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.

Campaign Financing and Other Political Solutions

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If you had been a fly on the wall at Linda and Steve’s house last week when Dan and Laurie and I came for dinner, this is some of the silly (or not so silly) discussion you might have overheard.

About the ridiculous amount spent on political campaigns in an attempt to “buy” the election or slur the other candidate:

Judy says, “No candidate should be able to spend any money on campaigns. Radio and TV stations should provide an equal amount of time for each candidate to state their beliefs and platforms and that is it!”

Linda added, more entertainingly: “I think that they should make every election into a reality series.  What American could resist watching Obama and Romney swap wives?  I would have loved to have seen Michelle chew Mitt’s ass in twenty different ways.  Or, determine the election by means of duels. Every single election, you’d get rid of 50 percent of the politicians.”

Judy: “What about survivor? You put them all together, naked, on an island with only the amount of health care they support for the masses to come to their aid in case of snake bite, sunburn or heart attack.

Dan and Laurie: “Or make it an amazing race. Put “I support gay marriage” on their bumper sticker and send them through the deep south. Or “The Earth is Flat” through California.

I lost track of who said this: “Or, create a bumper sticker that would make them all face a similar risk no matter where they go: Nuke a Gay Whale for Jesus–and see how adept they are at getting out of difficult situations.”

Okay viewers, a challenge. What sort of reality show would you like to suggest for political candidates to prove their mettle?
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Green-Eyed Monster Redux

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I’m about to hit the road to drive back to Berkeley and then will fly on to Wyoming day after tomorrow.  The Prompt today is to write an anonymous letter to someone you’re jealous of. This is a prompt I’ve already written about, please see my response  HERE

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The Fog Lifts

It’s been foggy all day. This evening as it began to lift, I caught this wonderful still life:
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Minutes later, this little fellow made an appearance. He was the tiniest fawn any of us had ever seen–so newly born that he was still wobbly.  His mother never did appear in the ten minutes we watched him.

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And he did a wonderful Groucho Marx impersonation.

Thursday Doors Challenge

 

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This happens to be the door of ZaSu Pitts’ house…right next to the Nickelodeon theater in Santa Cruz, Ca.  It is as colorful as she was.

 

 

 

https://miscellaneousmusingsofamiddleagedmind.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/thursday-doors-may-14-2015/

The Day After

Today the gifts have all be opened, the pizza is gone, the cake is half-eaten,  but the decorations are still hanging, something I noticed when returning from a swift walk to the beach to watch a wonderful sight.
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I gave up first, Peggy followed soon after, but Sabina is still trying to catch a last look.  Of what?
You can perhaps guess.

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Three whales who frolicked right off coast for ten minutes or so.  There were better photo opportunities, but I missed out on them.

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When I returned, I was able to capture this shot of Sharon through the glass of the dining room window.

And we returned to making beads and other elements of fimo and fashioning them into necklaces, bracelets, earrings,

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Sabina worked on her wonderful mirror fashioned of fimo, stamps and paint.
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And Peggy worked on her quilt . . .

Until the fog rolled in and suddenly through that fog, I spied it:
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Incredible, the Great Blue Heron stayed, standing silent, moving slowly as we stood silent, walking one way and another until we approached too close.  Unprepared, I caught only a ghost shot, like a watercolor, as it flew away:

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Which could not help but remind me of one of my favorite poems “The Great Blue Heron,” by Carolyn Kizer, which you may read HERE.

Here is one more view of the heron:
DSC00629 - Version 4This one looks more like a painting but is in fact a photo I took today with more saturated color–the way it would have looked if the fog had not entered our lives for the rest of the afternoon.

Clothes Make the Man but Women Make the Clothes

Clothes Make the Man but Women Make the Clothes

In matters of both clothes and hair
we profit from the use of flair.
A scarf, a pin, a tilted hat
reveal that we are more than that

we choose to put up our heads
or bodies–for our hats or threads
too often conceal our forms or hair,
not showing what is under there.

Sometimes it’s an improvement, true:
our hair dyed an unfortunate hue
or bodies altered by midnight trips
kitchenward that spread our hips.

This gown I wear is brilliant red,
It spreads around me in my bed–
ankle-length and numinous,
free-flowing and voluminous .

I obscure my  trunk and limbs in it.
My zaftig form just swims in it.
It makes me feel petite and small.
Inside, I’m hardly there at all!

When I awaken, I’m not alert,
throw off the covers, unwind the skirt
from where it’s twisted around my legs,
I yawn and blink to expunge the dregs

of sleep from everywhere it tries
to prolong my dreams and clot my eyes.
It’s in the bathroom where I see
how I’ve made this gown uniquely me.

My reflection in the bathroom glass
shows its brilliant red en masse.
Its designer’s plan I clearly flout,
for I wear it inside out.

The Prompt: The Clothes (May) Make the (Wo)man–How important are clothes to you? Describe your style, if you have one, and tell us how appearance impacts how you feel about yourself.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/the-clothes-may-make-the-woman/

Happy Birthday Sharon!!!

We celebrated my friend’s birthday today..Do you want to be a peeping Tom????

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DSC00539 While Peggy and Sabrina took Sharon for a walk, I stayed home to decorate for the surprise party.

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What’s for dinner?

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Pizza and Caesar Salad

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Tres Leches Cake–but what are those black things on it?

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Oh!

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Happy Birthday, Sharon!!! (We gave the mustaches back.)

Queasy

 Queasy

Silas Marner did not bore me. Cosines served me well.
I did not dread the tolling of the school bell.
Geography was interesting–all those maps and facts.
History a story of migration, wars and pacts.
Psychology didn’t throw me. I learned to type real fast.
I got an A in algebra, though the knowledge didn’t last.
Bookkeeping was annoying–all those columns and their sums.
I’ll admit I caused disturbances, clowning for my chums.
But all and all my schooldays were challenging and fun.
The only time I wished that all my schooling could be done
was when my Biology teacher made me blanch and squirm
by issuing me a scalpel and then handing me a worm!!!

The Prompt: Land of Confusion–Which subject in school did you find impossible to master? Did math give you hives? Did English make you scream? Do tell!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/land-of-confusion-2/

Sunday Stills: Pointy Things

Pointed Things

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https://sundaystills.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/sunday-stills-the-next-challenge-pointy-things/

Resonant Bell World, Reblog

I wish I’d read this before I did my photo post today. Three posts may be pushing it, but please read this tomorrow if you don’t have time today!

omegagrey's avatarresonant bell world

feel beautiful today

like some small green thing
sprouting through
forest fire ashes

or a boa constrictor almost
completely rid of
its old skin

or a confetti of perfect feathers
after a bird finds fate
in a window pane

or a shorefront full of jellyfish
from an aerial view
on a fishing boat

or a book that unravels you
written by your favourite
dead poet

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