3 Things

1. I finished a Stuart Woods book and a Taylor Jenkins Reid book in the last two days. The Reid book was weird. Reid is like Ann Patchett or Barbara Kingsolver to me - I know I'm supposed to love their work, but I don't. It's tolerable but it doesn't do much for me. The Stuard Woods books are so formulaic that you know exactly what's going to happen. The Woods books are fast reads, though.

2. I made a fast trip through the grocery store this morning. Peter Pan Peanut Butter was $8.79 for the largest size. I bought the medium size for $4.79. My husband eats a lot of peanut butter. I can take it or leave it. I know that the price of groceries is not because Joe Biden has any control over this, but instead the corporations are doing their best to finish wiping out the middle class and who cares about the impoverished and whether or not they eat peanut butter. It's called a monopoly, and the people who own the food are all billionaires. They've had record profits since the pandemic.

3. My iPhone 5 (yes, I am using an ancient phone) needs a new case but I like the one I have and can't find it again. I prefer the military grade cases so that when I drop it, it just bounces. The case I have has a picture of Rivendell (from Lord of the Rings for those who don't know) on it and I don't remember where I bought it. I also need to get the more current iPhone, as this one is no longer updating the OS. 

 

Multitasking

I am cold. I am sitting in my office with the door closed and a room heater running. It is doing double duty, as I have a sweater that I don't put in the dryer hanging on a hanger off the back of my desk chair, and the heater is blowing right on it. So it is almost dry, and I am warm. Multitasking at its finest.

The book I am listening to while I am multitasking (I am also watching the eagles on youtube and playing at a video game) is narrated by Julia Whelan. I don't know when I discovered that she is an excellent audiobook reader, but now I listen to anything I find that she is reading. Sometimes this leads me to authors I might otherwise have overlooked. 

Back in the early 2000s, my favorite book reader was Dick Hill. Hill, I'm sorry to say, passed away in 2022 after narrating more than 1,000 books. The first works I recall hearing him read were The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. But after that, like Whelan, I listened to most anything he read.

In fact, I sent Mr. Hill a fan email in 2008, and I still have it and his response:

Dear Mr. Hill:

 

I have been enjoying your work with audiobooks for quite some time. Today I found your website and I had to let

 you know how much I appreciate the characterization and life you bring to a novel.

 

I have discovered a number of authors I otherwise might not have read because of your work. I will pick up an

 audiobook regardless of what it is if you are the narrator.

 

My husband, who is not a book reader, is also a fan and I have been delighted to be able to introduce him to the joys of a good story through your voice.

 He started listening to you as I listened to Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind and he has since come to know that if I'm listening

 to Dick Hill read, he'll likely enjoy it.

 

I look forward to listening to you for many years to come.

 

 

dick hill	Mon, Jul 14, 2008, 1:31 PM
to me

Thanks for the kind words Anita.......I hope the publishers feel the same way so I can continue doing this work.  

I love it, and love working with my wife Susie Breck, who engineers and directs our projects.  

It's a good fit and we count ourselves blessed.  Glad you've been enjoying the Goodkind.  We sure did.

 

I do end up recording some not so great things, so it's probably good to make sure you check

 out a synopsis or something going in, so you know what you're in for.  I'll make a couple suggestions

 though, things I've really been enjoying..........Crawfish Mountain by Ken Wells is a whole lot of fun, and 

for mysteries the Dr. Alan Gregory series by Stephen White is great.  

Thanks again for the kind words.........it's nice to know actual living people hear this stuff, and I'm not

 just reading into a microphone.

 

dick

Q & A

A couple of readers asked questions about my responses to the weekend memes Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing, so I thought I'd address those.

One question I answered asked about money. I answered that I have "purchase rule" in my house.

