Gentle SPECTRUMS discussion

Good news everyone! We are open for "GENTLE SPECTRUMS 2015"! https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/gentle...

Today is the closely-estimated birthday we chose for the Mom of our four youngest cats; our dear white Love included. Interesting and poignant, the very last set of photographs taken of him in July are with his tiny orange Mother.

Odd personal trivia: from September 7 to January 7, she is the same age as her babies.
Today she rises to age 5. Happy fifth birthday to you, our sweet MARIGOLD!

I took a philosophical look at 2014 on my blog, should you like to share as well, or merely read it. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

I'm on a long-postponed roll of article-writing. This is about music and gatherings with friends. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

Sarah, Nina, Cassandra, Yvonne, Sue, Vicki, Tizzy, Shonna, Jessika, Geranium, Mave, Kristine, Margaret: I thought it would be nice to thank all of you for being in my group and to say hello!

The really special thing is that some of you are in Ethereal or My Kind Of Mystery, or not signed up to any just yet. But you are here for my information, or merely enjoy talking with me and I look forward to that. :) Some are signed-up to Gentle Spectrums itself. It is important to me that you know, I appreciate you all. Yours fondly, Carolyn.

I wrote about a funny memory at my blog. For peers not subscribed, it can be found here. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

Session 2015 is on! Happy Gentle Spectrums, My Kind Of Mystery, and Ethereal day! Be sure to add a sign-up post, or some website into the linky buttons at the Mother blog. Then I'll know how many are playing and away we go! Yours truly, Carolyn.

"CHESTITA BABA MARTA!"

There is a celebration of spring and positivity for our new year, that is special because it is entirely Bulgarian. It isn't an event celebrated all over the place like many, perhaps because they are religious-based rather than culture-based. However Bulgarians invite others to join them for MARTENITSI from March 1 to March 31!

It is about wearing red & white symbols to draw happiness, health, luck, and fertility of yourselves and your homes each year. I know about it because our reading peer, Nina has shared her tradition with me from home! We have exchanged red & white tokens, called "martenitski" like the holiday and will begin to display or wear whichever trinket we select. She sent Ron & I extras to give away and we did, so the tradition and quest for positivity in 2015 spreads to others. You wear your red & white trinket, originally woven threads, until March 31.... or until you see a sign of spring.

I joke that I am glad for the month end alternative because it could be awhile in central Canada! A spring bird returned, perennials beginning to bud, or a stork (that especially won't be appearing here). Ron thinks he saw pussywillows beginning to reform but there was no way I was closing this nice new custom the first day we wear our Martenitsi threads! We'll watch for more definitive signals! Nina gave us wool-made traditional dolls too, which are prominently standing in our living room. I love celebrating eclectic aspects of life with other people and don't remember the last time I discovered an occasion that was new. It isn't often, is it? "Chestita Baba Marta, everyone!"

Hello to my friends, following as they wish and to members of my groups! I'm behind on blog posts, prize-winner news (except for Ethereal), reviews, and I'd prefer to step up even my reading. Our first year closed oddly late (Feb 28) which we correct this year two, it was my fiancé's birthday late last month, and we're having my folks over for Easter tomorrow; along with having done indoor planting of some garden produce. I live in "hardiness zone 3"; which you'll see needs all the head start it can get, if you look it up. We're also watching over a cat that comes and goes.

I haven't forgotten you! :-) I check for comments, questions, e-mails every day and every time you add a review to our linky buttons; I have a look and am pleased. It's just writing posts and reviews really that takes me longer to get around to. As a writer hoping to do so as a trade, I take everything attached to my name seriously and don't whip anything out. I like to do it well. For now: I wish A HAPPY EASTER and God's blessings on all of you! Yours Fondly, Carolyn.

I'll say it louder: HAPPY EASTER, everyone!

