Color Me This

She spoke with an accent. I don't have an ear for that kind of thing, so I do not know the origin of her speech, only that it is different from my own. So much about her is different. That is, in part, the pull of the attraction. At least on my side. I do not know if she feels the pull in the way I do, that too, may be a difference between us. 

Thus is a beginning that has niggled my brain for days and days and days. I haven't been able to get too far beyond this beginning. But I hope that with the warmer (most days, last Thursday and Friday not-with-standing) weather, longer daylight hours, high hopes of evening bike rides, and the settlement of some worries will help dis-lodge the story (any story) the twists just beyond my grasp..

In the meantime, here we go barreling toward the end of May where many thoughts turn toward summer days and fun times. As much as I have always loved summer, I yearn to slow the pace toward those months, toward savoring the flavors of May (and Spring) and the stories these days have in store to tell.

Welcome to this May Day. Color it as you will.

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May Days

A Block In The Neighborhood

May is National Bike Month. Bike to Work day was the eleventh. I didn't bike to work, I may not ever--at least so long as I work where I work. Unsettling is that I haven't been on my bike this season at all. If the rains stay away Melody could see some action this weekend. 

Soon it will be my mother's birthday. I've arranged to have the day off from work. The plan is to be outside, playing tourist in the city, snapping pictures, having a pleasant day, in her honor. I tried to arrange a date with one of my cousins but she was not interested. Oh well, I shall see how the day plays out. 

Speaking of family, I haven't spoken to my older brother in well over a year. We (my younger brother, older brother, and step-brother) are supposed to be coming to some agreement regarding a lawsuit filed on our father's behalf. My younger brother and I talked and we're on the same page. he said he'd speak with the others. He's stalling because he knows there will be push-back, dissent, disagreement, anger.

                                                                             

 

 And on a brighter note, here is our pooch. She is thrilled with being outdoors, sniffing freshly cut grasses and more. During one of our walks we came upon a small boy, maybe 5 years old. He told his dad to look, "it's like a big version of a poodle!" 

Welcome to Monday. Welcome to the middle of May. 

                                                                             

                                                                              

MORE MM BLOGS

Basically

 Everybody Loves the Sunshine 1

 Looks like Spring, Feels Like Autumn

 I covet a neighbor's groundcover

 Everbody Loves the Sunshine 2 

No match for our wind, our rain

MICRO MONDAY 

Forty Questions in Parts - Part One

Once again, someone suggested a kind of, "getting to know you" type game. The questions are by-and-large limited in scope requiring mostly one word answers. I played but am calling, "re-do". Welcome to part one:

1. Do you like bleu cheese? I do but within certain limits as in only as one of the components of a Cobb Salad, a condiment included with a Buffalo Chicken sandwich or salad, and bleu cheese stuffed olives (with or without the martini). 


2. Coke or Pepsi? I don't drink a lot of soda but when I do, my number one go to is regular Pepsi or Diet Coke.I prefer colas over any other kind of soda. If a cola isn't available or I'm feeling a little different, I choose Ginger Ale. Soda flavors like 7-Up, Sprite, or Mountain Dew do not appeal. However, these days, nine out of ten times I would choose lime flavored fizzy water if given a choice. 


3. Do you own a gun? The first gut reaction / answer was NO!!! But after thinking a bit I realized I do own guns; glue and staple. In fact, I have two glue guns.  


4. What flavor Kool aid? I don't drink Kool-Aid. I had allergies that limited any intake of foods and beverages with citrus or citric acid. So, even as a kid, not much in the way of Kool-Aid, lemonade, popsicles, or even strawberries, lemons, oranges. I did mix Kool-Aid for my son and daughter when they were kids. The popular flavors were strawberry and grape. My daughter preferred strawberry and my son, grape.  


5. What do you think of Hot Dogs? Three or four times a year, I crave and lean in to a 100% Vienna Beef, a poppy seed bun, yellow mustard (never ketchup) sweet pickle relish, sport pepper, white onion, tomato, celery salt, and kosher dill pickle. And natural cut fries on the side. With a Pepsi. Three or four times a year, the perfect lunch. 

                                      

MORE MONDAY BLOGS! 

These Days In Photos

Sunday Walk 3.5M Over 10,000 steps 

Purple, Green, In between

Caught in mid transition 

Beginning of scenic route home

Sky Over Brown Line Rails 

Oh look, Hostas! 

In a week, there will be green

For weeks now, I have snapped at minimum a photo a day to not only document the day but also to train observational skills. And for inspire. And to train task discipline. And to stop and see the beauty of a day.

Welcome to Monday  

More. More. More.

That Day in September

Do you remember? That day, that crisp, bright day last September? You were wearing that Carolina blue sweatshirt as if you were daring the sky to out blue that shirt. I recall asking why you were wearing such a heavy shirt, it wasn't that cold. Your reply was something like, loving it so and feeling so grand in it. 

Do you remember that crisp, bright day last September? You were in the park feeding the ducks, or geese, or whatever the hell those birds were. As you are now aware, I am no fan of birds, but on that day, I faced my fear to be closer to you for you were intent on feeding those birds. Enticed by the pellets in your hand, entranced by the swell of your heart; we laugh about it now, my desire to be one of those birds that day. 

Do you remember what we talked about that crisp, bright day last September while you were enticing birds to eat pellets from your hand? Do you remember the ease of the conversational flow? How we seemed to predict what the other would say? Do you remember saying in the midst of all the words, those three words? 

Do you remember me saying them back? 

Do you remember running out of pellets, the birds skittering off to find another benefactor, the day growing cooler, the companionable silence sitting between us on that bench? Do you remember offering me that Carolina blue sweatshirt to wear for the short walk to my apartment, entranced by the sight of me pulling it over my head?

Do you remember talking about that crisp, bright day last September many weeks later, remembering it fondly as the day when . . . 

                                                   

MORE MORE MORE! 

 

 

Out of the Weeds, Into the Clouds

See Those Buds 

Have you ever had one of those days where your work production suffered because all you could think about is what you wanted or needed to do when you got home? And once home, you couldn't get much of any of those things done because your mind wandered back to what you didn't accomplish at work and how that now will impact the next working day?

Well, welcome to my week. Every day. Every. Single. Day. last week I struggled to get out of the apartment in a timely manner that would guarantee an on-time work arrival; so mired in listing, planning, studying, arranging the work and home agendas. There was a work list. There was a home list.

Each carefully crafted to achieve maximum efficiency and success.

Somewhere in the mix, the lists conspired to become a muddled mess of: STUFF TO GET DONE which ultimately led to my scrambling, muddling, meandering, tick-tocking instead of humming right along.

Ouch.  It was a long, topsy-turvy kind of week.

But, it is a new Monday. A new week. A new . . . attitude, if you will. Oh, I still have lists as there are still goals to achieve, tasks to clear. But something will change. I haven't quite mustered out what shape this change will take, how IT will manifest. But I have every confidence this week will be better.

Yo, you buying any of that?

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