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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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| A weekly blog that starts skinny on Saturday and fills up by Tuesday and is ready for slaughter by Friday ... if not before. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll  lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  lllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  llllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: May 2020 Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of the nearness of God... - Bahá’u’lláh  MY THOUGHTSMay 30: Life 'looks' normal but it still isn't. I'm 'safe' in Missoula. But not really. May 31: It would help if I cared more but without connections it's hard. June 1: Didn't get out yesterday at all. Out once today. June 2: I really need to shave off my beard, take a hot shower or bath, step outside if only to take out the garbage. Did it. June 3: I'm worn out. My back hurts when I move. Much quieter tonight but... June 4: So angry ... this not good. At least I slept okay. June 5: Calling people out may not be nice. Have an alternative?  WEATHER May 30: 30° and toasty for me. Relief tomorrow; 22° and pleasant in Ashville, KY but steamy later this week. May 31: 22° at 14:33. Cooler with sprinkle. 18° at 01:00 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Highs between 26-30 this week. June 1: 13° and damp at 17:38; 18° at 01:00 in Lake Como, Italy. June 2: 19° and sunny at 13:23; 24° in Washington, DC. Hot tomorrow. June 3: 23° and sunny at noon; 32° and sunny hot in Fayettevlle, NC. June 4: 22° and sunshine at 17:47; 19° and moonshine in Casablanca, Morocco. June 5: 23° sunny and heating up; 32° in Sabetha, Kansas, sunny and very hot.  IMAGESMay 30: Peanut butter cheese cake and thirsty. Rarely so thirsty. May 31: Sprinkles on the window pane. The Green-out-there is deepening. June 1: Roses in bloom. Mashed potatoes and pork. June 2: Iron skillet. My new neighbor Richard has a new iron skillet! June 3: Tangy pork and rhubarb stew (with garam masala). June 4: Irises of all colors. Fragrance of sweet woodruff. June 5: Roses, hot sun. A woman wearing an orange hat, orange mask, and orange T shirt.  POULTRYbowl sits empty  PORK May 31:
June 2:
June 5:
 READINGEvening in Missoula, short stories by Shelley Kirilenko  MOVIETIMEempty  MARKET  SENIOR CENTER  COFFEEHOUSEMay 29: pulled pork at the Senior Center. Chatted with friends. May 30: slice of peanut butter cheese cake at The Break. May 30: bought rhubarb at the farmer's market but it was empty and sad. June 1: more pork at the Senior Center. May not fully open till August.  June 5: chicken teriyaki; I took off the pineapple. Saw Dalton, Bill, Kathy ... roses.  MY FORMER LIFEMay 1960s: Memorial Day with my cousins where my father grew up. May 1971: I survived my first year in university. May 2010: Umbrel-luscious days in Orosi, Costa Rica. May 2014: Waterfalls in Norway! June 2010: Birds of Paradise in Paradise. Jardines Lankester. June 2012: Saw a moose; first time in Sweden. June 5: Jeanne's birthday ... Her family was a big part of my life for 25 years.  WATT'S GNUSMay 30: What Top Conservatives Are Saying About George Floyd and Police Brutality (NY Times) Apparently, the seriousness of the offense is getting a serious and thoughtful response. May 30: A Mile-Long Line for Free Food in Geneva, One of World’s Richest Cities (NY Times) One word: inequities. May 31: Trump says he's naming Antifa a 'Terrorist Organization.' Can he do that? (Politico) Well, he can't. But he says/does whatever he damn well pleases. June 1: Active duty troops deploying to Washington DC (CNN) Is he trying to start a war? This will NOT calm people. June 2: Washington archbishop denounces Trump visit to Catholic shrine as 'baffling' and 'reprehensible' (USA Today) Using the religious 'get out of jail free card' and being called out for it. Drumming up his Christian base. Catholics don't want to play. June 2: Trump, US race violence leave Trudeau at loss for words (AFP) And then he gave a gracious response. IMHO, DJT is seldom gracious. June 2: Journalists covering George Floyd protests face attacks from police (ABC) In my eyes, freedom of the press is being attacked. June 3: Column: Wish things would go 'back to normal'? Normal isn't good enough (LA Times) It would be a great time to reset the American Dream. June 5: How history is made: Not everyone hops off the sinking ship at once (Wa Post) Murkowski and Mattis speak up. Sign of a sea-change to come? June 1: Trump Doesn’t Believe in Law and Order (Slate) "There’s no mystery left about the president’s views on cops. He loves them when they’re targeting minorities. But when they investigate him or his friends, he calls them dirty. He’s not interested in order, justice, or the rule of law. He’s not even interested, as a matter of principle, in defending the police. He’s interested in corrupting them."  OPINIONSMay 29: "Communitarianism"  May 31: "Pentecost Rant! " , posted at JAFBG. BLOGVILLEThere were only 17 views of this blog in one week, but one comment! 153 views for "Hoarfrosts from Hell" so far this month. BC: "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" BCOF: "Blogging Circle of Friends " BHC: "The Bard's Hall Contest" JAFBG: "JAFBG" JI: "Journalistic Intentions" 30DBC: "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Real: "Welcome To My Reality Forum" May 30th 30DBC: "May changes its tune to June" May 31st JAFBG: "Pentecost Rant! " June 1st JI: "I'm Wonder Woman!" June 2nd BHC: "Spain? ... no ... just pain." June 3rd JI: "Yep, I'm annoying." June 4th BCOF: "Ye are flowers of one garden " June 5th JI: "Will I find love before I drop dead?" Visited this week and commented: Robert Waltz  Scottiegazelle  Future Mrs. B  Sorji  L.A. Grawitch SB Musing  Elle - on hiatus  🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace  🌑 Darleen - QoD Elycia Lee ☮  Charlie ~ Prosperous Snow celebrating  💙 Carly  Lyn's a sly fox  Chris Breva  Catching up on some blogs. Is 10 writers per week enough? 15?  Postcards:Didn't sent any but, yes, I need to leave this here so I won't forget. The race was cancelled in Missoula this year: |
| I'm going to continue this as a weekly blog because it works for me to post links to my other blogs or writing. So far so good. It starts skinny then fills up. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: May 2020 Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of the nearness of God... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSMay 23: I might make it through this with more hugs. Got another today. May 24: Sad to see Jacob and Scott move out. May 25: Today is the day we reach 100,000 dead in the USA, befitting for Memorial Day. May 26: Si, acepto. El matrimonio sigue adelante. May 27: My health is deteriorating. I'm getting concerned. May 28: I'm not getting out like I should. And what's worse? Don't care much. May 29: Worried about Taiwan and friends who live there. WEATHER May 23: 7° damp and cloudy; 21° and sunny in Porto. Hot and sunny in the forecast. May 24: 9° and going up to 19°!; 26° sunny but a tad warm in Buffalo. May 25: 17° at noon and climbing; 10° in Tromsø where Spring and the midnight sun has finally arrived. May 26: 21° at 2-ish; 32° in Buffalo, which is far too hot for May. May 27: 22° at 1 p.m. and perfect; 23° and rainy in Fayetteville, NC as Bertha passes by. May 28: 16° at 10 a.m., going up to 27°; 9° in Wellington, New Zealand, rain all week. May 29: 20° and cloudy at 10 a.m.; 26° and overcast at midnight in Taipei. IMAGESMay 22: Catching sunbeams while chatting with bratwurst in my mouth. May 23: Tents of vendors. The market has finally opened. Few people. May 24: Flowers fading; locust budding; kayakers braving Brennan's Wave. May 25: Mostly grey skies and some rain. Didn't venture out. Tomorrow... May 26: Snow on the mountains; shorts in the valley. May 27: Bleeding hearts. Full-on Spring green. Doughnuts! May 29: Pine pollen. Hundreds of dandelion clocks. POULTRYDreaming of dandelions and bees in a weedy graveyard in Melissochori. Will I write a poem? PORK From May 22 (won):
I responded to two kind reviews: "Thank-you. It's fictionalized from my own life. My sister Shelley had curly blond or light brown hair. Roundish face. Look at any Swedish young girl and you get the idea. The velvet dress was a dark blue with a white lace neckline I think. I really did buy her a longish-haired toy dog; it's whitish fake fur was blue tipped. She mentioned this to me within the past couple years that it meant a lot to her. How was I to know? She named it either Doodle-Bug or King Doodle-Bug. We really did share a room. And we really did have to play together. Fought? Oh, I'm sure we did. Our block was kinda oval. We did have to come in when the lights came on and my parents would usually call both our names. We laugh about it still. My sister's best friend was Kimmie (Carolyn) and the other kids names are real. Queenie was a setter I think. Nice dog. Our neighbors did seem to have more than we did. But that may be the perspective of a child. Who knows whether she had pearls! I should ask her. The toy dog was probably for Christmas, but I set the story for her birthday in August. Doubt that she ever tore that dress. We had to be very careful with clothes. Not sure whether it was velvet or velveteen. It's a composite so maybe 8 years old? BUT YES, this is totally fiction. Didn't happen, although I see it vividly in my mind. Thanks for reading. K." From May 23:
From May 26:
From May 28:
