Show And Tell: Where I’ve Been In My Lifetime & Where I Won’t Be This December

November 29, 2023December 13, 2023 / Ally Bean / 280 Comments

WHERE I’VE BEEN:

Who doesn’t like a visual representation about some aspect of their life?

To wit, in my online gadding about I came across a way to easily make a snazzy map of where you’ve travelled and/or lived in the US and territories. Thus I applied myself to the task, did as instructed, and created the above image.

As you can see I’ve been to 35 states + DC. Based on the points tallied, I am on Level 137. How that compares to anyone else I cannot say because I have no frame of reference, I just know that’s my level.

Go HERE to make your own personalized map of your experiences traveling &/or living in the US and territories. Please note there are a few different background colors for your map so if you’re saving yours, mess around until you find the perfect color for you.

WHERE I WON’T BE THIS DECEMBER:

I’m bugging out of blogland for the month of December.

It’s been a busy year for me here at The Spectacled Bean, writing longer than usual posts and managing, what I think of as, comment-palooza. I figure there’s no need to force myself to do something that is, for the most part, fun and is completely voluntary.

So I’m taking a break.

I will be popping into Instagram [HERE] and Threads [HERE] so I’ll be around social media a little bit, not entirely off the grid, but for the most part I’ll be laying low like the introvert I am during a hectic time of year.

You understand.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

• So, my little gallivanters, how many US states and territories have you visited or lived in? If you made your own snazzy map using the link, what is your level?

• Having blogged since the days of dinosaurs, I know that it’s easy to find reasons to not keep a blog, BUT it is more difficult to find a reason to put yourself out there and keep a blog going. If you have a personal blog, what is your reason for writing it?

• What are you looking forward to doing, or not doing, in December?

~🎄~

Happy Holidays, Everyone

Do Good. Have Fun. Take Joy.

See you next year!

~ ~🎄~ ~

The Noisy Week That Was: Of Lost Blogging Mojo & Exterior Home Improvements

July 9, 2023 / Ally Bean / 208 Comments

As I sat down to edit this rare Sunday blog post I couldn’t help but smile and remember that I’d forgotten that I used to have a sign on my desk that said: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Good advice, very pithy. Spot on, even.

~ ~ • ~ ~

LAST WEEK SLIDE THROUGH MY HANDS, like a slippery rubber ducky in a steamy bubble bath. I lost track of the day of the week and a sense of purpose– and sadly one of my favorite lavender-colored cotton t-shirts that I think accidentally got sent to Goodwill.

[Hope someone enjoys it.]

You see, it was noisy around here in the neighborhood and when life gets noisy, I shut down. I don’t find noise energizing and instantly lose my writing/blogging/commenting mojo because I can’t think straight enough to form sentences.

My mind goes into *whatever* mode while my actions go into *sloth* mode. As for my spirit, I’ve no idea where it hides when it gets noisy.

The poor beleaguered dear.

THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK was filled with predictable noise, fireworks & gunfire to celebrate the Fourth of July. Of course it being a long weekend the kapows and booms started on Friday night [June 30] and continued through Tuesday night [July 4].

Not a constant noise, mind you, just random loud cacophonies that set my teeth on edge, worrying me greatly.

And instantly put my central nervous system on high alert.

THEN UNEXPECTEDLY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 7:00 a.m., just when I was grooving on quietude, the phone rang. It was the exterior home improvement company we contracted with in the spring to do exterior home improvements in August.

August, people. August.

And what did these fine folks have to say? They politely announced that they’d be at the house today [July 5] at 7:30 a.m. to start our projects because they were ready to do our work. Huzzah, huzzah!

This is good.

I am not complaining because that would be wrong.

BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT STARTING Wednesday I began dealing with more outside racket in the form of [hammer] NOISE & workers and [sawing] NOISE & clutter. Plus, to his credit, Zen-Den continued doing exactly what he planned to do during the week.

Yes, Zen-Den started organizing and painting the inside of the garage which is wonderful. I appreciate this project and have wanted it done for years, but it does add to the mess that I find everywhere outside any door I open when I attempt to leave the house.

And quite frankly in my estimation visual mess is a cousin of noise, on its father’s side of course.

ANYHOW HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS of what’s going on around here. The home improvement repairs are focused on the screened-in porch, boxed bay window, and the entryway around the front door. Then, of course, the whole exterior of the house will need to be painted.

But that’s a ~~nightmare~~ project for another time.

