Category Inspire

Interesting find at the CAR WASH!

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My car was in desperate need of a car wash. I had parked my car in a nice shady spot. I was so proud of myself for finding such a good parking spot. Well, a few hours later, I was mad and horrified to see these massive bird droppings all over my car. I couldn’t even drive it. I had to clean my windshield off first. So, my great shady spot turned out to be the worst spot ever.

Fast forward to the car wash. My car needed vacuuming. As I got out of my car, I looked down and thought I saw a penny. The car wash is a perfect place to find all sorts of things on the ground. This object was so dark blending in with the pavement that I had to look twice.

Sure enough, it was a penny. Look how interesting though, it had a hole in it. How in the world did that happen? This penny had been through a lot. So old and beat up, I can’t even see the date on it.

My next thought went to, “Find a penny, heads up, you’ll have GOOD LUCK!” I did find a penny, heads up, but it had a hole in it.

Does the hole nix the “Good Luck,” I was supposed to receive? BIG question!

If only pennies could talk! I’d be interested to know what happened to him.

When dark clouds move in…

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I haven’t looked at clouds for a long time. Yesterday, I was waiting for someone. Lost in thought, I realized that while the sun was shinning on one side of me, on the other side it was dark. So, I looked up into the sky and saw this dark cloud coming in.

I always think of The Wizard of Oz movie when I see dark clouds like this. Remember Dorothy sitting on her bed, while the tornado spins around her? Great idea to have scenes from “back home in Kansas” viewed through her window. Then her house lands in Oz, she’s not in Kansas anymore. She’s welcomed by Glinda (the good witch) and the Munchkins. Fabulous!

We’ve been having a lot of storms lately in Chicago. High winds, thunder, lightening, etc.

Summer is almost over. However, I remember last year reading that summer was at the end of September. How could that be? Is that true? Our weather now feels like late September.

A tulip… Alone or maybe not?

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I was visiting a friend. We were out walking. I saw this tulip all alone. Isn’t it a bit strange?!

It looks so healthy and strong. Was it transplanted? Was it the only bulb that survived? Tulips are always in groups, where are the others? This one does look beautiful.

I have a lot of questions to ask this dear tulip!

Hong Kong: Art Installation – Two Rubber Ducks in Victoria Harbour

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Hello Fellow Bloggers, in keeping with our rubber duck theme this week. Look what I found. In Hong Kong right now, an art installation by Florentijn Hofman, a Dutch Artist. It’s been 10 years since his first rubber duck visited Hong Kong. This time, two ducks for “Good Luck!”

Hoffman created this Rubber Duck Series in 2007. His ducks have been touring the world. I do remember years ago seeing in the news, the one rubber duck in Hong Kong, and thinking, “What, a HUGE rubber duck?” Now, there are two.

Visit WION’s (The World is One News) YouTube video to see the ducks zooming around Victoria Harbour. It’s fun!

So, what do you think? Are you smiling?

Travel: Going on a cruise? Bring your rubber ducks.

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It’s Wednesday, I thought we could use a funny post. Check this out on Amazon, a special on rubber ducks, tags, rubber bands, etc.

Do you really need that extra swim suit? Why not pack some rubber ducks and leave them around the ship. Yes, people are now leaving rubber ducks with messages on them around the ship for “other” passengers to find.

Have you found a rubber duck on your cruise?

Would you join in the fun?

Improve Mental Health: Watch “Bulletproof Heart” on MHz Choice

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Our mental health depends on what we feed into our brains, right. I’ve stopped watching the news. I only do a quick scan online of daily news events to be sure there hasn’t been something “big” that happened. Otherwise, I pass on doom and gloom, never anything positive.

Last night, I was in one of those moods. You know, where your brain could go either way, ie negative / sad or happy / uplifting. Why does this happen? I don’t know, but we have to IMMEDIATELY decide what path we are going on. I had a choice to make. I decided no news! Instead…

ENTER MHz Choice. A lot of their shows are mysteries. What I like is that they have a category for mysteries without violence, for simple folk, like me. Some violence is OK, but I was trying to avoid the news, remember.

