Daily Reminder # 600

I can't believe that it is already Friday. The older I get the faster time flies by, even in my dull life. I can't imagine that it can get any faster than it is now, but since the speed of time's passage is escalating at an exponential rate, I imagine that my last years are going to fly by at jet speed, if not the speed of light. But maybe we draw closer to the light as we age and it has nothing to do with the mathematics of one year's proportion to the whole. Who knows. I just know, time is flying.  I have one last dose of antibiotic for Angel which I will give to her the next time she comes by for a hug...  I actually have something to talk about today. Wow. 

First we kiss

Next we bat one another.

and bat some more...

Then we stare... and go our separate ways..

Today on Huffington Post there was an article about a 2x"Teacher of the Year" in Texas who was handing out Title 1 Forms to her students and one of them was allegedly "disruptive," and requested the form in Spanish because he said "I'm Mexican." He kept saying this and she got annoyed and told him to "go back to Mexico." There is great outrage on both sides of the insanity aisle. Some people think she should be fired for this outrageous statement and others are declaring her a hero for putting "the little illegal bastard" in his place. I don't think she should be fired, but I think she should apologize. She has been a teacher at that school for 13 years. She knows some of her students are of Mexican heritage with parents who may only speak Spanish. She should have been prepared. She should also not have lost her temper. The kid could probably have been more polite. But I maintain that she is the adult and should apologize for losing her temper whether she meant it as cruelty or not and whether the kid provoked her or not.  

I have never understood the thing people have about not apologizing for anything. It has cost me 2 friends and pain in my life when those I love and trusted after hurting me, have refused to say they were sorry. In two cases where there was profound betrayal, I know that these friends did not set out with malice of fore thought. They did not plan on hurting me. Yet betray my trust they did and hurt me deeply they did.  And I could have forgiven each of them, except that they took the hurt to an even deeper level by being unwilling to say they were sorry....  Being sorry would not have meant they had malice. It would have meant that they regretted - regardless of their intent - that they had caused me pain. It is beyond my understanding why that is so difficult for so many people. I always regret hurting another. Even if they have misunderstood my meaning and taken offense at some unintended hurt. I regret that they are hurt. It doesn't mean I was cruel. It doesn't mean I had cruel intent. It means that whatever my intention was, I caused pain and I always regret that. Why would I not?

So that's my thought for the day.  I think the fear of apologizing is much the same thing that traps us into anger. We have been taught that anger is a "bad" emotion and that we are not supposed to feel it. Therefore, when we get angry, it must be the other person's "fault," because they have provoked it in us. We don't "blame" people for making us laugh, but making us cranky is often times an unforgivable sin. If we let anger move through us just as we do laughter - as a response to something - neither good nor bad - we would be healthier and happier both. Kitties know how to do that. They are wise indeed.

Some things I'm grateful for today: (Items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to train myself to believe in abundance and miracles and possibilities - and in my right and worthiness to desire and even HAVE things and maybe even happiness and self worth. It is also a prayer of sorts to the Universe to hear and respond.)

