SoCS: What do Orcas Think About Us?

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “sink/sank/sunk.” Use one, use two, or use ’em all and get bonus points. Enjoy!

Thanks, Linda!

I have no ideas.

The Titanic sank. They were over-confident according to the movie which is the most fun way to learn history regardless of whether 100% accurate or not. We can take historical fiction with a grain of salt.

Seems like there was some kid’s song that ended with something like sink, sank, sunk, but I think it was another word with those three tenses. Maybe it will come to me.

There have been orcas, aka killer whales, who have sunk three boats in European seas. At least one boat was a yacht. I looked this up and the whales seem to be acting in an organized way, led by a female who humans have nicknamed, Gladys. There is some speculation that the whales led by Gladys are seeking revenge for some wrong done to them, or they may see the boats as a threat. This particular pod of orcas is an endangered subpopulation. Whales, including orcas, are very intelligent. They are not normally that aggressive toward humans. I’m getting curiouser and curiouser.

I’m thinking these whales are thinking:

WE’RE MAD AS HELL AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! Bam!

I would not blame other animals or mother nature for thinking this way after all the damage humans have done. I don’t think anyone has been killed from the boat sinkings.

Here’s a video if you’re interested. Remember Jeff Corwin?

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What was that song? I think it’s coming to me.

Think, thank, thunk? Thank doesn’t really fit there, but it’s a good word. Okay, I typed it in on youtube and discovered something about The Grinch song which ends like this:

The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
“Stink, stank, stunk”!

Maybe that’s how the some orcas think about us humans.

The song really does paint an ugly picture of the Grinch. It’s a miracle that he got better. Wasn’t it music that helped him get better? He heard the Whos down in Whoville singing – with no presents at all.

Maybe we could sing to the whales. It might not help with the orcas. But you never know. We could sing all day long, but what we really need to do is stop harming animals and the planet.

Here are some peaceful encounters with Orcas:

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Last week, Marley got the tube out of his ear flap that had been draining a hematoma for three weeks. It seems to be healing okay. To celebrate, we took him out to eat with us. He was a very good boy and had a few French fries. This vegan restaurant is so dog-friendly, they brought him a dog bowl with water.

A good boy!

More fries?

Long shadows

There’s a squirrel up there!

~~~

For more on Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host, Linda Hill,

by clicking HERE.

Thursday Tree Love: A Young Dogwood, an Old Car, and a Young Family with an Old Dog

“The great thing about getting older is

that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.”

—Madeleine L’Engle, American writer

It was a delight to see this dogwood blooming down the street a couple of months ago. It lives in front of the home of a young couple with a toddler and two dogs. Marley and I stop and talk to them during our walks. One of their dogs is a 16-year-old hound named Boomer. When Boomer sees us coming, he ambles over to the fence to say hello. Their 67 Buick is in good shape and still runs!

Here are more views: Click on each to see the entire photo.

67 Buick and Dogwood

For more Tree Love,

visit our TTL host, Parul Thakur

by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Love, Hate, and Yes, I Like that TV show, Plus: Dogs with Sticks.

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “stick.” Use it as a noun or a verb; use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Love is not always easy. To be honest, there are people and things that are hard to love. I admit to saying I hate some things. Maybe I don’t hate any particular person, but I hate it when people are mean and act like bullies. In order to save ourselves, sometimes we have to love people from a distance. Like people who are critical, or talk constantly, know it alls, who might have a good heart somewhere deep down, but after a while they can be toxic.

Back to love. How to stick with love….. I suppose it’s possible to remember that God loves everyone. But God doesn’t hang around with everyone all the time (I’m guessing here.) God can assign angels to hang out with someone. God, please don’t assign me to hang out with a critical know it all who talks all the time, after I die. I try to be good, and that would be hell. Why do I keep going back to that?

Love! I can pray for someone from a distance, even if I want to hit them with a stick. Sticks should never be used for hitting, except in self-defense. Sticks are better for poking things. Gently. But be careful what you poke. Don’t poke a skunk. Don’t poke…

Wait. What was that movie? Oh, it was in a Young Sheldon episode when one of the kids questioned a compliment and Mee Maw said, “Don’t poke at it.” Or maybe she said, “Don’t go pokin at it.” Yes, I like that show. I didn’t watch it for a long time, thinking it would be…. IDK…shall we say, not my cup of tea. But I have discovered it’s funny and comforting. Mee Maw (played by Annie Potts) is Sheldon’s grandma. She’s usually sassy, but not always. I wish I could be a little more like that sometimes, even though some things she says might not be aren’t very loving to her son in law. (Is she like my alter-ego? Would I even like her in real life?) Anyway, she loves her grandkids, daughter and even, deep down, her son in law. Love always wins.

One time we saw Mee Maw’s human side when she secretly tried to use Sheldon’s new computer and cautiously picked up the mouse like it was a microphone and said, “Hello?”

I couldn’t find that video. But here’s another one that’s typical Mee Maw.

I had zero intention of writing about Mee Maw and Young Sheldon, but that’s where the stream went. I never thought I would like a show like Young Sheldon, but anything is possible. We need a little easy comedy.

I was going to share a video about dogs carrying big sticks. Marley has done that, so there must be a photo.

Marley got him a stick.

Here’s a short video of a smart dog, Theo, figuring it out:

If you really want something, don’t give up. Be like Theo. Keep trying!

FYI, Youtube has lots of video of dogs with big sticks.

