Author Archives: lifelessons

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

Absentee Ballot

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For the past fifteen years, I’ve voted by absentee ballot in Mexico. This year I had particular problems with getting registered and thought I’d failed when suddenly, as if by magic, I received my absentee ballot via e-mail.  My good fortune, as I’m presently visiting in the states and I can just mail it in this year and it will get there in time!  So, I connected my laptop to my friend’s printer and pressed the “print” button.  This, truthfully, was the result.

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Absentee Ballot

When I  went to print the ballot out,
minutes later I had to shout
“Stop!!!!” when minute after minute
the printer always had more in it!
It printed out ream after ream
no end in sight—so it would seem.

To vote for president was simple,
but that just seemed to be a pimple
on the ass of all the choices
for which they sought to hear our voices.
Senators for state and nation,
congressmen, then more frustration:

water boards and State Assembly,
then measures ’til my hands grew trembly.
Statements by  candidates to rate,
endorsements, ballot measure debate,
instructions, warnings, declarations
occasioning more perturbations.

School bonds, statutes, legislation,
reeled out with no hesitation.
Tax extensions,cigarette tax,
laws that we were asked to axe.
School laws that were multilingual,
laws prophylactic, cunnilingual.

Initiatives on marijuana,
and fire protection made me wanna
rip my hair and cuss and scream.
Still out they rolled, ream after ream.
When I got to number sixty-seven,
it made me want to pray to heaven,

“Please, dear God, not one measure more
or I’ll soon be at heaven’s door!”
I gave the ballot one more poke
as with one sure determined stroke,
I banned the plastic bag, then broke
my pen over my knee–a joke,

for then another page popped out
as victory smirk turned into pout.
District initiatives, then county
made me rue this voting bounty.
For when I thought that I was done,
I discovered I had just begun.

Pages? Thirty-seven in all
are printed out, before they  fall
fluttering, onto my floor.
The printer burps, pops out one more.
“Oath of Voter” said this one.
And so I cussed.  And I was done!!!

 

 

The prompt today was “Perplexed.”

Hollyhock: Flower of the Day Sept. 14, 2016

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My very first favorite flower.  They grew tall beside our back stoop and every summer, we’d make Hollyhock dolls out of them. I found these outside the “Anne of Green Gables” house on Prince Edward Island.  Click on first photo to enlarge.

https://ceenphotography.com/2016/09/13/flower-of-the-day-september-14-2016-gladiolus/

The Eyes Have It: Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge––Eyes

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(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Open Eye

 

https://ceenphotography.com/2016/09/13/cees-fun-foto-challenge-eyes/

Radical Rabbit

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655c2b8020db1d3c020343288ee27074painting by James Hollis. Available on etsy

Radical Rabbits

Radical rabbits jump the  stump
and conservatives with one big jump,
but they’ve been known to butt and bump
such right wing radicals as Trump.

This right wing radical, slightly crazy,
seems to leave some voters hazy
and spin their judgement upsy-daisy,
making their thinking super lazy.

Radicals aren’t all on the left.
Extreme’s the warp but not the weft.
One loose of tongue and good at theft
might leave our country most bereft.

If conservative’s your bent,
when you hear him spew and vent,
would you wish him to be sent
to D.C. as your president?

Radical’s found on either side––
right and left of where you bide.
Please cast your vote for a bonafide
choice that is not suicide!

Radical rabbits may be slightly
more to the left than you deem rightly.
Still their motives shine out brightly
and they are not as unsightly!!!

Yes, you guessed it.  The prompt today was “Radical.” The electricity went out as I was writing this so I hurried to get it posted. Wish I’d had a bit more time for rewriting and perhaps I’ll do so later, especially for that last line which only scans if you read it as intended––with the stress on “they, not, as and sight!” Hope to find a better solution when the lights come back!!!

Flower of the Day – September 13, 2016 – Mums

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Flower of the Day – September 13, 2016 – Mums

Edges: Weekly Photo Challenge

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Want to see the photos better?  Click on the first one to view the gallery in a larger format.

Edges on windowframes, shadows and cages.
Edges of different sizes and ages.
Edges like razors and some softly curled.
Edge of your roof and edge of the world.
Edges to rise above, fall from and go through.
Edges to walk on and fly with and row through.
The edges of water lined with fine foam,
but the very best edges are those we call home.