• Angel and Tara Grace
• my home
• my little coffee maker
• Coffee and Int'l Delight
• granola bars
• grapefruit
• water
• my microwave
• my refrigerator
• my kitchen
• my TV
• the remote control
• the mute button
• my computer
• the internet
• email
• electricity
• my Tibetan salt lamps
• my rock collection
• beauty
• the view from my front window
• my warm robes
• my heavy cape
• my furnace
• no more antibiotics!!
• paper towels
• music
• Pandora radio
• my awesome Bose speakers
• the joy of listening
• the joy of singing
• the human voice
• watching Tara play
• watching Angel play
• memory foam
• my chair/walker
• my cane
• that my legs still wobble me around with help
• indoor plumbing
• Crocs
• my grabber
• teddy bears
• computer games
• Google
• YouTube
• SKYPE
• Sam-e
• Omega-3
• IP-6
• Vitamin D-3
• Netflix
• lavender
• allspice
• peppermint
• a clothes dryer
• a new Dutch Door front door
• zero balance on my credit cards
• lower interest rates
• paid off mortgage
• Nintendo
• company/companionship
• a sun room on the back of the house
• a reading and healing with Nancy DuTertre
• more flowers/landscaping in the back yard
• freshly painted living and bedroom walls
• a ceiling fan in the bedroom
• winning lottery numbers
• $5,000/week for life from PCH (or a million dollars/year)
• a truckload of money (big bills)
• new curtains
• blinds for the front window
• paying reiki clients
• a party/company for my 65th birthday
• seeing the red list turn to black
• reiki
• angels
• miracles
• Dennis Puffett
• care2.com
• thehungersite.com
• vitacost.com
• the colors of the rainbow
• the ability to read and write
• the ability to type
• the capacity to think and change
• Dr. Bronner soaps
• my friends
• my nieces, my nephew and their families
• that they are happy, healthy and successful
• that they seem to love me as I love them
• Advil
• resilience
• hope
• determination
• possibilities
• words
• completed wordzzles, even badly done ones
• poetry
• poets
• literature
• ideas
• inspiration
• creativity
• the telephone
• talking to friends
• Miracle Foot Repair Cream
• plastic containers
• my mattress
• blankets
• sight
• taste
• touch
• smell
• hearing
• breath
• having a body, even one I'm not to comfortable in
• hope
• love
• laughter
• life

Wishing Us All 

the Capacity to Let Life Flow Through Us -

the Good, the not so Good and the Glorious

Weekly Wordzzle # 191

This is the 31st installment of Paragon of Virtue, Fred Johnson's adventure in the Kingdom of Sunday. Sorry to be posting it so late (8:40 pm), but I just had a  hard time getting anything to come out of my brain. Not at all heppy with how these turned out, but.... so it goes. Some days are better than others.

Here are links to the previous episodes.  If you need/want to catch up, click here for the 1st installment, 2nd installment, 3rd installment, 4th installment, 5th installment, 6th installment, 7th installment., 8th installment, 9th installment, 10th installment, 11th installment, 12th installment, 13th installment, 14th installment, 15th installment, 16th installment, 17th installment, 18th installment, 19th installment. 20th installment, 21st installment, 22nd installment, 23rd installment, 24th installment, 25th installment, 26th installment, 27th installment, 28th installment, 29th installment, 30th installment

Words for this week's 10-word challenge were:   case, crocodile, sneeze, electricity, paws, pink, frenzy, octagon, helping hand, loudly   And for the mini: soundly, chapter, bell, cheer, clever 

My mega: 


They sat in stunned silence for a few moments, the air both peaceful and crackling with the electricity of divine being who had just performed multiple miracles before their eyes. It took Cane sneezing loudly and rising up on his large paws to bring them back to the present moment. The broken stillness was followed up by a frenzy of excited questions. "Did that really happen?" Melody Stripes gasped loudly. "Or is all of this some crazy dream.... oh, my! Look what she did for our shop, Wallace!" and she was off across the room picking up first a stuffed crocodile and then gazing in wonder at a doll in an elegant glass case wearing an intricate pink dress and earrings made of little golden bells. Looking around at the others, she stammered, "She was so beautiful... and so... I mean, what she has done here for us is so wonderfully generous and clever. Talk about a helping hand. One minute everything was so gloomy and horrible and now it all radiates love and good cheer."  The others laughed, caught up in her contagious delight. "Even for an old wizard like me, this will be a special chapter in my life... Not many are blessed to have such an encounter. I deeply regret that we left Purpose Perfidy on the mountain. He too was a victim of this dark magic and as worthy as any of us of Paradise's healing touch. I hope Paraphrase and the Dragons and I will have the skill to complete the clearing of the curse that has held him all these years." As he spoke, and almost in unison, The Paragon and the Dragon called out... "She has heard your thoughts. He is sleeping soundly after her visit. She has made him a Dragon-ward and created for him an octagon shaped (symbolizing the 8-fold way of the dragon) studio where he will live the remainder of his days in safety, painting the story of the Kingdom's fall and redemption. After, or course, he joins you in the rescue of Amanda Purist. When we have completed our preparations, we are to summon him."  




