Missed Last Monday Week

Poof Went Some Days 

1. I think I take more steps when I forget my pedometer at home. 

2. I could be wrong about number 1. 

3. Was meaning to post the second set of 40 questions and answers. 

4. Second set loaded with favorites.  

5. Favorites not my favorite. 

6. Buttah was such an awesome cat, pet. 

7. I miss him. A lot. 

8. I was looking forward to the new season off Orange Is the New Black  But . . 

9. have not watched one minute of it; opting to catch up on other shows instead. Hmmm

10. Alliums at night 

11. It is time to re-dedicate myself to healthy choices.

12. Seriously 

13. A friend recently had bariatric sleeve surgery. 

14. She felt like she had no other options. 

15. I am not at that place. 

16. But I am at A place. 

17. Confidence reigns. 

18.  In other newes, I've been giving a lot of thought to what a "typical" American is 

19. I've gotten nowhere with said thought. 

20. So, this: 

MORE MORE MORE 

April Third Check on April

Disclosure: I am not following April the giraffe, but many are. 

Baseball season has started. Sorta. Opening Day for the White Sox was post-poned until Tuesday.  Rain. 

Rain. And more Rain. 

I have not turned on any external sound and until daughter walked in a few minutes ago, nothing 

but the sound of upstairs neighbors clanging about; their dog barking, their baby crying, my dog making whatever sound she makes, and the cat's meowing. 

That (not turning on music, news, TV external sound) might not seem like a big deal to some but for me? HUGE. But, I'm trying this new thing, you may have heard of it, sitting in silence. Well, relative silence. Upstairs neighbors and pets aside. 

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? The actor (my son) was a performance poet first. He began in his second year of high school, charter member of the the school's Spoken Word Club. He doesn't write poetry much anymore and hasn't been to an open mic (as a performer) in years but he is still quite poetic in his thinking. 

Middle Girl at BlogSpot began March 29, 2006 (That first post was updated in 2015) 

Every now an again a stranger leads with an act of kindness and literally stuns me into silence. 

Such a thing happened today. To the lady who offered me her pink umbrella for my walk to the bus stop, THANK YOU. 

Welcome to Monday. Go HERE form more MBM! 

  

This and That

We had snow last week. Not like other places, but enough. 

I hope the snow is over, but this is the Midwest, anything is possible

The madness that is March (i.e. college basketball) is in full swing. 

And I have no idea who is where. Well, except for UConn. 

(UConn women, I am sure you knew that.) 

Why do people reach out, start a dialog and then just stop? 

Click here for tidbits about the name Deborah. 

According to family lore my name was nearly Clementine. 

Ryerson, Morse, Beidler, Ryder, Dvorak, Suder, and Skinner are the names of the elementary schools I attended.  

CLICK for MORE! 

  

March On

A wee bit of randomness for this last Monday in March: 

Sunday was nice enough, long enough for a short ride; first of the season. Given-the-givens body feeling pretty good. A damn sight away from agile, but again, given-the-givens, pretty good. 

Tuesday (tomorrow) is the anniversary of the birth of this blog. I updated the inaugural post last year to commemorate the event, late. This year I am early. Whoopee. ten Years. Wow. WoW  

Saturday I intend to attend the first social event not connected to family in some/any way in many, many, (even more many) months. I'm a little nervous. Okay, I am a lot nervous. 

I do not believe Spring is here to stay yet. The photo shown is a couple of years old but is from a group labeled, "snow in April" (though THIS photo was taken in May). Point is, too soon to dust off the Spring togs, full on. My daughter is of the opinion that the winterizing efforts should remain in place until after 5 days of wanting to open the windows have gone by.  Five days feels long to long for fresh air. But, she has a point. We'll see how this week plays out, weather wise. 

The coffee experiment is going well. The household is now out of coffee. Having a cup at home means going out, which I am not apt to do. As far as coffee on the way to work, or at work, I feel the handle on that is fully and firmly grasped, given I've already gone two weeks without succumbing to either of those options. . 

And as for how I feel . . . given-the-givens, pretty good.

#MicroBlogMonday   

Hit. Miss.

Our schedules are in sync lately. We keep running into each other during the morning commute. I was hoping that her reason for leaving earlier these days meant she wanted time before checking into the office, to sit and have a sip in the park across the street from our respective work places. But I haven't seen her there. 

Yet. 

I know she sees me, our eyes meet, hers sparkle. I hope mine do the same. Yet, she gives nothing more away. I'm reluctant to do much more than smile, nod. It is the bus and even the friendliest of conversations are awkward on the bus. Especially our bus. Too many school children free-ranging their way to school. At least, hopefully, school is the eventual destination. 

Two weeks. I get off two stops ahead so I could get in extra steps, go get coffee and then to the park to sit, sip, and think. I know she can see me from her office, I don't know that she cares, I think she does, I hope she does. I don't know why I'm not more forward. Yes, I do.  

Hurt. Fear. Wrong. 

******************************************************************************

And thus ends the snippets of a re-curring dream, the snippets culled together to form a narrative. Is it just a story? Or more? 

Welcome to Monday. 

Random questions: How many times do you have to unsubscribe before it "takes"? How many times do you give it before complaining?   How long do you give websites you are not so familiar with to load before saying, "F" it and move the frack on, several seconds, one minute, more . . .? 

#MicroBlogMonday 

Bienvenida a Miércoles

click on image for link 

Just a couple of thoughts on this, the last day of twenty-fourteen: 

 Did you know that the Morton Salt Company's tag line for a long while was, "when it rains it pours"?  No one was injured by the wall of salt or the collapsing wall.

Daughter was telling me a story a while back and during the telling of the story she used the term, "funeral park" which was used in place of cemetery, which she couldn't remember the name of the place where the dead are buried at the time. And since then, well, funeral park is now our term for cemetery.

Son said just this morning that he wants to act, sing, dance, and play music like Nina Simone-with a reckless, yet purposeful abandon. He is learning to play the harmonica and acoustic guitar. Just this past Sunday he got on stage at his favorite club during the weekly jam session. He is turning into a Mississippi Delta blues man before our very eyes. So fun.  

I don't really want to look back on twenty-fourteen except as to recall the ideas for work, learning, and . . . growth and how best to expand upon those ideas. Moreover, finding a way to stay the course, so to speak, in terms of not only getting projects off the ground but executing to fruition. 

On that note, the Mandala Discovery journey begins again tomorrow. I didn't sign up for another go 'round as I didn't finish the first. But, finish the first (as well as possibly repeating some of the prompts) will happen within the first quarter of twenty-fifteen. 

The second anniversary of my mother's death is looming and even as I type that, the emotion wells. The tears flow, not quite as often, but  . . still. At the end of "Cooley High" one of our (me and mom's) favorite movies there is a funeral scene and the song, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is featured. I was finally able to load the dvd into the player, but cannot watch it to the very end. 

While not particularly driven by gadgetry, I wish I had a device that would record my thoughts without benefit of me having to speak (or write). For, many ideas come on the fly (so to speak)  and more often than not, an inconvenient time and place. Try recalling any of those thoughts, ideas, epiphanies later. 

I have to cut this off here as I must get out the door within the next 8 minutes to have any hope of getting to work on time. But, lastly and not at all least, this: The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing is on the January 2015 calendar page. And on that note,  feliz año nuevo