A cheap shopping trip

We all know that the price of everything is going up. Grocery items cost a lot more now than a year ago, or even a few months ago. That's why I had a pleasant surprise when I did our weekly shop. 

The supermarket I went to has a loyalty program. The more you spend, the more points you get. Then you can spend the points to get free groceries. Their associated drugstore also has the same program, and in addition, on certain days you get 20 times the regular points for spending a certain amount. Added to that is the credit card I have, which gives me 45 points for every dollar I spend at the two stores.

So I shopped, and there were certain items on my list -- striploin steak, bacon, trout and cheese -- that were quite pricey. When I got to the checkout, I found that I had spent enough to qualify for an additional points bonus, plus more points for certain items like the cheese. In all, my bill was $210.17.

"I'd like to use points," I told the checkout person.  She deducted the number of points I could use from the total, and much to my delight, the whole order only cost me 17 cents. We both laughed as I tapped my credit card to pay the total.

Sometimes you see strange things in supermarkets. Here are a few of them.

Glory to Ukraine

Garden Adventures

We bought a new greenhouse, and last week I had fun assembling it in our spare room. It was too wet to work outside, and there were too many small parts that would get lost if I tried to work on the grass. So I put it together in two halves, then we carried it outside and finished the assembly there.

Up until this year we started our seedlings in a coldframe like this one.

But it's difficult to work on the plants at ground level, and hard to adjust the water. Either I miss some with the watering can, or the trays flood when it rains. So our new greenhouse is quite an improvement.

Ron put some stakes in the corners to anchor it and zip-tied the shelves in place, and I added Velcro to the ties that hold the door open when rolled up, because the ties are so short and untying tiny knots isn't easy! It's nice and roomy inside, but too small a space for any spanking. The plants love it, though.

Coldframes and greenhouses are very useful, but here are a few inventions that aren't.

 

Glory to Ukraine

Recap: Spanko Brunch 2.0 for April 24

Tell us about your outdoor adventures.

Roz: Great question! We have had several outdoor spankings over the years including the odd one in the car in secluded spots. Most of these have happened in secluded areas around our harbour. From secluded benches to holding onto trees.

The adrenaline always pumping with the thought of being caught, especially in the less quite secluded spots. It was close once or twice!

Doug: Outdoor spankings are not a realistic possibility: my wife is physically unstable, requiring her to use a cane. So, she prefers to paddle me with me laying prone on a bed, with her placing her left hand in the middle of my back to steady herself. This works well. Typically, I receive about 120 welcome but painful spanks. 

Simon: I am fortunate enough to have been spanked in a very lovely and secluded garden on a number of occasions. The most memorable was in a hot tub with two ladies who allowed me to spank them and then spanked me. This fulfilled several of the items on my spanking wish list. Firstly 2 ladies, yippee, secondly an outdoor spanking and finally giving and receiving spankings on a wet bottom. Sadly this was five years ago and a similar situation has not arisen since.

Jack: On a camping trip my wife reminded me that she will spank me if I need one, so best be on my best behavior. A week camping was great, I was having so much fun that with the creek nearby I decided to enjoy the water, naked. Well I did not know others were also using the creek and soon a middle-age woman saw me, about the same time my wife saw me. She told the woman it would be addressed, and sure enough, I was bent at the waist and my wet bottom feeling the sting of her hand. The woman smiled, never thought of that, my wife said this is not his first and will not be his last. 

Spanky53: I love this topic. So there were actually two that stand out. But the most fun was with my ex-wife. Next to the apartment complex we lived in there was a baseball field complex as well as a hiking trail. One night we decided to take advantage and have some spanking fun. The first place I spanked her was on the pitchers mound, then we did the full cycle of all the bases starting out fully clothed and progressing down to a full bare bottom spanking in the dugout.

We were having so much fun we moved onto the hiking trail where the spanking became increasingly more "enthusiastic". I had her completely bare bottom she was being pretty vocal when I noticed a couple approaching and they were within maybe 20 yards from us. It was obvious they no doubt knew what they were seeing and hearing. We both laughed and decided there wasn't much sense in stopping and feigning surprise. They kept walking until they were in front of us. The woman smiled and remarked my wife must have been very naughty. I smiled and nodded. The two of them both laughed and kept going. And we continued our fun. It was a great night of spanking fun. 

