Porthole

I'm running out of steam [ASR]

"Blogging Circle of Friends "  Day 3271: October 26, 2021

Prompt: What is your favorite October food or drink?

Pumpkin pie; although, I really prefer sweet potato pie. Every autumn I ask "when will you have pumpkin pie". I'll hopefully get out tomorrow and go to the Break Espresso to visit friends. There'll have pumpkin pie. "With whipped cream, please."

Months and favorite foods used to go together before we could have anything delivered at any season.

June was strawberry shortcake... as in picking those uber sweet wild strawberries by the greenhouse.

July became cherry-picking when I was older.

December was fruit cake. My father preferred a brand from Georgia that was more fruit than cake.

April was left over candy. I hoarded candy.

End of October Blues:

It's the end of the month and I'm running out of steam.

I'm getting out more, which is good, but I'm sleeping too much and that's cutting into my time to write. I know the solution. I'm just not up for it.

I'm cheering on the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" .

It needs new voices, more voices and more diverse voices.

I told NormaJeanTrent:

I'm trying to drum up some new customers.

I thought of your cheerleading efforts at OctoPrep.

I'm more a proper trouble-making pot-stirrer than a cheerleader but I'm trying to behave.

I'm working on:

men
marginalized minorities
non-American
newbies and black cases
octopi

I already had a couple successes, so it's working. I do think a few new voices always revitalizes any group of people and avoids having to read the same-o same-o month after month.

Now... how to get the nanowrimo crowd involved.

All contests need rethinking and rejuvenation. When I've done what I could, it'll be up to the participants to make it a success by doing as well as they can with the prompts, by encouraging each other through reading and commenting. My role may be commenting on as many of the entries as I can and getting around to everyone, especially newbies or those that may seem neglected.

Thankfully, I'm not a judge and if life intervenes I have no obligation.

As I age I'm trying to keep those obligations to a minimum.

To Lilli re QotD 'tranquility': "Odd that I can't find an answer. First thing that came to mind was silence... but that's not quite true.

I felt a certain tranquility crossing a fjord in Norway. But also exploring the alleyways of Taipei. I loved being lost in Bremen. Walks through the woods down old roads comes to mind but so does a corner in a cafe or a place with books.

What doesn't work: loud bass, a booming beat, acoustically bright hard walls, people yelling or screaming. I avoid most restaurants and anywhere where I have people behind me. I prefer corners and edges. I can be totally happy in a hostel or in a noisy city as long as I'm not being bombarded with noise. The muted sound of traffic or trains doesn't bother me.

Maybe heavy rain on a tin roof in Orosi, Costa Rica. At night. "

I listen to the snow falling on my eyelashes/brow. The touch/trace of your fingers leaving an indelible mark on my heart. The words do not matter. The dreams do persist.

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