Month: January 2023

#JusJoJan ~ 1/31/23

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Linda writes & I copy paste Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st 2023, is “write.” Use the word “write” any way you’d like. Have fun! You see what I just did there 😂. We shall indeed end with a flourish. HERE are the rules and ping back. Join us if you can.

The pen is mightier than the sword. Well howdy people 🤠. I believe that is true. From lived experience. Only it took me a while to realize it and I might forget again.

Just what the heck am I talking about? Writing ✍️ has saved my life. Yep still a Queen 👸🏻 comma drama 🎭. How has writing saved you Jilly? you ask. Well I’ll tell you. I’ve kept journals off & on my entire life. I had so many feelings swirling around in my mind that I had to write them out so more intrusive thoughts could enter. But really, writing the thoughts out made them less scary 😧. Like somehow once my fears were articulated, for the made up sH!t they were & memorialized on the page, poof they were gone. Does this even make sense? Well maybe 🤔

My journals were not only doom & gloom. There was poetry & doodles. I included happiness along with hopes & dreams. Joyful memories. Stories of my life.

Once I started working, I took a hiatus from journaling. The only writing I did was for work or school. I was on the 23 year college track but I eventually finished ✅ To this day, I can write an ‘A’ paper in my sleep 😴. I’m pretty persuasive when I want to be. Which leads me to today’s epiphany.

Writing or communicating in its many forms are how we connect with each other. What the world 🌎 needs now is love sweet love 💕 . How much better to express this gratitude than using your words wisely.

Now I’m writing daily & dang it feels good. 1632 days in a row in fact. Seems like hot minutes but it’s been years. No plans for stopping any time soon.

Time to land the plane. It’s muy frio here right now. Brrr 🥶 They’ve postponed a work celebration and encouraged us to work from home 🏡 today. I’ll be starting in 10 minutes. Maybe I should skedaddle.

As always more to come.

Share Your World ~ 1/31/23

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Thanks Di for the questions, and away we go …

1.  Do you consider yourself to be romantic? Ugh nope, that would be a big negatory.

2.  Do you send cards on Valentine’s Day? Even bigger nope, I rarely send cards for any occasion.

3.  Would you spend a considerable amount of money on a single red rose for your beloved? Nope again, there’s a theme here.

4.   What is your idea of a romantic evening? A nice dinner & time spent talking. Everything we do centers around food. That could be a problem but really it’s the good company that’s the focal point, the food is secondary.

Gratitude: Love is all around. Embrace it.

This is very true & I need to remember that. Quit pining for what isn’t & started appreciating what is right in front of my face. I don’t want to one day back one day with regrets.

As always, more to come.

#JusJoJan ~ 1/30/23

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Linda writes “Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th 2023, is “canine.” Use the word “canine” any way you’d like. Enjoy!” Dawn gives the word of the day & it’s an excellent one. Visit Dawn’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already. HERE are the rules & ping back.

Dogs truly are humans’ best friends IMO. My FB bio is that I’m a crazy dog lady who likes to read, write, & listen to music. I probably should take crazy off the list. I always said it’s ok because I’m saying crazy about myself. But truth be told, calling yourself crazy, even in jest, is not ok.

We’ve loved lots of dogs over the years & as I stroll down memory lane, I will name them all.

Muggsy, the Mutt, was my first. I barely remember him but once when mom dropped an egg, while making breakfast, she called him over to lick it up before mopping the kitchen floor. This might be a flashbulb memory but I swear it happened. I hear his nails clicking on the linoleum floor along with the slurping sounds.

Next was Queenie, a temperamental fox terrier. Who was already old when our families blended. She wasn’t fond of kids & set in her ways. When she passed away, we got Midnight, a jet black, border collie, chow mix.

We got him at a softball game. A person was in the parking lot giving away puppies to good home. We begged for him & mom finally agreed. Dad took more convincing. We couldn’t decide what to call him so each of us put a name on a slip of paper, dropped in a hat then drew. I had written Fluffy & was devastated when the slip with Midnight came out of the hat instead. My sister picked the name because he was jet black & it fit him well. My brother, Jim & I would sing song his name “Midnight come here boy”. He’d run right over every time. Such a sweet baby despite the chow influence. Though I don’t believe a breed is “bad” inherently. Bad owners cause bad doggies.

