- Feminine Hygiene products
- cigarettes
- DVDs or CDs – I don’t even know how to play them anymore…I’d have to buy the players too!
- Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner. – my daughter said that there are some really nasty chemicals in the product. I don’t know where she read that or learned it but I don’t buy it anymore either way.
- Hair dye or color – I have decided to go “au-natural” even if I am getting gray!
Category: Answer the questions
Climate Change Debate
Do you believe that humans have brought about climate change or is it just false news/hoax?
I believe that in whatever percentage of climate change that is NOT naturally occurring humans have done all of the damage. I don’t think all of the things humans have done have been intentional and many have arisen after the fact of learning that they are bad for the environment. Aerosols for instance. But the problem is when factors that contribute to damage are not stopped. I think in a general fashion, some of the problem is inevitable with the changing world. I mean, no one is going to get rid of transportation because of the problems of emissions. But, if everyone did a little something to help it would make a huge difference. They say that many of the earth’s problems can self-correct. If this is true then there is hope, if the ice caps don’t melt first and flood the world!
Thanks!
Thank you to those who have participated so far in my “research”. There is no time frame so please have a look at the questions and contribute whatever you would like.
–https://christinebialczak.com/2023/05/09/children-and-psychological-issues/
This is a link to my short questionnaire.
Children and Psychological Issues
I am planning on writing some sort of “book” or article on the psychological issues that I, personally, dealt with both through my teaching career and with my own children. I am wondering if anyone else would like to contribute to this. I have a Google questionnaire.
https://forms.gle/6ktigU5rD3LhccaBA
I am writing this solely to share what I have experienced. It will be based on facts and on opinions. It will address some issues such as LGMTQ+ issues, gun violence, and societal norms. I would appreciate as many participants as possible and please share this with anyone you know who would like to participate. This can be totally anonymous if desired.
Truthful Tuesday: Being Queen
Join in here: https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2023/05/09/truthful-tuesday-9th-may/
If you could be King (or Queen) for a day, how would you spend it?
If I could be Queen for a day I would tell my private pilot that I wanted to use the jet and visit a few of the places that I have on my list to visit. I would first stop in a small village in Africa and give all those sweet little faces kisses. I would drop off bottles and bottles of clean drinking water and would tell all the people to fill the bottles with mud when they are done drinking them. I would hand them instructions on building cool shelters using the mud-filled bottles to protect themselves against the hot sun.
My second stop would be at an orphanage in Romania to kiss all those little faces. I would tell them that the Queen is praying that they all get a home quickly. Maybe that would give them all a little more hope to continue to pray for life outside the orphanage walls.
My final stop would be to a beautiful tropical island where I could drink cold Margaritas until it was time to jet home.
I would be happy that as the Queen I was able to put a smile on at least one face and let all those little children know that someone is praying for them.
The Sunday Poser
Sadje is the host: https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2023/05/07/sunday-poser-131-people-pleaser/
I do like to please people but I have learned just over the last decade or so that I need to be kind to myself and I need to think about the repercussions. It seems like when my sister used to say that I “wore Rose colored glasses” that this is sort of the same thing. I like to see the best side of things and encourage positive things. My last therapist taught me however to ask myself how I really felt. I think being a people pleaser isn’t as bad as taking advantage of a people pleaser.
Fibbing Friday
Join in here: https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2023/04/28/fibbing-friday-28th-april/
Physics
What came before the big bang? the little spark
What did Galileo drop off the tower of Pisa? a heavy paper weight
Is a Cartesian bear similar to a polar bear? Yes, except they are not white
What did Newton say when the apple landed on his head? what the *#@$*
Why did Columbus think the world was round? because the best things in life have curves
What was Heisenberg uncertain about? speaking English
What was the name of Schrödinger’s cat? Cat-er-shlogan
When a photo finish decides the winner of a race, did they change the outcome by measuring it? no, photo machines are not rigged
What is the God particle used for? keeping people honest
Is the theory of everything all you need to know? obviously, yes, it incorporates everything
The Garden Dawdler: This weeks questions
Join in here: https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/04/22/the-garden-dawdler-5/
Probably a little of both, help and hurt. I guess it depends on how big of an ego you are talking about. I think you need to have some admiration for your own writing if you want to write and have others read your work, otherwise why post it for the whole world to see. On the other hand, if you are writing because you think that only your ideas are important then you are going to eventually be writing to yourself, no one else will want to read it.Do you think it helps or hinders a writer from having a big ego?
