Thursday, September 30, 2010

Life's Little Awkward Moments: Non-stop, Endless Jabbering

I don't date, so I will comment on situations which can cause someone to stop talking, and to just sit there.

please stop talking
There can be many reasons for any conversation to lag. Someone may just be considering something the other person said. They may have been distracted for some legitimate reason or are just plain not interested in whatever direction the conversation has taken. Maybe their ears are aching from listening for hours without letup.

Some people may just care to change the direction or topic of the conversation. In any conversation, it's always good to try to talk about something of interest to both parties. After all, conversing is supposed to be a two-way interchange, not a monolog.

I knew a person who would monopolize a conversation literally for hours, until my ears actually ached. I felt as if I were being tortured, akin to a dripping faucet clanging into a metal tub from a leaky roof for hours on end. That tub being fastened securely to the top of my head, and my hands and feet tied so I could not escape. Those hours seemed to to be unending.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: A 100-Word Texas Tall Tale-Manatees Envy Texas Rio...

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: A 100-Word Texas Tall Tale-Manatees Envy Texas Rio...: "Tall Texas Tale? Rio Grande Overflowing its Banks Manatees of Florida developed an envy of Texas having the Rio Grande. Th..."

A 100-Word Texas Tall Tale-Manatees Envy Texas Rio Grande

Tall Texas Tale?

Rio Grande Overflowing its Banks
Manatees of Florida developed an envy of Texas having the Rio Grande. They were so tired of being injured by boat propellers, that they decided to swim until they reached the Texas Rio Grande, hoping to only fend off a few people who were swimming to make their way also into Texas from Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. They met other obstacles they had not taken into consideration.

The banks of the muddy Rio Grande was patrolled not only by ICE agents, but also was loaded with many coyotes of the four-legged variety in search of dinner. Those coyotes weren't shy about entering the water, either. They sure missed the relatively clear water of Florida. At least there, they could see trouble coming. While boats were no longer a big threat, they now had to worry about coyotes approaching in murky water.


Friday, September 24, 2010

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: My Favorite Cliché - "What Goes Around Comes Aroun...

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: My Favorite Cliché - "What Goes Around Comes Aroun...: "What I have had to learn. Trying to be right in everything can backfire. vector what goes around comes around 'What Goes Aroun..."

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: My Favorite Cliché - "What Goes Around Comes Aroun...

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: My Favorite Cliché - "What Goes Around Comes Aroun...: "What I have had to learn. Trying to be right in everything can backfire. vector what goes around comes around 'What Goes Aroun..."

My Favorite Cliché - "What Goes Around Comes Around"

What I have had to learn. Trying to be right in everything can backfire.

vector what goes around comes around
"What Goes Around, Comes Around"
Keep the sun in your face, and the wind at your back.
May your home be a refuge from storms outside your door.
©2010 PK Hawk

It's very true. If we are always angry, and spread hate, and discontent, it will affect not only ourselves, but all with whom we have contact.

If we are always negative, and being a "nit picker," that will infect those we love, but it will also be how we are judged. While it is a good thing to learn from other's mistakes, people also need to learn from making their own mistakes.

If we always look for the good in others, and learn and grow from things which at the time may seem, "a bitter pill to swallow," we can change the course of future events. Benefit yourself, as well as those near you will be the result.

If we are a caring, sharing person, and give to others, not only material things, but of ourselves, that too will spread to those with whom we have contact. This is especially important to share with our children and grandchildren, as it will definitely be among the things that will shape their lives, forever.

If our "friends" know us to be a hypercritical person, they may feel they can never measure up to our expectations, and leave our companionship simply to survive. After all, no one is perfect, not even those who seem to think their was is always best. Look at the mess the world is now in, all done by people who were sure, they knew the best way to do things.

So share love and kindness, hugs and kisses, and everyone will be so much happier, and your home will become a "refuge from the storms" outside it's doors.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Safe Versus Sorry

This is opening a whole can of worms, with unlimited possible consequences.

Roadside Memorial - Tie Siding, Wyoming
Personally, I think it is always better to be safe than sorry. Of course, it depends on exactly what's at risk, too. Anything that may involve your life, or physical safety, it's best to not take unnecessary risks.

Several things come to mind, such a drunk drivers, swimming in dangerous waters, and without a buddy. Sky Diving can kill on your first jump. Why risk your life needlessly?

Sure, if someone is trapped in a burning building, and you have the means to help them, then by all means, do so. This particular prompt leaves way too much to debate. One could be a S.C.U.B.A. diver, and dive deeper than is wise, or that they may be qualified to dive, and get the "Bends," and die from the effects if there is no Hyperbaric Chamber close enough to treat the condition. Someone may decide they are indestructible and go into a cage of pen with some dangerous animal, and be killed, or seriously injured. It's certainly not the animal's fault you were stupid. After all, the animal was just doing what it instinctively does.

Running across the street, without taking care to be sure it is clear. Driving faster than is safe, and heading into the desert without first making sure you have enough gas, as well as plenty of water to drink, just in case you should have car trouble, and a cell phone, in case you need to call for help, and just a few foolhardy things many people do, some losing their life in the process.


