752.

The past few days have been busy and interesting. Very interesting.

Sad, uplifting, exhilarating, awkward...

Mi vida...  😁😂😐😖😠😍😊😁😳

Despite his excruciatingly busy work schedule, my Paramour and I had two long dates in the past week.

Shopping, eating, riding, lots of talking and laughter, a few tears, lots of kissing and hand-holding...

This week we divulged additional personal information to each other, I visited his job, he took me to see the progress on the home he's having built, I had an opportunity to see him shirtless. 😜

He's respectful, a good kisser, industrious, chivalrous, he makes me laugh, gives me reasons to dream.

In other news, Mercury is being all kinds of relentless this retrograde.

Last night I received a "proposition" via text from a guy I had two dates with in the past and don't care to see again. If I had been into him, had I been so inclined, I might have given him a night he'll remember until his last breath. 😜😄😶

The aforementioned invitation:

As it stands, even if I wasn't seeing my current flame, home boy ain't got nothing coming. (As we say back home.)

It makes sense to me that if we went out twice and I haven't responded to your calls or texts in over 30 days, we're not dating. We're not even friends. Just let sleeping dogs lie dude.

And even if I did want to see that guy again, I would have passed on last night's offer.

My fate has been sealed by the gods and I must remain chaste until the wedding.

Are you asking, "What wedding?!"

Silly me. Let me enlighten you good people:  I'm gonna be wearing an engagement 💍 before my next birthday and married before Christmas.

You're asking how I can be sure, yes?

Check it out:

😜😜😜

751.

Mercury is showing off and out, as one of my southern Christian sista-friends might say. 👯 💃 😂

Today, I got another reminder service call from the auto dealership.  👀👹👿

Now I'm wondering if I'm the only one and guessing I'm not. (Mostly because I want to believe I'm not the only person being annoyed by this Mercury retrograde.)

In addition, I received a couple of texts from this guy (post 718, re: Guy Number One) the other day.

😄😕😩

Why this man insists on beating a dead horse is beyond me. My cell phone provider does allow me to block texts but that service is only for a limited amount of incoming numbers.

If you read post 749,  you might suspect that the list is full and you would be correct. An arbitrary deletion from said list is in order so that I may add this Frequent Offender.

Being a soft-hearted person, in the past I've sometimes responded (two-three-four-five times -- to this guy and others) with a polite text stating I'm no longer interested.

But habitual line-steppers (as Charlie Murphy liked to call them) will persist.

😄😕😩

Any way folks, that's an activity for a later time. I've had a long and delightfully interesting 24 hours  😜 which I shall detail after a seriously-needed nap.  

750.

Happy Tuesday y'all.

It's a wet, wet, wet day in my town. It sounds like the rain has ceased and after yesterday's all-day deluge kept me inside, I was hoping to get out today. But walking in wet parking lots is something that gives me the heebie jeebies.

True story.

I'm also creeped out by walking in wet grass, in mud, on wet anything. Except concrete. As in concrete sidewalks or steps.

Any who folks, I've been awake since 8:30 a.m. and have yet to eat a meal.

Shame on me.

Later! 

749.

Oh Mercury, Oh Mercury | Your retrogrades doth ire me!  🎶 🎶 🎶
 (Sung to the tune of "O Christmas Tree".)

Yes, yes, yes people. Mercury is in retrograde once again. (See here for details on the current cycle: Mercury Madness.)

And once again, my exes have come a-sniffing.

By now it should be laughable, right? For the most part it is. It's also annoying because with very few exceptions I don't want to hear from any of my exes.

Have I ever explained what I consider an "ex"?

An "ex" is any guy I've ever had any communication with, with the intent of dating. So even if we've never actually met, he can still be an ex.

As evidenced by many, many, many previous blog posts, any of my cherished readers can see that I've been on many, many, many dates.  😬😫😂

If we've talked and never met, if we went out once or several times and it didn't work out, if we got married and divorced -- it equals lots and lots and lots of contact information stored in my cellular device.

I can count on one hand the number of exes I still willingly communicate with. Seriously.

