718.

In other news, Mercury is in retrograde again y'all.

(See here: HOW THIS MERCURY RETROGRADE IN CAPRICORN WILL AFFECT US ENERGETICALLY)

For me that usually means exes will ooze out of the woodwork.

Whyyyyyyyyyy?  🙀

In the past several days, I have gotten a couple of texts and phone call from guys I've dated in the past.

Guy number one and I didn't actually date but we met on one of the online dating sites last year. We talked and texted for a few weeks but never made it to the first date.

When he texted me last week, I didn't know who he was because his contact was no longer in my phone. He addressed me by my name so I figured who ever it was knew me somehow.

I waited a few hours before texting back to ask who it was.

To make a long story short, we texted then talked. He asked me out for coffee which turned into lunch.

Lunch was good (one of my favorite local Thai joints), he was funny, we had some things in common (I'm 83 percent African-American, four percent Irish; he's 98 percent Irish, two percent African-American...)

But I felt some of his behavior was inappropriate and he seemed close to being manic. He talked loudly about personal subjects, made comments that seemed to offend a few folks around us, asked someone about their political views.

I'm a live-and-let-live kinda lady but his behavior was a turn-off. He was also between jobs and his aura reeked of desperation and despair. I offered to pay for lunch (because it was my idea to extend the coffee hour to a meal and I never want anyone to go hungry if I'm able to feed them) but he said no.

When the bill came, he tried to pay with his credit card. Declined. So he paid with his debit card.

*sigh*

He texted me lots more that day and the next but I had to cut it off.

There will be no more dates and I don't want to hear from him again.

It might sound mean but I can't involve myself in whatever drama he has brewing. If he's truly in need of some help, I hope he gets it.

He has my prayers.

Guy number two is a guy I dated quite a few times earlier this year. I stopped talking to him when he mentioned one day that he might vote for Trump because he didn't like Hillary.

Maybe he was joking but I didn't find it funny.

He began texting me the same night as guy number one. It was weird because he didn't seem to want anything specific. He asked me what I was doing, asked me to remind him of how we met, brought up the election, and that was it.

Perhaps it was because my answers were less than enthusiastic. I don't know; I don't really care. He (along with guy number one) is now on my "do not respond" list.

That means their calls will go straight to my voicemail and any subsequent texts from them will be deleted with no response.

Guy number three is a guy I had one date with at least two years ago. We also met online.

What the hell he wants, I can't imagine.

He took me to lunch at P.F. Chang's. The decor was lovely. The food was good, nothing spectacular. His dime, my time...

The date was spent talking, eating, laughing. He told me about the non-profit he ran. He made himself sound like one of the most altruistic people on the planet.

Cool.

A few days after the date, I got a nastily-worded text from him that he likely meant to send to someone else but there it was.

I waited a few hours then responded by saying he had obviously sent the text to the wrong person. I also let him know I didn't want to hear from him again.

He never responded.

Cool.

Fast forward a year or so and I could see that he'd visited my dating profile. (Using the new profile he'd created.) I was flabbergasted when I got an e-mail from him.

I went to his profile, to make sure it was who I thought it was. Yep, it was him. And incredibly, his profile mentioned his recent divorce.

Huh?

I didn't recall us discussing his wife over lunch the year before. Not that his divorce made a difference one way or the other because after that funky ass text I received, he and I had nothing to talk about. But learning that he'd (possibly) been married when we went out and I didn't know...

It was just one more nail in his shoe as far as I was concerned.

So I did something mean. I responded to his e-mail by telling him he was a crazy lying bastard and if he e-mailed me again I would report him to the site for harassment.

He didn't e-mail again but now he's popped up. Again.

He didn't text me. He actually called me several times. I didn't answer because I didn't recognize the number but it looked familiar (I have a friend who has a similar number) so I Googled it.

It came back as being registered to guy number three's business.

Needless to say, he is now on my "reject call list".

If I'm contacted by one mo' dude I don't want to hear from during this retrograde, Mercury and I are gonna have a talk. 👺

And now I bid y'all a fond ta-ta for now.

Time for me to hit the streets with Baby Bliss.

Have a good one folks!  😊

717.

Happy happy Wednesday y'all!  😀

I see that Google has graced us bloggers with emojis. Is this our holiday gift or did we get this power with the recent upgrades and I missed it until now?

I'm an emoji-using kinda gal so if I go overboard, someone please remove my fingers from the keyboard and take me out for a cupcake.

In other news, if anyone is interested in an update on the "money luck" in my dream detailed in Post 700, here it is.

Folks, I'm happy to say I did get some unexpected funds last month. I won't go into the personal stuff but one day in late November, there was a check for almost $150 sitting in my mailbox. The money was owed to me but it had been almost a year in coming so I had no idea when to expect it.

The check is still floating around in here because rarely do I visit my financial institution more than once a month. Baby Bliss likes to hoard her paychecks so we usually go when she decides to deposit them.

With the holidays upon us, I told her we should go today.

Merry Christmas to me! 🎁💲🎁💲🎁💲

While we're on the topic of dreams, I had a funny one several nights ago.

In waking life, I've purchased at least two of the blenders that use a personal cup with a blade attachment that screws in while the cup is upside down and is then placed right-side up into the contraption with the motor.

The first one lasted several years then one day, one of the blades broke while I was blending. I had already bought the second one as a back up so no big deal. I threw out the whole blade attachment and the cup I was using to blend.

The second one lasted a year, maybe two before the blade attachment got cracked somehow.

As a parent, it is my duty to blame Baby Bliss for both blenders getting broken because that's what good parents do when it's only the parent and the child living in the residence and the parent knows he or she didn't break the item(s).

Because I'm a really good parent, I'll give y'all the details: the blades broke on the first one because she kept putting too many frozen items in the cup without enough liquid. She would also run the blender too long. The frozen items were obviously too strong for the blade and I believe they eventually caused the blade components to weaken.

The base of the second blade attachment was cracked which means it was likely dropped from a height high enough for that to happen. I know I didn't drop the thing...

At some point I realized that every time I used the blender, liquid had seeped out from the cup into the piece that held the motor. Eventually I examined the blade attachment and saw a crack running from the center of the thing to the outer edge. It went clean through the whole of the two-inch high contraption.

*sigh*

I tossed it.

That was last month.

I thought about buying a new blender but just couldn't get into the mood to do it.

Last year, someone gave me a food processor that I've never used because I've never used a food processor. I've seen them used on cooking shows but never in real life.

It had been sitting in an open box atop my kitchen cabinet, gathering dust and maybe spider webs.

In the absence of a blender, I wondered if I could use the food processor to make my daily green drink. It was never more than a thought but it led to thoughts of making ice cream with the food processor.

I even mentioned it to a few folks. But that too was merely a thought. 😄

Then I had the dream.

In the dream, I was on the stepladder in the kitchen, piddling around with things atop the cabinet. Some of those things were blenders, three in total, brand new and waiting for me to use them.

When I awoke, I thought it was funny and didn't give it another thought until yesterday.

Yesterday I took the stepladder to the kitchen and got the food processor box down.

Lo and behold honey! There was a blender in the box. You could have bought me for a penny.

It's a Cuisinart and came with dangerous-looking blades (that are indeed dangerous) for the blender and the food processor.

The assembly directions (and a recipe book) were in the box too. I safely assembled the blender then disassembled to give it a good cleaning.

The blender looks like it'll hold about a half gallon of liquid so I'm not sure how it will work for my green drinks.

Stay tuned folks because I'll find out soon. 😄

716.

To those who celebrate any holiday this time of year, I wish you the best, happiest, merriest, most enlightening celebration ever.

Baby Bliss and I don't have a script for our holiday celebration.

I put up our tiny tree and decorated it while she was out one day. She expressed her disappointment in a text: I should have waited for her.

My bad. I did allow her to add the additional decorations (bells) that I recently bought after I decided the metallic blue ball ornaments from last year were just a tad too big for our tiny tree. The tiny bells I found were the perfect size but required work before they could go on the tree.

I thought the package I bought was individual bells to be hung each on a branch. Nope. The bells were all on a single strand of silver cord.

Grrrr!

Initially I thought I would have to crochet strings to add to each bell, to get each one on the tree. Then I realized I could cut the silver string in a way that would allow me to use every other bell without having to crochet extra strings.

It's possible that I will still crochet extra strings for the bells that need them. It's a five-step process: crochet the string, remove the bell cap, tie the string securely, glue the cap back on, hang the bell.

