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.

Share Your World Challenge, Week 47, , 2015

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Share Your World Challenge

In your native language which letter or character describes you best?  Why? “K” because it is pronounced like “que” in Spanish, which means “Why?” I have an insatiable need to know the why and the particulars of everything.

What is your greatest extravagance? My house.  I can’t stop building on closets, cupboards, studios, gazebos and doggie domains.  I keep adding murals and plants and artwork.  It’s like I have the Winchester Mystery House, South.

Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?  I exercise my mind at every given moment short of sleeping, and perhaps then as well as I often wake up with a line or an entire poem in my head that just flows out onto the page. I do aerobic exercise for an hour in the pool every day possible–seven days a week if the weather and water temperature permit.

List at least 5 things that make you laugh. My dogs, my friends, babies, stand-up comedy, Youtube.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? I am grateful for Craig and Jessica’s visit and for the wonderful experience of coordinating the Artists in Support of the Feria booth at the feria.  In the coming week, I’m grateful for the 15 friends who are joining me for Thanksgiving.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/23/share-your-world-2015-week-47/

???:Flower of the Day Challenge11/24/15

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???

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I don’t know what this lovely little green flower on its pink stem is, but if you do, I’ll love to have you tell me its name.

To see Cee and others who know the names of their flowers, go HERE.

Thanksgiving Insurance

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Thanksgiving Insurance

As I pat butter on the turkey,
all my dogs get extra lurkey.

But when they get my sound rebuffing,
they develop interest in the stuffing.

So what solution do I tout?
Stuffing goes in. The dogs go out!!!

 

To read a about and join in on Shelter Love’s Prompt, go here:https://chicprune.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/shelter-love/

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/literate-today/

Scotch Pride

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My name is Laird Morrie and I’m the ruler of all you survey.

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This is my princess.  We’re about the same size.

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As you can see, my brother Diego is twice my size

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And although it looks like he is killing me in all of these tussling  matches,

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In fact, I always come back for more.  More often than not, I am the aggressor.  More often than not, the bigger dog wins.

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Yet still, I remind myself, I am royalty.  And I pounce again!

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This is Frida, one of the three ladies of the house.  Here she maintains her distance.

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This is the other non-human lady of the house. Neither of these ladies likes me much, for I like their dinners entirely too much. Sometimes I jump up on the ledge of the wall and reach up to dine on what this lady leaves behind. Sometimes I dine on it before she’s ready to leave it behind, so my mom put a big plant on the ledge.  Now I wait for a rainy day, when my mom puts the cat’s meals in the garage rather than on the wall. Then I can jump up on the lower wall near the gate, jump up to the workbench in the garage, and eat her whole meal before she sees it.  I am Morrie, Laird, jumping dog, dog of major appetites, schemes and feats of great athletic prowess
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Sometimes I lie, awaiting the arrival of the third lady of the house.

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When we hear the garage door opening, we spring to attention.

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We greet her arrival with LOUD and incessant barks of approval.  In this picture, we are not barking, for our mom has never had the  patience or sanity sufficient to snap a picture when we are heralding her arrival with LOUD and incessant barks.

IMG_3940Often Frida gives up and runs away when Mom bellers, “SHUT UP!!!” to try to curb our enthusiasm over her arrival.  Sometimes the neighbors run away, as well! But Diego and I do not give up easily.  When it comes to the potential for supper or dog treats, I’m in it for the long run. For after all, in the end it is staying power and stubborn dedication that win the day–and in the end, it is breeding that counts

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when one is royalty, and stubborn, to boot!!!!

 

You might think you are seeing double if you check out Marilyn’s prompt page!  http://teepee12.com/2015/11/18/serendipity-photo-prompt-2015-30-hunting-the-wild-scottie/

Beautiful Faces: Cee’s Black and White Challenge

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Beautiful Faces

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ceenphotography.com/2015/11/19/cees-black-white-photo-challenge-open-topic-3/

Dear Housemates

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DEAR HOUSEMATES

Literate for a Day: Someone or something you can’t communicate with through writing (a baby, a pet, an object) can understand every single word you write today, for one day only. What do you tell them?

