Into A Barrel and Over My Life

Mistakes Are Sometimes Made

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 02:04:00 +0000

So. Well. Yeah. Hello, crow dinner. I think I have ketchup here somewhere...

About a week ago I made a terrible mistake. I reposted a meme on FB. The one with Trump not saluting the flag. Yeah. After being slammed, I've been going through debates and other videos, because I'm certain I saw it, on TV, where he took forever getting around to lifting that tiny hand of his to his nonexistent heart. I distinctly remember talking to mom and yelling at the TV. Alas, I'm up to debate 7 and nothing yet. Unfortunately, I do have a life, of sorts, and have much I need to do. Things not involving rewatching Trump lie to my face.

It is a two-part meme, and I just reacted without fully checking it out. (The first part is totally true, by the way. The second part, not so much.) :( Sorry.

Here's the meme:

Here's the true part. In video:

And here's a somber, professional, respectful salute to our flag:

I apologize for my meme mistake. I do not apologize for implying/stating outright he is a disrespectful person.

Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sun, 20 Aug 2017 03:25:00 +0000

After the past week, I've made my thoughts clear on Twitter. But, just on the off chance, you missed them, here they are. If you think I'm too harsh or judgemental, well too bad. Don't come back. Unfollow me on FB and Twitter. I'm not here to please people. I want there to be no doubt where I stand and that racism, bigotry, and violence has no space in my heart.

1. The Robert E Lee statue is going to be taken down because Charlottesville voted to take it down. The city said the statue, raised not to honor the general specifically, but as a reminder to African Americans of their place was no longer a representation of the city's values and place in this country.
This does not change or erase history. The majority of the people in the USA have come to understand that these statues are of traitors. That these generals do not represent us as a country. They never had. Quite the opposite. If you don't know the difference between a patriot and a traitor, shame on you.
Their history is still known and able to be read about. Removing statues won't take that away.

2. If you argue for them and you're from the North, WTF people! Really!

3. Donald J. Trump supports domestic terror and hate groups. He has White Nationalists beside him in the white house. His name is on the lips of every Neo-Nazi. David Duke, the leader of the KKK, thanked him for his help and support. They 'heil' his name. His name follows the swastikas in the vandalized Jewish cemeteries. His outrage sounds and feels forced and untrue. As Trump will tell you, all day long, he beat 17 others. So if you voted for him you support his ideas. 17 others had the same policies. Taxes, jobs, healthcare. They had plans to get them done. There were better men. You chose the lying, sexual predator, racist, violent, ignorant, elitist. You voted for this man, not the policies. So do not try to tell me otherwise.

4. I will not feel bad for Nazis or White Supremacists. Fuck you. And fuck you if you do. If you try to "but the left..." me, fuck you. No. Nazis. They get nothing. White Supremacists get nothing. If you support or try to justify them to me, you get nothing but a big fuck you. I will not sit and try to make you understand why hate, bigotry, and violence is wrong. If you don't know or get it, go to church. I'm not going to have a screaming match with you. Just fuck yourself.

5. If you have confederate flags on your clothes, house, car/truck, go ahead. You are free to do so. I will be assuming things about you though. That you are or support white supremacist and/or racist. I will think you are a supporter of traitors and that you don't stand for the same values as the rest of America. Yes, assuming. To bad. It'll be up to you to prove to me otherwise. I am not about giving you the benefit of a doubt. Even if you are a "fine person."

Trump vs Russia

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Wed, 31 May 2017 02:38:00 +0000

A short story to break down this Russia issue. The scenario may seem silly. People will say it's not the same. It is. Just on a larger scale. But yes, it is the same.

The Players

The USA - You. And you are hot. Everyone wants to be or be with you.

Trump - Your boo. Your BAE. Your one and only. You love and would die for him.

Russia - His skanky, hoe, lowlife, crazy, criminal ex-girlfriend.

Manafort, Stone, Page, Fylnn, Tillerson, Russell - Her friends and family.

Ivanka, Kushner, Bannon, Conway, Spicer, Sessions, ect. - His friends and family.

The Free Press - Your friends and family.

You and your bae are engaged! You've only known him for a year, but he's the one. Some folks say terrible things about him, and yes, you've seen some things you don't like, but they're haters and he LOVES you. You said yes with a smile on your face and a f**k you to all the naysayers.

It's been a couple months now, the ring still shines bright, then you happen to find a few texts on his phone from his ex. But it's okay. He tells you he just talked to her a couple of times. She called him to congratulate him on his engagement. You can't be mad about that? And he has to stay nice because their two families have been friends forever. And there's nothing wrong with staying friends. It's a good thing.

