Saturday Stream of Consciousness – Prompt – “Starts with Pro”Another Saturday and another opportunity to do exactly what I want.

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 79 Comments

Another Saturday and another opportunity to do precisely nothing all day. The coffee machine reached an agreement with me to produce two cups each morning with no hesitation. In return, I agree to ensure the water tank is filled and the beans are replaced. Oh yes, there is another fine point. The toaster needs to be moved closer to the machine and left overnight. Not wanting to know stuff that I would need to drink heavily to forget, there were no questions asked.

With my hands around a steaming cup and the laptop powered, the preparation for a relaxing stroll through the daily emails is all but assured. Before opening the first email, some idiot rings the front doorbell. In order to do so, they would have to move the sign that says “Please Do Not Ring the Doorbell “away from the button. Lucy and Twiggy hit the equivalent of high C in the barking world. Immediately grabbing my phone and bringing up the image on the Ring camera. The phone projects a huge sign being held by someone with hands that can only be described as cartoon character white gloves. Whoever is behind the hands is not visible. The sign is professionally lettered and says,

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with pro.” Find a word that starts with “pro” and use it any way you like in your post. Enjoy!

If you want to enjoy, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2023/02/17/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-18-2023/

“So, who is holding the sign?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait until next week.”

“Why do you do this? You protecting someone?”

“No, I just ran out of time. I proffered too many words in the intro.”

“Proffered? That sounds like a legal term.”

“Probably. It seemed to fit.”

“And it started with ‘pro.'”

“I don’t care what they say. I think you are pretty proficient.”

“Who are they?” Promulgaters of hate?”

“Don’t get sidetracked. You were on a roll.”

“Promiscus spreaders of lies?”

“Try and come back to reality. Protect your mind from these evil thoughts.”

“I think we are out on a limb with the ‘Starts with Pro’ thingy.”

“Time to think of something more proactive.”

“Yeah, like a Voo Doo Ranger prompt.”

“Stop. Just call Uber.”

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News.

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 95 Comments

Today’s good news story comes from The Dodo on MSN. Here it is in its entirety.

Katie Graham and her service dog, Bailey, have been together for around four years now, and without him, her life would be vastly different.

Story by Caitlin Jill Anders

Camera Captures Incredible Moment Service Dog Goes Above And Beyond
© Katie Graham

“I suffer from an array of medical conditions, one of them being postual orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS),” Graham told The Dodo. “Bailey alerts to my rising heart rate prior to a fainting episode. This allows me enough time to sit and get in a safe position in case I do lose consciousness. Bailey will do what is called deep pressure therapy to help lower my heart rate and encourage blood flow. This helps keep me awake. He is able to retrieve medications, water, my phone, blanket, snacks, really anything you ask him to get. He seems to just know.”

Bailey loves helping his mom and makes sure he’s right by her side whenever she needs him. When she needs help, he does everything he’s trained to do depending on the situation — and sometimes even things he isn’t trained to do.

Recently, Graham was doing the dishes when Bailey sensed that her heart rate was rising and she might be in danger of fainting. He quickly encouraged her to sit down and grabbed her phone from the counter in case she needed to call for help. He then returned to the counter to grab her medicine, but it was too far back, and he couldn’t reach it.

That’s when Bailey did something unexpected and truly amazing. He jumped up onto the counter.

“I was surprised when he jumped on the counter, but I know in my heart he will do anything to ensure I get what I need to be okay,” Graham said. “He is very determined and does not give up. Jumping on the counter is not allowed in my house to prevent counter-surfing puppies. What Bailey did was intelligent disobedience. This means that he knows he is not allowed to jump on the counter, but he knew he absolutely had to in order to keep me safe and healthy.”

Bailey isn’t supposed to jump on the counter, but in that moment, he knew his mom needed her medicine, and that was more important than anything else. He did what he had to do in order to reach it and quickly brought it to her. Then, he opened up the fridge and got her a bottle of water to take it with.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Lucy on the Couch

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 100 Comments

“You two going to go outside?”

“Gee, mom, that cold front brought some cooler temps.”

“What do you think, Lucy. Should we go out?”

“You kidding, Little One? The wind is blowing, and it’s cozy in here.”

“I just thought we could run around and stay warm.”

“Seems to me we can lay here and stay warm as well.”

“I suppose we could grab a toy and play keep away.”

“Or pretend that the toys have all taken the day off.”

“Heaven help me. So you are saying you want to lay on the couch.”

“I must say, Little One, you have become a mind reader.”

