Tag: earthlycomforts

Answer the questions Garden Dawdler

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.
Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria aurea - Wikipedia

Iris

Roses

Royal Welcome® Hybrid Tea Rose Thumb

Hydrangea

Hibiscus

100 pcs Mix Hibiscus Luna Flower Seed Perennial Flower Garden Plant
Answer the questions The Morning Dawdler

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.

Answer the questions Garden Dawdler

The Garden Dawdler – Nine Questions once a week for your leisure or pleasure

Rory asks these questions: https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/03/26/the-garden-dawdler/

Is the WHY to everything important?
What would you list as your Top Five Fun Things?
Should we care about the dreams of others or only our own?
How well do you deal with criticism from others?
Do you say YES or NO more often, and which is it?
What is nose hair for?
What is the funniest comment you have ever received?
Novels or Netflix?
Do good things come to those who wait?
Is the WHY to everything important? Yes and no. If it is something someone wants me to do and it is either unfamiliar or seems like something I don’t want to do then the why is important. Other things in life are just because they are.
What would you list as your Top Five Fun Things? Making anything with my own hands, finding shells at the beach, playing with animals, floating in my pool listening to music or an audiobook, looking at antiques (and other flea markets) with David
Should we care about the dreams of others or only our own? I think it is important to focus on our own but to be cognizant of others’ dreams so that if we can help them to reach them somehow, we can do so.
How well do you deal with criticism from others? It depends on if the criticism is valid or not. By this I mean, if the criticism is about something I am doing then maybe it would be okay but if it is criticism about who I am or how I see value in myself then no, I don’t care what you think. Either way I do get edgy if I disagree but am able to keep my feelings under control until I am out of the situation. Once the feelings have dissipated then I would probably address the critic and talk about it.
Do you say YES or NO more often, and which is it? I say Yes more often than No because I believe in encouraging people to do what they think they should.
What is nose hair for? Catching allergens before they reach your sinus cavity
What is the funniest comment you have ever received? Shortly after having my son I had gotten a new job at a restaurant. When I started one of the other waitstaff came up to me and introduced herself and asked me if I had kids. Then she asked me “Do they have the same father?”. Maybe this isn’t a comment but I was so taken aback because I didn’t know that many people who had multiple kids with multiple partners. As I got older that changed and it sort of became more of the norm, which I don’t know is good or bad.
Novels or Netflix? Netflix except for at the beach
Do good things come to those who wait? Supposedly but I’m still waiting…No, seriously, I have quite a lot to be thankful for so I’m just waiting for that “big something”, like money to pay of my bills or money to travel.
Answer the questions The Morning Dawdler

The Dawdler

Join in here: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/124997601/posts/4568354925

Are you quiet or vocal when watching television, a movie, or a film? Can you sit there with others and watch silently, or are you filled with oohs, ahhs, and other gesture forms? For the most part I like to sit quietly and watch and listen. David reads a lot so often times the news that I watch on television is already “old news” to him so he will add his commentary but I usually get aggravated and ask him to let me listen to the broadcasters. During films or movies I may react to some things but mostly I like to just sit and enjoy quietly.

How many rolls of toilet paper does your household use monthly on average? Probably around 8. It seems like we go through it so quickly and I have never actually kept track. I do tend to try and find brands that provide more sheets on their rolls while losing some of their softness. I don’t like the really puffy, linty stuff.

Do you believe that if a person takes a life, they destroy a part of themselves – what are your views on this? I would think that if a person purposely takes the life of another they are destroying themselves and can never be whole again. Something like that doesn’t leave you ever. That being said, if it is accidental the person will live with it forever but may use the experience to help others. I just have never understood how anyone can take the life of someone else and think that they are justified to do so. The only time I can see it slightly making sense is when really bad criminals are put to death. I don’t think any country or government should have to use its resources on someone who admittedly expresses how sick their minds are. Yes there are so many ethical questions but…
You know, I sort of feel like the truck driver that pulled out in front of my son’s motorcycle took my son’s life. Sometimes I don’t feel this way but more than often I do. I don’t feel like he deserves anything more than what he has now and that is the knowledge of what he did. I’m not saying he did it on purpose but there were never any repercussions for him and my son lost his life. I know some people would not agree with me, thinking I am being “evil” in some way, but it is how I get through my days. There are consequences to everything we do.

