Posted 2:27 PM by Bonnie

Bug has been vindicated! Yes, all along Mr. Bug has been denying the paternity of one BJ (Bug, Jr) cat. Stating he had been neutered and could not possibly be the father, but the resemblence was too much so we kept calling BJ his son. Even after getting notice from his lawyer, Mr. Percival T. Fuzzalot, we persisted in our teasing and taunting and trying to get him to 'fess up. Well, this morning when I went out to feed Little Friend and Scarface, Scarface was in a dominating stance and making threatening sounds towards the backyard. I went out and lo and behold! An adult male cat who looked EXACTLY like BJ! Right down to the black lips! I called him to come over and got the nastiest most disgusted look that Scarface could give me. At that point Daddy BJ took off and Scarface huffed into the house for his breakfast. He kept giving me those sideways disgusted looks, but managed to eat his breakfast anyway before heading out for the days adventures.

So, to Mr. Bug... I'm sorry! You were right! We were wrong! Please don't sue us!

Posted 8:27 AM by Bonnie

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

It's raining today...hard! And poor little BJ was busily trying to catch every raindrop that hit the side door today! It was too funny to watch so I had to get these pictures to share.

Posted 1:34 PM by Bonnie

Open Mic Night rocked last night!!! Totally! It was probably the most awesome night we have had since the conception of our open night poetry nights here in Sumter. When we (yes my husband actually went last night) got to Drew's Blues and time was moving on I got worried no one was going to show. But one young man had signed up and I had my guest poet, so the show would go on...next thing I know people are arriving in droves and some are even signing to read.

A funny and fun note is one of the teachers from Morris came to watch and when she and her husband walked in I said, "I know him!" I couldn't remember from where but I knew I knew him. Finally it came out he worked at Carolina Tech and I said...Mr. M&M's! I reminded him (Tom Rowe) I worked at the canteen there for awhile, and I remembered every day he would come in for a bag of M&M's. Then one day he said his wife told him he was getting too fat so he had to cut back on the M&M's and could only have them once a week. The thing is I didn't realize, at the time, that I KNEW his wife from Morris College! It turned out he is a poet, also, and he was inspired while there and wrote two poems, sitting at the table! that he shared during the open mic rotations.

Our guest poet, KiKi (Sheklia) Baccus was awesome! I knew she would be good, but the confidence and pose and general attitude she showed brought a life to her poems that got everyones attention. Her first poem was one about herself to give the audience an idea of who she is as a person. Of her other poems was a very touching tribute to a friend, who's friend killed himself on his birthday. She ended with a poem of why she writes. Everyone enjoyed her and I received a lot of comments on how well she did.

Now, what I wrote yesterday about being blown away so completely I forgot to do somethings. The first poet after KiKi was a young man, I had never seen before, named Develon Douglas. You had to hear him and listen to his words and his presentation to understand why it took me time to recover each time after he got up to perform. We used to say he blew me away! He knocked my socks off! Well, he did it all! So, I apologize, but by the time I recovered from his words I had forgotten to take pictures of most of the poets last night. Thank goodness I have archives!

Michele Reese, PhD had the honor of following this young man, and as my husband said, she had such a sense of self and confidence she didn't let him overshadow her and her performance and poems were strong and meaningful. So much so, he is considering going back next month when she will be the guest poet. (archive photo)



We were all getting worried Colette wouldn't make it last night! She had a rough week with some personal family issues. But, she got there! And the applause when I said Colette's here! was great! She was as entertaining as ever and took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. She did one called WHOEVER HE MAY BE that took us from rolling on the floor laughing to serious and thoughtful. Colette has an energy that fills the room and we always look forward to hearing what she has to offer each open mic night. (archive photo)

And I was getting worried Sunida York wouldn't show up last night. I have been wanting to ask her to be a guest poet but she disappears before I can get to her, after each open mic. So when she came up last night and asked how one became a guest poet I had to laugh! I told her I had been wanting to talk to her about just that very thing, so we got together BEFORE the open mic this time and she will be guest poet for December. To learn more about Sunida check out her website.

My other poets for last night were:

Marie Grady, who has such a presence about her I feel as if I'm in the presence of royalty when she stands up to read. You know what I mean! You've seen people who carry themselves so well you know there's something different and special about them. Her poems are always inspired and she is such a joy to listen to.

