Dead Men Talking

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

It is about midnight on All Hallows Eve...we hear Artie telling about how he came to be...

"Dead, I tell you, I'm dead, deceased, departed life, moved on.  Well, not exactly moved on.  You wanna know why I haven't moved on?  I'll tell ya why.  I was killed, offed, whacked, 86'd, took a swim in cement shoes.  You know...MURDERED!"

"How", asked the man on the next stool?

"OK, here's how it went down.  I was taking my share of our "business" profits, and Louie, my "associate", said I was stealing, that I was taking more than my share.  Now, I'm out there busting my chops, taking all the chances, cleaning things up, and I only get 30%.  I just took what I had coming to me, and he said "oh yeah, well now you're really gonna get what's coming to ya."

The kicker is that when he said he needed to discuss a little problem we were having, I thought he'd found out about Claire and me...Claire is his old lady.  I opened my big mouth to deny the affair, and he said, "Artie, Artie, Artie, I wouldn't kill you for that.  Now, stealing from me...that's different.  So he pulls out his 45 and bang, lights out.  He dumps my body into a ravine, where I was torn to shreds by wild animals.  My sister couldn't even identify my body."

Now Artie looks at the guy who had been quietly listening to his story.  "So what's your deal?"

"The name's Sam, and I'm dead, too." came the hoarse reply.

"Yeah?  How'd you go?"

"I was poisoned by my wife for cheating on her with Gina, my cousin's wife, and then strangled by my cousin for the same offense.  Who could blame me?  She was quite the little firecracker."

"Sam, your Gina..she have flaming red hair...sea green eyes?'"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's a good thing you're already dead, or I'd kill you myself.  She's my sister."

"Hey, sorry man!  I've got a sister, too.  Uh oh, it's almost dawn, I'd better be getting back to my grave.  Til next year..."


A work of fiction for Magpie Tales.

A New Season

Around us leaves begin to fall
Paying heed to winter's call
Shades of gold and red and green
Play their parts in nature's scene.

Another season draws to a close
Captured elegantly in poem or prose
And puts a smile upon our face
As each new season we embrace

Written for One Shot Wednesday

Quote of the Week

It's that time of year again!

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.  

- Author Unknown

While we can't rewrite the past, we are the authors of our future.

A Day at the Beach

Beach at Ft. DeSoto

Sunlight glitters brilliantly on the calm waters of the Gulf.  Clear skies fill with birds, planes and parasailors.  It is still summer on the beach; umbrellas sprout like multicolored flowers across the sand.  Boats dot the horizon, fishing, sailing, working, relaxing.  Every day is a vacation, every night is a party.  Life's short, enjoy yourself.

Flash Friday 55

Blogging Categories: Where do you fall?

Photo credit: Michel Wal

We've come a long way from the ancient tablets where there ideas were carved into stone, and only those  present could view it.  Today our words go out to the entire world with the click of a key.  

Creative Writing bloggers showcase their talent by putting words together to draw us into a story created from their own imagination, be it prose or poetry.  Examples can be found on Magpie Tales and One Shot Wednesday Poetry, to name a few.  I sort of stumbled into this type of writing at a time when I wanted to add new life into my own blog.

Photography bloggers focus not on the written word, but rather how life is seen through the eye of the camera.  Beautiful pictures take us around the world season by season showing what many of us would otherwise never see.

Bloggers who Teach know that while anyone can create a blog and start writing, it isn't as cut and dried as that.  More experienced writers, and those with a lot of natural talent may fare just fine.  For everyone else, there are those who teach about how to get readers, get comments, pinpoint our target audience, determine the tone of our blog, find our niche, and more.

So the question is this, which of these categories do you fall into?  Does your blog blur the style lines?  What, if anything, would you change if you could have a do over, and what's stopping you?

Quote of the Week

Photo Credit:  Ian Britton

There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.  - Edith Wharton

The candle - One whose goodness and light shines brightly for all to see.

The mirror - Someone in whom we see the light of others echoed in his actions.

 Which one are you? 

Not Like Everyone Else

Lilac, one of Mom's favorite flowers

Mom once said "she's not like everyone else" about me, and I guess it's true. But what she didn't say was that she wasn't like everyone else either, and neither was Daddy.  They were very special people with no limit on their love or generosity.  I'm so blessed that these two people were my parents.

Flash Friday 55

Wine and Llamas

Last Sunday, Kevin and Ashley went wine tasting with us.  It was our first visit to the Divine Llama Vineyard, and it was lots of fun.  The tasting room is the property's original farmhouse.  Before it was restored, it was in such bad condition that the fire department refused to burn it down, so they chose to restore it instead.  The place is gorgeous, with a large front porch overlooking the vineyard.  They share the property with llamas, miniature horses, a miniature burro, several dogs, and cats and some 30 chickens.  Some of their wines are named after their llamas, who are raised as pets, and show animals only.

It truly is a farm, with what looked like several acres of some type of beans out back.  From their house, just down the gravel drive, they have a great view of Pilot Mountain from every window.

