Holiday Hiatus

May you and your family have a peaceful Christmas season.

See you in the year 2012 with a fresh blogging perspective and a new meme or two.

Happy Holidays!

The Queen's Meme #105 ~ The How Many Christmas Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme #105

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

The How Many Christmas Meme

This meme is so easy it's ridiculous. And that too.

Enjoy.

1. How many Wisemen were there?

2. How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?

3. How many gifts are under your tree?

4. How many classic holiday movies can you name?

5. How many stockings are hanging from your mantel?

6. How many Christmas trees do you have?

7. How many days are in the twelve days of Christmas?

The Queen's Meme #104 ~ The Birthday Meme

Welcome to The Queens's Meme

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

Someone in the castle is having a birthday today. Homer says it's not him. Who, oh who, could it be?!
Whether or not it's your birthday, you should be able to answer these age-related questions. Sounds like fun, eh? Or not. I'm going to talk to the birthday girl. She needs a good talking to.

1. If you could turn back the hands of time, where would you go?


2. What was your favorite age and why?


3. Travel into the future 10 years. How do you picture your life?


4. Did you ever take part in a birthday surprise? Tell us about it.


5. Pretend it is your ultimate birthday party. What five people, living or dead, would you invite?

6. Let's have cake!  Forget about candles and flavors and balloons. 

Who jumps out?

7. And finally, make a wish but not just any ole' wish. Make it count.

The Queen's Meme #103 ~ The Wild Fowl Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

 With the holidays staring us straight in the face here in the United States of America, it's difficult to know whether to be happy, depressed, thankful, or just stay in denial. After all, while we eat our dressed turkeys with dripping gravy and biscuits, people are still homeless, families go to bed hungry, and millions of others have no work or prospects of work in this country. And yet, no one canceled Thanksgiving. Looking at the state of our world, sometimes I wonder why. I am thankful, nonetheless, for friends and family near and far. I am thankful for YOU.
I hope you and your loved ones have a blessed Thanksgiving....while we wait for the world to heal.

The Queen's Meme #103 ~ The Wild Fowl Meme

1. How many people will you be cooking for this Thanksgiving?


2. What is your specialty dish?


3. Can you give me a quick mini course in basting a turkey?


4. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?


5.  Which one of the real turkeys in your life do you think deserves a pardon?

6.  It's your chance to change the course of holiday history. In your opinion, what animals or animal besides wild fowl (ducks, geese, swans, and turkey) should have been eaten on the First Thanksgiving?

7. What are you most thankful for in your life?

The Queen's Meme #102 ~ The Cow Jump Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

The Queen's Meme #102

1. What do men really want in a woman?

2. Should marijuana be legalized?

3. Why did the cow jump over the moon?

4. What do women really want in a man?

5. When you are having a really good day, what usually makes it good?

6. What can make your good day turn into a bad day?

7.  If you could "start from scratch" and turn back the clock for a re-do, what would you re-do?

The Queen's Meme #101 ~ The Miscellaneous Meme

The Queen's Meme

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

It' been a lonnnnng week. Queen is tired. Before I snuggle under the covers tonight, let me set before you a totally random set of questions. They just popped off the top of my pencil head five minutes ago. Freshly baked for you!  I can barely keep my eyes open. Got any toothpicks?  I know you will come up with entertaining and maybe even earth-shattering answers. The world could use a little shaking up. Just don't wake ME up. Goodnight!

The Queen's Meme #101 ~ 

The Miscellaneous-Queen-Needs-Sleep Meme

1. All your dominoes just fell down. Who pushed them?


2. Have you ever danced in a car?

3. What is your horoscope reading today?


4. The iPhone just gave birth to the next generation of phones. What would you call them? The i______?


5. Do you believe Justin Bieber should take a paternity test?


6. Occupy Wall Street. Occupy this. Occupy that. What would you most like to occupy?


7. What is the last groovy thing you did?

Shhhhh!!! The first person to make a noise is going to the dungeon.

See you next week. I promise to be awake for the meme.

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ The Cabinet

Something led me to the potting shed this morning. So, I put on some leaf-walking shoes to follow the muse.

It is clear and beautiful in Bloggingham today with a bit of breeze and the sound of falling acorns. Leaves are changing faster than I'd like for it's only a matter of time before they lay bare and naked the strength of my trees, losing their protection and grace.

For weeks now I've thought of spring. Remembering scenes in my life that happened - only - in springtime. I wondered why. The images so strong as if I were re-living them again. I could smell spring. Touch spring. In my chilly foggy forest surroundings, a season I love most of all, I needed, I suppose, to feel spring.
So on my way to the potting shed I stopped at my patch of wild mums and descended upon them with the camera lens. They were waiting like old friends to give me a breath of spring.

