Thursday, October 2, 2014

Mind Blower, I Mean LEAF BLOWER. Plus, Shameless Self-Promotion

I heard a cat snarl-up and yell-fest last evening and I think Maurice may have been involved because a little while later she came into the den and actually sat on my lap and wanted to be scratched and that is not like her. And then she slept cuddled up next to me and this morning was wary of going outside. She's outside now but staying close to the house, hiding under the rose bush. She thinks she's a lion or a tiger and I suppose it's good for her to be reminded at times that she's really just a fairly small house cat who can't lick a chicken unless it's a bad day for the chicken although she's hell on lizards and frogs. And old, diseased squirrels. And moles.

The sun made an appearance this morning and so has my better mood. I am not taking a walk this morning because last night I was so damn sore that I almost cried and fuck the turmeric I'm taking for it's AMAZING (according to many FB posts) anti-inflammatory properties. You know what? I realize that never once in my life have I taken a supplement or vitamin that did a damn thing that I could feel any actual proof of. Okay. Maybe St. John's Wort for a little while.
Ibuprofen, however, works a charm. Every time.

It's a strange morning here in that Mr. Moon is still at home. He's trying to set up the bird feeders again which I have a terrible feeling about. He's going to be absolutely enraged when Maurice pounces on a bird feeding on seeds which have been scattered from the feeder onto the ground. He's also taking business calls on his phone and so my usual peace is disturbed and I have a window into his typical day which is chaotic and completely busy and I have no idea how he does it. I myself am extremely agitato just from watching and listening.


Here he is spreading bark butter into the hollows on the feeder. Bark Butter? Don't ask. I'm certain we could eat it. It would probably be good for us, too.

So now he's leaving and there's a guy at the church next door using a leaf blower. My god those people keep that place tidy. And obviously, it's just one of those mornings wherein there will be no peace and as soon as the church guy quits, a train will come by and later the boys are coming out which will be wonderful but not exactly peaceful.

I suppose this would be a good time to do some self-promotion at which I have been sorely remiss. In case you missed it, I have a little Shebooks e-book out.


Click on the picture to go to Amazon to download it or you can go HERE and get it for Nook Books on Barnes and Noble.

And...if you've already read it and if you liked it, I will come to your house and make you a pan of cornbread if you'll leave a review at Amazon. Wait- can that be construed as bribery?

I have done nothing whatsoever to promote this except for a post on Facebook and writing about it here on the blog. I haven't had a Shebang, I haven't had a release party, I haven't passed out flyers, I haven't gotten in touch with my local newspapers, I haven't...well, done anything.

So. Thanks. Jeez. I hate this stuff.

The leaf blowing is still happening, the sun is still shining. And this:



The tiny blossom of the tea olive. You can smell it from twenty feet away. And when I say tiny- you see those leaves that in the pictures look as big as magnolia leaves? They're the size of your regulation bay leaf. The swooniest bloom I know of when it comes to the power of its perfume. 

And this:


The Confederate Rose which is, as I have said before, the Prom Queen of blossoms. And she is large. Big around as a baby's head. But no scent that I am aware of. 

Thank god. The leaf blower has stopped. I honestly thought I was going to have to go do a shot of vodka and it's a little early in the day for that. 

Peace restored. I hear roosters crowing and birds twittering and I can feel the risk of a stress-induced vascular accident receding. It takes so little to make me crazy and let's face it- I simply have to live somewhere peaceful. Self-medication comes in many different forms. Better bird-call and flowers or the blue expanse of a sea or bay before me than drinking vodka at ten in the morning. 
Right? 

Thanks and love...Ms. Moon



22 comments:

  1. Good morning! I enjoyed your post today and wanted to say that I loved your book, it left me wanting more! I will gladly post a review on Amazon in the near future, once I sit down to write the reviews I've got stacked up. I finally read Amy Blooms new book too, and both of you deserve a well worded review. You don't have to bake me cornbread though! However, next year, when my baby is in school in Florida, don't be surprised if I come a calling :)

    As to turmeric, I tried it too. I've tried everything, and I'm with you, ibuprofen works best. And wine or vodka, not to ease the pain, but to help me to ignore it a little easier.

    That Mr. Moon is a marvel. I get the same agitato listening to my Mr. do business on the phone - such tedium and detail involved. But they get it all done, don't they, and still come home sweet every day. It's amazing.

    Now I need to know what a tea olive smells like. I'll put that on my bucket list. Only the sedums are showy here now, as the leaves are falling and fall is falling too.

    Good luck keeping your peace and quiet, a leaf blower is one of the worst sounds ever.
    xo

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  2. Mary, it's snowing here. Tiny, random flakes. And the wind is cold, straight off the polar ice caps, I tell you.

    Your flower pics will have to sustain me until spring. Please keep posting them!

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  3. Mel- As he was fielding calls this morning and getting things set up, I was thinking how often he calls me or texts me before he leaves work to see if I need anything. I've always appreciated that. If I had a day like his are every day and someone asked me to stop at the store and get something, I'd go ballistic. I'd weep. And he volunteers to do it!
    Thank you for liking my stories!

    heartinhand- I seriously have no idea how you stand that. None. I will be posting pictures of camellias pretty soon.

    Rebecca- The interwebs say that doesn't work. Basically what it does say is that I'm a criminal for having a cat who has access to the outdoors. Fuck me.

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  4. Rebecca- I'm still going to try it though.

