#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: Yellow Bird

“Yellow bird, up high in banana tree.Yellow bird, you sit all alone like me. Did your lady friend leave the nest again?That is very sad, makes me feel so bad.You can fly away, in the sky away.You’re more lucky than me.“ A childhood memory. From grade school. When my classmates and I were given songs to sing in unison. The boys hated this one. I loved it. Choucoune is a lyrical poem written by Oswald Durand in 1883 that praisesRead more

#SoCS: Stream and Scene Business

Hey, Old Gray Guy! I have a name, Hoshi. I know, just messing with you. What do you want that you would wake me from my slumber? We have an assignment from the human, Gibbs, and I’m not sure how to comply. Really? You never comply. With anything. Ha, ha, very funny. I thought so. Let’s get serious here, she wants this done by Saturday morning. The human says that we have to “stream,” whatever that means, and make itRead more

#SoCS: Generally Speaking…

I hate technology at times. It’s Friday afternoon and the images I wanted to share are not cooperating. The android is not cooperating. Gmail is not cooperating. Gibbs tells me I’m not cooperating with his eating schedule. Whatever. The washer and dryer ARE cooperating, thank the Lord. Clean clothes are genuinely required. Anyhow, the photo of the bike is now my new bike, without the bike rack, odometer, front and rear lights and water bottle holder that was added atRead 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: I Met the Enemy

March 1, 2023 The enemy began its assault. It was met head on, but the dark horseman stood its ground and moved to intercept the army of immunity. Covid had a job to do and it would not accept defeat without a fight. An eight day fight. And so… My luck ran out. Almost four years without a cold, the flu or any indication of a virus lurking around the corner, Covid finally caught up with me and threw meRead more

#SoCS: Profound and Pink

She steps out into the morning sun, a growing child of five, taking in the warmth of spring and new beginnings. The child heads to her love, a pink bike that sits in the corner of the yard, the one thing that brings adventure to her life as the tires spin across the grass and gravel. The sun beckons her down the block, across the cracks of sidewalk cement and slowly, across decades, she ages into her real self, theRead 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

#SoCS is Out of the Box

After three weeks of non-blogging due to holiday madness, I’m back to explore Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness prompt: The first thing that comes to mind when I think of “out of the box.” I’m looking like Hoshi at the moment. A little bit clueless, a little bit waiting for someone to present my next meal. Hoshi is wondering why Linda G. Hill didn’t make this prompt about “in the box,” because she and Gibbs would have a lotRead more

#SoCS: Anyway Times Two

Gibbs and Hoshi fill in for the human…discussing chicken, Christmas and being a cat, among other things. Anyway… What did you say, little peanut? Nothing…maybe something…I said “anyway. Anyway.” And what is that supposed to mean? I dunno. I heard the big, tall one say that. You mean “mom,” the human? Is that what we call it? I didn’t know. I only know it gives me food and cuddles and lets me sleep under the covers. SHE is not anRead more

#SoCS: Happy Colorado Places

Eleven days in heaven. A happy place. Mountains, canyons, cliffs, yellow aspens, flowers, views for miles. Many of you know that bicycling in the warmer months is my usual happiness, but a visit to Colorado in autumn is breathtaking. Being out in nature is my jam, whether on bike or hiking on foot. Nearer to God, nearer to the planet’s creation, nearer to the sights and smells that create a feeling of calm and peace. Unless, of course, I amRead 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