The wedding was great. Well, okay. His whole wedding party was made up of her family and friends. That was odd. His friends said it was just to keep the peace between the families. It's nothing. You don't need to get pissy about it. Maybe they're right. Peace is important. It's just one day after all. You've got a honeymoon to take!

Ahhh! Hawaii! But, there are more texts and now some calls. He says not to worry about it. He LOVES only you and life is going to be spectacular with him. Whatever you want he'll do! Ahhh! Now that's happiness!

Home. Settled in the big house. But, there are all kinds of talk about him seeing his ex. As far back as before the engagement. Damn hoe. He's not talking to you much anymore. He doesn't think you should go out or ask so many questions. He wants you to quit nagging at him. He tells you your family and friends are against him and they hate you for being happy. They just tell lies. You shouldn't see them anymore. Not if you really love him.

His family liked her better and they keep telling you to mind your own damn business. His phone has a password lock now and he won't tell you where he goes. But people are talking. You're getting screenshots of texts and recorded calls. He's been helping her move, paying for an apartment, and his friends and family have been helping him hide it. His BFF even brought him her nanna's cell phone just to talk to her.

You're just there to make him happy now. He, his friends, family, even the crazy ex-girlfriend seems to be pulling in major bank. Yet you're feeding his friends and her family all the time. You're going broke. Gammie can't get her insulin and you can't help her. What are you going to do? A few of his friends tried to stand up to tell him to do the right thing. They're gone now. Things look bad. Things feel confused. Every day more things are being talked about. More evidence keeps showing up on your phone. And your life is no more spectacular now than it was before. In fact, it looks to be getting worse.

Moral of the story? You don't want your BAE talking to his skanky ex. And if he is, kick his ass to the curb!

Tour de Fish 2017 Fin

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 03:18:00 +0000

Yep. We are at weeks 5 and 6. Aren't you sick of fish yet? Yes. Yes I am. For these two weeks we;re joined by mom's writing class friend Carol. (Mine too :) Onward.

Week 5 took us to the old favorite at The Como. My usual Lemon Pepper was simply yummy. A little bit of that silver skin that I don't care for, but not much. Fries were fine.

Mom and her friend Carol had the seafood platter.From what I heard it was good, except the clams casino were mostly breading. That made them sad. The rest was good. As far as I know :)

We finished the Tour at Carmine's on Pine. It was also the most expensive. The others were between $8 and $10, it was $12 here.

Both mom and Carol had the battered fish. It was alright, they said. A bit bready. Fries were alright. The cole slaw was awesome! Almost KFC like :)

I had the broiled fish. Probably my least favorite. It tasted so bland. Like it was pouched in water. Plain water. It was colorless,and odd. As you can see the lemons are sliced and just placed on the top. Then a ton of paprika. Do you know hard it is to squeeze a sliced paprika lemon over fish? Very. Wedges please.

So there you have it. Tour de Fish 2017 has come to a fishy FIN :)

( Yeah. I totally went there! HAHA! )

A Day for the Irish and a Tour de Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 17:37:00 +0000

St. Patrick's Day folks! A day we wait for so we can enjoy a Reuben of love.

Oh Gadawskis. Usually, so awesome. The reubs were okay. A bit thin with a little gristly though. And the dressing was on the side? Weird.

Went out that evening. We got to see, well, hear our favorite, Nerds Gone Wild. We had to stand outside though. Where it was freezing and they only had beer. Yay to Nerds. Boo to the cold. A good St. Patty's all around :)

We went to two new places for weeks 3 and 4.

For week 3 we headed to The New York Fish House in the city market. We took along our friend Mike for this adventure. It was so good :)

The fish came in its own foil container with two nice sized fillets. Nice butter lemon happening.

I choose the onion rings for my side. Which is pretty cool. You don't see that as a choice to often. Or ever. These were nice and crispy, with a good onion flavor. Yummm...

I would definitely go back there. Mike, however, has different opinions on his fish sandwich. But he can start his own blog for all that :)

For week 4 we hit up Marino's Subs and More. I can't even. This was so yummy! The breading was a simple breadcrumb. It wasn't greasy or thick. The fish was so flaky. They had onion rings too! They were even yummier than the week before :) And people were so nice! The owner talked with us and was quite friendly. And they deliver :) Even if you only want a piece of pizza! We will most assuredly be seeing them again:)

Next up weeks 4 and 5 :)

Tour de Fish 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 04:03:00 +0000

Spring is almost here. 6 days away as a matter of fact. 6. Hard to believe after today. Here, I'll show you. This is a branch that fell a few days ago during a high wind storm. See how big it is!

