Sorry I am a bit behind. I haven’t gotten to last week yet… But in the meantime have a great weekend. If Easter is your thing, Happy Easter!
HAPPY EASTER!
Get It In Gear!
Me: (Swinging the door wide open, the light from the hallway floods my 16 year old’s darkened room.)
Him: No, It’s only 6:54! I still have 6 seconds!
Me: Look, get it in gear, I gotta get movin’. Don’t make me do it.
Him: OH MY GOD, NOT THE SONG!
This was a Six Second Story. Go link up at GirlieontheEdge.
TTOT
HERE is one of the places to link up your own brand of gratitude.
I have been waking up in a particularly cranky mood… just ask my dogs. They are so patient with me. I am truly grateful because if they were as cranky as I often am, they would have attacked me in my sleep by now just to be rid of me. Luckily they know how to relax and ignore the ridiculous behaviors of most humans.
I am grateful that the cranky was this morning and it is now several hours since I started this post and my mood has dissipated.
My sister and brother in law came over for lunch today and we were supposed to get some stuff done around the outside of the house but it decided to rain and my back yard is once again flooded. It was a good lunch though and they brought these killer oatmeal raisin cookies. So crunchy! My favorite!
They were running late so I had time to cool my moodiness with a mindless B movie. This happens to be my favorite coping mechanism. I watched “Revenge of the Teenaged Zombies.” There are some movies so awful they are good and then there are those that are just awful like the second one I started watching, “Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory.”
I also managed to catch up on some billing and other work while doing the B movie thing which was great because that always makes me anxious to know I am behind.
The following is just a quick list of all the big and little things I have been thankful for at some point today : Easter baskets, spring flowers, being able to assemble my new grill, good texting and blogging and IRL friends, mushrooms and green beans in garlic sauce, Being able to afford my mortgage, my copier and realizing I needed new copies of my billing form before I accidentally used the last one, my fence guy who came by yesterday unexpectedly to set all the posts for the doggies new fence because he couldn’t do it as planned the day before, my brother went to see my Mom who has not seen him other than from her balcony since March of 2020 (thank you covid but no thanks), that the rest of my family will soon be vaccinated and able to see her in person as well. That I have at least been able to see her regularly, although at times it’s a challenge. Have I mentioned Jack and Joulie…. cuz y’know…. Jack and Joulie.
38 Years Later and We Are Still Partying
WELCOME TO AN ANNUAL TIME-HONORED TRADITION
Back in high school (or was it shortly after?) my friend Lori took a typing class and needed to do that stuffy exercise known to all typing classes, the formal letter. In an attempt to make the exercise interesting, she inadvertently started a tradition that has lived on many a year (we are now in our 50s). What kind of great, worthy, and time-honored tradition could this possibly be you ask? Why, it’s…
THE LIVING OR DEAD DINNER PARTY!
*The crowd cheers!
 This is an imaginary, huge party (a real gala affair) in which you may invite a predetermined number of people from both the dead and living. You must also supply why you would invite said individuals. If you have participated before, we would urge you to refrain from inviting more than two of the same people you invited in previous years. With that in mind, let’s say you can invite 6 people living or dead (2 of whom you may have invited in the past). Let’s give it a go shall we?
I did come to this event last year and invited both of these guys. Controversially Jesus was on both my living and dead list… luckily it just doesn’t matter in this game. I invite Jesus every year because I want to see who shows up. Will the whole Holy Trinity show? Think of how many answers just His presence alone will provide. I suspect He is a party kind of guy. This is the man who turned water to wine in order to keep a party going. My second repeat is my best friend Tseering, of whom unfortunate circumstances have left many still wondering “living or dead?” Also … great guy, loved a party and I would love to see him again. Being that I can hang with the living any time I often find myself with a predominate amount of the deceased on my party list.
Eleanor Roosevelt was an opinionated intellectual with a good heart and didn’t seem to give much of a rat’s ass about what the hate-mongers and negative Nancy’s were pushing at any given time. She is number three.
If the quotation people are to be believed, Albert Einstein had quite a bit of witty repartee and I would bet had a way with a story. And I want to see that hair!
Five and Six are living guys. I think I would invite Jay Baruchel as he portrayed himself in This Is The End. He was smart and adorable and knew how to be happy, but may also be kinda freaky (in a good way) about meeting all those dead people. My last person would probably be Barack Obama. He is pretty funny and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously in casual situations. He’s smart and can hold his side of a conversation and he can cut a rug.
SO … who are YOU inviting to the party?Â
Service: 6 Sentence Stories
Rules of the hop:
Write 6 Sentences. No more. No less.
Use the current week’s prompt word.
