Blogging, Favorite Things, Humor, Life, Photography, What I Kept

what i kept – october 2023

Writer McWriterson

these are the things i kept on my phone in the month of october.

click here to read previous posts.

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ella drew this for an english class project
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grandkittyyyy
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the thing i love about zinnias, at least the ones i’ve planted in the last two years, is that they keep nicely in a jar of water for weeks after i’ve cut them.
i came across this song one night and it was like walking through a door to another time. it was the first time i’d heard it since i was a teenager.
dinner one night because big feelings
therapy
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oh roger
i took a reiki class over the weekend and am now reiki level 1 certified
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this month felt long. did it feel long to you?

52 thoughts on “what i kept – october 2023”

  4. Kari, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the drawing by Ella. What a talent!

    The photo of the two dogs basking in the warm sunlight is gorgeous. Both my cats used to do that.

    Beautiful quote by Valarie Kaur. I read it three times.

    That photo of you is pure SUNSHINE! 🙂

    I like zinnias for that reason too. They last a long time. Just like carnations.

    Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark immediately brought me back to the 80s. GREAT times!

    And yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay for starting your journey into Reiki! I am BEYOND happy for you. Keep me posting about your experience.

    Michael Myers? HILARIOUS! I watched that movie over the weekend. Favorite Halloween movie.

    Thanks so much for sharing what you kept, my friend! Always fun. Always inspiring!

    Happy Monday! X

    P.S. Jimmy John’s is my favorite fast food. The are getting ready to open a new one close to where I work.

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    2. I love it too! I couldn’t take my eyes off it when she texted it to me during school.

      I love that your cats did it as well! They’re best friends.

      I also love that quote. It reminded me of why I love to share these monthly posts with all of you.

      Carnations! I’m wondering if I should plant those next summer…

      I thought about you all weekend, Ron. You, Ally, and Melanie were all there in spirit alongside me. I want to take Level 2 at some point. Next week, I plan to write about it.

      My favorite scary movie is Halloween!

      Thank you for reading, my friend!

      I had an intense craving last week. It was just what I needed. I am SO GLAD you are getting one near your work!

      (You manifested that) ❤️

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  5. Hello sister in Reiki! Don’t you love knowing about it? I don’t have a practice but I find the wisdom centers me when the world tries to frazzle me. Berry’s line “I come into the peace of wild things…” sounds familiar but I cannot place why I know it.

    On a completely different tangent, your photos are wonderful. Do you use a camera in your phone or a *real* camera?

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    1. I was thinking about you all weekend! Hello there, sister! I’ve felt more at ease since the weekend, and let me tell you, the timing couldn’t have been better with everything that has happened since Mike’s fall.

      I use my cellphone! My phone cameras have gotten a lot better over the years. I hardly ever use my real camera anymore, which makes me sad.

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  6. Yay for cast removal!! That’s huge. I felt like this month just flew by… but I had lots of fun stuff going on so that seems to always happen that way.

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  7. Yes, it has felt like a long month! So many great things in your post, as usual. My favorite was the Wendell Berry poem and then I laughed when I saw the Jimmy John’s therapy because just yesterday I had a craving for some JJ’s. lol.

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  10. What a delightful collection of beauty and joy! I love the OMD song; will have to post about it sometime! And your soul garden flowers… wow! So much wonderful stuff here, that I enjoyed browsing through. It’s like visiting someone’s home or a quaint art gallery. Thank you!

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  11. Looove all of this.

    October actually flew by for me. It was a good month, but I’m feeling heartbroken and down right now because Tim went back to LA this afternoon. In fact, he just landed there. I love seeing him and having him home again, but then my heart is yanked right back out of my body. Aagh!

    Wait, what? You were attuned to Reiki 1? Where did you do this? You need to tell me more! I did a Reiki share a couple of weeks ago and asked the host when she will be doing a Reiki 2 class and attunement and she said probably not until next spring. I really want to go to the next level ~ maybe even level 3.

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    1. Aww, I saw your Instagram photos and they looked like you had a great time. I understand how sad you must be. If you have time, let’s get together next week. I’m taking the month off from social media so we can text each other dates.

      I’d like to do level two as well! Let’s do it together! Okay, we definitely need to get together. I’m sending you a text right now!

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  12. All the poems today remind me so much of the last lines in Desiderata. “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.”
    I didn’t think October felt long to me but now, thinking about everything that happened, I guess it was?
    Happy Halloween! Love the selfie, always.

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  13. Are your dogs accomplished synchronized swimmers/nappers? Even their bones appear to be aligned. This made me chuckle. So cute. Also, lost in a pile of pillows. Oh, pup.

