Wednesday's Words for December 28, 2016

Was your Christmas wonderful? Was it the best one, ever? I’ve found that the way to make each holiday the best it can be, is to believe it is the best one, ever. Attitude is everything, and an attitude of gratitude and positivity will bring you the most blessings in life. With everything in me, I believe this, one hundred percent. I believe that in the future, it will be discovered that some of that 90 percent or more of our brains that we don’t currently use, can indeed perform miraculous feats of healing, and create a copious amount of happiness if we just believe it’s so, and are open to learning how to use it.

Why not try positive thinking, and telling yourself not only how lucky you are, but how grateful you are for all the blessings in your life? Please, don’t tell me that you’ve struggled, and can’t be grateful because life is hard. My friend, we all struggle, and life is hard for all of us. There have been many times in the past when I didn’t know how we were going to make it to pay day; many times, when we didn’t have much of a pay day to look forward to in the first place. We’ve all lost something or someone. I’ve lost 2 homes to fire, an eight-day old granddaughter, and my middle child. Yet I have been blessed in this life and I’m grateful for all I’ve been given. Simply try it, believe it, and see what happens inside your heart.

It’s that time of the season for the “best of” lists for the year that’s about to end. It can be useful to take a bit of time and look back on the year—the good, the bad, the ugly that happened in the world at large. It can be very useful to make note of the lessons you learned, the wonders you saw, and maybe learn from the inevitable mistakes you made. I keep trying to do that last one, learn from those mistakes. I think I’m getting a bit better at it, because either the mistakes really are fewer lately—or I simply don’t notice them anymore when they happen.

I really hope it’s the former and not the latter.

We spent a quiet Christmas Day here, with just David’s sister joining us for supper. She lives about forty minutes away, and has been spending Christmas Day with us the last couple of years. She and I have always enjoyed a fairly close relationship. Her son and his family, lately, have gone to his wife’s parents on the 25th, and we’re always glad to welcome her here.

We enjoyed our annual Boxing Day brunch at my brother’s on Monday, with all his family there. Later today we’ll head on over to our daughter’s house on the other side of town for another Christmas get-together. This time it’s with the girls and their families. We see them all on a fairly regular basis. Considering we all live in the same small town, that’s as it should be. But we really enjoy the special occasions together. Sonja loves what she calls “family dinner”. I for one will appreciate this gathering, because although I will be taking my meal contributions—sweet potatoes, and my Christmas Pudding—I don’t have to worry about waiting on people or doing the dishes. Then, tomorrow, it’s off to the next town, and lunch with our oldest son and his crew.

It’s now been more than a year since my gallbladder surgery, and my ability to enjoy food, while not completely back to how it had been prior to those problems starting up, is better than it had been for a few Christmases. I don’t generally eat a great deal at any time, but it’s nice to enjoy a few special dishes—like warm crab dip, smoked oysters, and roast goose (not all at the same meal). Christmas pudding, as well, is a very special treat, but I’m quite happy with a small sample of that. I tend to prefer the savory over the sweet.

The holidays for me, more than anything, signify family and tradition. It’s seeing those ornaments on your tree that you remember your mother hanging; it’s knowing your daughter is putting a huge orange in the toe of her grandbabies stockings, just as my daddy did with mine; it’s visiting with loved ones, and sharing special moments. I look forward to giving, and I really don’t care if I get any gifts in return—because what I do get, without fail, is better than any thing wrapped in paper.

I get a sense of legacy, a sense of harmony, and a feeling of joy when the eyes of the children are filled with magic and wonder. I think we could all do with a little more magic and wonder in our lives. Don’t you?

May the coming New Year be all you wish it can be—prosperous and filled with love, laughter and happiness.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Wednesday's Words for December 21, 2016

The Christmas holidays in the Ashbury household have officially begun. This year, when we were expecting my husband to have more time off than in recent seasons past, he ended up having less—just two weeks instead of the three he has had the last couple of years. He finished up his work for 2016 last Friday. The first thing he did when he got home was turn off the alarm on his cell phone.

One significant difference between this year and last, aside from his time off being a week shorter, is the change he made very early this past January, when he moved his computer out of my office, and into a corner of the living room. So already, we’re beginning this two-week period with less stress between us than last time. Even more interesting is that a few months ago, he began looking forward to what it was he’d be doing to occupy his time when he retires. Next year this time, he will have been retired for about a month.

His original plan had been to find a piece of old farm equipment, and restore it. This would require a fair bit of physical activity on his part, beginning with constructing a garage to do the work in. About a year or so ago, he officially scrapped that idea. Although his COPD isn’t progressing rapidly, it is a constant for him, and it’s a disease that will never get better. He decided that while he will do his best to remain as physically active as possible, he needed a more sedentary activity to help the days pass.

I didn’t have to warn him that he couldn’t just quit work after more than 40 years and just do nothing; this was something he already knew. There have been people we’ve known or known of in our lifetimes, who did just that—spent their time becoming professional couch potatoes—and died within a year of retirement. He knew he had to have a reason to get up every day. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when he told me he’d found the perfect thing for him to do: he’s going to write novels.

He has already written one novel—a challenge he accepted, from me, back in the day when I was hoping to some day be published. He was so full of “helpful advice” on how I could improve my writing “process”, I suggested that since he was an expert, he should write his own book, which he did.

Now, he would be the first to tell you it wasn’t very good. But it had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and a plot that unfolded in a logical manner. That’s pretty basic, and if you can do that, you can in all likelihood write a passable book. Some talent is necessary, but mostly, it’s craft. He’s not undertaking this activity to make money, just to keep busy. If things in the self-publishing world don’t change within the next couple of years, that’s what he’ll do with his finished novel.

