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Dear Gentle Readers,

I have to go for abit. No - nothings wrong. I'm fine. So's my family. I've just got a lot that I need to do this week and if I get on the computer, I'll spend my time writing and looking instead of getting my work done. That's the sum of it.

Anyway, while I'm gone, I thought that you might like to read a book that I just finished. The book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, was written by Fannie Flag in the late 1980's and is about an area that I know well.  Ms. Flagg is from the south just like I am and she's captured the "music" of the language and the environment of the old south in a truthful but not hurtful way. The story is about two different times in Birmingham, Alabama and about the town folks of Whistle Stop.  It's a good story and at the end there are recipes for fried chicken and biscuits and beans and well not only will you hear the words, you can try the food too. Since there are folks reading my blog from different  parts of the world, I thought that you might like get a taste of where I'm from. Next to the book, The Secret Lives of Bees by Sue Monk Kid , there's not a more gentle book about hard times.







Yes, I know,  there's a movie adaptation of both, but read the books. Okay?

I kind of wish that I was able to swap the stories of where we each are from. Thing is I've just about given up finding out who reads what I write. But- I haven't given up on writing the words that you'll read. It's just that I'll be gone for the next week.  So get hold of the book (or books) and give it (or them) a read while I'm gone.. I imagine that you might find it online or in your local library. When I get back I'll tell you about what I've been up to.

Enjoy the puzzles,

Hugs,

AuthorAnn


Note. It's been raining and Fried Green Tomatoes... is the book I've been reading in the rain. We're in the hot season of the year. The sky gets so hot in the afternoon "she" can't stand it so she cries in her sorrow and we get rain. Can't do much outside.  I crawled into bed and read and read. I love reading while it's raining. The air gets still and then cool. A breeze comes up. The sound of single rain drops turn into a kind of white noise. If I could, I'd read all afternoon in the rain on a porch like the one my PawPaw built for my MawMaw. There I'd sit out on the glider where you could smell the Russian Olives and ozone. After a while, the sound of the rain seems to disappear into a kind of white noise and there's just the story and my imagination. This afternoon was a treat. I wish that you could have been there. :)
This last part's for Newt if she ever reads this.

And for something I'm told is old school southern -

Fa so la singing from north Alabama.  My dad tells the story of being a kid, years and years and years ago,  standing in the town square and hearing folks Fa So La singing. Also known as "shape note" singing, the notes are in geometric shapes rather than the quarter, half, and whole note notation that we use today. Each note in the Fa So La scale is given a name from the generic scale of  "do", "rae", "me", "fa", "so", "la",  "te", and "do" that are sung instead of words. (Although I noticed that in this song there was first the Fa So La singing and then the melody with lyrics. Go figure. )

I'm told it's of this place where I live.



Gotta go. Hugs 2u, Ann,

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Keep calm

and

Carry on.

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Please note.

I'm not really an RSA fanatic.  I like the LLS and some of the Youtube clips suit what I'm writing about. I watch and I'm entertained and I can riff on what I see but the world is big.


CF is NOT the center of my universe.


.That honor goes to my son.


.Carry on.


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"SX VBX DPOINOTVWWG MVDXR SNIU V ZXBNXZ PM JBXVI

PAAPBITONINXZ LBNWWNVOIWG RNZJTNZXR VZ NOZPWTLWX

ABPLWXCZ."

- HPUO S. JVBROXB

and that is what I really like about the LLS.

It's not what they have.

It's what they do - or rather have done - with what they have.

There comes a time in life when you realize that not everything you face is in your control.

BUT

How you deal with it is.

I'm not overly fond of the sexual inuendos or the vaudvillian "Wink, wink, nod, nod."  but I am always delighted with the cerebral nature of the show.  It's the times, when the thrust and the parry are blunted with humanity, that I smile and laugh out loud.

Any lout can return an uncomfortabble situation with  mindless anger but only a quick mind can return it with sharp humor.

That's worth a begrudging admiration.


Do'tcha think?

:D

Just sayin'.

The next cryptoquote goes with the twitter that got you here.

Hugs.

AuthorAnn

Dogs are a barkin'. Got to go see who's here.

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LOL

 

"Rl  hfwrwyg,  X  qmraqccj  gl  row  roxyb :  X  oqsw

 

rowfwvlfw  lycj  hfwrwygwg  rl  hfwrwyg."

 

 

 

- TQMDAWN GWFFXGQ

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Honey, you gotta' love a man who can dance...


LOL. It wasn't until I saw this video that I actually believed that Mr. Ferguson has had some kind of dance training.

Also.

It was the first time that I wondered who this guy is in real life.


And well the thought did occur - I mean you'd have to be stone cold frigid not to wonder - because I've seen guys dance that don't have - well- something - who couldn't get up on the horse much less ride.... I did wonder.

Wow.

. Hi ya. If you read 12dots you know ...
contains the Zen moment but honest it would be tough to find another more illuminating moment.


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"Hgq  jga'f  xnei fg mqkkip fg vi n sgif;

njgoimliali zm iagqrx mqkkipzar kgp nahgai."

Dgxa Lznpjz

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Forgot how much I really liked this song.


Hmm Howdy. Hope things are good with you Gentle Reader. It's still hot. It's still trying to rain every evening (not complaining as we really do need the rain and afternoon or evening rain works except for the problems with not burning off so maybe an early morning rain might work -- LOL I love a good run on sentence. Anyway.
Things are good.

Pup got to go see the space shuttle launch. Had a great time and saw a bit of history. He's happy.

I'm reading a new book that I got from the Dollar General. If you don't know what a Dollar General is, it's like the old 5 and dime stores only now everything costs a dollar or more. It's got 365 things, that if you do them, should make you happy. #3 says that aromatherapy is our friend. I agree. I honestly think that's why God created The Bath and Body Works. To lift our spirits with lovely sent. In case you are wondering, I smell like a conbination of White Citris (lotion) and Japanese Cherry Blossom. In other words, I smell lovely and spirit is suitably lifted.

It's on sale (75% off), sold online, and I love a present.

Just saying,

Hugs and smooches,

AuthorAnn

PS Why yes I am writing. Gone low tech with paper and pencil. I miss the speed of recording, the spell check, and the ability to cut and paste but some how I'm surviving. It's just easier. I do check in on the Twitter. www.twitter.com/GoatHerderBoy Follow me there and I can DM.

. Hi ya. If you read 12dots you know ... to click  for Zen moment.
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Well to begin with?

Hello.


Scroll to next post then click there. Thanks.



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. Hi ya. If you read 12dots you know ...   to click me



God speed and safe journey to the crew of the Atlantis and all who go to see her on her way.

Hugs to Pup for his most excellent self.

That said -


Write alittle.
Write alot.
Write nothing for a while.

This is NOT an inactive blog.

Thanks and hugs,

AuthorAnn

PS I'm putting the most important Zen moment here. The folks who designed all the equipment and who flew all the ships at one point all had the feeling of stepping past the known into the future. The could have stayed at home safe. The could have tucked away their dreams in a closet saying, "How can I?" The didn't. That is the Zen of this life. To dare to dream and then to dare to take a chance on that dream coming true. The moment that Atlantis leaves the ground I will be so proud to hear this. It's such an amazing thing to fly. It's such an amazing thing to go farther.

I hope that I remember that possibility in my own life. So to Pup.

Pup has that ability to "fly" in his heart and in his mind. To see the future.

He's born to fly. Me too. My Dad and my Mom. Even WB even though he doesn't really believe it yet.

That's a pretty good Zen moment.

Hugs, Newt and Lexi. Hugs to WB and Pup. Hugs to the fella who said, "Go have fun with your son."

It's good to be born to fly.

Hugs.

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'Chicken Catch - a -torie
Chicken Frick -a - seee.
Come here, Grilled Chicken.
You look like lunch to meeeeee."



WB and Pup have named the "supposed to be hen but sure acts like a rooster so if it is a hen it's either a very type A hen or a lesbian chicken" hen, Grilled Chicken. Actually after today they've named them all. Each of them are named after chicken recipes. There's even a song. That's the words to the song up there.

Help.

If you're a member of PETA or perhaps a vegan?
You probably aren't going to be thrilled about this post.


If you read the previous post, you know that last night we had guests. Emmie, our amazing climbing dog, and the 5 chickens (one who turns out to be either a rooster or a lesbian chicken), are all sitting politely in the bathroom with the exhaust fan doing triple duty. They're still our house guests. I wrote about it here . Mister Music please, "Uh , Dad, Mom's eating chocolate frosting out of the jar again...

It started to rain again just after I'd put the water and food in the chicken enclosure and right before I put out the chickens. This isn't just any kind of rain. It's the kind where the wind blows and the lightening goes nuts and so does Domi. Anyway, I tried to put Emmie back in the kennel, it's raining, the other pups got out, then Emmie climbed the fence AGAIN. I'm covered in dog hair and mud but can't take a shower until it stops with the lightening.

Here we are, once again, all one big happy animal/human family.

"Bwak, Supper Chicken - oops, I mean - Super Chicken.  I need a barn."

Soggy yay.

Ann

PS I don't know how Emmie learned to climb the kennel fence. I didn't teacher her but she looked mighty pizzed when I put her back outside after being inside on her own rug. Can't blame her for being annoyed. I would bring her inside but I just don't have any more room.

"Lord, I really do need a barn. Or, with all the rain? Maybe an ark."

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Mister Music please,




"Uh , Dad, Mom's eating frosting out of the jar again."

Dear Gentle Reader,

I hope you had a great day and will have an even better evening. We had a pretty good day. The people we met were nice and we actually had a couple of surprises that I'd never have guessed.

Then we came home and had a few more.

