SoCS: Family Options, Letters from Vietnam, and a Thanksgiving Day Hike

Our Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “opt.” Use it as a word or find a word with “opt” in it and base your post on that. Have fun!

Have fun, because misery is optional.

We opted out of family Thanksgiving with extended family. It was me and David and Mama Cat who slept through dinner. (Mama Cat slept, not David and me.) We made an almost vegan dinner with stuffed acorn squash and a roasted cauliflower. David made an apple pie. There was a little butter somewhere which was not vegan and humane certified hard boiled eggs in the stuffing.

But that is not what I was going to write about. I was going to say that we always have options. But some people have fewer or more options than others. I was going to write about mask wearing options and how it annoys me when people wear a mask below their nose, but maybe they have a chronic respiratory illness….. I don’t know.

I’ve been reading my dad’s letters from Vietnam for NaNoWriMo research which has slowed considerably to a trickle, but has not stopped. And will not stop for more than a day, because I’m rolling slowly along. Gathering no moss so far.

My dad had options in Vietnam, but not many. Most were about attitude and whether to pray. Mom was having nervous breakdowns while he was there. It was an awful year, and we moved a lot that year. My dad did have the (illegal) option of deserting, or “bugging out.” But that option was so distasteful, so full of way worse consequences of shame and dishonor, that it probably felt he had no choice. He chose to make a commitment to the Marine Corps and to honor that commitment, to do his job well. But it was so hard. He had also promised my mom he would come home to her and us kids. He had orders to return fire, not knowing who might be killed. He was the only enlisted Marine (a Gunny, not an officer) in charge of a platoon in his company. He was a natural leader who would be haunted by nightmares for the rest of his life by what happened in Vietnam. I’m so proud of him and my mom who were half a world apart on Thanksgiving and Christmas when Dad was in Vietnam. They did a lot of good service work together after Dad retired.

My dad in Vietnam (1967) He lost about 40 pounds there.

I feel like I’ve spent more time lately with my deceased parents, through Dad’s letters, than other family members living outside of my household. Maybe for now, that’s okay. For now.

What happened to having fun? Fun is different now than it was when I was a kid, or a teenager, or in my twenties or thirties. Fun can be relaxing and watching a movie. Or taking a hike on Thanksgiving Day. Like this one at our neighborhood creek:

A pair of ducks

Graffiti on a drainage pipe

A pair of old hikers

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For more Streams of Consciousness, rules, and maybe even some options, visit:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Nov. 28/2020 | (lindaghill.com)

SoCS: Butternut Squash Soup with Peanut Butter, Our Neighborhood Creek and a Slow NaNo

This should be a fun prompt: “the last thing you put in your fridge.”

The last thing I put in the fridge on this Friday evening after dinner was the leftover butternut squash soup made my my sweet husband who offered to do the dishes even though he was tired. (We wash dishes the old fashioned way.) I thanked him, but it was my turn since he cooked. Though I did make some roasted asparagus to go with the soup. We make our butternut squash soup with peanut butter, a little garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, and of course butternut squash. This was a really good squash – orange and lots of flavor.

It will be strange to have Thanksgiving with just me and David. Mama Cat will be here, but she’s likely to be hiding since she is still a little scared of David. I hope we get to go for a hike, at least to the creek which is about a half mile from our house.

The city gave the banks a crew cut a few years ago.
They’ve since gotten better about leaving a buffer.

If I have seemed distant from WP, NaNoWriMo is my excuse. I’m still writing every day on the novel based on my parents, though not likely to add 50,000 words as reading letters from Vietnam is slowing me down. I’m going to have to move it along though because we are heading into, barreling into, the end of November. One would think that staying home and being retired would make time slow down. But time just keeps zooming along. I guess I’ll just have to trust time and make the most of the moments we have. And be thankful.

I’ll be here for Good News Tuesday, but if I don’t “see” you, and even if I do,

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Today’s prompt and the whole SoCS shebang is brought to you by Linda G. Hill. For more info, rules, and streams from the frig, visit:

https://lindaghill.com/2020/11/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-21-2020/

SoCS: The Lord of the Rings and Letters from Vietnam

“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check,

but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday

deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…

small acts of kindness and love.”

Gandalf in The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Today’s prompt is the word, “ring,” to be used in any form and to have fun with.

Fun comes in many forms. One way I have fun is to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit movies. Being a huge fan, I can watch these movies over and over again, especially the parts with the elves.

