I was given a little iPad and I use it all the time

It’s protected in a case that’s the colour of ruby wine

I use it to play Scrabble and that other Word game

And check my many messages time and time again

I also update and download the latest offer of apps

They range from daily reminders to altered global maps

I can’t be behind the times, oh shudder, or perish the thought

Otherwise my efforts might as well be all for nought

I read the hourly news or tune into the trio “Il Volo”

And can watch one-day cricket, or even water polo

Shazam is a dream if I need the title of a song

And the elusive artist’s name appears in under a minute long

I can explore the movie offers and buy my tickets online

Or Google questions that are puzzling or check…

The 5th book from Erika Kind is about the 101 daily quotes she has published on her blog, for 101 days. This is really remarkable and I congratulate her on this. You can find more details about the book on the link below and for previous publications of Erika Kind click here.

A rainy Monday morning.

Daylight Savings Time sleep deficit.

Primary Election burnout.

This one made me smile.

With apologies to Christopher Walken.

Who is brilliant.

It started with handmade soaps.

I received amazing samples from my friend, Linda.  https://nutsrok.wordpress.com/

Just out of curiosity, I looked for information about how they are made. I found a video that showed the process that turns the very basic ingredients into soap.

Vintage Photo. (Not Linda)

It is called Saponification, a new word to me.

And there it was. The key ingredient…lye.

Oh, snap.

I have a scary history with lye.

Flashback to my first and only industrial accident.

It was my first week on a new job with IBM. I addressed it before in “The Madeline Intervention”.

Being that traditional morning person, I always arrived early.

On this particular day, I was also the first to use the ladies’ room.

This was the late 1970’s, and IBM was noted for the classic blue suit as standard attire. I had the equivalent in a suit dress, and wore it proudly with heels and…

It might be a dying art, but there is something so special about the handwritten letter.

I have saved so many over the years; some from friends, most from family.

Painting. Pietro Rotari. 1755

None were more special than those from my Aunt Mary.

She was 6 years younger than my mother, her only sister. She was more devoted to the written word than anyone I knew.

She wrote constantly. She read everything.

It was a passion that started very young.

She was stricken with polio as a toddler, spent most of her childhood in a Shriner’s Hospital in Philadelphia, never attended a formal school.

Bright, curious, determined, with a few tutors, she was mostly self-taught.

Books opened doors to a rich, informed life.

Conversant in popular culture, a devoted fan of cinema, TV, modern and classic literature; she was also politically aware, passionately opinionated.

She was also a foodie, wine enthusiast, gourmet cook. Engaged a few times, but…