So, I thank everyone who came last night! I feel so lucky to have such a loyal group who never disappoint me with their poems and presentations. I applaud each who got up and read or performed their poetry and hope you will forgive me. I do hope Mr. Douglas comes back, and now that I have heard him hope I will be able to keep a presence of mind and remember my duties as host and get those pictures taken!

Oh, and if you want to read the X-rated math poem I performed last night, that had people cracking up and yelling out "yeah"! go to the link for my poems.

Posted 10:01 PM by Bonnie

Have you ever had someone blow you away so completely you forgot about other things you should have been doing? I'll leave you with that for now and expound on it tomorrow. Isn't that cruel of me?

Posted 11:40 AM by Bonnie

What's Important or Life's Priorities:

Recently, while speaking with a friend in her 80's I was reminded of a Boston Public episode. She was talking about how she empties her cupboards once a week and cleans them and all the other things she does keeping her house sparkling clean. She even mentioned that she was glad her grandson had finally moved to a place of his own because the house was never clean enough while she had him around and now she can keep it clean to her standards. My first thought was, but you're in your 80's! Isn't there anything more important - like spending time with your grandson than on worrying about whether or not he left a plate in the living room?

The Boston Public episode was about a high school boy dying of cancer. He knew he was dying, but he had a teacher who wouldn't accept that this brilliant young man wasn't going to see graduation. The last weeks of the boys life were spent in a hospital bed and all he wanted to do was finish a book he was reading. But, the teacher, determined the boy would be back at school kept pushing him to study and keep up so he could take the SAT's or whatever... all the while the boy saying, all I want to do is finish this book before I die. Of course, one day the teacher went to the hospital and they were cleaning up the room. The boy had died and sitting beside the bed was the book - half read - lying open on the bedstand. The boy had his priorities straight, but this teacher who couldn't accept the boy would soon die denied him his one last wish.

When I was in my 20's, 30's, and even my 40's it was very! important to me that my house, apartment, wherever I lived be totally clean to the point of washing baseboards, cupboards, rolling up the carpet and polishing the floor underneath! Yes, my friends, I was a neat freak. Now, I make the beds, clean the litter boxes, sweep and vacuum and mop the floors. But I don't waste time moving out furniture and washing baseboards no one will see. I can do that when we move someday. I don't clean all day Saturday but spend time online playing scrabble, chatting with my sister on the phone, sitting and watching football with my husband and talking with him. There are more important things I than cleaning. As a friend who's a hospice worker said, when her patients realize they're dying they never say they wish they had spent more time cleaning their houses...but that they had spent more time loving their family.

I know this is disjointed but it does all fit and make sense. Yes, if you come to visit me you may have to move some newspapers off the couch, or move a box the cats had been using for play, but you will find a happier person than the one who worried about every dust bunny...oh, and yes, you will find those around now. I think I may start naming them. But if you ask my husband if he would rather have me cleaning the house or enjoying a game with him, while petting or brushing one of our cats, I think I can tell you what he would answer.

So, that's my missive for the day and that's what ZephyrBird thinks.

Posted 11:46 AM by Bonnie

The healing powers of Aldi's! When I was 35 and diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis I was told I'd be in a wheelchair by the time I was 50, since it affects my spine, hips, knees, etc...but today I realized why this never happened! Why at 58, even though there are days every once in awhile I think this might be it, today I realized why it never happened and why it never will. Because I shop at Aldi's! You think I'm nuts? Well, I'm not and you can witness this phenomenon yourself on any given day. See, I realized today as I pulled in and parked that once again EVERY handicapped space was taken, yet when I entered the store not a single person in there was handicapped! Not a single one in a wheelchair, on crutches, even wearing leg braces, or heck! not even a slight limp...well, except for me but my socks had gotten bunched up on my toes and ..well, never mind! But the point is they must have been handicapped when they parked there and hung up those handicapped signs on their rearview mirror, but lo and behold! halleluhiah! praise the gods and goddesses!! Blessed be!!! They were all healed upon entering Aldi's! And I witnessed it! I know this young woman, of maybe 35, had to be handicapped when she parked there - she had the handicapped sign to prove it! But blessed be I saw her with my own two eyes walk out of that store on two very good legs and put all her groceries in the trunk of her car, get into the car better than even I can!! It's amazing folks!! but true!!! So, I have decided that for the rest of my life I am going to make sure I get to Aldi's at least once a week. It was when I missed my arthritis gave me more trouble, so there it is - if you have a handicap that afflicts your ability to walk you just go to Aldi's and witness the healing yourself! Blessed be!