My computer is going to be under reconstruction but it shouldn't take long. I'm a little nervous and share this warning because removing win 7 and returning to XP a while back; was shaky! We did it when we saw win 7 & 8 exclude most of our top-used programs from working. Those programs, like video-editing, are why we have a computer. Getting our PC's basics, like sound and internet connectivity to work, was hairy! And we're only on dial-up with which to download updated software. For years, we've postponed replacing XP with 'win 7'; which microsoft forces, by no longer supporting updated virus protection for XP.

We knew we'd have to use win 7 and find ways to make our stuff work, so we bought time getting people to help us obtain what we need and very slowly downloading some ourselves. I appear to have a virus this morning and it appears microsoft doesn't give squat about XP customers, so I suppose today I'm going to bite that bullet. I haven't seen a lot of traffic here but should you not have the usual fast response here or at my blog: please leave a comment or some sort of note, letting others know why. :) And wish me luck please!

If it isn't clear, I'm not tacking the new windows onto our system. To eradicate a hardward glitch we've had and of course to eradicate the virus, I have to erase our harddrive and rebuild. We've very glad to have a second harddrive, external drive, and are prepared and ready to do it. Yours Truly, Carolyn.

I didn't need to rebuild our harddrive and switch to 'win 7'! I found a way to fight a stubborn virus and won. Downloading solutions on slowspeed takes days. So we get to use the version of 'windows' a while longer, that works smoothly with all of our best used programs ('XP'). That's the only hesitancy for the switch, for those not in the know. We have the 'win 7' disc and saw that is renders much of our older software unusable. Of course you need the programs that are your reason for HAVING a computer! Download newer versions of our ware? Read the portion back, where I say we access the internet on slowspeed. Q;->=

No one need stop chatting. I solely forewarned that if response from me were delayed: the above reinstallation would have been the reason. I have much catching up to do at my blog; announcement posts, games, my regular writing and none are forgotten. However please know that I watch all reviews coming in, with pleasure and would answer your comments with even greater appreciation. I think we're all a little quiet as spring settles into our countries of the world.

It's saying peek-a-boo in south central Canada. I am wonderfully tanned and Ron & I have garden and flower seeds ready to roll. Many perennials are up, some even blooming; including wild strawberries! But suddenly, it's below 0C overnight and today we had a sprinkling of snow. It's a bird frenzy at our feeders, I can tell you. Most of our summer friends arrived and are needing the food energy! So.... this is why we're a 'hardiness zone 3'; why we wait to plant no matter how warm it is at first. How are the rest of you? At the blog or here, I'd love to hear your news. :) My blog catch-up is forthcoming. My own reviews? Oy, do I need to work at THAT!

Hi, sorry about your computer woes.
Yesterday and today it reached into the 30s here in the GTA, but it is unstable with pop-up rain and thunderstorms. Our general rule is not to plant before the May 24th weekend.
I'm off to Calgary for a week on Monday, hoping for good weather there. I'm in the "what to pack" dilemma due to the unpredictability of the weather.

Nice to hear from you, Shonna! Yes, I got a suntan early from 30ish weather in April, maybe even March. Then suddenly snow. Melted. Lately the grass is green after rains and stable summer temperatures.... But one day of small sprinkling snow, to our surprise. Then three nights, including tonight, of sub-zero weather. Not by much but only the perennials are safe, so it's good nothing is planted. Gute reise! I love Alberta, including Calgary and Edmonton. Bring a little of everything! Happy Mother's day, if you are a Mom of any kind. I look forward to my parents visiting tomorrow.... cleaning time.

It is late for the reasons explained. Here is the summary post for the 2014 Gentle Spectrums grand finale. Now all three of the groups can start their engines on current activity! https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

C. wrote: "Today is the closely-estimated birthday we chose for the Mom of our four youngest cats; our dear white Love included. Interesting and poignant, the very last set of photographs taken of him in Ju..."

What a beautiful cat :)

I usually can only take pictures with my animals and books by accident; they hate coorperating.

Replied to a few of your blog posts that were linked from here.