Anyone I no longer care to communicate with (exes and other folk) are first added to my "reject call" list, an option I thank God for. Calls from any number on that list goes straight to voicemail and my phone never rings.

The calls will show up in my call log but it's unlikely I'll know who called (explanation forthcoming) unless it's a call from a (rare) familiar phone number.

After the person is added to the "reject call" list, I then edit his or her contact information by saving her or his name under a group of various monikers (Nein, No, No Name, No Way, etc.) which allows me to group numerous no-contact contacts together.

Essentially, the ex-communicated becomes one of a huge list of others like themselves. I don't do it to be mean. It's to maintain my sanity. 🙉 🙈🙊

I didn't always feel this way but because of Things That Have Happened in the Past (see post 718), I've learned that if it didn't work out with someone, regardless of the reason we said goodbye or stopped talking, it's best that both parties go and stay gone.  ⛵ 🚘 🚀  👋

Too bad retrograde Mercury brings otherwise. 👺

I'm blaming this current retrograde for the four phone calls I got from Mr. X this weekend (two of those calls from a private number); I'm also blaming it for the text I got this morning from Mr. Y.

It's not the first time Mr. X tried to be sneaky by calling from a blocked number. (See post 627; re: "Fun Young Guy".) This time his call actually helped me because it's how I discovered my phone has the capability of blocking calls from private numbers. (Thanks LG!)

In other similar news, in the past week I've received three (3) calls from the service department of the car dealership reminding me it might be time for a service appointment.

Is this to be a new Mercury-in-retrograde wrinkle? Hopefully not.

I told the second caller that I'd already received a call a few hours earlier regarding same. Today I sent the call to voicemail and yep, same reminder.  👀

Oh Happy Day. 😂

748.

Sent to me as part of this morning's e-mail from Lotus Tarot:

Today's Meditation:

Find a sweet, sacred space. Sit or lie down, keep your spine as neutral as possible. Be comfortable. 

Silently repeat the affirmation "Thank You" over and over for as long as you can.

Let all the people, places, things you are grateful for flood your thoughts. Let gratitude fill you and when you release the affirmation, just be still for as long as you can and enjoy the way you feel!

mucho love,  

Lynn

747.

Good day people!

I hope yours is going well.

My day is slowly grinding to a standstill. Not sure why, but I've run out of energy. Probably the combination of not enough food and definitely not enough sleep.

I went to sleep shortly before 2 a.m., intending to sleep until at least 10:30 a.m.

Alas, I was awakened at the unseemly hour of 8-something by an obscene number of texts from my Paramour. Although I was still snuggled up with my pillows, the sound of the text notifications dragged me away from the peace and tranquility of the land of Nod into the harsh reality of Saturday morning sunlight.

It was a poem, expressing words of comfort and longing.

How lovely.  💕💕💕

It took me an hour to gather my thoughts enough to respond.

As I stated in a previous post, I really like this guy. And although we've had three dates (and the offer of one for tomorrow), I think I need to take a step back and meditate on this situation. 💮

We're attracted to each other, we're flirty, the chemistry is good. On every date we've had discussions about serious life and relationship issues, both past and potentially future. We seem to be in alignment about most of the things that matter. He says he wants us to pursue a seriously serious relationship.

Me too.

But he's also done some things that have set my teeth on edge. Not necessarily red flags but I need to feel sure enough that he's someone I want to move forward with.

I hope this isn't TMI for anyone but I'm at a precarious stage in my life. I'm experiencing what's known as peri-menopause and I also happen to be PMSing.

Which means I'm all tangled up in hormones and emotions and thoughts that may or may not be conducive to anything remotely resembling anything factual.

What I've found myself doing is jotting notes of things he's done and said that don't make sense to me. (Because I'm a writer and because I don't want to forget...)

We discussed my list and he said I should tell him any time I think something is off so we can talk about it and he can make any explanations or adjustments necessary. Because he wants us to be best friends and share everything with each other without fear of rejection or reprisal.