Answer the questions

Wilding Thoughts

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Who do you think you might be in an alternate universe? I think there are beings who are more advanced than us in some ways but who are using us as guinea pigs to see what happens when they try different things. I think they want to see our emotions and our reactions and how we respond to new things. I bet they are appalled at how we are killing our planet and all the wildlife that should be here. I think they probably laugh at all the stupidity of us humans when it comes to politics and entertainment. *****Totally read the question wrong! I thought it said what do I think is in an alternative universe!****

What would be the most surreal situation you could imagine finding yourself in? Being in Heaven with people I have lost.

You won!!
You have five minutes for a Supermarket Dash in the FoodHall – what will you fill your trolley/shopping cart with? Seafood, meat, and ice cream

You have 60 minutes to hide 50 million in hard currency [Notes] in your house – where would you put the money/cash – to avoid detection? I would put a lot of it in my dirty clothes hamper. I would put some in the trash bins under the bags, so it isn’t actually in the garbage, and I would put it in whatever open containers or boxes of anything I could find, like crackers or chips. I’d probably need more room than that so I would try to make a small hole in a wall and jam it in then put furniture in front of the spot.

The Morning Dawdler

The Morning Dawdler

Join Rory here: https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/01/29/a-wild-aloha-to-you-8/

Should we fear the arrival of more progressive AI [Artificial Intelligence] or embrace it? I think a little of both. I think we need to be skeptical of how “smart” it really is and how we let AI control our lives. What is comes down to is the fact that AI is still artificial. Just like with food, nothing beats the real thing.

How much time do you spend sitting each day? way too much. After walking the dog I get a few chores done then sit and blog. I then do some other things and then sit in my workshop working. I do have something that I am going to try and now that I am putting it into writing I will feel more compelled to do it…I have one of those vibration machines. My old doctor told me that 10 minutes on that is like 45 minutes of muscle work in your legs. I don’t know how accurate that is but I was thinking about standing on it while I do my blogging. It would almost be like the people who have the stand up desks at their jobs. Okay, there, now its out there, now I sort of have to try in case anyone asks…

What is your proudest accomplishment?
[Having Children not included] I think one of my proudest accomplishments is learning how to teach kids who were unavailable for learning prior to coming to my classroom. I don’t think I got to all of the kids but there are a few that I feel like I really had an impact on. I am still in contact with three of my old students. One, a young man, came to me with the reputation that he was a class clown, rude, wouldn’t do work, etc. Well, I met him once and didn’t think anyone had it right. I think he behaved like that because he was smart enough to know that he should know more but didn’t know how to learn enough to “catch up”. Well, he graduated from high school and I believe I helped him to see that he did know how to learn and he was actually pretty smart at the things he once thought he could never do. Another student messaged me a few months ago to ask about plot diagrams in Reading for a college course she was taking. Finally, another female came to me and she was a piece of work. I didn’t know if I could work with her. She was sassy and rude. She was outright disrespectful. But she was just a kid and I recognized that the behavior was there for a reason. Well, come to find out she thought she was too “stupid” to learn. I showed her that she certainly was smart enough to learn and that she could do well at the things she tried. Yes, it might take a little more effort than others her age, but she could do it. She also graduated and took some college classes. Her mom is a hair stylist and when I first met her she said that she would go to school for make-up and hair because that was all she would ever be able to do. We talked about what she really liked and it was photography. I told her that maybe someday she could be a photo-journalist. She is still young but she is moving forward!

Are/Were you the youngest, middle, oldest or only child? I was the youngest until I was 13, then my mother had my brother. At that moment I became I don’t know what…Two years later my mother was diagnosed with cancer and I became a teenage mother (well, that is how it felt). Now I am an only child. None of my siblings have any desire to talk to me and I have already tried to fight that. After being hurt very deeply by three out of four of them I do consider myself to be an only child because no one related to me could be as cruel as these people who say they are my siblings.

Answer the questions Christine Bialczak Question Time Over Coffee

Questionable Fun! Rory’s Question time over coffee!

