Blogophilia 27.17: New Day, New Way

From the House of Marvin Martian: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! WELCOME to SEASON 3 of Year 17 in Blogophilia. It’s Week 27.17 and we are also ushering in 2026!

Facebook blogophilia group HERE and blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Quote Aristophanes, an ancient Greek comic

Easy Bonus: Mention hors d’oeuvres

With 3 days left to the year, we have the choice to procrastinate these last ones, or just go for the New Day, New Way. Sometimes I put off for next week, what I should have done last week. I often regret that, but try to remember the years I was up & go, go, go.

My personal 2025 wrap up:

• Hoping my new PCP will take me serious & able to put the correct diagnoses, so insurance isn’t denying stuff for wrong parts getting treated. He’s internal medicine, but he’s dealt with patients with several ailments, many which I have, even though I have a few not on his list.
• Going back to my previous pulmonologist now that his nurse went to a different facility (where my current one is, and don’t want to deal with her, in case she’s now in that department). My son has him now.
• Getting a new rheumatologist, now that my son is established, I think it helps that we have the same specialist for our immune disorders, even if different.
• I’m back with my ortho, now that my left shoulder is bad, and need to go to PT/OT 1st before I can move on to MRI & possible surgery.
• I have an interventional pain management doctor, who is a dear. But the pain levels in my back might be beyond what he’s capable of, since it’s definitely worse. So are my knees.
• My PCP has access to other pain management doctors, so hopefully they’ll be able to refer me to the right people, even if it means neuro/spine surgery.
• My cardiologist has me in for once a year, unless I have an issue, then can come back sooner.
• Endocrinology appointments are still quarterly until my A1c is stabilized, which might not until pain levels are down enough to be able to exercise, even if just walking.
• Not looking forward to it, but if I get surgery on my shoulder, will have to go back to the podiatrist. OT is making it hard…
• I played most of the summer with the Kenosha Pops Band, and able to play a couple of times with the Racine Concert Band. Please consider donating to keep free local music going. Both are entering 104th year of quality music brought to their respective communities.
• UW-Parkside has an excellent music program for their students & community members who just want to play music. I’ve been active with the Community Band and it looks like I might be on the injury list again… Boo.
• My son has health issues, so he’s been going to almost as many doctor’s appointments as I have, with specialists, infusions, and more. While he’s not energetic enough to work a restaurant job that he’d like, he’s the main cook at home, and hopes to get a virtual job.
• My husband had spine surgery, is still on the mend, and is going to get his IT certifications so when he’s done, he can get a much better job. for now, the positions he’s qualified for is outside of his physical capacity.
• After decades of trying to find a regular job I can do, while also keeping up with my appointments, seems to be moot; I’m trying to reinvent myself as a gig worker. Wish me luck… So far it’s just pocket money, not bill money. It could happen…
• I’m still an advocate for one agency, and still writing my elected officials about a lot of things… I guess I’m a troublemaker, and I think some of them don’t take me seriously anymore. I’m still pestering them.
• My 18 year old cat is ailing, and we're just trying to make her last days count as much as we can.

“Look at the orators in our republics; as long as they are poor, both state and people can only praise their uprightness; but once they are fattened on the public funds, they conceive a hatred for justice, plan intrigues against the people and attack the democracy” (Assemblywomen 206-208). Aristophanes

*sigh* I did an eggroll fundraiser for myself. Half of the people didn’t respond about their orders, so I’m hoping… So, for dinner tonight, hors d’oeuvres. Can I just say appetizers instead? Anyway, it’s eggrolls… Seafood mix with veggies & veggie to sell, leftover pork from a previous time, plus a sampling of what we made to sell for dinner tonight.

Happy New Year, y’all!

