Last Wednesday – that would be November 13th – I caught the tail end of an ad for one of the big fancy retailers. Before I could hit the mute button, I heard the narrator rattle off a few of featured deals and reasons to shop at that store. One of the things he mentioned, with gusto I might add, was “Last minute gift ideas!”

Last minute?

At the time that commercial aired, Christmas was precisely six full weeks in the future. I’ve purchased last minute gifts, and they usually involved a stop on the way home from work on Christmas Eve. I was trying to figure out how to respond to this commercial when my brother sent me a meme. I had to clean it up a little, in keeping with the family friendly nature of this blog.

Found on the Internet for One-liner Wednesday by Linda G. Hill

All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.

Bridge to Nowhere

59 responses to “Hurry Up but Not Yet — 1LinerWeds”

  1. True that! I love the fly me to the moon photo. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Darlene. The seagulls were so active at the river. I had fun trying to capture them in flight.

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  2. i agree with the author of when the twelve days of Christmas are and your brother for sending it!

    Wonderful photos it looks cold and it is here 💜💜💜🥇

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Willow. The notion that mid-November is last minute, especially when we have a major holiday in one week. Last minute shopping at this point should refer to a turkey or a pumpkin pie, but even those would have been too early for last week.

      It has been getting colder here. I’m OK with that.

      I hope you have a great day.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. The two Beaver Moon photos are great! It appears in the first one that you nabbed the moon between two power lines. I love the contrast between the power lines and the tree silhouette. The other photo, with the moon high, is a beauty with that bit of white in the clouds. I don’t know how you managed that, but you sure snapped it at the right moment. As for last-minute shopping, I can only say thanks for the laugh. It balanced out my seasonal rants.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m always attempting to get nice photos of the full moon, Maureen. I can’t tell you how many litter the cutting room floor. Last minute? In November? There is something seriously wrong with people if they buy into that one.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. We almost have Christmas in August … it’s a close shave … the last four months have each had a super moon … Aug, Sept, Oct and this month … the Beaver moon as you mention. The skies are so full of offerings for us to gaze at … great selections you’ve given us. Cheers Hilary

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    1. Thanks Hilary. I do love seeing those super moons. IT reminds me that there are some things bigger than us.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. “There are 12 days of Christmas, and none of them are in November!” — brilliant line by your brother, Dan! Perhaps retailers should rename November “pre-December”…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. HA! Don’t give them any ideas. A realignment seems necessary, Dave. I’ve been seeing Black Friday sale ads since October.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I was looking for a couple of Christmas decorations yesterday and found they were ‘on sale 50% off.’ Interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s funny, Judy. Maybe they’re getting ready for the January White sales or Valentine’s Day.

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  7. Christmas eve is usually the time I realize that I can’t procrastinate any longer.

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    1. Exactly – that’s “last minute” Frank.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Keeping water in the bath is challenging this time of year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is, but so important in this drought. These guys don’t have many options when it comes to finding water.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re a good egg.
        ❤️

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  9. My mom used to save grease and mix it with bird seed during the summer, then hang it out this time of year. She felt bad for the birds that didn’t migrate south.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That was very nice of her. We feed them all year long. Several towns in CT have passed laws forbidding bird feeders between April and October, but every year there are fewer and fewer places for the birds to find food. We toss ours on the ground, and I’m sure we’d find something to put out for them.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Good for you both!!

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  10. Here, here! I like enjoy each holiday for the whole month before moving on to the next one.

    The Onion dome is so pretty.

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  11. There are twelve %&^^#** days of Christmas, and none of them are in @^@%#% November! Whew. I feel better. Thanks, Dan. 😂

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  12. I guess “last minute” is all in how you define it. You know ads only tell you the truth, right?

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  13. Lol! I so relate to the rush to Christmas and I totally agree with the meme. None of the twelve days of Christmas occur in October OR November! Love the photos, especially the “Fly Me To The Moon” one!

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  14. LOVE the one liner. I appreciate that your brother sent it to you and you shared it with us. When it comes to TV, pretty soon all we will see are the ads because no time will be left for programs! Last minute is the day before you need the gift. Period!

    You took two fabulous photos of the full moon. I really like the second one.

    I think that flock of birds stopped in my back yard for a quick lunch. Apparently they were alerted that safflower seeds were added to the menu! They dive-bombed them.

    That’s a really nice photo of the Veterans Memorial.

    Enjoy the rain that’s on its way. I can’t believe how excited I am that it’s going to rain! lol!

    Ginger 🦋

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Ha! Good one, Dan. It’s no wonder I sometimes have trouble figuring out “when” I am.

    Great gallery. Do you know what building that is in with the seagull above the river — the building that shines golden in the light? Hugs.

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  16. I was taken back at a retailer ad too. In my mind you gotta let the Turkey have its day first.

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  17. Oh, Dan, you just hit on one of my pet peeves, the way all the holidays are scrunched together. Many had Christmas things out a month before Halloween, Thanksgiving gets completely overlooked, and somehow autumn is squeezed in there too. I was at a HomeGoods store today and they were playing Christmas music. Sigh. I love Christmas, but not until after Thanksgiving. However, if you’re going to mail presents, the “last-minute gifts” thing probably is getting much closer.

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  18. My husband is all about the Christmas shopping now. I’ll be heading out with him tomorrow.

    I love “Fly me to the moon”!

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  19. Love all the moonshots. I just passed my first Christmas tree set up today…I have to wonder what those trees will look like by December 25th. (K)

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  20. I read the Aparrtment Therapy website (which is mostly about houses, but anyway) and they’re already talking about last-minute gifts.

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  21. i’m with your brother! I’m not ready for Christmas to be shoved down my throat. Bah humbug?

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  22. Your ‘bare trees’ photo is amazing, Dan. It settled my soul – so beautiful. As for ‘last minute gift ideas’, I share your perspective. Pure craziness, right? Have a great remainder of the week! 🌞

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Everything is Christmas in our area, and I’m not ready for the shopping specials and hoopla. But your “bare trees” resonates and takes me to a beautiful quiet place. 🌞

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I do love that Colt dome! And your brother’s meme reminded me of the first verse of a song from the musical SHE LOVES ME:

    Twelve days to Christmas
    Twelve days to Christmas
    Plenty of time to do your Christmas shopping

    We are the people who shop in time, shop in time, plenty of time
    These are the people with time to spare who shop at our convenience

    Twelve days to Christmas
    Twelve days to Christmas
    Look at the way they do our Christmas shopping

    They can go shopping and still remain calm and sedate
    These are the people we envy and the people that we hate!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Haha – I remember working with people who had the Christmas shopping done before Halloween. Not my style. I’m glad you like the dome!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. After I grew up, Mom told me she bought my Christmas presents for the following year at the after-Christmas sales, then spent the year talking up whatever she had bought so that I was primed to want it by Christmas. (We were upper-lower-income.) For the rest of her life, she would buy things during the year that reminded her of people she gave Christmas gifts to, put them away, and shower them at Christmas. When I was cleaning out her house after she passed, I found things she had put away and forgotten about. I gave some to the people I knew they must be for and took the rest to the local kids’ shelters. It’s what she would have wanted. Her name was Genarose, but I always said it ought to be pronounced “Generous”.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. That’s a great story about your mom. I would forget about those gifts for sure.

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  25. nice photos. I’m looking forward to Christmas and decorations and cakes. Shopping isn’t a big thing for our family, Yes, we buy some gifts but it’s not the most important thing of the season. I love Christmas markets, Christmas books/movies, hot chocolate in Christmas mugs, Christmas jumpers….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. We don’t shop much at this point. As you say. it’s not the most important thing.Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Lovely colorful photos!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. It’s amazing how the creators of these commercials try to encourage a sentiment of urgency. Thankfully, I don’t fall for any of it!

    Lovely images.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If I see them, I press the Mute button ASAP.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. […] above, just in case you missed it – smile! This post is for Dan’s Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/11/20/hurry-up-but-not-yet-1linerweds/. The door I’ve shared was inspired by Rebecca Budd’s post about Vincent van Gogh here: […]

    Like

  29. Frozen bird bath….brrrrr….!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Most mornings we have to break the ice.

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  30. Yikes! Talk about jumping the gun. Seems like we went from Halloween directly to Christmas if retailers’ ads are any indication.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Hear, hear! Get a grip people, Thanksgiving isn’t even here yet. Your Beaver moon photos are beautiful. It was a beauty of a moon.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Jennie. Thanksgiving is too important to replace with shopping

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  32. A lot of marketing today do not make sense, Dan. As a content writer I’m always with the marketing team and I can tell you plenty of stories of how people cling on to “keywords” aimlessly. However, here I think the idea is to put in the minds of the listeners that in case if they run out of time they can come to this particular brand. You know now that you have heard this ad and if you are running out of time and options, your brain will tell you – Hey Dan, remember this ad, let’s go here and voila….they’ve got a customer. It’s like a sleeper cell marketing. I mean that’s my terminology, so don’t go googling sleeper cell marketing. In India, we have this terminology “End of Festive Season Sale” this sale remains 12 months a year, because we have a festival every month, so all they have to say is now that the festival is over buy it at lower price but in reality they sell it regular prices. It is just a marketing gimmick to bring in the customers.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There are so many gimmicks in marketing, Sharukh. As consumers, we not only have to figure out what the best products are, but what constitutes a god price. I saw sales last weekend were items on sale had higher prices than ones I saw in a store last month. I am not moved by sales any longer.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Good, you’re a smart consumer. :)

        Like

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