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.

Earworms, Music, and Mutts

Here’s today’s prompt:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “earworm.” Talk about your latest earworm, or one that habitually haunts you. Enjoy!

The first thing that came to my mind was the earworms in Star Trek, the Wrath of Khan that Khan put in Chekov’s ear and the ear of Admiral/Captain? I don’t remember his name but he resisted the effects of suggestibility and sacrificed himself instead of killing Captain Kirk. Very heroic. I would show you a clip, but they are gory creatures these earworms.

Then I looked up the term, earworm and discovered it means a song that gets stuck in your head. My husband had not heard the term used that way either so I don’t feel so bad. We are very familiar with songs being stuck in my head because I sing them all the time. Whatever the last song was we sang in church or choir practice, or heard on the radio, I keep on singing in until something else knocks it out.

There are also some songs that I sing all the time to myself for self soothing, or just to entertain myself without even thinking. One of them is “Chances Are.”

“The chances are your chances are awfully good.”

I started singing those words over 25 years ago when I reminded myself that even though I was having a baby at age 37, the chances were still better that she would be okay than not. It works for a lot of things. I know it’s a romantic love song and not a having a baby song, but the sound was and is very soothing.

 

Then there’s “Summertime,” which is almost over. I think my husband is secretly glad I won’t be singing that much longer.

And of course there’s the song I sing to Marigold, my 16 year old mutt.

Mary Moodle, you’re not a poodle,

Mary Moodle, you’re just a mutt.

Mutts are the best kinds of dogs. They are lovable and need rescuing. They are often healthier I think than most purebreds. Having diversity in the gene pool is usually a good thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I think German Shepherds and huskies are gorgeous and majestic, but if I ever go looking for another dog, it’s going to be a mixed breed.

And that’s my stream of consciousness for today.

For more streams on earworms and wherever they may lead, visit Linda’s blog:

https://lindaghill.com/2018/09/07/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-8-18/

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. 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!