Category Archives: Blogging

My Excuse with a Few Synonyms Added

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images Origin of the domestic dog via wikipedia

I can’t submit my post about the word “excuse”

because my dog ate my lap top.

And I don’t have a dog.

Can you let that slide?

It is not a cop out.

Will you let me off the hook?

I am really having trouble with this prompt.

This is my apology.

For not having a post.

Can you hear my plea?

This is my plea bargain.

I promise to write something better after New Years.

|LindaGHill|

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A Few Favorite Things for the Holidays

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untitled Unknown Children, probably Carolers by Louisa Anne Marchioness via wikimedia

The best thing about the holidays for me is getting together with my kids. I do not get into a lot of shopping, decorating, sending out holiday cards, knitting, baking or making eggnogs. My husband sometimes will make the eggnog. I try not to drink more than one serving because it is a bit fattening but very tasty. I did have a pint of eggnog ice cream in the freezer and now somehow it is gone.

I appreciate all the yummy things Trader Joes  has on sale this time of year like Honey Walnut Fig Cream Cheese. Another great invention of theirs is Slicing Brie which is a little log of brie that you can slice for crackers. Great for entertaining or snacking. Guaranteed to add several more inches and pounds.

I do contact friends and family at least by email or Facebook to wish them happy which ever holiday they are celebrating. I give money to the Santa ringing the bell in front of the Salvation Army kettle. I like to buy a toy for Toys for Tots.

There is something else I like about the holidays. It is listening to the Christmas music on the radio. At least at the beginning of the season. They start playing it right after Thanksgiving. By the time Christmas rolls around I have had enough.

Many of the songs or carols take me back to when I was in Catholic school. They still raise my spirits when I first hear them. Like Come All Ye Faithful, The First Noel, Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, Silent Night and Angels We Have Heard on High. We used to sing some of them in Latin. Angels We Have Heard on High has the phrase ” Gloria, in excelsis Deo” ( Glory to God in the Highest)  and O Come all Ye Faithful in Latin is Adeste Fideles and here in part:

Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte, Regem Angelorum;

Refrain:

Venite adoremus,
venite adoremus,
venite adoremus
Dominum!

I have a memory of singing that carol in a choir with my classmates. I don’t think we sounded like this via You Tube by Julio Fernanadez:

Others I like are Hark the Herald Angels Sing, We Three Kings of Orient Are, and Deck the Halls. There are others that I have learned later in life The Holly and the Ivy and O Come Emmanuel. I think O Come Emmanuel is beautiful. I first heard The Holly and the Ivy in an old  British film of the same title.

Of course we all sang Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Do you have any favorite holiday songs?

My Writing Space

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Guilty Pleasure

My Writing Space

At present I do not have a separate room where I do my writing. I sit at our kitchen table and write on my laptop. I do have a couple of open rooms in the house that I could convert to a physical space for myself to write. These were my kids bedrooms. One still contains some of my daughters furniture and other belongings.  At some point in the near future I envision setting up one of these bedrooms for myself.

For so many years when my kids were growing up I did not have a space for myself in the house. I often thought how nice it would be to have a room to use as an office or just for my own space. Maybe it is because I have gotten so used to not having a room of my own that I haven’t set one of our bedrooms up for myself yet.

The environment can be less than ideal in a shared space like the kitchen. My husband often works at home. He can be going in and out of the room and talking to me. There have been many times when I get pretty irritable about being interrupted when I am on my blog. Especially when I am writing and organizing my thoughts. If the radio is on with music or news this can be another irritation. On my own I work in the quiet.

Space for writing is not just physical. It is psychological as well. It is taking the time out of the day to sit down, ponder and allow the creative process to begin. I need to carve out the time every day for myself to be creative in this way. To make a writing space in my day and in my life.

katgotyourtongueThis post is for the writing event on Kat’s blog Dandelion Fuzz. The event is open to all interested bloggers. Click on the link for more info.

Silver Threading Writer’s Quote Wednesday-Perfectionism

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images Perfect is the enemy of good via wikipedia.org with text added

” Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor…”  What do you think? Does perfectionism get in the way of getting started or stop you from finishing or publishing your post? The image is of a diamond with natural flaws. Diamonds without flaws are very rare.

 

|Silver Threading|

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday is a weekly blogging event hosted by Colleen at Silver Threading. For more information check out her blog by clicking on the link for Silver Threading above.

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

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The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award:

I am honored and Thank you Prajakta of An Armchair Perfectionist for nominating me for this award. Prajakta has a lovely blog that includes poetry, fiction and self-expression about life and her life in India.