There might be 10 more bells needing to be hung on the tree. Ahhh, well... We'll see if it happens during this holiday season.

On to other topics!

Other than the one warm day we had recently (69 degrees) it's been cold here. I am beyond thankful to have a warm and safe place to call home. For those who do not have these things, I offer my prayers and whatever activities I can perform to help resolve those misfortunes.

Monday evening I was exhausted from being awake from Sunday morning until 5 a.m. Monday morning. A nap became inevitable. I shut down the laptop, arranged a few pillows for my comfort, and wrapped myself in my blanket on the sofa. Then I closed my eyes and drifted away.

A few times I surfaced from my sea of snores. I'm not sure if I was fully conscious but I recall seeing the curtains, hearing the t.v., then zoning out again.

Around 9:30 p.m., the phone rang. It was Mr. Skittish. He could tell from my voice that he'd awakened me. He also sounded like he'd been asleep. (He had been.)

We talked for 15 or 20 minutes then said good night.

Generally we talk at least twice a day, sometimes more. We text throughout the day too. We've shared a lot of our life histories with each other, unexpectedly developing a good friendship along the way.

It's probably why we enjoyed our time together when he visited December 10 and 11.

I got him from the train station late that Saturday morning. We came to my place so I could finish packing my overnight bag. Then it was time for lunch. We ate at a local McAllister's Deli. When we finished it was check-in time at the hotel.

The same guy who checked Mr. Skittish in last time he visited was at the desk. He remembered us. In the room, I took a shower, put on my lounging attire, and hopped into one of the queen sized beds. He took the other bed.

We started out watching telly and both ended up snoring. A few hours later, I woke up hungry and knowing my glucose level was seriously low. Lucky for me I'd brought some leftovers from home.

Mr. S declined my offer to share my food with him so I dined alone. But he was hungry too. We dressed and made a food run. Back at the hotel, we talked, laughed, and watched telly while he ate.

We stayed up late and woke early Sunday morning. Early-ish, around 8 a.m.

It was a lazy morning, no rush to get up. I got up around 10, showered, got dressed, packed my things, and tossed our trash from the night before. He took his time getting up to shower. I helped him pack, making sure he had everything, hurrying him along as he sat around lollygagging after he was dressed.

Not that I was anxious to go but I didn't want us to stay past checkout. Also his train was scheduled to leave shortly after noon and it was a 30-minute drive to the station.

We grabbed a fast food breakfast and ate it on the way to the train station.

It was after noon when we arrived but we knew the train was running late because we'd checked the schedule online about halfway there. We sat in the station talking and laughing while we waited.

The attendant made the announcement for the impending arrival and told folks to head for the gate. We hugged and kissed goodbye. He walked out to the gate and I waited on the other side until he got on the train. We waved bye several times, laughing as he walked toward the train.

He boarded and I headed off to do a bit of shopping. Window shopping really because there was nothing I wanted to buy. My gas tank was a few notches short of half a tank so I filled it after I left the store then headed home.

Mr. S texted me when he arrived home and called me later that evening. He was happy, saying how he'd had a really good time and he was glad he had come to visit.

The next day was his birthday. I texted him a birthday greeting shortly after midnight.

We talked and texted on his birthday, mostly about how much we'd enjoyed the weekend.

Over the past week or so, we've been talking about taking a trip up north when the weather warms up.  There's a place he's been wanting to go for a while and he asked me to go with him. I think it's nice that he invited me. Whether or not we actually go dwells somewhere in the future.

If we do go, I'll drive. My car is good on gas and he works two jobs every day. He deserves to sit back and enjoy the ride. I'll probably decide where we sleep as well. Our destination is very near my home town and I know the areas to avoid to ensure our safety.

Maybe we'll visit my parents on the way up or back.

We'll see.

He also wants to go to Vegas, which should be fun. I haven't vacationed in Vegas since the early 90s.

Mr. Skittish is a decent man. Somewhat gullible too. He can be thankful that I'm not one to take advantage of those sorts.

It's nice to know good people.

Amen.

715.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend. If not, I wish you success in accessing the tools necessary to overcome your obstacles.

My weekend was fun and informative. It gave me an idea for a new business venture:

Action and Adventure Chez Bliss

Has your life become boringly predictable? Are you in need of a fun and exciting getaway that offers you a glimpse into someone else's blissfully chaotic days and nights?

Yes?

You should sign up for a weekend or week with me, K. Bliss!

We'll visit my colorful neighbors, engage in funny/daunting/frightening conversations with random guys we meet on online dating sites, go on at least one date with at least one funny guy from an online dating site who strikes our fancy, eat delicious cupcakes from my favorite local bakery, visit my favorite enchanting lakeside park, and much more.

Weekends are $1,000 and include lodging (Friday-Sunday), roundtrip transfers to and from our local airport or Amtrak station, all ground transportation, and meals.

A one week stay will set you back $4,000 and includes all of the above, commencing Monday and concluding Friday.

Reservations should be made at least two (2) weeks in advance. 

714.

Folks!

I hope everyone is healthy and peaceful as of this reading.

As for me, I've been a busy lady. Doing lots of stuff that I can't totally recall because it's been lots.

What I do remember:

- pre-Thanksgiving: my car was in for repairs for a week. Expensive repairs. They loaned me a current model year to hold me over and they wanted me to like it enough to want a new car. Nope. I didn't like it at all and drove it as little as possible. I was thankful to get my ride back the day before the holiday.

- Thanksgiving: Baby Bliss and I cooked some stuff, bought some stuff, and ate most of it that day. Big Sister Bliss dropped by later with plates of food to share from her celebration at her parent's.

- In the name of reorganizing and simplifying my life, there has been lots of sorting, tossing, and donating happening here. Shredding too.

- Lots of flirting going on, both in the real world and the virtual one. Some of it has been really surprising. More specifically, a text message I received from a dude I have a weird kind of crush on. We've been friendly for decades and we've had a couple of social outings in the past year or so. We talk and text periodically; we're friends on social media. He might even read this blog.

It was only a two-word text but those two words (no, "love" was not one of them) were totally unexpected in their expression of caring. Not that I think of him think of him as lacking in sensitivity but that text was out of the norm for what I thought were the boundaries of our relationship.

Although I responded in kind (because it was how I truly felt), it was 30 minutes later because was the text really for me?

In the days since, I've also been wondering if there's more to that "discussion".

*sigh*

Regardless, for the duration of our acquaintance, our lives have mostly intertwined in what I thought of as the most casual way possible. So even if the text was for me and I sure did (and do) second his emotion, his expression of the sentiment is what I would need to get right with.

In the past few days we've shared a few texts on our usual text topics (solo activities that singles our age indulge in and the possibilities of seeing each other "soon") so I don't want to read too much into something that may not require me to devote any more time or energy to it.

Maybe the real issue is that we've never precisely defined the boundaries of our relationship.

Before now I've never felt it necessary. He lives there; I live here. Our lives are so different that I can't imagine us spending more time together than we already do. Not for lack of trying on his part but although we've socialized in the past (and probably will again) I don't think we're really each other's type for anything serious or long-term.

Because he lives there and I live here. And some other things too.

If I had my druthers (as my mama used to say), he would move here (because I love my town and never want to leave unless I'm leaving the country) and we would live happily ever after. Because he is cool and hot and smart and a few other things I can't quite put my finger on.

But he also has some habits I don't like and that's fine. He is who he is. I don't expect him to change nor do I want him to because some of his less desirable traits are part of his whole effing overall sexiness.

And I've just given a whole lotta energy to this... situation. Might make for an interesting dream or two.

Ha!

In any event, it's time for me to make some zees.

Mr. Skittish is coming to town and we have plans to hang out, maybe get a meal and a movie at some point.

He's arriving early so I'll be up when the roosters clock out of first shift.

More later y'all.

713.

In late April, T, a long-time friend passed away. Her funeral was held the first Saturday in May. I drove six hours round trip that day, to say goodbye to my friend and visit with her family.

Her mom, M, and I have grown close in the 25+ years I've known their family. The last time I saw M was at T's funeral.

This morning, M was in the last dream I had just before waking.

A, a guy I dated in my early 20s, was in the dream too.

A and I were in M's kitchen with M. She had lost a lot of weight and she was wearing a wig, something she's never done in waking life. I knew it was her although she didn't look like herself.

A was sitting at the table. M was at the stove cooking something in a frying pan that looked like Native American fry bread. M called it something that I can't remember. I was standing near M, off to one side.

