Author: vharlow

Already, the crocuses have come and gone, and forsythia is blooming up and down the road, although mine is just not doing anything!  The foxes get fed right under the unhealthy forsythia, and they think they can hide in them.  Perhaps, but sometimes I can see them quite well.

I’ve begun to give them the soft food Ash leaves in her dish as well as a scoop of dry food each day, and it’s always gone in the morning, even though I don’t see them come and eat it.  The birds have discovered the cat food, and especially large crows, swoop down and enjoy a morning feast often.

The squirrels are always attacking the bird feeders, and once, one got inside the tube upside down, and couldn’t get out!  The top had dropped on him.  I had to pick up the top, and let him wiggle out and leap to safety.  He scampered off quickly, but I’m sure he gets fed regularly from these bird feeders.  Clever and funny little guys, these squirrels!  They are so cute.

 

Following Jovan Hutton Pulitzer and he passed this on to his followers.  Very useful if you want to take courses at no cost.  Who would have thought you have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to take college level courses?  This is fabulous.  It’s never too late to learn!

MOOC!!!!

It means Massive Open Online Courses…..and the list is huge!  So, if it’s learning you want to do, this is great!  If you have to have a piece of paper to qualify for a job, that’s another story, but there’s probably source material for that as well.

Check it out!

Had an interesting discussion over on Nextdoor which I seldom use.  But I did join the book club, thinking I’d meet some of my neighbors who are possibly interested in reading similar things.

I decided to read Gulag Archipelago which I finally found in kindle format, and not the mashed up junk I had downloaded from internet archive.  Well, it’s three volumes, around 700 pages each!  And once I started, I couldn’t stop, couldn’t put it down.  So, I mentioned it in the book club in our local nextdoor neighborhood app.  One nice guy said he though it should be required reading, as we could see some similarities in our culture today.  And then another guy butted in to put him down and call him a racist.

Well, so, I had to engage.  The discussion on my part was reasonable and civil.  On his part, put downs and calling me names.  After a bit, with the first guy engaging as well, the guy went back and deleted several of his rude message.

I mentioned that, and wondered if he had more to contribute other than ad hominems.  Long story short, after a while, he posted a link to an WaPo article, which I couldn’t read because I don’t subscribe.  We discussed the election lawsuits which he poopooed, and I said he should be looking forward to them, especially since he’s so certain his side won.  And he again called me insane, and sick, and said he is blocking me.

Wow.  I’m blocked, by a guy who was insulting, rude, name calling, and I’m really thrilled about it!  I told someone else of Nextdoor who was being insulted by him to keep engaging, and he would get blocked too!  Celebrations all around!  Some people are just plain trolls.  No question.

Funny thing happened with my new health insurance coverage, and the local CVS where we usually get our prescriptions.  I had a prescription renewal last month, and when I got the call it was ready, I was told it was going to be $352 and I asked why so much!  I was told the insurance company said I couldn’t have it covered again until February.

Well, we have new coverage, effective January 1.  So, I decided to see if I could get it paid for by the new insurance.

Went to the pharmacy, and asked the youngster who waited on me about the prescription.  He got it, and I told him, about the price being $352 and I didn’t have the money, and wondered if the new insurance would pay for it.

He said, “Let me see,” and pulled it out.  It was actually $3.52!  He said, “Well, the old insurance must have paid for it!”

Surprise!  So, I asked him should he take the new insurance card now, and he looked at it carefully.

“Next time.”

I asked, ” Why?”

“It was from last month and billed to the old insurance company.  If I redo it, it will cost more under the new plan.”  🙂

God is good.  CVS is as well!  Or at least our pharmicists over there are, and Santa may have played a roll!  God is good!  🙂

 

For me, I was just a kid when I decided I wanted to be an artist. Of course, the impossibility was obvious, and I changed that to wanting to be a nun. The convent across the street from one of our early residences so often burst forth with beautiful singing, and I deduced nuns just taught school, did art work, and sang beautiful music. The also got to only wear one thing, no worries about fashion, or what everyone else was wearing. They were all wearing the same thing.

But that was then. When I grew up and married and had kids, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do the type of thing I liked, because actually staying home and raising kids is hard work.

But, then, they go to school! And my wonderful husband said that I, too, could go to school while they were in school. So, my local community college was my favorite hangout!

First, I studied painting, and drawing, and later discovered design and sculpture. My instructors were community college type teachers who didn’t think too much would ever come from their classes, and some admitted they were really teaching appreciation, as once folks realized art is hard work, they just appreciate others that much more.

Others thought they were teaching hobbyists. Our classes were filled with curious youngsters and retired government and military folk. A few housewives, I suppose, like me.  Here’s a few of my early drawing class efforts.