I am addicted to "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I am finally published and I would love to host a travel show so I could see the world on someone else's tab. I have a great husband and amazing kids. I can be a bit of a hermit and I'm a pretty good singer. I'm also a member of two wine clubs.
Humans as a species are weird. The way we treat each other and the way we treat other species baffles me and I find myself looking out there and saying "Humans! God what were you thinking?"
I feel if all child abuse were to stop that peace on earth would be possible. When children are loved, cherished, lovingly disciplined and made to laugh they grow up to be compassionate, selfless and generous adult humans.
I thought I had a remote job writing copy for a health and wellness magazine. A very exciting direction, and a challenge I was looking forward to, especially the prospect of research and writing.
However, once the man doing the hiring understood my writing experience was with my blog and my fiction writing – well his enthusiasm for my skills waned considerably and he said they wanted someone with actual copywriting experience.
As someone who loves words, enjoys writing and research, I was confident I could gel with this project. Perhaps my age factored into it as does happen often.
Question: Any of you fine readers out there do copywriting? If so how to you get into it and any suggestions on understanding the process? I won’t stop my other writing outlets, but I would definitely like to try this avenue.
This past week I have struggled with shaking off flu like symptoms which in the past, with lots of sleep, plenty of water, and vitamin C, I would have kicked out the door by this time. I even took the obligatory Covid test (negative) and have done everything I usually do but this thing is hanging on tenaciously.
Expressly a deep, nasty cough.
Yikes
Somethings are a bit different this time. Because of a heavy post nasal drip my throat is coated and the cough is not as productive as usual. I’ve never been one to have a cough hang on, nor have I had a tendency to bronchitis. I’ve spent many restless nights sleeping propped up – water, cough drops, and tissues on the table next to my bed – when this cough gets going and I can’t catch my breath.
Then my head begins to throb. That’s new.
I ran low grade fever off and on all week, although now that has finally stopped occurring.
My point, after this descriptive beginning: I feel this issue may be due to my age. I won’t tell you how old I am, but lets just say as an elementary age kid I watched the Beatles live on Ed Sullivan.
I am noticing things that are different for me as I am living through these years and one of them is my ability to overcome illness. I’m a person with a mega strong immune system. My sisters and I weren’t taken to the doctor for an antibiotic at the first sniffle so my body fought things off.
As I said, if ever I started to feel poorly: I sleep, drink plenty of water and before long I was right as rain.
Also, my energy after I am well takes time to build back up. So here I sit, still dealing with this cough, praying I can sing next weekend and hoping I am completely finished with this crap.
I have discovered, to my dismay, I have probably developed an allergy to incense. No! I love incense and I am pretty particular about what I burn.
I usually use incense in concert with candles creating a nice welcoming vibe. 🕯
Saturday after hubby left for work (he works night shift) I lit two candles and burned a stick my most favorite incense. I’d made a yummy fish dinner and you know how the fish smell hangs out, so I figured some candle flames and the gentle incense would freshen the rooms. The ceiling fans were moving the air so I did the dishes and settled into the evening to watch the University of Arizona Wildcats beat yUCLA in basketball.
With in a couple of hours I noticed some congestion building, and I was starting to cough – things got worse.
By the time I got in bed I was having typical allergy symptoms: running nose, watery eyes, cough, sneezing, it was awful. I ruled out the candles since I had been using them nearly every day, but the incense was the difference.
So now what? My body got busy clearing it out by pumping my head with histamines, and my sinuses have been overflowing with the yucky mucous stuff. Oh man it’s a drag. No headache, fever or sore throat, thank goodness. Tonight is a Navage before bed and cough medicine with a decongestant.
I had a two week trip to Apopka FL (near Orlando) in January to meet my second grandson.
Nannie and Jackson
Let me say I am in love.
He was two months old and just yummy. He is a sweetheart and I spent every chance I got holding him, feeding him, and doing all the other baby things. It was my pleasure to help my son and daughter-in-law with the multiple tasks, giving them a well deserve break. I remember one afternoon saying, “Why don’t you guys have a date night?” which was met with enthusiasm. Anytime there was a comment about running to the store or going for coffee I piped up with a “go ahead I’ve got him,” with a big smile on my face. I loved my solo time with my wee fella.
Well, we are going back next month – lets just say I am ready to snuggle that boy again. This time he will get to meet his Poppa (grandfather) since hubby was sick and had to cancel last time. I am excited to see hubby with the baby grandson.
Now I come to the conflict referenced above. My kids have managed to live across the country from each other! One is in Phoenix, one is in Orlando. Could they have made it any harder on me? Although I will say my daughter moving from So Cal to Phoenix helped the dilemma a bit. Still it’s 2000+ miles to the others.
I told hubby when he retires I want to move halfway between them, which according to google maps is Rexville TX. Ready…its a ghost town! A crossroads location with about four houses.
Uh, no.
