In Excess?

Uggboy*Ugggirl

There was a Canadian Princess

Who for now shall remain nameless

She loved her high-heeled shoes

Bought in varying hues

Some might say to excess

 

 

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is Excess.  This is the 7th day of this madness.  Check out the Linky at WWFC for more tales of excess.

Feeling the Pressure

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is Pressure.  It is now day 6; only 24 days left, to check out these great stories.

It all started around the table at dinner one night.  A friend says "Guess what I did last weekend?  My son and I went shooting.  I hadn't been shooting at a range in years.  It was great!"

That was the beginning.  Shortly afterwards a group of guys, including this friend and my husband met for breakfast one Saturday and went to the shooting range afterwards.  Hubby came back sporting a target, and telling who had which guns, etc.  

After several more trips to the range, it was planned that I join them.  I had expressed an interest in the past about learning to shoot, so here was my chance.  Let me just say that I was very disappointed in my first performance.  For some reason I thought I would just go in and whack the crap out of the target.  Other than my inexperience, I was using shooting glasses from the range.

Two weeks later!

I wasn't giving up however, and the next time, with my own glasses, I showed improvement.  This gave me the courage to agree to take a gun course.  Not just any course, but a concealed carry course complete with training not only in gun safety, shooting, but in the laws and how they apply to personal defense.  This is important.  Guns are not the first resort.

We received our training materials, a book and several DVDs.  After reading the book and viewing the videos at least two times, hubby and I went over a practice test.  I had managed to improve my accuracy in shooting so I was ready...at least as ready as possible.

The day came, and with butterflies running rampant in my stomach, we walked into the classroom.  The very first thing was a 20-question written test.  I passed...with a 95.  We had a gun safety lecture, an oral test and target practice.  So far so good.  Then came the shooting qualification.  

We had to fire a certain number of rounds into the target.  I can do that...no problem, right?  Well, let me tell you that practice is practice, but the test is totally different.  The instructor stands there and tells you how many shots to fire in a given number of seconds from different starting positions.  

I was waiting my turn, watching the others and getting more and more nervous.  "I don't belong here" I said to my husband.  The pressure was on!  We were the last two to shoot, and you know what nervous waiting does to one's ability to think?  Yep, I blanked on everything I had learned.  My hands were shaking and my mouth was like paste in spite of two cups of water before entering the range.  I stood wrong, held the gun wrong, rushed my shots.  You name it, I screwed it up.  I didn't know how many shots I had fired, or how many had hit the target.  I was feeling pretty down and afraid I had failed and failure was not acceptable.  Everyone else had passed.  I was afraid I would be the only one not to pass because I was so nervous.  Did I mention that all but a few people in the class were our friends?  More pressure!

You can imagine my relief when he handed me the target and said "here you go, you passed".  It was over and I got my certificate.  The pressure I felt was all pressure I put on myself.  Still, I'm glad I did it for the sense of accomplishment.  We can do whatever we set out to do.

Spiders

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is Spiders.  It is now day 5; only 25 days left, to check out these great stories.

Ack, this is a really big spider!  Meet our house guest for the weekend.  He (or she) was a really good house guest (for the sake of the story we will assume it's a male).

We were visiting with friends for the weekend, and we had our choice of sleeping quarters, so we chose the accommodations at the top of the road because the A/C was supposed to be COLD, and with me being just short of volcanic, I figured that would be best.

In the main cabin we had dinner, drank wine and talked, as good friends do.  Our hostess's charming aunt and uncle, who lived nearby, joined us as we waited for the last couple to arrive.  The wine flowed, stories were told, and the evening wound down in anticipation of the next day's activities.

We walked back to the trailer, and shortly after getting settled in for the evening, we discovered our house guest.  Wow, that's a big spider (loud exclamation) and then "where's my camera".  Now I'm not afraid of spiders, but I would greatly prefer that they remain outside, and I will use lethal force against a home invasion of the eight-legged critters.  One this size, though, I prefer to just persuade to leave, and by that I mean have my husband remove him.  We grabbed a broom to entice him out the front door.  Alas, our attempts to evict him failed, as he skillfully evaded us under a bookcase or some other piece of furniture where we couldn't get to him.  

This was probably the hottest weekend we could have possibly chose to get together.  Now that doesn't have anything to do with the spider who probably didn't care one way or another that we were there, and the trailer was now cool.

