K is for Kissing - A-Z Writing Challenge

K is for Kissing or Osculation in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

Hands down, we humans have it over other bipeds on this planet. And, because there are some cultures that don't believe in kissing on the mouth, I'm glad I belong to one that does. It's really a lovely part of moving toward full intimacy. Moving toward...  well, current movies, and how fast kissing begins. The majority of stories seem to have removed all the romance from kissing. Does this younger generation understand just how provocative and soul-thrumming a soft approach kiss can be? Given the benefit of the doubt, coupled with a less than five-second attention span, I suppose it is possible they could forget what they're doing if they didn't just go for broke at the outset and -- well, that's just speculation...

Contrary to current storylines, detectives don't bed new female clients in the first ten minutes of a meeting -- I don't care how good-looking the parties are; they don't. Granted, it does make the show more titillating, whilst stretching credulity, but, I have to wonder at the life experiences of the writer and -- I know, I know, I digress. Bottom line, most detectives I know want to make sure the check clears the bank before getting too comfortable with a new account!

Let's return to romance. You know, the good old-fashioned romantic kissing that made you want more because the kisser made it so special.  Kissing every Tom Dick and Harry devalues your kisses. Splurge your kisses on babies, seniors, friends in greeting, the ill (we all need human touch), if you must splurge – given on the cheek or hand to show closeness and caring. Well, that's my opinion. By the way, if you really want to know whether or not a man truly loves and values you, one of his first kisses will be on your forehead. You can't make him do it – that wouldn't be the same. It's one of those natural things.

A first kiss with someone you really like is one of the most delicious experiences on earth. Waiting for that first kiss can be so delightfully excruciating, there are some people who want to experience it over and over, and just keep moving through relationships. That's too bad, because follow-up kissing can be fantastic, too. And, those kisses you get after having lived for years with the one you love can be an almost holy experience. (I apologize to all the young whipper-snappers who think they're the only ones who can experience romance. Truth is, you can enjoy it throughout your life!)

Oh, yes, that first kiss. Did you ever wonder how and where some boys learn to kiss? From a talk with their fathers? their buddies with as little experience as they have? or, a book? I think some boys are confident and natural kissing a girl, while others need to feel more secure before attempting that first kiss. Wouldn't it make more sense to go slow and discover how each enjoys kissing before assuming that what worked with someone else is going to work for everyone? Did you have rules for kissing? These are my main ones. What were some of your kissing rules?

3 Rules for First-Date Kissing/Osculation

1. Clean breath and mouth is important. Carry some form of breath freshener with you, especially, if you're a smoker. Take a few seconds and take a drink of water or something to clean your mouth of food. Your date can SEE what's still clinging to your lips and teeth, you know. And, if you're one of those people who can't feel food on your lips and chin, develop the habit of using your napkin after every bite or visiting the rest room, after the meal, to check your mouth and teeth in the mirror.  Food all over your face, mouth, and teeth, is a big turnoff to a girl (and, I'm assuming, for a boy, as well).

2. Wet kisses are great, once you've broken the ice, but please don't be obvious about wetting your lips for that first kiss. Your date may not be all that anxious to share ALL your germs. It's like having a sloppy, wet, dishcloth pressed against your lips and all you can think about is the germs that are being transferred. And, if you have a cold, you might want to rethink the whole kissing on the mouth thing.

3. Please don't open your mouth like you're going to swallow your lady love for that first kiss. It's really quite overwhelming to see the top of your head disappear behind your upper lip and the maws of a Great White zeroing in on you, when all you really wanted was a precious moment. That does not translate to a precious moment and you look ridiculous. Stop it. There'll be plenty of time for this more intimate form of kissing, when you know each other...

from FunnyHumor.com

I think first kisses should start out gentle with someone you really like. It shouldn't be the same as the kiss from the end of the journey. If he says he can't help himself, he's not interested in you, he's interested in his own pleasure.  How can someone you've just met be grabby and possessive? If he's really interested in you, your feelings are just as important as his own. His actions are gentle until he knows how you really feel, not grabby and possessive.

Kissing is part of the physical language of love and can be heightened by poetry or billets-doux hidden in a bouquet or a pocket. But, the words chosen do make a difference. Would the following turn your head, if your love whispered them in your ear?

Osculation distributes pathogens,

as has been promulgated.

So, snoggle me, baby;

I'm inoculated!

I think you may remember it, better, this way:
　

Kissing spreads germs,

as it has been stated. 

So, kiss me, baby;

I'm vaccinated!

I think I'd rather have a first kiss, than a first osculation; how about you?








For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #401 in a group of 1802 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!

J is for Journal - A-Z Writing Challenge

J is for Journal in the  2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

Do you keep a journal?

