%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   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.
  |
  PROMPT March 10th What artist or band do you always recommend when someone asks for a music recommendation? Easy answer.  Anyone local!Literally. Live, in person, sitting close enough to see their zits. Nothing better. I went to a trad session in Cork at Sin E. A visitor who knew how to dance on a board joined in. Locals hushed and heads turned. He was a professional dancer who just decided to join in. I sat on a porch in Tahlequah listening to Cherokee drum, squeeze box and fiddle. I wrote about one of the musicians putting his cigarette 'on pause'. That's music. I went to see Celia in a coffeeshop in Kansas. She's very accomplished and still does gigs around the US but she's not well-known. But her beautiful voice and nutty characters like the Pink Trestle Fairy should be. Support the local cover band, the starving artist, the group playing on the street corner. That's who I recommend. Anyone who still has enough flesh to hug post-covid. They are the keepers of music. |
| 11 p.m. 30 degrees. Gonna be warmer and sunnier the rest of the week. Pushing 4 thousand blog views. It's been like pulling teeth. I'm not promoting this blog as I'm already doing 2 blog entries each day. I post the 30dbc prompted entry, then this one I'll add to all day. Saw 2 long-legged brown dogs about an hour ago. Some call them deer. Haven't seen robins, but they are here and the sparrows are mating. Spring is a coming in...  10 a.m. 34 degrees.  Lay in bed too long. I have no schedule at home. I even struggle with mornings when I travel. "Up-n-@-m" may as well be ancient Illyrian. Broke a cup last night... only lost it's handle. I reuse broken things when I can. Most cups become flower pots. I need to pot my onions. I used the scissors yesterday to snip off green shoots to add to my egg salad. I should eat soup today. Add onion? Drink it from a cup? Wednesdays = groceries (except milk). On Tuesdays I do an assessment. Bread? Eggs? Sugar? There are many things I only buy on sale... and when they are I buy regardless of whether I have any. Soup is an example. It goes on sale every few months. I stock up on dry goods knowing I'll use them. Bread can't be stocked up on though. 39 degrees at 2 p.m. and chilly I didn't go on a walk because I was wearing my suede jacket and there were flakes in the air. Now sunny with flakes shrouding the mountains. I ate my cream-of-chicken soup with chiken, added some onion greens, dunked a day-old croissant. It's more than enough. Some people are concerned with 'portions'. For me there's only one portion... which is whatever how much is sitting in front of me. A even had a few salty potato chips today offered by a friend. I don't dare buy them. One bag = one portion. 6:20 p.m., 38 degrees, and still light in the sky. Alpenglow rests beautiful on white mountains, but much of the snow has melted. I took a long nap. It felt needed but now I'm groggy. Dunked a cookie in a coffee, so now we'll see. Just wasted a long comment to a blog entry. The system wouldn't let me post, go back, retrieve... yes, I messaged WDC Support, but I don't have time to play games. An answer to the QOTD re beach or camping. Interesting to note how age and health are an issue. They truly are! I stay in hostels but always request a lower bunk and may need to make other choices as I age. Also how beach or mountain people may consider a vacation to the 'other'. On the other hand, I crave the green oceans of the grasslands. What I'd really prefer is to visit y'all. I should've visited Sonali in India in November '19. Now? Who knows. I've visited WDC folks in England, Sweden, Australia, Romania... and California, Washington, Montana, Iowa and Minnesota. I've had offers to visit Florida and Mississippi. Some day I may get to visit Sarah in Zimbabwe. But beyond WDC I went to Prague, Czechia because of a Czech I met in Bergen, Norway. I ate supper on Oxford Street in Sydney with an Italian that I had also met in Bergen at the same time. I spent a lovely day in Oslo with a Mexican who lives in Oklahoma that I met in Costa Rica. I visited a family in Gdansk that I met in Oslo. A man from Osaka I've met twice in Tokyo after first meeting him in Gdansk. And so on and so forth. Yes, there are lovely mountains. Yes, there are lovely beaches. Yes, there are lovely parks. Yes, there are fabulous museums. But there are also lovely people ... everywhere in the world. |