Wow. What a man!  😜

But is he just saying what I want to hear or is he being truthful?

Time, time, time...

Trying to keep my eyes open for anything that isn't quite on kilter while having a good time is not my idea of a good time.

I want to enjoy the moments we're together (and I have) but I don't want to miss or misread anything that could be a reason for me to nip this thing in the bud.

Essentially, what I'm saying is that I don't want to get my feelings hurt. Nor do I want to hurt his.

If only my crystal ball worked during Mercury retrogrades...  😩

It's a precarious balancing act, the letting go and holding on.

Knowing when to do either is what I struggle with, trying to maintain a sense of order and common sense while being open to being swept away if something beautiful and magical comes along.

La vida...  ☔🌈

746.

This just in:  👀

I think Mr. Bliss was able to love me so much because he was able to forgive me as often as necessary. Or maybe it was the other way around.

What ever the case, true love requires real forgiveness, again and again and again.  💕💕💕

My lesson for today...  🎁🔑

Thank you Universe.  

745.

Good day folks.

It's evening here, after 8:30 p.m., and the skies are dark.  🌌🌖

I'm sitting at my desk listening to the audio I made this morning, of this morning's dream. Actually there were at least two dreams. I woke up and thought about doing the dream audio but in my half asleep state, I told myself I would remember later.

Then I rolled over and headed for another snooze.

Yes, when I awoke again, the previous dream was forgotten. I could only recall the one I had right before waking the second time. It was interesting but not very remarkable, as my dreams go.

I did record an audio for it so sorry folks, I'm not detailing it here.

On to my day's activities!

I was almost on time for my first calendar item.  😒

What made me late was being undecided on wardrobe at the last minute. I wanted to look appropriate for meeting with my client/collaborator yet slightly seductive for my date.

If I'm to toot my own horn, mission accomplished. 😜

And yes, I was late for my date too. Although it was taking place less than a five-minute drive from my first location, I was late because I left my first stop later than I intended.

Some of that time was spent sitting at one of the longest red lights I've ever encountered, literally half a minute from my destination.

My Paramour waited for me just inside the restaurant door, seated on a bench, looking simultaneously tired and sexy.  😉  Mmmmm...

On the off chance that anyone is oblivious, I'm really digging this dude.

As I consider myself a "listen to what he says but watch what he does" kinda gal, I try not to get blinded by pretty words. But today he said some things that gave me lots to smile about. Think about too. And I like that there was a lot of laughter.

He is not a guy who would stand out in a crowd because he's very low key, very laid back. His energy is tranquil but also very masculine. Not overly so, just enough to give me the hots for him. 😋

I like looking at him. He has hairy arms and he said... well never mind that but body hair on a man turns me on. His face is handsome in it's weariness and (somehow) its familiarity. His eyes are deep, his gaze unwavering and encouraging.

Listening to the sound of his voice... the rhythm, the tone, the cadence. Aural euphoria. I love how my name drips from his lips, slow and honey-coated.

One day he's gonna lull me to sleep in his arms as he whispers everything I ever wanted to hear.

Here's to wishing upon a star...

Good night folks.  💤💤💤

744.

Good evening lovely people.

I hope everyone has been well since we last met here.

My day was mostly low key.  👌

Laundry, a bit of housework, a bit of business. Baby Bliss came home with leftovers and shared them with me while we watched the second half of Speed Racer. (We started watching yesterday but cinemas interruptus in the form of a phone call dragged me way from the screen.)

Yesterday and today, I finally used the audio recording feature on my cell phone to record my dreams. I e-mailed the files to myself when I was done.

Yesterday I barely remembered one dream. Today I recalled six separate dreams.

Astonishing.

This morning's dreams were really interesting. One involved a neighbor I grew up with, a little girl who was a stranger to me, and lots of shoes.  😄

Another involved a former co-worker, a road with an almost-vertical drop, and a serious mishap involving the co-worker.  😓

The others I don't quite remember which is why I'm glad I made the audio recordings. 

I wonder what dreams I'll have to record tomorrow morning.

