Having 2 grandchildren who live in the other side of the world and 3 toddlers on the other side. makes giving hugs and kisses to be overwhelming. Flying to Switzerland: 11 hours, and to Chicago 5 hours was much easier ten years ago.
The flight crews make life interesting. Lord knows, life needs these talented people.
Nothing else can be said about this post. Enjoy, and wonder about our time on an unending flight. Next time we fly, I seriously told my husband that we are taking first class, or at least I am taking it. I don't know what he will do.
Camp
Pendleton is just 20-30 miles from us. When we lived even closer, we
could hear war maneuvers. Helicopters, munitions, half-tracks on the
beach---means something was about to happen.
Belinda
inhaled deeply as she descended the marble stairs. The room was lavishlyprepared with champagneand caviar, shimmering in candlelight.
Carrying a heart shaped bouquet, Belinda beamed at her Prince, her heart
beating with the excitement of love.
When all was
going well, the whole event smashedinto floral and cake pieces. Immediately, after the following stampede, the groom’s Royal Parents examined the
carnage.What had happened? There had
been some scurryingin the far corner, which led to discovery of a nest
of rats.
Anyway, so much for royal weddings. Elope.
These Wednesday Words are in colored italics, and come from C. Lee McKenzie who is an excellent writer. Pop on over!
A newspaper article on “Homeless in San Diego” wrote an
article that included her. Named her Delores or Doris, something like
that. Saw her every day, going and
coming to work or home. Driving by, seeing her, wondering day after day, who she was.
Ragged woman…in
dirty army fatigues, worn out fatigues.
Long ratty gray hair, wrinkled hands, couldn’t see her face but once
when she shook the dirty mass back to tie up with a red bandanna. Her face, well, her face. Must have been
beautiful sometime, beauty was still there, hidden with wrinkles, dirt, frown,
lines…fine bones. Fine hands, long legs.
Sometime maybe thirty, forty years ago, now ragged worn out.
Doris
pushed her shopping cart up Washington over to Broadway, back again. Watched
Doris for two years maybe. Each day she stretched out skinny arms,
pushed heavy
cart, had sleeping bag, pieces of junk, where she slept was a mystery
Sometimes could see her curled up in a corner of empty supermarket,
sometimes behind garbage
bin.
Didn’t know what she ate Tried to give her money a few times she swore at
me, walked away, pride maybe.
Winter and rain, saw less and less, just glimpses
of here, there under overhangs or trees.
Then, one day, the next next next, Doris wasn’t there. Never saw her again.
Movie photo One of the few Johnny Depp movies I like
It has been proven through much
research that chocolate brownies are the anti-dote to just about any illness,
physical or otherwise. The chocolate has
riboflavin which boost the system and generally makes the sick person feel
better.
While this will most likely be
disputed, my daughters and I have tested this out many many times and found it to be true, every single time.
One time my oldest daughter (then
mid-20s) came by to visit. We both had
miserable colds. Sick as dogs, as my mother would say.
We put on Chocolάt, opened a bottle
of Champagne/bubbling wine. Then we baked a large pan of deep chocolate
brownies. While we watched the movie, we drank wine and ate the brownies (not even bothering for them to cool) straight
from the pan.
We laughed, we cried, blew noses,
and coughed. We talked about past
painful events, apologized, laughed, hugged each other, and fell asleep on the couch. A good memory, happy times were ours.
When we awoke, we felt much
better.
Brownies always work.
Note: Not
everyone can eat brownies for a variety of dietary restrictions. I
hope a substitution can be used instead. This is a re-post from 2009, with revisions.
a pond of trees loaded these red wing blackbirds was breathtaking.
There just a few animals as beautiful as a bird. Doesn't matter its genus and species, birds are exquisite creatures. My favorite is and will always be cardinals, ones of all types. But another has impressed me: the crow/raven/blackbird. I had enough difficulty to tell you the differences, which is why I placed the photos below. Also, cut me some slack on interchanging the species in my brain.
The raven and his cousin the black crow are some of the smartest birds there.are. I have watched them, and they are incredible.
One late afternoon, I stood watched this one huge black bird perched on a street light, over a splattered pile of bird poo below. He turned his head to one side to the other, eyes never breaking away from me.
He kept watching me, and then began to send messages to his horde of crows densely settled in a huge eucalyptus. He (Bill as I named him) talked back to them, and then Bill resumed his watch, eyes checking one side to another. I stepped out my door, and Bill began his singing to the Murder of crows 1 mile away. They sang back.
Incredible birds. They bond and maintain a life long relationship with a mate in his Conspiracy of his crew up in the trees. In fact, the crew bonds with each other. Bill did not like me at my door, so Bill sang a raucous song, glaring at me. The songs went back and forth. Bill got tired of me invading his territory, so he winged it over to the roof across the street.
Enough. Exam the photos below. See what they are.
Tower of London employee rescued "tame" ravens
Is raising them and hoping that they will see this as their home, not
needing wings cut back
Being "mobbed" usually results in the hunted owl being driven away
.
Murder? Conspiracy? Horde?
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
One of my favorite bloggers is David Gascoigne in Travels with Birds from Waterloo, Canada. He discovers some incredible birds, enjoys walk-about with fellow birders. He has recommended bird books, with info and crazily beautiful feathered creatures of the sky. David often brings a delightful little girl, birder in training. Lucky little birder!
Lately, Julia was regretting that she had married
Merle. She had waited patiently, but Merle had denied her last chances of
happiness.
Her mother,
Clara had spent an quiet unhappy life, but found solace in her garden, raising
mainly succotash and squash with cherry tomatoes. Why, is not known.
At the end of a long day, Julia sobbed in Mom’s kitchen, as
Mom chopped the vegetables, adding a carrot for color. “Well, girl. You could use this to settle him down.”
She handed over a squash, returning to the succotash.
Julia recognized a solution,
a singularly strange one. It would involve Merle, squash, and a battery operated table top circular
saw blade. After a quick trip to the Home Depot near Merle’s urban house.
Julia knocked at the door. After he opened the door, the carnage began.
She stood over Merle’s body, clutching the squash.
“Here you go, sweetheart. Mom sent this for dinner.” She dropped the squash
into his bleeding hand. “She says to saute’
in garlic butter.” Julia left.
Why Mom grew
these S-vegetables was always confusing. Maybe some day she would reveal that to
Julia.
Wednesday Words are being provided in February by C. Lee McKenzie, a successful strong writer/author. You must go to her site. She is a good writer, and sends shout-outs for fellow authors. Shattered by C.Lee McKenzie has been well received.
Here are the Wed. Words for this week: sweetheart, semi-table, solace, singularly, solution, married, lately, denied, squash, urban
Wrestle with them and see if you can get them to make sense. Looking forward to seeing what you find.
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