READINGEcstatic in the Poison, poems by Andrew Hudgins (finished, recommended) Evening in Missoula, short stories by Shelley Kirilenko MOVIETIMEempty MY FORMER LIFEMay 1964: Misty moisty mornings of my childhood. May 1970: High School prom. Not amused was I. May 2004: Warm Spring in Oklahoma. May 2012: First time ever in Sweden. May 2014: Loved visiting the City of Roses, Molde. May 2018: "I asked my mother today whether Trump was still president (random question to gauge how she is doing). She immediately responded that she had tripped him and that he fell into a hole... but he climbed out and said, "Look at me. I'm president". My mother is 96 and still witty." WATT'S GNUSMay 22: Little sense of shared grief as virus deaths near 100,000 (LA Times) A case of 'sorry that my death has inconvenienced you'. May 22: Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government (Reuters) After June 15th ...maybe. Risky from the US to even make plans. May 23: Astronomers find the Wolfe Disk, a galaxy that shouldn't exist, in the distant universe (CNN) So much we don't know. Fascinating though. May 24: FDA commissioner issues Memorial Day warning: 'Coronavirus is not yet contained' (CNN) Well, duh. Here we go again? May 25: Alligator rumored to have been Hitler's dies in Moscow (AP) Born in the US, lived in the Berlin Zoo in the 1940s, Saturn was 84. May 25: Trump Visits Baltimore, Dismissing Mayor’s Concerns About Virus (Bloomberg) The POTUS does whatever he wants whenever he wants to. May 26: Lesbian couple become Costa Rica's first same-sex spouses (NBC) Congratulations to Daritza and Angela. May 27: White woman went to 'racist place' calling cops on black man in Central Park, but she doesn't deserve death threats, he says (New York Daily News) I agree with Christian about Amy. (They are both surnamed Cooper) And I don't think she needs to be fired. May 27: Trump threatens to 'strongly regulate' or 'close down' social media platforms after Twitter fact check (USA Today) Showing off his autocratic tendencies ... big time. May 28: The U.S. death toll has reached 100,000. The pandemic has exposed the nation’s vulnerabilities and dangerous divide. (Wa Post) It mentions Nancy Horgus Whitt of Missoula who had a severe case; her mother died in Shelby. May 29: China vows to ‘smash’ any Taiwan independence move as Trump weighs sanctions (Wa Post) The White House - Beijing War will be fought in Taiwan. Obama's speech in a separate post: "Obama takes the stage. and hits a home run" (still under construction) Spacebook quote: John Paul Mootry: "The fake news surrounding our delicious lead-fed waterpipes will not destroy our empire," Fox Ancient Rome. "It's all the people who think you don't deserve to taste it that are trying to keep you down," said one aristocrat who happened to be one of the few rich enough to have their own piping (who also never shared with their slaves or workers). Por un evangelio: "somos la sal del mundo, no el caramelo." (we are the salt of the earth not the caramel) OPINIONSRecent: "MY RIGHT TO _____ IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR LIFE?" May 23: "Working at home " May 29: "Communitarianism" BLOGVILLEThere were only 10 views of this blog in one week. Sad. 106 views for "Hoarfrosts from Hell" this month. Very sad. May 22nd 30DBC: "Overlooking the garden; riding over the hills." May 23rd 30DBC: "I'm weird? Tell me something I don't know." I told Sandy: "Raking leaves = weird. Or at least it should be! I believe in letting lifeless leaves lie. Let Them Rot In Peace! would be my off-to-bed cry."May 24th 30DBC: "Abase not thyself ..." May 25th 30DBC: "Basically unskilled" May 26th 30DBC: "Oh, I'll tell you ... if I feel like it." May 27th 30DBC: "Bonjour tristesse" May 28th 30DBC: "New prompts? " May 29th 30DBC: "In a word: cozy (also peaceful and connected)." May 30th 30DBC: "May changes its tune to June" Postcards:I will be receiving a postcard soon! I should be sending them as I have postcards, stamps and friends around the world. Some countries like India aren't accepting international mail right now though, according to Sonali in Bengaluru. In Muskogee, Oklahoma long ago: |
| I'm going to continue this as a weekly blog as it seemed to work out this past week. I like using it to post links to my other blogs or writing. So far so good. It starts skinny then fills up. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: May 2020 O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSMay 16: Too up and down internally ... I need to breathe and seek balance. May 17: I want to be in Norway for Constitution Day. May 18: Ate meatloaf ... did I eat too much? So drowsy. May 19: Emptiness. I realize I need to go out and connect, even though I don't want to. May 20: Went for groceries. Smelled lilacs and lily-of-the-valley. Need to get out more. May 22: Does anyone give a damn about people who aren't just-like-them? WEATHER May 16: 5° here and clearing; 27° and thunderstorms in Houston. May 17: 17° and overcast. Went up to 23°; 3° and snow in the forecast in Tromso, Norway. May 18: 15° here and damp, rained earlier; 15° and rain in Buffalo where it's a friend's birthday. May 19: 17° at noon, the flag hangs listless; 17° and cloudy (from Arthur?) in Fayetteville, NC. May 20: 12° at noon, very damp in the morning, sunny later; 28° and partly cloudy in Honolulu. May 21: 13° at noon with the river very high; 27° and steamy in Cartago, CR. May 22: 11° and kinda sunny at 2 p.m; a sunny week of 28-30° forecast for Lisbon. IMAGESMay 16: A bank of clouds rolling over Mt. Jumbo. May 17: green hills under cotton-ball skies. May 18: Wet chair => wet me. May 19: Outside the flags hangs limp. Inside: geraniums bloom pink; kolanchoe blooms orange. May 20: alleyways festooned with white and purple lilacs. A rainbow and bright alpenglow. May 21: River high and raging. The arrow-leaf balsam-root glowing like suns. May 22: Catching sunbeams while chatting with bratwurst in my mouth. POULTRYRecent: "Here you come again [69] (23 lines)" "Bleeding Kansas (two tanagas)" "These photos of cheerful women [74] (14 lines)" PORK A blog entry comparing flash fiction to haiku: "Is Flash Fiction a Haiku on steroids? Like sumo wrestling? " From May 13 (won):
From May 15:
From May 17 (won):
From May 19:
From May 22:
READINGLocal Time (1986), poems by Stephen Dunn. Finished. Interesting voice. (Recommended) Grace Notes (1989), poems by Rita Dove. Finished. Flows. (Highly recommended) MOVIETIME"Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984). MY FORMER LIFEMay 1975: I graduated from the University of Kansas on the 18th. May 2012: I visited Bergen on the 17th for the National Holiday in Norway. What a hoot the parade was! May 2013: I visited Stavanger and forgot to change into basic black. Saw 3 parades. May 2014: 200 years of celebrating Norway's Constitution ... in Oslo with thousands of children. May 2015: Kristiansand, Norway and a hailstorm. Enjoyed my stay there. May 2016: Trondheim. Everything was closed. Found cheap hot-dogs. Confused trying to find a parade. WATT'S GNUSMay 16: Stacey Abrams Wants More Than the Vice Presidency (NY Times) She has an energy that people respond to, issues that go beyond partisan politics. May 16: Wisconsin Business Bans Wearing Masks After Stay-At-Home Order Overturned (Newsweek) May the Culture Wars begin ...  . Black men in masks are already at great risk. Americans just do not understand masks. Or understand and are still paranoid about them.May 17: A Mogul’s Wife Vanishes. Now Norway Has a National Obsession. (NY Times) Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen disappears ... odd event in Norway ... still not found. Interesting that this is posted on the Norway's national holiday. Hmm. May 17: Tropical Storm Arthur sets its sights on North Carolina coast (USA Today) Relevant to me because my aunt lives in Fayetteville. May 17: WHO's exclusion of Taiwan from coronavirus assembly leads more nations to sound the alarm (Fox News) This is a HUGE issue in Taiwan. May 18: Trump, in response to ‘60 Minutes’ interview, claims whistleblowers like Rick Bright are ‘causing great injustice and harm’ (Wa Post) DJT acts like a despot, a king gone mad. May 19: Trump says he's taking malaria drug to protect against virus (AP) Very risky and cause for concern imho. May 19: Storm Surge Threat Remains Extreme for Eastern India, Bangladesh as Amphan Approaches (Wundergound) Dangerous storm. Thousands usually die when a storm this big hits the Sundarbans. May 20: Ravalli County reports six new COVID-19 cases (Missoulian) We were doing so good! Largest number since April 18th. May 21: Wuhan bans eating wild animals as virus drives a crackdown in China (CBS News) What's wild? Apparently most are bred. May 22: Little sense of shared grief as virus deaths near 100,000 (LA Times) A case of 'sorry that my death has inconvenienced you'. May 22: Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government (Reuters) After June 15th ...maybe. Risky from the US to even make plans. Obama's speech in a separate post: "Obama takes the stage. and hits a home run" (under construction at the moment) Spacebook quote: Inviting Holly over to help me with cleaning: "If you saw my housecleaning skills you would invite me to stay home. At my home. 😂" "I drink coffee every day and haven’t gotten COVID-19 yet — maybe that’s a prophylactic, too! This is the logic of anecdotal evidence." Kaleigh Rogers at FiveThirtyEight.  OPINIONSRecent: "Preparation? Priorities? " "TO ALL WHO ARE ARMED AND SHOUTING FREEDOM" "MY RIGHT TO _____ IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR LIFE?" BLOGVILLEThere were only 25 views of this blog in one week. Unless I promote it I suspect I'll have to settle for that. May 15th 30DBC: "It's just something one does" May 16th 30DBC: "The key to poetry" May 17th 30DBC: "Road Trip ... Been There, Done That!" May 18th 30DBC: "Chores ..." (didn't post at 30DBC)May 19th 30DBC: "Oh, to fly..." May 20th 30DBC: "Mind or Body? Maybe I'll write "白狐 和 草地"" May 21st 30DBC: "What are possessions ... if not a second hand emotion?" May 22nd 30DBC: "Overlooking the garden; riding over the hills." |