~~~

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

Good News Tuesday for May 9, 2023: Dog Finds Kidney Donor at the Beach, NY Passes Public Renewables Act, Saving Leopards, and a Man Saves a Baby in Stroller from Heavy Traffic

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Dog Finds Kidney Donor at the Beach

Lucy Humphrey from Wales was told by her doctors in 2017 that if she couldn’t find a new kidney in 5 years, she could die. Against the odds, her dog, Indie, kept pestering a stranger – Katie James – at the beach who turned out to be a perfect match. The transplant took place in October of 2022. Enjoy the details of this story from The Good News Network : https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/womans-life-saved-after-her-dog-found-a-kidney-donor-at-the-beach-one-in-22-million-odds/

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New York Passes First of its Kind Renewable Energy Act

The state of New York passed the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA) that will ensure all state-owned properties will be run on renewable energy by 2030. The act will also require municipally owned properties – including many hospitals and schools, as well as public housing and public transit – to switch to renewable energy by 2035. The first of its kind law comes from years of work by environmental and climate groups in NY state. The Guardian has more HERE.

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Saving Leopards in Africa

Affordable synthetic furs are gaining acceptance and popularity as alternatives to killing leopards for fur in South African. Read more from GoodGoodGood .

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Man Saves Baby in Stroller from Heavy Traffic

Ron Nessman had just been to a job interview when he saw a baby stroller rolling toward a busy street. Ron saved the baby and got the job! Learn more about Ron and how it happened in the following video:

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Got Good News?

Feel free to share your good news in the comments!

SoCS: High Hopes, Trinity Center, and Marley Gets Ice Cream

Today’s prompt from Linda is to think of a song from our childhood and start writing. The first song that popped into my head was, “High Hopes.” Not knowing the whole song, or even who sang it, I decided to do a little research before I started typing the stream. The song was sung and made popular by Frank Sinatra in a 1959 movie called, A Hole in the Head. The song won an Oscar, so must have been played a lot on the radio when I was a kid. I remember by older sister singing it. She was ten years older than me. Dad must have sung it, too. They both liked to sing and many years later, sang together in my sister’s church when my parents visited them in California.

Now, I find myself missing them – my parents and both sisters have passed on to the other side. I can almost hear them singing, “High Hopes,” in that faraway place, or like they are closer now, whispering the song in my ear, wanting me not to be melancholy, because they are happy and I have a lot to be thankful for.

One thing I am thankful for is my husband, David. Last weekend he led the Cursillo weekend at Trinity Center near Atlantic Beach, NC, and I joined him on Sunday for the closing ceremony and stayed overnight. I have pictures of the scenery for today’s gallery. But first, back to that song…

They sing about an ant trying to move a rubber tree plant and a ram trying to punch a hole in a dam, which are unlikely, UNLESS the ant and the ram get help. Working together and with perseverance, we can accomplish a lot and make our dreams become realities.

I have high hopes for peace and that humans will learn to cooperate and work together to heal this precious planet Earth. I have high hopes that my adult kids will find comfortable and affordable homes where they want to live. I’m thankful they have jobs and supportive partners.