He isn’t going to write romance, which I am certain is good news to those of us who do. Instead, he’s of a mind to write dystopian stories, as those are the ones he likes to read that most fire his imagination. He has a couple of different scenarios in mind, and so far, is enjoying himself, outlining plot points.

He’s already started on his first novel, because once that idea creeps into your mind, you can’t always put it off. It needs to be written out—and since my husband decided to write it out (the old-fashioned way using pen and paper), he’s already filled a couple of notebooks. I’ve promised that I’ll help him where I can. End of civilization stories aren’t really in my wheelhouse, as I’ve only ever read one series that had that kind of theme. But that doesn’t mean I can’t edit it for him, when he decides it’s ready to head to the book-sellers. While I would never claim to be able to edit my own work, I believe I have the creds necessary to fill that role for someone else.

I’m delighted he found something to focus on, something to look forward too. I’ve long ago decided that the secret to happiness is to have a goal or, if you will, a dream. It’s better to spend your time being someone going somewhere, rather than just standing still and letting the moss of passing time cover you over.

David and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa! 

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Wednesday's Words for December 18, 2016

The Christmas rush is on. This year, fortunately, I’m not too terribly disorganized. Perhaps it’s a cop out on my part, giving everyone except my toddler great-grandbabies gift cards. For me that option is easy as heck. For the recipients—they can get something they really want, and there is no need for them to be disappointed or to return anything.

David and I aren’t getting anything for each other this year. We may go away someplace warm in February, but the jury is still out on that. For the most part, if there’s anything we need we just get it. And we’re both at the point that we don’t want what we don’t really need. This will be his last year in the work force. He’s ready for retirement, and while I’m not quite there yet, I will be on the day he punches his time card for the last time.

Meanwhile, life goes on. We had expected him to be ‘enjoying’ a seasonal lay-off, beginning October 28th. Everyone at his jobsite got notices of the impending action. The plant manager was very upset about the decision, which was a last minute one and came from head office. The man worked some magic and managed to keep a crew of about ten, based on seniority. Since David is the most senior employee—coming up on 40 years—that was a bit of a relief.

We’d already pared back our holiday plans, and tightened our belts. When you get to our stage of life, that isn’t a difficult thing to do. Being older, these bumps in the road don’t jar us the way they did when we were younger. I do dislike uncertainty, but that’s my problem, totally. We would have gotten through a two-month long lay off, but we’re just as happy we didn’t have to.

My daughter is hosting Christmas dinner on the 28th, as that is when she and our second daughter, Sonja, are scheduled to be off. Sonja is cooking the turkey, and my husband is already rubbing his hands in anticipation. Of course, that means that Christmas Day, it’ll be just the two of us. And that will also be a gastronomic treat for him. He loves goose. Absolutely loves it. The rest of the family, not so much. So, this Christmas Day’s supper, here, will be simple: roasted goose, rice with raisins, and some green veggie—possibly spinach or swiss chard. I might even have a glass of white wine with my meal. That’s Morgan’s idea of living life on the edge.

Last Friday we awoke to our first real snow fall. We’d gotten a skiff or two before this, but the temperatures at that point were mild enough that the white stuff melted by end of day. I was just relieved the snow held off long enough for my beloved to correct his slight miscalculation with regard to the porch steps and walkway.

A week or so ago, the temperature dropped and the wooden steps and walkway that were wet at the time, became too icy for me to navigate. On the porch, in a blue box with a lid, there was some salt. We had checked just the day before, but none of our local stores had received their new stock of salt, so there had been none available to buy. All the salt we had was this lump that took up nearly half the box. Now, I had asked my husband a couple of weeks beforehand to take a minute and take something sharp to that salt block, to break it up so it could be used on the steps. I know from personal experience that would not have required a great deal of muscle. That idea, however, apparently didn’t appeal to him. Instead, (and relying on accumulated life experience), on the day those steps iced over, he brought down the kitty litter, and used that on them and walkway.

Friends, have you noticed that kitty litter isn’t the stone dust it used to be? No? Well, neither did my beloved. Let me tell you, as clearly as I can: do not try this, ever! As a result of his ministrations, the steps became slicker than cat poop on a linoleum floor. David was shocked! This should have worked! I explained, with as much restraint on my sarcasm as I could muster, that kitty litter is no longer stone dust like it was in the olden days. It’s all chemicals now, clumping chemicals, that become as one with whatever wetness it comes in contact with.

He used the outside broom and brushed off those steps. That didn’t work. My daughter rinsed off those steps with water (which, yes, is wet). That didn’t work either. My husband finally ended up getting his electric drill out, putting the wire brush tool on it, and going over each step and the entire length of the walk way with that tool, scouring off the goop.

That worked. But now it has snowed, and so the salt (which my daughter broke up for him, took her only a couple of minutes) is in use, and hooray, we have two new bags of that, now, so we’re set.

Just another example of how things can change and we don’t even really notice—until we do.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Wednesday's Words for December 7, 2016

We sometimes think that the way things are now is the way they’re always going to be. That’s a natural assumption for humans who are, by nature, creatures of habit. Most people need a certain level of stability or security in their lives, and a sense of having a measure of control over those lives.

That’s why, for example, we love our homes, however humble they may be. As I’ve mentioned more than once in these essays, my house isn’t one of those fancy homes you see featured in magazines. It’s in need of a great deal of cosmetic work and even some work that’s more than cosmetic; my laundry facilities are in the basement and very difficult for me to get to, so in that respect, the house doesn’t even work for me anymore—but it is my house. We own it outright, and there is no place on earth—no fancy hotel (and I’ve been in more than a few) or fancy house (I’ve stayed in a couple of those, too) where I feel more comfortable, or happier, than right here in my own little hovel.

