sunday ...

The weather Saturday was a humid 80°F.  I had four bags of mulch to finish putting out, plus ten live, bareroot shrubs to get in the ground in the back yard.  Forsythia, Viburnum, and Brightberry.  Since rain was in the forecast for today and early in the week, I decided to put off as much of the indoor chores as I could until the mulching and planting was done.  

But ... that didn't happen.  I needed to get cat food, and find a suitable garden cart, pick up a prescription I almost forgot about and ... maybe I'll get that stuff done today between raindrops.

Next project before refinishing the damaged veneer dresser (below) will be sanding, painting, and papering the drawer fronts of the old dresser I had, before putting it in the bathroom for additional storage.

I'm doing an upcoming art class in April to make a pet portrait.  I chose to do the girls because Charlie is usually so much more photogenic (see Lucy below) and therefore in most of my phone photos, and some of the wall pictures.  This is the photo I'm going to use for the portrait: 

Taken in 2017.

Gracie on Friday.
Why do cats always want to sleep on the bed when you are trying to change the bedding?

Lucy, also on Friday.

His Highness surveying his kingdom.

Snagged these two vintage pieces at a thrift store.
Unfortunately, the veneer is damaged on this one and will all have to be removed.
But I think I can replicate the pretty details with some washi tape decoupage and creative acrylic painting techniques.
Maybe.

This piece requires no repairs.
But I did have to order more wallpaper.

The Quince shrub is just gorgeous!

Charlie on his Neighborhood Watch duty.
He is really grateful for the sunshine.

Ever the rebellious one, I ordered two of these.
One for me, and one for a bestie who still works for the Forest Service in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.
She loved it when it showed up in her mailbox this past week.

Here's to empowered women who resist the patriarchy.  Stay strong.  Hugs ... Ci💚

did you ever wonder ....

   It had been a week since Thal had returned, and the excitement and shock in the community had died down.  Oddly enough, no one had mentioned Kael or wondered where he was. 

   Eldrin quietly looked over Lyri's shoulder at what she was reading, and whispered thickly in her ear, "T'was a hot midsummer's eve and a storm was brewing on the horizon."

   Lyri let out a scream and spun quickly in her chair to punch El in the face.  Stunned, El fell backward, holding his eye where her surprisingly hard punch had landed.

  "Why on earth would you do that, El?!?!  You scared me to death!"

  "Well, if I'd known you were going to punch me in the eye I wouldn't have.  I was just wanting to see what you were reading.  Didn't you hear me calling you?"

   Embarrassed now, Lyri blushed a red that would put a tomato to shame.  "No.  I didn't.  I was just reading this piece of paper that I found washed up on the creek edge.  It looks like a page from a book, and I wish I had the book now because I'm intrigued.  And I'm sorry, Eldrin.  I didn't mean to hit you.  I'm just a little on edge with what Thal told us about the gnolls, and you almost sounded like Kael when you whispered like that."

   "Wow, you sure know how to hit a guy when he's down.  I sounded like Kael.  What a horrible thing to say to me!"

   "I didn't mean... I meant... It's just that..." Lyri stopped when she realized that El was just teasing her.  "Well, I hope you have a black eye!  It would serve you right, scaring me like that."

   El laughed at how red she continued to blush.  "Aww, I'm just kidding, Lyri.  Look, if you want me to go look for more pages from that book, I can do that for you.  I think I still have some that I found a few months ago that had pictures of an island."

Newry Island borrowed from Lee

  "An island?"

  "Yeah, sandy beach, water, weird looking trees.  Flat boats."

  "Flat boats?"

  "Yeah, sort of like a wide canoe."

   Lyri looked thoughtful for a moment.  "El?  Have you ever wondered what it would be to live somewhere else?"

  "You mean in another forest?"

  "No, not really.  I mean, I've heard there are places that don't look anything like our woods.  Places that are so hot and dry that there are scarcely any trees.  Places like your island, that are green all year, and some places that have mountains so high the snow never melts.  Do you think that there are elves in those kinds of places?  Maybe island elves?  Or snow elves?"

  "I didn't know you were the adventurous type, Lyri."

  "I'm not.  Really.  I've just been wondering what we would do if the gnolls found our woods."

Oh, but to live on a tropical island ... with Words for Wednesday

unanswered questions ...

   What Thal had not seen before he lost consciousness, and what Kael had not been aware of before his panicked dash into the forest, was just how many gnolls had been waiting in the woods.  They had been packed, shoulder to shoulder, like herrings in a can, behind trees, bushes, and rocks.  The fact that Thal had not been trampled to death in the melee of the battle was nothing short of a miracle.

