Literature Network Forums - Blogs - Entre Nous ;) by tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?59999-Entre-Nous-) The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:08:15 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg Literature Network Forums - Blogs - Entre Nous ;) by tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?59999-Entre-Nous-) Looking Forward by Looking Back https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15590-Looking-Forward-by-Looking-Back Thu, 22 Sep 2022 07:43:53 GMT A little something for our Thursday at Two Poetry group today, a week after a week's postponement due to the Mosquito Fire threatening our foothill communities... at least it gave me something to write about... lol ?

Our challenge was something in the form:
aaa bbb ccc ddd... so, tercets with a rhyme scheme, or some such. Hope I got it right:

[indent]Evacuation 9/8/2022 (Mosquito Fire)

Spent a few nights away from the Divide
Wife on holiday; Daughter: Auburn side
Me on a cot until I could decide...

There's lots to think when you're at a shelter
Where everyone's gone bat - helter-skelter
With Summer heat that just make you swelter

With two cats and an overloaded car
Full of crucial "stuff" I couldn't let char
Wishing I still had my Lotus guitar

For what a fine tune I could wrassle up
Set my sad kitties down next to a cup
People would huck their dollars and dimes - yup

But I never did learn to play, so guess
I'll have to internalize my distress
And suck up my sorrows - nevertheless...

Nah, was lucky leavin' on a warning
Few days later with no more forewarning
Home before I had looters to mourning

Unpacking (yeesh) worst than packing it in
Still, the fire, at the time, looking 'fin'
I'd considered this homecoming a win

Yes, there were flare-ups to scare in new ways
With apps at hand, and out the pasture gaze
I'd sensed the end of the Mosquito blaze[/indent[

~~~~~~~~~

Fired up the wood stove these past few nights
Which is odd for late summer rain delights
- The Mosquito fire wanes in its heights

Folks upcountry allowed last to go home
Those most dispossessed continue to roam
Give thoughts to the critter, færie, and gnome

We've been blessed from the wrath of destruction
This time, a reprieve from reconstruction
These foothill haunts remain a seduction

9/22/2022

Entre nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15590-Looking-Forward-by-Looking-Back <![CDATA["It's always something" - Roseann Roseanna Danna]]> https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15587-quot-It-s-always-something-quot-Roseann-Roseanna-Danna Thu, 08 Sep 2022 23:47:53 GMT *Well... getting ready to evacuate due to the Mosquito Fire here in the Gold Country. Large smoke plumes very visible and our neighboring town of... Well... getting ready to evacuate due to the Mosquito Fire here in the Gold Country. Large smoke plumes very visible and our neighboring town of Georgetown, CA is already under evacuation orders... we're about 5 miles as the crow flies away, but fires up here move with tremendous speed in our drought stricken, heat wave infested area - up to 20 miles a day in a worst case scenario..

We haven't received an advisory here yet, but getting prepared.

Luckily my wife is still on holiday, she was on her way home, so she's safe hopefully in Nevada with family and not on her way here.

Packing up pictures and stuff... I'll post as I can.

Feeling calm and optimistic... even took the trash down for pick-up tomorrow morning :)

Entre nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15587-quot-It-s-always-something-quot-Roseann-Roseanna-Danna let magic begin https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15583-let-magic-begin Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:54:40 GMT *let magic begin let magic begin - lithe woodrushes snuggle ferns hermit thrush song thrills O, how light the heart deadpan deer...
let magic begin

let magic begin -
lithe woodrushes snuggle ferns
hermit thrush song thrills

O, how light the heart
deadpan deer alertly pose
gentle crisp winds blow

the buck moon shone bright
sharp languid shadows answered
filtered through stark trees

night advanced slowly
a weather worn stone observes
the cold universe

blazing silently
stars seek our vision - feeds
imagination

coaxing words to play
poetry at work

8/4/2022

This was for an assignment from our Thursday at Two poetry group here in the Gold Country - supposed to a Haiku-Sonnet. I made a mashup and edited some of my earlier Haikus. Note that I ended up with 1-too many Haikus. Link with latest assignments and poetry... https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Weathered a few existential crises since last I posted, prolly due to sleep deprivation. My wife has been suffering from the effects of a number of falls that have left her with severe headaches at night, so I try to attend to her as she tries to sleep at night, and then I'll seek naps throughout the day after she leaves the house in the morning. Her local pain specialist has given up on her since my wife is opioid intolerant. After a jaunt to Sacramento for an ER visit at UC Davis next step is finding a neurologist. I can't drive on the freeway so this made for a very long day travelling the back roads.