My Normal, Everyday, May Be Unthinkable To You

I was born in Georgia, and raised from coast to coast. My Father was from Ohio, while Mom was from Georgia.

080119 breakfast (1)
I completely forgot about these. The following are real favorites of mine.

1- Banana sandwiches with Miracle Whip. This is something our Mom gave us a small children, as a special treat in the hot, humid summers in southern Georgia. I just loved it. I don't care for regular mayonnaise.

Then, I began adding other things: Things like peanut butter and boysenberry preserves, for example. To die for! First, either halve or slice the bananas lengthwise, and place bananas and Miracle Whip on one slice of the whole grain bread.  Then, add peanut butter to the other slice. The peanut butter also helps hold things in place. Then, add your "Knott's Berry Farm" Boysenberry Preserves.

Bananas and peanut butter together is something many people already eat, but when you consider how many people also eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, see, it's not all that odd. Just put each ingredient on separately, so the flavors can be tasted and savored individually, and then together. It's akin to sweet and sour Chinese dishes.

2- Hominy grits with bacon, eggs and Velveeta Cheese, all mixed together and well blended.

When my parents married in 1939, they had a few taste adjustments to make. For years, Daddy just plain refused to eat grits, as did my late husband. Many folks eat grits with milk and sugar, and many others add some butter while everything is still hot. That is pretty good, but it can't compare with the flavors of the mix of my most favorite dish of all. Sometimes I will add either medium Sharp Cheddar into the grits while it is still cooking, and other times, I add shredded cheese on top of everything else. While the grits is cooking, I fry bacon, crumble it up, just so there are still some pieces that are large enough so you can actually chew them. I cook 2 eggs, just so the white is completely solid, while leaving the yoke completely liquid. That is important so the flavors mingle once everything is mixed together.

I put my eggs on the plate, add the cheese on top of the eggs, then add the really hot grits. This melts the cheese.  Top it off with about two or three slices of broken or crumbled bacon. Mix it all together, and enjoy. Heaven in a plate.

3- Pineapple and Miracle Whip sandwich made using whole grain bread, not that glue they call white bread, or "Wonder Bread." For me, it has to be canned pineapple slices. They are somewhat milder than fresh pineapple.  I have a reaction to fresh pineapples, so if I want to eat pineapple, it must be the canned variety.  I also only use pineapple with juice, not with sugar added.

What do you want to bet I won't be able to find any of these photos online, or even on my computer, for that matter.  I did manage to find one of grits with eggs and cheese, just no bacon.  I guess that will have to do.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Weirdest Food I've Ever Eaten... I won't ruin it for you, just yet

I eat things such as octopus, squid, and hominy grits, as well. I have even eaten Sea turtle Soup in Mexico in my youth. I would never touch that again, once I have seen how the turtles are kept while waiting to be the next one to be killed and cooked.

Besides they are a very endangered species now, as well.

吉田うどん
Hmmm. Well, what may seem weird to you, may be completely normal to me, or someone else.

Actually, now that I think back...

I've always been fairly adventurous when it comes to trying something new. BUT, once when I was a newlywed, my late husband and I were invited to dinner at the home of some of his old friends.

Nothing was said, nor did I ask what were about to eat, so I was blindsided. I knew the dinner, which had some meat mixed in with some tomatoey sauce, had a slightly different taste than I was accustomed to, but I never suspected that we had just dined on a horse that they had on their property.

I love horses, and it still sickens me to think I ever ate anything that had horse meat in it.

I can still see, in my mind's eye, that horse in it's corral. I had actually seen it once on their property, too. This was an older Hispanic couple, and I'm sure they were accustomed to eating many things most of us would never consider. This was in the early 1960s, and they were in their late 60s to mid 70s, which meant that they were both alive and most likely living in a Spanish speaking country, where people ate whatever was available while they were growing up, and maybe even raising their children.

Many settlers of the United States ate horse meat and mules, while trying to survive while crossing the plains and mountains in their attempt to reach the west coast, and many places between where they started their journey and their final destination.

As you all know, many people in places like Japan and China, as well as other lands eat and even pay high prices to eat the meat of horses that we value so highly for their beauty, and intelligence.

Horses are one of my very favorite animals.  To me, they are right up there with dogs, cats and Pot belly Pigs.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Self, We Need To Have A Little Talk

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Self, We Need To Have A Little Talk: "Broken Tree Self, you need to lighten up a bit. Learn to have a bit more enjoyment in your life. While you certainly have..."

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Three Kids And A Pig

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Three Kids And A Pig: "During a visit to a petting zoo, three young children and their Mother happen up on a couple of the cutest Pot Belly Pigs, you'd ever want t..."

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Moon and Mars Together

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Moon and Mars Together: "Mars was within 34,000,000 miles of the earth tonight, and though Mars certainly was not as large as the moon, it certainly was the brightes..."

Moon and Mars Together

Mars was within 34,000,000 miles of the earth tonight, and though Mars certainly was not as large as the moon, it certainly was the brightest in the sky other than the moon.

Moon and Mars  Together
©August 28, 2010 PK Hawk
I sure hope this shows up on here as well as it did on my computer screen. I live on the west coast in sunny southern California. I managed to get a few shots of the moon with Mars off to the right. It's unbelievable how many other stars show in the photos I took about half an hour ago.

