This is my first try at Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, getting in just under the wire for the week. The topic is dear to my heart: celebrating things that remind us of nature’s beauty. The first row of photos below was taken where we live near the coast of North Carolina. The second row photos were taken in the North Carolina mountains.
I hope I’m doing this right. For more info on the weekly CFFC click HERE.
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “—amble.” Add letters to the beginning of “-amble” to make another word or use it as is in your post. Enjoy!
I used to have a cat named, Ramble. She was the first animal my son lived with. One of his first words was what he called her, trying to mimic her meow. It sounded like, “avoo?” He called Ramble, “Avoo.” That was thirty something years ago. Longer ago than that, when I was five years old, my dad had a yellow Rambler. It was the first car I remember. Seems like it was a station wagon. I’m guessing a 1958 Rambler.
Rambling is common in the stream of consciousness. That’s what makes it fun. You never know where you’ll end up. Rambling is something I enjoy in the woods or on a walk through the neighborhood. Rambling is not what Marley did on his ten-minute escape, unless you can ramble fast. He did not have a plan that I’m aware of but saw the opportunity to slip through the door past my daughter in law on his first trip to the mountains.
Marley took off down the road at top speed. If I wasn’t so terrified, it would be cool to watch him run. I was terrified because he was 300 miles from home and had NO COLLAR on! I’d given him a break from the e collar. From now on, I will never have a dog collarless away from home. Dogs need to have ID if there’s any chance they might get outside. Like being scared of the fireworks. Lots of dogs get lost during fireworks and thunderstorms.
I don’t recall ever praying so hard as when Marley escaped, though I probably did when my kids were teenagers. As I followed him with the car, trying to keep up with him, Marley ignored my calls. I prayed, “GOD, I NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER! PLEASE HELP ME!” It was intense to say the least. When almost to the main road, Marley turned on to a side road in the quiet neighborhood. I caught up with him at the top of a hill when he stopped to pee. Opening the driver’s door, I said, “Marley! Let’s go home!” He got right in and got stuck under the steering wheel/dash, so I had to move the seat back for him to climb to the back. (I had not wanted to take the time to open the back door.) Then we went to pick up David who was at the bottom of the hill – having set out on foot he’d walked up a previous hill to point me in the direction Marley had run.
My heart is beating fast just remembering this event. There’s always a lesson or two to learn.
Good news besides being home safe is that Marley can see Mama Cat through the pet gate and stay in “PLACE” (with supervision) without going crazy.
Friday evening, on the way to the mountains, the clouds looked like castle mountains:
Saturday:
~~~
For more Streams of Consciousness, rules, and more, ramble on over to Linda’s blog by clicking HERE.
Today’s SoCS prompt from Linda Hill is, “where.” Use it any way you’d like!
Where am I?
In the mountains of NC, but not exactly, because I’m in the city/town of Boone which is in a valley, so I can see the mountains. We are here for my granddaughter’s 10th birthday which was yesterday and my son’s birthday is today. Yep. His birthday is on 9/11. It was his birthday 36 years ago, when 9/11 was just 9/11 and his birthday. So we are having a party at the park this afternoon, mostly for my granddaughter who is 10 years old! Oh, I said that already. But it’s double digits! She’s still into sparkles, rainbows, and unicorns.
Thanks to my husband David driving us here, I got to take pictures of clouds. What do you see in the sky today? What do you see in these pictures? It’s open to interpreation. I hope all you see in the sky today is clouds, birds, butterflies, and maybe a rainbow. Oh, and the sun, but don’t look at it directly or too long.
I spend my fair share of time reading the news and remembering, analyzing, and certainly in gratitude. Sometimes we just need to look at the clouds. I hope you get to be somewhere nice, peaceful, and safe today.
~~~
Where do you go for more streams of consciousness and to find out the rules?
The Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “may.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!“
Maybe May will be a good month.
Anything is possible!
We’re in the mountains this weekend. I bought a kayak and we brought it with us. Maybe I’ll actually kayak on the lake which I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years since we first came up here.