She and I were talking about T and how much T loved the bread M was cooking.

A was quiet, anxiously awaiting his bread.

Suddenly M's wig went missing in one of those mysterious ways that things happen in dreams. With her own hair she looked like herself.

The bread was done; M plated a huge piece and spread some sort of reddish goo on it that might have been some kind of fruit preserves. She gave it to A.

That's when I woke up.

I realized right away that it had been too long since I'd spoken with M. I called her right away. We talked for over two hours, catching up and reminiscing.

The rest of my Sunday was quiet and uneventful.

It turned out to be a good weekend after all.

I'm thankful.

There have been many many dreams between this one and the one I wrote about prior to this one. Silly me for not journaling them here or on paper.

My dream book had some pretty interesting things to say about the symbols I recalled from my Sunday morning dream.

1. Mother: see Parents - to dream of the parents of others indicates that you can count on the help of friends when you need it.

2. Wig: New faces in new places is the message contained in a dream featuring a wig or wigs

3. Cooking: One of the most fortunate dreams going; whether someone else was doing the cooking or you were doing it yourself, it is a promise of every material comfort in the near future.

4. Bread: if it was fresh, white, and tasty, your future is secure.

5. Kitchen: if the kitchen was modern and/or attractive and well-kept, it predicts good news or happy social events.

6. Fry: a dream of frying anything indicates unhappiness in love, unless you burned it, in which case you will soon be consoled.


Interesting.

712.

Happy Sunday folks.

My weekend turned out to be a mostly quiet one. Quite the opposite of what was planned but it's obviously what I needed.

As some of you know, for many in America, Thursday is the celebration of the country-stealing holiday we call Thanksgiving.

Hurray.

For me it's a time to spend in reflection and fellowship. Sometimes with family, sometimes not.

My birth family has been the source of many life lessons. But that's the way it's supposed to be, right?

Lately there have been lots of lessons.

One family member voted for Trump. Another texted several family members begging for money for an adult child who chooses to stay unemployed because he is too full of himself to take a job that's not in the field of his college major. Then there are the enablers who always make excuses for the others, regardless of the situation.

I really don't want to share a meal with these people.

I also know they'll want to talk about Mr. Bliss. He'll always be part of our family though he's no longer with us. I don't want to talk about him every single time we gather for family events.

Thinking about him while I'm going about my daily life has its own challenges. Being with a group of people who want to talk about him has been overly emotional in the past.

Baby Bliss has a paramour who's taking up a lot of her non-working hours so I expect she'll eat with his family.

Which leaves me here eating alone and I'm fine with it. That way if I want to cry, I can do it without feeling bad about it.

It looks like the rest of this week will be devoted to planning my Thursday meal.

Definitely macaroni and cheese. Frozen because there's no way I'm attempting that one from scratch.

Probably rotisserie chicken from my local Harris Teeter. Or maybe salmon, which I already have in the freezer.

A pie too. Pumpkin is the traditional dish for the holiday but I've never been a stickler for other people's traditions and I do love a good apple pie. Pie will be pre-cooked. I wish I could do it from scratch because I don't want the ton of sugar and other stuff they add in.

Hmmm... Maybe I will make my own apple pie. I've baked a few since Mr. Bliss departed. Not that mine are anywhere near as good as his, but I've learned that the hardest part is chopping, coring, and peeling the apples. I have a graham cracker crust that I've been anxious to use in an apple pie. It's not the usual crust for the pie but I love graham cracker crust so I want it.

If there's pie there should be vanilla ice cream. There are already two pints of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer: vanilla and Mint Chocolate Cookie. When ever I buy a favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's, I buy a pint of vanilla to mix with it. Their delectable yummies are flavored ice creams mixed with other flavors and it's just too much flavor for me. So I mix with vanilla to get just the right amount of flavor for me.

Is that too much flavor for you?

Yes?

Exactly.

Veggies will probably be steamed kale and mashed sweet potatoes.

And because this time of year brings my favorite bread to the supermarket (I've loved it since childhood), there will be brown and serve rolls.

If I'm really lucky my other daughter (Baby Bliss' co-worker who we've adopted into the family and shall ever after be referred to as Big Sister Bliss) will make a chicken pot pie for me and I won't need the chicken/salmon or the bread. Maybe not the mac and cheese either.

Everyone cross your fingers for my pot pie. Big Sister Bliss makes a scrumptious chicken pot pie and she's been promising one since last week.

711.

Lest we forget, the Universe is always keen to remind us:


The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,  Gang aft agley.

(The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.)


- Robert Burns


On a happier note, I can see beautiful leaves drifting past my window as they make their descent toward what might become their final resting place. 

710.

Tired.

Achy.

Sleepy.

709.

I'm getting just awful at publishing my blog posts in a timely manner...

Shame on me!

I did have a date Wednesday, with a guy I met online. (Of course.)

It was... interesting.

We met face-to-face at the car dealership because it needed to go for servicing and he wanted to introduce me to his service guy. (We drive the same make of car.)

Although we'd planned the date the week before, the night before he told me that though we were meeting at 11 a.m., he had a doc appointment at 1 p.m.

Okay...

Well, we met and then he wanted to grab a bite with me.

Um, okay.

I reminded him of his 1 p.m. doc appointment and he said not to worry.

We had our meal then returned to the dealership.

The good news: my car is in great overall shape. It needed an alignment and some fluids flushed and replaced. I also requested that they restore my headlight covers.

The bad news: my car is 10 years old next month and it's time for my hybrid battery to be replaced.

I wasn't surprised because it was just a matter of time. I'm just thankful I'm able to do it.

My date and I also went to the park. We sat in his car and talked because sadly, the air here isn't safe to breath right now. There are several large fires burning in the mountains a few hours away. The smoke is so bad that it's been blowing down our way for about a week now.

What's scary is that even when we haven't been able to smell it or see the haze, experts said that ultra fine particulates are still being sucked into our lungs and could potentially cause respiratory issues at some future date.

Any way, back to the date.

His doc appointment was either cancelled for Wednesday or non-existent because it never happened.

We ended up back at the dealership where I signed off on the repairs and picked up a loaner car. My date and I sat in the loaner in the parking lot for about 20 minutes, saying goodbye. He asked if I would see him again and I said yes.

When I left, I headed to my grandma's for a very brief visit. We watched the news for 10 or 15 minutes. When grandma began praising the governor for enacting that ridiculous revenue-sucking HB2, I began packing up to head home.

My date and I have talked and texted lots since our date but there's been no mention of date number two.

Que sera, sera baby!

I'm still single and not holding my breath waiting.

Not that I'm expecting to do too much more dating. It's already starting to get cold and dark around 4 or 5 p.m. I do not like winter clothes or shoes so as the days grow shorter and colder, I'm much more likely to be home curled up on my sofa with a good book or my crochet hooks and yarn.

Gotta run folks!

Lots to do this weekend starting right now.

Peace and blessings to you all.

708.2

Hello everyone.

My Monday turned out to be busier than I expected and happily so.

After taking Baby Bliss to work, I drove to our local healthy foods store to find it had been remodeled since my last visit. I was floored. The appeal to the staff was understandable but my sense of aesthetics was offended.

In addition to my general feeling of disconnect, I couldn't easily locate the organic apples I wanted to buy. Later I realized it wasn't a super urgent purchase because I don't have any yogurt or almond butter to eat with my apples.

Probably won't have either until Thursday earliest which means I should wait until next week to buy the apples. I already have a fridge half full of leftovers and I'm expecting a friend in town this weekend so it's not likely I'll be eating at home much from Friday until Sunday.

So yeah, I'm being allowed time to adjust.

Yeah...

When I returned home, I stopped in the parking lot to talk to a neighbor's mom and ended up spending a few hours with the woman. She is such a cool person to hang with. We talked and laughed, she shared crafting and DIY tips with me, and she really helped me by taking a huge load of yarn and fabric off my hands.

Our fun time ended because I thought I needed to get the daughter from work. Turned out to be a false alarm so I ran off to do a little personal shopping.

Yep, it was a good day and I'm thankful.

Amen!

On other fronts, I think it's time to do away with the suspense regarding the outcome of my most recent date.

Right?

Right!

So, back in his hotel room we ate and talked and laughed until I figured it was late enough for him to be ready to get ready for bed.

He walked me to my car, we hugged good night, and he kissed me on the forehead. (Awwww...) Then a little smooch on the lips. (*chuckle*)

I called him 10 minutes later to tell him I'd arrived home safely. We briefly discussed how much we'd enjoyed the day together and the possibility of breakfast together the next morning. He left it up in the air, saying he might be leaving early so I told him to call me to say goodbye before he left and I planned to sleep in on Sunday.

