Chadwick Boseman, 1977-2020. Rest in Peace. Wakanda Forever

Ten Thursday Thoughts

1. We are well into month FIVE of quarantine. Well, by this time, pseudo-quarantine.  I don't know what to call it. All I know is that I am just numb right now. Numb is the only word I can use to describe how I feel. And I'm all tapped out when it comes to work. I really need a lab to get experiments done, but it is just not worth me going in. For once in my life, I just need to put myself and my well being before my job. And let the chips fall where they may with management.

2. I had a doctor's appointment today. This completely unnerves me, as every time I touch something, I douse my hands in hand sanitizer.

3. My doctor's appointment was at 9:00 am. I didn't go to bed until 3:30 am. Ugh. And doctor is 30 miles away. That is, like, a very long road trip for me.

4. I did have an incredibly quiet and peaceful shopping experience at the Eagles Landing (far south metro Atlanta Suburb) this morning. People had on masks and were social distancing and the store was not at all crowded. That's the way I like it.

5. I have gained Covid weight, but all my bloodwork is very good. I am no longer anemic. Cholesterol and blood pressure are within normal levels. All my electrolyte, vitamin, mineral levels are within range, kidneys are great. So that is good. I suppose. Gonna be thankful anyhow.

6. "Your legs are skinny," my doctor said.
    "But I've gained weight!" I screeched.
    "That is because you are not moving," she explained. "You need to move. Join a gym."
    "I am not running up in no gym right now. No way. Found some youtube videos, though."
    "Good for you," she said.

And that's all I can do right now. And hope for the best.

7. If I listen to terrestrial radio in the car, I like to listen to an Old school station. I heard some good songs on my 60 mile round trip to my doctor's office. Some Kool and the Gang, Earth Wind and Fire, and the like. The problem is that it took me back to days when I was little and my Mother and I would be listening to music in the car and singing along...

8. I got all teary-eyed at those memories. So I guess I have to just plug in my Spotify playlist and listen to that until I feel better about it all.

9. And with that said, look what comes up on my timeline: Forever More by Enchantment.



10. Prayers for Texas and Louisiana right now.

How in the world does one deal with a pandemic, racial injustice AND a hurricane during this time? I just don't know.

Praying ALL of this craziness will just be over soon enough.

Those are my 10 Thoughts. On a Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday: Giving Thanks for Condolences Arrangements

Two at a Time?

So I have been barely paying much attention to the news. I think I am just tired of all the vitriol, and I want some peace.

But it has been raining every single day in Atlanta. I don't understand it. EVERY day, usually in the afternoon.

So I thought it was about time to watch the news. Maybe one of the meteorologists could explain what the world was going on!

Why is it that I turned on the TV and saw this?

TWO HURRICANES?

Luckily I have YouTubeTV, so I could just rewind it back.

YES! TWO at a TIME.

What the world?

2020 is something else...

First corona... then racism... then TWO HURRICANES.

Ugh.

I haven't seent such a thing. Have you?

One at a time is bad. Everybody have to brace themselves, evacuate, or whatever else needs to be done. Thank goodness for innovative weather technology, Doppler radars, and all that so we can see everything and get advanced warning.

But what do you do with TWO hurricanes spinning up at the same time??

I mean, look at this craziness!!



Hurricane Marco and Hurricane Laura.

Wow.

These don't seem like they will be TOO bad, i.e. they are not of Hurricane Katrina proportions.

But imagine if there were two category 5 hurricanes about to hit at the same time.

OH MY!!

And such a thing would not surprise me if it happened during the Great Pandemic of 2020.

Not at all.

But of course, memes run roughshod all through the Facebook and Twitter streets.

This is the best and funniest I have found:

There is no satisfying explanation for all the rain falling in Atlanta, save for them resulting right now from the outer bands of Marco or Laura. It has been raining everyday for what feels like months, so that is only a partial explanation.

But this is a high class problem for me, i.e., I can just open an umbrella and go on about my business.

It is a harsh reality for those in the path of the hurricanes.

I pray everyone is safe from harm and that all will be well.

Me complaining about a little rain is a small thing in the midst of it all.

Rest in Peace to my Mother, Carolyn Releford

I briefly mentioned in a couple of posts over the past two weeks that my mother was on life support.

She was removed from life support last night, and passed away shortly there after.

I wasn't there, due to covid concerns. My sister Kay and brother Kari were there with her holding her hand as she passed. I asked if I could come down and just sit in the parking lot. They said no, too many folks around, and they wanted to keep me safe.