What, you ask, did we do now?  Well, I'll tell you.  Nothing!  We went down the hall and went to bed.  We never saw him again.  The funny thing was that a member of our group had an intense fear dislike of spiders, however, I couldn't resist showing our house guest's portrait the following morning.  Apparently everyone chose the appropriate sleeping quarters.

And now for everyone who hates spiders.  

Quote of the Week

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is Behind the Wheel.  Today is the 4th day into this 30-day challenge.  Only 26 to go!

Another way to solve the traffic problems of this country is to pass a law that only paid-for cars be allowed to use the highways.  - Will Rogers

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Will Rogers (1879 - 1935) a vaudeville performer, actor, humorist and an American cowboy was probably the best known celebrities during the 1920s and 1930.  He died in a small plane crash in Alaska in 1935.

Back in 1935 life was different, things costs less, and salaries were less too.  Here are some examples: A car cost $580 and gas was 19 cents a gallon.  A loaf of bread and a gallon of milk were 8 cents and 47 cents, respectively.  Your house was around $6,300 and your salary around $1,500.  During the 1930s there were approximately 2.7 million cars sold compared with an estimated 254 million cars on the road today.  With that in mind, it seems odd that there would have been enough people behind the wheel for traffic to have been an issue over 75 years ago.

With more cars being built and sold today, the average price being some 50 times greater than in 1935 and car loans being up to 6 years, the concept of not allowing unpaid for cars on the road is unfathomable.

So I Thought I Could Dance?

 Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is They played my song.

The night they played my song!  Or better yet, the night I embarrassed myself by turning into Disco Duck.   We were at a friend's wedding reception.  You know the fancy kind at the country club with an open bar and a dance floor...need I say more?  I do?  OK, the kind where the bride's father just smiles and empties his wallet, and then when asked about the reception, just turns his pockets inside out.  Yeah, that kind.

We knew a small handful of people there, but with the open bar, were enjoying ourselves.  Finally, I got hubby to join me on the dance floor.  I don't remember what was playing at first.  It didn't matter. It was a chance to dance, and, social occasions being few and far between, I liked to take full advantage.  

I expect the first few dances were the slow kind were you just kind of hug around in a circle on the dance floor, trying not to step on each others' feet.

allposters.com

And then, all of a sudden as if by magic, or as if they could read my mind...wait for it...

Stayin' Alive from Saturday Night Fever.  At the first note there was instant recognition, my eyes lit up, I grinned, and my feet took on a life of their own.  Everyone else disappeared.  It was just me and the music.  I no longer cared what anyone thought, or how ridiculous I must look.  I had to dance.  I had the moves.  I was in the groove. 

Sadly, the night was nearly at it's end, and the party was winding down.  I remember thinking it was cruel to play that at the end of the evening when I was just getting started.

As we made our way to the car, my feet, that were happily ready to dance the night away, now without the pull of the music, were sore and aching.  So much for Disco Duck.

We made some good memories, and I still love to dance when I get the chance.

This is what you get when I write at 1:30 a.m.

Mental Roadblock

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is A Roadblock.

 

There are all kinds of roadblocks.  The ones we see on the street are easily overcome by a detour directing us around the event that caused the blockage.  

Bloggers face roadblocks too.  We stare at blank screens until our eyes glaze over like the remnants of yesterday's donuts.  We mark out endless lines of slumber-inducing stories written after too much indulgence has turned our brains too mush.  Mental roadblocks are the worst because there are no detours, no signs and no one directing our mental traffic around the barricades.

Now let's check in with Bonnie Blogger to see what's on her mind.

Nothing.  That's what's on my mind.  It's blank!  My mind is a total blank.  I am supposed to write a post every day for 30 days and what have I got?  This is only day 2 and I am blanking out. I've got nothing here.  Geez, what was I thinking? 

What I thought was that having a goal would help me get back on track, get back to my blogging roots.  I mean you can only depend on picture posts for so long.  But no!  I have a list of 30 pre-selected topics and I totally freeze.  The cheese has already been devoured, and the next course food-related topic isn't until day 12.

I can probably use my cats for days 7 & 10.  Day 8 is easy, and 18 is probably good too.  Day 30 is a common saying around here. 

