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Stream of Consciousness Saturday 8/16/2025 Herbal Simples #oldfashionedmedicine #herballore #herbalremedies #socs #streamofconsciousnesssaturday

Simples is an old fashioned word that refers to a medicinal preparation containing a single active ingredient. I learned about simples from my maternal grandpa, although I didn’t know that’s what they were called. He didn’t call them simples. They were simply remedies he used. I still use some of them today. Peppermint and ginger for an upset tummy Chamomile as a tea for relaxation, especially…

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Writer's Workshop 8/14/2025 - A car story in 9 sentences #cars #carrepairs #writersworkshop

I’ve been driving a trusty 2010 Chevy Malibu for ten years. Her name is Murietta, and she has 145,000 miles on her odometer. She’s endured several hail storms and mechanical issues over the years, and she’s made it through them like the queen she is. On July 8th (2025), Murietta’s power steering failed. The mechanic who works on my vehicles (50 miles away) couldn’t schedule Murietta until August…

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One-Liner Wednesday 8/13/2025 A little self-promotion #1linerweds #booksky #readingcommunity #romancebooks #indie

Drum roll… As of today, I’m officially Indie re-published with the first of my twelve books that have gone unpublished for about a year since my small-press publisher retired. The Dance – Available now in eBook. Print available September 5, 2025.     Linda hosts One-Liner Wednesday.         Kaye of the Re-published 😉

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday 8/9/2025 To Be Towed or Not to Be Towed #socs #childhoodmemories

Pixabay and Ryan Graybill photo I had a really good ‘normal’ childhood. I also learned many life lessons from my parents during my growing-up years. One of those lessons that has stayed with me to this day is this one: “Always be the tower. Never be the towee.” Let me explain. I grew up on a ranch during the mid 1950s through my high school graduation in 1973. We raised cattle and horses,…

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Writer's Workshop 8/7/2025 - Rise and Shine #writersworkshop

OpenClipart vector newsboy I am motivated to get up in the morning for five reasons. First reason: I have to go to the bathroom. (I know. TMI haha) Second reason: My dogs, despite having a doggy door to the yard, insist that I get up when my alarm goes off. They don’t believe in ‘snooze’. Third reason: My books won’t write themselves. Must. Put. Words. To. Paper/Computer screen. Fourth reason:…

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One-Liner Wednesday - A river is not going to run through it #1linerweds #onelinerweds

Pixabay – photo by hansbenn Do beavers even know that they’re doing, or do they just see water flowing down a river and think ‘absolutely not’?         Linda hosts One-Liner Wednesday.         Kaye      

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8/2/2025 Stream of Consciousness Saturday - B&J Blush Wine Coolers #nostalgia #winecoolers #socs

Today’s word ‘blush’ brought up memories of Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, which were popular in the mid-1980s. The original B&J wine coolers were produced by the Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery. The wine coolers came in a variety of fruity flavors in a wine base. In 1991, the wine was abandoned in favor or a malt base. Evidently, this had to do with increased taxes on wine. Then the wine coolers…

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Hello Friday - Website Woes #frustratedwithtechnology #HelloFriday

Image by incomible I’ve been working on setting up a WordPress ‘sister site’, for lack of a better description, to this website. I won’t blog on the new site. It will just be for my one-person publishing company to give it a digital footprint now that I’m closer to republishing my out-of-circulation books. About a year ago, my publisher retired, and I received all of the publishing rights back.…

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One-Liner Wednesday - Belly Up #1linerweds #onelinerweds

Every time the soap level gets too low, the fish goes belly up. (This is the dark version of “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.”) 😉         Linda hosts One-Liner Wednesday.        

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One-Liner Wednesday - Lift your left hand if this hurts #1linerweds #onelinerweds #dental

Funny (not ha ha) how having a tooth that is beyond root canal stage finally reaching extraction status brings such relief. (It wasn’t easy-peasy to extract my beyond-salvation infected molar. It was more like squinty-grimace lemon-squeezy. Sure glad it’s over.)  

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A to Z Challenge 2025 Reflections #atozchallenge #atozchallenge2025 #atozchallengereflections

I finished the 2025 A to Z Challenge despite encountering a glitch when Hubs decided to have an apendectomy and the hospital he was in is 175 miles, one way, from our house. I mean. How dare he? What the heck? hahahaha I managed to get caught up with the daily letter/posts in time to cross the April 30th finish line on schedule. However, once I fell behind on posting, I also lost track of…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - Z is for ZZ Top #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. Here we are at the letter “Z”.  ZZ Top brings my A to Z Challenge to a close with the song La Grange. If you’re familiar with the 1978 Broadway play and the 1982 movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, then you might know about the song La Grange, because the song is about “The Chicken Ranch” or Miss Edna’s Boarding House in La Grange, Texas aka The Best…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - Y is for Yellow Submarine #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. The “Y” song takes us on an oceanic adventure in a Yellow Submarine, where, according to the lyrics, we all live. Paul McCartney wrote Yellow Submarine with a little help from his friends. (See what I did there? haha) McCartney wanted to record a fun, children’s song that kids would pick up easily and be able to sing along with. Yellow Submarine certainly is that…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - X is for Xanadu #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. “X” is usually my problem letter for the A to Z Challenge. Not this time. X is for Xanadu. Xanadu is the title song from the 1980 roller-disco fantasy musical film Xanadu. Xanadu is a fictional nightclub in Los Angeles, California. I can’t even begin to explain the convoluted plot. The best I can do is this: There’s a strugging freelance artist who unwittingly…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - W is for Wanderer #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. The “W” song doesn’t have a particular destination, but that’s all right. It’s a fun song, albeit about a man who, if you really listen to the lyrics, has some questionable tomcat-like traits. 😉 The Wanderer is a hit song by Dion. It was released on his 1961 album Runaround Sue. The Wanderer made it into the Top Ten on several music charts in 1962. The background…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - V is for Viva Las Vegas #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. The “V” song is iconic Elvis – Viva Las Vegas – from the 1964 movie of the same title. This song is a real toe-tapper that gets a person movin’ and groovin’. 😉 The movie Viva Las Vegas was Elvis’ most successful financially of his 31 films. Presley didn’t ever perform the song live. When Viva Las Vegas was released as a single in 1964, it was the A side song with…

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A to Z Challenge 2025 - Going Places in Song - U is for Princes of the Universe #atoz2025 #atozchallenge

My theme is Going Places in Song. Before I get to the “U, V, and W” songs that I haven’t posted yet, I must explain that I got off schedule, because my husband had an appendicitis attack Wednesday night. He went by ambulance to a hospital with surgical facilities 200 miles from where we live. We have a hospital in our little town, but it serves as a stabilizing hospital and patients are either…