Being Italian background, I thought, why not look at the Italian shows. I enjoy hearing the Italian language spoken. I did a quick scan, Bullteproof Heart came up. At first I thought, hum… was it going to be “too slow” or “too boring?” We don’t know unless we look at the Trailer, right.

I was pleasantly surprised. It’s such a cute show. The Italian conversation and expressions, put me in such a warm hearted mood. A news reporter, Bruno Palmieri (Gigi Proietti) is about to retire, then something happens (you have to watch to see) and he continues to work. Can’t give it all a way.

Here’s a good scene from YouTube:

YouTube: Bulletproof Heart on MHz Choice

The English subtitles are nice and clear. Although, they say you improve your Italian better if you listen and read subtitles in Italian at the same time, but sometimes they talk too fast!

ENJOY!

Baseball – What do you think, a vintage Cubs hat?

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Baseball season is in full swing. I’m not a huge sports fan, meaning I’m not watching every game or anything like that. However, I do support our team, the Cubs.

I was visiting a friend, walking the neighborhood and stopped in my tracks when I saw this tree. How clever. This art creation of a Cubs fan took effort. It’s so funny, looks like an older man. Profiling here, tall and a bit chubby, holding a beer, maybe with shirt too tight? We have to go older since the hat looks vintage.

Looking at the hat. What is that to the left of the “C?” Is it meant to be a drawing of a player with helmet on, bat in hand?

Maybe that hat is the colors of the Cubs, but it’s not an old Cubs hat. Any Cubs experts out there or OLD ENOUGH to know logo changes, LOL.

What do you think?

A book, some Baci and the ocean… What could be better?

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Recently, I was in the San Francisco area. I was by the ocean, went into a very small book store. Small bookstores are wonderful, they have a more interesting choice of books. Usually, many local authors, which I like.

As I went to purchase The Cat Who Saved Books, they had the Italian Baci candies at the check out. What a treat! I haven’t had them for so long. I thought it was a lovely idea to buy a book, a few Baci chocolates, then head to the ocean and start reading. I bought three!

This story sounded interesting about a boy who is depressed when his grandfather dies. He meets a talking cat and goes on quests to “save books.” I was curious about the talking cat and saving books, how/where and what kind?

I’m at the beginning stages of reading this book, so no book review yet. Summer is coming, I think this will end up in the beach bag for summer reading. Life is so busy right now, no time to read.

What small bookstore have you found lately? We do need to support them, I try!

Ah… Amazon and feeling cheated.

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We all know that ordering off of Amazon is quick and easy. I don’t do it very often, prefer to shop local, but when I can’t find what I want —> There is Amazon.

I recently ordered a backpack. I needed one, shopped around, was trying to find a sale, wasn’t finding one, so had to buy at full price. I found this Adidas bag I liked. It was $60, I wanted to spend $30 or below; however, my daughter has one, good quality, I liked the style, so bought it.

Imagine my SURPRISE. I am looking it over and I see this tag that says, “CLEARANCE $17.98”

It’s hard to be HAPPY with a purchase, when we see a tag like that. I engaged with Amazon’s Customer Service. They said they understood my frustration, but sales come and go, they couldn’t do anything. So, I have to decide, how much ENERGY do I want to put into this? I KNOW I should write to the top, let the CEO know what’s going on. If they are selling at $60, sale over, then take the $17.98 Clearance tag off.

Actually, writing to the top helps. I recently bought a sofa from a big Dept store. They sent me a USED sofa, it must have been a floor model or been in storage for YEARS. I called Customer Service, they said an inspector would need to come in 3 weeks, etc. I didn’t want to deal with that. So, I wrote to the CEO of the Dept store. I took a guess on his email.

Guess what, within a day, I received a response. Within four days, bad sofa picked up and account credited. I had sent photos of the “bad sofa,” I was polite, but asked if this was the type of quality this Dept store was sending out. I wanted HIM (CEO) to be aware of this.

So, as I write this…

I KNOW — I must once again, sit at my computer, crack my knuckles and write a stellar message, wasting valuable time to seek justice OR at least alert the top that this is happening.

MAYBE the top will have the same message as Customer Service, an “Oh well, sorry.” However, there is a chance that they will be “shocked too,” and make things right!

It’s exhausting to fight for justice.