There should be a day devoted to wine.  Oh wait, I think that's day 26, and I don't know if I can hang on that long.  Who came up with these crazy prompts anyway?  I know, I know, they asked for suggestions, but did I offer any?  Noooo, I just sat back and waited to see what the powers that be decided we should write about.  

I could be writing about a tropical paradise, about lying in a hammock sipping exotic drinks from a pineapple with fancy little paper umbrellas and being fanned by handsome natives whose only English consists of "yes" and "would you like another"?

I could be writing about...well you get the idea.  But no, I had to wait and see.  Therefore, I am at the mercy of two insane creative folks and their equally insane creative list of topics.  All of which are barring my way to scoring the coveted 500 point post.  Major mental roadblock in progress.

Likely by the time this is over I'll need to get on the waiting list for therapy since I hear those who took part in the last challenge are still there.  

So, there sits Bonnie Blogger, gulping copious amounts of drinking wine and weeping over an crumb-covered plate once filled with cheese, desperately wishing she had two mildly amusing words to put together.

More Cheese, Please

Written for the 30-day creative writing challenge hosted by Nicky and Mike of We Work For Cheese.  Today's prompt is cheese.

Cheese, cheese, beautiful cheese

Provolone, Swiss and Edam

Colby, Jack and Muenster, too

You just can't beat 'em

A plate of Havarti, creamy and fine
So lovely with a glass of wine

For my pizza I gotta say
Mozzarella makes my day

Gouda, oh Gouda, smokey or plain

Drives my Quesadillas insane

Mac and cheese down on the farm
With lots of Cheddar and a little Parm

What more can I say about this food prepared from the pressed curd of milk?  More cheese, please!

Beauty in the Sky

Some sights just demand you run and get your camera, or in this case my phone.  This doesn't do justice to the beauty I saw in the sky that afternoon.

This was taken a few days earlier, after a rain shower.  The sun has to but cast his rays upon the earth to make us smile with wonder. 

The camera doesn't lie, but it doesn't always pick up the subtleties we see with our eyes.  Still, we have the pictures to remind us of what our eyes saw.

Quote of the Week

Minnesota 2011

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.   - Henry Ward Beecher

The best artistic expression comes from within ourselves.  I think the painting on the side of this building shows this very well, and reflects the many faces and places of the city.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.

A Sticky Situation

Photo credit:  Stephen Craven

Along the winding path and into the dense foliage walked the boy following the yips of a puppy.  He'd always wanted a puppy.

He found him trapped in a briar patch, whimpering as the thorns stabbed his tender nose.

As the boy freed the wriggling mass, the puppy jumped up and down and licked his face.

Written for the Gman of Friday Flash 55 fame, as he recovers from a serious illness. We look forward to his return.

Shades of Green

I love the way the

trees caress the summer sky

shades of green on blue

Written for dVerse poetry.

Quote of the Week

Target practice - my latest adventure.

 Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried something new. - Albert Einstein

Life is full of new adventures; give it a shot!

Miss Molly

If you ask me about any of my feline friends, I would say he or she is or was just the sweetest thing.  These are the words of a true cat lover.  Yet they are all different.  Each cat is a unique entity with his or her own special personality.  Each has their own way of bonding with the people they share their homes with.  That's right, nobody truly owns a cat.  They let us live with them.

This was Molly.  She was a very special lady, long and slender with a tail to make any cat proud.  Molly came to live with us when she was 3 1/2 years old.  Her story is told in more detail here.

 

1998 - 2007

As you see, she liked to help me at the computer.  I would be sitting there working on something, oblivious to the world, and feel this tap on my leg..."Hi Mama".   Other times she would just launch straight to the back of my chair.  I would be startled, but she never missed.  This was her way of bonding with me.  It was our special thing.

Like most cats, she liked the high places, and would frequently be found sitting on top of the bookcase.

I'm on top of the world.

Am I not just the sweetest thing ever?

We miss you, Molly!

Mystery Man

I found him in the Ladies Room last night.  What do you think his story is?

Hey Lady!
Can you see me?

 Where am I?

How did I get here?

Quote of the Week

The mighty Oak was once a little nut that 

stood its ground. - Unknown

Photo Credit:  Reellady

Dig in, stand fast and reach tall.  Anything is possible if you have good roots.