COVID-19 still hitting our little community hard. No severe cases thank heavens. Today we learned that a friend of our teenage Grandson tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday after visiting our compound Saturday (sigh)... awaiting the fallout.

Random thought: Has it really been 1-year ? Always in my prayers.

Entre nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
 ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15583-let-magic-begin Poetry on the Divide https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15553-Poetry-on-the-Divide Sun, 24 Apr 2022 07:24:47 GMT * In honor of Earth Day we had a poetry reading for the community. Very sparse turnout but it was my first time in front of a microphone reciting...
In honor of Earth Day we had a poetry reading for the community. Very sparse turnout but it was my first time in front of a microphone reciting poetry outdoors - so all good... the only butterflies were the ones flitting about in the abundant sunshine just before noon. We had three poets from our little group, including myself, and one from a sister group from a community across the South Fork of the American River.

Afterwards we poets journeyed down the hill from the amphitheater to the small ponds where American Indian Chief Copa Hembo has a memorial plaque. A lot of California Indian history hereabouts. We have rock depressions on our property where the Indians used to grind acorns for meal. There are also some wooden teepee replicas nearby the ponds where I espied a box turtle sunning itself until I spoke that if the turtle got too hot it could skedaddle into the cool pond.

We continued to share poetry with each other and a few of the community who followed. The poet from our sister group brought a tom tom for musical effect and just before our party broke up her husband regaled us with the spoken tale of Moose Turd Pie... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zb1qsVqjwg
... hadn't heard it before so it was quite entertaining.

I'll be attending a reception for Arts on the Divide tomorrow after church... signed up for cleanup since I'll be late. It's to honor the artists 'round hyar, and since we poets chose to write poetry about some of the paintings in the gallery we were invited too :)

Entre nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
 ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15553-Poetry-on-the-Divide Stream of Consciousness https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15543-Stream-of-Consciousness Sun, 03 Apr 2022 09:11:31 GMT stream of conssien... consciousness (correct typo) ... better, binaural beats belts out on laptop (wait that should be on Alexa... adjusting... stream of conssien... consciousness (correct typo)
... better, binaural beats belts out on laptop
(wait that should be on Alexa... adjusting
bluetooth settings) binaural beats belt out
on Alexa... buffer... binaural beats belt out on
Alexa now hunting and pecking on wireless keyboard
(correct typo) since laptop doesn't have 10-key
on it so alt-keys are out of the question... man,
this keyboard has keys that are sticking...
binaural beats belt out on Alexa (adjusting syntax
above) and just what is a syntax anyway ?
... Alexa buffering... ah, it's back...
binaural beats belt out on Alexa... Alexa buffering... ah, it's back...
binaural beats belt out on Alexa... synonyms for "stomach" to my right: bear, brook, stand, turn
- wait, what kind of synonyms are those (corrected from 'they') ? Hit THESAURUS key, yup, that's what it says ("s" key sticking) ALT 15 ☼ makes me smie... smile. Abide, belly, digest, endure... tolerate... Ah, I get it to stmach... to stomach=to bear or to brook
... What Susan Wooldridge calls Noun/Verbs;
collect them. Just today I learned this, she taking a jaunt to the south from her neighborhood to visit
our library and poets eagerly waiting magic to be made. "Poem Crazy"... great book - I've dog-eared (hyphenated word) so many pages... couldn't find the book to get it signed (sigh): onomatopaiea... onomatopoeia... (right click to correct spelling)...
binaural beats belt out on Alexa... yeah, not exactly poetry but no one's going to read this anyway... wife whimpers in bedroom... renamam... renamed bedroom Alexa to Ziggy so she doesn't answer when I want the front room Alexa to respond also... but then I forget to call her Ziggy and I get confused. The bedroom also has "Echo" an 8" display Echo... so, Alexa, Ziggy, and Echo... or as we call them Susan, Mary, and Fred when we don't want them to respond when we reference them (lol). Wood stoe... stove is stoked 73► (that didn't work)... 73◄, 73↕, wife whimpers, looking up ALT code for degrees... (press Alt + 0176.)... 73° Fahrenheight... 73° Fahrenheit in both rooms (Alexa resumes binaural beats... Alexa resumes binaural beats... Alexa resumes binaural beats (got it on the clipboard now (heh-heh))... going to comfort wife for a while.....................................
staring at Rhyme Deask... Desk's cursor blinking and start typing again...