Blogophilia 26.17: Christmas Comforts

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a gift or gifts that have special meaning to you or someone you care about

Easy Bonus: Mention a Christmas or holiday cookie

Catmas Present

Aside from having a warm house to live in, Christmas Comforts (or any holiday comfort) include having good food to eat, especially when it’s cold out, to be able to serve hot meals to warm the body & soul. We can’t do surf & turf, but we can make do with what we have. Holiday meals include cooking the traditional foods on the eve, because that’s when people come over, and then something not so traditional for us, to make it a real treat. Things like tempura, lasagna, shish kabob, sukiyaki, things like that. We only buy things on sale, but figure out ways to make it happen. I guess I’m simple about cookies. Everyone loves chocolate chip & peanut butter cookies, which are great any time of year. Maybe do peanut blossoms to be fancy, but a simple butter cookie (with M&Ms on top) is a real treat since we don’t make them.

Of course, we have our cat, who is elderly & 18, so we’re fortunate to still have her. I think the other cats from her litter are over the rainbow bridge. A nice gift was from my son, who bought me a heart necklace & earrings when his school had a sale, and the kids got to pick things out for others. I’d let him know that he can pick out something for his dad, teacher & assistant, but I was the one he bought for in 2nd grade. I haven’t worn them yet, but I’ll have to at least do the necklace since my ears closed up for the earrings.

Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, Shab-e Yalda, Maidyarem Gahambar, Bodhi Day, Vaikuntha Ekadashi, and more! Stay warm, healthy & at peace with yourself.

Blogophilia 25.17 – Winter Symphony

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Marvin Martian says: We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH! And to former Blogo writers, we sincerely invite ALL of you to return to Blogophilia and write with us again – we miss reading your amazing writes. Remember that it’s never too late to start writing again!! I’d like to add that new writers are also welcome to start.

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric from The Verve

Easy Bonus: Include snowfall

Snowball Camp

Marshmallows roast over an open fire in the snow… I hope the snowmen don’t melt; it’s a Winter Symphony out there. As the snowfall dampens the sounds into a mesmerizing visual meditation, the snow crunches under our feet. Lookin’ back on my life – You know that all I see – Are things I could of changed – I should have done. This Time ( 1997 Urban Hymns album, The Verve) let’s persevere together.

In case you need a reason to celebrate something… Because you can:

December 14

• Hug/Sock Day
• Monkey Day | World Monkey Day
• National Biscuits and Gravy Day
• National Bouillabaisse Day
• National Screwdriver Day
• Roast Chestnuts Day

December 15

• Bill of Rights Day
• International Tea Day
• Koninkrijksdag | Kingdom Day
• National Gingerbread Latte Day
• National Lemon Cupcake Day

December 16

• Day of Reconciliation
• Las Posadas begins
• National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
• Pizzelle Day

December 17

• International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
• National Maple Syrup Day
• Saturnalia
• Wright Brothers Day

December 18

• International Migrants Day
• National Crime Junkie Day
• National Roast Suckling Pig Day
• UN Arabic Language Day

December 19

• Look For An Evergreen Day
• National Hard Candy Day
• National Oatmeal Muffin Day
• Opalia

December 20

• International Human Solidarity Day
• Go Caroling Day
• National Cortado Day
• National Sangria Day
• Sacagawea Day

Blogophilia Week 24.17 – Speak to My Soul

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. Blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE.

Hard Bonus: Include a song title or lyric from The Spinners

Easy Bonus: Incorporate a formula (the word or any type of formula)

Healing Circle

Many things Speak To My Soul. I wish I could say, “Some day, We’ll put it together and we’ll get it all done” (The Spinners: Ooh, Child 2nd Time Around album), but everything seems bleak, even during the holidays. We are the sum of our entire experiences, not just what we do, give, or receive. My grandfather’s formula on life included these: 1) Be positive. 2) Just keep smiling, and everything will be just fine. I always say that being positive is in my blood (I’m B+), though I think being from The Greatest Generation, he saw the economy crash, WWII break out, and saw the economic boom happen… When I became an adult, the economy never quite recovered from the recession from when the Millennials were being born, and I’ve watched it all go downhill since then… Maybe being Gen X, I’m part of a jilted generation. I never quite found my niche in societal expectations for people my age. At this point, to keep trying is insanity, so I’m taking a page out of theirs & Gen Z to get into gig work. So far, that seems to have a better outcome for the efforts I’ve put out so far.