Speaking of Thursday, it promises to be a busy day for me.

I'm scheduled to be in the big city for quite a while, meeting a client/collaborator in the afternoon and likely dinner with the Paramour in the early evening.  👍

I'm down to less than half a tank of gas so I'll need to refuel before heading south.

As it's almost midnight, I shall be turning in soon. Thinking about tomorrow is making me tired. 😁😫

Ciao folks! 

743.

How-do y'all?

I hope everyone does just fine.

Once again, I'm tired. Not as much as last night but I'm getting there.

Earlier this evening, I had another date with my paramour. 😁

It was short: dinner at one of the nicer chain restaurants down in the Big City.

Actually he had dinner and I nibbled from his plate because Baby Bliss and I had a late lunch today.

Still, it was nice to spend some time with him. We're supposed to meet again later this week.

On my way home I stopped at Walmart for windshield wiper fluid. About an hour later (because I was talking with one of my sisters as I walked the store), I got in line with: the wiper fluid, a lacy black bra, a black shirt, my coveted Kevita Mojita Lime Mint, my 200th pair of black flip flops, and a car deodorizer.

The guy two people ahead of me in line seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his transaction, thus holding up the line.

Ah well...

It gave me time to decide I didn't want the black shirt. If I had known how chemically stinky-smelling the car deodorizer was, I would have left that too. It shall be returned when I make my supermarket run.

Yesterday I did laundry and wouldn't you know, I'm doing laundry again. How two additional loads of dirty laundry amassed when my back was turned is beyond me. I swear there are dirty-laundry sprites about. Either they have a hidden residence here or they visit from some place unknown.

Either way, they make extra work for me.  😒 Shame on them!

Okay folks, I'm off to finish the laundry before I go to sleep.

Sweet dreams y'all. 💤💤💤

742.

Hello, hello, hello folks!

I hope all is kosher in your neck of the woods.

Today was a low-key day for me, and thankfully so.

I was wiped out, nodding off at strange intervals with fingers on the keyboard.

Maybe I didn't eat enough today. It is time for a grocery store run. 🍚🍏🍗🍋🍉🍳

My latest paramour and I exchanged lots of texts and shared several phone calls today.

I also talked and texted with two of my sisters, my momma, and Baby Bliss.

Currently, I'm wide awake and feeling like making a snail mail run.

I'm also talking to my momma, who is herself running the streets at this late hour.  😄

Now there's a Jimmy John's commercial on the telly. Makes me want a sub.  😩

Ummm, not tonight Satan!

Good night folks.

Sweet dreams...

741.

Howdy folks.

I'm tired and sleepy, sleepy and tired.

But how could I rest without updating you all, my faithful readers, on my latest adventure.

Today I had a date. A good date.

How did we meet, you ask? Online of course.

He sent me a message and I read his profile. From his photos he wasn't my type. (I don't really have a "type" in terms of looks but I think we all have faces, body types, etc. that appeal to us more than other faces, body types, etc).

So I responded. We exchanged lots of e-mail on the dating site and he seemed like a decent guy. Our conversation was inspiring and eventually we exchanged texts (including photos) and a few phone calls.

 When he asked me out, I agreed.

Before anyone wonders, yes, I was late.

In my defense, he moved the time of the date an hour into the future and it threw me off kilter. Yes, in theory I had an extra hour to get ready but in reality it was an extra hour for Stuff to Happen.

And happen it did!

With an "extra" hour, I went back to the movie I'd been watching on YouTube the night before. Then Baby Bliss called, then my momma, then two of my sista-friends. 😩

By the time the last call ended and I gathered my thoughts, I was counting down from 45 minutes to get showered, do my hair and makeup, get dressed, and perform the additional magic that perks up my twinkle and shine. 🌟🎊🌟🎊🌟🎊

I left home with 15 minutes until date time and a 25-minute drive ahead of me.

As I walked out my door, my date texted to say he was already at the restaurant.

Uh oh. 👀

I texted back to let him know I was on my way.

Parking added another few minutes to my time deficit. (That location always has parking issues when the weather is lovely.)

