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#A to Z Challenge–T


Travel Talk

Never is there a time that most holds to the term “captive audience” as traveling in the same car no reception. It could get very uncomfortable with the wrong traveling companions. But it becomes quite the most empowering time with those who are sensitive and caring. It has always been a time for my family to examine the most exciting of topics. Feeling the love in the vehicle, we take turns asking the group questions we might feel uncomfortable asking anyone else in the world. I think my son and daughter were honest and open to the conversation.

My personal question was: What do my adult children need/want from me as a mother now? It is a deep question for me. I read deeply and asked a million questions when I was pregnant or raising my offspring. But there are few books or examples out there now to emulate. I’d love my bloggy friends to help with this question. Anyone have some answers?

Meanwhile, if talk is the best thing to do while traveling through low radio/data reception areas, these people should have been the closest companions ever:

wagon train travelers

Or were there always distractions or other ways that families did to NOT communicate?

This is my attempt at the #AtoZChallenge. I think I am nearly caught up. (fingers crossed)

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Wanting something to quench your thirst, what would you drink?

I’d love to come up with something unique here but my go to is water.

Complete this sentence:  Never In My Life Have I…. 

Been drunk or smoked weed. I can say that I had tried an edible but maybe not enough to help in any way.

If you could be given any gift what would it be?

There are a lot of things we need but our needs are met. I couldn’t ask for anything more than the love I have in my life already.

 

What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up and try to do something productive?

That’s a tough one. Sometimes I lay very still and hope sleep can find me. Sometimes I turn my Kindle on and continue reading. Sometimes I watch a very familiar movie like Pirate of the Caribbean so that if I drift off to sleep I won’t miss anything. Sometimes I get up and wander to the bathroom, just to walk the short walk brings a certain reality back and shoos away worries and possible nightmares.

pirates of the caribbean

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

I’m so grateful to have had the chance to see my family and friends this last week. And that fantastic road trip!

This week I’m looking forward to going to my Hugger Hats group and maybe make a trip to the library. I have to admit, though, it is good to be home and enjoy the quiet.

I love these little prompts that Cee comes up with. If you want to get better at your photography or just check out a very interesting blog, go to Cee’s Photography and join the Share Your World team!

#A to Z Challenge–S


Sounds

As I mentioned before, my daughter doesn’t have cable. She has Netflix and Hulu but doesn’t find herself in front of the set all that much. She like YouTube and podcasts of all kinds. She’s rather intellectual and prefers science to fantasy. And so I am always learning something new from her.

On road trips, she has downloaded podcasts for those long stretches where there is no reception. While traveling this time she introduced me to someone I already knew. I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed so when she said she had the podcast, Dear Sugar, I was pretty excited. It was full of good advice and spirited fun. I plan to try and tune in every now and then.

My son and daughter (it was the both of them that brought me back home from Reno) have set up a fun adventure for when traveling. They like to set up a challenge for each other as to a period of time for the music they will listen to on their long ride. So when they took me home and then on the road trip to Bend they listened mainly to music they thought represented the early 2000s. Since there wasn’t a lot I recognized I found it fun and enlightening.

My most fun was on the trip to Bend (when we were taking Kali for her check up at the vet). It was on Good Friday so it seemed appropriate to listen to Jesus Christ Superstar. I know many don’t like that. I’m sorry. I have always found it to hold depth and memories for me. I had friends at AVC who did the musical and did a far better job that the movie or Broadway bunch. My friend sang lead in the SuperStar choir generally thought to be the ghost of Judas but she did such a fantastic job I still remember. That whole troupe did an outstanding job and those scenes play out when I hear this music. It was wonderful for my daughter to let me have my little tradition as our traveling music.

jesus christ superstar

Isn’t it amazing how sounds can help a drive go so much more smoothly?

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Check out the #AtoZChallenge!


Reno

It has been two winters since we lived in Reno. Some towns when I go to visit after leaving make me giddy (any of them near the beach) just being there. Some, like Riverside, bring me to a deep depression. Reno just seems surreal to me. Except for my family and friends, I feel very little for the town.

Here are the typical postcards. If you like casinos and bare mountains…

reno sign

reno mountain casinos

Sure these are pretty pictures, but I wouldn’t want to live here. My vacation was spent in family and friends’ homes. That is where the beauty lies in Reno.

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Check out #AtoZChallenge!


Quitting Quest (momentarily) for

QUAIL

Yes, my favorite Q word is quail. They gather around our porches a couple times a day. Many of them. One could say a covey! They kept the snow from building up next to the back porch as they scratched it all down looking for the food we scatter for them. They look something like this:

quail

Even though they are here, I did see some on my trip to Reno. Just not as many all together. They are such interesting birds. My brother is in charge of feeding them. The quail know when he will be throwing the seeds for them. They gather at the end of the driveway to watch for his car. Then they run up the driveway into the back to be in position for seed. There must be four families out there. They don’t fly much, just run. They build their nests on or below the ground. We saw them stretching up out of the snow in the winter. Amazing quitters–critters.

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Quell your questions about the #AtoZChallenge. Click HERE.


Pals

Once or twice a week in a normal week, my pals from Reno and I get on Google Hangout and chat. It is a way we can see each other and just enjoy our time together, even if it isn’t in person.

