Though She Be But Little…

If you had to sum up your life philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?

…she is fierce! – William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3, Scene 2.

That pretty much sums it up. I’ve just researched the original context because to be honest, I despise William Shakespeare. I know the quote is from the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’m sure it’s an unpopular take to dislike William Shakespeare, but I will not budge. He did add some fabulous words and insults to the lexicon and some people think he’s a genius. So there’s that. I didn’t like Shakespeare well before I had a personal reason to dislike the man, and I know that doesn’t make any sense, because he’s long dead, but it makes sense to me. Fun fact: I also despise William Faulkner, so it’s not only Shakespeare feeling the wrath, although my issue with Faulkner is more about his run-on sentence problem and his tedious writing. I also don’t like his themes. Now I’m pissed off because I’m thinking about Faulkner and Absalom, Absalom! and the paper I had to write on it in college. Ugh! I won’t be elaborating here, because this prompt isn’t about Shakespeare nor Faulkner – although discussing Faulkner raises my blood pressure, and it is better suited to another post where I can fling some Shakespeare insults to offset the side effects.

Anyway, the point is – and this is taken out of the original context in the play, which was meant as an insult – it doesn’t matter what people think I can do, I will always try. If one never tries, one never knows what is possible. I have achieved many things in my life simply by opening my mouth, picking up the phone, typing an email, or physically ambulating to a place. Even if you’re small in stature/vertically challenged, or young and therefore “little,” you’ve got a voice and you’ve got willpower. Whatever your differences are, they are strengths. Use them.

blogging · daily prompt · Flowers · I love trees · Nature · Nature photography · Oak trees · Photography · Skunks · squirrels · Trees · Willow oak trees

My Favorite Prompt Ever

Featured Amy4 Comments

Share a few recent shots from your camera roll, no context needed.

Zoom in and to the right of the green box: 🦨

This might be my favorite prompt ever prompted! It’s hard not to give context, though.

Let’s just say fall has fallen. Summer flowers are still blooming even though the nights have become cool. The squirrels are getting fat for winter, and the smallest babies that were born in September are slowly getting big. I have visitors at night, and they live under my shed. They are small but mighty. Everyone fears them, even the fox. They are black and white and sassy all over. Normally I’m not too concerned about the size of the squirrels and with what they’re doing, but William, my Willow oak, is sick. I have written about William in other posts. He’s my 100 year-old, 80 foot oak tree next to my house. I was going to get him cabled to support his canopy and bifurcated trunk, but the third guy I had out to look at the tree informed me that the tree has got mushrooms on its bark and they’re not just at the base. I shouldn’t be surprised because I’ve lost two large limbs off of this tree in the most recent storms. One crashed into my patio table and broke it. The other one landed in my Japanese maple, but didn’t break the tree. Luckily, the carnage has missed the house, but one of the bifurcated trunks will take down my entire house as well as the neighbors’ house if – rather, when, not if, and that’s terrifying – it falls. This tree has been home to many animals over the 100-ish years, and the last bunch of late season, baby squirrels is still living in it. I’m hoping to get the tree cut down at the end of November. I am grieving William, even though I know it’s the best thing to do. As I said, fall has fallen (as well as large limbs). But at least it’s not dark at 4PM like when we have to turn the clocks back. Oh wait…😒

blogging · cats · daily prompt · Humor · tennis · travel · Writing

A West Virginia Rest Stop

Featured Amy7 Comments

What’s the worst travel experience you’ve ever had?

Apologies to anyone reading from West Virginia, but I have seen the Mothman Prophecies several times, it’s soon to be Halloween, and as such, I don’t want to stop at a rest stop in your state ever again.

There is something forboding about West Virginia. The mountains creep up on you like when your pillows fall on you in your bed. It’s a stifling feeling. I was traveling through to get to a tennis tournament in another state and needed to stop for some food and to use the bathroom. I didn’t actually want to stop, but multiple bladders in the car (including mine) insisted.

Not only do the hills have eyes, the people at the rest stop have eyes that see through you. They look at you as if they’ve never seen anyone from “outside” before. Maybe they haven’t, but it gives one the impetus to move just a little bit faster. And that’s what we did – we did our business, bought our food, and left the rest stop as quickly as possible.