LOTR is about heroism, good winning over evil, sacrifice, fellowship, loyalty, natural magic, and more set in a place that allows me to escape the things I want to escape from that I will not mention. But the qualities and messages are still relevant in reality.

There’s a scene toward the end of the trilogy when Sam and Frodo are exhausted and don’t know if they will survive. They reminisce about their sweet home, The Shire. Sam imagines the goldilocks girl, barmaid he would like to marry. The reminiscing starts at 1 minute. Be sure to watch til the end when the Eagles come!

Coincidentally, but not really, I’ve been reading about all these things in my dad’s letters from Vietnam since Veterans Day.

I’m reading them for research for the novel I’m writing for NaNoWriMo. Reading the letters is slowing me down, but it needs to be done this way. So what if I don’t write 50,000 words by Nov. 30? It will be okay.

My dad’s letters show how much he adored my mother. He writes of dreaming of her constantly while asleep and while awake in Vietnam. It almost seems like he puts her on a pedestal. The dreams and images of her keep him going, keep him sane, and give him hope to stay alive to come home to her.

I watched a video about another guy talking about doing this in Vietnam, dreaming about his girlfriend kept him going, sane, alive. Let see if I can find it…. The speaker, Dr. Earhart, was a high school teacher after he got back. Toward the end of the video, at around 13 minutes, he talks about the girlfriend that had sent him a “Dear John” letter. The whole video is eye opening.

My dad’s letters mention that a lot of guys got “Dear John,” letters. Maybe that’s why he expressed so much love for my mom in his letters and always signed them,

All My Love,

Your Husband Forever,

Jim

When things are going badly, when we don’t know what’s going to happen, even when it seems like we might not make it, dreaming of a better future, imagining holding our loved ones in our arms, being with family in our homeland, these are legitimate coping skills. Valuable survival skills. And so we keep on doing those small acts of kindness and love to keep the darkness at bay whenever and wherever we might be.

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For more Streams of Consciousness, rules, and such, please visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Nov. 14/2020

SoCS: Bonjour to the Journey

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “jour.” Find a word containing “jour” or use it as is. Bonus points if you start or end your post with that word. Enjoy! (Thanks Linda Hill!)

Bonjour!

I took three years of French in high school and loved it. Thought about majoring in French even. Then, biology, then psychology…. a journey of revelation. Such is life.

Spanish would have been more practical. Maybe someday, I’ll learn Spanish. But the older I get, the more I realize my time is limited and I must prioritize.

This month, I’m prioritizing NaNoWriMo. Not that I’m knocking myself out, but I’m doing it. Writing a novel is work. Incorporating my family history, or rather basing the novel on my parents, requires some research – just to try to get the timelines accurate. At least when I’m done with the first draft, I’ll have a family history for my kids, plus some fiction to fill in the gaps.

Writing a novel is a process. A long one. Like this election in the US is a process, not an event. Like recovery. The process will hopefully prompt ongoing recovery. A healing I hope.

It might take a long time for my country to heal from the damage that has been done, for us to bridge the divide that has grown at the hands of so called leaders, a divide widened by media’s focus on our differences and conflicts. But it is a journey we can decide to take in faith, or at least in hope. Because if you can’t find faith, look for hope, and hope will lead you to faith.

One step at a time.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” LaoTzu

Sometimes we don’t know how many steps the journey will take, but we can start taking them anyway. Maybe it’s better not to know. Just keep moving toward the light at whatever pace works for you.

Rest when you need to, but don’t give up!

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

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Nov. 7/2020

SoCS: A Missing Cat Mystery, SciFi Distractions and NaNoWriMo

Today’s prompt is the word, “trick.”

The first thing that came to my mind was that I don’t like tricks. Not right now anyway. Mama Cat, the feral one, has disappeared. I could say she’s playing a trick on me, but that would be making light of something that is heavy on my heart.

Wednesday, I let her explore the rest of the house outside of her room. I didn’t follow her because then she would go right back to her room and hide. I figured after twenty something days, it would be okay for her to explore more of the house. I fed her at 9:30 am and saw her walking cautiously in and out of rooms while I was on the computer. Then I did some work on a bookcase on the side porch being careful to close the sliding glass door after I went through it. Around 11 am, I could not find Mama Cat.

