National Day Calendar

Today's selection -- from Three Years in Wonderland by Todd James Pierce. Opening day at Disneyland, July 1955: "Much to the credit of ABC -- and despite ongoing tensions among the production crew -- Disneyland's grand opening appeared as one continuous dream to roughly 70 million viewers across the country: dressed in his buckskin jacket Fess Parker (appear­ing as […]

Today's encore selection -- from The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and His Masterpiece by Eric Nisenson. Miles Davis records 'Kind of Blue': "In 1959 Miles Davis recorded his sixth album for Columbia Records, a small group session that would eventually be titled Kind of Blue. More than forty years after its release, it is still one […]

Survive Now-Thrive Later is free for the next several days. I believe it’s a great, handy reference book on an array of topics, from first aid to shelters to navigation to procuring water and food. This pocket-sized manual is a must-have; a copy in the home, the glove compartment of the car, at work, and […]

JFK was assassinated on 21 Nov 1963. His mistress, Mary Meyer, was killed on 12 Oct 1964. Shot in the back of the head while walking in Washington DC. The next day, the Soviet premier was forced out of power. How are these events connected? Mary Meyer kept a diary. Her ex was a high-ranking […]

Cool or strange? Have you ever seen anything like these before? Continue reading

How and why participating in a blogging linkup party helps increase traffic to your blog. A guest post written by Esmé Salon.Continue reading

on Live Write Thrive: Since many of you are in the throes of NaNoWriMo, here’s a reprint of a post I wrote years ago discussing how helpful mind-mapping is and how you might use it to spur your creativity and work through your plotting ideas. And, of course, any writer can utilize these techniques to […]

Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine: Delighted that author D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies) is kicking off the Christmas guest posts for this year’s book fair. As someone who has read all her memoir and non-fiction books, I can think of no better person to share some very important aspect of memoir writing….how it can expose…

  Diana Turner sings her heart out — as the name would imply this was not your ordinary theater performance a story told in song next to normal is a tale that will touch your every emotion when a family lets you into their living room and their lives as they try to navigate their […]

The meme is right, but I’m going to talk about retellings more than remakes.  Is there a difference?  At first glance, I thought there wasn’t.  Then I considered the nuances a bit more and realized it was subtle.  A remake/reboot … Continue reading →

Wonderful illustration of the bond between wild and domesticated animals and the humans who love them and humans impact on their environment.. courtesy of Um Golden em nossa vida!!!!

Without my glasses, it’s hard to tell.

True story…Once when my mother was hospitalized, my three sisters and I all showed up at her home to give our help, support, and love. Of course we didn’t mind, but we lived in different states and it had been a while since we had all been together. We took advantage of the situation as […]

HOORAY! The NINTH year of the Positively Present Gratitude Challenge is about to begin on November 1! Though I keep a daily gratitude journal, there's always something special about celebrating gratitude during the month of November each year. Having a specific topic to focus on each day really makes me pay even more attention to […]

I tried photographing the wind. It didn’t work. I’m fed up photographing the rain, so I didn’t bother. Jadies and … More

Damned Otto Korekt. That was a Thai Poh. An alphabetical keyination finger bumble. I, of course, shot the Sheriff but have … More

Veterans Day: In honor of my Dad who was part of the World War II D-Day invasion.Thank you, Veterans, for your service and sacrifices.I honor you and the active duty personnel (and all first responders too) who are serving as I write this.Once, long ago, just about everyone in the United States had a relative […]

Spitfire, The Plane That Saved the World, is a 2018 documentary, made in commemoration of the Royal Air Force's centenary. It's an amazing history of the Spitfire airplane and the fighter pilots who helped win World War II's Battle of Britain.Directed by David Fairhead and Anthony Palmer with Music composed by Chris Roe, the Cinematography […]

********* The Cape Peninsula and Western Cape region are absolutely breathtaking! I especially love the turquoise waters that are so typical for the Cape scenery. You can instantly recognize this region just by that color – that’s how special it is! A Road Trip Around the Cape Peninsula One of the most fun things to do […]

"Jacqueline Cochran was looking for WASP.  They told me I would have to be interviewed and they would contact me when they came to the Wichita area.  But I didn’t wait for that.  I went down to Houston for my interview, to speed things up.  And I think that’s one of the smartest things I […]

"My first flight was with a barnstormer at the age of five.  I loved it!  I also tried to 'fly' out of the barn loft with an umbrella.  This was less than successful..."  WASP Jean Terrell McCreery, 44-10 The indomitable Marguerite Jean Terrell Moreo McCreery has "...slipped the surly bonds of Earth. And danced the skies on […]