Managing money, either personally or as a couple, is probably one of the harder things to do in the U.S. I'm not sure about other nations that are not so capitalistic. But here, the advertisements to buy and spend your money are fairly constant. My ad blocker that I installed in November tells me it has blocked 1.445 million ads since then - and that's just on my desktop. Who knows how many ads I've seen on TV, on my Kindle, etc. That's a lot of advertising in less than six months.

I feel like it's my job to hold on to my money, and everyone else's job apparently is to try to take it away from me.

Our "purchase rule" began early in our marriage. We decided within the first month that we would not make any purchases over $100 without discussing it with each other. Of course, now you can drop $100 on groceries so the figure has increased, but we still discuss major purchases. In the back of my mind, I still keep that $100 figure in the foreground.

The other rule is to wait a day, unless it's the last day of a sale. If you can wait a day, then you may decide it's not something you actually need or want. We live 30 minutes from a city, so the drive was often enough of a barrier to stop either one of unless we really wanted something.

I have always thought that young couples should go grocery shopping and watch each other's shopping habits before they live together or marry or whatever they're doing these days. If one person carefully checks prices while the other throws stuff in the cart willie-nillie and doesn't blink when he or she swipes the credit card, those two might need a discussion about financial management.

We track our expenses using Quicken, which I try to update fairly regularly. If it looks like we are spending too much on something, then I speak up. Generally, I am the most fiscally conservative, though my husband is fairly good about it. It depends on what it is. If it's something to do with the farm, he doesn't hesitate to spend the money. I wait until stuff blows up to replace it.

The other question had to do with my car. I said I might have purchased a different vehicle than the 2014 Camry we bought that year, if I'd had the chance. But our old Camry had a safety issue that wasn't worth the price of the car to fix, so we made the trade in a hurry.

The 2014 Camry is not a bad car, but I can't see well out of it. It has blind spots for me because I am short. The console had changed shape by the time we traded in the 2003 model, and it makes the car feel close and less spacious inside. I would have liked to have driven various other vehicles to see if I could have found something I could see out of better (fewer blind spots) and perhaps something that felt more open up front.

Also, we have had the same issue with doors in the 2014 Camry that we had in the 2003 Camry. The doors in the 2003 Camry started locking up and I couldn't get out of the car. Or in the car, sometimes. This became a real safety hazard because I would have been trapped in the car in the event of an accident, or stranded somewhere if I couldn't get the car doors opened. (That actually happened, and that was the day we traded the car.)

The 2014 Camry developed the same issue with the front doors last year, and we had it fixed. Obviously, Toyota has some issue with door locks.

So that is the answer to that question. I may have ended up with this car anyway, because I may not have found something I liked better for the price, but I do wish I'd been able to take the time to look around and see if some of these issues could have been addressed by another vehicle manufacturer.

Monday Monday

You really can't trust Mondays. One never knows what a Monday will bring.

Today brought me more of the same viral thing that I've had since mid-January, along with a new source of work.

Short term freelancing is always good. Fortunately, it's mostly internet research and I won't have to talk on the phone.

Good thing, because my laryngitis is bad. My half-deaf husband hasn't heard a word I've said for 3 weeks.

He's probably good with that.

New Year's Questions

1. What did you do in 2023 year that you had not done before?

A. I began playing music with my father and his friend Joe. We meet once a week at my dad's house and play old country songs. I also saw a different physical therapist when I went back to physical therapy. Since I'd been seeing the same one for over a decade, this was a big change.

 
2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions/goals for 2023, and will you make/set more for 2024?  What are they? What are your new ones?

A. I don't make resolutions. I have goals but at the moment I don't care to share.

3. Did anyone you know give birth? Or get pregnant?

A. I'm sure somebody did, but nothing is coming to mind at the moment.

4. Did anyone you know die? Or have a serious illness? 

A. People I knew died. I am of the age when people die. Lots of people have been ill and some have had accidents.

5. What places did you visit? 

A. The grocery store, the doctor's office, the gas station. I may have hit the bookstore once last year. I stay home too much.

6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023 (doesn't have to be a physical thing)?

