The Farmer in the Well

Hola all - My friend is doing well and I think I'll be able to cut my visit short. Not only will I get back to Ray and home sooner, but I'll also get to see the grands now too. Yippee. Don't tell Ray though, it's a surprise.

 The Farmer in the Well

 Mary Ellen Gentry married into a farming family It was a totally different kind of life for her being raised in the city. She met Charlie Gentry in her senior year in college. It was one of those serendipitous meetings, you know written in the stars kind of thing. She was doing a friend a favor and had a flat tire on the highway. Charlie was doing a friend a favor and just happened to come along and saw this fine-looking gal struggling with the jack. His momma had raised him right so there was no way he coud just drive by and ignore the situation. Besides, his view of her backside was too good to ignore. After he changed her tire, Mary Ellen tried to pay him for his services. He wouldn’t take the money but said she could repay him by having dinner with him. There was no way Mary Ellen could not accept the invitation. Was she happy she did.

 He was charming, so very different from any of the fellows she had dated. He was mannerly, not full of himself and best yet, when she spoke, he listened. It didn’t hurt that he was good-looking either. Tall, blonde and tanned from outdoor living, not a tanning salon, hair that didn’t have tons of product and showed signs of needing a haircut, steely blue eyes with little crinkles around them, and from what she could see a well-toned body. There was nothing not to like so when he asked her out again, she readily agreed.

They’d been seeing each other for a couple of weeks when she invited him to join her and two other couples for an event being held at the college. It was both a disaster and learning experience. She never realized how snobbish her friends, Mimi and Shelley, were. She was embarrassed as they continually chided Charlie about his ‘country ways’. His country ways were one of the best things about Charlie. He opened car doors, pulled out chairs, didn’t interrupt, didn’t use foul language, all things she never realized she missed until now.

Charlie took all the chiding in stride and continued being gentlemanly toward them. When the evening was over, Mary Ellen apologized for her friends’ behavior. 

“No need for you to apologize. However, if you ever treated any of my friends that way, I’d have to take you over my knee and give you a good spanking.”

 Mary Ellen couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re kidding, right.”

 “No ma’am.” Charlie didn’t elaborate nor did Mary Ellen ask any questions. She’d read about such things in books and seen it in movies and television but it never occurred to her that it still happened in real life. When she’d mulled over that bit of information a little more, she’d talk to him about it. Until then, she’d leave the subject alone.

The following week, Charlie raised the subject. He explained that it was how he was raised and how his siblings were raising their own families. He said he didn’t see any harm in getting your backside warmed if you were out of line, no matter that current thinking didn’t agree.

 “What do you think, Mary Ellen? “

 “I never gave it any thought until you mentioned it the other night.”

 “If this relationship is going to continue, I think it’s something we should discuss. I’ve told you how I feel and I need to know if you agree.”

 “I’ll have to think about it.”

 “You know spankings can be for fun too. I’ve read that getting your bum swatted raises all kinds of endorphins. I can’t say I ever experienced that when I was getting walloped but maybe we could try it sometime and do our own experimenting and see what happens to you.”

 “Yes, maybe some time.”

 It was another week or so before Charlie raised the subject again. This time, Mary Ellen was ready for him. She agreed that she was willing to give it a try – for fun though, not for real.

Since Mary Ellen didn’t live alone and Charlie still lived in the family farmhouse, privacy was a problem. Luckily, one of Charlie’s friends offered him his lake cabin for a weekend and Charlie jumped at the chance. 

Mary Ellen was filled with trepidation as they drove to the lake cabin. Although she wasn’t a virgin, this would be the first time she was having sex with someone that she really cared about. Until now. The common way of thinking was sex was expected after the third date. Not so with Charlie, they’d been out dozens of times and he never pushed. Truth was, Mary Ellen was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her, so she was more than ready for this weekend. She needn’t have worried.

 Once they arrived at the cabin, they barely had their belongings inside, when Charlie cupped her face in his hands and began a long slow kiss that made her weak in the knees. Kissing him back, she leaned into him and feeling his erection quickened her pulse and heightened her arousal.

 Hearing her little sigh, he pulled her in closer and ran his hands down the length of her body.

 “The things I want to do to you,” he whispered in her ear, raising the hairs on the back her neck.

