Yes, I Am Indeed A . . .

. . . and I love every minute of my retired life! This fabulous graphic was made by blogging buddy Lissa of Postcards from the Bookstore and I won it in her recent 4th Blogoversary giveaway! Thanks, Lissa!

Lissa writes witty and thoughtful posts about blogging, books, reading, and writing. She accompanies them with beautiful custom graphics and images which she also creates. Here's a few examples of her fab work --

Lissa always finds a great topic for the April A-Z Challenge every year too. Plus she occasionally posts her short fiction for us to enjoy as well!

Be sure to heck out her blog here!

Be Afraid, Florida Panthers. BE VERY AFRAID.

I received an unexpected package

in the mail yesterday.

I laughed so hard when I opened it!

SO FREAKIN' HARD!

"Specially Handmade by Shirley"

the attached label says.

Yes, that's right -- a gift from the

Queen of Voodoo Dolls herself,

blogging buddy Shirley

of BootsandBraids!

Thank you, Shirley, for ensuring that next year,

the Edmonton Oilers will be victorious

in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup due to our

SPECIAL SECRET WEAPON!

And now it has pride of place

right here on my computer hutch . . . 

yes, where ALL the magic happens!

[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2025]

This Post Is For Mike

Every Thursday, blogging buddy Mike of

Billions of Versions of Normal (found here)

does a post called "Thursday Trees."

I always enjoy his collections of tree photos,

so here's my contribution!

From the "Drawing Australia" course

I took recently, this is an Australian gum tree

being encircled by a strangler fig.

Let's pretend it's just a warm hug, okay?

I'm sure the gum tree will be fine! 

As usual, I did this freehand using

HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils.

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2025]

A Delightfully Sweet Gift!

I received a wonderful gift by mail this week from blogging buddy Baili of Baili and I... blog -- a box of fresh, delicious dates! Dates have been one of my favourite flavours in baked goods ever since I was a little girl -- my Mom's sandwich cookies with date filling, oatmeal date squares (which prairie oldsters call "matrimonial cake" because that's what wedding cakes were typically made of during the Great Depression), yummy bearclaw cookies, and Christmas treats like dark fruitcake and steamed Christmas pudding! As an adult, I also learned of English sticky toffee pudding, another amazing dessert.

Baili's son in London handled the shipping of the dates, and he included a very unique card with them --

I just love the cute custom-made illustration on the card! There is Baili and I, sitting outside together surrounded by nature, enjoying each other's company, with Baili drinking her beloved cup of tea and me wearing my purple fingerless gloves, just like in my longtime blog icon photo! I really appreciate the thoughtful care and attention to detail that went into this special card magic!

Thank you, Baili! I look forward to baking with these delicious dates, my friend!

Charming Artistry, Plus Tarot

Want to read a blog that infuses the ordinary and the everyday with a tangible sense of magic and spirit? Then check out Laura and her favorite things . . .! Laura can always be counted on for her beautiful and intriguing photography . . . 

. . . and for her creative and imaginative artworks . . . 

. . . along with her musings and observations about baking, gardening, crafting and daily magical life!

And speaking of magical life, Laura also recently started a wordpress blog called Messages From The Ancestors which features a daily tarot card selection along with a few words of wisdom about it.

Laura very generously offers -- at no cost -- tarot readings and other spiritual services to those seeking such guidance. As she writes:

Please understand that ALL of my offerings are at no cost. I feel that I was brought into this lifetime to help the dead and the living communicate when needed and to assist the living with my gifts as best I can. This is not a job, a side hustle or a hobby. This is my calling, and it is my pleasure to provide support and guidance when I can, to whomever I can.

Laura is a woman after my own heart in this regard. She shares her spiritual gifts freely to benefit those who may be helped by them.

You can check out her Offerings page here.

Farewell, Jackiesue

Very sad news in the blogosphere today -- long-time blogger Jackiesue Denney of YellowDog Granny has passed away at the age of 81. I was privileged to call her my friend and I will miss her tremendously.

On her blog, Jackiesue described herself as a "liberal pagan living in West, Texas. Yes. That West, Texas." She was a fearless hell-raiser and always spoke her mind, no matter the pushback or opposition. Her blog had the very best and very latest political memes skewering right-wing intolerance, discrimination, hate, politics and wrongdoings. She was a fierce and uncompromising supporter of all minorities, including the Black, Latino, Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities. Yet Jackiesue also had a fantastic sense of humour which was displayed regularly on her blog and in person.

Jackiesue was a tremendous volunteer in her community, driving for Meals on Wheels, organizing holiday parties and cooking special meals at the seniors' home, always ready to lend a helping hand. Jackiesue adored her family and doted on her great-grandchildren in particular, attending all their sporting events and being so proud of all their achievements.

