Category Archives: Uncategorized

6 A.M., Dec. 24, 2020

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6 A.M., December 24, 2020

All around my room and all around the house,
everything is still and quiet as a mouse.
All the sounds of living are muffled by the night,
as if a large hand censors both my hearing and my sight.

Then the greater world is thrust into my ear—
a single church bell tolling is all that I can hear
signaling the hour—6 A.M. again—
a barrage of fireworks setting up its din

to welcome us to Christmas Eve though it is merely morn.
It is our second  notice that a child will be born.
First the star low in the west—a bauble in the sky
tells the whole world of the day that is coming nigh.

Odors of the pine tree, presentiment of myrrh,
the stirring of the dogs, the cat’s insistent purr,
the roasting of the turkey—the onions in the dressing
bring another sense to transmit the Christmas blessing.

A touch of lips ‘neath mistletoe can’t be far away,
bringing that last sense of touch to calm the worldly fray.
May all the troubles of the world thereby find surcease
and for this brief holiday, may all the world find peace.

Prompt words today are mouse, great, bauble and living. Image by Peter Bucks on Unsplash, used with permission.

Dear Santa

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Dear Santa

Make the sleigh bells jingle, put leather to the back
of every lazy reindeer. You’ve an extra-heavy pack
to deliver in this year when folks can’t get out shopping
so there’ll be way more presents that you’ll need to be dropping. 

You’ve always been a busy guy every Christmas Eve,
but this year with the extra presents that you’ll have to leave,
you’ll need some extra energy and upon great reflection,
we’ve come up with some special means to show our great affection.

Milk and cookies will not be enough for you this year,
so we’ll leave you a Wassail cup, a porter or a beer
along with a sub sandwich, some cookies and some chips
and some vaseline with glitter to protect your chilblained lips.

May you have sufficient energy. May reindeer find a way
to keep up with the pressure of this extra special day.
And may you be assured while you’re delivering your plenty
that no year in the future will rival 2020!!!

 

 

Prompt words today are glitter, leather, wassail and jingle.

 

SANTA CLAUS AIN’T COMING TO TOWN – A SONG BY RICH PASCHALL

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I love these reworked 2020 song lyrics by Rich Paschall

Rich Paschall's avatarSerendipity - Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth

You should not go out
You should not come by
This year’s a washout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus ain’t coming to town.

He’s making a list,
He’s crossing you off,
He’s heard that you sneeze and heard that you cough
Santa Claus ain’t coming to town.

He sees you when you vomit
And he knows when you’re confused
He knows that you’ve been bad, not good
Cuz your mask has gone unused.

You should have stayed home
Or worn a mask.
No presents for you, so don’t even ask
Santa Claus ain’t coming to town.

No little tin horns, little toy box
No bright colored ties and orange-colored socks
Santa Claus ain’t coming to town
No cheap plastic dolls that tinkle and poo
No baseballs or bats or basketballs too
Santa Claus ain’t comin’ to town.

The kids and sickly parents won’t have a jubilee
They won’t be…

View original post 56 more words

I Won!!!!!

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When I turned down the offer for a partial refund for the huge bait and switch purchase I made from an outfit in China, I thought they’d probably not make a counter-offer, but just on principle I wasn’t going to let them get away with making me pay shipping for an obvious bait and switch shyster deal, but today I received this notice in my email:

So, I won one!!!!!! If you didn’t read my earlier post detailing the gross difference between what I ordered and what i received, see the photos HERE.

I have been feeling depressed all day. (Uncharacteristic for me.) But, this certainly made my day!!!!

Flower of the Day, Dec 22, 2020

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I love how the flowers in this arbor perfectly match the color of my friend Blue’s dress. I found this photo from a number of years ago on the old computer disc I’ve drawn some other photos from lately. No, that isn’t a mistake. I did not mean to say my friends’s blue dress. Her name actually is “Blue,” and her dress isn’t! ;o)

For Cee’s FOTD

For Jay, April 23, 1947––December 14, 2020

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For Jay, April 23, 1947—December 14, 2020

The billow of the curtains, the deep tolling of a bell
below me in the village, what stories they might tell
if I only knew their language. The voice of bronze and wind
may just be a passing zephyr, or the tale told of a friend
seven days departed, now reduced to ash and bone.
Words scattered by a priest, to bless and to atone
for some small ineptitudes, hardly sin at all,
now he sits upon a shelf in my entrance hall.
Does he sense our daily passing? Does he know we know his worth?
Does he long for his reunion with water and with earth?
Soon, my friend, you’ll be released for a final time—
freed from the ineptitude of flames and bells and rhyme
to record your passing in sermon or in verse
as you rise again once more to join the universe.

R.I.P. Jay—friend, father, brother, lover. Fellow expat, now a citizen of the Universe.

We spread Jay’s ashes in Lake Chapala on December 29, 2020. If you’d like to read about the ceremony and see photos, go HERE.

Prompt words today are billow, inept, admire and bells.

Hibiscus: FOTD, Dec 21, 2020

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For Cee’s FOTD

Buyer Beware!!!

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In September of this year, I ordered two handmade Waldorf dolls with complete wardrobes from a company in China. Here are the order details for one of the dolls:

And here are the photos of the doll and wardrobe I ordered:

 

Adorable, and I thought a good buy for $40, including shipping, so I decided to order the same doll to be sent to me here in Mexico, thinking I would wait until I found a little girl here to give it to. But, when two months later I still hadn’t received my doll and my great granddaughter Riley in Arizona hadn’t received hers, I decided to contact both the seller and Paypal for a refund. The company then said they’d sent the dolls, and a few weeks later, Riley received this junky little doll that looks like a prize in a ringtoss at a carnival. With no clothes, other than a twist of nylon net, it was a completely different little doll than the one I’d ordered.   Needless to say, I was furious. Finally, when it went into Paypal arbitration, the company agreed to repay the cost of the doll but not the postage. Meanwhile, they said my doll had been mailed to Mexico. I got it last week and no surprise, it was the same cheap little doll that Riley had received in the states. Beware this company. Much as I hate to support a monopoly, after this I order only from Amazon. This example of bait and switch is outrageous.
The only good news is that reports are that Riley loves her little doll and carries it everywhere with her. I was so looking forward to giving a very special doll to her and to some little as-of-yet unmet girl, but looks as though there are no guaranteed “good deals” when it comes to dealing with a fraudulent company.  Buyer beware.

“Normal” Barbie

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I thought this would be my first Xmas of not having any gifts at all and it hasn’t mattered a bit to me. Never thought that would happen. Ha. But then, a friend gave me a “normal” Barbie doll when she came for comida yesterday––one that has real believable physical dimensions and I have it sitting under the tree, so it was an early Xmas gift. I guess long ago she told me about them and I said I’d like to see one. She came back after a delayed stay in the States due to Coronavirus, and brought it to me. Would you believe this is my first Barbie ever? She hadn’t been invented when I was at the doll stage. Must say I rather like this one. I put all the stickers on her big travel trunk and tried out all the accessories that snap onto her thumb for use–toothbrush, toothpaste, camera, guitar, cell phone. She even came with her own cat which does not connect to anything—you know cats.

Travel Challenge Day 10, Treking up to the Aqueduct

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Someone who reads my blog should recognize these photos. Nice trek up to the aqueduct. This is my last day doing this challenge and I invite anyone who wishes to to publish ten travel photos–one a day for ten days. You may either post just the photo or include whatever information you wish to.

Here is a link to day 1 of the challenge.