No country roads are gonna take me anywhere, John Denver (RIP).🏎️💨

blogging · Cartoons · comedy tv · daily prompt · fantasy · fiction · Humor · tv show

Buttercup

Featured Amy2 Comments

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls. I even named one of my cars after her. I have a keychain of her that speaks, and it is a ringtone in my phone. It sums up Buttercup perfectly when it says, “I think they’re askin’ for a heiny whoopin’! 😠”

On cue, as I’m typing this, a mosquito appears out of nowhere. I think I lured it out of hiding, because I’m quite sure this tiny blood sucker needs a heiny whoopin’. Just saying.

Buttercup is the tough and aggressive sister in the Powerpuff Girls. She is sassy. She’s physically tough and strong. she’s small. She doesn’t dare show her tenderness, which one can imagine would be her weakness. If I needed protection from harm, I would hire Buttercup. She could handle the job. If you want the whole team, you must hire Bubbles and Blossom as well. Together, they are known as the Whoopass Girls.

(L-R) Bubbles, Blossom, Buttercup

Classic Buttercup pose – prepared for heiny whoopin’!

blogging · cats · daily prompt · Hello Kitty · Humor · pets

Hello Kitty And Chococat

Featured Amy8 Comments

If you could pick any fictional animal to be your lifelong companion (like a Pokémon or fantasy pet), what would it be?

This was an easy one. I have collected Hello Kitty memorabilia for a very long time so it’s almost like I actually do have HK as a lifelong companion.

If she were real, though, she would be a wee white cat, five apples high and three apples heavy. She’s from London. She’s a Scorpio, born on November 1. She has a twin sister, Mimmy, and a boyfriend, Dear Daniel. I think this boyfriend is sketchy because I’d never heard of him until I was an adult. I don’t trust him. There’s another controversial thing about Hello Kitty, and that is that she’s actually an eight year-old girl named Kitty White, but I call BS on this because what eight year-old girl is five apples tall? Get that kid some food, ASAP.

Hello Kitty has a friend named Chococat, who is another one of my favorites. He’s a black cat with big eyes. Chococat got his name due to his little brown nose. He’s from Chocotown, Colorado, which I did not know until I researched.

I don’t think I’ll be able to decide between Hello Kitty and Chococat, so I’m going to have to adopt both of them.

And this, my friends, is how the cat distribution system works, even in a fictional world.

blogging · daily prompt · Found money · Humor · non-fiction

Cash

Featured Amy4 Comments

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found randomly on the street?

I used to find cash all the time. $20 bills, $10 bills, you name it. I would find it outside on walks, inside stores, you name it. I have had this “talent” my whole life. I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to manifest it, although I am and I double down on that as I’m writing this (looking at you, universe), but it’s true. I have always been able to find cash on the ground and in unique situations. There have been two times in my life where I’ve had the most exciting kind of money find: cash blowing around outside. This is the kind of stuff you have dreams of, but wake up and realize it didn’t happen. Only for me, it did happen.

The first incident occurred when I was 15 and my friend and I were walking into the mall. There was a woman and her granddaughter walking ahead of us and the granddaughter didn’t realize the cash she had with her was falling out of her purse or her pockets. My friend and I kept trying to tell them that she was losing her cash. We were yelling to them and picking up this cash as it was falling and blowing everywhere. But they misunderstood and thought we were hooligans, so they ran faster away. They disappeared out of sight completely by the time we got into the mall, and there was no way to track them once inside a packed mall. My friend and I looked at each other, shrugged and split the cash evenly. We had $15 each. So we each bought something in the mall. I remember exactly what I bought that day and I still have it. I will have to ask her if she remembers that day and if she remembers what she got with that money. It was unfortunate for them (fortunate for us – get it?!) , but we did our due diligence. I only wish they would’ve trusted us. We were teenagers, we weren’t monsters, but I can understand the comparison sometimes…

The second time was when my mom and I were driving to one of her friend’s houses and down the street from her house was a small pub/bar. We were driving up early on a Sunday morning. It was a windy March day as I recall. As we drove up to the corner where the bar was, I noticed a lot of green paper flying around. The other thing I should mention is that I have very poor eyesight without glasses, but I can see money. I can tell you if it’s a leaf or cash with this terrible vision of mine. At that time, I had much better vision, and immediately I knew I was seeing money blowing around. My mom knew too, and she stopped the car. I hopped out and started chasing the money around. It was like one of those TV shows where you’re locked up in a container with money and it blows around you and you have to grab it, except that I wasn’t locked up. Since it was an early Sunday morning after a busy Saturday evening at the pub, and no one else had been there, it was easy pickings for me. I’m not sure how much cash we ended up with, but it was substantial. I can tell you I got every available bill that was blowing in the wind.

