Tag Archives: Stream of Consciousness Saturday

What’s The Motive

5 Replies

“There is always a pleasure in unravelling a mystery, in catching at the gossamer clue which will guide to certainty.”
― Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton

One of my favorite things is a mystery story. I have read many books in this genre from the US and many other countries. I love watching Masterpiece Mystery on PBS and we have whole DVD collections of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Over this past slow summer, I confess to binge watching several different mystery series on Amazon and Netflix. Endeavour just returned to PBS here so I have a new subscription to Masterpiece on Amazon. I need to catch up with Longmire again on Netflix. I just googled it and saw a spoiler. I hate spoilers. I do not want to get a hint or be told what is going to happen before I watch something. What is the point of that? Drat!! OK back to mysteries. What I love about mysteries is trying to solve them and preferably before the end of the story. Who done it? And to solve them you need to figure out the motive. Which of the characters could have a motive for killing someone? There can be several twists and turns, with sub-plots and false leads, as you and the detectives try to solve the case. Sometimes the writer is able to keep the killer well hidden to the end.

Thinking of all the people who are in the path of the hurricane Irma and those still struggling with loss from Harvey and everyone who is living in the path of floods, wildfires, and earthquakes.

20170416_104412

Pyracantha blossoms

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today was “motive.” Featured image is from Wikipedia.

 

Guess What

21 Replies

A couple of random things for today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday post. Today’s prompt word is “guess.”

You’ll never guess what I did today. You might think it is something exciting or extraordinary. It is something I would have not thought I would be doing. I am not into scrubbing, dusting, and polishing a lot around my house. But today I cleaned almost all the grout of our tile flooring throughout the house. Pretty exciting huh. I used this steamer cleaner and it works pretty well but I can feel that I was using muscles. I am tired and almost skipped writing.

You’ll never guess what else, I started drinking beer instead of wine. I have developed a taste for beer lately. We have some really good breweries in California. One that I am into now is Lagunitas IPA India Pale Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California. Oh yeah, I just said ale not beer didn’t I? This one makes me happy because it’s hoppy. I really like the stronger taste, hoppy-ness.  My son told me that in the old sailing ships they would add extra hops to the ale to preserve it on the long voyages to India. It turned out it gave the ale a great flavor. So this afternoon, after I finished my grout cleaning, and before I started making dinner, I decided to have a nice cold Lagunitas IPA India Pale Ale.

Now I am ready to go watch a good English mystery on Amazon. Lately, it’s been Inspector Gently.

This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt today is “guess.” Image of Lagunitas India Pale Ale by Matteo Doni on Flickr.

 

High Low

22 Replies

I was feeling very high when I found out I won the WEP June Challenge for my fiction piece “The Final Transition.” A wonderful surprise and the fantastic high you get from receiving recognition for something you wrote. I was not expecting to win first place. It is hard for me to judge my own writing. Many times I have written something and thought it mediocre and then gotten positive feedback. This has encouraged me to take the risk and put my ideas out there. Other times my writing is not given much notice. But you never know if someone is reading and enjoying a post. I have had a few people tell me how they have liked my writing and I did not know it. So as in life, with writing, we have to expect to experience the highs and the lows. Just don’t let the lows get you down.

Here is a great cartoon from one of favorites, Introvert Doodles by Marzi. It was originally posted on Facebook by Quiet Revolution on Thursday, August 3, 2017

20479820_1531892146869942_2483299544648506602_n

I think I could check off several things on that list and add a few more. A good way to survive the lows is to realize we are not alone, other people feel the same way.  🙂

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is “high/low.” Featured image of City Coaster by Henry Burrows on Flickr.