The same can be said for most of us when it comes to our greater environment—like our societies. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly four in ten people in the United States never move beyond the community in which they were born. As for our society nationally, we here in North America are used to living in a democracy—be it one with a parliamentary governmental system, or one that is a republic. We think this is normal and this is the way it will always be. And that can be true, during our life times, with one codicil: we must ensure the continuation of our democracy if we want it to continue. We must protect our freedom if we want to keep it.

Being ‘free’ isn’t a done deal—it’s not a “yay, we made it, now let’s move on to other things” state of being. Freedom is something that must be constantly guarded. It must be protected. It requires a certain vigilance, a certain brightness of mind and an ability to be able to see through the dross of this world to the inner core of what is. And it requires this of all of us. We all must be vigilant.

An attack on our freedom can come stealthily, slowly, a little at a time and seem like no big deal while it’s happening—or conversely, it can seem like the perfect fix for what we think is wrong with the way things are. It’s even possible that those people perpetrating these small incursions don’t even know that’s what they’d doing. They’re just spouting off, because something has offended them, or hurt them, or they feel as if someone is to blame for whatever misfortune they’ve experienced, and the need to “make it right”, or even “make someone pay”, is a need clamouring within them to be met. And so they act, but in a way that begins to contravene our freedoms.

I’m not sure where we got the idea that life was always fair, or even, that how things are now is how they’re always going to be, without any concerted effort on our part to make it so. Since the dawn of time, human kind has been evolving. Not just in the sense of “human evolution”, either. But our societies and our institutions and our technologies have evolved, changing over time. This change is a constant, practically a law of nature. If that were not so, we would all still be living in caves.

Democracy—the kind we have here in North America—is not the only socio-political or geo-political system known to humanity. It is not the only way people on this planet are living right now. It’s just one of the ways. And for now, it’s our way, yes. But for how long, do you think?

We can trust our countries’ constitutions to keep us safe, but only insofar as everyone respects those precepts, and honors those documents. Those who would steal our freedom will act to limit those sacred tenets. There is a danger in closing your eyes and trusting, blindly, that all will go on as it is, as it has always been during our lifetimes. There is a grave danger in trusting the one who says that he alone can fix things. Those are two of the lessons that history teaches us, and we’d be wise to revisit them.

We must be vigilant.

Everything stays the same, until it changes. But that change—like death and taxes, is inevitable. The only question that remains is this: what kind of change will we experience next? Will we expand our definition of rights and freedoms and democracy, and become an even more inclusive, open and just society?

Or will we slowly, but surely, let those rights and freedoms we take for granted be restricted in the name of some so-called greater good? Will we, in fact, invest the nest egg of our future in the businesses of the snake oil salesmen of the world?

Only time will tell.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Release Day! Home at Last (Suncoast Society 40, MM, BDSM) by Tymber Dalton

My book Home at Last (Suncoast Society 40, MM, BDSM), writing as Tymber Dalton, is now available from BookStrand:

http://www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton

[Siren Sensations ManLove: Erotic Alternative Consensual BDSM Romance, M/M, bondage, caning, spanking, HEA]

Ben didn’t know his Master and boyfriend would leave him homeless and in the lurch. Throw in identity theft just to add insult to injury, too. When his best friend and co-worker, Jake, invites him to move into his spare bedroom, it’s the answer to a prayer. Ben knows Jake’s straight, but it doesn’t stop him from fantasizing about the handsome Dom.

The last thing Jake wants is to take advantage of Ben and come off looking like a douche. That’s why, for now, he keeps his carefully guarded secret—that he’s bi, not straight. Toss in a pair of homophobic parents and keeping that fact quiet has made his life easier.

But as he realizes Ben is perfect for him, Jake’s forced to confront the realities of life. The choice to be with Ben means facing down his parents and confronting darker, more dangerous realities that he never encountered before as a “straight” man.

But can he admit his feelings before someone else steals Ben’s heart?

--

You can find this and my other current BookStrand releases, including the other books in the Suncoast Society series, under all my pen names on my author page at:

http://www.bookstrand.com/tymber-dalton

If you have a Kindle, you don’t have to wait the 4-6 weeks for books to reach third-party outlets. You can have the file sent directly to your device:

http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/customers/kindle.htm

The books in the Suncoast Society series are standalone works and can be read independently of each other. The best reading order to avoid spoilers is as follows:

Safe Harbor
Cardinal's Rule
Domme by Default
The Reluctant Dom
The Denim Dom
Pinch Me
Broken Toy
A Clean Sweep
A Roll of the Dice
His Canvas
A Lovely Shade of Ouch
Crafty Bastards
A Merry Little Kinkmas
Sapiosexual
A Very Kinky Valentine’s Day
Things Made Right (Ross and Loren’s story)
Click
Spank or Treat
A Turn of the Screwed
Chains
Kinko de Mayo
Broken Arrow
Out of the Spotlight
Friends Like These
Vicious Carousel
Hot Sauce
Open Doors
One Ring
Vulnerable
The Strength of the Pack
Initiative
Impact
Liability
Switchy
Rhymes With Orange
Beware Falling Ice
Beware Falling Rocks
Dangerous Curves Ahead
Two Against Nature
Home at Last
A Kinkmas Carol (Coming 12/23/16)
Ask DNA (Coming 1/9/17)
Time out of Mind (Coming 1/23/17)
Happy Valenkink's Day (Coming 1/6/16)

Thanks!
Tymber.

http://tymberdalton.com
http://facebook.com/tymberdalton
http://twitter.com/TymberDalton
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TymbersTrybe/

Wednesday's Words for November 30, 2016

I’m a creature of habit, and I’m willing to admit that my habits may not all be completely healthy ones. I don’t know if it’s always been an aspect of my personality, this tendency I have now toward hermit-like behavior, or if it’s a development arrived at through necessity.