My mini: 


It was a long time since the Paragon - or any of those present had felt such hope and cheer and although they knew that they must move forward to and try to rescue Amanda Purist, they were somewhat reluctant to ring the bell on these moments of bliss and redemption and move on to the next chapter of their adventure. It was good to be heading on healed and restored and with the knowledge that the Bird of Paradise was soundly on their side. That said, they needed to remind themselves that the enemy was a clever as he was evil and that even with that radiant Being's support, it would not do for them to get careless. They must proceed, but they must proceed with care and caution and every ounce of collective wisdom that they possessed.




My 10-word: 

"Well," the Paragon sighed loudly. "I suppose we must pull ourselves out of this state of contentment respark the electricity of our passion with the memory that our mission is not yet complete. Amanda Purist remains to be rescued and returned the Kingdom of Sunday and to her son, Count Brave Heart the Redeemed." He spoke the count's new name with a big grin and a nod to his former nemesis and then continued.  "Even with the Divine helping hand we have just received, we must be alert and grounded as we proceed."  "Agreed," the dragon and the wizard said in Unison, and  Count Brave Heart added. "Perhaps we should let Cane and Bubble's cat explore the mural first."  As though to show her agreement with that plan, Bubbles' cat Parchment began wrestling with the stuffed crocodile in a frenzy of purrs, hisses, and churning  paws. Cane, for his part, sneezed, rose to his feet and planted himself before the mural on the wall. It was only then that the Paragon noticed that each of the animals now wore a small pink octagon around its neck. "Where did those medallions come from?" he asked no one in particular. Paraphrase responded. "The Divine One has put them - like the painter Perfidy - under the protection of the Dragons.The octagon is our symbol, representing the 8-Fold Way. It is our honor to watch over them. And yes, I will explain to you the meaning of the 8-Fold way, but for now, we have more important tasks with which to contend." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words for next week's 10-word challenge:  manor, banana, wrap, craft, gardenias, wrinkles, paraphernalia, speaker, mold, stone wall

And for the mini: credit, cavern, spelling, hood, foundation

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.

Daily Reminder # 599

Think I'll let Neale Donald Walsch do the work tonight. It has been kind of a blah day on the whole. Grey and snowy, though there wasn't much accumulation. Almost done with Angel's antibiotics, which is a relief. She seems to be healing well. I clicked on an old Message from Neale and God and this is what came up. I think it's lovely and hope-filled.

On this day of your life, dear friend, 

I believe God wants you to know...

...that there are choirs singing in your head. If you listen,

you will hear the music. It is the song of angels.

Pay no attention to the sounds of the world. They are

just noises, and even when added up all together they

have no value, make no sense. Strain to hear the song

of angels. Listen to the melody within your soul.

This message is a metaphor. You know exactly what

it is trying to tell you.

Love, Your Friend.... 

Some things I'm grateful for today: (Items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to teach myself to believe in abundance and the possibility of miracles, and to know that it's OK to want and to have and to be happy. It is also a prayer  to the Universe to hear and respond.)

