E is for Excitement A-Z Writing Challenge

E is for Excitement in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

This will be brief. This was me twice, TWICE, this past week. The first time was when the bank informed me that my account had been hacked and I was now in the hole almost $1,000!  Excitement! Oh, yeah, heart attack exciting. Although the dirty low-down scumbag tried to spend my hard-earned money on surfing equipment, God-knows-what at the tobacco store ($282 worth!), clothing at Macy's, and, music, all online, by acting fast, the Fraud department was able to stop the processing and all monies were returned to my account.  Now, it's up to the merchants to follow through. Never realized how much I used my card. But, it was stopped immediately and a new issue is going to take at least ten days. I'm left with writing checks. Checks! I'd almost forgotten how. But, at least, there was some excitement over the weekend.

Moment two of excitement came when I had to make a call and couldn't find my Bluetooth! It wasn't in my purse, wasn't in my left pocket, wasn't in my right pocket. Where did I leave it? At the dentist? Hardware store? No. I'm getting angry, upset, EXCITED! Where the H--- did I leave it?

Okay, I said to myself, "Myself, go over the day, slowly." Nothing made sense. It was gone. Last call I took was in the store. I was beside myself. How many times do I have to check every section of my purse! It just wasn't there... Sonofab....!!!! Oh, yeah, I'm excited, now! To top it off, a bee flew in my window and sailed right by my head, so I took a swat and. . . my hand hit my Bluetooth! On my ear, ready and waiting to do service.  I guess old age means that, now, I not only have to worry about where I've left my glasses but the 21st Century has added a Bluetooth to the pot! My heart can't take this much excitement... I'm going to bed.



For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #424 in a group of 1682 participants in this 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge! Do yourself a favor and check out a group of fantastic bloggers. You're bound to find someone you might like to follow. Don't forget to leave some loving comments and spread the word. It could even inspire you to think about joining next year's Challenge, yourself!

D is for Destiny A-Z Writing Challenge

D is for Destiny in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

Okay, I'm the first to admit that this challenge has placed me in a very strange mood; but, I'm just going to go with the flow and let it happen. (See what not getting your ducks in a row does!)

Were you predestined for the life you're leading today? (And, this posting is not about religious predestination) Remember when young people were raised up in the family trade and expected to carry that business into their generation? There are still some families, today, leaving each child the beginnings of future stability. What the child does with it, is their own business -- but, they've been given a head start. Then, again, as we know from history, this doesn't always work out. The old arc of rich-privileged-poor, keeps repeating and the gilded future goes to a different family.

But, are we really in control of our future? Most folks will tell you their employment has almost nothing to do with their major in college. Of course, that doesn't really matter, unless your current job is doctor and your major was liberal arts and social media. I mean, I'd be a little nervous turning my appendix over to you -- but, what a YouTube op; eh? I digress...

So many gurus tell our young that, "... you are the Master of your fate...," but, that's not really true.  It doesn't work -- except, for the very few. Why? Because we are not that much in charge of our lives and, unless helped from the outside, we end up living a life that has been conditioned by someone else's thinking. If you're firing on all cylinders and have been given the education, can find the job, know the right people, there's a pretty good possibility it will happen for you; if not, the road to your dream can be pretty rocky.

The problem is, we don't stop getting older while waiting for the resources, the breaks, or, the jobs. Some people are able to pick up after an early retirement by going to college or trade school and have a second career finally doing what they enjoy. For others, life, time, and illness, have closed that door. There is a season for all things and, when putting off some dreams, we have to compromise. And, sometimes, dreams need just a little alteration to create the same success in a smaller pond.

I think it's cruel to set a child up for a lifetime of feeling they aren't a success because they weren't able to visualize their future strong enough to make it come true. If you can pay your bills, take care of your obligations, have extra money to feed your soul and give back to your community, you're a flag-waving success. In my opinion, that's a chest-thumping goal.

What do you think? What were your dreams? Who decided your destiny? You? Your family? What are your plans for making them come true? Do you have a new plan?


For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #424 in a group of 1682 participants in this 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge! Do yourself a favor and check out a group of fantastic bloggers. You're bound to find someone you might like to follow. Don't forget to leave some loving comments and spread the word. It could even inspire you to think about joining next year's Challenge, yourself!