 “Hmmm” was what he heard. He lifted her blouse and the mere touch of his fingers against bare flesh created an electrical spark as she became lost in the sensation of him. They spent the rest of the day and night making love.

In the morning, they were not only exhausted by their exertions, but also famished having skipped dinner the night before . Charlie dragged Mary Ellen into the kitchen.

“You’re fixing breakfast”, he told her.

 “Why me?” she asked

 “Because it’s the woman’s job to feed her man and I designate you to fix breakfast. Now, get going woman, I’m hungry.” He slapped her on the ass and the sensation went right to her sex. She stuck out her ass and he slapped it again.

 “That’s fun.” “You won’t think it’s fun if my breakfast isn’t on the table soon.” She laughed again. 

“and why won’t I”?

 “You tell me”, and took her and guided her over his knee where he applied several hard spanks to her bottom.

 “So?” he asked.

 “So what?” she asked.

 “So, are you going to fix me breakfast.”

 “I don’t think I’m ready to do that,” she replied. He smacked her ass harder than before.

 “You know what, I don’t think I’m ready for breakfast now either,” he told her. Her red bottom called to him to dip his fingers into the honey that was seeping down her thighs. He sucked his fingers and smiled. “I think I’ll have breakfast in bed.”

 And that is just one of the reasons that Mary Ellen Meyers, city girl became Mary Ellen Gentry, a farmer's wife.

That's it for now. See you again for more Aimless Ramblings.

I'm Still Here

I know I've been among the missing all week, but just wanted to touch base to thank you for the good wishes for my friend.  She is on the road to recovery after two surgeries to fix the problem.

Not that I picked it, but I couldn't have been away for a better time.  Temperatures in my area soared to 120 a couple of days in a row.  Here it was a mild 94.  HaHa.

Hopefully, I'll get in some time between now and Monday to write a new story.  If not, I'll pick one from the archives.

Until then I'll try to stay cool, hope you do too.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Make New Friends - but keep the old.

This morning finds me in Denver.  A friend is having surgery and I'm here to play nursemaid. Why she wants me I'll never know - I'm a terrible nurse, but I am a good cook, love the kitties and put up with her BS  and her with mine - after all we've been friends for 50+ years.  Different kind of story today, probably inspired by 'friends'.

Jenna, Brian, Pete and Lindy were brought up in Echo Lake, a small lake community, nestled in the White Mountains of Arizona.  Three of the four of them had left Echo Lake to make their way in the city but still had family ties and commitments.  Lindy had stayed behind to take over her family’s general store. They tried and mostly managed to get together at least one weekend every other month and one week during every summer.  The year Jenna brought Bill up to meet her folks and friends that lifelong friendship began to unravel.

Bill Harlow was everything Echo Lake was not.  He was pretentious, arrogant, judgmental and prejudiced, things that Jenna didn’t see. When Jenna brought him up that summer it was painfully obvious to both friends and family that Bill Harlow was not the man for Jenna Grayson. They did their best to welcome him into their lives for the sake of Jenna but it just didn’t happen.  They felt bad and each, in their own way, tried to tell Jenna how they felt about Bill and tried to talk her out of marrying him.  But Jenna was madly in love with the man she thought Bill Harlow was and not who he really was. Bill didn’t care one way or another if her friends and family didn’t like him.  He didn’t like them, they were way too provincial and small town minded for his tastes so he saw to it that Jenna had less and less contact with them.

Instead of the big wedding she wanted in Echo Lake, he talked her into a destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, which financially excluded most of her family.  Other than her mom and dad, only Brian and Pete were able to attend.  When the rest of her family planned a ‘meet and greet’ for the new couple, after they returned from their honeymoon,  Bill suddenly had a business crisis that demanded his presence in Bangkok and talked Jenna into accompanying him saying that it would be great to extend their honeymoon.

To Jenna,  he was a catch and she couldn’t believe her luck.  He was a tall, handsome, well-traveled rich man, a well-known engineer, and in love with her, or so she thought.  After meeting, and all during the courtship he romanced her like a fairy tale princess. She didn’t see all the insidious ways he was removing her from her life and into his.