What are your high hopes?

Here are some photos from after Cursillo when David began unwinding and processing. He actually went to Trinity Center on Wednesday to start preparing for the event with team members. The pilgrims arrived Thursday evening. So, by Sunday evening, there was a lot to process.

Cursillo Memories

David and Me

Trinity Center Accommodations

Trinity Center View

Tunnel under road to beach

Tunnel to beach

Rough Surf

Processing

Unwinding

Connecting

Dune

Trinity Pond at Sunset

Thursday evening, we took Marley for some ice cream. I saved him some vanilla and some cone. Dogs should NEVER have chocolate.

Vegan Blueberry and Vanilla

No chocolate for Dogs!

Marley gets vanilla

~~~

For more streams, songs, and SoCS guidelines,

visit out host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Mats, Mutts, and Mosaics

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mat/met/mitt/mot/mutt.” Choose one or use them all, any way you’d like in your post. Have fun!

I’m not planning a bit, even a minimal as the rules allow if I recall. Not to say I plan a lot or at all on other weeks, but sometimes I mull over the prompt before I start writing the stream. Today, I’m just writing.

No idea what to do with mot. Mottled? Is mot a word? should I look it up? Na. Not right now. I’ll go to the mat. I got a really thick yoga mat for my feet and knees, but it’s harder to balance on, so I went back to the regular yoga mat that lives in my car waiting to go to yoga class. The thick mat might come in handy if I ever go camping again or want to lie out on the deck.

We’ve used an old yoga mat for Marley to practice staying in “PLACE.” We should practice that more and not just use it when we practice being calm and lying down when Mama Cat is on the other side of the gate. The command comes in handy, and Marley’s pretty good at it in situations where there is control and Mama Cat stays behind the gate. We would not try it otherwise. Maybe one day….

Marley’s still a bit fixated

David has been getting Marley to lie down when they see a cat on walks – just until he is calmer, though Marley is on high alert when there’s a cat around outside. He’s become less reactive to squirrels, but when the squirrels get close to taunt my mutt, he gets excited.

Mutts are great dogs. I’ve read that they are often healthier with a diverse mix of genes. I don’t know if I like the word mutt as it’s got a sort of negative connotation. Mixed breed might be better. Heinze 57 is okay, I guess, but could there really be a dog with 57 different breeds all mixed together like a melting pot? Who knows? I know there are plenty of mutts and mixed breeds who need homes.

There’s a quote by Jimmy Carter about how we’re not a melting pot, but something better. I’ll go fetch it.

We become not a melting pot

but a beautiful mosaic.

Different people, different beliefs,

different yearnings,

different hopes, different dreams.

Jimmy Carter

A woman at my church, Alice, is a kitchen designer. For fun she makes mosaics from tiles, broken glass, found objects, and melted marbles. She’s donated several to our church. Here are some of her creations:

Doves over a wave

random close up

Tree

Weave Us Together

Mother Nature also makes mosaics:

Maybe one day I’ll make a mosaic out of my big bottle cap collection.

~~~

For more streams of consciousness and the rules,

visit out host, Linda Hill

By clicking HERE.

Good News Tuesday for February 21, 2023: Solar Lamps to Ukraine, Community Supports Black Author, Women in India Save Endangered Stork, and a Teen Saves a Man and his Dog from from a Frozen Lake

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Sending Solar Lamps to Ukraine

A San Francisco non-profit is sending thousands of solar lamps to Ukraine where the war leaves millions of people without electricity. The lanterns produce 50 hours of light on one solar charge and have a USB port. This ABC affiliate has details.

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Author gets Overwhelming Community Support after his Black History Appearances were Cancelled.

After his Black History Month appearances were cancelled by Alabama schools, author Derrick Barns received overwhelming support from community members who raised money and organized books drives to donate his positive books. Here’s more from Atlanta Black Star.

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Women Save the Rarest Endangered Stork in India

 Stork biologist Dr. Purnima Devi Barman mobilized 10,000 women into the “Hargila Army” to advocate for and protect the rarest endangered stork in India. Read about the success of the movement in this article from the Good News Network.