Charlie dressed to dance
So I’m here and keeping the credit cards paid off so I can travel, and taking every opportunity to see my Phoenix grandson. Yep, two grandsons.
Are you in Tucson and looking to replace some of the pots your plants are in? Head over to Pottery Fiesta. They have two locations, one on Old Nogales Hwy and the other on Oracle Rd in Catalina.
It is worth the trip to get this quality product.
I have a huge ZZ plant that was ready to bust out of its pot, so I had something specific in mind for it. I headed over to the Catalina location and found the area where they keep the discounted pots. They had a nice selection of sizes and colors, and I found just what I needed for 60% off!!
I got a tray for it at 10% off and I was ready to transplant. Here is a pic of the pre-transplant ZZ plant, very majestic and obviously filling the pot.
With this big pot we had to use a lot of soil to fill the bottom ½ and have plenty of room to set the plant inside and cover it well. I was able to break off part of it for baby plant, and that’s so cool.
I’m sitting next to it to show a size perspective. It is a great looking plant and can grow for quite awhile in its new space.
People who have no real knowledge of what the regular hardworking population deal with, vomit their opinions about what a paycheck to paycheck worker can do to improve their lifestyle and tell people how to have success.
Shut it!
If paying off a $200,000 mortgage doesn’t make a big dent in your bank account, then you have no business representing me.
$100 extra a month can influence what I spend on groceries and gas. I spend time every day looking, unsuccessfully, for work from home opportunities to supplement my Social Security check. If hubby and I want to make major home improvements, take a trip to Orlando to see my new grandson, get car/truck repairs done or a myriad of other pricy things we either don’t or we go into debt.
We are not unique.
There are multitudes who are in the same boat. My problem is with the individuals who “represent” us who have no idea what we truly deal with. It’s obvious. Also, as part of the aging population my value as a worker is disregarded by a younger work population. My skills, experience, knowledge and desire carry no weight.
My hubby and I had to make a quick run to the Fry’s grocery in Oro Valley to get some tamale supplies, and as we were leaving we heard the bell ringer out front along with another sound, the sound of brass instruments warming up.
I told hubby to go ahead and take the bags to the car while I investigated.
Bell ringer
I took this pic of our bell ringer who, despite the mask, was joyful and full of cheer as she greeted me.
Across from her sat this group of fine gentlemen musicians warming up and preparing to bring cheer to the harried shoppers.
Musicians
They are a group called Dulce and this is what their name means:
Dulce
As hubby and I got into our vehicle we heard the cheery sound of four brass instruments filling the air with “Joy To the World.”
I’m not decorating for the holidays as I have in the past. It’s not because I have lost my Christmas spirit, but because it will be just hubby and I here, and our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be spent at my daughter’s place in Phoenix. Our grandson is there and the celebrating will go on in her house.
My son and his wife are in Florida so they are also doing their own thing as they wait for the arrival of my second grandson.
“A Christmas Carol”
If we were going to host a gathering I would jump on the decorating bandwagon, but it’s just not worth it to me. I have a few special things I love that I will set up: my Byers Choice “A Christmas Carol” carolers. I asked hubby to put up a few lights around the front porch, and I put out my holiday dishware and serving ware.
The Family Tree
Since I wrote the previous, my husband found a few boxes of Christmas decorations that belonged to his parents. After their passing we went to Reno and cleared out a storage area of things of theirs. This Christmas tree and these decorations were part of it. We now have a precious little tree decorated with ornaments gathered over their 50+ year marriage.
An important part of the holidays of southern Arizona is the making of tamales. One thing to note about Mexican food is the food is distinct to the region. It is my personal opinion – but there is no better Mexican food than Sonoran. You may have a different opinion but you are wrong.
REAL food doesn’t have orange cheese, it is only white crumbled cows cheese that comes from Sonora, Mexico. It is always fresh, and the ingredients blend well, not disguised by cumin and chili powder! Also our Christmas tamales have a green pimento olive inside that represent the baby Jesus.
So, when you enter a grocery store anywhere in southern Arizona at Christmas you will find a display like this:
I told my husband I was going to email Bill Gates and tell him if he wrote me a check for $150k it would get us out of debt. On our own it will be years before that happens and I figured Gates wouldn’t even notice the cash was gone.
Consider: $150,000 vs $136,500,000,000.
My biggest problem is finding a way to contact him directly. Any of you know his email or cell phone number for a text? I hear he is philanthropic.
I have an update on my contemporary fiction “Anchor Bay”. I reached a stopping point, where my research and information, leaning heavily toward law enforcement details (I have a wonderful friend, a retired Lieutenant in the Tucson Police Department who provides information,) where things stalled. I needed that scene, the pivotal scene, the driver that would push the plot forward.
To my joy, I found it in my notes from months ago. A random interaction described as a possible scene, which worked perfect in this place. A strong plot and character development scene. WOO HOO!!
