raven1

Hi Clo! One more day of rest before getting back to the ankle biters. What are you up to today?

Hi Spike! What's on your agenda for the day?

Hi Everyone! Happy Sunday!

If it makes you feel better, the PMI 2.5 pollution level here was in the danger zone. Fortunately, we had a change of wind direction that pushed it out of the area. Currently we are down to the unhealthy level.

I love juicy, creative hamburgers. One of my favorite lunch stops features 10 different kinds with only two that are "regular" style.

Hi Albert! Have you dug out of the snow yet? I noticed you are almost caught up with me. I guess being snowbound gave you a lot of reading time. I loved the lemon scones! They would be perfect for a morning on the balcony with a cup of Americano coffee, dark roasted preferably.

Hi Bucket! How are things south of the equator?

I love the exhortations of Poet and will take it to heart. Anguish and Faking It were an interesting progression from Poet. I see the truth in both. Blessed is the triumphant end to the journey. Grouped together they form a powerful tale, a call to arms ending in a triumph. Just beautiful Gary!

With the way Owen and Cj keep throwing their "Asshole" at each other, I know what they are fixated on in their relationship. CJ isn't a bully. He's just good at practicing tough love. He has the resources and determination necessary to put Brad through this. Brad need the help if he resorts to something like boxed wine. I've never met a box of wine I didn't hate. Jeff Bezos is interested in Gina as an employee? That would be good. Seattle is a great city and a hell of a lot closer when Gina becomes a surrogate. Alaska is a long trip to make frequently for CJ and Owen when Gina is expecting. Great chapter!

A very exciting chapter as Mike, Derry, Cally and Nyf confronted Dith and his band of Crites. Crowla is more than a power grabbing bully. I think he is a threat to this world. Erva was right to call Crowla a fool. I am glad that Inishee is willing to stand up the Dith and Crowla. I suspect Crowla's actions would possibly bring the great menace to destroy those on this planet. I understand Nyf's advice to pose as Armenti and agree they should continue to do so. As far as comments, Reader Paul's idea of a crossover was fun to contemplate. Squish would be a great weapon in battling the menace. I don't think that it would involve Charlie traveling to a different dimension or timeline. Just a chance meeting between the two groups. It would be a headache with all the different characters involved. Very confusing IMO. 😳

I loved it when Mike mentioned George Carlin. Anyone who likes Carlin is a friend of mine. Derry's "Who?" sparked some fun comments. Your comment about American youth not knowing UK comedians made me once again thankful for PBS. I grew up watching British comedies and mysteries thanks to PBS. Now I have British expats here who often discuss others like The Two Ronnies and Mrs. Brown's Boys. Off topic so I'll stop. The suits are revealing features and uses that make them even more amazing. I would love to go camping and not experience sleeping on the ground. The argument/negotiation between the two species seemed to end well. I do wonder what they were discussing. Hopefully we will find out soon.

My response has been completed. It's in the moderation queue waiting for approval. I'll post the link when it is approved. 😄

This is a collection of poems I have and will be writing to celebrate life. I want to emphasize the beauty in our lives, humor and changes we make.

This one struck home with me. My nephew came home from Afghanistan with PTSD. His story was very much like Brad's. Not mentioned, but I can attest to is the damage to families. I know because I directly witnessed what happened in my family. Not much more can be said except a Thank You to all the men and women who did their duty. Sending letters to Congress will remind them of their duty to support. I am also thankful for organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project.

Loneliness was one of the big factors in my decision to move to Thailand. After coming to Thailand for many years, I realized that the Thai people are very much more social than we are in the US. Going to the dentist, shopping, going to the hospital, involves going with a group of friends and/or scheduling appointments together. The hospital rooms are set up for family visits with a couch, table and chairs for four people, a refrigerator for food, a microwave to heat food and other accommodations for family and friends getting together for a visit to the patient. Your poem certainly rang true to me. I also felt like this one might have been inspired by observations made during a walk thru your woods. A very beautiful poem.

Does Giorgio Armenti have an online shop? I'd love to order a protective suit from the shop. I've always dreamed of being a super hero who could fly and see things at great distance. It would be of great help to a voyeur person my age. Think of all the sights I could see! 😈 I'll get the suit to change to pink with purple five pointed stars.

Nyf does a great job of showing the three alien species the guys might discover, even if he is filtering information. I wonder what he didn't tell Mike, Cally and Derry. With everything prepared and ready, I expect the adventure to begin when they reach the next tower.

I got at least some encouraging new from this. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-tennessee-law-restricting-drag-shows/ I was very upset with the new Tennessee law. Darcelle XV, whom I knew when I first came out, died last week at 92. His death was reported by the CNN, Washington Post, New York Times as well as other major news services. He was a very beloved drag queen in Oregon and Washington who performed in public to raise funds for many charities. The Tennessee law threatens people like Walter (Darcelle) with misdemeanors and felonies for performing. There are also many interviews by NPR and others as well as books written by and about him. If you want to know more about him (or see the setting/environment I grew up in as a youth until moving to Thailand) click on the link for my hometown newspaper, The Oregonian. https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2023/03/walter-cole-portlands-legendary-drag-queen-darcelle-and-civic-icon-dies-at-92.html I'm going to miss him.

Good start to the tradition. I'm impressed!

OK, I'm up for Cow-man. It sounds like a lot of fun. Horns can be useful to hold on to when having a blo........

I'll stick with you even if I have no experience with Pokémon other than settling disputes between students trading cards. I do have one suggestion however. Unless the Cow-man has both sets of sexual equipment, could you use Bull-man?

No problem. I don't trust Erdogan anyway. He's an embarrassment to NATO at best. His ethnic cleansing of the Kurdish people is abhorrent. I am trying to stay positive on this, so no worries Gary. You are right that it will take a lot of pressure to push this through.

You and Albert just made my day! Thanks Gary

This is awesome news! I hope the other two hold out nations will cave and vote to admit Sweden also! Thanks for posting this Albert.

Carlos is a gem and I envy you working with him. I also encourage you with both the Secret Author event and this years anthology story. I worked with the committee on the theme which included the poetry and secret author events. I wish you well on those. However, I don't accept your combining the stories on your content page, or the tiny teasers of cross overs as a true crossover of stories. I will be impatiently waiting for the real thing.