After Midnight, there was Suggie, a chihuahua. Originally my sister’s dog. She was working long hours and lil Suggie was eating her furniture. Leaving her crated all day every day wasn’t ideal. We took her in to give her the much needed attention she craved. Suggie came to us fully trained. She would sit, roll over, and stay like a champ. She barked her head off at the mailman. Feisty & protective.

Then I moved out & got married. B’s aunt & uncle gifted us a pure bred collie, like Lassie. We named him Zachary. Two years later, from the same mother dog, we bought my brother, Paul a collie as a surprise birthday gift. Never do that! The dog was named Bandit. After Smokey and … B & I got him back when things didn’t quite work out. But the two collies, Z & B did not get along to the point of blood drawn. We placed an ad in the paper, old school, free to good home. Two families showed up at about the same time with only Bandit up for grabs. The little boy whose parents were 5 minutes behind the first person cried, “he’s just like prince momma, can we take him home?” I cried too, of course I did. B & I chatted real quick, we also worked longs hours with extensive commutes & this little boy would love Zachary & give him more time & attention than we could. Yep, both dogs went to good homes. That was such a lonely night. Felt good but sad simultaneously.

We were without a dog for a bit. Now we have Buddy & Spot, who are red heeler/lab mixes, littermates. They turned 12 or 13 in April. I always forget & need a FB memory to remind me how old they are. I’ve gone on so long, that I will stop for today. I might write the story of Buddy & Spot another day.

Until then, happy Monday. Hope you have a wonderful day.

As always, more to come.

#JusJoJan ~ 1/29/23

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Linda writes Your prompt for JusJoJan January 29th 2023, is “exercise.” Use the word “exercise” any way you’d like. Have fun!” Wendy is the prompt originator. Woo Hoo! Visit Wendy’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already. HERE are the rules & ping back.

I enjoy exercise but not the formal kind. Back in the day, I was good for a jazzercise class or two. These days I prefer to meander around out in the world. LuLu & I get our steps in every weekend walking outdoors when the weather permits. With all my conditions, walking is about the only thing I have left. I do count gardening as exercise too but that’s seasonal & very short durations. And of course my physical therapy counts as exercise too just not the aerobic kind. Slow stretching and lifting light weights where I don’t even break a sweat most days. But I do feel better afterwards. That ice stimulus electrode thing is heaven on earth.

As always, more to come.

#SLS ~ 1/29/23

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The prompt is new wave. Woo to the hoo! Thanks Jim for hosting. HERE are the rules & ping back.

So many songs to choose from makes picking one to share very hard. I’ve previously shared a few here on my blog already. Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads or Rock Lobster by the B52s. Devo’s Whip It or Duran Duran Rio. See what I mean. How can I pick just one? Finally I opted to go with Blue Monday by New Order. Writer(s): Morris, Stephen Paul David; Sumner, Bernard; Hook, Peter; Gilbert, Gillian Lesley. HERE are some wiki details.

How does it feel
To treat me like you do
When you’ve laid your hands upon me
And told me who you are

I thought I was mistaken
I thought I heard your words
Tell me how do I feel
Tell me now how do I feel

Those who came before me
Lived through their vocations
From the past until completion
They will turn away no more

And I still find it so hard
To say what I need to say
But I’m quite sure that you’ll tell me
Just how I should feel today

I see a ship in the harbor
I can and shall obey
But if it wasn’t for your misfortunes
I’d be a heavenly person today

And I thought I was mistaken
And I thought I heard you speak
Tell me how do I feel
Tell me now how should I feel

Now I stand here waiting

I thought I told you to leave me
While I walked down to the beach
Tell me how does it feel
When your heart grows cold
(Grows cold, grows cold, grows cold)

Hope you liked my pick of the day. The lyrics are dark but the juxtaposition is this song has a haunting beat that you can dance to. Or pogo around until you fall down. Either way, enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

As always, more to come.

Sunday Reflections” A Week in Review ~ 1/29/23

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I know I over use this phrase but dang where has the time gone? January is almost in the books. I wish things would stand still for just a second before barreling on, day by day.