My neighbor who has had a lot of experience with feral cat adoption thinks she could still be in the house. I’ve looked under every bed and piece of furniture, in every closet and cranny. I looked into the crawlspace and even up the chimney. I’ve set out food and put her used kitty litter in the front and back yard. I wonder if I had a momentary lapse and left the sliding glass door open for a few seconds and turned my back and she slipped out and then pushed her way through the screen porch door which doesn’t latch well. And I feel lousy. Awful. Terrible. I’m sorry I tricked her into the carrier to bring her to my house.

But I can’t change the past.

Is this another lesson to leave things alone? I thought she would be safer in my home than at the church her daughter roamed from and got trapped and carried away. If Mama shows back up at the church, I’ll probably let her stay there and go feed her every day if necessary.

I have resorted to distracting myself with science fiction in book and movie form. Star Trek, Star Wars, a couple of scary movies, sleep… And going out into the back yard at night calling “kitty kitty kitty, Mama Cat,” and praying.

This has been a year of bad luck for many people. I certainly have had bad luck with my feral cats. But it’s not over. I know things can work out when we think they won’t. I know we can find good things in this year.

Another distraction as we lean toward the end of the year will be NaNoWriMo. I’ve threatened so do it for a few years and now I have no excuse. So I signed up and will be writing a draft of a novel in the month of November. Will I add 50,000 words? Who knows? But I haven’t been writing much beyond this blog, so it will be an improvement. My novel which I’ve barely begun with 13,000 words is based on my parents, Betty and Jim. I’m taking a 99% break from Facebook until the end of November. It’s a big relief to be out of that fray as I refocus my attention on something I have some control over. I voted already. I’ve voiced my opinions, I try to live a good life.

When life gets to be too much,

please pass the scifi.

No Jedi mind tricks.

Beam me up Scotty.

I vant to be a Vulcan.

BREAKING NEWS!

I was finishing up this post on Friday night, wondering about a video, when David came out of his “den” and said,

“Mama Cat just ran out of our bedroom!

She went straight to her room. I grabbed a can of food and gave her some. She wouldn’t stop rubbing on my legs. She ate some, used the litter box and then started getting hyper. She had been hiding for over two days or she was stuck somewhere, so must have a lot of pent up energy, but seems to be okay.

WHAT A RELIEF!

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For more streams of consciousness, rules, and tricks, visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct. 31/2020

SoCS: Ready for Miracles

Today’s SoCS prompt is to find a word that starts with the letter, M, and base our post on it. At least that’s what I remember.

The word I’m going with is, Miracle.

I looked it up before I started typing this, because I was curious. The word comes from Latin among other languages of origin meaning “wonderful.” Some people think “wonderful” is overused. It’s one of my favorite words, and I’m going to use it whenever I feel like it.

We need some miracles in the United States and across the globe. Miracles seems to have to do with divine intervention, but there can also be an element or factor of manifestation, another M word.

It felt like a miracle when my high school sweetheart found me 39 years later when the timing was perfect. But I also worked hard to manifest a partner who would be compatible, while taking into account God might want me to stay single, and the compatible partner could have ended up being my dog.

I believe we will be successful in at least quieting Covid 19 and maybe even squashing it. Will that take a miracle? Maybe to get people to take precautions like distancing and wearing masks. But that brings me to a bigger concern: the political divide in the US.

It will be a miracle when we learn to listen to each other and accept our disagreements with respect. I am not neutral on very many subjects, though there may be a couple. I have made it clear on my personal FB page, and maybe slightly less clear here on WP, who I support for president. But I try not to call people names, like “idiot.” Though I occasionally give descriptions and might make a comparison. Here’s a hint of what I was watching Thursday night along with the debate.

I won’t say who Smaug reminded me of.

But I also try to post positive stuff and good news more often.

We need a miracle to bring our country together. And I don’t want it to be an attack from outer space. Let’s NOT manifest that. We need a miracle of understanding, compassion, and willingness to consider other points of view.

I admit, that if my candidate loses, I will be devastated and afraid. Very afraid. But I would like to be understanding, of my neighbors at least – the ones with the TRUMP banner in their yard. I have often shied away from intense political debates, though not in the format of Braver Angels where respect and listening are key components.

Right before I sat down to write this post, I listened to a podcast on NPR about this guy who is riding a bicycle across the continental divide of the US. He’s a journalist and wants to talk to Americans in rural areas. It’s called Facing West by Nate Hegyi.

One thing that stuck with me from this podcast was that Nate said we have more in common than we think and need to pay more attention to our own backyards (or neighborhoods) rather than the national politics to see the common ground. What I’m thinking that means is having, cultivating, grace and acceptance for my neighbors, even the ones with the T…. banner.

