It's Here! The 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge

A is for for ambition – and, also, for apology, April Fool's Day, and, anticipation.

We'll start with the apology which is, in fact, an apology to myself, as well as to those of you who have been kind enough to follow my Rockin' Chair Reflections blog. I needed a break and decided to focus on finishing my solar cooking cookbook during the winter months. In truth, I haven't stopped writing; I've prioritized. Please forgive me.

And, that brings me to the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge. What I love the most about the Challenge is that it brings you back to a schedule of writing, as well as an opportunity to meet new people who share a love of writing. Leading me further to Day One and…

AMBITION! Nothing compares to the anticipation of completing a challenge that, at first, appears to be lots of fun. It was exciting to receive notice of the 2012 Challenge and my AMBITION was to complete all 26 articles before April 1, having them queued up for publication. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha Ha," the Inner Child responded, losing herself in paroxysms of laughter.

So, here I am, the day before the Challenge, beginning the queue. Other than the alphabetical theme, my biggest problem seems to be my own personal overall theme and wonder just how many of you are facing the same dilemma. What I do know is that I'm very much looking forward to participating and meeting old friends and new bloggers, in addition, to getting back into a writing groove. And, meeting the other 1508 participants will, in itself, be a challenge. I'm #424.

That being said, it should come as no surprise that, today, April Fools' Day, I have taken the low road for posting. Y'all come back now, hear? Because, I'm anticipating a rockin' 2012 Writing Challenge from all of us!

Z is for Zounds and Good Night to The A-Z Blogger Challenge

Photo from http://www.depreview.com/  Entry #11

With a zealousness bordering on the supernatural, I entered the A-Z Blogging Challenge created by Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Jeffrey Beesler,  Jen Daiker, Candace Ganger, Karen J Gowen, Talli Roland, and Stephen Tremp, for the month of April. It was a vertitable whirlwind of posting, a virtual zamacueca of movement of do-si-does around the hundreds of other bloggers, as we posted, visited, commented, and moved on to the next participant with the speed of a zambomba -- but twice (no, three times) as thrilling.

I used the "Surprise Me" button to randomly go through a list too long to be done in an orderly fashion, but have copied it and put everyone into a special follow-up folder for some serious visiting and comment love in May. So, I will get to you! Trying to do it all with so many contributors would have left little time for posting. But, hot-diggity-dog! I made it through and have had a ball.

[An aside: Little did they know that this exercise would create a new species, a zaftig blogger now permanently recumbent upon her zabuton as a result of having developed a spreading rootlet system on my her ass whilst remaining focused on the project. She's not pointin' fingers, here -- she's just sayin'...]

And, that being shared, it is only fair that I renew my energy by, again, thanking them all for this great exercise and opportunity to meet some wonderful new people I look forward to hearing from and visiting and, second (but most important,in my view), it's finally time to re...ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.   

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.
Definitions for the z words can be found here, if you've stayed awake long enough to make it this far.

W is for Wash Day, a Three-Wring Circus - A-Z Challenge

Back in the day, wash day meant boiling water over a fire, filling a washtub, hand scrubbing the clothes against a washboard, then running them through the wringers, before hanging them on the line. Today, my wringer stand just holds a washtub waiting for some summer annuals.  And, that's all you will see as you pass by my little Creative Handz shop next to the house. "Oh, look!" you'll say, "What a great antique." (Which is better, I suppose, than suggesting that I'm the great antique.) You'll smile and drive on. 

But, my heart sees something different. I see my mother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and friends, thrilled to death that they wouldn't have to hand-wring all those heavy overalls, sheets, and woven fabrics, because someone invented this hand-cranked wringer miracle. There were still some items that had to be hand-wrung, that would produce blisters the size of quarters on our hands, healing just in time for the next wash day -- and, it would start all over again. Hand-cranking wringers were a big step up and we were thrilled to have them.

