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Author Archives: dreaminofobx

Fair weather fans

20 Dec

dolphin_01Photo copyright Jean L. Hays

Bob chuckled at the bottle-nose swimming lazily across the Bills mug beside him.

His Buffalo-born wife would not tolerate his “gaudy sports memorabilia” in her kitchen, so he’d been touched last year when, with a stained glass circle, she’d acknowledged his fanatic love for the Miami team.

She’d been on the road for a week now, promoting her newest book, and the kitchen reflected his temporary bachelorhood. Faced with a sinkful of dirty dishes and an immediate need for caffeine, team loyalty had vanished with the sunrise; he’d shamelessly abandoned the Dolphins in favor of the cabinet’s sole clean mug.

 
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Posted by on December 20, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

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How do you like your philanthropists?

19 Dec

dogooder2On lo, these many Thursdays, I’ve answered a question in order to give you, my readers, a bit of insight into who I am. But today, I’m turning the tables. I have a question for you. A question inspired by the holidays, and the featured news stories in this season of giving.

I am wondering, if a person does something nice for someone else, and then tells other people about it, does that take away from the generous nature of the action? Does it then seem like the do-gooder only did it for the glory, for the praise from outside sources? Or could you believe that the do-gooder is hoping by telling humbly of his actions that others will be inspired by his example to follow in his footsteps, thereby magnifying the effect of his original deed?

I personally know people who do good things for the sole purpose of bragging about them, and while the deeds are still inarguably good, they feel tainted somehow. On the other hand, I know everyday heroes who never say a word about their actions, and I feel that if they spoke up, others would be inspired to follow their examples.

Your answers are important to me, for reasons I’ll try to explain in a future post.

Please vote, then leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2013 in Deep Thought Thursday, On Life

 

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Fruitcake and consequences

18 Dec

fruitcakeFruitcake cartoon posted on numerous websites,
not sure who gets the original credit

“Dave, it’s here! The annual fruitcake from Aunt Mable. Who should we pass it to?”

“Hmm. We’ve been fishing the newspaper out of puddles for months.”

“So, not the mechanic.”

“Or my proctologist.”

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Exactly 33 words for this week’s Trifecta challenge: Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol, wrote “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.” We are giving you exactly 33 words to make us laugh out loud and spread some festive cheer.

 
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Posted by on December 18, 2013 in Challenges, Fiction

 

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If you can’t reach me tomorrow…

17 Dec
The winning number...you saw it here first.

The winning number…you saw it here first.

I have five lottery tickets. The hubby has five. We have high hopes that we are hours away from becoming $636 million winners. If the best happens, here’s fair warning: we will drop off the grid for several months.

We’ve talked about this scenario on numerous occasions, but for much smaller jackpots. If When we win, we don’t intend to claim our prize right away. We’d like to let the dust settle, give people time to forget about the huge jackpot with the mystery winner. (Yes, winner, singular. We aren’t trying to be selfish, we just like to think positive.) Instead of heading directly to the lottery office, the hubby will stop by work to drop off his badge. Then we’re getting the heck out of Dodge via one of two escape plans.

Plan A involves renting an RV and driving leisurely around the US looking for a place to settle down with our millions. Between house-hunting and sight-seeing stops, we’ll research charities, investment opportunities, and financial planners so we can protect our windfall and help it do the most good. Once we feel our ducks are in a row, we’ll change our phone number, return home, end the anonymity, and claim our prize.

Since much of the US is currently experiencing winter weather that is not conducive to safely piloting an RV, I suspect we will actually have to implement Plan B tomorrow. First thing in the morning, we’ll be on the phone with a Cunard representative, booking ourselves on the World Cruise aboard Queen Mary 2, departing from Southampton, England, on 10 January. That’ll give us three weeks to close up the house, adopt the remaining angels on the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree at the mall, and shop for a cruise-worthy wardrobe. After 29 ports-of-call, 18 countries, and 119 afternoon teas, we’ll be ready to come forward and announce our mega-millionness.

So, if you can’t reach me tomorrow, rest easy. I’m packing my bags and dreaming big dreams. The hubby and I will resurface in a few months with a plan, ready, willing, and eager to share the wealth. Until then…

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2013 in How It Could Be

 

Domestic near-disaster

16 Dec
Not the best way to make tea...

Be careful where you drop the tea bags…

In the south, nothing says welcome home like a tall glass of sweet tea. So I cranked the stove to high, set a pot of water on to boil, and got ready to welcome.

Do you have any idea how quickly a Lipton teabag will combust when dropped onto an electric burner?

Instantaneously.

Do you know how big the flames are if ten teabags are tied together when they hit said burner?

Monstrous.

How do I know this?

Because I nearly burned down the house in that attempt to make some sweet tea. Not just any house. The brand new, paint-is-still-pristine, boxes-are-still-packed, townhouse of my then-boyfriend (now hubby, miracle of miracles). Nothing ruins the ambiance of a new home like soot stains on the ceiling and the aroma of scorched black tea layered over the fumes of just-laid wall-to-wall carpeting.

Luckily, there was no irreparable damage, and after a quick call to the insurance company to be sure his policy was up to date, the then-boyfriend (now hubby, miracle of miracles) was ready to forgive and forget.

Well, maybe not forget. The incident has come up each time I’ve unpacked the tea pitcher in a new house in the past ten years.

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Everyone has some kind of domestic disaster story, whether it’s a kitchen fire or a DIY project gone horribly wrong. If you’d like to laugh at commiserate with other people’s misfortunes, please, please check out the hilarious Domestic Disaster Diary. A slew of talented bloggers share their own near misses, creating a community of sympathy and solidarity for those of us who have good intentions but not always the best results.

 
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Posted by on December 16, 2013 in How It Was, Memoirs, Monday Mix, On Me, True Life

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Community

15 Dec

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I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a greater sense of community than when the Olympics came to London last year. It seems the entire United Kingdom was united in its excitement, support, and pride. The hubby and I had a chance to immerse ourselves in that community spirit when the relay route brought the Olympic torch to a village near us. For 70 days, on the news and finally in person, we watched as school children and shopkeepers, commoners and aristocracy, villagers and tourists all dropped everything to line the route and cheer the torch on its journey around the country.

 
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Posted by on December 15, 2013 in Challenges, Photography, Weekly Photo Challenge

 

Travel Theme: Still

14 Dec
Freezing fog coats everything, enforcing the world to stand silently at attention until the sun breaks through.
Serene stillness in an Irish churchyard.
Someone say, “You can have it,” so this poor lady can enjoy that Rolo!
Early morning serenity.
Nothing brings curious cattle to a standstill like a metal cattle grate.
Waiting in stillness for some poor, unsuspecting bird.
The calm before the dinner party.
The canal is so quiet you can practically count individual leaves in the reflection on the water.

I have so many photos that fit with Ailsa’s chosen theme of Still this week. I chose to stick with the European ones, but could do a whole other gallery from Japan. I guess my preference for shooting still subjects probably reflects my personality. I’m not still in the sense of couch potato (well, maybe sometimes), but I usually feel still on the inside, if that makes sense. I generally operate with a sense of inner stillness and peace, so I like to immerse myself in similar surroundings. And therefore I have ample opportunity to capture lots of stillness on film! 🙂

You can check out other still images by visiting Where’s My Backpack?

 
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Posted by on December 14, 2013 in Challenges, Photography

 

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