I’m reminded that one of my former colleagues used to say, “acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like it.”

We must have some common ground, even if it’s sharing the same sidewalk and living on the same street. I know my T banner neighbors like (or at least tolerate) trees, because they have a big magnolia tree in their little front yard. They also have dogs. One thing I’ve noticed is that a love of dogs seems to transcend politics. I only have a cat for now, but I will always love dogs.

Maybe dogs are part of the miracle. They don’t care about politics. Certainly cats don’t care about politics. They teach us to be in the moment, here and now.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G. Hill. For more streams and SoCS rules, visit:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct. 24/2020

SoCS: I Got Rhythm, But Can I Spell It?

Today’s prompt is to use a word we have to look up to spell. Rhythm is one of my top favorites. Maybe this post will help me remember how to spell it.

As I write this on Friday afternoon, I’m listening to the rhythm of the falling rain. The rhythm slows down and speeds up, yet remains comforting. I have to slow way down to be able to type the word, rhythm. We often think of rhythm in terms of music. I’m sure there will be a song or two in this post.

There are all kinds of rhythms. Dang, I might have to type rhythm a hundred times to learn it. Like writing our spelling words ten times in elementary school.

There’s the rhythm of breathing which is not always consistent with my sweet husband who has no experience about how his snoring and undiagnosed apnea sound. There’s the rhythm of dance and a long walk. A drum beat, a heartbeat. A cat’s purr.

I love to hear Mama Cat purr. It’s been just over two weeks since I brought her home from the church. She’s always been anywhere from very feral to semi-feral. She’s still skittish, (that’s putting it mildly) but she is affectionate with me, rubbing on my legs and letting me pet her, as long as I follow HER rhythm and don’t push the envelope. If I push the envelope at all, like touching her foot the other day, we have to take a couple steps back. But she is usually happy to see me in the morning when I feed her. She vibrates her tail and sometimes, once I’m seated in her room, she will roll over and show me her belly, which Jackson Galaxy of the show, My Cat from Hell, says is a cat hug – when they show their belly. I was able to rub her belly, but I’ve backed off of that since the foot touching setback. Mama Cat is coming around and being very affectionate again as long as I don’t make sudden or strange moves in which case she goes to hide in her cave.

People generally think I’m very patient and calm, but following Mama Cat’s lead is taking me to a new level of going with the flow and letting it be. She does not want to come out of her room and explore the rest of the house, but I have to trust her to come out when she’s ready. At least she has been sitting on the trunk perch and watching some cat TV.

CAT TV

My dad left me a lot of trunks. Like six or seven all together. I use them as furniture. Mama Cat is actually sitting on my dad’s safe which is virtually empty. Some day, maybe I’ll let it go, but for now, it’s a good height for this window.

Rythum rthym rhythm there, I got it, but I have to really think about it. Rhythm. Rhytym rhthym omg I’m getting worse. Maybe I need to handwrite it on a peace of paper so I can copy it from above. Rhythm. There. It’s hit or miss. rthym . I give up. For now. No, I just tried writing it on paper several times. It’s weird looking. Like it can’t really be spelled that way.

RHYTHM. Sigh.

I’d rather sing it.

I don’t really know this song beyond the main line, but I like it now that I’ve listened to it. Judy Garland has a great voice. This version is a bit lively for me, but it shows a lot of talent being able to sing and dance around like that.

May your rhythm be comforting or energizing depending on what you like.

Okay, here’s another version if you like it slower:

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For more SoCS posts and rules, visit our host Linda G. Hill, at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct. 17/2020

SoCS: What’s in Your Brain?

Today’s prompt is….. “container.” We have lots of latitude as to how we use it.

My brain is a container.

Full of 64 plus years of memories,

knowledge, questions, clutter, images

Formulas, trivia, mistakes, emotions,

Successes, failures, learnings, maps……

The question is, what more shall I add?

Political news can be stressful

But it’s necessary in small and specific doses.

Music is better. Reading for pleasure is better.

Science Fiction can be a good escape,

But not so much shoot em ups

Not so much blood. Not so much cop drama….

Star Trek is always good.

Romantic comedies are warm bread.

Jeopardy is better than news.

Facebook invites stress

if I’m not careful where I go.

We can change the channel

Click the X.

Learn some new dance steps

A new song

A new path through the woods

Or a well treasured trail.

Books are good friends.

Furry friends and funny friends…

Find room for loving conversation

Making new memories to add to the old ones.

Take out the trash.

Make room for good

food for thought.

I was feeling stressed by news and FB and realized I needed to relax. Here’s my current go-to meditation. It’s about 45 minutes. The sleep part doesn’t come in til the very end, so you could watch it in sections: protection, calm, wellness, then the sleep if you want to, or just go on with your day, save the sleep for later. Sometimes I fade in and out, imprinting on Michael’s British accent.

I’m on the road for a short trip to the mountains, so will catch you later. Have a great Saturday!

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For more streams of consciousness, visit our host, Linda G. Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Sept. 26/2020

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: Sharpies are Fun; Sharp Tongues are Not.

Today’s prompt is “sharp.” It’s a word with many different meanings and many of those have flowed in my stream of consciousness from the time I read the prompt on my phone til the time I sat down at my laptop to write the post. It’s only been 5 minutes!

I’ll work backward, paddle upstream, or just go with the flow which is the way to go.

Sharpies are fun. They come in all different colors and sizes, and the colors are vivid! I’ve used them to draw on shells and rocks, like this:

Fun right?

Sharp usually has to do with something being able to cut well or fast, like a sharp knife. My husband tells me when he’s sharpened the knives, but I still cut my finger sometimes.

Sharp can also refer to a tone of voice. A person can be sharp tongued. Our current president of the US comes to mind. Too often. I don’t write political stuff much, but it has been on my mind a lot. Anxiety, fear, confusion…… Why is there a box around this paragraph? I didn’t put a box around this paragraph. Darn block. I have to be careful now that I don’t let that lead me into name calling. Maybe I should start a new paragraph.

There that’s better. Let’s move on. Sharp witted could be considered smart or quick thinking. 45 thinks he is quick thinking, but quick is not always correct, or accurate, or true. I would prefer someone who thinks things through carefully. You can be honest, but still be diplomatic and kind, most of the time. It might seem witty to some people to call others names, but name calling is a very childish form of communication.

My husband has a sharp mind. I don’t so much. I’m one of those slow, careful thinkers. But not always. I am careful about what I say. Except when I’m not. Then, you never know. Husband has learned to be careful with his words. He is able to be diplomatic. I like that he asks questions for the purpose of learning new things. He’s always watching how-to videos on You-tube.

David looked pretty sharp at our wedding. This December, it will be 8 years. Not a long time, but worth waiting for.

Dec. 1, 2012

I’m going to go play with sharpies, now. The pens. You know.

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For more Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda G. Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Sept. 5/2020

Here are the SoCS 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: Clothes, Bottle Caps, Ants, Pennies, Magazines, and Angels

Now here’s an interesting prompt:

…..“more than a hundred.” Write your post inspired by something you have more than a hundred of in your home right now. Enjoy!

Clothes: The first thing that came to mind was items of clothing. Shopping at thrift stores is not good for minimalizing my stuff. It’s hard to resist a pretty skirt that only costs three dollars. I know the tricks of backward hangers and all that. It’s been a while since I culled my clothing. Yuck, I don’t like the word culled…. oh well – the stream….. Let’s move on.

Bottle Caps: I collect plastic bottle caps for some art project. I guess I might have at least 200, maybe more. I played around with making a turtle a while back. Some day, I’ll really make something out of them. Oh, yeah, and the melted marbles…

Ants: I probably have more than 100 ants hiding in my house. But I don’t want to think about that. I will only deal with the ones I see. When I am my best and highest self, I scoop them up and take them outside as gently as I can, when I am at my best and highest self. That’s all I’m going to say about that. The key is cleaning up after making a peanut butter and jelly wrap, dear husband, by wiping the counter. Even if you don’t see that tiny spot of jelly, the ants will know it’s there. Okay, enough about ants already.

Pennies: Somewhere in a corner I have a big old wine bottle or two full of pennies. Why? I don’t know. But there must be well over 100 pennies. Way more.

Magazines: Some belong to my husband and some I’m saving for yet another art project – collages to be precise. This prompt is making me realize what I have to declutter.

Angels: I don’t know if I have more than 100. But my mother did. I gave away many of her angels, but I’ve kept a lot, too. If you include the angels I have on cards and artwork along with the knickknacks, there could be over 100. I’m not counting. Angels are everywhere, but you don’t always see them.

I had cards made with this ocean angel.

Mimosa Angels

There are always some of my mimosa angel ornaments lying around, so yeah, there’s over 100. With angels, that’s okay. You can’t have too many angels.

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For more streams of consciousness, visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Aug. 29/2020

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!