A. Better health.

7. What date from 2023 will remain etched in your memory and why?

A. In 2023, I turned 60 and I celebrated 40 years of marriage. They are both big numbers, so I will remember the year for that.

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?

A. I didn't do anything that I consider a "big achievement."

 
9. Did you get sick or injured? Anyone you know?

A. I have actually been quite healthy since the onset of the pandemic (for me, anyway). Staying away from people has been good for my physical health. I know several people who have been sick or injured. I hurt my leg when I fell off a stool in October.

10. What was the best thing you bought?

A. A new electric guitar, which I did not actually buy. It was my wedding anniversary present from my husband. 

11. Where did most of your disposable income go (money left over after you pay for food, transportation and shelter)?

A. Into the farm.

12. What song will always remind you of this year?

A. I can't think of any.

13. What do you wish you would have done more of?

A. Writing. I wish I had done more writing.

14. What do you wish you would have done less of?

A. Playing video games.

15. What was your favorite new TV program? Movie? Album/Songs? Or if you didn't pick up any new ones, what are you still watching/listening to?

A. My favorite movie was Barbie, and the song What Was I Made For, by Billie Ellish, is a new favorite song (although it's very sad). I binge-watched Alaska Daily (I think that was in 2023) and was sorry it wasn't renewed. I still listen to 1970s music, Melissa Etheridge, and early Sheryl Crow music. 

These came from Sunday Stealing; there seemed to be two entries for this week or else I'm simply confused.

Friday Mish-Mash

No one has become ill since Christmas, when we had an accidental exposure to the Covid virus. We have been following the CDC recommendations, which are: if exposed to Covid, mask for 10 days, and on the 5th day, take a Covid test. If negative, continue to mask (but you can stop worrying - they don't say that, but I inferred it) until the 10-day period is over.

My husband, my mother-in-law, and I all took at-home Covid tests this morning, and we were all negative. None of us have had any symptoms. Well, I always have sinus drainage and nasal issues, so it's not easy to tell with me sometimes, but I'd not experienced anything out of the ordinary. We have no plans to go anywhere until next week, so I think we're good. Hopefully, I am not speaking out too soon.

We haven't taken down the tree yet. I never know when to take it down. Usually, I take it down when I tire of it. Sometimes that is before New Year's Day, sometimes not. I know there is folk lore about when to take the tree down, but I don't pay attention to that. I've done it all sorts of ways and never noticed a change in my luck for good or ill.

There are still hundreds, if not thousands, of starlings flying about. They are not congregating at the bird feeder, so I don't know what is going on. They all rise en masse, flutter about for a half-second, and land again. It's like one big hive mind of birds milling about in the front yard. They are also quite noisy. It's a bit unnerving to see so many flitting about, covering up the fields, and filling the trees. When the flock flies over the house, it sounds like a little plane.

Cold is seeping in as the temperatures drop. We have a slight chance of snow. I am not expecting that to happen, but one never knows. We could wake in the morning to a world covered in white stuff. Or maybe it will only rain.

A new year brings changes, I hope. I just never know if they are for good or ill.

Dona Nobis Pacem - Peace Blog 2023

 

And Today I'm Outta Here

 

My Name in Elvish

I wore my Lord of the Rings t-shirt into the grocery store the other day. The checkout fellow kept giving me strange looks, and I asked if there was a problem.

"Just admiring your shirt," he said.

I glanced down to see what I had on. "Oh, Lord of the Rings. You a fan?"

"Oh yeah. My brother used to read it to me before bed every night," he said. I asked him if he'd liked the movies, and he gave me a nod. "Have you read the books?"

"Sure, several times," I told him as he slid the groceries across the little beepy thing. "I have a copy on my cellphone to read while I'm at the doctor's office."

"Have you read the Appendices?"

"Of course," I said. "And some of the extra books too."

"I learned how to write in Elvish using the Appendices," he said. Then he asked me my first name. I told him.