You may have already guessed that the prompt word today is “Edge.”

“I’m Rubber, You’re Glue.”

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Momshieb always hits the nail right on the head–giving us truth and entertainment at the same time. I had to reblog this.

momshieb's avatarNot for sissies

If you’ve been watching or reading about the American presidential election for the past year or so, you will no doubt have noticed that one candidate is acting more like a child than a world leader.

Naturally, I mean no disrespect to children, but you know know what I mean.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made a name for himself by acting like every elementary school’s playground bully. He insults people, he swears in public, he threatens violence against everyone he dislikes.

He pretends to be more powerful than he really is, and expects everyone around him to grand him the same level of worship that he grants to himself.

Some of his quotes are beyond unbelievable. When asked by a journalist whether he honestly considered it proper to praise the dictator Vladimir Putin, Trump said:

“If he says great things about me, I’ll say great things about him.”

View original post 352 more words

Last Day at the Beach (Share Your World, Week 37)

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There was still more to discover at the beach on Prince Edward Island, including one big surprise.  (Different day, different beach.)  If you want to read the captions to share the plot of that day, you’ll need to click on the first photo and then follow the arrows.

I’ve heard of Italian ice cream and Gelato is delicious, but these things can be carried too far!
On one side of the inlet, everything was copacetic.
The beach refuse was slowly rusting away right according to schedule.
At first I thought this big crab was attacking the other one, but after playing the heroine and separating them, I figured out the truth.
Then far far away on the sand bar across the inlet, we noticed something going on.
The cormorants were collecting in a long strung-out line
dealing with a few pushy seagulls, but totally leaving alone another black blob a bit down the way on the sand near the water. Was it??
I “upped” the power on my zoom and sure enough, it was a bald eagle.
He was taking a little time out for quiet contemplation, as were we.

And now, to answer the questions:

Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewerly?

Yes.  I have owned tons of rocks!  We used them to make art lamps and I have always loved collecting rocks, including the ones I used to make creches the year before last. I was a jewelry maker before I moved to Mexico and so also had trays of unset gems.  You are barking up the right tree with this question, Cee!

What is your greatest strength or weakness?

Chocolate!  Guess it qualifies as a weakness.  Definitely not a strength.

What makes you feel grounded? 

Writing or creating art.

Would you rather never be able to eat warm food or never be able to eat cold food?

I actually prefer most foods cold so would choose to eat cold food over hot. Ice cream!!!

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

I was so grateful for time spent with Dianne and Andy, my wonderful hosts on Price Edward Island.  now I look forward to eighteen more days spent with Forgottenman as well as other friends and family members.  Then I’ll be grateful to go home to see Morrie, Frida and Diego–and hear the tales of my house sitters Ian and Pen, for whom I am also grateful.

 

https://ceenphotography.com/2016/09/12/share-your-world-2016-week-37/

First Love and the School Reunion

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Then and Now

First Love

Zing! went our heartstrings. Zang! went our souls.
Eyes filled with wonder, hearts cupped like bowls
ready to fill  with passion and love.
Putting each other on like a glove.

First kisses miracles we’d never known.
No longer single all on our own.
Someone to cuddle, someone to spoon.
Hand holds and lip locks over too soon.

Misunderstandings, squabbles and fights.
Heartbreak and lonely Saturday nights.
Then a new glance from cars “U”ing  main.
Flirting and wooing all over again.

More hugs and kisses parked on a hill.
How to forget them? We never will.
At school reunions, we relive those lives,
husbands beside us, or boyfriends or wives.

Talking of other things: study halls, games,
but always remembering carving those names
in desktops and memory—first loves forever—
tendrils that bind us that we cannot sever.

We’ll soar ahead to the rest of our lives,
collecting new memories—bees in our hives.
But no honey finer than that we made first.
No sweeter lips and no stronger thirst.

Stored in our hearts, remembered but hidden,
hoarded like treasures sealed in a midden,
our lives are made richer by both now and then.
Past memories opening over again

spill out old secrets, then seal them away
to be unwrapped on some future day
when old schoolmates meet for two days’ reminiscing
of school pranks and ballgames and homework. And kissing.

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The prompt word today was “Zing.”

Stages of the Rose: Flower of the Day, Sept 12, 2016

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https://ceenphotography.com/2016/09/11/flower-of-the-day-september-12-2016-black-eyed-susans/