Hi Erin! I'm glad to see you! I was sorry my most active chatter thought this group was solely for "Gentle Spectrums". I created it and gave it that title because the best contests I could think of for this assortment of themes, are photo based. Easier to post pictures here, than bogging down my blog pages on slow speed internet. I added a "My Kind Of Mystery" discussion thread and indeed, some people here solely belong to that. I'll add an Ethereal thread if others join from that group.

There are three pals here who aren't in any of my challenges but are supportive of me, my efforts, and are here to see what's up or chat. So you are far from a sore thumb in this lot! :)

On the most important note: thank you for commenting on any of my kitties! They are truly my children and make me very happy. Marigold and her son Conan are worst for turning their heads every way but where I'd like for a photograph. The others are easy, or I've gotten used to working with kitties. I know how you feel!

I always think photography is about luck a great part of the time as a whole, with any subject. There are some who technically know certian things to set up, or can guarantee settings working out but for everyone, there's a factor of luck. Therefore when I launched a greeting card company years ago and showed my work at craft sales; I was WAY more touched when they praised my verses. My writing is where I worked and still work (blog articles, activities, reviews) very hard. Almost anybody can take a picture. hehehehe

In case y'all miss the blog post: I wrote to say events are about to begin! You might enjoy introducing yourselves and how your spring and summer are going, here or in reply to that post. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

C. wrote: "On the most important note: thank you for commenting on any of my kitties! They are truly my children and make me very happy. Marigold and her son Conan are worst for turning their heads every w..."

I love cats too - enjoyed seeing the pictures of your kitties :)

C. wrote: "In case y'all miss the blog post: I wrote to say events are about to begin! You might enjoy introducing yourselves and how your spring and summer are going, here or in reply to that post. https:..."

Thank you, replied on the blog.

All discussions are making me smile, including responses to the personal. :) Those not subscribed to the RIEDEL Fascination blog, which is voluntary and who haven't yet e-mailed about receiving a note when activities are posted; this is a place to watch for alerts.

Here is a post today, inviting our first reading discussion! There is a summary for challenge members but the chat isn't restricted to us. Anyone with something to say may jump in. It's true of all my posts. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/0...

Very fun - just answered on the blog :)

I am remembering my Love today with all of my heart. I wish he were with us on physical ground a great deal longer and I wish it weren't so long before I'm with him again on equal spiritual ground: to touch, see, interact with one another in the same shape and in the same place. That's the main essence of grief. Too soon, too brief but he will be adored by us all our days. We are thinking of you and loving you always, Lovey!

From me Momma, your Dad Ron, your actual Mother Marigold, your brother Conan, your sisters Angel and Petal, and your elder kitty Dads Spirit and McCartney. These wishes and loving thoughts come too from my Mom & Dad too, who treat our kitties as their Grandchildren.

Our four kittens' fifth birthday was on holiday Monday, September 7th. We most certainly remembered Marigold's second child, our very beautiful white Lovey, along with his brother and sisters. We gave them a very wonderful birthday on a summer day, with many successful photographs; outside and indoors, afternoon and night. HAPPY FIFTH BIRTHDAY, BABIES!

I'm making little reading progress because it's garden harvest time! It's a month in 'hardiness zone 3' when overnight frost can occur any time. If we see a report of even +2 C, we cover all of our flowers and garden plants that need a little longer to grow. The first time was last night, odd because trees are still green and everything's warm by day. We were relieved the temperature indeed went no lower than +2.5 C. The blossomed landscape of everything we planted will remain as it is. Additionally, flowers and garden produce will continue growing. After there is a frost, grwoth stops and you are protecting plants that might ripen longer on their stalks, or which you had not yet picked.

