What is this thing called love?

What Is This Thing Called Love? by Cole Porter

I was a humdrum person
Leading a life apart
When love flew in through my window wide
And quickened my hum-drum heart
Love flew in through my window
I was so happy then
But after love had stayed a little while
Love flew out again

What is this thing called love?
This funny thing called love?
Just who can solve its mystery?
Why should it make a fool of me?
I saw you there one wonderful day
You took my heart and threw it away
That’s why I ask the Lord in Heaven above
What is this thing called love?

You gave me days of sunshine
You gave me nights of cheer
You made my life an enchanted dream
‘Til somebody else came near
Somebody else came near you
I felt the winter’s chill
And now I sit and wonder night and day
Why I love you still?

Lyrics via Metro Lyrics.com

“What is this thing called love? That’s why I ask the Lord in Heaven above, what is this thing called love?” So mysterious. What is it that makes people fall in love with each other, pheromones? Recognition of souls? The other person has the attributes that we are missing? Oh well, this song makes me want to fall in love.

I love the music that go along with the lyrics. Here’s Ella Fitzgerald on You Tube via carinaG Sorensen:

Cole Porter wrote many other great songs that are so romantic. I really like the movie De-Lovely with Kevin Kline as Cole Porter and Ashley Judd as his wife Linda. OK, you tell me, what is this thing called love? And what are some of your favorite Cole Porter songs?

A little extra Cole Porter song, “Night and Day” by Billie Holliday on You Tube via RoundMidnight TV:

Cole Porter

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. Cole Porter image via Wikipedia.

The Long Branch Saloon

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The saloon had been bequeathed to Kitty by the person who shared her name, her beloved grandmother Miss Kitty, who was the original owner and proprietor of The Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City. Kitty had spent many hours playing upstairs in her grandmother’s apartment while the saloon was readied for another night of raucous activity. Grandmother was a widow but Kitty remembered a special man who visited the Long Branch in an official and sometimes unofficial capacity. He was tall, rugged, and handsome with piercing blue eyes. He often brought little gifts for the girl. Those were happy times. She never thought she would be happy again after her own husband left her without a penny to her name. She smiled as she remembered the letter from her grandmother that was attached to the will, I hope you will consider taking over The Long Branch. It has always brought me luck and I know it will do the same for you. Kitty smiled again as Matt walked through the saloon door.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers is hosted by Priceless Joy of the Beautiful Words blog. Image of saloon is courtesy of Etol Bagam.

Hakuna Matata

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“It means no worries for the rest of your days”

“When I was young wart hog”….oh well I was never a young wart hog. Now I feel better at the thought of not being a wart hog. They are not the most attractive animals. No offense, wart hogs who may be reading this.

Hakuna Matata is the title of a song from “The Lion King.” It would be nice to have no worries for the rest of my days. That is a nice goal to set for ourselves but probably not possible unless you are the Dalai Lama. Although, he probably has some worries, sometimes, too. I do like his philosophy or what I have read of it and other writers on Buddhism. I have a little book by Jack Kornfield, ” A Lamp in the Darkness” that has some great quotes. One of them is:

“If you can sit quietly after difficult news; if in financial downturns you remain perfectly calm; if you can see your neighbors travel to fantastic places without a twinge of jealousy; if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate; if you can fall asleep after a day of running around without a drink or a pill; if you can always find contentment just where you are: you are probably a dog.”

I really like that even though Jack Kornfield was trained as a Buddhist monk, he is able to sound like a human being. It inspires me to keep trying to have no worries. I’ll let you know if I ever succeed. 🙂

This post is for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by the calm and collected Linda G Hill. The prompt today is “title”, but title of a movie. I read Linda’s post about “The Lion King” and thought that was our prompt for today, thus I wrote about something from The Lion King, too. Oh well, no worries. 🙂 Image: No Worries Face by schristia on Flickr.

The New Me

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This is the new me! I have met my goal weight according to my BMI, said Ms. Knogle excitedly. Now I can wear those small dress sizes I have only dared dream about. And you should see how people just stare at me now while before they never gave me any notice!

Dr. Trim cringed. How could this happen? The computer had always been reliable before. Week after week, month after month, year after year, spewing out the weight recommendations to the staff according to the patient’s BMI. We never had to question it before or give it any thought at all. What could have gone wrong? After all, the computer never makes a mistake.

The office manager stepped into Dr. Trims’s office. The tech people have figured out what happened, she said nervously. The computer program was corrupted. It is possible it was hacked.

That’s just great, he replied. Have you looked into my waiting room? It looks like a bone yard.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers is hosted by Priceless Joy of the blog Beautiful Words. Image of Ms. Knogle, the skeleton, by Pixabay.com

Pause

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This is an important word in the introvert vocabulary. I have recently been on a break to have some much needed down time from my blog/writing and to recharge. You might think I have been sitting by a lake staring off toward the horizon, but I have been busy with some life things. Actually sitting by a lake and staring off at the horizon sounds pretty good to me but it has been chilly here. Chilly for Southern California and sitting outdoors might not be so relaxing. Although, we still have sunshine. Pause and reflection are good for everyone but essential to the introverted temperament. I spotted a really cute post on the Huffington post about the topic which included this chart by Gemma Correll.