    I sent the Compassion Overload writing to Tank. He struggles with having too much compassion and it makes life hard at times. We call it empathy overload.

    I remember that song by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Love that. Ah, the 80s.

    This month felt fast for me- not easy, but fast. Maybe it’s becaue I had two kids home for two consecutive weeks from college. It seems like it was JUST September. I cannot believe tomorrw is November.

    Is that cast coming OFF? I sure hope so. Oh, and Ella is quite the artist. Such a great talent to have.

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    1. Right?? It’s amazing how in tune they are.

      It’s extremely difficult to be a compassionate human right now. I hope it helps him. 😘

      When I hear songs like that, it fills me with so much 80s nostalgia that it almost hurts on the inside.

      Mike’s injury definitely made it feel slow for me. Ella would say fast because she had so much going on.

      It’s off! He’s currently in a boot until physical therapy begins next week. But he can start walking on it with the boot this week!

      Ella is such an incredible artist! 🖤

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  14. So many lovely, wonderful things here, Kari! Thank you for sharing it all. The one about having compassion overload really hits home. It did feel like a long month, even though October is one of my favorites. I’m finishing the month off with a bang, having some serious plumbing issues and no hot water! Aaak! But it’ll be fixed this afternoon, so really I have nothing to complain about! And reading this post helped me calm down.

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    1. Oh no! I’m so sorry you had plumbing issues and the no hot water! Especially at this time of year. I’m glad it’s being taken care of today, and hearing that this post has helped you calm down makes me so happy for you! 😘❤️

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  15. Even OMD’s new stuff is pretty good.

    I think October feels long because few other months experience such dramatic changes. Thirty days ago, it was in the 80s and all our trees were green. Today it’s barely above freezing, it has snowed on and off, and the trees are either bare or rapidly heading in that direction.

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  16. Ella’s Tell Tale Heart drawing is fabulous!!! I wish I were an artist. I can’t draw worth you-know-what. I also love how your Soul Garden is blooming this late. It’s fun to hear your voice in the video and match it to your beautiful selfie face.

    I did not recognize that OMD song until the “I never know” part. I don’t think I’ve heard it in decades either. Nice find! And oh, I so hear you on the RHBH therapy. Pretty much any Bravo show is my therapy, though I’m particularly partial to Southern Charm and Vanderpump Rules. I tell my husband I’m going to go watch my Pretty People now.

    YES, October did seem long. It was a combination of the weather being sucky for most of it (so.much.rain) and the never-ending project of my mother’s condo. It feels like an albatross on my back. But we are nearing the end of the clean out. I’m just glad I have some RHSLC to watch tonight!!!

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    1. I wish I was! I can barely draw a stick figure. Aww, thank you! I love seeing your beautiful face in your posts as well! 😘❤️

      Mike recorded the dogs playing while I was watching RH of Salt Lake City one night, and you can hear me yelling at the television. WHY CAN’T THEY HEAR MY ADVICE?? Anna was a huge fan of Vanderpump Rules, but I never got into it. To be fair, I only watched a small portion of season one. I am willing to give it another shot. And you’re the second person to tell me to watch Southern Charm, so I guess that’s another show to watch.

      YES TO SALT LAKE CITY. I missed it last week. Also, Beverly Hills is on again tomorrow night.

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      1. Well, I was pissed last night. I turned the TV on at 9 pm and Winter House was on instead of RHSLC. I checked the schedule and it said it was on at 10:30, which is past my bedtime, so I’ll have to catch it later. Also, Danny Pelligrino was on Watch What Happens with Lisa Barlow, so that’s another one to catch up on.

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      2. NOOO!! Ugh. I wasn’t able to watch it because I was watching Gilmore Girls with Ella last night. I’ll get caught up on it this weekend.

        I haven’t seen WWHL in years. I used to watch it when we had cable and DVR. But since we’ve been streaming, I forget to watch.

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  17. I’m the opposite to you in that I feel like October went by quickly after dealing with one challenge after another. I kept just waiting to get to the end of each one in order to get stuff done, only for the month itself to have gone.

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      1. Oh my load is a lot lighter than yours Kari. That said, the latest challenge turns out to be Covid, so I’m suspecting the fatigue will hang around for a while yet. But, it’s not been as bad as it could have been, so feeling the gratitude for that.

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  18. The OMD song also transported me!
    I love your late bloomers—some of us are late and we’re worth the wait.
    I saw a BILLION on zinnias yesterday, and I thought of you the entire time. I wish you could have been right there next to me, enjoying their beauty.
    October FLEW for me.
    I’m loving your haircut my friend. ❤️

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