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A little of this, a little of that July 14, 2021

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I’ll have to tell you about my momma plant. It is called a Spider plant but it is thought of as a momma plant because it sends out long stems, like a spider’s web and little babies, or pups, grow on the ends. They are cute and when the plant sends out multiple stems they are really cute. So cute that I hate to cut them off.

There were multiple stems and their cute babies had grown so big they were resting on the floor. It all sort of filled in the corner with pretty greenery and I liked it.

Lately I’ve been noticing that mom has been looking a little dry and starting to go brown. It’s summer, it’s warm, she needs more water. Still, even with more water she was dragging and looking a little worn out (I almost said warn there, oops) (maybe she was warning me)

Anyway, it occurred to me today that her babies were bleeding her dry, no wonder she was looking droopy.

She’s feeling much better now that she’s been delivered of four of her 15 lb babies.

They are resting comfortably in a tray of water. Growing roots to be ready to move into their own home, and start sending out their own babies.

Not sure what I am going to do with them all.

In the meantime…

Mom is starting to look perkier already.

She still has three more babies to feed though.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should have delivered all of them. Given her a fighting chance.

Maybe tomorrow.

Anyone looking to own a Spider plant? Anyone?

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The Spider plant isn’t the only one trying to give me babies.

The flowering Crab Apple cut down two years ago is trying hard to survive.

It’s roots keep sending up pretty pink suckers in an ever widening circle in the front lawn.

I have some thoughts on how to deal with this, I’ll let you know how who wins. Hopefully it will be me.

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Now for a less challenging subject… books.

Currently I’ve started….

Faith in the Mountain Valley (Call of the Rockies series Book 5)

This epic journey is the only way to leave her secrets behind.

After eleven years spent looking for the girl who stole his heart, Jean-Jacques Baptiste—better known as French to his friends—is tempted to give up. Until the day he spotted the flaxen-haired stranger traveling the wooded path with Blackfoot Indians. He never imagined he’d find his childhood friend masquerading as a man in this Rocky Mountain wilderness, hundreds of miles from the Canadian town where he last saw her. No matter her reasons, he can’t let her go this time.

Colette Mignon’s life has become a cacophony of lies, including the fact that her Blackfoot Indian companions believe she’s a man. She’s willing to live the taxing life of a trapper in these desolate mountains as long as it keeps her secrets hidden. When her childhood friend and first love discovers her, his determination to help might put everything at risk.

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I haven’t read far enough to form any opinions but I have high hopes.

That cover is refreshing on these warm days of summer.

Happy Reading y’all

Morning chat July 11, 2021

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I took a little break from reading to pour a new cup of tea and while I was at it I felt like saying good morning to someone, since I am in such a good mood. Saying good morning to you seemed like the best choice and so, here I am.

So, why am I in a good mood? Well, I think it’s me picking up on the mood in my current read. Everything is going well for the characters and I’m happy about the way things are playing out. I’m happy about the writing too. Ultimately it is the authors treatment and handling of the story that elicits this type of response from me, the reader.

Hmmmm. It hasn’t ever occurred to me to express it quite like that before. When I stop and think about it, though, it’s true. On the surface I love the story but what I’m truly loving is the writing and the heart of the author.

There is a Bible verse that says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. It is so true. We write from who we are.

Our books and stories are flavored by our hearts. Our hearts are flavored by our thoughts, our outlook on life.

I’d try to explain what’s going on with the story but it’s complicated and convoluted. It would probably take me at least 5000 words and I know we aren’t ready for that. I’ll give you the brief synopsis from Amazon, it says it better than I could at the moment.

It’s talking about book three in the four book collection.

As a side note, I have to say I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read in this collection so far.

Warfare of Love 

HOMETOWN HERO
Fighting through two years without leave and secret feelings, Davis and Muller must go undercover as newlyweds to stop the disaster.

When a shocking mix up with the chaplain makes their undercover roles a reality; Wolf and Angel must unmask a mole, stop a terrorist, protect the President-elect and untangle the events that just made them partners for life.

Can undercover love survive in the midst of trial?

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It’s been nice chatting with you. Gaining a little insight into the way books affect me has been an unexpected added bonus. I love it when that happens.

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I’m not sure if this qualifies as the official post for today. I don’t really think so but time will tell. Maybe I’ll see you again later.

