SoCS: Infinity, Time Travel, Doggie Dementia, and the Circle of Life

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “figure.” Use the word “figure” any way you’d like. Have fun!

Go figure. So many ways to use that word, figure. The first thing I thought of was the figure 8. Turned on its side, it’s the sign for infinity.  ∞  is what it looks like from my symbols icon panel.  I bet I can find a better one. Maybe pixabay has one.  Oh yeah, that was a fun little diversion from the stream.

Infinite possibilities in infinite combinations. Where does that line come from? Star Trek maybe. Sounds like something I might have read in a ST novel. Spock might have said it. Maybe I’ll look it up later. Don’t want to divert again right now.

I’m typing this on Friday morning from my home away from home in the mountains. The snow is coming down steadily as I look out my window to the balcony. It’s amazing that I’m here right now. If I could go back in time to myself in say, 1972 or 2001 which were some of my toughest times and tell myself it’s all going to be okay, better than you could imagine! I would, and I will send that message back. I’m imagining putting my arms around that lonely confused teenager and the lonely confused divorced woman many years after that and telling them, “It’s going to be okay. Better than you can even imagine! But you’re going to go through some stuff. It’s not going to be easy, but you can do it. You are strong.”

Wow, I didn’t know that was going to come out.

If you could go back in time to any point in your life, what would you tell yourself?

I’m writing this Friday morning because by grand daughter will be here this afternoon and we’re going to have a sleep over. It’s going to be wild and crazy, but also cozy with bedtimes stories. My grand dog is coming too so my son and his wife can have an out of town date night.

We brought Mary Moo with us. She’s sleeping and it’s 10:19. She’s two months from being 18 and has had some rough nights. Don’t know how much longer she’ll be with us. I read an article about what if we treat death like birth. Maybe I’ll go find it in a minute. It’s been useful in preparing for the coming death of my little mutt, Mary who is the last of our five pack. Taking care of Mary, who is deaf, mostly blind, demented, and has accidents, is like taking care of a baby. We just accept it. That has helped.

Mary Moo doesn’t make figure 8s. She makes circles that get tighter over time. She always circles to the left because of her dementia. Like the circle of life. She’s starting to stir now and I should get her up and take her out for a little walk in the snow with her old wobbly legs and circles to the left.  I’ll be back here after I take her out and see if I can find that article on death and birth.

Well, she’s not quite ready to get up yet. I can understand that.

Here’s the article: What if We Treated Death Like Birth?

 

∞

#SoCS is brought to us by our excellent host, Linda G. Hill. For more information, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/03/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-7-2020/

Here are the rules:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
8. Have fun!

SoCS: RESPECT

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ect.” Find a word with the letters “ect” in it, and base your post on that word. (Not to be confused with “et cetera,” which is “etc.”) Enjoy!”

This might be short. My computer is in the shop with a dying hard drive and its info being transferred to a newer model. It’s been a long time since I did a post from my phone….

I’m not perfect, but I deserve respect. RESPECT. Doesn’t everyone deserve respect? My short, PC answer is, “Yes.” But I’m not 100% sure. There are few things I’m 100% sure of, because, after all, anything is possible.
I could say respectfully, “No thanks. I’m not interested.” But if someone keeps bugging me after I’ve said, no, I might say, “Hell, no.” Or Leave. Me. Alone. If I don’t call them demeaning names, that’s somewhat respectful.
You know who deserves respect? Mother Earth.  I don’t have respect for people who disrespect her.
A long time ago, I read a book called, Ecotopia. It was about a culture of sustainability and respect for Mother Earth that took hold in a big way in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington state. It was a eutopian novel. So Northern CA, Oregon, and Washington state divorced the United States and formed Ecotopia. Maybe this book was ahead of its time. Or maybe we’ll all start waking up and unite for our planet and no body will need to get a divorce from the country. Either way, I hope it’s respectful. Could we have a respectful revolution? They had a “civil war” once. No, let’s not go there. The times they are a changin’.  That’s for sure.

My Saturday morning will be spent planting trees in the inner city. Because that is something within my power. Little pockets of Ecotopia. Tiny but teeming with possibly.