The next photo is one I took recently in the lowlands where I live most of the time. I used to paddle this lake picking up trash years ago. It has alligators, but they’re not that scary, and I don’t see them often. Years ago, when I was cleaning up the lake with my daughter, an alligator was swimming in front of us, going the same way. It kept looking back over its shoulder at us and eventually veered off. It was probably only about five or six feet long.
Maybe Mama Cat won’t miss me too much and will sleep a lot. We have a good pet sitter. It’s the fist time I’ve left her since I adopted her in October. Mama Cat. Not the pet sitter.
Maybe I’ll got to bed early tonight which is Friday – when I normally write my SoCS posts. The wind is blowing hard here in the mountains. Maybe it will sing me to sleep. That would be something different since I’m usually a night owl.
Sometimes we hear owls at our house in the lowlands. Maybe there are owls up here, too. Once I heard a strange noise outside here in the mountains late at night. It was very dark. The noise started like a growl-ish noise. But then there were quacking noises. It was like nothing I’ve ever heard before. But that memory will not help me sleep early.
Maybe there won’t be any shootings tomorrow. Dag! What a thing to write or think. Don’t want to go down that stream. Maybe things will get better. Maybe we’ll figure out how to get along better.
Maybe I will start with me getting along with myself and those closest to me.
May it be an evening star…. It that how the song goes? I’ll look…
This is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
Maybe it will help me sleep.
May your day and your May be filled with blessings.
~~~
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda Hill. Thank you, Linda for your consistency and perseverance bringing us together!
For more streams and info, visit:
The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS May 1, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)
Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chew/choo.” Is there a train coming? But really, I thought of Chewbacca. You’d think spell check would know who that is and not think it’s a mistake. I thought of the big hairy guy because today, I’m watching the Star Wars marathon from my mountain house. I know it’s a contrast, watching Star Wars on the TV next to my window with the trees off the balcony. (Though I could be on the forest moon of Endor.)
I’m watching the Star Wars marathon because today (I’m writing this on Friday) is my day to relax. After my son’s wedding last Saturday, I took care of my granddaughter for four days by myself. She is 7 and full of energy from the time she wakes up til the time she goes to sleep. My son and his new bride came to stay with us on July 4th after a few days of honeymoon camping. We watched the fireworks across the lake. Fantastic show with 70s music. It was great! The sky threatened to rain all evening, but held off until immediately after the grand finale, then promptly released a downpour as we scurried to the car.
I’m going to do what I can to catch up with the world of WordPress, email, and downloading photos of the river, as long as catching up doesn’t interfere too much with relaxing. I might take a walk, and I will definitely be sitting out on the balcony watching for fireflies. Fireflies are rare in the city. I haven’t seen them in a long time except when I come to the mountains, so they are a real treat. We used to see fireflies in our urban backyard when the kids were little. Too much pesticide from the city spraying for mosquitoes is not a good thing. We still have mosquitoes in the city and other bugs in abundance, but not fireflies. I’m glad they still exist here in the mountains. Twinkling lights to take me away from the Star Wars marathon to look up at the real stars in the sky. As long as it doesn’t rain….
Here are some views from my mountain balcony. It’s still hard to believe.
Rhododendrons Galore!
PS. It did rain, but afterward, I still got to see some fireflies. I’ll be heading back home Saturday morning, so please be patient with my catch up/responses.
Oh, and one more thing. As I was watching Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars Marathon, I found this on Facebook:
…
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you by Linda G. Hill. For more info and more streams, visit Linda G. Hill at:
https://lindaghill.com/2019/07/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-6-19/
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!
Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday was “open book, point, write.”
Specific instructions:
Pick up the closest book to you when you sit down to write your post. Close your eyes, open the book, and place your finger on the page. Whatever word or phrase your finger lands on, write about it. Enjoy!”
Did I follow those instructions? Not exactly. To be honest, I picked up a few books and tried the pointing with my eyes closed. (That was earlier today – which was Friday since I’m writing this Friday night – almost Saturday.) I didn’t like any of the places my finger landed. Then, I went back to my original first thought when I read the prompt: Heidi.
