I’m sure I’m not the only one
Babies laughing is truly fun
Those toothless grins
A slobbery chin
I love to take it all in.
I keep this photo on my phone
If feeling down or sadly prone
I only need to look at her
And laughter makes all troubles blur.
***
http://fivedotoh.com/2022/07/29/fandangos-flashback-friday-july-29th/
I choose: Variations: 1. Stanzas, writers choice on the number, no rhyming, the last word, first word scheme is maintained.
***
thunder on the rise
rise up too loud
loud cracks of lightning too
too bright for such dark days
days of storms in summer months
months of hot humid air
air so heavy, hard to breathe
breathe on, summer days.
***
According to the calendar it’s almost the end of July and we are seeing some weird weather even here in WY with daily thunderstorms.
Yesterday my daughter )wheelchair pusher even with a sore knee) and I went to Cheyenne Frontier Days since we hadn’t been since moving here eight years ago.
As soon as we were settled in her car it began to rain, thundered, and lightning all over the place. Just what a person who is in a metal chair wants to be out in😂. We finally found a parking space and that took a while since the people who run CFD decided to charge $25 to park in a handicapped space—what? Discrimination I cry!
When we thought it had stopped, we walked/rode to the grounds and were told by a CFD guard to take a certain path to go in. The path was strewn with vendors of all kinds, cars, mostly, so I bet he was getting a kickback. I know…with age comes cynicism.
After rolling through mud, puddles of sawdust, tobacco spit, and general grossness which accidentally plopped on my long sleeves, we found a place to actually enter.
We asked a vendor if we could snag a couple of napkins to wipe off my sleeves and were told no, he didn’t have any, then turned around and opened a box with at least three huge rolls of paper towels. Needless to say we would have starved to death before buying anything from him!
The food was off the charts expensive of course. It was $18 for a hamburger bun with beef brisket but it tasted good and then we splurged to split a carnival staple, funnel cake for $10. “When in Rome” I said.
It was “free if you live in Cheyenne” day and the only reason we went. The concert night at which the cheapest ticket was $229 was Night Ranger and Kid Rock. Of course it was mind numbingly loud even if you weren’t in the stadium. I wouldn’t pay two cents to see Kid Rock anyway. We stood in a place where you could see about one foot of the top of the screen showing the concert for a few minutes. My daughter loved Night Ranger and after they played Sister Christian we headed home. We watched my granddaughter and her friends on the Kamikaze ride where she screamed so loud I’m surprised she could talk afterwards😂. I never cared much for rides like that even as a kid. It was her first time at a carnival and she, of course loved it.
All in all my curiosity is satisfied and I doubt I’ll ever go there again. It is the chief fund raiser for the state and I see the reason for it. I think I may be one generation past seeing the enjoyment of it?
It did rain on us a bit but didn’t bother us. I’m glad we went.
It was her first time seeing the machine and she didn’t want to look like a dork trying it. It seemed like Donna looked like a dork no matter what she tried to do. Probably part of the reason was that her nickname in school had always been “Donna the dork“. It completely influenced her experience in school and even now as an adult, still a bit clumsy, she was shy to try new things.
Suddenly she was pushed by people behind her, onto the moving staircase. She desperately clung to the side rail trying to adjust her feet not to get caught in those jagged metal steps. As it went along it didn’t seem to be too bad but then the top came too quickly, and once again she was pushed and shoved off the device. Of course she tripped a bit but didn’t fall and as she straightened up and looked back at the escalator, she smiled in triumph.
***
http://cyranny.com/2022/07/27/july-27th-1minfiction-challenge/
The autumn chill descended over the town and with it came rot and ruin. “Yeah, that’s what my dad says every year at this time” Hildegard replied to her friend Mona. Hildy and Mona had been best friends since the age of three. Inseparable until high school, when the difference of one year put them in different schools. Today they happened to have a free Saturday and met at the old cemetery.
