In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Home Turf.”Name five things in your house that make it a home.
Yolanda, Pasiano, Frida, Diego and Morrie! (Shortest answer ever!)
For Yolanda’s story, go HERE.
For Pasiano’s story, go HERE.
My welcoming committee. For Diego and Frida’s story, go HERE. For one of Morrie’s stories, go HERE.
Yolanda tells me she thinks this beautiful insect is a “Chinche” and that it has a strong odor. I took pictures of it for several minutes and even somehow disengaged the flower it was on so it fell to the ground and it still didn’t present its odor, so I can only guess it enjoyed the attention. This is one to enlarge. Just click on it! Oh, Of course the flower is the ubiquitous bougainvillea! I have them in every color and size all over my property!
More gorgeous flowers! http://ceenphotography.com/2015/09/21/flower-of-the-day-september-21-2015-dahlias/
Have to reblog this one. Common feelings, perhaps, but just so cleverly said. If Lydia had a column, I would read it every day. I guess in a way she does and I do!
1• My mother has always worn mom clothes. I do not wear mom clothes. I know this because my teenaged daughters constantly steal my clothes. I have never taken my mother’s clothes, and I can not think of anything that would have been more humiliating for me, than showing up at my high school wearing my mom’s clothes. Nothing in my closet (other than support hose) says “mom”… then again, nothing in my closet says anything, because all of my clothes have been stolen.
2• I am not a fan of cooking, and as such, I don’t recite recipes. If you compliment my mothers cooking, she will tell you how she made it. She will take longer to explain how she cooked something than it actually takes to cook it. If you compliment my cooking, I will tell you that I purchased the meal fully cooked.
3• My mom used…
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Mostly Hidden Words (“7 Words 2 Inspire” Challenge)
Are you really sure you want to post this, Judy?
The assignment is to write a post using all or some of seven given words. The seven words I’m supposed to use in my post are: stampede,
catapult
, latrine,
mud-wrestling
, arsenic, stomp and
bratwurst. I am taking a different slant on the assignment, as you’ll see below.
Disclaimer: A friend suggested I wait until tomorrow to post this in case I might want to change my mind, but although I know it is really stupid, it was hard to do, so damn it, I’m posting it!
It’s Tom Pryor’s arse nicely placed in a chair
purloined from the cat. A pultrudinous* flair
is seen in his body from toes to his hair.
And equally graceful are all of his actions
stamped everywhere in his daily reactions.
Hell, Atrinet** solved all his internet woes,
so see how his life now so easily flows?
His mud-wrestling days I fear didn’t last.
Nor did bratwurst remain his favorite repast!
*pultrudinous–another way of saying beautiful, gorgeous or down right naturally sexy.
**Atrinet is a global provider of advanced network management solutions, network service orchestration products and services for telecom service providers.
To see the prompt, see: https://7words2inspire.wordpress.com/2015/09/16/word-list-week-3/
This poem by Granonine is utterly priceless and utterly true. I want to be sure everybody sees it!!
How far would you go for someone you love? How far would you want someone else to go for you?
*******************
“I’d swim the widest ocean for you!” he proclaimed.
“I’ll fill the tub for your bath when you’re tired and dirty,” she replied.
“I’d climb the highest mountain for you!”
“I’ll go upstairs and get you your medicine when you’re sick.”
“I’d fly to the moon for you!”
“I’ll pack your suitcase when you have to travel on the job.”
“I’d go around the world to find the perfect flower for you!”
I’ll go to the farmers market and get fresh produce for your supper tonight.”
“I’d buy you the world’s most expensive, exotic perfume!”
“I’ll make sure I’m always clean and fresh for you.”
It was very quiet as they both thought about things.
“Okay. I’ll make every effort to be home in time to play with…
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Time is a Wastrel
Vagabond lover
packs his valise
and is off at a gallop–
leaving me in his wake.
Profligate seducer,
Tied to no one
except
inevitability.
Foolish, I
should have known
even I could not keep up
with fickle time.
Bob, 1999
Soaring (Addendum to Plummeting)
A very close friend just Skyped me that today is the 14th anniversary of Bob’s death and commented on the coincidence that it was my topic today. The fact that I really didn’t remember that today (although I’d thought of it twice in the past week) combined with the fact that today was one of the nicest days I’ve passed in years only goes to show that we come through the very worst experiences but survive and grow happy again and reach new highs. Bob was one of the great loves of my life (during the highs) and one of the greatest sadnesses (during the lows, including his illness and death.) This is how life goes. We all know this. But we need to remember that more highs will come and not give up. Person after person has proven this in their posts today. The last example, since I just read his post, is Mark. For those in the thralls of the lows: just keep strong and have faith that there is another mountain on the horizon. Love to all you strong people and those who feel weak but have a strength they need to remember!!! xoxoox Judy
P.S. Just noticed that we were supposed to tell what we’d learned from our up and down experiences. I learned that we should not put off what we want to do. Bob was so afraid that we would starve or go into bankruptcy if we retired that he put it off far beyond the time when he should have retired. He waited too long! The very hardest thing for me in moving to Mexico alone was all the times I thought, “Damn! Bob would have loved this!” This was the hardest part of the first few years–harder even than my missing him. Don’t wait. Don’t put off your dreams. Do them the minute it is humanly possible to do them. We have control over what we do, but we don’t always have control over what is done to us by other people, fate or life in general. The power we have is to act. Now. Do it!! (I’m talking to myself as well as you.)
If by chance you have my book “Lessons from a Grief Diary: Rebuilding Your Life after the Death of a Loved One” please read Bob’s poem “About My Mountain Poem” in the Appendix. It is a powerful poem about seizing opportunity in spite of the obstacles. He lived this up to the end, but regrettably had a lapse and didn’t remember to live it soon enough.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/mountaintops-and-valleys/
Plummeting
The weekend before, we had had our last moving sale and had nearly cleared out our very overladen house in California. We’d sold as much of our accumulated lives as possible–a 125 years (sum of our two ages) combined total of collecting art as well as material and tools for making art. We were shedding the detritus of our old lives to begin a new life in the house we had just purchased in Mexico. Our van was fully packed with not one inch of spare space other than a place for our cat and two more suitcases we would add when we finally took off for our retirement in Mexico. We had only one more appointment–to talk to our doctor about the results of Bob’s last physical examination, which had included an ultrasound.
We’d been on a high for months as we prepared to head out for our new dream life, but that dream turned into a nightmare as the doctor announced his verdict. Pancreatic cancer. He told us that Bob had 4 to 9 months to live. He actually lived only 3 more weeks.
(Update: Based on all the comments I’ve received, I have posted an addendum here.)
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Mountaintops and Valleys.” Describe a time when you quickly switched from feeling at the top of the world to sinking all the way down (or vice versa). Did you learn anything about yourself in the process?
love Kven’s poetry. It is always original–surprising and beautiful. Today’s I especially like, so I’m sharing it on my blog.
© Marie Marshall 
