Tag Archives: Books

Oct9

Odd Poem October

Posted on October 9, 2025 by ghostmmnc

Odd Poem October

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BREAKING ALL SOULS – (FIRST WORDS)

This one is from 2015, when I thought I’d try something a little different. I’ve done a few more since then. … I’ve seen similar, but haven’t tried doing it before. What I did, was take a bunch of books that I have stacked up, take a photo, and try to make some kind of poem out of the first word or two from the titles of them. This is what I came up with. 🙂 It was pretty interesting, and fun to do. I’ll probably try it again sometime.

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BREAKING ALL SOULS

The original haunted American desert has gone wild

Breaking all souls into ashes, where

I am a stranger, a sleeping holy ghost

You don’t hold the reckless midnight storm, the biting lover, the darker shades…

I’ll kiss the memory

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

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Aug20

August Authors – John Man – The Survival of Jan Little

Posted on August 20, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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August Authors – John Man – The Survival of Jan Little

For Bee’s Challenge:

Author August – Elizabeth Von Arnim – Richard Rodney Bennet

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Bee says:

This month I challenge you to share one of your favourite authors every day. As an additional challenge also share a song that connects in some way with that author.

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As I mostly do, I’m featuring a favorite book instead of author. To me, favorite author means I get all their books and wish for more. If I like one book by an author, that doesn’t make them a favorite author, though the book might be.

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Another type of book subject I love to read is of true stories of people surviving awful circumstances. I will read them all, and have done so many times. Books of survival of shipwrecks, mountain climbing, jungle adventures, tornadoes, and plane crashes. It is so wonderful to know these people were able to overcome the hardship they found themselves in.

This is one of those. “The Survival of Jan Little”.

The cover shows the title, and a photo of Jan Little sitting on a hill above some jungle vegetation, with mountains and fog in the background. The blurb says, “The inspiring story of a woman who survived alone in the Amazon jungle”.

THE SURVIVAL OF JAN LITTLE

Written by John Man

Copywrite – John Man

First Published in 1987

Viking Penguin, Inc.

This book is one of my all time favorites. I’ve read it at least once a year since I first found it in a library. I now own a copy. If you like true stories of survival against tremendous odds, especially by women, this is one of the best that has been documented.

Jan Little was handicapped with poor hearing and eyesight. She managed to get into college on a disability program, and drew social security checks. After an affair ended, she gave birth to a daughter, Rebecca. The father did not want anything more to do with Jan or the child.

Wanting more for her and her daughter’s life, she moved them to Mexico. She had a taste for adventure, and yearned for some land to homestead on. She thought she could find it there. She was doing all right for being sole provider for her daughter, but had yet to find her dream. Then she met Harry Little.

Harry Little was an a self-proclaimed naturalist, and adventurer, as he travelled around South America, documenting the lifestyles of the native Indians of Brazil. When he offered both marriage, and homesteading to Jan, she didn’t hesitate. They began their life together by travelling down the rivers of the Amazon jungle, by boat. It was not easy, but they finally settled on a nice piece of land, miles from civilization. They set up a camp, and planted a huge garden. Jan even befriended a small monkey, they then kept as a pet.

As time went on, there were many difficulties to overcome. Harry was becoming more and more eccentric, and he and Jan were at odds with each other on many occasions. Jan’s hearing and eyesight were gradually getting worse, until she basically could see nothing. Then tragedy struck.

How Jan managed, is detailed in this book. A harrowing look at what she had to do to survive, is detailed in a way that keeps you turning the page. It is a book/story that will remain in your thoughts for a long, long time. Photographs and maps are included.

This book has been out of print for a long time, but I did find it on Amazon. If you get a chance to read “The Survival of Jan Little”, you won’t be disappointed.

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Here is a song for the book that I only just found, but I like it a lot.

“Meet Me In The Woods”, by Lord Huron, is credited to Frankie Lou, and Claude Fox, on their 2015 album, “Strange Trails”.

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Aug18

August Authors – H. G. Wells – The Time Machine

Posted on August 18, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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August Authors – H. G. Wells – The Time Machine

for Bee’s challenge:

Author August – Gioconda Belli & Manifest Urbano

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Bee says:

This month I challenge you to share one of your favourite authors every day. As an additional challenge also share a song that connects in some way with that author.

