Life in progress


46 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 21/2020

It’s Friday? Yep, it’s Friday, and time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. How’s everyone holding up? I’ll write my #WDIIA post in a bit. Here’s your SoCS prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “welcome.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


18 Comments

#SoCS – Wired for sound

I don’t know if it’s old-fashioned thinking or if there’s anything to it any more, but I’ve always been a great believer in physical connection where sound is concerned.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, it won’t surprise you that I love vinyl records. Computer-generated sound can’t compare to the literal depth of a needle riding the grooves of a vinyl disc.

But what about wires as opposed to wireless? Surely the connection, without physical contact, can be interfered with. Having said that, if speaker wires are frayed or dusty or missing, that can cause as much of a problem as any imagined interference in the airwaves.

I lament the day in the future when my old-fashioned stereo breaks and can’t be fixed. Not that I use it these days as much as I wish I could.

Yet, to get back to the wireless thing, I’m sitting here on my wireless internet connection with my wireless house phone (landline) sitting beside me and my wireless cell phone in my pocket. And none of those interfere with one another.

I’m probably just old-fashioned.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This wireless post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday! Click the following link to find the other posts in the comment section and see how you can join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/03/13/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-14-2020/


43 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 14/2020

Friday’s here and you know what that means: your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt! Well, Alex is off again. For at least three weeks because they’re shutting down the schools. At least we’re all healthy! (Touch wood.) Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wire.” Use “wire” as a noun or a verb or any way you’d like. Enjoy!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


10 Comments

#SoCS – I Figure

I figure I don’t need to feel too guilty today for not posting my SoCS post until Sunday. I spent most of my free time today helping a friend.

I figure I’m going to be tired tomorrow, though. The clock says 1:23am, but we all know it’s really 2:23 with daylight savings time.

I figure it’s a good thing that I got my new phone last week and had to finally come into the 21st century and get data. This way, Alex can video call me when I’m not home, and I won’t need to feel totally terrified of leaving him alone for ten minutes, since he’ll be able to call me.

I figure I got a pretty good deal, too. My provider started a new deal the day I went in, and I got a free tablet with my phone. They share data.

I figure by now you want to know what kind of phone I got: a new Huawei! I love it so far. And it’s a lot like the old one, so the learning curve is mostly app-related, not phone-related.

I figure it’s got a pretty good camera. I took this as the moon was coming up tonight. Can you see the moon? Follow the bottom tip of the flag straight down–it’s in the crook of the branch. This photo is really zoomed in and not blurry, which is why I figure I’ve got a good camera.

I figure I should get out for a walk soon and take more pictures.

I figure I should go to bed now.

Good night, my friends.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This figurative post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday! Click the following link to find all the other posts in the comment section and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/03/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-7-2020/


46 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 7/2020

Is it really Friday? Wow. Where has the week gone? One way or another, I’m here with your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. I have a feeling my week went by faster because Alex finally had a full week of school! Might be the first this year. Anyway, here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “figure.” Use the word “figure” any way you’d like. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


21 Comments

#SoCS – Imperfect

Perfect is for fiction

Impossible to achieve

Is life stranger than fiction?

If it were, we could be perfect.

Oooh boy, am I drifting tonight. I’ve become a lightweight–half a glass of wine and I can’t think straight. I’m the perfect cheap drunk if nothing else.

Alex is finally feeling better and it’s supposed to rain all day on Monday, so as long as they don’t change that to freezing rain–which would be my luck–he’ll be going to school for the first time since Valentine’s Day. And I know that means I should finally get some work done, but I’ll likely procrastinate most of the day.

I do need a new phone. I have an ancient Huawei that has had no space on it since the day I got it about three years ago. I love the thing, but the apps are starting to act up. It’s time to move on. It’s always a bittersweet moment when I get a new phone. I miss the old one, and I hate the idea of having to get used to where everything is on a new one, but it’s exciting at the same time. Do you know what I mean? Is it like that for you, too?

I’ve been with the same carrier for oh … about 25 years? Is that possible? Maybe a bit less, but not much. I’ve thought about changing, but this company owes me for being loyal. Maybe not as much as my bank, who I’ve been with for 40 years, but close.