I called to let him know when I arrived and let him know I was in search of a parking space. A minute later he called to ask if I'd found one because he had one for me. I was already in my space by then so...

My mama had called me twice while I was en route, necessitating a return call as I headed to the restaurant.

As I strolled along the sidewalk, talking to my mama, a guy walked toward me from the parking lot and said, "Are you gonna walk right past me?"

My heart sped up a bit. What strange man was this, walking too near me?

It was my date, looking less like his photos and more like my type.  😍

Well honey, give me a slice of cake and tell me happy birthday. 😍

Bye mama!

As he and I neared the place we'd planned to eat, we could see there was a line. My date asked if I wanted to choose somewhere else. We walked and talked our way to a different restaurant in the same area.

Beverages and menus on the table, we were so engrossed in our conversation that it took us a while before we actually ordered anything to eat.

Our waiter came and left four or five times.

Eventually I ordered the house salad; he had wings. We lingered for more conversation after eating. Good conversation.

What surprised me -- more than his appearance -- was his energy. He was very laid back and low-key. Extremely appealing.

Finally we headed out to stroll the beautiful lakefront. More good conversation, hand-holding, laughter. Eventually we sat. More conversation. Deep conversation. Pleasantly surprising conversation.

We have more in common than I thought.

Twilight loomed. Reluctantly I suggested we wrap things up, knowing he had driven an hour to be there and he gets up with the roosters for work.

He had already told me he wanted to see me again so...

Summation: Today was a good day. I'm thankful. 😁

740.

Death, death, death!

We must dance with you until we dance no more.

I'm texting with my friend "Chuck". He told me his grandma has been given less than a year to live. Sadly, he's already lost two family members in the two years I've known him.

I met Chuck online and I fell head over heels for him. He's very handsome and I believe he's one of the sweetest people I know.

We can't date because he lives several hours away and long distance dating isn't my cup of tea. But we've established a friendship based on what works for us.

Last year we had our one face-to-face meeting, for dinner. (See post 691.) Like the Sirens from "O Brother Where Art Thou", I wanted to love him up. 😊  Not until he turned into a horny toad. Only long enough to make him blush.

On a more serious note, I'm praying for Chuck and his family. Losing grandma will be difficult for them. 😔

739.

Big Sister Bliss retrieved her baby an hour ago.

Hallelujah!  💃

It was fun but nerve-wrecking. 🙀 Like when Baby Bliss was a baby.

Earlier I'd planned to make a late night run out to my post office box and my snail mail box but I'm a bit out of it.

More likely, I'll be running to a pile of pillows soon.

Good night folks.

Sweet dreams...  💤💤💤 

738.

Weird news of the day:

I'm babysitting my youngest grand dog. He's only a few months old. (See post 722.) His mama, Big Sister Bliss, dropped him off en route to work an hour ago.

When he realized she was gone, he whined for a while then said, "Hey, look! A whole bunch of new smells to explore!"

So he ran all over the living room, sniffing and licking; licking and sniffing. He's still at it. He's also running to the front door, drinking water, playing with his toys, tearing up the pee pad in his cage, and humping my legs.

Yep, that's right. He's humping my legs.

Why? 😕

I know dogs do it, but puppies?

My lesson of the day...

Here's the little critter at the door, watching my neighbors.

737.

Hey folks!

I hope everyone has been safe since our last farewell.

Today was a cool day for me.

Where we live, some of the local theaters have $6 movies on Tuesday. Other than with dates, I don't go to the movies much. However, every now and again there's something new I want to see and I say I'm gonna go. Then I don't. 😑

To make sure I get to the theater more often, I created a standing "Tuesday movie" reminder on my mobile device.

If there's something I want to see, I go. If not, I dismiss the reminder and re-set it for the next week.

Today I decided to check out the early showing of "Get Out".

Note: I don't usually watch scary movies and definitely not alone. For one, I don't want nightmares. Secondly, anything that startles me at 10,000 decibels will make me scream or gasp loudly, as I mentioned most recently in post number 732.  I'm also a screaming laugh-er so there's that too...

