Blogophilia 18.14 Topic: Paranormal Occurrence

Hard Bonus: Use the word “tear” twice – as a noun and a verb
Easy Bonus: Include a zodiac sign

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Paranormally Listed

I'm not sure if this counts as a Paranormal Occurrence or not, but I remember it was about 1978, a year after I'd moved to Racine, from Tokyo, and we took a weekend trip to visit my Hungarian great grandparents in Stanley, WI. These would be my mother's paternal grandparents, who were already "old" at that time, so the 2nd floor bedrooms weren't cleaned, and very dusty. Because it's in the boonies, and the house wasn't originally equipped with running water, "the kids" had to use the outhouse, because the sole bathroom that was an addon was reserved just for the adults. I guess I've always had a weak bladder, and due to coughing & sneezing, my sister & I slept out in the car. I woke up to what seemed like bright lights, and there were 3 red blinking lights in a triangular shape, hovering where there was nothing when we went out... considering that everything else appeared jet black, it was odd how these lights, which weren't bright yet the glow would tear through the night sky into the car... I stared, looked away, couldn't fall asleep again, look up, still see it, tried to wake my sister, still seeing it several times as I try to rouse her, and when she wakes up, I turn to her, and as I go to point it out, gone... just the night, as if the blinking had to tear out of there with a quickness, just to tear my vision in half.

Now you see it & POOF!

Being that I am born an Aquarius, I feel like I have a strange personality combination. I'm quirky, humanitarian, enjoy taking the path less traveled (it's therapeutic, not lonely), can be laid back yet rebellious, embrace change & can roll with it, and learns well from mistakes (which makes it annoying when others want to carry on & on & on, sue me for being human & imperfect), and don't mind reinventing myself or repurposing things. Maybe I ought to be Paranormally Listed myself... I like watching those on YouTube.

 

Weekly Writer’s Group 33: When The Halloween Party’s Over

Subtopic 1: With Halloween being tomorrow, and daylight savings is next week, what do you do for the rest of the year?

Subtopic 2: What’s your favorite Halloween song?

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Pumpkin Patch Minion!

It’s one of my favorites to celebrate, with ghouls, witches, scary characters, princesses, super heroes, etc… I enjoy seeing them all, but… I have a dress rehearsal for Racine Concert Band, with a show on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 7pm at Washington Park High School. So, that will be my gig this year. 2022 marks the 100th year of Racine, Wisconsin having our very own municipal band. All summer concerts, starting the 1st Sunday of July through mid/late August (for a total of 8 shows) are free & open to the public at the Zoo. Normally, there are 3-5 concerts during the rest of the season, and those have an entrance fee, but in celebrating the centennial, this one is free, and the final free one of this year.

When The Halloween Party Is Over, my schedule will slow down a little bit for a while. I got a 2 week layoff at work, with no solid plan to go back yet, so that is still up in the air to see if I will have something there after that or not, which stinks, because other holidays are coming. With my autoimmune disorders, trying to look for other employment just doesn’t make much sense. This one is what I’d be able to handle, and with it being a relatively quiet nonprofit, could be flexible around my appointments. At least I have the UW-Parkside Community Band, where we have 4 concerts throughout the year, with our next concert being on December 8, 2022 at 7pm in Bedford Hall at the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts & Humanities, affectionately called The Rita. Summer concerts are fun, with the marches, polkas, & other crowd pleasing music, where we have 1 rehearsal & show weekly, inside the bandshell/gazebo. The other shows being on a more formal stage, brings out the musicianship, for a more professional/studio sound, which takes a bit more work, and really shows off the talents of all of the performers.

I’m looking forward to DST ending… I really could use the extra hour of sleep, though I think I’m old at my not so youthful age, I’m not looking forward to driving at night… Oh well! Life happens, though it would be nice to just keep it here, and just adjust times for everything else. The last few years, losing that hour of sleep in the spring really takes a toll on me, and takes me 3 or 4 days to fully recover. What am I to do the rest of the year? Well, do what I can to make it through the holidays… and for a fuller update on the other things I am working on, aside from being a musician for 2 groups and an advocate for BeLEAF Survivors Inc., feel free to ask to join my extremely private group, Feral Humans Anonymously – where I’m encouraging all of us who are not fully domesticated to brag about their misbehavior for a good cause, get support, advice, encouragement for things that are going on, etc. For me, it’s about the biggest project I’m taking on… I don’t have a lot of “help”, and it would be helpful if I had Minions who could go for the ride with me, but… often, the situation is what it is. I may not be the healthiest person, physically, but I AM a natural advocate with tenacity.

I will leave you with this: Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge in B-flat major – Op. 133. The Allegro movement makes for a nice autumn/Halloween theme.

Weekly Writing 32: Spooky

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Subtopic 1: Mention carving pumpkins
Subtopic 2: What is your favorite spooky song?

Purple Shade

I like the Spooky, creepy, spine-chilling, etc. Halloween is the best part of autumn. I didn’t do much with carving pumpkins, since I’m letting the critters add the bewilderment of chewing up the stuff. Mine always end up looking more cute than anything, so we will let nature add the thrills. Below, a pumpkin pie recipe utilizing fresh pie pumpkins.

