G is for gladiator

I don’t know why sword fighters interest me so much but they have for years.  I’m a huge fan of King Arthur and have almost every book written about him.  Knights were so courageous and chivalrous.  I can’t help myself when it comes to that era.  I would never want to live in medieval times, but I love reading about them.  Life was never dull for a knight.  They lived dangerously and were lucky to survive many battles without being wounded or killed.  I think times back then were pretty lawless with crazy people taking things into their own hands.  But throughout history and into present day, people have always been that way to a point.  Look at the Wild West with all the outlaws.  And people today that place bombs in busy places to maim or kill a lot of unsuspecting people, or go to workplaces and schools and start shooting.

 Gladiators from Wikipedia

 

I’m sure most of the medieval battles were over land, or as revenge, but I wonder how many people were just downright crazy back then and no one thought about mental illness.

 My new gladiator sandals

 

Anyway, I’ve always wanted a pair of gladiator sandals, so I finally bought some.  I’ve had a lot of issues with athlete’s foot lately because I have to wear socks and sneakers to work and I work a lot.  My feet like to be out and to breathe, so I always wear flip-flops, or go barefoot in the summer.  Due to my home remedies trying to get rid of my athlete’s foot, I caused a giant blister on my big toe, so I can’t wear flip-flops for a while.  That prompted me to go out and get the gladiator sandals.  I think I’ll be wearing them a lot this year.

Further education

I’m all for this and take classes all the time.  I have no desire to go to college.  I don’t think it’s worth it cost wise, plus you’re never guaranteed a job after you get out with a degree.  But I do believe in educating yourself beyond high school, if something comes along that you’re interested in and that isn’t going to leave you in debt afterwards.

I’m very interested in writing and other artistic pursuits and always have been.  I wonder why I haven’t taken any art classes because that was my favorite class in school.  But I have taken classes on writing, as well belonging to a writer’s group while living in California.  That was extremely helpful because we all critiqued each other’s work.  I do miss that here and tried to get a group started, along with a friend, but that didn’t work out as not enough people here have any interest in writing.

Since then I’ve been on my own.  I’ll do almost anything in the interests of my writing, so I always jump on things that will help me to keep it realistic.  Firsthand experience is invaluable and always way better than reading about it in a book, although I so read a lot.

I took a computer class too because I use my computer daily to write, edit, or rewrite.  I needed to understand Word and Photoshop. 

Fencing class

I once took a fencing class because I was writing a fantasy novel and wanted to know what it was like to hold a sword and defend yourself against your opponent.  Of course, we didn’t use broad swords like they used in medieval times, but I think it still gave me the experience of being attacked that I could use in my writing.

From Police Dept Facebook page

Right now I’m involved in a class at the local police department.  I want to learn a lot more about the protocol used by the police.  Its research for the mystery series I’m writing.  So far the class has been amazing and more than I could have asked for.  I’m so glad I signed up for it and would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.  I don’t know how much information I’ll use in my books, but I certainly understand the workings of the police department better.

I’m sure this won’t be the last of my further education.  Knowledge is power.  I always like to learn things I didn’t know.  If you have the opportunity to take classes in the community where you live, I highly recommend that you do.  

E is for Email

I Have Email Overload

Boy do I get a lot of that!  I don’t know about any of you, but I am a terrible offender about emailing myself links that I just don’t have time to read right now.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to rush through things all the time because life sure would be easier, but then I probably wouldn't accomplish much each day either.  I guess some of these things can be a double-edged sword.

I love all the new technology we have these days.  I can’t imagine the world without the internet and email.  And to think that only a few years ago, I thought the fax machine was such a marvelous invention.  I guess that's really showing my age.

Today you can find out anything about anything on the internet.  Sometimes I wonder who had all the time to type up all that stuff.  Keeping in touch has never been easier either.  With email, the recipient gets it instantly, not like a letter that may take a week to arrive.  Then they can answer you in their own time, making it convenient for everybody and better than picking up the phone sometimes.

