress, interferes with memory. I know that I have calm down, take a deep breath, and confront the elephant in the room. For some reason I cannot seem to focus on what I need to accomplish, but rather I want to focus on the fear and the only thing that does is encourage forgetfulness and stress. I took care of one problems this morning, I called my realtor and he told me the house will close the first part of next week, but not before. This gives me a bit of time and a deadline, which I need because for some reason I cannot seem to function if I do not have a deadline. True, sometimes I wave at it as it passes, but at least it helps me to function when I work within it. Today, I almost forgot to post my goals on "Weekly Goals" and then when I did post them, I had to add one item which I forgot until I went to post the goals. My goals for this week are 1. Add a minimum of 1,667 words each day to my NaNoWriMo novel "Midnight in Suburbia" .2. Review a minimum of 3 items on writing.com each day. 3. Respond to the daily prompts from "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" in "Snow Melt" .4. Finish newsletter for December. The goal I almost forgot was finishing the fantasy newsletter for December. I do not know how that could have slipped my mind, but it did. I am now wondering what else I might have forgotten. Oh well, if it is something important I will remember it and it it is not important then it can remain forgotten. Footnotes |
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