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Teen Saves a Man and his Dog from a Frozen Lake

Teenager Joseph Salmon and several strangers saved an 83-year-old man and his dog after the man’s car fell through the ice in Iowa. The first video shows the rescue and the second is an interview with Joseph.

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Got Good News?

Feel free to share in the comments!

SoCS: Boxes, Boundaries, and Cat Dentistry

Today’s prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “out of the box.” Write about the first thing that comes to mind when you think “out of the box.” Enjoy!

So many ideas swirling around the stream which is not a box at all, but there could be boxes of ideas riding along on the stream of consciousness bumping into one another.

The first thing I thought of what how my grown kids are still and always have been outside the box type of people. Can’t imagine how that happened. The things their father and I had in common were art and science fiction. But that’s a tangent to paddle back out of.

I’d rather eat Chinese food out of the box than the plastic. Boxes are easier to recycle as some plastics don’t recycle as easily. I have quite a collection of plastic. You’re supposed to flatten boxes first. That’s one of my soapboxes within the box of recycling. But the Chinese food I prefer comes in plastic mostly with the rice in the white box which I open, rinse and recycle. Been saving those wire handles for some kind of project. Actually used one to hang something once.

Boxes make me think of boundaries. Boundaries can be good protection. But some of them need to be flexible. Negotiables like swearing and non-negotiables like no hitting. We have lots of boundaries to keep Mama Cat and Marley separated. Marley is learning to respect those boundaries. One of the most important boxes in our house is the litter box. Well, there are other boxes that are also important, like jewelry boxes and boxes up in the attic with treasures or junk, depending on your perspective.

Mama Cat was happy to get outside the box – her carrier – after she came home from dental surgery a week before Christmas. She had five teeth removed! I was worried about the procedure and the possibility of having to give her pills post surgery. So I wrote a note to the vet when I dropped Mama Cat off. The vet ended up giving her long-acting pain meds and antibiotics, so I didn’t have to worry about giving her pills. It’s been a long time since I gave a cat a pill, like 30 years ago, and Mama Cat is skittish anyway, but getting better.

The long-acting pain medication was a form of buprenorphine which is prescribed at the facility I used to work for. Mama Cat was practically bouncing off the walls, very hyper, and very affectionate for four days. She also started eating a lot more and is more active since having her teeth pulled leading me to realize she must have been uncomfortable with bad teeth. It’s hard when animals and babies cannot tell you what hurts. She will still go into her carrier to get the food I place in the back, so that’s good, though I hope we don’t have to go back to the vet for a while.

Some cats love to get in boxes, but having spent most of her life feral, Mama Cat doesn’t seem interested. She does like her lean-to cave and small table we added sides to so that’s like a boxy cave. Small children sometimes like to play in boxes, too. When my son was a toddler, he’d sit in a box, and we’d pull him around on the carpet. Do boxes make us feel safe or are they confining? Depends on the situation. It’s usually good to step out of the box, but not roam too far, unless you have a tent or a camper trailer which I’ve been casually looking into. Mama Cat would probably prefer to stay home as long as she can go out on her catio and watch the squirrels.

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for riding along on the stream of consciousness.