  Lyri had listened intently as he told her what he could remember of the attack and his long journey home.  At times, his voice would become nothing more than a whisper as he tried to make sense of that day.  She would ask gentle questions every so often, feeling like a detective trying to piece together the puzzle of his missing memories, not wanting to see the occasional pain in his eyes as he tried to answer her.

  When he had finally fallen asleep, she had slipped out of the house to find Eldrin and let him know that Thal had returned.  He had felt responsible for Thal's disappearance, knowing that if he hadn't told him about Kael meeting with the gnolls, Thal wouldn't have gone after Kael to find out what he was up to.

  Lyri found him at one of the small taverns at the edge of their community, trying to drown his remorse in a flask of beer.  Not wanting her parents to find out she'd been in the tavern; she managed to persuade another elf going in to give a message to El that she needed to speak to him immediately.

  El stumbled out of the door a few moments later, and Lyri almost instantly regretted asking him to come out to talk to her.

  "Lyri!  My besh friend's girl!  I'm so shorry for telling Shal about the ..."  Lyri quickly put her hand over his mouth before he could say another word.

  "Hush!  Oh, why did you have to get drunk tonight, El?  Please don't say another word.  Just come with me."  Dragging him by the arm, she took him the back way to her parents' house, hoping that the muffled sobs he was making wouldn't draw any undue attention to the two of them.

  She stopped just short of the house, realizing that her parents were at home, and she had no way to sneak El in without them seeing.  It would be hard enough to explain Thal being asleep in her room if they hadn't already discovered him, but to sneak a clearly inebriated Eldrin in right under their noses would be asking the gods for more than just the miracle they'd already done in keeping Thal alive.

  Thinking quickly, Lyri saw a basket of overripe peaches that her mother had put outside and shoved El's face into it.  When she finally let him up for air, the mask of gooey peach not only hid his identity but also covered up the smell of beer.  She pulled on of her mother's shawls off the line and threw it around his head and shoulders.  Now El's loud sobbing completed the disguise.

  "Shhh, shhhh, there, there now.  It will be alright."  Ushering El past her astonished parents, Lyri whispered to her mother as she passed, "You remember Mallys, don't you, Mama?  Her boyfriend just broke up with her, and she is heartbroken.  I'm going to take her to my room and see if I can comfort her."

  Without giving her mother time to answer, she shoved El into her room and quickly closed the bedroom door.

Hellooooooooooo!  It's Words for Wednesday again!

finally Friday ...

   If I were to say this has been a challenging year so far, I'd probably be talking about just this week.  Granted, there have been other weeks with more ... or fewer ... challenges, but this week has felt just a tiny bit more "extra" than others.

Quince buds budding!

  Whether it is Mercury in Retrograde, the lunar eclipse, or just "it is what it is," I think I am a little more grateful than usual for the weekend.  Quite possibly it is the fact that all the snow has melted, the weather has been warm enough to have had the house windows open three of the five days this week, and I'm currently wearing a pair of bunny ears that my neighbor put in an Easter basket for me.  Could be all of the above.

  The dumpster fire in the White House that the current administration continues to pour gasoline on and light with a flare gun aside, there are some interesting unrelated career changes in my future.  I recently decided it was time to make myself a priority for a change.  My last day with my current employer will be 1 May, and after taking the month off to "get my house in order," I'm going to see what else the Universe will put on my dance card.

  I'm toying around with opportunities for a podcast, or a YouTube channel, finding another work from home job, maybe a local face-to-face job, or a virtual bookshop that celebrates self-published authors.  Something like what I had planned to do in WV the year I didn't die after all.

  But whatever it is that the Universe has waiting for me around the next corner, you can be assured that I will drag you along with me for the ride.

Let the adventures begin ... Ci💚

Spring has finally sprung ...

 

Lost ...

 borrowed from ArcticFox

  Green vegetation whipped at his face, and Kael had put his arms up to protect his eyes, running blindly away from the gnolls and what had approached them from the other side.  His mouth was open in a silent scream at what he had seen, and every so often he coughed, choking on something that he had inhaled in his panicked run.

  Several times he tripped over something, sometimes soft and squishy, and other times hard.  But he had no curious desire to see what it was as long as he could still hear the dying screams of the gnolls around him.