Around nine Sunday morning I got a call from Mr. Skittish, inviting me to breakfast. Although I was awake, I wasn't quite up and about, having planned the night before to sleep in.

I let him know I'd love to have breakfast with him but it would be almost an hour before I would be properly primped.

He agreed to wait.  (Of course he did.)

I met him at the hotel and he followed me to a local spot. There was more of a crowd than I expected but we were seated immediately.

Breakfast went well. Good food, good company, good conversation.

We held hands as we walked back to the parking lot. At my car, we hugged and kissed goodbye, he opened my door (every gentleman does), and we went our separate ways.

He called me after he'd been on the road for 30 minutes or so. We rehashed the weekend, laughed...

A few days later he asked when he would see me again. I told him I didn't know but we could try to work it into his schedule since he is a lot busier than I am.

Long story short, we couldn't make it happen.

Folks, this was not a match made in heaven or on earth.

Our schedules don't mesh and we live too far apart for it to not matter. Also, while he's a genuinely nice man who says he wants to be in a romantic relationship, he is definitely skittish about making a commitment. There are other detractions as well but those two are most important.

No worries people.

Y'all know how I roll.

Mr. Skittish and I are still friendly. We talk and text every day, some days more often than others. I understand that he's not what I want or need in the romance department but he's become a good friend and I wish him all the best as he moves forward.

As for me, I'm still single and I have a date tomorrow.

I have to run so more on that later... 

708.

Good morning y'all.*

I'm "in my feelings" this morning, as the young folk would say.

Lots to do today so I won't let that deter me.

In case anyone is interested, I did have a second date with the gentleman who drove two hours to meet me Halloween weekend.

The festival was scheduled to end at 8 p.m. so he had made reservations to stay over at a local hotel. We enjoyed our outing until we decided we'd had enough then headed back this way, maybe around six. We went to his room to relax for a bit then made a food run. We ate and talked in his room for a couple of hours.

He's a hardworking man and his body is used to waking up in the wee hours for work so he was tired before 10 p.m.

Which was cool because I was tired too. Spending the whole day with a stranger, whether the day is fun and exciting or boring and tense, comes with its own kind of exhaustion.

Although my date and I had a whole month of getting-to-know-you tucked under our belts, it was all done by e-mail, texts, and phone calls.

Of course we had exchanged many photos in that month as well.

Regardless, face-to-face chemistry is always an unknown factor. One, because you don't know if your in-person energies will vibe well. Two, because you don't know what kind of energy it will be, romantic or platonic.

I've learned (and am still learning) to take nothing for granted. Losing Mr. Bliss was the hardest example of that lesson. I continue to move forward with all that I learned from him as well as the events leading up to and the aftermath of his death.

Four years later, I know that everything is temporary. What I can never know is the finite duration of any particular situation which is what drives me batty. I like to know. Despite me understanding that "this too shall pass" (whatever "this" may be), the not knowing still causes anxiety that manifests in ways I don't like.

And having said that, I realize my need to return to a useful meditative practice.





* Yes this was written this morning, long before 12 noon. Mea culpa for not hitting "publish" in time.

707.

Oh my.

Some time before the farce known as Election Day, I began writing this post in the wee hours and before I could finish, Morpheus dragged me to his lair and I was unable to escape.

Apparently I was so shocked by the election results that I plum forgot to finish the post.

There are many forecasts and predictions about what a Trump presidency will look like for the majority of Americans. If the most dire of them come to pass, my blog could become something akin to a digital Diary of Anne Frank.

Seriously.

For all my readers outside the United States, I ask that each of you pray that this country manages to make it safely and sanely through the next four years. I ask not just for myself and my fellow Americans but for the whole world because what affects this part of the globe in many ways affects the entire planet, in terms of global trade, climate change, etc.

While there has already been some backpedaling by Trump of many of his loudest (and nastiest) campaign promises, my common sense dictates that I not trust anyone who spoke such vile words about so many human beings in the first place.                                      

Many of my friends and family on social media are praying for miracles. Which is fine. I am too. But I'm also taking action by signing petitions and preparing to relocate for my safety and the safety of Baby Bliss should it become necessary.

As for this post, because it's been sitting here for a while, I'm not sure how Blogger will "date" it. I've added today's date to differentiate, just in case Blogger uses the date of the original draft post.

In any case, I can't remember what the rest of the original post was supposed to say so a new one is forthcoming...


_______________________________________



Oh Happy Day y'all!

I hope everyone is doing well, particularly my fellow Americans as we wend our way toward the end of a spectacularly vehement presidential election cycle.

I've had a few busy days this week, tending to first-of-the-month business, helping Baby Bliss further her financial education (investing), a bit of housework, lunch at a favorite local restaurant with Baby Bliss, phone calls with friends and family.

My dad and I talked earlier in the week. He called to check in and say he'd gotten a good report from his doctor.

My mother, the Good Reverend Doctor M____ Bliss, called yesterday to share complaints and conspiracy theories.

706.

How-do y'all.

Well, I'm happy to say it was a fun and funny day.

My date and I had a good ole time.

We attended a rollicking festival at a vineyard about 40 minutes from my home. It wasn't my first time so I knew it would be a blast, based on previous attendance.

The fete began at noon; we arrived at 20 after and found that available parking was already threatening to have us walking to the pavilion from the boondocks.

Judging from the number of vehicles, I expected us to have a hard time finding an open table. Oddly, there were several tables that appeared entirely empty. We chose two seats at one, dropped the cooler, the extra bag, and my jacket (to hold our seats) then galavanted off to greet other attendees and check out the vendors and food trucks.

We met one couple who I think we both enjoyed meeting more than anyone else we met.

They were Cynthia and Tom Wilson, vendors at the festival. Not only are they really cool people but  they have the awesome job of raising the much-loved alpacas that are part of their extended family.

Two of the alpacas, mommy Mocha and her baby Luna, were on-site. The others stayed home to keep the other farm family members minding their p's and q's.

Neither my date nor I had previously seen alpacas live and in person before today. We both fell in love with them. They are beautiful creatures, mostly gentle-natured but also high-spirited on occasion.

We asked a ton of questions and the Wilsons were kind enough to share the fascinating story of their alpacas with us.

If anyone is curious about the alpaca, Open Herd is Cynthia and Tom's website.

There were lots more vendors but only one other caught my eye long enough for me to stop.

A woman named Kristina Tomkie, who runs "my little design company", designs and creates greeting cards by hand.

Lovely little things they are.

As a creative spirit, I have an appreciation for the time and effort others put into their works of art. Not all of it is enticing enough to get me to open my wallet but greeting cards just happen to be my thing because I actually like sending actual cards via snail mail.

There's something delectable about receiving a card in the mail. Even if there's nothing handwritten in it other than a signature, I feel like someone was thinking about me for the amount of time it took him/her/them to buy and sign the card, address and stamp the envelope, mail the card, wait for me to acknowledge receipt.

Over time, I have amassed a collection of hundreds of greeting cards. Partly because I have a tendency to buy a card for a special occasion, bring it home, lose it, then return to the store to purchase another.

Sometime after mailing the subsequently purchased card, I find the first one et voila, an extra card for my collection.

Any who, while I can (and do) get greeting cards for cheap I don't mind paying a little extra from time to time for something original.

It satisfies my impulse to encourage other creative folk and I hope the recipient can see that I thought enough of him/her/them to send something different.

Without going further afield (because I'm nodding), if anyone wants to check out Kristina's cards they're here: My Little Design Company.

Okay y'all, I'm outta here.

Good night everyone.

Sweet dreams...

705.

Good morning folks!

I tried to get this missive out in the wee hours but I passed out before I could log in.

When I awoke this morning, my laptop was perched... on my lap.

Ha ha!

So now I'm once again racing the clock.

I've showered and shampooed and it's time to get dressed while the kettle boils.

I have an all-day date planned.

He's driving a few hours just to spend the day with me.

There's a Special Event taking place in a town not too far off. We're heading over to enjoy the festivities and I have lunch and drinks stashed in the cooler.

We've been e-mailing/talking/texting for a month but this will be our first face-to-face meeting.

He's a nice man, a bit... skittish (or "scary" as folks in these parts would say) but overall a good bloke it seems.

The weather is already beautiful. Sunshine and Carolina blue skies.

Nothing better!