Return here, link your post Wednesday night through Saturday late…
Spread the word and put in a good one to your fellow writersÂ
PROMPT WORD:Â Â SERVICE
SERVICE:
Anyone would have been forgiven for thinking it must have been a hell of a party. There were dishes everywhere. Pots and pans were stacked in the sink, some still with half eaten food. The room was littered with glasses of unfinished beverages and coagulating coffee in mugs at one time meant to sober the imbiber or caffeinate the exhausted; all of whom were me. On the day my depression lifted, the pots were the first to hit the curb. Then I circled the room with an “ultra strong” garbage bag and rid myself of a service for 12.
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK
I haven’t been in the blogosphere in some time. I have all kinds of excuses real and imagined:
- My computer keyboard was shot and I couldn’t afford a new computer or justify repairing the old one for a comparable price (real with a hint of imagination) Yes, I do have a tablet and several other ways to get to my blog. Why do you ask?
- I was so busy with what I often refer to as my life (imagined) I mean yes, I have a life… but is it that busy? No, no it is not.
- I was moving. (real and imagined) I did buy a new house and moved. Those of you who have been to my blog in the past know how I felt about my former home, so leaving it was not easy. Honestly though, I didn’t have to sort through and decide which of thousands of taxidermied animals, and millions of logoed t-shirts and mugs I would keep or let go of, so it wasn’t like I didn’t have a few minutes to ramble on as I am doing right now.
- “My Gawd! There was a pandemic!” (imagined) Yes, there is a pandemic. A historical event of mammoth proportions…. HOWEVER… contrary to popular belief (even my own) it is NOT the reason for every failing or inability to meet a deadline. A few months ago I had to call the Massachusetts Housing Authority for a client. I asked how far backed up the list was for subsidized housing and she replied that it was approximatly seven years behind. She went on to say the pandemic had expanded their waiting list. “By SEVEN YEARS?” I asked. I also had to ask why she hadn’t warned the rest of the world if she had known about the pandemic seven years ago. There is a limit to how far someone can push this one as an excuse. If anything, since the pandemic I probably had MORE time to write.
So yeah, plenty of reasons. None of them any good. I know I didn’t have to give any reasons because as I have mentioned in the past, this is one of the places I can disappear for a period of time and still be welcomed back with open arms. I’m looking forward to that…. It’s a pretty great thing.
What better place to start than with a gratitude list? I mean, c’mon…. Clark, Dyanne, Kristi, Denise, (your name here) How can you go wrong?
- I may have briefly introduced you all to Jack. I believe he was still going by Jaxon back then. He’s doing great.
- Joulie has adjusted to another dog in the house which I NEVER thought she would do. She’s pretty great as well.
- That people are still out here encouraging a grateful spirit… as are some of the old familiar names, in addition to new blogs to explore.
- Work: I have been able to work through the pandemic and I don’t think I can tell you how grateful I am for that one.
- A vaccine that allows me to see my mother for whom despite my snarky comments, I am truly grateful.
Mom’s birthday today
I’m grateful for family. Again I am a snarky character and often have some sarcastic comment but overall, I really like my family. I enjoy their company and I’m sure I am totally unbiased in thinking they are all uniquely talented. They paint, they write, they sculpt…. lucky me, they also know that art is one of my favorite things.
- I have quite a few people in my life who are chronically ill and I am grateful for their perseverance. With as many people as were lost over this past year, I am grateful for all who made a difference either by working the front lines, masking or quarantine or even the smallest actions. I am grateful for a turn of events and hope it continues. My sincerest sympathies for those who were lost.
- I’m still grateful for a really bad B movie. I am running out of my favorite black and white 1950 to 1960s extraterrestrial invasion movies. I’m going to be sad when I can’t find one I haven’t seen, but so far that hasn’t happened… thank goodness.
- I’m grateful that my desire to write has returned even if it turns out to be temporary (but I do hope it lasts).
- I’m grateful to be starting to figure out this new format…. Let’s end with a pictorial representation of gratitude shall we?
Want to show a little gratitude? Link up here!
I’ve Sealed My Fate
I’m sure everyone has a few times in their lives when they felt as though there was no turning back. Looking at entries from my past 3 blogs, I realize that most of those times for me are followed by a post. So despite the fact that I have not written anything in some time, that’s not enough to hold me back. This, therefore, is no exception.
Some of you you will remember my first dog Skip, who passed about 4 years ago. He was also known as Douglas and for some strange reason he was known as my accountant in Great Britain. I went to bring a client to the hospital and walked away with the “crack house dog.” I brought him to the Humane Society who thought he was not rehab material. They asked me to take him for a walk while we waited for the Dr. to put him down. We walked to my car and the rest is blogging history. I will say that the next day when I was leaving the ER with six stitches from what I’m sure was a difficult detox, I was thinking, “What in the hell have I done?” I would trade none of that time.
Then along came Joulie: named for the unit in physics in which an equal amount of work is put in for a specific amount of energy. She took a lot of work. Because of a blind eye and a facial deformity she is also lovingly called “The Pirate.”
