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Marshall Morass

I just spent an hour talking with a man who is putting together a program in advance of the one year anniversary of the Marshall Fire, which roared through my area last December 30. During our conversation, we focused on facts and timelines and then veered into emotions, stress, reactions as this anniversary approaches. We […]

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What kind of Ticket?

Today’s ragtag daily prompt is Pakapoo Ticket. That’s a new term to me. On this Thanksgiving day in the US, I’m thankful for the internet, where I was able to look it up and confirm from a number of sources that it has its origins in a Chinese lottery game known as pak ah pu […]

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No Ink for me, Thanks

I’m a big chicken when it comes to needles. I don’t like shots, although with my science and medical background I do get the vaccines I find pertinent to maintaining my and the publics heath. But voluntarily going in somewhere, giving someone money to have them poke ink into my skin with many little needles. […]

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Way Too Close to Home, Again

The paragraphs below were drafted just after the “King Soopers shooting” in March of 2021. This morning, I awakened to the news that there was a mass shooting at Club Q, a LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs late last night. That’s about 90 miles south of me. My state, my people. March 23, 2021. Yesterday […]

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Old observances

This is a big weekend for spring holiday observances. The big 3 monotheistic religions have something going on, in order of chronological appearance: Passover, Easter and Ramadan. I grew up nominally Christian, following that calendar of celebrations. However, it was more about being helpful and of service to those in needs as opposed to following […]

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Good? Grief

Apologies to Charles Schulz and Charlie Brown. I’m behind on my A to Z challenge. I stalled out whilst working on G, which I originally intended to be on gardening. One of the deals I made with myself in taking on this challenge in my first month of retirement is viewing the challenge as an […]

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Winding Down

I’ve been working for a long time. Sometime in the early 1960’s I started having chores around the house, and to collect my miniscule allowance, those chores had to be completed. Then other jobs appeared that could be done for pay. As the oldest child of 4, I started babysitting young. My parents got both […]

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Getting Set

I. Oilcloth for picnics linen and lace for parties everyday and fancy II. red checkered cloths stained with life, gravy and wine many tales told here III. fine embroidery illuminates a cloth years in the making. A series of haiku/senryu written for today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt of Tablecloth

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Good Morning

I awoke to interesting things this morning. Six inches of snow, and a temperature of 10 F, that’s -12C. Happy April 20. While colder than normal, snow is not uncommon around here in April, or even May. And then, I checked my email. This morning’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Encephalopathy. Yikes. I do know the […]

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Percolate

When I hear the word percolate, coffee comes to mind, as a percolator was the standard way of making coffee when I was a child. Even though my parents didn’t drink coffee at home, it was the morning beverage of choice for adults in my friend’s homes. In restaurants, it was omnipresent. Back then, a […]

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OVER

I. over it had enough no more stop the violence now we are over it II. two eggs over easy its a classic breakfast order upsetting for hens III. overdone way too much says who? who are you to say its just your opinion IV. Sure I’m fine with that It doesn’t matter that much […]

C is for Corona

Corona means crown or crownlike structure, and it is the gaseous outer rim of a star, normally visible only during a total solar eclipse, as shown in today’s featured photograph. This past year, we’ve learned much more than we ever wanted to know about coronaviruses, and one in particular, that which causes the Covid-19 illness, […]

Its in Our Hands Now

A mob tore through the US Capitol building on Wednesday. Incited to destructive action by a deranged president, this group of deluded individuals, largely white and male, fancying themselves patriots, but more accurately stooges of right-wing propagandists, broke through an inadequate line of police and into the Capitol. People were killed, breakage occurred, objects, possibly […]

Leftover = Treasure

I know of people who don’t eat leftovers; they routinely discard any food not eaten after the meal. To me, that’s a tremendous waste. So many people don’t have enough to eat, throwing away food feels irresponsible. I can see discarding food that won’t keep, that will go bad. If its going to make someone […]