I did go down last Thursday night. I don't think I wrote about it, not sure. But our mother was the only patient in the hospice at the time, and we were the only family there. So I visited with her for about three hours (from 10 pm -1 am). We prayed over her and anointed her head with oil. It was good to see and touch my sister, as I haven't since mid-March. My mother has been unresponsive for two weeks (basically in a coma), so her ventilator was doing the breathing for her.

I do not really know how to feel right now. There have been a few tears over the past couple of weeks, but really, just a lot of thinking. I posted a memorium on Facebook that conveys my feelings as of late. I have reposted here, along with some photos.


Rest in Peace, Mother
Carolyn Releford, April 24, 1948 - August 18, 2020.

My mother Carolyn Releford passed away today at the age of 72 after a long illness. She never fully recovered from a bypass surgery she had in late 2018. She and I have always had a complex relationship, but we managed as best we could over the years. It hurt to see her in so much pain over this past year and a half, and though I am sad that she is gone, I am relieved that she is in pain no more. She'd been on life support for the past two weeks, and I found myself praying for her throughout the day. But as of late, what has been endearing was my noticing some of my little habits - making a to-do list every single morning, stacking dishes before I wash them, the way I iron my clothes, the way I sort my laundry, the way I wash my collards, or snap my beans- and pausing for a moment and saying softly to myself in the quiet of the day, "Ma taught me how to do this." I may shed a few tears, or just sit in quiet respect of those passing moments. I am learning to cherish such memories, and they have somehow afforded much peace and comfort.

Rest in peace, Ma. I pray you are with God and in the arms of your ancestors, those you have loved, lost, and missed for so long. Thank you for doing the best you could with me and my brother Kari Releford and my sister Kay Releford. I think we turned out pretty good.

Love, Alesia
But as you have always called me "Lee" and "Lisa".


I wrote that last night, about five hours after she passed. I did not know what I wanted to post, but I just thought about some of my thoughts over the last few weeks and wrote that.


I know I will miss her. No, we didn't get along well at times, but that never negates the good times.


I am just thankful she is not in pain anymore. It was terrible to watch her moan in pain... and not being able to do anything for her, but just try to make her comfortable.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. They brought back great memories for me and my siblings.

Ma, probably at some party she was attending.

Ma visiting with her grandsons, circa 2008, in Seattle Washington.

 Ma and Milk and Cookies, 2005? Milk and Cookies was part of a biking crew, and they were at a restaurant with his crew in Seattle.

Ma, and my Father, in 1967 or thereabouts.

 Ma and Justin a few days after he was born in August 2017. We were sitting in the Emory NIC unit taking turns holding him.

 Ma and my Auntie, her sister, in 2012, after the funeral of their cousin.

 Me and Ma, circa 1976, taking pictures at Auntie's house. She was serious, and as you can see, I was not.

 A picture at auntie's house. This is one of the few pictures with all of us. This had to be around 1993-1994.

 Ma and Milk and Cookies. He had a layover in Atlanta, and we all ran down to the airport to see him, if only for a half hour, before his flight home to Seattle.

Ma and her boyfriend Mack. They had been together for 7 years.

I enjoyed going through my phone and finding old pictures. They brought back so many memories.

Rest in peace, Ma. No more pain. That is all we can ask and hope for for you.

Rest in peace.

Ten Tuesday Thoughts

Ten Thoughts on a Tuesday.

1. Do you know what it is like to be robbed in the middle of a crowd of people in broad daylight without a gun?  I don't, and hopefully you don't either. But this whole post office fiasco feels like that. Maybe it's just me, but I can't believe the post office is being torpedoed right before our very eyes.

2. Do they know that they are messing up people's mail drug prescription services in the process? Thank goodness I can go to my local pharmacy and get my prescriptions refilled. My pharmacy even has an app. I don't know what I would do if I had to stand by the mailbox waiting for mail.

3. Looking at this, I have decided that if I need to mail something, I will go to my local UPS or Fed-Ex office. Folks have stories of their mail taking two weeks to get to its destination. I pay my bills online, but having to mail bills now... No Ma'am. No Sir.

4. I haven't had much of an appetite these past few days. If I do eat, it is late in the afternoon or evening, and I am trying to get away from that.

5.  I watched the first night of the DNC convention. It felt like a school assembly. It is so odd not to hear the cheers of the crowd.

6. Michelle Obama's speech, man... I was waiting for her to holler "BOOM" at the end. She didn't, so I hollered it for her."

