%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   The simplicity of my day to day. |
|
This is where I write my thoughts, feelings and my daily trials, tribulations and happy things
|
| “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” ― Frederick Douglass Sounds familiar doesn't it? Your thoughts on this quote. Your thoughts on what's happening in the US. Thanks for this prompt, Lyn. Donald Trump actually scares me. He’s tipped the whole world order on its head. He simply doesn’t care about anyone or anything except getting more money into the coffers. What is he going to spend all this new found wealth on? I don’t think he’s going to make the US a country which is going to be known for taking care of those who can’t afford medical treatment, or to house the homeless. Will he spend it on medical research to find a cure for cancer? No! He’s not a benevolent dictator but a dictator none the less. Everything that the US import into the country is going to cost more from now on. All the clothing which is made in countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam will all cost up to 50% more. People over there are going to lose their jobs, factories will close. I don’t think USA citizens will take up the slack and work for the same wages. China has been slapped with a 104% tariff! Imagine everything from China costing double? Australian beef 10% more. Mr Trump said today that two billion dollars a day, was pouring into the country from all the tariffs he’s slapped on every country in the world. What is he planning? Know one knows. Old people here in Australia have lost their retirement funds because of the stock market crash and are being forced back to work. So many lives are being affected negatively world wide by the actions of one man. |
| Prompt: Pets What is the most important reason for having a pet? And which kinds of people shouldn't have pets? When I think of a pet I think of dogs. Dogs are more than a pet. They are another member of the family. They simply want to be with you, no matter where you go. They can become an invisible shadow always watching. What other animal is so loyal? They know when you’re sad and will seek to comfort. They’re happy when you’re happy and never hold a grudge no matter what. Just stroking a dog can bring your blood pressure down and they help keep you fit, as who could resist those pleading eyes when they need a walk? I believe everyone could benefit from owning a dog but there are those people who don’t deserve their love and loyalty. If you’re a person who works long hours and doesn’t have the time to spend with your faithful companion, then perhaps you should consider getting a cat. Cats are much more independent and dislike disruption. They are happy to be alone so long as there’s food left for them. The downside of pet ownership is that they don’t live as long as humans, and if you’re lucky you’ll get fifteen or so years before they die. We have been lucky to have just four dogs over the fifty or so years we’ve lived here in Australia. Our beautiful Weinmarana, Lucy is getting old, along with my husband and I. I think we’ll be lucky if we have another year with her. We’re preparing for the sad day when she leaves us. |
| On this day in 1973 the first handheld mobile telephone call was made by an employee of Motorola, who called AT&T's Bell Laboratories. How important is a cell-phone to you? Do you still have a landline phone (telephone wired into your home)? Do you use your phone for more than making phone calls like playing games, taking pictures etc.? We no longer have a land line and rely completely for communication on our cell phones. We, my husband and I each have a phone although my husband is almost a Luddite regarding the use of his. I’m always reminding him to take the phone with him especially since his health and balance aren’t always totally reliable. I have an app which tells me where he is. He takes the dog each morning through the Australian bushland near our home. I always worry he might fall or trip so knowing his whereabouts gives me peace of mind. I have my credit card on my phone and use it for almost all my purchases. It’s simply a tap and go up to a hundred dollar sale without having to use a PIN. So if I have my phone I don’t need to carry money. My phone is synced to my IPad on which I do my online banking,so I’d be lost without my phone. I receive FaceTime messaging from my family, some who live thousands of kilometres from us. I was able to chat to my brother in the UK in hospital after his stroke recently on my phone. I listen to podcasts, music and the local radio station. I borrow library books and either read them on my phone or iPad. I use it for my mail, messaging and taking photos. I can watch movies, and stream television stations using apps, and I do all my writing for WdC on my iPad. In fact my phone is my everything.  |
| Emily Dickinson says, "March is the month of expectation, the things we do not know." Do you agree with thought? Do you find March indicates more possibilities than January when the new year unfolds? No, I don’t agree with Emily’s Quote. How could March be the only month which indicates more possibilities than any other month or even day of the year? Every day holds our expectations. Yet how can we possibly know, when we wake each morning, what that day will bring? You might think the day is planned and all will go to plan but that’s not true in my reality. Nothing ever goes truly to plan does it? There’s always that unexpected moment which surprises. In my opinion March brings nothing surprising. Because I don’t trust March. The weather here in March is supposed to bring cooler weather. The Autumn trees are not surprised at the shorter days of daylight and begin to turn their leaves a different colour. This year we had typical Autumn days, cool nights, glorious blue sky days with no extreme heat. ‘Summer is over. How gorgeous is this cool weather? ’Everyone was saying. But March can be a tricky beast and she proved it this week as the temperatures soared into the high thirties and there were even a few 40 degree days. Roll on April with her cooling blessed rains. |
