C. (Comment, never msg).’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2014)

C. (Comment, never msg).’s comments from the Gentle SPECTRUMS group.

Here is a post I wrote about that at my blog. Thank you for boosting, sharing, and also remembering wonderful things with me that are happy to talk about, like our memorable cat Thumbelina! https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2017/0...

Competing with gardening has been the unfortunate, emotionally-hard need for my parents to leave our family home. Most people wish their parents and descendents can go on living there so we can keep visiting it. I have been out of there a long time and know our belongings feel more like home than the rooms without them. For me the landscape of our house and yard is what looks and feels like home.

Especially with my dear, favourite cottonwood tree. It might be at least 800 years old and has a triple trunk! It is very tall, comforting, and positive. I feel it has always protected us and while the inside began to feel suffocating with clutter, the outside always feels great. Mom's heart is in the frontyard where she constantly added small trees, flowers, which wonderfully gave them privacy and shade on a city street. I took photos of them for her. Not least, is our 21 year-old cat and one of the love's of my life: Thumbelina Sandy. Her resting place is in the backyard.

I only have two more weeks to drop in a couple more times and see it. Her spirit is with me of course but sharing this isn't about what I can still do. Sharing this is dealing with what I am reluctantly parting from. She's been physically gone since July 21, 2003 so I can do this but will certainly miss our very alive cottonwood tree too. Thumbelina was born July 2, 1982! Today is her birthday! Happy birthday to you, my dearest girl! I can and will bring flowers to her resting place today. Ron & I will help Mom pack up what she still needs to do and I'm sure we'll all enjoy the new place. This is about the difficulty of leaving the original one.
Yours from the heart, Carolyn.

If people of the world don't remember July 1st by now, it was very well-advertised this year. Our constitution was formed on July 1, 1867. This is our 150th birthday! Happy 150th Canada Day! Ron & I watched fireworks at our town's activity field. Were cleaning and gardening at home and are busy today, so only went in time to lounge by a fire a little while before that sky show.

People really need to start including vegetarian options wherever anyone hands out hotdogs, burgers, or free food! Vendors too. In fact they had run out of everything but popcorn sooner than they expected. Those staying just for fireworks and arriving for them seemed few. We were comfortable and brought home a lot of glo-sticks for our kitties. I sang the national anthem in English there and in the original French at home.

My sweeties are sleeping in with Ron and birthday McCartney is here. I told him your wishes. He likes knowing hearing messages and pays attention while I tell him. He loved the happy birthday song we sang last night very much. He watched me, with Ron in the background, sing and approached my hand with his head near the close of it. All our cats have been raised to love the extra attention and special sparkle of their birthdays. Thank you again for adding to it! All pets deserve to be treasured like this.

Links to longest-living cats are here. His kitties went out but lived inside, like ours and included some interesting things in their food. Ron gives our cats in the vicinity of his breakfast, snatches of egg. I like giving them vegetables. We need to start growing or buying asparagus for ourselves but have offered them other greens. Reading this has me inspired to make it a staple, even if Ron says our grain-free canned food provides a lot of real vegetables. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_P...

I am very happy and relieved for Florida citizens about the rain. Your neighbour should take better care so intuitive people like you focus on animals who are without a home but how endearing to know how you are that way too. I tried speaking with neighbours, whose cat stuck with us all day (the one who joined us for Christmas eve two years ago) until he disappeared last year. I didn't seem to get across that pets aren't thrilled being outside 24/7 and want to be with THEM and have a break indoors. Some people really think they're doing their pets favours by keeping them out all the time. My cats clamour to get out and enjoy a walk or expedition around but I tested this. Given the choice by leaving the door of the library ajar or that of the house when insects aren't around; I find them relaxed inside, after no later than two hours!

Thank you, Erin! He is right beside me in his own office chair, just the way he had when he was raised his first three years by my youngest brother. We love McCartney Hendrix very much! He has had photos with me and of him around our lovely green yard. Soon he will have tuna! :-) I'll tell him Aunt Erin said hello from Florida where she has a kitty too. I have heard the longest-living cats were in Texas at 38, 34, and 32! I would be thrilled with something like 24 but am heartened that there is longer for this species of my children than I dreamed. :-) Love, Carolyn & Ron.