Here's that branch today. Wait. Where is it? Oh! There it is. Under the two feet of snow! ( An overestimate for entertainment purposes. It's really about 13inches. )

Yep. Hello Spring.

For mom and I Spring does mean another chance to finish our Tour de Fish. The last two years, one of us, probably me, was in the hospital and missed three to four of the weeks. Leaving the tour incomplete. This year just might be different. Look! I made a graphic and everything! These little blue guys are at our Aquarium (see link to the right :)

Week 1 and 2:

Week one we ordered in because we wee getting over a bug. And while I love Frenchy's

the fish was okay. Not bad, not my favorite. The batter was great, the slaw, okay. Fries were tasty. I

know it's mostly just me, but I dislike that skin stuff on the bottom. Ruins it for me. But if you have no such qualms, I would highly recommend their fish fry :))

Week two we headed to one of our favorites and no disappointment :) Flaky, peppery, lemony, buttery. So good. Potatoes? Yum. Slaw? Creamy. All good. And rye bread while you wait :) Gadawski's

This week is St. Patty's Day. Now, that means Reubens folks. No if, ands or buts. So we will be adding in an extra fish day at some point.

Have a safe and fun St. Patty's everyone! And fear not you can have your corned beef if you want says *this article. Or you can get it and have it on Saturday. No matter how you plan it, have a great day guys!

* Seriously, if you are concerned ask at your parish. Don't go by a little blog. Ask a proper person.

Picture Bananza

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 21:15:00 +0000

Well. Here we are. A new year (Okay. It's February. ) A new president (Yikes.) And new adventures to be had.

The last few months have been rather uneventful, personal wise. We won't go to the bad place. For now.

Gary and I spent most of January and February with some sort of demon cold bug. I think it actually spoke to me at one point. Then it laughed. Nasty bug.

But I've been meaning to put these favorite city pictures up for the longest time, so, yay!

Also, I don't want to forget to mention that Mom's library writing group's teacher has finally had her book published. Congratulations! Giving a new book to the world. And to all who feel badly they haven't published by the age of 15, much needed hope :)

Terri Mudd at the signing :)

The book! You can find it HERE on Amazon!

A few city pics :)

I know food pics. But this was so good! We had this fish fry at the Royal Cafe :)

The Tour de Fish is planned on this year. Let's hope there's no hospital visit's this time.

A New Season

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 07:21:00 +0000

A new season is almost upon us. Yes. Winter is coming. And it is going to be a long one. It seems the weather and political horizon both will be rather GoT-sy. Cold, dark, hopeless and painful. We even have our own White Walkers.

I have no doubt PEOTUS would think Ramsey was just terrific. 'A great guy. He was treated unfair. Just terrible what they did. They should lock her up.' You know you can hear him say it too.

My head is still reeling from the past 11 days.( Has it only been that? ) I'm hoping it will right itself soon and then I will be able to write coherently about it. Before the hounds are set loose on us all.

For this moment, let's simply catch up on what been happening on the home front. Not much. The heat was something awful and nothing was done. There are three mildly entertaining things for me.

1. I've got Netflix streaming finally. After years of DVDs in the mail, I made the switch and LOVE it! ( Did I mention that already? ) Jane the Virgin, Xena, Blue Exorcist. So much the happys :)

2. I have redone the design slightly. The old one, though I loved it, was feeling cluttered. I've gone a little more simple here. Let me know how it looks. Any tweaks I should know about? Anything to difficult to read? Links not working?

3. I've decided to embrace my Twitter more. And I am enjoying the heck out of it! I'm there more than FB now. Much to the relief of my nerves and mental health.

Now for pictures!

It's been so warm that yesterday, November 17th, this was what outside looked like. The flowers are still alive and the grass is green. The tree still has leaves.

Last week I saw these great textured clouds :)

But it's been sad too. Mom's Snowball passed away. She was 14.

It appears also the outside kitty, Uncle Jay, who was we believe 10 yrs old, has gone. He was looking rough and we haven't seen him in a month.

He's the orange guy. The other cats would help keep him warm and comfortable.

R.I.P. Snowball and Uncle Jay :(

There is more to catch up with; Halloween, Library reading, random pictures of joy. But let's save something for tomorrow, shall we?