Time moves on and, in the 60s, at my first apartment, the tenants were graciously supplied one (yes, one!) electric washing machine in an outside covered porch with a concave floor for spillovers, along with two lines for solar drying. (If you think women get ugly at Black Friday sales, try putting that one extra shirt on another tenant's line space!) You attached the water hose to a cold water faucet over a wet sink where you could soak really dirty items. If you wanted hot water, you boiled your own and carried it to the washing machine. [Psst! Don't tell anyone, but, I used to insert one of those plug attachments into the single light socket and, then, hook up a hotplate to boil water.]  Then, I got smart and filled metal buckets with soap and water the day before, set them out in the sun, gave everything a good swish with a broom handle and let them have an overnight soak. The next morning, I would carry the buckets to the washing machine for some agitation and wringing. It was easier than using the hot plate that limited the pot size, meaning, lots of refilling and waiting. While the washtub was filling up with a fresh cold water rinse, I would add 1/2 cup salt to the first rinsing, to help remove the soap from the loosely wrung clothes. Then, it was agitate, wring, change water, return clothes to the tub, and repeat until no suds appeared during wringing process. (This was actually optional; but, I couldn't stand the stiffness from left-in soap.)

Now, for the uninitiated, those rollers required a learning curve. Many's the time I watched in horror as my husband's shirtsleeves would choose to wrap around opposing rollers! Karate moves were required to pop that thingy on the top or it was new rags for cleaning. Easier said than done, since you were so busy trying to feed everything towards the middle of the rollers to avoid your clothes and linens catching on the gears at each end and the inevitable shower created from ballooning suds-filled items, you forgot about the sleeves doing their ying-yang thing. (My gift for expletives grew with each wash day, as screaming "Oh, dear!" at the top of my voice lacked a certain something...) And, sheets? We're not even going to go there. Wash day was truly a three-wring circus! 

Thanks to my drill-sergeant landlady, you had to plan on getting up before the birds, if you wanted to get a turn and find good line space. Leaving clothes on the line longer than it took for them to get solar dried was just asking for trouble. The other residents would either pull your clothes off the line and leave them in a heap on the ground or, if more friendly, they'd be knocking on your door, letting you know that their clothes were ready to go up and could you please take your DRY things down. No cell phones, then, and the only available phone was in the landlady's house and, according to the Tenant Rules, it better be used strictly for business!

Better days were coming, but most households couldn't afford the new-fangled all-electric washing machines that you could use inside your kitchen. But, it was definitely on your Wish List!

Of course, we still had to use that handy-dandy solar dryer!  And, frankly, that was fine because nothing smells better than sun-dried clothes! Indoor dryers were still down the road. Today, these Energy Saver washers and dryers do everything but bake cakes and are a convenience taken for granted. The more crafty folks turn old clotheslines into gorgeous baskets.

As my family dwindles, every day that I pass this old washtub and hand-cranking wringer to go into my shop, I'm reminded of the days when my younger self, my family and friends, fighting the dust and grime of a different world at a different pace, fell in love with the convenience of this time-saving wonderful new way to get the family's clothes clean. It's not just a yard ornament, to me, it's a family timeline. 

  

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

L is for Lollapalooza in the A-Z Blogger Challenge

lollapalooza definition
[lɑləpəˈluzə]
1.n. something very big; something wondrous. : Look at that bump on your head. That's a lollapalooza!
2.n. a big lie. : What a lollapalooza! You expect me to believe that?

I was trying to figure out what to do with the letter L for the A-Z Challenge and up popped lollapalooza in my little breakfast-deprived brain. I was going to tell a big whopper (which is the definition I'd grown up with as opposed to what's going to come next) and just thought I'd try a little Googling, first. Ta da! OMG! Well, I'll be... apparently, I've been living under a rock and there's more to lollapalooza than I knew! Lookee here:

Eminem - Getty Images

This young whippersnapper is supposed to be headlining the 2011 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza! It's an annual music festival with heavy metal/alternative/punk rock (in my day, there was less confusion -- you had rock and roll and, well, rock and roll, period) along with the usual extra accoutrements. This year it will be at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, August 5 - 7th.  Here's the whole scoop for those of you praying you'll be able to attend and want those early tickets.

You can spend your time looking for me, first row, front and center, or, do you think I'm telling a big number 2!

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

K is for Kitchen Konvenience in the A-Z Blogger Challenge

Have you ever tried to find just the right spice or herb when cooking and settle for something else because it's hidden behind other jars in your cabinets? Well, a thousand years ago, when I first started cooking and BEFORE Rubbermaid offered those spice holders to attach to the inside of a cabinet door, I had been using those little plastic drawer separator trays to do the same job. Now, I've found something that makes cooking meals an exciting experience that helps me create new recipes I would never have thought of without being able to see what's available.