My front porch

I think my favorite spooky song remains Thriller by Michal Jackson. I didn’t really get into a lot of his music, I mean, I like a lot, but not necessarily love them.

Pumpkin Pie recipe:

• 1 pie pumpkin, sliced, seeds/strings removed
• 9-12 eggs, lightly beaten (9 if the pulp comes to about 48 oz, 12 if more like 64)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 quart half & half (or mix of that & heavy whipping cream)
• 8 TBS cinnamon
• 1 TBS ginger
• 1 tsp each, ground cloves & nutmeg

Mix well with a whisk. Fills 4 pie crusts (if 48 oz pumpkin, regular, if more like 64, deep dish). The pie filling will be more like a custard in texture.

Blogophilia 17.14: Everything Pumpkin Spice

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Pumpkin Pie!

Hard Bonus: Use a line or quote by Henry David Thoreau
Easy Bonus: Include a “new girl”

Being more of a summer girl with spice for chili, it’s not easy being around Everything Pumpkin Spice… I do like the fall colors, just not the cooler weather. It was fun when I used to be a tour guide for one of the local pumpkin farms. The goats were cool, and when the kids would get their group picture by the great pumpkin, I’d have the kids, on a count of 3, say “pumpkin pie”! it made them look like they were laughing & having a good time. Funny Fact: people who love pumpkin pie think mine are the best, I don’t even really care for it much… No thank you for the pumpkin spice latte, I’ll stick to my double mocha, no whipped cream. At the bottom of my blog, I’ll share the recipe for the only way I actually LIKE having pumpkin.

I remember when I was the new girl at work… the guys who live there weren’t necessarily sure about me, but for some reason, I won them over. It’s a nonprofit, so the rules are a bit weird when it comes to business, there are more checks & balances in place to ensure a dictatorship doesn’t happen. It’s a way to keep corruption to a minimum, even though it sure happens. If I would have known back then what kind of person I work for, I probably wouldn’t have suggested it with DVR to get my internship there. But, I was offered permanency, so I took it. *sigh* It’s been 54 weeks… The 1st 12 weeks were paid through the vocational program, and I was hired permanently starting January 2, 2022. It’s been a roller coaster for sure, so if it weren’t for the tenacity I have while being the advocate I am, I definitely wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Due to all of the prior issues of trying to attain/maintain professional work which ended up fruitless or very short-lived, then with the various health issues I’ve had & since been diagnosed with, my husband & I agreed that this was the last stretch… If this wasn’t going to work out, forget it… I at least have my music. I gave the guy 100% benefit of the doubt, but as time goes on, I’m finding out stuff… if it didn’t really affect anybody, I would just leave it, but it affects other people, including me, yet it’s the other people who are affected the most, and… yikes… I swear life puts me where I’m needed, and sometimes I wish life needed someone else, not me. But I’m in an opportunity where I am able to take action to better impact other people, and the negative impacts would affect those who are depending on the place a lot worse than myself, and I’m in a position to be able to step up with minimal effect. So… it’s not just that I’m “fighting” for them, it’s also fighting for my own job, win or lose, through the proper channels, which can take a seriously long time. It’s times like this where I understand why people might commit crimes to remedy things, though some people aren’t in a position where they can do that either, since they have families to think of. This is my philosophy on it: Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something. Henry David Thoreau

Harvest Loaf recipe:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (split 1/2 & 1/4 cups)

Cream butter, sugar & eggs until very light. Add dry ingredients alternatively with pumpkin until fully blended. Stir in chocolate chips & 1/2 cup of nuts. Pour into a greased bread pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of nuts on top, and bake at 350 F for an hour.

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS milk

Blend well. When the loaves come out of the oven, drizzle it over to help keep the nuts on top. Let cool completely, serve & enjoy!

I normally double the recipe, so I can use the whole can of pumpkin & a whole bag of chocolate chips.

Contract positions with Racine County:

Racine County Jail/Sheriff's Office is hiring through P.I.E. Management for clerk positions. There are at least 2, possibly 3. It would be to check in belongings, log in bond, paperwork, deal with the general public, etc.

1) M & T 10pm-6am, F, Sa & Su 6am-2pm $19.01/hr
2) M, T, F, Sa & Su 2-10pm $16.78/hr M-F, $19.01/hr weekends

Be reliable, must pass background check & drug test. Apply here:
https://www.piemanagement.com/staffing

Weekly Writing 31: Oktoberfest

Subtopic: Mention a dirndl and lederhosen

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HELP!!!!

Oktoberfest is tied with 4th Fest as being my favorite to celebrate. It’s not just that it’s my favorite craft beer, but I also appreciate the craftiness of the season, where it’s more than the food & hanging out with people you like (during the summer), but it’s also about the deco & costumes, too.

