Through the Door

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

An old door with
Weathered wood and
Peeling paint
Aged and pitted
The lock
Cranky and stiff
Accepts the key and
Slowly opens
Beyond the walls
Lay hidden a garden
Long neglected and
Overgrown
But for a single
Yellow rose

Written for Magpie Tales #25

Monster in the Morning

Doesn't look like a monster, does he?

I have created a monster!  Not the slimy green, two-headed kind out of some sci-fi flick.  No, mine has four legs and long gray hair.  He is my little buddy, Rosie.  
Why is he suddenly a monster?  A little thing called canned cat food (and this is how it all began).  He started out asking for breakfast at 7 a.m.  Every morning, I  make not one, but three trips to the kitchen to feed him.  He must have his food in small portions, otherwise he just licks at it and pushes it around the dish until it's all mooshed up and gross.  

It gets worse.  His "breakfast time" keeps getting earlier and earlier, and his growing addiction to the stuff is driving us both crazy.  He will sit on my pillow, beg and whine into my ear, and then paw at me until I get up.  What began as a 7 a.m. breakfast, has moved to 6:00, then 5:30 and then 5:00.  This morning the clock said 4:50 when the call came.  When he is serious about eating, there is no putting him off and still sleep.  So mama drags her weary butt out of the bed and trudges to the kitchen, pulls out the food and starts the feeding process.  After the third serving, I close the bedroom door and hope he is sated for a couple hours while I catch a few more zzzz's.

How about now?

Rosie has a look that will turn you into Swiss cheese!  In other words, he'll stare holes in you until his needs are met.

So what's feeding time like at your house?

Quote of the Week

 


A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.  
- Lois Wyse

At the Day Lily Farm

This picture was taken at a nearby vineyard where we were celebrating our friendship.  True friends are a beautiful part of life.

Frannie and Steve's Summer Vacation

Here are some bits of their conversation as they get ready for their long-awaited vacation.

Frannie:  I am so ready for this vacation - those lazy afternoons by the pool, cold drinks on the beach, and I can already feel the sand between my toes, so peaceful.  Have we forgotten anything?

Steve:  Let's see, two suitcases, your big bag of girly stuff, my shaving kit, a half dozen beach towels, his and hers flip flops and three kinds of sunscreen.  Um, two fishing rods, tackle, knife and cooler - check.

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

Frannie:  Laptop, camera, assorted techno gadgets - check.  Gotta have that-you never know where you'll find good blog material.  Did you pay the electric bill?
 
Steve:  You mean you'll have it for checking in with your blogging buddies, don't you?  And yeah, bills are paid.
Frannie:  Bobby's going to come every day to look after Skipper, right? 

Steve:  Uh huh, at $5 a day it's cheaper than the kennel, the kid gets some pocket money, and Skipper has some company.  Mail?  Newspaper?

Frannie:  All taken care of.  I went on-line and put a hold on the mail and the paper. The mail will be delivered the day we get back, and we'll get a paper the next morning.  Gotta love the internet.

So, what else?  Windows closed and locked, lights on timer, A/C set...oh, honey did you get beer?

Frannie:  Of course.  Like I'd forget...along with nuts, chips and dip and soda.  After all what's a vacation without a little junk food. 

Steve:  Let's load up the car.  Ewwww, is that garbage?

Frannie:  Oh, can't leave that here for a week. Can you take it out?  I think they're gonna pick up tomorrow because of the holiday.

Steve:  Done!  We're on our way, and tonight we'll be sampling shrimp and munching on mahi.

...Two hours later.

Frannie:  Uh oh, we forgot something.

Steve:  What?  Not the beer?

Frannie:  We forgot to make the bed.

Steve:  [sighs]

Check out more magpie tales here.

A Storm in the Night

Slowly into the night

Silently advancing

Unknown and undetected

Trembling now, but

Click to enlarge photo

Unrelenting

Nearly within reach

And poised to strike

It's approach is like

A zephyr

Gently caressing

Suddenly without warning

Power without measure

Gloriously unleashed

Pounds down upon the land

Her terrifying fury

Splashes the earth, then

As quickly as it came

Retreats slowly into the night

This was poem written quite some time ago, but I thought it matched the fierceness of the sky in this picture.  That light colored cloud was moving very fast.

Quote of the Week

Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.  

- David Thomas



Good deeds help us shine brightly throughout the pages of our lives.

Of Flames and Faith

Edited to include: The following is a work of fiction written for Magpie Tales.

Flames snapped and crackled, and sap sizzled from a tree too near the heat. The brilliance of the fire lit up the night sky for miles around. As the crowd gathered, people began to speculate as to what caused the old building to suddenly go up in flames. It had been abandoned for twenty years or so, ever since the mill closed. The owner had died shortly before, and when they closed the doors, many of the towns people were left with no income.  Lately, though, there were signs that someone had been living there. It was assumed to be a homeless family, and given the hard times, no one thought anything about it. Live and let live, they said.

The fire department was on the scene quickly, but the dry timbers burned out of control. “I hope there was no one in there” said the chief. “There’s no way they could have gotten out after the fire started”. Acrid smoke filled the air and stung the eyes and burned the throats of the fire fighters, and the intense heat pushed them back. All they could do now was to keep the fire from spreading.

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

After hours of raging, the fire burned itself out leaving smoldering chunks of wood and twisted metal of the machinery left behind. When it was deemed safe to investigate, officials walked through the ruins. Fortunately, they found no bodies, although no cause of ignition was determined.  What they did find startled them.  Among the ashes were the burned-out remnants of a family's makeshift home, and the only things to miraculously escape the searing flames were a well-worn Bible, a gold cross and an old fire extinguisher.

Written for Magpie Tales #23.

Nature's Ballet

Written for One Shot Wednesday

Leaves

Dry and crinkled with age

Swirling down

to dance across the lawn

like tiny ballerinas

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

If we explore our inner selves, we may find the answers, and ultimately the peace we seek.

Conversation in the Tomato Patch

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

They're coming for us today, you know.
Who said?
I think it was the squash or maybe the cucumbers.
No, they couldn't have.  They grow so fast there's no one left.
Do you know what they do to tomatoes?
No, what?
I heard it from the corn.  They're always keeping their ears open.  You know they have to hide from the deer every night now.
They slice us up with big, sharp knives, and slather us with this thick, white gooey stuff...yuck.
No, they put us in hot water until our skin comes off, then they cut us into little pieces and call it salsa.
No, you're both wrong.  They put us on the grill until we're fire-roasted, and then we're canned.
I believe I heard it from the potatoes, they're here until fall.
Nah, not them, they can't see a thing with all that dirt in their eyes.
Uh oh, here they come.  Look, they've got baskets.  I think they're taking us to market.
C'mon guys try to look pale and pasty, they only want the really red ones.  Dang it, I warned y'all about the sun!
Ow, watch it will ya!  Hey, quit yer squeezing, I bruise easily.


This was written for Magpie Tales #22.

A Limerick Is Born!

It was late and I had called it a night shortly after midnight.  The lights were out, my DH was in the reading room and Rosie had settled down on my pillow.  As I lay there awaiting the sandman, a series of words kept going through my head.  They strung together with other words and started rhyming.  As they came together, I knew I had to get a pen and paper and write it down.  After Hubs read it, I remarked that it sounded something like a limerick.  He said "I think it is".

Now I've read limericks for years, but didn't know what made them "limericks", so I looked it up, and apparently I'd written one.

There once was a girl from Magoo

Who got stuck on a big spot of glue

She squirmed and she wiggled

'Til everyone giggled

And bid her get rid of the shoe

 

Quote of the Week

There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, "Well, here I am!" and those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are."  

- Frederick L. Collins

Let's not be filled with our own self-importance, but acknowledge and appreciate the importance of others in our lives.

Happy Birthday!

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

Higher and higher

Riding into the night sky

Exploding with grace

Cascading colors

Celebrating a nation

Happy birthday, USA

This was written for Magpie Tales.  Click above for more stories and poems.

Blogging Blockage - More Ways to Get Inspired

List posts are an important part of the blogging culture.  Recently several excellent bloggers have put together list posts filled with tips for minimizing the effects of the seasonal decline in readership, and keeping the creative juices flowing during a drought.  So now I'm sharing my list of inspirational tactics.

1. Take a shower.  The shower is a peaceful place, and the solitude of the running water can totally block out all distractions and let you think, uninterrupted for a good 15 minutes, or right up until you accidentally slice the crap out of your leg with an errant swipe of a sharp implement.  Any coherent thought then goes right out the window, to be replaced by silent cursing of said sharp implement.
 
2. Mow the yard.  Much the same principle as #1.  To provide thinking time where all other sounds are blocked out.  Just make sure to wear a headset if you tend to think out loud so the neighbors won't think you're talking to yourself.
 
3. Pictures.  We all have tons of pictures on our computers now that cameras have gone digital and gigabytes are a dime a dozen.  Look through your pictures folder until something screams "I'm a post" to you.
 
4. Take a nap.  No not literally, just lie down and let your mind wander over anything or nothing in particular.  Random thoughts will form and sometimes a post will emerge.  You might think of places you've been, experiences from your childhood, your courtship, or something funny that happened at the market last week.
 
5. Cook.  If you like to cook, get into the kitchen and create a new dish.  Just start putting stuff together and see what you get.  Don't forget to document with pictures.  Remember, regardless of whether it's great or gross you can get a story out of it.
 
6. Day trip.  Write about your last outing to the lake, a winery (these are some I've used), a trip to the zoo, or a week at the beach.  That way those of us who don't go anywhere can live vicariously through your post.  These also make great picture posts which means you don't have to do as much actual writing.
 
7. Your pets.  Cats, dogs, birds and, of course, goats all make for good material.  This is where the video function on your camera comes in handy.  Show us Fluffy or Fido's latest antics.
 
8. Go fictional.  Just make something up.  Write short stories, poetry, fantasy, a sci-fi thriller, a mystery, or whatever from your favorite genre.  Just don't write a novel - save that for the publisher.
 
9. Document a DIY project or write a "how-to" article.  You know how to do something that others would find helpful.  Find that something, and let us know how it's done.
 
10. List post.  If none of the above jump starts your blogging engine, by all means write your own list post.