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Herbert George Wells, has been called the father of Science Fiction. As a writer of futuristic works in his many novels (some which have been made into movies), be foresaw the invention of many things we take for granted today, such as air and space travel, and even a vision of the world wide web that we use all the time. Such an interesting article is here … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

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The book I feature today is, “The Time Machine”, by H. G. Wells. It was first written and published in 1895.

I’m pretty sure I got this book from the local library book sale. I get most of my used books there, as they have really good prices for them…50 cents for paperbacks, and $1.00 for hardback.

I actually had never read this book before. I’d seen the movies made from it, and both of the ones I saw were good. I preferred the one made in 1960 best. It starred Rod Taylor, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux.

The subject of the book is of course a time machine. A scientist had invented a machine that would be able to transport a person to a different time in history, either past or future. He gave a presentation to his fellow colleagues, but they were skeptical of the whole thing. After the meeting, the Time Traveler, as the main character was called in the book, tried out his machine.

As the time for their next meeting commenced, everyone showed up except for the host. Then, just before everyone was getting ready to leave, he shows up, all bedraggled. He told them he’d time traveled to the future, and he’d tell them all about it.

This is the main part of the book, his telling of his adventures in the future time. He was in the same location as they were in now, just way into the future. He’d met a strange group of people, called Eloi, and their enemies, called the Morlocks. At one point, he even loses his time machine, and has to find it before he can return to the present time.

He is befriended by a sweet girl Eloi, named Weena, who shows him around, and he wants to bring her back with him. It’s all very interesting how he deals with the world of the future, that is so different.

I would recommend reading this book.

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That brings me to the name of my blog…’teleportingweena’. 🙂 I chose it because I love the story of the Time Machine, and the girl, Weena. It is about time travel, and you never know exactly where you’ll land, or what you’ll see. Just like the vision I had when I started this blog. Also, our tabby cat was named Rowena, and we called her Weena. I’m convinced she could teleport herself to other dimensions. Sound kind of wacky, I know, but cats are mysterious, so you never quite know for sure. 🙂

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I did read the definitions of ‘time travel’ and ‘teleportation’. Here’s what I understood from that: Time Travel (a time machine) will send you through time…past or future. Teleportation (no machine), moves you to a different location in the present time.

Have you ever been teleported somewhere? I think I have. 🙂

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Here’s a good song that might go with this book. “Higher”, by Creed

A quote from the song:

The only difference isTo let love replace all our hate

From Wiki:

Brian Aubrey Marshall is the bassist for Creed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Marshall

“Higher” is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on August 31, 1999, as the lead single from their second studio album, Human Clay. The song became the bands breakthrough hit as it was their first song to reach the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number seven in July 2000. It spent a total of 57 weeks upon the survey, the longest stay for any Creed song on the Hot 100. “Higher” also became the band’s second chart-topping hit on rock radio as it topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, for a then-record of 17 weeks.

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When dreaming I’m guided to another worldTime and time againAt sunrise I fight to stay asleep‘Cause I don’t wanna leave the comfort of this place‘Cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escapeFrom the life I live when I’m awakeSo let’s go thereLet’s make our escapeCome on, let’s go thereLet’s ask can we stay?

Can you take me higher?To a place where blind men seeCan you take me higher?To a place with golden streets

Although I would like our world to changeIt helps me to appreciateThose nights and those dreamsBut, my friend, I’d sacrifice all those nightsIf I could make the Earth and my dreams the sameThe only difference isTo let love replace all our hateSo let’s go thereLet’s make our escapeCome on, let’s go thereLet’s ask can we stay?

Can you take me higher?To a place where blind men seeCan you take me higher?To a place with golden streets

So let’s go thereYeah, let’s go thereCome on, let’s go thereLet’s ask can we stay?

Up high I feel like I’m alive for the very first timeSet up high I’m strong enough to take these dreamsAnd make them mine

Set up high I’m strong enough to take these dreamsAnd make them mine

Can you take me higher?To a place where blind men seeCan you take me higher?To a place with golden streets

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Mark Tremonti / Scott Stapp

Higher lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O Capasso, Reservoir Media Management Inc, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Aug10

August Authors – Laurie Notaro – Humorous Memoirs

Posted on August 10, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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August Authors – Laurie Notaro – Humorous Memoirs

Author August: Goscinny & Subwoolfer

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Bee says:

This month I challenge you to share one of your favourite authors every day. As an additional challenge also share a song that connects in some way with that author.

