Today It Rained

today it rained

today it rained halves

heart halves and 

bushels of angel dust

from aloft.

each heart half

wafted into

outstretched arms

wafted into 

uplifted faces.

each rough-edged heart

scrambled to couple

with one another.

gratefulness exploded 

as hearts today

continue to connect

toughing perimeters

embracing one another

in holy oneness.

i am glad 

i forgot my

umbrella.

i experience

connecting with you

and you and you

and you

yes….you.

joan 02/28/2024

The above poem emerged from a Jill Badonsky prompt, "today it is raining ________" and my Bible Study last evening that spoke strongly of community and oneness, caring and love. This early a.m. it just seemed to fit together. Strangely, "toughing" was supposed to be "touching," but the "mistake" is better, don't you think? We have to tough it out as our perimeters touch one another or, as a lady in my online poetry group remarked, "reminds me we have to work a bit harder for others to let us in." And so "toughing" remains.

Gratefulness Abounds❤️

The final prompt in Maya Stein's Tri-Writing class was to list three things that you love.

On that particular day this is what spoke to me: 

❤️children seeking books from my bookmobile at the farmer’s market

❤️birds free to come and go from my feeders

Desiring to increase ❤️ for one another    (Inspired by I Thessalonians  3:12)

Roasting Beans

My entanglement with coffee - not a fetish, not an addiction, not a love affair, not encyclopedic knowledge, but just plain pleasure in the morning.

I grind my beans and make a pot.

I sometimes have green beans and roast them like Daughter-In-Law taught me. She has bags of beans in her pantry and closets. Big burlap bags of green beans. Currently I have no green beans.

The coffee lady at the farmer’s market said she would sell me a couple pounds of green beans for $6/pound. She forgot to bring them last weekend. She must have felt threatened as she then said, “You’re not going to start selling coffee, are you?” That thought never crossed my mind! My response, “I don’t intend to sell anything ever!”

(You might recall that I take My Little Free Library bookmobile to the farmer’s market most Saturdays.)

I buy the roasted beans at WalMart and really like the 8 o’clock brand.

However, I feel so homesteady when I roast my own.

One time Daughter-In-Law sent me many bags in the mail. I would like that to happen again but don’t know how much money to send her. Maybe I will text her and ask. She sent a variety that lasted for several months.

There are online companies, of course, where one can buy beans, sign up for subscription services and receive beans every month. I am considering that option. Coffee Bean Corral is one company that Daughter-In-Law recommended. That would be fun! I am talking myself into the subscription.  Hawaiian Green Coffee Beans - Coffee Bean Corral

I am pleased with my roaster. Amazon.com: Coffee Bean Roaster Machine for Home Use, Coffee Roaster Machine with Timing, 110V 1200W: Home & Kitchen

You roast, then raise the temperature, roast, then raise the temperature, each time setting the timer. I have not played around with the temperatures, but need to read a forum or two and maybe not follow the instructions precisely that came with the machine. Sometimes the coffee is quite strong, but surely that is the type of bean……not my lack of roasting knowledge. 😁

After the roasting is complete you spoon the beans into one of these:

Amazon.com: CNCEST Coffee Bean Roaster Coffee Bean Cooler Roasting Baking Machine Home w/ Filter: Home & Kitchen and all the wispy silver coatings flutter through the screen. I guess the fan is pulling them off and down. For me it is all magic!

So now. as I go grind and make a fresh pot of delicious coffee, I shall once again go down the green bean rabbit hole.

Buen cafe!

Thimble Full

 

you can get from here

to where you please

grab a thimble of gratitude

(just in case)

Big Bird

 Can't resist sharing my post today on Tri-Writing (Maya Stein), write about something yellow.

"Co-op! will get it done," sings Big Bird.

Send one canary to the Whitehouse1

Not blue, not red but a very pleasant YELLOW!

Bing Videos

 Can't resist sharing my post today on Tri-Writing (Maya Stein), write about something yellow.

Enjoying the Corner Intrusion

In response to Jill Badonsky's prompt this morning to write a "review" and she suggested home decor as a possibility. Mine submission is not really a review, but a decor turned positive that I originally thought to be rather....hmmm...obnoxious?!?

