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 |   Getting to know me. |
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One of the goals I set for myself this year was to create a blog. There are a lot of reasons I wanted to do this. 1. I think a blog will encourage me to write more often. 2. I want people to get to know me better, and hopefully I'll know more about you from your comments. The grammar won't be perfect, but a blog is a more relaxed type of writing, I think. I want to share my, and Sir Trevor's, adventures and lots of other things too! |
 Thank you to Whata SpoonStealer   for the beautiful purple awardicon that graces the cover of this blog.DAY 1386 August 31st, 2016 Prompt Create a character that might live in a park or recreation area near you. Why do they live there and how do they interact with visitors? Jessie On the outskirts of town. there is a large tract of land, donated by an elderly woman for the local townsfolk to enjoy. It's known as Gouin Park after the woman who donated it. With hiking trails, amazing trees, and wildlife roaming free the park is untouched, except for a few benches along the trail. Somewhere in this park lives a man called Jessie. His childhood was not the best , with little love or guidance from his parents, bullied at school, and later getting into drugs. Diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Jessie's situation went from bad to worse. With long unkempt hair wearing an old army jacket with deep pockets people rarely see him in town. Once a week he collects bottles and goes to the grocery store where he turns them in. As he browses to find the cheapest thing to buy with his bottle money he fills his pockets with meat and other food. Next, he goes to the pharmacy and picks up his meds. Then it's back to the park. He just wants to be alone, people are not his favourite species. Once in a while, somebody catches a glimpse of him but he quickly disappears into the trees. Connorizing. Tonight I'm having company including a toddler just over two years old. Connor is a sweetheart but as I look around I see many things that have to be put away or at least put out of his reach. I've done quite a bit of picking up but there's still some things that could cause him harm.  Scissors? No, no, hide them! OMG put that bottle of Tylenol way up high! I remember when my grandson was that age my home was always child proofed. I wonder how I managed that?Only a bit more to do and clean off the table and things should be ship shape. I wonder if I'll ever find anything again, though.  Birthday Masquerade Party Sookie Stackhouse I'm trying to get into character for the Birthday Masquerade Party . This will be the first time I,ve participated. And I'm a bit nervous. What if I'm the victim? Is that possible? There are so many activities happening for the 16th Anniversary! What are you participating in? That's all I have time for today. Kinda boring but too much stuff to catch up on. Come join me tomorrow for another adventure. Keep Smiling, River - (Sookie)  |
| Thank you to Whata SpoonStealer for the beautiful purple awardicon that graces the cover of this blog.Day 1385: August 30, 2013 Prompt: “I started writing, just casually writing, the ironies in my life—the strange accidents that turned the corner of where my life was going to.” Gene Wilder Write about what you think of this quote or write a tribute to Gene Wilder. I could have written that quote and probably a lot of members can relate to it. I started a diary when I was about 13 and wrote all thoughts in it daily. I liked English Comp. In high school and later I wrote children's stories for my daughter. It all started out as casual writing. Another week is flying by and Thursday is the first day of September. Kids back to school and all the Fall activities are starting up. I'm looking forward to Writer's Group! Sometimes you just need to be with other writers because only they know what drive you. Some of my weekly writings are Sir Trevor stories that make them laugh but my other favourite genre is gruesome murders, gory crime scenes, and serial killers lurking about. They never know from week to week if I'll make tears run down their faces or scare the crap out of them. Listening to their work is fascinating and I love discussing the stories afterwards. One woman is writing a novel so she reads us a chapter each week. I have turned one nice young woman who used to write nice little stories onto the path of gruesome and gory.  Today is The StoryMaster  and The StoryMistress  16th account anniversary and the creation of WDC. I wonder what we'd all be doing without them? I have a feeling some of us wouldn't be writing. I've learned so much since joining this site and have made many friends, people I wouldn't have otherwise met.Are any of you joining in on all the fun activities and contests that are part of the 16th anniversary? I joined "Wdc 16th Birthday Masquerade Party"  My character is Sookie Stackhouse so anything can happen!  I'm feeling better so I wan't to get involved in contests and activities again. This is the first time since I joined WDC that I didn't take part in The Challenge! I want to get back to that and other things I've let drop. First, I have to put on my Team Canada hoodie and write my short story for Write World. Lately, I've just kept up with Newbie reviews and the things I do at NAG. With this new surge of energy, all I can say is “Watch out world here comes River! PS Did I tell you I was voted BLOGGER OF THE WEEK for August 14, 2016 - August 20, 2016 BCOF?  Keep Smiling, River |
