As I write this post, it is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, Friday, March 20th. In parts of Wisconsin, it doesn’t look like spring as the piles of snow left over from Blizzard Elsa are still present. It feels like spring as the sun is out and we are warming into the upper 40’s (@9 C) today, and upper 50’s on Saturday, helping the snow to melt. Elsa gave Appleton a record 27.5″ (70 centimeters) ofRead more
#SoCS: How Far Do You Want to Go?
How far do you want to go on this day To discover the wonders that God gives? What distance do we trod to find the way Where the glory of Mother Nature lives? We cross the bridge to get to the far side Not knowing what or where two wheels will lead The bright sun encourages all to ride To feel warmth and wind and peace on their steed On two feet, we travel for lofty views Of mountains andRead more
#SoCS: Smoothly as can be Expected
If you follow me on IG or Facebook, you may have seen this photo and know that I recently had surgery on my big left toe. Gibbs has been glued to me unless he is eating, pooping, or under the weight of a snuggling Hoshi. The surgery went as smoothly as could be expected. No complications. It started in early August, 2024, while traipsing around downtown Appleton on day three for the annual Mile of Music fest. My left foot,Read more
#SoCS: The Language of Love
Love (English) Amour (French) Amar (Spanish) Te Amo (“I Love You” in Puerto Rico) Liebe (German) Ai (Japanese) Mapenzi (Swahili) Miluju te (Czech Republic) Mahal kita (Phillipines) Mandarin Chinese: In any language, love is an intense feeling of deep affection (I love my God, friends and family). Or it can be a great interest and pleasure in something (I love chocolate and the Green Bay Packers). According to AI, “love is a profound, selfless connection involving deep affection, care, respect,Read more
“Don’t Get Me Started!” for #SoCS
Don’t get me started on what I don’t like Encourage me not from life’s displeasure I shall rant and rage and blood pressure spike The likes of which none of you can measure Human is to blame constantly, you see For ignoring me in crucial, dark times She forgets how to pay respect to me When I affirm in yowls the obvious signs Alas poor Gibbers, I knew him starving For it shall be my demise at wench’s hand ToRead more
#SoCS: The Four B’s
Do you see the lump in the middle of this photo? It’s Hoshi cat, who decided last weekend that the warmth of a comforter is far, far better than the bitter sub-zero cold outside. Snuggling seems to be her game lately (Gibbs too) due to closed windows and very few birds, if any. Late autumn (what Wisconsinsites call early winter before actual winter) has been a roller coaster of snow, frigid cold, more snow, a warm-up here and there (38FRead more
#SoCS: The Company I Keep
“Time spent with a cat is never wasted.” ~Colette~ It’s been six weeks since I last blogged, and that last post wasn’t a very happy one. An update: Friend Margie went to heaven on my birthday, September 26, so I suppose I will never forget her on that day. I am missing both Margie and Paul, but the last month and a half has reminded me that I have a wonderful circle of family and friends that continually bring happiness,Read more
#SoCS: Loss in Seven Quotes
“How can we love the people in our lives so deeply and then one day simply never see them again? Perhaps these moments we share are anything but fleeting, but maybe they never really vanish. Maybe memory is real as the present and no one we have ever loved is truly gone.” ~Captain Christopher Pike, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds This past Thursday was not a good day. I lost one friend to ALS and learned another is entering hospiceRead more
My Hobbies – CFFC
Hobby #1: Gardening for butterflies and bees Hobby #1A: More gardening for butterflies and bees, and happy me. Hobby #2: Biking Hobby #2A: More biking…whew, I’m tired. Hobby #3: Painting with Wine – the ones I *hic* love the best. Hobby #4: Filling Bookshelves with the many things I read. Need another bookshelf. Create a CFFC PostRead more
It should have been an “X”
Linda G. Hill’s last Saturday Stream of Consciousness challenge was “think of a word that starts with the letter Q and write your post around it.“ I was in a quandry over this challenge because I would have preferred the letter X over Q. (Nevermind that I didn’t have time to write a post on Friday or commiserate with fellow bloggers on Saturday morning, but still…) So today, Monday, all the lucky bloggers out there get to read my storyRead more
#SoCS: Spittlebugs, Ants and Curls
Gardening/Biking/Traveling Buddy and I have been learning much about bugs in the garden. Frustrating much. The first and second year of the garden, we sought fencing as our answer to hungry bunnies, but second year, and this third year, also brought the onslaught of spittlebugs and our constant battle with the icky little things. Do you know what they are and what they do? If not: “Spittlebugs, in their nymph stage, harm plants by sucking their sap, which can causeRead more
God and Mother Nature in Maine
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.” ~Psalms 96:11~ When friends and acquaintances asked me my favorite place or moment during vacation, I always respond that it was on the first morning in Maine, when I overlooked the ocean in Portland, listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and felt the ocean breeze on my face. I envision heaven to be something similar…peaceful, sublime,Read more
Mary J Melange 