| I'm going to try making this a weekly blog rather than daily. I'm already using it to post links to my other blogs or writing. We'll see how this goes. llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: May 2020 O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSMay 9: Called my friend Rita. I know we're all getting old. But Sandy's 81? Today is my cousin Carol's birthday. Can't find her number. And my aunt doesn't answer. May 10: I did my wash. Even hung it up. It's been about two months. May 11: If Montana is open for business the second wave will hit sooner than later. May 12: "The willows' yellow has turned to green, the widows' weeds from slacks to jeans." May 13: Keep thinking I should be doing more. But what? I'm breathing = as good as it gets. May 14: A new note in my old blog: "Is Flash Fiction a Haiku on steroids? Like sumo wrestling? " May 15: Some days I'm not in the mood to write. I will anyways. I got a HUG!  WEATHER May 9: Sunny and mild in Missoula, 19 degrees; snowy in Buffalo May 10: cloudy but clearing, mild; 17 degrees and sunny in Porto. Perfect. May 11: Very windy and not so warm; 0 degrees and cloudy in Tromso. Snow later today. May 12: damp. 8 degrees and not warming up; 29 degrees in Cartago, CR. Far too sultry for me. May 13: thin clouds, weak sun, 13 degrees; 3 degrees in Å i Lofoten, Norway with snowflakes. May 14: mostly sunny warming, 15 degrees. 22 degrees, a clear pleasant evening in Istanbul. May 15: dark damp 6 degrees fitting my mood. 24 degrees in Fayetteville, NC where my aunt lives. IMAGESMay 9: Very green. The flowering trees are in full bud. Kayakers drawing a crowd at Brennan's Wave. Far white-clad mountains glisten. A gentle breeze. Swallows. May 10: Outside the laundromat ... green car headed east, booming truck, more traffic than usual the past month,thin clouds in a sky of soft blue,yellow-green leaves, red/cream striped awning, barking dog, worn yellow parking lines, no sitting inside, almost empty, shiny black car (Eclipse) next to a dull 4x4 truck, people waiting in cars windows open, music on, few people in masks, opening on the 11th sign, reduced hours sign. May 11: strewn petals. Lilacs and iris in tentative bloom. May 12: the willows are now green not yellow. So much traffic! May 13: pink bleeding hearts, sticking my nose in purple fragrant lilacs, white anemones, spent yellow-green maple blossoms, yellow peaflowers, prides of dandelions, yellow-gold mahonia, baby-blue forget-me-nots, purple iris. At the market: 60/40 masked. May 14: furry grey-brown goslings at Silver Lake. The Canada geese parents were calmly alert. May 15: fragrance of irises and lilacs, the taste of crushed tarragon. POULTRY"Here you come again [69] (23 lines)" "Bleeding Kansas (two tanagas)" "These photos of cheerful women [74] (14 lines)" PORK A blog entry comparing flash fiction to haiku: "Is Flash Fiction a Haiku on steroids? Like sumo wrestling? " From May 7 (won):
From May 9 (won):
I reread this today after receiving a review and, forgetting why I wrote it, ended up in tears (won):
I posted this one on spacebook because the picture I took May, 2014 came up on my feed. i wrote this May, 2019 (won):
From May 12:
From May 13 (won):
From May 15:
READINGReading Lauds, poems by Tom Crawford (finished) Recommend. Local Time, poems by Stephen Dunn MOVIETIME"Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984). MY FORMER LIFEMay 1974: very ill on the train from Limon to San Jose around the 5th. Felt like I had a heart attack around Siquirres. Stephen helped me. I did go to the doctor ... nothing. May 1989: a few inches of snow in Buffalo on the 7th. Our 3 refugees from Iran were freezing! One had never seen snow in his life. May 2012: my first time ever in Norway. Arrived around the 14th. I did a grade school report on Norway in May 1963. May 2013: Long peaceful walk along the sea to my hostel in Å i Lofoten. May 2014: I visited Poland and met Hiroki (from Osaka & Tokyo), visited Renata and her family (I had met them in Oslo). Wonderful visit. WATT'S GNUSMay 9: Only one new virus case in Montana (Bozeman). May 10: zero. May 9: 3 children have now died in New York from COVID-19-related syndrome, Cuomo says My mother told me about this yesterday; she's a news-junkie; she sounded sad. She was quite present and lucid yesterday. May 9: Missoula County will open gyms, theaters, museums May 15th Library is still closed though. No local cases in two weeks? May 10: Pork Chops vs. People: Battling Coronavirus in an Iowa Meat Plant (NY