Spunk, Moxie Or Gumption? You Decide.

September 10, 2015May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 16 Comments

Because sometimes the light that shines within me gets curious about things, I researched the following three words after I thought of them while watching a certain video.

Thinking that these three word meant the same thing, I can now tell you that ~~I was righ~~t according to the dictionary these three words mean different things.

Sort of. [I guess.] In a very nuanced way.

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SPUNK = courage and determination

MOXIE = force of character or nerve

GUMPTION = shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness

~ ~ • ~ ~

The following video of Monkey the Cat, who just happens to look like one of my dearly departed pussy gatos, demonstrates for us the above concepts.

It shows that…

Monkey’s gumption helps him have the spunk to use moxie to get the kibble.

Or to put it another way…

Monkey’s spunk combined with his moxie gives him the gumption to play the game that gets the kibble.

Or perhaps it tells us that…

Monkey’s moxie influences his gumption so that he has the spunk to find the ball to get the kibble.

WHATEVER.

Instead of focusing on the syntax of a perfectly crafted sentence, like I have here, I suggest that you, gentle readers, watch the video and learn, as Monkey the Cat shows us what spunk or moxie or gumption is all about.

You will be amazed.

~ ~ • ~ ~

A Lazy-ish Summer Weekend, Idyllic As Can Be

August 18, 2015January 24, 2016 / Ally Bean / 22 Comments

• • •

It was a relaxing weekend here. Nothing special going on, but enough to do to keep us content.

I read an enjoyable novel.

He watched his latest TV obsession.

We went for a walk around the neighborhood noticing that the new houses under construction are very large indeed.

I did laundry.

He repaired and painted the mailbox post while I cleaned the mailbox and numbers.

We went to a triple-A baseball game.

I shopped online for a new lamppost light to replace the worn-out one shown above.

He caught up on work while sitting at the kitchen table.

We ate, for dinner, cold sandwiches instead of cooking hot somethings.

And we drank bottles of beer instead of goblets of wine.

It was a weekend befitting warm August days under clear blue skies.

• • •

So gentle readers and kind lurkers, what did you do this past weekend?

Please tell all in the comments below.

Bourbon, Bunnies & Baffling Skies + Q[s]OTD

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 / Ally Bean / 42 Comments

An acquaintance suggested that I needed to start an Instagram account. She’s there and loves it. She thinks that I could drive traffic to my blog from Instagram + she likes my photos and wants to see them all in one place.

Isn’t that sweet?

So last night, as a test run, I snapped some photos around here. I figure that these are the sort of photos that I’d probably put on Instagram, if I was there.

Which I’m not sure that I’m going to be.

As I was taking these pics I remembered a woman from years ago who had a unique blog, the name of which I don’t remember, in which she posted one photo per day of her kitchen table OR of what she saw while sitting at her kitchen table.

Her kitchen counter. Her backyard. Her sky.

And suddenly I was giggling to myself because what I’d snapped for my Instagram test run was exactly what this blogger, who I hadn’t thought of in years, used to do. Yet here I was doing the same thing, lending credence to: everything old is new again!

# # #

Q[s]OTD:

1) Are you on, or do you follow people on, Instagram? What do you like about it? What do not like about it? Should I be there?

2) In general, when viewing other people’s photos, what is your favorite kind of photo to see? And why?

Herbie OR Cujo: Which One Would You Choose?

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015 / Ally Bean / 23 Comments

When we moved to this subdivision, I realized that one day I’d be faced with a situation in which I’d need to decide, instantly, what to do to keep safe.

You see, this large subdivision, built on hills around creeks, and with curvy roads, has no sidewalks.

# # #

So there I was moseying along, midday, walking on the left-hand side of the street with the sun behind my back. I was almost to the point in the street where it descends into a valley over a creek bed.

This is when two teenage kids sped by me and lost control of their mother’s van heading down into the valley, almost hitting another car, Herbie, who was driving up out of the valley.

Into the sun.

Where I was walking on the street.

And I realized in an instant that the driver of this other car, an adult who had swerved to miss the kids, could not see me– and that he was heading straight for me.

Unaware.

# # #

Herbie

# # #

So I did what I’d decided that I’d do if when this scenario played out, as I knew that it would eventually.

I ran across a neighbor’s yard, up about 15 feet onto their driveway, heading toward their garage which was open– where their large dog was sound asleep.

And said dog, startled from a nice snooze in the shade, came running full tilt down the driveway barking and growling at me, the intruder.

Not the greatest situation to be in.

# # #

Cujo

# # #

However, as I had always figured, a family dog in this neighborhood, while hellacious toward burglars, raccoons and the Fed Ex man, would never hurt another neighbor in distress.

These dogs are way too domesticated for that. They know that all of us humans around here have access to treats. And give delightful belly rubs.

So, while pointing out toward the street, I calmly said to this Cujo wannabe who I had just met: “Hi, sorry to bother you. Bit of a problem here. Got to get out-of-the-way of the car. No big deal.”

# # #

And dagnabbit if he didn’t look at the street, stop barking, started wagging his tail, yawned [!]— and then went back into the garage to continue his midday nap.

Confirming that from his point of view, I was not worth the bother.

Thankfully.

# # #

{Great minds think alike! Check out what Carrie Rubin at The Write Transition said yesterday about walking in a world without sidewalks. Click here.}