#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

#SoCS: The Ring that Takes us Back

Ring, circle, loop, wheel… I’m not sure what it is about the coming of autumn. Memories ring and hang in the air. I have been drawn to the home of my youth on a number of occasions, but autumn always takes me back to the lake. Shadow Lake. Where I used to spend many summer days, tanning with the Coppertone lotion that may have had a sunblock of 5 or a sunburn of 5. I didn’t sunburn as a child,Read 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

SoCS: Bagging the Last Two Weeks

Gibbs bagged himself a spot on the couch arm recently, and hung out. He was happy his human was home from vacation, but nevertheless gave that “poor, poor me” vibe. Things would turn worse, unfortunately, when the poor soul went to the vet for dental and had two incisors pulled. They are smaller teeth between the canines on the upper and lower jaw. I had a cat once that had all of his lower incisors pulled and afterward, he hadRead more

They Died for Life

They did not die so that we could protest A self-centered right to damage others They did not die so that we could protect A lump of metal rather than mothers They did not die to devalue our life The lives of youth, adults, humanity They did not die to cause hatred and strife The divide of nation, insanity They did not die for monetary gain To line their uniform’s pockets with blood They did not die for ego, toRead 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: How Ya Doin’?

How many times have you asked that question of family and friends? A hundred? A thousand? Too many times to count? When we don’t stay in touch with our people on a regular basis, it’s a fairly common first question to ask. Right? So, how are you doing my fellow blogging peeps? I’ve been a tad busy the last couple of weeks, which means I haven’t published a post or been reading many of your posts. I apologize. I’m notRead 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