dailyprompt

Hot air balloon flight

~ MaryG ~ 19 Comments

Have you ever broken a bone?

I broke a toe once, really badly. I don’t even like to think about it. It hurt SO much. (I stubbed it on a futon leg while barefoot.) It was wildly out of alignment. My husband had to pop it back into place. OUCH! Doctors can’t really do anything about toes. They just taped it to the one next to it and I limped around until it healed.

Fortunately no bones were broken during our Friday night “bucket list” excursion in Ithaca. The take-off was much wilder than I thought it would be. I was holding on to the basket for dear life. But once we were floating, it was quite magical. I’ve been in a helicopter before, but this was different. It’s as close as you can imagine to being a bird. So very many shades of green. The bottom of the basket occasionally scraped on some tree tops. “No problem,” said our pilot Dar. “Basket cleaners,” he called them. And then handed us some leaves. 🍃

My husband and son got put to work on both takeoff and landing. I took pictures and videos.

Three people were already pre-loaded in the basket at this point. The rest of us scrambled in over the sides, once “Captain America” was upright.
Up we go, with Dar’s hand on the “flame throwers” (which were a bit loud, when in use)
We floated over some waterfalls in Ithaca’s Robert H. Treman State Park
The magic of floating in the air and Dar thanking his ground crew.
I really did not want to drop my phone, but eventually I relaxed enough to hand it to a fellow passenger from Pennsylvania. He took this nice pic.
Group selfie with Dar
Farms and fields and Lake Cayuga in the distance

I think we were all a bit nervous about the landing. Once he found a good spot, Dar had the heavier people, including my very strong husband, move to one side of the basket. We all crouched down with all body parts inside the basket. We dragged on the ground for a bit. My husband got out and helped hold us down, which he said was hard. (He got a rather large bruise as we attempted to “jump” the basket up and over a small ditch. Inside the basket, we actually jumped up and down.)

When instructed, I did not waste any time grabbing the bars and vaulting myself out of the basket in a move that my son described as “wildly athletic.”

My son was instructed to run out into the field and help the ground crew pull down Captain America.

The landing
My son and the ground crew pulling Captain America back to earth
Everyone helped put Captain America back in his bag.

We celebrated with a roadside champagne toast and then the ground crew drove us back to our car!

Related post:

Experiences over stuff

Graduation & Audiobooks

~ MaryG ~ 12 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What sacrifices have you made in life?
View all responses

We’re headed to upstate NY today for my son’s college graduation!

As previously reported, I’m very proud of him and he’s generally been a joy to raise, but I’ve certainly made a few sacrifices along the way.

I’ve checked-out the only four audiobooks from the library that were available and short enough to finish during the 6-hour car ride. If anyone has read or listened to any of these books and has thoughts, please let me know.

Bon weekend!

The Big Easy

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What’s the oldest things you’re wearing today?
View all responses

I’ve got a WEK “big easy” shirt that’s at least 20 years old, possibly 25. I’m pretty sure my mother gave it to me. Judging from the comments in the reviews, other people love it as much as me and have had theirs just as long.

It was originally a light lilac/periwinkle color. The sleeves now have a few holes. I have no idea why they have holes. It’s not made of wool (therefore the holes are not moth-made). I guess it’s just old.

I wear it on a daily basis as a sort of a house coat. It’s the perfect weight for a layer. I try not to wear it out (other than to the mailbox), but sometimes I end up wearing it to do a local errand.

My oldest shirt in portrait mode.
Deep post, huh?

Leader/Follower

~ MaryG ~ 9 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Are you a leader or a follower?
View all responses

This prompt gives me pause.

I mean, I like to think of myself as being a serious person that people listen to, but I’ve not held many traditional leadership roles in my life. I can’t think of one committee that I ever chaired or co-chaired. Maybe that will change, as I’ve been appointed to my church’s executive team for next fiscal year.

At work, I was always a respected “individual contributor” (as they say in HR). I never managed a team.

With my family, I’d say I’m pretty much the leader (CEO), with my husband as CFO (and let’s face it, CTO—I’m clueless about technology), but with my son soon to be fully launched, I may be in more of an advisory role soon.

With my activist volunteer work, I’m definitely a follower. Tell me who to call or write, and what to say, and I’ll get it done. I respect the work of the smart and serious activists in my community and I gladly follow them. We’re united in our mission to create a blue wave in 2024 and save democracy from the MAGA cult. We’ve got new and different people showing up every week (including men—yay men!), plus many helping out from home.

Can you tell who the leader of this group is? It’s Denali (front right)—an experienced, passionate activist who has been organizing since the 60s. She even gives us tips on how to quickly apply stamps. 😉

Froot Loops

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
View all responses

Just kidding, everyone knows there’s not one speck of real fruit in Froot Loops.

