Favorite Quotes

March 21, 2022March 20, 2022 JackieP3 Comments

Today I thought I would post some of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

Blogging · Humor · stories · Truth or Fiction · writing

Truth or Fiction (April 5, 2019)

April 5, 2019 JackieP17 Comments

I’m beginning to think people know me well. As I think everyone voted right. My last story was…TRUTH. Yes, sad to say it really did happen. When I was younger I rescued a lot of animals. Dogs, cats, whatever. I’m an animal lover. If I see they are being abused I will try my best to get them out of that situation…even if it means breaking into someone’s yard and taking them. Eh, arrest me. I’d still do it.

Doesn’t happen quite so dramatically now as I’m too old for that and my fence climbing days are over…but who knows. If the situation warrants, I still might manage.

My story does have a happy ending. I managed to rescue the dog and finally got someone from the Humane Society to come to pick him up as, unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to take it to a Vet nor keep it as I had four dogs already. This very nice lady came over and I gave her an abridged version of how I got the dog. She called me several days afterward and told me their Vet had to do a major operation to remove the chain from the dog’s neck but he was doing fine and this same lady had decided to adopt him herself.

I felt so much better knowing he was going to a loving home and would have the good life he richly deserved.

Now onto my next story. Is it Truth or Fiction?

A Slice of Life

“Hmm, maybe we could make something out of these?” She asked.

Looking at her listeners as they cocked their heads to the side. She stated, “They would make a great border for the garden. I mean, no birds or animals would take them away.”

Reaching down she rubbed the ear of her closest listener. Whining softly he leaned against her leg. It was like the dogs were agreeing with her.

“I mean, look at them.” She reached over to the table and picked one of the items up, rapping her knuckles against it she spoke again. “It’s as hard as a rock, it would make a great garden border.”

Sighing she placed the object back on the table and sat down hard in the kitchen chair. Frowning she pulled the cookbook over that was laying open on the table and read the recipe again.

“I don’t understand what I did wrong. I followed the recipe. I didn’t substitute anything, which I’m usually doing.”

The three dogs lined up in front of her with expectant faces. “Sorry guys, nothing to eat here. The recipe didn’t exactly turn out like I wanted. I don’t think even you could eat this, Max. It would break your teeth.”

She picked up the item from the table and let it fall back down. It made such a loud thump that it even startled the dogs.

“See, Max? I bet I could throw them up as far as I could and let them land and they wouldn’t even break.”

She stood up and walking around the dogs she opened the back kitchen door and tossed the item out of it as far as she could into the yard. It landed several feet later with a dull thud. “I told you.” She stated to no one in particular. She watched as the dogs raced outside to find the object she threw. Max managed to lift it in his powerful jaws as the little dogs yapped and jumped excitedly beside him. Max proudly came back and laid it at her feet.

Looking down she had to laugh at the look Max gave her. “I told you, you wouldn’t be able to eat it.”

Such a sad sight, the item laying at her feet and three very disappointed dogs. She was sad too, as she had been looking forward to a warm, buttery slice of freshly made bread. All they got were four loafs of…bricks. Hard as rock bricks of bread.

Her dad had always made it look easy when he made bread. So she decided to try her hand at it. “I think I’ll let Dad keep the bread making skills, guys. I stick with my world-famous potato salad.”

So, is this story Truth or Fiction? Let me know! Have you ever tried a new recipe only to have it fail miserably? What was it?

Blogging · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction

63 Things I’ve Learned in 63 Years

September 12, 2018 JackieP19 Comments

Hello everyone! Yes, I know it’s been a very long time since I posted anything. Since early March, actually. Why? Because life sometimes has a way of making me so tired. Things have straightened out a bit since then. I’m at a new ‘normal’ around here.