Summer, Porch, and Unable to Move

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 23:11:00 +0000

Well. The whole Tour de Fun turned into the Tour de I Can't Move It's Too Hot I Hate You.

So yeah. It's been porch time and binge watching Netflix. Though late to the streaming bit, I have embraced it fully:) But. I don't think I like Orange is the New Black. Not sure why. I'll watch more and see. Going to watch Strange Things this weekend.

What have I been watching? The classics. Xena, Hercules, Arrested Development, Black Books, The IT Crowd. The important stuff :)

And the porch. I had plans to paint and spiff it up. Then the second after we had the flower bed cleaned out and pretty flowers planted some guy pulls up and starts asking about the property. I quickly realized that I had no interest in fixing something that I didn't own and that would be sold. Three weeks later the properties were shown. We've been told they haven't bought, but yeah. Time to go through EVERYTHING we own. Just in case.

In between mom and I are doing the library's summer reading challenge. Read a book from each continent. You have to read 5/7. So far:

Antarctica - At The Mountains of Madness: H. P. Lovecraft

North America - Alligator Candy : David Kushner

Africa - Mr. Fox : Helen Oyeyemi

Europe - The Lovers : John Connelly

Australia - In a Sunburned Country : Bill Bryson

Up next either Asia or South America.

Finally got a new desktop. Been wanting this forever. It's so nice to sit in a comfy chair and look on a screen bigger than a notebook.

Oh! One last thing. On Sunday July 31! Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens!! Yay!!!!

Can this count as a Tour de Fun?

Flower Follwup

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 04:09:00 +0000

Score one for memory. I took a couple pics of the flowers we bought :)

Petunias, Impatiens and Collis :)

We also attended the Jabbapalooza 5 this past weekend. Only a few pics but they sum up the night :)

Vodka and tea. Lots. :)

Jabbapalooza 5 at Soliday's

Our wonderful bartender. he worked two days straight with no sleep. By all rights he should have been dead by this point in the night. He kept going though :)

Hello Summer, I Mean Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 04:47:00 +0000

Summer? Not yet, but it feels like Summer already. We hit a 90 degree day in May. Mostly 80s the last week. It's a wonderful and bittersweet time. I love the warm weather, the flowers, leaves popping on the trees,sitting outside on the porch. But the pollen this time of year is brutal and always triggers a sinus infection. Every Spring and Fall. This year I won't be letting it get in the way of fun though. I have plans!

Plans I say!

Thursday Mom and I will be starting The Tour de Fun this week! One day each week before Labor Day we'll do something just for fun. 13 weeks of a fun day. I'm certain food will be involved :)

I'm also working on the front porch.

As you can see, it needs work. The teal had to go. And the peeling battleship grey is over. I'm thinking of a darker pewter grey.

Here we have white railings now :) I think a darker grey will really make the white look super nice :))

We bought flowers too, but I forgot to get a picture. ( I'll try to remember to snap one tomorrow for you :)

And I'll leave today with a picture of the roses the neighbors gave us. They're from their own rose bush :) And they are much redder than this picture shows :)

Poetry Month

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 05:06:00 +0000

Yes. I know. It's a super long post today. But it's the end of April and I wanted to make sure to have a Poetry Month post for you all. There was also a poetry reading at the library :) Go mom!

One of the ladies who read, read an Eugene Fields poem,The Duel, reminded me of our favorite poem by him. And I also included a super short from Dorothy Parker :) At the very end there is a group video for your entertainment :))

The Rock-a-By Lady
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)

The Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street
       Comes stealing; comes creeping;
The poppies they hang from her head to her feet,
And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet---
She bringeth her poppies to you, my sweet,
       When she findeth you sleeping!
There is one little dream of a beautiful drum---
       "Rub-a-dub!" it goeth;
There is one little dream of a big sugar-plum,
And lo! thick and fast the other dreams come
Of popguns that bang, and tin tops that hum,
       And a trumpet that bloweth!
And dollies peep out of those wee little dreams
       With laughter and singing;
And boats go a-floating on silvery streams,
And the stars peek-a-boo with their own misty gleams,
And up, up, and up, where the Mother Moon beams,
       The fairies go winging!
Would you dream all these dreams that are tiny and fleet?
       They 'll come to you sleeping;
So shut the two eyes that are weary, my sweet,
For the Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street,
With poppies that hang from her head to her feet,
       Comes stealing; comes creeping.

A Very Short Song
by Dorothy Parker

Once, when I was young and true,
Someone left me sad-
Broke my brittle heart in two;
And that is very bad.