Angled in the corner, who could have guessed?

One black ominous obtrusive conspicuous demanding
brick container of twigs logs ashes rack would radiate
and mesmerize with such sensuous flickering flames.

Posted by: Joan | 01/21/2024 at 05:51 AM

Feeding the Birds

Remember National Bird DayJanuary 5th and my resulting trip to the Wildbirds Unlimited store?

I purchased one bird feeder and suet and they gave me a free small bag of food. I felt it was spendy, but what can I say! It’s for the birds!!

I did learn that my new feeder could be hung six feet from the window by the recliners where, as you might expect, hours are being spent these cold days. Actually I have since seen bird feeders that suction to windows, so obviously they come closer to the house than I realized.

I gathered the bird feeders that weren’t being used and lined the edge of the patio with them. Last count I now have two feeders in the trees beyond the backyard and five feeders out the back window. 

There are two cheap models that have no canopy on them so if it rains the seed gets wet. They are under the roof. The spendy one from Wildbirds is front and center. I have a yellow tubular feeder designed for finches filled with thistle seed. And then my most recent acquisition is a green metal  feeder found yesterday on sale at Walmart. It is designed for mealworms and//or peanuts depending on how I slide the whatchamacallit up or down. 

The various seeds from the spendy store and wally world are to attract the myriad of birds that I have yet to identify. I know cardinals and red wing blackbirds, maybe a chickadee or a nuthatch, a finch and the many doves that eat the seeds I spilled on the ground under the trees. Out come the bird identifying books this coming week. The various bags of food I purchased have big seeds, little seeds and a mixture for songbirds. My research is rather sloppy since I don’t remember exactly what food I put in what feeder.

I hope they all tweet their buddies about the bird buffet in Bumblebee Hills.

Oxymoron of the Day: Barefoot Shoes

 

Oxymoron of the Day: Barefoot Shoes

I love to go barefoot. I was not aware of its benefits. I just have ugly feet, deformed toes, thick toenails….aarrrggghhh! I do not go for a pedicure anymore. I am quite sure that my feet would be discussed and these feet are very sensitive, not sensitive to physical distress, but sensitive to being discussed in any form or fashion.

Speaking of form and fashion, the form of my bunion-riddled feet is crooked and my shoe fashion is Birkenstocks. However, I google “barefoot shoes” and am intrigued with their potential, also Zero shoes, almost another oxymoron.

So I would like to promote barefoot strolling around the yard, house, anywhere one can get away with it - definitely the beach,  Aaaahhhhh, plodding through the sand is so exhilarating to me, close to water’s edge where crooked toes leave footprints that are soon washed into eternity.

I was introduced to “grounding” in a writing class last session. 

Grounding, also known as earthing, is a therapeutic technique based on the belief that, by allowing our skin to come into direct contact with the earth (be it dirt, rock, the sea or river water), we are literally ‘grounding’ ourselves – electrically reconnecting with the earth by soaking up its negative charge, to help us rebalance

What is grounding? Health benefits, risks and evidence explained (netdoctor.co.uk)

I love this concept. It is suggested that one walk in the grass for 30 minutes daily. I think about that possibility and wish my lawn was like the soft beautiful green patches of grass that I grew up with in Iowa.

Quickly I will list the other benefits of going barefoot. You won’t be surprised.

1. Reconnect with the earth

2. Improvement in balance

3. Eliminate pain through proprioception (body awareness)

4. Better foot mechanics which improves hips and knees

5. Maintain appropriate range of motion

6. Relief from improper shoes which is what caused my bunions, hammertoes, etc. to begin with!

7. Strong leg muscles, therefore better lower back support

8. Also grounding barefoot can reduce inflammation and improve sleep

I paraphrased the above from various sites. Of course walking barefoot for 30 minutes has additional advantages as weight loss, releasing endorphins and all those medical reasons one should be walking, walking, walking.

No need to surf the web for barefoot shoes. I already own one pair of bare feet!

