11/6/23

Good Morning Fabulous Friends!!

I just have to start out by telling you that I solved the day’s Wordle on the first try!!!!!!!

It is luck, pure luck, of course, that they decided to use the starting word that I have used for at least four months. It was so satisfying and a little hilarious to see those green letters flip up all the way across. WooHoo!

It was also luck but of another kind yesterday when the little tiny peach colored pill flipped out of my fingers onto the light gray kitchen floor tiles … and landed on its side!!!!!! I mean seriously, it was hard enough to see the pill against the floor in the first place, but to have it land sideways was ridiculous.

And I think it bounced first, too!! How often does that happen?!

***** no transition here*****

My mom had rules about making things. You could never see the workings underneath; they were to be hidden, disguised, tucked away. Her floral arrangements, the clothes she sewed, the furniture she re-upholstered were wonders of engineering, and often the tougher they were, the more she liked it.

I can appreciate that.

And I can choose to be different. Case in point: today as I was putting on my lymphedema gleeve(sleeve+glove), I noticed a small rip in the seam of the doohickey that helps me slide the sleeve up my arm. Being used nearly daily for ten years can do that to the ripstop nylon. I have fixed it many times. Always with whatever thread was in my sewing machine at the time. Today’s was carnation pink.

The doohickey is kelly green with orange tabs.

Yeah, I’ve got many colors of zigzag stitches: black, tan, white, and now a cheery pink.

My mom would have matched the thread color to the sleeve, using a kelly green. Always.

I like mine as it is with the various colors of mending. It tells a story. And there’s always time for a story.

Which reminds me (and yes, this is a bonafide transition) to tell you about the new podcasts that have tickled my fancy. The first, always, is “The Amelia Project,” for which “there’s always time for a story” is a character’s catchphrase. I am amazed at the quality of writing, acting, music, everything about this podcast.

Next is the new Amy Poehler podcast, “Say More.” This is Amy and her friends improvising being in a marriage counseling session, with Amy as the counselor. Hilarious.

“Down These Mean Streets” is a great collection of old radio shows from the 40’s and 50’s, specifically about detectives, whether police or private. The intro’s to each show are well researched and the sound quality of the shows has been improved. The only problem with this podcast is the volume of the lonely sax solo that begins the show. I tried to do some sort of sound leveling on my phone, but to no avail.

“Faux and Stallion” and ”Victoriocity” both take place in old England and both are well written, well acted, and just plain funny stories. I love a good story.

The next is an account of the FBI agent Robert Hanssen, produced by CBS News and hosted by Major Garrett. It comes out once a week and it is riveting. It’s called “Agent of Betrayal.”

The last recommendation that I have for you is not a podcast, but a book. It is Cassidy Hutchinson’s “Enough.” Cassidy was former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadow’s right hand person in the last presidency. Well, the last chief of staff. There were four.

Cassidy was a witness during the January 6^th Hearings, soft spoken, articulate. Her memories of the Trump White House during the 2020 election and afterward are an accounting that provided me with an inkling of and answer to how did that happen? I can’t recommend it enough.

*******nope, not here, either***

Here are some pictures from our Yellowstone trip in early August.

Here we are, camping on the ridge of the South Dakota Badlands. Seriously, that ruff of grass ten feet from my feet? Dropoff.

Here we are at the North Dakota Badlands. Buffy looking out of the camper window.

Sunset high above everything.

We really like camping. And the cats do, too. The hubster cut a cat door in the bathroom door of the camper so the cats can come and go, so to speak, at will, and we can cook at the same time. Before the cat door, if the bathroom door was open, the stove was inaccessible.

It’s a compact camper.

And the litter box is in the shower, which we don’t use because we’re always conserving water.

***********nope*******

And speaking of Halloween, I had one trick or treater. I turned off my lights at 7pm because I was the only house in the neighborhood with my lights on. I had four last year with not much more than that the year before. I still dress up, though.

Have a Mahvelous Monday, hug those you love, be different today!

Love,

Janet