This movie has been getting so much hype that even my friends are talking about it. However, no one is revealing spoilers.

Any who, when I awoke this morning, I kinda forgot what day it was. Partly because I'd forgotten to re-set my movie reminder.

Once I realized it was Tuesday, I had about 30 minutes to get ready and get to the theater. I knew I'd be late but I remembered how it felt like we'd seen 15 minutes of previews at the movie Friday evening.

So I tried it.

Well wouldn't ya know, I arrived at the theater and there was a line, a slowly-moving line.

What the hell?  😮

Yes, I live in a area where many retirees reside. It's also an area with a high percentage of at-home soccer moms.

Still, I expected that those people would have bought their tickets on Fandango so they could bypass the ticket window.

I swear they must have all collaborated last night, knowing I would be late.

*sigh*

I stood in line for a few minutes then realized I didn't want to be too late for the movie. Missing the opening scenes is no good. I decided to find a spot to hang out for a couple of hours, grab a bite while waiting for the next showing.

Common sense would have dictated catching a lunch special at one of the dozens of restaurants surrounding the theater. But when the tummy is rumbling, the brain isn't fully functioning. 😆

Instead, I drove to the nearest library, intending to read for an hour or so then grub on a salad and soup at Chick-Fil-A.

After I parked my car in the library's lot and sat there for a minute, it dawned on me: I needed vittles, having been awake for several hours and no breakfast. Off I went to Chick-Fil-A.

Lunch under my belt, I still had over an hour until show time. Dollar Tree was my next stop. I picked up a few cards to mail to friends back home who prefer snail mail and a few personal items. There was also brief conversation with a few friendly people and a visit to my post office box.

Finally it was time to head back to the theater.  🚘

Shorter line and I was early too.  😊

Lots and lots of previews. Cool because now there's another movie I want to see that starts Mother's Day.

The movie... The movie was frightening for a number of reasons.

I'm not sharing any spoilers here.

Get to the theater and see it.

When you return home, Google for all the hype you can find (articles, interviews, soundtrack, etc.)

Then go see it again.

I plan to.  👀

736.

Sunday evening's date: the last time I'll go out with that dude. 😬

I won't go into full detail but he was less than pleasant to the wait staff and somehow upset by my small gesture of assistance to same. 😮

Also, our conversation during the evening gave me the feeling that he harbors ill feelings toward his ex-wife.

From his account, his divorce was nasty. He said he was totally blindsided by it and it seemed to cost him a considerable loss of assets. So yes, I can understand that he might be angry.

I'm not saying that was the reason for his behavior. It was probably something I have no clue about (and don't care to know).

Did the color of my dress get his dander up? The length of my toenails? Should my mascara have lengthened and defined instead of plumped and volumized? 😝

My good people, it's likely we'll never know.

Perhaps the world will get lucky and he will work it all out with a therapist in enough time to be truly "easygoing" and "laid back" (as his online profile says) for the next woman he takes out.

After I returned home Sunday evening and had time to process it all, I realized I'd overlooked a red flag on Friday evening's date. Exactly what it was eludes me at the moment but it's hovering in the periphery of my thoughts and I'll remember eventually.

No worries that I'll hear from him again. 🤗

Although we had planned a movie date for Tuesday evening (tonight), we only exchanged one text during the whole of Monday, to say good morning and wish each other a pleasant day.

I think that's great note to sign off on, don't you?

Dude, God speed. 🙋🏾

735.

I think I have a date at 7 and I am so far from being close to ready.

734.

Happy Sunday everyone!

So folks, my blog has over 10,000 reads and I want to thank you all for helping me get there.

I hope it means a lot of folk are enjoying the writing and telling a friend. Or two or three.

Or visiting often. That's good too.

Here's to 10,000 more glances!  🎉🎉🎉

733.

Good evening folks.

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Saturday. My day was restful.

I woke up around 9, piddled around a bit inside, then headed out for a short while.

The weather was lovely. Sunny and breezy.

