Rosepoint Publishing

My Life As A Nomad

Maybe I was a Gypsy in a previous life. Or, perhaps the lifestyle created when a child is still the one that resonates into adulthood–and if so–as usual, I can blame my mother. We led a rather nomadic life when I was a girl, sometimes attending three schools in one year. Those years were fairly confined to California and Oregon. (I can’t say anything about Oregon schools, but California schools definitely took a dive.)

So it was after hubby and I sold our home in Idaho back in 2013 that we took off in the RV. Our destination then was the east coast as we dreamed of tasting the lobsters in Maine north to running down the Keys in Florida to the south. As many of you will remember from my previous posts, we made it as far as Indiana where our son lives before the RV and the Tracker both threw up their radiators and surrendered. goodyear

I mentioned in my last post that we weren’t getting any younger and probably needed to locate near either our son or daughter. Plans have changed from one day to another and continue to evolve. Hubby is looking for work and it is hoped he may be successful shortly. Leaving Goodyear AZ will be bittersweet as was leaving the Yuma Foothills. Of course, the attraction of both locations is the winter living. Summers in either city are pretty brutal and you wouldn’t want to be there then. But winter? Beautiful! Continue reading “My Life As A Nomad”

Freaky Friday Features

How to Prolong Your Life and Save Another

So are you a dog person or a cat person? I’m more the dog person. Having a canine companion can be a joy and, yes, I’m aware a feline companion can also give you joy. However, even in our larger cities where walking or running space is at a premium, dogs are quickly taking the favored pet choice. A canine is a quickly adaptable animal, loyal, and easily anthropomorphized. Perhaps the difference between owning or being owned.

These fur kids are generally undemanding (except perhaps for the feline variety). They require very little–really. They are the only animal that can look you in the eye and discern your mood AND then act to relieve or elevate it. Below is my mood elevating animal. Yes, that one–but also the one in white! Just look at that face! Ahh….

20150606_175438 They can reduce your blood pressure just by stroking the little beasts. If the animal shelter shared with you, it’s a win-win. You’ve saved a life and the endorphins generated will go a long way with your own. ©2016 Virginia Williams Resource Box

Freaky Friday Features

I’m a list person.

And a scheduler.

Sometimes I keep a list within a list (i.e., grocery list on my daily list). Perhaps the list and the schedule go hand in hand. I keep a list to remember what I’m supposed to do that day. Ergo, the schedule. That creates the time frame for the list. Before I retired, it was a great deal more detailed. I won’t say the list was down to the minute–more like the quarter hour. Things are a little more relaxed now, though I still run through the mental list in the morning so I can set the pace for the day.

I suspect it is easier to keep that modus operandi if you are single. Living with a spouse or partner involves their schedules or lack thereof. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t have one. He is now retired–again–and doesn’t feel any urgency in keeping any kind of plan–daily or weekly. So it is when he came home last week and turned our world upside down that I find the first casualty in my previously ordered world is now my writing schedule; blog posts and copywriting.

We are now on an extended fact-finding trip searching for possible employment and housing opportunities associated with the locations of our son and daughter. (Heaven knows we are not getting any younger.) I hope that the earth will slow the spinning a bit for me in the near future, but for now, this is my contribution for the Freaky Friday Feature. 2016 ©Virginia Williams Resource Box

Friday is Fun Day

Freaky Friday Features

Probably like myself, you tend to slack back on Friday–it’s the end of the week. You may have dress down day; finish those nagging projects that took all week. Did you finish your chapter, edit your book, or create the outline of a new one? Now you can sit back, ruminate on the work week and look for a little relaxation. This is the time to wind down. The weekend will likely present non-stop activity, and too soon, Monday starts the whole thing over again. It’s happy-hour time. Friday is Fun Day!

Artists who do amazing caricatures just blow me away with their renditions of our well-known personalities. It’s not just a matter of capturing the one outstanding feature that defines the person–it’s the ability to capture the character behind the face. It is the very essence of the celebrity–like a book cover that describes the book–words become unnecessary. From writers to musicians, politicians to television personalities, there is no one safe from the pins and brushes of those prolific artists. These caricatures amuse, stimulate, and conjure stories and ideas.

I just love this particular caricature of Stephen King, but there are a number of interpretations of him out there. Also posted on my “Outrageous Pins” board is Agatha Cristie, Donald Trump, and Barbara Walters. Check them out. Then sit back and relax. 2016 ©Virginia Williams Resource Box

Freaky Friday Features

YAY! As promised, I’ve found an outrageous, but totally delightful, Pinterest pin for you this Friday. Yes, I can do outrageous and delightful at the same time, because if you’ll look at this pin you can see it is righteously both.

Now here is a woman who managed to create herself back in her 20’s and has pretty much stayed in the game, actually using her aging model self to her advantage. I realize there are others who have done the same, but can you honestly point to another with quite the same panache? I think not!

Iris Apfel is 94 (born August 1921) and has a very strong fashion style. But I have a question—where does she exhibit this style? When she goes to the grocery store? To the doctor? Uh Oh…..did she drive there herself? Does she party? With other 90 year olds? Is this her day-to-day makeup? And how long does that take? Actually, I’m pretty impressed she can move her arms; those bracelets are not made of styrofoam. This is scary–I’m not that far behind her! @ 2016 Virginia Williams

Craft a Feature Post

Okay, this is one I can get into up to my well-endowed and rapidly aging hips since it follows my new discovery–creating pins for Pinterest. The current assignment from Blogging 101 is to craft a recurring feature post.

Perfect–and I know JUST what I’ll call it:

Freaky Friday Features

While the title is not terribly original, the first one posted is a pin I created today using of one of the latest discoveries from my Grandfather’s treasure trove, a painting of Cocos Island. (Only freaky, I guess, if you consider the original painting is close to 90 years old.) Yes, another subject I’ve covered fairly well on this blog. The island is a fascinating study actually borne of all the stories relating to pirate treasure, including the Loot of Lima. There were a number of pirates who buried their treasure on this island, however, one of which was Edward Davis, the subject of my grandfather’s sail to the island.

There are a number of reasons I like the idea of a recurring feature: Continue reading “Craft a Feature Post”

Who Writes This Stuff?

Hubby and I are probably the last couple in the U.S. to discover the drama series “Breaking Bad.” Living and traveling in an RV using Wally World parking lots, family driveways, and over-the-air antennas will seldom get you much in the way of serious TV other than news and weather–if luck is holding. Actually, we went the way of free over-the-air antennas well before that giving up on the ever-escalating charging practices of cable and satellite companies. Social Security benefits just doesn’t include extras

The series, originally aired on the AMC network through 5 seasons, tells the story of Walter White. Yes, yes, I know–you’ve seen it! Then I don’t have to mention the impact it has on you–scenes continue to haunt your thoughts. Who writes this stuff??! This series was widely regarded as possibly the best television series–ever. The event stacked up awards that included everything from writing to acting including best actor and supporting actor. They all deserved the awards.

In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time.