  Finally, he could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart and his own rasping and panting breathing.  Even the birds had gone silent.  Kael found a place to lie down with his back against a large boulder and pulled leaves and other forest floor debris over himself.  He thought he would be too afraid to sleep, but his body thought otherwise, and soon his eyes closed, his breathing slowed, and he was sound asleep.

  When he finally woke, it was dark, but he didn't know if it was night of the same day, or several days later.  His body ached from running, falling, and being pressed up against the rock instead of in his own soft down bed.  There were lights in the distance, and he could smell bacon being cooked over an open fire.  Occasionally, the breeze through the trees brought him the sound of harsh laughter.

  In more familiar forests, he might be safe to travel at night, but here among the unfamiliar, he decided it was no time to be gallivanting about without weapons or fire to light his way.  He would wait until morning when the light of the sun could guide him.

  He woke again with the hot sun directly overhead, and hearing no noise other than the birds in the trees, he felt safe enough to slowly crawl out from beneath the leaves and stretch.  Turning, he realized that the boulder he had been pressed against was actually a concrete wall, with an iron gate mounted on it.  In the distance, he could see a large stone house that was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

It's Words for Wednesday again.

Mondays...

This was Spring Forward Sunday ... which makes Mondays feel like they arrive too soon.

Apart from a very windy Saturday, the weekend was beautiful.  I even took Charlie for a ride about town with the windows down.

Saturday, a trip to Lowe's for roses, soil, and paint chips.  I'm thinking of adding some pops of color in unexpected places.

The three on the left will be used in the bathroom.  The back of the door, and inside the vanity drawers.

A project for the fall, since the warmer weather has me wanting to spend more time outside and gardening.

The roses, yellow and pink climbers, have been planted in pots in the front garden.  This coming weekend I will clear out the rest of the front garden and decide what to put in.  The flippers had some annuals in there that did not survive the winter, but it looks like the gerber daisies did.  I'll have to shop for more perennials. 

My list of things to do continues to get longer.  I have a date for my last day with UHC.  May 1st.  Early birthday present.  I'm looking for another work from home position, but with my availability not being immediate, I haven't spent a lot of time looking.

This will be the bedroom color pops.  Back of the doors, and maybe the dresser drawer fronts.  I need to get more storage for seasonal clothing that I don't want to put in the basement.

I've come to realize that I'm going to have to put some things in the basement so I can utilize the shelves in the laundry room for all my craft stuff that is all over the dining area right now.

Maybe I'll spend the first few weeks in May just getting the house in order.

But first, coffee on the front porch to watch the sun come up ... if you're going to be impulsive ... wear purple!  Hugs ... Ci💜

thoughts on thursday ...

 

  It rained all day yesterday.

The view out the office window made me think of a cemetery I once visited...

On a winding, isolated road 

in the Michigan Upper Peninsula,

I saw a sign for the Irish Hollow Cemetery [<link] near Rockland.

It was a cold, foggy, October day, 

the trees were colored in reds, oranges, and yellows.

I was in Ontonagon for a meeting

at the Forest Service office there.

I made a detour into this old cemetery

on the drive home.

It was worth it for creepy atmosphere in the fading daylight.

But I wouldn't wanted to be there after dark.

luck of the Irish ...

   As Thal's strength returned, he was able to move faster on his journey home.  But while he jogged through the underbrush of the forest, his mind continually replayed the events of that fateful day.  The heaviness of the gnolls striking him to his knees, and then into unconsciousness.  The sounds of battle against whatever attacked them as each side delivered blow after blow, and the dying sounds of the gnolls around him.

  He tried to focus on what it was that had attacked them.  As far as the wood elves knew, the gnolls had no enemies, and he tried desperately to remember what he had seen and heard.  'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' kept running through his mind with each step closer to home that he took.

  Finally, he reached familiar ground and stopped briefly at a creek to bathe and rinse the gnoll blood out of his clothes and hair.  He desperately wanted to see Lyri, but he knew it would add insult to injury for him to show up covered in blood.  Thal didn't want to frighten her or have anyone who saw him ask too many questions he was unprepared to answer.  He trusted her to have kept quiet about his whereabouts, but he still couldn't remember what had happened to Kael.

  Waiting until darkness fell, Thal made his way to Lyri's home, and quietly tapped on her bedroom window.  After a few moments, he tapped again, this time seeing a light come on in the room, and the edge of the curtain slowly pull away as she looked to see who was there.  Seeing Thal, she quickly opened the window and pulled him into her room, tears of joy streaming down her face as words rushed out in a whisper.