When closed, it's nice and dark, and this cabinet door is away from the stove to prevent too much heat getting trapped inside. The pad and pencil are for writing down recipe ingredients as I go along. Since it's up high, a pencil means I don't have to worry about no ink in the middle of my 'creating.'

Right now, they're in alphabetical order, but, as time passes, I'm thinking of a new way to group them. I refill from larger herb and spice containers kept fresh in the refrigerator and know in an instant what needs replacing. It only takes a second or so to refill these screw-top nickel holders. Do you have a special way to keep your herbs and spices organized for easy use?

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

J is for Jerry-Rigged A-Z Blogger Challenge

If you want a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, try crossing this bridge in the dark! Definitely a prime example of something that's been jerry-rigged. You might even think twice about using it!

There are any number of jerry-rigged items in my workshop and kitchen. How about you? Do you have anything that was put together on a wing and prayer? I'd sure like to know about some of them. Short post, today, got lots to get done.

I is for Impel -- A-Z Blogging Challenge

New Mortgage Man

Being impelled by my new mortgage carrier, I felt compelled to take action as a result of their pressure or coercion -- yes, coercion. You see, I feel that both words bear the same mantle -- BLACKMAIL


I was compelled to send off two (count them, two!) mortgage payments to this new mortgage holder to cover THEIR potential losses after having bought the portfolio of my previous and now bankrupt mortgage holder. Huh? Yup.


Allow me to explain. As I'm sure you know, mortgage companies trade/buy portfolios all the time, like baseball cards. They prefer packages containing people in GOOD credit standing. Who doesn't? And, they also take chances on purchasing portfolios of other mortgage companies who go bankrupt, as in my situation, two years ago. 

The bankruptcy court froze all funds, including customers' payments. New company is told by HUD they cannot assess late fees or report 'missing' customer payments to the credit bureau as unpaid for a two-year period. They will be sent all monies when hearing takes place and funds are unfrozen. I have never missed a payment as it was paid automatically on the first of the month, until I decided to use the accelerated payment program, which then put me 1/2 a mortgage payment AHEAD to make sure there would be enough money for the next payment due.

The final payment was not forwarded to the bankrupt mortgage company but was sent directly to me, immediately endorsed and forwarded to the new company with a letter directing them to apply it as payment for the transition month's payment. Even though the check shows both my endorsement and my loan account number and their deposit stamp on the back of the check, they don't know where they put it! So, until they can find out where it is, on their books, my account shows a missing payment! 


I received a stern letter this month saying the moratorium has been lifted and, if I don't send them the 'missing' payments (the transition one and the other still frozen by the bankruptcy court), they were now going to have to report me (against their will, I am sure) to the credit bureaus as behind on my payments because they don't actually have the physical funds in their hands. So, to get myself current and not be reported to the credit bureau, I should send them a check. They can't help it, the moratorium has been lifted, and they now can not only report to the credit bureau but also assess late fees. If I send them the money, that will bring me current on their books and, when they get the money from the bankruptcy court, they will apply it to my note AND I WILL BE AHEAD and won't have to worry, anymore. Huh? This shouldn't be my problem to worry about, at all.


But, suffice to say, I am worried and don't want a bad credit report.  So I, in fact, have felt coerced into sending them two additional mortgage payments to cover their potential investment loss while waiting for the bankruptcy court's hearing and release of customer' funds -- at which time, they have promised I will then be given the choice of either having these monies returned directly to me or applied to my mortgage, thereby making me two (2) payments ahead! Bottom line, I think they're dabbling in the dark side of blackmail, or, at least, a mini-bailout. What do you think?

H is for Hospitals in the A-Z Blogger Challenge

Hospitals seem to be playing a much larger part in these senior days of mine. What with my gentleman caller in and out at least six times since the beginning of 2011, and my being able to sneak some hospital time of my own, last week, I find that, here I am, again, sitting in a waiting room filled with another bunch of seniors, like myself. Unlike the days of yore, these old farts (including, myself) were very au courant, happily working on laptops or reading the latest on their Kindles. How times have changed! Just one or two were knitting (used to be a majority) and the younger generation was texting away on their cells.