On the back of my receipt, he wrote this:

"Cool," I said. "Thanks. I'd never thought to learn Elvish."

I came home and looked up an online translator. It gave me this:

A little prettier but basically the same.

Nerds. You gotta love 'em.

Happy Fourth of July!

I Want Pockets

Why do they make women's pants without pockets?

I bet there isn't a pair of men's dress pants anywhere that doesn't have pockets, yet I have trouble finding pants with pockets. Especially at my size.

Women need pockets too. It's a place to put a tissue. Or your car keys. Or your hand.

No pocket in my pants means I have to carry to some kind of purse or pocketbook. I generally do anyway, but I carry a much larger one than I would have to if my pants all had pockets.

My pocketbook has things in it like my inhaler, tissues, ink pens, Tylenol, Dramamine, and the other usual things one must have, like a driver's license and a credit card. I know wallets are lifted from men's pockets, but it seems safer to carry a wallet in a pocket than it does throw a big honkin' purse over your shoulder.

Not only that, but the dress pants I have on today have FAKE pockets. If they're going to all the trouble to sew in a line that looks like a pocket, why not make an actual pocket? What's the point of a fake pocket?

Give me pockets in my pants!

What AI Says About My Blog

This is what the Bing AI says about this blog:

Your blog is called Blue Country Magic and it is hosted by Blogger. You write about various topics such as music, memes, holidays, and personal experiences. You have been blogging since 2007 and you have a loyal following of readers who comment on your posts. You also share photos of your life in the country and your pets. Your blog is a reflection of your personality and interests. I think your blog is interesting and engaging.😊

I think your blog is interesting because you write about a variety of topics that show your perspective and opinions. You also share personal stories and anecdotes that make your blog more relatable and authentic. You have a sense of humor and a positive attitude that shine through your posts. You also interact with your readers and respond to their comments.👍

From ChatGPT:

As an AI language model, I can analyze the structure and content of your blog, but I am not capable of forming opinions or subjective judgments. However, I can provide you with some objective feedback based on my analysis.

After visiting your blog, I can see that it primarily focuses on sharing your thoughts and experiences related to country living and rural lifestyles. The layout of your blog is simple and easy to navigate, with clear categories and tags for readers to explore.

In terms of content, you have a good mix of personal stories and practical tips on topics such as gardening, cooking, and raising animals.* Your writing style is conversational and easy to read, which helps to engage your readers.

One area where you could improve is by adding more visual elements to your blog. Images and videos can help to break up large blocks of text and make your blog more visually appealing. Additionally, optimizing your blog for search engines could help to increase your traffic and reach a wider audience.

Overall, your blog has a clear focus and provides valuable insights into country living. With some tweaks to your blog design and optimization, you could attract even more readers and followers.

What do you think? Are the AIs on the mark?

*I don't think this is true. 

Sports

Virginia Tech's women's basketball team is going to The Final Four! They had an amazing game last night against Ohio State.

Regular readers are probably doing a double take, as I seldom write about sports. But I have watched the last two Virginia Tech women's basketball games. I generally don't root for the Hokies - we're University of Virginia fans here - but when Virginia Tech is playing the big dogs, we are Virginians first and root for them.

The team will be going up against LSU on Friday night. I plan to watch that game, too.

Just because I don't watch sports doesn't mean I know nothing about them. I may not be up on player names, stats, etc., but I do understand how most games are played. I think I like basketball best of all, as it is almost always constant action.

Some sports are slow. Baseball bores me to sleep, as does golf, bowling, and tennis. I have watched women's tennis matches before, but all that batting back and forth becomes monotonous.

I enjoy ice skating, as I find it beautiful, and during the Olympics we watch other winter sports like the luge or skiing. We watch the summer Olympics, too, but not as much.