But back to the muse. The shed the shed shed. I must get to the shed. 

Just inside the door of the little building in my grove of trees and overgrown wildness...is this

It belonged to my Papa. It was his tool cabinet. It hung on the wall of the garage where he made things and sawed things and stored things in it; including the secret stash of chewing tobacco in a can in the corner beside nails and rags and oilcans. He made picture frames and tables, stools and odd furniture pieces. I made mud pies and tried to leave him be while he measured and thought hard.  It was a steady stream of stirring inedible cuisine (some things have not changed, my friends), him spitting in the can while I tried not to look, sawdust, the swing of the hammer and the sound of my grandmother's voice trying to shout above the bzzzz bzzzz saw that supper was ready and we'd better wash up.
He'd scoop me up in his grease covered arms and let me do my favorite thing of all: I got to close the wooden latch.

Opening it today without the benefit of hugs and the promise of butter biscuits was bittersweet. But something had led me to the shed today and I aimed to open it.

Hmmmm...not much left in here except spider webs and dirt. A very old can of something to do with grease, some iron rings, a few nails...and a brand new water hose head I bought last spring lying on the bottom shelf.

How did that get in there? I didn't put it there.

At that moment a large gust of wind starting spinning Bloggingham's trees above the A-line roof of the shed, branches swaying heavily above me soaring and tall in the blue sky while the bam bam bam of acorn bullets descended upon the roof at the same time above my head. Yow! It scared me so I ran out the door. Find the wild mum patch, Mimi! Mums aren't scary. Don't you go back in that building. That was a sign I tell ya, a sign!

Go back in, silly, it's just the wind.

OK. But only because you're a droopy mum and need cheering up. I'll go back.

I crushed a few acorns with my leaf-walking shoes and went back inside. Reaching into the deep storage shelf on the bottom, I gingerly removed the out-of-place water spout and laid it elsewhere. But what I saw underneath startled me so that I ran out again. This time stopping in the yard to put my face in hands, tears on my face with memories of dusty nails flying into walnut, pine and oak, now pounding in my mind as I wondered....

How did THAT get in there?

It was Papa's hammer.

All tools near and far were lost in the divorce, gathered from this cabinet and absconded with the swish of a legal pen.  I never saw this before. His hammer. His hammer. How could I have missed it?  His hammer. Why hadn't I seen it before? How long had it been there? No logical answers could I find, even after a phone call to said absconder-of-the-tools. He didn't remember it being there either. "I'm sure I cleaned everything out of that cabinet," he said. No matter. It's peace day ya know.  It doesn't matter how it got there. But I have no doubt I was supposed to find it.

We might need a hammer you know.

To be builders of peace it isn't enough to declare it so, will it so, pray it so or blog it so. In between the words, which indeed are powerful ideas and mantras, we have an arsenal of tools at our disposal just begging to be utilized for good.  Some have been lying around for years but all we want to do is talk about them. We're too busy sometimes to actually pick up a nail and pick a spot - any spot - to inhabit peacefully in our world. To make it better for someone we don't even know. We don't see the connectedness of lack in one person bringing the whole planet into a state of perpetual lack. And how one area of unrest brings the whole planet into jeopardy.  Cause I'm here to tell ya...it's easy to cohabitate peacefully with people you love. But it's darn near impossible to build peace with perfect strangers across a ragged world of war.
Yet peace builders we must be with weapons of saws and plowshares.

And let's throw in some beauty, shall we?

It isn't enough to elevate people in dire need with food and clothing and somewhere-out-of-a-cardboard-box. They need - we all need - artists and writers and painters and dancers to lift our spirits to a place far beyond the basic tenets of existence. I never saw my grandfather's day end without a book in his hand, a song playing on the stereo

or a Spring in his smile. 

In the meantime...we need sowers of seeds for crops of food and medicine, laboring hands to shingle roofs, diggers of wells and drillers of land, mattocks and shovelers, sweepers of oceans and singers to soothe those who can't understand this peace you say in front of their hungry children.  We have to pick them up - these building tools -  and make them happen in our homes and communities before we can expect anyone to buy into a word we're saying on the subject of peace. Then and only then can we call ourselves peacemakers. In my own personal space of planet Earth I will hold myself to that standard.   I will try. I will try. But I don't believe it will take the world as long to arrive at the inevitable wisdom of peace as it did to lunge into the abyss of universal war.  It seems to me that the tide of consciousness and awareness is turning.

