Dystopian Genre

     Today, I was looking at a list of free, or almost free, books listed on Amazon.com.  One of the books was categorized as--Genre: Dystopian.  Since my writing has taken a backseat to travels, grandkids on summer vacation, and getting ready to do a massive auction of everything possible in our BARN, I know I've been out of the loop.  But, I had to ask myself what was this genre called Dystopian?
     An online dictionary said: 
                                                                           noun

1. a society characterized by human misery, 

as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.

     With my usual scarcasm, I mumbled, "Yeah, sign me up.  I want me a book like that."

     I wondered why anyone would deliberately set out to write or read something so sad?  Then I decided that surely there must be a big, happily ever after ending to make wading through human misery, squalor, oppression, disease and overcrowding worth the trip.  So, I went on the search for what is to be expected of a Dystopian novel.  I was very disappointed.  From what I could find, a happily ever after is not promised.  Not only that, but these are set in a sci-fi setting, totally made up and all aspects are invented by the author.

     I've written a couple of books with with dark subject matters(domestic violence, rape, murder), but that is real-life.  That is true actions inflicted by one human on another.  This sh#t really happens.  Why would it be necessary to make an imaginary place to cause tragedies, injuries and heartaches?  

     Am I missing something?  What do you know about the genre called Dystopian?  I'd be very interested in hearing what others think.  You can leave me a comment here, or a private message on FB.  You can also visit my web site www.doloresjwilson.com and leave me a message there.

Until next time,

Dolores

P.S.  BTW, it is National Left Handed Day.  I want to give a shout out to my grandson, Drew and my closest cousin, Sandy.  Both left-handers and both super people.  Love you!  

The Back Nine

          I didn’t write the following.  An “OLD” friend sent it to me. I couldn't confirm who wrote it, but the message touched a deep part of me.  I want to pass it on to my family members (old and young) and friends (old and young) because there is good advice in the words.  Heed them.  Make your life the best it can be. 

Until later,
Dolores

THE BACK NINE

I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK.

 READ SLOWLY!

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

     You know ... time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

     But, here it is... the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

     I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

     But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting gray...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change....Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

     Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

     And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the back nine, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets.There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

     So, if you're not on the back nine yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the back nine or not!

     You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life....so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

     "Life" is a gift to you.   The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY ! HAVE A GREAT DAY Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. 

                                            LIVE HAPPY IN 2015!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS:

~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names.... But it's OK because some people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything like golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you aren't as interested in anymore, but you really don't care that you aren't as interested.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV 'ON' than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

 TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN; YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

Stay well, "OLD FRIENDS!"    Do Not Regret Growing Older. It is a Privilege Denied to Many.

July 15, 2015

     As I told you yesterday, it was National Nude Day.  July 12th, was National Pecan Pie day.  It reminded me I've been trying to develop a Pecan Pie without using corn syrup.  I decided it would be a good time to work on that. 
     I replaced the corn syrup with maple syrup, brown sugar, heavy cream, and a tablespoon of molasses.  To tone down some of the sweetness, I made a layer of cream cheese, sugar and egg.  I got the idea from a recipe I used to make many years ago.  It was called Mystery Pecan Pie and I loved it, but I quit making it when I was diagnosed with diabetes.  What makes it a mystery is the way the ingredients are layered.
     I put the cream cheese layer in first, then chopped pecans, and then the syrup mixture.  When the pie was finished baking the syrup layer was on the bottom, the cream cheese second, and the pecans on the top.  It turned out beautifully, but it wasn't the traditional Pecan Pie.  I would have to call it My Surprise Maple Pecan Pie. 
     The complete recipe needs work, but hopefully I will be able to tweak it and add it to my collection of recipes for my Sweet Meadow Baptist Church Cookbook.  Producing a cookbook with recipes donated by the Sweet Meadow, Georgia citizens to raise money for the First Baptist Church, is a dream I plan to make come true.  I'm sure Bertie's next door neighbor, Barbie, would donate My Surprise Maple Pecan Pie recipe.  She tends to be surprising and mixed up.  LOL


Layers of the pie

My Surprise Maple Pecan Pie

Until later,
Dolores

JULY 14, 2015

     I like keeping up with what national day is being observed.  Well, today is National Nude Day.  With the heat index at 105 degrees and a grandson who wants to ride his bike, scooter, and drive the golf cart, I can understand why people would think it’s a good day to take your clothes off. 

     Of course, they certainly didn’t have me in mind when they started this day.  As the song goes, I just don’t look good naked anymore.  I think I am probably the only person on the face of the earth who puts on a robe to walk from the shower to my closet, which is a long stroll of about six feet.

     Not sure what we were thinking when we bought our camper because it has mirrors EVERYWHERE. 

     Richard loves telling the story of the first trip we made in the bus.  We picked it up from the dealer, and, early the next day, I had to be in Raleigh, North Carolina for a booksigning.  When we were almost there, we decided to stop in a rest area and sleep, and then go the rest of the way to the campground the next day.  