C is for Challenges - 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge

C is for Challenges in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

Having decided to take the plunge and enter the 2012 Writing Challenge, I began thinking about the challenges we give ourselves. Challenges force you to dig in and, hopefully, make yourself better. And, I don't mean better for anyone else. I mean, feeding the you that no one sees but begs for improvement. I welcome this challenge because I've become lax in keeping this blog current, it's Spring and a time for new beginnings, and, it seemed only right to take the plunge.

But, why do we challenge ourselves? Is it really for personal achievement? To gain the approval of our peers? Or, for public recognition? I would like (I WANT) to think it has more to do with personal goals. [ASIDE: That's not me on the snowboard, by the way...]

From childhood, I have given myself five-year goals. I have achieved most of them; albeit, never by the direct approach. But, my subconscious knew the plan and was able to direct me towards where I thought I might like to be, or, at least, close enough to see my goal. Then, I could decide if I  I really wanted to achieve it or change my course. Bear in mind, none of these goals were earth-shattering, like, curing bad breath or developing webwings for personal flight -- just your everyday curing cancer, creating world peace, fitting into last year's pantsuit, kind of goals.  Point being, I had goals and was able to take advantage of any learning resources that came along because I already had a direction.

That said, life goes on and it's time to face the goals of old age. I seem to have relaxed in my sunset years and my challenges have become less monumental -- you know, running the 1K race, trying to eat with a new crown (molar, not monarch!), or, staying awake through the whole movie. (The Gentleman Caller and I have an agreement to nudge each other, should non-editorial snoring start!)  A more immediate goal is to make it through this 2012 Challenge!

If I'm still alive at the end of April, I can do a recap. It's just that I don't make five-year goals, anymore. Don't want to tempt the Fates by presuming that I can still plan my life in five-year patterns. How do you approach challenges? Do you set goals or let life just happen?





For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #424 in a group of 1862 participants in this 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge! Do yourself a favor and check out a group of fantastic bloggers. You're bound to find someone you might like to follow. Don't forget to leave some loving comments and spread the word. It coud even inspire you to think about joining next year's Challenge, yourself!

B is for Blogging - 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge

B is for Blogging in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

Blogging is fun, for most people, in the beginning.  It's a way of sharing a sunny day with those who can't be there because they were busy doing something else when you all got together.

But, it's a job -- an unpaid job. Most bloggers will fall by the wayside after the first few months or by the end of a year because it is a job. Or, they've been sucked into the dark side...  because, blogging is not journaling, not in the real sense. They've found that it's very difficult to keep their blog from unwanted visitors. Newbies, especially, don't have the skills to figure out ways of keeping everything private and, before you know it, they've shared more than other family members want known and, if too much, will find themselves in a hornet's nest of anger, jealousy, and, even, isolation. Family and friends become afraid of being the next topic. 

Those bloggers make a public blog apology and then announce that they are closing down. They may or may not open a new one, but you can be rest assured that the new one is going to be less free with what they think and feel. Is this good? Is this bad?

I think it's good. The blogging world is an illusion; you live with real people.  If you don't have permission to share someone else's life, picture, or story, expect to get into trouble when you step over the bounds. Bloggers are NOT professional journalists. While it may seem your right to vent, spew, or laugh at, other people's mistakes, problems, what-have-you, you have no business sharing it. Blogs never go away, even if cancelled. There's always a way to find it. Save your venting for your offline journal. You'll feel much better.




For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #424 in a group of 1682 participants in this 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge! Do yourself a favor and check out a group of fantastic bloggers. You're bound to find someone you might like to follow. Don't forget to leave some loving comments and spread the word. It coud even inspire you to think about joining next year's Challenge, yourself!

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!

9/11 - The Tenth Anniversary - A Mirror of Time

No picture, today. If you really need to see one, they're all over the net and my pictures are in my heart. At first, I didn't want to write about that day but came to realize that it's a catharsis of sorts and sharing could help. Is there anybody who doesn't know what they were doing on 9/11/2001? I'm sure there are some, but most of us do.
For me, it was just another Tuesday and I was at league bowling. Our lanes have televisions just above the bowlers' section for folks to follow special events and to entertain non-bowlers. You can't miss them. Even if it's your turn to bowl. They're right there, in front of you, until you've entered your approach. Some of us saw what looked like a movie of the first tower being hit and couldn't believe it was real. But, then, we stopped talking to focus on what we now realized was a real broadcast with newscasters who, themselves, were very much in shock. Something was very wrong. They were looping a replay of an airplane flying into the first tower and we had just about decided that it was just a tragic accident when they switched back to live TV and we watched a second plane intentionally strike the second tower; and our lives changed.

