With his constant desire to
enslave, man has destroyed the earth. In the aftermath of this destruction, two
factions vie for power. Man, who did not learn from his mistakes, and Odin
Cats.
The HH decided the Charlie Brown tree needed some cardinals.
AND speaking of the HH....As everyone knows gun violence has reached epic proportions in the U.S. One that recently made the national news hit too close too home. It took place where a relative, who is dear to us, works. Sadly, she knew one of the people that was murdered. In response he wrote this:
Aftermath
In the early spring, behind the
shadow
Of children who have ventured out
Among apple blossoms
To find a new definition of laughter,
Comes a trigger.
Deep in the grassy clearing
where two lovers
Have lost all sense of separation
From the gentle wind that enfolds
them,
Comes a powder flash.
In a quiet café, interwoven
With the gentle conversation of two
friends who,
In their open honesty,
Have only a trifling need for words
to convey thoughts,
Comes the tearing of souls.
And in the ensuing wreckage we are left
Searching for reassurance
That what we once had,
We can have again,
Ending the horror,
Silencing the desperate lamentation.
Michael
Cox On a lighter note:
This is sooo cute:
Thanks, Rye.
These pictures were taken Sunday morning. One foot here. Two in the mountains. 500 accidents across the state.
The
first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. Members post about their
doubts and fears, discuss struggles and triumphs, and offer words of
encouragement to others who are struggling.
FYI: The IWSG monthly question can be found
under the IWSG Sign-up tab on the Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog.
December 5 question-What are five objects we’d find in your
writing space.
Some
of the monthly questions, I struggle with. But this one is fun. I either write
in my ‘cave’, the living room, the dining room or the porch.In any of these you’ll find my laptop, at
least one cat, hot coffee or iced tea, in the cave: book cover posters,
currently in the living room, the Christmas tree😊.
The holiday season has arrived at the Cox household.
The tree is up but not all of the ornaments. I'm running out of places to put them.
The HH is hanging the outdoor lights. We've had outdoor lights for many, many years. No issues...until we moved. Things have not gone smoothly.....
The workshop is set up and open for business. (Thanks, CJ:)
The HH got me the purrfect dishtowel and
a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, which meets with Frank's approval..
Now there's just the pesky little details of shopping, wrapping and cookie baking.
21 days till Christmas.
AND....
While watching the news of George H.W. Bush, what struck me was the constant mention of his kindness AND....(If I heard correctly) his and Martha's Christmas card list had over twenty-five thousand folks on it.
Did you have a wondrous Thanksgiving?
We had a wonderful one with the DD and DSIL. They kindly did all the cooking. All I was responsible for was the fudge and Republican Cookies. Heh. (Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies). DD made this pumpkin pie and it was delicious.
AND...
How do you like my new book model? Since he's family it's pro bono. Heh.
SO...I decided I wasn't going to get into the Black Friday frenzy, but I noticed that our local, favorite Southern department store was having a blow out sale. I changed my mind and cautiously ventured out. As you can imagine it was packed.
I was stunned by how friendly and courteous everyone was. Case in point: You know how frustrating it is trying to buy men's jeans at anytime. You can find the waist size but not the length or vice versa. I had two other customers that were looking for jeans too and asked what size I was looking for. The second person that asked was holding a pair of jeans and when I told her the size, handed them to me. I swear I clutched my heart. It was a Happy Shopper moment.
What about you? Do you often run into courteous shoppers and if so where?
The Good:
We signed up to take part in a senior flu shot study. It was a pleasant surprise to get a card telling us that for everyone that was taking part in the study, a child in a poor country would receive a life-saving vaccine in our honor.
The Bad:
Somehow my keyless car entry came loose and fell off in the garage where it was promptly run over. The cost to replace it...just let me say OUCH. Gone are the days of getting a spare car key made for a buck or two.
Furniture Protection from Pets:
Do you ever have problems with the cats scratching your furniture? My cats are usually pretty good about using their scratching pads, but Frank figured out that scratching the couch was a great way to push my buttons. Was he doing it on purpose? Oh definitely. He'd scratch, look at me and wait for my reaction. I saw this cover on Amazon and was skeptical but decided to try it. Surprisingly, it works. This is our secondary couch. It basically gets used when we have company, at which time we take off the cover. I'm not sure I'd want it on a piece of furniture I used daily. If you are interested, you can find it on Amazon or better yet Smile Amazon where they donate to the charity of your choice.
AND....
A shoutout to my ninety year old aunt who faithfully reads this blog. Have a great day, Norma:)
AND.....
Raindrops on roses...and mums.
AND.... What's wrong with this picture?
The only way I get my overweight cat to exercise is to throw treats for her to chase.
My gardening shopping genes went into hibernation for the hot months of summer then fall rolled around and I made my annual pilgrimage to the Growers' Outlet in Pineville and those shopping genes, which used to be much more focused on shoes, have kicked back in and I'm binging on mums. For me they make fall worthwhile.
My shopping cart (buggy). Do you recognize what's in it?
Another picture of my white mum that I planted last year. Looks like two there, but only one. Someone with four paws, who shall remain nameless but not blameless, walked through it.
A little bit of gardening trivia: Mums supposedly have a better chance of survival if planted in the spring instead of the fall. I ask you, can you even buy mums in the spring?
AND....
The baby hydrangea is trying to bloom. Do you think he'll make it before it frosts?
AND.....
Pictures, as promised, of the lovely and talented Diane Wolfe.