     Sometime during the night, I had a nightmare, and I woke Richard with a start.  He flipped on the light, jumped into his favorite Ninja position, ready to do battle with whatever had me screaming.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

     I pointed to the huge mirror OVER THE BED and told him, “I thought I was being attacked by a naked sky diver.”  

     I wish I had a dollar for every time I've listened to him tell that story.  I’d be living on that island in the Bahamas I found on the Internet a few years ago.  I’d probably even be able to afford a hammock and a part-time cabana boy.

     Enjoy the rest of your day!

Until later,

Dolores

Our Home for 5 people for 4 weeks

     Just a quick Friday night note.  Here are a few pictures of the inside of our bus so you can see how 5 of us managed for the 4 weeks we were gone.  Several of my readers asked how we slept and basically survived in cramped quarters.  First of all, it's 45-ft. long.

     This is standing in the kitchen looking through the bathroom back to the bedroom.  On the left you can see part of the refrigerator, then the potty-room door.  The thing attached to the wall with the red cup on top of it is my fold down desk.  During the day, it stayed folded down, but after the boys and Richard went to bed, I closed the bedroom door and the door that separates the kitchen from the bathroom.  Then I set up my desk and wrote the blogs I posted pretty much every night.

     Here is a picture of the table folded out.  I'd put my laptop on it (which was stored in one of the bins above the desk) and set up a padded folding chair and write to my hearts content or SKYPE, depending on what kind of mood I was in.  LOL

       Here is a picture taken from the kitchen area facing the front of the bus.  The 3 bunks are on the left.  This was after we got home, so they are stripped of the linens.  Ty slept on the top, then Brody, then Drew on the bottom.  We added bars so they wouldn't roll out in case they fell asleep going down the road.  They had room at the foot of their bunk for Ipods and notebooks and things like that.  Temporarily, we took out the sofa.  So, the bunks didn't take up any more room then the sofa did.
     Yesterday, Richard took Brody to St. Augustine to visit with my dad.  For those of you who don't know, he is in a nursing home and is deeply suffering from dementia.  Somehow he always remembers my husband immediately.  Last week when I went to visit, he said he knew I was Dolores because I had a guest name tag on my chest.  Well, at least he can still read.
     Anyway, here's a picture of Dad and Brody.  Both are missing their teeth.  



Dad (88 years old)--Brody (7 years old)

Until next time,
Dolores

 

July 7, 2015

    Many years ago, Dear Abby published a letter with an unknown author.  The things the letter said have stayed with me, but never more than in the past few years as I wake up every morning in all kinds of pain.
On a scale of 1-10, I usually have about 4.5 all day long.  I seldom take pain pills, so living with it is a fact of life.
     I don't say that for sympathy.  It is what it is, and I always just keep rolling.  I always say "A moving target is hard to hit."  :-)
     Anyway, enough of that, but here is a copy of the Dear Abby letter.  It makes me laugh.

Old Folks Are Worth A Fortune

     With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their stomachs.

     I have become a lot more social with the passing of the years; some might even call me a frivolous old gal. I'm seeing five gentlemen every day.

     As soon as I wake, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charley Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day. (He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.) After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad to go to bed - with Ben Gay. What a life!

P.S. The preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age, I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him I do - all the time. No matter where I am - in the parlor, upstairs in the kitchen or down in the basement - I ask myself, "Now, what am I here after?"
     I'd like to leave you with this song a friend send me.  The main thought of the words says it all.  I'm still here. 

Green Side of the Grass 

Until next time,
Dolores

July 3, 2015

Home again-home again, jiggity-jig

     Every time Richard and I return from one of our travels, I am faced with the worse part of the whole adventure.  UNPACKING AND CLEANING THE BUS.  There is something about being in the confined area with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide that makes me burst out the bus door and breathe Tison Road air.  Then I don’t want to go back into the bus.  I’ve tried yelling, “you can’t make me.”  But that doesn’t really work.

     Soooo, I do a little each day.  We totally take everything out of the bus including all refrigerator and freezer goods.  We leave no clothes in there.  No boxed or canned food.  So it is quite an ordeal to get everything out.  I pack things in boxes, bags, and baskets.  Richard carries it in and sets it on the dining room table, chairs and floor.      Then I get to unpack and put all that away and do any laundry not done while we were traveling.  I then take the baskets, etc. back to the bus the next day and refill them, all the while singing—I loaded 16 tons, and what do I get?  Another day older and deeper in debt.

     Over the years, I have learned that if we were gone four weeks, like we were this time, then it takes 4 days to clean out the bus.  

     Tomorrow will be day four, and true to form, I should be able to finish it up before 4 of the grandkids arrive for our mini- 4^th of July celebration.  At least I hope I'll be done.  :-P 

     Several of you have asked how the 5 of us fit comfortably into the bus for 4 weeks.  I’ll take a few pictures after I get it all cleaned up and post them.

Long may it wave

     I want to wish all of you a very safe Fourth of July.  I hope your celebrations with friends and family brings you all the happiness in the world. 

Until next time,

Dolores