“A mind reader? I don’t think so. I just want to play.”

“I have an idea. We can play silent and deep.”

“You two still here? Time to go outside.”

“Lucy wants to play silent and deep, whatever that is.

“Stay silent and sleep deep.”

“Alright, up and out, you two.”

“Hey, Lucy. That silent and deep thing got us tossed out. Is that a squirrel over there?”

“I underestimated mom’s desire for us to play outside. That’s no squirrel. It’s a robin. They are making their migration to the north.”

“See, it is good to be outside.”

“I suppose. A nap would have been nice too. Let’s play tag. I’ll be it.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 393a by Keith Channing

February 14, 2023February 13, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 50 Comments

In Keith’s words.

“Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before Sunday evening UK time. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here. Thank you for taking part.”

If you would like to participate go to Keith’s post at this link https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2023/02/13/kreative-kue-393a/

The photo.

“Hey, kids, look what’s on the screen.”

“What is that, daddy?”

“It’s the Taj Mahal. That’s what.”

“Wow, it looks like it’s real.”

“That’s cause it’s 3D.”

“How come we don’t have any glasses. The last time we saw 3D, we had to wear glasses.”

“I think they have made some big improvements. Since then.”

“Oh.”

“So finish your burgers, and we will go to Tomorrow Land.”

“Tomorrow Land? What’s that, dad?”

“Oh, you’ll love it. It is in the future. There are flying cars and everything.”

“Now, George. Let’s let them finish their lunch before they get worked up.”

“You are so right, dear. But, man, isn’t this trip great?”

“It is, sweetheart. Of a lifetime.”

“I wish we could stay forever.”

“Well, we have another two days.”

“That’s true. It will be fun, and then we have to head home.”

“This is the best Valentine’s Day ever.”

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“Just one thing.”

“What’s that, dearest?”

“I don’t remember locking the front door.”

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Want to Remain an Unhappy Grump

February 13, 2023February 12, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 89 Comments

The inspiration for this list is my friend Tom. He sent me an e-mail with a list of ten things to do to be happy. Of course, my schtick is “things not to do,” so I turned it around a little. I hope you enjoy the list.

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Want to Remain an Unhappy Grump

10 If you want to remain unhappy, do not take care of your health. If you don’t take care at best, you’ll have a lot to complain about. At worst, we will all be glad to be rid of you. (Not a nice thing to say at the memorial service, eh, Ralph?)

9 If you want to remain unhappy, do not engage in a hobby that you are passionate about. If you don’t engage, at best, you’ll have nothing to talk about with others. At worst, Tiny, the WWF champ, will engage you in his hobby. (Tiny loves to bounce grumpy people off hardwood floors, Ace. Is that him heading your way now?)

8 If you want to remain unhappy, do not connect with some good friends and laugh heartily. If you don’t connect, at best, the frown will become permanent. At worst, you’ll become that old guy that people call in for a welfare check. (Better put away that hash pipe Stewart. The police are checking on you again.)

7 If you want to remain unhappy, do not concern yourself with having enough income and bank balance to live comfortably. If you aren’t concerned, at best, you could collect aluminum cans. At worst, trying to make a living with that “Will Work for Food” scam is tough. (Is that snow falling, Skipper? It might be time to call it a day.)

6 If you want to remain unhappy, do not help disadvantaged people in any way you can. If you don’t help, at best, you’ll keep your Howard Hughes profile. At worse, you need not expect anyone to give you a hand when you need it. (Forget that lift to the gas station, which is only ten miles from here, Dork)

5 If you want to remain unhappy, do not travel to new places with friends and family. If you don’t travel, at best, you can keep looking at those travel magazines. At worst, you will believe your trip to the corner store is a major outing. (You want to try a different direction this time, Ferd?)

4 If you want to remain unhappy, do not listen to music you like. If you don’t listen, at best, you can hum that same tune off-key. At worst, you’ll fall for every conspiracy theory proffered on talk radio. (I see you have your new tin foil hat in place, Nerd.)

3 If you want to remain unhappy, do not take pleasure in seeing your children grow into fine individuals who do well for themselves. If you don’t take the pleasure, at best, you can cuddle that fur ball you call a cat. At worse, maybe you can apply to adopt a grandpa and take pleasure in someone else’s kids. (Of course, you have to be nice, Putz.)

2 If you want to remain unhappy, do not read a book that is of interest. If you don’t read, at best, those coloring books may help. At worse, you can stay glued to the TV and go from one mindless show to the next. (With any luck, most will be reruns. Excuse me, but does it feel like your brain is running out of your ears, Slug?)