When I was growing up, a journal was something one kept that was far more exacting than a diary. You were recording your feelings about friends and events that you wanted to remember and pass on. And, it never got vicious -- you meant for it to survive the ages and be read by future generations.. (Narcissistic, I know.) My little Dear Diary (rarely kept beyond the first month, or two) with the attached key, revealed the emotional roller coaster of my transition from girl to teen. And, the spell of keeping a 'private' diary was broken as soon as my siblings would find it and share my heart with their world, laughing all the time.

And, then, I had another journal that was (I thought) kept well-hidden because I never told anyone about it. Nothing shocked me more than when I came upon my husband reading that journal with his breakfast coffee. I felt invaded in a way that, even today, I find hard to describe. He said he 'found' it.

When asked what he was doing reading my private Journal, he said it was his way of getting to know me better and to know what I was thinking. So, I asked for his journal so that I could get to know him better and what he was thinking. He said didn't have one because his thoughts were private. (I am NOT touching the psychology behind that dynamic!) That journal, whilst not revealing my absolute deepest feelings about my little life, was my place to explore, come to terms with, and resolve my feelings, about anything that was important to me, at the time. He destroyed that and I never wrote, openly, in the journal, again. It had, then, become just another job. Soon after, I stopped writing in it, altogether.

But, my point is that an offline journal is where your venting belongs. Repeat: Blogging is an illusory world. You live with real people. There's really no excuse for hurting others because you feel a certain way and compelled to write about them, at the time of writing. And, that's the key phrase, at the time of writing. We all change, as we grow up, and gain an understanding that often adjusts our first impressions. Your online caustic words will never go away and you don't know when someone you love will read them (and, yes, they do read them) and be deeply offended. Until you can prove that you're the litmus test for what's right and good in the world, let your words be mellow and let other folks have an off-day without judgment. Do you really want what you wrote a few years ago to come back and destroy the older, wiser, you?




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 could even inspire you to think about joining next year's Challenge, yourself!

I is for Identify Theft - A-Z Writing Challenge

I is for  Identity Theft in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

I think Identify Theft deserves some more complaining, since I'm still angry about it.

Has it happened to you? Have you had your identity stolen and found that the low-life emptied out your bank account? It happened to me, recently, and it's not fun -- not fun, at all.  Oh, the timing was perfect. I had just made a big deposit and, within 24 hours, it was all gone.  Of course, I didn't know that until out shopping the next day and had my card declined. Declined! It was embarrassing. I had to put the cart aside, full of carefully chosen purchases.  But, they did say they would hold my cart until I returned.

Shot over to the bank, just a minute or two away, and, within minutes, found out that I had just bought some surfing equipment (well, it is almost summer!), $200+ worth of smoking paraphernalia (what could that be?), some hunting equipment, and clothes at Macy's.  All done online. Leaving me more than $1000 in the hole. Grrrrrrr.


Thankfully, the bank said because I reported everything so fast, they'll be able to fix my account so that the monies are returned and any NSF charges are reversed -- but, it wasn't funny. Hit my savings and headed back to the store.  This is all well and good, considering it was a debit card. But, the thing that bothers me the most is that my debit card can also be used as a credit card. Credit card holders are protected after the first $50 has been taken from their accounts. Apparently, that's not the case for debit card holders, even though they can also be used as credit cards.

I don't want a credit card. I don't like them. Why should I be penalized for paying everything at time of purchase? (I mean, I wasn't but it's only because I reported it, in time for them to cancel the purchases.) When I bought my house back in 1990, they said I was having a problem because I had a credit card and that was considered 'risky'! Well, after getting the house, I finally got rid of the credit card. Whoopee! Then, I was ready to buy the house I'm in, now, and I was told I was a risk because I DIDN'T have a credit card! What?!?!?!? Apparently, banks think people who owe large amounts of money are more reliable than people who pay their bills and don't carry revolving credit. It's a world gone mad -- but, no madder than I am, at the moment.

I've thought about dusting off my cauldron and whipping up a good curse recipe from the old days, and then decided that would bring even more bad karma into the world, so I just let the jerks get off with a verbal cursing of,  "May you end up living in your mother-in-law's house!"




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!

H is for Hares and the Easter Rat A-Z Writing Challenge

H is for Hares and the Easter Rat in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

It's probably because it's the day after the holiday, but I just couldn't help thinking about the Easter Bunny.  Then, I made the mistake of letting my mind just go with the flow and began to wonder why we picked a rodent to bring our children their Easter goodies.

