This past week has been busy and hectic. To add to my hectic nervousness, I must admit I have had some definite mixed messages. Take this first picture for instance. I saw this seemingly contradictory display on one of my neighborhood walks the other day. Are we saying Yes to peace and No to dogs? Is the dog objecting to being told No to what he wanted to do on that particular lawn? Is life more peaceful if one is constipated? Or are we saying No to peace? Maybe No to peaceful skeletons? I usually take walks to relax and feel healthy. After seeing this sight I am just a bit confused. If this makes any sense to you, please share your wisdom with me.
Then I went for another walk, but chose a different neighborhood hoping to avoid any additional confusion. The good news is I wasn’t confused. No, I wasn’t confused at all. However, I was upset. My panties were suddenly tied up in knots. I was discombobulated, disconcerted, frustrated and upset to say the least. This second picture was taken on October 8th. Please let me repeat that, because it is important enough to bear repeating. I took the second picture on October 8th. Apparently someone doesn’t know how to look at a calendar and realize that Christmas comes long after Halloween. Now, I am not a complete scrooge (maybe). I have heard that there are shipping and supply problems this year. Gifts may not arrive in our local stores in time. Rush out now to make sure your Holiday Gift List is complete. All forms of media are strongly suggesting that folks begin their Holiday shopping early, but does that mean the decorations have to come with this?
Let me remind you gentle reader one more time. I took this picture on October 8th. That’s a full 23 days before Halloween. Did I mention I was gobsmacked and nonplussed? I walked past this display while hanging my head, because I am in a state of sorrow. Is it possible to sit shiva due to the loss of a proper Halloween Holiday season? I think so. So, I went home and turned on all of my Halloween decorations and surrounded myself with my skeletons and witches. I covered all of the mirrors in my home with black material and played spooky music. Actually the mood was set for both shiva and Halloween. How nice. I felt a little better.
Until next time.….
Well, now I have seen everything. Just when I thought I was becoming a grizzled old broad who could no longer be surprised, I saw this. A car dealership inside a shopping mall. I didn’t intend to see this, but there it was.
Anyway, I was amazed and a bit gobsmacked to see a car dealership during my most recent trip to the Galleria. The view of this made my mind go off in several different directions. How did they get the cars in the mall? I need to go back and check to determine if the location is accessible without riding an escalator. Also, how does one take a test spin? Does one simply head off down the hallways past the restaurants and fashion stores? If you are taking a Tesla for a test drive, can you stop at any of the Starbucks for a latte? I have so many more questions, I might have to go back and investigate this matter further.
Finally, I would like to give you an update on my cat (and familiar) Hannah. You have seen her pictures many times in these posts. She loves to pose for the camera. Also, she has become a Zoom Queen. She loves to take part in any meetings or conversations I am engaged in on my small screen. Here is a picture of what she looks like “on camera”. While she is 16 years old, she has the personality of a much younger feline. When she went to the doctor’s office the other day, the veterinarian discovered that she has the beginnings of renal disease. She does not appear to be in any pain or discomfort at this time, but I will keep a close eye on her. Many thanks to the good folks at Richmond Avenue Animal Hospital for the quality care she receives. They are helping me adjust her diet and they are very patient when teaching me about this new phase in Hannah’s life. Of course I’ll keep you posted on her progress.
It’s another RoadBroad first! More fun and excitement.…..and learning! Thanks to Creatrix Chats, I participated in my first podcast. I talked about my writing and Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). I talked about the world building I am doing as I write stories about ghosts and skeletons and grim reapers.….Oh My! My hostess and I discussed passion for writing and other forms of creativity. We also went over what we do to keep our muses active. We talked for over an hour.
The fun part was that I learned an awful lot. When the podcast was first set up, I was told by the hostess that we would talk via zoom. I have zoomed before. I know what I’m doing with zoom. I assumed the podcast would be filmed as well as recorded. So I got up early. Took a shower to make sure my hair was clean. I applied makeup. I put on a nice blouse and even put on a bra. I was ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille. So, now I know podcasts are all auditory. Now I know that bras and make up are not necessary for podcasts. Good information to know.
Between podcasts and skeletons, you would think that would be enough excitement for one week, but wait there’s more! I am honored and delighted to announce that a new RoadBroad is joining the team. Her name is Fern Brady. Many of you already know of her through her own writings and through Inklings Publishing. She will be introducing herself shortly. Until then, please join me in welcoming Fern as our newest RoadBroad!