1 If you want to remain unhappy, expect everyone to give you what you need, and do not accept what life throws at you. If you want this attitude, at best, you should not leave the house. At worst, every day will be a monumental hill of disappointment to climb. (You are the pessimist’s pessimist, Roy. I’m glad you don’t live next door to me.)

Views of the Neighborhood – Valentines and Other Stuff.

February 12, 2023February 11, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 74 Comments

Today we were going to go on a Valentine’s story walk, but due to the danger of falling limbs, from our ice storm, the walk is canceled. So we will have to do whatever we can to salvage our trip. We are catered by Olamaie in Austin. Our entertainment is Chris Isaak.

Picture of an old time school bus

So let’s go.

Our first stop is a house filled with love.

This one shows better at night. There are red up lights which you can see a little.

A wise dog with a heart headband.

Warning signs regarding falling limbs.

Yes we have deer and everyone is warned to drive carefully.

Lots of downed limbs to clean up this week.

Someone definately loves Valentines Day.

Here is the best display ever. What’s not to like about Snoopy and Minnie Mouse.

I hope you liked the brief tour and now it is time for food and music. I hope you have a great week and a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Heart.”

February 11, 2023February 10, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments

Ah, Saturday. The day that requires no intelligence or energy. The day when the mind and body take some time to themselves. The day where the agenda is free style and time a seemingly squanderable resource. It is also the day when the AI in charge of coffee has an iron grip on my heart. Begging and pleading only slows the process of turning roasted South American bush fruit into the hot, frothy, aromatic liquid that quells my addition.

It is usually a test of wills on who will crack first. The machine or me. Returning the cursed thing to the store is an idle threat. The machine knows giving up the soothing mainline caffeine delivery system would be harder than losing a limb. Pounding and cursing have little effect. There was a time when the machine shut down entirely and accused me of being technically insensitive after such an episode. Three days of shlepping to Starbucks cured me of any future violent overtures.

So how long will the wait be? There is a stirring, and low rumble followed by three sputters indicating the life-restoring fuel is about to be dispensed into my cup. Be still my beating heart; here it comes. Ten ounces of glory are delivered. Trembling hands caress and move the cup to the lips. One sip and, like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein, seeing the monster rise from the table, scream, “It’s alive.”

Linda Hill’s message hits my computer screen at my moment of ecstasy. It says Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “heart.” Use it any way you like. Have fun!

If you would like to have fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here’s the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2023/02/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-11-2023/

“What the heck was that all about?”

“We’ve been off for a month, and I thought I would reintroduce the espresso maker and its odd behavior.”

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“How’s that?”

“I thought you were having a brain bleed or something. Going on about stupid coffee.”

“Excuse me.”

“What?”

“Coffee is what starts my day.”

“Well, I think you might be a little obsessive over it.”

“Oh, not like you, of course.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Three words. VooDoo Ranger Imperial.”

“Hey, you leave my significant other out of this.”

“Listen to you.”

“Alright, I’ll give it to you. I shouldn’t talk.”

“You ought to get someone to write a song.”

“What kind of song?”

“Maybe a heartthrob country and western.”

“Why?”

“To express your affection.”

“Got a title?”

“Sure, My Heart Belongs to VooDoo.”

“You’re heartless, you know that?”

“Let me buy you one.”

“You’re forgiven. But if you’re going to buy, can we have more than one.”

“Dial Uber.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA -TGIF – Fri-Yay/Goodnews

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 77 Comments

Our Good news comes from the Goodnews Network. I have reported on this ocean cleanup system before, and now there is more good news. Here’s the story in its entirety, with major typos corrected.

Boyan Slat, Founder of The Ocean Cleanup, and Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder of Airbnb – Released

Ocean Cleanup Nonprofit Gets $25Mil From Airbnb Co-Founder to Launch Massive Plastic Pollution Cleanup.

By Andy Corbley

Feb 7, 2023

The co-founder of Airbnb.org has just donated $25 million to support the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup as they prepare to assemble and deploy the largest plastic capture system ever developed for use in the ocean.

The Ocean Cleanup’s pilot-scale ocean cleaning system, System 002, has been deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) located between Hawai’i and California since late 2021. It has so far removed close to 200,000 kilograms, or roughly 440,000 pounds, of plastic that otherwise would have remained trapped for decades or more.

This pilot system is now in the process of being scaled up to the largest, most cost-effective ocean cleaning system ever developed. It will feature a capture area of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) across and a three-vessel team that will allow it to operate 24-7.