May our season run longer without frost, since winter itself doesn't arrive these last years until nearly my birthday; well into November. How are your flowers and gardens? Do you have the busy, nervous task of covering your plants where you live? Or is it a place where plants grow all the way, until they dry on their own? Don't miss my post about my kittens' birthday and the previous message above. I write them because comments and conversation on events I share matter to me. :)

Hello. I thought my peers might be interested in a home gardener's follow-up: no frost threat since September 10, discussed above. That means instead of worrying beside television newscasts and our special thermometer, we happily and freely leave our landscape overnight without any apprehension about covering it. Prayers are answered: all of our landscape, gardens, and flowers are flourishing and finishing. A good thing because our beans and squashes keep producing and I am just seeing blossoming, the most gorgeous gladiolas I have ever beheld! What beautiful multicoloured flowers! The sight of them makes me ecstatically happy, as well as our special flower hill creation that we call "the circle garden". Watch for pictures in upcoming blog activities, or simple sharing posts. And please do show your yards! :)

Happy Thanksgiving week-end, everyone.

I wrote a post for Canadians who might be undecided about our federal election. It is this Monday! This post might be of interest too, to friends from other countries who care about animal welfare. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/1...

Here's one more article by me about Canada's Prime Minister election.... tomorrow! https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/1...

Happy election day! All Canadians need to be voting for change right now!

How could I have missed this? A huge chunk of my family members, including me, have absolutely loved the "Back To The Future" films since the beginning. We were children in 1985, whose film goes back in time to 1955. Here's something about me: that is one of my very favourite films of all time and I can quote every instance of it.

In the 1989 sequel, the characters need to rescue family outcomes in the future. Guess what? The date of their travel is TODAY! Happy "BACK TO THE FUTURE Day": October 21st, 2015!!!!
I wish Doc's cliffhanger quote at the end of film I were true about us today: "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need any roads"! https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/1...

I'll get y'all to chat about something eventually. I'm not giving up. For instance: meet our new Prime Minister! Especially today: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY MOM & DAD! All of this and a precious newborn picture of me, are in the following post. https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/1...

I think it's creative how we now have a back to the future day

Not doing much this weekend but reading, cleaning, and spending time with son - what are your weekend plans?

Sorry, don't know much about Canada's politics and the prime minister

After reading my post, you will. :) I'll see your feedback when you find time to browse it. I am dedicated to helping our American neighbours no longer see us as a vague mystery. This week-end? I need to catch up on mail and I mean the kind you stamp and send! It's birthday season in our family and there are previous prize-winners clearly too polite to ask if I sent their book picks yet. Ron & I might go used book-shopping tomorrow.

You bet I am already amping-up my reading. There are still a few green, thriving plants we are covering on 0C nights, like tonight and all the plants in our house and other buildling, that I transplanted and brought in! However that is less crazy, thus my reading is up at night. I have to keep churning at it to make 150.

Well! Birthday greetings haven't been trickling in yet, so I don't know how many are looking at their Gentle Spectrums screens lately. Q;-)= Maybe it'll get your attention, that you are finally being given a prize draw! It's here: a Gentle Spectrums topic at the Mother blog. Group members, chime in by November 30th. However this very relatable subject invites limitless input and chatting from everybody, so come on down. It's about sharing bargains you have scored over the years!
https://cmriedel.wordpress.com/2015/1...

Hello! I've been in a big reading slump this month and have barely opened my goodreads even (shame on me!) I need to get back in the groove for sure I have so many books I need to read! I hope you are having a Happy Birthday! So sorry if I am late!

Hi Kristianne! Thank you for wishing me honorary words about my day! :) Until Dad's turn the last week, I view and celebrate all of November as my month. Due to cleaning for two visits of our few cozy guests, my reading was down too. Too tired by the time I went to bed. Today, I'll sneak in the rest of my current novel and small cat quotations book and finish them. Next, I'll print my read list and see which challenges I fulfilled, as a guest. I've only kept track of my own mostly.