After they were married about six months, things began to change.  Bill would be late a couple of nights a week, he suddenly had weekend meetings to which she wasn’t invited, they began getting fewer and fewer invites to parties and affairs.  When she questioned him about the changes he told her she was being ridiculous.

 Maybe she was, but she was lonely.  Bill had insisted she quit her job and her days and nights were filled with nothing but empty hours.  Not wanting to continue wasting her life, she joined a Women’s Club that was very active in the community.  The women tended to be aloof, it didn’t deter Jenna.  She knew she had something to offer and would eventually break through their disdain.  She started hearing the whispers’ and gathering her courage confronted one of the friendlier women.   The woman hemmed and hawed before telling her that although it was only what she’d heard, not first-hand information, that Bill Harlow was having an affair with Susan Simpson.

“That can’t possibly be true.”

“As I said, it’s only what I heard.”

“Thank you for being honest.”

Jenna couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of her husband cheating on her, so she decided to confront Bill.

Not only did he deny doing any such thing but told her to stay away from that gossipy group of women.  He seemed genuinely disturbed by her accusation so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.  However, she didn’t do as he directed and continued to work with the Women’s Club.

A couple of weeks later,  she was riding downtown and saw her husband standing on the corner, holding hands with a woman.  She pulled over at the first available opportunity and took out her phone and snapped a picture.  Jenna confronted him with the photo that night.  He couldn’t deny it was him and made up some bullshit story.  Jenna wasn’t buying and they got into a huge argument.

 

He’d always settled their arguments before by either walking away or taking her over his knee.  She never minded the spanking, actually to her it was a turn on, and Bill was usually quite loving during, rubbing some of the stinging out before continuing with the spanking, and afterward – afterward he was just as turned on as her.  He’d told her he like spanking her bottom – watching his hand putting some color into her snowy globes. This time it was different.  This time he was angry and there was no warm-up at all - just flat out hard spank from the beginning.  He practically ripped off her clothes to bare her bottom. When he picked up his slipper from next to the bed and began applying it to her naked ass, she cried out.  The sting was unbelievable.  He took no time between spanks as he did in previous spankings, only the relentless pounding of the slipper against her bare flesh.  She writhed and wriggled, trying desperately to escape the punishing blows, to no avail.

Once he finally stopped, instead of the usual aftercare, he merely pushed her to the floor, stepped around her on his way to the bathroom.  She was still lying on the floor as he walked out the door.  She heard the garage door open and the car start.  Not believing he could be so mean, the tears started flowing, not so much from the pain in her butt, but in her heart.  ‘How could be so damn mean,’ she asked herself.

Crying herself out, she finally managed to get off the floor and into the shower.  The hot water hitting her bruised bottom was torture.  He had never spanked her so hard before and never left her without aftercare.  Standing there as the water ran down her body and swirled down the drain, her mind went to the rumors and putting the pieces together decided they were probably true.

Now, she was forced into making a decision.  Were her friends and family right – that Bill Harlow was not the man she thought he was.  She hated thinking she was such a poor judge of character.  Before stepping out of the shower she’d made a decision.  She would go to Echo Lake and talk to Lindy.  She would be welcomed with open arms. 

Not knowing how long she would stay, she packed a bag and left a note for Bill. It was a long ride on a very sore bottom and with each mile, her resolve strengthened.  

Lindy was the only one who knew the whole story, but both she and her family were supportive.  Each offered advice but said that only she knew what was right for her.  After weighing her options, she decided to extend her stay in Echo Lake.  She called Bill to let him know. When she couldn’t reach him at home, she called his cell.  He picked up and she could hear a female voice in the background.  He must have tried to put his hand over the phone because his muffled voice was telling someone to be quiet.

“Say hello to Susan for me,” Jenna said.  “Tell her she can have you because I’m through.  My lawyer will be in touch.”

And with that, Jenna ended her ‘fairy tale’ marriage and lived happily ever after.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Learning As You Grow

I posted this ahead of time and hope it comes up as planned.  I am having fun this week, will be home for a day and a half before I'm off again to Colorado for three weeks. There might be reruns for a bit.  Until then, here's a new one.

We were very young when we got married.  Actually, it was on a dare. Some friends of our dared us to go get hitched.  Well, neither Jason nor I could ever resist a dare.  Off to Las Vegas we went, came back a little richer and hitched.