Just checked my digital camera, and it appears that I took several pictures between 12:27 and about 12:35 A.M. Pacific time.  I actually managed to get both planets in the same frame. Fortunately, the only cloud that I could see was low enough in the sky it didn't block my view.  After previewing the photo, as I was afraid, the picture is too small for Mars to show up very much, but if you look carefully, off to the right, and slightly higher up on the frame, you should be able to make out the planet Mars.

I suppose I could have taken a telephoto shot, but then, the two planets would not have been in the same frame. On this Plinky post, the photos aren't large enough for Mars to be seen very easily. It looks like a pin-point in the picture above. When this same photo is blown up to screen size, it can be seen much better. Once I loaded my pix onto my IMAC, I lit up the exposure, and adjusted it to make the photo as visible as possible.

See you in the year 2287 for the next Mars up close and personal visit.

Three Kids And A Pig

During a visit to a petting zoo, three young children and their Mother happen up on a couple of the cutest Pot Belly Pigs, you'd ever want to meet, and guess what?

It just so happens that they lady who owns the two piggies, also sell baby ones...

Arlington County Fair 2008
Look Mom, pigs, and they're not big like Uncle Jim's pigs.

 Look Mom, can't we get one? They are so cute, and that lady already said they don't get really big. She said they're tea-cup pigs, I think...

 Yeah, Mom I want one too, can I, can I have one too?

Now boys, they don't get as big as the really big pigs, that we see at Uncle Jim's farm, but they aren't going to stay as small as they are now, either. Those piggies may be tea cup sized now, but like big pigs, they take several years to grow as big as they will get, and nobody knows for sure how big that will be. They could get nearly as tall as our dog, Cruzer, and he's pretty big. They will also weigh more than Cruzer, because their body is made differently. They could be as tall as Cruzer, but weigh more than a hundred pounds. I only weigh a hundred and twenty, and they could actually get at heavy as I am, and maybe even more.

 Mom, if Joey and Steve get one, I want one, too.

Now, Sandy, I didn't say anyone was getting a pig, did I? Besides, a pig also needs another animal for a friend, like maybe another pig. Two pigs will be lots of work, and they need a good place to play outdoors, too. They need lots of attention, too, or they won't really be pets, will they?

That lady said they can stay inside like our cat does.

Look Mom, that one's licking Joey's fingers, and it's not biting, either. Can't we have one, please???

Look sweetie, before anything, your dad an I will have to talk about this, and see how he feels about having a pig or two. Then, if it's ok with Daddy, I have to talk to our neighbors, and see if they don't mind. If it's alright with the neighbors, we would still have to check to see if the city would even allow us to have a Pot Belly Pig. They may not even be allowed where we live.

Mom, what if we all agree that we'll share, and that way, we'll only have to get one. We'll even take care of it, we promise, right guys?

Look kids, this is something we have to learn a lot more about before we just rush into it, you know? Right now, we don't even know what they eat From what I understand, miniature pigs have to be on a special diet. They can't eat things like dog food, it's really bad for them. We still need to find out if they need shots like our dog and cat do.

It's expensive having any animal, much less one that will need us to get a whole lot of new things, like building a pen for it to play in when we're not at home, special food dishes, a piggy house and a place for it to have mud or water to keep cool when it's really hot outside. Why, it will also need shade from the hot summer sun, and shelter when it's cold outside. The pigs I've seen on TV have lots of blankets and quilts to help keep them comfortable at night, and in cold weather, even if they are inside. That' something else we need to consider.

It certainly can't stay indoors when we're not at home, either, so it will have to have the pen built before we even bring it home, IF we bring one or two home, later.

This much I do know. I've seen programs on TV about how many people are getting pigs for a pet, and then, for one reason or another, they can't keep it. If that happened, we'd all be very disappointed, and what about the pig? They have feelings too. I also know that it's not even good for a pig to stay indoors all the time. They need to play in the dirt, and root in mud like Uncle Jim's pigs get to do. That's just what pigs do. Just because they are smaller pigs, doesn't mean they don't like the same things as big pigs. Pigs also need some sunshine every day, or their bones don't grow they way they are supposed to.

What do you think we'd feel like if we ever had to give up or dog, or out cat?

All together, the three kids say, "Aw Mom, can't you at least talk to Dad and see what he says?"

Look, aren't they just so sweet? They are really smart, too. Look, that lady called Susie, and she went running to see what the lady wanted.

Tell you what, I'll talk to Daddy, and if he says it would be OK with him, I'll call around to see if it's OK with the city and see if I can find a vet that takes care of Pot Belly Pigs, to learn as much as I can. I'm not about to take that lady's word for anything. She may be OK, but she also wants to sell the pigs to us.

Sometimes when someone wants to sell something, they will not always be telling you the truth.

We have to think about us, as well as the pigs, they shouldn't have to be dumped just because we bought them not knowing we can't keep them. now, should they?

No Mom, they shouldn't. But we really want one. Pleease, talk to Daddy, OK?

Look sweetie, I said I'd talk with your Father, and we will investigate to see if we can manage it, and if it's ok with the city, like I said, OK?