| Thank you to Whata SpoonStealer for the beautiful purple awardicon that graces the cover of this blog.Day 1382 September 27, 2016 Prompt: What is your favorite fantasy and why? What about it makes it so magical to you? When I was a child my mum had a teapot that looked a lot like a hobbit house. I loved playing with that teapot and wishing I could open the little door. I loved all things magical and I watched Disney Land every Sunday night. The Seven Dwarves were among my favourite characters. I think this is why I was so drawn to The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. Someone gave my grandson a copy and I picked it up and began to read. I was fascinated with Bilbo Baggins, the 13 dwarves, and of course Gandalf, the Wizard. Saturday It's a beautiful morning and I'm enjoying that first cup of coffee. Sir Trevor is not a happy feline. He has put on weight again and I've taken away his dry food. Dry cat food is mainly carbs. He is still getting two small cans of cat food per day. This morning he woke me up yowling pitifully. It was much too early to get up but he made it clear I wasn't getting any more sleep!  Good morning from Sir Trevor I am River’s feline companion and even though she is human I feel we are equals, but this is unfair. River has put me on a diet again. I don’t know what the problem is I only weigh eighteen pounds. River says that's worse than the last time. I'm highly insulted. I finished my bowl of food last night and it's still empty! I love to eat and I like to have my food bowl full at all times,but there it is completely empty. I was so hungry this morning my belly ached but River was sleeping soundly. Well, I'll fix that I thought. I got a good running start and leaped. I landed right in the middle of River's stomach she was not very pleased with me and turned over to go back to sleep. What is this? No more sleep River, my bowl is empty. Empty, do you hear me? It's EMPTY. “ Stop that caterwauling, I'm trying to sleep. What is WRONG with you?” River demanded. What is wrong with this woman? Can she not see I'm starving? My bowl is empty, I am weak from hunger, I need food. I continue berating her. This is animal abuse! River throws back the blankets and sits on the side of the bed staring at me. Finally, she gets up and goes to the kitchen, I follow weaving back and forth in front of her legs. “Trevor, I need my coffee.” River is a coffee addict maybe I should leave her alone before she freaks out. I plop down in my feline bed to wait for my breakfast. I cannot believe this is happening, she's sitting at the computer with her coffee. I have waited so patiently I flatten my ears back and flick my tail showing my displeasure with this behavior. Yo, River... my food? “Let me finish my coffee in peace and I'll give you your breakfast.” Coffee, coffee, coffee, it's all about coffee. What about the poor little feline laying undernourished in his bed? Huh? What about me, River? At last, River gets up and puts my morning ration in my bowl. I slowly heave myself up on my feline castle and hunker down to eat then I lounge in the sunny spot in front of the patio door to digest. Wait, is that a mouse?  I'm feeling lazy this morning. I think I'll take a hot shower and pamper myself for the rest of the day. What do you do to pamper yourself? Keep Smiling, River |
| Thank you to Whata SpoonStealer for the beautiful purple awardicon that graces the cover of this blog.Day 1381 August 26, 2016 Prompt: She was late, again. She was always late. As the door opened, I had to wonder what type of excuse Lacie would come in with this time...tell us all about it . Every Sunday without fail Charlotte would be late for church. The problem was we couldn't start without her because she was involved in the service. We fidgeted while the organist played yet another piece wondering what her excuse would be this time. Finally, she'd come running down the hill damp hair flying in the breeze and arrive with a red face trying to come up with 'the excuse'. We'd just chuckle because we were used to her ways. I think her problem was time management. Cover Image I finally found the perfect image for my blog cover and successfully