Quick catch up, then I’ll get to this new post. Most of you will remember the health problems of the husband in the past few years. First colon cancer, got that beat as he is now officially three years cancer free! Then he had a stroke in late October of last year. He’s still getting over that one. There have been a few stays in the hospital for pneumonia here and there but he seems to be stable now. Thank goodness. Time to breath!

Life can be hard but I keep plodding along. As for me, I’ve had a terrible bout of insomnia since May. So yeah, I get kind of tired.

I’m back now. I do hope to stick around too. I don’t know how often I will post, I’m going to try for once a week and go from there. As to what I will post? Who the hell knows. We’ll see what happens.

Now, the reason for this post. Today is my birthday! Yeah, ok, keep the cheering down. I’m sixty-three today. Shit, that seems like such a big number! I hope to see sixty-four. My body feels like it’s ninety-three while my mind feels twenty-three yet. I’m young at heart people with an old woman’s outlook. Ha!

Anyway, my friend Mer had her 44th birthday last month and she came up with a post with 44 things she learned in her 44 years. So, thanks Mer, I’m stealing your idea!

Let’s get this party started!

63 Things I’ve Learned in 63 Years

No matter how broke you are….treat yourself sometimes
Age is a state of mind, not a number
A pet can save your sanity
Never just settle for a life partner, you won’t be happy and neither will they
Accept yourself….no other opinion means more
Drink lots of water
Life is going to throw you some curve balls….Learn to go with it, it all works out in the end
Getting hurt is part of life
Don’t trust someone your dog doesn’t like!
Life is damn short—-Live it!
Don’t hold grudges
If you have a life partner always have some of your own money tucked away, have your own bank account
If there is something you’ve always wanted to do….Do it! (Unless it hurts you or someone else)
Don’t be afraid to have your own ideas or beliefs, you don’t need to be the same as everyone else
Don’t be afraid of growing older, some of it sucks but some of its great.
It’s necessary for your wellbeing to say NO sometimes
Trust your gut instinct
Don’t do something or be someone to just please the family. They don’t live your life. You do!
If someone lies to you…..they will keep lying to you
Don’t be peer pressured or family pressured into having kids. If you don’t want them, don’t have them. The world will do just fine.
Once a cheater, always a cheater. Same goes for a spouse abuser. They won’t change no matter how much you think they will.
Act silly sometimes
You can’t herd cats very well
Always carry extra undies in your purse when traveling. (sorry guys, don’t know what you would do) That way when your luggage is lost you have clean undies for the next day. No one wants to put on the same undies two days in a row.
Also, when traveling keep extra cash on your person.
If you’re on a diet, don’t burn vanilla scented candles
Coffee is the worlds apology for making you get out of bed
Whoever decided grocery shopping online and delivery service was a good thing should be given an award! I love it!
Music really does soothe the soul
Be impulsive sometimes, it can lead to wonderful things
Tell the people who you love that you do love them. It might be the last chance you get
You don’t need a lot of friends
What friends you do have, let them know you appreciate them
Always use a grammar and spell check when writing…..saves some embarrassment
Read different things, even if you don’t think you will like the genre, sometimes you will be pleasantly surprised
Keep a positive attitude, it will bring about positive things in your life
You don’t need to be religious to be a good person
Swearing is not unladylike
Sometimes have a resting bitch face saves you from having to actually BE a bitch
There is nothing wrong with eating your favorite comfort food sometimes
I love my attitude
No matter how much advice you can give a person, they will only take what they think they need and not what they actually need
People usually don’t want that advice anyway, they just want to vent
I’ve learned that being unhappy with my life at times was my own fault and only I could change it
I’m fascinated by dragonflies
I still believe in that Christmas magic can happen
I have a young child’s awe of Mother Nature
I’ve learned that being the ‘quiet one’ is not a personality flaw
I’ve come to accept that I will never be thin and that’s ok with me
I know now that my happiness lies in me, not someone or something else
Making a list this long is damn hard!
I love challenging my mind. I think that’s what keeps me young
I prefer silence over noise or talking
You can learn a lot about someone just by observing them
I don’t forgive easily
I never forget either
People are generally nice given a chance
There are always exceptions to the rule
I still prefer animals over people
Trying to win approval from my mother was a lifelong difficulty and never truly achieved
I’m hard to love but worth the effort
If you were looking for deep, inspirational things from me you probably didn’t get it ….hahahaha
Maybe next year I will be wiser….I’ll be older, so there is that small chance

Don’t count on it!

