Spring Cleaning?

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. - Confucius


This sort of goes along with last week's quote by Robert Frost. Considering all the nothingness that is being spontaneously spouted about over the air waves, it seems that there are more questions being asked than answers being spewn forth from those from whom we would like truthful and straightforward dialog.

Such is any election year when the telephone rings non-stop and your mailbox is filled with dead trees upon which the candidate of the day is touting his pristine record while slinging his (or her) opponent a mud pie to the face.

Outright lies and half truths are the pitfall of modern politics, but no doubt this has been the case, on some level, since the beginning of government. I think it is time for a little Spring cleaning.

Let's start with some Windex® so we can see through the hazy rhetoric, some bleach to clean up around their back doors, and a hand truck to move them to the curb. Who's with me? Rubber gloves and dust masks provided. Beer and pizza when we're done.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Say What?

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. - Robert Frost

I am going to just let this speak for itself because I think there is enough nothing being said in today's world.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Just Listen!

The earth has music for those who listen. - Shakespeare

The earth is constantly trying to get our attention. Every time a species is added to the endangered list. Every time the words climate change are uttered. Every time we read about a fish kill from contaminated water. We have but one planet and it's resources are not unlimited. Let us listen to what it is telling us.

Earth Day is Friday, April 22.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Over 900 and Counting

I have been blogging since September 2009, obviously not for the fame, but because I am making my little mark upon that vast sea of information that is the internet. 

Like many of you, I didn't grow up in the information age. I was well into my twenties before I got my first computer, and for about 15 years I made my living with computers and technology.

It was 2011 before I got my first smart phone and only recently replaced it. Nope, I've never been one to jump on the high-tech band wagon, but I am getting off topic. 

I enjoy blogging, and it is especially rewarding when I read that my words have touched someone, encouraged someone, made them smile or even laugh out loud, or in today's speak...lol.

When I first started out, I frequently checked my stats was either elated or deflated depending on the number of visitors and/or comments I received. Evidently I have become complacent over the years and only last week realized that I had passed the 900 mark. No fan fare, no hoopla, nothing...just click publish and done.

That I have published over 900 posts in about six and a half years must say that I like to see myself in print. Hey, that's better than 900 pictures of yours truly!  Anyway, I hope you'll keep coming around 'cause I'm not done yet.

The Quote of the Week will return next week.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Through The Storm

When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about. - Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is a contemporary Japanese writer whose works have been on the best seller list in Japan. Born in 1949 in Kyoto Japan, he writes both fiction and non-fiction and is often criticized as un-Japanese and influenced by Western writers.

What kind of storms is he talking about? No, not storms like hurricanes, blizzards or dust storms, but real life storms that have the potential to be life changing events. I expect that many of you can relate. 

Considering that I am a fan of The Walking Dead, there are so many ways I could go with this, but I am choosing to see it in a positive light.

I think what Murakami is saying is that no matter how rough the storm that we pass through, the potential is there for us to emerge stronger or wiser or more compassionate and that surviving the storm can change our outlook and perspective. 

What do you think? How would you interpret this?



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Is It Real?

Or is it April Fools?

April showers bring May flowers, but the first day of April brings out the jokester in some of us. Here are some interesting stories I happened upon this morning.

Hip2Save is giving up couponing in favor of a singing career. Introducing Hip2Sing! Following her childhood dream of becoming a singer, Ms. Hip2Save is turning over the reins of her couponing empire to her trusted team while she pursues a different kind of spotlight.

Looking for Romance on the highway? Look no further. Check out the new Gas Buddy with Benefits. Here's what they are saying about the newest edition in the Gas Buddy lineup. 

“What is more romantic than finding love at a gas station?” said Helen Johnson, expert relationship advisor for GasBuddyWithBenefits. “GasBuddy has been outstanding at matching users with the perfect gas station, and with such passionate users, there were sure to be some lovebirds that shared more than just their love for gas..."


Are you in the market for a new job? Like to work alone? Redbox has just the job for you! Here are some additional requirements. Hurry, this opportunity is valid online today only!