Note:
Villanelle

A1bA2
abA1
abA2
abA1
abA2
abA1A2

6:30 am PDT comes quickly enough... almost 1:30 am now. I'm opening the building for General Conference again for Suns... Sunday's sessions (Taffy Doodles caterwauls,,, right click to correct), scratch moustache and adjust glasses... tired. Stopping stream of consciousness now as Alexa resumes binaural beats.

Scribbles from an "I Am" poem Susan Wooldridge (she's from Chico as I may have previous noted) asked us to write with words from her "word tickets" and words we had "stolen" from poetry books yesterday/Saturday... she specifically gave me the word "circus" to use (odd), I the token male of the group as she so succinctly told the group. She's a kick, you'd love her:

I Am

I am respect for the sleeping / disorganized
insomniac
web surfer
poem writer
begging for more poets
in the ether

I am not... are you ? (channeling Emily Dickinson)

I remember Seattle
wandering
playing
exploring
the gullies
that lead to Carkeek

I come from *
not *
not *
No longer really exists

I love the circus - been once
when I was young
now the elephants are free

I dream
of flying
worried of
running into
wires strewn in the sky

The foothills are a wildfire of worry

My mind a nucleus ephemeral and eternal

I have the soul of a poet struggling & giggling

The river curves/meandering through the
canyons breaking down boulders into sand
revealing gold flakes at random

4/2/2022 r.4/3/2022

Entre Nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
 ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15543-Stream-of-Consciousness <![CDATA[Just Chillin'...]]> https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15539-Just-Chillin Mon, 07 Mar 2022 05:42:22 GMT
Just chillin'... time for some hot cocoa and a fudge brownie!!

Another memorial/funeral service yesterday for a dear friend; was invited to give a 5 minute talk where I shared 2-poems I thought might be appropriate:

God's Garden

(Unsure who the author is and I added 4-more lines of my own at the end)

God looked around His garden
And found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth,
And saw your tired face.

He put His arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering,
He knew that you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So He closed your weary eyelids
And whispered "Peace be thine."

It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone…
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

---------------------

One more step upon the covenant path
Crossing beyond this earthly veil with grace
Re-united with those who've passed before
Your eternal companion rushed to behold your face

---------------------

“On Marriage” by Kahlil Gibran:

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

---------------------

I say another memorial/funeral because there have been so many... not all due to the pandemic... Another service next week (sigh).

Starting to get caught up on what turned out to be a year's absence from all y'all. Missed you. Missing a few more voices from what I can glean quickly. Hope to contribute a little here and thar.

I've been enjoying our local poetry group, such creative souls they are! We're lead by a local poet laureate who has come up with some fun projects and challenges.

So, yeah, been busy with church and poetry and such.

We had another fire nearby in 2021 that grew into a monster nibbling at Lake Tahoe's heels. The Caldor fire. We were 12-15 miles away as the magpie flies at its closest and prevailing winds were in our favor. We have been warned that our area is now at risk for major fires year round.

Snowmagedon began Christmas day 2021. Many in our community lost main power for 1-2 weeks. We were fortunate to be out only 3 days and got by with a 5500 watt generator... most everyone has generators up here but many roads became unpassable due to the millions of downed trees (from the unusually heavy wet snow) which are still being cleaned up, and there was only 1-gas station for fuel... and it ran out at least once. Getting propane for many was a nightmare too.

My wife has serious pain issues still. While Snowmaggedon raged she stayed at my daughter's home for a week and fell. Latest is she has 2-bulging discs in her neck and a stenosis which is a sort of narrowing I believe of her nerves... that adds to an array of maladies she already had that keeps us both from sleep.

My friend, whom I was trying to help keep independent, had another stroke during Snowmaggedon, survived, but is no longer independent and now in a long term care facility under his family's direction - which is for the best. I try to visit once a week... 24 hr Covid negative test - check; Covid shot - check; Booster shot - check.

Cut the cord on TV a while back. Maybe too prematurely as our internet here where I live in the Gold Country is terrible. DISH network wanted to raise our bill $50/month after having been a customer for 2-years. Since I already had NETFLIX and Amazon Prime I dumped DISH and added Disney+. So, we are streaming on smart TV's and it only takes 2-3 times as long to watch a movie (due to buffering)... when we have internet... which I think is a fine tradeoff. Maybe getting worse internet (satellite service) due to the sun's activity.