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Easter Rat at rest after busy holiday

I wonder how many children would look forward to Easter morning, if they knew that their beautiful basket had been brought by a giant rat! Yep, that's what that little adorable bunny really is, a member of the rat family. I don't mind the chisel-like teeth, but I must confess that I have a problem with their eating their own feces to extract more nutrients from their plant diet. Did you know this? I mean, I'm not that fond of my own leftovers, but... Will we ever look at Bugs Bunny the same? I'm just throwing this out to you. Trying hard not to split hairs, here, but, maybe we need a new Easter benefactor? Or, shall this be our little secret?


For those of you who have just happened upon this page, I'm Entry #408 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!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Here's some of this  year's pysanki orders heading out to new homes.

I've been doing this craft for more than forty years and still enjoy it. They used to be given to friends and family with the egg inside. The recipient put theirs in a safe place, away from high heat, and would let it dry out until there was just a little ball inside. Today, because we now take orders and ship the pysanki all over the world, the eggs are blown and fancy hangers etc. are added. I have mixed emotions about this; but, it is a way for more people to enjoy and share a wonderful craft that dates back to 900 B.C. Why don't you check it out and see if this doesn't interest you. It's a great way for the family to get together and share, sort of like the old quilting bees!

G is for 'Feed Me' Gardening - A-Z Writing Challenge

G is for 'Feed Me' Gardening  in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

I love gardening -- so long as my gardens feed me. Oh, I don't mean my soul. Just watching plants grow is spiritually fulfilling, to me. I mean plants that give you enough food and herbs that allow you to enjoy their bounty in season and still have enough to put by to carry you through to the next year. Our winter was so mild, everything came in early, so I hope our current temperature drop doesn't freeze the smallest plants during its two-day visit.

Above is my mini-orchard, planted five years ago in lasagna garden beds prepared the year before. See how I did it, without shovels or back-breaking work, here. This type of garden is perfect for anyone with rocky soil and can be done in a half hour. I even used the method to top off my 6' x 20' container garden that initially started out as a modified French Intensive garden, so it's a combination now.  In five years, the soil had settled to almost twelve inches below the top, so it needed refurbishing -- and, a new coat of paint!

The system works great in planters, too! Morning watering is done with a stroll and a cup of coffee in hand.  And, that's pretty much all that's needed until harvest time. Gives me plenty of time for everything else in my life -- especially, writing.

Ornamental gardens? I do them to make my house look nice but my main love is the vegetables and herbs that feed my family. How about you? Do you have a summer garden? What type of gardening do you prefer?

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!

F is for FB in the A-Z Writing Challenge

F is for Facebook in the 2012 A-Z Writing Challenge.

No picture, today.

I'm almost afraid to ask whether or not you are on Facebook. What I do know is that I'm beginning to feel as though Facebook is a stalker – or, what I consider stalking. I know that it has become primarily a tool for advertisers but FB's current behavior would not be tolerated in the real world. If representatives from Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, your local farmers market, any store, aggressively followed your every step, you could bring stalking charges against them.

And, yet, we have allowed this invasive website to shadow our every move, so that our "friends" will know where we are, what we do, where we've been, and what we like -- steps, that, in real life, we don't necessarily share with our most intimate friends. Something is drastically wrong, here. Am I the only one that is getting disturbed to find that FB is on almost every site you visit, now? And, ready to share this info with the world?

Conversely, what I enjoy the most about Facebook is that I can keep up with my family and friends scattered around the world. Unfortunately, to enjoy that closeness, we have to include them as "friends" and expand to add associates, only to discover that Facebook then allows their close friends and associates to "friend" us. It isn't long before we discover we don't know half the people on our Friend List. This has created a most irritating problem of unknown "friends" who want to Instant Chat with me, who then become abusive when I won't. One 'friend' was so breathtakingly persistent, even after I specifically asked them to leave me alone, that I became afraid to go online. I still can't figure out how to get rid this person off my list.

I know that we can opt out of who we want to see our postings, but I don't think that that should be the standard. I think we should be given the option of opting in to new apps and not have to worry about where our personal information is being shared, if we are not computer savvy enough, in the first place. And, with Facebook constantly changing its layout, this becomes a job, in itself. I love playing the games with my family members and close friends. It's as close to family gatherings as we can get. But, I wouldn't ask them to pay as they advanced, and I don't like think we should have to on FB. Games should be free, since they so freely share out information with advertisers. Let those advertisers support the games, entirely.

What used to be fun has become tiresome. Almost all the games now want you to buy more coins/tokens to continue playing or invite your friends to "help" you advance to a new level. Frankly, I don't want to irritate my friends by asking them to have to join the app and share their personal information, just to give me some help. This allows even more people I don't know access to my profile and how I spent my day. You earn coins as you play the games, but you can't spend them, so what's the point in that? – you have to buy more coins to play. Grrrr.

Am I being petty? Do you like the direction Facebook is heading? Do you find it invasive? Am I too old-fashioned?

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!