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 |   Here you will find my daily journal of small stones and inspiration! |
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| Can you make real friends online? How are online friends better or worse than offline friends? Sound off about online friendships. Now go! I think you can start real friendships online, but I don't think that I could actually consider anyone online to be a truly real friend. I have no idea what you are really like you, like me, are just a figment of our own imaginations. You have no idea of my aspirations, dreams, my real life. Just as I have no idea of yours. We are all putting our best foot forward. I am not saying that you guys are not my friends, cause you are. I just tend to put walls up in off line life so you can imagine my walls online. I just feel you need to meet someone face to face to become real friends. |
| I just love the weather in Western NY. I planted my vegetable garden on Monday, I used MiracleGro when I put the plants in the garden to give them an extra boost. The forecast has been calling for rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Actually, the forecast has been calling fir downpours, to the point that I have been worried about my newly planted veggies. Yesterday, it spit rain, literally spit rain! If there was a tablespoon of water that fell it would have been a lot. The forecast for today for for more downpours. I just saw the radar, the showers are to the east and west of my area! Needless to say, my poor little plants were thirsty this afternoon. I set up the sprinkler and had the water on them for 20 minutes. When I turned the water off I swear I heard the cucumbers say a collective thank you. Well, maybe not, and I probably shouldn't tell people that my garden plants are speaking to me. By the way, in case you are interested, and even if you aren't, I have planted Cherry tomatoes, Mountain Tomatoes, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Cucumbers and Watermelon. Be prepared for the occasional update! |
| I really don't know if I have an opinion about kid's learning the birds and the bees. I am forty+, my parents were both 40+ when they had me. They grew up in the 30and 40's so talking about sex was taboo. I think most of what I learned was from health class in school. I grew up old school, I was a virgin when I met my husband, and I almost just freaked out telling you all that! I guess there has to be a better way to handle sex, since I am married and it bothers me to talk about it. Weird huh? |
| I can not even imagine how much more complicated my life would be with children. Of course, I do have my fur-baby and cannot imagine life with out him. He is my little baby and gets all the love and attention a child would. Toby, is my fur baby and demands extra attention because he has seizures. He has expensive meds he has to take 2x a day, and needs to have AC during the summer so he doesn't overheat because that can lead to seizures. I have personal issues at the moment and the thought of children at this time would put me right over the edge! |
| While I like the mantra: I can I will End of Story I dare say I would add a line to it: I can I will I did End of Story I only add this because my tales are usually can, will, end. Somewhere along the line I need to get the DID in there. Here are some examples of the can, will without the do... lose weight send poem to magazines find a new job be happy See what I mean about the DID? |
| Today is send a PostCard Day. Who would you send it to and what would it say? Do you know many people read your postcard along the way? I would send a postcard to my brother-in-law. Just to say hi! For several years my mother and I would drive to my sister's house and then we would go to her timeshare on Galveston Island with her family for a week. One year I picked up a bunch of "attach your own picture" postcards. Each week I would send one to my brother in law telling him how many weeks were left til we went to Galveston and adding a "Galveston Fun Fact" to the last line. My sister told me he would wait in great anticipation for his post card. I would paste pictures from our vacations to the front of the postcard. Once I put a picture of my sister and I in our bathing suits on the card. When my sister got it she asked me how many people I thought had seen our picture. I now wonder how many did! Those were the best postcards I ever sent! |
| I would like to see the Patricia Cornwell book series of Kay Scarpetta be turned into a TV series much like Bones without the comedic undertones. For Kay, I would like to see Stana Katic (from Castle) and for Marino, Billy Gardell of Mike and Molly. For Kay's boyfriend, Benton, Michael Weatherly from NCIS would be a great choice. I really haven't thought about many of the books I read being made into movies or miniseries because as soon as a screen writer get hold of a novel, the novel is never the same. I have yet to see a movie that truly plays homage to the book upon which it was based. |
| Here's Friday's prompt: What if calories cost money? That is, what if one calorie cost one cent, adding up to your entire meal? For example, a large Big Mac meal at McDonald's would cost $13.20. Do you think charging per calorie would change people's eating habits? Why or why not? Wow, this really got me thinking about the prices of all kinds of foods; both healthy and not so healthy choices. Most foods would go up in price whether they were healthy or not. Certainly, fast foods, pizzas, candy would all increase in price, but so would apples, milk and corn on the cob. I did a bit of research and this is a morsel (pun intended) of what I found. The following is a comparison of the prices now and the prices if the cost were based on calories! diet soda - $1.25 2 liter- FREE watermelon- $5- $1.55 per piece corn on the cob- $4 per dozen- .85 a cob bananas- .49 lb- $1.05 per banana Of course these are much better choices than a $13 Big Mac but I would have to revamp my food budget whether I ate healthy or not. I hope the prices stay the way they are, with the exception of Diet Soda's - free sounds good! |