Hopefully after I’ve conquered book 4 in this collection. It’s still a bargain if you are interested.

Later, maybe.

Happy Reading.

Who knew

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Oh my goodness, who knew it would take this much work to load the new Kindle with the books still on the old one.

(To bring everyone up to speed after the fact; my Kindle developed fatal issues and had to be replaced. The new one arrived yesterday and the unsuccessful attempt to load it with the same books took most of the day)

Syncing would probably work if I knew how to do it. The only reason I don’t know how is because I resist sameness. I like to think that different devices fill different functions, so I have steadfastly resisted.

Besides, it did not enter my mind ti think it would be this big a deal. Oh well, live and learn.

I haven’t accomplished the original goal and sadly, nothing is in the same order.

It has been a good chance though to reassess what’s read and what’s not. Many have been read but appear as not for some reason.

It’s also turned out to be a good paring down. There were 275 books on the current device but a fraction of those have ended up on the new one. It’s not a bad thing, I have to say.

The new long term goal is to have every book properly flagged.

The other thing I learned? The insane length of time the battery is supposed to last between charges, does not apply to me.

My current read is a book I don’t even remember downloading.

Ghost of a Girl: A Novelette in The Good Shadows Series

Out of time, must go.

I’ll say more about all this later.

Happy Reading

P.S. I had to write something, anything, to keep from breaking my posting streak 🙂

Thanks for your patience!

Isn’t the update feature great?!

P.P.S. the book I was reading is YA and was much better than I thought at first. There aren’t actually any ghosts, the whole idea is the figment of a teenage imagination.

Pretty cover.

This and that June 27, 2021

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I’m coming up empty on things to say today so I’ll just start talking and see where it goes.

My thoughts are stuck on things I need to be doing. There always seems to be something in the way of accomplishing much. My reasons could be excuses, but maybe not either.

My task for today was to spread weed killer around in my many flower beds. Some of them are technically flower beds and some are not. They are, however, still grassless areas where weeds can grow. This year I decided to buy true weed killer for a change. Keeping the weeds down by uprooting them has not been working out all that well for me, for a multitude of reasons.

I found concentrated weed killer a few weeks ago and needed to buy a sprayer to go with it. I have one, a 1 gallon size with a sprayer hose. Unfortunately I didn’t take care of it very well and it has a broken seal. Not the best scenario for keeping pressure built up,

I wanted something smaller this time so I could easily target stubborn weeds living close to plants. The helpful sales lady directed me to one she said would do the job. In my uneducated way I’m probably just not doing it right because nothing about it is working out well for me. It dribbles rather than produce a healthy spray.

Besides the weeds living near plants, there are larger areas needing to be sprayed. Using the smaller less than effective sprayer sounded like a monumental task, so…

Today I decided to buy a replacement for the old one. It could handle a larger volume and would cover bigger areas with less effort than the new smaller one. The weather was perfect this morning, calm and not too hot.

By the time the store opened and I was home and ready to get started the wind had picked up, more than a little. Spraying toxic chemical in the wind is not such a wise idea. Lunch and a good book sounded like a better idea.

If things calm down later maybe I’ll try again.

In the meantime I could take on an inside task I have been putting off forever.

While I was shopping for a sprayer I picked up bigger flower pots for my houseplants, they are badly in need of repotting. Indecision about what type of pots would fit my decorating ideas was the hold up. Some people can visualize the way things will look and it helps with their decision making. Unfortunately for me, I’m not one of them. As a last resort I settled on plain old, simple green flower pots. Maybe I can find something more decorative later on, to set the pots inside. Hmmm, probably won’t happen, but I can always dream.

It would be nice to have these root bound plants in bigger pots. I know they will thank me. Right after they yell, what took you so long?

The other dragging-my-feet task for today was a blog post. I think I have that almost checked off the list now.

To get it done, I did spend some unsuccessful time browsing for books even though we don’t really need any after yesterdays landslide. I was desperate for inspiration.

When it comes to reading, at least I did finish one of the new-to-me authors from yesterday. It was an ok story but didn’t pull me in the way some will do. Probably because the writing wasn’t as tight as I’d like. Too many barely relevant details, in my opinion. Some of us prefer more details though so I couldn’t say it was a bad read.