HAPPY SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY to our very dear Siamese: McCARTNEY!!!! We love you very much and are happy to spend this whole special day pampering you!

Happy birthday to my highest childhoold favourite, Corey Hart! I guess my fellow-trilingual Canadian is fifty-five today!

Ariana could do nothing but return to Florida while investigations and medical care got underway but she has released a heartfelt statement and has found a way to help. In fact, she is organizing a benefit concert June 4 and is returning to Manchester next week! It must be a horror for people to be harmed at your gathering so there is healing for 23 year-old Ariana as well. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz...

Goodness, this group isn't being checked much lately. Well, all I can do is persevere in leaving content at which to look. You may have seen the sad evening news that I just saw. Unfortunately the missing 15 year-old concert-goer, Olivia was found but she was not alive. She was killed by ISIS terrorists in Manchester, England too. I send my love to these people and am spreading this word on the social platform that I have, so you may send love too.

I was saying to someone only an hour ago that although the theme of this internet community is books, personal cameraderie (and public news) aren't off-topic. To the contrary, acquainting people and whatever we might like to share is the mission; with books as a conversation starter in common. Thus even in my small group of 18 people so far, I occasionally share about myself, love it when you do the same, and report international news so that we can do what we can, to discuss it or send our love where it is needed. Anywhere we have a public platform that can send information, education, healing, and love: what better use for it?

What happened at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester, north England last night was a solo attack by an ISIS member after all. Twenty-two people are dead, a fifteen year-old girl named OLIVIA is missing and her Mother has been asking hospitals any anyone with information to connect any dots they can to bring her daughter home.

Ariana has cancelled her world tour and is distressed at the senseless loss of twenty-two of her fans doing nothing but absorbing a night of joyous energy through a beloved artist's music. Two of the victims are children; the youngest an eight yera-old girl! These families, friends, and music-lovers need our healing, prayer, and strong energy. Let's send it to them now, each in our own way. I was happy to use my space to do that and report what happened, so these children and people do no go unnoticed.

It sounds like this explosion took place outside the concert and it was people exiting that were harmed or affected. Manchester police suspect a suicide bomber. Good grief: in our world, accidents and illnesses we can't prevent are hurdles enough. We cannot and will not tolerate people causing any harm to anyone!!!!

Everyone watching the finale of "The Voice" now heard something serious happened at the end of an Ariane Grande concert in northern England tonight. It is so recent, no one seems to know yet but explosions were heard and some people are injured or even deceased. All they say is "explosions" so we don't know if it is a malfunction, an accident, or an attack. Whatever it is, let's pray for all of those scared, hurt, and lost people tonight including Ariana and her crew. What a terrible outcome for a night of joy and they need all of our hearts right now to know we are with them and will get them through this. People of Manchester, we are awaiting your news with hope!

To my mother, and Marigold, the mother of four of our precious kitties, in remembrance of my Grandmothers, and to all of you: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Even to me too, as a very mothering and loving kitty Momma. :-)

Our ruby-throated hummingbirds aren't here yet. We have all the branches they need and maintain a food supply in flowers and a feeder all season. One thing that article let me know is needing to clean off fungus after three days. We don't want their tongues to swell and hamper eating.

Here is one of my most off the wall subjects! It matches the Gentle Spectrums challenge category, "History": books written in or depicting 50 year ago: 1967. What sparked it was labouring over "The Roman Hat Mystery" for eight days. When I finished today, not being able to stand the writing was the main impetus for issuing one star. However I was astonished to find people shrugging off racism! My article, a calm and congenial conversation to which I invite everyone's opinion, is about how I think people mistake outmoded expressions, where harm was not meant, with prejudism: thinking someone was lowly.

One woman wrote that we aren't reflecting history properly if we give a low grade in reaction to prejudism. Well, my second point is an important one: I don't believe racism has ever reflected all people, in any point in time! It is a personalized attitude. We are not penalizing a book's era, if we give a low grade to something we abhored. I'll leave you to my examples. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2017/0...