It’ll probably be late Saturday afternoon before I get my new computer and catch up with all the interesting ect streams.
Happy Saturday!

Ha! I just realized that Ecotopia does not contain ect. Well that’s the way the stream of consciousness tumbles, fumbles, and flows.

Here’s a picture from my phone:

Raindrops Hanging from Cedar

Here’s a song:. RESPECT

SoCS is brought to us by Linda Hill. For more information, click here.

 

Mysterious Sounds & a Song from my Heart

 

Our Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday was “animal sounds.” “Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them. Have fun!”

…

It was after midnight. I went out onto the balcony to look at the stars. The darkness was thick like a wool blanket over our mountain hideaway. A few stars peeked out through the evergreen trees. Cool, fresh air filled my lungs and tingled my face and hands.

Then I heard it. It sounded like a duck quacking at first. Then there was a screeching, snarling noise below, maybe fifty feet away. Were the two sounds from the same animal? Were two animals fighting. Was something hurt? I didn’t want to think about that. I waited and the same noise came again, both noises right after each other suggesting it came from the same animal.

Over the next few minutes, the noise repeated. The quacking diminished and the snarling increased.

I would have loved to have heard a wolf howl, or even a coyote. Or a bear grunting. A wolf would be better. When I was five years old my dad was stationed at the naval base on Newfoundland, Canada. We lived on base near some hills where wolves would howl at night. I don’t remember this well, at least not consciously, but oh how I would have appreciated this more much later in life.

After a while, the noise did not come back and the chill sent me back inside. I never found out what animal or animals made that sound. I’ll listen for it when we visit the mountains again.

Years ago, I wrote a song. It was back in high school, kind a corny maybe, but heartfelt. The song was about extinction. I added a stanza more recently, but for some reason, I don’t know where I put the words. I wonder if I can remember it now. I’ll try.

Once you could see

a million brown deer

We knew they’d be here for us

a l w a y s…… a l w a y s

Once you could see

the birds in the sky

We knew they would fly for us

a l w a y s…… a l w a y s

(bridge/guitar solo)

You can still see the birds

You can look, even feel

And they seem almost real

Yet somehow out of place

In their polished glass case.

And the deer in the park

stumble in the dark

And they seem kinds lame

But no one takes blame

For their blindness.

(Here’s the new part:)

Once we could hear

the wolf and the whale

Their voices would sail to us

a l w a y s…… a l w a y s.

But the wolf and the whale

No longer cry

They’re just stars in the sky.

No one stands by

For the singing.

(bridge/guitar)

Still we can see

the birds in the sky

We pray they will fly, always.

Still we might see

A million brown deer

We pray they’ll be here, always.

Still we can hear

the wolf and the whale

May wisdom prevail for them

a l w a y s…… a l w a y s……

© Joanne Macco, aka joannaoftheforest

 

Hard to explain with no editing. I don’t remember if all these words are what I originally wrote, but it’s pretty close. On the guitar, I use chords …. wait let me check…. E, Em, and another chord I don’t know the name of in the beginning. Then there’s a bridge into the sad parts with G, D, A, and Em. Then back to the first chords for the hopeful part.

Dang. I didn’t write about Doodle howling when I tuned my guitar. But you can imagine.

I miss Doodle bug.

…

For more animal sounds in the stream of consciousness, and the rules for #SoCS,

visit Linda’s blog:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/02/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-22-2020/

…

 

SoCS: Pharmacy Calls and Hot Chocolate

Today’s Stream of Consciousness Prompt:

“last call.” Talk about the enterprise (sales or service) conducted by the last phone call you received from a business you’re not associated with (i.e. your workplace), or talk about that phone conversation itself. Have fun!

My head is spinning from “last call” being an important warning in my early 20s late night weekend bar days – almost like another lifetime – to enterprise: the car rental, or the star ship? But no, we’re talking about a phone call – the last phone call I received from a business….

