Self-Portrait: In Honor of the People of Portland, Oregon

When I heard that the Trump administration was sending what amounted to a private army to harass peaceful demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, I was aghast. As details emerged about their treatment at the hands of these thugs, most right-thinking Americans were horrified. Tactics employed by these agents of Donald Trump were mindful of a repressive, Third World dictatorship. This mistreatment included being blindfolded with hoods, shackled and thrown into waiting vans, all without identification on the part of these agents, without reading of rights, without charges ever being filed. It’s intimidation. Ham-fisted jack boots unleashed by Trump to crush the neck of a peaceful opposition. It’s a sickening abuse of power.

Carol’s Cheerful Selfie Challenge #1

This is my entry for Carol’s Cheerful Selfie Challenge #1. Thank you to Cee for leading me to it!

This photo makes me laugh. That’s my husband in the background.
You can’t see it very clearly, but that’s the entrance to the Smithsonian Institution, Sackler Gallery for Asian Art. I’m wearing an Hawaiian shirt.

P is for Pirouette!

I suppose besides standing for Pirouette (the Cat) P can also stand for pingback. This is my late in the game submission to the April A to Z Blog Challenge.

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Looking Within

Looking Within

To look within is no easy task.
What is the point? One may fairly ask.
To know thyself and to thyself be true,
And to give unto God that which is due.

Saturday Challenge: Hats

For this Weekly Prompts challenge, I have two presentations. One is of me and my youngster cat, Pirouette and two, a snapshot of a portion of my hat collection. I am particularly fond of the classic fedora.

With daily practice, little Miss Pirouette has mastered the art of jumping onto my shoulder. She can accomplish this feet from pretty amazing distances. If I am sitting at the computer, she can leap onto me from the window sill which is at least 5 feet away. From my shoulder, she dives onto the bed, another 5 feet, without ever scratching me.So these are for the most part my Winter and Spring hats. The Summer and Autumn ones are in another room. This photo shows 8 hats, seven of which are fedoras, and one baseball cap (from Levi’s).Do I have a hat problem? Yes. I don’t have enough hats.

P.S. Have you noticed the sly allusion to a specific book by the great Dr. Seuss?

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Cinch

Without even trying, Queen Pirouette exerted great influence on the fashions of the women of her day. It was only natural given the combination of creativity and personal magnetism wedded to real political power that she represented. For informal occasions, she preferred to wear white gowns with black accents in the form of onyx jewels, black satin ribbons and charcoal eye-make up that some found a bit severe. To show off her thin waist, she would cinch a narrow belt of interesting design around her midsection. Save her diamond engagement ring and white gold wedding band, she wore no rings on her fingers, nor bracelets on her wrists.

Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge: Shop Your Home

This is a tough one. I simply must share these selfies of me with Pirouette.

Pirouette can leap onto my shoulder from substantial distances at this point and she never scratches me, not even a little! She’s an amazing girl. Any shopping done at my home will of course involve Pirouette. Thank you, Cee for another interesting challenge!

Thursday Doors: February 27, 2020

Maxwell surveys his domain; that is, the backyard. Inside he is primus inter pares with three other cats, but outside he rules. Even our fox cuts him a wide birth. (Forgive the nautical analogy, but I do live on the Chesapeake Bay!)

Thursday Doors

A visit to the local mall affords an opportunity for the Thursday Door challenge as well as an interesting selfie!

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Summer Scenes

One of the greatest things about summer for me is the insects, of course. I love them. They are an example of evolution that went in a direction completely at odds with other animals. They don’t have skeletons. They have armor. They have compound eyes. They sport six legs, as opposed to the standard four limbs found among reptiles and mammals alike. I could go on and on ad infinitum, but I don’t want to belabor the point. Insect are just plain cool. This post is for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Summer Scenes.

Any discussion of insects would be remiss without a look at a beautiful butterfly. Here’s a bit of trivia. Butterflies used to be called “flutter-bys.” Somewhere along the line, it got twisted around. I’d like to call them flutterbys. Yes, indeed. Another interesting tidbit. It is my understanding that the Aztecs considered butterflies the souls of their people on their way to heaven. What a lovely and poetic notion.These insects are abundant here in Maryland. At first I thought it was a firefly (aka lightening bug) but upon inspection, their abdomens don’t look like they can glow in the dark. If anybody can identify this little critter for me, I’d be very gratefulIs there a difference between wasps and hornets? Or they just different names for the same creature? I’ve never been one for big vacations. I much prefer the occasional day trip. Here’s a selfie from nearly twenty years ago. Los Angeles was my home then. One day a friend of mine asked me if I had ever seen the Watts Towers. “Seen them? I’ve never even heard of them!” was my response. Fascinating constructs, they are. A lovely summer day it was.