Archive for August, 2021



Antics!Antics! by Cathi Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A couple of friends recommended this fun little treat. After their great reviews knew I had to find a copy.

Okay, so it might be a little advanced compared to other alphabet books. Still, the pictures and one word per page make it a quick memorized book. It may be more fun for older siblings to read to younger ones with a more advanced vocabulary. And parents and teachers can find a lot of conversation starters on each page.

First of all, ANTS! Hey, you could obtain a good ant farm for the kids to watch or a walkout to see ants in their true habitats. Hopefully, you haven’t been inundated by the ones that love your kitchen. But, heck, there’s another educational moment for you and the students.

The illustrations are so much fun! Who knew ants could be so expressive? This brings me to the choose your favorite page. My friends chose Deviant and Chant. I do like both of those. But my favorite is a psychological thriller with personal history. Hesitant. I remember graduating to the level of the high dive. I remember the first time actually climbing back down the ladder to my shame and embarrassment. I gave myself speeches for days and was determined to do it the next time. I did get all the way out on the board—no diving for my first few times. Even the first jump, I felt hesitant. I don’t remember ever getting confident on that dive. I preferred the sturdy diving platform, and I could dive from and reach the other end of the pool in one breath.

I think I will donate this to our little library.

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One-liner Wednesday


Joy creates creativity and creativity creates joy.

Linda’s One-liner Wednesday is easy and fun.

Too Hot Tuesday


I was going to write a Haiku or Tanka or use other prompts I found on the blogs, but it was too hot to move to the laptop. So I sat in my recliner with the fan and worked on more scrappy socks while watching the end of season 10 of the Walking Dead. I made myself feel better knowing it had to be worse for those actors in Georgia.

It is supposed to reach 99 on Thursday. Just like the difference between 33 and 32 can break pipes, the difference between 94 today and 99 means more siestas and iced green tea popsicles.

The scrappy socks are toed and heeled with leftovers from the last pair I made. I’m loving the rainbow look it makes. You can see the toe on the right that I just finished. The sock on the left need ankle and cuff, then done. The looms are CinDWood 56 pegs, fine gauge of 1/4 inch.

These are the two yarns. Mani-Pedi is the non-toe or heel parts.

The socks are Kitchener cast-on and the toe/heel is German short rows.

Now back to chillin’


Restrictions are being lifted all over the world.  Do you feel it’s safe to go out and mingle in crowds in light of the Pandemic?

Social anxiety means this has been more comfortable for me than most. The thought of getting out there, especially with the Delta variant kicking folks out even when vaccinated, makes me more scared to go out.

What are some things that are okay to occasionally do but definitely not okay to do every day?

In my life, the best way to form a habit is doing something daily. When the gym instructors say to do something three times a week, I know that it will fail. On the other hand, if I don’t want something to stick with me, like chips or sugar, I choose not to have it at all now. No habit is worth that pain of getting it out of my life, to begin with.

Would you relocate for love (romantic or otherwise)?

I have moved far more than the 11 times I’ve heard are common these days. I love moving to new places. So if the opportunity came, yes, I’d move again. My parent lived in the same house for most of my life. I can’t understand how people do that.

Do you believe in any conspiracy theories (no judgment)?

I believe in science and logic. If, in fact, a view is either one political point or the other, I question it. Are there space aliens here on earth? I suppose it is possible, but why would someone so advanced to make it here come here? If they want to take over the planet, they need only wait as we gradually destroy it ourselves.


GRATITUDE PORTION (Optional to participate, as always)

Please share something sweet (take that as you want)

I am so grateful for the health I am gradually bringing back into my life and the doctor who prescribed an antibiotic over a year ago. Since that point, the pain that made my bones feel like they would explode quit happening. I don’t know what caused all of that or how it was that drug solved it, but I have been feeling better and better. The new energy gives me a way to continue getting more healthy. Either vicious cycle downward or healthy recreation.


Weekend Writing Prompt #221 – Thwart

Posted on August 7, 2021 by sammicoxwriter

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments.

Word Prompt

Thwart

Challenge

wk 221 thwart

The challenge is simple: each week you will be given an exact number of words you can use to write a poem or piece of prose.  You can use any format or style you like; go wherever your inspiration takes you.  The only rules are these:

  • your poem / prose must contain this week’s word (see note below).  The word does not have to count towards the exact word count total – it can be in the title, or the first letters of the lines of a poem can spell it out – you can be as creative as you want as long as it’s there somewhere.
  • the length of your poem / prose must match the number of words stated in this week’s challenge.  No more.  No less.
  • A note on the word: you can use any variation of the word (for example: call, calls, calling, called etc).  If you find you are struggling to use this week’s word you may substitute it for a synonym – just include a note to explain the swap.  Remember, this is supposed to be fun! 