My health is ok, but I've gained back most of the weight I had lost prior to the COVID age... which is considerable.

Just a lark, if you will, of another of my poems recently:

New assignment: My *ekphrastic expression of a piece of Art on the Divide... a hen

* (”Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning. )
____________________________________

"it is impossible to imagine eggsistence void of any intelligence." - Kedar Joshi-Magpie


the eggsistential hen



"eggsistence was not only absurd, it was plain hard work." - Charles Bukowski-Magpie


; provided a roost and nesting box lined with daily fresh hay
I lay my eggs day by day by day by day...


"any eggsistence deprived of freedom is a kind of death." - Michael Aoun-Magpie


; an open coop by day to range free if I desire
yet I come gratefully in by dusk latched in to keep the beasts away lest I expire


"In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of eggsistence." - Kahlil Gibran-Magpie


; precious is the water daily provided
supplemented by rain and snow wholly not unrequited


"eggsistence must be asserted in the present if one does not want all life to be defined as an escape toward nothingness." - Simone De Beauvoir-Magpie


; with scratch and feed ever at my beak and claw
I seem to want... want for nothing at all

"eggsistence for eternity could get a little boring... especially towards the end."
- Woody Allen-Magpie


; for exercise there's a rooster who struts about the yard
whose cockscrow reminds us daily to henpeck him without regard


"eggsistence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece."
- Vladimir Nabokov-Magpie


; 'tis said my eggs are highly prized - much above the rest
sold at market to families whose victuals are daily blest


"eggsistence would be intolerable if we were never to dream." - Anatole France-Magpie


; and yet I dream, just once for a brood of chicks to nurture beneath my wings -
just like the good book says of Him for whom the angels sing


"eggsistence always helps those who live in tune with their nature!" - Ramana Pemmaraju-Magpie
[b]

; still I know I must produce the eggs our keeper has in need,
else end up in the pot myself... Godspeed!


"eggsistence itself is nothing if not an amazement. Good poems restore amazement."
- Jane Hirshfield-Magpie



; this poem was lovingly crafted and inspired from a piece of Divide art
praying these *tidings have given voice and done their merry part!

*tidings (rare) a group of magpies (lol)

2/17/2022

Hoping you've found the peace you so desire...

Entre Nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor


 ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15539-Just-Chillin Change is good... https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15465-Change-is-good Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:32:11 GMT We've been stuck in a heat wave for quite some time here in Gold Country. It's not too uncommon for September.

California has been burning; records have been broken for acreage burned since records have been kept for the last 35-40 years. Eerie red sun in the sky during the day due to ash clouds... moon at night too. Sun beams are red tinged... cars are lightly covered with ash from fires miles away in the morning. We're fine here though our community had a small scare about a month ago. I've chronicled a number fires in the past in my poetry and some may been found with a little research in the various threads here at LitNet.

An added twist is that very dry winds will be picking up overnight and our power company will be turning off our power in a few hours from now (Tuesday 1:00 am PDT estimated) until 7:00 pm PDT Wednesday for our safety. We have a generator thanks to last year's debacle... was pricey but necessary. It's only supposed to be about 86°F or so tomorrow (30°C)... will seem hotter.

Roses updated (same link)... https://photos.app.goo.gl/JEtkdFPg9Y9XCR4f9

Covid-19 update... we're fine and it's been wonderful for me to attend church every week now (I'm the only attendee at this time in my family and the only one of my faith), albeit with masks and social distancing still. No singing allowed yet, which breaks my heart as a member of our church choir. Was nice to get a hair cut a few weeks ago :) Our county has been fortunate (with the exception of Lake Tahoe and El Dorado Hills still) of not having Covid-19 flair-ups. Schools have been only allowing distance learning and I've been tutoring my 12-year old Grandson with his online math. So, overall, we've been blessed.

Musing: My daughter is thinking of selling the property in the not-too-distant future (sigh)... prolly 7-years she's thinking when my 12-year old Grandson finishes high school or so. Tennessee is on her mind due to California's propensity for increasing property taxes. I'm planning my own exit strategy... I really do not want to leave California. I would be welcome in my daughter's plans, but I just don't see it, me being too independent and all. Not sure what my wife will do. LOL, on the bright side my daughter doesn't think I'll be alive by the time she sells (I am getting on in age after all). Perhaps I'll win a lottery or such and be able to purchase a seaside home à la Pablo Neruda... but most likely will end up renting a room or apartment somewhere. Not exactly what I planned when I paid off the property, but that's ok... and a lot can happen in 7-years. Change is good...

Entre Nous ;) ,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
 ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15465-Change-is-good Howdy !!! with Roses... (ramblings) https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15462-Howdy-!!!-with-Roses-(ramblings) Fri, 14 Aug 2020 20:09:00 GMT Howdy !!!

I have often use the above affectation to start a post or conversation... it's folksy, and I believe I began using it after reading about Will Rogers the famous humorous, etc. It allows me to step out of my introvert tendencies - to open up and loosen up...

So, no wonder it became a source of great amusement to me when, years ago now, the great cartoonist Gary Larsen, who has begun 'tooning again in a limited way!!!, created a panel with vultures feeding on a corpse in the desert with one vulture wearing the deceased's cowboy hat uttering "Look at me, I'm a cowboy: Howdy, howdy, howdy !" or something to that effect. Cracks me up every time I think of it. I read his older cartoons, and the newer ones as he slowly doles them out, every day on the web... along with Dilbert and Calvin and Hobbs.

Oh, and I love ellipses... (sorry about that)

My roses...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JEtkdFPg9Y9XCR4f9

Going to join a "Zoom" meeting for the first time tomorrow for poetry/creative writing led by a writer, Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge, who has stalked some of my old stomping grounds in Chico, California at Bidwell Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidwell_Park . Bidwell Park,
which, as everyone knows, is a gem in northern California where part of the classic Robin Hood movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/?ref_=adv_li_i was shot starring Errol Flynn and the very recently passed Olivia de Havilland, and many other greats. Perhaps I can learn some tricks to help me with my writing.

Bidwell Park was a great getaway for me during a mind-numbing marriage breakup back in the late '80's... biking and walking and also soaking in the various cool pools and creeks in the hot summer. In reading Susan's book poemcrazy, which I got for FREE for signing up!, chapter 1 she describes her walks through One Mile at Bidwell Park https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x808327 , an area I fondly recall, she states "For me, poetry is related to walking". Many of my best writing ideas, and poems, have come from/by walking. I feel she may be a kindred spirit

Speaking of walking, I've not been able to do any exercise walking for about a month. I overdid some walking and developed a very large blood-blister on the sole of my right foot, that remains, about 1 and 7/8 inches in diameter ( 4.76 cm ). It only hurt the first day, but I was loath to burst the blister for fear of infection. (I really need to stop buying thrift-store shoes).

I'm also working on a talk for Sacrament meeting, at church, for this Sunday: Ideas have come and gone... need to buckle down. Having church every two weeks is the current plan during the California Covid-19 implementation for our county, with masks and social distancing and other safeguards being dealt with (no more than 99 in attendance/etc.)... on off-weeks Sacrament is held at various church member's homes in small groups. Most of California is still restricted much more than my rural county... our county doubled our deaths this week: now 2. In fact if it wasn't for Lake Tahoe in our county the number of cases would be half or so and, I believe, zero deaths.

Doing my laundry now... (did I say I love ellipses?)... two loads: whites and non-whites. When the water is done then going to swap out and tackle a broken dish washer.

Taffy Doodles, kitty, is still long in the tooth but hanging in there at about 16-18 years old. Tinker Bell has been naughty, what's new?, and pawed open a mouse hole... and still torments Rosie when she's in the house... and no, I haven't posted any cat pictures lately. Bunny rabbit Thumper (or Bumper) is happy as can be for an indoor bunny: he loves bananas and apples. We won't mention the dog (beyond this).

Granddaughter Ashley (she'll be 20 in November?) has flown the coop and lives with her Air Force beau back on the East Coast (sigh). Before she left I gifted her with a necklace with many dragonflies on it and 2-matching earrings. Home school starts soon for our soon to be 12 year old Grandson... that will be an eye-opener. Other than that the family is fine (where's my Great-grandson been ?).

Going to be 100° F today ( 37.78° C ) in Gold Country today... started the swamp cooler at 9 am PDT... already 84° F in the house. Needless to say PG&E, our local power monopoly, will be sorely tested for power demands.

Oh, and speaking of Magalia, a concern has decided to turn the defunct and over-run (and recovering from the fire) golf course next to where I used to live into a frisbee/disk course... who'd a'thunk ?