Times) After reading this I think that Gov. Kim Reynolds should be charged with accessory to "something". Note: most of the workers who are ill are immigrants. May 10: South Dakota Gov. Noem clashes with Sioux tribes over coronavirus checkpoints (Fox News) Another case of a governor taking a stance against a vulnerable community. Is there a pattern of racism? Duh. May 11: African nations seek their own solutions in virus crisis (AP) Great news! There needs to be duplication of efforts spread throughout the globe and not concentrated in one place and controlled by one people. May 11: the rich infected the poor as COVID-19 spread around the world (LA Times) Basically, the same old story ... the rich man catches a cold; the poor man dies of pneumonia. May 12: Prices are tumbling at an alarming rate (CNN) Except for food and rent. Heaven help we who are poor. May 13: Tucker Carlson: Dr. Fauci has not been elected to anything. He should not be dictator during this coronavirus crisis (Fox) Although there are good points made no one is suggesting that Fauci is a dictator (that would be DJT). In every war it's important to have a good general and every political leader needs to listen to that general. Fauci is that general. May 14: Unsigned note left at the Ahmaud Arbery memorial: 'I am so sorry. I should have stopped them' (CNN) I suspect many of us wish we could have said or done something at certain moments in our life. May 15: Why white men in America are refusing to wear masks (Vox) Machismo, in a word. Spacebook quote: Dylan B. Suagee: "I mean.... if you dance for four or five days, you'll likely throw up at some point! Ghost Dance Ipecac! lol" Alejandro: "Una mariposa con buena memoria no burla de ningun gusano." Joey: "While my mask doesn’t really protect me, it sure can protect you from me and my sometimes reputation for spittle speech (or liquid laughter) 😆" OPINIONS"Preparation? Priorities? " "TO ALL WHO ARE ARMED AND SHOUTING FREEDOM" BLOGVILLETrying to leave as many comments on blogs as I can. Left comments for 11 people yesterday. Trying to reach everybody in the 30DBC. Up to 23 posters. I'm sure I've missed a couple = I need to 'go hunting'. I read other people as well. I never get to everyone. May 11 update: did a bunch today. Very sad to see entries without comments. Are people just commenting on their 'friends' or 'favs' and neglecting everyone else? At least I try. Some days I manage to read a bunch; other days only a few and I read blogs that are not in the challenge. 61 views in 14 days so far for the month of May at the blog I'm using for the 30DBC. I've given more comments than I've received views ... That's how it works here. If I was suspecting quid-pro-quo I would have given up looooong time ago. May 9th 30DBC: "Memory of memories?" May 10th 30DBC: "Which mother-of-mine will you meet?" May 11th 30DBC: "Me at 22." May 12th 30DBC: "Oh, those jumpy cows!" May 13th 30DBC: "10 minute madness" May 14th 30DBC: "A letter dated on my birthday" May 15th 30DBC: "It's just something one does"  |
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: 9 Jamal 177 (7 mai 2020) O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSMay 7th has always been Mother's Day in my family, regardless of the day of the week. She's had a rough year. Moved to assisted living, fell, moved to a nursing home. I called too late to talk to her. She's 98. WEATHER There's no weather inside. Dry and dusty like always. IMAGESA neighbor has a brace on her leg. Torn ACL. But she gets up those steps better than I do. POULTRYNot today PORK From today: "Out There (299 words) [68]" READINGReading Lauds, poems by Tom Crawford MOVIETIMEStill avoiding watching "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984). I have lost interest in most everything. MY FORMER LIFEWe had a dog named Brownie when I was a baby. I have no recollection except for the name. We only took care of an aunt's dog years later. Was he a spitz? I dunno. WATT'S GNUSNo new virus cases in Montana for three days in a row! BLOGVILLETrying to leave as many comments on blogs as I can. Today's 30DBC: "What did I once believe?" To Sarama: "I found out that there were other people like me ... good, bad or ugly ... I was NOT unique. And I found out that there would be people that liked me for whatever reason. My family was very different. They put me on a bit of a pedestal but never gave me a good foundation. Later, friends did the same. I tottered, fell and broke into pieces." To Chris: "I was supposed to be perfect. It nearly killed me. Thanks for mentioning this today. I tell people now that "perfection is the enemy of the good". It helps me get back up when I fall. I should examine whether some of the anger I feel comes from that necessity to be 'perfect' living in a 'perfect' world." To Scottie: Dear Pluto... would love to visit you and Charon (hope you are getting along)... but all flights have been cancelled and your address though known is unknown. To Lgrawitch: "Events ... some I wouldn't have minded missing. I do remember high-school and then university 5 years later. My parents came the whole way from New York State to Kansas. Then I told them I was staying and not going back ... that wasn't well received. This year is my high-school reunion. Wonder whether they have totally cancelled. My mother turned 98 today. No one was allowed to visit her in the nursing home. She did get some calls but I called too late."  |