  "You're alive!  Oh, Thal, I've been so afraid.  I had a dream and there was so much blood and so many gnolls and I saw your face and Kael's face and when neither of you returned, I was so scared, but I couldn't say anything to anyone, and I didn't know what to do or who to talk to and ..."

  Thal shushed her with a kiss and held her tightly as she sobbed against his chest.  When she finally stopped crying, he held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes.

Image Source:  Etsy

  "I'm fine but am terribly hungry and cold.  Before you tell me what happened here after I left, can you quietly get me something to eat and some chicory coffee?"

  Lyri quickly nodded and left the room.  Thal slid to the floor in relief.  So, Kael didn't return, and it sounded as if whatever attacked the gnolls hadn't gotten here either.  A part of him was grateful that whatever had attacked the gnolls had thrown a spanner in Kael's plan, but he still had to find out who, or what, it was.

  The door creaked open and Lyri entered with a sandwich and a small handmade mug, glazed St. Patrick's green on the inside.   Grateful for the heat in his hands, Thal began to tell Lyri everything that had happened after he left her.

It's a new month of Words for Wednesday, with prompts provided by River.

on this day ...

 in 2022

Lots of challenges in the last week of February 2025.

In my life, in this country, and around the world.

That UN vote on Monday?  Unbelievable that we would side with Russia.

Followed by the OL getting caught in a flat-out lie?  Wow.  What reality is the OL living in?  

The Oval Office meeting on Friday?  Mortifying.  Not just the lack of diplomacy, but the unprofessionalism, and the bullying.  

Is this who we are now?  A country being run by an office of playground bullies.  If anyone is putting the world at risk for WW3, it's the OL.

I'd say I was speechless, but here I am.

My work week was ... also filled with unexpected events involving upper management and human resources.  A decision was made that I will share at a later date.

But on the good side of things, 99% of the snow has melted.  There is more forecast for the last two weeks of the month, but that is far enough aware to change to a no-show.

Hang on ... turbulence ahead ... remember to put on your own oxygen mask first.  Self-care is crucial these days ... Hugs,  Ci 💚

visions ...

   Thal had been gone for more than a week when Lyri woke from her sleep with a cry.  Her dreams were often premonitions of things to come, but she'd never told her parents or anyone else about them.  They made her afraid, and even more afraid that she would be judged by the others and cast out of the forest as a witch.

  Sometimes the dreams were like an onion, and she would only understand the meaning of them after all the layers had been peeled away.  This had been one of them.  Flashing images and faces.  Gnolls.  Kael.  Thal.  Her parents.  The forest.  And blood.  Lots of blood.

  Her mother, Nimlisk, upon hearing Lyri's cry, rushed into her bedroom and sat at the edge of her bed.

  "What is it, child?  What has frightened you so badly?"  She touched the back of her hand to Lyri's forehead to check her temperature.

  Lyri shook her head.  "Nothing.  Just a bad dream."

  Nimlisk looked at her daughter carefully.  Could it be that the gift had passed to her?

  "Lyri, I want to ask you a question, and it's very important that you are completely honest with me.  Do you understand?"

  Nodding her head slowly, "Yes, mother.  What is it?"

  "Do your dreams and nightmares sometimes come true?"

  Lyri's eyes widen, and she gasped.  It was all the confirmation that Nim needed.  She sighed heavily.  "It is time I told you about the women in my family.  But first, I need to get something."

  She left the room, and moments later returned and placed what looked like a blue piece of glass, polished smooth on one side and rough on the others into Lyri's hand.

  "This is my seer stone, passed to me by my mother, and to her from her mother, and as far back as we can remember.  Normally it is passed to the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, but unfortunately, your father and I couldn't conceive any sisters for you after you were born.  But you were technically the seventh daughter since I lost six before they, and you, were born.  You were a blessing to us, and I never expected the gift to pass on to you.  I thought I would be the last in our line."

  Lyri peered into the stone, thinking that one of the shadows within looked like a tiny elephant.  "So you don't think I'm a weirdo?"

  "Oh, heavens no, my sweet girl!  You are beautiful, wise, kind, and amazing!"

  "But these visions.  They frighten me when they come to pass."

  "As they did me in the beginning, before I understood what they were.  My mother had this very talk with me when she gave me the seer stone, and I will help you grow and understand your gift.  Now.  Tell me what it was that you dreamt last night."

Words for Wednesday. Cheer on other participants here.

mindful Monday ...