I’ve been trying to figure out where to put all my books. How did I get all these books? Well, it’s taken over five decades. And books can be hard to get rid of, even if I’ve read them, or plan to read them, or started reading them – though if I didn’t finish, there must be a reason. Some of my books will go to the mountain house since that’s where I’ll see my grand children more, the children’s books will go there. Wait. I’m missing some books! I have a lot of children’s books that I haven’t seen lately! I LOVE children’s picture books. Maybe they’re still at my parent’s house which must be cleaned out by the closing on Monday. Whew, it’s taking a long time to get to that prompt.
I want to read Heidi to my granddaughter. It’s a perfect book for the mountains even if they are the old Appalachians instead of the Alps. The gentle Blue Ridge Mountains are ever so green right now. Get to the prompt! I know.
So I closed my eyes and pointed and this time, I liked the words. (A reminder to go with the first instinct or book.) “…lovely gifts….” That’s where my finger landed. Good thing it was on the left, because the right was a picture. Here’s the passage:
“When the doctor arrived, he brought us lovely gifts from the Sesemanns. He quickly understood why I love my mountains so. He learned that the mountains could heal body and soul. Before he left, he told me that he thought a visit would be good for Klara.”
And the mountains did heal Klara.
I know the ocean can heal too. Salt water and ionized air, the sound of the waves… all healing as much as the mountains. What lovely gifts we have on this planet Earth. Trees that give us oxygen, bird songs, flowers…. and the lovely gifts of love in all its forms.
Doctors and medicine can heal us. The doctor in Heidi was wise enough to understand that other things heal also. Modern medicine is miraculous in many ways, but it’s soooo expensive in my country. What else heals? That’s my question for you if you’d like to answer. What heals your body, mind, or spirit?
Here’s a clip from a 2017 Heidi movie that has a lot of mountain scenes. Clara had been in a wheelchair until the mountains made her well.
…
For more on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda Hill’s blog at:
https://lindaghill.com/2019/06/07/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-8-19/
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!
My trip to the mountains was one of the best ever. I got to see all of my grandchildren! It’s no coincidence that good news stories about autism jumped out at me last night after I got back. My grandson, L, has autism, and I want to learn more. On Sunday, we all had lunch at Daily Bread, a wonderful, cozy restaurant in Boone, NC. We got there just in time since the place filled up quickly. As we waited for our delicious food, the noise level increased steadily and my grandson covered his ears – a good coping strategy for him to signal the noise was starting to overwhelm him. His 14 year old sister left the restaurant to look for ear muffs since his were at home. Big sister came back about ten minutes later with a handsome and comforting cap with soft ear flaps that wrap under his chin. I was so proud of them all and loved spending time with my family in the mountains.
L really likes his new cap.
Now for Good News in the world…..
To learn more, check out this article from the Good News Network:
…
Todd Kirnan, is more than just a delivery man, he also has autism and is well-loved by his city of Gresham, Oregon. He’s a clear example of helping others simply and directly by doing what he can. Watch what the city of Gresham did to show their appreciation for Todd.
…
Going back to personal news, on Sunday night at the mountain hotel, I watched one of my favorite TV shows which happened to be about an autistic boy. God Friended Me reminds me of Quantum Leap, but with God directing from social media. Sunday night’s episode was about a non-verbal, autistic boy who discovers piano music. It ends with the boy playing John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy.”
After lunch at Daily Bread, we went to Blowing Rock. The air was chilly and the sky cloudy, but I loved the feeling of autumn and the misty mountains.
At Blowing Rock, we discovered these tiny flowers growing in a pocket of rain water.
Walking through gray halls
My daughter and I look for a way out
Not yet frantic.
“There goes your old boss,” she says.
“He just went around that corner.”
“He must be presenting at the workshop,” I reply.
I coulda been a presenter.
But I wanted freedom.
Up ahead are steel doors.