Gotta run folks.

Enjoy your day!

704.

So I did my part to keep the good ole U.S. of A. in the blue and get our state as blue as possible.

From my lips to God's ears!

On other fronts, it's been a night of nostalgia chez Bliss.

I've been listening to a lot of 70s music (rock, pop, and disco mostly) on the YouTube. And I began to really miss Mr. Bliss in a way I haven't in a long time. It made me sad but not overwhelmingly so.

I know if he was still in the here and now and not at work, we might have been dancing then snuggling on the sofa.

Thankfully I turned on James Corden and I'm now getting a belly full of laughs.

Thanks James!

And although I had planned to say more, I must bid you kind folks good night.

The lavender essential oil that I mix with my night moisturizer is luring me away from the keyboard. I know she's planning to push me into a pile of pillows and blankets and I'm just too tired to fight her.

Bon nuit y'all.

Sweet dreams... 

703.

Happy Friday folks.

So much to tell and so little time.

Looks like this will be a multi-posting, to be continued at a later time or date...

I'll start with saying I'm in a peculiar kind of mood today so if I say anything that offends you, suck it up.

Let's get started!

Early voting began yesterday in my neck of the woods.

I'll be heading over to cast my ballot today.

Lots of lines on the news yesterday so I'll likely stick a paperback in my purse.

Thank God they did away with that bullsh*t voter ID law. Not that I don't have identification but we all know what that crap was about. As if voter fraud was proven to run rampant in this state...

I don't understand racist bigots and white supremacists. If they're really better than everyone else, why do they fight so hard to handicap others?

Supremacy just is. It shouldn't require active suppression or degradation of others on the part of the so-called superior person.

Which leads to thoughts of the "one-drop" rule that unofficially determines a person's blackness in America.

As we Americans know, it only applies to people whose blackness can be visually identified. If it really meant anything, we'd all have to submit to DNA testing and carry our documents around to prove our blackness or lack there of.

But I'll say this: if it only takes one drop of black blood to make a person colored, that's some strong sh*t right there.

Maybe that's why they fear us.

Any who, time go get dressed.

Gotta do my part to make sure America turns bluer than a beautiful Carolina sky!

702.

Good morning and Happy Wednesday folks.

It's almost 1 a.m. and I'm tired. Fighting sleep and exhaustion because I felt compelled to write this post before I turn in...

I'll get right to the point because I'm losing the battle.

The last dream I had before I awoke Tuesday morning featured my first husband, whom I haven't seen or heard from in over a decade.

Upon awakening, I jumped right into doing other things and I lost the tendrils of the dream. But all day, thoughts of hubby #1 lingered in the fringes.

Finally I decided to Google him.

He has a common name, requiring me to fully utilize my finely-honed research skills. It took about 15 minutes to find the onion; another 15 or so to peel it.

To be succinct, I learned he was murdered several years ago.

I won't repeat the particulars but I will say I wasn't surprised that it happened. How it happened was a shocker because I knew him to be a cautious man.

Maybe he got sloppy in his later years.

Or maybe it was... something else.

It was said to have been a random event.

Perhaps.

701.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

May all you love and cherish bring you joy and happiness for the duration!

In mundane news on my end:

That pesky sewing kit made its way into my awareness again.

Every other week or so I check Aldi's website, to see if any of my favorites (almond butter, organic fruit) are on sale.

Aldi also sells household items, a few toiletries, etc.

When I checked yesterday evening, there was a sewing kit in the specialty items being sold in that week's stash. (Their household merchandise rotates every week, beginning on Wednesday.)

Third time's the charm, right?

On a similar topic, last night's dream featured butter. I was helping a friend clean out her freezer so we could have room for more food (I was visiting for a few days). She didn't realize there was stuff hidden in the back of the freezer, under the freezer tray.

There were several small tubs of butter in the freezer. Some had to be tossed out because the tubs were open. At least one of the tubs had a few bugs crawling in it. (Yuck!)

Of course I checked my dream book soon after I awoke.

Butter:  A fortunate dream no matter what form it took. Even rancid butter signifies a secure future.

Bugs:  There is a warning in this dream against unfortunate influences around you, unless you succeeded in driving the bugs off or getting rid of them in some way, in which case it is a dream of contrary and signifies imminent money luck. See also Insects.

Well... The "secure future" remains to be seen, yes?

As for "imminent money luck", I'll keep y'all posted.

* * *

Today I ran a few errands after I dropped Baby Bliss at work.

At my favorite local thrift store, I found two sets of lovely pillow cases and a high thread count sheet for my bed. 

I also bought three books I hope to read in this lifetime: Jesus' Jewishness, The Universe in Miniature in Miniature, and The Way of the Pipe.

I really really really need to get back to reading from my own library so I can donate the books I don't want to keep. My bookcases are gasping for air.

With all my texting and reading online, I usually read printed books when I'm on the toilet or at the park. There was a time I carried paperbacks in my purse to pull out when caught in a long line at the store. These days I'm pulling out my phone to play my favorite game or check text messages.

This here technology sure does change a girl.

Any way, it's well past lunch time and I haven't had breakfast.

Time for some vittles!

Ciao folks!

700.

Happy Tuesday y'all!

I hope everyone's day has been all that's necessary for continued love and happiness.

It's been quite thrilling on my end.

My day started out quietly. I rose around 8:30 a.m. and saw that it was overcast out. 

Realizing that today is October 4, I remembered that I wanted to get frozen fruit from my local supermarket while it was still on sale.

An hour later, I walked out into what I thought was the cool breeze of a new fall morning.

There was a cool breeze blowing but a few feet from my door, I realized it was also humid.

A bit of a bummer but I was already out so I marched on. (I had decided to walk.)

At the corner I saw a few neighbors I hadn't seen in a while. I stopped for a pleasant chat. We said goodbye and I crossed the street.

I noticed that another (elderly) neighbor's door was open. I hadn't seen her in a while as well so I went over and knocked at the storm door. Her dog came barking but she didn't appear. I knocked again and waited. No sign of her. So I knocked more.

She didn't come to the door. I thought she might be in the bathroom so I continued on my way, making a mental note to check again when I next passed by.

On my way home, I must have switched to auto pilot because I don't recall whether or not her door was open or closed. Maybe because I was a wee bit sweaty and anxious to get home to strip off my damp clothes.

When I went out again, I noticed that her door was (still?) open. I knocked again and waited. Once again the dog came to the door and again no neighbor.

But I wasn't leaving until I got a response or the police came to check on her.

Thankfully she came to the door after I had been knocking steadily for about half a minute.

I explained to her that I'd come by earlier and was worried because I'd gotten no answer.

She looked at me blankly for a few moments then said she believed she'd been home all day and was probably just in the back when I knocked earlier.

As I told her I was glad she was okay, I had to wipe a few tears. Seriously. Because she's a senior, I didn't know if maybe she was laying inside injured or in some other form of distress due to a health condition.

I didn't tell her how concerned I felt when she said she was probably in the back (with the door open) or how it worried me that if she didn't hear me knocking it's likely she wouldn't have heard anyone who decided to walk in on her.

We actually live in an area with almost nonexistent stats for certain types of crime. Perhaps my penchant for Justice Channel programming and "Criminal Minds" episodes is the real issue here.

* * *

In other neighborhood news, a neighbor who I helped in the recent past tried to suck me into a vortex of doing more favors.

*sigh*

Some people...

It's not that I don't like helping people. Lawd knows I wouldn't be where I am today without assistance of some sort and I believe in paying it forward.

I'm also an empath and actually feel varying types of pain when I see or hear about another's pain. If I can help stop that hurting, I will. But not if it's to my own detriment.

My preference for receiving help happens to be asking for information that allows me to help myself instead of asking someone for what I consider a handout.

Yes, I do know we're all different and each of us may handle aspects of our lives differently.

I also know that some people are users who will never tire of asking.

Some of my family members are guilty of asking, preferring to beg (under the guise of borrowing) instead of being proactive with their own finances.

It's taken a while but I've developed a number of ways to deter such behavior. 

First I had to thicken my skin, so as to be able to not give a rat's ass about what might be said about me when I decline to offer my services.

Second, I say no. If that doesn't work, I ignore. If the requests keep coming, I delete and block the person from my life. (Phone contact/s, social media, etc.)

To reiterate, I help when I can. Which I actually prefer to do anonymously when possible. Helping someone else is for him or her, not for accolades. 

 But again, some will make it a habit to ask again and again, a nasty habit I'm no longer enabling.

