Madama Phloozé & her pet, Peeves BLOGS
What kind of world will our children create?
Join us for thoughts on manners, ethics, & life-skills for a modern world.
• How to help kids in an increasingly rude
& mean-spirited world
• Finding balance in our hectic lives
“Mon Dieu, what are they thinking?”
- Madama Phloozé ™
(pronounced, Floozay)
“Ordinarily, Madama is a very pleasant person but there are a few manner faux pas’ and ethic violations that unhinge her and drive her nuts. Join her as she shares how to make our world a more civil place.”
- Peeves
Abandoned Webs
The familiar can fool you. Daily, we walk by door jams, base boards, and room corners without really looking at them. Then, one morning a sunbeam exposes the neglected spots. It begs the deeper question; if the spider no longer needs it, do you?
Master Ants
This is the ant season in my home; mid-to-late summer. If I leave so much as an ort on the counter from making dinner, by the end of the meal there is a conga line already formed to devour it.
Time for tea?
I was rushing around the house yesterday trying to do too many tasks and Madama stepped in front of me offering a cup of tea. I scoffed and tried to get on with my tasks, but she stood there holding the tea with a no nonsense look on her face that always stops me.
Partnering with the Masters
All our major religions share lessons on kindness, respect, gratitude and compassion. There are parables, and directives, commandments, and metaphors. There are many approaches to teaching these basic tenets of a civil and caring society yet they still distill down to these cornerstones.
Tend Your Garden First
Neither Madama or I have children. We quietly understand how that places us on the perimeter of many life events. It is both challenging and liberating in the sense of focus on personal goals. It also allows us to be more emotionally available for family members and friends in need.
Lost in Translation
Madama was reading in her chair while I was on the computer. I was due to back it up and got out my external hard drive. She understands the function of a computer but the finer points often elude her.
Jane Eyre In Our Midst
Madama felt like reading a good book and was perusing my shelves. She chose Charlotte Brontë’s, Jane Eyre, which was written after Madama's time. A few hours later I brought her some tea and found a tear slowly edging her cheek. Sitting next to her, I inquired what was wrong and she said she so understood Jane’s terrible loneliness and ostracizing.
Unwanted Anniversaries
Sometimes I think the anniversary of loosing someone is almost as bad as the original event. It’s more insidious. I will be out of sorts but not know why. I’m irritated, easily annoyed, and hyper-sensitive. And, if I can’t put the pieces together of why I’m upset, how can I expect anyone else to?
All is lost... or not!
When Peeves’ family up and moved and left him, he didn’t know what would become of him. He was hungry and frightened. He wandered and scrounged for food and slept with one eye open scared of the night. It was hard to sleep with an empty tummy. He thought all was lost and had given up hope.
Where did all the farms go?
We went for a Sunday drive last week and Madama wondered where all the farms were. So many people to feed but where does it come from? I told her most farms are now owned by big companies. She thought it was sad that we don’t know the people who grow our food. She was used to knowing her butcher...
Earthquake...
What is it that you think is fact and absolute? Most of us think the ground is solid and steady... but it isn’t. Granite appears solid as well but a physicist will tell you there’s plenty of room between the molecules. Living in LA and having experienced a number of earthquakes, I can tell you that it shakes up more than your belongings...
Spring Cleaning Your Mind
Well, I discovered this morning that a small stovetop fire is very handy to locate winter cobwebs. The soot outlines the formerly invisible trails like varicose veins on your walls. Yikes! Were those there for months and I never saw them? What else am I not seeing that is right in front of my face?
Tweeting: a treat or a tweak?
So much stress... on a hard day we crave a breather, a shift, and a plateau to pause and then back into the fray, A piece of chocolate, a cup of tea, a cigarette... how do you hit the reset button? For lots of folks its following tweets. A chuckle, a celebrity connection, a tid-bit of news and then back at
it.
In the heat of the moment...
Last night a neighbor’s house caught on fire. Not a small fire, but a three engine fire. • During the evening while watching a film, I smelled smoke and thought the local college kids must be up to something. They like to have spontaneous bonfires. In the distance, I heard multiple fire engines but I went back to the movie. While getting ready for bed, I heard a chain saw and erroneously assumed those reckless college kids were once again up to something. I threw on a jacket and walked a block over to see torrents of water coming down the street and lights flashing.
Pet Peeve #101, Cart Smarts
Pray tell, what is the problem with returning a grocery cart in a parking lot? I can’t for the life of me understand why it is acceptable to leave the cart wedged between the next car over instead of returning it to the designated places. A few moments of consideration...
Introducing...
Madama Phloozé & her pet, Peeves!
Bonjour, I am Madama Phloozé, and welcome to my musings. You must think this strange for a French women from 1795 to comment and even care about the children of 2014, but I do. I watch. I visit, and I want to share what I observe. I feel compelled to help as I see you all at a very challenging place that will either go down a path of diminishing civility and conflict, or we could choose the direction of care and compassion.