Thanks to my son and daughter I was able to see my pals this past week. One of those pals came to see me at my daughter’s and sometimes took me places. Even took me to the next city to see our other pal. We were too busy visiting and knitting to take a picture so I substitute this. The other pictures were of women around tables. We weren’t around tables. We were on the sofa (I like sitting on the floor.) And I believe there should be more guys who knit, feminist that I am.

guys knitting circle

Even so, knitting with my pals while visiting was the best of fun, I think for all three of us!

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Yep, still behind, but still Plugging away. Check out the #AtoZChallenge to learn more.


Other Entertainments

I think it was around day three in Reno that I ran out of things I wanted to watch on Netflix. I wasn’t in a reading mood. I just wanted to work on my knitting and watch things when I was there alone, or even when I was able to be with my Pal (that will be my next entry). Since Daughter didn’t have cable, as I said before, I watched her Netflix or Hulu. So on to Hulu.

One of the first shows I ran across was Doris:

doris

I loved how her friends were there for her, how she wasn’t afraid to try even though she was scared to death! Great cast!

age of adaline

Though the Age of Adaline had an interesting take about immortality, it merely points out how little the life of a woman has changed in the last few decades. Good for watching without analyzing, though.

The next time you want to have a good cry watch:

miss you already

OMG!!!! My daughter’s cat and Kali were on either side of me as I loudly cried. I had to stop the movie and reassure them that I was okay. If you have had cancer or friends/family who have experienced this awful disease in their lives, use your own judgment as to whether or not you can handle this bittersweet film.

The trips to and from home were packed with music and podcasts. But maybe I should share that later.

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Though I am still behind, I am still taking the #AtoZChallenge. To see how it is supposed to be done go here.

 

#A to Z Challenge–N


Now ‘N’

Which stands for Netflix. Which is what I did when I wasn’t visiting with friends or family. Here are some of the shows I watched:

 

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BFG (Big Friendly Giant) Held up to the book quite well. My Review Here.

finding dory with friend

Oh, this was delightful! I loved how they treated the mental disability as a special ability. I LOVED the octopus!!!

13 reasons

After two children’s shows, I thought I’d go serious with this one. It ends in a rather triggery manner so if suicide is difficult for you to watch fast forward that part. The rest is a good reminder to be good to others and not jump to our own conclusions. Though delicate in nature, it would be good to watch with your teens so as to discuss relationships and how we each see things differently.

calling the midwife

I love this show. I had wanted to be a midwife at one time in my life. I gave birth to my last two at home and found the experience far superior to hospital birth. Since I was only a season behind I found this newest, of the fifties and sixties interesting. The move from the healthier home birth to the overmedicated hospital births and the result of medication that caused birth defects very sad, though a truism in our history. I love how it follows the history of women!

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I was surprised to see this on Netflix. It, too, followed the book. Though I didn’t read the first one I read The World According to Bob. My Review Here. Which prompts me now to go look up more by the author.

growing up wild

Helped me fall asleep. It was cute but the narrator made the show seem immature.

3percent

One of the shows I looked at and didn’t follow through was 3%. I kinds of found it boring. Maybe I’ll try again later.

Next, there were others I tried and didn’t stay with are Life in Pieces, MST3000 (Actually watched it with family. One of many shows we watched that caused us all to laugh together.)

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#AtoZChallenge is a lot of fun, even when you get behind! Check it out here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Missed Messages

My sincerest apologies. For the past few days, to those who read these, I have been MIA. It is Mostly because I have been in Motion. We Motored to Reno where I stayed at my daughter’s while she stayed with her friends. It was as if I had my own apartment for a week.

I never had that. I went from my parents’ home to my husband’s home. After four kids and divorce, I was in charge of my own place but shared it with my children who were becoming teens. After children left the nest I married again. Another husband’s home. Most of my children have had the chance to live in their own places and learn who they are. I am proud that they have had that chance. Well, my oldest lives with his dad, but at this point, Dad needs the company. So oldest still needs that time. But the other three have had that experience and come out quite nicely.

So for this past week, Kali and I had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the quiet time thoroughly. Most of the time I found myself watching Netflix or Hulu. Daughter doesn’t have cable. So it was good to catch up on my watch lists.

Apartment living wasn’t as nice as living in the country. Every time Kali needed to go outside she had to have on her harness and leash. I had to remember poop-bags. Daughter’s apartment complex supplies the bags at certain grassy areas but I tried to remember ours. It was good to have them in my pocket. The time or two I forgot, it was nice they were still handy. It was irritating that others didn’t avail themselves of the bags. I assumed they were more into cell-phone gazing than connecting with their dogs. So I didn’t walk in the grass. I stayed on the cement nearby and Kali walked the length of her leash.

Meanwhile, this is Merely ‘M’! I nneed to Move on to the nnext letter in the #AtoZChallenge. Must Move on!!!

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Click on either of the two images above to learn more of the #AtoZChellenge!

#A to Z Challenge–L


I have to most amazing offspring. I love sitting around with any one of them and chatting. This week I get to do a lot of this. The Last adult-offspring came to visit me yesterday and will be taking me back to her place this coming week to visit with family and friends there.

The best thing in life, besides my awesome offspring, is Long road trips with Loved ones. Here is a picture of what we saw on our way home. That one cloud looked almost like a tornado or hurricane. Huge and all the way to the ground. Yet, as you can see blue skies all around us.

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Yet the ground was semi-dry and Hubby said that the weather had been rather nice at home. Wierd! More road-tripping tomorrow, YAY!!!

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This is part of the #AtoZChallenge. Brought to you by the letter ‘L’!

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