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 |   One writer's journey |
 She sat down at her old wooden desk, pen at the ready. Her thoughts raced. What shall I write today? Tilting her head to the side, a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth before enveloping her delicate face. The purple ink began to fill the once blank sheet, each stroke a labor of pure joy as the words flowed from her mind, her heart, her very soul.  My Dreams... to write of romance and endless love to love without boundaries to learn from past mistakes to laugh with all my heart to be the woman I am meant to be  TODAY... I will reach for the stars Will not give up Will give all that I have Dare to dream the impossible dream For anything in this life is possible    <---I am blown away by this    |
| I am so behind. And my finger is killing me, making it hard to type. But I have to give a shout-out to 💙 Carly - March into spring  for this fantastic read!I wanted to say more in my review, but like I said, my finger is swollen and painful today, so let my little blog post express my appreciation for your creative flash fiction, which kept me on the edge of my seat today. If you haven't read this, I promise it's worth it!
How to craft a quick read in 300 words or less? Ask Carly  She certainly made EVERY WORD COUNT! |
| Prompt: Write about the Ides of March Ah, I was always fascinated with the Ides of March. Maybe it was because it fell the day after my birthday. I like that it was initially associated with something positive, like the full moon. I've always been a stargazer and fascinated with the moon cycle, so I never saw a full moon as a reason to be wary. At one point, I did have a decent telescope and watched the stars, constellations, and moon's progression. Once Shakespeare added the line Beware of the Ides of March in Julius Caesar, the meaning shifted toward doom and gloom. It seems as if most associate the Ides with Ceasar. I get it; Shakespeare is well-known, and we all know how life turned out for Ceasar, poor dude. Since the Ides fall on Saturday, I will still be riding the birthday high and choosing to stay positive rather than let in all that negativity the Ides have turned into. So from me, a soon to be 57 year old Be Dancing on the Ides of March  |
| {Size:} Every month I receive my commission statement from the oil company letting me know what I'll be getting from our 70/30 split. All I can say is that February was quite disappointing, and so far March isn't looking that great. My 8 hour shift today barely made $1000. I know some will think that's a good shift, but a normal day is usually between $4,000-5,000. I don't know if it's the fear that the economy will tank, or the mass firings going on, or everyone is broke from Christmas, or perhaps the gloomy weather as we slide into spring. I've been over buying products, and realized today I need to stop until business picks up. It's insane trying to figure out what is going to sell. Cigarette prices are out of control and the dismal sales are reflecting that. I seriously want to sell it all and get out now, but the husband has decided to rent it out instead when we are ready. I hate that idea. I realize the property will be paid off in August 2027. Our house June 2026, but I'm just plain tired. I admit it. Maybe I'm just crazy, who knows. |
I've been good all week, so I suppose it's time for a good old-fashioned T rant  I survived the first week of Ramadan reasonably well. I haven't had headaches from a lack of caffeine since I've been waking up at 4:30 to get two cups of coffee in me, but man, the exhaustion is crazy. I can barely stay awake. And being cold all the time doesn't help. I am eating a lot less and filling up quickly during dinner. Desserts are a passion right now. We have plenty, but not a lot of room to actually enjoy them. I spent one entire day last week telling myself I would break my fast when I got home from work and binge on ice cream and hot fudge. But by the time I made it come, cut up all of the items for fattouche, and started dinner, it was a moot point. After dinner, yep, I went for it. I was so craving hot fudge. However, they didn't have the brand I usually buy, so I got the store brand. Let me tell you, it was a complete disappointment. The fudgy goodness was lacking, ruining the good ice cream I bought. What a pain in the ass to wait it out all day and be stuck with a crappy dessert. Oh well, I know never to buy that store brand again. Here it is Sunday, and where am I? At work  My day worker just sucks. I admit it. She shows up and doesn't steal from me, which I have to keep reminding myself, but as a worker, she SUCKS ASS! Getting her off her phone from her daily family dramas is a hardship. Getting her up off her ass is another hardship. Today, someone drove off with the nozzle still in the car.  How many people do this still amazes me. The video glitches out three times. I see him drive off and stop, get out, then it jumps to him back at his car, and somehow the hose is reattached, then it jumps, and my lazy employee is outside smoking. I cannot say if she was aware of what he did since she didn't bother to contact me. But there's a gas receipt here from that time of day.Like Fuck, seriously. What must I do to get people to understand this costs me money? Everyone is aware I have to pay for this shit, that they are required to get license plate numbers and make the brain-fogged idiots pay for this so it's not coming out of my pocket. What good does a damn receipt where she returned $5 to them do me? She's so fucking incompetent it makes me want to rip my damn hair out. And here I am, on Sunday. I'm sitting here watching as hubby tries to fix it, but it's a two-person job, which means my busiest pump is down until Monday morning, after the rush, and that's if they can change out the breakaway. I have one left in my stash, but I hate them because they are one-and-done. One drive off, the breakaway is garbage. I liked the one we used to have because it can be reattached, but the dude drove off so damn fast that he broke it. Dumbass. I hate this business, which is probably why it's a failure, making me feel like a complete failure. Now he's working on a car with an electrical issue. And I'm blogging just in the hopes of keeping up and earning that 7 day achievement blogging badge. I'll make it if it kills me . This is day four afterall. |