Jason had a string of luck at the Black Jack table.  Back then you could place a $2.00 bet, and it was straight Black Jack, no Gai Pong, or Mu Shu or whatever the hell they call some of those games – no shoe either – straight dealer – one deck.  Oh, the good ole days.  Anyway, I digress.

Considering neither one of us had any idea what to expect out of marriage, we thought we did pretty well.  With our Las Vegas windfall, we put a downpayment on a house, got a dog and began life as the usual suburban couple.  We were never able to complete the American Dream of 1.5 children.  Lord knows we tried, figuring that practice made perfect.  Not always true, at least not in our case.  All kinds of tests couldn’t find a reason, so we accepted what was and went on with life.

Somewhere down the line, we started drifting apart.  There was no anchor.  When Jason received a job offer in another state, he decided to accept the offer.  It was too good an offer not to.  I, on the other hand, decided to stay where I was.  We didn’t officially separate, divorce, or anything formal, just a ‘break’ and geographical separation to go on with our lives and see what happened.

We talked every couple of weeks and both of us could see the handwriting on the wall.  We had grown so far apart living together that the relationship was not sustainable when we were states away.  Neither of us took the next step until months later when we decided to make the break and file for divorce.

The funny thing was when Jason and I met to work out the details, something happened.  I can’t say it was a rekindling of former passion because we never had passion.  Suddenly, his welcoming hug and kiss electrified me and I wasn’t the only one to have that reaction.  We quickly pulled back from each other, holding each other at arm’s length and shrugging our shoulders.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, should we do it again?”

“I think we should,” and I found myself gathered in his arms and being kissed the way of lovers, not separated husbands and wives.  The feeling was just as intense as before.  It was intoxicating and I wanted more. 

“I think we should rethink our recent decision,” I said to him.

“Let’s give it some time.”

                                    

Jason and I went to lunch at a nearby restaurant and couldn’t keep our hands off each other. We finally ended up in a hotel room rather than go back to our old house.  We spent the weekend finding a love and passion we’d never had.  By the time the weekend was over, we decided to put the divorce on hold.

THREE MONTHS LATER

I quit my job, we rented our house and I moved to Jason’s place in  Rhode Island.  It was almost as if we were starting out anew.  Gone was the laissez-faire attitude of the past.  I think we had finally grown up and realized that marriage was a partnership and needed cultivating much like a garden.  Things we used to take for granted now counted toward furthering and nurturing our newly found passion.

Jason was no longer willing to let us drift willy-nilly.  He had developed some spine, which was missing before and surprisingly I didn’t mind.  I actually liked being given direction and being held to new standards.   No longer was the laundry allowed to pile up indefinitely, nor were the dishes left in the sink until there wasn’t a clean one in the cupboard.  Until I found employment he made be responsible for the house; grocery shopping, cooking meals, laundry and general housekeeping duties, etc.  The first time he didn’t have any clean underwear he warned me that if it happened again, I’d be sorry.  I giggled at his stern warning and received a good hard swat on my behind for not taking him seriously.  “I’m warning you”, he said. 

I laughed.  “Whatever,” I said and he answered back with the same.

Thinking I’d be funny, I did do the laundry but didn’t put any clean underwear in his drawer. He wasn’t kidding.  The next morning when he didn’t find any clean underwear,  he pushed me over the vanity in the bathroom and lit into my ass with the bath brush.  I was yelling like all get out because it hurt like hell,  but he persisted.  When he was finished, the only thing he said was that I had been warned.  Back in the bedroom, I handed him a clean pair of shorts.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“I did do the laundry, as a joke, I didn’t put it away in your drawer.”

“Well, the joke was on you wasn’t it?” He snickered and came over and rubbed my still stinging hind end.  I felt the electrical current running through my body.

“I like this new Jason.”

“…and I like spanking that cute bottom of yours, so watch out.

,

I giggled and received a stinging swat for my efforts. 

Jason was late for work that morning.

TWO MONTHS AFTER THAT

"Honey, I want to show you something,"  I said and called him into the bathroom.  I handed him the stick.  He picked me up and swung me around the bathroom, landing a swat on my bottom when he put me down.  "Will you still spank mommies?"

"I don't know about mommies, but I'll still spank this mommy."

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Here Comes the Judge.