Can’t wait to read what you have come up with!


Whispers and Echoes – is an online journal of short writing – read it here *

Check out the journal’s full submission guidelines here

*** My Thwarted Thoughts ***

Thwart is a strange word, isn’t it? I doubt I have ever used it in my writing or about my writing. It always sounds like a wicked bad guy is hurting the good guy. I picture a sword and shield coming out as folks are finally reaching their happy place.

And yet,  in board games, that word is tossed like there’s no tomorrow!

Pixabay.com

(I hope I did that right. It seemed like a fun prompt to try. I learned about it on SammiScribbles


Weezles and Heffalumps

No. I guess I was wrong. These guys are who I meant.

One wee mistake trying to stream my consciousness.

This is a weekly prompt that happens on the first day of the weekend. Just let the sweetness flow between the ears.

What you come up with may be bittersweet. Or look like you’ve been smoking that weed the kids, (babyboomers) have been talking about.

Sweeping my brain just makes me weep. Maybe if I’m lucky I can tweeze out a teeny-weeny cartoon or two. Alice knew.

Or an awful insect that swarmed my Zoom cereal.

Wait. Have I just streamed full circle? No that was weezle, oops, woozle, not weevil. But now I have

WEE!!!

Per Linda:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wee.” Use the word “wee” or find a word that contains it and use it in your post. Have fun!


Saving Snow WhiteSaving Snow White by Gita V. Reddy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really needed this story. After the stress of the last book I read, I needed a bit of a child’s adventure, Not that this is a childish story. Adults can appreciate this story, as can middle grades. There is a sweet nod to the Snow White story, but mostly this strong young girl had to figure a way to survive this evil stepmother. This would have been a great book to read to my kids at bedtime. I think there are many points that could have been conversation starters.

What I like best about this tale is how the author chose to let the child/children work out their own answers to their dilemmas. They were in positions where the adults were not to be trusted. It is good to teach your children to think for themselves about what they might do in the worst circumstances. As much as I would love the kind of world where that wouldn’t be needed, not teaching a child to think and act would be a disservice. We need to help our children feel strong enough to handle themselves while remaining respectful and still have the fun of being a kid. We all need that.

When you let yourself imagine yourself like this child, what would you have done? I don’t think I would have had the tools within me to survive much. I was so naive and gullible. I hope I raised mine with more gumption. If you need to set your inner child on a semi-scary adventure, this is one for you and yours.

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Review:


The Carolina Diaries: Belle

by Darlene Winters

The Carolina Diaries: BelleThe Carolina Diaries: Belle by Darlene Winters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don’t know. This was hard to read. It is hard to review. It feels autobiographical. Though it–

I don’t do this often as I figure people will go read the blurbs themselves. But this and the reviews make me wonder if I read the same book.

“Her cousin wants to die. She has the whole roadtrip to convince her otherwise.

Darlene only knows of one way to help her cousin Belle after a life of disappointments–go with her on a cross-country road trip, head back to California where Belle was born… and where she intends to die.

But deep family resentments and drama rides with them across the country, shedding light on heavy themes like sexual abuse and depression, as well as religion and politics. Growing up in North Carolina, these cousins have a lot of stories to share: some sad, some comical, and some just down right disturbing.

If you enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine and Girl, Interrupted, you’ll want to read The Carolina Diaries with its unique blend of dark humor and even darker perspectives of life past, present and future; the real take-aways being how to cope and heal.”

I found no humor. I wish I hadn’t picked it up. It was exactly what I don’t want to read before bed. All the reality of our daily news lives during this pandemic. And though I agree with the author on a lot of stances, I couldn’t deal with it in my bedtime fiction.

My fault. I saw road trip, my first name, and didn’t read the description.

Maybe if I read it during the day I could see the humor in a suicidal cutter who had lived with so much abuse, of every kind, during a pandemic during the political turmoil of 2020. No. I don’t think so.

The reason I am not giving this a lower rating is the list of good books and ideas the author presents. Unfortunately, the way it’s presented makes me sure the ones who need the information will not see it. Still, there’s a chance I could be wrong.

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One-liner Wednesday


An easy yet impossible prompt at times courtesy of Linda G. Hill.

(By the way, folks, that above was it!)

Ta-Da Tuesday


I finally finished this pair of socks. And guess who they fit? Me!

Guess I should tell the details. CinDWood sock loom, Kitchener cast-on, toe-up, 4by4 knit/purl on top of foot then the ankle up through cuff. I didn’t like the purling. It made the project take far too long.

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