I suppose the fact that I’m happiest at home with only the fur babies for company is a natural result of living with the daily reality of arthritis. When every step and ever movement is painful, it’s natural to want to limit those steps and movements. And while I do wear a step counter every day, and I do aim for four thousand steps a day often achieving or surpassing that number, it’s much easier walking around my house than it is trying to navigate the outside world.

It’s also easier not wearing a smile every minute of the day, which is me at home. The puppy and the puddy are fine with my ordinary every-day, non-smiling, writing-jammie clad self. They’ve not issued a single complaint—as long as I keep the treats coming, they’re happy.

I have my routine, something I refer to as “multi-tasking”. That just means that I don’t let myself sit too long at my computer before getting up and applying myself to the housework. My husband works outside at his job, but is on his feet for a good part of the day now, which is always the way it is for him in the last few weeks of the year. Once he comes home at the end of each day, he may nap or he may play at his own computer, but the only thing I ask of him is that he set the table. He’ll do the supper dishes, or not, depending on the day he’s had. I’m fine with that, even though it means I have to pick up the slack when he opts out.

My beloved reminds me that he has less than a year now until retirement; I remind him that retirement does not mean doing nothing around the house. This is an ongoing discussion between us—a negotiation, if you will. He’s all, “I’m not leaving one job to pick up another,” and I’m all, “so does that mean I get to retire, too, from feeding you?”. As I said, a negotiation. I believe we’re close to settlement as he agrees that taking a couple of hours every morning to help out isn’t so onerous a prospect, after all.

I think I’m in the catbird seat here, as he hates cooking with a passion—but loves eating nearly as much as that.

It’s going to be an interesting dance the two of us will be doing once he is officially retired from the EDJ (evil day job). Someone asked me just last night if I was looking forward to his being home full time. The question gave me pause, as I didn’t really know how to honestly answer that and come out looking like anything other than the worst kind of bitch.

On the one hand, and really, most importantly, I’ll be glad he no longer has to push himself, doing what for him has become increasingly more difficult with age. I’m glad that he’ll no longer have to go in every day and face a job he no longer loves, working for a company he no longer respects. He’s looking forward to his future, and I want him to have that.

On the other hand, I am going to have to learn how to share my domain. I know it’s a dilemma faced by every couple in this situation. I recall my old High School history teacher, married for over forty years. Within a year of his retirement, his wife divorced him. Since the man had been my husband’s history teacher for one semester, I remind him of that case as well.

The secret is going to be in compromise—not a dirty word for either one of us. We’ll be embarking on new territory, after all, very much like we did when we first got married forty-four and a half years ago.

But unlike then, we’re a little more mature, and a little less quick to take offense these days. I’m thinking the bumps in the road ahead of us will be solid, but minimal.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Wednesday's Words for November 23, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

Also, this week marks the 10th anniversary of Wednesday’s Words.

I can’t believe that I’ve been yammering on here every week for ten years. Do you know my first few essays were only two or three paragraphs long? Ah, those were the days. I’m sure there are times when some of you reading my words wish these essays were still that short.

Thanksgiving was my first topic—when I was awaiting the publication of my first book in the coming spring, and trying to find my way in this amazing medium of the Internet. My original goal was to let you get to know me through my thoughts and ideas and dubious artistic style.

Ten years doesn’t seem like much, especially when you’re in your twenties and thirties. But these past ten years, I have gone from being a woman just into my fifties to one in my sixties, and let me tell you, it’s been an…interesting…ten years. The time has flown, punctuated by highlights and lowlights and everything in between. And through those years, and all those different lights, the holidays we celebrate kept returning, like an audio-video panorama on a continuous-play loop.

Each holiday, like Thanksgiving, seems more precious to me, the more the years pile up. The truth is that for those of us alive at this particular time in human history, with everything moving so quickly in our advanced technological age, the holidays are among those rare moments when lasting memories of love and friends and family are made and remembered. They’re the days or the seasons when we take a moment to immerse ourselves in those traditions that we enjoyed from the time we were young. I wonder if anyone has ever written a book about holiday traditions being the touchstones that anchor us in life? Someone should, if it hasn’t happened already. I think of these special times as center points—a spoke in the wheel of our lives that we keep coming back to as we travel our individual paths.

Holidays are also occasions when we are most likely to feel the loss of those no longer with us. I don’t think holidays fulfill their greatest potential for us without such moments of reflection. None of us are immortal, but we can all achieve a measure of immortality by living on in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind when we die. It’s proof of one of my favorite sayings—that people will remember how you made them feel long after they recall anything you ever said.

Turkey and stuffing, candied yams, and whatever other “trimmings” are special to your table are so much more than just food. They, too, are memories. No two cooks prepare their turkey the same way. My husband had an aunt who always cut the skin off the bird, just before serving it…and then tossed that discarded, golden crispy skin into the trash. Our Sonja has become a very good cook only because she knew it was necessary to feed her children (when she first came to us she said she hated cooking. I think she still does, but cooks anyway). And it is Sonja alone in our family who makes the very best turkey, always so moist and tasty—because she bastes it every half hour without fail. My husband only wants to eat turkey if Sonja has cooked it.

Looking back on the feasts over the course of my life, and beginning when I was just a child, I must confess that I enjoyed the turkey sandwiches the day after far more than I did the bird on the feast day itself. I am even guilty of sometimes putting a bit of stuffing between the turkey and the lettuce on my sandwich.