Wanted: Ashes

 I am addicted to Maya Stein's tri-writing monthly class. She posts a visual prompt five days each week with a few words. Then the participants post their three line responses with or without a photo.  Maya Stein  Commenting on one another's posts is optional.

I pay $21/month for this delightful experience. Then you have unlimited access to your classes so it is conceivable that one could return and make a book of their selected entries. I am not sure if the prompt could be included, but probably not - just the individual's response.

The prompt was to write a non-romantic personal ad. I used a bit of dark humor in this entry.

wanted:

ex-husband ashes to render

remains are the purities 

bring a very small test tube 

Joy Versus Happiness

Yesterday at the senior center when facilitating the writing class on the topic of gratefulness, one of the participants said she was taking the class to learn the difference between joy and happiness. Well, having never thought of discussing that philosophical thought, I decided to do my homework and google! I must confess that the title of the class is “Finding Joy and Gratefulness in the New Year.” Wake up, Joan! I had better stay the course, don’t you think?

We discussed the difference between gratefulness and gratitude, concluding that the latter depends on specific circumstances for which we’re thankful. Gratefulness is the big umbrella, the constant feeling of thanksgiving and spiritually existing in a mode of “all is well” even when it may not seem to be. Perhaps I should simply say that gratitude is temporary whereas gratefulness becomes a plausible constant existence.

My quick overview of happiness versus joy (that’s what I put in the google box) appears to be of that same wavelength.

Happiness vs Joy - Difference and Comparison | Diffen

Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness—happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you’re lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love. - Adela Rogers St. Johns, Some Are Born Great

I am currently taking my Bible study more seriously than I ever have in my life. I have decided if I keep desiring to be in His Will, I had better read what He has for me. So I did pull up a 

Joy vs. Happiness - The Biblical Difference Explained (biblestudytools.com)

The difference in the Biblical definition of joy is the source. Worldly possessions, accomplishments, even the people in our lives, are blessings that make us happy and fuel joyfulness. However, the source of all joy, is Jesus. God’s plan from the beginning, the Word made flesh to dwell among us is rock solid, allowing us to navigate difficult situations in the absence of happiness, while sustaining our joy. 

Time for me to conclude today’s writing. I think I am beginning to get a handle on this topic and look forward to paralleling it with gratitude and gratefulness for next Tuesday.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! 😀

Hooray! Book Club Meeting

I am looking forward to attending a book club this morning at the senior center. We are discussing 1984 and the person presenting is a former journalist, very confident and knowledgeable. When I present, I am none of those. However, as a former teacher I should have the techniques well polished, one would think.

I have vacillated for months regarding what book to present this year. I am still selecting. I read daily and buy books voraciously. I also reserve and pick up at the library weekly. Some books I scan and some chick lit books I devour. I should be embarrassed regarding the latter, but heck, this girl likes to lighten up her reading every couple weeks.

I read 1984 online, borrowed to my kindle, so will not have the hardcopy during our discussion. That’s ok because I am not into citing quotes and being that specific regarding 1984. I will use my ipad and have a summary online to refresh my memory.

Authors that I am considering for my selection are Octavia Butler or Marylynne Robinson. Both are highly respected writers. I have read only one book each. I need to revisit both authors this week and submit my choice and ask to be placed on the calendar in May. 

The club used to meet every Monday, spending two weeks on one book. When the facilitator retired and a new one miraculously appeared to take over the reins, she presented and we voted unanimously to meet twice a month. I am happy with less meetings because it has allowed me to join a poetry group at a neighboring library forty minutes away. This month the two conflicted and I chose to “stick with the local book club.”

Unfortunately, I had to cancel picking up Alison for the poetry group. Everyone loves to have Alison attend. She quit driving and appears so frail but is quite the firecracker. Alison is 93, extremely independent and lives in a local apartment where she has to scamper up a flight of steps, a steep flight.  I climb up like the old woman I am, holding onto the railing. Taking Alison is a trip in itself and she verbalizes that I drive too slow and “you missed that turn” and chatters while I am trying to keep us alive in a truck that makes it difficult for me to hear any conversation.
“Sorry, Alison, but I am staying local today.”
.