For those folk, I can offer prayer while I tend to my business.

Amen.

699.

Sunday evening I noticed we were down to our last gallon of filtered water.

With the amount of water we use for cooking and drinking around here, I like to keep at least four gallons on hand. 

I thought my local refill spot closed at 8 p.m. so I left at 7:30. It was dusk. 

As I locked my door, I heard a flock of geese flying over. I looked up and there they were, flying in formation. 

Flying north.

Eeeeek!

Winter is coming!  

I'm not ready. 

I want the weather to reach a balmy 60 degrees for daytime highs and stay there. Preferably all year but I won't ask for too much.

* * *

On to other topics...

In the past several nights, I've dreamed about Mr. Bliss a few times. What I can recall of the dreams was pleasant. 

What I also remember lately about all my dreams is a feeling of similarity. There are always landscapes that we're/I'm either walking or driving through. They all look different but have a similar feel. 

Or we're/I'm in a home or apartment that feels similar to (although appearing different from) most of the other homes and/or apartments in my dreams.

In fact, there is an aura of similarity that permeates most of my dreams. 

Not in the elements of appearance, location, subject matter,  time frame, etc.

More of a feeling that the very molecules in the air are the same somehow, giving the dream an overall feeling of maybe being a continuation somehow of those that came before...

That's the best description I can give.

Speaking of dreams, last week I had a dream featuring Miz A. I don't recall that she's been in any previous dreams but I could be wrong.

Any way in this specific dream, Miz A, Baby Bliss, and I were outside in a place where there were a lot of items laying around. Perhaps a flea market.

I found a sewing kit and picked it up, managing to drop many sewing needles from the kit, onto a cloth-covered surface in the process.

As I replaced the needles in the case, I said I was buying it for Miz A. (Because in waking life, she and I had had a conversation about a month previous about her not having a sewing kit in her home.)

She laughed and said okay. 

The dream continued then segued into a different dream.

Shortly after I awoke, I called Miz A to tell her about the dream.

She gasped then laughed. Then she told me about the sewing kit she'd found the day before, while shopping at one of our favorite re-sale shops.

We discussed the possible significance of the synchronicity, laughed about it, discussed it more.

A few "conclusions" but as with the nature of coincidence, we might never know the "why" other than the Universe attempting to get out joint attention somehow.

Que sera, sera...

698.

Good morning and Happy Sunday y'all!

How has your weekend has been so far?

Mine has been restful but might get busy this afternoon.

It's possible but not definite that Miz A and I will attend a barbeque sponsored by a potential suitor.

Speaking of suitors, I made the decision to part ways with the guy I'd been seeing most recently.

The countdown clock began ticking with an invitation to visit his home...

I expected a pleasant and enjoyable visit. Sadly, I was let down.

The nicest thing I can say is that his bed appeared neatly made. (And I only know that because I had to go through his bedroom to get to his bathroom.)

But as Shania Twain details so well in one of my favorite songs, "That don't impress me much".

He told me upon arrival that his daughter recently (allegedly) moved in with her small children (and a friend). I'm not exaggerating when I say it looked like they brought a tornado with them that engulfed the whole place and has yet to wind down.

Not that my abode will pass the white glove test without prior notice. It's often messy but it's cozy and livable according to my standards.

What matters most is that I'm comfortable at my home and I certainly hope he's comfortable at his.

In addition to the preceding, I noticed a few other things that set my teeth on edge. I won't mention them but they raised several red flags. Bright red.

No one displays better habits than a man luxuriating in the squalor of his own domicile.

Our last date was for breakfast a few days ago, after which I informed him of my decision. He didn't like it but he was a gentleman about it.

That's it and that's all folks!

* * *

In other news, autumn has officially descended upon our tiny spot on the globe.

The proof:

Baby Bliss and I went to dinner around 10:30 Friday evening. When we exited the establishment 45 minutes later, the air was unmistakably crisp.

I, who dislike anything that reminds me of turtle necks and woolen leggings, immediately bristled at the foreshadowing.

Baby Bliss let out a whoop of joy, being the only person in the entire universe who revels at the thought of below zero temperatures and icicles hanging from the eaves.

*sigh*

Winter is coming...

697.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I hope all is well with everyone reading these words.

This one will be short and sweet because I'm already late. (What else is new, right? *chuckle*)

I'm headed out to have dinner with the current beau.

We've had so many dates since we met that I've lost count.

He's keeping me entertained and I'm enjoying it.

He's also doing something no man has ever done: whenever we have a date, he fills up my gas tank.

Generous and gentlemanly.

Any whooo folks, it's dinner time and I'm hungry.

Toodles!

696.

More time spent with the latest beau... So far, so good.

S., my newest daughter (one of Baby Bliss's young co-workers), brought us a chicken pot pie that she made from scratch. It's a real pie, meaning it's not a mini pot pie but a full-sized one.

I had a wedge when it was still hot, for lunch.

Delicious.

I'm so thankful for the people in my life who can cook because Lord knows I sho don't want to do it.

Any who, I have a funeral around 11 or so with Miz A. I'm already nodding so it's toodles for me.

Sayonara folks!

695.

Happy Saturday everyone.

I hope you are all somewhere safe, relatively speaking.

Today was a good day for me.

Miz A and I hung out most of the day. We sat on her sofa and gabbed, ran a few errands, bought lunch at her local Harris Teeter and ate it at her house.

Soon after we finished lunch, her cousin and his girlfriend dropped by. We joined them later for a few hours at a local park, for a fundraising cookout with the girlfriend's biker family.

It was fun and interesting.

Baby Bliss left a few minutes ago with a friend, heading to a sleepover. I'm leaving as soon as I hit "publish", to have a late dinner with the latest beau.

I wish you all a good night and the sweetest of sweet dreams.

Ciao! 

694.

We now know the revolution will be televised as well as tweeted and there will be live Facebook feed too.

So why do they continue to do it?

Because they're getting away with it.

Jesus take the wheel because for those who have a smidgen of belief it might be the only thing that stops a cataclysm.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said,"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

Maybe they'll get it before it's too late.

In the meantime, I leave y'all with these videos...


Video released by the wife of Keith Lamont Scott. Mr. Scott was gunned down in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, September 20, 2016.

Dana Stevens shares thoughts of the killings of our Black men:

693.

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Where has the time gone? Feels like it should be Sunday.

So I've had a few more dates with the guy from the previous post. He's extremely family-oriented and solidly industrious. Had quite a few hard knocks in life but he's managing to carve out a decent life for himself.

Some aspects of his life remind me of my dearly departed Mr. Bliss.

Overall, I like and respect him. I'll go out with him again but for a number of reasons I don't see myself settling into happily ever after with him.

692.

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope life has been rainbows and sunshine for you all since we last met here.

My days (and nights) have been interesting. Never a dull moment chez Bliss, you know.

Baby Bliss has been working her self into a tizzy. Good for her! She's young and energetic. She's also saving for a car. It's possible I'll match her efforts. We'll see.

In the latest episode of Blissful Dating, I'm fast approaching the level of Dating Mastermind. I think I need 10 more points. (Each date is worth one point. Two if It lasts longer than four hours.)

I missed out on at least one point this past weekend because I got stood up. Check it out:

Me, after being stood up for a date Saturday (September 10).

Mr. No-show and I had spoken to each other a few times that day, agreeing on a time and place. I was there and waited 15-20 minutes. He didn't call and hasn't since. Oh well...

But my darlings, you all know mami is a rolling stone. And as the saying goes, one monkey don't stop no show.

I had a breakfast date Wednesday. Fun and interesting. We went for a walk after. He proposed and we're getting married Christmas Eve. Mazel tov to me!

Just kidding folks.

However, he is smitten and I like him enough for a second date so I agreed to see him again tonight.

Stay tuned y'all!

691.

Happy Tuesday folks.

A sista is tired. Too many nights of staying awake until the wee hours. Last night it caught up with me. I nodded off before 11:30 p.m.

Baby Bliss woke me when she came in from the gym, after 1 a.m.

I was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, sound asleep.

She looked at me and said she knew why I hadn't returned her texts earlier.

Yeah...

I thought I would make it to my bed but it didn't happen. I passed out (again) right where I sat and slept until 5 a.m., when I managed to drag myself up to the sofa.

I've been laying here for two hours, thinking I'd go back to sleep. Nope. I've been watching the news, checking e-mail, sorting electronic files, and looking for photos of my Sunday dinner date. (We exchange photos periodically via text messages.)

