Dear Sillies,
Tricks or treats?
The choice is yours. I advise you to choose both, with an extra helping of whatchamacallit.
Happy and safe Halloween!
Welcome, My Sillies! Together we'll uncover morsels of sweetness in the light and dark. You'll crave chocolate. I'm a naughty influence. {Note: I avoid Hershey's but partake in regular fixes of fair trade and organic varieties.} Please enjoy a ravenous sampling, and may you fast become addicted. Cheers to all things sweet. That, Dear Sillies, includes you.
Dear Sillies,
Tricks or treats?
The choice is yours. I advise you to choose both, with an extra helping of whatchamacallit.
Happy and safe Halloween!
Dear Sillies,
Happy October!
I adventured a bit further north toward Oregon this past weekend.
Can you guess the name of this fabulous milkshake I ravaged? It's called "Barbie." Oh emm gee! As yummy as it is pinkified. It's from Yaks in Mount Shasta.
Northern northern Cali is beautiful, my Sillies. Siskiyou County, Trinity County, Shasta County. I thoroughly basked in it -- a little hiking, a lot of inhaling of fresh pine air, and the perfect ambiance for quiet contemplation.
When nature calls, lean into it, my friends.
One more note, Happy Rosh Hashanah, year 5785, to the Jewish people! Our New Year begins this eve.
Much love and well wishes, friends.
Well welcome, September. Please go easy on us. Thank you.
My Sillies, may Labor Day be, or have been, restful and grateful. Having yelled fiercely while holding a strike sign along a major CA freeway, having regularly published and distributed a chapter newsletter for SEIU Local 535, and having scolded the then CEO because "I don't appreciate being interrupted" during contract negotiations, I'm strongly pro workers' rights. Great respect for those who sacrificed their well-being and lives to bring about safer, fairer, more respectful working conditions.
On an entirely different note, my Sillies, enjoy some random humor. This comment collage consists of YOUR comments to my last handful-ish of posts, woven together with silliness - a cup of hot chocolate on the side.
Birgit said I bet Hancock had big hands and knew how to use them. I just realized something....if you lived in Florida, your blog would be banned....hahahaaa. They all have small hands. Al Penwasser said Yikes!
Elizabeth Seckman said I used to tease a few of them, but that was just me being a rotten teen. Moving with Mitchell said I know this story will end well, but what a start! Debra She Who Seeks said I see Martha Stewart has cropped up again! Did you see her and Snoop Dogg at the Paris Olympics equestrian events? They looked very posh together.
Joanne said Dang, even Cowboy Carter is being schooled by you. Giddyap! Sandy said Holly cow gurl. At least they didn't ask you to finish mopping the floor. Debbie D. said Nah - I like Italians! Mistress Maddie said But I do know you had a good time! It's you! And I read about it in the papers. Damn paparazzi. Toni said Wonderful memories but who knew we were living innuendoes!!! Pat Hatt said Well that sucks.
Debra She Who Seeks
said Oooooooo, John Hancock, is that a feather quill pen in your pocket or are
you just happy to see me? Well, not me, but Robyn?
Debbie D. said A cliffhanger! Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Jeff said I
have no idea, but I love beets and can't imagine a beet latte.
Joanne said Any lumberjacks fell anything in your direction? Moving with Mitchell said Good idea. I’ve shared mine often. Janie Junebug said How wonderful! I'm jealous. Elephant's Child said Kindness is SUCH a powerful force. Mike said WOW!
Alex J. Cavanaugh
said Will lightning strike me for just reading that?
Too late, Alex! Way too late!
Dear Sillies,
My 8th grade History Teacher Mr. Kalan was oh so dreamy. I loved his Western wear (tight blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a handsome clean cut mustache). So, Mr. Kalan, this one's for you in gratitude for so effortlessly making me love History for one and only one year of my life.
How about you? Did you have a teacher crush? Do tell!
Dear Sillies,
See last post before you read this one. Here we go:
Katie zips back towards me, as Hugh strolls behind. "There's one overflow room, so not the best," she reports, "but it's available at the Tar---. Come on, we'll take you there in my car."
I'm at their mercy, still in shock. Silent prayer ensues. May the room have a toilet. And a bed.
Hugh grabs my suitcase. "I'll take this for you."
I follow them out to a dark blue, oldish Honda, packed with clothes and miscellany. Hugh sits in the back, leaving the front passenger's seat for me. A true gentleman.
"Forgive the mess," Katie says. "I just moved here from Edmonton. It's a new job. Hugh actually works at the Tarmigan." I'd learn that this hotel, named after a bird, begins with a silent "p." Who knew there's such thing as the silent 'p'? Ptarmigan.
Within minutes, we're at an upscale hotel on the main strip. Wow.
