LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL...

Mardi Gras, 

in French,

 means Fat Tuesday,

 reflecting the last night 

of eating rich and fatty foods 

before the start of Lent, 

as per Wikipedia.

At Gold Country Cottage, 

in plain English,

 and because I am writing this on Tuesday, 

it means bright colors 

that don't necessarily go together and 

feasting on fatty foods 

for the last four months and

 having not much of anything else 

to show for it.

I have never participated 

in Mardi Gras

 but I have seen pictures and 

they bring to mind 

bright colors and 

shiny objects of celebration. 

 I know 

the time of year for Mardi Gras 

is long gone, 

but the bright colors 

of the zinnias 

is what 

prompted this post.

 

 When days seem too dark,

 something bright and shiny 

is needed to relieve the burdens

 that feel too heavy 

for our shoulders 

to bear...

...so,

 "Laissez le bon Temps Rouler", 

Let the Good Times Roll. 

 "Oui, cher",

 and we are featuring

 some good times 

in the kitchen

 this week.

Because 

there is nothing new

 to feature around here, 

I'm trying to make things

 interesting and pretty, 

working with what I have on hand, 

so here's to making 

the best of what 

we have.

I ordered this

 slice of watermelon 

from Antique Farmhouse last year. 

 Watermelon is a 

quintessential sign  of summer and 

since summer is here in full spirit, 

I thought I should

 drag it out and 

put it on display.

Watermelon accessories

 abound on top of the kitchen table.

  It seems that everything 

is here except

 the real thing.

We did not get much

 of a choice of zinnias this season. 

 The plants were not the right size 

nor the right colors. 

 We got mostly orange,

 with very short stems, and

 all the long stems were hot pink.

  A combination of colors, 

which I really don't mind,

 especially when associated

 with Mardi Gras, 

but for this decor scheme,

 if I had my choice, 

I wouldn't have picked them.

  However,

 along with some garden greens tucked in,

 not a bad decoration.

The wreath 

that I brought home before shutting down 

is placed hanging on the blackboard.  

I love the look of a blackboard 

when it is used 

just as background for something else.

  Words of wisdom 

are always appropriate

 but sometimes it is just as nice

 to be seen

 and not heard.

The tiniest of white pitchers 

just to add an additional pop 

of the curious colors

 across the room.

When one 

already resides in a kitchen 

with a 

congregation or confusion 

of chickens,

 does adding one more 

really matter?

I had one little square canvas

 left over from painting 

all the Santa's, 

so I am taking the liberty 

of showing you my 

latest creation - my attempt

 at creating a masterpiece. 

 Now, believe it or not,

 this one was not traced, 

there was not one line of pencil work

 before I picked up the paintbrush. 

 This all started out

 in my head,

 came through my hand, and 

ended up on the canvas.

 I am quite pleased 

but, of course,

 not totally satisfied,

 but I don't think

 it is such a

 bad job.

I really want to thank 

all of you

 who read my post last week and 

left very thoughtful comments for me.

 

 I hope that you came back 

to read my answers, 

but if not,

 just know that I appreciate

 everything you said and 

take it all to heart.

 

 We all have our beliefs. 

There can be no one else's words 

that can change mine or yours. 

 Hopefully, 

it is all food for thought and 

the only way 

to really get our personal

 beliefs across 

is to 

vote.

Continue to be 

smart, 

safe

 and wear your masks.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

YOU WILL NEVER SEE THIS AGAIN... (I Promise and I Hope)

Straight up, 

I will tell you 

that anything like this post, today,

 will never come again.

 

 

 Talking to you now 

is not the same, 

normal, self-respecting,

 polite and loving person

 you have come 

to know me to be..

Right??

I have had it. 

 I don't like that

 it has been so darn hot,

 but I don't like it that 

summer has seemed to pass me by.

 

 Where has it gone?

I don't like that 

my internet keeps going out and 

I have to have someone

 come fix it 

(and know they probably won't 

as they have been here 

many times for

 the same problem).

I want to go to 

Home Goods and to thrift shops, 

but I can't, and 

before you say anything 

about that being a 

stupid outlook on the situation

 that we are in,

 think twice.

  Because 

I am looking 

for a fight!!

I don't go out 

to a restaurant 

because I don't trust 

that the precautions

 that I need 

will be taken.

I only go to the 

blood lab, my doc's office, and PT 

that the doc prescribed for me.

  Because I am concerned for my health,

 I will do these things,

 not just because 

I can or I want.

I see more people 

wearing masks, 

and that is what

 I have been pushing for and 

that is a really good thing.

  

On the other hand, 

just because people

 are wearing masks now, 

doesn't mean they are 

following all 

the rules.

I don't like to be the one 

that says I told you so, 

but when talk started up

 about opening the country, 

I thought it was too soon and

 no one seemed to be 

going about it 

in the right way.

 

 That is exactly what happened, and 

I can hardly restrain myself

 from calling it all

 a matter of greed.

  

I know people 

have to feed their families, 

I get it.  Don't think I don't.

 But there is a 

right way and a wrong way, 

and which one 

do you think 

our country chose?

Now, 

the talk is about sending 

our kids back to school.

 

 I know kids need an education, 

I know that there are 

a lot of them 

that don't get fed properly 

unless they are in school.

  I know they need interaction

 with their peers. 

 I know all that, I get it!

 I retired from a 

school district.

