I had it in my mind yesterday afternoon to pick more persimmons, rake the leaves, and clean up the canna lilies I dug out before breakfast.  It was a gorgeous autumn day, the sun's warmth keeping the  chill at bay. Before I knew it I had painted those plates up there in the photo. Maybe today, I might get to those tasks. This was my second adventure with plate painting. This time I discovered some things about me: One, the plate is my canvas, I say with dramatic relish. Two, a plate's design, such as a border of faint red and blue flowers, can be painted over, with abandon. So much for the Mama's chinaware that she only displayed. It's not like I'm doing anything different other than displaying them, with new faces, in the the yard somewhere. Three, painting the whole canvas is cool. It was with much restraint that I didn't paint a background behind Konnie, the small rambunctious elephant. Four, mixing colors is the same joyful sensation I got when

Damnzel furiously trumpets at the heartless and selfish Republicans in Congress. They've sold their souls to Evil, which is putting it kindly.

Dear Friends, today I give to you my first fictional story as a retired lady. You're welcome. Giggle.

I say I'm retired, so I must be retired. I haven't had a big paying project in years, so I might well say I'm retired. I kicked in my Social Security. That definitely feels g-r-e-a-t! I hope these new tires are durable and long lasting. They're guaranteed for life I'm told.  

Six more weeks and I am done with my movie reviews. The Missus Lady has asked me if I would be interested in doing book reviews for the next round of ABC Wednesday . I told her I would think about it. It sounds interesting but I'm not too keen on doing reviews for awhile. Maybe if she wanted Jane Austen, Action Doll, and me to collaborate on something, I might give an absolute purrrring yes. What do you think? My House in Umbria   (2003) Setting: Umbria, Italy Emily (played by Dame Maggie Smith) is a middle-aged British expatriate who lives in solitude in the countryside of central Italy. She's alone not so much as to write romance novels but more so because she has closed down her emotions due to horrible things that happened to her in the past. Emily only trusts her agent. One day everything in Emily's life changes. The train that she is on gets blown up by terrorists.  In the hospital, Emily finds herself drawn to the young girl from the U.S. that Emily met o