SEPTEMBER 2015 "BY INVITATION ONLY"

welcome to the beginning of a new season,
a new season of the weather and of
 "BY INVITATION ONLY."

for those of you who may be new to our site please let me explain.
"BY INVITATION ONLY"
is made up of a group of international bloggers,
you will recognize most of them,
from September - May we write 1 blog post a month on the SAME TOPIC.

each member gives her own take on that topic,
which is what makes it interesting and fun !!

our SEPTEMBER TOPIC is

What Are You Afraid Of?



yes, mesmerizing as it is, dark deep water is one of my fears.
I love being near the water, overlooking the water, but not IN the water.
childhood fear which is still around & which I don't think of often.
being on a cruise ship doesn't seem to bother me, but getting in a canoe would be impossible.
the gondolas in Venice are also an exception, as are the hydrofoils boats over to Capri, or a huge ferry in the Puget Sound. 
but, I simply do not like putting a toe into the water when I cannot see the bottom.
there could be a giant crab down there, you know?

I don't think this is the kind of FEAR our brilliant Pamela Terry was speaking of when she chose our subject for this month.
no, she would never be this mundane or ordinary!



I'm afraid I've lost interest in high fashion as a crucial part of my life.
I have these boots, I love them, but they are not integral  to my daily life as they once would have been.  of course, they're Italian...that's WHY I love them.

in reality, I'm been through so much in the past years that almost nothing makes me afraid.
do I worry some.  yes, of course.
but, I've learned through these trials that no matter what I will survive, I will stay witty, I will love my family & my close friends X10, and my dogs.

I'm afraid I no longer need possessions.
but, do I want to get rid of the ones I have.
no. but now, I'm saving them for my children to enjoy as much as we have.

I'm afraid I will never again travel in the style to which I became accustomed.
& believe me, my son & daughter & their friends were on many of this excursions,
but I alway had my husband.
now, I will have my kids & their kids and it will be fun to show them all the things
that made me so happy.
& I think that will make them happy.



to grasp the enormity of this vista see the little boat on the right side of the lake?



I'm afraid street-style photography of people wearing outrageous, boring or ordinary fashion has ruined real fashion.
I simply do not get it.


I'm also afraid I will never get tired of animals, the smell of puppies,
the innocent creatures we should all revere.

but, most of all, I'm afraid I'm not afraid.
except of real ignorance & stupidity, cruelty, violence, clueless, mannerless
humans.

I really don't know any of them,
but that's all we hear about, isn't it?

please welcome all our participants in the club of
"BY INVITATION ONLY"

without you, our dear readers, we would be nowhere.
xx's