Let's call him Chuck. (He resembles Chuck Norris but his face is indescribably more handsome.)

Our date got off to a late start, almost an hour late because of some weird GPS glitches (his and mine), maybe a satellite or the area we were in. *shrug*

We were both late but I arrived before he did. Funny because as my regular readers know, usually I'm the late one and my date is waiting for me.

I waited nervously in the foyer of the restaurant, texting with two of my sista-friends and my daughter, telling them he was late and I was waiting. Of course the ladies had snarky (humorous) comments. I had a fleeting thought that I might be stood up but didn't truly believe it would happen.

Chuck and I have been conversing for over a year and I didn't believe he would have taken the time to invite me out, say he was right there in the area, then not show up. Not that I know this man but from our (limited) interaction, it didn't fit his personality.

He walked in almost running. When he looked at me, I caught my breath. Although it seemed that his energy should have felt frantic, it didn't. His face was perfectly serene and he was beautiful.

Yes, his face was handsome to my eyes. He was a few inches taller than me and had a solid build. He wore faded jeans, boots, a gray Old Navy tee shirt. A little bit of a belly (which has never been a deterrent to me), muscular arms...  I found myself wondering what his thighs looked like.

Naughty me.

I stood up and we hugged hello. It was a really good hug. Any apprehension I'd felt instantly evaporated.

Wow.

Chuck apologized for being late, we were seated, and the date officially began.

It was a wonderful two hours. So much good conversation, laughter, a few heart-stopping moments as he shared a few hair-raising tales...

It took every ounce of self-restraint to not grab his hands or initiate a game of footsie. But again, even though we've been conversing for over a year, it's not been anything seriously romantic. A few flirty texts here and there. Never anything that would ever be considered remotely inappropriate.

His spirit felt good and he's a southern gentleman.

Lord knows, if we lived closer, he would be mine. (Yes, I said it.)

In addition to his other fantastic traits, he's a mechanical engineer. Built his house and can fix just about anything that can break. He seems patient and kind. From many of our conversations, I believe he is a romantic and steady lover. (The noun, not the verb.)

Just overall very attractive to me.

We left the restaurant at 8. We hugged goodbye but talked in the parking lot for another 30 minutes. Chuck said he didn't want the evening to end and asked when I was coming to visit him. Caught off guard, I and hemmed and hawed on the answer. He laughed and said he would visit again.

Then 8:30 rolled around and I really had to go. He told me he had a bluetooth in his helmet, said I could call him during his drive if I wanted, we hugged goodbye again then parted.

About an hour later, I got a lovely text from him. He said he enjoyed my company, I was beautiful, he was glad we finally got to meet, and he wished we'd had more time. I called him and we talked briefly.

*sigh*

I don't know if we'll ever see each again but I sure hope we do.

Amen. 

690.

I meant to post this yesterday (Sunday, August 28, 2016) around 3.

* * * 

Happy Sunday everyone!

It's been a quiet weekend here but today is revving up to be a busy one. After I drop the darling daughter at work, I have a date.

Not that me having a date is a surprise. It's the circumstances.

There's a guy I met online over a year ago who lives a few states over. We've kept in touch via texts and phone calls since we first connected.

Nothing seriously romantic but everything else. Sometimes a little flirty.

Well he's riding his motorcycle today and he's in my state, a few hours away. He has invited me to dinner.

I accepted with the caveat of him having to drive another two hours to meet me closer to home (a few towns up the highway from me) because I have to get the child from work later.

He said yes and I accepted.

It will be wonderful to finally see him face to face.

More later folks!

689.

Hey folks.

Happy Friday!

This one will be short because I'm closing in on the tail of a project I need to get back to a client by 6 p.m., latest.

I love checking out the GroupOn website a few times a month. Lots of interesting stuff to look at and think about buying.

Occasionally I do buy stuff.

Usually discounts for food or events like the Steely Dan/Steve Winwood concert that Baby Bliss and I attended last month.

Several weeks ago I purchased discounts for our favorite local fro yo place as well as a set of six essential oils.

My family tends toward holistic/alternative healing modalities such as acupuncture, Reiki, homeopathy, essential oils (EOs), etc.

We don't partake instead of Western medicine, rather as an adjunct to, especially in cases of non-life threatening maladies.

For at least the past two decades, I've always kept a supply of essential oils in my home.

I've usually purchased them from "health food" stores or similar. My brands of choice were Aura Cacia and NOW.

GroupOn had a good deal on EOs by a brand I've never tried (or heard of) but I was willing, pending the outcome of satisfactory (and extensive) research.

The six EOs: eucalyptus, lemon, lavender, tea tree, orange, and peppermint. They are my staple oils, with the exception of orange and lemon.

And while I've bought lemon EO in the past 20 years, I've only bought it once. I've never bought the orange EO and have never used it.

The other four oils will be used for a variety of medicinal purposes. The citrus oils will mostly be used for cleaning purposes.

Here they are:

Alright folks, it's back to work for me.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

688.

Hey folks.

What's shaking?

Lots over here.

I've been conducting some non-scientific (and secret) experiments using the guys on the dating sites.

Seems like I can guess their personalities by looking at their photos.

Funny and not funny because I don't like to pre-judge folks. I try hard to keep an open mind because I like being (pleasantly) surprised.

But the men I've talked to in the past several weeks (via e-mail and/or phone) have displayed the character traits I ascribed to the facial expressions and actions they displayed in their photos.

Maybe I read too many of my mama's psychology textbooks back in the day.

Or maybe I've been watching too many episodes of "Psychic Detective"...

Either way, I'm gonna do some real research -- you know, using Google -- to determine how much and what kind of data I can find about the correlation(s) between facial expressions and personality traits.

Back later with more.

687.

Happy Monday y'all.

I hope your weekend brought fun and excitement. Or peace and relaxation if that's what you needed.

Mine brought both.

I had a "first date" Friday evening.

It was a long one. We met at 9 p.m. When I next darkened my door sill, it was well after 5 a.m.

We have much in common, got along well.

There was dinner, lots of lively conversation and laughter, walking arm in arm, sitting, smooching.

And something amazing happened: I saw his aura. Actually I saw both our auras.

No, that wasn't on the agenda. We weren't discussing anything remotely aura-like when it happened. It just... happened.

Initially I thought I was seeing things. Hallucinating. Experiencing technical difficulties.

But I wasn't.

We talked about it after I realized what was happening.

He embraced the process and subsequent conversation readily but wasn't at all surprised at the occurrence.

While it didn't frighten me, I'm not sure I want to see more of the same. It feels invasive somehow, to see another person's energy without their prior agreement.

I'm sure someone reading this is a non-believer. It doesn't change my thoughts about it. We all believe in something. I believe in lots of things, seen and unseen.

Partly because I know that what is initially invisible to the "naked" eye can become visible with the help of any number of ocular-assisting tools.

Like that time in science class when I put an onion skin under the microscope for the first time and was able to view it on a cellular level.

Without the microscope, it wasn't possible.

I'm not trying to convince anyone. It's just a reminder of the possibilities that exist for the existence of things unseen, whether or not we believe.

And now I'm dismounting from my soapbox because I have a lunch date.

Same guy.

Should be interesting, as are the two of us.

686.

It is with a modicum of decorum that I announce that my most recent suitor has become my most recent ex-beau.

It happened in the wee hours of Sunday morning, after our Saturday (July 23) date.

I thought our date had gone well. There was lots of smiling, smooching, nodding and foot tapping along to the tunes his friend's band was cranking out.

Fast forward to the wee hours and once again we were texting, as had become our habit. Then he mentioned something we did -- and something he thought I didn't do but should have -- on the date. He seemed not to like my response which led to him saying something I didn't like and thought of as passive-aggressive.

Stop the bus honey cuz this is where I exit.

I tried to lead him to what I felt was a more appropriately adult way to engage. No response. I wasn't sure if he'd dozed off or if he was busy elsewhere but several thousand heart palpitations and a few hours later, I realized I wasn't up for retrieving whatever bug he had up his ass.

Before I laid me down to sleep, I let him know how I viewed his actions and how I had no place in my life for that type of interaction.

I also let him know I wouldn't be seeing him again.

Our situation was too new for that kind of crap. In addition, I felt like his reaction was residue from some bad thing that had happened in a previous relationship.

Lawd knows I'm dragging my share of baggage. But I'm not dumping it on anyone nor am I anyone else's dumpster.

Work out the heartache from a previous situation before it becomes quicksand; most importantly before attempting to engage in something that might cause regurgitation of the bullshit ingested before I came on the scene.