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From the Wiki article:

Laurie Notaro is a historical fiction novelist from Eugene, Oregon, where she lives with her husband. She was born in Brooklyn, New York but spent most of her early life in Phoenix Arizona where she had quite the checkered past.
She graduated with a journalism degree from Arizona State University and then worked as a journalist for years.

Notaro published “We Thought You Would be Prettier,” her first work in 1995, and her first fiction novel “There’s A Slight Chance I Might Be Going to Hell” in 2007.

A list of her books, and a bio of the author … Laurie Notaro … https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/laurie-notaro/

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“An Idiot Girl’s Christmas”, by Laurie Notaro. She’s one of my favorite authors, as I’ve read all her books, and this one is just as good. She writes short essays of her true life adventures, and they most all have a humorous take on her life. This one is all about the funny things that happen at Christmas time.

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Here’s a song. It has nothing to do with the books, except I like the song, and I like the books, because the books are hilarious essays, and this video is so hilarious, too. It’s been my earworm now for quite awhile!

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“Foo Fighters” Learn to Fly

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Aug5

Author August – Janet Evanovich

Posted on August 5, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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Author August – Janet Evanovich

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For Bee’s challenge:

Author August – Janosch, Marshmallow & Anne-Marie

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Bee says:

This month I challenge you to share one of your favourite authors every day. As an additional challenge also share a song that connects in some way with that author.

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Today I feature the author, Janet Evanovich. She has written many novels, and series, and is a favorite author of mine. Her series about a newby bounty hunter, who has all kinds of encounters with criminals is really funny. She has a best friend, Lula, who is hilarous, and a mother and grandmother who appear quite often to derail this main character, Stephanie Plum.

I’ve read a lot of her books, and they all have clever titles, numbered one to thirty two I believe. Her first one, “One For the Money”, was made into a movie, too. I did go to see it and liked it a lot.

purple/plum colored cover for the title Plum Lovin’

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Here’s a song that kind of goes with bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. She is trouble when she is on a case. 🙂

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“Trouble” by Pink, is from her 2003 album, “Try This”. It’s written by Pink and Tim Armstrong, and is on the LaFace – Arista label. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trouble_(Pink_song)

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Thanks for visiting ! Peace ☮️

Aug1

Author August Starts Grimm (new challenge)

Posted on August 1, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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Author August Starts Grimm (new challenge)

For Bee’s Challenge:

Author August Starts Grimm 😎

Bee says:

This month I challenge you to share one of your favourite authors every day. As an additional challenge also share a song that connects in some way with that author.

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I’m not real sure what we’re to do, but I’m doing it my way as the song at the end says. I’m featuring books, and not going into a bio of the authors of the books. They are most all books I have or have had and read at one time or another. Lots are my favorite authors and others I just read one of their books but enjoyed it. 🙂

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Bee has this fun book/author challenge for the month of August. I have done several blog challenges that were a month long in the past about books. Maybe you’ve seen them? They were quite a few years ago, though so maybe some of you may not have seen them. Anyway, I wrote about the books and authors, and will be re posting these, sort of mix and match, and also try to add a song if I can, or a quote about books. The little mystery box toy chickens will be making an appearance sometimes, too. Hope you enjoy this melange of mixed up posts 🙂

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This book is a fun read. It’s called, “All My Life For Sale”, and is by John D. Freyer.

It’s a true story of how the author decided to sell everything he owned, by going on line. He literally sold every item in his house at the time, from large items, down to the very smallest. After all was sold, he began to get invitations from some of the buyers to come visit the things he used to own, and to meet in person who bought them. There are lots of photos in here of his items that he had for sale, along with his funny commentary.

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Books are a uniquely portable magic ~ Stephen King

Mystery Box Chickens

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“It’s My Life”, by Bon Jovi

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Jun15

One Word Sunday – Looking Down

Posted on June 15, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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One Word Sunday – Looking Down

For Debbie’s challenge:

Looking down

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Here’s looking down at an airplane that is waiting at the gate, from a window.

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Stairs curving down to ground floor lobby at a hospital/clinic

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Concrete ramp leading down to the lake by our house

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Night lights in Dallas as we looked down from the airplane.

