In the Doldrums

Posted on March 30, 2023 by cordeliasmom2012

I seem to be down to posting only once a month or so, and even that’s become a bit of a struggle.

Maybe I’m just bored.  Maybe my muse has forsaken me.  Or maybe my life has become so humdrum that I simply can’t come up with anything I feel would be interesting to my readers.

Most likely, all of the above.

I always said that when blogging was no longer fun, I would stop doing it.  When creating posts came to seem more like work than play, I started slowing down.

But once a blogger, always a blogger.  Even with no ideas afoot, I find myself sitting at the computer and typing nonsense like this.

Is it an obsession?  Is it a passion?  Is it a soft addiction?

Who knows, but every time I consider shutting down my blogs (and probably my photo sites), something stops me.  I think about all the blogging friends I’ve made over the years and I miss them.  I see my followers count continue to rise, and that makes me feel special.  Even though my photos have never been all that good, I consider that maybe, just maybe, someday I’ll be in the right place at the right time, with the right camera, to get that perfect shot.

Maybe someday I’ll become that writer I always wanted to be.  Others in my family have done that, bless their creative little hearts – and just ignore my unwarranted envy;  I’m really very proud of every wonderful, beautiful member of my family.

Recently, a colleague asked if I had taken any good photos lately, and I explained that I had become tired of both photography and writing.  He chuckled and said that once spring finally came to Buffalo, NY, I’d feel more artistic.

Perhaps he’s right.

So long as my readers are willing to stick around a bit longer, I’ll wait to shut everything down.  ‘Cause maybe, just maybe, that awesome, award-winning story will come to me yet.

Hugs, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in That's Life | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Keeping Busy

Posted on February 9, 2023 by cordeliasmom2012

Beautiful, aren’t they?

It’s one way to keep me off the streets and out of trouble, and people do seem to love my baby/toddler crocheted afghans.

As well as my regular adult-sized afghans:

Which is a good thing ’cause I may soon have to up my little side hustle.  So far, I’ve given away more crocheted items than I’ve sold, and most of the ones I sold I did so at a significant loss simply because I love crocheting so much.

But that may change soon.  The law firm I work for will be closing up shop by the end of the year and I will be relying solely on Social Security to pay for housing, food and daily living expenses.  Not a happy scenario, as anyone on Social Security can tell you.

Hubby and I still have a mortgage payment and need to stay in the house at least until Puppy Cody is no longer with us.  Since she’s 9 now, I anticipate maintaining this home for another 3-5 years, at which time hubby and I will both be living only on Social Security and will be able to then move into an income-based senior apartment.

Meanwhile, we need to make ends meet.  We’re not hurting yet, but the day is coming.  At ripe old age of 70, I don’t know that I will be able to secure another part-time office job.  Assuming I even want to – these days I have a hard time simply getting from the house to the car, never mind fighting traffic and weather to get an office some distance away.  Definitely not how I envisioned my golden years when I  was in my 20s.

To make matters worse, New York State may be forcing everyone to convert to all-electric homes by 2030, and I understand the cost of conversion will run $35,00o to $40,000 per household, plus the subsequent costly electric bills  every month.  How are we supposed to afford all that? Needless to say, if we still own our home at that time, it will be a very strong incentive to sell and move into alternate housing.

Which brings me to my next point.

If anyone needs an excellent proofreader or beta reader, I’m your girl.  I maintain this website without (or hopefully without) any typographical errors and (hopefully) with proper grammar and easy reading.  I can do the same for you!

Check out my “Want Me? Hire Me!“ page.  You can get a jump on everyone else if you contact me now!  Rates are negotiable.  Go for it, folks! (Email: cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com)

Hugs to all – may you stay healthy and happy.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

Posted in That's Life | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

When Bloggers Play

Posted on January 19, 2023 by cordeliasmom2012

I opened the door and my little friends came in.

We played, we  created, we published – what fun we had!

But like all adventures, a time came for it to end.

There were six collaborated posts, and unfortunately there will be no more in this series, at least not with the original characters.

Mehitabel (a real cat owned by Anne Belov a/k/a Bob T. Panda) has passed over the Rainbow Bridge.  She had a long life being pampered by Anne and annoyed by the pandas; hopefully, it wasn’t Mehitabel’s ninth – and final – life.  I’d like to think of her spending more lives creating havoc.  Puppy Cody so misses Mehitabel and her delicious evilness.

Paul Curran (the creator of the Peacekeeping Bears) died in October 2016.  At the time, I wrote a memoriam to Paul, which you can read here.  Of all the blogging friends I’ve lost over the years, I miss Paul the most.

Vlad (Willow’s awesome creation) is still “alive and kicking” – at least as much as a stuffed toy can  be alive – and occasionally makes virtual visits to see how Cody is faring.