Welcome to the Minstral Show, the podcast that spotlights the very best music from around the world, made exclusively in the 21st century.New songs and a good mix of music from the past 10 years on today’s show that continues the 10th Anniversary celebration of World United Music.Today’s featured artists, as always, cross the spectrum […]

I received a children’s book in 1995/1996 in anticipation of my little brother. We lived in Gardner, Massachusetts at the time (central MA). The book had beautiful illustrations (something about Monique Felix’s illustrations for The Velveteen Rabbit reminds me of it), and … Continue reading →

Special Delivery by Lauren Blakely Full Cast Narration starring Andi Arndt and Dan Bittner Holiday Novella. Standalone part of a series. Sigh…Lauren Blakely and a Christmas novel is like a match made in heaven! Add to that a full-cast audio, and I’m officially in the holiday spirit. Special Delivery by Lauren Blakely is the 5th book […]

Just 99 cents! Capture The Magic Of The Holiday Season With This Brand New Collection Of ELEVEN CHRISTMAS ROMANCES, SIX BRAND NEW, From New York Times & USA Today Bestselling, Award Winning Authors. During Christmas, an angel comes to the rescue, the hardest decisions are made, assignments turn deadly, choices are made, lovers realize they […]

I know that Veterans Day was a couple of days ago, but that doesn’t mean they can’t, and shouldn’t be honored every day of the year. You might not agree with the politics of war, and this isn’t about politics. In fact, I’m the last person to ever speak about that. This post is about […]

These days, almost everything is connected to the internet. Our phones, our computers, and even our appliances are internet-connected. The number of connected devices will only grow.  The number of internet-connected devices worldwide has grown exponentially in the last 10 years and is projected to continue booming. As of 2019, there are over 26 billion […]

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Another Sunrise For more Wordless Wednesday, Click here.

I have been using my Vitamix high-speed blender almost daily for over a decade.  It was an investment, but I thought the health of my family was worth it.  When my kids were younger, I could hide greens in their smoothies and feel good about making them a healthy snack they loved. Eventually smoothies became […]

The other day one of my consulting clients asked me a question about the plastics used to make telephones. In the process of researching this, I came across this article: http://www.telephonecollecting.org/Bobs%20phones/Pages/Essays/Plastics.htm It gives the materials used to make phones throughout the history of phones. And then it concludes that the plastics used to make phones […]

Rust is a fungal disease that commonly occurs in Florida where it’s warm and humid. Most beans are susceptible to Rust. The disease generally occurs only during prolonged periods of warm, wet and/or humid weather. Rust refers to a variety of fungus, exists in at least 35 pathotypes and is extremely variable. Symptoms develop on leaves […]

I’ve recently discovered how easy succulent décor can be to incorporate into the home and garden. Not only are these plants low maintenance, but they’re beautiful to behold and come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. If you live in Florida or the islands, you’re probably familiar with the aloe plant. These succulents […]

Naturally soothe leg cramps, growing pains, and restless legs with this DIY herb-infused magnesium lotion recipe. This lotion recipe first came about as a solution to the growing pains my kids develop from time to time. My son had been experiencing some back pain during a growth spurt (he was 13 and already 5’10”) and […]

Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert Contemporary Romance published by Avon on November 5, 2019 Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s […]

November is Native American Heritage Month. This is a hodgepodge post of … the update, information, etc. I’ll try to keep it upbeat. One interesting thing I saw and will hopefully remember to follow is this: The Cherokee Nation says it has a right to a congressional delegate. Now it wants Congress to fulfill its […]

I rode Fiona, my '99 Ural Patrol sidecar rig with the beemer engine to tonight's Fall sunset.Temperatures have been pretty cool the last few days, especially Monday of this week when temperatures were in the low teens!I hope to go camping tomorrow, hopefully to warmer locations.

Pretty small for one of Colorado's several State Wildlife Areas (SWA), Flagler does have 4 nice RV sized campsites easily reached on its dirt roads.Friday, Nov 8, I started off at one next to a nice row of trees at the top of a dirt loop that made for easy access.Got there shortly after Noon […]

THE HAND THAT GUIDES… …Can pick up a thing, a train of thought, say, or better… a circumstance, a way of life… after years of apparent neglect, and immediately, unerringly, hit-the-beat… * Had that song ever stopped, even, or did … Continue reading →

What lies beneath the surface The reflection of Earth’s soul. It draws you in, devowering you whole. The cloudy blue sky full of grace Continue reading at willowdot21