• Must be able to think "inside the box"

• Not afraid of the dark

• Skilled at stacking discs

• Yoga experience recommended

Please share any April Fools jokes you have fallen victim to, or instigated.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Let Us Begin

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. - Mother Teresa

The passing of Winter, the arrival of Spring and the anticipation of Summer represent the past, present and future. With Spring comes a sense of renewal, of life beginning afresh. We need to be present in the here and now and make the most of this day. Shall we begin?



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Where in the World Are You?

A day comes in the springtime

When earth puts forth her powers

Casts off the bonds of winter

And lights him hence with flowers...

- Dora Read Goodale

Do you ever read things that you know that you should know but that seem to have fallen through the cracks? Today is the Vernal Equinox, albeit a chilly one in my neck of the woods. Spring arrived here two weeks ago and slipped out the back door yesterday. I was going to share some Spring joy with all my friends, but that's not the case for everyone.

While it is Spring here, on the other side of the world folks are wrapping up Summer and sending it packing. One thought led to another and soon I was considering things like hemispheres and who was where, and if the dividing line circles the globe how come we have four hemispheres? Did you know the United States is in both the Northern and Western Hemispheres? 

There are two dividing lines. The first being the Equator, or zero degrees latitude, which divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The second is the Prime Meridian, or zero degrees longitude, which divides the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. While the United States falls completely in both the Northern and Western Hemispheres, there are some countries which are intersected by these lines. The Prime Meridian intersects eight countries and twelve fall directly on the Equator. Depending on where the lines fall, you could be part of up to three hemispheres.

I am sure I must have learned this back in the day somewhere between Bedrock and Google, but I needed a refresher course.

So for my friends around the globe, in which hemisphere(s) are you located?

There is a good explanation found here.



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

They're Everywhere!

Look for the small miracles and you'll find they're everywhere. -unknown

Baby Hedgehog

Life is a miracle. Enjoy yours.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

What Are You Doing Today?

What you do today can improve all your tomorrows. - Ralph Marston

The things you do each day impact each of the following days. For example, working out or even walking with a friend or strolling alone with your thoughts, can change how you feel tomorrow. Making good choices today, whether it's exercise, the food you eat or what you allow into your thoughts, put you in a better place for the days ahead.

What are you doing today to prepare for a better tomorrow? 



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Where's The Pizza?

Nobody's perfect, and our fondest memories of anyone are of the hilarious ways they proved it. - Robert Brault

Oops, no pizza in here.

This is so true!  Around our house there is always something to laugh about, and it is usually the stupidest simplest thing that sets off another round of guffaws.

Most of the time I am the one who does or says something that triggers it, and I am the one who laughs the hardest. But a few weeks ago on pizza night, Hubby got his turn.

It's always his job to pull the pizza out of the oven when it's done. Now what you need to know here is that the oven and the dishwasher are both black and right next to each other.  So with the over-sized oven mitts he got for Christmas, he goes to retrieve the pizza, stands squarely in front of the dishwasher, and starts to open the latch, pause..."wait, that's not right." 

We all have those days don't we?  Care to share, or tell on someone else?




If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

A Clean Slate

Whatever your past has been your future is spotless. - unknown

Our past may hold the stains of our mistakes, but what lies ahead has yet to be touched by our words and deeds.  Our future is a clean slate. How clean can we keep it once it becomes our present?


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

When Easy Becomes Difficult

There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly. - Publius Terentius Afer

Publius Terentius Afer, better know in English as Terence, was a playwright whose comedies were performed back in 170-160 BC. He was of North African descent and brought to Rome as a slave by a Roman Senator who educated him and subsequently freed him. He wrote six plays, all of which survived.

I think what Terence is saying here is that no matter how easy the task, if it's something we dislike doing, and possibly procrastinate, it becomes difficult. Like, for example, unloading the dishwasher. It is a simple task that no one enjoys doing, therefore it becomes a painful job to be avoided.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Pass It On

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. - Maya Angelou

You know that feeling you get when you see a rainbow? Happy and filled with wonder and joy. Let's try and pass on that same feeling to others around us.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

The End, Or Not?

This is Day 20 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is The End. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

So today concludes this year's edition of the 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge. You know that although we have reached the end of the challenge, it isn't really the end, because when one door closes another one opens. 

There are always new challenges awaiting us and new adventures to embark upon. There are ideas to be born and discoveries to be made to stretch the imagination and feed our hunger for what is beyond the horizon. It's right through that door. Are you ready?


Thanks to P.J. for hosting this challenge. It's been fun and challenging.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Food For Thought

This is Day 19 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Your favorite meal. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

Wow, I think this is the hardest prompt yet. I can't write about my favorite meal because I can't pick just one. So I'll try and categorize some of my favorites - in no particular order.

Most Anticipated: Pizza. I make homemade pizza about every other weekend.

Biggest Yum Factor: Grilled Skirt or Flatiron steak with a simple sauce of olive oil, garlic, parsley and anchovies, always served with potatoes.

Comfort Food: Macaroni and Cheese with Hatch chile peppers.

Favorite Vegetarian dish: White beans and rice with caramelized onions.

Favorite Seafood (at home): Grilled Salmon tied with Maple Soy Salmon, always served with potatoes.

Favorite Meal Out: Crab Legs or really any seafood meal along the coast.

I realize these aren't all complete meals, but the "with-its" vary depending on what I have on hand, and as always, potatoes make everything better.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

It's a Toss-Up

This is Day 18 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Coin. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

What do you think of when you hear the word coin? Money, more specifically change. However, that simple word has more meanings than the quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies rattling around in your pocket.

The process of making coins by stamping them in metal is called coining. Dimes were once coined from 90% silver.

New words or phrases are said to be coined, as in "to coin a phrase". While no one knows who actually started, or coined this phrase, it may have come about by the aforementioned making of coins. As the freshly-minted coins were new, the phrase "to coin" took on the meaning of something new, and by the sixteenth century coining new words was popular. It appears that has not changed, and new words are added to the dictionary regularly.

Coin can also refer to your fortune, or lack thereof. One who has much coin is considered rich.

Coins have two sides. First the opposite, or flip side of the coin. For example, the great news is it's raining, the bad news is game is canceled.  

And then where a thing is seen as having two sides that are closely related even though they don't seem so. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin - darkness is the absence of light and therefore light and dark are related.

The coin is also used to make a decision by tossing a coin and seeing how it lands. Heads we go out, tails we stay in. 

Finally, if two options are of equal interest or value and you can't decide, you may say it's a toss-up, in which case you may want to employ a coin toss.


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Homes Runs From A Different Era

This is Day 17 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Home Run. Please visit the other participants for more stories.

I will admit that I have never been to a baseball game, and I haven't watched a game on TV in years. As mentioned in Baseball and Hotdogs, I used to watch or listen to the Red Sox back in the 70s, and while there are a number of ways to score a run in baseball, there is nothing more exciting than a home run, unless it is a grand slam home run.

When you recall the names of some of the heavy hitters, you think of Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755), Barry Bonds (762), and for the Red Sox fans, Carl Yastrzemski (452), some of whom have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of fame.

These are just some of a much longer list of players who's talent for hitting homes is well known.

However, there is a name that is not on that list, only because he played in the days before blacks were allowed in the major league. That name is Josh Gibson. One source states he supposedly hit around 962 home runs during his career, but statistics in the negro league were not accurately kept, so the world will never know how great some of those players really were.

Some statistics from Gibson's career:

In 1933, he hit .457 with 55 homers in 137 games against all competition (They commonly played outside their league).

In 1934, he hit 69 home runs against all competition and 11 homers in 52 league games.

His Hall of Fame plaque states he hit 'almost 800 home runs' during his career.

Statistics vary and his career batting average was reportedly anywhere from .350 to.384, the highest in the negro leagues.

He was born in 1911 and began playing in 1930 at age 18, and continued until 1946.

He died from a stroke in 1947 at the age of 35. His death came just three months before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major league.


Sources: List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders and Josh Gibson


If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Not Just Another Vacation

This is Day 16 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Vacation. Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

Be an explorer. The universe is filled with wonder and magical things. - Flavia


Whether it is across the globe or in your own back yard, the world is a fascinating and wonderful place. Go check it out!