• Angel and Tara Grace
• my home
• my furnace
• heat
• weatherization
• my little coffee maker
• Coffee and Int'l Delight
• granola bars
• Margaret
• water
• my microwave
• my refrigerator
• my kitchen
• my TV
• the remote control
• the mute button
• Comedy Central
• Jon Stewart
• the Sci-Fi channel
• my computer
• the internet
• email
• electricity
• my Tibetan salt lamps
• my rock collection
• beauty
• the view from my front window
• snow on tree branches
• crows and squirrels
• my warm robes 
• the hood on my robe
• day 4 of 62 degrees
• Crocs
• antibiotics are getting into Angel and it's almost over
• Sam-e
• Omega-3
• IP-6
• Vitamin D-3
• music
• Pandora radio
• my awesome Bose speakers that my niece Diana gave me
• the joy of listening
• the joy of singing
• the human voice
• memory foam
• my chair/walker
• my cane
• that my legs still wobble me around with help
• indoor plumbing
• paper towels
• paper
• my grabber
• the extra steps the garbage man takes every week
• computer games
• Google
• YouTube
• SKYPE
• Netflix
• lavender
• allspice
• peppermint
• a clothes dryer
• Nintendo
• a new Dutch Door front door
• zero balance on my credit cards
• lower interest rates
• paid off mortgage
• a sun room on the back of the house
• a reading and healing with Nancy DuTertre
• company/companionship
• more flowers/landscaping in the back yard
• freshly painted living and bedroom walls
• a ceiling fan in the bedroom
• winning lottery numbers
• $5,000/week for life from PCH (or a million dollars/year)
• a truckload of money (big bills)
• new curtains
• blinds for the front window
• paying reiki clients
• a party/company for my 65th birthday
• seeing the red list turn to black
• reiki
• angels
• miracles
• teddy bears (aka reiki bears)
• Dennis Puffett
• care2.com
• thehungersite.com
• the colors of the rainbow
• angel songs
• Neale Donald Walsch
• the ability to read and write
• the ability to type
• the capacity to think and change
• Dr. Bronner soaps
• my friends
• my nieces, my nephew and their families
• that they are happy, healthy and successful
• that they seem to love me as I love them
• my  neighbors
• Advil
• resilience
• hope
• determination
• possibilities
• words
• completed wordzzles
• poetry
• poets
• literature
• ideas
• inspiration
• creativity
• Miracle Foot Repair Cream
• plastic containers
• my mattress
• blankets
• sight
• taste
• touch
• smell
• hearing
• cheese
• my teeth
• my electric toothbrush
• Listerine
• breath
• having a body, even one I'm not to comfortable in
• hope
• love
• laughter
• life

MAY ANGEL SONGS 

LIFT YOUR HEART AND HEAL YOUR SPIRIT

Daily Reminder # 598

Tonight's reminder is frivolous be I think interesting. I've stolen this information from something I got through Care2.com, one of my favorite places in cyber space.  Here it is from it's original source as provided by someone named Chris Carl.  He offers us 27 interesting uses for coffee grounds. 


In other news, Tara is doing well and Angel and I are surviving me giving her antibiotics twice a day. Her foot seems to be healing and my basic worry item that the claw would become ingrown seems to be just another thing I spend energy worrying about for no reason.  Anyway, here's the list.

Uses for coffee in the home

1. Skip the toxic abrasive cleaners for pots and pans and use a handful of coffee grounds instead.

2. Scour (non-porcelain) sinks with coffee grounds.

3. Clean old food off of dishes. Be aware not to use coffee grounds on materials that might be absorbent or porous so that you don’t end up with brown stains.

4. Scrub your grill or electric griddle.

5. Coffee grounds can also be used as a deodorizer. Place grounds in a jar or dish to absorb odors from refrigerators and freezers.

6. Leave a dish of coffee grounds out to absorb odors in rooms that have an unpleasant odor.

7. Deodorize a car that may have had one too many fast-food items left in it.

8. Place a layer of grounds in your ashtrays to greatly reduce the stench of old cigarette butts.

9. Rub on hands to remove food prep odors.

10. Use wet grounds when cleaning your fireplace or wood stove to keep the dust and ash from flying. You could also use wet grounds for the same purpose in a pellet stove, but take care to not allow the burn pot to get clogged, so I would use very sparingly in this case.

11. Use coffee grounds for natural ant control. Place dried grounds in the areas ants frequent. The smell is a deterrent.