So having unburdened myself with the foregoing insight into home ownership, midwest-style, I promise that once the exterior repairs are finished [or there’s less pounding], probably later this week but maybe not, I’ll get it together and write what I’m calling my July Reply series in which I answer your AMA questions.

It’s going to be three long posts because you, my little sunbeams of good cheer, ask many questions.

And for that I love you!

~ ~ • ~ ~

Ladders in front yard, awaiting their turns to be useful

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Ladders leaning against screened-in porch, work in progress

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Trash formerly known as the screened-in porch exterior

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New exterior panels on one side of screened-in porch, trim being added

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Assorted garage stuff piled up out of the way whilst one part of the garage is being painted, forsooth

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Ladder in garage used by husband whilst painting the walls Sherwin-Williams Pure White

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Trailer parked in driveway making it impossible to get car into garage BUT featuring a cute orange cone

~ ~ • ~ ~

Happy Tuesday: 8 Random Links Presented For Your Eggheaded Enjoyment

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 / Ally Bean / 214 Comments

THIS is one of those weird weeks that happens every year.

If you celebrate Easter in a religious way then this is Holy Week and you’re being churchy almost every day. Also Ramadan continues through this week & Passover starts mid-week.

And of course this year we’re adding the political circus that surrounds The Donald.

HOWEVER if these religious holidays are not part of your family traditions and you’re doing your best to not let The Donald live rent-free in your mind, then this week, I’m guessing, is no big deal for you and you’re focused on eating chocolate.

I come to this conclusion having recently shopped at Kroger where chocolate dominates every aisle.

[A digression: Our local store is being remodeled so shopping is like a scavenger hunt. Has been for weeks. It may be that I’m seeing chocolate everywhere because the same displays are being moved around daily.]

ANYHOW past experience has taught me, the intrepid blogger, that this will be a slow week in blogland. And that’s okay by me.

So instead of my usual flapdoodle and twaddle, I’ll share the following links that I’ve been saving for a week like this one.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

8 RANDOM LINKS FOR EGGHEADS

• This isn’t how Marie Kondo does things, but I’m here for the magic of knolling.

• Laughed while reading this and refuse to answer these questions dubbed 5 of the worse interview questions.

• There’s more to life than skinny jeans and this quiz will help you determine which cut is your style now.

• Makes good sense to keep your terracotta pots clean.

• Only knew a few of the names for beer can and bottle sizes, but feel better informed even if I’ll stick with a standard can or longneck bottle size.

• Been enjoying Wordiply every morning as a kind of warm-up for using my words elsewhere.

• Who among us hasn’t longed for a medieval mac and cheese recipe and the history associated with it?

• And finally a look at flapper fashion…

~ ~ 💚 ~ ~

One Last 2022 Post: Alexa Gets Nosy & I Ask You A Question

December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 / Ally Bean / 218 Comments

ALEXA GETS NOSY

“The answer is negative one.”

I was composing an email reply to a friend who’d written about a mutual acquaintance who was going through a difficult time.

I was rereading out loud what I’d written to make sure my grammar was correct and the content made sense. I’m a wordy girl after all and I take pride in how I put words together in a sentence.

Even in casual correspondence.

What I’d written, saying to myself in a quiet mumble, was: “ALSO SHE HAS ONLY ONE, NOT TWO, MEANS TO DO WHAT SHE DOES.” It was praise for our mutual acquaintance and how she was handling things.

But then out of nowhere, unasked, Alexa the little eavesdropper piped up saying the line I shared at the top of this post.

She startled me so much I jumped into the air and almost lost my stuffing. Confused and annoyed, I wanted to figure out why the heck she’d inserted herself into my life.

I looked at what I’d written then said to myself a few seconds before. I realized that Alexa had understood the word “ALSO” to be her name, then she’d interpreted what I’d said after that to be a math problem.

That is, I’d said “…ONE NOT TWO MEANS…” which she translated to the equation 1 – 2 = [one minus two equals] resulting in her reply [“the answer is negative one”] that she blurted out answering the question she thought I’d asked her.

Which, of course, I hadn’t.

And with that ridiculous realization about what had just happened, I solved my nosy Alexa mystery.

Bless. Her. Heart.

I ASK YOU A QUESTION

This will be my last blog post of 2022, but I have one last thing to ask you, my little partridges in a pear tree. I have four blog posts started, but FAR from finished. They require more research &/or introspection than I’m willing to put into them in December.

Because I want to goof off now, thus I shall write later.

Getting to what might be the actual point of this post, which one of the topics listed immediately below would you like me to write about first when I return? Yep, I’m crowdsourcing this decision so please tell me your preference in the comments. Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation concerning this matter.