For They Passed a Noble Law

Wednesday. Choose and Defend Wednesday. Today's choice was inspired by my drive to work today. I was noticing all the different trees and shrubs and such. This got me to thinking...what if there were only one sort of tree in the world? I know...I know...it doesn't work like that due to climates and soils and reasonableness.  But, you know...what if?  If you had to look at just one sort of tree forever, which one of these would you Choose? And why? (Defend)

Evergreens

OR

Palm Trees

 

I am not the Lorax...I do not speak for the trees. But still, trees are cool...so speak! Choose and Defend! Happy Wednesday to you. 

This Musical Message is For Her Soul Slides Away

I Could Not Foresee This Thing Happening To You

BLACK.  The Alien over at Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections, known to some as Jasen, chose this week's awesome word. It was a sensible choice, given that yesterday was BLACK Friday. I choose not to participate in that particular annual ritual. The retailers will have to get into the BLACK without me...at least for that one day.

This isn't to say that I'm not a fan of BLACK. I am. My little BLACK heart loves the deep beauty of BLACK. I can't think of a time I've chosen white over BLACK.   Here are a couple of photos to illustrate why I love BLACK.

I am not a tiny girl.  I'm on the short side...but not tiny. Also, I spill things on myself. So, even when I am not being a witch, I tend to wear a lot of BLACK. It compliments my dark hair and light skin. It hides a multitude of sins, sort of. BLACK is where it's at when it comes to my clothing choices.

 

Sometimes, the thing about BLACK is how pretty it looks contrasting with light and color. BLACK creates the depth from which beauty springs delightfully. BLACK helps us appreciate the non-BLACK...while still appreciating the BLACK! Stand back, y'all!

 

Thank you for looking into the darkness with me on this lovely Saturday. I hope none of you were injured BLACK Friday shopping! If you did participate, I hope you got what you needed to make our next big holiday happy and bright...I will take mine in BLACK :)  Now...who will Jasen tag next?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Or at least...Happy Thursday!

You Know My Thoughts

Happy Wednesday...which this week is sort of like a Friday for some folks. Me, I have Thursday and Friday off, but have to work Saturday. So today is sort of....like Wednesday I guess.  None the less, in honor of this non-typical Wednesday, I thought I'd give you a non-typical Choose and Defend!

Here is my thought process...I wanted to do something Thanksgiving oriented, in spite of the sort of mixed reviews the holiday gets in these more enlightened times. In spite of the rather shameful origins of our place on this land, I like this holiday for the reminder to be thankful! It is a harvest festival...people besides those owning factory farms used to be thankful for their crops. We can all be thankful when our little gardens do well. We can be thankful for any number of things and should remember to, indeed, BE thankful. So...Thanksgiving is about gratitude and also, undeniably, about food.

I thought to myself, I could do a sort of blessings based Choose and Defend...I could do a favorite Thanksgiving food Choose and Defend....could I do something combining both?  I sure can! It is my blog, after all!  So this week's non-typical Choose and Defend goes like this -

Please Choose the dish you most look forward to each Thanksgiving. Then, tell how it relates to something for which you give thanks.  For example - The dish I most look forward to is the stuffing! I like mine good and bready. I don't like a lot of fruits and vegetables in there...just deliciously moist bread cubes and maybe some onion and spices. Throw some gravy on there, yeah!

Now...this relates to one of the things I am most thankful for this year...the good health of myself, my family, a great majority of my friends. Stuffing makes me remember that while I can't eat like this every day and expect to have continued great health, I can indulge now and again and I am thankful for that!

 

Will you give it a try? I know it is a different Choose and Defend, but indulge me if you can. If you do not celebrate Thanksgiving, you can simply play using any favorite food and blessing! See how easy?

 

So...Happy Choose and Defend Wednesday! Happy Thanksgiving Thursday tomorrow! ♥

This Musical Message is For All I Ever Wanted Was Your Life

What's Gonna Set You Free

Thanks for stopping by for some Saturday Scavenger Shots! Today's word is GRATITUDE. I chose it in honor of our upcoming holiday here in the U.S. 

This is an easy one. I make a conscious effort to focus on truly experiencing GRATITUDE for all the gifts I've been given.  Here are just a few of those gifts -

Delicious foods. Especially things that are chocolate. GRATITUDE.

 

My job. I complain about it, but really it is a wonderful way to earn a living. GRATITUDE.

 

Love. It is a gift to send it out into the world and to feel it coming back to you. GRATITUDE.

 

My awesome family. Healthy, happy, and possibly a bit crazy. GRATITUDE. GRATITUDE. GRATITUDE, ad infinitum.

 

 

I feel GRATITUDE for the opportunity to  have met so many amazing people through the magic of the Internet. You guys have literally (okay...figuratively) rocked my little world :)

 

Now all that is left to do is tag....Jasen! Choose wisely or foolishly. Either way is good! It's all good. Thank you. GRATITUDE.

Friday 5 - I'm Trying to Preposition You

It is kind of a cool day, so how about some piping hot Friday 5? Here are my answer to some questions. Do you have some answers too? Feel free to post in comments or on your own blog. I like answers. They make me feel in control!