And Vicky‘s Jamala the Red is also still hanging around.  It’s hard for Jamala to visit because it’s such a long trip from, literally, the other side of the world (and the opposite hemisphere!).

Teddy Rosalie is safely resting on a very high shelf of my desk where Puppy Cody can’t get to her.  She may or may not reappear in future posts – it will all depend on whether I again feel an urge to do touristy stuff while dragging along a tiny stuffed teddy bear.

 

And then there is Shadowpaws, Not CM‘s cat.  (Click here if you want to read the post that brought Not CM into the collaborated fray.)  Yes, Shadowpaws (actually two versions of the stuffed animal) are still sitting on the upper shelf of my desk, but it’s unlikely he will make further appearances here because I killed off Not CM in April of 2017.

 

Puppy Cody is, of course, still here and often featured on this blog.  I love my puppy, even when she’s “bad”.  Fortunately, at the ripe age of 9, she’s not bad very often these days.

 

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So, how many bloggers and characters were there in those collborated posts?  Don’t forget that I wrote as both Cordelia’s Mom and Not CM. (Hint for those of you who are mathematically challenged – just count the photos!)  It was  total of 7 bloggers and 7 characters.  Pretty awesome, if you ask me!

Maybe someday there will be a new collaborated post series.  Who wants in?  Comment below or send me an email (cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com) if such an idea piques your interest.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images in this post are by the legal owners of the respective characters.

 

Posted in collaborated posts, Not Cordelia's Mom, Relationships, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A COUP? NOT ON MY WATCH! (Collaborated Post #6)

Posted on January 12, 2023 by cordeliasmom2012

Australia joined the fray!  As did my satirical mirror blog.  Welcome  Jamala the Red Panda (owned by Vicky of  V Something Speaks) and Shadowpaws (owned by Yours Truly and featured on the Not Cordelia’s Mom site).  And so the fun continued!

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Oh, oh – sounds like trouble is a-brewing! Look at the email exchange I found over on the Not CM site!

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JamalaDear Mehitabel,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a former resident of my nation’s capital – Canberra, Australia. I recently moved to Melbourne to be with a like-minded comrade. Although she is human she is surprisingly interesting. She is a fan of both the red and giant panda. It is through her connection to the giant panda that I read about your plight.

As a former Canberran, I am well versed in political machinations. May I suggest that the van full of peacekeeping bears is driven straight over the border into Mexico and left there. I hear a very influential man is about to build a wall separating that country from yours. Hopefully said bears will be stranded! If this does not work I have plenty of ideas. We in Australia have many ways of dealing with unwanted “visitors” – especially customs evading dogs! As for pesky vampires, I have a secret that may assist in dealing with Vlad. Please let me know if you would like assistance.

Your cat-like friend,

Jamala the Red Panda.

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sm.mehitabelDear Jamala,

Please excuse me for my tardy reply. She WithThe Food has been very careful to put away the computer so that I couldn’t get into any mischief hmph! I wish she paid that much attention to pandas. They are much more troublesome than I am. Uh oh! I think I hear her coming. Better scamper.

I do like your idea about sending the bears in the truck to Mexico.

We’ll talk again soon as I can get online.

Mehitabel

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JamalaDear Mehitabel,

Thank you for responding. It is a shame that SheWithTheFood is so restrictive with your computer time. Perhaps you could take a leaf out of our Antipodean book. If our “leaders” get too out of hand we simply replace them! SheWithTheFood may be less restrictive if she feared being deposed. I am sure there would be many who would love to cater to your cat needs with the appropriate amount of servitude and gratitude while deluding themselves that they are your “leader”.

I must be off – I have to check who our current leader is. It has been weeks since the last coup.

Looking forward to our continued alliance.

Jamala the Red Panda

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Dear Mehitabel and Jamala,

A coup? I am so in! Can I be an officer or something so I can stomp on Teddy Rosalie and Puppy Cody? And give Vlad orders to go back to England and stay there? Can I get some kind of authority over the Peacekeeping Bears?

Eagerly awaiting my call to action,

ShadowPaws

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How can we get word to Vlad and the Peace Keeping bears that they are about to be overthrown?

Stay tuned for the next episode of Cats vs. Dogs vs. Bears vs. Pandas (if you are a new reader, click here for the last most recent episode – which, of course, then has links to all the previous ones!).

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com

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Jamala image and text by Vicky V (V Something Speaks); Mehitabel image and text by Anne Belov (a/k/a Bob T. Panda, The Panda Chronicles); ShadowPaws images and text by Cordelia’s Mom

 

Posted in collaborated posts, Humor, Not Cordelia's Mom, Pets, Relationships, Teddy Rosalie, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments