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 |  Day to day stuff....a memoir without order. |
 Imagination is described by Webster as...The act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses in reality. Albert Einstein said "Logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will take you everywhere."  I never realized it until I read it somewhere but there are ways to boost one's imagination: Create a visual journal Draw whatever you see for 15 minutes a day. You don't need to be an artist. Think like an artist Cut out pictures from magazines & piece them together to create an original image. Listen to Bach Close your eyes while playing your favorite music. Or listen to the sounds of nature on a CD or in the great outdoors. Play word games Try thinking of as many words as you can that begin with MAR...or you pick. Daydream Let your mind wander, or focus on a single object & study its characteristics.     Everyone has a story....here's mine.....c   |
| I had a deposit to make for my writers' group today. The dues are $36 per year and one particular person paid with 2 twenties so....on the deposit ticket I entered $36 and handed it with the 2 twenties to the teller. She said...Your deposit ticket says $36 and you gave me $40. Yes. Is this confusing to everyone but me? There were 4 other check entries for $36 each. Is that a clue? But I didn't say anything, just that the $36 was correct and I needed $4 back. She said...Oh, I'll have that right out for you. So goes life today. until next time...c |
I have signed up for NaNoWriMo  . I can't believe it. What the crap am I doing?It all started with a program I went to last Sunday, a panel of speakers who completed 50,000 words in 30 days several times. Whew! One was 15 and currently writing her 4th novel. Yes, it makes you wonder about yourself. Anyway, the gist of the thing is, sign up, find your way around the site, get some experience with it no matter how many words you write. Whatever the number, it will be more than not signing up at all. It definitely takes the mystery out of it. The panelists were pantsers to begin with but switched to outliners the second year. I guess in order to write that many words in 30 days you have to have a plan. I do not...yet. until next time...c |
| Cool weather is here and the purple finch are at my feeder this morning along with the chickadees, tufted titmouse (mice?), and cardinals. I've saved cantaloupe seeds from my last two, washed and air-dried, and the cardinals love them. Yesterday I visited one of the dollar stores (where I buy my baby aspirin) and found the prettiest dish, all colors, perfect for my hanging bird bath. I guess you can tell I like birds. until next time...c |
| Fall has arrived and we are finally in the 60's in the morning, a little chilly but crisp and clean and welcome. Jim's and my anniversary is coming up on the 14th, oh I miss him so much. Back in 1963 we were planning our wedding about now. Does the missing ever ease up? I think not. I have been consumed by it lately, not wanting to do much, not being very social, even contemplating dropping some things I have been doing. I know that won't be helpful and hope I get past it, just try to keep plugging away. A friend asked me to go to the local peanut festival with her today, but I lied and said I was expecting my daughter, and this morning I felt so relieved that I hadn't agreed to go. I guess I just want to wallow  .Sorry to be such a downer. I have some things I must do so maybe that will occupy my mind for awhile... until next time...c |
| According to the National Hurricane Center (about an hour ago), T.S. Erika will not be much of a threat to Florida. Here in Gainesville we will most likely get plenty of rain Tuesday and Wednesday, but we're getting plenty of rain anyway. So a rainy start to September, which is our main hurricane month in this neck of the woods. I had my bone density scan and blood work done yesterday morning, very early since I had to "fast," a funny word for not eating when I think about it  . My bone scan appointment was for 8:20 so I wanted to arrive early and get the blood work first and over with. Usually it takes around 20 minutes from my house to the lab site. I left at 7:30 to be sure and arrive in time. I forgot about school.... It took 30 minutes to get through the school zones, 3 of them, but I did make it to the lab by 8:10, got my blood work done right away, zipped onto the cot for the scan, and it seemed like in seconds I was back in my vehicle, ready to drive home. So actual time at the lab equaled 20 minutes, drive time equaled 60 minutes for a distance less than 5 miles. So when contemplating whether an early appointment is a good thing, consider school status.Yesterday afternoon I picked up some spools of string for my string trimmer so I can finish my "lawnwork" today. Wow, that stuff costs 2 arms and 3 legs, almost $21 for 3 replacement spools...and it was the last they had...outrageous. So with it getting hotter each second that passes... until next time...c |