  There have been several "calls-to-action" on Instagram this past week.  One of them involves not just calling our "elected" state officials but sending letters to them.  Letters have to be kept, documented, cataloged.  So, in preparation for doing that, I've ordered stamps that will also let my voice be heard.

  Not just these, but The Underground Railroad, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Freedom US Flag, and John Lewis (a civil rights activist from the 60s) stamps.

  I'm being "mindful" of who sees my letters as they pass through the system.  Not just letters to my state officials, but cards and letters to friends and family.

  And as a 2x former government employee, I'm also considering participating in this request to show my support.

  In fact, anyone who pays taxes could be considered a government employer, because it is our taxes that pay the salaries of our elected government officials.  So, don't feel left out.  Send an email.  Tell them what you did last week.  In detail.

  Inquiring minds want to know.

  I am still standing firm on my economic boycotts.  Some of which have been, and will be, fairly easy to accomplish.

  I've never been a fan of McDs anyway.  No Targets near me.  Nestle and General Mills will require me to pay a little more attention when I shop, but that's okay.  I've started paying more attention to the sugar/carb/protein contents of what I buy.  

  Walmart may be tough at times because it is the only large box store near me, so I'm being mindful of what I really need to spend my money on, and if there are other sources.  Same for Amazon, although that has been much easier.  What I find funny is that since canceling my Prime membership with them, I see a lot more commercials for Amazon Prime shows, movies, and membership.

  Saturday, I should've worn shades; the sun was so bright I cut off part of Charlie's face trying to take a picture of the manscaping he had done that day.  It certainly felt warmer than the 42°F that was the reported high for the day.

  We were over at his besties house, and as always, it was so wonderful to see them.  He'll stay with them until the 4th.

  People laugh when I say that my previous neighbors have visitation rights to my dog, but it is a win-win for Charlie.  He adores them.

  This morning my exercise routine included several laps around the house looking for my coffee cup.  

  At least 20 stair reps while I hung a gallery wall over my desk because I could not carry the hammer or measuring tape in my mouth while also balancing precariously with one leg on the step ladder, one leg on the desk, and also holding the picture frame and a pencil.

  At least 50 overhead arm stretches to measure (twice), hammer nails, and attempt to hang the frames multiple times because I kept flattening the loop on the back of the frame.

  I can already feel the burn in my upper back, and will probably sleep well tonight (with a little muscle relaxer).

  On other fronts, I've been considering several what next options that are both long- and short-term career changes.  It would be nice to work at something that brings me joy, makes me happy, so I'm defining what that might look like.

Baby otter cuddler, and puppy wrangler are two options I'm considering... stay mindful this week.  Hugs, Ci💚

on this day ...

... in 2024

Charlie and I waited at the airport to pick (roommate) Bipan up after he went home to India for a visit with his family.  I'd just gotten Charlie a super cute varsity jacket at Aldi's.

He did not like the raccoon window decal on the car next to us!

Bipan is now living and working in Texas after deciding to seek asylum here in the US.  I'm very worried about him with the current INS dumpster fire that the Oompa Loompa has created.  Please surround him with good juju and warm protection thoughts.

Bipan

 

no qualms about it ...

   Thal watched as the argument between Kael and the gnoll became louder and more threatening, unsure of how to act.  True, Kael was the definition of a scumbag, the likes of which the forest had never seen before.  But he was a wood elf, and thereby kinfolk.  He had no qualms with letting Kael be on the karma end of something that was his own doing.  But this wasn't that kind of a situation.  Thal wasn't sure if he could live with himself if he said nothing, regardless of whether or not Kael deserved what was coming to him.

  Against what Lyri would consider a judicious thought, Thal quietly reached into his bag for one of the blue glass beads that she had given him instead of the seeds.  Fitting it into his slingshot, he thought to himself that if he missed hitting the gnoll's elephant sized head, he would deserve whatever happened next.

  He waited, poised to shoot until the argument between the two of them reached a fever pitch to drown out any noise he might make.  Kael and the gnoll were nearly to blows when they both turned away to look at a noise from the other side of the tree.  Now was his chance.  He pulled back even harder on the sling and released his shot.

  What happened next Thal was never able to fully remember.  The bead hit the gnoll just behind his left ear.  As he spun around to confront whoever hit him, there was a sound of a roar from the far side of the tree, out of Thal's sight.  Kael also spun around, but not to confront an unknown attacker.  His eyes were wide with fear, and he ran into the woods to Thal's left, rather than running straight ahead into the waiting ambush.