Photo credit: Ashley Morris

This was indeed a wonderful and magical experience. You can see the video and read about my experience in Linda Meets the Manatee. 



If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.

Murder in the Warehouse

This is Day 15 of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Today's prompt is Can you hear me? Please visit the other participants for more stories. 

The investigation into Jenna's kidnapping continues.

After being briefed by the local PD, Charlie and Alex checked into the hotel, and even though it was 1 a.m., their minds were thoroughly engaged in the case. Alex got some sodas, chips and candy bars from the vending machine. 

"How's that going to look on the expense report?" chortled Charlie. "Eating junk food in New York."

"Well I'm hungry and it's a little late for room service. Besides it's better than the bar for case work, although maybe I could get some wings to go. What'd ya think?"

"Whatever cranks your tractor" cracked Charlie. "But seriously, let's lay out our plan and then get some sleep so we can hit the streets first thing." 

"According to her cell phone records, her last phone call was made from here," said Alex, pointing to the map laid out across the table. "The security camera showed her heading South along 8th Avenue. I suspect he grabbed her as she was coming out of one of the theaters. It looks like the bulk of the theaters are from 40th and 54th streets between 8th Avenue, and the Avenue of the Americas. That's a lot of ground to cover." 

"The local PD will be helping canvas, and I gave them a stack of photos of Jenna, with our hotline number on them to pass out. Actually the night shift is already on this, asking around in bars and clubs, and basically anyone who might have seen or heard anything." Charlie stretched "That's it for now, let's hit the sack."

"Great!" said Alex, suppressing a yawn. "A few zzz's and I'll be ready to go." His head hit the pillow and two minutes later the snoring started. Charlie sighed. "I hope for Jenna's sake and mine that this case is solved quickly." he muttered, as he pulled a pillow over his head.

A few hours later Charlie's cell phone rang. "Yes, we'll meet you there in 30. C'mon Alex, we just have time to clean up and grab some coffee and danish and get to the precinct."

The sergeant in charge led them to a conference room where he had a map on the wall and the case file open. "We got a tip from one of our CIs who frequents places where the mafia hang out. He hasn't seen Jenna, but he heard someone named Donato talking about locating a 'piece of scum with the brains of a cockroach'. They think he may be holed up in an old warehouse near the generating plant on the other side of the East River between 38th and 40th Avenues. Why is it always a warehouse?" questioned the sergeant rhetorically.

"Okay," said Charlie, "We need to move now. I need two officers with me. "Alex, you and the Sergeant take a couple men and move in from the North, we'll go in from the South. Listen everyone, no sirens or lights. We need to keep a low profile."

At the warehouse they work in pairs to quietly clear the perimeter and check the entrances. There is a broken out window and Alex climbs through, gun drawn and flashlight beaming around the room. Charlie and his crew are working the other side. Alex spots a storage closet and on a gut feeling, tries the knob. Locked. He radios for Charlie and looks around for something to pry the door open. 

"Alex, what's with the closet?" inquired Charlie. "Did you see any signs of our perp?" 

"Nope, I just have a hunch," as he pries the door open. There on the floor on an old blanket was Jenna. She was drugged, but she appeared to be otherwise unharmed. "Call for an ambulance," Alex requested as he tried to wake her.

"Jenna, can you hear me? It's Alex."

They searched the rest of the warehouse and found the kidnapper with a single gunshot wound to the head, execution style. 

"I guess Jenna was fortunate this time. Her kidnapper actually saved her life by knocking her out and locking her in the closet." Charlie grinned. "We all got lucky with that CI's tip. 

"Now do we investigate the murder?"

"Nope, it's a local thing" said Charlie. "The NYPD will be working that case. Let's go home."

For more adventures of Charlie and Alex:

Risky Business

Aliens, Really?
The Colombians
The Key
Stranded
The Last Laugh
The Morning After

Bears, Beans and Beer

Kidnapped

Jenna's Misfortune

If you enjoyed this post, please leave your calling card in the comment section or click the visitors box below to let me know you stopped by.