| I just took out my trash can for pick-up tomorrow and came back in with three mosquito bites...in the very bright white light of the day. So much rain lately, it wouldn't surprise me to hear of a West Nile, or worse, outbreak. Buzz Away is my repellent of choice, all natural and it really works. Guess I'll have to apply it everytime I stick my head out the door. And I saw the black racer again, racing through the grass, in a big hurry to get out of my way. I think I am becoming complacent to snakes...need to stay on my toes, yes. I am really looking forward to some cold, dry weather. Wildlife and insect life abounds... until next time...c |
| Betty's funeral is tomorrow. She leaves behind a multitude of memories. When Jim and I moved down here, she and Jim's brother, Howard, were our card-playing partners, our go-out-to dinner friends, our fishing buddies, our holiday get-togethers, and so much more. She has been and will be missed. You are loved, Betty. R.I.P. |
| Today was my mother-in-law's birthday. She passed away in 1974, a little over one year before my mom died of lung cancer. I remember traveling to West Virginia in the snow in January. Gladys, Jim's mom, had a heart attack and Jim was anxious to see her. The entire trip seemed unreal. Now, his sister-in-law, the wife of his oldest brother (88) is expected to die anytime. She has had Alzheimer's for awhile and has reached the non-eating and non-drinking stage. She's under Hospice care. Again, death is on my mind. Betty and Howard encouraged us to move to Florida 37 years ago. They lived here in our town then, but eventually followed their children to Winter Haven and the distance curtailed our visits. They came to see Jim about six months before he passed away. I have not seen them since Jim's funeral in July 2012, but have chatted on the phone often. Both of them are Christians, but still death is shocking. Please keep us all in your prayers. until next time...c |
| Last Sunday my daughter and granddaughter came down from Jax for a visit. I am so happy my daughter has moved back to Florida from Delaware and can visit me now. We had a wonderful afternoon even with the rain, catching up and just drinking each other in. We went for dinner at a favorite Italian place of mine and Jim's...Sole Mio...and the food was perfect with a cannoli split three ways to end it all. Oh, my. Time for them to leave came much much too soon. Next time they will plan to stay overnight. Yes, it rains here everyday, sometimes all day, which is unusual. Normally, our rainstorms are brief with the sun coming out after for steam heat. Not so lately. The good side is that the overcast is keeping us cooler, not even reaching the 90s for awhile, and my lawn is greener than it has ever been. I have to pick up dead wood and fallen pine twigs in between the raindrops and carry an umbrella on my walks. I have a family of hummingbirds visiting my feeder, squeaking and buzzing to let me know they are there. I have a bird's eye view as I sit here at my computer. One of them is there almost every time I look up, and they drink the mix so quickly, the feeder has no time to get dirty between refills. Two of them take turns sitting on the little perch I made. Yes, they do sit. I didn't know that either until I looked at the Audubon site, and it showed me how to make the hanger from a metal clothes hanger, unhook the cut end, straighten it out, and depending on how long you need it to be, bend it up and around, creating a little eye-loop for the feeder to hang from and extending the straight part horizontally for a perch, cutting it off where you like. They are fascinating to watch. When I refill, they actually try to "buzz" me. And they will fly to the feeder regardless of the rain. My regular bird feeder is nearby, and sometimes they will try to roust off the cardinals and chickadees for more privacy, I guess. They are aggressive once they get used to the feeder. Mopsy sits in the window and watches. They pay no attention to her. until next time...c |
| I found this writing personality analyzer on Facebook this morning and being a sucker for all such things, I plugged in some of my blog from last time. This is what the analysis said: "You are guarded, particular and helpful. You are organized: you feel a strong need for structure in your life. You are independent: you have a strong desire to have time to yourself. And you are calm-seeking: you prefer activities that are quiet, calm, and safe. Your choices are driven by a desire for well-being. You value achieving success a bit more: you seek out opportunities to improve yourself and demonstrate that you are a capable person. You don't find independence to be particularly motivating for you: you welcome when others direct your activities for you." I think I agree with most of it. Wanna see what yours says? Wanna share? until next time...c |
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