It was Friday the 13th after all, and the yearly excursion into the cemetery was a must. They walked along, trying to spook each other with tales of what really happened to old Mr. Gronky or Miss Eliza Whittaker, whose gravestones were prominent, but had no quotes or information on them. The two friends always paused by the small embedded markers of infants who passed away at birth or soon after. It was sad they had no chance at life.
The girls tried to avoid the newer mounds, which gave them the creeps. However, the old familiar ones were almost friendly after all this time. The newly mounded dirt gave them a strange feeling as it felt too real, not like the older grassy indentations.
Suddenly, Hildy grabbed her friend’s arm. “Oh. . . look at that!” She pointed to a new mound under a scraggly tree where a temporary cross had fallen over. They cautiously walked over to set the marker straight, trying to avoid direct eye contact with the heaped dirt itself. Mona lifted the broken wooden sticks and righted it while reading the written words.
“Here lies Thomas Tripper, murderer, hung by the neck on October 13, 1792.” The girls looked at each other realizing what it actually said. . .1792. “That was almost two hundred years ago! Oh goodness, Hildy! The grave looks new, but it can’t be! The cross is broken, what could have happened here?”
“I’ll tell you what you want to know…” the voice came as a surprise to the girls, and they looked up to see a dirty, ragged form hanging from the tree.
The lifestyle seems a bit too free
Socializing not what it use to be
A century ago clothing too guarded
Today it’s more like “discard it”!
Even in a public sphere
My eyes bewildered at the clear
Display of every private aspect
Bejeweled, tattooed, or unchecked
Hanging out for all to see
Curious, as to what they’re trying to be.
***
https://pensitivity101.wordpress.com/2022/07/28/three-things-challenge-m38/
What is a life worth? Well, it depends. If you are a Capitol Police officer trying to defend the nation against a bloody coup attempt, apparently your life isn’t worth all that much. U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (say his name, dammit!)died on January 7th, 2021 as a result of injuries he sustained the prior day as thousands stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn our voices, our votes, our democracy. Two of the men responsible for Officer Sicknick’s death are George Tanios and Julian Khater. They brought pepper spray and bear spray, which they sprayed into officers’ faces, and it was this that led to Officer Sicknick’s two strokes that ultimately killed him.
Mr. Tanios was initially charged with ten counts, including felony charges of rioting, assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing of Congress’s certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory. Yesterday, however, Tanios was offered a plea bargain which he gladly accepted, and the charges were reduced to two misdemeanors: trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds. The maximum time he will serve for Mr. Sicknick’s murder is a maximum of one year in prison. He has served five months already, his sentencing hearing is scheduled for December, by which time he will have served another five months, so who wants to bet he will be home for Christmas? The bastard viciously and without conscience attacked and murdered a Capitol Police officer, and he will walk practically free.
Yo! Kevin McCarthy … you talk about respect for the police and how you support the police … where’s your outrage today? Officer Sicknick was there to protect YOU, but I haven’t heard a peep out of you about this unconscionable plea deal! Republicans? Do you have nothing to say? Sigh … okay, I get it … just more of the right-wing hypocrisy we’ve become used to. Meanwhile, Officer Sicknick’s family will cry real tears for him at Christmas, while George Tanios will be laughing and celebrating with his family. Where’s the justice?
***
thinking it over and deciding, showing pride is essential
these days easy and frequent demeaning words are heard, do not hide
defeat their supposed ideas, by standing up to show your esteem
***
***
I keep it hidden, pain that comes from sitting in a wheelchair. I used to be on high doses of pain meds and then had to stop. The rest of my body health was deteriorating. Oddly, an accident seven years ago seemed to reduce it but now it’s returning.
The Back is Back
no more meds for me
pain and meds debilitate
mindful strength is key
***
http://godoggocafe.com/2022/07/27/haibun-wednesday-july-27-2022/
The Bag Lady 
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