Arboretum Benches

I had something else in mind for today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt of Bench, and then life, with its attendant adjustments of time and commitments intervened. Instead, I’ll give you the photos I took yesterday while walking through the small arboretum near my home. A fine variety of benches, for resting, art, eating, visiting or simply […]

Color

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Color. I love the colors of the natural world; plants, rocks, clouds, water. Autumn is often spectacular with changing leaves. Owing to our long hot dry summer, followed by a rapid cooling, our colors have been somewhat muted, and many trees are rapidly going brown and then dropping their […]

Adding Zing

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Zing. What better way to add a little zing to your life than by zinging up your food. This is by no means an exhaustive display of the zinging agents in our kitchen, but it shows two of the main categories: hot stuff and vinegars. Enjoy!

CLOUDS

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Clouds. Here are a few from last November: A good reminder, for me, at least, to remember that despite so many ominous signs and clouds in the world, that there is great beauty and possibility as well. Lets go for that!

Lucy: The Next Stop on My Tour

Good morning, its me, Lucy One White. So far, my farewell tour is going well. I’m doing more tour than farewell, which is good. I’m feeling better and have been busy with my usual duties of eating, drinking, sleeping, and bossing. Bossing is hard work, and my voice has gotten a little hoarse. (I’m still […]

Quarterly Review of Blogging #4: One Year!

Whoa. I started blogging a year ago. When I began, I had no particular agenda or expectations. I did have the idea of sharing curiosities, odd signs and word stuff, and I liked the concept of allowing myself to follow my own curiosities, going wherever my interest was piqued. That’s reflected in the name I […]

Where There’s Smoke

Today’s Ragtime Daily Prompt is Julienne. Julienned vegetables are often also described as being cut into matchsticks. And matches can start fires. Here in Colorado, we have 6 major forest fires burning at the moment, as you can see on this map. There’s also a fire just over the western border in Utah, and many […]

Time for Change

You say last bastion Of decency. Whose rules Are you playing by? Perhaps its time to let go Of that which no longer serves. For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Bastion

Limerence — I Wanna Be Like You.

In my life, limerence hits from time to time. I will become intrigued by an individual. These days, it often happens from afar, when I find an author whose work speaks to me. I’ll go on a binge, reading and rereading their work, studying and learning. I’ve had the experience of then meeting an author […]

A Pre Pickle?

Today’s featured photo is of one of my young cucumber plants. Its actually the only one that has survived a combination of hail and insects. I have some replanting to do if I want to have cucumbers this summer. I love fresh cucumbers, and I was hoping to make some pickles as well. We’ll see. […]

Life is What Happens

While you’re making other plans. Or so the saying goes, along with some of its many variants, including one favored by a childhood friend. “You wanna make the gods laugh, tell them your plans.” There’s certainly been some of that going around my house recently. Illnesses, all thankfully resolved, technical glitches (likewise) and then today’s […]

RDP #5: FLEXIBILITY

Todays Substitute daily prompt is FLEXIBILITY. We haven’t heard from our scheduled prompter–hope things are okay. So, in its place, here comes flexibility. And who knows, we might end up with two prompts today. We knew flexibility was going to be important in this new adventure, and its proving to be so. Change is happening rapidly. […]

Hot Stuff

Its June, and its going to be hot this week, predicted to hit the 90’s (32 to 35C for those of you who did go metric) every day. I don’t particularly love hot weather, so I’m not flummoxed on how to order my day. Exercise early, before the heat hits. I’m a morning person, and […]

Gardening–Imagination in Action

Gardening requires imagination, seeing what might become sometime in the future. Seeds become seedlings and then plants; bearing food, flowers and greenery. Patterns emerge to engage the eye. Bare dirt or a weedy patch transforms. Flowers brighten the day, beckoning bees. Shade from the trees shelter even as the apples grow for later harvest. What […]

RDP #3: Imagination

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is Imagination. This prompt was submitted by Patty of Lovenlosses. Use your own imagination to post something related to imagination. If you use “Ragtag Daily Prompt”, “RDP”, and “Imagination” as tags, it will be easier find others who have also used this prompt. A wingback to this post may also make your […]