Monthly Archives: July 2022

On the Eve of the 4th of July, 2022

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This essay by Jan Wilberg says it all so I will just borrow her words. Exactly how I feel. Beautifully stated.

Jan Wilberg's avatarRed's Wrap

I don’t have any patriotic clothing. I don’t own an American flag. And I’m hoping that the 4th of July parade in the small town where we are staying is rained out.

But last week at the ball game, I teared up at the Star Spangled Banner. It gets to me – even with all its militaristic excess. It’s that “land of the free and the home of the brave” that does me in.

I am ashamed of my country right now. Ashamed that institutions of governance – one after the other – fell prey to years’ long plots to disenfranchise the country’s majority. Ashamed that people doing normal things in a normal way can get caught up in an interaction with law enforcement that ends with their being riddled with bullets. Ashamed that adults charged with caring for the children of the world would icily tell a 10-year old…

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The 5-Day Birthday

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My birthday stretched out for five days this year. To read about it, you need to click on the photos to read the captions.

July 2: Then I celebrated with Harriet and Blue over Italian food complete with tiramisu with birthday candle,
July 3: And this morning I had some special visitors.Yolanda, who escaped the camera, and Yoli, her daughter
Emilia, Yolanda’s pretty new daughter-in-law,
and Emilia’s sister Jenny,
\
This was at Sergio and David’s house next door.

David always makes his own recycled birthday cards. Here is this year’s:

 

Another Class Reunion

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Another Class Reunion

The housewife and her classmates have staged a small reunion
to munch and drink but mainly talk—an annual communion
wherein they build a campfire and the drunker that they get
the more that they tell stories they’re afraid that they’ll forget
if they don’t repeat them yearly, so they tell them to their spouses,
who, I must admit, wish they’d remained home in their houses.
Yet, most don’t blame their loved ones for their memories of the past,
although they know they’ll hear them for as long as memories last.
They are ambassadors of patience as they hear each tale again,
about the wild and zany things their spouse did way back when. 

 

I’ll be going back to my class reunion/ town reunion in less than two weeks, but alas, with no spouse in tow. Stretching the truth a bit above. They only occur every 5 years and actually not that much drinking goes on. Poetic license, you know. The photos are, however, from  my town and class reunions of the past.

 

Prompts today are: classmates, housewife, munch, ambassador, blame and campfire.

Jade Plant: FOTD July 3, 2022

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Jade plant, just beginning to bloom. Raining every night now.

For Cee’s FOTD

Tree of Love: For Wordle 559

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Tree of Love

Your hair, tangled in the breeze, streams wickedly away
as though that breath that moves the clouds has you in its sway.
The seeds of love that you have sown grow  branches that deceive,
for as I try to climb them, they offer no reprieve.

The song you cast upon the wind is no boon to me,
for as I climb ever higher in affection’s tree,
the effort steals my breath away and in my lovelorn greed,
both hands and heart are pierced by love and begin to bleed.

That mouth that bestowed kisses earlier on the heath,
as you turn to chart my progress, has suddenly grown teeth,
and as I recall your kisses, no matter how sublime,
I decide that their rewards are, alas, not worth the climb.


For The Sunday Swirl Wordle 559 the prompt words are: tangle breeze stream clouds sway reprieve teeth bleed seeds climb branches boon. First image by Adrian Fernandez on Unsplash. Second image by me.

She Passes By

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She Passes By

Each variation in your eyes
betrays their normal veiled disguise.

Wistfully they follow one
by whom you have been undone.

As they follow, hither and nigh
each time your former love walks by,

she who trampled on your heart
once more upsets the apple cart

and affection tumbles out
and draws you like a waterspout,

wistfully to tumble there,
your tender hopes high in the air.

But false illusions must fall to earth
where they discover their true worth
as they are trampled into earth.

Prompt words today are eyes, tender, trample, nigh, variation, wistfully.

Bougainvillea: FOTD July 2, 2022

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Lately, every FOTD photo is a flower after rain.

For Cee’s FOTD

Heaven and Hell’s Kitchen

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Heaven and Hell’s Kitchen

Unearthly nutrition is on its last legs.
How often have you been served deviled eggs?
Ambrosia they say was the food of the gods,
but to be served it now? Just what are the odds?
And only when faith causes us to unleaven
are we ever gifted with mana from heaven.
Heavenly hash and devil’s food cake
are dishes that only a cougar would make
to lure her young lover into her lair.
Wherein she’d seduce him with her angel hair
pasta to help him to bolster his energy—
her clever plot to improve their synergy!
But, if you’d like to start a new trend, 
by reprising old recipes, then read on, friend.
A *karma cocktail or a **devil’s brew?
Now and then it won’t hurt you to have one or two.

*A karma cocktail is made with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Triple Sec, Orange Juice, and Lemon Lime Soda!

To make a**devil’s brew : In a shaking glass, add vodka, triple sec, melon liqueur, peach schnapps and lime juice. Shake well. 3. Gently add ice to serving glass and strain mix over before layering ever clear on top and lighting.
Prompt words today are unearthly, nutrition, cougar, rally and clever.

Redundant Small Arrangement. Final Viewing: FOTD July 1, 2022

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The first photo was taken by my friend Brad Brahe from his angle at the table. The second view was taken by mefrom mine. The paparazzi were out in full measure. This is the same nosegay that I published a photo of from a different angle yesterday but since then Brad sent his pic and I thought it deserved a viewing.

For Cee’s FOTD