My husband is a big fan of racing, so he watches NASCAR. Let's face it, the only reason to watch NASCAR (look, they're making a left turn! Now they're making another left turn!) is to watch somebody wreck. I lost my taste for that when I saw Dale Ernhardt die at Daytona in real time. My firefighter husband, watching the emergency folks, knew the driver was dead long before any announcement was made.

He does not watch football, baseball, or much of anything else, except for hunting shows. I suppose that's a sport, but it does not interest me. I'd rather do my shooting with a camera.

Since he does not watch other sports, I don't watch them, either. He reads the sports pages in the newspaper (yes, we still get a print newspaper), and I glance at them sometimes. Generally, I am more interested in the high school sports than anything else. I like to know how the local kids are doing.

Virginia Tech, at the moment, are the local kids.

It didn't take long to figure out who the stars on the team were. Georgia Amoore, who hails from Australia and is only 5' 6", is a stunning player on the court. She was free and easy with free-throws, and obviously a team leader. She dropped the ball into the net nearly every time with scarcely a thought (though she missed a number of 3 pt attempts last night). Elizabeth Kitley is also a strong player. She was the leading scorer last night.

So, go Hokies! Yay for the women's team!

Something . . .

Something in the way I feel
Tells me I need to see my doctor.
Something in the way my ears hurt.
I don't want to leave my house
I don't want to see her now.

(Music refrain)

Something in my eyes just shows
That I don't really feel well
Something in my eyes tells husband
That I need to go today
to the doctor right away

(Music refrain)

You're asking me if I could know
What's going on, what's going on?
If I knew then I would say, 
I would say and not see someone today.

(Music refrain)

Something in the way I feel
And all I have to do is make a call
Something in the things I am feeling
I don't want to leave the house
I don't want to leave the house

General Update

The Shower

We seemed to have fixed the issue with the shower. It is no longer shocking us, anyway. We had the power company out, and it still shocked me that night but not my husband. We also removed the stainless steel handheld body washer and replaced it with the original brass-covered one, which seemed to help. Finally, we replaced the water heater elements, even though the ones we had in it were new. We had put them in just before Christmas, but I suppose new things don't always work properly.

Whatever it was, the electricity in the shower has stopped. It was a slightly terrifying to step off the bathmat while soaking wet and naked to touch something, though.

Husband's Health

Husband went to the doctor last week for blood work. It was posted to his chart over the weekend. If my bloodwork was that good, my doctor would moonwalk. He has great cholesterol/lipid numbers, his blood sugar issues are under control, and except for the stuff that indicates gout, he is doing great.

Rental House

Our tenant had let one of the pipes burst during the bad freeze over Christmas. I say "let" because he had chosen not to purchase propane to heat the house, even though we'd reminded him since October not to let the pipes freeze. He did. He is moving out at the end of the month. We have new folks lined up to move in mid-month. I have concerns about the two or three weeks it will be empty, as far as keeping it heated so the pipes don't freeze again, but we will figure something out.

What I'm Reading

I'm listening to Unf#ck Your Brain, by Dr. Faith G. Harper. A good reminder of things I already know, although this is the first book I've listened to that is so full of curse words that I found it distasteful after a while. I don't mind cursing occasionally - I curse myself - but she uses it too much, especially for a book. It might not be so bad if I were only reading it.

I'm reading The Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri. This is a fantasy, with multiple narrators, and a complex world. I've already discovered I need to read on it every day or I forget who is who doing what.

How I Am

I learned a new cover song, so that's one New Year's goal down. You can hear it here if you haven't listened to it already. 

My chronic pain issues continue; I suspect I need to go back to physical therapy soon. I haven't been since 2019.  My weight is stable, but I am not losing (I haven't been making an effort at that anyway, at the moment, but at least I am not gaining). My ulcer seems healed finally, although certain foods do not agree with me (tomatoes and chocolate, still, are issues). The January blues are hovering around, but I try to chase them off when I notice them. I am cranky around my husband. He's been retired for two years, and I still haven't adjusted to having him home all the time.