  The gnolls that had been hiding in the woods around Thal gave their own answering roar and charged forward out of the trees towards whatever was approaching from the other side.  In the ensuing confusion, Thal was knocked to the ground, unconscious, and run over by several of them.  Something that worked in his favor ...

  It was dark when Thal finally regained consciousness, and something heavy was pinning him to the ground.  Whatever it was, it also stunk to high heaven.  After struggling for almost thirty minutes, Thal was finally able to get free of what turned out to be a very dead gnoll.  All around him were more dead gnolls.  He didn't see Kael anywhere, nor did he see what might have killed the gnolls.  They didn't have many enemies that Thal knew of, and in this battle at least, it appeared the fight was one-sided.

  Thal's head was pounding, but he knew he needed to quickly get back to the heart of the forest where the wood elves lived.  And Lyri.  He needed to get back to her.  But the beating his body had taken as he'd been trampled by the gnolls in their panic had zapped his usually limitless energy and strength.  Now he slowly made his way back home, forced to stop every few hours to rest and sleep, always mindful of the danger Lyri could be facing with each passing day.

It's Words for Wednesday again ...

on this day ....

in 2022... 

I'd created a canvas showing little bits of who I was.

The top row isn't pictured, but it included a clay paw imprint of my soul dog, Trooper, as well as a photo of a German man in lederhosen driving a horse drawn wagon.

The middle row from L to R includes found feathers because I love watching birds, and my favorite color combination of turquoise and brown.

Bottom row, my love for reading; upcycling vintage finds; and a piece of a postcard because I love getting them in the mail along with letters and cards.  (I'm a semi-closeted mail-aholic).

thoughts on a ...

L-R:  My mom, me, Grandmother, Aunt, cousin
I may now be the age my grandmother was in this photo.

  ... Saturday morning.  Thursday got away from me this week.  It's actually been a week that has felt like a month.  Maybe even a year.  Monday brought news of health concerns for two family members, and combined with the unexpected snow on Tuesday, it just threw my week for a loop.   The one family member's diagnosis was not as serious as originally thought, which was a relief.  However, my last aunt was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and died last night, only days after the diagnosis.

  I've been up before the sun, although "up" is a relative term since I've not been "down" to sleep except for a about an hour or more while watching TV last night.  That's always an odd sensation when I wake up without even knowing that I'd been drowsy or was falling asleep at some point.  Just "poof."  Going to bed was just a wasted effort because I still don't feel tired at all.

  I suppose it is all the thoughts rattling around in my head.  Life.  Death.  Mortality.  Aging.  All the things one thinks when a loved one is lost.  I never expected to reach this age.

~ Invincible Summer ~

"My dear, In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.  In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.  In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.  I realized, through it all, that ... In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.  And that makes me happy.  For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger ~ something better, pushing right back."

~ Albert Camus ~

Hug someone today ... Ci 💚

... stuck between a rock and a hard place ...

   Thal left in the early morning as soon as he saw Kael slip away from the small community of wood elves where he had been staying to court Lyri.  He didn't see Thal following him at a distance, and neither did Kael's winged spies.

  It would have been cruel of Thal to speak to Lyri before he left.  He knew she cared deeply for him, and his own feelings were hard for him to describe.  He wished he hadn't needed to leave without saying goodbye, but he was afraid it would have been the last time he saw her, and he wasn't ready to face that yet.

  When he returned, he would formally ask her father if he could court her, but until then, he was determined to save the forest as well as his community.  Whether it was to prove himself worthy of a woman like Lyri, he wasn't sure.  But it was something that he needed to do for all of their futures.

  Sneaking through the underbrush, Thal was finding it hard to keep up with Kael as he was equally suspicious and determined not to be followed.

  Finally, Kael stopped at a massive oak tree that stood at the edge of the forest and the beyond.  A solitary guardian between the world of the elves, and the world of the humans.

  A lone gnoll appeared on the other side of the oak tree, and Kael stepped forward to greet him.  Thal couldn't hear what the two of them were saying, but whatever it was, it was making the gnoll angry.  Raising his arms, he appeared to be threatening Kael.

  Thal moved closer to the two, hiding himself in some blue elephant grass, and in doing so he realized that he was suddenly in the middle of several gnolls who had not yet noticed him.  The gnoll that was arguing with Kael had set him up for an ambush!  

  Now Thal was faced with a horrible decision.  Does he warn Kael and risk his own life, or does he let Kael be attacked and risk the wood elf community?

