Have I ever written before about my pet peeve?

It’s this. Since I do not enjoy airplane travel I simply won’t fly…and there’s loads of people who just WILL NOT leave me be about it!

Honestly, I’ve never heard of anything so stupid. If I am the one who is traveling someplace it’s up TO ME to decide what kind of transportation I shall use to get there. Period! I happen to love cruise ships. I also enjoy going across the country by train and seeing all the sights. So why should I get on a flying tin can for no other reason than to shut up the folks who get their undies in an uproar about it when it isn’t even their business in the first place?

I wish I had some of them on tape. You wouldn’t believe just how wacky they get. They become practically hysterical. And this is over my transportation choices that have nothing to do with them. I’m not telling them what to do. They’re telling me. It’s outrageous, and it would be pretty funny if the proponents of it weren’t absolutely so damned annoying.

All of them immediately start reciting – get this – car accident statistics to me. Yes. Accident statistics! You would have thought they’d all been programmed. They usually begin the routine with, “Flying is the safest form of transportation! Don’t you know that?”

“Yes,” I reply, “I do know that. But I don’t enjoy flying.”

“But you have more of a chance of being in an accident if you’re riding in a car! Haven’t you heard that?”

“YES,” I answer, a little more emphatically, usually with rolling eyeballs. “But I don’t enjoy flying so I don’t fly…” It’s always tough not to add a few very choice words there since these types are off and running. Nothing stops them, though. It would be a waste of breath.

“But you’ll never see the world if you don’t get on a plane,” their line of bull continues. By the way it’s always the same script, accident, accident, and an assumption about seeing the world. Always! Unbelievable!

My erudite but ignored reply? “I’ve seen plenty of the world. I’ve flown about twenty times. I don’t do it any longer because I DO NOT LIKE IT!”

Oh, these frequent flyers go on and on from there, but you get the general idea.

All I can say is…up, up and away with ’em all! As Frankie said I’ll do it my way.

What’s your pet peeve?

Here’s the latest! Mylmost recent book, THE DEATH OF A DREAM SELLER, won a Firebird International Book Award!

This is the story of a total jerk who ran an acting school into the ground…among other things…and wound up dead on the floor. Who did it? Who among the people who knew this guy didn’t want to do it? You can find out here:

One of my last photos of the city.

It’s funny. People thought I was a “diehard New Yorker,” that I’d never leave, and that I wanted to stay there forever.

What?

I don’t know where they got THAT from – but it wasn’t from me. I’d been looking for a way to get out of there for at least the past five years!

So when an opportunity arose for me to move out west and live in a desert climate, I embraced it with open arms!

I think I was always destined to live out here. Take a look at this picture of me at the age of about 3 or 4, dressed as a little cowgirl:

It’s a lot healthier to live out here in the clear fresh air, let me tell you, and it’s beautiful, too – just beautiful!

Onward and upward to all new adventures!

Here’s a few photographs.

Well, folks, I finally figured it out!

I’ve been trying to become a minimalist for ages and ages, but it just didn’t work. Not previously. The last time I moved, I took too much stuff with me, and of course, it grew from there.

This move was different.

What did I bring? Only five small boxes of my absolute favorite momentos, some clothes, a computer, a Kindle, an unavoidable travel bag – and that was it.

And what do you know?

Ta-da!

I’m a minimalist at last!

Ha, now that’s the way to do it!

Just wanted to share this “oldie but goodie” of a poem because it’s one of my favorites. If something you’re waiting for seems to take a little too long to arrive, who knows? Perhaps it’s already on the way!

Say not the Struggle nought Availeth

By Arthur Hugh Clough

Say not the struggle nought availeth,

     The labour and the wounds are vain,

The enemy faints not, nor faileth,

     And as things have been they remain.

If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;

     It may be, in yon smoke concealed,

Your comrades chase e’en now the fliers,

     And, but for you, possess the field.

For while the tired waves, vainly breaking

     Seem here no painful inch to gain,

Far back through creeks and inlets making,

     Comes silent, flooding in, the main.

