January 11--Can I Stay Forever?

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. 
--Earl Wilson

    Yesterday's post was short because I literally was awake all the night before. Fortunately I had a good book to read. I was serenaded all night by a Westminster chime clock going off every 15 minutes. I did not think this would bother me, as I grew up in a house with this every-quarter-hour chime. I thought I could rely on my childhood ability to ignore it, but that did not work. So I spent the day lazing in the pool and took a nap. I was not cranky, just kinda dopey. It was a relaxed day at the "Hill Resort" and we capped it off with Rummikub. 

    Last night the chime was turned off and I slept great. The weather has turned cooler (high in the low 60s), so I may be the only one brave enough to get into the 94-degree pool. It may be a good day for a walk on the beach. 

    There is an Underwater Museum of Art here, the "first permanent underwater sculpture garden in the U.S." It is at a depth of 58 feet, about a mile off shore. Besides the joy of art and diving, the website offers this:

The sculptures quickly attract a wide variety of marine life and, over time, metamorphize into a living reef. This eco-tourism attraction not only entices art lovers and divers from around the country and around the globe, it provides a much-needed habitat for local marine life and fisheries as well as providing marine scientists, wildlife management professionals, ecologists, and students with an opportunity to study marine life and measure the impact of artificial reef systems on the Gulf ecosystem.

    I won't be doing any diving, but I love the idea! Creativity at its finest!

        Leta

Eco-Bug by Priscilla D'Brito,
one of the underwater sculptures

January 10--Arrived!

I'm just taking up a brief amount of space this morning. We are safely in Panama City Beach. I'll write more tomorrow. 

        Leta

January 9--I'd Like to be an Ostrich

The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide.  --Hannah Arendt

    Today I am flying to Florida for a week's vacation with three girlfriends. We shall eat, drink, be merry and play games, all to excess. We shall laugh a lot. We shall burp and fart and giggle about it. We shall laze in the heated pool even though the temps may be chilly. I am seriously hoping to avoid for a few days any further news of our country's steep downhill slide and the lying and deceiving cowards that are supporting it. 

        Leta 

January 8--"Now matters are worse." Yoda

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.  --Yoda

    I feel like that small one. His words are playing out as I type. My feelings of powerlessness are close to overwhelming. What is happening makes no sense to me, the complete abandonment of moral integrity to greed and the desire for power. I'm clinging to my prayer for immediate eternal bliss for the lying, perverted sack-of-shit that is our POTUS. 

        Leta

January 7--Fun Ahead!

This would be a good day to choose to bring our divine vitality wherever we go. We leave our mark, however slight it may appear. Will we bring wholeness, vigor and inspiration?  --Margaret Stortz

    So there is this nasty "help" provided by AI when I'm writing the blog. I just typed "Margaret" and it changed it to "Mary aren't." What?!!? I can't find any way to turn off this "feature." I will be the first in line to say that I don't want anything to do with AI. Why don't we do something about grossly wide-spread human stupidity before we tear off into artificial "intelligence"?

    Back to divine vitality... my chances to spread mine around today will be in pickleball and assorted errands, including paint shopping for my newest creation. Pickleball play is with random partners who tend to say "sorry" when they screw up. My reply is, "It's a game!" Most of us who play at this time and place are older, and I'd bet that once we are out the door, none of us can remember how many games we played or whether we won or lost. Simply stated, the purpose is FUN. After pickleball I will have the great joy of playing with the paint sample strips at Lowe's. I'm like a kid in a candy shop with all those colors in front of me. 

    Playing and painting--I'm happy to share my divine vitality! 

        Leta

January 6--Really, Nothing Should Surprise Us

Five years ago today was the most shameful day in American history. 
--Robert Reich

    Geez!!! I should have saved yesterday's "venom" post for today, the 5th anniversary of the Capitol attack instigated by DJT. 

    I saw this phrase somewhere in my reading: "critical ignoring." We need that skill now more than ever. I'm trying to do this more often: read the headline and ask myself, "Will I feel better after reading this?" Generally the answer is "NO!" so I move on. I do have a couple of writers I especially like, including Reich and Heather Cox Richardson. I have never been a history buff, but Richardson delivers history in interesting and comfortable ways.    

    Slowly climbing out of the negativity pit, 

            Leta

January 5--Preferring Expiration over Inspiration, in this Case

Lord, Lord, how subject we old men are to this vice of lying! 
--William Shakespeare

    I want to give credit where credit is due, noting that our current President is extremely skilled in at least one area. His super-power is inspiring hate. I received a SPAM text yesterday that said, "Your social security went to pay an illegal immigrant's college tuition." I kid you not!!! I am fully aware that hating is not good for anyone or anything, but I would be lying (like our POTUS) if I said that I felt no hate. I hate that there are people stupid or ignorant or greedy enough to believe his lies and continue to support him. I hate that our Kansas Republican Congressmen have no balls whatsoever to stand up to him and do what is right. I despise all the threats that have been issued and the unlimited desire for vengeance. Everyone who supports DJT is a traitor to our country, and don't even think there is any connection between being a DJT supporter and being Christian--those are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. I hate that DJT is even still breathing. I will be one of the first to start singing the Munchkins' tune, "Ding, dong, the witch is dead!" on the glorious day that he moves on from his mission of destroying the United States. I am embarrassed to be a U.S. citizen. 

    I generally try to hang on the side of love and hope, but now and then I need to vent.

        Leta