Earlier this week, a guy I'd been talking to on the dating site asked me out for tonight. I said yes to the date but decided early this afternoon that I wasn't going.

At the previously agreed upon meeting time, he texted me to say he was at the previously agreed upon location. I didn't know if he was being truthful and I didn't care.

Although he had a photo on his online dating profile, the photo was too dark and he was wearing a hat. Dude, who the heck are you?

I twice requested a photo of him and got lots of irrelevant conversation in return. 👎👎👎

Today I texted with and talked to my date from last night a couple of times. We discussed how much fun we had last night, the previous dates we had last year, and going out again tonight.

But I knew it wasn't gonna happen.

He worked today and worked more when he got home. He's an early riser (up by 4 a.m. and at work by 6 a.m.) and by the time early evening rolled around, he sounded beat.

Also, I wasn't up to getting dressed or going out.

He said he really wanted to see me again (how sweet) but agreed we could wait another day or so because he needed to rest. (He was nodding off during the movie last night, poor thing.)

We'll see what the next few days bring about.

Stay tuned folks.

Sweet dreams everyone.

732.

Good early morning folks.

Hopefully everyone is somewhere safe and comfortable.

I'm home, snuggled with my blankets and pillows on the sofa. Tired and a little sleepy because I've been awake over 16 hours.

When I checked my mailbox today (the real-life physical mailbox where I get snail mail), there was a card from my friend who lost her mom recently.

My friend is a devout Catholic. The card said Baby Bliss and I would be prayed for at the Easter Novena of Masses at the Basilica back home.

The card is pre-printed but she added her own handwritten greeting and sweet words about her mom. How thoughtful of her to do something so nice for us (and I'm sure others as well) in the midst of her own grief.

My prayers remain with my friend and her family as they continue to mourn the loss of their mother.

🌺 🌺  🌺 

On a more personal note, I had a date last night. (Friday.)

He and I went on a couple of dates last year and although I thought he seemed to be a great guy, he was new to the area and still mentally involved in getting out of a really long long-term relationship. So when I didn't hear from him after the two dates, I thought: I wasn't really his type, he was sowing his newly acquired wild oats, and/or he'd thought better of dating and was taking time to get himself together.

No big deal. I'm not fond of being the rebound chick.

Fast forward to a month or so ago and he reaches out on the dating site we met on.

Cool.

We began exchanging emails every so often then the pace sped up a little. Finally we got around to talking about why we'd only had the two dates. I told him his understanding of events was a lot different from mine which led to him asking me to call him.

When we spoke by phone, although I still didn't recall things the way he did, I better understood why he thought we never went out again.

It turned out to be a good conversation and it ended with him asking me to dinner and a movie.

We met at a nearby "lifestyle/hybrid center" that consists of shops, restaurants, a movie theater, office space, and residential accommodations. It's laid out like a small town.

It's generally a safe place. I've had dates there in the past as well as gone with family and friends for various reasons.

My date and I met for dinner at 8 (I was late due to the horrible parking situation) at an upscale pizza joint. The pizza was freshly made and looked absolutely scrumptious. What surprised me is that it was almost tasteless. I don't know why. The sweet tea was good. Not too sweet like at a lot of places I've eaten.

After dinner we had about an hour before the movie was to start. We decided to take a drive in his car to run down the clock. We stayed in the general area, riding around talking. We still managed to get to the theater early and had to wait almost 10 minutes before previews started.

I chose the movie, Logan, because I'm a big fan of the X-Men series. Well folks, I was totally unprepared for the level of violence on the screen. Lots of gasping, arm-clenching, and screaming during this one. Thankfully no one shushed me.

No spoilers here but be warned if you have it on your want-to-see list.

He drove me to my car after the movie. We talked about the next movie we'll see (the new Fast and Furious installment), shared a long good night smooch, then parted.

I called to let him know I'd arrived home safely and thanked him again for the date. We talked for a few minutes then said good night.

And now it's almost 4 a.m. and though I could really really use 40 winks, looks like I'll be settling for 35.