Tonight, in addition to moving the 5 chickens from their outside pin into their inside box for when it rains (re storms) and comforting one pup who literally hides under the covers when it storms, we are also entertaining a "guest".   Emmie, one of our outside dogs, has gotten out of her kennel 3am night before last, yesterday am, yesterday pm, and tonight. I've been at a loss as to how one 15 pound dog could get out of a enclosure 8 feet high. We looked for holes and we looked for unlocked kennel doors and well nothing. Tonight we found out that she can climb. If Pup hadn't seen it and told me I'd thought it was a joke. Alas no joke. It would seem that my little pup has skills worthy of David Letterman's stupid pet tricks.  She can  climb up the side of the kennel (all eight feet of it), jump over the top and then jump the 8 feet down to doggie freedom. Since it's raining outside and I can't take a chance that she'll climb out again, I've put her in the now crowded bathroom along with the chickens, turned off the light and prayed to God for a thunderstorm so that my other pup, Domi, will stay under the covers and away from Emmie. For the record, Domi doesn't hate Emmi. She just doesn't care for the competition.

If I'm lucky?  The chickens will roost, Domi will stay under the covers, and Emmie will bed down on the rug;  they'll all go to sleep.

I hope.  At the moment the other inside dogs are barking at the bathroom door. So much for Emmie going to sleep.


As for me?

I'm going to take a hot shower and watch MASH (movie not the tv show). I'm pretending this is Noah's Ark and the dear Lord himself has commanded all the furry and feathery creatures to get along.

I'm also asking God for a barn.

Will let you know if there was any doggie or chicken or doggie and chicken carnage during the night.

Happy Independence Day.





Roll with it.

Love and kisses,



Author Ann



For Zen moments go here  too important to just bury in th...

"... ...     to find  them ,  

Or go back to the blog post you were reading  . 'Chicken Catch - a -torie Chicken Frick -a - seee...

Otherwise?  Go here http://12dotsandablot.blogspot.com

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As a reminder.



of why you don't get too close to anyone too fast.

LOL. I really should know better.

Zen moment?

Check the comments. If you've been reading you know where.

I only look back to remember. To keep my heart safe.

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Zen moment was too important to just bury in the comments.


For Pup.
For WB.




And as a reminder to me.


Scroll to next post it will tell you what Zen day it is and what the other Zen moment was. It came very early this AM

It's Day 40 Day 9, Zen/No More Sisyphus so you'll know.

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                                      "...
 

..."

. Hi ya. If you read 12dots you know ... to click

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Hi ya.

If you read 12dots you know that I've been trying a bit of an experiment. For the last month, I've kind of thrown out the list of those things "to do" in favor of an "already done" list of accomplishments. In 31 days I've finally started doing the things that are important to me instead of the list of "expecteds". I can do that now. It's been a bit like closing my eyes and jumping into life.  In the past 31 days the list of things done has grown much faster than I'd thought. The decisions that I make now are quicker and much clearer than before this experiment. LOL, I value my time more than I did before. While it's a bit of an adjustment for some family members, Pups prospered from it and has been adding to his own "already accomplished" list.



I thought that I might write online about it as I did over the last month, however,  Pup's asked me for my help and - well - there are only so many hours in a day. I'm not sure that I can record the process and do it at the same time. At first, I thought that I might just for go writing on the blog all together but then I thought of Twitter. By it's very nature, Twitter is designed to be short comments on the month, the week, the day, or the minute's event.  I can write longer posts on the blog but I can keep a kind of outline of the process much easier on Twitter.  This will allow me to actually live my life and help Pup with what he'd like to do and still write about it.

That's what I intend to do.

Just like writing a daily haiku would allow me to write daily but still be involved in a very active life process, the Twitter entries will allow me to write about my life and still actually live it. I might even use the Tweets to communicate with WB and Pup. (Note: I doubt if WB would be interested but Pup might. Pup's interest would be half the process and double our fun.)

Please note that I'll still be writing here in the comments.  THIS ISN"T AN INACTIVE BLOG>>>

Well that's pretty much what's up. Still will do the Zen moments in this blog but I meant what I wrote in the previous blog post about a change in course but still the same way point.

Hugs,

AuthorAnn

PS  I recommend the Give Your Stress A Rest/Zen Experiment.  The moments of quiet introspection aren't  selfish. On the contrary, life is so "loud" that the responsibilities can drowned out your own voice.  Make sure that what you chose is moral and legal and considers your family but don't let that "to do" list that they give you to do overwhelm who you are.

Hugs.

Notes from the field are on Twitter unless noted. I'm not leaving just taking a very welcome chance to spend time with Pup, the farm, and the boat.  That is a very good thing.

And Newt? I wonder at what you must think at my use of the words Zen?

Good and kind thoughts. Hugs.

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Pup?
Such a thing is love of the person who is so many ways has defined, confined and yet liberated me.
It's not easy but watching you has made me believe in miracles.
I love you kiddo.

Mom
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.This just in.

Is it just me or do these two look exactly alike?


LOL


Reclusive copper heiress

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110623/us_yblog_thelookout/reclusive-copper-heiress-leaves-38-million-to-nurse#mwpphu-container


Reclusive American Idol winner

http://popwatch.ew.com/2006/12/06/taylor_and_pari/

What tha' heck??

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Once upon a time... over at Oz... no not that one... the one over on the corner of 34th and Main... yeah, that one...


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Already Done List

Day 32 of Zen and Day 1 of Life Without Sisyphus

Starts here in comments. D




HuH?

Go here if you don't know

. For the summer, you can find the the next step here...


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