This is the good about us finishing January 31. We should encourage more group hostesses to do likewise. Slump all you like through this year and catch up next month! Also remember you don't actually have to review. Just type out your list of titles, in increments whenever you feel like it; among the comments at RIEDEL Fascination or even create yor own thread in this Goodreads group. Cool either way. Hope you enter the blog prize activity. :)

HAPPY new year 2016 to my people! May you be safe, blessed, happy, and healthy! My RIEDEL challenge trio will be posted this week.... and a new one, becoming a quartet! Like my others, this theme is very broad and easy to meet; fulfilling another area I think our reading community can use. Other changes include signing-up by e-mail instead of linky buttons, to alleviate the problem of events and posts that got missed. When something is going on, I'll send a note. Blogspot has gotten worse for outsiders to reach but it made no sense for me to alert member by member, that there was a special event. One e-mail and everyone is clued in.

In My Kind Of Mystery, "A RIEDEL Clue" will be handled a little differently so folks find it easier and are less shy to jump aboard. Unless we are surprised with skyrocketing members, I think we'll have one prize activity per group throughout the year and then of course, the year-end draw. I will lay out a few discussion topics matching each theme, so that there is a fun reason to visit from time to time. Be well, pose any questions you like, and watch for those posts at RIEDEL Fascination any day.

Ethereal folks, don't forget a very generous prize is being given to us. On January 31, we are going to draw for the winner's choice of a numerology or tarot reading by Hazelie! Stop by our latest post to show that you are still with us. :-) Yours warmly, Carolyn.

Happy 2016 everyone

I look forward to the new Riedel challenge this year.

So nice of you go say! :) I am slogging through all those ending at this time of year, when I want to be watching movies, playing music and games with Ron at home. My own need to go up soon, regardless of our February start but it's a good bet everyone else is enjoying time off at home anyway.

I was, some extra days off. Now back at work, but still feel like I'm catching up to everything. Haven't had much reading time the last week or so either.

I'm nearly done Michael J. Fox's autobiography I started with. So busy closing people's challenges (still one complicated one to figure out) that I sleep after a few pages. Works out great for Ron, who can forget about snoring if I sleep easily. Next are a few children's books I want to read - truly not to boost my motivation with good early quantities. Then I'm going to have fun with a ghost book I am eager to read.

Hello, ladies who lounge with me! How was everyone's Christmas? We had Mom & Dad at our country place. We were glad to celebrate here for the first time, since Mom wants to retire her tradition. Absent neighbours were feeding their cat outside and didn't know he'd rather be where they are staying. We tucked our kitties aside for two hours and brought this guy in to share Christmas Eve with us! He crawled on our laps while my parents, fiancé, and I opened gifts and read little Christmas stories. It's a nice way to keep Christmas on topic, instead of chatting about any old thing. Christmas day: we walked to the home of the neighbour's Mother, their determined cat in step with us. He leaped into the door as soon as one of his children opened it. We politely let them know he missed them. They appear to be keeping him where they are staying, which is the best Christmas present he could have.

My four groups, that includes a brand new one, are half-written. I am arduously working towards posting them! Did you notice? Fellow loungers are already getting a sneak preview of "Gentle Spectrums" 2016. Our logo and details have been switched! I hope you explore "Gentle Subjects" and join me this year. Happy new year 2016, to all of you. Carolyn.

Wonderful Christmas and New Years. I enjoyed the extra time off too. Still getting back into the swing of things. That is such a cute cat story about Christmas Eve.

I'm looking forward to all the new updates for the group challenges.

Thanks! I hope you caught the info that the new "Gentle Subjects" can already been previewed in the detail section of this group's home page.

I love visits from neighbour's pets but it had been months. "Joey" was unhappy about being alone, only seeing them for food. Animals are not all about food like people think. I questioned those four kids more than the adults. Why weren't they walking to visit him and begging to bring him where they are living? I couldn't stand not being with mine 24/7. I was glad to hear them exclaim "Joey!" when he bounced in the door. We had only meant to go for a Christmas walk. Joey followed us and we wanted him safely off the road. We stopped at the lady's Mom's place and found them there.