#TDWC: The Eden of our Own Making

Thank you, Susan Rushton, for your inspiring door! Welcome! C’mon in! We are here to acknowledge and celebrate your humanity, no matter who you are. Black, brown, white; male or female; Christian, Muslim, atheist; whatever sexuality or identity; addict or teetotaler; the guy who doesn’t take care of the yard or the woman who bakes cookies for the neighbors; left or right; near or far. We are all friends and neighbors here. We all love one another here. Without question.Read more

#SoCS: Overbudget

May isn’t halfway over yet and I’m a bit overbudget. I think it started in April, actually. I bought a new bike. The bike needed a different bike seat. I finally decided to buy a bike carrier and two-inch receiver so that biking buddy didn’t always have to bear that load on her vehicle. A good bike carrier is not cheap, but it should last the rest of my biking days. Then I bought new, longer bike shorts because lastRead more

#SoCS: Empty and Whole

The last thing I emptied was a small portion of me A memory A word A thought That escaped I can’t remember Where I was going What I was doing Or thinking Perhaps I was headed to the closet for a roll of toilet paper, but passed it by and grabbed a cup of tea instead Perhaps I was supposed to be somewhere else I can remember words like discombobulate and facetious, but blank-stare over the simple one that hangsRead more

#SoCS: Random Questions from the Heart

In today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Linda Hill asks that participating bloggers use the word “heart” in their post. Naturally, I assume Linda is thinking about Valentine’s Day, coming up this Tuesday. I don’t celebrate the holiday because A) I am single and B) have a healthy supply of chocolate that makes every day Valentine’s Day. That being said, I am at a loss what to write about today because A) I don’t want to write anything mushy about feelingsRead more

Back for Now

Here we are Back for now Today Here we are Back for now In a poetic way Life too busy Far from easy Here and there Never Nowhere Here we are Back for now Ready Here we are Back for now Fast and Steady Life still fun On the run Ever exploring Sometimes boring Here I am Back for now Choosing Here I am Back for now Forward moving To write and read In various speeds Workouts again Upright andRead more

The Measure of Humanity

In a beloved episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, a cyberneticist arrives on the starship Enterprise with the intention of dismantling Data, the android, for scientific discovery and for the goal of creating more androids like him. Data would not survive this, and when he tries to give up his commission as an officer so they cannot order him to submit, Data is told he is not human and cannot make that decision for himself. He is a machine.Read more

Gibbs Sends His Congratulations

Geez. I’m still wondering how retired life got so busy, but it’s not a complaint. I rather like it this way because it beats spending too much time on the couch, watching mindless TV, in the midst of winter. Speaking of winter, my brother sent me this photo on Saturday morning. It snowed in Colorado, up to a foot in some places. This was my chance to laugh at his predicament and enjoy the cool 64F (18C) day in Wisconsin.Read more

#SoCS: The Fly

“What, are you catching flies?” she asked as I watched TV. I responded with a shrug. “Close your mouth,” she then scolded me. I suppose, to avoid a flying bug. But it happens again, I cannot deny The fleshy portal opens sure and slow I watch an episode of Olive and Popeye And give mother’s orders an innocent blow She glares at me and I once again comply Although an overbite says otherwise Honestly, I try and try and tryRead more

Checking in with Priorities

“Instead of saying ‘I don’t have time,’ try saying ‘it’s not a priority,’ and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.”― Wall Street Journal Let me be honest. Blogging hasn’t been a priority of late. I could say that I don’t have timeRead more

#SoCS: My Compulsivity

I joke at times about being a bit OCD, but the photo above is not far from my truth in the kitchen. I can obsess about keeping the counters clean, running my hand across the top, looking for crusty smudges I missed the last time I wiped them off. And I cannot wake up in the morning to a sink filled with dirty dishes. Natasha used to wonder about that – why I had to do dishes every time IRead more

Be Who You Are

Cheers to being who you are! The title of this post comes from a Sunday sermon, but I’m not here to impose Jesus upon you – although, what I’m about to say not only comes from who I am, but also from my spiritual heart. Many of you know who I am to some degree – Biker chick (both Harley and bicycle); cat lover; animal lover; beer and chocolate taste-tester; lover of outdoors and all things Star Trek and NCIS;Read more

Are you Annoyed?

“We need to give serious consideration to the fragility of democracy and less to our annoyances (like gas prices and masks).” ~Pam, on Facebook~ I don’t know who Pam is, but she put into words what I have been feeling long before Russia invaded Ukraine. As citizens who live in democracies with many freedoms and opportunities, we sure do whine a lot about our inconveniences. About masks and vaccines; rising gas prices; the cost of living; the lack of customerRead more