We push through to the sunlight,
Take a left turn, and climb up out of concrete walls.
We can walk on the pavement and risk traffic
Or walk on the path beside the road
Leading to narrow ledges
Beside dark pools with lily pads.
That wouldn’t be so hard,
knowing we’re good swimmers
In case we fall off.
So we choose the narrow path
Leading us along mountain overlooks
With steep drop offs – scary but beautiful.
We long for the mountains, my daughter and I.
There’s fence to keep us from falling over the edge.
But what if the fence ends?
…
(I’ve been fantasizing about a mountain home. Yet I don’t want to have to drive on twisty, steep roads. Freedom often asks for a certain amount of courage. Adventure calls!)
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “bun.” Find a word that contains “bun” or use it as a word all by itself. Have fun!
Bun
Bungee
Bunch
Bungalow
Bunk beds
Those are some words I could use. In no particular order.
Bun – cinnamon buns. Hot cross buns – we’ll have them at church Sunday. I’d prefer them without a lot of frosting. I want to taste the cinnamon. Like dark chocolate which is good for you. Don’t want milk interfering with my chocolate.
Bungee jumping. Never did it. Don’t care if I ever do. But I did enjoy a zip line and wouldn’t mind trying that again. I’m afraid of heights. But zip lining is different, especially if you’re zooming through the trees and you have something to hold on to.
Bunch of stuff to do. Skipped church last night because #1 priority is to get rid of this sinus infection so I will be able to sing in the choir on Sunday and go to the mountains on Monday to see my son and his family. I went and got an antibiotic, something I rarely do, and I’m getting better. Drinking lots of fluids and trying to take it easy and not do any yard work.
Bungalow. That’s my house – my little urban cottage with the urban forest in the back yard. Low carbon footprint. I want to use the money I might some day get from my parents’ house to buy another bungalow in the mountains. With some land. My dream, shall I dare say it, is a healing retreat center in the mountains. Not a big fancy place, a simple, farm like atmosphere where people can come to meditate, quit smoking, relax, and be well. I’d be there more in the warmer months. It’s fun to dream. I’ve been looking at real estate in the Appalachians, though I’m no where ready to buy anything. Too much still to do on my parents’ house. But I like to dream about how I’d furnish a little mountain cabin retreat with
Bunk beds in one of the bedrooms, a futon in the living room, and the little wooden kitchen table from my parent’s kitchen could go in a mountain retreat kitchen. The chairs don’t even have to match. As long as there are cinnamon buns for breakfast.
Dreaming is fun.
What’s your dream?
As long as I’m dreaming….
Compliments of Pixabay
For more Streams of Consciousness, visit our host, Linda G. Hill at:
https://lindaghill.com/2018/03/30/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-30-18/
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. 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!
Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt is “hot/cold.”
I don’t usually mind the heat, especially with all the shade my trees give off. But last week, I was in the mountains, up around the Blue Ridge, and when I got back home, I thought, Man, it’s really HOT here. Hot and humid. I guess I had gotten used to cooler temps in the mountains. The other thing that happened when I got home is that my allergies hit me in the head, like a face mask monster in the movie, Alien. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little. When I was in the mountains, I was not congested at all. Before I left, I worried I was getting a cold. During my visit to a dryer, cooler climate, I could breathe easy. Then back home, Bam! Sinus headache. It might help if I go to the beach. It’s usually better at the beach.
I wonder if I move to the mountains, if I’ll miss the beach. Plenty of time to explore options. No hasty moves. I’ll have to research with more trips to the soft, old, green hills of Appalachia.
We can’t change the weather, but we can choose who we weather the storm with.
Or maybe we can change the weather. As a species, we’ve made a mess. Maybe we can clean it up. Every little bit helps. We do what we can. Plant more trees, save more trees, turn off the lights, eat lower on the food chain….
Be cool.
The Saturday Stream of Consciousness is brought to you by Linda G. Hill at:
https://lindaghill.com/2017/09/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-2317/
The rules are:
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!
Anything is Possible! 