I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls from my pharmacy, which I will not mention by name, telling me it’s time to refill my Rx. Oh, really? It’s time to opt out of that option cause I’m getting way to many voicemails about that, and I don’t NEED that particular medication yet, because I don’t take as much of it as the bottle says. It’s not like my thyroid meds that I take as prescribed. It’s one that I take PRN, as needed, not every day, like another one I take PRN for acid reflux which I AM out of and could get if they had it. I could go on about problems I’ve had with this pharmacy pushing things I don’t need and not having what I do need, like antibiotic for my old dog which they said – the automated response said – they didn’t have in stock and would process my request. When I went down there, they did have it in stock, just in the non preferred brand… but enough of that.

It’s not that the pharmacy staff is incompetent as much as it is a messed up system that wants to make sure I’m taking certain things. But it’s a computerized system, so it doesn’t understand the real world. Kinda reminds me of my old job in health care…..

I tried to call the pharmacy to talk to a person, and I was on hold for 30 minutes before I gave up and drove there.

The last real business phone conversation I had with a person was to ask when I should get more propane for heating the house in the mountains where we don’t live full time. I had my son check the level which was at 52%. They said they would schedule my address to pop up in mid February and deliver some propane within ten days. I figured this was satisfactory and alleviated my anxiety somewhat since I’m new to this heating with propane in a house I’m not living in right now.

I’m also new to having another house which I never thought would happen in a million years, but hey, anything is possible. I have to clarify that both my houses are small, because I used to think people who have two houses were…. excessive? My son and his family can always stay at the mountain house if they need to because their apartment has a mold problem. And on that happy note,  I will just share some photos from our Thanksgiving trip to the mountains.

We rarely seen snow unless we go to the mountains. So, snow is a big deal to me. And so is finding sugar free hot chocolate made with dark chocolate which is what I have in my hand.

Outside Fred and Larry’s cozy coffee shop in Banner Elk, NC

A Mountain Lake

Snowflakes hanging from the trees

Sunset from the deck

…

Dang! I forgot the most important thing! SoCS is brought to you by Linda G. Hill. You can find more SoCS posts at:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/24/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2020-daily-prompt-jan-25th/

Here are the rules for SoCS:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

SoCS: Beyond

Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt: Take the title of the last movie you watched (just the title, not the premise of the movie), and base your post on that title.

…

 

She loved decorating her little home

With blue glass in the windows,

Feeding the birds,

Taking care of her plants,

Talking with the trees.

She loved being safe

Beyond the madding crowd,

Beyond the political angst,

Beyond conventional thinking.

Sometimes though,

Like when twisting from warrior 2

To triangle pose,

Looking up through the pine trees

Glistening in the sun,

She imagined exploring

Beyond the picket fence

Into new realms

Of star ships and adventure,

Or old realms

Of elves and wizards.

She had big ideas

For such a simple woman

Reaching beyond the dichotomy

Of good and evil,

Rich and poor,

Beyond i phones and laptops,

Beyond brand names and fashion,

Beyond religion and government.

Part of her wanted to explore,

To journey into deeper, broader dimensions.

But sometimes she settled for comfort

And wore sneakers with a skirt.

 

…

 

The last movie I watched was Star Trek Beyond. It’s far from my favorite Star Trek movie, but it’s fun and full of action and adventure. I wonder if it’s odd that I love nature and Jesus with a passion, but I also like science fiction. A lot. Then of course there’s The Lord of the Rings…. 

Another movie I watched recently was Ender’s Game. I just want to mention it because the ending surprised me with an important message. If you ever get a chance to watch Ender’s Game, make sure you watch it to the very end.  Here’s a hint:

 

Anyway, here’s my favorite trailer for Star Trek Beyond. 

…

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you by Linda G. Hill. For more info, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/17/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2020-daily-prompt-jan-18th/

Here are the rules for SoCS:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

SoCS: From Ow to Star Wars

Today’s prompt for SoCS is: “ow.” Find a word that contains “ow” or use it as a word in your post. Have fun!

Ow. Owie. Ouch. That’s what I feel when I see the photos of the koalas and kangaroos hurt by the fires burning in Australia. I can’t think about it too long, but I can pray for more rains to come and put the fires out.

Mother earth is hurting. Maybe we can send her healing energy. And rain.

Did you realize that WOW upside down is MOM? There’s something to that. Being a mom is WOW.