But it won't last unless we get out of the realm of consciousness-raising and into the physical realm of working the work with more than manifestos. You all know how firmly I believe that words are  powerful - but they are not the only tools we have. I have no trouble nailing my purpose to the plate with words.  It is who I am. It's a bit more daunting to get my skirt dirty with your problems when I have a world of my own.

Have you ever noticed that in the cold dead winter of warring with someone, there comes a time when you just get tired of warring and you wonder, "Isn't there a better way?" Do I think there are people hellbent on destruction for the sake of destruction? Yes. Do I see and understand that not everyone in the world wants to go searching for spring? Yes. But I have to hope that somehow deep down even in the hearts of evil men lies a human seed of desire for survival. And if they can't reach peace for any other reason than that, then so be it.  Because we're on a collision course that peace treaties and scribbled sanctions can't fix. The heart of man has to change...and that is nothing akin to changing our minds. It goes as deep as long-grained wood. That brand of human evolution requires that we sometimes allow the other person to open the door and sometimes we  must allow them to lift us up to reach the door.

When my grandfather began a new project, he first chose the strongest of materials, the most sturdy wood. He knew that to lay a foundation on anything else was a waste of time. He knew that building things without the proper tools was a recipe for destruction.   Then he threw in his ingredients: Solitude. Contemplation. Pride. Patience. Hard work. And a sense of service. He didn't build things to sell. Giving them away gave him great pleasure.

 I was reminded by a friend today that it's good to use the tools of our fathers and grandfathers. There is something organic about it. I hope as the world churns and turns toward a new season, that we don't discard the hard-won sacrifices made before our time nor the wisdom those experiences bring to the table of peace building.

It is not enough that we learn to unmake war. 

We must learn to remake peace.

Wanna borrow my hammer?

 

We Interrupt This Meme To Blog Peace

The Queen's Meme will return Nov 8, 2011 with Meme #101

Peace globes fly Nov 4th ~ I believe my dance card is full (smile)

Please join us

BlogBlast4Peace

The Queen's Meme #100 ~ The Centennial Meme

Welcome To The Queen's Meme #100!!!!

The Centennial Meme

We're 100 today! Happy birthday to us! In honor of all things that can be multiplied by ten, we'd like to invite you to our birthday party. Gifts and all  handsome men welcome... not necessarily in that order.

Let's party!

1. Ten x Ten = 100. What thing or person or experience in your life would you like to multiply by 10?

2. Today you get to go shopping with a one hundred dollar bill. What will you buy?

3. How many centenarians do you know or have you ever known one?

4. Have you ever weighed 100 pounds?

(107 yr. old Chaldean man!)

5. The "First One Hundred Days" is the benchmark of performance for a United States President. Tell us what you accomplished in your first one hundred days of blogging.

6.  What is the secret to longevity?

7. You are invited to The Queen of Memes 100th Meme birthday party! We are going to play Pin The Tail On the Blog. Blindfold yourself and pick a blog that you enjoy reading and tell us about it. No need to throw darts dripping with sarcasm (I so despise mean-spirited blogs and you will end up in the dungeon - not that any of YOU would of course just sayin'.....gosh, being 100 sure made me fiesty tonight!) It's been a long day and I've seen some crazy blug-slinging lately. (That's blog+ mud +sludge for all you non-blog speakers) I digress. That's a post for another day... Just give someone the gift of recognition they deserve. There are lots of wonderful blogs out there. Who would you recommend?

The Queen's Meme #99 ~ The 99 Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme #99

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

Today I thought I'd give you 99 questions to answer in honor of the 99th meme. Just kidding! Instead, I'll give you 7 questions that just seem like 99.
Here we go.

Surprisingly, it's called The 99 Meme

1. Let's take that famously irritating song, Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on The Wall. Tell me....What would you substitute for those bottles of beer? Your song would be "Ninety-nine ______ of ______ on the Wall."
Fill in the blanks.

2. Let's go to the 99 cents store. What do you think should be made available for 99 cents at the 99 cents store?

3. The great world of Wikipedia tells me that scientists claim 99% of all documented species are extinct. Which remaining species in the 1% category would you really like to see extinct.  And which species in the 99% category would you like to bring back?

4.  Why is merchandise always priced as 1.99 or 20.99 or 50,287.99? Do they think we're stupid?

5. If you live to be 99 years old, what would you like your life to be like in that last decade? 

6. Tumblr has a new blog called "We Are The 99%" brought to you by "the people who occupy Wall Street." Everyday people are writing notes on paper about their experiences and living conditions right now. Can you identify with the 99% on this page?