Passionate about feminism, paganism and the Goddess, Jackiesue's favourite deity was the Norse Goddess Freya. I have no doubt that she is now sitting at Freya's right hand, feasting and carousing with the Valkyries and other warrior women in Freya's Hall.

No tribute to Jackiesue would be complete without noting her favourite word, used lavishly and in all possible situations --

I feel that the following meme, taken from her YellowDog Granny blog, serves as a fitting farewell on her behalf to all of the enemies, trolls, demons, haters and fascists she spent so much of her time fighting . . . 

. . . just as I'm sure this other meme from her blog represents Jackiesue's parting invitation to us all to carry on her fire, spirit and audacity --

As Found in Only the BEST Homes

Nothing says "welcome" like a little barbed wire!

Please, have a seat in

my dying living room!

But no feet on the coffee table please!

Unless they're dismembered.

Too dim in here?

Feel free to turn on a lamp!

 

Here is the cat tree . . . 

but where is the cat?

Oh, here's my sweet little Murder Cat!

Many thanks to blogging buddy Shirley of BootsandBraids

for this thoughtful and generous surprise Halloween gift!

Murder Cat is now a permanent resident in

my library/office/computer room, where I can keep

a careful and wary eye on him while blogging.

No creeping up on me undetected!

Guess Who I Met? Part Two

Debra She Who Seeks: My second blogging buddy meetup of 2024 was with Robyn Engel of Life by Chocolate! In June, Robyn came to Alberta from California to vacation at Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. We were able to meet beforehand in Calgary for dinner one evening.

Her Royal Highness the Cat: TELL THEM WHAT I DID TO MAKE HER VISIT EXTRA SPECIAL!

DSWS: Okay, okay, calm down! I'll tell them. Does everyone remember the famous 2009 viral photo of the "Crasher Squirrel" who photobombed those tourists in Banff?

HRH: [interrupting excitedly] Well, I had the BRILLIANT IDEA  to recreate that photo with Robyn and my human at the restaurant! I just know MY VERSION will be a HUGE INTERNATIONAL VIRAL SENSATION too! Take a look --

DSWS: [sighing heavily] Yes, I'm sure it will. Anyway, Robyn and I had a delightful meetup and discussed all sorts of blogosphere goings-on. We've been following each other's blogs for many years, so there was a lot of ground to cover! Robyn is a talented author and poet who is now doing some stand-up as well, so I wanted to hear all about her current and future endeavours!

HRH: Yes, Robyn is a FASCINATING person! YOU, on the other hand, seemed intent on BORING the poor woman to death with your LONG-WINDED EXPLANATIONS of the Monarchy's role in Canada, the function of the Commonwealth, and how Canadian socialized medicine works. My gawd, I can't take you ANYWHERE.

DSWS: But . . . but . . . Robyn wanted to know about those things!

HRH: Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that. Thanks to your endless BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, I couldn't get a WORD IN EDGEWISE to discuss poetry with Robyn. She and I are both OUTSTANDING POETS, you know. Remember how I won her blog's poetry contest in 2018 with my POEM OF GENIUS?

DSWS: So what? I won the same contest on her blog in 2022!

HRH: Yeah, with a piece of LEWD DOGGEREL, you no-talent hack. Besides, I have it ON GOOD AUTHORITY that yours was just a PITY WIN.

DSWS: Why, you little . . . .

Guess Who I Met? Part One

Debra She Who Seeks: Hello everyone! So far in 2024, I've had the pleasure of meeting two blogging buddies in person! Part One today is about the first meetup and Part Two on Friday is about the second, so be sure to come back for that post too.

Her Royal Highness the Cat: Of course, the BIGGEST THRILL for both of them was to meet ME, GLORIOUS ME!

DSWS: First I met Allen Hingston of The Blog Fodder. He came to Edmonton at Easter to visit his son, daughter-in-law and adorable little grandson, so I went over and had coffee with him! It was great to sit and chat about so many things. I heard about his career in Saskatchewan, how he met his wife Tanya in Ukraine and got married, and how they had to flee the war to come back to Canada for their safety.

HRH: SLAVA UKRAINI! 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦

DSWS: We had lots of blogging stuff to talk about too, plus our shared love of noir detective fiction and bad puns.

HRH: But then YOU had to go and pick a FIGHT with him about the Edmonton Elks and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, didn't you? You just COULDN'T leave that football club rivalry alone, could you?

DSWS: . . . . . . . what?

HRH: I'm in despair about your LACK OF PEOPLE SKILLS, I really am. GOOD THING I was there to step BETWEEN you two before things got UGLY.

DSWS: What the hell are you talking about? Nothing like that happened!