At this time only a few comment on any of my things, which I probably put eager energy into just as much as anyone else. I hope people appreciate how many comments they get every time they write a blog post especially! Therefore I definitely would visit those special people who give my writings and sharing the light of day. You have anything you want me to see, especially getting to know you as a friend; you lead me to it! For instance, were I to meet you at the Goodreads convention; I wouldn't know how you looked! It's all adorable fairy thumbnails. Hehehe.

I'm on it! I have been to the state but learned about the never-ending marvels of San Franciso many years later and must see it. Anytime you have updated something book-related at your blog or personal, this is what our group is for! I hope the others do the same. Add books to the group reading list, photographs, links, start topics.... What's mine is yours.

Yes, meeting Corey Hart (the first time!) really was a dream come true. I loved him since 1985 (didn't everyone)? Waiting until 1996 felt like a lifetime at that age. I waited from 1985 to 2010 to see A-ha in concert and had to fly to Toronto for that! No meeting Morton Harket and the boys but I freaked when them and then Morton took the Massey Hall stage. Brother Timmy and wife accompanied Ron & I. There *is* an even more jaw-dropping follow-up story about "his royal Coreyness", as I jokingly call him.

Speaking of writing and pronouncing my tough but only six-letter name; I had a feeling you were going 'rydell'! I hope you aren't thinking 'Caroline' (rhyming with 'wine') too. Of course you know you write it CAROLYN. It rhymes with 'gin'. Pretty much "Carol" + the sound "lyn" (but only one L).

I paused this to remove a woodtick. So much for laying in the grass with Spirit and Conan, the day after it was -0C at night. Those things don't freeze, only hibernate and are back, for half the summer!

I read the Florida articles Erin referenced just above. It's terrible Florida is in dangerous drought, however rare or different from everywhere else in their country. It does affect more citizens indirectly. Before Canadian fruit-growers are ready, we obtain a lot of fruit and probably vegetables from Florida. I can certainly imagine the fear of forest fires. Our home is a forest! We never want a serious situation any more than for anyone else. Bless the people, their belongings, homes, and forest animals.

The May 9, landscape article is pessimistic and differs from the other two. On May 5, they expected no rain "for two more weeks". This one made the drought sound endless. May the better outcome prevail. I followed a hummingbird article and enjoyed that one.

By the way, what the heck is Best Buy for, if it stopped selling computer things! It is supposed to be an all-purpose electronics and entertainment warehouse. I am here to gather your Florida URLs to store in an easy place. Of course please direct me to personal things at your blog, like what I write, that depict you and your home!

Great memories about meeting a childhood hero, to whom I should explain, I wrote to every year for years. Me and my card-giving! Every May 31, his birthday, I would play all his albums and in school days, I would sport one of his concert t-shirts or at least a few of his rock pins. I didn't mind the kind of ribbing that comes from people taking notice of your favourite things. Hehe!

Therefore there was a long history of him seeing the name "RIEDEL', which most non German-speaking people find difficult to pronounce and spell. (I before E is said the same way as Justin Bieber. Rhymes with needle, accent on the first syllable the same way). All through school and business, I heard "rydell" until I told people differently. Still they mispelled the e before the i.

Well anyway, there I was at Blockbuster video in Osborne Village that momentous 1996 day. As Jim Carey said in the movie "Ace Ventura": "This was my Graceland"! I went up to the table, with my Mom, while several friends trying to sneak pictures because we weren't supposed to pose with him. I was proud of the rare record I had to show him, which he really gazed at to see where it was printed! His 1992 album, "Attitude & Virtue" and we know from today's blog article that records were rare by that year! It was also discontinued even though I love it so I hoped to touch him that way too. When I said "Here is a letter for you, since we won't have much time to talk", he saw my name and return address and he all of a sudden said: "Oh! I know you! You have written to me for years! Thank you for that"! or something similar. :)

That night was his concert and although I had fantastic third or fourth row seats with my parents and a couple of friends: I made it past security to the stage with the other big fans. Does everybody know how audience members will reach out if an artist gets near and maybe the artist will shake hands with you? I wasn't doing that. I don't think anyone was. So imagine my shock and forever thrill that RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS SONG, the great Corey Hart recognizes me, comes forward, and TAKES ME HAND!!!! He smiled and the look I read was "I read your letter. Thank you so much. I want to acknowledge that I know and appreciate you". :-) Ah, what a day!