1. What’s something that’s better on the rocks? Fountain drinks...but just a little rocky. And I seldom pour canned soft drinks over ice. If they've been refrigerated, they are already cold. If they have been out, pouring them over ice flattens them really quickly. Don't dilute the emotion, man! Feel it!


2. Whose behavior has been beyond belief? In this crazy, mixed-up world, is anything really beyond belief anymore? I guess I am a bit surprised by the recent wave of secessionist talk. I mean, really?!?!

3. In what way do you color outside the lines? I don't really. I am pretty conformist for the most part and don't tend to draw attention to myself with "coloring outside the lines" behaviors.  Sometimes, in certain company, my atheism and my liberalism make me feel like an outsider.

4.When were you recently relieved to be in the clear? I have recently been worrying about my mom and her feelings of loneliness stemming from her recent retirement. Fortunately, we found her a place next door to my ex and therefore, just around the block from DR and I....and four of my five kids! This doesn't really put ME in the clear....but it clears up a concern I was not handling very effectively.


5.What seems to have disappeared without a trace? Some of my relationship types of insecurities. Maybe not completely disappeared...so maybe there is still a trace...but my anxieties are fading and that is such a relief.



I hope you are all looking forward to a relaxing and/or exciting weekend. Please come back tomorrow to see my GRATITUDE Saturday Scavenger Shots. I'd be ever so grateful!

I'm Waiting For the Question To Be Asked

Harumph! Here I am, with my nose to the grindstone once again. All I have to relieve the daily workiness is Choose and Defend Wednesday :) Yay!

Are you feeling scientific today? If not....get in the mood post-haste! I want to know how you would choose to view things from a different perspective. Would you rather study things through...

A Microscope

OR

A Telescope

 

So, give us your view and tell us a little about it. You will brighten my day ever so much! Choose and Defend...because it is Wednesday and because science and beauty are calling to you.

This Musical Message is For I Live On My Knees

I've Been Standing Here Waiting Such a Long Time

Popping back in from my staycation bunker to post my Saturday Scavenger Shots entry! I'd hate to miss it, as I always look forward to it so.

This week's word, CARD, was chosen for us by the lovely Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti. This is one of those great, multi-purpose words! I couldn't decide what kind of CARD to post up here! Maybe the funniest person in my life...a real CARD. Maybe a greeting CARD or two from the ones that I've sentimentally saved. Maybe my ATM CARD. Maybe, like some weeks, all of the above.

This time, however, I am posting just one. Partly, this is just laziness. Partly, this highlights one of my favorite CARDS. Look -

Here is my awesome evil library CARD! Who wouldn't want an evil library CARD?!?!?! I got this from @EvilWylie on Twitter quite some time ago. He is one of author @andrewtschaffer 's evil alter egos. Anyway, I love this CARD. Something about it just feels so right.

So, there we go! Here is my CARD....where is yours? Two more days of staycation after today...I better use them wisely :) 

We Bought a Six-Pack at the Liquor Store

Happy Wednesday to all you happy people. Sorry I haven't been around blogs much the past few days. As you may know, I am staycationing this week. I don't do as much internetting in general when I am having some down time. However, you know I couldn't miss Choose and Defend Wednesday!

Today, real talk. We just had a big election here and the U.S. and it is time to move on. I may have asked this question or a similar one before, but it seems timely. Basically, I'm just taking our collective emotional temperature, so to speak. Most of us tend to skew towards either optimism or pessimism as a sort of character trait. We're realists or maybe wishful thinkers.  But right now, at this moment in history....how do you feel? Is the glass...

Half Empty

OR

Half Full

I understand this is a rather fatuous question. You understand that most of the questions I ask here are. But I'm sincerely curious. How to do you feel, right now. At this moment. Let us know...you can even tell us what's in your glass! Choose and Defend.

Thx! xxxxxx!

This Musical Message is For Trust in Your Dream

I Know That's the Way You Like It

It seemed only fitting that Jasen over at Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections chose the word WILD for this week's Saturday Scavenger Shots. We have had that WILD storm on the East Coast. I imagine some people may have had a WILD Halloween. Or perhaps you've just been going WILD over the World Series. Who knows? But we can all use a little WILDness in our lives.

I will say that my mind has been racing a bit WILDly lately. Lots to be legitimately overwhelmed about. But as I've posited many times before, it feels much more sane to roll with the punches than to struggle. So, I am attempting to tame the WILD meanderings of my bitty brain.

Still, in the interest of Saturday Scavenger Shots and all that is good in chaos and recklessness, here are some mildly WILD photos for you to enjoy.

 In honor of Halloween, I presented four programs at the Library. I do them each year (usually only two) for the 2-6 year olds. They get a chance to put on their costumes, come to a storytime, and trick or treat through the Library. They find it incredibly exciting and things tend to get a bit WILD.

This was actually the WILDest thing about my Halloween celebrating. Halloween itself was very quiet. DR and I had a bit of candy, but not a single child stumbled by!

 

This girl looks ready for a WILD time, no? Girlie Girl was a very cute flapper for one of the parties she attended.

 

 

Finally, here is one of my neighbors.  Apparently he lost his head in some sort of WILD and crazy motocycling mishap! He still seems up for anything though. Some people are so creative with their decorating. Makes me WILD with envy :)

 

Thanks for stopping in here. May the rest of your weekend and the week to come be just as WILD as you want them to be!