Bow wow. Did you ever here a real live dog say that? Me neither. Ruff, maybe or Roof. Growl. Owls can be heard at night in my neighborhood at the edge of the city. Where the trees are.

Wow! There was a lot of the Force happening in Star Wars,The Rise of Skywalker. At the end of the movie, I sat there listening to the music and thinking back about how many times I saw A New Hope in the movie theatre in the 70s. At least ten times. It was the first movie of it’s kind.

One of the things I liked about Rise of Skywalker is the strong female characters. The main character, Rey, doesn’t appear to wear a lot of make up or glamorous clothes. Few material possessions. Those things just don’t matter. But she’s strong in the Force and strong in general.

Speaking of general, General Leia’s line, “Nothing is Impossible,” reminded me of my father telling me that very same thing. Leia’s character has come a long way since she realized she was strong in the Force. As an occasional practitioner of Reiki, I was very interested in it’s healing properties which resembled reiki with the laying of hands.

Wow. They made a movie with a dead person in a major role. No disrespect. I have a lot of respect for Carrie Fisher and Princes/General Leia. They used mostly old/extra footage from previous movies. Rise of Skywalker was a spiritual movie. Lots of action of course, but a message of hope and the rise of the people against tyranny.  The evil empire wants you to feel alone. That’s how they win. But you are not alone. There are more of us people who want peace and decency…… Wait. I don’t like to get political on my blog, but you know what I mean. There are more of us than the evil empire wants us to think.

There are more of us who are just regular folks. That’s another thing I noticed about the movie. Regular looking people. Yes, they had make up on, especially the aliens with multiple eyes, and the horses with curly fangs. Or maybe they were tusks. But I liked that people’s hair got messed up a lot in the rain and the sweat. Sometimes being in the resistance means messy hair.

 

I wish we could use the force to bring healing rains to Australia. Imagine that. Make it so.

…

For more streams of consciousness and instructions, visit Linda Hill at:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/03/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2020-daily-prompt-jan-4th/

Here are the rules for SoCS:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

SoCS: The Days are Long, But the Years are Short, So Believe in Your Dreams and Find the Joy.

 

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “year.”

A year is 365 days. Remember how when we were kids a year seemed like such a long time. My granddaughter talks about a thirty minute drive taking forever.

Now a year zooms by like a flock of pelicans. Though pelicans glide more than zoom.

They’re beautiful in flight, but they don’t stay long.

I was thinking about writing about what popped into my head when I read the prompt: The Year of Living Dangerously was a movie I believe I saw in the 80s. It was a about a journalist played by Mel Gibson and a diplomat played by Sigourney Weaver who’s one of my favorite actors. It was political, yet romantic in an exotic part of the world.

I’ve often thought of the first rebound after my divorce as a year of living dangerously.  That relationship lasted a year and was 365 days too long. But I learned not to settle.

Then, there’s “The Year of the Cat”which is a song I love the sound of. Mellow and maybe a little exotic though I don’t know all the words. But here are some.

“She comes out of the sun in a silk dress runnin’ like a water color in the rain.”

Who cares what it’s about? But I bet some one knows. It’s the sound that I love. Okay, I like the lyrics, too. Always have, even if I couldn’t sing them all from memory.

2019 was a strange year. We spent 7 months at the house that was my parents’ immersed in their history while sorting out their stuff during renovations on our home. Then we sold the house I grew up in and bought a house in the mountains. Never would’ve imagined that as more than a fantasy, but dreams do come true, even if they take a while. Anything  is possible!

So here we are coming up on a brand new year. The word, JOY, has been coming to me lately. That must be my word for the year.  A year of living joyfully!

Not every minute will be joyful. But I bet I can find some joy in every day. How’s that for a goal? I think there may be some dancing.

Here’s to 2020! With all its mess and magic. There’s going to be joy in the sunshine and moonlight, birdsongs, and buttercups.  I know I’m getting corny now, so that’s all folks.

Just one question:

What brings you joy?

 

…

For details on SoCS, or to join in the fun, visit Linda Hill by clicking this link:

https://lindaghill.com/2019/12/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-28-19/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!