Most importantly, the story line was unique.

Silent Night Suspect (Love Inspired Suspense)

Suspected of a crime she knows she didn’t commit…

All she wants for Christmas is to remember.

Blood on her blouse. A gun in her hand. A cartel leader’s dead body in front of her. Widow Asia Stratton can’t remember what happened—just that she’s been framed. The only way to prove her innocence is to work with her ex-sweetheart, Nebraska state trooper Slade Jackson. But can they clear her name before this Christmas turns even deadlier?

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I’ll let you know how the repotting goes and whether or not the houseplants plants thank me later.

In the meantime…

Happy Reading!

Another installment of this and that

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The weather fluctuations are crazy. Last week the highs were over 30 degrees celsius and now today the furnace is on. And I’m still cold.

I’m restless too. That’s the reason why I’m dong this now. Get a few things off my chest so maybe I can settle down and sleep tonight.

I’m still thinking about yesterday’s post where the discussion started with an app on my cell phone that was driving me crazy and then morphed into a discussion about trust issues and fear.

A few things bother me out of that story. One is, I know there are readers who understand and empathize with discussions about abuse, triggers, and PTSD and then there are others who don’t. It’s the readers who don’t that trouble me.

There are other readers who are glad to hear these stories, it validates things they have endured. There is comfort in knowing we are not alone in our struggles.

Another thing that bothers me; those who would say it’s all in the past why can’t you lay it aside, stop rehashing it and move on.

That’s the thing, I’m not reliving anything, ever. My subconscious mind won’t let me. My conscious mind knows enough (it steers away and refuses to think) that the two are in collusion and neither one will let me remember traumatic events. Small details, discussions, memories over the course of many years have allowed me to piece together a hazy but accurate picture of what went on. My mind just shuts down and closes up shop at the mention of this subject.

Reactions, mostly inappropriate (as in not fitting to the situation) such as the one I had regarding a new app on my phone, one that should have been no big deal. A well adjusted mind would thought – interesting, wonder what that’s about – and then explored to figure it out. I viewed it as an enemy trying to impose unwanted interference in my life.

It’s only been a few months since I’ve started to look closely at these reactions, to try and unpack what is going on in my head when it happens. I would name my emotional reaction as the panic you have when a hated spider comes near and you jump, scream, and run. I don’t actually do those things but the emotions running through me feel exactly like that. Get away, get away, get away!!!

To be afraid of something, there has to have been a traumatic encounter of some sort somewhere along the line. The trouble is I have no conscious memories to help me figure these things out. On the other hand, I’m sure it’s a bigger blessing that I can’t remember. There are a few disturbing words that I know apply to me. Good thing I can’t remember what happened.

There is one shadowy memory that has been with me forever it seems. It took many decades for me to figure out what it meant, not that I was trying, or wanting to know. In fact it was the opposite. My curiosity level was zero.

More recently I’ve figured out who was there for that event. There was one man who disapproved of the situation but stayed to protect me as best he could. I can’t explain the gratitude I feel now when I think of him and that memory.

Anyway, that’s enough for this time. My anxiety level has dropped and it’s time for sleep. Any more would probably be counter-productive anyway.

When I started this I wanted to express this story in a way that didn’t feel cryptic or disjointed. I’m not sure that I’ve succeeded.

Now if I had more time … 🙂

We all learned some things

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It’s funny how a lighthearted conversation can turn into something so much more.

So the back story is that this annoying application showed up on my android phone a number of months ago and it kept wanting to open things up for me. I had no idea where it came from or why it was there. Unequivocally, I wanted it gone. Stop trying to take over my phone and my life.

Nothing worked the same with it there. I was happy with life before it showed up and I just wanted it off my phone so things could go back to normal. I even searched out removal instructions but couldn’t make them work for some reason.

After limping along for a very long time I mentioned it at my daughter’s house yesterday, complaining that I missed dates because I couldn’t access my calendar anymore. She enlisted the help of my grandson and while he searched to see what the app was all about before he looked for removal instructions, I laughingly but vehemently admitted to my rebelliousness at the app for trying to take over my life.

I’d figured out how to work around it for most things just not everything and I was highly resentful.

This was new territory for my daughter, I think she called it an eye opening experience listening to me rant about how much I hated the interference of this thing. Thankfully she didn’t enlarge on her comment during the family Zoom call later on.