| Prompt: "Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that a gardener seems to be only one of his instruments, not the composer.” ― Geoffrey Charlesworth What's your favorite part of spring? Sunshine! Winters here are so drab. The warmer temperatures I never complain about, but for me it's seeing the sun regularly. I'm one of those people whose moods can change with the weather. It always amazes me how how a little sunlight can lift my spirits. Plus, the sunshine can push the chills out of your body on a cold day. It's a win win! "If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm." -- I think I've weathered enough storms for 2025. Bring on the Spring |
| Prompt: March is noted for its good luck quotes because of St. Patrick's day. What good luck quote makes you smile? Did someone special in your life say it to you? "The only sure thing about luck is that it will change." Why this may not necessarily be a quote wishing good luck, this one always rouses a smile. I mean, how true is this? You're having a bad day, and luck is definitely not on your side, but suddenly, when you haven't realized it, the bad luck fades, and things go well again. It's the same with being on a good luck streak; it's bound to change and hard to predict. I am one of those people who believe in karma—do good things, good things happen; do bad things, bad things happen. Karma always catches up with you, so I equate Luck with Karma. It's the same principle as far as I'm concerned. I grew up in an Irish household, so Irish quotes were always at the ready. This one always makes me laugh because it's like telling me to be patient when I am clearly not patient. I want what I want when I want it. I admit it.Shout out to my Grandfather Irish, and all of the sayings he instilled in me as a child. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. I miss you, Irish!  |
| Prompt: How are the newly imposed tariffs affecting you? Did you realize how many products we use everyday aren't grown or created in the states or in Canada or Mexico ? I'm a day late and $1 short. I meant to do this last night, but time escapes me during Ramadan. As a struggling small business owner, I'm terrified. It's honestly appalling how we are treating our neighboring countries who've always supported us. Mexico and Canada sent firefighters to California, and this is their thank you.  I had the news on, and I saw his little "if they impose tariffs on us, we will tariff them the same." Hello! You started this. Now he's acting like it's tit for tat, but he's the victim. I realize that candy, pop, water, and cigarettes come from inside the US, but who's to say that the materials used in manufacturing these products aren't imported from elsewhere? Aluminum, glass, etc. The US has outsourced so many things that it's impossible to keep up with the items we import that go into manufacturing our essential goods. I live in Michigan, and with Canada fighting back [yes, that's how I see it], I keep waiting to hear that my electricity will be shut off. I do know that the avocados are coming in from Mexico, and the tariff on that will be felt. I already know the auto parts cost and markup for our customers. These tariffs will affect car parts imported from Germany, Canada, Mexico, and other regions. It's unavoidable unless someone comes to their senses. Brace yourselves. It's going to get bad unless the stock market crashes and he's held to account. |
Written for "Blogging Circle of Friends "  Day 3768 - March 3 Prompt: What is your favorite thing about March? I   M A R C H !!Usually, it's a combination of my birthday  and St. Patrick's Day  I am big on celebrating holidays in general. I see them as breaking up the day-to-day activities that can bring you down emotionally. Celebrating a holiday, big or small, can be so uplifting and, at times, distracting enough that it can pull you out of your routine. I love decorating the house throughout the year. This year, my birthday and St. Patrick's Day coincide with Ramadan, so I opted to decorate the house for Ramadan. Last year, I went on a buying frenzy for decorations. We now have pillowcases with moons and stars, Lanterns that light up, an eight-foot moon with colorful stars cascading down from the top, and other little lights on the windows. My favorite decoration is the white box with the word PEACE carved out. I put three little lights inside the box so it glows. We all need a little peace in this life; seeing the word on display is a friendly reminder. I love the magical glow of the twinkling lights, almost like a cozy little beacon calling me back to the comforts of home. And it doesn't hurt that Spring is in the air, as the temperatures in Michigan are jumping up to the fifties, only to plummet back down into the twenties and thirties. |
