Shout-out Saturdays!! -- Issue #3 from The Weasel's Wife

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It's that time again ...

Ok ... so it's time to get back in the saddle and ride with that wild-and-@crazybgadventure guy into another session of #shoutoutsaturdays.

I know I missed the boat on that last week, and I'm not happy about it. I have a lot of great people to talk about -- and they deserve my extra effort. Last week-end was Easter though ... so I went easy on myself. I figured (correctly) that Steemit's low traffic levels on week-ends would be even lower with family and other things going on.

So, there might not be a fair amount of eyes on the post, even if I wrote it. And again, the people I honor deserve better. I don't want them lost in the crowd -- or lack of one. Also, I was really tired last week-end. So I slept a lot, and that's not like me either. But sometimes Life just catches up to you and Nature herself says, "Enough already." So, that's what happened.

This has also been a kind of crappy week. Some of you know the story, some don't. There's at least a chance next week will be better so I won't feed the problem more energy here. Let's get on with the show.

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The #ShoutoutSaturdays Leos

Last time I did a Shoutoutsaturdays post, I mentioned some incredible Leos: @arbitrarykitten, @eaglespirit, @derosnec and @catweasel. If I don't mention him here, he'll start missing his litterbox again, just for spite -- so I'm covering my bases early on that one.

Go visit them and their blogs. You know what they're like.

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@AwakentoLife

Now, without a clear theme, I'm not sure where to start. So I'll pick this one. It's a juicy plum to be sure and way past due for a mention. That account is @awakentolife. He's one of those fabulous souls whose simply pure goodness takes your breath away ... and whose energy recharges you almost as well as a decent night's sleep. He is always encouraging, always supportive, always has a kind or inspiring word to say. When you're around this guy, you can't help but be happy -- and this, despite the fact he is from Croatia -- which is three strikes against him right there.

He lives in a house with bullet-holes in the front from the war back a few years. His family fled for their safety and to escape the mess, and I don't know where they settled but somewhere in there he learned to dumpster dive for food. It saves him a ton on grocery bills, so maybe the joke is on us. I dunno though. He also claims to be 6' 12.5" ... to play basketball for a living ... and to be a vegetarian. If you can swallow that line of cr*p, maybe you, too, can be his friend. I know he'll be perfectly willing. After all, he puts up with me. You might be a nice change.

So there you go, @awakentolife ---> I got you good this time, my man. Now you have to join in our #shoutoutsaturdays efforts next week and write a post about some amazing people in your life. (He likes that word a lot ... amazing. ) Tag it with #shoutoutsaturdays. Let us into your bullet-torn life and tell us who makes your Steemit life grand every day. (And say why. Give them a few compliments. Don't write a freaking book though, ok? You know how you get carried away.)

Ok, that's one. Two more to go.

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@Zen-Art

Well, since that stuff about Croatia may have done give you the willies (and who could blame you?), let's pull up another Croatian and talk about her. I know. It doesn't sound like relief. It sounds like I'm piling it on. But here's the logic. This little elf will either redeem your opinion of Croatia (It could happen.), or she'll put you on the floor for good. Either way you won't just be left hanging. But be warned, @zen-art is a special soul and she may stretch your mind a few leagues farther before she turns loose of you again. You gotta be ready for that.

She has a marvelous New Age / metaphysical / spiritual outlook. She's into meditation, lucid dreams, ghosts, wicca and more. My conversations with her are great, because we speak the same language (progressive human) ... but she may introduce you to things the likes of which you never considered before. You gotta know, Life is all about perspective, and she looks through an unusual lens.

She sees levels of reality way beyond this one ... and sometimes when I listen, I hear my thoughts coming back to me in her words. Like all spiritual seekers, she's been through "some stuff." I'm not sure whether it's cause-and effect or vice versa, but this fact explains why so many saints led extraordinary lives. These kinds of gifts don't just get handed to anyone. Always, there are reasons.

One more thing (ok, one more warning! ) She's a double Virgo. (OMG!!) If you know what I mean, you'll step carefully. I do. You better believe it.

Two down. One more deep breath ... and then push on through.

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@GoldenDawne

Last on the list for today is ... @goldendawne. I was going to save her for next week, but then I decided maybe then I'll do a "Geezers Edition" of my SoS post then. All the senior Steemizens who surprise you they can prop up long enough to use a computer, let alone write a post. But since @goldendawne is, at best, a junior geezer -- a geezer-in-training, I'll stick her in here. That will finish my list for this week and give the old girl a thrill in addition. A two-fer. Here goes.

@goldendawne is a woman of exceptional talent and energy. You have to see her in action to believe it's all just one tiny woman at work. She's an active homesteader who recently discovered how to make her own sour milk stuff to turn into kefir. She wrote a post that sounds pretty enticing, so if rotten food is your thing, scramble over and say, "Yum!!" @catweasel is a huge fan of milk. I can't keep him out of the jug. I tried a while back to describe all the benefits of kefir, and when I said what it was, he said ... "Forget it. No thanks."

So that deal didn't fly. But I could maybe sneak him some sometime and see if he likes it. He'll eat / drink anything in the world -- almost. And what he doesn't know won't kill him. Right?

Back to @goldendawne ---> In another life she was a copywriter for a newspaper, so she knows about good stories and deadlines and stuff. @Scrooger knew a good deal when he saw it. Now she edits The Daily Qurator ... for your viewing pleasure. I know that's a job, 'cause I do one myself -- and the minute you get one done, the next one comes into view, like a buzzard in the back of your mind -- blocking the light. And waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

@goldendawne (she's such a sweetie) handles the stress like a champ -- and keeps her hubby fat and happy besides. Does that or does that not make her an almost-miracle as she finds time for all that and posts, too? So, if you like homestead-y stuff or good writing or both, check her out and see what you think. I bet you'll be hooked ('cause as I said, she's a sweetie.) And if not, I don't want to know.

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Moving on

So that's it. Three new friends you could make this week. You can never have enough of those. So don't come crying to me about how there's nothing but crap on Steemit. I just proved you wrong. Three people, three blogs that just shine like candles. If you're too lazy to look, that's on you.

So, until next time ... I gotta go now. My family needs feeding. The Weasel is snoring. (What's new?)

I'll find some pictures and publish this post. Then consult my To-Do List.

That buzzard I mentioned ... is waiting.

About the art in our visual essays ...

Although sometimes the background pictures in our visual essays support the topic and text, they don't always. Sometimes the connection is clear. Sometimes it's symbolic and subtle. Sometimes, there's no connection at all.

The scenes depict landscapes and natural features, buildings and wildlife. They were chosen because they show something lovely or interesting ... or simply because the photo appealed to me.

Our spectacular and remarkable planet is changing at astonishing speed. Rarely are these changes for the better. Few people seem to know ... or care ... or have the will and power to do anything about this. It may not be long before the world humans have known and lived in for centuries is forever lost. We certainly won't be able to make repairs as fast as we destroyed it.

So a few years ago I began collecting pictures of the way things were ... and still are for now, a record of the beauty we have while it is still ours to love and honor.

The photos here are part of that collection, with sincere thanks to the artists who saw these moments ... and with their cameras ... preserved them. All of us at Enchanted Spirit are profoundly grateful to them for their generosity and skill ... and for the added grace, depth and dimension their art brings to ours.

Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.

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