We tasted their array of wines, and they were all very good.  The last two in the lineup were slightly sweet, and not so much to my liking, but were still good wines.

At Divine Llama, they grow Chardonnay, Chardonel, Traminette, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  The first three were dry white wines, and my favorites.  The wines in North Carolina have come a long ways since we began tasting them five years ago.

We noticed as we drove in that there were still grapes hanging on the vines, so I asked if they had completed their harvest.  She said they had and the remaining grapes were left for the birds, etc.  The reason being that if they used all the grapes they would have  more wine than they could bottle and sell before the next harvest.  They produce about 12,000 bottles per year.  From my taste experience, I would think that soon they should be able to sell all they could bottle.

Quote of the Week

Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom. - Merry Browne

Deeply rooted opinions, formed through prejudice or lack of evidence, may block one's path to a greater understanding of the human experience.

The End Of The Line

End Bahnof, two small words with big meaning.  Picture this:  Two people... foreign country...with little knowledge of the language, but they didn't let that stop them.  They hopped the train into the city to go sightseeing and visit the zoo.  After a fun afternoon, and feeling quite proud of themselves, they boarded the train to return to their hotel.  Theirs was the last stop and so they waited.  End Bahnof came and went and still they sat...waiting for their stop...until...  The train finally came to a stop...in something like a tunnel, dark and deserted.  

photo credit: wikipedia

Concerned?  Yes.  Scared?  A little.  After what seemed like hours, but probably more like 15-20 minutes, the train started moving again.  When the doors opened again at the "first stop", they got off, in the face of all those people waiting to get on.  What do you suppose those people were thinking?  The train was supposed to be empty. 

Who were those people, you ask?  Why, that would be me and my hubby, of course, in Germany, back a dozen or so years, and after sitting in what was probably a turnaround, we'll never forget the importance of End Bahnof. (Translation - end railway station, or the end of the line).

Quote of the Week

Photo credit  wikimedia

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. 

- James Baldwin

Maybe you cannot change everything in your life that you'd like, but unless you meet those things head on, it is guaranteed you won't change anything.

It's a Cat's Life

Cats in sprawling repose
Or curled up nose to nose
Sleeping the day away
Dreaming of a day at play
Rolling, blinking, unseeing eyes
A whimper and a heavy sigh
A big stretch, blink and stare
Stretch again and rise with flair
Wander out for a snack
Then slowly wander back

To start over again

Written for Flash Friday 55

Quote of the Week

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.  

- Robert Louis Stevenson

The value of today does not lie in what you have accumulated, but how well you have planned for tomorrow.

Eau du Dimestore

On a recent flight to Rome to join my fiancé and meet his parents, I was seated next to a glamorous woman, with diamonds studding her ears, and a pear-shaped pendant dangling at her throat.  Elegant aqua sleeves peeked from beneath her designer jacket.  I figured her to be a model or something, she was so gorgeous.  And her cologne, my goodness, was like romance in a bottle.  Just one whiff and I was transported to a tropical island paradise of palm trees swaying in the sultry breezes of the Mediterranean.

I was only here because I'd received a last minute upgrade to first class, which definitely had its perks.  I had a long flight ahead, and decided a glass of bubbly was just the thing to relax with.  Plus, now I was dying to know what her cologne was.  Maybe I could work it into the customary chit chat of a long flight.  Somehow it just didn't seem right to start with "Excuse me, but what is that delectable cologne you're wearing"? So instead I tried this, "Hi, I'm Charlotte.  That is a lovely pendant."  "Grazie", she replied, touching the diamond, "I am Carlotta.  I believe we have something in common.  Carlotta is the Italian equivalent of Charlotte." 

We talked about the places we'd been, but mostly she talked about the places she'd been.  I was totally in awe of this woman.  She was educated, well-traveled, and apparently wealthy to boot.  I would have felt rather insignificant in her company, had it not been for her completely down home personality.  She was returning home to Italy from a business meeting in the States.  She was, in fact, the granddaughter of the founder of the famous perfume factory, Acqua di Parma, in Parma, Italy and was working in the marketing and promotions department.  Now I could ask her about her cologne, although I had pretty much guessed what it had to be.  "That would be Acqua di Parma you're wearing, isn't it?  "Sì", she answered with pride.

Photo courtesy of Magpie Tales

"I've heard of it, such a marvelous fragrance, but at nearly $50 an ounce, I think I'll be wearing Eau du Dimestore for a while yet."

"No, non possiamo avere che" she exclaimed, dismayed that I would be wearing anything less than the finest cologne, the symbol of Italian elegance.  "Here mio caro, I carry these to present to the wives of our business partners", as she reached into her travel bag and pulled out two small bottles.  I stifled a squeal of delight as I thanked her profusely. "Nettare di Dio", she whispered quietly, as the flight attendant brought two more glasses of champagne.  "What a way to fly", I sighed, leaning back and sipping my champagne.