My ears have been giving me trouble for months. They hurt, and I have been using a homeopathic mixture, which helps with the pain and has had the benefit of sometimes helping my tinnitus. Since Christmas, when we had no power and the house was very dry, I've had a sinus issue. It's not an infection, but every now and then stuff drains down my throat and I nearly choke on it, and then I hack up a wad of bloody mucus. Since I don't feel bad I haven't checked with my doctor, but this is not normal for me. Dr. Google says its sinusitis. The ear pain may go along with it. Maybe I need to send my doctor a note and ask about it.

I am trying to finish up the taxes for 2022; then I need to reevaluate where I am.

Aside from this blog, I am not writing.

It's the Year of the Rabbit, and I'm a Rabbit. So, it should be time for me to get hoppin'!

The Shortest Day of the Year

Today is the Winter Solstice. The sun sets here at 5:03 p.m., and after that, the daylight will slowly begin to last a little longer.

In ancient cultures, this day marked the death and rebirth of the Sun; it's always been a time of festivals, bacchanalias, and ritual. Some of the most fascinating old monuments were built around the Solstice, such as Stonehenge.

Often on the Solstice, I do a tarot reading at tarot.com, just for the fun of it. I don't take these things seriously, but sometimes they give me something to think about.

Today's reading was rather eye-opening:

There are some major cards in this reading - The Hermit, The Devil, The Sun, The Emperor, and The Empress in particular.

The Hermit is familiar to me - I draw that card a lot - but I don't recall ever drawing The Devil and certainly not in conjunction with other major cards. I don't think I've ever drawn The Emperor and The Empress in the same spread, either.

The Empress card indicates there is someone in my life - or someone coming into my life - whom I should strive to emulate, while The Emperor card indicates that someone with power and influence may soon be interested in my abilities.

The Devil, however, throws a big rocky rock into the pond of my life. This card demands raw energy and suggests drastic change. Some force will both attract and repel me at the same time. This card indicates a creative and chaotic time, provided I have the courage to move forward.

The Sun card indicates I can fulfill a dream, maybe even change my world. 

Given the cards thrown here, it looks like forward movement is going to require some strength on my part to withstand the forces that want to hold me back.

The Hermit in the position of Higher Power is particularly important, for it indicates I'm trying to wean myself of addictions and distractions. Oddly, I have already begun this, most especially by trying to rid myself of my video game addiction. I've told all of my fellowships I will no longer be playing after the first of the year. I am working to set aside something that part of me holds dear and another part kind of loathes because it is non-productive.

The other cards support this view that I am in a time of change, but one where I will need downtime to recharge before I hustle back into the game. It looks a bit like a battle of three steps forward, two steps back, but that means that I will eventually reach a goal.

I'm just not sure what goal it is I am going for, though I think I may have an idea.

We'll see if the Solstice brings me a bunch of brighter tomorrows.

Happy Solstice to all!

P.S. If any of you are tarot readers and want to chime in on what you see above, feel free!

When the Internet Goes Down

Addicted. It's an appropriate word for the way I've felt most of the weekend.

It rained, and my internet first became spotty, then died only to occasionally revive itself.

I couldn't blog, couldn't play video games, couldn't look up answers to questions. Oh, some of it I did on my phone, but I have a very low data usage plan, so I couldn't spend a lot of time on that doing things I'd otherwise do with the wi-fi.

There went my plans to watch the new Louise Penny series, Three Pines, on Amazon. No streaming without the Internet.

So too my plans to write blog posts in advance, although the main thing that stopped me there was anxiety and nerves. I could have written the posts in MS Word and saved them to cut and paste later, if I'd really been desperate.

Mostly it was knowing I couldn't do things that made me want to do them.

Strange how that works, eh?

We still have a landline, and that also went dead. Old fashioned, I know, but my husband had to have one for work - it was in his contract - and the landline number is the one on his business cards, still. So, we keep it, and many things are tied to it.