Mark your calendars for A KENOSHA POPS CHRISTMAS: Saturday, December 13 – 7:00 pm – Siebert Chapel – Carthage College.

Free Admission – Donations appreciated.

Special musical guests: Bone Appetit Trombone Ensemble

Please note: the concert will NOT be live-streamed this year.

Join us for this beloved holiday tradition since 2002. A great way to usher in the holidays with the entire family.

Stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, please check out my creative page, Personal Sewing Services, either on Facebook or on Nextdoor. Not only can I make something for you, I can do hemming, fixing some things, and more. I also write resumes that get seen. Or I can provide a quiet music show in the corner of your office or home party, and lessons to beginners through intermediate on clarinet, beginner to intermediate on saxophone, beginner flute.

Blogophilia 23.17 – Speed of Light

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works over on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric by Coldplay

Easy Bonus: Include a stadium

Lights Electric!

Days turn into weeks, turn into months, turn into years at The Speed of Light. My ailments are catching up, we’ll see how this goes… hoping something busts loose. I hope to keep playing music for as long as this body of mine allows me to… Even after that, I’m still me, and my greatest accomplishment is being mom. I can’t cook so much anymore, but it would be nice to cook for the masses. My song is love – Love to the loveless shown – And it goes on A Message (Coldplay: X & Y album) You make my lights spark in Lambeau Field and the Packers win the Super Bowl.

Blogophilia Week 22.17 – Give Thanks!

Marvin Martian & his space dog, Commander K says: We want to thank you for joining in our weekly challenges! We greatly appreciate your participation, as we do want to continue – as long as we have enough writers contributing each week. So keep up the wonderful writing, all!!! As always, we at Marvin house look forward to reading your amazing writes this week. Join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun and friendship for 17 years!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. Over on WordPress, blog topic parameters HERE and how it works right HERE. If you’d like to submit your own entry but don’t want to create a blog site, please either comment on Martien’s post on his page, on the blog in the group, or as a comment under the parameters. If you have Gmail, you automatically have Blogger, but make sure you post the link in the same area of your choice so other people can read yours, too.

Hard Bonus: Mention something you never take for granted

Easy Bonus: Include something you may find at a Thanksgiving meal

Ripples & Rapids

Unless your grandparents live ‘out in the country’, I don’t know if people would understand the song Over the River and Through the Woods… Except that’s considering that the snow has already come, and the river is frozen… But I think in this case, everyone grab a pack because we’re going to have to hop, skip & jump over the water on the rocks… Or maybe just find a safe place to Row, Row, Row Your Boat across, and hope you don’t need more than one…

With all of the turmoil that’s going on, it’s easy to feel jilted by the situation because it’s multifaceted. Gone are the days when you could literally walk off one job & have another one lined up the same day. So, there’s the financial insecurity added to the rising cost of everything, health issues making it difficult to work full-time, and the available jobs are actually scarce. Depending on the type of job, there are often two candidates for each job opening, which may be for positions in factories, warehouses, or other similar settings. For white collar work, it’s higher. It seems that only in IT, engineering, etc., is there a shortage of workers due to the qualifications one needs to land a position. I’m not sure what’s exactly going on, but it seems like people that are my age & slightly older have a lot of health issues that when our parents were our age, they didn’t have them, and my grandparents were extremely healthy until the last year or so of their lives (99.5 & 100.5). I can’t blame it all on lifestyle, because I know that I, for one, was active ALL day… All of a sudden, boom… All I want to do is Feed the World, regardless of if there is a holiday or not… It’s hard to Give Thanks sometimes.

Something I’ll never take for granted… I know how to cook, so even if I need helpers, I can talk them through things. At my house, aside from stray people, you’ll find potato salad… The main entrees and a lot of the sides are hot, so something cold to go with. No need to be Puttin’ On the Ritz all the time. Just give your graces to the Spirit in the Sky. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blogophilia 21.17: WRITER’S CHOICE! Dog Days of…

Blogophilia group on Facebook, HERE. Blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE. Writer’s choice means the blogger picks their own topics & bonuses.