| I grew up listening to my mother tell stories about how this moment in history changed the world as she knew it; http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bobby-kennedy-is-assassinated She felt much of what was good in our country died when Bobby Kennedy was shot. Is there a moment in history where you felt the same way, or did your parents (grandparents) share their thoughts on pivotal historic events? My mother felt that the world would have been much different if Bobby Kennedy had been elected President. She felt that although his brother, Jack, had been an extremely influential and popular President, Bobby Kennedy would have done much more. She felt that his stance on Equal Rights and Civil Rights would have brought both these issues to the forefront and brought about more change than had already occurred. Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in the same year, changing the world of Civil Rights with the force of two guns. My mom went as far to say that 9/11 would not have even occurred if Bobby had not been killed. She felt he had the influence and intelligence to not only shape our country but to shape the world. To me it is a thought provoking idea that a moment that changed the world before I was even born, could have changed to moment that influenced our world, 9/11. |
| June 4, 2014 30DBC Prompt: Do you think playing violent video games and watching violent movies makes people more violent in real life? Were you allowed to partake in these activities as a child? If you have children, did/do you let them have violent media? I don't think it is playing the violent games or watching violent shows alone that makes people more violent. I feel there is a huge combination of circumstances that makes people more violent. Most descriptions of violent individuals include more than "watched violent movies and played with guns as a child." THey include such descriptions as "was abused", "bullied", "made fun of" and most of the individuals played violent games and watched violent movies as well. All of these triggered the violence. If the individual had not played with guns but was abused would he/she still be violent... perhaps. But consider the child who watched the movies but was not abused, are they violent? There are too many variables involved to now what actually triggered the incidents. However, I am not condoning that all children should be exposed to violence in games and movies. There are way too many young kids playing games and seeing movies that were never intended for their age group. I firmly believe that parents have a responsibility to monitor what their minor children are exposed to. These same parents have an obligation to their children and SOCIETY to ensure the children are brought up to respect authority, and their fellow citizens in the world. All life should be considered fragile and precious and this begins in the home with parents and other responsible relatives. Now, was I allowed to play violent games and watch violent movies... not really. I was not allowed to play with guns however, more than once I took clothespins and fashioned a handgun for myself so I could play cops and robbers or the terribly Politically Incorrect game of Cowboys and Indians. I was not allowed to watch violent movies but they were not on the TV like they are now and when they were I was not allowed in the front room. I don't think it was my lack of exposure to such things that caused me not to be violent, I think it was my upbringing. |
| PandaPaws' Surefire ways to beat SpringFever! Due to a Prolonged Winter and an equally miniscule Spring, I have devised a list of ways to beat SpringFever (Most of these should be done on the first half-way decent day after the last snowfall...) - Blast a Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffett CD out the open windows in your vehicle, if you care to sing along please do - Fire up the grill - Make S'mores - Begin to plan out your flower and veggie gardens, just don't plant anything until after Memorial Day - Go out and get that first dose of Vitamin D, and if you are like me you better get some lotion to relieve the burn - Go to the beach, stick your piggies in the sand and the water - Buy a bottle of hair-lightening spray and completely ignore the warning NOT FOR USE ON MEDIUM BROWN OR DARKER HAIR - Take the dog for a walk - Did I mention blasting the Beach Boys? All of these suggestions should help you survive until summer actually arrives. ENJOY! |
| Are there unwritten rules to blogging? I would like to think so. Just as there are unwritten rules to bathroom discussions as well! I submit the following as Panda's Written Unwritten Rules to Blogging. (In no particular order) - Keep your blog in tune with the rating you have chosen. - Nothing illegal should be done in your blog unless you preface it with "this is fictional" - There should be no gratuitous sex or violence, unless the rating is 18+ - You should leave personal attacks at the door. Things that some people may find offensive but are certainly fine would include, political ideas and preferences. Just remember that when you write your blog you are putting yourself out there for the world to see and COMMENT on. If you post something controversial do not be surprised if there is reaction to it! |