So with my grandson’s search, he discovered the annoying app must have been an update and it was intended to launch apps, replacing the last version of an app launcher. It wasn’t the enemy I took it for and it wasn’t trying to take over my life and force me to do things I didn’t want to do.

There was a choice for just-once or always. I thought that meant it was an optional thing and the just-once was to decide if I wanted it or not. Turns out the just-once was to let me choose between two versions. He checked them out, we decided on always, problem solved.

At the time, I thought the whole conversation was hilarious. Later, thinking about why I felt like I was being pressured to do it’s biding, the conversation in my head took on a more serious tone.

Part of the problem in the misunderstanding is that while I can figure out how to use most apps, I have a problem with operating system issues. It’s always been that way. Probably because the need for action shows up so seldom.

The bigger part of the misunderstanding is more complicated. Thinking about my knee jerk reaction and my unreasonable position of viewing the app as the enemy, I have to admit, an irrational response on my part is pretty normal as a first reaction to many things.

I see the enemy everywhere because I have major trust issues.

I have to figure out how to make positive changes.

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I’ve been thinking about a dog. After seeing my grandson’s new puppy. A dog would be an easy way to share my life with another being and allow a little more than the usual contact with other humans.

Hmmmm.

I know. I have to stop thinking that everyone and everything is out to harm me. Fear is no way to live a fulfilling life.

This and That June 19th

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Today was a fun day. We gathered at my daughter’s house for the maiden voyage of the new fire pit.

It was also a time to meet the new sweet and cuddly puppy. She spent a lot of time sleeping on my lap. I suspect she slept so deeply with me because I was the only one sitting still long enough to let it happen. It seems she is like many young babies, human or otherwise, requiring lots of sleep in between her energy spurts. We enjoyed one another,

The fire pit was fun too, all of us look forward to wiener roasts in the summer. We chatted about alternatives to wieners and Farmer Sausage and the like. Who knew that anyone would cook a steak over a camp fire. I think I will stick with wieners and sausages.

I’ve mentioned Jordan B Peterson recently. He is an Academic and a Clinical Psychologist. He is brilliant and intuitive, I enjoy listening to him and his podcast guests.

Anyway, he recommended several books. One he wrote recently...

Beyond Order: Twelve New Rules for Life

He also recommended an author we should read if we want to be the best we can be at writing. He mentioned one book but I came across a complete collection and I took it.

Francis Bacon: The Complete Works (Centaur Classics)

Following that I noticed a collection by a classic author I keep crossing paths with but have never read.

Delphi Complete Works of John Steinbeck

I’ll leave you with their covers.

It looks like I have some heavy reading ahead of me.

Have you read any of these books?

What did you think of them?

This and that – June 15, 2021

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This will be short but at least it’s something and that’s what I’m aiming for after all.

I’m currently reading and very much enjoying a collection with authors mostly unknown to me.

Adventure Brides

I’ll skip the synopsis this time and just say that adventure has been a good description of the stories so far. I’ve finished the first two and I’m about to start the third. It’s too early to tell but it’s off to a good start.

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Podcasts. It turns out I collect them like I collect books. My subscribed list is longer today than it was yesterday.

Jordan B Peterson. I’ve listened to and enjoyed interviews with him on other podcasts but yesterday, I discovered lovely long interviews on his podcast. Last night I binged. One interview was an hour and a half long, the second was over two hours.

I like him because he is thoughtful and deep. He doesn’t hold a lot of preconceived ideas and he is not looking for confirmation of his point of view. He comes from an academic background and his mind works in a way that mine does not. Still, while I don’t always understand the point he’s making and how he got there, I’m soaking up the experience. His open mind, thoughtful consideration, and courtesy toward ideas he disagrees with is refreshing and it challenges my mind to move beyond it’s current boundaries. There is a much larger world out there to be explored.

The other thing I like about him is his choice of guests. They are also thinkers who can match him in thoughtful dialogue. It’s a discussion not a debate. It’s a sharing of ideas and I love it.

To find him search Jordan B Peterson on YouTube or even do an internet search for his website. He can be found on many platforms.

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I am enjoying this space, reflecting on last night’s experience.

I’ll reserve changing the subject for another post.

Have a great day.