It may be OK, and it may not, but we'll find out, and then your Daddy and I will decide if it's a good idea or not.

Pet the piggies good bye now, we have to go home now. I still have to make dinner for us, and Daddy's going to be very hungry. You know he's been working all day, and when he gets home, it really makes him happy to see dinner on the table. Right?

Yeah, Daddy is always hungry when he come home. Then, after we eat, we can tell him about our pigs.

Whoa now, it's still not for sure. You all do understand that, don't you?

"Sure we do," they all said in unison. "But Daddy will say it's ok, for sure!"

We'll see, just don't forget that, we still have to see!

The kids all said good bye to the Pot Belly Piggies, and headed with Mom to the car, and dinner.

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Self, We Need To Have A Little Talk

P K Hawk Stories, Poems, and such: Self, We Need To Have A Little Talk: "Broken Tree Self, you need to lighten up a bit. Learn to have a bit more enjoyment in your life. While you certainly h..."

Songs That Touch The Very Fiber Of My Being

I like a wide range of music styles, and these are just a few songs that I just never tire of.

I just wish I could still sing them like I used to do before surgery messed up my voice so.

This is one song that I knew every word to the very first time I heard it. I sang it for my sixth grade class at the invitation of my teacher, Mr. Raymond K. Funk.

It was my very first time singing to an audience, and I nearly messed it up, when our school principal even came to listen.

These songs transport me, and touch my very soul.
When this song came out in the 1950s, it was one of my favorites. I've lived on the outskirts of El Paso as a child, and it just transports me back there. The whole area has change immensely, and the wide open spaces that we lived in, near the base of a high mountain, have been replaced by thousands of homes, and shopping malls. But, every time I listen to this song, it's as if I'm in the 1800s, with that little cantina not too far from the base of that imposing mountain, and he's riding with all his might to reach his beloved Rosa.
I have always, since I was very small, loved this song, and though Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy did an admirable rendition, my mother who was a very accomplished lyric soprano was spectacular.

 I was able to find photos online though Google, but this particular program couldn't locate any.

If only I could hear my mother sing this once again...

Monday, September 20, 2010

One Of The Most Bizarre People I've Ever Met: An Old Man Who Needed A Ride

An older man in 110℉ degree heat, needed a ride...

6/365
Well, this one really did have a serious problem. It was about 110℉ in the shade, and this older man was hitching a ride along a local road. He was carrying stuff, and well,  I was concerned for his life in such heat, since it was several miles to the nearest place where he could find shelter from the heat, and get something cool to drink.

You would have had to be there to really get the full impact of this, but this is what happened:

I was driving my Chevy Camaro Berlinetta, cruising along protected by my air conditioner, and a good set of wheels, as well. I was in my forties, and just trying to be a good person, and just couldn't pass him up, and possibly contributing to his demise. Besides, I never went anywhere without having something in my car for protection if I needed it. Under my drivers' side seat, was always something with which I could conk someone on the head if need be, and I also had one of those little hammers with a sharp pointy end to help bust out a car window just in the event your vehicle was somehow suddenly submerged in water, and you were unable to open either the window or door to extricate oneself.

Of course, I was not in the habit of picking up anyone I didn't know. But, in this case, I just couldn't pass this old man up. So, I stopped and gave him a ride.

He made a comment that I was a pretty gutsy lady to pick up a man like that. I replied that I was always prepared and capable of taking care of myself, too. He began looking into his bag, and pulled out a medium-sized rounded rock large enough to knock someone out if he's had a mind to.
Photo © 2010 PK Hawk

My inner radar went off. I remained cautious, and kept driving, while trying not to outwardly show my concern. He said he had a college education, and was interested in geology, but didn't come right out and call himself a geologist. It was obvious to me, that if he were a geologist, and all together, he certainly would not be wandering around in my neck of the woods, without having some kind of mental or emotional issues.

I told him that as soon as we reached a particular intersection, I would have to drop him off, as I had business to attend to. He said "ok" and just continued to ramble on, about rocks.

I dropped him near a SavOn Drug Store so he would be able to get something to drink, or make a phone call, or get another ride on a bus. He thanked me, and I said, "You're welcome," and left, and took a deep breath, and thanked God for keeping me safe.

Did I mention he was only slightly disheveled in appearance? He wasn't dirty, either. But, he certainly gave me the "willies."

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Where I Live Sometimes

Though I don't always live in the same community all the time, I do live...

Photo ©2010Helen Dawson


Ya know, it all depends on your meaning of where one lives. I live in different places at different times, even different times of the day or night. Sometimes, I am only around for a short visit, while at other times, I may stick around for quite some time.

The community as a whole seems rather friendly, whether or not it's all genuine, is at times a bit difficult to determine. Other times, there are predators, wolves in sheep's clothing, so to speak. For the most part, the folks in this community are pretty much like people I've met and known in the many other communities to which I've lived or been. They are just trying to take care of business, provide for their families, and maybe have a little fun along the way. Some people are into examining their creative side, and sharing with others the things they do, or learn from others of similar interests. Many also are exploring new avenues, and side streets, to see if there is something else that may catch their eye, something presented to help expand their horizons.