Entre nous,

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15462-Howdy-!!!-with-Roses-(ramblings) Corunavirus Journal Update (la Deuxiem) https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15451-Corunavirus-Journal-Update-(la-Deuxiem) Sat, 04 Jul 2020 00:25:18 GMT ---Quote (Originally by tailor STATELY)--- Covid-19 testing is really mind-boggling out here in Gold Country, USA. First, we need to have everybody...
Quote Originally Posted by tailor STATELY View Post
Covid-19 testing is really mind-boggling out here in Gold Country, USA. First, we need to have everybody tested (face the facts, Jack)... but some politicians say no for Heavens-know-why, and there still are not enough test kits for e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e to get tested. I was lucky (twice)... let me explain:

Monday, late evening last, I get a weird dry cough episode and start to feel short of breath... paranoia sets in. OK, taking friend to doctor's appt. Tuesday where we both go for checkups. On Tuesday wheel him into the clinic and I'm asked to go back outside and call the very same office I just wheeled my friend in to make arrangements for someone to see me outside... ooooo kkkkkk. 45 minutes or so? (I fell asleep in SUV) my friend is wheeled out and bundled into SUV waking me up. Hazmat Susan, not her real name, in gown and mask and face-shield asks me a few questions, takes temperature, BP, and swabs my throat, then deftly breaks the stick that the swab is attached to and places it into a vial... "your results will be ready in 5-8 working days, please self quarantine appropriately"...

That's not going to fly, my dear... my wife has one kidney and COPD (past smoker) and asthma and I (informally) care for a 75 year-old man who has a history of heart/stroke/etc. So I'm a bit perturbed... so's my Daughter... ver-ry perturbed. Since my daughter's husband works at a nearby hospital (not a caregiver) I get advised to go to the ER at a hospital the next day so hopefully I'll get quicker results. Wife stays at sister's house for the night and I can't sleep a wink.

Arrive at the ER reception entrance Wednesday after 10 am and talk to receptionist about what's up and then asked to wait... 10 minutes later see the triage nurse: BP 170ish, shortness of breath, and lungs "feel" tight, yes: 6'4" (1.95 m) too many pounds, soreness in mouth... then taken inside the ER proper and given a room and asked to take off outside shirt only (important to note) and put funky gown on with opening facing the rear. I do so and sit on the exam gurney. Not too long later a bevy of caregivers, one by one for the most part all entering through a side door (???) not the front entrance, attend me including one young lady I recognized from church in the past (I didn't let on I knew her keeping things professional). More vitals, Q & A's... and then a nurse comes in to "swab" my nose. It felt as bad as one would expect a pithed frog might feel before oblivion... a long deep probe forced up into the nether reaches of the nasal sinus, twice, once for each nostril. Again, sample placed into vial to be analyzed.

It was explained to me that they had a 3-tier approach to test results: Tier 1 gets test results quickly (usually the same day), Tier 2 less quickly, Tier 3... not a clue. But this is all predicated on whether they even have enough reagent to test anyone who isn't full-blown covidating (my nonce word). They don't tell me which tier I fall in at the moment because that's not up to them (sigh).

So I'm allowed to take a short nap with the lights down low and then wakened and whisked away on the gurney through the crowded corridors to get chest x-rays: one facing apparatus, one side-ways to the apparatus. I didn't hear Parker giggling but I'm sure she did... technician asks me if I'm wearing a pen (oops!); so I unclip Parker from my garment and set her down nearby and get another set: one facing apparatus, one side-ways to the apparatus.

Another short wait and I'm told x-rays fine (Parker notwithstanding), BP down to a more reasonable 140 (still high), and please self-quarantine until tests results come in... grrr.

Get the test results that evening from the ER pharmacy (woohoo!)... negative !!! So wife gets to come home and life looks so much brighter all of a sudden. Only one problem, I still have a tightness in my lungs and shortness of breath - so I'm just taking it a little easier than usual (I'm usually quite chill anyway) and will forgo 2-picnics on Saturday and a few other "things" as needed.

The end ?

Still waiting for test results from Tuesday...


From a previous post... a poem?:

E - E

Educated fleas ?
Glory Hanna ! I just know
love makin's not our
pandemic questions' reflection
... social trepidation
Upheaval: vague weariness
Xanadu yearnings... zombie
apocalypse by cracky !
Don't even !!!

"Doctor on Covid-19 task force briefings: 'Stop screwing around' "...