I spend hours every day at my computer because writing books takes a lot of time.  It's so nice to know if I have to search for a fact; it's right at my fingertips, just a click or two away.  The only problem with this is I usually find myself sidetracked by other info I want to read, and I really wasn’t looking for just then.  So hence, more email to me from me.  Having 4500 emails in my inbox, at any given time, is a common thing for me.  However, this presents another daunting task.  I have no extra time to go through them, yet I can’t break myself from this habit.  Maybe there is a “Computer-a-holics Anonymous,” with an email division that I can join.

I'm excited to see where we are in twenty years.  Of course, by then maybe I’ll be too old to care, but technology is exciting.

This is re-blogged from a post I did in 2013.  The same situation still applies with my email.

Desert Color

April is the most beautiful month in the desert.  Everything is in bloom.  The colors are all so bright and vivid.  It’s hard to imagine that plants can actually thrive in the desert climate.  It amazes me every year when I see all the blooms along the roadways.  The desert is full of wildlife too.  I always feel so sorry for them having to endure such miserable conditions all the time.  I think the desert would be a nice place to visit in April.  I’m not sure why anyone would want to live here full time.  Of course, the poor critters have no choice.  But people do and yet I’ve been here almost thirteen years.  What’s wrong with me?

 Paloverde tree in my yard

 

Cactus and other desert shrubs all thrive in this arid climate that can be below freezing during the winter months and hot as a firecracker in the summer.  Usually we go from summer to winter and vice versa, but if we’re lucky, we actually get a short spring and fall that lasts long enough to enjoy some days with the windows open.

 Lady Bank's Rose in my front yard (a bit out of focus)

Some winters we get a couple of skiffs of snow, but this year we’ve had a lot of rain and because of that everything is so green.  This little bit of water is enough for the desert landscape to put on its magnificent display for us to see. 

The trail behind my house 

By May the flowers will dwindle and the first of the hot, dry weather will be here.  But we do have a few bloomers all year, such as the sage bushes and the chaste trees that bloom in intervals and usually about four times a year.  Those along with the cactus are hardy enough to withstand 115 degrees and strong, gusty winds, as well as the teens and twenties in the winter.

 Cactus blooming on the parkway and behind us in the desert

More desert blooms along the parkway

 

The winds can be brutal blowing away anything in their path.  All my water pans have rocks in them to keep them anchored in place during the wind storms, which also kick up a lot of dust.  It’s impossible to keep the house clean because the red sand seeps in every crack and under the windowsills.  Despite this dusty mess, sometimes the breeze feels so good that I want to open the windows.  The stiff breezes can happen all year long, but in summer and fall they’re a great reprieve from the scorching heat.  I always know when it’s over 105, without looking at the thermometer, because going outdoors is like stepping into a blast furnace.  I always feel it burning my skin.  However, this is still preferable to me instead of the cold.  I don’t do well at all if it’s 40 degrees or below.  Heck, even 40 is too cold for me. 

 One of our spectacular sunsets

 

Somehow we always get the most beautiful sunsets here too.  I’m not sure why this is the only place I’ve ever lived that has breathtaking colors at sunset.  Maybe it’s just the desert conditions.  I could ponder that a while and probably still not know the answer.

I have thousands of pictures.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the few I wanted to share.

Mysterious and wonderful cats

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as cats are concerned.  I love everything about my furry felines.  I’ve had them all my life and I’m sure if I live to be an old woman I’ll always be surrounded by cats. 

It all started out on the farm where I was raised in south Texas.  We had many cats there that were mousers, but we also had some favorites among the group of forty-two that called our farm home.  We named the favorites.  We lived near the main highway and people going by would drop cats off from time-to-time.  Naturally, they multiplied over the years, even though some wondered off, got run over, or drowned by the torrential rainstorms. 

But there was always something mysterious about the cat that intrigued me.  They’re aloof and independent and definitely live life there way, all the things I aspired to do when I grew up. 

 This is what Max looked like

Well once I was off the farm and in my own house; it wasn’t long before I had a cat to keep me company.  He was a yellow kitten that one of my sisters gave me.  I called him Max.  Max went everywhere I did and was the most traveled cat I’ve had in my adult life.  He lived in four different states and put me through turmoil when he got out of the house while I was living in Alaska.  My grandmother was visiting me at the time and wasn’t used to house cats, so she felt awful about letting him out.  We looked all over for him.  I’m sure he was snickering at us from the bushes nearby.  Max did come home after a few hours.  I imagine he decided he had it pretty good indoors after all. 