A work of fiction written for Magpie Tales #33

Shades of Summer

Although it is the first day of Autumn, and Summer has officially drawn to a close, we are still feeling the heat from another 90-degree day.  It seems Autumn is just another word in our neck of the woods today. 

Basking in the summer sun

Watching butterflies one by one

Flitting here and alighting there

Of my presence unaware

Beneath the yellow poplar tree

Here I sit, myself and me

The sky above is clear and blue

Nary a trace of morning dew

Though the sun bears summer’s heat

With pavement hot upon my feet

The dappled shade brings signs of fall

Clearly heard in the crickets’ call

Ten Things I Have Learned From Blogging: Anniversary Edition

Photo Credit:  nImA Destiny

In celebration of  Roses to Rainbows' first year in the blogosphere, I would like to share with you some of the things I have learned and people I've met.

1.  Getting comments.  After six months of the occasional visitor and no comments, I decided to look for help.  An internet search landed me on Barbara Swafford's Blogging Without a Blog.  She taught me the importance of reading and commenting on fellow bloggers' posts.  This is one of the most valuable lessons I learned, and led me to eventually write on the value of comments.

2.  A new type of pen pal.  In years past, a pen pal was someone with whom you exchanged written letters, but probably had never met.  Nowadays, with the popularity of the internet, the pen pal has changed.  The computer screen has replaced stationery, and the keyboard has replaced the pen.  We frequently exchange thoughts with people we haven't met; does this make us pen pals?

3.  People will give you things.  I got a lovely purple pen from my friend Margaret at Nanny Goats in Panties, that I use to rough out some of my posts.  She mentioned it in one of her posts, and I asked if she was selling them.  "No, but I'll send you one."  Thanks Margaret.

4.  Writing can be fun.  I discovered Magpie Tales, a blog dedicated to creative writing.  Willow, from Life at Willow Manor, posts a picture prompt every week, and writers from all around the world participate with original short stories and poetry.

5.  Writing can be frustrating.  There are also hours...days even...that you sit and stare at a blank screen or sheet of paper waiting for the right words to come along and bail your bloggy butt out of writing purgatory.  Here are my tips for beating writer's block.

6.  Bloggers form support groups.  Tribal Blogs is a network for serious bloggers, started by Jen of Redhead Ranting.  It is filled with friendly, supportive people willing to share information, and give advice (when asked, of course).

7.  Blogs can take on a life of their own.  I had different ideas about what my blog would become.  I wanted to create a source of local information to help people find good bargains and special events around town.  Problem - no local readers.  After finding #4, I began to realize that writing was more interesting to me and more appealing to others, thus changing the focus of my blog.

8.  "Build it and they will come" does not apply to blogging.  When I first started out, I thought I could just create a blog, publish posts and wait for people to show up.  Well, I guess that is true in part...the waiting part.  See Item #1.

9.  What widgets and gadgets really are.  I thought widgets and gadets were things usually found in one's junk drawer.  They are actually those little blocks found on your sidebar, containing code that put text and/or graphics on your blog.  Speaking of the Junk Drawer, "Hi Kathy".

10.  I have a lot more to learn.  I guess this is the most important thing I have learned thus far.  I am learning every day, by reading, experimenting; what works, and what doesn't.  It is all part of the process of blogging, and I am happily looking forward my next year in the blogosphere.

I have met so many helpful and encouraging people that I couldn't begin list them all here, but you know who you are.  I do want to send out a special thank you to my friend Sara from A Sharing Connection.  She has been right there encouraging me ever since the first comment I left on her one of her photo story posts. This was my initial venture into creative writing.

The Quote of the Week will return next week.

Isn't that Entrancing?

ENTRANCE - to put into a trance; to fill with delight or wonder.
ENTRANCE - the means by which to enter; the act of entering.

The same spelling, different pronunciations, and different meanings.  OK, are you with me so far?

Some years ago, hubby and I went to one of those Home & Garden Expos, and window shopped and fantasized about all the things we could with our house, or at least the house we aspired to have one day.  We talked to people and collected brochures.  At home later that evening, I was sitting cross-legged on the bed pouring over the brochures we picked up; one in particular and, puzzled about something that just didn't seem right, I asked "What's an ENTRANCE"?

And hubby says, "Let's see?  Hmmm...ah..."

Then I get The Look.  How dumb did I feel?  




Where you place the accent does make a difference.

Anything like this ever happen to you?

Lunch

Photo from Clker.com

Basking in the late afternoon sun, I savor each remaining moment.  Overhead a hawk circles ever higher as if winding himself up.  Suddenly he spies an unfortunate little field mouse who, unknowingly, was about to be invited to lunch, and not as a guest.  The hawk, now in perfect position, dives.  Nature's original fast food.

(My first) Friday Flash 55.

Morning Sky

Sunshine and raindrops

make prisms across the sky

Beautiful, fading, gone

Posted for One Shot Wednesday.

Quote of the Week

Things fall apart so that other things can fall together. 

 - Author Unknown

Sometimes when it looks like everything is going wrong, and you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel,  things have a way of working themselves out.  The bad times can be paving the way for good times ahead.