Duke University Hospital Entrance -- So classy, with shopping yet!

Don't you think that, over the years, hospitals have become less severe and more enticing to today's visitor than they used to be back in the day? I think the foyer here at Duke is as grand as any high-end hotel, very gracious and inviting. Why, there's even a piano player tickling the ivories to soothe frightened patients and visitors, alike, creating an illusion of well-being.

Soothing piano music in the lobby.

You could almost want to book a room, (if you hadn't seen Coma), during your visit to the City of Durham. And, of course, should you find yourself in a room, visiting the local high spots is out of the question! How does your hospital make you feel?

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

G is for Gardening Comfort in the A-Z Blogging Challenge

Gardening used to be quite a chore, when I was growing up. Enough of a chore that I stayed away from it for many years because of the backbreaking labor involved and the vagaries of a good harvest, in spite of the work put into fertilizing, watering, cajoling, praying, gnashing of teeth, and the neighbor's pets thinking they had their own private bathroom! 

The years passed and I ultimately got back to putting my hands in that wonderful dirt and nurturing the seeds planted; but, AHA! now, I had an opportunity to do something different and make my gardening chores so much easier. The first thing I did when I moved into my home was build a waist high 6' x 24' container garden. Using the same French Intensive Gardening Method of building up soil layers that I used in Virginia, it has served me well for these past six years and I look forward to many more years of service. A quick turn of the shovel mid-January and all is ready for the next year's crops of fresh salad greens and vegetables. With just 144 squart feet of space, I can harvest almost 640 square feet of food. Now, that's just cool.

And, here it is from the other end. This was my garden in 2010. As you can see, waist high is great for just reaching in for the veggies (like a grocery store) and getting eye-to-eye with a few bees, on occasion!

Are you ready to try your own hand at easy gardening? Check out this post for a no digging, no shovel super easy way of doing a Lasagna garden! 

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

F is for Facebook Fanatic - A-Z Blogging Challenge

FaceBook has engulfed the world and is insidious in the way it has been able to attach itself to every and any other online activity you may enjoy. Sooner or later, up pops a screen that suggests/demands/congratulates you on having been linked up to your FB account so that EVERYONE you know will know what you're doing when you decide to go online. Why in heaven's name would they think that? Where does that kind of thinking come from? I don't know. Don't want to; do you?

And, then, there are others whose free time is so limited, FB is the only way they can share time with friends and family, whilst enjoying some interactive games. Enter, my hardworking sister, who casts a scant eye at my pajama-clad figure every morning as she faces the elements, trudging off to work. Hey! I did my time. Paid my dues. Put in those 20-hour days. I digress.

Here is what is on her screen almost all the time. It's something about egg collecting. You find them on other people's sites, capture them, nurse them for a few days, and then the turn into some of the most beautiful creatures drawn by very skillful artists. These three lovelies were just eggs, like the chartreuse one below, when she collected them, and then they tranform into something so beyond what you could ever have imagined.

Turns out, my baby sister is like in the top 100 of the ENTIRE WORLD of egg collectors and has developed very solid friendships with some of them. I've been lucky enough to see her entire collection (there's hundreds of them!) and the beauty of them all takes my breath away. So, for the present, this is the best part of FB -- not the invasiveness -- but the opportunity to link with people sharing a fun interest, chitchat, and make hardworking people feel good.  How do you feel about Facebook?

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.

E is for Egg - Edible, Eternal, Expressive

The egg is a symbol for life, rebirth, renewal. It feeds us.

Edible - Solar Baked Eggs

We are faced with thoughts of eternity.

Which came first? ... the chicken or Col. Sanders?

And discover why it's a waste of time searching
for the beginning or the end of a circle.

More importantly, why on earth would a snake eat itself,
as shown by the Ouroboros.

Surely, a smart snake would have guessed something wasn't right?

Eternal - The Ouroborus

And for the creative, the egg gives us a palate to express ourselves,

as in this pysanki I made for a friend's Mother.

Can you ask for anything more...

*****

See that The A-Z Blogging Challenge button on the right? With more than 1100 bloggers participating, there's bound to be someone you'll discover
by just clicking on the Next Blog or Surprise Me button.