Love is for unlucky folk,
Love is but a curse.
Once there was a heart I broke;And that, I think, is worse.

Pictures!

Mom reading about memories. Of which I'm 97 percent sure includes me :)

Backdrop:) Looking sweet :)

Mary, who reminded me that Eugene Fields is awesome:)

Jenny wondering What's Under the Kilts :)

Carole reads about writing a poem :)

John reads and entertains during the break :)

So many wonderful writes and readers on Wednesday night. I was so proud of mom and everyone :)

A Quick Catch Up On Things

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 06:43:00 +0000

Well. The Year of Get My Shit Together seems to have taken an ugly turn. Infection, hospitals, cleaning. Blahhh.

Really, this has been a long year already. Three weeks in the hospital with the catheter infected. A new one put in, in the back, and that had to be replaced twice a week after I was home. Then there was Mr. G's b-day. Lots of cleaning and getting things together. It was a good time. Just lots of work. And I am tuckered.
And there is still lots of Spring cleaning to get done. I have hopes of it being all done by June 1. I may be a touch insane.

Because of all the craziness, I didn't think it would be a great idea to do the A-Z this year. Not that I was doing well with it any other year.
I am reading several. So I rock in that way.

I also started the flash fiction prompt site. I don't write every week, and no one seems to care for it, but it's there for anyone who needs a little inspiration :)

It's at Snap Stories.

I also think it's time for Sue to enter that damn house already. ( It creeps me out to write that one. Must get back.) i will be moving a few things around. The Friday flash is no more, so I'll move it over to the Writings section. Perhaps I can find a little motivation over there :)

I think that will do for now. Just wanted to touch base on things.

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 15

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:39:00 +0000

Day 15: Bullet point your whole day.

Well this should bore you all to tears.

* Woke up.

* Got dressed.

* Made tea. washed face and brushed teeth.

* Went to the grocery store.

* Came home and carried bags upstairs.

* Made tea.

* Had a tuna sandwich.

* Straightened up the house.

* Napped.

* Got up.

* More tea.
* Got dinner going.

* Did dishes and cleaned up kitchen.

* Got things ready for the morning.

* Glass of ice water.

* Washed face and brushed teeth.

* Bed and Angry Beavers on TNICK :)

* Sleep.

** Throw in a bit of games here and there and a bit o' computer fun:)

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 14

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 20:30:00 +0000

Day 14: Post your favorite movies you never get tired of watching.

Oh dear. I need a number on this. I could go on and on and on. I'll pick 5. That seems to be a common number on this meme.

1. Doctor Zhivago. No need to explain. Every time it comes on, I'm there:)

2. Bull Durham. I actually own this, but I still keep it on when it's on TV. All men should aim to be Kevin Costner. Period.

3. Howl's Moving Castle. Because it's gorgeous and wonderful.

4. Truly, Madly, Deeply. This is the Alan Rickman movie for the romantic.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. So much joy :)

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 13

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:57:00 +0000

Day 13: What are you excited about?

Summer. I can't wait. I want my porch and sunshine. I want the fresh air and cold drinks. I want to wear comfy summer clothes and sandals. Bring on the warm. Everyday we get closer :)

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 12

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 19:40:00 +0000

Day 12: Write about five blessings in your life.

1. Mom. Of course.
2. My friends. Duh. they rock.
3. My cats. So furry and almost like me. :)
4. My team at the unit. They are awesome. They take incredible care of me. Love them :)

5. Books :) Always there for me :)

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 11

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 19:30:00 +0000

Day 11: Something you always think "what if" about.

The only "what ifs" are usually lottery type daydreams. My past is filled with things that could be what ifs, but those are done and I can't spend what little time I have left trying to rework something that is already over. I can only try my best to do better. Sometimes I do, sometimes I fail. Epically.

But yes, of course, lottery ones :)

On A Cold Morning Looking For Food

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 07:40:00 +0000

Here's a new Flash Fiction Prompt sit, Snap Stories. We'll see how long I can keep it going :)) Here is a little something to kick things off. Enjoy!

Lambent

468 words
@elfenkate
@flashdogs

On A Cold Morning Looking For Food

My brown wings spread out, shook and closed back tight to my body. It was cold this morning. I was looking for food. I had a squirrel sighting, but it was gone in a flash. I am, for the record, a fantastic hunter. All hawks are, but I am especially good. It was the odd sound from below the tree that threw me off my game.
Flying cautiously I investigated. There he was. Lying huddled under the low branches of my tree.
I have seen humans before. They came one or more with loud sticks that killed faster than I can. Messier too by what I saw.
But this one wasn't hunting like the others. He was shaking and moaning. His skin an odd color, pale, shimmery with a tint of blue. Much like the early morning sky. Opening his eyes he saw me where I watched him.