  PROMPT March 9th Write about the mythical or science fiction creatures/beings that could actually exist. Imagine a world where there was definitive proof of their existence - how would life be different? Covid isn't a monster? Malaria, lyme disease, syphilis? Narwhals exist. Hairy pigs exist. Woolly rhinos used to and may again. Neanderthal genes are found within human populations. So do people with wrinkled-pea skin, 6 fingers, three limbs, three sets of teeth (normal is two). Not oxygen based? H2S can work like O2. Extreme temperatures? Duh. Silicon instead of carbon? Yep. Exoskeleton versus endoskeleton versus no skeleton? No problem. Mobile/sessile? Ditto. There is so much life on Earth that we have difficulty understanding, like fungus and slime molds. We need look no further. There be dinosaurs. What Earth Year was that? There be no dinosaurs now? Ever hear of birds! Life persists. A world without humans is more likely than a world with them. A world redolent with life that is toxic to humans? Earth ... possibly sooner than later. |
| A grey 29 degrees at 8 a.m. I went to bed too early last night. Woke up a couple times at odd hours because I wasn't sleepy. After 10 hours in bed I'm dragging. It could snow or rain or nothing. I could read or write or nothing. Me and the day better cheer up is all I'll say! Bad connection when calling but I got a hold of my friend Gary after a year. He had covid but is fine and has had the vaccine. My mother at age 98 seems to have tolerated the vaccine best of all. Slowly the world starts to reawaken. Not me. Not quite yet. (it's not noon yet) Ate potatoes. Ate cottage cheese. Daydreams about Australia and whether they have an authentic culture that isn't just a bland version of what is found elsewhere. European, but not too ethnic? Is there any connection to the land? It's one of the more urban landscapes. The US imports food but produces a lot. Costa Rica the same. Taiwan seems to depend on local food. All three places have foods indigenous to the area. But Australia? Other than macadamia nuts and kangaroo meat what do they eat that's from there? 32 degrees at 10 a.m. ![Merit Badge in Family
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on your Second Place win at the [Link To Item #2245620] Contest with your story [Link to Book Entry #1005975].](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Family-584.gif) I'm listening to the water drip at the sink. It needs a new washer. I'm drinking more coffee. I'm still lost in daydreams. It's 11 a.m. Should I put on clothes and go outside today? Oh... the decessions to be made! There be snow aloft at 2 p.m.! Mt. Dean Stone is white-shrouded and earlier a few rowdy flakes tried to smack me. I got safely home with 2 gallons of 2% milk. It's International Women's Day, by-the-way. Not mine but still collectable ... I think:   Apparently J&J is available here in Missoula. I need to go get stabbed. 3 p.m. and big snowflakes. My tooth broke off while I was eating an egg-salad sandwich. I'm relieved in a way. Better than breaking off while I'm sleeping. Saved it too... better than swallowing. Headache. I'm reading blogs. It's part of 30dbc that I try to keep up with. I commented to Whata SpoonStealer  :"I love the open plains. Corn, grass, wheat, beans, milo... with the horizon on the other side of eternity. I feel hemmed in by the mountains. They're pretty. But they don't speak to me like the snow geese flying over in winter or the meadow-lark singing in the corn in summer or even the red-wing blackbird ambushing from the cattails, dive bombing all intuders. So many beautiful places to see and experience." And may I add... even when others see nothing. 8:26 p.m. I'm 'winding down'. I went to bed too early last night and I'm paying the price. A bit of kerfuffle on boocfake but I'm ignoring it for now. I accomplished very little today and I don't need to be upset this late in the day. I may read ... although a bit of blockage there too. Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my mama said... |