 

Limber

4 Replies

We are often told these days that we must exercise. I have tried to duck the questions about exercise I get anytime I have contact with a doctor’s office, ‘ Do you exercise? or How often do you exercise? or What type of exercise do you do? I do try to be creative in my answers but then my honesty gets in the way. I used to be able to say, ‘I do yoga.’ My warrior and cat poses were pretty good. But I quit doing that too. I’ve wasted a lot of money paying for gym and yoga studio memberships and then did not go to the classes after a while. I have decided to try some exercise classes at my local city recreation center in the Fall. They are closer to my house, are scheduled at a decent time, and are not overly expensive. And I don’t have to sign a contract. I am looking for gentle limbering up not high impact, weight-bearing, hot chakra yoga or some such thing. Not looking for a triathlon or Iditarod. Not even interested in Zumba Gold. Maybe a nice Qui Gong.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by the ever limber Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘limb.’ Featured image of Contortionist via wikimedia.

Talk of Sealing Wax

16 Replies

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax….-Lewis Carroll

In the BBC film version of Pride and Prejudice (1995), Mr. Darcy stays up all night writing a letter to Elizabeth Bennet in an effort to clear himself of unjust charges by Mr. Wickham. He seals the envelope with sealing wax stamped with his signet ring. This letter writing scene was not in the original book by Jane Austen. In Pride and Prejudice, letters were the way of conveying information from a distance. Or in Darcy’s case, a way to speak from the heart without speaking face to face. The people in the story had to wait to find out what was happening with their friends and family. There was no texting, emails, or phone calls. I remember, not so long ago, this was the way we communicated. There was something special about receiving a handwritten letter. There was the anticipation built up of when the letter would come and the excitement of its arrival.  There was noting the choice of stationary and the handwriting of the sender. Sometimes it could be hard to read some of the words depending on the penmanship. There could be cross outs. You saved special letters in a box. I remember I liked my writing to be clear and hated to cross out words so I would end up throwing out cards or paper and starting over. You wanted your lines to be straight inside and on the envelope, and you might pick out special postage stamps. I remember my mother in law, my husband’s aunt, and I addressing my wedding invitations by hand. For my daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner I picked out special postage stamps with images of wedding bands. I have a Montblanc fountain pen that I have to fill with ink. Texting or emails just can’t compare. How romantic to receive a handwritten letter sealed with wax with impression of a signet ring. I miss letter writing and receiving handwritten letters.

4022418729_513a95839f_z

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt words are sealing/ceiling. Featured image of illustration from Pride and Prejudice by C. E. Brock via wikimedia. Image of letter with wax seal by Charlotte Gilhooly via Flickr.

Ashes To Dust

7 Replies

For this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday our dear host Linda G Hill asked us to pick a book title of a book we are currently reading or one that is sitting nearby and write something inspired by the title. Well that’s the rub, and one of my recent peeves. I have not been reading books lately because….too many distractions with reading the news, or other blogs, or working on my own writing. I fear I may have a permanently reduced attention span and I am only able to tolerate very short pieces of writing. I hope this is not true and I will be able to get back to reading whole physical books soon. I read Ashes to Dust a few years ago. What drew me to it initially is that it is written by an Icelandic author, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir. I had read Scandinavian authors, but not Icelandic, and I love mysteries. It turned out to be a good mystery story. Fun to learn about the Icelandic setting as well.

“Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust…”

Yes, this reminds me of funerals. At least funerals I have seen in movies or TV. A quick google reveals it is from the English Burial Service and the Book of Common Prayer, meaning we come from the Earth(dust) and will return to it. Probably heard it in one of those English mysteries I love. Thinking about my mortality is depressing but I do love mysteries, (books, films, TV shows). I have loved mystery books from many countries, Sweden, Iceland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and the US. Do you have a favorite mystery book? And can you recommend one from a different country?

Featured image is the ‘cover of the pulp magazine Mystery (January 1934)’ via Wikimedia

Terrifically Icky Hot

21 Replies

Record breaking heat is predicted for Southern California this weekend. Heat which causes you to feel pretty icky and sticky, weather that can make you sick.