There are people from all walks of life, and from many backgrounds, who speak many different languages, and may even have some different beliefs than many or most of their neighbors. Yet, I have observed more tolerance where I live or visit, than many people would expect.

Some of the homes are ostentatious, while others are very humble, but here where I live and where I have travelled for much of my life, I have seen and met many people who are very talented, creative, kind and always willing to help their neighbor. People I have met are eager to share their knowledge and expertise to aid their friends and neighbors, and even newcomers to the community. I have seen many instances when someone with a serious problem may have been backed up by their entire community, whether it was emotionally, or moral support, or even helping in getting financial aid to some deserving soul.

I have seen times, when someone may have been abusive to a neighbor, the entire community stepped up to the plate and reprimanded or expelled the offender, to protect their overpowered neighbor. Usually the communities where I have lived, or visited, are a rather close knit bunch, and I have seen few serious problems that couldn't be resolved.

There is a steady hum of music, and background noises, from clinking glasses, plinking of things that are moving and readjusting, sounds of pages turning, and every now and then, one hears the sound of a door bell.

There are sounds of livestock, dogs, cats, and birds. You can buy things for mere coins at times, instead of hard cash. You can become chef, or builder or a farmer, a clothing designer, or baker, or practically anything you can dream up.

There are lots of many with birds and butterflies, and green grass, zillions of flowers, and some pretty out of sight eateries, with some rather odd looking patrons, and employees that seem to never get a day off, and yet, they never seem to run out of steam.

Sometimes I live in one community, and at other times, I may go for a short of even a longer vacation and stay in an entirely different community. I have only on very rare occasions run into other residents or possibly visitors who are up to no good.

All in all, most every community I have visited, or lived in for an extended period of time, has displayed positive vibes from most other residents and visitors alike, with very few exceptions.

If you think you recognize the place where I live sometimes, please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts about where this might be.


Gripping, Suspenseful, What A Fertile Mind. Such An Imagination...

The Evil all around

This one is so very difficult, as every Dean Koontz book I have ever read was written so vividly, that you just felt that you were right there and fighting for your very life right alongside the potential victims and the past victims.

Dean Koontz has written under several pseudonyms, more than I even knew. I don't think I could ever read all his books, but while looking for the title of the story I really wanted to tell you about, I came across a list of titles to nearly all, if not all of the books Mr. Koontz has ever written, under every pseudonym as well as his own name. I still could not recall the title of the story I originally had in mind.

"Demon Seed" was all about being held prisoner in your own home by what at first appeared to be someone or something unseen, yet able to control everything about the whole security system and...

All the windows are shuttered, computer controlled security systems shut things down tighter than a drum if the system senses there it any danger near or approaching the house, and things are so sealed, there is no escape, no way in or out, not to get help, not even to bring in more food to eat...

Well, I don't want to give the story away, just in case there are other Dean Koontz fans here.

I really am not a dark and gloomy person, I just like mysteries, and trying to solve the case before it becomes too obvious.


NOTE:
I have read many of Dean Koontz' books, although I have stopped reading this type of book, as I really don't think it's a good thing to keep adding to one's mind.  If we are what we eat, then what we feed our minds, must also affect what we think and feel, as well as some of the things we may well articulate.

Or How To Get The Bergeebers Scared Out Of You...




This is one book with the prefect title. I don't think I have ever read another book or seen any movie more intense. Edge of your seat intense, and for a book, with no "visual aids," that's pretty intense.

I'm not sure you will want to read this book on a dark and gloomy night. But one thing is for sure, once you start reading it, you will either shut it, and try to forget all about it, or you won't be able to put it down 'til you have finished it. (That's what happened when I read it)

I sat up all night reading Intensity, and was unable to put it aside until I had finished. This book was made into a movie for television, but the book is much scarier than the movie.

Now, what the story was about...


A young woman took a trip to California's Napa Valley to visit a friend on her father's vineyard.  Hardly had she arrived when the whole thing began. Her life changes from one of a care free, happy person, to having to witness everyone that was in the house with her being murdered, and her not being able to help at all.

A mad killer had wiped out every living soul there, except for this young woman, who had managed to stay out of sight.

She decided to make sure he was stopped and brought to justice. She somehow managed to get out of the house, and hide out in a motor home that was outside, when he came out of the house, got into the motor home, and drove away, with her hiding in back.

At every turn, once he discovered her, he was either torturing her, or she was fighting for her very life, over and over, with the suspense growing and growing, again and again. Each time she managed to get away, she was stopped, and well, if your are into Dean Koontz, you too have most likely read this book.

If you think this part is horrific, just wait 'til you actually read the entire story.  This was absolutely most riveting book I have ever read.




One of my all time favorite funny movies

City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Helen Slater, Jack Palance and Bruno Kirby.
I love westerns, and when they are also comedies, I like them even more.

The first scene opens at Pamplona, Spain's running of the bulls, where Billy Crystal gets gored in the rear-end, which by itself isn't really funny. But, leave it to these guys to turn it into a real belly laugh.

Sometime later, the same group of well heeled friends get together for a dude ranch cattle drive. The ranch turns out to be a real working cattle ranch, and they charge you to work for them, driving a large herd of cattle for a few weeks to another place for better pasture for the changing seasons. The adventure isn't all fun and games, but they all learn something, and learn to work together for mutual benefit, and to save the herd during a terrible rain storm, as well as other hardships that befall them all.