Humor

Who Doesn’t Like a Little Levity?

January 17, 2018 JackieP20 Comments

Blogging · Humor · poetry · writing

There Once Was……..

January 11, 2018 JackieP23 Comments

There once was a woman who wrote……..

Stories, poems, notes…….

She wrote and wrote and had a grand time…….

Putting words down for others to read…..

Was a habit, no wait, a need……

Now she has stopped because life got in the way……

Too much to do and little to say…….

Then the New Year came……

And she vowed it would not stay the same…..

Making a promise to write again with renewed vigor……

Only to find herself doing nothing but spewer…….

Silly little rhymes instead of something of note…..

So, I hope you’ll excuse my false little promise……

That I made in a moment of blitheness…..

I thought life would be different……..

But Life thought me too flippant…..

All I could come up with after thinking and plotting…..

Was this silly little poem that will make you think I’m dotty…….

Because the rhyming is all wrong ……..

And it’s silliness is overlong……

But, that’s all I got on this cold winters day…..

Is a dumb little poem that won’t garner any applause……

Named so appropriately, ‘There Once Was’………

Cee's Share Your World · Mi Vida Loca · questions and answers

Share Your World ~~~ Sept. 18 & 25, 2017

September 26, 2017 JackieP14 Comments

Hey, everyone! This week you get two weeks worth of Cee’s Share Your World in one! Aren’t you lucky duckies.

I had been having computer problems for a while when last week my computer decided to keep giving me the dreaded blue screen. I would be in the middle of something and POOF! Off it would go and up came the blue screen. Very frustrating. I finally had to break down and get a new one. Such an expensive pain but I can’t live without one….sooooooo……..I deal with it.

Needless to say, I missed doing SYW last week so I decided to combine this week and last weeks into one. Here goes……..

Complete this sentence: I want to learn more about …

Everything I’m interested in. Like, writing and painting. I would also love to learn more about my ancestors. My parents were not ones to talk about family. Most of them they ignored and feuded with. So, I don’t know a lot about the past or ancestors. Both my parents are gone now and even when I did ask my mothers questions she either would say she didn’t know or ignore the questions. I have no idea where to start but I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately.

On a vacation what you would require in any place that you sleep?

What is this ‘vacation’ you speak of? Well, when I used to have them or afford them and actually go somewhere I always needed a fan. I need that white noise and the air circulating to sleep. Although truth be told, I have never been able to sleep well in strange rooms or beds. I need my own.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I just bought it! Computers. I must have my computer and for me, in my money situation, it is an extravagance. So, I save, tighten the belt in other areas and buy it.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Going indoors. LOL I’m not much of an outdoor person anymore. I used to be when I was much younger. I would go camping and ride bikes and such. Haven’t done any of that in many years and don’t want to. I’m basically lazy. I don’t like bugs and am allergic to bees. I do sit outside when it’s nice with Sam (my dog) and watch the birds and the dragonflies. We had a robins nest in our front yard bush this summer. I would sit out and watch momma and daddy bird bring the three babies worms and bugs. I watched the babies first flight out of the nest too. I had to keep Sam from chasing the poor little things but it was exciting to watch.

In a car would you rather drive or be a passenger?