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Dear Morrie:
*Do not poop in the house!!!
*Do not poop in your cage!!!
*Do not poop on the terrace!!!
*Do poop in one place in the lower garden where Frida and Diego do!
*But, thanks for finally learning how to go into your cage even before I put a dog biscuit in the far end of it.
*Thanks for being so sweet and cuddly and adorable that I cannot help but forgive you for your numerous sins.

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Dear Frida:
*Do not bark incessantly every time the garage door goes up!!!
*Do not bark incessantly every time I come to feed you!!!
*But, thanks for never coming into the house without being asked.
*Thanks for never (hardly ever) getting into the organic garbage I save for Yolanda’s pig.

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Dear Diego:
*Give this constant tussling and growling with Morrie a rest!!!
*Do not head straight for the organic garbage can every time you enter the house!!!
*Never ever again eat six raw pork chops from the skillet on a night guests are coming for dinner.
*Never ever again grab an entire cooked chicken off the counter top and head for the door on a night there is a guest for dinner!!!
*Never ever again grab and consume three-quarters of a cooked loin roast off the kitchen counter top.
*But, thanks for taking Morrie down for a potty break in the garden every night at midnight.
*Thanks for training Morrie not to come into the house until asked.

To all Three Perros:

*I’m sorry for all the nights I’ve gotten home late to feed you.
*I’m sorry for all the times I’ve embarrassed you (and Larry) in front of the neighbors by yelling louder than you to “STOP BARKING!!!!”
*I’m sorry for never taking you on walks anymore (because you disjointed my arm the last time I did.)

I guess, like most disfunctional families, we will put up with each other in spite of our drawbacks of character and performance.

––Love, Mother

 

 

 

Anthurium: Flower of the Day

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Anthurium

More flowers: http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/23/flower-of-the-day-november-23-2015-pansy/

Odd Ball Photo Challenge 11/22/15

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I couldn’t resist this little succulent in the tuna salad tin!!!

 

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http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/22/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-2015-week-47/

Share Your Week #46

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Craig and Jessica at the weekly street market.

What type of popular candy you do not like to get? I don’t like any marshmallow or cream centers.  I also dislike Russell Stover chocolates–which my mom loved and put in our Xmas stockings every year.  One year as a joke, the boxes were all empty.  (She dipped into each one in the weeks before Xmas.) She enjoyed being naughty so much that I never told her I was grateful she ate them for me! It’s not that I don’t love chocolates–Helen Grace, Sees or other brands of nuts and chews are great. Russell Stover just always tastes stale to me.  I also hate licorice!!!

What do you feel is the most enjoyable way to spend $500? On art.

Where do you eat breakfast? Either in bed or at my desk. If I have a smoothie, I might just stay in bed to drink it as that is where I usually write my blog.  I many times do not eat breakfast or eat it at night instead of in the morning–oatmeal or yogurt and fruit.  Sometimes with bran.

Would you rather ride one of the world’s longest zip lines or bungee jump off one of the highest bridges in the world? This will come with a 5-day all-expense- paid vacation. The zip line is about as adventurous as I would get.  Bungee jumping would be torture for me.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? I was grateful that my nephew Craig came to visit from Colorado and brought the lovely Jessica with him.  Next week I look forward to the completion of the doggie domain!!!  They put the tile on the floor yesterday with the same care that they used in each step of the process.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/16/share-your-world-2015-week-46/

Dakota Diction

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Dakota Diction

In the little town where I grew up,
instead of “yes,” we all said, “Yup!”
When we removed a soda top,
what we drank was called a “pop.”

When we drove off the road a bit,
we went into the “barrow pit.”
The mud was “gumbo”–rich and thick––
and every creek was called a “crick.”

Breakfast was never labeled brunch,
and “dinner” was what we called lunch.
Therefore, at night, our picker-upper
was never dinner.  It was “supper.”

Highway patrolmen were all “cops,”
and their cars were  “cherry tops.”
On movie nights, we saw the “show”
for just ten cents–which we called “dough.”

We told stray dogs that they should “git,”
and when they scampered off a bit,
the place where they commenced to wander
was what we labeled “over yonder.”

I fear it’s not spectacular,
this prairie states vernacular;
and because our listeners never balked,
we thought it was how all folks talked!

Non-Regional Diction:Write using regional slang, your dialect, or in your accent.https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/non-regional-diction/