Tomorrow Ray and I leave for a trip, so this will be short and sweet.  Have a good week.  I know we will. 

Janice wasn’t thrilled about what she knew was about to happen.  She had been warned many times and while she understood, that understanding did not surface when it came to issues about which she was passionate.  She waited patiently in the parlor, sitting at the edge of her seat awaiting the turning of the doorknob.  James would be coming through that door at any moment and with it went all hope of sitting comfortably for the next few days.

James was usually a sweet and understanding husband, he didn’t ask much, but he was adamant about this one thing.  As adamant as she was about the same issue, but on opposing sides. Her passion stemmed from her parents who were rebels, of a sort.  They didn’t like the way things were, so they came to America, to live a different way.  It wasn’t easy, but they persevered and taught their children to stand up not only for themselves but for others.  Janice saw this as living up to her parent’s teachings and expectations.  While James may privately agree, his position didn’t warrant him expressing his private opinions publically.

The rally was meant to be peaceful.  Janice, as well as a group of her friends, was to be joined by other members of the Woman’s Suffragette movement.  The neighboring state of Wyoming had passed a law the previous year giving women the right to vote.   Women in Colorado saw no reason why they too shouldn’t be granted that privilege.  Now that is was the summer of 1870, marches all over the territory were beginning to gather more supporters and Janice Smithson was one of them.

,

James Smithson was a judge and member of the town council.  Although, he was progressive at home, publically he towed the conservative line along with his fellow council members. To them, there was no question that it was a patriarchal society and women belonged at home.  So when Janice began joining in the parades and rallies with the local women, James warned her that it would only cause trouble, not only in their home but in the homes of the other ladies. She assured him she knew what she was doing.  Her reasoning was that he depended on her logic and fair-mindedness in everything and even discussed some of his more arduous cases with her.  He agreed but said that if things got too rowdy, he would have no recourse but to bow to majority rule on the city council.

The ladies began getting more and more raucous in their fight for the vote.  Egged on my outsiders, newspapers articles and the fact that their neighboring stated had granted women the vote only urged them on.  The City Council had issued an edict that as long as the demonstrations remained peaceful and didn’t interfere with the business of the town, they would look the other way.  However, any interruptions of the towns business’s, or battles with other townsfolk would be looked at as cause for arrest.

The rally had gone very well until they reached the edge of town that housed the less desirable businesses, i.e., saloons, poker parlors,  houses of ill-repute, etc.  The locals had always avoided that particular part of the town but the outsiders said that was where they were likely to attract the most attention to their plight.

They attracted attention, all right.  The ladies were midway through this street when the jeers started.  Men, some drunk and some not, decided to have a little fun.  They began to spout obscenities and rude remarks.  At first, the ladies ignored them and went about their business but when one of the men grabbed at one of the leaders, other men joined in and soon the women were using their placards to defend themselves.  It wasn’t long before a free for all was in full swing with the marchers getting assistance from some of the more colorful ladies of the evening.

The Marshall and his deputies were finally called to break up the demonstration.  As soon as the Marshall arrived, the men began drifting back into the woodwork leaving the ladies to explain and take the blame for the fracas. The Marshall took it all in and herded all the ladies off toward the jail.  He put the outsiders in one cell and the locals in another. 

One by one as husbands began to hear of disturbance and began coming to the jail to collect the miscreants.  The Marshall told them they could be released but they would be due in court to appear before Judge Smithson the following morning.  As each husband collected his wife,  others could hear the threats of what they could expect when they returned home.  Some of the women were already shedding tears.

Finally, Janice Smithson was the only one left.  James was out of town and wouldn’t be back until late.  She hoped she wouldn’t have to stay here until he returned.  The other ladies were escorted out of town after they paid a fine and shortly thereafter, then one of the deputies escorted Janice home.  So here she sat, waiting and waiting. She knew that although James would hear her out, there would be no escaping the punishment he was sure to rain down on her bare backside.

It was dark by the time James appeared.  She heard him approach the door and watched the knob slowly turn.  She wasn’t afraid, she knew he wouldn’t really hurt her, but she felt sorry he would have to discipline her.  She knew he hated it, but a promise was a promise and she knew she wasn’t the only wife that would be sitting uncomfortably in the morning.