Hard Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – games to play with a yellow ball

Easy Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – mention romping around

Dog ball game

I’ve never heard of The Dog Days of Climatological Winter – that time of year in the areas that get snow, where technically it’s not winter yet according to the calendar, but it’s already snowed, so the weather says it could be winter. It’s JUST warm enough not to get hypothermia. While it’s a bit cool for my preferences, some love this to get moving – maybe have a yellow ball badminton challenge where your pet can help roll the ball back to you. Or just go romping around the woods & avoid other people.

Blogophilia Week 20.17 – In Absentia

From Marvin Martian & fellow blogophilians, Happy Veteran’s Day to those of you who have served in the Armed Forces of the USA! Thank you for your service!

Blogophilia on Facebook HERE and blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title by Jethro Tull

Easy Bonus: Mention a puzzle

Autumn Daybreak

Many soldiers ought to be here, but are In Absentia, as are so many others. It’s a puzzle as to why life has to be so difficult and getting worse… Health issues, income issues, and numerous applications for various things make it difficult to prioritize what needs to get done. “A Time for Everything“ is a naive thought, because we figure out eventually that there’s never enough time for everything.

Blogophilia 19.17 – Dangerous Attractions

From the spaceship of Martien Ecrits: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 19 in Year 17 Blogophilia! We welcome November – also, for those of you in the USA, did you set your clocks back one hour for Daylight Savings Time?

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE and blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate an unforgettable dream

Easy Bonus: Use a brand or flavor of coffee

Hugger of Tree

People seem to love excitement, and what else can be more exciting than Dangerous Attractions? The most dangerous attraction I’ve ever done is para-sailing once, but I was much younger & in better shape. I’m not sure standard roller coasters count.

I normally do not recall my dreams. It’s very rare, except for the 2 different recurring ones, and then the time the Emperor from Star Wars floated through my window, and I was trying to make scary ghost sounds to scare him off. Mike woke me up… Anyway… It’s weird how people have their morning routines. Aside from water (especially to take my medication), the first thing in my mouth is an orange of some type – whether it’s freshly squeezed juice, mandarin orange, naval orange, tangerine, and on rare occasion, a half a grapefruit… breakfast comes after, and when affordable, 8 O’clock hazelnut coffee, freshly ground just before brewing…

Blogophilia 18.17: Haunted Dollhouse

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE and blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a synonym for spirit ~ apparition, ghost, etc.

Easy Bonus: Include a Metallica song title

Ghost mansion

I dare to visit the Haunted Dollhouse. I doubt Casper or that type of phantom lord is present here, more like the darker shade of The Four Horsemen (Kill Them All 1983) are ready to show you the wrongs of your life & will have no remorse in doing unto you the evils we have done to others, regardless of human, animal, or nature.

Blogophilia Week 17.17 – Reign of Terror

Martien Ecrits, aka Marvin Martian the coordinator for Ecrits Blogophilia says “Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! This is Week 17 in Year 17 Blogophilia! Halloween season is upon us – let’s take a walk on the spooky side!”

Facebook blogophilia group HERE & WordPress blog topic parameters & how it works…

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric by Evanescence

Easy Bonus: Include a phenomenon or a phenom

Guardian of the Pumpkin Field

Ringing the alarms of hyped nonsense

Energy loss daily due to the ignorance

Internal struggles keep us isolated

Gone are the days of safety & fun

Nobody can stop the nightmares

Over & under we need forward motion

Fear not the reaper, the dreamer phenomenon = Nissemech the dreamer

Tho “I’ve nowhere else to go but I cannot stay where I don’t belong“

Evanescence makes an Exodus (self-titled album 1998)

Run, Run Away, we must not.

Rage on, artists, poets, musicians & actors

Our fate lies in our resistance

Reality will be ours; Sing, Sing, Sing! War cries in peace