We all felt the shock -- the anger -- no, the rage. How dare they, whoever they were? Was this just the start of -- what? Were there more assaults on the way? And, then, I remembered that my daughter was attending her very first business travel meeting in New York -- in one of the Towers, and I couldn't remember the time...

At 9:33a.m. the owner of the bowling alley told me that I had a phone call and I could use the phone at the desk. I was so confused, I couldn't imagine who would be calling me. I was one of the lucky ones, that day. It was my daughter. They had actually met the afternoon before, but were trying to get to a morning flight at the airport when the attack happened and, instead, their entire group was rerouted and driven to New Jersey to meet cars that would be driving them back to NC. She just knew that she had told me they were meeting in the Twin Towers and wanted me to know that she was safe and would be home in a day, or so. It was then I started trembling. She was all I had left in my little family and the full impact of the horror of the attack and the possibility of losing her began to assault my system, and I couldn't stop shaking. I was not alone. We all had to sit for awhile before we finished our bowling with very little talking. None of us played anywhere near our usual game. We just wanted it over so we could get home and make sure all our loved ones were safe. Shortly after her call, most of the phone lines to NYC were jammed or no longer working in that area and I sympathized with those who had to wait for news.

Watching so many families in pain, posting photos of their missing, realizing husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, would not be coming home, made my moment seem so insignificant by comparison. And, yet, it struck me to the core. These are the times when we want the comfort of family around us, where we want to be able to count every loved head in our world and can't rest until we know for sure that they are safe.

As we all know, the news didn't get any better, that day, as more reports came in from other attack sites. We felt the fear of what would be next? how were we going to get even? Where would the next attack be? We discovered heroes within the chaos. It was a terrible time and we were all hungry for retaliatory blood. I discovered that I'm really not a nice person, after all. I don't think vicious, cruel, arrogant, self-entitled people (regardless of how much money they have) should be allowed to do what they want, simply because they can. Ossama didn't care about the people working in the towers who came from all over the world and I wanted our guys to bomb that mountain where he was hiding. I still do.

We've lost too many more of our fathers, brothers, cousins, friends, so that we could fight a nice clean war (What the hell is that?!?) because we're good people. Well, all of America is, except me. They hid that man who killed so many. They knew where he was and did nothing. In my mind, that's the enemy. I didn't like what the mirror showed me of myself, then, and wish I could change. My heart just isn't big enough. And, should the unthinkable (well, thanks to OBL, we can't say that, anymore) happen, again, my feelings would be the same.  

Crocheted Billfold Purse and Coin Holder

I was doing my thing at Midtown market two weeks ago and a young woman stopped by my cotton dishcloth exhibit. (Don't you just love how this generation has discovered and fallen in love with our old-fashioned dishcloths... They work great on ceramic stove tops, by the way.) She fell in love with the only thread combination I don't care for but she didn't want the dishcloth -- she wanted me to make her a "billfold" lined purse with a zipper.

Frankly, there's nothing wrong with this color combination. I'm just a softer beige-type person or blues and greens for kitchens. I told her I would be more than happy to try my hand at it and she would be able to pick it up in two weeks, when I returned to the market.

The exchange was almost done when, giving her change from her deposit, she noticed my personal coin purse and asked if I would make her one of those, as well. Oh, yes! We agreed on the price and I began my design. The fun part was finding just the right perky inside lining material.

This is the result. 

I think she's going to like it because my sister wanted one, also, as soon as I was finished. Now, I know what to do for my granddaughters. The larger purse is meant to be folded over, as well, and then held with the loop and button closure. A strap could be added, too. I suppose; but, we didn't discuss it.

 It was fun to do but I'm not sure I want to add this to my crafting chores. Will have to think about it. What do you think?  But, since I know I'll be doing them, again, will be sharing these with friends at It's a Keeper Thursday: Recipe & Project Linky.  Pop over and check out all the great recipes and projects others have shared and -- why don't you add your own!