People who know me know that I love to cook, and I can do seasonal gatherings from cookouts to fall & winter holidays to birthdays and more! During the fall, I like to take pie pumpkins, cut them, roast them, use the seeds for one snack, and use the “meat” of the pumpkin to do pie from scratch. I do my own apple pies, too. But I also love the spook part of Halloween, and yes, pumpkin puke is one of the things that make my day… Being that I’m also crafty, I’ve done a few things, anyway… My son was attending Fine Arts School for kindergarten & we were encouraged to make as much of the costume for our kids as possible. I’d made him a pirate one, where I made a multicolored pair of shorts and a vest from bandanas, all different colors. Another one for his head, and even his sword was cardboard that I cut out, wrapped foil around the “blade” and wrapped twine on the “handle”. The crazy thing is, they had a school parade, and I have no idea who did the judging, but the grand winner was an expensive store-bought costume, and those who won 1st, 2nd & 3rd had minimally homemade items, and then there were about 10 honorable mentions, and my son wasn’t one of them for his 75% homemade costume (his T-shirt, socks & shoes were from the store). Oh well.

My Halloween display

In my front yard, I have gnomes on both sides throughout the flower garden, and I have this. I’m hoping the critters will find the peanut butter & help “carve” the pumpkins into a spooky delight. I’ll be passing out stuff again this year, with choices. I have a case of apple juice cups, so they get 1 of those & a choice of 1. fun size candy 2. small bag of chips 3. another juice cup – I always enjoy seeing the kids dressed up, and when I see a parent who is also dressed up, I encourage them to get a treat as well. Staying youthful is cool

I wonder if my husband, being a musician, would dress up with me in a dirndl and him in a lederhosen and we could get those alphorns so we could put the treats in boxes, and sound off each time a treat gets taken? I don’t know, he’d never go for it, but… I think it would be funny.

This could be us…

Blogophilia 16.14: Harvest Moon

Hard Bonus: Incorporate your favorite song title

Easy Bonus: Mention fire

Moon Rising PowWow

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The Harvest Moon rises into the night sky, sometimes glowing like a pumpkin and other times lighting the sky on fire. People gather in the crisp air, beating the drums for what? This is no war call. But it might be the Stray Cat Blues because some of us aren’t fully domesticated and a few of us are feral.

I really think I need to find my writing groove again… I miss my story blogs, acrostics, etc.

Week 30: Holiday Season Begins!

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Subtopic 1 & 2: Mention lights and leaves in your writings

Christmas at Halloween

The Holiday Season Begins! Autumn tends to kick off a lot of things. Changes in colors, fall equinox, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Day of the Dead, Winter Solstice, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Oktoberfest, Christmas, and so much more… While I do NOT look forward to the cold weather, I do enjoy the leaves & the different lights that come out for the season.

I happen to love Halloween, and get a kick out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think it would be cool if we did something in reverse, like The Wonderous Spiritings of All Hallow’s Eve. I don’t know, maybe it’s wishful thinking. New beginnings don’t have to start as a New Year’s resolution. If the spirit moves you, go with the flow!

Blogophilia 15.14: All Roads Point to Nowhere

Hard Prompt: Reference a Kevin Bacon movie

Easy Prompt: Include an object to your right while writing your blog

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Traffic Jam!

Life can get crazy… So much adversity can feel as if All Roads Point to Nowhere, yet going on a drive where destination = wherever you end up is often therapeutic, but not in congested roadways… It would be nice if, at any point, we could be Starting Over with the pictures of our mind’s eye.

Blogophilia 14.14: Back in the Saddle

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Hard Prompt: Include a quote or line by William Blake

Easy Prompt: Use the word “Iceberg”

Rose printed SEVA

After globetrotting with his Skylab Extravehicular Visor Assembly (SEVA), we finally got our favorite Martian Back in the Saddle Again! I think it’s been about a year.

It seems as if I always have a lot on my mind, even if I don’t talk about it a lot. When I do, my philosophy is, Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you. William Blake It’s not the tip of an iceberg, that’s just crunchy water. I prefer endive.

Week 29: Feel Good

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Subtopic 1: Do you take care of your mental health?

Subtopic 2: Do you have a tool kit to be happy? This could be crystals, positive words, a song, a show you watch, meditation…etc.

Breathe…!!!

In times of chaos, things get crazy. To Feel Good seems to be a relative term! Physically, mentally, etc… all depending on what’s going on, and it seems as if we aren’t always aligned this way. Covid, hurricanes, work issues, etc…

My favorite way to take care of my mental health is through music. I play my clarinet in 2 groups, which is a nice outlet in multiple ways. It’s good for the soul, automatic meditation through breathing, and it’s all good for the body as well, and my mind is in a better spot afterward. I listen often, also.

I stopped watching TV a few years ago, since I don’t have access on the main floor anymore, and I’m fortunate to live off the shore of Lake Michigan, which is part of my tool kit to be happy. Not only do I take time to sit there, but I also like to meditate, listening to the waves. This last year, I didn’t get to go out to do anything, and that should change but, cold weather is coming…

Often, it feels good to make other people feel good, too! If we can leave someone better than when we met them, do it. The whole planet would be a better place. Sending Dia Jade (and all my other Florida people) good vibes to make it through this hurricane disaster unscathed as possible!