12. Dye paper, fabrics, or other porous materials with a strong coffee solution.

13. Cover up scratches in furniture. Dab a strong solution of coffee onto the scratch. Naturally, this works best on darker woods.

Uses for coffee in the garden

14. Use coffee grounds as a non-toxic, fully degradable fertilizer. Coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, potassium and other trace minerals. While you need to be aware that not all plants love coffee, such as tomatoes, most are enriched by the added nutrients.

15. Coffee grounds are an excellent nutritional addition to compost.

16. Use as a non-toxic bug repellant. Use a solution of coffee to spray your plants. The smell is too strong for most bugs. You’ll need to re-apply after a rain.

17. Use coffee grounds to keep cats from digging and pooping in your garden. Not only are cat feces bad for your plants, I personally hate the experience of accidentally scooping some up with my hands while gardening.

18. Use coffee grounds to deter slugs and snails. Both the smell and the abrasive surface help keep these pests out of the garden.

19. Coffee can add nutrients to acid-loving plants such as azaleas and roses. Simply pour any left-over coffee around the base of the plant. Hometalk, a home improvement social network, member John H. of Clermont, FL said, “Coffee is acidic. Roses flourish in soil with a pH around 6.5. Adding coffee will raise the pH.”

20. Kill ants outdoors too. Just place grounds on the hills.

A word on worms: they love coffee as much as we do. Theory suggests that besides the caffeine, the bacterium that grows on the many-sided grounds is not only a food source, but adds grit to their digestive system allowing them to digest better. Coffee-eating worms reproduce faster, which is great for oxygenating our gardens and compost. So, in terms of worms, you can:

21. Work grounds into the soil.

22. Place grounds into your compost.

23. Mix grounds and soil to help keep fishing bait alive longer.

24. Putting your bait worms in moist coffee grounds helps to mask human odor.

Uses for coffee as a beauty aid

25. Rub grounds through hair and rinse to add softness and shine.

26. Add highlights to brown hair by soaking in coffee.

27. Use grounds as a facial scrub or mask.

So drink up and enjoy the many benefits that come even after your cup is empty.

Some things I'm grateful for today: (Items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to train myself to believe in abundance, possibilities, and miracles, as well as to believe in my worthiness to desire and even HAVE things and to be happy (what a concept). It is also a prayer of sorts to the Universe to hear and respond.)

• Angel and Tara Grace
• my home
• my furnace
• heat
• weatherization
• my little coffee maker
• Coffee and Int'l Delight
• grapefruit
• water
• my microwave
• my refrigerator
• my kitchen
• my TV
• the remote control
• PBS
• the Sci-Fi channel
• the mute button
• my computer
• the internet
• email
• electricity
• my Tibetan salt lamps
• my rock collection
• beauty
• the view from my front window
• sunshine
• my warm robes 
• the hood on my robe
• treating myself to 3 days of the thermostat at 62 degrees
• Crocs
• antibiotics are getting into Angel
• Tara's antibiotics are getting into her too
• Sam-e
• Omega-3
• IP-6
• Vitamin D-3
• music
• Pandora radio
• my awesome Bose speakers
• the joy of listening
• the joy of singing
• the human voice
• memory foam
• my chair/walker
• my cane
• that my legs still wobble me around with help
• indoor plumbing
• paper towels
• paper
• my grabber
• teddy bears
• litter box changed and garbage out
• the garbage man
• computer games
• Google
• YouTube
• SKYPE
• Netflix
• lavender
• allspice
• a clothes dryer
• a new Dutch Door front door
• zero balance on my credit cards
• lower interest rates
• paid off mortgage
• Nintendo
• company/companionship
• a sun room on the back of the house
• a reading and healing with Nancy DuTertre
• more flowers/landscaping in the back yard
• freshly painted living and bedroom walls
• a ceiling fan in the bedroom
• winning lottery numbers
• $5,000/week for life from PCH (or a million dollars/year)
• a truckload of money (big bills)
• new curtains
• blinds for the front window
• paying reiki clients
• a party/company for my 65th birthday
• seeing the red list turn to black
• reiki
• angels
• miracles
• Dennis Puffett
• care2.com
• thehungersite.com
• the colors of the rainbow
• the ability to read and write
• the ability to type
• the capacity to think and change
• Dr. Bronner soaps
• my friends
• my nieces, my nephew and their families
• that they are happy, healthy and successful
• that they seem to love me as I love them
• my  neighbors
• Advil
• resilience
• hope
• determination
• possibilities
• words
• completed wordzzles
• poetry
• poets
• literature
• ideas
• inspiration
• creativity
• deep thinkers and wise thoughts
• Miracle Foot Repair Cream
• plastic containers
• my mattress
• blankets
• sight
• taste
• touch
• smell
• hearing
• breath
• having a body, even one I'm not to comfortable in
• hope
• love
• laughter
• life