"She's taking the overflow room for three nights," Katie tells Tony at the front desk. Hugh and I stand on either side of her.
"Yes," I chime in. "I'll take it!" Desperate. So long as there's a toilet. And a bed.
Tony does calculations. Very stoically, he says, "That will be one thousand..." I don't hear the rest. Despite my jaw having dropped to the floor, and my heart remaining in a different time zone, I manage to retrieve my wallet.
"Put that away," Katie insists, gently touching my hand. She turns to Hugh. Maybe they'll pull more strings for me. But no, Hugh pays the bill before I can do anything to stop him. The.whole.bill!
Katie hunches over to tell me, softly, "He said this is your Birthday weekend and he feels bad. He wants to pay for your stay."
"What? NO. That's far too much." More tears. "Now you're making me cry again!"
Hugh simply says, "No more tears."
"Just enjoy the New Zealand kindness," Katie emphasizes, "and all the fun stuff there is to do. He's a handsome bartender." She strokes his cheek lovingly. "He'll be fine."
----------------------------
My Sillies, you wonder about this "overflow" room? Two comfortable beds! Full bathroom with toilet plus a bathtub! I'm a bather. Perfect, except the coffee maker doesn't work. Thankfully, I'm no coffee drinker. No complaints whatsoever. I didn't have to sleep under a tree.
I'm forever transformed by the knowing that magnanimously loving, protective forces pervade this great Earth. They're with me (and you too). What better outcome could've ensued from finding out there's no inn at the inn?
Endnotes:
Dear Sillies,
Last month's adventures to Canada granted many a story. This one, the most shocking and transformative.
Please enjoy.
Also and most importantly, please be and stay safe.
Dear Sillies,
You guessed it. Well, Mike did!
I had the honor of meeting Canadian Goddess (oh don't argue with me, HRH!), Debra She Who Seeks.
So much joy! We had a great time chatting away face to face - in Calgary, Alberta Canada.
If you ever get a chance to meet up with another bloggy, I highly recommend it. There's nothing like in-person interactions.
Dear Sillies,
WINNERS or ALMOST WINNERS are Alex J. Cavanaugh and Pat Hatt! These blogland stars narrowed things down to Canada and in particular, its Western side. Yes.
Now, where specifically did Robyn go? There are two airport cities in neighboring provinces, one for my connecting flight.
Canadian airport city of ---------.I then flew to another airport city, -------, one province away.
Weather was spectacularly sunny and cloudy with refreshingly light rains.
Here I met face to face with a fun and witty bloggy. To be revealed.
Third, I flew to my ultimate destination.
Mom's from this province. Her BDay is one day before mine. I connected many dots during and since this wonderful venture.
Okay, I've given too many clues. What Canadian provinces did I bounce around? What Canadian cities did I visit? Where was my ultimate destination, and...which bloggy did I get to spend time with? Drumroll please...
Dear Sillies,
Let's play a game. I'll drop clues. Guess where I travelled to from June 22 to July 1. Name the one or two cities I visited and the country. If you already know, as a few of you do, kindly toss out a fake guess to help throw off the others. Thank you.
Hint 1: I spent approximately 8 hours total (round trip) in the air.
Hint 2: I met with a bloggy who drove approximately 5 hours round trip to visit with me. Photo proof shall be revealed in an upcoming post.
Hint 3, 4, and 5:
View from a tea house after I enjoyed a yummy quinoa veggie bowl.Beet latte, because it's pretty and on the menu at a trendy little coffee shop.
Dear Sillies,
Oh, I have so much to tell and show you. Just returned from a vacation, and got the privilege of meeting another bloggy IN PERSON!
While away, in hotel room #276, I finished this one. It's time to salute John Hancock.
Wherever you live, may you experience gratitude for your many freedoms. Enjoy.
Dearest Sillies,
How are you, friends? Be of good cheer, please.
I've been working on this one for approximately 40 years, or so it seems. My heart breaks for Israel and the people, ALL of them, in that region, so this admittedly took more time than most of my poems. (Emotions both create and stall the art production process, right?) Otherwise, I'm enjoying life and singledom and all. Chocolate keeps me going. Plus occasional fantasies about Yul Brynner and...Moses.
Enjoy!
Wait, She Who Seeks, HRH got a great spot in this one too! How'd she do that?
I hope you can read the above. Will try for better next time, but this one is very looong. (She said "long." Yes she did.)
My Dear Sillies,
It's May. You know that, and I hope you know that I always wish you well.
Will let this one express the rest.
Wait, how did HRH get into my collage, She Who Seeks?
I know this pain
Confusion, rage, despair. Another damn breakup.
Why do you lock yourself up in these chains?
Our laughter and playfulness kept me in bliss.
No one can change your life except for you
We'd grow old and crotchety together.