It seems all of my canines come with baggage. Joulie was found with her deceased owner and subsequently placed in multiple homes only to be returned because she’s quite the barker. One of these stunning examples of humanity broke her face leaving her with a broken jaw and very few teeth. Again, it’s all ancient history. Joulie is a fabulous dog.
Two weeks ago I met Jaxon. He had been living with a woman who truly loved him, but because of Alzheimers disease, could not care for him. She had been overfeeding him sweets and other “people food” to the point of obesity and diabetes. He had been near death the two weeks before we met and he is now a pretty unstable diabetic. We are all working hard to balance his insulin, exercise and diet. He is a very sweet boy with serious medical and house training needs. Gradually he is learning to do dog things again.
I have had plenty of “what have you done” moments over the past two weeks, but more often when people ask me that same question I can honestly answer, “what I absolutely needed to do.” No regrets.
GRATITUDE…
Once again …
THE CALL WENT OUT
Even though she barks too much at my neighbors, I rearranged the livingroom so the dog could have better access to the windows.
If we’re all honest, Im sure we have nurtured both our good and lesser enviable habits over the past few weeks. ( I’m eating too much bread, spending too much time online and indulging my dog too often ….just to name a few)
▶️Take a pic of yourself and that dirty secret you’ve nurtured or developed during quarantine . Text it back here and I will include some of them in the blog.
C’mon you’ll feel better when you get it off your chest.
Once again…
YOU ANSWERED
Games games and more games, sugar, online distractions,late starts that can turn into an all day lazefest,ice cream, too much news, best of Snoop Dog (its a thing!), gardening or lack thereof
TTOT
- Joulie is so good about bathing.
- B movies
- The new fashion trend is something a clark with a roger back up can get into (see Wakefield Doctrine)
- I went to see Mom and we did our best rendition of Romeo and Juliet
- Snail mail, sharpies, good friends and the things people send in snail mail…
- Thanks again to all essential workers!!! This is a sign we hung at the local apple orchard.
- Spring! Even though it snowed three times this week and is supposed to again today.
- I’m very grateful to live in a farming community
*** A FINAL NOTE: I am really grateful for all the people who are willing to forgo their own anxiety and discomfort, perceived needs, boredom, financial situations, and everything else it takes to quarantine themselves right now. My home state is currently an absolute disaster zone. For those of you who live in a place that hasn’t really experienced this fully, I pray that it spares you, but please for the sake of other people unless you absolutely have to be out there please quarantine yourself. I was fortunate in that I had a very mild case that only lasted 6 weeks. After 4 weeks and my 8th day without a symptom, it came back. I am fine and consider myself not only blessed, but extremely grateful. I now know several friends who have sustained major losses, several friends who have died and now have 2 relatives in critical condition. Please think about other people and continue to be grateful that you’re able to do something for someone else. Life is not promised to us, it’s not fair and it is fleeting. Please respect it.
A Nation of Bandits At the TTOT
THE CALL WENT OUT: I’m sure someone in the fashion industry has already started a new trend for face masks at New York fashion week. Let’s show them how it’s done.
*Text me a picture of you and/or your loved ones in your masks and I’ll post some of them on the blog!
C’mon do it!!!
AND YOU ANSWERED:
TTOT
I’m grateful:
- For all the people who entertain my weekly quarantine proposals.
- For the volunteers making masks
- That I felt better today than I have in weeks.
- For Grocery delivery
- That Our sign has managed to stay up in snow and high winds for almost a week.
- For JOULIE! We are surely spending way too much time together, but I do love her more each day.
- That Mom is holding her own despite longterm quarantine and that our communication has been reduced to frequent daily phone calls.
- For the mail carrier, the delivery people, health workers of all sorts and venues, maintainance staff, taxi drivers….and all essential workers…thank you, merci, gracias….thanks so much…I am grateful to you all!
Go join the TTOTÂ over at Thankful Me!
Random Thoughts and Living Under Quarantine With Joulie
RANDOM:
- It’s almost 2 am and I just remembered I was supposed to call my nephew back yesterday morning.
- The meme is right
- I am far more worried about the political climate than I am about catching Covid 19. At least there’s a way to protect myself from illness.
- I keep trying to think of a way to make a difference, but instead I just feel my Karma losing ground every time I think of this POTUS and the elected officials (who through obsession with their own self interests and wanting to keep their jobs,) refuse to stand up to this bully and represent the people who put them into those offices in the first place.
- I’m certainly not alone in my anger…but no one else seems to know what to do either. I am angry and frustrated…very very frustrated.
- Joulie is snoring which always makes me smile.
- She finds my willingness to play tug of war for a mere one or two hours daily to be wholly insufficient.
- This is not Joulie’s first time conquering a metropolis.
- I need a beach… February was not so long ago. I can still return to morning walks on the beach.
- Time for a bad B movie to put me to sleep. Here’s to everyone finding a little more peace today. 🕉
Recording Life Under the radar 