MAY EVERYTHING IN YOUR DAY 

HAVE SUNSHINE (literal or figurative) ON IT

Spring Fever 2

Still having a mini Spring Fever Break, but think people really need to be made aware of this PBS program called Slavery by Another Name, the little known (at least I wasn't aware of it) history of how blacks were caught in a web of virtual slavery in the post Civil War South. This material should be made part of our school curriculum and every American who cares about truth and history should learn about this material.

Watch Slavery by Another Name Promo on PBS. See more from Slavery by Another Name.

Watch The Bricks We Stand On on PBS. See more from Slavery by Another Name.

Spring Fever

There's clearly something going on with me. Or maybe not.  I hate to admit it but I have been compulsively playing games for the past couple of days. Occasional breaks to post at Huffington Post and then back to either "Farm Frenzy" or  "Gardenscape." I didn't only forget to post a reminder, I forgot to give Angel her antibiotics. And what am I thinking of as I type this. Playing again. With Gardenscapes (which I opened by accident and spent the night playing) I just want to finish the garden. The other is a deeper problem. I could have finished long ago, but I want to get a TROPHY at each level. Most I can do but there are a few that no matter how hard I try or how many times I do them, I  miss either by a mile or a fraction of a second. Not sure which annoys me more. Treating myself to a second day of 62 degrees rising to bed time. Have to say that it felt very nice not to spend the day fighting off feeling frozen even with three or 4 layers of clothing.  

So, anyway, I'm just going to give in to my vices today and maybe tomorrow. Call it Spring Fever or something else.  I should be back Wednesday at the latest. 

HAVE A GLORIOUS DAY! 

Daily Reminder # 597

I didn't take any pictures again today. It was gray and gloomy and it snowed a little in the night. Just a dusting. Tonight it's windy and bitterly cold again and there is snow predicted for the next two days. I was feeling all hopeful and telling myself that "Spring" is coming - which it is - and then we have this winter repeat thing. Very irritating. But, it's been a pretty mild winter, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. Thank goodness for YouTube. I found some interesting Eckhart Tolle videos. My friend Rosalie loves Tolle. I found his book difficult to read. 





And Alan Watts








Some things I'm grateful for today: (Items in red are pre-gratitude, an effort to train myself to believe in abundance and miracles and possibilities - and in my right and worthiness to desire and even HAVE things and maybe even happiness and self worth. It is also a prayer of sorts to the Universe to hear and respond.)

