It's Not Quite Christmas!

 Busy is what you make it!  Here we are, only a couple of weeks away from Christmas.  In this age of COVID, I can't believe how full life has been and how fast it's moving.  Of course at my age, it's really only a crawl.

Anyway, Slobbers and I put together a slide show for our friends on social media and we thought we'd share it with you.

Gift Books for Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2021

 A little levity from Slobbers to begin this post. Slobbers, my saving grace.

It has been quite a couple of years, hasn't it? Is the end in sight? Sometimes I think maybe, then again, I think not.  Never-the-less, I've always tried to be a glass half full person.

As is true every year, there are things to be thankful for if nothing more than looking into your yard and seeing the birds hop around searching for seed or your kids playing with your dog. Normalcy, as it once was. For this I am thankful.

What I rue is the chaos that still reigns. The divisiveness that begets unrest and violence. The political philosophies and agendas that strive for power for a few and a bitter pill for the remainder.

It is so foreign to the America in which I grew up and I miss that America - terribly. The America I live in today is taking its toll.  I'm old and for a very long time I never felt so.  I do now. I've had two years of what could have been vibrant life, denied.  Not by a virus but by those who would use it as a weapon of convenience. I find it hard not to resent them. I do resent them.

My level of patience is very low. I'm tired. I ache mentally and physically. I look at the table and there sits that glass. There is liquid in it to the half way point.  Is it half full or half empty? I look out my kitchen door. Quail are scurrying across the yard. Little House Finches are splashing around the edge of the pond. A pair of Great Horned Owls are getting their zzzzz's in a willow.

I look back at the glass.  It is half full.  No doubt about it. And for that I am thankful.

How Time Flies!

 I saw this bit of clipart and it made me smile. I thought I better get to this.

I can't believe my last post was the middle of last month.  I guess there is some truth to the idea time flies by more quickly as you age. Hmmmm.

I do lose all track of it but I will use the excuse I've been busy. As the few of you who follow me know, I write children's adventure/mystery books and am trying to get number four in the series completed.

Having read through what I have, I decided it needs a major overhaul.  I found myself writing a history of the characters rather than concentrating on the adventure/mystery part.  Ho hum.  Back to square one.  It's coming.  But writing about it in a blog must also be ho hum for people looking for things of interest.  

A few times I've strayed back to old habits and blew off some steam over current day politics.  I could go back to that full time, but why?  I think just about everything that can be said has been said.  The question is what's to be done to change things?  I see the agents of change being parents. Don't mess with anyone's kids!  I think the military might have a say in what's going on, too.  The rank and file military.  Hopefully between the two groups some movement toward the positive can be made.

So, back to what I've been doing.  I'm working on a previews of my books, little slide shows, for my authors page on Amazon. I'll post them here just for the fun of it.  I'm also seeing if I can pull enough together to create a You Tube channel for Slobbers.  I'm getting way beyond my skill set with this but my publishing people think it's time to broaden his horizons. Anyone want to pitch in and help??

With that, I'll look at the clock and then get back to work.  Thanks for hanging around.

My America

While on a less traveled road in Montana last weekend we drove past a display of American flags between Joliet and Roberts - far from much of anything.  Being September 12, we figured it was in remembrance of 9/11 but then the number of flags caught my husband's attention.

Upon taking a closer look we found 13 flags, their poles embedded in a chunk of log and beneath a sign bearing the name and rank of each of our military killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle. They had solar powered lights to show them off at night. 

There was no credit as to who placed them.  Other than a business across the highway there was little around for miles.  It may have been that business.  Or not. What matters is that a group of caring, respectful and caring people paid homage to a group of young patriots who tragically and unnecessarily lost their lives in service to their country.

I had a lot of time, on that little jaunt, to think about a lot of things. That small memorial.  The reminiscence of being married to the same man for 52 years and being in good enough health to be able to get away from the world for a quick celebration. What we've witnessed during all those years and even before we merged our lives. And yes, the beauty of total silence, still water and reflection. 

For that short but wonderful weekend I remembered so much about what this country has been and hopefully can be again if we will speak up and out for it.  Demand it. 

All is not lost.  The vast and natural beauty of the countryside can still be found if one but looks. And the vast and natural decency of its people, it's everyday hard working people, can still be found if one but looks.

I came home with renewed faith and hope but just in case it isn't to be, I will continue to write about the way it was.  Not for the adults who would destroy it, but for the children so they can know what was.

"Businesslike" and "Professional"

 I suppose it's all a matter of perspective.  The meaning of words this day and age. Our whole language and culture is changing because of the "woke" movement, what ever that is and why it's even tolerated.

Okay, here I go again. An old lady who well knows Joe Biden should not be President any more than Donald Trump should run again.  When we reach a certain age everything about us is diminishing, be it cognitive acuity or the ability to compete in an Ironman competition. There comes a time when you should recognize truth because even if you refuse to, for whatever reason, those around you will.

So it is with Joe Biden. I think he's going rogue on his handlers.  I think he's still sharp enough to understand he is President and is getting irritated by being manipulated. Never mind that the reason that is happening is because that's where his being sharp ends.

That being said, if he is so sharp, I wish he would keep closer tabs on those who speak for him. We hear that the Taliban was "businesslike and professional" in facilitating the departure of a plane full of refugees and, hopefully, some Americans. Never mind that there are another half dozen planes being held on the tarmac of another airfield that the Taliban will not release.  No one is telling us what sort of "business and professionalism" is going on there.

Are they also being "businesslike and professional" when they arrest two fellow Afghanis, reporters, for covering a woman's protest?  Was it "businesslike and professional" the way the men were beaten and told they were lucky they hadn't been beheaded?

I'm sure they were. That is the "business" the Taliban is in. I fear we aren't that far from using similar tactics in this country. It depends on who wins the battle of wills.  Unfortunately, there seems to be only one side of our divide that has any will and it isn't the right side.

What really makes me cringe for the moment, however, is wondering when they'll start being "businesslike and professional" with those Americans and allies waiting on that other tarmac and those still trying to reach it. Will we even know? What journalist in his or her right mind would chance covering it?