And not by eastern windows only,

     When daylight comes, comes in the light,

In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,

     But westward, look, the land is bright.

The view outside of my door.

I thought it might be fun this morning, mid-blizzard, to get a photo from the door to my apartment.

The above is what greeted me just from opening the door!

It’s unbelievable.

Here’s another shot. This one says it all. Note the poor beleaguered swing:

I take two buses to get to work, and ever since the day I got off to switch from one to the other, and found myself in the middle of an active shooter investigation, I decided I was thoroughly through with New York. That’s it. I am DONE here!

It is finally time to retire. The happy day I’ve been awaiting for so long is almost here! I can’t wait, and I’m getting out of this area of the country, once and for all, without any further hesitation.

And that was before this winter even started. After the storms, the ice, the snow, the cold, I’m ready for a new adventure!

A good children’s book about the holiday of Diwali.

The Indian celebration of Diwali is now an official school holiday in New York City and in the state of California, so children – and adults – on both coasts are probably very curious about it. The children’s book THE MAGIC OF DIWALI WITH SAARA by Annie Agarwal can provide your children, and you, with a delightful overview of it, as told through the eyes of an engaging young narrator.

The book is also colorfully and adorably illustrated, with little Saara shown as a happy and curious child, eager to find out more about the holiday.

Diwali is a celebration of joy, and of good over evil, that follows the lunar calendar and always happens on a moonless night. It all began when Prince Lord Ram had to liberate his wife, Sita, from a demon king named Ravana. Lord Ram won the battle and brought his Sita home to his kingdom. The people in the kingdom rejoiced and lit up their homes with little lights called “diyas” to welcome him back and to celebrate the victory. Demon kings may cause bad things to happen, but hey, good can still triumph in the end! It’s great to be reminded of that.

The holiday is also about love and kindness. Saara’s mom explains the tradition of lighting diyas by telling the child, “When we share love and kindness just like we share the lights of the divas, it grows and makes everything around us brighter.” The mother is right on target.

The story follows the preparations of the day as Saara and her family get ready for the Diwali party they’re hosting that evening for their family. Diwali includes not only lighting the diyas but creating paper lanterns, making and buying special treats, and a trip to the store to buy new clothes in the spirit of “out with the old and in with the new.” When evening falls, there’s even a tradition of fireworks.

I learned a lot about this holiday from reading this engaging and informative new book, and now I want to celebrate Diwali the next time it rolls around, too!

Charitable organizations that could use your help and support!

I’ve always agreed with the old saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world!” What better change can there be than to give a little assistance those who are less fortunate than we are?

In light of that, may I recommend:

St. Joseph’s Indian School – https://www.stjo.org

A boarding school for Native American children whose parents want them to be there. It isn’t like the ones in the old days where the kids were put into schools against their parents’ will. The photos and videos of their happy students on their website are amazing!

Kiva – https://www.kiva.org

You can give a small micro loan to individuals and groups requiring funds to kickstart their businesses. And get this. Once the loan is paid back, the money goes into your account so you can loan it AGAIN to someone else!

Operation Smile – https://www.operationsmile.org

My longtime favorite! Operation Smile provides free surgery to children with cleft palates and facial deformities. Not only do they correct the physical problems but they transform them into the beautiful children they were always meant to be in the first place. It prevents them from continuously being bullied before they have the surgery, too, which is extraordinarily important.

Heifer International – https://www.heifer.org

I like this one too! They provide livestock to farmers in Third World countries, anything from a flock of chicks to a goat to a heifer and more.

Mercy Ships – https://www.mercyships.org

Mercy Ships reminds me of the story about how if Mohammed couldn’t come to the mountain then the mountain came to Mohammed! Their ships sail to medically underserved countries and provide people with the surgery and care that they need.

By all means, check out these websites. For the price of a cup of coffee or two, or perhaps a little bit more, you could be part of the answer to someone’s prayer! And what could be better than that?