Broomsticks, Cauldrons, So Bewitching October 31, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Poetry.comments closed
Doorbells ringing
“We want CANDY!”
To avoid tricks
Keep sweets handy
Ghosts and goblins
Mischief night
Things that go bump
In the night
An endless parade
Of sights so scary
Skeletons remind us
To be wary
Costume parties
Bowls of treats
Instead of dinner
Let’s eat sweets.
Broomsticks, cauldrons
So bewitching
Black cats stare
With tails a-twitching
Carved pumpkins
Grins askew
Eyes gleaming
As we all scream . . . BOO!
Aah . . . bewitching!
Are You Impressed Yet? October 23, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that “pressure” and “impress” stem from the same root.
If we want to impress others with our acumen at writing, Bridge, or acrobatics, we are apt to feel pressure.
We don’t want to make a mistake or feel foolish if our efforts fall flat . . .
With a resounding s~p~l~a~t!
When we want to impress others, our Ego is invested in the outcome and we feel pressure to succeed.
But if we just want to learn new things and have fun, there is none.
The pressure to succeed evaporates when we no longer wish to impress others with our efforts because we are no longer seeking applause, accolades, acknowledgement, or external approval.*
We’re just enjoying the moment.
Aah . . . that’s better!
*Even so, most of us still don’t want to fall flat . . . with a resounding splat!
What Makes You You? October 21, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
Since my writing mojo is still MIA, I’m going to direct you to another killer post on Wait But Why . . . Tim’s repost of:
Tim got so turned around by the post that he ended it before reaching a satisfactory conclusion, something that is rare on Wait But Why.
But, hey, life is what happens while you’re busy writing blog posts.
Aah . . . that’s existential!
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun October 16, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Magick & Mystery, Music & Dance.comments closed
Last night, at midnight, ethereal music coming from another room woke us up.
Spooked, we got up to investigate with BFF leading the way. As we walked through the living room, we expected with every step to come face-to-face with a friendly spectre (or, worse, an unfriendly intruder).
When we reached the guest room, we heard music floating aloft from the bedside clock radio.
But who had turned it on?!
Since we hadn’t encountered any spectral beings on our midnight ramble, BFF decided he must have set the music alarm that afternoon while dusting.
(Yup, he dusts. And, yup, he’s taken.)
Even after we turned off the alarm, the music stayed with me. I heard it playing as I drifted off to sleep . . .
After spending the morning at the farmer’s market, I decided we needed to discover the composer and title of the piece. As soon as we stashed our produce buys, we checked the clock radio, found the station (WSMR, 89.1), and kept our fingers crossed that the station’s playlist would share last night’s midnight movement.
It did!
| 12:00 AM | Claude Debussy | Prelude to The Afternoon of A Faun | Paavo Jarvi; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Telarc, 80617 |
Here it is:
Aah . . . that’s beautiful!
The Thinking Ladder October 9, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, People, Writing & Writers.comments closed
Tim Urban, over at Wait But Why, is sharing a fantastic series right now ~ The Story of Us: Full Series.
Last week’s post, The Thinking Ladder, is fabulous.
It’s about HOW we think (and to a much lesser extent WHAT we think).
It addresses different types of information processing, hypothesis testing, confirmation bias, dissent, etc.
It is LONG . . . and worth every minute it takes to digest it.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Say Hello to Paitoon & Jilian October 7, 2019
Posted by nrhatch in Animals, Life Balance, Nature.comments closed
Like cats?
Meet Paitoon & Jilian:
For the first time, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is home to rare clouded leopard cubs. The two cubs are the newest residents on the Zoo’s Asia Trail; [they made] their public debut Wednesday, Sept. 11.
The cubs are a male named Paitoon and a female named Jilian. They were born April 29 and March 24, respectively, at the Nashville Zoo. Visitors will be able to see them for short periods of time during the morning at the clouded leopard exhibit from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The cubs are learning how to climb but will need to be supervised by keepers while they explore and acclimate to their new exhibit. As they become more independent, they will spend longer periods of time on exhibit until they no longer need keeper supervision, and visitors will be able to see them for much of the day.
“The cubs are extremely curious and precocious; they have been exploring and investigating every nook-and-cranny of their new home,” said Michael Brown-Palsgrove, curator of Asia Trail. “It’s a great time to visit the clouded leopard exhibit to see them and learn about all our conservation efforts here and in Thailand.”
Clouded leopards are arboreal and have large paws with sharp claws and long tails that help them adeptly navigate forest canopies of Southeast Asia. The Zoo’s energetic cubs spend most of their time perfecting their natural climbing abilities and wrestling and vocalizing to each other.
Aah . . . that’s precious!
Spirit Lights The Way 