Now, I have been visiting this Houston landmark since it opened in 1985. Back then you could easily run into folks washing their crystals in the wall’s fresh water on a Sunday afternoon. This is considered to be an energy vortex within the city of Houston. Since I did feel more relaxed after my visit, I guess I could vouch for the healing properties of the location. However, on this day, there was no one cleansing crystals. Rather everyone there seemed to be caught up in the art of the selfie. Back in 1985 I didn’t own a cell phone. And even if I did, it would not have had a camera for me to take pictures of myself everywhere I went. But that’s okay, because I did not have a social media account for posting such pictures. Of course neither did anyone else. My how times have changed.
After this wonderful visit I realized that I was within walking distance to the Galleria. This was one of many places I had not set foot in since the beginning of the pandemic. Curiosity got the better of me and I put on my mask to venture inside. I felt so very brave and adventurous! Of course the first thing I saw was the ice skating rink with actual people skating. In this picture the Zamboni machine had just finished resurfacing the ice and children had received the all clear to resume skating. As I walked around this mall, I was pleasantly surprised at how many shops were still open and doing a good business. There were lines at the Lego store and a jewelry store whose name I can’t remember. The Galleria has more than a few jewelry stores. Some people wore masks and others didn’t. I wore mine and I also tried to maintain a good social distance from others.
The one thing I didn’t see were any hints of Halloween decorations. I have been keeping up with a countdown to my favorite holiday. I have been reading on Facebook how some across the country were seeing stores selling the season’s first ghosties and goblins and ghouls.….Oh My! In hopes of finding my first sighting of Halloween supplies for 2021, I went by Michael’s on the way home. Alas, it was not to be. Empty shelves. Fourth of July decorations gone. It is my hope that these shelves have been cleared out to make room for haunted bits of mischief.
I received a lot of help from my cat, Hannah. She has turned into a zoom queen as she would walk back and forth in front of the computer. When she wasn’t doing her “cat walk” she spent a good deal of time enjoying having the couch all to herself. I left out an assortment of warm and comfy blankets and she made herself comfortable. I actually think she found it a bit inconvenient when I would try to sit on the couch with her in the evenings so I could catch up on the daily news.
Of course there was that one pesky day when both Hannah and I were disrupted by some noisy tree trimmers outside my office window. Instead of receiving her usual accolades from the other zoomers, she was busy protecting her home. As you can see Hannah tried starring down the pesky hard working trimmers. She didn’t keep them from trimming branches, but they didn’t dawdle once they were done either. Hannah kept both me and herself safe from any falling branches. What a good watch cat.…especially while she was safe inside my home. Meanwhile, I am enjoying lots more sunlight coming through the windows even if I did lose a bit of shade during these hot summer months.
desk chair. This spot was ground zero for my marathon sessions. Apparently Hannah wanted me to take the day off from writing and zooming today. Well, except for this blog post. Since I am showing three pictures of her, she has given this bit of writing her “paw” of approval.
How about some good news.……I won First Place in the Authorology Anthology Contest!!! The anthology is called Journey Into The Fantastical. My short story is called Willow and the Cat. You can find it on Amazon and order either a print copy or eBook…or both. Many thanks to both Authorology and Inklings Publishing for making this contest happen. I get a medal and everything. Well, I don’t exactly have the medal yet. In these pandemic days those things are delivered in the mail. I must be patient. I will post a picture here as soon as it arrives! Also, let me know what you think of the story. Willow is a favorite character of mine. I hope to publish more stories about her many escapades as a Grim Reaper!
vaccinated and had very few side effects. I am still not going out to restaurants or movie theaters, but I have new ways of making life work while I wait on herd immunity. Case in point? Porch Cuts. Or in my case it is actually a “garage cut”. I have been a client of Carol Cooley for years when the pandemic happened and I could no longer go to see her in a trendy Montrose salon. Now she has rearranged her business so that she can take her skills to her clients. Hair is done outside either on a porch or in a garage with lots of ventilation. Everyone wears masks and stays safe. Doesn’t this look like fun? It is. My hairstyle has changed over the past year. I no longer have bangs. Many thanks to Carol for keeping my tresses trimmed and healthy!
won’t get into the whys or the reasons. Suffice it to say that I consider this to be an abomination. This movie theatre has been around since the 1930s. I have been going to movies there since I moved to this fair city in 1978. You may remember me posting blogs about going to the movies in the afternoon after I retired from my government job. Many happy hours were spent there. I am greatly saddened by this loss to Houston culture. I can only imagine that in the near future I will be buying the book that will tell the history of this wonderful art deco establishment with many pictures to remind me of the good times I had there.