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: 8 Jamal 177 (6 mayo 2020) O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh  MY THOUGHTSWrote my great French novelette this afternoon. In French and English, complete with screen play. The film version won the Palme d'Or and is up for the Oscar ... not this one ... the one in 2022. Timothée Chalamet directed it and starred in the supporting role of Hubert. In English the title would be something like "Among the Orange Trees" but I'm not sure what's best in French ("Parmi les orangers"?). Others ... main role is Antoine. Supporting actresses Vera and L'ange de l'arc. Antoine is a bit like Eeyore and of course the story's bittersweet because it's French not Hollywood! WEATHER Coolish and damp. Went to by groceries at Orange Food Farm. IMAGESI stopped to smell the lilacs. Apple and other trees and forget-me-nots in bloom. Saw some irises. Everything's greening up, even the reluctant oak. POULTRYNot yet. PORK From yesterday: "Let sleeping dogs lie [67] (299 words)" READINGReading Lauds, poems by Tom Crawford  QUOTE"See, God, how ordinary are my petitions: everything measured a lock on the door I'm still trying to separate the light from the window -- what's mine what's yours" (page 43, "Song of the Carpenter") MOVIETIMEStill trying to watch "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984) MY FORMER LIFESo orange is my favorite color. Decided that at 10. Along with my favorite tree, the elm and my favorite bird the Baltimore oriole and my fav baseball team the Baltimore Orioles, which I could get on the radio, WRVA if I tuned it just right. WATT'S GNUSNo new virus cases in Montana for two days in a row. Some people wearing masks but we haven't received an "all clear" yet. Plus, supremely aggravated by those who think wearing masks is a political instead of a medical issue.  BLOGVILLEI'm working on it. Been reading about 8 blogs per day. Made a list and I'm checking it. Late but here is 30DBC: "My Picture Book of Japan" From yesterday: "Masks and hand sanitizer: Some Missoula businesses reopen"  |
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: 8 Jamal 177 (6 mayo 2020) O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh  MY THOUGHTSSnapping at people doesn't help. I need to think before I speak. WEATHER Coolish. Nice when the clouds part. Only went out once. IMAGESI went walking yestereve: "Looking for shooting stars" POULTRYA couple days ago: "Tanaga [177.62] "Bleeding Kansas" " PORK 'Tain't none. READINGFinished Goodbye to the Orchard, poems by Steven Cramer Starting Lauds, poems by Tom Crawford QUOTE"we get out just like you We dress up for the flowers" page 40 (words from the dead) MOVIETIMEStarted to watch "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984) MY FORMER LIFEI used to have parties. Sometimes I even made shrimp-salad. But usually it was about bringing people together. I don't do that anymore. WATT'S GNUSJust a short note on how this virus is affecting different demographic groups differently: "Hey, Corona" "Hey, Corona" BLOGVILLEI like today's prompt: "I'm an 'artist' when I cook" "I'm an 'artist' when I cook" Yesterday's: "Is this a morning's person prompt?" "Is this a morning's person prompt?" Wish someone would read this one though "Xiǎo bái 小白" "Xiǎo bái 小白" This is a rootbeer cupcake ... have I had one since?:I'm working on it. Been reading about 8 blogs per day. Made a list and I'm checking it.  |
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: 5 Jamal 177 (3 mayo 2020) O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSStill not doing well. Not physically sick except for some sneezing. WEATHER (April 16) 9°. 11 a.m. in Missoula. Good chance it will get over 20 this week. 24°. 6 p.m. in Lagos, Portugal. Warming up. 23°. noon in Lima, Peru. Pleasant week forecast. I've been there when it was miserable. 23°. noon in Mexico City. Rainy later this week. IMAGESCool Spring day. The sun is making some effort; I'm not. Greening up nicely. Cottonwood is opening up its leaf-buds. Apple's in bloom. The yellow green of new leaves is beginning to dominate the view out the north windows. There's less snow on the mountains. POULTRYA couple days ago: "Too bright! [60] (13 lines)" PORK Yesterday's flash fiction.