They never leave out chances for comedy, even with some pretty serious things taking place.
This movie is one where some learn from the errors of their ways, while others learn the real meaning of their families, and it's all done with hardy comedy, and belly laughs for the audience. The laughs last right down to the closing scene.  You'll love it.

I laughed through this one so hard, that I was crying.

The sequel, City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994) is also good, but to me, it will take a lot to beat City Slickers, the original.

There are still questions about the possibility of there being a City Slickers 3, but at least for the present, there are no plans for a trilogy.

Sort of a Slapstick Tragedy

War Of The Roses staring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a couple in a failing marriage, living in a home they bought when they were struggling to make a lovely place out of a upper class hovel.


I think that when this movie was released, I was just getting through some of the roughest times in my whole life.

A friend, (whose son ended up being one of my sons-in-law) and I had been doing a little fill-in work, as my husband had been seriously injured in an accident due to someone running a stop sign, and T-boning him.

We were just looking for something to do to release some pent-up pressure in our lives. One of us suggested we see a movie. I don't think we even really knew what it was all about until it started moving along.

WAR OF THE ROSES:

Now, with Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose splitting, neither one is willing to part with things that they consider meaningful to them. Both want this home that they both love, and that Barbara decorated.

This is one divorce that was anything but amicable.  Though much was meant to appear funny, if one thought about things, and in that position, considering it to be realistic in some sense, it would have been depressing.  However, it was intended to have both comedy and tragedy all rolled up in the bundling of this divorce.  My friend and I laughed louder than everyone else all combined in the theater and there were actually people turning around to see who on earth was roaring like that.  After a while, we even had to stop just to catch our breath.

War Od The Roses was rated (R) for some tragic and messy scenes at the time. Nowadays, it would probably only be rated PG 13.

Divorce lawyer, played by Danny De Vito warns his prospective client that the story he's about to tell isn't a pretty one, but the client listens with eager intensity -- as do the folks out there in the movie in the audience. The War of the Roses can best be described as a slapstick tragedy concerning the decline and literal fall of a marriage. After 17 years, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose want a divorce. Not for this couple is there anything resembling a "civilized understanding": Barbara wants their opulent house, and Oliver isn't about to part with the domicile. Barbara nails the basement door shut while Oliver is downstairs, Oliver disrupts Barbara's fancy party by taking aim at the catered dinner, Barbara lays waste to Oliver's sports car....and so it goes, culminating in a disastrous showdown around, about and under the living room's fancy chandelier. DeVito and screenwriter Michael Leeson never let us forget that the couple's self-indulgent imbroglio exacts an awful price upon their children (Sean Astin and Heather Fairfield). The War of the Roses was adapted from the novel by Warren Adler.

Ma & Pa Kettle On The Farm

Now if you are desirous of an afternoon of escaping the modern life, and don't mind black and white movies, you will probably like watching Ma and Pa Kettle raising their family during the post "Great Depression" 1940s.

I have always liked to watch Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride in their series of Ma and Pa Kettle movies.

Down and out with a huge family, and Pa just wasn't the kind o' guy to work at anything he could get out of. If Pa could get someone else to do something that the needed done, then it got done. Otherwise, the house could fall where it stood, and it appeared it was well on it's way to doing just that.

Meanwhile, Ma Kettle was always working, cooking, washing laundry by hand, hanging laundry, and trying to be sure her kids got an education.

These were black and white films that pretty well depicted life during the depression era. They had more kids than many schools in their area had pupils.

Ma and Pa Kettle movies are a real must see, for anyone who needs a little escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life, and just wants to kick back and have a real nice time with a bowl of pop corn, and a nice big pitcher of homemade lemonade.

The Nutty Professor... Jerry Lewis Style

This certainly isn't the version you may be thinking of...

This version was made in 1963. Jerry Lewis wrote, directed, and stared in this original version of "The Nutty Professor." Though The Nutty Professor has been remade a few times, I still prefer the original version starring Jerry Lewis.

This original "The Nutty Professor" was full of Jerry Lewis, allowing him to play everything from a very shy, nerdy professor, who has invented a formula that changed his personality, and made him a hit with the girls, especially one, who just happened to he one of his students...
This is not a twisted, violent movie. It's comedy all the way.

There is just so much I can say about this movie without giving it all away. This is one that is really worth looking for, and now, they have it on DVD as well.

I just have to buy a whole set of Jerry Lewis movies, with our without Dean Martin.

Why Didn't You Listen?

A true story that is repeated only too often all across the country. These are cats I offered to find homes for. Now out of more than thirty cats, there are only two of the original ones left. Now, they are also producing coyote food.

The other five are kittens of the cats that were eaten by a single coyote/dog mix the size of a German Shepherd.



Think you saw a coyote?
I've warned you over and over again, and again. David, you just can't keep letting your cats run loose without them being killed and eaten by the coyotes that are hunting for food.

When your cats had kittens, I as well as another lady who did pet rescue and adoption offered to take several of those babies, get them "fixed," vaccinated, and to get them good homes. But no! You were too selfish to allow them to have a chance at a happy, healthy and safe life, in a loving "forever home."