  PROMPT March 8th Where are some unusual places you’ve been? What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned or discovered about those places? I've been to 43 countries. I had plans to travel in 2020 and add new places. I was supposed to be in Morocco this time last year. Now I've saved up money and still can't travel. What's an unusual place? Bigfoot Motel? With a mummified example? So my List of Five will be different, as in "what matters to me." 1. Friendliness of Serbians, especially in Beograd. American forces bombed Serbia in the 1990s. I felt no hostility. Which seems a bit odd because in the Balkans it seems that everyone hates everyone. The Serbian-Kosovar and Serbian-Croatian-Bosniak divides run deep and still makes the area dangerous. But not everyone holds onto a grudge. Never assume people won't like you. 2. Speaking Norwegian in the Balkans. Me buying cheese and counting out the coins: ein, to, tre, fire... and having a young man ask me whether I was Norwegian. Speaking Norwegian in Norway or Sweden and folks thinking I'm a (damn) Swede (my forefathers were). Speaking Norwegian at the hostel in Skodra, Albania... family in Norway. Speaking it in Kosovo and Edith understands me because she worked with Swedes for years. Ordering in Spanish in Stockholm, Sweden; conversing in Spanish in the hostel in Nara, Japan. Chatting in French in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Portuguese on the ferry to Geiranger in Norway... never assume that people won't understand you if you switch languages. 3. Going back to places I'd been before and having people remember me: Lagos, Solvorn, Lillehammer, Taipei, Tainan, Jiufen, Montezuma, Lisboa, Prishtina, Ciudad Quesada, Orosi, Beograd. I had given a gift in Pristina in a hand-painted paper bag. It was up by the entrance when I went back. Small things ... never assume that you won't see people again. Advice: always treat people nice. 4. Feeling safe in Japan, Taiwan, Norway... most everywhere except Cape Town. The US is probably the most dangerous place I've ever visited. Everyone is utterly safe in Japan by-the-way. Everyone. It would be culturally unacceptable to do anything to harm a visitor or stranger. As long as you do not have tattoos like the yakuza (gangs). Never assume that strangers won't help you. Never assume that you need to be afraid. 5. Markets and restaurants in Prishtina, Dubai (suq), Nis, Tainan, Taipei (night markets), Chiayi, Istanbul (huge!)... Markets are wonderful places for a cultural experience. McDonalds and WalMart aren't. The small buyers and sellers know their wares whether it be a pile of peppers in Prishtina or eating turkey-rice in Chiayi. Do not fear strange food. |
| Almost midnight. 35 degrees. Choking on apple juice and a piece of bread. Earlier Bri gave me cauliflower pizza. She did very well. I could taste the caulifower ... which is fine for me as I like it. I did speak to my sister. Family has been concerned because I haven't been in touch. We shared some medical issues. And that was enlightening. I wasted too much time on social media. Not as bad as before but I need to just disconnect. Few on bookface want to have a conversation. The daily fake news and misplaced outrage is disturbing. I've been reluctant to stir things up on the WDC newsfeed but it seems it's one of the very few ways to engage people. I'm keeping the 30dbc entries mostly short and bland. They are being read and commented on though. 37 degrees and warming at 10:44. It won't get very warm or cold this week. Whatever sunshine we get will be welcome. The sun is streaming in this morning. I've had a coffee but I'm tired. Need to do some writing today. One contest entry is due and another one looms. Which means I just want to read and sit with a cat on my lap. Since I don't have a cat... *sigh* I'm really lonely. 46 degrees at 4 p.m. Wants to rain. Won't. I finished a memoir for a contest. "Sunday mornings, 1960 493 words [360b] "  I'm behind in my writing. Behind in everything. 40 degrees at 7 in the evening. Called my mother. She was lucid. Which is great. If she gets a UTI she isn't. She's 98. My sister just had a big birthday. We won't mention which one because ... y'know ... she's old shh. So need to get ahold of my aunt in NC. I realize folks use answering machines to screen calls but that does nothing for me. It tried to rain all day; nary a drop. On to other things. A pretty badge: ![Merit Badge in Dark Dreamscapes
[Click For More Info]
Thank you for participating in Round 42, the 7-year anniversary round of [Link To Item #darkpoetry] .