I learned something new this morning. We dropped off groceries at B’s parents, as they slept. It is just easier because we can put everything up instead of them insisting to leave it only to find things for the fridge out the next day. As we left, we heard the stickiness of the floor on our shoes. I start to tell B something about their housekeeper/nurse/jill of all trades, 65 year old Michelle, that surely she knows how the mop a floor. B tells me that he heard from Kenneth that particular cleaner is used to avoid falls. Who the hell knew? It’s supposed to be sort of tacky. And all this time LuLu & I thought she couldn’t rinse a mop. I kind of thinking it might be a tripping hazard to get stuck but what do I know.

Alrighty, enough of that. Time for roll call. I almost made the entire week with twofers but yesterday, I read my book & watched The price of Glee on TV. Mindless, nothing day. After baking a cherry cobbler that is.

#JusJoJan

The Usual Fodder

Peace y’all. Until next time. Stay safe.

As always, more to come.

#JusJoJan & #SoCS ~1/28/23

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Linda writes & I copy paste: Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 28th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “throw in the towel.” Use the phrase “throw in the towel” somewhere in your post. Enjoy! WoW 😮, the final #JusJoJan & #SoCS of 2023 is here. Blink & 1/12 of 2023 will be in books.

Throw in the towel isn’t in my vocabulary. I’m a dog with a bone. Ruff ruff 🐶. I can’t remember ever quitting anything. I do remember continuing on through the sludge when I probably should’ve quit. Ugh 😑 And that’s all she wrote.

Join you if you can. HERE are the rules and ping back. Hope everyone has a sensational Saturday.

As always more to come.

Friday Free For All ~ 1/27/23

Published on by J-Dub6 Comments

Sticking to my two-a-day workouts for January mind bending experiences, I’m rambling nonsense. Where are my bee pictures? I’m saving WP real estate & my media is 80% full. Guess the bee pictures will have to stay in FB land.

I worked for a boss once upon a time who had a peach orchard as a side gig. He knew first hand the importance of bees. When people would say You catch more flies with honey, he’d respond Nope! you catch more BEES.

The Texas Department of Health & Human Services are bees in my opinion. Stinging lil bastards. I could tell you all my trials and tribulations but it takes too long. Short story, today’s follow up to obtain personal records to which I am entitled ended up with me being hung up on twice & then an escalated complaint to the Ombudsman’s Office. OO bite me!

The last time we had this situation, B helped me. Pretty sure I wrote about it too but I cannot find the post. Today I told him, you need to leave this room. LOL

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I may need to take a road trip to m*therf**cking Austin. How much you wanna bet that the people who are responsible to answer my inquiry work in a call center in Cleveland? C’mon, let’s make a pool. What are the odds that little Jilly would drive all the way to Austin for nada? Except to be arrested for trespassing on government property. Guess I should get an attorney on speed dial.

Seriously, I won’t do anything of the sort. I’m a little yappy dog who just yaps away. The mo-fos.

And with that happy FriYay!

As always, more to come.

#JusJoJan ~ 1/27/23

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Linda says Your prompt for JusJoJan January 27th 2023, is “amenities.” Use the word “amenities” any way you’d like. Have fun! Kim provides the word of the day. Woo hoo! Visit Kim’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there. HERE are the rules & ping back.

Well alrighty. Amenities. I’m a snob. I want the spa in the hotel I stay in, with room service, a swimming pool, and stunning views. When I was growing up we vacationed pulling a travel trailer behind our Ford station wagon with a way, way back. Sometimes the KOA campgrounds had fantastic amenities & other times just running water.

Little bratty Jilly would say “when I grow up & have my family, we’re staying in hotels”. Then as an adult, I realized the price point, camping was way more affordable. Plus the important part was the places we were seeing & experiences we were living. Big Bend, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Pikes Peak, the Royal Gorge, Carlsbad Caverns. Indeed, I had/have a charmed life. Where we slept at night was secondary.

One year I remember going to California with just the station wagon & staying at motels. This was a smaller family trip since my two of my older brothers were working & did not come with us. I had just got my license so my dad & I split the time driving. When you’re going IH 10 west, after you get out of Texas, it is flat and straight with little traffic for much of the way. The allure wore off real quick. One year we took the train from San Antonio to Santa Barbara then rented a van to drive to Lompoc. The amenities on the train were seriously lacking but the experience is one I treasure to this day.

As always, more to come.