 

Mother's Day Special

Me, Mommy, and Grammy

Today is Mother's Day, a day set aside to honor our mothers, grandmothers, mother-in-laws, and/or any other special women in our lives.  

Mothers are more than just the givers of life, they are teachers and playmates.  They are entertainers and magicians.  They are chauffeurs and coaches.  They are adversaries during our trying teen years, and ultimately, our friends for life. They are the nurturers of our mind, body and soul.

They bandage our cuts and scrapes, and tend to our broken hearts.  They listen as we share our disappointments and joyously applaud our successes.  They surprise us with treats just to see us smile, and replace balloons that go pop when they hit the ground.  

And even when we are grown and on our own, they still bring us soup when we're sick, and hold our hands when life isn't fair and tell us it will be all right.

This is what mothers do.  Not because they have to...there are no rule books and no penalties.  They do this because they love us.  A mother's love is a powerful potion.

Let us honor our Mothers, not just on Mother's Day, but everyday.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.  I miss you!

Truth or Fiction? Take It With a Grain of Salt

Do you wonder where some of the expressions we use everyday come from?  I do.  So when I used the expression "take it with a grain of salt" in a post, I knew I had to explore it further.  In my ongoing quest to find the answers to life's everyday questions, I turned to Google.  Doesn't everyone?  As with most expressions, there are variations on the origin.

First we find that having "salt in your pumpkin" is a good thing.  Now when I think of pumpkins, I naturally think of pie, don't you.  Anyway, in Italy pumpkin is another way of saying head, and "a grain of salt" often refers to intelligence.  All of which is a roundabout way of saying that if you have salt in your pumpkin you are someone with intelligence and good reasoning skills.

Wieliczka Salt Mine by Anna Strummillo

In it's Latin form, "cum grano salis" is often used when the situation at hand requires care and good personal judgment.

The Modern English version of "take it with a grain of salt", is really saying "don't take this seriously".  In other words, don't believe everything you hear.  When I was a kid, Mom would sometimes say that when I would tell her something I'd heard from some of the neighbors who were apt to embellish a bit on the facts.

Going all the way back to 77 A.D. it was written that a grain of salt was an ingredient in an antidote for poisoning, indicating that the effects of the poison may be moderated by taking a grain of salt.  Along these same lines, salt was once believed to have healing properties, and thus eating or drinking anything with a grain of salt was a form of preventative medicine.  Now we are told to limit our salt intake for health reasons, but it is also said that history repeats itself. 

What are some of your favorite expressions?

Standing Tall

Stretched by the waning sun

I am likened to a tree

From my shadow

I cannot flee

Written for dVerse Poetry.

Quote of the Week

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.  - Author Unknown

Are you talking about me?

Good friends are the true treasures in the basket of life.

My Buddy

I have boxes full of pictures taken before we had a digital camera, so why not take advantage of the wealth.  Looking back to early 2001, we see Dood in an over-sized kennel.

I'm here for you!

When Dood (short for Doodle) was just a baby, he lost his mama and was adopted by Red, an old Tom.  Dood, like most kittens, loved to explore and apparently found his way under the hood of a car.  Regrettably his tail was injured when the car was started.  

He was friendly, but skittish about being picked up, so we worked with him to gain his trust. The smaller carrier on the left is how we rounded him up for a trip to the vet.  I left it open and he wandered in and I closed the door behind him.  Uh, what now?  Take him to vet, of course.  What?  Here was this never before contained kitten, that I had to single-handedly take to the vet.  This isn't what we'd planned...it just happened.  So, looking somewhat like a wild thing myself, I grabbed my keys and away we went.  

I was trying to keep him and me calm - singing, praying, and all the while figuring he would never trust me again.  I had called hubby and he called the vet to tell them we were coming, and that I'd probably need a sedative (no, unfortunately they can't give people sedatives).   

Sadly, he had to have part of his tail amputated, and while he was there we had him neutered, too.  We borrowed the large dog kennel from the Humane Society, and turned it into a mini suite, complete with a loft perch for him to enjoy while he convalesced.  His 10-day confinement allowed us to give his medication on schedule.  Like any good friend, Red was never far away, so we provided him a comfortable place to visit.  

Here they are several years later in their "summer house".  They were the best of friends for years. 