Rules: 

  1.  Provide the link to the person who nominated you.
  2. Add the reward logo.
  3. Answer the questions your nominator has asked.
  4. Nominate 5 other bloggers and let them know via comments.
  5. Ask your nominees 5 questions.

My questions from Prajakta:

  1. A superpower you wish you had. Besides being able to heal what is wrong with the world like pollution of the air, land and sea and human suffering, I would like to be able to travel the world and drop in on some of the sisterhood and see all the great sights I have dreamed about.
  2. Do you believe in ghosts? Any experiences? I think there could be spirits in the world. I have read stories about people leaving a sign for their loved ones to find to let them know they are all right. After our cat Angel died I thought I saw here running into the living room. I would be happy if she was at peace somewhere in our house.
  3. Who is your most favourite person in the world? I don’t know, pretty hard to say. There are many people I admire very much: Gloria Steinem, Anne Lemott, Elizabeth Warren and after I publish this I will probably think of someone else.
  4. Introduce a great plot twist in the world we live in. Suddenly all people who are making wars and killing people for religious or political differences will be struck with the realization that we are all connected and every human whether man or woman has rights to be free and pursue their own destinies without anyone dictating to them how they should live or what their role is in life.
  5. Link up your best/favourite post from your blog. Well I do have over 100 of them but this was a short fiction I attempted: The Chronicle of Aine Part I.

I nominate these wonderful people for the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award: ( I wanted to pick people outside the US with whom I feel a connection or sisterhood)

LucileDeGodoy  for a visit to Amsterdam and a lovely blog about current topics, beautiful photos and proverbs. Lucile is very warm , gracious and writes thoughtful comments and responses.

LINDAGHILL for a visit to Canada. Linda has two blogs that include her fiction writing and she is a wonderful host of One Liner Wednesday and Stream of Consciousness Saturday. She is very welcoming and encourages us to read each others posts and she always comments on everyone elses.

Flaming English by Anna Nolan  for a trip to England and some humorous lessons in grammar. Anna is very sweet and friendly as well so don’t be intimidated by the word grammar.

Hariod Brawn at contentedness.net  to Glastonbury England and an interesting blog about spiritual and philosophical topics. Hariod is very supportive and thoughtful of other bloggers as well.

Capsule Creations another blogger from England who is an independent and modern young woman who likes to share some interesting and entertaining glimpses into her life and has been warm and gracious with her comments and responses.

My Questions for You:

1. Who in the world would you like to meet?

2. Where in the world would you like to travel or do you have a favorite place you have already been?

3. What kind of trips do you like the best? By car, boat, train or plane?

4. Do you think letter writing is a lost art and do you like to receive letters?

5. What woman do you most admire past or present?

 

Hope you enjoy and thanks sister bloggers of the world!  ❤

The Holidays are Coming So Why Do I Feel Like a Grinch

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Here we are swiftly heading toward Hanukkah and Christmas.  I don’t get as caught up in the holiday celebrations so much lately. Why is that? I think my way of wanting to celebrate has changed. I realize that I celebrated the holidays for my kids when they were living at home. I still like to make Thanksgiving. I really like Thanksgiving. I think it engenders feelings of family warmth and togetherness for me more than the other holidays.

Now it is just me and my husband here in the house. The empty nest. Both of our kids are adults and making their own lives. We will be seeing them and spending time with them which is very nice. They both have their own ways of celebrating with their partners.

I don’t feel like decorating the house. It seems like house decorating could be rated on a scale. Some people really go all out and have their yards and houses covered with decorations and lights. I imagine the interior of their houses might look like a holiday craft magazine layout. Then on the other end of the scale is me. No outside lights or decorations and nothing on the inside of the house as of now. I noticed there are other neighbors who do not put up lights outside as well. I wonder if it has to do with religious differences.

My husband did not grow up with Christmas celebrations in his home or lights outside so he does not care and does not miss anything if I choose not to decorate. My son and daughter-in-law do have a Christmas tree and my daughter usually doesn’t for environmental reasons.  We all do exchange small gifts.

I don’t feel like making anything for Hanukkah either. We will probably light the menorah. We usually go to my son’s or to one of my sister-in-laws for Hanukkah gatherings.

My grinchy-ness could be that I don’t feel the need to decorate my house and make so many preparations in the past few years because my family has grown up.  Now I can take a break and enjoy being the guest at their houses.

I know I am fortunate that my kids are not too far away. My son lives nearby and my daughter is in the same state. We will be seeing both of them over the holidays. There are people who do not have families or their kids close by and that has got to be hard for them or they could be estranged.

If you have an empty nest it may be that the holiday celebrations have shifted to your kids homes as well. Or if your kids are too far away how have you decided to celebrate the holidays?