Koki

Sukie

Wizard

 

 

Tootie

Comet

 Ceaser

Raven

Since that time back in the 70’s I’ve owned lots of cats, each with their own personalities.  The crazy things they do really make me laugh.  I’ve lived with daredevils and curious little rascals.  Kitten hood can be a disaster when they’re exploring because everything is “new” and a possible toy.  This is a sign to pick up all the breakables and start thinking like a cat.  They manage to jump to incredible heights, get trapped in the weirdest places (and always in the middle of the night) and bring all sorts of things to bed.  One of my cats actually fished the drainer basket out of the kitchen sink one night and I woke up with that thing in the bed the next morning.

This is Raven.  All cats love sinks.

 The four pictures above are Koki when she was younger.  She still does these things though.

They can sound like a heard of elephants running when they're chasing each other upstairs, or perhaps like bowling balls rolling across the floor.  The can scare me to death when they walk the railing on the banister, or make giant leaps to see if they can go someplace off-limits.  And of course a sack, or any other container, is never safe in the house for long.

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing.  They always love me too and never make a fuss about anything I do.  They’re there to comfort me if I’m sick and very intuitive about things.  I could go on and on, but I think I’ll post a couple more pictures.

Koki napping on my computer

 

Comet in a box.  Boxes and sacks are always the cat's meow.

 

Raven loves to get in the garbage bag when I'm changing the cat litter.

And cats love to cram themselves into spaces.  Raven and Sukie are below. 

Thanks for reading.

 

The amazing blueberry

Blueberries are small fruit that have a sweet taste and a dark blue color when ripe.

Blueberries grow on bushes and are harvested in North America starting in May and lasting through the summer.  In Australia, fresh blueberries are available about ten months of the year (from July through April) due to the geographic spread of the blueberry farms and the methods of cultivation.  Harvest in the UK is from June to August, while in Mexico it’s from October to February.

Blueberries are traditionally harvested by hand using a special rake, but modern farmers use machines. 

Blueberries can be sold fresh, or processed and made into juice, jam, wine, pies, muffins, snack foods or added to breakfast cereals.  Of course, as we all know, fresh is better because processing does diminish some of the health benefits of any food.

Blueberries are high in B vitamins, but also contain protein, the minerals manganese and potassium and vitamins C and K.  They also contain anthocyanins, polyphenols, and phytochemicals, which are antioxidants that can boost brain power, help dry skin and may prevent some cancers. 

I always throw frozen blueberries into my breakfast smoothies.

What’s so special about apples?

We’ve all heard the saying “an apple a day will keep the doctor away.”  I always eat apples daily, but I decided to research this and found there is some truth to this old saying.

Some other fruits have individual properties to help your health, but apples have them all.  Plus, they’re easy to pick up and eat, so if you’re in a hurry there’s no excuse not to be healthy.  Here are some of the benefits of eating apples.

They contain vitamin C, which helps our immune system.  A lot of people lack enough vitamin C.

They help to prevent heart disease.  The reason is that they contain flavonoids, which are antioxidants.

They’re low in calories with the average apple containing between 70 and 100 calories.  This is the better way to go when you’re craving candy.  Apples do contain some sugar, but only about a fourth as much as a candy bar.

They help prevent cancers.  Apples target multiple cancers, such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Apples contain phenols, which reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.

They prevent tooth decay.  The juice in apples contains properties that can kill about 80 percent of the bacteria in your mouth.  Bacteria are what cause tooth decay.  An apple a day should also keep the dentist away.

Apples protect your brain from brain diseases.  Apples have phytonutrients and those help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Apples give you healthier lungs according to research done at the University of Nottingham.  If you eat five or more apples a week you can lower respiratory problems, even such things as asthma.

Apples taste great.  They are crunchy and delicious and come in a wide array of flavors and colors, so you can easily find a favorite among the long list.  Have I inspired some of you to run to the market and stock up on apples?