Join in here: https://earthlycomforts.uk/2022/11/26/question-time-over-coffee-6/

You have a dinner party and may invite four guests from the following categories one fictional, one dead and one alive, and a naked chef [wearing an apron only but no clothes underneath – or if you wish for whatever reason your chef can be wearing underclothes – pants/top].

Who will you invite to eat, and who will you ask to cook for your dinner party?
Sometimes I have to say what comes into my head first so here goes:
Fictional Person – Edward Scissorhands
Dead – my mom
One alive – my daughter (so she can meet her grandma!)
The Naked Chef – Shemar Moore aka Derek Morgan from Criminal Minds
My mom can cook and make her stuffed shrimp and stuffed mussels!
Inspired by I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 
Have you ever slept on / in a hammock? I’ve laid in a hammock but I can’t recall if I ever fell asleep. They really aren’t comfortable to me.
Do you find it easy to maintain friendship with other people? Yes, I like being in touch with people and really don’t mind if time goes by and we don’t talk or anything, just like we left off the next time we see each other. I also don’t look for flaws in people so if they’re happy, I’m happy.
Are you a person of ethics? I think so! I am generous and kind and like to help other people. I believe in telling the truth, even when it hurts (or hurts to hear!) I don’t believe there is any reason for discrimination, I believe that people should be treated based on their character, not what we think they should based on their race or religion, etc.

If so, how does that impact your daily life? I get along well with people and can strike up conversation with anyone without feeling uncomfortable.
Are you decisive or indecisive as a person? I think I’m pretty decisive but I falter when I start doubting myself or sinking into a depressive state.
Why do people hold double standards? Because they don’t want to commit to having one opinion. They feel like they have to treat people in different ways so as to not hurt anyone’s feelings or make themselves uncomfortable. It is horrible in my eyes when it comes from someone influential like a teacher or school principal when dealing with kids.

Inspired by Kristian and That Really Burns my Biscuits #10
What is your most unhealthiest but guiltiest pleasure and why? Eating candy and vaping are my most unhealthy but I really don’t feel guilty about them unless I sneak something, like candy on my way home that I finish before getting home.
What is your process of writing a new post for your blog? First, I go through and delete my spam, then I read all my comments. Next I go through the reader to see what pops up and then finally go to the sites I get my daily words from and see where that leads me. Usually, it will be some sort of compilation based on a word that strikes me.
If you were asked to create a Top Fifteen Book List holding books that you felt everyone should read at least once in their life and would never regret reading what titles would you include? I can’t think of 15 but here are 9: 1)The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, 2)The Institute by Stephen King, 3)The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond, 4)Behind the Blue Elevator by Felicia Baxley, 5)The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, 6)The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson, 7)Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews 8) Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman 9) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett  Frances Hodgson Burnett
How important is it for you to know a person’s real name? I just get super curious. I do like to know what someone’s name is when I am blogging so I can address them by name. But someone like Fandango, who won’t really give his real name, is fine. Yes, I am still curious but it is what it is! I think I get so curious because I like to put a face to what I am reading or responding to.
[Be this online, off line, social media or blogging]
When at school what were your top five subjects that you were passionate about? I like math and was good at it, I loved typing (word processors were awesome inventions!), Art was great, I loved Home Economics because that is where we learned how to sew, and maybe English or Chorus.

Why was this – what did you love about them? I think I liked these because I was good at them even when they were challenging.

Are those five subjects still present in your life today in any form? Math is present everywhere, Typing yes – everything is on a computer, Art – I make miniatures, make jewelry, draw, paint….Home Economics – I love to cook and I sew, and English would correspond with my blogging and Chorus would be me singing in the car!
Are you a photogenic person? I don’t think so.

Are you eager to appear in family or friend snaps? Only the funny ones with filters

Are there many photographs of you from and over the various stages and ages of your life? I think there are plenty but knows
With regard to the paranormal do you choose to not believe because there is nothing to believe or because you feel it is safer to not believe? I believe in the paranormal. I don’t believe there are evil spirits, I think it depends on how a person interacts with the spirit.

Are you a non-believer or a believer?
How are you with meeting strangers/new people who might or could become new friends? I like meeting new people.

Is there a process you adopt to identify if they are the right fit for you? I think time is the only way to know. I have tried to feel like someone is a friend too quickly then regretted it because I didn’t really feel we had the potential to become friends.