"Hello there." he said. His voice was stuttered from the cold. My own voice never did that, but humans are a different thing from hawks.
" I was following a deer and lost my bearings. I wandered around, the wind softly hide my tracks at each turn. Could you could lead the way home little fellow?"
Looking at him, his words sounded foreign to me, like turtles when they ask for directions. I was sure he was lost though.
" I wish I could be home now. I want my family awful bad now." he squeezed his eyes closed.

I flew down to him, close. He was taking on more of the blue sky on his face. I imagine those vultures would be waiting for this meal. I moved a bit nearer. There was a glove half buried in the snow next to him.
Without thinking I flew over, grasped it in my talons and went high into the warmer sky. Looking down I saw a small path. Making up my mind I followed the lambent light that lead the way out. A short distance away was a wood box. Another human was outside of it calling out to the trees.

"Robert! Robert! Time to come in now! Where are you? " she turned to the box,
"Jack, I don't see him, There's no tracks anywhere! We have to go in and find him!" Yet another human came out of the box. He was buttoning up a coat. I yelled at them and the man, squinting, saw the glove. His eyes widened, I flew low and slowly. Landing on a branch here and a branch there. He stumbled keeping his eyes on me. In no time I heard him shout.
"Robert! Son! I've got you boy! I've got you! "
"Hi, Dad. I didn't get the deer." he said.

Finally free of distraction, I got my squirrel later that day.

30 day Know Me Challenge: Day 10

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 19:24:00 +0000

Day 10: Write about something you feel strongly about.

I already wrote about something not long ago. About not letting fear kill the compassion in us as a people. You can read it HERE.

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 9

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 19:08:00 +0000

Day 9: Post some words of wisdom that speak to you.

“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
- Dalai Lama XIV

I'm not perfect. I don't plan on being perfect. I am still trying to be better though. This helps me to do my best to remember that.

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 8

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:57:00 +0000

Day 8: Share something you struggle with.

Oh so many struggles. But at this moment, it's the old classic of get my shit together. I am currently cleaning things out. Getting rid of the junk and things that, even if I love them, if I'm not using them, must go. I figure if I start with the big stuff, closets and dressers, then the smaller boxes will be easier to get through.
There are no 'what if I need it later' , no 'I might use it'. Goodbye. I'm being ruthless on this.
I've started adding better foods to the menu as well.
And when the weather wants to play nice there will be walking.

This is the year. The Year of Get My Shit Together :)

30 Day Know me Challenge: Day 7

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 00:01:00 +0000

Day 7: List 10 Songs You're Loving Right Now

Ana Sun - Walk The Moon

Rumour Has It - Adele

Electricity - Billy Elliot Soundtrack

You Lie - Band Perry

Water Under The Bridge - Adele

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohan

Northeast - Matt and Kim

Tell the World - Eric Hutchinson

Tear In My Heart - Twenty One Pilots

Shut Up and Dance - Walk The Moon

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 6

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 08:11:00 +0000

Day 6: Five Ways To Win My Heart

As I've gotten older the list is definitely different than before.

Books. Must love them. At the very least, must understand my love of them. "Why do you have so many books?" won't work around this heart.
Treats his mom, sister, ex, the waitress, the cashier with respect. This also includes children, the elderly, the sick and animals.
Have your own opinion and let me have mine. Don't just repeat what you've heard on FOX News earlier. And no name calling when you don't like mine.
Be able to take care of yourself. Be a grown-up. Take care of your bills, Clean up after yourself. Do dishes without being asked. Extra points if you have some basic cooking skills.
Don't be a dick.

30 Day Know Me Challenge: Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Maffei) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 07:27:00 +0000

Day 5: List 5 Places You Want To Visit.

1. Italy. First thing. Everywhere mentioned in A Room With A View. Take me to the golden barley fields.

2. Ireland. Some small Irish town filled with quirky folks would be ideal :)

3. London. Of course :) When one watches as much PBS and BBC as I do, London is a given.

4. Scandinavia. Some part of me has always pined for The fjords. In the brief summertime though.

5. Austin, TX. The only reason as far as I know for Texas to even be. It just looks awesome. Fun and vibriante.