7. I think the phrase "It is what it is" will be the official phrase for this election and COVID season.

8. So on Twitter today, the haters have ginned up the whole narrative again that Michelle Obama is a man. Sigh. And you wonder why black folk get tired of craziness. It is interesting when people try to attack your identity. It is a sign of something. I promise you, if you pull back the heavy velvet black curtain of their lives, you will find some mighty deep complex issues. I'm just saying.

Might take you a few days to understand that... but think on it. Look around you. You'll see what I am talking about.

9. I have been really getting into this podcast as of late: Therapy for Black Girls by Joy Harden Bradford, PhD.

The topics are interesting, and I must say it is really nice to listen to a psychologist speak on topics that are of interest to me and/or I am currently dealing with, especially in these trying times.

10. So our beloved president, Ben Carson, and the Pillow Guy are touting a new drug that they want us to try for the cure or help with the coronavirus. Sigh. Man, I am not going to even really take this serious. It is bad that you have to follow the trail to the money to figure out what's going on. But danggonit, I hope they don't try to line us up and force us to take some darn pills.  It all continues to feel very Jim Jones-Guyanaish to me.

That is all I have to say about that.

Look, we have too many resources at our fingertips. Please do your research. I will be doing mine. On purpose.

Nasty Women

Our beloved President is always calling women he don't like "Nasty".

What is up with that? I find it very odd and off-putting. In fact, when he gets started, I can't find the remote to my television fast enough.

But I saw this meme the other day, and it gave me pause.

You know, when they asked him about Giselle Maxwell (whatever her name is), I just KNEW he would call her a nasty woman. But no, he wished her well.

I saw that live, and I was dumbstruck. I immediately thought it was a way of him keeping her quiet. Hmm... maybe that is just a plot from some show I watched somewhere. Who knows. It was just disturbing.

Elizabeth Warren had a fitting response to the "nasty woman" tag.

Right on, Senator Warren...

Right on.

Ten Thursday Thoughts

Ten Thoughts! On a... Thursday. (Had to pause to figure what day it was. They are all running together right now.

1. I am not sure what day this is of the quarantine. Are we still under quarantine? Well, we are almost halfway through month #5. Oh joy. MONTH 5!

2. I find myself napping or simply falling asleep at night in my "easy chair" (that's what my grandma called her recliner). I would watch my Grandma do this and thought that I never thought I would would do such a thing. Lo and behold, I do this now. And it reminds me of her, and how much I miss her.

3. I am team leader on some project at work. It was originally mine, but there are a couple of guys working on it, since they are brave enough to go in. All I know, I am just not in the mood to deal with fragile, almost femalian (is that a word?) male egos. Not in the mood.

4. Best thing I did today? Turn in my timesheet so that I can paid. Thank you, Lord.

5. Kamala Harris is the vice-presidential pick. I am neither here nor there with her. I think she is a politician, and will do well enough. I am looking forward to her verbally smoking Pence, with his milquetoast self. They are going to attack her viciously. I know she can stand up to it. Us black women are strong like that.

6. This may be too much information, but I had a cycle last month. So what? Well, I thought I was in full menopause. No ma'am. It's been six months, then SURPRISE. And there was me being sad, and walking around wailing, "I thought this was suppose to be over now!" I was so devastated. That is the only word I can use to describe how I was feeling.

7. Lupus symptoms get worse around that special time of the month. This is a none thing. This time, my left hamstring was on fire. It was a little difficult to climb stares and walk. I mean, I could do it, but I was 25% slower, something like that. I think it was inflamed. Just never felt like that before. And it ain't like I can go the doctor during these covid times. Shoot, I only go if I absolutely have to, and have an appointment. But I must say, after all was said and done, it feels 95% better now. But I would hate to feel like that again. Ugh.

8. I wish I had someone to share these things with. I was thinking about joining a support group of some type, but I don't think I can deal with too many of us wailing, all at the same time. I am a part of a web group, though. It might be a good idea to keep up with it and be alert. I may find something helpful.

9. Our beloved president seems to be doing press briefings every evening. It catches me off guard, having me saying "Wait, wasn't I just watching the news?!?!? Where the hell he come from! Oh hell no!!" He acts like he doesn't even want to be there, and he starts rambling. It is such a waste of my brain cells to watch and figure out what the world he is talking about. When I can tell you that I can't find my tv remote fast enough to turn the station... Ugh!