As you prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving, I hope that your day will be filled with friends and family, good food, laughter and love. And that you will take a moment to gather it all in and hold it close to your heart.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com 
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Volcano’s Angelic Headline Forecast ~ A Divine Team of King Kongs

Relentlessly HAMMER the Human Race With ***TRUTH*** and More Truth 

*Versus* The Robber Baron Globalists Vampire-Feeding On the Innocent, the Good, the Beautiful ... All While Berserker-Battling the People's Right To Freedom 

II 
CROP CIRCLES! OMY! ... PORTALS AND STARGATES WILL OPEN FOR MANY TO SEE NOW ... CERN AND RIPPING OPEN THE DIMENSIONAL FABRIC CONTINUES ... ANTARCTICA, WHAT IS THE TRUTH? ... AND ANOTHER ANTI-CHRIST 

BLURB... crop circle investigator Patty Greer ~pattygreer.net~ shared her latest research and theories. Greer expressed frustration with the suppression of her research, noting how she cannot get her films on any distribution platforms, as well as the closure of crop formation research center Silent Circle in Wiltshire, UK. "There is something really heavy going on with crop circles," she said, suggesting there is a nefarious group of people that don't want her data to get out.
Greer indicated her latest documentary, Crop Circle Diaries, may be the last movie on the topic of crop circles. She revealed during filming a mysterious helicopter purposely circled so low and for so long that it tied her hair in knots. Greer confessed her belief that crop circles are a genuine phenomenon and provide much physical evidence left behind from visiting UFOs. She also spoke about the plant research of William Levengood. 
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2016/11/12
[NOTE: Crop Circles REVEAL the use of PLASMA ENERGY as a reality. The people of Earth DO NOT NEED the big oil cartels] 

Article: Strange Goings On in Antarctica -  Did they find some sort of lost ancient high technology there? ~ 11/8/2016 
So, all of this, I suppose, is the context in which, perhaps, to view the following strange statement in the article, indeed, the only statement in the article of any real factual significance, and one which invites - nay, almost compels - some high octane speculation:
Officials with the National Science Foundation (NSF) have launched a medical evacuation flight to NSF's scientific station at the geographic South Pole.
After comprehensive consultation with outside medical professionals, agency officials decided that a medical situation at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station warrants returning a member of the station's winter crew to a hospital that can provide a level of medical care that is unavailable at the station.
The patient is seasonally employed through the Lockheed Martin Antarctic Support Contract (ASC), the prime contract for operations and research support contractor to NSF for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). NSF is not releasing any further personal or medical information to preserve the patient's privacy.
(Emphasis added)
Say that again please? Lockheed-Martin has a contract for scientific research in Antarctica? The same Lockheed-Martin renowned for advanced aerodynamics, the same Lochheed-Martin that is a key corporate defense contractor and player in the US military-industrial complex?
Source: http://gizadeathstar.com
http://helenastales.weebly.com/blogue/strange-goings-on-in-antarctica-did-they-find-some-sort-of-lost-ancient-high-technology-there

Article: Pilot of passenger jet forced to put the aircraft into a steep DIVE to avoid a ‘UFO' that was ‘too high to be a drone’ in emergency over Canada that injured two cabin crew 
 A Porter Airlines Dash-8 turboprop plane had a near miss with a 'UFO'
 It was coming in to land at Billy Bishop City Airport in Toronto, Canada
 54 passengers were on board the plane, which was flying from Ottawa 
By RITA SOBOT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:05 EST, 15 November 2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3938076/A-drone-9-000ft-don-t-think-Passenger-jet-near-miss-UFO-Canada.html

Article: Alien hunters in a frenzy after ‘burning UFO’ is caught on camera flying over Lima, Peru
Sunday, November 13, 2016
The slow-moving ball of orange light can be seen flying through the dark sky in the eerie clip, before disappearing without a trace. 
— The Sun

Article: "Aliens Will Return To Earth Within 20 Years"~ Saturday, November 5, 2016 ...says "Chariots of the Gods" author Erich Van Daniken. — Yahoo! News

Article: Special Report: Bee County Bigfoot ~ Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Baldemar Galvan, who runs the Bee County Bigfoot Research Group, shares stories of local Sasquatch creatures. 
— KiiiTV.com

Article: Bizarre remains of medieval giantess discovered
Saturday, November 12, 2016
At more than seven feet tall the skeleton of the woman buried close to a church on an island called Ostrów Lednicki in Poland is enormous, and has one of the biggest human skulls ever found. 
— Mirror.co.uk

Article: GIANT Discovery in Bolivia: Elongated Skulls NOT Caused By Artificial Cranial Deformation – It’s Genetic 
https://freedomfightertimes.com/end-times/fallen/nephilim/bolivia-elongated-skulls-cranial-deformation-evidence-giants

THE RISE OF CONSCIOUSNESS ... BLURB: Joanne DiMaggio ~joannedimaggio.com~ has been actively involved with Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) since 1987, and has been professionally pursuing past-life research and therapy for over 25 years. In the latter half, she shared details and insights from the numerous past life regression sessions she's conducted. Many of her clients had deep-seated issues that were resolved in just one past life recall session-- just finding the origin of their problem allowed them to put the issue behind them, she said. Often times, people's present day physical ailments or illnesses have roots in a specific past life, she revealed.
In one of her cases, a woman suffered from sciatica (leg) pain, and went back to a life in 18th century France, where she was a ballerina who set up a rival dancer to have an accident in which her leg was injured, suggesting that some sort of karmic retribution was in play. Interestingly, DiMaggio has concluded that there is no such thing as an "old soul" as all souls were created at the same time, though some people do reincarnate more frequently than others. As part of the process, all souls picks out their parents before they're born into a body, she continued. Some of the people she's regressed have spoken in thick dialects or accents, while others have described lives on other planets, or going as far back on Earth as 800 BC. 
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2016/11/07

THE ANCIENT PAST REVEALING ITSELF ... Article: Mayan 'nesting doll' pyramid is found in Mexico: 32ft-tall mystery structure is the SECOND to be uncovered inside the Temple of Kukulcan - and there could be more
The structure was discovered inside the massive pyramid of Kukulkan at the famous Mayan site
Archaeologists have long known that a smaller pyramid is encapsulated underneath the visible temple 
Researchers said they have now detected an even smaller structure inside the outer two layers 
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and LIBBY PLUMMER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 18:12 EST, 16 November 2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3943598/Mexican-experts-say-original-pyramid-Chichen-Itza.html

CONTINUED AT TITLE MAGIC ~ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Warning!!! The global elite [New World Order] does not want *you* to read this book. See ~ Powerful Dreams at my Kougar Kisses blog. 

