Porthole

July 30-31-32

July 30th

69 degrees and a choking 159 AQI. Dry mouth. Stinging eyes.

Also a personal temp of only 96.9. I've been shaking. Arm seems to be dislocted again and I don't sleep well.

Just me whining.

Anxiety lessening. I don't want to annoy people by having them watch my roller-coaster, but I do want a few to know that I'm not doing well, that I am NOT okay.

97 sweltering degrees. AQI of 108. Hope for rain to wash the skies and bring some relief. Told Jean that I can't go out when it's this smokey. Hope we can meet Monday.

Posted "Why do some people [not] trust God’s plan with their lives"  on the newsfeed hoping to get a response.

Snow in Brasil. May devastate the coffee crop.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/photos-show-snow-on-brazil-streets-...

The local temp's between 96 and 100 right now.. AQI down to 84. Almost 7 p.m.

JULY 31

It kinda cooled down overnight. But now it's 12:40 and 91 degrees with 101 in the forecast. AQI is 96. Went tomarket. Bought curds, spinach pocket, 3 potatoes. Irina's blueberry pastry was to die for... and I told her. Good enough for Paris or a fancy restaurant in Missoula. Made Jonasz share one with friends. He didn't complain much.

Todo tranquilo si no me muevo.

Finished "View from the bridge [179] "  "Calling Zmitri"  "PPC #8 Quoting Leviticus [197]"  and "Hidden among Hemlocks" . I finally found some energy to write today but too little and too late. I'm wiped out in so many ways.

Nice chat with Bryan. Saw Sunny and Bri for tacos.

Praying for smoke to clear out (it was better today) and rain. I want rain.

July 32

Obstacles:

Real life: mental and emotional.
Writing: a bit burnt out.
Characters: hold that thought. My Muse is knocking at the door.

Truthfully? Anything will do. It need not be grand. We're all where we are because some obstacle wouldn't let us go where we wanted to go. Hopefully, we are happy where we are.

It never cooled down. Now 85 degrees at 11:55. AQI of 87. We might get sprinkles later today or a downpour. The forecast is unreliable for here.

Third place will do.

STATIC

Sommeren  (13+) Sussan is enjoying her last summer among the snowfields of Central Norway. #2253659 by Kåre Enga in Montana

Tears in my eyes...

My comment to a review from WebWitch: "Thank-you for your generous response.

To answer unasked questions:

Yes, I have travelled that route [Sognfjellvegen] by bus... twice. We stopped once at a lodge and I was able to see the glaciers in the distance, the snowfields closer, the cotton grass. And yes, there was a moth orchid in the window. It's a Norwegian thing. I've traveled through Sogndal as well (I stay in Solvorn). Very few people choose to live in this inhospitable place. They visit, hike, camp... but they don't stay. I needed to put Sussan where she could breathe. I hope she enjoyed her last Summer."

I told Cubby re "Flight Lessons" 

the dimple in the carpet — as seen from below
is just Juliana's butt — not a UFO.

So... maybe I should write "Juliana's Flight Test", as Wordsmitty suggested and include the above.

89 degrees at 4:26. AQI of 76. I wore a mask to the laundry but I prolly didn't need to. Now to hang up once I catch my breath. 42 steps up with wet clothes isn't the same as 42 down with dry.

What does one say to someone who just lost their best friend today? I did what I could.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm feeling deflated. There were only 10 entries to the WDC Contest so 3rd place isn't saying much at all.

One only has to have a basic membership so all those newbies are nowhere to be found unless they're all just playing games. Once upon a time there were real writers here at WDC. There still are, but many of us got long in the tooth and Gen Z doesn't realize that by merely interacting they could rejuvenate the site. The Millenial dabbler has aged as well... maybe they're all playing BINGO? Or are folks just interested in monetizing their writings?

Where's Gabby when we need her?

Only 77 degrees at 6:52; AQI of 71? I SMELL RAIN ... and chicken (I'm cooking chicken). The pavement is actually wet and I can breathe!

As billionaires fight to go to the Moon, there have always been other voices asking about the price...



Regarding haiku on spooseback:

"Yes and no. The Japanese form does not translate into English well. It has rules for a reason and those rules are bent for reasons. No one writing a Shakespearian sonnet is going to write 13 irregular lines of non-rhyming verse and call it a sonnet. So, yes, if you are trying to write a haiku then there are rules... hundred of years old that don't seem to have stopped the Japanese from expressing themselves. If you are talking about Anglophones then no; English speakers, especially Americans do what ever they want and call it whatever they want. They seldom write a haiku because they don't understand what one is."

4.825