uploaded it! I wanted a river calmly flowing along to represent my blog. I like to think of my life flowing like a river. Sometimes the storms of life cause strong currents in my river, but I strive for calmness. I slept poorly last night and finally got up at 3:15 am. I was just laying there getting more and more frustrated so I made the mandatory coffee, did two Newbie reviews grabbed a succulent peach and a banana for breakfast, and decided to start my blog. There's not much on my agenda today so my plan is to finish up some of those fair entries. My eyes just slid over to the fair book and I noticed the dates on the cover. The fair runs from September 8th to the 11th That means all my entries have to be completed, little bags of samples of material used pinned on, and delivered to the fairgrounds on the 8th. The entries will be judged on the morning of the 9th. Panic Time!Now, I'm thinking about another coffee fix. It's a running joke between my daughter and my best friend that every year I say, “I'm going to start working on next year's entries right after the fair. Of course, this never happens. They collapse in fits of giggles every time I utter the words. They wait with bated breath for me to make the announcement but this year's announcement stunned them. I said, “if I don't have at least three things completed by June I”m not going to bother entering next year.” Health Update. I'm doing much better. The medication is keeping the pain at a reasonable level and I'm able to walk more. Somebody is supposed to come help with leg exercises with weights. Here is an interesting tid bit. I received a notice from Writing.Com telling me that my handle had been wiped clean. Your handle must be rated E. I had the name of my painkillers in my handle they are a narcotic and therefore not suitable for an E rating and I agree. Just something to think about when changing handles. {e:Wink I can't believe it's already 9:00 and I haven't got anything done. My eyes are drooping. I may have to take a nap. {e:Sleeping} Keep Smiling, River |
| DAY 1379 August 24, 2016 Prompt: "But why did you go there in the first place?" I needed milk for my coffee. I can't function without my coffee that's why I went there in the first place. I made myself presentable, hung a cloth shopping bag at the back of my buggy, (My motorized wheelchair), and headed down the street to the store. It was a long hot ride to get to the only store with electric doors in this small town but I needed my morning coffee. Even though, it was early morning the air was hot and muggy. I did my best to smile and say hello to the people who were out and about doing their errands but my mission was to get to the store, get the milk, get home and drink the coffee. I went as fast as I could without terrorizing the townsfolk although a few of them did jump to the side with their eyes bugging out of their heads. It seems I have a reputation as the Crazed Buggy Lady. Finally, I saw the store up ahead. I picked up speed and sailed through the doors. Once inside, I slowed down a bit because the aisles aren't as wide as I would like. I aimed for the back of the store where the milk is kept behind double glass doors. I stopped there and looked up at the shelves. “You've got to be kidding me!” I muttered. All the 2% milk was on the top shelve even if I stood up and got the doors opened I wouldn't be able to the reach the milk. I sat in the chair glaring at the milk as I planned my next move. I looked around for someone to help but I guess not many people do their shopping quite that early. At last, I saw an elderly man limping toward me. He was a bit grumpy because my buggy was parked in front of the milk so I backed away. He reached in and got his milk and turned to go. “Excuse me, could you please get me get me a carton of milk?” I inquired. He whipped around and stared at me in irritation. Maybe he hadn't had his coffee? He got out the milk and dumped it unceremoniously on my lap.  With the cold milk on my lap I decided to grab some fruit for breakfast I managed to reach a leaky basket of strawberries and placed in carefully beside the milk. By the time I reached the checkout the milk was sweating and berry juice was staining my beige pants. I lifted the basket and milk up onto the counter. The kind lady saw my problem and came around and put my purchases in the bag attached to the back of the buggy. Feeling a bit better, I rolled up to the sliding doors. No, It was raining! I raced across the parking lot and started up the street. The further I went the harder it rained then the wind and thunder started. Fearing the electronics were going to get soaked I continued on my merry way.When I reached home I maneuvered the buggy through the doors and up the hall to my apartment. Once I got inside I stood up, stripped, wrapped myself in a big cozy bath towel, and poured myself a cup of coffee. I sat at the table and sighed enjoying my steamy brew. Thank you to Whata SpoonStealer for the beautiful purple awardicon that graces my blog cover. At least it will grace it when I finally get a cover up there!Keep Smiling, River |