I have been sort of in the “Region of Hibernation” with the colder weather. I definitely enjoyed some time with my kids over the holidays. I did do some online ordering of a few gifts. I had some new adventures. I made the 7+ hour drive on the 101 up to the Bay Area ( San Francisco Bay area) alone in a rental car and later realized that I did not know that the headlights did not turn on automatically. I had dinner in Alameda, at a Burmese restaurant, which was delicious. I hiked along a trail near the ocean in Half Moon Bay. I drove all the way back to Southern California with my daughter’s great company this time, now knowing how to operate the headlights, and saw some “Russian space debris” heading on a 45 degree angle toward the earth with a big fiery tail behind it. At least we are told it was Russian space debris. I even saw the new Star Wars movie in 3D.

Now I think I am ready for a bit of “Solitude Mountains” with a “Sea of Books” nearby.

Happy New Year!

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by LindaGHill.

Happy Holidays

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Wishing all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Notes Tied On The Sagebrush is on a Winter break until after the New Year. See you in 2016.

Holiday-Lights-Train-hdr Santa Cruz via beachboardwalk.com

Zenarra the Warrior Queen

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Zenarra stood on the balcony surveying the rocky, desert terrain that surrounded the palace. She has been home for only a month but was restless already. She missed her little house in The Valley of the Moon. She was called back to Lunaris by an urgent message from her mother begging her to return and fulfill her obligation to marry Prince Tomar, leader of the Dorchas Clan. Their marriage was arranged at birth by the two most powerful clans, the Dorchas and, her clan, the Solas. Zenarra had hoped to escape this arranged marriage by leaving her home planet and starting a new life on Earth. But she was tracked down by a sensor that had been implanted when she was an infant. When she found out about it she had it removed, but she couldn’t ignore her mother’s plea. Queen Denarras had been her greatest ally when she was growing up among seven brothers and a powerful father, King Samar, head of the Solas Clan. Samar had died, under suspicious circumstances, on a hunting trip last Spring and Zenarra did not want her mother to face the Dorchas Clan alone.

So here she was dressed in her gown before the official engagement dinner that was to happen that evening. She felt so uncomfortable in this formal attire.

18703067911_22b6d54b29_z Image by Cajsa Lilliehook on Flickr

Image by Cajsa Lillihook on Flickr

You look lovely darling. Zenarra turned to see her mother was standing behind her.

I hate these formal affairs mother and don’t like wearing this heavy gown. All the jewels and weight of this headdress make it hard to walk.

I know dear, I felt the same way the night of my betrothal to your father, Denarras eyes glistened as she gazed at her beautiful daughter and thought, Oh Zenarra you are so much stronger and braver than I was when I married Samar.

Are you ready? Our guests are waiting for us to begin the banquet, Denarras reached out for her daughter’s hand.

I am ready, mother. The two women walked together toward the banquet hall.

As they entered the hall, Zenarra’s eyes scanned the room. All of the important male members of the Dorchas and Solas Clans were seated and she could hear their loud voices and laughter. She noticed that they were laughing and smiling but the glint in their eyes betrayed a deep mistrust. Zenarra saw Tomar seated at the large table at the front of the hall. The bridal table was on a raised platform so all the guests would have a clear view of the couple. Zenarra’s eyes sought out another. Lord Jennar was the leader of her father’s army. She saw him standing in the shadows behind Tomar with the rest of the Solas Honor Guard. Their eyes met and she slowly nodded her head. Jennar leapt forward and grabbed Tomar by the hair. Light gleamed off the sword that quickly ran across Tomar’s throat. The Dorchas Clan leaders rose as one and cried out in rage. The Solas Clan was ready with swords drawn to begin the battle. Zenarra rushed her mother to a safe hiding place behind a wall in her bed chamber.

What are you doing, Zenarra? You will bring destruction down upon this house, Denarras’ eyes were wide with fear.

I could not marry that evil man, mother. It is time for us to fight against the oppression of the women of our clan. It is time for the women to take their true place as leaders along with the men.

Zenarra threw off her heavy gown and jewels. She had worn her tunic and leggings under her dress. She grabbed her chest plate and hurriedly strapped it on with the help of her loyal servant Manet. She took up her sword and ran toward the battle and her future as head of the Solas Clan and ruler of Lunaris.

Image by Pixabay.com

Word Count: 651 words

Criticism: General

If you would like to read some of the back story about Zenarra, here are links to the previous flash fiction stories:

The Arranged Marriage

Princess Zenarra

The Galaxy Trees

Chloe Wore a Cloche

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Chloe wore a cloche hat, opera length pearls, a short skirt, and rolled stockings. She said Jim was jake, and the bee’s knees. She smoked, drank, drove a car, and sometimes a motorcycle. On weekends she went wing walking on a biplane. She scandalized the whole neighborhood, young children, dogs, cats, and the Women’s Temperance Union. She went out each night to Jazz clubs and slept in late each day. She loved life and lived it to the full. Then she retired and joined a cloister.

Wing Walker Image by David Dixon

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by LindaGHill. December 12 prompt “clo.”

The Office Holiday Party

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I was put in charge of decorations for the office holiday party so I went to check the storage room for the decorations we used last year. There were none to be found for Hanukkah or Christmas. I asked my boss to explain and she said it was a new company policy handed down from the home office that mandated no holiday decorations that could be associated with any religion. All I found was a mechanical parrot that whistled the tune for the Macarena while moving its wings up and down. Maybe he could hold some mistletoe in his beak?

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Bird image by Luther Siler.