Moving On

Moving On

Moving On

 

D. S. Mitchell

 

I went to 27 different grade schools, and it probably won’t surprise you; I’ve been married five times. The only reason I’m confiding these tidbits of ancient information is to cue you to the fact that I’m no stranger to packing up the car and moving on.

So, now you ask, “are you going somewhere?”

“Aahhh, yes, and as always, I have no idea where.”

I came to the charming Southern Oregon town of Grants Pass in 2022, lured by an older double wide mobile home on a beautiful lake front lot. I bought it and have been loving it ever since.

So, now you ask, “why would you leave; if you love it?”

Aahhh, because somewhere deep inside me there is a malfunctioning gene. A gene that will never let me be stay in one place; no matter how well things seems to be going. In fact, the better that things seem to be going all the better reason to move on. Sounds a bit crazy, doesn’t it? Well, I think you’d be absolutely correct. Unhinged, perhaps? Spoiled? Entitled? Probably all of those things and a few more unflattering descriptors, when the truth is known.

On the other hand, in two capitols thousands of miles apart, two sociopathic heads of state show their willingness to throw their soldiers and citizens into their psychopathic conflict. A war with no purpose, other than to keep Bibi out of jail and the Epstein files out of the headlines. A war that conservatively is costing the United State a fuckin’ billion dollars plus per day. That ought to make your hair stand on end as you wait in the unemployment office for an interview, or you struggle over how to pay for groceries, or fill the gas tank. A fuckin’ billion dollars a day; while rural hospitals are closing across this country. Again while Trump and Bibi burn up a billion dollars a day Health and Science Universities across the United States are experiencing dramatic federal funding cuts. Outrageous, scandalous an unbelievable middle finger to civilized nations.

For the last week I have watched near 24/7 coverage of Donald and Bibi’s War against Iran. It is here I want to say that despite all my malfunctioning genes and general bullshit over the years my craziness has never cost one person their life; certainly not 185 school girls, leveled  a city, destroyed oil fields and stored reserves,  or sank ships and their crews at sea. Why aren’t these two guys in jail or a padded cell? How does it happen that these two men, both criminals, run two of the most powerful countries in the world? Where are the restraints? What went wrong in the election? Right now we have two of the most dangerous men in history threatening the world military and economic stability.

Trump while raving illogical “short term pain and long term gain,” he and his brother in pain are  running wild with Tomahawk missiles and endless bombing raids against Iran. If congress can’t stop them, the American people and the Israeli public CAN halt this despicable activity, but that requires action. Action on the street. Protests. Screaming our damn heads off. Time to put the American people first, that means affordable housing, access to child care, universal health care, basic income, and superlative public education.

It’s time for the few remaining sleeping Americans to come out of the MAGA coma and see Trump for what he is. Show your disapproval for this president and his fuckin’ foreign wars. Register for the No Kings Protest, and turn out with whistle, drum and sign, March 28, 2026. A goal of 10 million Americans on the street will move even psychopaths to change course. Come on America, PROTEST!

 

The Spider Series-Available on Amazon

The Spider Series-By D.S. Mitchell

As bodies fall we need to know, is she guilty?

The Spider Series-By D.S. Mitchell

Available on Amazon

Time To Break For A Smile

Time To Break For A Smile

Time To Break For A Smile

By D.S. Mitchell

Things have been dark around here the last few posts, so I think its time to give ourselves permission to smile. First, the shellacking of Trump in last night’s multi-state elections gives me hope. At least 60% of the American voters disapprove of Trump and his activities. People are paying attention and they don’t like Trump’s lawless, blatant, corruption, DOGE, soldiers on our streets, masked ICE thugs disappearing people, tariffs, inflation, foreign policy, and they are sending a powerful message to Trump’s White House. Open the damn government. Continue SNAP; and on and on, and on.

So, folks, let’s lighten the mood and here are 25 things that always make me smile. How about you? Make your own list. Smiling with a grateful heart is an important part of happiness.

25 Things That Make Me Smile

1.) Winning.

2.) Putting pennies in a jar, and watching it grow.

3.) Being smart.

4.) Acting stupid.

5.) Living in a vacation town, in the off-season.

6.) Blackened hot dogs. Yum. Yum.

7.) Slow dancing.