| Day 1377: August 22, 2016 Prompt: August 22 is Be An Angel Day. This day encourages acts of kindness and helping others. In celebration of Be An Angel Day write a story, poem, or article about someone being an angel by doing a random act of kindness or helping someone.  It seems every time I'm in the hospital I end up on the 8th floor. I'm usually treated well because they know me. There is a nurse's aide on the floor who is my personal angel. I don't have enough strength in my hands or arms to use a regular wheelchair, pulling along an IV pole, and getting myself and all my equipment into the elevator. Every day on her morning and afternoon breaks, Julie would come get me, disconnect my IV bag, and take me outside. Then she'd come back and get me and take me up to my room 15 minutes later. When you're stuck in a hospital, acts of kindness mean a lot. The Morphine Scoop My WDC friends have asked me about my pain. It's a long story so I thought I'd include the response which I paste into my email replies in this blog. For over 40 years I've had Rheumatoid Arthritis. Before that, I had a mild case of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Back then, there weren't the same drugs we have today so as time went on my joints became deformed, especially my finger and toe joints. Some vertebrae in my spine were badly damaged in my lower back. For a year, I've been unable to lay flat because my back locks and causes a lot of pain. I'm still able to walk around in my apartment, but that's about it. Because I couldn't exercise and because of the drugs I take for the Arthritis my blood couldn't circulate freely. So my arteries became very narrow and required surgery to unclog them. They also put stints in both legs. The drugs I take suppress my immune system so I can't fight off bacteria and I get a lot of infections. So at the moment I have a painful foot. I'm not sure if it's an infection or if there isn't enough blood getting to the toes. My foot is red and it hurts to stand on it. The doctor doesn't think it's infection, he prescribed morphine tablets and they are helping the pain. I will be having tests to see what the problem is soon. Because I live in Quebec, Canada, there are many free services available to me.  CLSC Home Care nurses come to my home to do my blood work, change dressing if necessary, and keep an eye on my vitals. My family doctor does house calls. Home Care provided me with a hospital bed which is mine until death do us part. They also installed a foam covered bath bench/chair and a motorized wheelchair, among other things that make my life easier. If I need anything all I need to do is call. I don't call often because I don't want to abuse the system. The acronym, CLSC is French.On a Positive Note This day got off to a good start. I won the BIG BASH Prize in the WDC Power Reviewers Speculative Spectacular Review Raid. (Say that fast 5 times!) I'll be receiving an MB plus a physical MB! Keep Smiling, River |
| DAY 1376. Sunday, August 21, 2016 No Prompt Sunday Morning Bananas vs Jelly Here I sit staring at a banana. I don't want to eat this banana I want toast and jelly but if I don't eat it today it will be overripe tomorrow. It already has many brown spots on the peel. Bananas have a high potassium content, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure. One banana has over 400 mg of potassium so eating one a day could help prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis. I have atherosclerosis so I pick up the damn banana and wash it down with coffee, but I still want the toast and jelly.  My daughter made her first ever batch of jelly last week. It turned out perfectly and she gave me two jars of this delicious Red Pepper Jelly. The first jar is history. Feeling confident she made Grape Jelly and Strawberry Jam this weekend. Technically, I shouldn't eat jelly because I have diabetes, but hey ya gotta have a treat sometimes. I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.Sore Foot   Here we go again. It seems like there's no end to it. I finished my antibiotics last week and was feeling good. I was feeling good when I went to bed Friday night. I was not feeling good when I got up Saturday morning! My foot was red and swollen and painful to walk on. I examined it and the problem seems to be coming from my baby toe. I'm not sure if it's an infection or another clogged artery. (Need to eat more bananas.  )Now, I refuse to sit in an overcrowded ER waiting room on the weekend. You're looking at 14 or more hours waiting time. Still red and hurts to put weight on it today. WTF? At this point I don't care if they amputate the whole foot, but how will I get around? I live alone and am fighting to stay out of a Home. It's been a long hard struggle for me and I'm quite discouraged. Anyway, I'll assess the situation tomorrow and decide what to do. Books  I love to read. Recently, I was given Heartwood, a novel by James Lee Burke. Usually I like his books but it took me two weeks to get through this one. I finally finished it last night. “Why did you read it?” you may ask. Well, I'm quirky like that. If I start a book I finish it.Time to get something done! River |