10. I have about an inch of hair growth which is so weird to me. But I refuse to get it cut. It's not like I'm doing nothing, not even going to work. And I wear a scarf when I leave the house. So what's the point?

that's it for my 10 thoughts! Enjoy your day!

Go Kamala!!!!

Joe Biden has made his vice-president pick!

Kamala Harris!

Go Kamala!

No, she wasn't my pick. She may have been #4 on my list. My pick was Florida Congressman Val Demings. That would have locked up Florida for Biden. He already has California, so I don't know the game plan when it comes to picking Harris.

I am SURE they have one.

This isn't the most ruthless ticket, so I hope it works out for them. All I know, they need to stop playing nice. That's not going to work.

But anyway, we finally have a VP pick. Glad it's a sister! That's all I gotta say about that!

Friday Freestyles

I can't believe I let a full week go by and hadn't posted. The shame!

I think it is just I have been writing a lot, and when I am not writing, this is my outlet.

This has been a trying week. Someone else was diagnosed at work with covid, and some are not handling it well at all. Let's just say there was a bunch of crying going on. And sadness, at being helpless as to what to do. It is just awful that none of this appears to be getting better. And we got a president right now trying to gaslight us by telling us that one day it will all go away. Not sure how I feel about that, but my goodness, if only that was true. I don't believe it is.

On top of that, my mother is in the hospital. She is unresponsive and deteriorating, and me and my siblings had to have a 3-way call together and just map out what making a decision about taking her off of life support would look out, and if we are ready to even make that decision. It was a good productive phone call between us all, with me mostly listening, and agreeing or disagreeing. I told my sister awhile ago that I was leaving any decisions up to her, and I would fully support it. That is still the case. But I am glad of a call where we were calmly discussing things, and I could tell they'd both been mapping out what it would look like.

So that's that. I think we are up to day one-hundred and thirty something of quarantine. And I have lost count and have not even thought to sit and try to figure it out. All I know is it is approximately 90 days until the election. I have already made the decision to early vote, because Georgia is going to pull out all the stops and do what they can to suppress, suppress, suppress.

Ugh.

Pictures of the Week. On a happier note, here is my favorite thing I ate this week (Or last week. These days are running together).

That was some potatoes, kale, onions and peppers. Real simple: dice up a red potato, boil it for 15 minutes, then sautee it in a tablespoon of olive oil with kale, onions, and peppers. I meant to throw in a scrambled egg, but it looked like it may be good without it, and it was.

My favorite thing is always a bowl of fresh vegetables. That can be a whole meal for me, easy. And many times it is.

On yet another happy note, my crochet projects are barreling along. Thank goodness, because for a moment, the blanket below... I didn't think I would EVER finish it.

100 squares. That blanket is made up of 100 squares. Initially I was making five different color of squares for the blanket: white, yellow, pink, green, and blue. But the yellow and white were too bright. So I stuck with blue, pink, and green, with pink being the primary color since it is for a baby girl. (Lawd, I hope my coworker had a girl as I heard. Oh my).

I am currently working on another blanket also. It is a blanket for my coworker's daughter's 5th birthday.

I am making it big enough for her to use well into her teen years. I think she will like it.


This one is about 50% complete. I messed around and needed more purple yarn and I couldn't find it. And I KNOW I buy all the yarn I need for a project at one time, as I have to make sure the lot numbers of each roll of each color are the same. If not, the attentive eye may notice that there are two different purples in the piece. I haven't had the problem yet, and my eyes are not sharp enough to spot the imperfection. But after a little digging around, I found it in the bottom of a bag. Thank goodness.

Song of the Day. I have been listening to the same things over the past two weeks. But here are a couple of songs that I listen to in the car, as they sound great on my 10 speaker Nagasaki system (not sure that is the name of the system... I just know it starts with the letter "N").

Sade's "Cherish the Day' and "Soldier of Love"  (Live 2011)





(I am sure those will disappear, and that's okay. Go look them up!)

I remember my sister calling me about this concert. She couldn't believe that the tickets were $550 each. That is a lot. We whined about it. But man oh man, I wish I would've just took my mortgage money and bought us a couple of tickets. Who knows if we will ever be able to be in arena ever again? Who knows if the notoriously reclusive Sade will ever tour again. Ugh.

But it is what it is.

That's it for my Friday freestyles. No matter how it feels to me, I declare it a good week. These days, it is a good day when I wake up and I am feeling fine.

Every morning, I am very purposeful about waking up and thanking God for a new day.

And I do that on purpose. I think it is the right start to my day during these trying times.

Have a great weekend!