READINGGoodbye to the Orchard, poems by Steven Cramer QUOTE"I'll say this about myself: my name was a name you knew, and I sang until another singer took my place. All that has passed, and so will this." from "Singer" MOVIETIMEStarted "Star Trek: Wrath of Khan" (1984) MY FORMER LIFEI used to have a formal garden lined by arborvitae. There were various plants but one of my favorites was globe-thistle. The honey-bees would be so intent on gathering nectar and pollen that I could pet them. Nice friendly bees ... not at all like the nasty wasps we have here. WATT'S GNUSJust a short note on how this virus is affecting different demographic groups differently: "Hey, Corona"  BLOGVILLECommented on 8 blogs yesterday. I made a list so I don't forget to visit everyone. Lots of people signed up for May. I have written 3 but only linked two. The first was a rant, so I didn't promote that one! Feeling fuzzy-headed. Not really into today's prompt: "Is this a morning's person prompt?" Yesterday's prompt was better for me: "Xiǎo bái 小白"  |
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllspringlllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll  lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ███████ PORTHOLE ███████ SPRING: 4 Jamal 177 (2 May 2020) O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action... - Bahá’u’lláh MY THOUGHTSStill shutting down. I seem to be losing the war against my general unhappiness. WEATHERNo longer an issue. Even went out without a coat on Wednesday. Elsewhere: getting pleasant in Norway. May finally warm up in Northern Portugal. Steamy in Taiwan with temps going over 30. POULTRY"Too bright! [60] (13 lines)" Almost forgot to write then forgot to post. I did make it through April with a poem/day. I'm working on a tanaga I've titled "Bleeding Kansas". Not quite done yet. READINGGoodbye to the Orchard, a book of poems by Steven Cramer. (2004) MOVIETIMEFinished "The Apartment" (1960) Started "Wrath of Khan" (1982) BLOGVILLE30DBC: What one fictional character would you most like to meet and talk to? Why? What would you like to ask? So many to choose from. I wrote "Xiǎo bái 小白" I managed to read and comment on 8 blogs today. That's not a bad goal if I going to get around to everyone on a regular basis. I do interview my characters (they are only fictional to you...) but I commented to 🌑 Darleen - QoD :I interview my characters but if you are the quiet observant type, maybe just go for a walk, chatter about nothing see what he responds to and how. If you were to walk with me you'd notice how I talk to strangers, how loud noises behind me make me jump, how I ask 'what bird is that' not because I don't know their names as much as I can't see! And you'd notice how I huff and puff going uphill, how careful I am going downhill, how I stop to smell lilacs. It would take you much longer to notice how I don't like it when people call others names ... What is 'missing', that negative space, can be challenging to discern. A Shout out to HRH Queen Scarlet 11 years ago in May:  |
TWELFTH OF RIDVAN    It is 1863. Today is the last day in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad. Baha'u'llah has made his announcement and leaves for exile in Edirne. He will never return, being further exiled to Akka. This is all history. I feel self-exiled at times. But there is no comparison. I only know that one can choose to be happy regardless. I'm not happy. Today is May Day, Labor Day, my favorite month. Perhaps that will cheer me up. Perhaps I'll even do the wash. Update: Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Chatted with friends. This lightens my mood. Reading "Goodbye to the Orchard", poems by Steven Cramer. Will finish watching "The Apartment" today. I really like the performances by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine but have been having problems watching anything. 2.297 |
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