Why don't you get your kittens spayed or neutered while they are small, and teach them to be house cats? Why do I care more than you do?

Dave my friend, you keep saying that you like to have the cats around, and I know you feed them well. But since they are allowed to keep reproducing and running loose, little by little, they will all be killed if not by the coyotes that shop in your neighborhood, then by a dog, or a raccoon,or even a car, but they will continue to disappear, until they are all gone.

Your neighbors have tried to tell you, eventually reporting you to the county, but you still don't get it. Don't you realize the cats using the neighbors' planters for their litter box is unacceptable?

How can you say that you love your cats, when you know very well they are no match for a coyote, much less one that is a hybrid that's as large as a German Shepherd?

David, you know for a fact that even two small dogs that belonged to your neighbor were killed and eaten by this same animal.  In the two years since you first called me for help, no less than twenty-five cats have vanished.

It's disgusting, heartless, and irresponsible to allow this to keep happening, and I won't help you again, when the authorities come take your cats to euthanize them. At least they won't be killed and end up as dinner for that coyote.

I helped you stop them from all being euthanized two years ago, and when they were all altered, except for a few kitten that were too young, instead of following though and getting them spayed and neutered, you allowed those kittens to grow up and reproduce, only to watch those babies vanish, too.



People Are Funny

People certainly are a strange lot, don't you think?





Art Linkletter, (1912-2010) seen below, gave millions of people something to laugh about every week during his many years on television. Mr. Linkletter hosted such shows as "People Are Funny" and "Kids Say The Darndest Things." I don't think I ever heard a negative report on this gentleman, either, unlike many of today's show people.


Art Linkletter 1912~2010

Right now, I'm trying to avoid the heat of summer in the "Inland Empire" of southern California.



A few days ago, it was 107 F degrees, yesterday it was 105 F, and my bedroom was still 88 F degrees at 6:30 this morning. So far this summer, it has been as hot as 112 F degrees here, and as cool as in the low 70s during the daylight hours. Our nights have been from in the 50s to the mid 70s. The temperatures have fluxuated wildly, but then, it's all relative, isn't it?



At the moment, at 7:15 A.M., it's overcast outside, with what appears to be small, puffy clouds that look as if they might be from the outer edges of some tropical storm either in Baja California, or over the Pacific Ocean.



The outside temperature is now 75 F degrees, and it's still 86 inside. Yes, I do have my windows open and the fans are running as well.



Yes, I do have an A/C unit, but I hate air conditioned air. It gives me a headache, so I will just continue to jump in and out of the shower, drink gallons of nice cold herbal tea, and an occasional Coors Light.



It could be worse. I could be living a bit more inland, in Death Valley, where it is not at all unusual to get as hot as 135, and even more, with night-time temperatures being in the 90s, or in the 30s.



See, people are never satisfied. We either complain about the hot, or the cold, or too much rain, or the lack thereof.



Just can't satisfy everyone, can you? We all talk about the weather, but still can't really do much of anything about it.



Makes me think of Art Linkletter, and his old television show, called: "People Are Funny."

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Self, We Need To Have A Little Talk

Broken Tree
Self, you need to lighten up a bit. Learn to have a bit more enjoyment in your life. While you certainly have some great standards, and principles, you also need to learn that not everything needs to be taken so seriously.

You've got some good goals in life, and you really should keep exerting yourself, stretching out to reach them. But, don't let the negative things define who you are. Keep doing the things you do, but don't forget to have a little fun along the way.

Since you are trying to follow the pattern that Christ Jesus left for us, don't forget that even he made some time for a bit of relaxation, and enjoying nature and his close friends. Remember, he even made wine for diners at a wedding party for friends.

Trees give a bit when blasted by strong winds, and if you try to restrain them too much, they will break. They need to have a certain amount of flexibility, or they will snap and splinter like a rigid sign post in high winds.

I know you weren't even supposed to live long enough to grow up, but you're nearly there, and even though you will have lingering health issues for your whole life, you don't need to be ready for death at every turn, or be concerned about looking forward to a full life along the way. By the way, stop sleeping in that casket position, like your are already a corpse. Maybe that made sense to to when you were six, but now it's time to loosen up, don't you think?

You like helping others, and you love animals, and that's great, keep it up, just do a bit more to expand your own horizons, too.

Never lose sight of your efforts to win the race, but do stop and smell the flowers along the way.

My Response,

Sorry Plinky, I can't even justify this one by writing to it. Who could presume to improve on anything that God has made?


Hummingbird Moth

God knew what he was doing when he created every animal on earth. I have only lived on earth for some sixty-five years. How could I be so presumptive as to think I could do a better job than the supreme architect and creator of every living thing?



God even has a better sense of humor than any man could have used to create things such as the Duck Billed Platypus. He also has an appreciation of beauty. Look at the Sea Horse, the Eagle that soars thousands of feet in the sky, and yet can see something as small as a tiny rabbit or mouse running along the ground. He has created the majestic and fabulously beautiful horse, the mighty sea creatures that man is just now even still discovering.



Why look at the picture on top of this article. I never knew there was a Hummingbird Moth, did you?