~*~*~

What was I thinking?!?  I forgot it was Tuesday and the Words for Wednesday prompts were up at Postcards from the Bookstore!  It has been a "week" at work!

it's baaaaack....

Happy boy loves to be in the snow as long as it isn't over his head.

My car at 918a.  Watch the tire.

208p

339p

615p

Shoveled part of the front steps at 338p.

At that time, we had about 16" of snow.

Same steps at 612p.

I think they were expecting us to get between 5-8" of snow with this storm.

It's not going to let up until sometime tomorrow.

The snow is now over Charlie's head.

on this day in ...

2021

 I didn't know it at the time, but this was the beginning of the year I didn't die after all.

Covering two of my dining room walls with memories was just because they made me smile.

Before the end of summer, the other two walls were covered in pictures of family and friends.

Some praying for my recovery, some I didn't think I'd ever get to see again, and some I hoped I would get to see again when I died.

This was the year my "first kiss" died of Covid before I could tell him I was going to live.

But I was able to tell my mom I was going to live... before she died a week later.

You learn a lot about what is really important when you don't think you have any time left to waste.

On Labor Day weekend 2001, I was in the restaurant at the top of the North WTC Tower, looking down at taxi cabs the size of ants.   I still have the picture I took of that view, but I can't look at it anymore.

On 9/11, I was in an airplane flying to Pennsylvania for a business trip in New Jersey.

My flight was grounded in Atlanta, and all flights were cancelled before I even knew what was happening. I rented a car to drive home, and was on the road just minutes before the airport was locked down for more than 24 hours.

You can waste your life thinking "What if they had hit the weekend before?"   "What if I'd stayed in Panama City with Dad when they divorced?"  "What if I'd said yes to going to Colorado?"  "What if I'd made different choices... said no... said yes... left sooner... left later...?"

But the truth of the matter is this.

You are right where you are supposed to be.

Every choice you made, right or wrong, made you who you are right now in this moment in time.

And this moment in time is all we ever get.

There are no guarantees that we will see the sunrise tomorrow.

So, make today's sunrise count.

Make this moment matter.

If not for you, then make it matter for the ones you care about.

As much as you possibly can ... be at peace.

Be happy.

Ci💚

Thursday thoughts ...

 "The gentle spring rain permeates the soil of my soul.

A seed that has lain deeply in the earth for many years just smiles."

~ From Thich Nhat, "Cuckoo Telephone," in Call Me By My True Name ~

  I was up before sunrise and driving just as it was peeking over the top of the mountains behind me.  An early morning appointment 30ish miles away.

  Sometimes as I drive, I catch myself humming Daisy Bell, an old song written in 1892 [<link], and I wondered why.  I thought it was because I'd heard it in the late 1990s while commuting with a work friend who played Disney songs for her daughter (she rode part of the trip with us).  But after a Bing search, I couldn't find where it was in any Disney movie soundtracks.  So, I'm twice as perplexed on where I first heard it.  Perhaps in a previous life?

~*~*~

    When I got home from my appointment this morning, I was able to put up part of a temporary fence.  It is less to confine Charlie in the backyard, and more to keep him from plunging into the creek while chasing squirrels in the yard.

  It's hard to tell in this picture, but there is a significant and unexpected drop off just before the nearest trees.  The squirrels leap it with ease, but Charlie has yet to develop those skills or muscles (thankfully!).  On the far side where that blue plastic tarp is, if you look at the tree lying horizontally, the water yesterday was at the lower s the tree.  Between snow melt and the rain yesterday, it was more of a raging river than a quiet, trickling creek.  If he were to tumble down into the creek, he would be gone before I could even blink.

   The fence will not standup against the bear, but it may be difficult for Mr. Chonk the groundhog to climb, so I'm leaving the ends open for them.  Once all the fence pieces are in place, I want to get some rasp/blackberry bushes to plant at the open ends to further discourage Charlie, and but to feed the local wildlife and birds.  I might also research some groundhog friendly veggies and plant them at the far end of the property, and outside the fence line.

*~*~*

  The quote above is from one of three books I'm reading right now.  The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh.  I'm also reading Native American Spiritualism by L.M. Arroyo; and The Natural Home Wheel of the Year by Raechel Henderson.  After getting a few chapters into L.M. Arroyo's book, I realized that two of the novels I wrote were harmful appropriations of Native American legends and spiritualism, and it made me uncomfortable.  So, they are no longer available for sale on Amazon.  My intent to write a third has been shelved unless I write a follow up to My Best Friends Have Hairy Legs, which is also no longer available for purchase.  I'm trying to decide if I want to even write another novel, or if I will be content with simply blogging.

