Monthly Archives: December 2017

Why I (Thought I) Slept in Today but Probably Didn’t

I won’t relate the horrors of Guadalajara traffic and why it took me ten and a half hours to get there, do my business, and get home again yesterday. That isn’t the reason I slept in until what I thought was ten thirty today. But, as I look at my alarm clock, I see it is still ten thirty even hours after I woke up and realize the battery must have gone dead, so perhaps I didn’t get as much sleep as I thought, since my computer says 10:34 and I’ve already located two more emergency presents and creative last-minute wrapping materials, posted a blog and chatted several times with Yolanda, so I have no idea how long I slept last night.  I do know that I wrapped gifts for Yolanda and Pasiano’s families until 4:49 a.m. I also put together two framed photo collages for two of their gifts and although I bought Xmas wrap, discovered I had no ribbon, so I engineered  ribbons by cutting up old cloth belts and used egg carton flowers for bows.  I used photos for tags so non-readers could find their own gifts. Where there is a will, there’s a way.  Some of my late-night inventions: (If you are viewing from Facebook, click on the URL or you won’t see all the photos.  Then click on first photo to enlarge all photos and view as slide show.)

 

Calling Uncle Duckie

Picture 24 copySometimes I suspect I drive Uncle Duckie to drink. (Photo a selfie by okcforgottenman)

Calling Uncle Duckie

I can’t get my link established. Guess I’m just unlucky.
Luckily, I have a fix. I just call Uncle Duckie!
He can fix most anything from formatting to routers;
but you’ve got to stay real calm. He doesn’t work with pouters!

“Uncle Duckie, dear,” I say via email or on Skype.
“I want to post my post now, but I have a little gripe.
I can’t get my poem to post in single space, my dear.
It looks too long when double-spaced, and I have a fear

no one will read a two-paged poem. Long postings are no fun.
Is there any way that I can get it down to one?”
“Hit shift-return at ends of lines,” he tells me really pronto.
On my blog he wears the mask. And me? I’m merely Tonto!!!! **

** Note: In Spanish, “Tonto” means stupid. In other words, if viewed in Guadalajara, our favorite childhood program would be called, “The Lone Ranger and Stupid!”

If you’ve been perusing my blog for over three years, you’ve read this before.  Time you read it again as Uncle Duckie, also known as OKCforgottenman is still the one I turn to whenever there is a problem and in-between problems as well. This is a perfect chance to thank him again. The prompt today was calling.

Paws for Reflection

Paws for Reflection

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Relating Old Stories

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Old Stories

Like the lyrics to a favorite song,
half-remembered as we sing along,
the stories that we love the best
and relate with the strongest zest
are those that we have half forgotten–
misplacing details ill-begotten.
Like wrinkles smoothed with Photoshop,
we know where truth is meant to stop.
We smooth the bumps and oil the friction
by sugaring the truth with fiction.

As well as the photo album shown above, this poem is a golden oldie from a few years ago. The prompt today is relate.

Silk Floss Tree

I am so fascinated by this tree that I pulled over to the side of the road to photograph this one.  This is its final stage, when the flowers have formed into pods that have broken open to spill out their floss. In some of the photos, you can see pods that haven’t burst open. These bundles are large–some eight inches to a foot long.  They were used in much the same ways as kapok—for mattress stuffing and protection of items for packing and shipping.

(If you are viewing on Facebook, click on the URL of my blog name to see all the photos.  If you are viewing from your blog or WordPress, click on first photo below to enlarge all.)

You can see their luscious blooms HERE.

 

Without Compass

 

Without Compass

I’ve no sense of direction. My brain is compass-free—
learned no sense of direction at my mother’s knee.
She was as lost as I am to the magnetic north.
No natural sense of it guided her aimless sallyings forth.

East looks just like west to me. I could not pick out south.
All the places I have been were reached by word of mouth.
Thank God I was born female, for I have no compunction
for stopping passers by to ask where to go at each junction.

In my life decisions, I acted much the same,
often shifting focus in pursuing wealth and fame.
I’ve veered a bit from here to there since my first beginnings—
 engineering failings as well as a few winnings.

Going where the wind blows has always worked for me.
Somehow, it has landed me just where I need to be.
Perhaps for some a needle point’s not needed to decide.
The true sense of direction  is what we feel inside.

IMG_5090Collage and photo by jdb

 

The prompt today was compass.

Weird Fruit: Plumeria, Flower of the Day, Dec 18, 2017

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My plumeria tree has plenty of buds and a few blossoms but weird fruit!  My aim was a bit off while throwing the ball for Morrie from the pool.  This time, I fetched.

 

For Cee’s Gorgeous and unique Amaryllis, go HERE.

Welcoming Committee

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It was a first for the kitten/cats when I came home via the front door instead of the garage. I’d been out to dinner with Brad and Dave across the street and when they brought me to my front door, there was Ollie, standing on the arch above my door.  A great shot I missed as by the time I got my camera out, he had moved to the wall to the side of the arch, and seconds later, Kukla had joined him. Nice not to come home to an empty house! I’d appreciate an advance warning if anyone thinks I’m turning into a cat lady!!

Day after the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Very Bad Day

Day after the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good Very Bad Day

I think Annie has recovered, don’t you? (Click on any photo to enlarge all.)

 

 

Orchid Twins: Flower of the Day, Dec 17, 2017

 

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For Cee’s Flower Prompt.