It depends. If I don’t like someone’s driving, I would rather drive. Even though I don’t do it a lot. I have no sense of direction. So if I don’t know exactly where I am going or haven’t been there a dozen times I get lost. It’s so embarrassing. I get lost so easily. I have even gotten lost going someplace I have been to lots of times, like the hospital. I still can’t drive there myself. I get lost. It’s bad folks.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

To have an endless supply of tax-free money so I wouldn’t have to worry about how to pay the bills and buy groceries for the month.
To have my health back.
To own a place where I could rescue lots of animals and take care of them.

I’m going to add a fourth wish here:

To be able to visit and help (if they needed it) all my online friends. I love you guys! ❤

How is your week going? Anything newsworthy? Let me know!

Cee's Share Your World · Mi Vida Loca · questions and answers

Share Your World ~~~ August 21, 2017

August 23, 2017 JackieP13 Comments

Cee, who usually hosts Share Your World is on a mini vacation this week. So Emilio kindly offered to host this weeks edition. Thanks, Emilio!

You can find Emilio’s blog here. While you’re there take a look around, he’s a wonderful photographer!

So, here we go with Emilio’s questions and my answers.

Have you ever been pulled over by a cop?

Once that I remember. Many years ago I was living in Nacogdoches, Texas. I was piss poor broke and couldn’t afford my tags for my car that year. I also couldn’t afford insurance but I needed my car to get around and look for work. I pulled into the local Wal-Mart parking lot to put in my application for employment and I just happened to be spotted by a cop. As I got out of my car to go inside he stopped me and asked about my out of date tags. I told him my sob story and he let it pass without a ticket but warned me to get my tags somehow, someway. Also, until then not to drive unless I have to. He was a nice, understanding guy.

What have you always wanted? Did you get it?

I’ve always wanted to live in the woods in a small cabin with nothing around but wildlife and trees. Did I get it? Um, no. Don’t see me ever getting it either unless I win the lottery. And that you have to play to win. Which I don’t. Well, sometimes I do. The husband does, so I’m hoping he’ll win it for me.

What is your perfect pizza?

I’m kind of fussy about my pizza. I absolutely will not have fruit of any kind on it! My perfect pizza is sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, black olives and extra cheese. Mmmmm, now I want pizza.

What inspired you this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

Coffee inspires me. It helps me through the good times, the bad times and the boring times. Coffee is my life blood. 😉

Hope everyone is having a good week. Hang in there if you aren’t because everything is temporary, especially the bad stuff.

Cee's Share Your World · Mi Vida Loca · questions and answers

Share Your World ~~~ July 3, 2017

July 4, 2017 JackieP11 Comments

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday. Remember to keep those pets safe while fireworks are set off.

Now for the questions and answers! Here are Cee’s Share Your World questions for this week.

For your main meal do you prefer sweet and sour, hot and spicy, spicy and sweet, bitter, salty, bland or other?

I would normally have said hot and spicy but since my stomach problems started a few months ago I can no longer eat spicy food. Boo!!!! Nor anything with milk or tomatoes in them. Man, I tell ya, I’m suffering!

Now it’s down to pretty bland food as I can’t have salt either. As I keep saying….getting old is not for sissies. LOL

Where do you hide junk when people come over?

Short answer…..I don’t. My animals and I live in this place. Sometimes we are messy. I have come to the conclusion that there is more to life than a clean house. So if you come over and especially if you come over unannounced (give me a few hours) you will come to a house that needs vacuuming and dusting. With dog toys all over the floor.

I do remember one time when I lived with someone else and we both hated doing dishes, she would hide the dirty dishes in the oven when her family came over. LOL

I was never one for hiding how I lived. I have always thought that if someone didn’t like my house like it was, don’t come over. Simple.

What daily habit would you like to introduce to your life?

Exercising. At least taking a daily walk. I can’t seem to find the ambition to do it.

If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

I really don’t like the circus. I don’t like the animals being in the circus. Now, something like Cirque du Soliel would be nice. It is more people orientated. I would be one of the ladies with the ribbons. Lithe and supple and in complete sync with the music. (A lady can dream, right?)