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#SoCS: Tuning Back In

Forgive me, blogging spirits, it’s been six weeks since my last post. The summer has been all-consuming with the many things. I admit…I have not been in tune with the writing community and for that, I am a little bit sorry. For penance, I will say five Hail WordPress’s and share the following post. Amen. And where have I been, you may ask? Watching men and women tune their guitars during the Mile of Music Festival for three days inRead more
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#SoCS: FOMO

The Fear of Missing Out… Like the cat who watches his owner eat chicken and wonders why the hell he’s not getting a portion of the succulent meat. *Cat Gibbs notes this comment and walks away in a huff.* Humans experience FOMO from early in life. When five-year old Billy can’t go to his best buddy’s birthday party because he’s sick in bed, or 10 year old Susie is missing out on a slumber party with friends because mom andRead more
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SoCS: All Over the Place

Ubiquitous: Everywhere. In mind and body, this summer has been packed with places to go and things to do. I feel as if I’ve been all over the place the past eight or nine weeks. In other words…everywhere. Vacation, meet-ups with friends, appointments, keeping a kitten occupied, a music festival, watering flowers, walking at night with the neighbors, and volunteering for a week-long arts camp for kids through the church I attend. In between laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.Read more
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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
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Never Ever

“I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.” ~Susan Branch~ One last summer hurrah That is all I need Til the season rolls around again And I am on my steed Summers tend to feel short in Wisconsin, but we northerners take advantage of the season as much as possible. Biking buddy and I had two wonderful days of wheeling in the sun over the past weekend, with unseasonably mild temps in the 70’s and 80’s F.Read more
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#SoCS: Hot and Dry

The photo above is one of Little Lake Butte des Morts on June 16th. Another day without rain, but a perfect summer day. The above-normal heat of June had subsided, but the slime green is a telltale sign of how our weather has been. The lake thinks it’s August, the dog days of summer, not the waning days of spring. Too many hot hours in the upper 80’s and low 90’s F (30-34C), without rain, have lowered water levels, madeRead more
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SoCS: Breathing Seasons

Breathe in Breathe out Lungs cauterized by winter’s frozen retort Stark trees bare their darkened soul Breathe in Breathe out Lungs refreshed by spring’s unprocessed reply White birch bare their newborn green Breathe in Breathe out Lungs parched by summer’s brazen song Limbs bare their sultry, layered bark Breathe in Breathe out Lungs clear and crisp by autumn’s chameleon chatter Leaves bare their red and golden hues Breathe in Breathe out Lungs expand and collapse by pages on the calendarRead more
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Benched Contemplation

“Seated here in contemplations lost, my thought discovers vaster space beyond, supernal silence and unfathomed peace.”  ~Giacomo Leopardi~ The brother was home this past weekend. While we always find a craft beer or two during a visit, those visits always come with walking. Walking a county or state trail, walking downtown Appleton after a meal, walking in brewery tour, or walking through botanical gardens. (Someone has a hard time sitting for too long.) This past Saturday, we made the driveRead more
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What You Want

“You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometimes you might find You get what you need” ~The Rolling Stones~ We don’t always get what we want on vacation; however, vacation is something we all need. Wouldn’t you agree? (Crazy workaholics need not answer) For example, one may not get sweaty hot weather… But blue skies and a view is what is needed most. One may not see the perfect, cloudless sunset… But who can argue withRead more
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Gone

Gone are the flowers of summer. Burgundy, pink and white. They lived forever, it seems. Through rain and blazing sun bright. Gone are the hues of precious petals. The colors that swathed the porch. They lived forever, it seems. And held nature’s beautiful torch. Gone are the leaves that climbed and spread. The vine as it followed its trail. They could have lived forever, it seems. Impatiens under the guise of frail. Gone are the flowers, into an empty field.Read more
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Dog Days & Band-Aids

“The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. “The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. “It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsetsRead more