Yes. The main section of the house would be a large library with good lighting, lots of windows, and lots of plants. Also, a large kitchen with lots of counter tops are a must.
Have you designed anything specifically for you or your family?
Yes. I have done some costume and prop designs for my cosplays.
Does anyone in your family have ‘artistic qualities’ ( ie painter/artist/sculptor, landscape, gardener, etc.)
My mother loved to draw, and was quite good. My son is a musician. He has played in several venues with different bands over the decades. I love to paint.
When it comes to property or buildings, do you prefer a modern design or a more traditional approach?
When I was a teenager, I would hitch rides to go to the beach, go to friends’ houses, go to Griffith Park, and just about anywhere else my little heart desired. The majority of those times, I would hitch with a friend. She and I became quite the pros at deciding which cars to get into and which ones not to. The last thing we wanted was our bodies found in a ditch.
We only had two experiences that made us twitch. The first was a man who had automatic locks on his doors. (Something that was very uncommon, back in the day.) We let him know that if he didn’t let us out immediately, we’d scream and bang on the car, until he did.
The second experience involved an older woman, 40-something. (It feels odd calling someone in their forties ‘older’.) She had a very nice, sporty, small car. I think I remember it being a Ferrari. I sat in the front seat, and my friend folded herself into the backseat. While we were chatting about her career, the woman slid her hand over and began caressing my thigh. I looked at her and told her to let us off right then and there. My friend was confused until I told her what happened.
Soon after, I purchased a 10-speed bicycle, and that became my main mode of transportation.
I came here, to the library, to write some more of my short story, Forest Walk. I don’t feel any inspiration, at the moment, to add any new words.
I know I want to add some more in between the first scene where she is in the camp and the bicycle scene. I want more meat in that area.
In the mean time, I’ll journal some. I’d like to explore my desire to write, my need. Is it realistic? Yes, the need is; but is it realistic to think I can make any money from my writing?
I don’t really know. But writing… making a little money from writing, has always been a dream of mine. A dream since early childhood.
Ever since I started reading, I wanted to create my own stories. I wanted to put into words all the images in my mind, pass on the tales that grew from my imagination, and have people read them.
Somewhere along the way, I was discouraged. I’m not so sure if I was discouraged from writing in particular. I was just discouraged from believing that any dream I had was ever to be fulfilled.
This reminds me of a line Marge (The Simpsons) speaks at the end, or near the end, of an episode about not trying to live up to your dreams. You’ll only fail anyway. (Can’t remember the quote, nor which episode. Arrgh)
Over the years, I have gone after some of my dreams. I’ve taught preschoolers for over four years. I had a job that made some rather good money for a few years. I’ve traveled some. I am a mother.
Each dream I’ve reached for, I have achieved with some relative success. So, it seems there is no rational reason to not attempt this dream.
I’ve been told more than once, over the years, that my writing is good, enjoyable, and should be out there for more people to find. This has been validated a few times. I’ve had a poem published. I’ve had an essay stolen by an English teacher, who submitted it to a contest as her own…and it won. I’ve had an article printed in a science fact magazine many, many years ago. (I’ve had a few other things published also, but those don’t really count.)
Of course, if anyone really does read this stuff, they may be wondering why I’m writing this down. I think mostly to have it in black and white. I know this stuff, but having a reminder that I can return to might be just the fire I need to get me moving in the right direction.
The very first thing that came to me when I saw Fandango’s One Word Challenge prompt, Tournament, was Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses. The Parade is one of the few things I miss since leaving California in 1996. The Tournament of Roses Parade is held every New Years morning.
The first time I went was in 1963. I was in awe over the amazing floats that were covered in flowers. Several years later, a friend invited me to join her to attach flowers and leaves onto a float. My friend and I spent almost the whole night decorating that float. Sadly, I became very ill, possibly from a combination of the very cold and wet conditions and someone unknowingly (or knowingly) working on the float already being ill. That was the first year I missed watching the parade in person. I was able to watch the parade on television, and was pleased at how nice the float I worked on looked.
I wrote this blog in another place, on July 20, 2009. It seemed appropriate to bring this piece out again to share with the world.
Expectations, Hopes and the Ways They Touch Us
Today, my father would have turned 91 years old. To be honest, I suspect that since he was already pretty cantankerous in his 70’s, he would have been more so in his 90’s. And, behind that cantankerous exterior, his heart still would have been in a good place, and he would have attempted to act out of love.
I don’t usually dwell on memories of my dad on his birthday. He’s been dead for such a long time now. This year, though, memories of him, my mother and so many other family members have risen to the surface. I think that is a result of all the recent family members that have left us for good this year. Our family shrinks, and some of that shrinkage was unexpected.
It’s those unexpected ones that cause so many of us human beings to ask the all-to-familiar questions. Why them? Why did it happen? And so many other questions. Every individual will eventually come up with answers that will help them continue on. I think if we didn’t find something to hold on to, believe in, the human race would have had an even bigger struggle at surviving.
Today is also the anniversary of humankind landing on the moon. I sat on the floor with a room full of people (it was my father’s birthday and family crowded into our small living room to celebrate in his birth and this miracle of space travel). I can close my eyes and easily recall my cousin’s shoulder bumping up against mine. The look of awe on his face that I’m sure had to have mirrored mine. The moment all conversation stopped, a very unusual hushed silence taking over, as an astronaut stepped onto the moon’s surface.
I don’t know what anyone else was thinking in that room, but I can remember some of what I was imagining. I saw the possibility of space travel for all people who wanted to try it. I saw small colonies on not-so-distant planets. I saw, for the first time, real hope that maybe, just maybe, our planet could come together for a common cause – a hope I know others had also shared.
Also, on my mind, that night, was a music festival coming up in a short few weeks. I was still riding on the high of having seen Jimi Hendrix, Grass Roots, Chambers Brothers, Mother Earth, and so many others at Devonshire Downs in June. The idea of going out to “An Aquarian Exposition” consumed me. If I hadn’t been so young, my parents threatening to call the police if I took off, who knows what would have happened, and whether the experience would have changed my life any.
I imagine it would have, just as my dad being my dad and humankind landing on the moon have all had some impact going to that concert versus not going played a big part of the person I have become.
For Fandango’s Flashback Friday, I am sharing a post from July 19, 2010, that was written on a different site.
This was a tough post, as Cassie was such a sweet guinea pig, though her cage mate, Trillian may have thought differently. 😉 Cassie regularly bullied her. Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, passed the day after this post. She was a little over 5 1/2 years old.
Cass
My heart is achy. Cassie is ill. I think she’s going to die and I can’t seem to be able to do anything to stop it. At least she doesn’t seem to be in any pain. She lets me hold her, pet her and cuddle her. She tolerates, though barely, my force-feeding her.
I immediately separated her. I moved her downstairs to the kitchen to keep her in view and to give her a cooler room to be in. It’s been pretty hot in the house.
Other than not eating, everything else seems okay. Her eyes are good, her teeth are good, her hair is healthy looking, her breathing is normal.
I feel so helpless. The worst is that since I lost my job, I don’t have the money to take her to a Vet, especially on the weekend. I’ve called around, but found no one who could/would help me. I followed up on suggestions on what to force feed her, and she does swallow the watery, crushed pellets and drink the Pedialyte, so she is getting some nourishment. I just wish I knew why she decided to stop eating. I am heartsick over this.
Poor Trillian is beginning to grieve. She doesn’t understand why Cassie is no longer her cagemate. I hope that I’ll be able to bring Cassie back to her, but unless Cassie begins eating and drinking on her own, I fear the worst.
My son’s birthday party, celebrating his 50 years of living was a blast!
Birthday Cake
I took several more pictures of the party and his friends, but will not be posting them here due to privacy.
Day 6: Sunday, June 23, 2024
We spent the day relaxing.
Day 7: Monday, June 24, 2024
We went to the Funko Pop HQ in Everett.
Sailor Moon
Gojira
While we were there, I created a Pop! of myself. My son and his girlfriend Funko-ed themselves a couple of years ago, so now were a family of Funko Pops! LOL
After our trip to Funko, my son, his girlfriend, my friend, and I met up with his Other Mother (Mother-in-Law) for dinner. I’m so glad that I got to visit with her on this trip!
My friend and I checked out of the motel in Port Orchard shortly after 10:00 AM and took the short drive to Bremerton to get on the ferry to Seattle.
Waiting for the Ferry
Walla Walla Ferry
Seattle Skyline
This is my favorite way to go to Seattle. It avoids all the downtown I5 traffic.
This was the first time my friend rode the ferry in the Washington area.
Due to a lot of road work and construction, we were bogged down in traffic trying to get through Seattle to Everett. It took us a lot longer than we anticipated, but we got to see a few of the sites along the way.
We arrived at my son’s and his girlfriend’s place late afternoon. We spent the night visiting and playing games.
yvensong 