I had medicine called in for refills, so I couldn't get the call from my pharmacy to know when to pick things up because it's tied to the landline. I couldn't look it up online, either, to see if it was ready.

Some online shopping awaited my attention too - a pickup order for Sam's Club, a little something I thought about for my husband (and no longer remember because I didn't write it down and couldn't order it the moment I thought of it). 

The internet has us all tied to a way of life that is very different than it was 25 years ago. It's amazing how much it has changed the way we function and operate.

Being old, I knew how to entertain myself - there's always house cleaning and a book - but still, I noticed the lack of internet in my routine.

I felt off kilter. It also frustrated me to think I'm so dependent upon a computer and access to the outside world.

It really is a time suck, and my husband, who seldom is online, is probably far better off than I am, addicted as I am to my online reading and adventures.

Thank heavens it's fixed. Now if I could only get a fiber line and stop using DSL.

(I tried to visit Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing blogs during the small windows when I had service. If I didn't get around to you, I'm sorry!)

Dona Nobis Pacem

For this is a time for courage and a time for challenge. Neither conformity nor complacency will do. Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a party is not to our party alone, but to the Nation, and, indeed., to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom.

So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation's future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause--united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future--and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance. - John F. Kennedy

What Did I See?

Last night I went into the kitchen for a drink of water, a nightly routine. My husband was already in bed.

As I stood at the sink, I caught a glimpse of something in my peripheral vision. I turned to see a silhouette of a man. I blinked, and the figure was gone.

I went back to the bedroom and told my husband I'd seen a man's ghost. He hopped out of bed and asked me to describe what I'd seen, which I did. He began checking windows, turning on outdoor lights, making sure the doors were locked.

Very male stuff. Very "here and now" oriented, too. My husband deals with reality - cows, hay, the weather. He has no time for intuition, the indescribable, the unknown.

In the front yard, which would have been behind me when I was at the sink, deer lay not far from the front porch. They stood up when we turned on the exterior light. Maybe, I suggested, one had been on the porch, and I'd caught the flash of movement through the front door window. I've seen them on the porch before.

Having satisfied himself that nothing was amiss, he steered me to bed. I lay there, waiting and pondering.

My initial thought upon seeing this vision was that it was my father. He is still very much alive, though. So, then I thought maybe it was my grandfather, popping in for a visit. This morning, my brother suggested it could have been my husband's father, though I wouldn't think him to be one to be a ghost. My grandpa, yes, he might be a spectral entity come to say hello, but not my father-in-law.

Maybe, though, it was my own reflection, a trick of the light. However, I've seen and experienced enough weird stuff to know that we don't know everything.

Weirdness has followed me around since I was a child, but it has been a while since I've had this kind of freakiness pop up out of nowhere. My brother and I both take dreams and such seriously; there's always been a bit of fey on both sides of the family. We've seen it, heard it, felt it. It leaves an impression.

Besides, there's a different feel to a warning dream than a regular dream. I can tell what I'm dreaming is not really a dream.

But this wasn't a dream. I was awake, readying for bed.

Yes, it is strange. Yes, I am weird. I've been weird all of my life and I'm old, so I don't expect that to change now. I'll probably just get weirder.

But in the meantime - what did I see?

Stuff I Want to Remember

Queen Elizabeth of England passed away yesterday at the age of 96. King Charles III now reigns there.

The FBI searched the home of a person who should never have been president in the first place in August.

States rights have consequences even for rich people (Bannon).

The Supreme Court tossed out Roe v. Wade by handing it back to the states.

The redistricting process in most states is gerrymandered.

Republicans have not won the popular vote in about 40 years (I need to look this up).

The policies of Republicans are not popular with the majority.

Hillary Clinton still has power and influence even though she's no longer involved in politics (but her emails!).

The news today is the same as it was 100 years ago, so breathe deep and move on with your life.

What will be, will be.