• Angel and Tara Grace
• my home
• my little coffee maker
• Coffee and Int'l Delight
• granola bars
• water
• my microwave
• my refrigerator
• my kitchen
• my TV
• the remote control
• the mute button
• my computer
• the internet
• email
• electricity
• my Tibetan salt lamps
• my rock collection
• beauty
• the view from my front window
• my warm robes
• my heavy cape
• my furnace
• antibiotics are getting into Angel
• Tara's antibiotics are getting into her too
• Crocs
• music
• Pandora radio
• my awesome Bose speakers
• the joy of listening
• the joy of singing
• the human voice
• watching Tara play
• watching Angel play
• memory foam
• my chair/walker
• my cane
• that my legs still wobble me around with help
• indoor plumbing
• paper towels
• paper
• my grabber
• teddy bears
• computer games
• Google
• YouTube
• SKYPE
• Sam-e
• Omega-3
• IP-6
• Vitamin D-3
• Netflix
• lavender
• allspice
• a clothes dryer
• a new Dutch Door front door
• zero balance on my credit cards
• lower interest rates
• paid off mortgage
• Nintendo
• company/companionship
• a sun room on the back of the house
• a reading and healing with Nancy DuTertre
• more flowers/landscaping in the back yard
• freshly painted living and bedroom walls
• a ceiling fan in the bedroom
• winning lottery numbers
• $5,000/week for life from PCH (or a million dollars/year)
• a truckload of money (big bills)
• new curtains
• blinds for the front window
• paying reiki clients
• a party/company for my 65th birthday
• seeing the red list turn to black
• reiki
• angels
• miracles
• Dennis Puffett
• care2.com
• thehungersite.com
• vitacost.com
• the colors of the rainbow
• the ability to read and write
• the ability to type
• the capacity to think and change
• Dr. Bronner soaps
• my friends
• my nieces, my nephew and their families
• that they are happy, healthy and successful
• that they seem to love me as I love them
• Advil
• resilience
• hope
• determination
• possibilities
• words
• completed wordzzles
• poetry
• poets
• literature
• ideas
• inspiration
• creativity
• deep thinkers and wise thoughts
• Miracle Foot Repair Cream
• plastic containers
• my mattress
• blankets
• sight
• taste
• touch
• smell
• hearing
• breath
• having a body, even one I'm not to comfortable in
• hope
• love
• laughter
• life

And I just thought his was sort of interesting.

WISHING YOU PEACE

of Mind and Body and Spirit

Weekly Wordzzle 190 & Daily Reminder # 596

At 8:00 o'clock I remembered that it's Friday. I was all preoccupied waiting for the vet to come and check out Angel's paw and lost track of pretty much everything else. Angel's paw is slightly infected so she will be on antibiotics  for the next week. Her little claw is twisted out of place and may or may not return to it's proper alignment. I have no idea how she did that to herself.  Anyway, I'm going to cheat and the Weekly Wordzzle is also going to be a gratitude-less Daily Reminder. Pure, unadulterated cheating. But then, I think the friend for whom I write the Reminders might enjoy Fred's story. That's my rationalization anyway.  I had a REALLY hard time with the words again. Yikes. But I finished another week's installment. Our story is drawing to a close soon, I think.

This will be the 30th installment of Paragon of Virtue, Fred Johnson's adventure in the Kingdom of Sunday.

Here are links to the previous episodes.  If you need/want to catch up, click here for the 1st installment, 2nd installment, 3rd installment, 4th installment, 5th installment, 6th installment, 7th installment., 8th installment, 9th installment, 10th installment, 11th installment, 12th installment, 13th installment, 14th installment, 15th installment, 16th installment, 17th installment, 18th installment, 19th installment. 20th installment, 21st installment, 22nd installment, 23rd installment, 24th installment, 25th installment, 26th installment, 27th installment, 28th installment, 29th installment...

Words for today's 10-word challenge were:  Solitude, improved, flowers, amazing, tile, round table, flag, splash, cape, crimson    And for the mini: value, iron, easy, details, library

My Mega: 

Looking at the amazing cape which wrapped around the purple teddy bear, the mood of those gathered at the small round table improved considerably. The details and craftsmanship of the small garment were incredible. Iridescent dragon scales were applied in the shape of flowers and startling crimson fire bird feathers added splashes of blazing color throughout.  Beyond whatever value it held for their quest, it was an extraordinary work of art. It also flagged some kind of intense memory that remained just out of his reach, something that evoked the easy solitude of his library at the farm and of something else. And then he remembered.... surrounding the iron grate of his fireplace was a series of painted tiles featuring the story of the Bird of Paradise and the maiden who had visited him in his dream. Was it possible that this cape they were looking at belonged to her? It couldn't be, could it?