Sweet dreams y'all.  😴

731.

Tuesday night was an emotional overload for me.

I was awake until 5 a.m. Wednesday morning and tossed and turned until 8 a.m. 

Thankfully I managed to nod off again until 9. Then I realized it was probably a good idea to get up and start my day because I wanted to run a few errands and return home before the rain was scheduled to appear.

Good intentions and all...

I wish I could say I made it in just before the rain.

Nope.

As I was walking up and down my steps (outside and uncovered) to drag the bags inside, a song we used to sing in first grade came to mind.

Our version was infinitely more upbeat but here's a version I found on Youtube: 

730.

A few hours ago Baby Bliss learned that one of her close friends has brain cancer.  😞

I think of this young man as one of my children. I don't want to think about how he will suffer but I am thinking about it because I already know.

Once again, I'm crying and feeling overwhelmed.

Life happens, yes.

Good, bad, indifferent... This wheel keeps turning.

No need to question the Universe.

We live and we die.

Everything in between is a roll of the dice.

The random, the pre-ordained...

Is there really a difference?

Who the f*ck knows?

Definitely not me.

729.

Yesterday's dinner: barbecue (boneless) pork ribs, steamed kale, steamed sweet potato with cinnamon and sugar, deviled eggs.

It was all satisfyingly tasty.

I'm thankful to have enough to eat and I'm proud of myself for cooking it up just right. 😋

Amen.

728.

Another limb (branch? root ball?) for the family tree:

I talked to my dad last week. He has so many interesting family stories to tell.

Two new things I learned from him: grandma (his momma) had a daughter who died in a fire. She was very young at the time of her death, maybe even a baby. He wasn't sure.

Also, his great-grandmother (my great-great-grandma) was a woman he referred to as Miss Ferguson. He said she had very light skin, very light eyes, and reddish-brown hair.

Another ancestor with the British/Irish genes in my DNA reveal? Sounds like it.

More interesting is the fact that daddy said they called her Miss Ferguson, never grandma or any endearing term. He said he didn't even know her first name.

Wow. 

727.

Hello and Happy Sunday y'all!

I hope everyone is in good health and good spirits.

Looks like it's gonna be a lazy day chez Bliss.

It's a beautiful day and I'm so thankful.

The sun is shining, my windows are open, a cool breeze is fluttering my sheers, and I'm watching movies.

First up was one of my favorites, Dance with Me. Dancing, romance, laughter, love... My kind of show.

That Chayanne with his fine self... The first time I saw the movie, I wanted to learn Spanish and take the next flight to Cuba.

Luckily I already had my own hot Latin. 😉

I also watched Ray, a movie I've seen many times but it's another of my favorites. While the movie is highly entertaining, there are some truths that are undoubtedly altered or all together left out. This article at slate.com gives a clearer picture: It's a Shame About Ray.

Now I'm watching Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day. It's my first time seeing this one. Mega, mega, mega-watt star Pam Grier is in it. I love her. Every time I see her, I know she's my big sister from another life.

Maybe she seems so familiar because she looks just like a family of sisters I grew up with. They lived around the corner from my grandma. I was envious of them, not having any sisters myself.

There was the prospect of a date today but I wasn't feeling it and he asked for a rain check at the last minute.

No worries. The Universe always gives me what I need and today I need to be doing just what I'm doing.  👌

I'm also preparing Sunday Dinner.

Say what?!

Yes, that is correct. It's also funny. People who know me know why.

My beloved grandma once told me I'd never get a husband because I couldn't cook. Well she was woefully incorrect.

I've had several husbands and they all cooked. With the exception of one, they cooked right tasty vittles. 🍗🍞🍛🍤🍚

Lucky me.

As with most other things husbandly, Mr. Bliss was the best cook of the lot.

Baby Bliss and I dined out for many meals after my Beloved made his transition. Partly because I couldn't bear grocery shopping and partly because I didn't have much practice cooking.

Any way, that's all detailed in another post or two. Maybe three or four. No rehashing here.

Well folks, time to scoot.

A sista has to eat!  😄