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

~~~ Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~~~ 

World weary and worn out, the incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human, has three choices after her old van breaks down.

Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp.

Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal with the hope her death will be quick.

Or does she dare trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her?

Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges out of the darkness.

Sedona wonders if the stranger on a superspeed motorcycle is her savior from the brutal endtimes.

Or, is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?

***

It’s only a few days before Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 ~ The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Sent from heaven to help Sedona save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

He also knows Sedona is about to find out Christmas miracles still exist.

[Angelic Fantasy Erotic Romance] 
~~~~~~

~~~ EBOOK & IN PRINT ~~~ a former #1 on Siren-BookStrand’s bestseller list

Author Discovery by BookStrand author, Lindsay Townsend. 
~~~

~ HAVE A MAGICKAL WEEK ~

Kisses from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Siren-BookStrand Author of ~ 

All Shades of Blue Paradise
[World of the Blue Pearl Moon, Book 1]

When a Good Angel Falls ~ In Print
[Winter Solstice 2012, Book 1]

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ In Print
[New Atlantis Trilogy, Book 1]

Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ In Print
[Chrontropolis, Book 1]

Stallion of Ash and Flame ~ In Print

Branded by the Texans ~ IN PRINT ~ A Siren-BookStrand Bestseller!
[Three Star Republic]

Kandy Apple and Her Hellhounds ~  What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween? ~ Ebook and In Print. 

Wednesday's Words for November 16, 2016

Be kind to one another.

If you watch daytime television—specifically, if you watch Ellen—these are words that are familiar to you. You may have caught a part of her show, or heard those words, and thought, “oh, what a nice sentiment”. And then you went back to whatever it was you were doing without another thought.

Be kind to one another.

Only five words, but if you let them sink in, if you let them permeate, they’re powerful, aren’t they? Now, some of you might wave them off, because I mentioned Ellen DeGeneres, a comedienne with a daytime talk show. I have to admit I don’t generally watch her show myself, although I have caught the odd episode, and seen the occasional YouTube clip. But then I don’t watch television in the daytime, period. I’m here, at my desk, in the daytime, half of the time writing, and half of the time pretending to write. If the day was longer, I might watch her show, because she has interesting guests, and she’s generous, not just to members of her audience, but also, and most usually to public schools and families of US military personnel, and worthy people in true need. So, in that way, I guess you could say she lives up to the words she uses at the end of every one of her shows.

Be kind to one another.

But what do those words mean, really? And, where did she get them, anyway? Here’s where my essay today might get a little sticky, but I won’t apologize for that. You see, those words are from the Bible. Ephesians 4:32, to be exact. And while I don’t usually do this, I’m going to write out that verse here, and I have a reason for doing it, so I hope you’ll allow me this indulgence and bear with me. The verse, as it appears in the New American Standard Bible: Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Here’s my reason for reproducing that quote, and I guess I’m directing this chiefly toward the self-righteous out there, especially in light of not only the storm of “unfriending” and hate-filled diatribe that I see taking place in social media in the last week, but also the hate-related attacks that have occurred in the United States since November 8th. I fear that some of you are certain you know those words already. I’m sorry, but no, some of you don’t know those words at all.

That is the entire verse, as I presented it, and looking at it, we can all agree it doesn’t say “be kind to one another but only if you’re of the same color”; it doesn’t say, “be kind to one another but only if you’re of the same political party”; it doesn’t say, “be kind to one another, but only if you go to the same church”; it doesn’t say, “ be kind to one another, but only if you’re of the same ethnicity”; it doesn’t say, “be kind to one another, but only if it’s convenient for you”.

No. It says, simply, beautifully, and in words that are all-encompassing and easy to understand: “be kind to one another”.

When is kindness warranted? Always, but especially if you see your fellow human being vulnerable, depressed, suffering, or in need. If you see kids being threatened with violence, women being abused, those of another religion scorned and beaten. We are called upon to be kind in all that we do, aren’t we? There should be no meanness and no striking out—if only because being mean and striking out brings no lasting peace to ourselves. Being kind costs nothing, mostly, except a moment of your time—a smile, a word of encouragement, letting someone go ahead of you in a line. It can be anything from simply offering a helping hand, to something more demanding, as in standing up for someone who is being treated badly, or bullied.

There are no prerequisites to the ability to offer kindness—because kindness is already within us to give. In fact, that is the only reason it’s within us. And oddly, the more we give, the more we have available for us to give. The more we give, the more we gain for ourselves. We gain a sense of having done something right, something worthwhile, something good. The truth is, we feel good when we do good. Always.

These are difficult times. People are hurting. Hearts are broken. Dreams have been dashed. People who once felt protected, now live in fear. Whether you believe these emotions are justified, or not, does not change the reality that this is what it is. Feelings are real to the one feeling them.