Me and my buddy

Changes

Life unfolds before me

Like scenes within a play

Who rewrote the story

Rewind to yesterday

When the sun was shining
And my spirits they did soar
Where is the silver lining
In clouds along the shore

Posted for dVerse Poetry

Quote of the Week

Guy playing guitar on the beach

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

When you put aside your fears you grow stronger.

When you put aside your doubts you grow more confident.

When you put aside your prejudices you become more open minded.

When you put aside your negative thoughts you become a more positive person.

Embrace your new identity.

Traveling Cat?

Ahhh...zzzzzz

No, Sophie doesn't travel.  What she does do is eagerly await her Daddy's return no matter whether he's been away for a week, at work for the day or out for an hour.

This was the scene one day as I was unpacking his overnight bag.  There are two favorites in her life.  One is her Daddy, and the other is finding great snuggly places.

This is the best of both worlds - she can nestle in with stuff that smells like her favorite human.  It just doesn't get any better!

Designer Blues

“Well this just sucks,” Amy complained bitterly to her friend, Sharon, as they tried on designer jeans.  She had been a six forever, and now she was squeezing into a size ten.  On her wedding day everyone raved about how she looked in that figure-hugging gown of satin and lace.  Ever since her divorce, however, things went downhill while her weight crept upward.

“Cheer up” replied Sharon, “you still look great.  I saw that TDH checking you out at the club last week.”  TDH in their code stood for tall, dark and handsome, or in today’s lingo, a "hot guy".

“Yeah, I camouflage it very well," she said wryly.  "Some days I convince myself it’s not so bad, and other days I rationalize that I’m not the only one whose waistline has expanded or have parts that jiggle that were never meant to.”

“C’mon, let’s get a smoothie” Sharon suggested, hoping to take her friend’s mind off her woes.  “We’ll get one of those healthified ones made with fat-free frozen yogurt and skim milk.”

“All right,” Amy agreed.  “I haven’t had lunch yet anyway.  Hey, maybe I’ll renew my membership at the gym.  I sure won’t change my life sitting on the couch watching Law and Order reruns.”

“Atta girl!  I may just join you.  What have I got to lose?”

Ann sighed.  “In my case, about twenty pounds!”

Two weeks later Amy and Sharon met at the gym after work.  They each had set up a workout schedule, and Sharon was excited to see her body changing.  “I’ve already lost an inch around my waist” she exclaimed.  “That’s awesome!”

“I’m glad one of us is seeing some results,” Amy said glumly.  “I’ve lost about five pounds, but apparently in all the wrong places, if you know what I mean.  I might have to look into one of those low-cost tummy tucks.  If I lose weight, but still have lumpy, bumpy fat bulging out, what’s the point.  Covering up only works so long, you know?  Soon it will be time for swim suits.  Arrrrgggghhhh!

“Well, there’s that,” responded Sharon with a groan as she put down her weights.  “I know. How about liposuction.  I’ve got a cousin who had liposuction to lose some excess weight.  It worked for her, and she looks fantastic.”

"I guess it's something to think about," said Amy, already imagining herself at the beach in a brand new hot pink bikini.

Quote of the Week

Love makes everything grow. - unknown

 

There may be a time, a place and a reason for all things, but love makes them grow. Without love we would wither like a forgotten flower.

Daydreaming

Lying on the beach with the gentle ocean breeze caressing her body, Gina drifted from one delectable daydream to another.  The wispy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky, temporarily masking the sun's warming rays.

Suddenly her reverie was broken by the sound of someone yelling.  Her heart thumping, she jumped to her feet looking in the direction of the noise. Relief filled her when she saw two young boys playing Frisbee on the beach with their dog.

Today's post was written for the Five Sentence Fiction writing prompt based on the word "delectable".

Looking Up

A beautiful Easter Sunday afternoon at Salem Lake.

Quote of the Week

Music makes pictures and often tells stories. 

- John Denver

If words paint pictures, and a picture is worth a thousand words, then music makes them all come alive.

This was inspired by one of the pictures from Nicky and Mike at We Work for Cheese during their 30 days of photographs saga.

What Would Daddy Say?

Daddy was an old-fashioned, old school, all American guy...and I don't mean he was an athlete.  He didn't even watch sports.  However, he was an all American when it came to his cars.  Basically, they all came out of Detroit (or wherever GM was putting cars together).