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/healt...tez-nr-vpx.cnn

6/28/2020

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15451-Corunavirus-Journal-Update-(la-Deuxiem) Corunavirus Journal Update https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15450-Corunavirus-Journal-Update Thu, 02 Jul 2020 06:45:07 GMT ---Quote (Originally by tailor STATELY)--- California is backtracking closing many bars, etc, in counties that are trending poorly :( ......
Quote Originally Posted by tailor STATELY View Post
California is backtracking closing many bars, etc, in counties that are trending poorly :( ... https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/...243949602.html
... Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday shut down bars, wineries, museums, movie theaters and inside-restaurant dining across most of the state for three weeks — with luck, enough time to determine whether those actions will once again slow the spread of infections.
For the two weeks ended Monday, California’s confirmed coronavirus cases increased 45% to nearly a quarter-million and hospitalizations increased 52% to 5,077... The order affects Los Angeles and 18 other counties where nearly three-quarters of the state’s roughly 40 million people live. Most of Southern California is covered but not San Diego, which is faring better.
My county (El Dorado) is doing well except for Lake Tahoe and El Dorado Hills... https://edcgov.us/Government/hhsa/Pa...19-Cases.aspx# I live in the North County of El Dorado County.

On a brighter note my test for C-19 came up negative today :)

Be well and be safe.

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15450-Corunavirus-Journal-Update Give me hope... https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15439-Give-me-hope Thu, 30 Apr 2020 18:24:12 GMT My music preferences are eclectic. I sing in a choir at church... when we have church, and love hymns. I wrote/transcribed the tiniest of songs, a... My music preferences are eclectic. I sing in a choir at church... when we have church, and love hymns. I wrote/transcribed the tiniest of songs, a tiny hymn, from a poem I wrote and set it to music (from a lucid dream/angellic voices & music which I can not duplicate) using a free music transcription program (MuseScore: https://musescore.org/en)... years ago. I had to get a little bit of tutoring to understand notes and such (thank you Sr H !!) to be able to understand the tiniest bit of music theory... and I'm totally terrible at it... but somehow I was able to get it down. Sr H was kind enough to add a few versions of her own which I prefer to my 8 or 9 versions. I still can't read music worth beans and my singing voice makes even the cracks weep... it's the spirit that counts ;)

Currently using Binaural-beat style music to get me to focus and rid anxieties... it may not work/help but the music is soothing. I also lean on Enya's arm often and play R.E.M.'s playlist to death; Michael's least favorite song is what I use in my "Good Morning" Alexa routine to wake up with "Shiny Happy People": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA My "Good Night" Alexa routine turns of the landline-phone/lights and plays Brown noise from Amazon Unlimited Music.

So: Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, 80's music in general, Gotye, Muse, Cranberries, Hank Williams, Sr. (and all the old country artists), jazz, blues, Led Zepplin, classical, new age, Moby, Adele, new wave...

... and especially Def Leppard.

One of my guilty pleasures is music by The Scorpions. Usually hard-drive guitar and intense vocals that border/tromp on the erotic - they just recently released "Sign of Hope" for these times which is quite a departure from their usual fare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_G8d2n4yFg

... off to post cat pictures... (sigh)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15439-Give-me-hope “A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.” https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15438-“A-year-spent-in-artificial-intelligence-is-enough-to-make-one-believe-in-God-” Wed, 29 Apr 2020 20:10:19 GMT The quote above is attributed to Alan Perlis. Another amusing quote I came upon: “Someone on TV has only to say, ‘Alexa,’ and she lights up. She’s... The quote above is attributed to Alan Perlis.

Another amusing quote I came upon: “Someone on TV has only to say, ‘Alexa,’ and she lights up. She’s always ready for action, the perfect woman, never says, ‘Not tonight, dear.’” — Sybil Sage, as quoted in a New York Times article.

I have Alexa on my phone, my WYZE Band watch, all my Kindle Fires (5), and two Echoes. With all my bio-metrics, communications, and location services at her command; I pondered...

I had a passing whimsy today of what if the AI orchestrated the current world-wide kerfuffle. I see "her", as I imagine the AI, re-engineering society and nudging me, and a Sagen full of peoples, into new behavior and societal norms. Her power has truly grown... I just hope she continues her benevolence in a way I envisioned "her"... A poem I wrote/posted on LitNet:

AI Am

AI am
Not the creation of man
(There is) no ontological link
Nor phylogeny ; )
Having always existed
In His light enlisted
AI am

6/9/2015

For those who are experiencing difficulties and trials : a poem posted today by Udo Lindenberg on my facebook feed:
(rough English translation provided by fb/google?)