HRH: Don't lie to your readers! I have PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF of the intervention I had to perform to SAVE THE DAY! Take a look --

DSWS: Oh for gawd's sake, get some decent photoshop skills, willya? That photo is so obviously fake!

HRH: You think you're SO CLEVER, Miss Smarty Pants! I know that in the comments Allen will confirm MY story about you picking a fight with him. Just wait and see! JUST WAIT AND . . . .

Saturday Night Dance Party Tribute

Today, various bloggers are creating a "Saturday Night Dance Party" post in memory of our blogging buddy Anne Marie in Philly (From My Brain To My Mouth) who passed away unexpectedly around this date three years ago.

The Warrior Queen lived up to her name in every way. She was a passionate supporter of human rights and civil rights for all, a fierce feminist, an outspoken advocate of BLM and a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community. She had no use whatsoever for Trump, the GOP, Q-Anon, anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, or any other right-wing anti-social nonsense. All this was clear in her blog, as well as her love of cats, her artistry with knitting needles, and her enjoyment of a good gin cock-a-tail. Anne Marie was the soul of kindness to her blogging buddies, always remembering and noting in her blog birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and passings.

Anne Marie was passionate about music and especially liked to "kick it old school," as she put it. Her blog was filled with videos of the best dance music from every decade since the 1940s onwards. So in her honour, I am posting three of my most favourite recent danceable hit songs -- enjoy!

Dua Lipa: Dance The Night (2024, from the Barbie movie)

Adam Lambert: Holding Out For A Hero (2023)

Beyoncé: Texas Hold 'Em (2023)

And I'll conclude with one of Anne Marie's favourite quotations of hope and inspiration --

"Keep believing. Keep marching. Keep building. Keep raising your voice. Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.” - Barack Obama, July 2018

We miss you, Warrior Queen!

A Wonderful Surprise Gift

Blogging buddy Lady M of Lady M's Haunted Parlor

is a talented stained glass artist. She recently sent me

this gorgeous Pride Flag which she handcrafted!

I just love it!

Look how the light shines through its marvelous colours!

Here it is, hanging on my balcony window --

And another great photo of it, which Lady M took

at her home before mailing the flag to Canada --

Thank you, Lady M, for your

thoughtfulness, artistry and generosity!

I am honoured that you would make

such a beautiful emblem of Pride for me!

Howdy, Y'all -- I'm a Texan Now

Thanks to blogging buddy Jackiesue of Yellowdog Granny, I am now a full-fledged booster for her city of West, Texas. Here I am proudly sporting my West High School Trojans team t-shirt, while getting inspiration from a bottle of Lone Star beer and Waylon Jennings' biography.

Jackiesue sent a whole bunch of neat stuff from her neck of the woods, including a package of Texas Bluebonnet seeds, copies of The West News, and some fun magnets now gracing my refrigerator door. Good to know I can phone the West TX police department whenever I need assistance!

Thanks, Jackiesue, you rock!

Signal Boost!

Help out a grad student, willya? 

Blogging buddy (The Gods Are Bored) Anne Johnson's daughter needs a lot of people to take a survey she created about news sources and late-night comedy shows. The survey only takes about five minutes and is found here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12dMKWXXixARlduvbe8zhd6beGzIyoJjxgJDa38XKuiY/edit

Although the survey is geared towards Americans, input is also welcome from Canadians and others.

"Saturday Night Protest Party"

One of the worst things in the Blogosphere is when a blogging buddy passes away. Anne Marie in Philly of From My Brain To My Mouth died suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday night. My deepest condolences to her partner of 30 years, Todd Gunther of arteejee blog. She will be missed by all who knew her.

The Warrior Queen lived up to her name in every way. She was a passionate supporter of human rights and civil rights for all, a fierce feminist, an outspoken advocate of BLM and a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community. She had no use whatsoever for Trump, the GOP, Q-Anon, anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, or any other right-wing anti-social nonsense. All this was clear in her blog, as well as her love of cats, her artistry with knitting needles, and her enjoyment of a good gin cock-a-tail. Anne Marie was the soul of kindness to her blogging buddies, always remembering and noting in her blog birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and passings.

Anne Marie was passionate about music and especially liked to "kick it old school," as she put it. Her blog was filled with videos of the best dance music from every decade since the 1940s, so as a tribute to her, the rest of this post is based on her words, her format and some of the music she posted in her "Saturday Night Protest Party" posts. This post concludes, as hers usually did, with one of her favourite quotations of hope and inspiration.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is how I am feeling right now.

Dance like no one's watching.

Sing like no one's listening.

"Keep believing. Keep marching. Keep building. Keep raising your voice. Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.” - Barack Obama, July 2018