My mini: 

"Ah, Paragon," the wizard whispered, as though reading his mind. "I see you recognize his garment as belonging to the Bird of Paradise. It's beauty is unparalleled, but it's real value lies in the power of it's true owner." "Your memory for details," the dragon - who WAS reading his mind - added, "is quite remarkable. Your library is lovely by the way. Perhaps when these troubles are behind us, you will invite me for a visit." Before he could reply, there was an uneasy cough from the direction of Count Psycho. He was pale and stammering. "I... I....:"  It sounded to Fred as though he was saying 'iron" over and over but that didn't make any sense, when suddenly he realized that Psycho was trying to say "I remember...."






My 10-word:   


Barely aware of what he was doing - as though guided by something beyond himself - the Paragon gently lifted the cape from the teddy bear and laid it across Psycho's flagging shoulders. To call what happened next amazing would be to understate the nature of the miracle which took place.  With his hand still resting on the Count's shoulder, he could feel the years of pain and loss and grief and solitude that had been laid on Psycho by his father's evil cruelty and lies and simultaneously felt them drawn out of him as the the dragon scale flowers and crimson feathers trembled every so slightly. And as if that was not miraculous enough, it felt as though that extraordinary healing magic splashed over onto each person sitting at that little make-shift round table, soothing old wounds and hurts. The stiffness and confusion of their years of enchantment lifted from Melody and Wallace Stripes. Bubbles felt the aches and stiffness of her pregnancy melt away and better than that, she felt pure love kiss the growing child in her belly. A grinning McFlash looked 15 years younger and even the wizard and dragon seemed to take on a more ethereal glow. For his part, the Paragon felt the healing of the others move through his own body while at the same time the griefs of his own heart and Spirit felt soothed. He power of the cloak did not limit itself to the flesh and blood beings, though. The quality of light and air in the space improved. The years of dust and neglect vanished in a flash, restoring tattered toys radiant perfection. Even the tiles on the floor glowed with a light that was more than just a high polish. On the wall perpendicular to the mural another mural appeared - the legend of the Bird of Paradise, so exquisite that the beings depicted seemed almost alive. Again, without knowing quite what guided him, Fred Johnson, Paragon of Virtue, lifted the cape from Count Psycho's shoulders and began silently asking all present to lay a hand on it, began Grandfather Purist's chant:  "Remember son, the Number One,Sun to sun, the Number One, Day is Done, the Number One, that is how the spell's begun, First we dance, then we run, then we watch the web be spun. Hate expires, Love has won, Love is ONE. Dawn of day to setting sun. Remember always Number One,"  The cloak seemed to breathe beneath their hands as they chanted the words. And as they released their hands, a being of light - the woman from his long ago dream - lifted it from them and wrapped it around her own shoulders. "Thank You," she said. "You have all done well and the journey is almost over. Paragon. You have made me proud.... as have you all," she continued, smiling on each of them in turn. "Son of Amanda Purist. You have earned a better name. What do you think of Brave Heart the Redeemed? Yours IS a brave heart, though you have, in your day done great wrong. You have also dared to love again and with the help of the Paragon and others have broken the poison spell that held you for so long. I commend you for that. and I thank you. Your wound has been my wound and accepting the healing offered, you have given a healing back. You are truly your mother's son. And now my friends, it is time to set that brave woman free. Fear not as you enter the mural. The power of love walks with you." And as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished again. 

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Words for next week's 10-word challenge:  case, crocodile, sneeze, electricity, paws, pink, frenzy, octagon, helping hand, loudly

And for the mini: soundly, chapter, bell, cheer, clever 

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.