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  5. I have bird feeders and a very old cat. There were feathers once last year, and the granddaughters did not swoon. They are pretty pragmatic, though. If I had a young outdoor cat, I don't know.
    But--as the recent squabble proves, there is at least one more cat in your neighborhood. Sounds like the past, present and future offender to me.

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  6. Well done on the book. I went to Amazon and looked to download and then saw "Pricing information not available". I wonder if this is because I'm on Amazon.uk - but if it's a glitch I hope it can be fixed. I'd like to read it. And congratulations at being an editors pick!!

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  7. After raising 4 kids and a husband who is a kid at heart, peace and quiet is often a welcoming gift. I think better and feel an all over calmness. Still LOVE having family and friends, it's just I need that quiet for parts of my day.

    The sweet fragrance of blossoms can put me in a daydreaming mood......

    I need to get a tablet to read your e-book....can I download to a computer from Amazon?

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  8. I have been remiss about the review. It's coming. I so enjoyed your writing, all quirky and brainy like you.

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  9. Dang it! I don't think I've reviewed your book on Amazon yet and will do so pronto. Mea culpa!

    Bestsellerdom -- here you come!

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  10. You're going to make cornbread!?? Oooh!!

    I got your e-book! Haven't had the chance to read it though... so don't start the 15 hour drive (or however long it actually is from NJ to FL) just yet. ;)

    Pretty rose.

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  11. Our neighbours have a leaf blower and it is *SO* loud! We have to close our windows. When it turns off I can feel my brain relaxing.

    I have not forgot to review your book. I keep putting it off because it deserves an awesome review and I don't know how to write and awesome review. Soon, though. Promise.

    Supplements. I have had wonderful success with a few. Magnesium, overpriced fish oil from my eye doctor, Harmony Menopause and one sold here in Canada called Cold Fx. All others I have tried make no difference at all. Flushing money down the toilet. But Ibuprofen... I love it. I would go as far to say that I am "grateful" for it. Oprah, be damned!

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  12. I bought your book, I read it and I really enjoyed it. I will leave a review on amazon presently. Book your airline tickets, while I clean my kitchen.

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  13. Mrs. Moon HOW IS kATHLEEN DOING ? I SEND HER STREAGNTH .DEBRA

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  14. Well, the big blue sky finally reappeared in all its healing light and marvelous color. And with its reemergence can we safely say the other kind of blue [as in melancholy blues] is a mere evaporating vapor not to cast its darkened shadow over us this day! Can I get a Yeamen, sister?

    Speaking of an entirely different reappearing act , Im acutely aware that it has taken me "forever and a day" to actually connect with your blogsite and all its engaging and colorful content. Its hard to explain why it took so long. I ll save that discussion for another time, perhaps.

    For now let me simply express gratitude for the privilege of being able to hang out online with you, Mary, and the other genuine folks visiting your blog site,




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  15. I wrote a review, just not under my name. I love your book!

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  16. Joanne- There is a fence around the part of the yard where the birds are which we put up when we had the dogs. Generally, the feral cats don't come into that area. So...
    We shall see how this goes.

    Jenny Woolf- I didn't even notice that (the editor's pick thing) until you told me. Thank you!

    Ellen- I think you can get the Kindle app for your phone or tablet if you don't have a Kindle or Nook. And then you can download. Thanks for asking!

    Ms. Vesuvius- And let me say that my daughter May, who is as voracious a reader as I am, loved Angel Food with all of her heart. So there!

    Elizabeth- Yeah. I doubt it. Bestsellerdom. And what would that even mean in the e-book world? I love you though for saying that.

    Crystal Chick- Do you prefer savory or sweet cornbread?

    ditchingthedog- What did Magnesium do for you? I have been taking it and can't tell a damn thing. But Ibuprofen- what would we do without it?

    Sabine- I'll clean your kitchen after I make the cornbread.

    Debra- Check her blog and my latest post. She is doing very well. You are so sweet to ask.

    ohmyboy2- Did you used to post under a different name? Whatever. I am glad you are here.

    Angella- I know. I love you to pieces.

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  17. When my mom got her cats, she stopped putting seed in her bird feeders because she felt like it was laying a trap. I told her the birds could fly away, but it's the ones that peck the seeds on the ground that she's worried about.

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  18. tea tree blossoms. your description reminds me of the tiny tiny night blooming jasmine whose scent can bowl you over. my confederate rose has also started blooming though just a few right now.

    I bought some tumeric. thought I would sprinkle it on my rice and stuff. probably aren't eating enough for it to do one damn thing but what the hell. maybe it's cumulative. I also put chis seeds in my oatmeal for the calcium instead of those crushed up calcium pills most of which get shunted into your urine anyway because the body can't absorb it fast enough. and honey and cinnamon just for general good health. it it all working? who the hell knows. I rarely get sick though. Oh, and Ibuprofen is my fav. my friend calls it the fountain of youth.

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  19. I'm not sure I know the difference, but I think I'll say sweet. Maybe you can just share a recipe with me! ;)

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  20. Steve Reed- Me too. Exactly. And often in the spring, it's the young ones.

    Ellen Abbott- The friend of mine who NEVER GETS SICK, EVER drinks more beer than anyone I know. Like from the moment he wakes up until he falls asleep. And eats tons of garlic. And never bathes. And he never gets sick and maybe that's because no one gets close enough to him to give him any germs? But he's a nice guy.

    Crystal Chick- First off- can you get buttermilk?

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  21. Our bird feeders get wrecked by the squirrels and the occasional raccoon who leaps from the tree to the feeder. But we still feed all the little animals including the birds.

    I had to take a Flexaril today because of my back. A bit much of a workout on the horse this morning.

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