How often do you read your blog content from an outsider’s perspective?
Almost always. I try to read it for both how it sounds and sometimes just to be shocked by what has come out of my mind, feelings that I didn’t even know I had in my head.
I view my blog as an allotment garden. How do you view yours?
More of like a public park, a place to come, spend time, enjoy yourself
What’s the first book you ever remember reading way back when?
Besides Sally, Dick and Jane? I don’t recall reading much but I do remember loving the story The Magic Garden so obviously I had read it. I recall in elementary school I used to love to read poetry by Shel Silverstein and I always loved Dr. Seuss.
Were you ever read to as a child, and by whom?
I don’t really remember. I remember always having books so I assume my mother read to me. My father always read the newspaper but I don’t remember him reading anything to me.
Where do you like to read? At home on the couch? Whilst travelling? In bed?
When I do pick up a book rather than listen to audible I like to either be on the couch or in a chair at the beach. Nowadays I mostly listen to all my books because I can listen in the car, while walking the dog, and while working on my miniatures. When I pick up an actual physical book I fall asleep a few pages in.
Where?What are the most significant barriers to your creativity?
The most significant barriers to my creativity are exhaustion and being interrupted when in my “zone”. A lot of times I will write because words come to me and mostly they come in the form of some sort of rhyming, sing-songy fashion so when I get interrupted and that flow is cut off I can’t always get back there.
Do you think blogging is essential, and if you do, why?
I think it is essential for me. For me it isn’t just about writing, it is about reading other people’s writing, and learning what I like and what I don’t about different styles. It is also the “social” piece for me. I like commenting back and forth with other people.
1. Finding the time to stick to it. Sometimes when I am extremely busy I get dejected when I see that no one has stopped by my blog. I also feel like if I don’t pay attention to other bloggers then why should I expect anyone to pay attention to me? There are many benefits to blogging; however, what are the three top downsides of blogging, in your opinion?
2. Knowing what to put out in public vs. what is too personal. Sometimes, I find that I want to write something but then retract it when I realize I don’t want anyone to comment on it or see that side of me.
3. Forming “friendships” that may be very superficial to the recipients of my “friendship”. I know that blogging is different for everyone but if I am constantly “chatting” with someone and then I never hear from them again I will often wonder what I wrote to turn someone away.
The Garden Dawdler
Join in here: https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/04/15/the-garden-dawdler-4/
| Are you utterly minimalistic in your lifestyle, an absolute clutterer hoarder, or just messy? I would have to say that I fall closest to the absolute clutterer hoarder. If you ask me where I put something a year ago pretty good chance I will remember where I put it. But I have a lot of “it”! Do you prefer to sit on a chair, cushion, bench, floor or something else for comfort and which? We don’t have it here in our FL house but my favorite spot was this big comfy chair and ottoman. Now we have a slightly comfy chair and ottoman which is okay but I do miss that chair. It was a hand-me-down and a cat had ripped up the back but it was a great chair. What is the most challenging part of your writing process? Staying on one topic or trying to complete one thing at a time. Oftentimes, I find myself looking for words or ideas only to end up starting a new writing piece. I like to think I have a lot of ideas but they don’t go that far unfortunately. Do you think you are an addictive or non-addictive personality? I am definitely an addictive personality. Back in college some of my friends took Acid. I still don’t really know how you “take” it but it made me scared to think about the effects. Cocaine was another story. Not that I used it!!!! I remember thinking that maybe I would try it, but my fear was that I would like it and not be able to take myself away from it; so I never tried. Do you feel in any way, shape or form threatened by the arrival of AI [Artificial Intelligence] opportunities or welcome the progression into your life with ease? I am not really worried about AI. I have always lived with the feeling like it was 1984 and Big Brother was always watching. I guess I’ve always felt that I really don’t have much to hide and the secrets I do have are not anything anyone would care about. That being said, AI is going to be the next Big Brother I think but it is sort of inevitable so it is what it is. What subjects or topics inspire you to create the most concerning your writing? Usually it is how much I miss my son and late husband or how lucky I feel to have a wonderful second husband who is really good to me. I feel bad writing about too much grief because I sometimes feel it makes me seem ungrateful for what I still have. When was the last time you walked through a graveyard? Not recent enough! I love graveyards. Every time I drive between CT and FL I always stop at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. I was thinking that for my next trip I would look up cemeteries on the way along I95 that are known either for its residents or their continued spiritual presence. What are your top five favourite flowers? That is hard because I love them all but I would say 1. Alstroemeria 2. Iris 3. Roses 4. Hydrangea 5. Hibiscus What would you say would be your writing quirk? I almost always rhyme whether I want to or not. |