Here are some photos which may be related or not…

Mama Cat feeling better

Marley watching Mama Cat

Leftover Rice in Box

Food box at church

The moon Thursday at sunset

Mama Cat on her Catio

~~~

For more streams and rules,

visit out host Linda G. Hill

by clicking HERE.

Good News Tuesday for January 3, 2023: Dog Therapy in Ukraine, Cellular Glue, Humpback Comeback, 2022 Good News Review, and Surviving the NY Blizzard in a School

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Dog Therapy for Kids in Ukraine

A special dog named Bice offers positive distraction and comfort to kids affected by the trauma in Ukraine. This story reminds me of how well dogs (and other animals) bring us back to the present moment. Click here to learn more.

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New Cellular “Glue” Helps Heal Wounds

Scientists at the University of California have engineered molecules that act like a “cellular glue” to bond tissues. The research has implications for podetial of regeneration of nerves and tissues. The Good News Network has details.

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Humpback Comeback

Humpback whales were almost wiped out by commercial whaling in the 19th and early 20th century and were one of the first species to be protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1970. But with global conservation efforts, the current population has rebounded from 10,000 to 80,000 in 2022. Here are the details from GoodGoodGood.

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Good News Stories from 2022

Many news services are publishing a look back at last year’s good news. A short one from my 1440 email has a quick overview of ten topics including medical discoveries, earth work, the declining death penalty, LGBTQ rights, and more. (I opted to decline cookies and X’d the pop up and could still read the article.) Here’s the link: https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20221228-top-10-good-news-stories-yes-really-from-2022

If you really want to delve into the good news, a longer list of stories arranged by month is available HERE from Good Good Good

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“Merry Christmas, Jay” Saved Lives by Breaking into a School in the NY Blizzard

A man named Jay broke into a school to survive the recent New York blizzard. Then he went out rescue more people who were stuck in cars and brought them inside. He saved 24 people and two dogs. Here’s the story from ABC News.

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An unfolding story I’m following for next week:

A family of four apparently survived a crash after their car fell 250 feet off a cliff in California.

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Got Good News?

Feel free to share in the comments!

SoCS: Cozy Candles, Music, Movies, and Cats, Plus a Sheep, Rooster, and Dog in the Mirror

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “cozy.’” Use it any way you like. Have fun! (And Merry Christmas if I don’t come back before then!) Linda was worried about losing power due to a big storm up there in the great white north as I think Canada might be known (as dubbed by a comedy team in the 80s). I have to interfect that even if we lose electricity, we still have power of some kind or other, like the power of prayer, song, laughter, lighting candles (but not near smoke alarms…) I hope Linda keeps her electricity and everyone else does too.

Lighting candles has always been cozy for me. My fireplace doesn’t work as it would need a lot of repairs to be safe, but I light candles in there to give the illusion of a fire. There will be candles tonight and Christmas night, especially since the lows will be in the teens and twenties which is unusual for the Carolina Coast. Where my son lives in the mountains, the low was -6 F last night. That’s minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Burr. Maybe I don’t want to live there year round.

I hope everyone who has animals keeps them warm and safe inside. Up North, it might be a three dog night, meaning that’s how many dogs to sleep with. But all dogs should be inside the house. Period.

Back to cozy. I’ve been listening to cozy music on Youtube. Sometimes it makes me sleepy. I’ll share some in a bit. Or why not now? You can always come back to it when you want to relax. I especially like the picture that goes with this one.

At the sanctuary where I volunteer on Thursdays, the sheep and goats were in the barn because of the heavy rain. I’m sure they’ll all be in there tonight. The pigs, too, and some of the chickens. Other chickens will be in their coops. I still wonder how birds survive the cold. Must be some miraculous design. And they can fly! Pretty amazing when you stop to think about it.

Here are pictures of Bennie, one of the sheep, staying cozy in the barn and studying his image, along with a rooster, Marley in the mirror before I donated it to the sanctuary, and Mama Cat being cozy on the couch.

Bennie getting enrichment

Bennie looking at his friend Jeff

Maybe “Simon”

Marley in the Mirror

Mama Cat Cozy on the Couch

Speaking of CATS, I saw some hilarious/cute photos of cats getting cozy in nativity scenes. Here’s a link from Bored Panda.

David said tonight after church he wants to take Marley for a walk around the neighborhood. He took Doodle for a walk on Christmas Eve years ago and it was wonderful, so he wants to revive that tradition with Marley. It will be cold, but David’s from Connecticut and Marley is half husky, so they’ll be fine. I’ll probably be watching a Christmas movie.

Watching old Christmas movies and singing Christmas songs makes me feel cozy. It’s a bit weird how often I can watch the same movies over and over, like Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life, and more recently, Last Christmas which I just discovered this year. Last Christmas was inspired by the music of George Michael and Wham who I have paid little attention to until this movie enchanted me. I also like the starring actress Emilia Clarke who was in Solo, a Star Wars Story. It’s comforting to watch familiar movies again and again. They become like background music (like Star Trek) as I blog and do other stuff on the computer.

One of my favorite old Christmas songs was redone by James Taylor. I like how he’s changed the words just a tiny bit.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

May your heart be light

In a year our troubles will be out of sight…

Merry Christmas ~ Happy Holidays!

For more cozy streams of consciousness,

visit out host, Linda Hill’s blog

by clicking HERE!