“Good Evening, Janice.  The town is buzzing with today’s events.  I heard it all the way here from the stage stop.”

“I’m so sorry, James.  Things got out of hand when some of the rough characters from the saloon started taunting and grabbing at the ladies.  After that, it was a free for all.  No one was seriously hurt.”

“Were you assaulted?”

“Not at first.” She answered honestly.

“So it was possible you could have remained apart from the fracas, turned and walked away.”

“Yes, I suppose I could have, but you know that’s not my nature, James.”

“No, I suppose not.  You remember my warnings, don’t you?”

“Yes, James.”

“Then, go upstairs and remove everything but your chemise, stand in the corner with your nose against the wall, your hands behind you and wait for me.”

Janice obeyed and slowly climbed the stairs.  James watched her closely, he could see she was truly contrite.  He hated what he had to do but he had warned, threatened and promised.  He knew full well there were a lot of sore backsides in town tonight and he couldn’t allow his wife to escape punishment.

He gave her fifteen minutes to undress and quiet herself before he climbed the stairs.  When he entered the room, the single lamp on the dresser showed his beautiful wife standing in the corner.  Clad only in her chemise he wanted desperately to take her in his arms and make love to her.  He shook his head and reminded himself he had to do something else first.

“Turn around.”  Janice turned around head down.

“Look at me.”  She watched as he removed his jacket and vest and placed them over the chair in the corner.  He moved to the bed and began piling the pillows on the edge.

“Take off your chemise.”  She slowly undid the buttons with trembling fingers.  He watched her nipples pebble and her body shiver, whether, from anticipation or cold, he knew not, as she slid the garment down her body and stepped out of it.

He rolled up his sleeves and then he removed his belt.  She shuddered as she watched the belt swish through the pant loops.  

“Come here and lie down over the pillows.”  His commands were stern with no softness at all.

“You know why you’re getting punished, so I see no need to lecture you, do you agree?”

“Yes, sir.”

Janice heard the belt buckle tingle as he doubled it around his wrist, then the displaced air as he swung his arm. She expected to feel the pain as it landed but heard it connect with flesh that wasn’t hers.  She felt the first tear gather at the corner of her eyes – he was testing the intensity of his swing before he began whipping her bottom.   He struck his palm three more times before he was comfortable enough to lash Janice.

The first strike of the belt hit her bottom with a ferocity she hadn’t expected.  It felt like it was a line of fire rather than a lash of the belt.  She tried staying still and not clench her cheeks when the second strike landed.  The third and fourth strike quickly landed and she moved off the pillows.

“It hurts so much James.”    He didn’t say a word, merely adjusted her on the pillows. 

The next two strikes of the belt landed across her thighs and she could feel the welts rising as it punished the virgin flesh.

James stayed his hand.  Seeing the red stripes on his wife’s white skin almost made him sick.  “I can’t do this.”  He threw down the belt and gathered Janice up off the pillows.  He sat down and took her across his knee and began spanking her with his hand.  He spanked and spanked, covering every inch of her bottom and the tops of his thighs before he deemed the punishment over.

Her backside was aflame and the tears were coursing down her cheeks as he took her in his arms. “Don’t ever make me do that again, Janice.”  He held her until her sobs quieted, then pulled down the covers and placed her gently in the bed on her side.

The following morning Judge James Smithson sat on the bench and watched each of the ladies b escorted into the courtroom by their husbands.  They all walked a little stiff legged and chose to stand through the inquiry. The judge smirked and winked at his wife, Janice Price Smithson, who was already present and standing very straight.  

Curiosity about the outcome of the hearing filled the courthouse with other citizens of the town.  Not wanting to cause the ladies any more embarrassment than he was sure they already felt, he addressed them as a group.

"Ladies, you all know why you're here.  I'm sure your husbands have reprimanded you.  I know Mrs. Smithson and I discussed it last night.”  He heard snickers throughout the courtroom. “I see no reason for any further punishment unless there is a repeat of yesterday's fracas."

The ladies all shook their heads in agreement.  One of the husbands spoke up.  My wife and I discussed it too, Judge Smithson and she won't be sitting anytime soon."

The courtroom erupted in laughter except for the ladies who stood silently with their heads bowed and looking very contrite.

See you later for more Aimless Rambings.