Until 11:00 PM PST, Sat Jul 8
Source: U.S. National Weather Service

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT SATURDAY… * TEMPERATURES…Daytime high temperatures will range from 102 to 112 degrees. Overnight low temperatures will be in the mid 60s to mid 70s, except to the mid 80s in the foothills. * IMPACTS…This is a dangerous situation with an increased threat of life-threatening heat related illness. Power outages are more likely.

Good that we have AC but I hate to think what our electric bill is going to be this summer if this type of weather lasts. Hope it cools off tonight.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘ick.’

 

Chains

4 Replies

Dan Antion of No Facilities is hosting Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week and his prompt words are, “oooh, aaah.” This made me think of the song “Chain Gang” by Sam Cooke. So here goes:

“Ooh, aah, ooh, aah! That’s the sound of the men working on the chain gang…”-song lyrics from Chain Gang by Sam Cooke

Really liked many of Sam Cooke‘s songs. He was popular in the 1950’s and 60’s. The story surrounding his death tarnished his reputation. I wanted focus on the title of the song. The song was inspired after a chance meeting with an actual chain-gang of prisoners on a highway, seen while Sam was on tour.  Chain Gangs refers to the practice of using prison work gangs that were chained together by their ankles, forced to work for local governments and businesses for long hours under brutal conditions. There have still been some chained prison work gangs used in current times.  Maricopa County’s “tent city” prison is slated to close now that there is a new sheriff in town. As you can read in the linked articles, it turns out it is not only men who worked on chain gangs or under terrible conditions as part of prison labor, women prisoners have done it too. Terrible history to be thinking of before our country celebrates our independence day next week.

 

Featured image of ‘Convicts singing in wood yard, Reed County South Carolina 1934’ by Alan Lomax via Wikimedia.

Holding On To The Good

10 Replies

I have been thinking again about reining in my time on social media, blogging. I did a post on my other blog Grandmotherly.blog about being over-connected. I just read a post from the Atlantic  by James Hamblin that suggests we do a social media fast every other day to break the addiction. I was thinking of taking a vacation from blogging, which is still an option, but this every other day fast sounds like it would be worth a try.  Otherwise, I have visions of spending the rest of my life glued to my computer and cell phone.

But then there are so many interesting things that I find online from Smithsonian.com, like the West Coast is being invaded by hordes of gelatinous Sea Cucumbers and I have to read about it. Or how about the story of a shriveled human toe, put in a drink called Sourtoe Cocktail in the Yukon, that was stolen then returned. That last one makes me queasy. I am being facetious, but interesting articles about science, nature, quirky comical stuff helps lift my spirits when there is so much bad news.

I have been watching the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy again. We could see it as good triumphs over evil, and maybe too simplistic, but I do find the message inspiring. That even one small person can make a difference in the world. One of the inspiring speeches in the film is by Sam Gamgee to Frodo when Frodo feels despair of ever overcoming all that is against him, all the darkness:

Frodo : I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam : I know.
It’s all wrong
By rights we shouldn’t even be here.
But we are.
It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

When the darkness rains down, I must not give up in despair. Have to be courageous and believe in the good in the world. And that even one person can make a difference.

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt words for today: rain/reign/rein. Sam’s Speech ‘Worth Fighting For’ via Richurd on edgestudio.com. Featured image of ‘Aqua Tibia Wilderness Sunrise’ by pdpolena on Wikimedia.

Sun Signs

12 Replies

This year I have been happy with our June Gloom here in Southern California. It is a sign of cooler weather when we have gray cloudy skies, when the climate conditions cause the moist cool air from the ocean to come inland and keep temperatures down. It results in cloudy days but it is better than the very hot days we will be getting in July and August. But just when I was celebrating the coolness along comes a heat wave expected to last at least until early next week. TGFAC! (Thank God For Air Conditioning). I am hunkered down inside like a refrigerated hermit.

I have ventured out a few times and wanted to share some photos of clear blue sunny Southern California skies.

My sunny neighborhood
Blue Skies

“Blue skies smilin’ at me

Nothing but blue skies do I see…”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is “sign.”  Featured image of Sun with cloud by kropekk_pl on Pixabay.com