Rosco: The most memorable outdoor encounter would have been in a raft at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, somewhere a day or two downstream of Crystal Rapid. We allowed ourselves to drift into slower water so the other rafts in our group had floated well ahead and around the bend. It was late in the day so we hoped no parties would come after us.

Canyon sounds echo, but there was enough noise of the river not to worry. The large tubes of the raft provide good support and angles for a spankee as well as subsequent activities.

The next day another couple in our group also allowed themselves to drift behind, but I wouldn’t know if their encounter included anything kinky,

River rafting is also conducive to playful swats. On a hot day people will jump in the river for a swim, then be helped back in the boat by being pulled over the large tube by someone still in the boat. It’s easy and common to leave the swimmer bottom up over the tube and often, before they pull themselves the rest of the way in, someone will give them a few slaps. And even if no one spanked anyone, the momentary viewing of the swimmers bottom can be fun.

Mary: Every year we do a spring cleanup. We live on a dead end road in the country and my wife has extensive gardens that need to be cleaned up. Her gardens and she is the leader (as per usual). One year, to spice things up, she has me dress up in one of her skirts - an ankle length skirt she made out of old jeans. Actually, I had a full outfit - western shirt bra and panties and a pair of her open backed clogs. I was to be a dutiful wife and do what I was told. She wore regular jeans with a belt that we both knew was to be used on my bottom for whatever reason she made up.

Late afternoon, she turned to me and told me that I was a lazy girl and she was going to teach me a lesson. So I was skirt up and panties down,  thensquealing and promising to be good as she reddened my bottom with her belt. Just our very straight neighbors pulled up in their pickup. We were on the wrong side of the driveway and I could not make it to the house. My wife told me to go to the barn while she met the neighbors.

My wife knew how to make me squirm. She invited them in for coffee and they stayed for a half hour or so. I hid in the barn.

Wendel: The most memorable was in Ireland. One night we took a midnight hike to the top of Lough Gur Ireland. There was a nice rock formation that made a great seat. I sat down and made the Misses pull her pants down. She went across my lap and I spanked her bottom until it glowed. There were no trees or bushes blocking the view but the dark and being on the top of the hill made us feel safe from people stumbling across us. The adrenaline rush was incredible. Before the Misses could pull her pants back up I made her turn and bend over. I took her from behind. It was quite the rush.
I paid dearly when we got home. The whipping I received left my bottom sore for two days. 

Prefectdt: My main outdoor spanking fantasy is being somewhere very secluded and isolated, on a long walk along a stream, following it up hill until it forms a pool under a small waterfall. There is no one else around for miles. It is a hot day and both of us strip off to cool down in the pool. Then the Chamois Flogger, that I made some years ago, comes out of a backpack. This flogger has to be soaked in water to be usable, after it is softened enough, I am positioned on the edge of the pool with my legs still in the pool. I will leave the rest to your imaginations. :)

Bonnie: We've had some outdoor spanking adventures. Most were in the forest or at the beach, but there was one real outlier many years ago. We were driving through a volcanic area in the high desert, south of Bend, Oregon. There was a sign for a turnout ahead for a lava tube. Sure, we decided, we'll go check out a lava tube. Ours was the only car in the parking lot, so we both had the same idea.

Randy gave me a good long hand spanking down in that underground lava tube. The echoes were impressive. It was definitely an unexpected positive experience and we didn't get caught!

Barrel: Have not been there yet. But it is in the planning. I bought a large rope…we have a tree in the back yard…we have a small ankle restraint that will stop any steps…now to figure out when the neighbors are gone…then a strapping and caning. Been in the works for several months…

Hermione: We haven't done any outdoor spanking, but we recently installed a new greenhouse. I think we need to christen it with a bamboo-stake caning.

Let's all go outside and play!

Glory to Ukraine

Spanko Brunch 2.0 #432

Our good friend and great outdoorsman Wendel Jones suggested this week's topic.

Tell us about your most memorable outdoor spanking. What made it so memorable? Was it successful and satisfying, or did something go wrong? If you have never experienced one, describe your fantasy outdoor spanking. 

As always, please leave your response as a comment. Once everyone has had a chance to speak, I will publish an edited summary of our conversation.

 

Glory to Ukraine

Whipping Tom

Look what our friend Boru discovered! In the 1600s a man dubbed Whipping Tom took delight in surprising women on the street and administering a sound spanking.