2006 Toyota Highlander

Until this year, all my cars were GM as well.  Like father, like daughter.

It all started when I was 16.  Every kid wants a car, and I was no exception.  So Daddy bought me my first car.  It was a 16 year old's dream - a (used) 1970 Firebird.  I would be driving to school in style.

Next came a (new) Buick Skyhawk.  After about 10 years, and some problems caused by it being sideswiped in its infancy, I gave it up for a (used) Cutlass Ciera GT.  It was love at first sight... literally on the dealer's lot.  "That's my car!"

Now I was hooked on all things Oldsmobile, and when I needed a new car, I headed straight to the nearest Olds dealer.  The year was 1997 and enter a (new) Cutlass Supreme SL.  See a pattern here?  I remember calling Daddy to ask if he would like to be here when they delivered my new car.  Surprise!

1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Then a mere 12 years later, due to some inferior maintenance, it died. [sniff]

It take a while for me to choose cars, so in the meantime, hubby let me drive his.

**Now here is the real point of the story**  

All of our family's cars during my lifetime (except for a DeSoto and some other car from the 50s) had been GM.  Now I've gone and gotten a Toyota, and hubby is driving a Honda.

So, what would Daddy say?  

The answer would most likely be - "Whatever suits you."

Care to talk about your first car, or your favorite?

The Princess

Eli was concerned about his latest dream.  It rang with an eerie reality.  Slowly he remembered...when he was just a lad his mother told him bedtime stories - fairy tales she called them.  He thought they were the same stories every mother told their children.  Ones from a fantasy land, but unlike King Arthur and Hansel and Gretel, her stories were tales of the animal kingdom.

Image source: djajakarta

The tale she told most often was about a princess who was raised by a family of giant birds.  They lived at the top of a huge tree in the middle of the enchanted forest.  They were the rulers of the forest and one day they found a tiny baby whose parents were killed by the beast who roamed the night just beyond the forest's edge.  They took the baby to their nest, cared for her and raised her as their own.  Because she was different, they made her a princess.  For years the princess lived among the tree tops until one day she realized that she didn't belong here, that there was another world below.  She bid a tearful good-bye to her bird family.  Over the years, her family had grown and she had hundreds of siblings.  They gathered to carry her safely to the ground where she began her new life.

But now Eli questioned whether that was really a fairy tale.  It might explain the weird dreams he had been having.  Could his mother be the princess of her tale?  Was she an orphan after all or was she really hatched?

Written for Magpie Tales.

Quote of the Week

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  

- William James

Whether it's doing something special for someone, taking care of the every day chores, or just taking some time for yourself, what you do has an impact on those around you.  What you do does make a difference!

Happy Easter

However you celebrate Easter, with family and friends or Spring break, Church or Easter baskets, or just enjoying life and the renewal brought by the changing seasons, I wish you peace and happiness.  

Happy Easter to all!

Birdman?

Image Source: image: ParkeHarrison

During the night something strange has happened to Eli.  He stirs to consciousness only to feel all prickly.  His foggy mind is wondering who put all these sticks in his bed.  As he tries to stand up, sticks stab his bare feet.  Ouch!  What? 

It appears that Eli is standing in a giant bird nest.  This is ridiculous, he thinks.  There is no such thing as giant bird nests, or am I losing my mind? 

As he begins to climb out of his prickly confines, he stops to take a look around, and is startled at what he sees.  Tree tops.  Pines, oaks, etc.  How is it that he is standing in a giant bird nest at the top of a tree?

Oh no, he thought, I'm not standing in a giant bird nest.  It's much worse.  I am six inches tall, standing in a normal bird nest at the top of a tree.  Help!!!

When Eli finally did wake up, he found bits of twigs between his toes and a feather in his hair.

Written for Magpie Tales.

Quote of the Week

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.   - Vincent Van Gogh

 

Even amongst the dead leaves, I found this brilliant beauty.  Everywhere you turn, there is something to see - all we have to do is look.  Nature will surprise and delight us every time.

Spring Fever

With Spring comes warm temperatures, sunny days, fierce weather, and lots of yard work.  All this means that I have come down with a bad case of Spring Fever.  Therefore, I will be taking a much-needed Spring Break.

Roses to Rainbows will return sometime next week; same time, same place.  

See you then!