| On this day, in 1954 RCA manufactured the 1st color TV set, featured a 12.5-inch screen and cost $1,000. What was your families first tv set like? Was it color or black and white? What was your first tv set like as an adult? In 1954, I was ten years old. My memories of being without a TV are sketchy. Even when we had TV it didn’t play a big part in my life. I do remember the set though. It was a corner unit model. A great big piece of furniture with a tiny screen. Grainy black and white picture and no advertisements. I best remember the test pattern. We were in the UK so I’m not sure if there was such a thing in the USA. The test pattern was there for when the technicians came around and fiddled with the controls. I most remember when the commercial channels started. I think we kids loved the adverts. I remember so many of them even now. I so can recall the Pepsodent toothpaste ad. It was an animated cartoon starting : Where you going SuzieQ? Why the boys do follow you. then it went: you’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent! |
| Omar Khayyam said, “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." How difficult or easy it is to really live in the immediate exact moment, even while knowing it is a happy one? I’ve never found it easy to remain in the moment. Meditating is something I’ve never been good at. Always thinking about the past or worrying about the future is something I always found myself doing. Yet, surprisingly over this last year or so I’ve stopped worrying about tomorrow. I write appointments on my calendar and then I won’t think about them again until the day comes. For some reason it dawned on me that I shouldn’t even think about anything else but today, after all tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Today is all we truly have. Since recently starting a chair yoga class, which has lots of deep breathing and visualisation, I hadn’t realised how much I needed to relax, let ‘stuff’ go and just chill. I found I was holding lots of tension in my body, as if I was ready to run or stand and fight. I wonder if as writers when we’re writing is that a form of meditation? After all it’s impossible to worry about anything in the real world whilst inventing another one. |
| Have fun with these words: celebrate, options, baskets, eggs, chocolate, jellybeans, laughter and children. Yes, it’s getting closer to Easter. A time to celebrate. Churches around the world will be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. For non-christians this is also a time for celebration. It’s a time of renewal. Spring flowers bloom, birds nest and their babies grow, fly and life begins anew. But for children, Easter is a time for searching for chocolate eggs to place in their baskets. Laughter and giggles will be heard on Easter Sunday morning when the Easter Bunny has hopped in to leave candy, jelly beans and lots of chocolate, before hopping off to see other boys and girls. Since I’ve been a grandma, my eldest is 37, and now I’m a great grandma, I’ve always thought the children received enough chocolate from other relatives. So my options were to give them even more, or buy them something else. As we live in Australia Easter is in Autumn, the nights are becoming cool, so warm Pyjamas are what I give for Easter. It’s become a tradition, one which my daughter, also a Grandmother is carrying on. |
| Levis or Wranglers or Madewells or J.Crew or Amazon or Walmart or Target Women who want to wear jeans struggle with getting a good fit. Do you wear jeans? What brand do you wear? Is your decision based on cost or fit? Yes, I do wear jeans but only when the weather is cooler. In Summer I tend to wear loose pants. Jeans are tricky to get the right fit. Brand doesn’t always come into it. I’ve had the most amazing fit and comfort from stores which don’t only sell jeans but dresses, coats, skirts and even pj’s . But the next time I go to purchase the same jeans they no longer stock/sell/make them. Most jeans are either too low cut, or loose around the waist. If they fit around the hips and length then you’ve struck lucky. They should have a little stretch in the denim, not be too baggy or hang loose around the rear. It’s an actual minefield shopping for jeans and one which is looming for me as the weather here gets cooler. I’m not looking forward to it. |
| Prompt: Storytelling "You’re never going to kill storytelling because it’s built into the human plan. We come with it.” Margaret Atwood Do you like telling stories in any shape or form? Life is just a series of stories. Everyone has a story don’t they? Every time we sit and talk to someone we’re just adding to the story. A story never really ends, even if the person who told you an amazing tale is no longer with you, each time you speak about him/her, you will probably embellish as you retell their story, add a little to it, or change it in some way. I love telling stories, no matter how humdrum or ordinary the subject matter. I love to hold a person’s attention, and to also add a little fiction or exaggeration, just to make it more entertaining. We can never run out of stories. While ever or wherever there are people, new stories will be made. In some countries, like Australia, their indigenous population didn’t have the written word and were dependent on word of mouth to relate the news or to pass on information. Maybe it’s just to inform where the best fishing holes are. Our indigenous used stories as their maps. It’s called The Dreamtime. Each story had a purpose. They tell of their history, geography and where water is to be found. Dreamtime stories are always oral, passed down from generation to generation. |
| What's the best excuse for being late? Do you find it annoying when people keep you waiting or are you that person who makes others wait? There are no excuses for being late. By making someone wait for you to turn up is like saying my time is more important than yours. I’d rather be early than late. Being late causes me stress. I don’t know why but I’ve always been like this. And what’s more I cannot stand to be the one waiting for someone who is late; it’s the height of rudeness. One should always give oneself extra time to get somewhere. Factor in traffic delays, road closures, detours or parking issues. By doing this, one never gets impatient or irritated with other road users. My children learned from a very early age not to keep me waiting. As teenagers they knew if they weren’t at the nominated pick up zone when they were supposed to be then I’d give them five minutes grace before I’d leave them to catch the bus home. Those were the days before mobile phones. I believe the instant contact these days make it easy for people to turn up when they like. They believe if they’ve sent a text saying they’re running late then that’s fine. Just don’t be late ! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
Glad that you started with Yoga, and breathing exercises always help. And yes, it's true, as you said, "Today is all we have."