“I’m proud to partner with The Ocean Cleanup in their crucial work to remove harmful plastics from our oceans,” said Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb and Samara. “The Ocean Cleanup has created systems and technology that actually work at scale. In order for them to deploy across our oceans and rivers, they now need to scale their funding. It is my hope that this donation can inspire others to act.”

As the only group currently cleaning the trillions of plastic pieces in the GPGP, The Ocean Cleanup has streamlined its cleaning systems to be as cost-effective as possible, allowing their entirely not-for-profit income generation and any potential donations to go far.

Dutch wiz kid and Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat has been developing the capture system for a decade and has gradually enlarged and improved it based on fieldwork harvesting plastic from the GPGP. System 03 cleans ten times faster than the previous system and could clean all the plastic patches of the world’s oceans with about 10-50 systems.

“Joe’s continued support of The Ocean Cleanup’s mission has a direct impact on our operations all over the world,” said Slat. “Thanks, in part, to his generous assistance, we are able to scale up our work in oceans and rivers, helping us reach our goal of ridding the world’s oceans of plastic. On behalf of the world’s largest ecosystem, we are immensely grateful for the support.”

Slat’s work in the GPGP will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in the 21st century. In front of him was a true leviathan of a problem—a patch of plastic trash twice the size of Texas swirling in International Waters where even the loudest climate-hollering nation-state had no desire to even crack an idea about how to clean it.

Relying only on his team and his vision of basic scientific deduction and elegant engineering solutions, Slat proved that the most absurd problem was nevertheless solvable.

His vision attracted millions in private contributions from philanthropists like Gebbia, even while government scientists sneered at his use of fossil-fuel vessels to pull the nets to capture the plastic.

Here is a photo of the system.

The good news here is that with additional funding, the oceans become closer to being cleaned. Today’s Johnku talks about this important project.

To finally conquer,

The oceans plastic problem . . .

Money speaks loudly.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy and Twiggy are Back Where They Belong

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 125 Comments

“Hey, Little One,” what’s up?”

“I’m just thinking how nice it is to be back on Thursday.”

“Yeah, now that dad has finished his book tour, we go back to normal.”

“That was some tour. How many stops did he have?”

“Let’s see. He had Twenty-six wonderful fellow writers who volunteered to host him.”

“He didn’t have to bribe anyone?”

“No. They all offered, and that is what makes the whole thing so special.”

“Well, now that we are back, what say we play?”

“Sounds good. What do you want to play?”

“Not so fast. I have to check this turf to make sure it is still the same.”

“We didn’t go anywhere. The turf should be the same. But, in fact, it was a virtual tour.”

“Well then, why don’t we thank everyone who helped Dad spread the word about his book.”

“Good idea, Little One. Here they are in order of appearance. (Left to right) The folks can click on their name and return to their post.

Pete Springer Chris Graham Mae Clair Stephen Geez

Harmony Kent Craig Boyack Beem Weeks Denise Finn

Marie Bailey Dan Antion Jan Sikes Staci Troilo

Gwen Plano Teri Polen Darlene Foster Noelle Granger

Keith Channing Joan Hall Annette Rochell Aben Marcia Meara

Geoff Le Pard Liz Gauffreau Lauren Scott Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Robbie Cheadle Diana Peach

Thank you all so much. I had a blast and hope you enjoyed it too. I know hosting takes work, and I am very grateful for your help.

The Last Drive Tour with Robbie Cheadle

February 7, 2023February 6, 2023 ~ John W. Howell

I am delighted to be with Robbie Cheadle for the last stop on the tour of The Last Drive. You can visit Robbie’s post HERE.

I enjoy following Robbie. She offers so much on her blog. There are recipes to try, book reviews to follow up on, and Children’s stories to delight a child in your life. There is always something new at Robbie’s place. In addition, Robbie works full-time as a Charted Accountant, which is the equivalent of a CPA here in the US. She is also a spouse and a mother of two boys. With all this and 25 published titles, to say she is very accomplished is an understatement.

Here is a little more about Robbie.

Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres, and her writing has been influenced by famous authors, including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has short stories and poems in seven anthologies and has two published novels:

Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy; and
A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.

Roberta has ten children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.

You can visit her Amazon Author’s page to review them all

Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa, where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and an Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.

Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written seven publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.

One of Robbie’s Books – click for Amazon.

Thank you, Robbie, for helping to spread the word about The Last Drive.

I have closed the comments, so you only feel the need to scribe once.