This is one of the many jokes in Jerry Seinfeld’s new film “Unfrosted” on Netflix, which I recommend if you’re an American between the ages of 55 and 70.

Did your mother watch Jack LaLanne on TV—or even own one of his “calisthenics” records—like my mom did?

Did you ever make a newsprint transfer with Silly Putty?

Did you have a Milk Man?

If you ever ate astronaut-inspired “food” or grew Sea Monkeys in a fish bowl, this movie is for you!

It’s basically 90 minutes of non-stop jokes and cultural references to our 1960s childhoods. The premise of the film is the battle between Post and Kellogg’s over the race to invent a breakfast pastry kids will love even more than sugary cereals like Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops. (Spoiler alert: Kellogg’s wins with the ubiquitous, sugar-filled Pop Tart)

I don’t typically like the comedian Bill Burr, but he’s really funny as JFK in this movie. Plus, there’s a ton of other celebrities in roles both large and small.

My generation ate bananas (sliced up into cereal), apples, and dry navel oranges. In the summer, there was watermelon and the occasional strawberry shortcake (especially on the Fourth of July). I’ll stick with those as my top five fruits. Thank goodness the citrus options have improved!

A fun time in 1968

Calcium

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?
View all responses

So, according to my doctor (who I saw last week), I’m supposed to be getting 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily. That seems like a lot! I’m not a fan of those chewy calcium supplements, so I should try to get it from food.

Ballparking this:

Broccoli: 100mg

Spinach: 100mg

Dried figs: 100mg

Orange: 50mg

Yogurt: 300mg

Cereal: 130mg

Cheese: 170mg

Total: 950mg

You know what this means, don’t you? I need to start drinking milk.

Bleh.

One 8oz glass of milk: 300mg

Everyone knows there’s only one thing that makes milk tolerable – and that’s chocolate. And no, I don’t drink chocolate milk.

I like my milk with fancy chocolates—also unfancy ones, if that’s all I have. Reese’s happen to go great with milk.

So, I will be adding both nonfat milk—and more chocolate—to my diet.

Here’s the selection we picked up at Trader Joe’s the other night.

That chocolate bar on the left has 120mg of calcium in it. It’s a win-win.

Every Day is Kids Day

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.
View all responses

It’s Mothers Day in the United States.

Wishing mothers—and motherers—everywhere a happy day!

Here’s some photo back-up for the universally given answer to the inevitable question: “But when is Kids Day?”

Getting a makeover with magic markers

Lack of fear

~ MaryG ~ Leave a comment
Daily writing prompt
What does freedom mean to you?
View all responses

To me, freedom is a lack of fear.

I feel free to share my thoughts, if I’m not afraid of hostile reactions or ridicule.

I feel free to travel or walk alone, if I’m not afraid of being harassed or attacked.

I feel free to go into large crowds, if I’m not afraid that people have guns.

I felt free to get pregnant when I was younger, because I was not afraid my health would be in danger.

I think it’s hard to feel truly free, when you also feel frightened.

Image from Pexels

Preaching to the choir

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What public figure do you disagree with the most?
View all responses

“Disagree” is not the right word (far too mild), but I feel I might be preaching to the choir here on WordPress. (As a longtime church choir member, I love that expression.)

Perhaps I’ll see what a (free) AI image generator can do with my intense feelings.

Ooooo…I like this one ^
Perps in Prison. Jerks in Jail. Dirty Old Men. Power Pervs. Catch & Chill (suggestions welcomed)

The next generation

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is your career plan?
View all responses

I’m retired (I think) and looking forward to becoming a grandmother and doing some meaningful volunteer work. So, I’m going use this prompt to provide an update on the next generation.

I’m extremely pleased to report that my son landed a job! He’s a senior in college and this is his first post-grad position. I’m super proud of him!

The college class of 2024 (high school class of 2020) has not had it easy. They had their senior prom, graduation, senior spring sports seasons, and numerous other rites of passage cancelled due to Covid. In addition, many of them (including my son) took their very first semester of college classes remotely from home. MAJOR bummer is an understatement! His second semester, though not remote, was not at all normal. Masks, testing, and Zoom classes from dorm rooms are not fun. My son got put in isolation for TEN DAYS over Easter because he was exposed to a bus driver who tested positive. (My son never did.)

Sophomore year was somewhat normal and thankfully he had a terrific semester abroad junior year. And now, the famous final scene…the last few weeks of college.

So here’s to these very resilient young people. GenZ is in the house and they are going to do things differently. We’re handing them a broken world, but I have faith that they will improve things in ways we can’t yet imagine.

Cheers 🍻 to my son and the Class of 2024 ❤️