But if we jump into it

 without thorough planning, 

just like we did about 

opening up the economy,

 our kids are going to be 

on a level with guinea pigs and rats

 used for testing make-up, 

or more to the point,

 so parents can go back to work, 

which brings us right back

 to the economy.

  

And how is that working out for us?

I was very happy

 when I heard that

 CVS, Walmart and Home Depot

 were requiring masks

 of everyone who entered their stores. 

Now,

 I hear that they 

are softening that rule 

in order to not cause

 any confrontations with their customers

 who refuse to wear masks.

 What about my rights 

when I was a smoker?

  Laws were passed that

 I couldn't smoke in restaurants,

 and other public places, 

so I didn't.

 Me, as a customer, 

were denied my rights 

in order to protect others.

 

What do they think 

the mask rule is for?

When are we going to grow up and 

start acting like adults and

 not like little kids 

who want something 

just so they can have something

 that they think they are missing.

  I realize 

that there hasn't been the 

best role models 

to follow but 

an adult should be able 

to figure it out.

 

 I sure would like to know 

how many of the citizens of our country

 that are storming the beaches and

 filling up the bars and restaurants 

have had someone they love 

fallen ill or died 

due to the virus?

  

I hope not many, 

and I, myself, haven't, 

but yet I can see 

where this is all leading us,

 why can't they? 

 California 

has now surpassed New York 

as the epicenter

 of Covid-19.

Our little county, as of today,

 has 242 coronavirus cases. 

 On June 30, there were 116, 

growing to 151 by July 7 and 

182 by July 14.

 

 Fortunately,

 we have only had one death. 

 I say only..

that says something different

to the family of the deceased?

In today's paper,

 there have been at least

 four restaurants that have not obeyed 

the orders of

 closing down indoor dining. 

 They have been warned and

 after 15 days, 

if still happening,

 they will be fined $25 per day,

 doubling each day after that,

 up to a maximum of $1000 a day. 

 Evidently,

 they don't realize 

that there are a number of 

other restaurants that are 

abiding by the law.

 

 If that isn't a sign of greed,

 I don't know what is, and

 if the citizens of this fine city 

can't understand 

what is going on around them,

 then there might not be a chance

 for a more "normal" return 

to our lives 

that they all say they want.

Two accusations of coughing were reported:

  When a woman

 asked another couple, with a baby,

 to put on a mask,

 the man followed her out of the store and 

chased her to her car 

while coughing her way, 

 In another

 a 70 year old man

 was trying to pass another couple 

on the sidewalk who were maskless.

  They wouldn't let him pass, 

used homophobic slurs and

 said they had "Carona" 

and coughed at him.

  What is happening 

to the human race? 

 Where does all 

this hatred and disrespect 

come from?

 

 And, 

you want to know why 

this upsets me so? 

Where does that leave me and 

those like me?

 Now,

 I'm taking it

 personally and 

getting selfish.

Along this rant path

 that I have taken today, 

I have been showing you 

what the garden is looking like.

  It is overgrown and 

starting to wilt and 

losing hope 

that summer will be around 

for much longer.

  Berry bushes

 are taking over the lilacs, 

the lawn is going brown, and 

the July 4th decorations

 are still in place.

 

 As I said before, 

where did it go? 

 My time

 is being taken up 

by things that seem 

out of my control and

 of that I am not a fan.

 

 Now that you have read this, 

I beg you

 not to send any comments 

that say tomorrow will be a better day.

 I already know that.

 

Don't say that I watch

 too much news and 

it has my head

 in a bad place. 

 I already know that but

 I say we need to be informed. 

 

 Don't tell me

 you feel sorry that

 I am worried or sad, 

 because if I am 

at this moment, 

that doesn't mean 

I won't get better.

Don't tell me

 that this is not the majority

 that act like this. 

 I already know that.

 

  

Maybe, just maybe, 

all these people 

that are making me crazy

 are doing so because 

they don't know the severity 

of what is going on 

or they don't want

 to know. 

 Another person in our community 

engaged a gathering of 

more than 150 persons and

 an outbreak ensued. 

His only defense 

was to say that

 "Had I known about the problems, 

I wouldn't have done it."

Where

has this loser been?

The facts are there,

 all staring us in the face, and 

even if we don't, or can't,

 choose to see them,

 they won't go away. 

 

 Maybe people need to be

 a little better informed 

about what it means

 to be a person who has 

common sense and uses it and 

what could be the outcome 

of not having or using

 any at all.

Thank you for staying with me,

 if you are staying with me.

  If you have opinions of your own 

that differ from mine and

 want to share them,

 I welcome them too.

 

Just remember, 

I warned you,

 I am looking 

for a fight! 

 I also added to

 the title of this piece,

 I Promise and I Hope. 

That covers all my bases,

 just in case.   

It does feel kind of good

 to let off steam

 once in awhile 

so that is what I have done.

 

 Now,

 let's move on

 to better days. 

 

I know those

 will come also.

Even better

 would be a 

tall glass of cool lemonade.  

Stay smart, stay well, wear your masks and 

sometimes,

 don't be afraid

 to speak

 your truth.

...Judy...

FYI:  I just wanted to tell you

 that I produced this whole post 

with the new Blogger interface. 

 As I understand it 

the old way of publishing 

will only be available 

until August 24. 

Give it a try

 before too long 

so any kinks might be worked out.

 I found it 

pretty easy to use and

 as the saying goes,

 if I can do it

 anyone can!!

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

Rep John Lewis

A remarkable man

May he rest in peace.