[Link To User dmadison] & [Link To User rolandeld]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Dark_Dreamscapes-1982963_14.gif) |
  PROMPT March 7th Write about one of your fondest memories. I think I can handle one memory. We took in Aunt Orabelle's spitz for a while. It wasn't a pomeranian ... that's all I remember. My father made a dog house out of cardboard and painted it green. I don't remember his name. I don't remember how old I was. There's nothing bad with the memory. It doesn't trigger anything at all. Did I play with him? I dunno. I know we had a dog Brownie when I was a toddler maybe and an orange cat Tippy when I was little but I have no real memories. Just an echo of an echo. I mention the lack of memories because that's what comes to mind. My childhood lies beyond memories of it. So is it a fond memory? In a way, yes. We wanted a pet. So bad. For a short while we took care of one. I don't spend a lot of time looking for old memories. It's a landscape of landmines. |
| Almost midnight and still 46 degrees. My window is wide open. I did eat earlier and I did read. But I'm worn out and tired after having done nothing. I might go to bed earlier tonight. The sun is getting up earlier every day and not letting me sleep in. 41 degrees going on 11 a.m. I left the windows open and it's 'fresh' in here. Will need to close them later... if not sooner! Not warming up today. So far the 30dbc is going okay. I've been able to handle the prompts in a consistent way and other bloggers are stopping in. I have some catching up to do with their blogs but I also have writing I must attend to. I'm into the book I'm reading and that's a good thing. I want this to be a habit while I'm home. Better than trying to  the year away. High for the day at 46 degrees? I made dolgana again... not as 'fluffy' as I want it... and no clue what I'm doing right or wrong. I ate. This may seem senseless but living alone and not going anywhere can easily lead to extremes as I'm not a disciplined 'eat 1/2 banana with my oatmeal at 7 a.m.' type of person. With all due respect ... what's 7 a.m.? I met my new neighbor Joel. This is important. I like knowing who belongs here and believe it's important that young people know that the walls are thin *hint hint*. My book... now up to page 92. Wasted some time on bookface. I'm okay if I keep it to a minimum. Ranting drains me. I have far too many friends there and here who are White Identity Christians. Some are offended or perplexed when they realize I'm not... and don't want to be. Some end up blocking me or shunning me. I don't have enough friends who are people-of-color who interact with me here or there. Is it a matter of trust? Since few read my regular blog entries and fewer dare engage me. I don't know. |
| PROMPT March 6th If you were given five million dollars to open a museum, what kind of museum would you create? When I was in 6th grade we had to write an essay for our English exam. I wrote about a house surrounded by gardens with a lane of elms leading to it. When I was 23 I stood in front of the Baha'i House of Worship seeing my dream made manifest. I've dreamed since of me helping towns building their own sacred places. I don't want a museum to the dead. I'd prefer a place for the living. On one of the entry ways to the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois it is carved, "I have made death a messenger of joy to thee". It's from The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh (Arabic #32): O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom? The Dead have no need of this; it is meant for the living. A museum of the living ... O museu da vida ... ... and I would surround it with gardens and protect it with trees "overshadowing all these regions". |
| 37 degrees and cooling. I hope to open up my windows once the sun comes up. Could be the warmest day since Autumn! Nothing to report at the moment. Maybe drinking coffee in the evening wasn't bright. Maybe turkey-dogs mid-day made me drowsy? Now to choose a book to read before I forget! 46 sunny degrees at noon. I must immediately open the window, put on clothes and leave to catch my friends. Geranium I rescued last autumn gave me its first red bloom today. I did see my friends and scored two pieces of cake. It's very pleasant and yes, I should've gone for a walk but didn't. Once home I seldom venture out again. It may stay mostly above freezing through Monday albeit not as nice as today. I'll need to watch my plants closely. The longer stronger days of sunshine is drying them out. By April the angle of the sun means that the rays don't enter as far into my rooms. If something inside needs sunshine to bloom, now is the time. Some days I wish I had a balcony and a bay window. Don't know how I locked my keypad...  60 degrees after 4 p.m. Time for a walk. Re myths and legends: "I think they are stories told and retold. Small changes made by the memories and beliefs of the teller. In time whatever truth they told is reduced to myth or metaphor. Many give advice. Many are meant as warnings. Many have become tall tales to amuse the listener, the original words and meanings long lost." I've begun reading The Midwife's Tale. 56 degrees at the vesper hour. A bit of a walk. I took the longer way back from the post office. A gift (celtic necklace). A postcard from Mali. Thank-you Elle - on hiatus  . |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
. That's good, right? Or did you just list those checked? 