Are you sure about that?

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This is a question I ask myself often. Starting as a young adult. I had taken a serious position on something and later discovered I was wrong. I soon discovered I wasn’t a big fan of eating crow.

It’s easy to be swayed by opinions or appearances. The question is: are there any facts to back up these conclusions.

Recently I watched an interesting interview and in the middle of it the guest expressed strong negative opinions about a respected and popular podcaster. In the guest’s opinion the person in question was part of cancel culture.

In a way I can see how he could draw this conclusion but it troubles me deeply because I’m not sure it’s true. I’ve heard strong opinions in the podcasts and I don’t always agree with his way of thinking but nothing so far has proven to me that the podcast host cancels people. The guest’s opinion, though, has raised doubt in my mind and I wish I could know for sure.

The guest has had a troubled life in many ways and his opinion could be colored by personal angst. Offence taken where none was intended. There is that to consider.

Some things we can never be sure about but other times, with a little digging, we can be sure.

Another news item heard on line was reporting the results of a poll. In the political arena the question was do you think this man can do a better job than his opponent? The numbers showed the answer was yes. I admit to being shocked.

Ironically, I had seen a number of interviews with the favored personality and he did not do well at convincing anyone of his ability to handle the position. I wanted to ask the polled respondents are you sure about that? It was obvious they hadn’t done their homework.

Our culture seems to run on opinions and appearances. The thing is, we can look good on the surface but sometimes good ends there.

In the Bible it talks about not judging lest we be judged. The connotation usually is that we should avoid negative judgment. I heard someone talk about this verse not long ago and they pointed out that while we shouldn’t judge people as bad we also should not judge them as good. We can be just as wrong either way. It’s true, when I think about it for very long.

In the last year, for some of us, our world was rocked when terrible allegations were leveled against a popular and beloved public figure. Those closest to him rose fiercely to his defense. The problem with all of this was that the unthinkable allegations were true. There was irrefutable evidence. Those closest to him could have clung to their perceptions and opinions but they didn’t. Instead they mounted an investigation to find the truth and when they found it they owned it.

Opinions and impressions are based in emotion. Emotion, while an essential part of life, can get things so wrong. Provable facts are like bedrock.

These days it seems most of us are happy to accept as fact whatever we are being told. It takes time and energy to answer the question.

Are you sure about that?

This and that, second try.

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Last time I tried this it was a bust. My mind was on holiday.

Actually, it wasn’t, not really. My thoughts were focused on a number of things and, for a variety of reasons (none of them bad,) it wasn’t appropriate to talk about any of them. That is still the case but at least now I’ve recognized a solution and can move on to the small talk areas in my life instead.

The weather. It’s been crazy this last week or so. Soaring temperatures, wild thunder and lightening storms. Wind gusts battering the house, trying to blow in the windows. Torrents of rain challenging the gutters to handle it all.

A backyard that, with all the heat and moisture, has gone from zero to overgrown in four weeks. The thistles seem to grow a foot a day, I swear. This year I broke down and bought some serious weed killer to deal with it all. Now if it would only dry up enough to avoid walking in mud to spray it around.

Between extreme heat and heavy rain it has been an exercise in futility for the painting team to meet their projected finish date. The last task is the deck, fingers crossed it will be dry enough to be painted by Saturday. The fence and the house look even better than expected. The young ladies did a great job and they liked my color choices. A win/win situation in my books.

There is talk today about lifting some of the covid restrictions around here, which is good news. The infection rates have been high and our medical staff is feeling burned out. For their sake it will be nice to see an end to this plague. It has been a challenge to convince people to do the right thing and take care. Who knew Manitobans could be such rebels?

I did my part, in my hermitage.

Although I have to admit, lately I have been going out more often than I have in years. At least one trip a week and sometimes even four in a week. Grocery store, multiple drive-thru, even Canadian Tire a time or two. I know, hey. Crazy.

It has been good having people around this week, even if they are not here for social reasons.

Power outages and thunder storms, that’s the other thing messing up my life this week. They don’t work well with computers and internet connections.

I’m still smiling though and I even feel like smiling, nothing fake going on here, so life is good.

We will talk books next time.

Last night I missed the midnight deadline by two minutes. This time I’ll pay more attention. It’ll still be close.

See ya later.