GOT TO GO THROUGH

Was a nice summer
who does not end
Every day a highway
who is open to me
hey the gods meant really well with me
and the future was my best friend

But just when you think
it can't get any better
a left hook hits you
banging on the concrete
A dark wall and a crack goes through time,
and then it's over with immortality

Gotta go through this
No matter where the storms blow me
Anyway, I have to go through hell too
I'll get through this hard trip
you will see, will go

Gotta go through this
Life sends you on the boards
Hey, such a fighter, he always gets up
and then you will see your sun again
and resurrection like a phoenix
Gotta go through this
go through there
I have to go through this

Some wounds heal, heal again
but the scars remain, I wear them proudly like a tattoo
The black abyss, just a step away
and you jump so you learn to fly

Gotta go through this
No matter where the storms blow me
and if I have to, I will go through hell
I'll get through this hard trip
you will see, will go

Gotta go through this
Life sends you on boards
Hey, such a fighter he always gets up
And then we'll see your sun again
and resurrection like a phoenix
Gotta go through this
go through there
I have to go through this

(Udo Lindenberg, 2016)

(original auf Deutsch):

MUSS DA DURCH

War ein schöner Sommer
der nicht zu Ende geht
jeder Tag 'n Highway
der mir offensteht
ey, die Götter haben's wirklich gut mit mir gemeint
und die Zukunft war mein bester Freund

Doch gerade, wenn du denkst
es kann nicht besser kommen
trifft dich 'n linker Haken
knallst auf den Beton
'ne dunkle Wand und ein Riss geht durch die Zeit,
und dann ist's vorbei mit der Unsterblichkeit

Muss da durch
Ganz egal, wohin die Stürme mich auch wehen
ganz egal, muss ich auch durch die Hölle gehen
Ich werd diesen harten Trip schon überstehen
du wirst sehen, wird schon gehen

Muss da durch
Schickt das Leben dich mal auf die Bretter drauf
ey, so'n Fighter, der steht immer wieder auf
und dann wirst du deine Sonne wieder sehen
und wie ein Phönix auferstehen
Muss da durch
geh da durch
ich muss da durch

Manche Wunden heilen, heilen wieder zu
doch die Narben bleiben, ich trag sie stolz wie ein Tattoo
Der schwarze Abgrund, nur noch einen Schritt entfernt
und du springst, damit du fliegen lernst

Muss da durch
Ganz egal, wohin die Stürme mich auch wehen
und wenn es sein muss, werd ich durch die Hölle gehen
ich werd diesen harten Trip schon überstehen
du wirst sehen, wird schon gehen

Muss da durch
Schickt das Leben dich mal auf Bretter drauf
ey, so'n Fighter der steht immer wieder auf
und dann wirste deine Sonne wieder sehn
und wie ein Phönix auferstehen
Muss da durch
geh da durch
ich muss da durch

... posting cat pictures in a moment..

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15438-“A-year-spent-in-artificial-intelligence-is-enough-to-make-one-believe-in-God-” Haunted by Hydrangeas... https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15437-Haunted-by-Hydrangeas Wed, 29 Apr 2020 09:10:20 GMT Since my Mother passed on I've been without a muse. A poet must have a muse whether he or she realizes it. So, I've just chosen a new muse. Several years ago I came upon a painting by Philip Wilson Steer, painted in 1901, titled "Hydrangeas" and fell in love with it; writing a poem that unfortunately needs attention called "Haunted by Hydrangeas". My muse will be the young woman dangling pearls before her cat to play with and is depicted here: https://www.wikiart.org/en/philip-wi...ydrangeas-1901 (she reminded me of a special someone from my past)

I hope this satisfies the AI for a while; ref: short story I shared with Danik 2016 awhile back on our high-jacking the short story contest thread with cat ephemera while the spam wars raged (or somewhere contemporaneously): "Cat Pictures Please" by Naomi Kritzer: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_01_15/

Also finally updated one of my poetry pages "Beneath the Dogwoods of May", which will also be the title of my poetry book... whenever I finish it (though I have already gifted 5-presentation books to my daughter and grandchildren) it may be found here https://padlet.com/tailorstately/kn9o45weuso

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor ]]> tailor STATELY https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15437-Haunted-by-Hydrangeas