Don't ever let anyone step all over you
Somehow my love's sudden rudeness didn't cause pause.
Is it really fair to feel this way inside?
He'd checked out. He gave up on me, on us.
Someday, somebody's gonna make you wanna
Me? Not at all. Six months later now, I still feel love for him.
Turn around and say "goodbye"
I had no say.
Until then, baby, are you gonna let them
"You're a coward," I said, for making me do the breaking-up that he wanted for reasons that he refused to express.
Hold you down and make you cry?
At sunrise the next morning, I returned his spare house key and clumpy flattened air mattress. Done.
Don't you know?
But weeks later, I came upon his Scrabble game board. Damn. One more thing to return.
Don't you know things can change?
We played over 100 Scrabble games in those nearly 2.5 years together.
Things'll go your way
I won nearly every round. Still, I celebrated his winnings more than mine. "Yippee! My baby won!" I jumped and shouted, engaging in silly improvisational dance maneuvers after drowning him in hugs and kisses.
Can you hold on for one more day?
The message "You win" struck when I carried his game to my car.
Hold on for one more day
I left it on his front porch, then drove to work. Done now. It's over.
You could sustain...
I'll be okay.
Things'll go your way
Pain will come and go, while it generally softens over time.
If you hold on for one more day
I miss him sometimes, like now.
If you hold on
Worlds upon worlds have opened to confer gold glittery magic. Were I still in his/our world, I'd not have entered any of the others.
Can you hold on?
I'm sure of it. I win.
Hold on, baby.
I'm a winner.
Dear Sillies,
Congratulations to Mike for his winning haiku at Life by Chocolate's Annual VDay Hate Fest! WOOHOO! See last post for his clever entry. I'll be in touch with you, horny old goat* (credit to DebraSheWhoSeeks for this term). You'll soon receive a sweet, sweet package in the mail.
Joanne's a winner too! She always is. Plus she followed the rules for haiku.
It wasn't an easy vote. For some reason, though, it seemed my male bloggies were fast to give a nod to Mike's mathematical entry. Go figure.
Now, my sweets, let's focus on the love that truly sustains us...love for each other, love that leaps out from our chosen or biological families, love for our wonderful selves, love for kindness and beauty and nature and humor and chocolate that's fair trade not Hershey's waxy yucky stuff that enslaves children to make a fast billion.
Back on point, you are very much loved.
Hi, My Dear Sillies,
VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
Not unlike our national ballot's looking, the choices are limited. What happened, my friends? You got shy. I know that many of you, including HRH, had won in the past. That should not be a reason for opting out, though. I know, haikus aren't easy. Thought we'd try something different. (Note that one of the following does follow the rules for a "proper" haiku. Yet we know I'm not always proper.)
You have two good choices. I might need help understanding Mike's use of numbers. Math isn't my specialty. Wink.
Please VOTE, VOTE, VOTE but only once. Celebrate all the love that abounds. ALL of it, not that sticky sweet sappy money-making Hallmark fantasy stuff. The real love that keeps us afloat and starts inside. Woohoo!
On that note, I love you.
Vote please.
Special thanks for my friends, Mike and Joanne, for entering!
Eat good chocolate any and/or every day. Just don't purchase the cheap stuff, not ever, especially not on Valentine's Day.
Dear Silliest of the Sweet Sillies,
Happy February! We like to celebrate the month with a contest. You're challenged to create an offering that bashes the commercialized, yucky, sticky, sappy, misguided fantasy "romantic love is all you need" and blah, blah, yada yada Valentine's lovers' nausea.
This year, your challenge is to submit a Haiku: Three lines that consist of 5 syllables in line one, 7 syllables in line two, and 5 syllables in line three. You'll vote on the winner, and that lucky person shall receive a very sweet package in the mail.
Simply leave your haiku in the comments section. Please, only one entry per person, and admissions will be accepted through Sunday 2/11 at midnight, PST.
Also, I'm so, so close to becoming a millionaire! Less than 10,000 page views to go. Woohoo! It's unbelievable and will merit hearty celebrations.
I look forward to seeing your entries.
Another note: I loved Wonka and may even see it again. Timothee Chalamet brought to the screen a remarkably charming portrayal of young Wonka. Highly recommend.
Love you, my Sweet Sillies.
Dear Silly Lovies,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your joys far outweigh your struggles this year. And may you not forget the value of laughter, the sublime feeling of biting into a divine piece of chewy chocolate, or the thrill of mixing in some naughty.
I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Los Angeles, wherein loving family resides. On my way home, I had to try Marianne's garlic chocolate ice cream in Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world.
Both flavors are strong, yet they work together harmoniously. Marianne did this right. It was yummy and gone very quickly.Also on the way home, I stopped to eat Chinese food. The placemat informed me that the year I was born, 1966, is the year of the Horse.