| DAY 1373 August 19, 2016 You fall in love with a sorcerer who changes you into anything he/she wants, until you... His name was Damian. He was dark and handsome and so Charismatic, one look into his eyes and I fell deeply in love. I would have done anything for him. I was so young and naive I really thought he loved me as much as I love him. One night I awoke alone in our bedchamber. Where was he? I slipped out of the room and into the courtyard. I strolled around glancing through dimly lit windows and I saw them. The candlelight revealed him in a passionate embrace with a powerful witch, named Celest. She was beautiful, her silver hair cascading down her back. Heartbroken, I stifled a sob and returned to our bedchamber. When Damian returned I confronted him with what I had seen. He looked at me scornfully and laughed in my face. He said, “ You actually think I'd choose you, a mere mortal, over Celest, the most beautiful and powerful sorceress in the realm? Be gone you stupid whore.” That is how I came to end my days in a dingy brothel entertaining hairy, smelly, brutes of men with warts upon their noses. Found on Facebook: Today while scrolling through my  news feed I came across a video that claimed you could cure Type Two Diabetes by following the advice of the Book of Daniel: Chapter Three. I clicked on play and started listening to this guy, he was repetitious and droned on for what seemed like forever without coming to any kind of point. There were testimonials by people claiming to have been cured within hours or days.I finally closed the video and . I wondered what it was all about obviously he was hoping to make tons of money with this video, right? Rather sacrilegious to make money off the Bible. My curiosity led me to the Bible. I thought I would find something about fasting or gluttony or something. I read the entire Chapter in the Book of Daniel. What it boiled down to was faith and trusting God to heal you. I wasn't going to suffer through that video to the end to find out what this guy's scam was about. Perhaps he was selling Bibles, some type of healing artifacts. Or maybe he was a Jehovah's Witness. I don't know. Next, I found helpful ideas for panic attacks and anxiety. Grounding: Look around you; Find 5 things you can see. Find 4 things you can touch. Find 3 things you can hear. Find 2 things you can smell Find 1 thing you can taste. You can try this but I don't think it would help me! I'm more apt to try deep breathing, meditation, or breathing into a brown paper bag. Panic Attacks come out of the blue I remember my first attack happened while I was in bed reading. For no clear reason, my heart started beating wildly, I began hyperventilating, shaking, and sweating. Convinced I was having a heart attack I went to the hospital only to be told I was having a panic attack. Maybe the best way to deal with panic attacks is to see a therapist and find out what triggers the attacks or take meds prescribed for anxiety. How do you deal with panic attacks or anxiety? Those are my thoughts for today. River |
Day 1372: August 17, 2016 Prompt: Write about a time you felt betrayed. Betrayal. This is a difficult prompt for me I've felt betrayed many times over the years and some of these betrayals are too devastating to write about. Several years ago I moved into a co-op apartment complex. I had to give S50.00 to join the co-op and by doing so the rent was reduced to about half of what non-members paid. It was a big beautiful apartment and I was happy there. Part of the deal was we took turns cleaning the hallways, mowing grass, and snow removal. This eliminated the need for a janitor. If you were unable to do the work you simply hired someone to do it.We also had to attend monthly meetings in the boardroom. I became friends with a woman upstairs and we had coffee together, during one of these get-togethers I confided to her that I was seeing a psychologist because of a meltdown I had before moving there. His name was Hector and he helped me get back to 'normal.' Nobody else at the co-op knew about my sessions. By the way, that meltdown was caused by the betrayal of the person I loved and trusted most in the world. Anyway, we were at a meeting one evening and dogs were on the agenda. Some tenants were allowing their dogs out without a leash. I had a Toy Poodle and I'd take her out to