Month: September 2016

Outlander Angst

I started book seven of the Outlander series today. Those of you who urged me to read Diana Gabaldon’s epic tale of love, lust, war, and time travel should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves. Before entering the universe occupied by Jamie (sigh!) and Claire, I was relatively normal. 

And, when pressed as to why I hadn’t read the books, being the avid reader that I am, I’d smirk, “I don’t read romance novels,” in a slightly condescending voice. 

Then one day I panicked, having found myself without a book queued up on my Amazon wish list, and so to pacify my earnest Outlander loving friends I placed an order for that first book on kindle. I’ve not been the same since.

From the outset it was clear that the first book, from whence the series takes its name, was more than a simple romance novel. There was complexity here, and, well, time travel. I read science fiction and fantasy, so this was right up my alley. 

In the middle of the third book of the series, Voyager, something shifted. I began dreaming about the characters, not just as they are in the books, but as if we were interacting in real time. We’d have full-blown conversations. In addition I began thinking in a Scottish accent. Please tell me I’m not nuts. 

Now, at the beginning of book seven, I’m on the verge of a breakdown. At present, there are eight books in the series. I’m on the next to the last one. 

The books are long, and I am not a fast reader. Jamie (sigh!) and Claire will be with me for at least another month. Even so, that special heartache of knowing I’m in the final stages of a great series has set in. I can’t put the book down, thus I soon will have nothing left of Jamie (sigh!) and Claire.


And if anyone suggests I watch the televised version of the series, I will slap them. After all, I don’t watch romance!

Peace, people.

Paltry Poultry?

Boredom set in this afternoon and I started thinking about chicken jokes. Yes, I’m warped that way. Enjoy.

Chicken shaming. It’s a thing.
But we still don’t know WHY….
What they don’t know won’t hurt her.
Beg your cat can’t do this.
Truth in advertising.
Pre-scrambled?
Maybe she could take estrohen.
Too (Chicken) Little; Too Late
Kids these days.

Peace, People!

The Colt’s Concern

Photographic art by Julie Powell


The Colt’s Concern
Words by Leslie Noyes

I had a dream last night of galloping like the wind, of leaving your warm side and running with new friends.

Scary, it was, yet exhilarating, too, the further I ran the harder it was to find my way back to you.

You dreamed, my colt, of life as it should someday be. The time will come when you no longer have a need for me.

How will I know when the time is right to strike out on my own, a colt no more, instead a mighty stallion?

There’ll surely be false starts before you venture out; that day’s not set in stone, and we’re never free from doubt.

If it’s all the same to you, I’ll hang out here awhile longer, let my legs lengthen and my heart beat stronger.

Sweet son, stay until you’re ready in your body and your soul. I will gladly keep you close and proudly watch you grow.

Check out Julie Powell’s blog at https://juliepowell2014.wordpress.com/

Snapshot #24

Our younger cat, Patches, refuses to step on the fuzzy rug in our den, but she loves to perch on the bolster we use to stretch out our backs. This snapshot is called, “Patches’s Aversion to Fuzz.”

Havana Shopping, Part 2

The Shoppes at Havana Trading Company in Havana, FL, is a fun place to spend a couple of hours. Around every corner one can find something to delight: candles, clothing, tea, antiques, and that’s just for starters.

When I visited yesterday I met Melba Ginsberg, the manager of Melba’s Cafe, and Karyn Burke, the owner of the “Broken Shell Boutique” a purveyor of beachy eclectica. The Broken Shell is just one of many wonderful shops inside The Shoppes at Havana Trading Company.


In her shop Karyn sells everything a displaced beach bum might need: sandals, beach towels, stationery, jewelry, fragrances for body and home, and candles among other things. Mermaids are welcome there, so I felt right at home. 

The vivacious Karyn Burke. She’s a joy!

Obviously I wasn’t the only shopper yesterday, so rather than monopolize Karyn’s time I wandered about The Shoppes and snapped some photos.

i have a hankering for this accordion.
This little three-drawer chest is gorgeous.

I hope these photos make you want to pay a visit to The Shoppes at Havana Trading Company. I’m ready to go back!

Peace, people!

Inertia

Inertia: Watching the golf channel all day because it was what Studly had the tv tuned to last night before we went to bed, even though the remote is literally touching my elbow.

The Lasting Memory of Exclusion

This. Read more at https://redswrap.wordpress.com/

Jan Wilberg's avatarRed's Wrap

jan-profile

The sting is at once startling and searing.

At first, you think. this isn’t what’s happening. You’re misinterpreting what you see. And then it hits you. You’re being purposely excluded. Those girls  are crossing the street to avoid you. You think you’re imagining something but you know you’re not. It’s real.

It happened to me in high school. When I went to California for a two week visit, I had a best friend, the same best friend I’d had for years. When I came home, she had left me. She said I was ‘different’ but never explained what that meant. I puzzled over this and thought it might be true. The trip was the first time I’d flown anywhere and I went by myself, hunched in the window seat, face up against the glass the entire way. I’d never seen things from that high up. In L.A, my sister handed me the keys to her…

View original post 331 more words