So please, I beg of you. Be kind to one another.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Wednesday's Words for November 9, 2016

Yesterday was also a momentous day in the Ashbury family. We had two birthdays on November 8—my husband’s, and our second daughter, Sonja’s. It’s difficult with her schedule and our daughter’s, but we work hard to have a time when we can all go out to dinner together, to celebrate. This year, it was the day before yesterday—Monday, the 7th. It makes for a nice party at the local Keg Steakhouse: there’s ten of us. For this occasion, our instructions to the gang have always been to order whatever they want. We usually get a few appetizer platters for sharing, as well. The main courses by themselves are more food than I can eat, but that’s what ‘doggie’ bags are for.

Our two youngest grandchildren have always had a good sense of gastronomic adventure, willing to try anything once. When they were small, they weren’t interested in eating junk food so much as just basic good food. When I had them overnight, especially during the winter, they would often request hot cereal for breakfast, opting for that over their sugar-sweetened favorites. No instant hot cereals in this house, either. Just regular oatmeal, oat bran, cornmeal and cream of wheat, cereals that require good, old fashioned cooking.

When we’d go to the Keg for our annual expensive pig-out, they would happily try mushrooms stuffed with crab, bacon wrapped scallops, or whatever else we ordered as appetizers. Now they’re 16 (granddaughter) and 14 (grandson) and they spent the first part of the evening with their young cousins, my two great-grandbabies who are 3 and 2. It warmed me to see them encourage the little ones to try the appetizers, too. Abby loved the crab stuffing, and Archer, at two years old, was all about those scallops!

There’s something about the rhythm of day to day life, especially at this time of year, that I find comforting. It’s the beat of the music that our souls recognize as we go through the days, one after the other, as the seasons ebb and flow. Colder weather brings out hearty meals, hot cocoa, and snuggling down with a blanket, often more for comfort than for warmth. There are of course, new episodes of our favorite television shows to watch, and there are always lots of good books to read. It can be challenging sometimes to keep the main thing the main thing and to maintain that rhythm from season to season. Distractions can be…well, very distracting. It’s good to have all the very worst distractions over with, at least for the foreseeable future.

It's also at this time of year, especially, that I rue my advancing age. I agree with those of you who will say, without equivocation, that 62 is not old. However, 62 and riddled with arthritis, and with heart disease thrown in along with a side of diabetes makes me a tad too old or maybe ‘challenged’ to do the things my inner self hungers to do. We’re into the meat of autumn now. I should be making pickles and jams, freezing the produce out of the gardens, and generally, getting my “den” ready for the winter to come. The fact that I feel these instinctive urges so keenly this year, more than any in recent memory in fact, tells me we might indeed be in for what the old folks used to call one humdinger of a winter.

I miss gardening, and believe it or not, I even miss those times when I would don my winter gear and go out and shovel snow off the walkway. I think it’s that whole “self-sufficiency” thing that I really miss. I am at the point in my life where I can’t live the way I want to live all by myself. Not if I want to keep the main thing being the main thing.

What is the main thing? For me, right now, it’s focusing on what really matters in life—relationships, community, and a sense that we are all a part of something much bigger than the sum of our parts. 

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Volcano’s Angelic Headline Forecast ~ Aquarian Age Activists Grab Hold of A Golden Destiny

FOR, PEOPLE POWER *TRUMPS* THE MONKEY-CHAOS, PSYCHO-MAD GLOBALISTS AT THIS EPIC, WORLD-SHAKING SPINPOINT ... THUS, CAUSING POPULISM TO TSUNAMI AROUND THE WORLD  

*** 

I 
LAND CHANGES: [To Repeat From a Prior Forecast] All Heck Will Break Loose On Several Fronts As the Year 2016 Comes To a Close ... This Will Involve Huge Earthquakes, Explosive Volcanoes, More Incredible Flooding, and Superstorms Never Seen Before, Including Sandstorms/Dust Storms ... There *Could* Be Several Hurricanes That Destroy Parts of Coastlines ... Also, Tsunami-type Waves Will Cover Inland Areas, Thus Causing Migrations ... As Well, There Will Likely Be More Sinkholes In Big Cities ... With the Coming Shaking of Planet Earth, Bridges Will Fail – The Timeframe Is From Three Months Hence, and Forward ... Plus, Rainstorms, Hailstorms Intensify In Power, and Tornadoes Spin Where They Have Never Been In recorded History ... Important: Prepare For the Unexpected and Expected Climate Emergency ... Finally, Watch Out For Those Rogue Asteroids, Fireballs, and Comets ... The Sun wakes up, tossing energy streams, plasmas never before recorded or known. NASA will not be able to completely *hide* this phenomenon. *HERE COME THE METEORS ... TAKE COVER WHEN NEEDED* 

[This week will likely see significant shifts in the Earth plates] 

Article: Fiery meteor disintegrates in the sky over Ust-Kut, Russia-NOTE THE DOUBLE EXPLOSIONS-MORE THAN A METEOR! [stevequayle.com] 
http://strangesounds.org/2016/10/fiery-meteor-oblast-russia-video.html

PHOTOS: Storm Drops Feet of Hail on Mexico City
By Katy Galimberti, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer ~ August 22, 2014; 3:12 AM ET
A long-lived and intense thunderstorm dumped hail that ended up being measured in feet in some parts of Mexico City Sunday afternoon and evening.
City tunnels and roadways became impassable in some locations and emergency workers were forced into action to free vehicles and open roads. Heavy equipment was needed to clean up the hail, similar to the clean-up efforts needed after a blizzard. 
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/hail-storm-mexico-city-slams-m/32557790