Also another airplane that was waiting at the gate at the airport

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From upstairs, looking down at books displayed on the ground floor at the bookstore

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Jan11

SOCS & JJJ 2025 – Little Things

Posted on January 11, 2025 by ghostmmnc

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SOCS & JJJ 2025

SOCS & Just Jot It January

The Friday Reminder for #SoCS & #JusJoJan 2025 Daily Prompt for Jan. 11th

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Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 11th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “it’s the little things.” Take whatever the phrase “it’s the little things” brings to mind and use it in your post. Have fun!

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Coloring page with plaid flowers and says ‘it’s the little things’.

How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world ~ William Shakespeare

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And here’s just a little story – and it’s true!

🕮 🕮 🕮 🕮 🕮

I used to deal in skin & bones.

Sounds pretty ominous doesn’t it? But, no…let me explain.

A delivery truck would haul my supply of skin and bones to me, every week.

I’d take the bones, rubbing and creasing the skins to sharp, straight lines. Everyone said I was the best skin and bone wielder…the best at my job.

Well, it needed to be done. The skins needed to fit closely. The bone knife was just the tool for the job.

The skins were tough, and they could take all the handling in their future, too.

So, now I’ve told you a little about my job, I need to get back to work in the library.

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Note … this is a true story! I used to work in different libraries, and one of my jobs was to take the see-through plastic covers (skins), crease them to fit the books with the bone knife. It was a fun job! 🙂

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at our public library – shelves of books

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Jul15

random stuff

Posted on July 15, 2024 by ghostmmnc

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random stuff

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📺📺📺📺📺

Thoughts about this and that …

What if all the kid actors of TV shows from a long time ago and those of more recent shows got together and knew each other and lived in the same neighborhood? That would be interesting, weird, and maybe fun? Let me list who I can think of:

Beaver & Wally Cleaver , Eddie Haskell, Lumpy Rutherford (Leave it to Beaver)
Dennis (Dennis the Menace)
Opie ( Andy Griffith Show)
Mark ( the Rifleman)
the Brady kids (Gregg, Marcia, Jan, Bobby, Cindy, Peter ) the Brady Bunch
Harold (Hazel)
Little Ricky ( I Love Lucy)
Eddie (the Munsters)
Sheldon & Missy & Georgie (Young Sheldon & Big Bang Theory)
Robbie, Chip & Ernie ( My 3 Sons)
Betty, Bud, & Kathy ( Father Knows Best)
Buffy & Jody (Family Affair)
Timmy (Lassie)

I know there are a lot more I’m forgetting about, or that I don’t remember much about the shows they were on.

And then, what about the pets the kids had?

Timmy had the collie dog Lassie

Harold had the big mix breed dog Smiley

The Brady’s had Tiger the dog. What happened to their cat, Fluffy?

The Douglas’s had the shaggy looking dog, Tramp, and when Ernie came along he brought his dog Wilson. But what happened to Wilson? No one knows!

The Anderson’s had temporary pets, a kitten, Fluffy, who Kathy thinks she did magic on and turned him into a bird. Also she finds a bird and tries to keep it for awhile. Kathy tried to keep a pony in their garage, who belonged to a photographer, too.

The Cleaver boys were always scheming to get a pet. They sent off for a baby alligator, and hid him in the bathroom for awhile, before giving him to an alligator farm (which just happened to be in their town! Yeah right! ) Then Beaver tried raising pigeons, which didn’t work out at all. He pretended to own a parrot for a pet show at school (but it was rented). He had a rat, and some mice one time, too. Plus dogs and cats were , heh heh following him home, but he wasn’t allowed to keep them. Oh, and a monkey, who caused a whole lot of trouble. He didn’t stay around long. They also had a horse in the garage for a day or so.

Mark had his horse.

Dennis had some fish, and was always trying to get a horse. Funny, I remember in the cartoons, Dennis had a dog named Ruff, but I don’t remember him having the dog on the TV show. Wonder why?

Opie had a pretend horse called Blackie, and got in a lot of trouble with his pretending for awhile. He did have a parakeet or canary for a short time, and also saved some baby birds, but finally let them fly away. (why I will not watch this episode ever … he killed the baby birds mother bird with a slingshot)

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📚📚📚📚📚

Something else … I like to read book reviews, if they catch my attention that I might like the book. So I read about it, and save the title and author, in the hopes of someday getting the book to read the whole thing. I have notebooks full of these.

But I never do. I never have any money to buy a book, so why do I keep a list of those that sound good that I might get someday, when I know that day will never come?