  In the fall of 2023, when I had an Indian Sikh roommate, Bipan and I would have the most fascinating discussions about religions and faith.  One of the books on my shelf is The Buddha and His Dhamma by Dr. Bhimrao R. Ambedkar. [<link] According to Bipan, it is the equivalent of the Christian bible but to Indian Sikhs.  I also had several other culinary interns from the Philippines who were (very loud and vocal) practicing Catholics in the house at the time.  One night after dinner, when they had said grace, and some repetitive chanting by them all, I asked him if any of it made him uncomfortable.  He said no, because he felt that there were a lot of similarities in his faith... they just used different words.  After that conversation is when I ordered the book.

  Wishing you a weekend of enlightenment ... Hugs, Ci💚

last weekend ...

  After finally getting my car freed from the ice blockage on Saturday, I went to get some fresh groceries.  Especially salads. 

  Sunday's salad was a wilted (with a little bit of bacon grease for flavor) spinach salad with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, cheese and croutons.

  I also have gotten into the habit of having a crisp Granny Smith apple for breakfast, and mandarins for an evening snack during the week.  I can't say that I'm eating "healthier" (yet) because my current work shift makes for odd mealtimes, but I'm working on getting into a better routine, and at least not unintentionally skipping meals.

  Monday was a planned day off, which as usual I filled with back-to-back appointments.  A consult with an orthopedic surgeon to schedule arthroscopic knee surgery to clean up some torn meniscus on the left.  Confirmation that at some point in the not so far future I will need a knee replacement on the right.

  After a quick stop to confirm retirement is on hold for a while, I had two other dental/medical appointments.  Missed a call to get a new one done yesterday, so it has been pushed to an (ungodly) early hour later in the week.

  Last stop was to get His Highness King Charles from his bestie's before heading back home.  He had spent about 12 nights with them, longest time away from me so far.  I missed him, even if the cats didn't!

  It was a busy day, but a lot was accomplished as far as appointments.  Not surprisingly, all we did when I got home was couch potato!

follow me home ...

  Thal stood firm against Lyri's pleas to abandon his plans to follow Kael.  He knew the danger, but he also knew what the bigger danger was to all of the forest.  He had seen what happened when gnolls ravaged a forest community.  It wasn't only the people, elves and others, that vanished.  It was all life.  When gnolls invaded, there was nothing left but scorched earth in their wake.  If Kael was in league with them, he had to be stopped.

  Lyri's voice quavered as she tried one more time to get Thal to change his mind.  She didn't understand why he was being so stubborn.

  "Is it because you are jealous of him, Thal?  Is it because of me?  I just don't understand why you think you have to follow him.  Why can't someone else do it?  The gnolls are so dangerous!"

  "I know that Lyri.  More than any other wood elf, I know what they are capable of.  Which is why I have to go alone.  I can't ask anyone else to risk their lives and go with me.  And believe me, I don't want to get caught ... by him or the gnolls.  Which is why it is so important that I go alone.  I know how to go through the forest unseen and unheard."

  She reached into a pocket to pull out a handful of glass blue seeds she had spent the morning unstringing from vines and held them out to him.

  "Then carry these with you and drop them along the way so that you will be able to find your way back to me."

  "What are they?"

  "Morning Glory flowers.  I asked the fairies to bewitch them to grow quickly and be as large as a baby elephant so that you could see them."

  Thal pulled her close in a hug.  Poor Lyri.  How was he going to make her understand?

  "I know you mean well, Lyri, but they would also lead the gnolls to you, and I can't do that.   I promise I will be careful, and I will do everything I can to come back to you as quickly as possible.  I have to be sure that Kael is doing what El said because if it is true, then we all are in danger and we have to prepare.  I've spoken to the Elders, and they agree.  We must be certain of Kael's alliance with the gnolls because if it is true, then the decision they will be forced to make will be harsh and final.  They won't make that kind of a judgment on just El's suspicions."

💙💙💙💙

Words for Wednesday continues this month at Postcards From the Bookstore ...

on this day in ...

Lucy sleeping on top of 
her mama, Gracie, in 2017.
She was 1 year 4 months old.
Gracie was approximately 5 years old.
Ashland, WI

Charlie in 2023.
Approximately 10 years old.
White Sulphur Springs, WV