Article:'It's apocalyptic, our town is finished': Terror in Italy as TWO powerful earthquakes strike within just two hours of each other - leaving terrified people 'screaming in the street in darkness' 
Earthquake measuring 5.4 hit central northern Italy at 7.10pm local time 
A powerful aftershock - measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale - followed later
The epicentre of the quakes were in countryside 80 miles from Rome
The worst hit towns were Visso, Ussita and Castel Santangelo Sul Nera 
Darkness and heavy rain are hampering efforts to locate casualties 
The tremor caused a Serie A match to be suspended for four minutes 
On August 24 another earthquake in central Italy killed 300 people  
By CHRIS SUMMERS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:31 EST, 26 October 2016 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3875648/Powerful-earthquake-hits-ancient-city-Rome-central-Italy.html

Article: 2 quakes rattle Italy, crumbling buildings and causing panic
A pair of strong aftershocks have shaken central Italy, crumbling churches and buildings, knocking out power and sending panicked residents into the rain-drenched streets just two months after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 300 people
Oct. 26, 2016, at 7:02 p.m. 
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-10-26/earthquake-rattles-rome

INFO: Umbria, Italy has had: (M1.5 or greater)
6 earthquakes today
17 earthquakes in the past 7 days
18 earthquakes in the past month
44 earthquakes in the past year
The largest earthquake in Umbria, Italy:
today: 6.6 in Preci, Umbria, Italy
this week: 6.6 in Preci, Umbria, Italy
this month: 6.6 in Preci, Umbria, Italy
this year: 6.6 in Preci, Umbria, Italy 
http://earthquaketrack.com/p/italy/umbria/recent

Article: Second earthquake swarm in two months hits Salton Sea – 50 earthquakes strike near Niland ~ By Strange Sounds - Oct 31, 2016
Nearly 35 micro-quakes struck the town of Niland near the eastern shore of the Salton Sea.
The swarm of tremors started at about 2:30am PDT and consists of 35 recorded events. The largest tremor so far was a magnitude 3.6 quake (depth 3.1km, 7km SW of Niland, California).
http://strangesounds.org/2016/10/second-earthquake-swarm-in-two-months-hits-salton-sea.html

Headline: M4.5 earthquake shakes Oklahoma and rattles homes from Kansas to Missouri 
http://strangesounds.org/2016/11/m4-5-earthquake-shakes-oklahoma-kansas-missouri-fracking.html

Article: Italy's worst earthquake in 30 years adds to cracks in Colosseum amid fears dormant volcano near Rome is 'waking up'
Officials say 6.6-magnitude quake put new strain on 2,000-year-old arena
Experts assessing damage to ancient buildings in Rome after the tremor
Comes amid fears dormant volcano in nearby Alban Hills is reactivating
Experts say magma has started building up in chambers deep below the surface
By JULIAN ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 06:18 EDT, 1 November 2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3893068/Italy-s-worst-earthquake-30-years-adds-cracks-Colosseum-amid-fears-dormant-volcano-near-Rome-waking-up.html

Article: Is the 'big one' about to hit Rome? String of tremors and volcano's reawakening prompt fears of major quake 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/01/volcano-slowly-reawakening-on-romes-doorstep

Headline: Mount St Helens Is Getting Weird(er)!--'It's Magma Source is a Mystery' 
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/11/mount-st-helens-is-getting-weirder-its-magma-source-a-mystery.html

Article: What a lava-ly spot! Hardy photographer camps on an active VOLCANO to capture stunning photos of its otherworldly red-hot interior: ASTONISHING PHOTOS 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3889326/What-lava-ly-spot-Hardy-photographer-camps-active-VOLCANO-capture-stunning-photos-otherworldly-red-hot-interior.html

***PLANET NINE, NIBIRU, WHATEVER, IT'S HERE*** 

Article: More evidence for Planet Nine: Bizarre orbits of distant objects could be explained by the hypothetical world
Astronomers said in January they may have discovered a ninth planet
New study suggests it could cause strange orbits of objects past Neptune
The peculiar orbits of 4 Kuiper Belt objects had been unnoticed until now
A new paper says they can be explained by the presence of a Planet Nine 
By ABIGAIL BEALL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:45 EST, 27 October 2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3878484/More-evidence-Planet-Nine-Bizarre-orbits-distant-objects-explained-hypothetical-world.html 

CONTINUED AT TITLE MAGIC ~ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Warning!!! The global elite [New World Order] does not want *you* to read this book. See ~ Powerful Dreams at my Kougar Kisses blog. 

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

~~~ Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~~~ 

World weary and worn out, the incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human, has three choices after her old van breaks down.

Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp.

Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal with the hope her death will be quick.

Or does she dare trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her?

Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges out of the darkness.

Sedona wonders if the stranger on a superspeed motorcycle is her savior from the brutal endtimes.

Or, is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?

***

It’s only a few days before Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 ~ The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Sent from heaven to help Sedona save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

He also knows Sedona is about to find out Christmas miracles still exist.

[Angelic Fantasy Erotic Romance] 
~~~~~~

~~~ EBOOK & IN PRINT ~~~ a former #1 on Siren-BookStrand’s bestseller list

Author Discovery by BookStrand author, Lindsay Townsend. 
~~~

~ HAVE A MAGICKAL WEEK ~

Kisses from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Siren-BookStrand Author of ~ 

All Shades of Blue Paradise
[World of the Blue Pearl Moon, Book 1]

When a Good Angel Falls ~ In Print
[Winter Solstice 2012, Book 1]

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ In Print
[New Atlantis Trilogy, Book 1]

Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ In Print
[Chrontropolis, Book 1]

Stallion of Ash and Flame ~ In Print

Branded by the Texans ~ IN PRINT ~ A Siren-BookStrand Bestseller!
[Three Star Republic]

Kandy Apple and Her Hellhounds ~  What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween? ~ Ebook and In Print.