Is it enough to just read the snippet of what the book is about? Is that enough to say you’ve pretty much read the book and got the main point to it? It doesn’t feel satisfying, though. I’m sure there’s more interesting parts to the book.

However, I have bought books that look like a fabulous one that I’d love, only to be very disappointed. The blurb part was the only good part of the book. Everything else was just blah. So I wasted my hard to come by money on a crap book. Ugh! So now I’m afraid to even buy any more if I could, because they might be a waste of money too.

Now, you might say just go to the library and those books are free to check out. Sure they are, and I love going to the library. But now I’m not able to get out of the house to go anywhere, much less the library. Also, the last few times I did go, I couldn’t find any of the books on my lists, and very few new ones looked any good. Plus a new book you only get a few days to keep it, and it might take me longer. Then you have to re-check it, and finally have to travel back to the library to take it back. Where we live the libraries, we have 3, are too far away anyway.

Yes, I’ve tried the online checkout deal, Libby, or whatever it’s called. It never worked for me. Every book I tried to get they didn’t have, and it would be many months before they would. All the free kind of books are the kind I’d never read, like cheesy romance kind.

So, not long ago I threw away sacks and boxes of actual books I had. I didn’t want to, but I’d read them so many times I was bored with them. Plus they were taking up so much space. I still have a bunch, so I just keep re-reading them, even though they are so boring now. My kindle is full of boring ones, I’ve read over and over too.

Well, enough complaining.

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Thanks for visiting! Peace ☮️

Ugh, the year I just typed first was – 1013!! Before my time for sure! haha

Jul12

Random Post From 2018 + More Stuff

Posted on July 12, 2024 by ghostmmnc

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Random Post From 2018 + More Stuff

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Sometimes I want to post something here because it’s weird to only have one flower post. I usually have lots. But sometimes I get mostly all caught up with challenges, with reading your blogs, emails, comments and answering, and leaving some for you, too. I still have plenty of time to do some more. Maybe you get tired of seeing my posts. Sometimes there are quite a few it seems.

Oh well, here’s the one from 2018 about random thoughts.

Random Post # I can’t remember

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One – There’s a balancing point, it seems for me, between having way too many emails and blogs to be read, and being all caught up, with nothing new to read. I still don’t know which is the best.

Two – Some parts of a day pass really fast, but other parts of the day go by so slowly. Why is that?

Three – Three is still the magic number.

Four – Every day we ask what’s for lunch, what’s for supper, and nothing sounds good…ever.

Five – Do TV ad marketers really think that playing the same imbecilic ads multiple times will drum up business?

Six – Clumsy should be my middle name.

Seven – Just looking at my email notices, and the oldest one I’ve never deleted is from May, 15, 2014. It was a reminder that my Tumblr site was a year old. I haven’t looked at it in all these years. Does anyone still use Tumblr? I couldn’t really figure it out. Is it a dinosaur of the internet?

***Now I have these lines on here, and don’t know how to delete them.

Now back to today: There were some weird lines I couldn’t figure out where they came from. But they are gone now.

1. I went to my eye doctor appointment Monday. All was good, but I need new prescriptions for my glasses. It will be about 2 weeks when I get them. I keep my frames, because I like them.

2. I spent some time looking for a song. I hear it in my mind, but not sure of the words. Had no idea the name or the artist who sang it. It was from 1976! I’ve found it before, but I keep loosing it. Finally found it. It is “Love Is Alive” by Gary Wright. I remember we had a green 2 door car with black vinyl top, I was expecting my first child, I was listening to it in the car one time when I had to stop in the Kmart parking lot and throw up. Then I had some lemon drops candies. hahaha

3. Every few years I get to wanting to find a couple of books I read long ago. I cannot find them, and it bugs me so much. I’ve asked here on the blog if anyone knows them, but no one does. I know I didn’t make them up! Same for another song I can’t find.

Here’s what I know about them: …

Book – a sci/fy kind maybe – has some weird animal dog? called a Padog.

Book – “Point of No Return” – about a couple of military groups in Japan in the winter time – they had a horrible time in the weather.

Book – “The Green Room” or “In the Green Room” – I know there was a green room = it was the holding room when you first get to heaven, while you learn how heaven works, and what you are expected to do there.

Song – Heard this lots on the grocery store music that plays while you’re shopping. Sort of techno? Couldn’t understand any of the words, but one – a drawn out ooookkkkaaayyy…

That’s all.

Here’s that song, “Love Is Alive”