Sticking with a company isn’t really rare, I don’t think. Or maybe I’m just weird.

I’ve said that a lot lately–maybe I’m just weird. I’m starting to believe it’s true. Or maybe I’ve always believed it’s true.

I feel like Chinese food.

Maybe I’ll have cheese and crackers.

Yeah.

That’ll be perfect.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This tipsy post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday! Click the following link and check out all the other posts in the comment section, and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/02/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-29-2020/

P.S. I had a dream Saturday morning that I was in Japan with Dan Antion. Our mission was to try out a new speedboat that was the size of a Wii balance board. Both of us, at the same time. When I woke up, we were fighting over who would get to wear the only life jacket. Alex was there, too, but he was a cat. And wouldn’t you know it? I’d forgotten to study Japanese, so I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying … Because, after all, one does not expect to wake up in Japan when one goes to sleep in one’s own bed at night.


44 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 29/2020

Friday’s here and so is your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt! The sky’s looking pretty ominous where I am. They’re calling for snow all day. I have a feeling it’s going to get interesting. Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ect.” Find a word with the letters “ect” in it, and base your post on that word. (Not to be confused with “et cetera,” which is “etc.”) Enjoy!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


26 Comments

#SoCS – The Sound of Silence

For a dog that’s not very big, Winston, my beagle/Basset cross has a big barrel chest and a huge voice. He always has, even when he was tiny.

He makes all kinds of noises other than the ones you’d expect. He can howl beautifully, and when he really wants attention, especially from someone who’s walked in the door (if they’re a friend or family), it’s almost as though he’s talking with his “rowr rowr rowr” that’s half howl, half cry.

But it’s the sounds he doesn’t make that kill me.

You know, the silent but deadly ones?

Why can’t a dog fart loudly so we can run away before it hits the nostrils?

I can be sitting here on the couch, minding my own business, when suddenly the room smells like I walked into a barn full of cows that have been eating the most sulfurous corn on the planet for three days without being mucked out.

It’s horrid!

I can’t even blame my own farts on the dog because everyone knows that nothing on earth smells as awful as he does.

You’d think all the tissues he eats would stifle some of it, but no!

I’m sure I could change his diet somehow, but he eats everything, including the garbage I’m sure the neighbours throw into my back yard, so there’s not much point in that.

I may have to get a clothes peg off the line outside …

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This stinky post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the following link to find all the other sweeter-smelling posts in the comment section and join in yourself. It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/02/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-22-2020/


50 Comments

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 22/2020

It’s finally Friday! And that means it’s time for your Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. It’s been quite the week for me. How has yours been? Here’s your prompt for this week:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “animal sounds.” Write about the sounds animals make and how you experience them. Have fun!

After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here to this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome Stream of Consciousness post. Anyone can join in!

To make your post more visible, use our beautiful SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!


11 Comments

#SoCS – Cheeky Bugger

Is it Saturday? Oh. No. It’s Sunday already. And I’m late again for my own party.

I remember my mother calling me (and many other people) a cheeky bugger often. I was very cheeky indeed when I was younger. And when my mum was younger, too.

We took her out today to a restaurant to celebrate her 90th birthday. She only remembered when someone mentioned it. And she can’t remember how old she is. I can tell her and she’ll forget again in under a minute. Under 30 seconds, even.

But she’s still smoking. Her breathing sounds horrible–the nurse at the home asked me if I wanted to send her to the hospital tonight, but I can’t be there with her, so the nurse said they’ll keep an eye on her. She has a puffer. My mum, that is. I don’t know if the nurse has one.

It’s rotten, getting old.

My mother never gets involved in conversations. Can’t make decisions. The simplest things confuse her, like whether or not she should have two creams in her coffee or one. In that case, it’s not that she can’t decide, it’s that she doesn’t understand the concept.

But, she still knows she wants to smoke.

Perhaps it’s the only thing that keeps her alert.

A photo of my mum and Alex, signing “friend” together. Taken about 8 years ago.

Not sure how I got from “cheeky” to here. Ah well. Such is stream of consciousness writing.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the following link to find the other participants’ posts in the comment section and see how you, too, can join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/02/14/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-15-2020/