Only in 2009, did I ever see a beautiful red-orange dragonfly. Yet, this summer I have seen even more.



Man had to use the bee as a model to create the helicopter, and the birds to learn how to create an airplane. he has finally learned more by studying the gecko, and figured out how to make velcro.



Consider the dolphin and the whale. They are very intelligent, live in water, yet breathe air as do we. Yet, they both have their own language that means something, and a skin that allows it to speed thought the water, and leap high out of the water, twist and turn, even playing in the seas. How many stories have you heard or read about a human having been saved from drowning by a dolphin at sea?



Why God even made things such as the tube worm that thrives in super-heated sulfuric water at volcanic vents under the sea. There are places and things living in the deep, and with water pressure so strong, that it can crush a mighty submarine, and yet such seemingly delicate creatures as the squid, the jelly fish, and who knows what other creatures there are in those deep waters that man has yet to discover?



Man had to resort to making satellites with mini telescopes to read license plates from space., while the eagle has done it for millenium. Whatever man has made, God made it first, or man had to learn how by observing things in nature that God created. Why, man could make nothing without having the materials that God provided.



Man destroys Gods natural scenery, rain forests, and blames God for the resulting disasters, calling them "acts of God."

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Skydivers Over Cleveland National Forest, Landing... Where?

True Story, March 2010 Event





Photo ©2010 Helen Dawson


Have you ever gone skydiving? I haven’t either, but there are a lot of skydivers jumping in my area everyday, that is, unless it’s really windy, or raining too hard.



One day, I drove to the Lookout Road House parking lot, in the Ortegas, (which are part of the Cleveland National Forest) so I could take some nice photographs of our valley, with the snow covered mountains in the distance.



After taking some nice shots of the distant mountains, with the snow covered peaks that are at least sixty to eighty miles away, I decided to leave, and go to another area that is still not in the flatlands of the valley, but just high enough to get more pictures of the surrounding homes, and the lake. Maybe I could get more detailed photos from that angle and elevation.



Once I descended the mountain, and was driving to my destination, I saw some skydivers coming over the highest peak of the mountain I had just left. Since the skies promised some interesting subjects for more photos, I parked off the road, and started taking pictures of the skydivers. I watched to see where they were planning to set down.



Was I surprised to see the place they chose as their landing spot. It was at the base of the mountain, between a residential area, and the hill itself. This particular area is especially dangerous for such landing, as the winds are known to shift without notice.



Thankfully, they each landed successfully.

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Mrs. Gross, act I ... 200 Words, Real Fast

It just takes too long to tell this whole story...


day2-mgm 103

There once was a woman by the name of Gross. Mrs. Gross. No one seemed to even know what her first name was. Everyone, from neighbors to local law enforcement just called her, Mrs. Gross.



An evil woman was she. Maybe that’s why everyone just called her, Mrs. Gross, for gross she was. She made everyone hate her, and I don’t think she ever had a kind or honest bone in her body.



When one of her tenants was moving away, because they could take her no longer, she kept coming over, pretending to measure for new curtains that she never planned to buy. Heck, she didn’t even have a pencil or paper to write the measurements down.



Mrs. Gross attempted to enter the house again. She’d just open the door and walk in, this time while only the man’s two daughters and his two-year old granddaughter were there cleaning and taking care of final touches, to leave the place squeaky clean, Mrs. Gross again approached the door, and tried to open the screen door again.



This time, the screen door was locked. When the young women asked her to return when their father was back, she flew into a rage, and commenced to jumping up and down, screaming, “I’ll get in, I'll get in, you’ll see.”



Mrs. Gross then went to her pick-up truck, which she kept parked at the curb. She opened the rear of the camper shell, and returned with a Bowie knife, and again attempted to enter. She tried forcing the windows, prying them with her knife, screaming and jumping up and down, and cackling like an old crone, the whole time.



Eventually, she managed to get the kitchen door to give, so both daughters slammed against that door, re-locking it and holding the turn-button so she couldn’t use her side-door key.



And, that’s only the beginning of the story…

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My Dream Novel's Plot

Love should last... "Til Death Do Us Part"


Old Couple

She doesn't believe in love at first sight, but there's something about this man, not only his handsome face, and physique, but his whole demeanor. He's tall, but not so tall that he towers over her 5'3" petite frame. He is well muscled, but not the body builder type in appearance either.



There is something about him, that makes her want to get to know him better, not that she knows him at all, not yet anyway. He's quietly eating alone, but appears very at peace, contented. She feels, she is practically being driven to learn more about him, to get to know who he is, and what he's all about as well.



After all, her "Mr. Right" will have a balanced measure of self-confidence, but not “be full of himself,” patient, but certainly not a wimp by any means.



Slowly, she moves in his direction, just so he may notice her, after all, she's never been the type of woman who would brazenly seek out any man, after all, she still cares about their inner personality, and she sure doesn't want to attract the attention of some serial killer, or anyone who may be violent or abusive, either. She seats herself two tables from his.



Just because someone looks clean-cut, doesn't necessarily mean they are a decent person. She is, after all, looking to find her life-long mate, someone she can marry, and with whom she can happily, contentedly grow old.



He’s looking in her direction, …

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