Picture the scene: You’re a lone woman walking the streets of London in 1681, perhaps doing a spot of shopping or going to see a friend. Out of nowhere a man leaps out and strikes you sharply across the buttocks and before you can glimpse his face, disappears with a cry of “Spanko!”

It sounds like something out of a Monty Python-style sketch show, but this attack is not fictionalised. In 1681 there really was a mysterious buttock beater roaming the streets of London. This attacker was so prolific that he earned the nickname ‘Whipping Tom.’

Mainly operating in the small courtyards between Strand, Fleet Street and Holborn, he was known to wait for his victims in dimly lit alleys. His prey were always lone women, and he would leap out, lift their skirt and slap their behind repeatedly, either with his own hand or a rod. The phrase “Spanko!” would often accompany these attacks; then he would vanish so quickly some began to wonder if the Whipping Tom was a supernatural being.

At the time the attacks were taken very seriously, not only did they prompt women to start carrying weapons like penknives and scissors, but they also caused the effectiveness of London’s policing into question. In an effort to capture the mysterious attacker, some men would don women’s clothes and lurk around the areas he was known to operate.

A man and an accomplice were eventually arrested for the attacks, but sadly the trial records have been lost and we can only speculate on the justice that was handed out to this eccentric attacker. (From https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/people-politics/the-mystery-of-whipping-tom/)

A fuller account appears here. Thank you, Boru. It's nice to know that spanking is an activity that never goes out of fashion.

Glory to Ukraine

Recap: Spanko Brunch 2.0 for April 17

Is adult spanking inherently sexual?

Jack: I would say yes/no, I get an erection once I know I'm getting a spanking. Never fails, and worse if someone is present. Doesn't take long for it to go limp once the spankings begins. So sexual, in my case I needed a Wife/Mommy, it is the Mommy who does the spanking, not the Wife. Being seen by others, Mommy baring my bottom or telling me to take all off, others present I enjoy it to a certain extent. Being spanked, kicking, squirming, pleading, can't help it but wish no one would see it. Facing the wall, red bottom on display, comments made, not fun. When told to come to my Mommy, say I'm sorry, hands at side, all on display, I sometimes not always think it is sexual.

Dan: I suspect there is almost always a sexual or erotic component to it, though I do think motivations and reactions can vary a lot. Most of the people I've "met" through various spanking blogs say they had a very strong interest in spanking from an early age. That wasn't true for me. I didn't discover and try adult spanking until I was well into my 30s, and I didn't have much interest in purely erotic spankings. It was only when I kind of stumbled on upon adult disciplinary spankings that something clicked very strongly within me. I definitely had a sexual reaction to it, but I don't think the reaction was to spankings per se but rather to some mix of accountability and authority. If you take out those two elements, spanking isn't really arousing to me. For me, spanking carries with it a lot of erotic energy, but it's kind of indirect. So, if by "inherent" you mean something like "inseparable" or "inextricable," then for me the answer is mostly "no." I think spanking can be separated from the sexual elements, though I don't deny it's a very complicated mix.

Roz: Spanking is sexual for me. Not necessarily during, but definitely the build-up and afterwards.

Spanky53: For me more sensual than sexual. I've never used it for foreplay and I can think of only a handful of times that spanking led to sex. I'm a dedicated sensual sadist spanko. Sex has never been the end game for me. 

Baxter: Yes it is. It is a part of our having sex. I get erect when thinking about getting spanked and my wife does a good job of the spanking, just enough to keep me erect and not go limp. We get into the sex and she always has the riding crop ready and throughout sex, she spanks me with the crop, again just enough to keep me erect and she will also tell me how naughty I am, while I am performing. My wife acquiesced to the spanking of me probably 20 years ago after saying early in our marriage it was perverted. Good topic.

Rosco: For me and for Irene, absolutely. Occasionally a spanking may not directly lead to sex, but it’s still sexual.

Rich Person: Yes. Spanking (to me) means hitting a fleshy area of the body with your hand. As a general term, it means hitting the buttocks. It can also mean hitting the thighs or the breasts, which are all intimate areas.

Spanking someone's bottom stimulates the nerves that serve their genitals. That makes spanking inherently sexually stimulating.

There's also the presentation of private parts during the spanking, which is sexually stimulating as a rule.

Plus, it is intimate, so that in any relationship it also serves to reinforce the intimacy of the relationship, and therefore the sexual relationship.