| Never speak the words...it can't get any worse, because I'm here to tell you, YES IT CAN! So R's helper went to the doctor last Thursday. We knew he was going and that he was getting sick. Next thing I know, R has a sore throat, fever, chills, wicked cough on Friday. He came home from work, ate soup and crashed. I knew there was no way I'd escape whatever he had. He never thought it could be Covid. I mean we hadn't had that in two years. My throat was burning Thursday and Friday it was progressively getting worse. Another sign. R gets a zpack from his Friday telehealth visit, because our dr never wants us in office if we're sick. I had an extra antibiotic because of a previous infection that was difficult to get rid of, so I figured, this sinus infection I need to take care of ASAP. That was Saturday. I was completely whipped, hardly moving from my chair. Sunday I spent the entire day in bed I was so physically exhausted. Our poor kid was avoiding us like the plague. Who could blame him? I left work early Monday, I couldn't handle it. Turned a corner that night, so Tuesday wasn't too bad. On Wednesday, the helper tells us how his mother and grandmother tested positive for Covid. I swear I wanted to hurt that kid. I couldn't help myself last night, took the test since I knew if I was positive, it would still be in my system. Yep. Positive. By this time Danny is now sick, no avoiding that in this house. I drag him to the dining room, positive too. So it can't be a false positive for me like R believes. And then today, as we are all back at work and I'm getting ready to head home, Danny tells me there's a problem in the bathroom. Water is coming out of the toilet. Can't find the plunger. I remember it's in the public bathroom I'd closed off last week because some idiot flushed the roll of toilet paper and it took a lot of effort to clear that shit. I unlock that door, grab the plunger, useless. This is the bathroom we all use at work. It's a problem. Hubby sends me home, nothing I can do anyway. Driving home he calls to tell me the water is now coming up through the floor drain. In both bathrooms. It's a disaster. We had single digits today so he's thinking the sewer is frozen. I call the city, they come out, try to investigate, get nowhere. Hubby comes home, can't reach the plumber. The store is still open, I keep getting pictures of the water level, wondering if it will get worse during the night after we close. The city will be back out tomorrow. All I know is, yes, T, it can, and it will get worse. |
| Well, we are back to hell. And I really can't complain since I couldn't in good conscience vote for Kamala since I've been screaming for a year over Gaza and now watching and waiting as things spiral in Lebanon, where my husband and daughter-in-law's families are. My family. But never once did I think that orange putrid being would get rehired. Color me disgusted and shocked. What was worse was that the Muslim community INVITED that being into my hometown of Dearborn, Michigan. They welcomed him and BELIEVED him. The Muslim ban guy. The guy that thinks Bibi should finish the job. I mean, what in the actual fuck It's heartbreak at its finest, as far as I'm concerned. You know, Dems need to learn how to lie to communities confidently because that seems to be what works, as disgusting as that is. It drives me nuts that Dems sit back and take it and always have to take the high road. Where does that get us? Not anywhere good, that's for damn sure. Supreme Court, gone. House, gone Senate, gone No checks. No balances. Welcome to Democracy. All I can do now is hope that being keeps his word and ends the slaughter in Gaza and Lebanon, though I highly doubt it. If I'm wrong, fanfriggintastic, I'll admit it, but if things blow up, as I fear, I will call out every single one of my husband's friends who voted for this BS. It's still on the down low, but my daughter-in-law is pregnant. She suffered a miscarriage earlier this year, and all I can think about is how many women are suffering already because of this male/Christian superiority complex where they must control women's bodies and decide what is right for everyone else. If something happens again, and her life is put on the line because of these insane laws about to hit America where Politicians know better than Doctors, you all better run for the hills because I will not be able to contain my outrage. As Ana Kasparian said loudly and proudly. I don't care that you're a Christian. In fact, I would fight for you to have your religious liberty and practice your Christianity. I don't believe in Christianity, which means that you don't get to dictate the way that I live my life based on your religion. I don't care what the Bible says. All the women in the world in your religion have every right to not have an abortion, to not use birth control. But they do not have the right to dictate my life, and what I decide to do with my body. You do not get to dictate the way I live my life based on your religion. I don't care about your God damned religion. You do not get to take the bible and tell me well the bible says this, this chapter and this verse. I DON'T CARE! I will never understand how people claim to love this country yet, don't know jack shit about the actual Constitution and what it stands for. First and Foremost...THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. For fucks sake, it's in black and white. This country was not founded on religious principles; there was no one superior religion, for crying out loud. And for the record, to all the men who voted for the women in their lives, I applaud you. Watching some of the videos you put out on election day had me in tears and gave me hope. However, for me, the biggest shock was that 15 million Democrats skipped the presidential part of the ballot in protest of the genocide. I thought my third-party protest vote was one of a handful. Their voices were louder than I thought, and I was not alone in this fight to stop this war with our tax dollars. I wish Aipac would get the fuck out of politics and stop buying off our politicians. Until that time, we are just fucked all the way around. I refuse to be part of the United States of Israel! |
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