Sadly, I haven’t found much cash on the ground lately and that’s because most people use plastic to pay for things these days. Or they use their phones. It has really taken a big chunk out of my talent as an attractor of cash, and I’m very disappointed. I hope to return to it eventually.

Actual photo of me finding cash on the ground

animals · blogging · daily prompt · Humor · pets · squirrels

Squirrels and Company

Featured Amy10 Comments

Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.

I don’t currently have a living pet, so I consider the outside animals to be pets. I have a long history with the birds and squirrels and have a current batch of teenage boy squirrels who appear to be orphaned. I try not to let them be reliant on me, but they really seem to be clueless. Because boys. What makes them uniquely them? I’d have to show you…

Bros

Splootin’

Just an average Tuesday around here

Two brothers grooming each other (includes tail draping, apparently)

Hey, hi, hello, I’m here, what are you doing?

That was easy!

blogging · books · daily prompt · fantasy · history · Humor · Outlander

Outlander

Featured Amy8 Comments

What’s a movie or book that inspired you to travel?

Anybody got any standing stones? Asking for a friend.

animals · blogging · daily prompt · Humor · Nature · Skunks

Skunks Under My Shed

Featured Amy12 Comments

If you had to be an animal for a week, which one would you be and why?

Why? Because they live really well. They’re almost impossible to evict and they’re very cute. Also, they have a great defense mechanism. Just last week I saw the red fox running from my yard to the neighbor’s yard at a full clip. Why? A skunk was chasing him.

Also last week, someone set off fireworks all night long on a random Tuesday, and when they started up the next night at about 8:30 PM, I went outside in my bathrobe and pajamas to see if I could find where they were coming from. I walked to the middle of the street thinking to myself that it probably wasn’t a great idea, because the skunks come out around that time, but they only ever appear in the backyard. As I stood in the middle of the road hearing fireworks, but not seeing any, I noticed two skunks on my front porch. I was stuck in the middle of the street with my phone as a flashlight for a half an hour on a Tuesday night.

Salt (i’m sorry if this link isn’t working – I’ve tried everything and it doesn’t seem to work. It’s such a cute video and I’m sorry you can’t see it. It won’t even load properly when I use the unedited version.)

Last night I learned there was a baby skunk. Apparently the baby lives under my shed, which means there is at least also a mother under my shed. I believe the mother is Salt. The father is Pepa (although they could go the other way, I’m not sure which skunk is the male and which skunk is the female), and the baby is Spinderella. If you don’t understand this reference, they are named after the female rap group Salt ‘N Pepa, and their female DJ Spinderella.

Salt ‘N Pepa

The baby came out last night. It’s 6:30 PM, learning how to hunt for bugs. I had to chase it back to the backyard because it’s far too early for a baby skunk to be out, even though it’s normal for babies. No, it doesn’t have rabies. It does have a luxurious home, though. The babies won’t be grown until September and I won’t kick them out until then, if at all possible. But their presence means that the birds and the squirrels no longer get food.

Spinderella

Join me soon for another episode of Wild Kingdom!

blogging · books · daily prompt · Humor · Learning

Who Isn’t?

Featured Amy4 Comments

Are you a lifelong learner?

Learning never stops. You don’t have to be enrolled in a formal education program to continue to learn your whole life. And if you’re not learning anything as the years go on, then you’re not paying attention and you’re not growing. Reading, taking classes, doing things that keep your mind active are all important to keep learning, but also living daily life teaches you lessons that you can’t find in a book or a class. Often, those are the lessons that are most impactful.

Learning keeps your brain and your body sharp. Well, maybe not sharp, but less dull. What have you learned lately?