sit in the swing with me. She was paper trained so she didn't do her business outside. She was content to sit on my lap and visit with the other little dogs. The meeting got heated when we were told all dogs had to go. That pissed me off of course and I declare I wasn't having a healthy animal put down because two other tenants weren't following the rules. At that point, all hell broke loose. I was accused of instigating a riot. My friend got up and started stamping out the door, then she turned back and looked at me and shouted, “You know what? I'm not leaving just because you're crazy You should go back and see Hector.” All eyes turned toward me, shocked, but wanting to know what my reaction would be. I sat still for a minute then got up and as calmly as possible left. Once I got back to my apartment I began packing boxes and moved out as quickly as possible. My little dog was more important to me than a nice apartment and a fake friend. A New Direction. I made a list of things I tend to procrastinate on the worst. Oh, there are so many things on that list! I'm seriously trying to get off my butt and just do something. Some things are major and others are so easy it's ridiculous not doing them. I started this Blog so I would write something every day. Some days I miss because I just don't have the energy.(Or that's what I tell myself.) In the beginning, I was discouraged because nobody was reading or commenting. I thought about just giving up. Then I realized that wasn't why I was doing this. My goal was to write every day not to attract followers. So, I'm doing my best to achieve the goal of writing every day. The Fair is coming up quickly so I got out my crochet projects and craft supplies and I vow to work on them every day so my entries will be ready on time. I'm doing well on those two areas and trying to get the other silly things done too. I think the best plan is to force myself to do whatever needs doing before picking up a book or having a nice nap. I hardly ever miss a nap. Now I have to work on the stuff that nobody knows about except me. I'm sure I'll feel better about myself when I can say. “One more thing to scratch off the list!” Maybe I'll start following Fly Lady again! That's a great website that helps you get things done and get organized. Just type Fly Lady into your search engine and check it out. K, Gotta Go! River |
DAY 1371 August 16, 2016 Prompt: After a long, hard day of work, you return home—the only problem is, your front door is wide open, all your lights are on and there's a sword stuck in the ceiling. The rest of your house looks normal, but you also notice several holes dug in your backyard. What's going on? Exhausted, I pulled into the driveway and to my shock the front door was standing open! I locked the door this morning, didn't I? Looking for something I could use as a weapon, I cautiously approached the door. I pulled a sword out of the ceiling wondering how it had got there. All the lights were on in the house and I nervously looked around but everything looked normal. Then I heard a scraping noise coming from the back of the house. wielding the sword in front of me I moved slowly toward the kitchen and peeked out the back window. To my astonishment, a shovel was laying on the ground and somebody was peering into one of the deep holes that he'd dug. I sighed deeply as I recognized George our eccentric neighbour, (he's convinced he's reincarnated and fought in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863) was digging tunnels again. He'd found the spare key under the fake stone in the flowerbed and waged an imaginary war in my living room no doubt turning on all the lights to search for the enemy. I propped the sword up beside the fridge out of harm's way and went out the back door. “Hi George, nice tunnels you got there,” I said. He looked at me with vacant eyes and mumbled, “Bad tunnels, gotta dig my way home.” I took his arm and said, “Come on Georgie, I'll take you home.” Usually, I go on in the morning and play Criminal Case. That game gets my brain working in the morning along with a steaming cup of coffee. Each case has a series of puzzles and clues to solve in nine crime scenes before arresting the killer and finally closing the case. The murder weapons are interesting and sometimes ridiculous, but I sometimes file them in a document in case I get really desperate for a plot or murder weapon. Okay, I probably will never use one, but you never know what will inspire you even if it's an FB game! One day I was reading a thread on FB and the conversation going on in there found its way into a short story for my Writer's Group that day. I've run out of time! I hope to do better tomorrow. River |
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Bet Sir Trevor is having a ball. I gave my Luke some tissue paper and it was a real mess but worth a couple hours peace 