Iris
Roses
Hydrangea
Hibiscus
The Garden Dawdler 4/2/23
Rory has his weekly questions to answer https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/04/02/the-garden-dawdler-2/
What do you find yourself splurging on the most? It used to always be shoes but that was when I was working and actually went out every day and liked to have nice shoes to match my clothes. Now it is stuff to build my miniatures with. Anything I can find that I can use or repurpose comes home with me. If I see wood pieces on clearance I will buy them just in case some day I need it. I guess I am sort of a craft-hoarder even though I have stopped buying things like yarn that I do not use as often anymore. Fabric is a hard one for me to resist. I just think of miniature bedspreads or couches.
What is your top writing tip? Just write whatever you are thinking and then go back and rewrite or edit after. First just get it all out of your head because one you stop that momentum if often doesn’t come back in the same way.
Are you a regular recycler, and if so, what are five of your top recycling tips? I try to put almost everything that can be recycled in the recycle bin but I know for certain that garbage is piling up in the US and most of it, at least that I know of, is all put together with the trash in the end. I have questioned it before and I believe that the biggest problem is not not knowing what to do with it, rather the cost of refining the products to be usable again. I do put all of my food waste (from fruits and veggies) in a compost bin I started.
My five tips: 1. reuse everything you can. 2. repurpose items instead of buying something new 3. give away things you no longer want. Yes, it is nice to sell them and get the money but in the end you may be helping someone who has no options. 4. teach younger people why recycling is so important 5. When you think you don’t care go online and look at The Great Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean or at the beaches in the the Pacific and other oceans, all littered with so much trash.
Are you someone that wants to be or needs to be heard and seen, or are you content to be found behind the scenes? I am content being behind the scenes except that sometimes it is nice to get some recognition for effort you put into things.
How approachable do you think you are in real life and away from the keyboard, and do others feel the same way about you? I’m definitely approachable in person. I can talk up a storm or be a good listener but I enjoy a good chat every now and again.
Do you sit more on the fence or the edge of the knife? Definitely a fence, or even a stone wall. I am always thinking about the effects of the things I do both personally and to others. For example, writing my memoir I am so undecided if I use all the right names for people that may be in it? I think that I could tell them and let them say whether they want it or not but I also like to complete things on my own and share after. I just don’t want someone to be embarrassed or something that their name or something they did has been shared.
What do you remember the most about your grandparents? I really only remember my mom’s mother. My dad’s father was already deceased when I was born. My father’s mother died when I was maybe 8 but I don’t remember much about her except how she looked. I don’t remember much at all of my mother’s father. He died when I was probably 4 or 5 maybe. But my grandma had two specialties. She always made her pancakes that we loved and her soup. I remember her house and the glass in the bathroom that I didn’t know until much later held her teeth at night. I remember her dressing table and her candy dishes she had on various shelves that would have those strawberry candies, the ones wrapped in the plastic that “looks” like a strawberry.
How important to you is validation from your readers to your written content – do you need acknowledgement from others to create? No, I write for myself I guess you could say. I do like when people say they like my writing but not hearing from people does not stop my creativity.
What is it you would have liked to have been asked about your life but have yet to be? I don’t really know since I share so much and love to talk! I guess I would like to be asked about how I was as a child. What I liked, what I did, what I remember.
Stine Writing 
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