That doesn't mean it can't be other things. It can certainly be a punishment even if it is also sexual. It can reinforce submission, even where that isn't sexual.

I think spanking can be more sexual or less sexual, but just as a matter of degree. However, I know there are people who perform spankings and claim not to have any sexual component. That can come from it having an association purely with some kind of non-sexual dominance or the infliction of punishment to correct behavior.

But I think in that case, the people involved are working around the sexual stimulation of the spanking itself.

Mary: When getting spanked was just a fantasy, it was completely erotic.

When my wife finally agreed to assert control of our marriage and take me over her knee, it became a lot less simple. She decided that she would give me a monthly maintenance paddling on the first Friday of the month. A ritual spanking. Over her knee, time in the corner and then a lecture and back over her knee. The second spanking is long or short based on whether or not I have been a 'good girl'. There is absolutely nothing sexual about the spanking itself.

But the period before and after is incredibly erotic. She refers to it as my time of the month. The days leading up to that Friday, I make every effort to please her. I am convinced that the happier she is, the milder the spanking.

The days afterwards my wife is incredibly sexual. She takes me whenever and however.

Jean Marie: I LOVE this topic!

YES, spanking is extremely sexual for me. Spanking is the BEST foreplay, and aftercare is best expressed for me with sex. If left up to my druthers, I'd get a moderate, loving (not TOO harsh) spanking every morning upon waking, followed by a quickie (but super satisfying) coupling, maybe in the shower together if we were pressed for time. Then, after a day filled with opportunities to earn a real punishment, I'd get my just desserts, followed by more involved (lengthy, creative, dirty) sex. I agree whole-heartedly with Roz in that I don't find the actual spanking sexy, but the before & after are the EPITOME of sexuality for me.

Now just to find someone who feels the way that I do (and meets other criteria) to complete this aspect of my life.

Barrel: We find spanking a sexual interface and connection. We almost always have sex after a spanking. Occasionally small, short spankings without intimacy will be part of the build up for a longer and more intense session. But for us, they are definitely connected.
Nice topic.

Bonnie: Yes, for us, it is absolutely always sexual. This might not be my first thought at the moment of impact, but if not, it's certainly the second.

Prefectdt: For me, simple answer, spanking is not usually part of a sexual encounter. Although I do not mind if it is, but like many male spankees, spanking makes Mr Stiffy go away. So on the occasions that it has happened, there has to be a lot of alternative foreplay between the spanking and any act of penetration. This is great, but you have to have a lot of time available.

Red: A yes and no answer. Many of my spankings are sexual, in that they lead to sex shortly afterwards, but some only two or three days later. Some are because Cindy is really upset about something I did, and they are simply punishment, as our outlet of not staying mad for days, or at one time not even talking to each other. However, the sex, whenever it occurs, is also wonderful after one of these spankings. Short small spankings usually do not even eliminate an on-the-spot erection.

Graham: Absolutely! I can't remember when I was ever spanked and didn't give my wife an orgasm almost immediately thereafter. Mine is sometimes delayed for a while but is always connected.

This is clearly a "to each his/her own" topic.

Windy: What a great idea to support Ukraine in spirit!

I am learning that it's okay for spanking to be whatever a person/couple wants it to be and it's okay to say it. I recently have been trying to get over the hurdle of spanking being a punishment and a reward. For me, it cannot do that at the same time. But a spanking punishment hurts and is not fun, but later, after...it almost always turns sexual. It's the dynamic at work that is the reward for both of us. So for us, yes, spanking is inherently sexual.

Great question! Happy Easter, Hermione!

Hermione: I'll also say yes and no. Thinking or reading about spanking always turns me on, and it's the only thing that does. While being spanked, though, I do not feel aroused. Afterwards, oh yes! Spanking is foreplay for us, and always precedes sexual pleasure.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Glory to Ukraine

Spanko Brunch 2.0 #431

Yesterday I made a Ukrainian paska or Easter cake. I'd never made one before but our local paper published the recipe and it seemed only right to make it as a small tribute to the Ukrainan people at this time. I hope you like it.

Our good friend Bonnie suggested this week's topic.

Do you think that adult spanking is inherently sexual?

I know my answer to this one, but what is your opinion? Leave your response as a comment, and I will publish an edited summary of our conversation when the cake plate is empty.

Glory to Ukraine