8.) Pyramids of tea sandwiches.

9.)  Knowing when its time to work; and when its time to play.

10.) Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter.

11.) Edibles.

12.) Raindrops hitting a pond.

13.)  Cookbooks with food stains on favored recipes.

14.) Front row seats.

15.) Rational thinking; easier said, than done.

16.) Following the Estate Sale signs.

17.) Giving.

18.) Sharing.

19.) Sharing childhood remembrances with a childhood friend.

20.) Order over chaos.

21.) Wild strawberries peeking up in the flowerbeds.

22.) Prime Days.

23.) Self-debates.

24.) Mail-in voting.

25.) Legalized cannabis.

 

10 Smart Money Rules

10 Smart Money Rules

Rules about money, or at least 10 tips to be smarter with it.

10 Smart Money Tips 

By D.S. Mitchell

Here are 10 truisms for investing and life.  Allan Roth, a long time financial planner and writer, states the following 10 things must be considered before you open your wallet.

10 Smart Money Suggestions

Suggestion 1: Always remember sales people, whether at your local Walmart electronics department, or at the Mercedes dealership, are trained to manipulate your emotions.  Let your emotions cool before deciding to buy that luxury car, or that new 60 inch screen television.

Suggestion 2: Never buy an investments you do not completely understand. There’s a lot of hype out there for all variety of investment vehicles. It is critical you understand what you’re buying, how much it costs, and why it is the right for you. 

Suggestion 3: Nothing is free. You probably at some point in your life have received an invitation to a free lunch so you can learn about a new way to increase your wealth, or buy a timeshare. It is a sales trick to market expensive products for juicy profits. Stay away.

Suggestion 4: Put yourself in the seller’s shoes before buying before making a purchase. You can protect yourself by reflecting on two key questions. 1) What’s in it for the person selling the product? 2) How does the company behind the product make money? Reverse roles and consider how someone is profiting from your purchase. Why does that free subscription, for example, require  a credit card number unless the seller expects that you’ll forget to cancel at the end of the free trial period.

Suggestion 5: Temper your ego. Never believe you are too smart to fall for a bad investment(s). Realize from the start anyone can be tricked, swindled, or convinced to buy a bad investment. Going back to suggestion 1, sales people are trained to play you like a fiddle. Sir Isaac Newton, an intellectual genius, lost his fortune by investing in a hot stock of the day.

Suggestion 6: Get it in writing. During a sales pitch, promises are often made;  a refundable deposit, cancel at any time, but if you didn’t get it in writing you probably have no recourse. Always read the disclosure statement, does it match what the salesman told you? Even an email promise from a salesperson can give you potential recourse.

Suggestion 7: When it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Greed however often overrides our native common sense. You’ve seen the free phone, free tablet, free wrist phone-most of those offers require a contract, if you leave the contract you pay for those freebies.

Suggestion 8: Avoid limited time offers. The limited time offer is designed to trigger your instinct for action before the logic part of your brain kicks in. Beware of that ticking clock-it is a powerful sales tool.

Suggestion 9: Regulators rarely order a consumer be reimbursed for losses. It is better to make the right investment choice to begin with than counting on a watchdog to bail you out.

Suggestion 10: Never forget that other people want to separate you from your money.

 

 

Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter

Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter There are more guns than people in the United States. It has become hazardous to go to the store or the movies, we must do something to stop the carnage.

Tips From Homeland Security:

Protective Actions To Take With A Shooter

The FBI has not set a minimum number of casualties to qualify an event as a mass shooting, but U.S. statute (the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012) defines a “mass killing” as “3 or more killings in a single incident.” 

By D. S. Mitchell

 

A Lovely Dinner

I think it was 2001. My husband and I were having dinner on the sidewalk service area of a popular restaurant & bar at the corner of SE Milwaukie Ave and Powell Blvd in Portland, Oregon. It was about  10:30 pm. We were having fun, lingering over a glass of wine and laughing and chatting with other diners.

Running In All Directions

Several loud “cracks” caused me to look around curious, but certainly not frightened. Several more “cracks” echoed in the night. By that time, I realized the sound was coming from the AM/PM gas station across the street. People in the gas station parking lot were screaming and running in various directions. It was only then, I saw flashes of light coming from the driver’s window of a small red  sports car, stopped on Powell Blvd.