One thing I know for sure: what you allow is what continues.

Come in peace and we can hang, for a day, a week, a month, longer... Conduct unbecoming of a gentleman is frowned upon and cause for expulsion.

This is the only life I'll remember folks.

Although there have been and will be circumstances beyond my control, barring those occurrences, I choose to get every ounce of happiness I can while I'm able to appreciate it.

Amen.

685.

Hello people.

I hope everyone has stayed safe and comfortable over the past several days.

It's been hot here. Scorching.

We're doing what we can to stay cool which usually involves running the central air all day. I turn it off in the evening, as soon as it's cool enough to do so. However it's usually back on by 8 or 9 a.m. because it starts to warm up in here a few hours after sunrise.

Although I don't like my electric bill to be "sky high" (as my grandma says), it's the one bill I rarely squawk about paying. Hot flashes will do that to a girl.

Moving along...

Baby Bliss and I attended the wedding last Saturday evening. The ceremony was beautiful to both my eyes and my spirit. I began crying as soon as the groom appeared, grinning as if he was privy to some exquisite secret the rest of us hadn't caught on to yet.

The reception was a blast.

The meal was tasty enough. There were two meat options, several veggies to choose from. I had some kind of baked chicken, green salad, and a roll.

Aside from my excitement and gratitude at being invited to share in a couple's mutual joy and pending unification, my number one reason for attending weddings is the cake.

It was delicious. I ate three slices, two at the reception and one I brought home. Greedy ole cake-loving me would have eaten more cake but I was wearing a fitted dress and would have looked awful with a bulging food baby in my belly. I also didn't have any apple cider vinegar with me. (It helps regulate glucose when taken before a meal.)

Thankfully I was able to restrain myself.

There were the usual reception agenda items: the bouquet toss, the garter toss, dancing.

I danced quite a bit but not one line dance did I do. I've only become proficient at one line dance in my 40+ years on the planet so when one of the telltale songs begins to play,  I watch and cheer enthusiastically from the sidelines.

The anticipated drunk and disorderly were surprisingly absent. Maybe because it was a cash bar.

We got home after 11 p.m.

* * *

Sunday evening my beau and I saw the new Ghostbusters movie. It was just funny enough but Leslie Jones' role seemed stereotypical in more ways than one, most specifically her dialogue.

The gentleman and I did a lot of smooching and hand-holding during the show. A little leg-rubbing...

By the time the movie ended, there was very little time to hang about because he gets up early for work.

He walked me to my car, we took a few minutes for farewell kisses, then headed to our respective homes.

* * *

Most of my week was spent on mundane chores and errands while waiting for word from a client on an upcoming project.

There was lots of texting with the beau.

In the middle of the week, I had dinner with a childhood friend who recently relocated to the area for work. Lucky him, he landed a plum executive-level position with a large financial institution.

We were in grade school and high school together, he grew up on the other side of the road from me, and one of his older siblings was in school with Mr. Bliss so the roots run deep. Although we rarely see each other, we've managed to keep in touch using various methods over the past 30 or so years.

Thursday evening, my beau and I had dinner down in the big city, then a stroll and after-dinner conversation.

We were supposed to have a date last night as well but I was tired. I hated to beg off at what was almost the last minute but it was necessary.

But we're making up for it tonight.

In fact, we have a date at 7. It's almost 6:15 so y'all know what that means right?

Yep.

If I don't light a heck of a fire under my tail I'm gonna be late.

Have a good one y'all!

684.

Happy Saturday y'all!

Just a quick update:

There were two more dates with the new dude, one Thursday and one last night.

Both were fun and interesting.

Thursday was a long date. Several hours of blissful fun.

Friday night was a short one: a political fundraiser.

We might be on for tonight but it's doubtful. Baby Bliss and I are attending an evening wedding. I'm probably gonna want to get home and stay there after it's done. It's been a busy week and I'm already beat.

It was almost noon when I left my bed today. I dozed off around 2 a.m. but sleeping that long usually only occurs when I'm running on fumes, which happens to be my current situation.

Maybe we'll see each other tomorrow.

Any who, it's my turn for the shower.

I'm outta here folks!

683.

Tuesday's date went well.

In fact, lots of things went well Tuesday. Really well. Unexpectedly well. From traffic to the lines in stores, I sailed through my outside activities.

Yesterday the paramour and I had ice cream after work. Waffle cones. (Dipped in chocolate which I didn't like but those were the only waffle cones left.)

My ice cream was orange dreamsicle with french vanilla (side by side, not mixed); he had mixed mint and dark chocolate.

We sat in a small park area between the ice cream shop and another store.

Good ice cream, good conversation, and yes, some good kisses.

Before we knew it, dusk was settling around us, nudging us towards departure time.

At dark he walked me to my car where there was more smooching.

The hormones were just running amok...

Today we have a date scheduled to start mid-afternoon which is why I should be asleep. (It's after 4 a.m.)

Silly ole me is still awake but drifting off, as I should be. I'll be flipping the "off" switch in about five minutes.

So I bid y'all a most fond farewell and end by saying "more later" because there shall be.

Toodles!

682.

Hey folks!

It's "Tickle My Fancy Tuesday" chez Bliss.

Everything is just rosy and I've been giggling like a school girl at random intervals.

How's the vibe at your place?

Last night my new paramour and I shared a good (voice) conversation.

We talked about the weather, the kids, each other, our next date.

We agreed on Thursday then decided possibly Friday and Saturday too, Saturday being a "maybe" because I have a previous engagement for that evening. But if it ends at a decent hour, we agreed to meet up.

We texted off and on throughout the evening until bedtime.

In between, I had to get Baby Bliss from work. She and I stopped for a bite on the way home.

Once again my suitor texted me about an hour after he'd gone to sleep, to say he was thinking of me. He's plucking my heart strings, this guy.

Have I mentioned that my sleep schedule has gotten really wacky again? At least several nights of every week in the past few, I've been staying up until daylight.

It wouldn't be so bad if I could manage to sleep until 11 a.m. or noon. However, I've only been managing to average 3 or 4 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period.

Not good y'all.

It not unusual because it happens to me periodically. But I know it's ultimately a negative.

Back to more pleasant topics...

I'm seeing him at 7:30 tonight.

Yep, we said Thursday but he requested my presence and I said yes.

Time to get a move on y'all!

Ayo everyone! ("Goodbye" in Papiamento.)

More later...

681.

On a much more upbeat note,

I've had two additional dates this weekend with the Friday night guy.

Saturday we went to a movie at a local theater. We held hands and snuck in a few kisses while we watched. The movie was okay. Lots of action. Not too original re the plot. (Independence Day: Resurgence.)

Later we held hands as we walked. We sat to talk; snuck in a few more kisses.

Great conversation, great company.

Close to parting time, he asked if I wanted to continue going out.

I said yes.

Sunday morning he asked me via text if I wanted to have dinner with him Sunday evening.

Of course I did.

We ate at a popular local restaurant, one I'd been there many times in the years we lived in the Big City. Maybe once or twice since we moved away but it had been a while. The food was still good and the ambience remained inviting.

We talked, laughed, ate, held hands, and made goo goo eyes at each other the whole time. After dinner there was more hand-holding, walking, talking, kissing... A lot of talking.

Three great dates in three days.

He walked me to my car where we spent 10 or 15 additional minutes sharing smooches and silly talk. He headed for his car then came back to ask if I wanted to do something this week.

(Yes!)

Day to be determined because I'm expecting a project from a client this week...

Before I got home, I received a text from him. He shared a tidbit about something we'd done earlier. A three-hour text conversation ensued once I arrived home.

We touched on some deep topics, our feelings about the issues, our feelings about each other.

He's already told his best friend about me. Of course my friends have heard about him because they always know when I have a date and with whom.

He and I said goodnight around 12:30 a.m.

An hour later he was texting to say he woke up thinking about me.

Another 45 minutes of really good text conversation...

I am a die hard action-speaks-louder-than-words kinda gal but men who have a way with words (especially the written word) will always have a small piece of my heart for they woo like no others.

Fancy three-dollar words aren't necessary. Only the proper turn of phrase for the current situation, what ever the situation might be.

If we share other sensibilities -- important ones -- and the stars align just right, there's a high probability that he'll win my heart if that's his goal.

How long he keeps it is always the wild card.

But we needn't dwell on such things right now.

I'm enjoying the moments...

From what he's shared with me, so is he.

Stay tuned folks.