7.  I think armpits should get more respect than this. According to the advice of medical personnel: If your child's temperature is more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit measured rectally, or more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit measured in the mouth, or more than 99 degrees Fahrenheit measured in the armpit (for 4-5 minutes), he or she has fever.
Why do you think  armpits are so slow to register heat?

The Queen's Meme #98 ~ The Picture Caption Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme #98

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

It's simple.  Provide a caption for the pictures below or write a commentary.

I hope your imaginations are running amok tonight! These are rather interesting depictions. Good luck! (images: public domain)

The Queen's Meme #97 ~ The Games Meme

Welcome to the Queen's Meme #97

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

People play games. Children play games. Sometimes adults acting like children play games. Facebook people play games. All God's chillun play games. What kind of games do YOU play?

The Games Meme

1. What was your favorite outside game as a child?


2.  What is your board game of choice?

3.What are your favorite apps or games on Facebook?

4. If you could design a game about your life, what would you call it?

5. Have you ever tried billiards?

6. Are you a card player? Gambler? Rook player? Go Fish? Do tell.

7.  Do you prefer the summer or winter sports games?

The Queen's Meme #96 ~ The Cat Meme

Welcome to the Queen's meme #96

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

I would like to confess. About the cats. 

I know it's un-American and a downright insult to my beloved Cat Blogosphere to not be a cat person but alas, I am not. Do you see the grief I put my poor dog Homer through? And he's just an internet dog!

I tried to be a cat person. Once. But I failed. Cats just don't like me. They hiss and spit and run in the other direction. Cats do not meow softly at me, they crouch in attack position and prepare the claws. I cannot retaliate because I might break a nail. Hence, I cannot even protect myself from cats. The only cats I get along with are the cats from The Cat Blogosphere. They are wonderful wonderful kitties with hoomans to look after. Of that I am sure. And none of them - yet- has spit at me.

And they sure fly some marvelous peace globes.

We shall talk cats this week. Puuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

1. Do you have a cat?

2. What is your cat's name?

3. What makes you love cats?

4. If you are not a cat person, why not?

5. What is the funniest thing your cat has ever done?

6. Do you think cats have feelings and can talk to their owners?

7. The Rainbow Bridge is the place where cats go when they pass away. I think it's a lovely idea. If humans could have a bridge of their own in the afterlife, what would you name it?

BONUS POINTS! Post a picture of you and your cat.

This is my Persian Patticakes. If you go to my blog you can see me pet her. She has been sitting on my blog for five years now. I've never had to feed her! She's not grumpy and cantankerous like Homer either. Maybe if I had a real cat like Patticakes, I could be a cat person too.

The Queen's Meme #95 ~ The Falling Into Fall Meme

Welcome To The Queen's Meme #95

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

Fall is my favorite time of year. I can think of many wonderful things that just happen to have happened to me in the fall. The birth of my son, the beginning of semesters, new fall clothes, Dona Nobis Pacem in the blogosphere began in the fall..... The season also brings memories of grief and transition. I lost my dad in the fall of 2009. When the air turns to crisp and cool, I think of those last days with him. What does fall remind you of?

1. What is your favorite fall memory?

2. Have you ever fallen in love in the fall?

3. Do you like the current Daylight Savings System when we all "fall back" the clock.

4. Tell us a thing or two you've done by a crackling fire? **we won't tell**

5. Have you ever been apple picking?

6. Do you like to take a walk and play in the fall leaves?

7. Do you and your family have a special fall tradition in your house? 

The Queen's Meme #94 ~ The Love Match Meme

Welcome to The Queen's Meme #94

7 Royal Questions on Tuesday

This week has been wide open. In case you haven't noticed, I tend to meme-blog about those things that are concerning me at the moment. Or making me laugh. Or driving me crazy.

I can't get my mind off a conversation I had with a new guy possible love match maybe kinda sorta we'll see acquaintance this week.

He's conservative. But edgy. Liberal with his opinions. But not haphazardly. Tall. A littttttle younger (I said a "little!") and downright challenging. But in a good way. 

The Love Match Meme

1. Which is more important.... romantic chemistry or friendship?

2. Would you date someone who is much taller or shorter than you? 
How about older or younger?

3. How soon should you bring up past relationships in a new relationship?

4. What is the one red flag you KNOW from past experience to pay attention to when getting to know a new person?

5.   When dating someone, what would you consider the ultimate deal breaker?

6.  Tell us about a date you had with someone that went all wrong.

7. Imagine you have a teenage daughter. She just asked you to give your best dating and relationship advice. What will you say?