In The Leg

More shots rang out and a man thirty feet to the left of me, in the restaurant pavilion area fell to the ground screaming. He had fallen to the sidewalk clutching a leg wound. The time between the first shot and my realizing I was in an active shooter situation was probably an entire minute. Realization time. If the bullet had been 30 feet to the right either my husband or I could have been shot; probably in the head since we were sitting and the injured man had been standing.

Little Red Sportscar

The shooter revved the engine, popped the clutch, and sped away. I’m an RN and I have a duty to give aid,  so I raced across the street to help. The Portland Police were on site at the same time as I got there. Several ambulances arrived, sirens screaming. Two young men were wounded, one with a bullet in the upper arm and the other fellow with a bullet in the shoulder.  In addition to the three wounded two others lay dead. All the dead and wounded at the AM/PM were young- most likely high school age.

“There He Is!”

While the cops were asking questions, I saw the perpetrator’s red sports car slow down and slowly drive past the crime scene, again. They say criminal frequently return to the scene of the crime, but this guy was unbelievably stupid. I raised my arm and pointed toward the car and screamed, “There he is, there’s the shooter!” The wounded young man sitting on the asphalt, that I had been helping, chorused, ‘There’s the son of a bitch! There’s the shooter!!!”

The Morning Oregonian

The cops were on it and I read in the morning Oregonian, two 16 year old Cleveland high school students, members of a notorious local gang, were arrested on suspicion of murder and were being held in jail as adults. I tossed the paper on the breakfast table. What a waste. Two funerals and potentially two life sentences for the perpetrators.

Unready, Unprepared

All situations are different. I think one of the reasons it took so long for me and other diners to realize there was a shooting in progress was because we were across the street from the center of the events, with lots of traffic and noise between us. It wasn’t until a fellow diner was shot by a ricocheting bullet that any of us realized there was even a shooting. Another factor, I believe, may have something to do with the fact that in 2001 mass shooters were not quite as common as today. Whatever the reasons, we were stupidly unprepared for this deadly situation.

****

The Department of Homeland Security offers Americans several suggestions that might save your life if you are caught in an Active Shooter Situation.

Run

If you can get out of the situation, do it. Run toward the first escape route you can find. Leave your belongings and just get away. Once safe, dial 911 and give the police all the information you can.

Play Dead (this is NOT on the DHS list)

I have added this suggestion. I have heard several survivors of mass shootings tell of rubbing blood from victims on themselves and hiding in plain site among the dead as the shooter moves away to find new victims.

Hide

If you can’t escape; take cover, find a place to conceal yourself. You want to be out of sight, with some offered protection, between you and the shooter, such as a locked door. If you can blockade the door with furniture-do it. Be smart, turn off your cellphone as an unexpected call could alert the shooter to your location.

Fight

Take action against the shooter only as a last resort. Throw items and improvise weapons in an effort to disrupt and incapacitate the shooter.

When Law Enforcement Arrives

When the cops arrive, immediately put down any weapons or items you have in your hands. Keep your hands visible and raise your arms. Follow instructions. Refrain from making quick movements toward the officers.

 

“Chasing the Spider” by D.S. Mitchell

Ladies,

If you loved “365 Days” and couldn’t put down the “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy, I promise you’re going to love “Chasing the Spider” by D.S. Mitchell. “Chasing the Spider” is available on Amazon. Continue reading

High Praise For “Chasing The Spider”

High Praise For “Chasing The Spider” 

High Praise For “Chasing The Spider”

By D. S. Mitchell

*****  “I loved how fast paced and sexy this book was. I could not put it down until the end. I can’t wait for the next adventure.”  Megahan W.

***** “Really good story with gritty dialogue and intriguing pace.”  Roselyn T.

***** “I loved it. I couldn’t put it down until the last page.” Anita M.

***** “I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was coming next. I don’t read a lot but this book just kept me glued to the page.” Mark S.

***** “What was coming next kept me reading.” Som G.

***** “Ever so sexy. Great fun.” Ellen B.

Available on Amazon Books and Kindle ebooks

Here’s the link to the book:

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Spider-D-S-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B08GM4R13W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=chasing+the+spider+d.+s.+mitchell&qid=1603675636&sr=8-1