We, the members of The 30 day Blogging Challenge (unofficial month), were dared this morning. We were dared to take a dare and to write about a dare. I took the dare and went on Shaye  's "The Challenge"  by Shaye . I would suggest this to everyone. It is easy to fulfill the challenges and it helps you navigate the site. I highly recommend it to newbies and the regulars on the site.As for speaking of dares, I am usually the darer not the daree. I once dared my older brother to chew on a gum wrapper (foil of course). he has a mouth full of fillings and boy was he in for a shock! After he finished calling me every name in the book he ran to our mother complaining about what I did to him. My mother asked him why on earth he would do such a dumb thing! He still has not gotten me back for this but I am sure someday he will. |
What 3 favorite books would you take with you to a deserted island? The first book was easy to figure out, I knew what it would be the minute I read the prompt. The second book came to me halfway through the day today and the third I just thought of, and I think it might be the smartest choice. The first book is the Bible. For obvious reasons this is the first book, if I am on a deserted island for the rest of my life I would like to be in Heaven for eternity. Now, before anyone says anything, I KNOW just reading the Bible will not get me into Heaven, but having it with me certainly won't hurt. The second book would be a first aid manual. If I am on a deserted island I may want to know some basic first aid while I am there, just in case I stub my toe on a coconut tree. The third book would be my mom's copy of the Girl Scout campfire cookbook. I am going to assume there will be no McDonalds on this island. This book had all kinds of great ideas for cooking over open fires. |
| Prompt: Do you feel obligated to finishfinish all the books you start reading? Why? OMG! I am terrible about this. I could be reading the worst written terrible novel and I feel compelled that I must finish it. Just in case something might happen and make it turn out to be good. This never happens and I always feel as if I have wasted my time. However, I have been known, on VERY RARE occasions to stop reading as book because I just can;t get through it. I can only think of two times when this has happened. The first occurred when I was reading Little Women. I just could not take the author constantly addressing the reader. When I read a novel I want to immerse myself in it. I want to become one with the characters. If the author constantly reminds me that I am reading I lose all interest in the story. The other time I put down a book I was reading it was Moby Dick, twice. Twice, I have tried to read this classic and twice I have gotten to about page 125 and called it quits. I don't know what my problem is with this novel, but I just can't stand it. If I am reading a novel about a whale I expect to read about this whale somewhere before page 125. Maybe, someday, I will try again and I will actually get through it. I doubt this though! |
We got a rip roaring Thunderstorm tonight! I haven't heard thunder since last fall! My mom used to say that thses were change of season storms and it meant that , in this case, winter is over and it is SPRING! I have tulips and daffodils breaking ground and the birds have been chirping. The only sign of Spring I haven't heard yet is the Spring peepers. Once I hear them I am going to box up my winter coat, scarves and mittens! Even if I have to freeze I will not wear the heavy winter stuff until next November! |
| Okay, I am late with the blog prompt but waitressing at the Andre's has me bananas! How to sleep around a noisy monkey... This, my friends, is a very easy problem to solve. First, feed the monkey many, many bananas. This will cause the monkey to have to poo! While the monkey is pooing he is not as noisy, fall asleep now. Try to sleep during poops! How do monkeys move around? This is not an easy question to answer because the question is incomplete. Please finish the question and I will reply... How do monkeys move a round what? Please frequent Andre's Banana Blogging Bar... I will be waitressing on any day that doesn't end in "Y". Leave good tips... or I will have to throw monkey poo! |
Dark or White Chocolate? Easter Bunny or Easter Egg? I can remember when I was young and would turn the house inside and out trying to find my Easter basket. It was quite large, considering how young I was, but usually I had to share with my older sister and two older brothers, oh and mom and dad, too. This always upset me because they got their own stuff. They would each get a giant cream filled egg; Dad would get a butter creme, my sibling would get fruit and nut. I hated those things! My basket would be filled will yummy things. I would have the traditional jelly beans, both fruit and spice. I never knew which type I was getting until I bit into it. The black licorice ones are my favorite and now I just get bags of them! I would also fond hard candy shelled marshmallow eggs. The candy shell was fruit flavored. There would be malted milk robin's eggs and chocolate eggs wrapped in shiny, colored, and decorated foil wrappers. I would also get Peeps, both bunnies and chicks. You had to make sure you peeped all the Easter grass from them before you ate them. My favorite part to my basket would be on each end, leaning against the handles. On one end would be a large milk chocolate SOLID bunny just begging to have his ears bitten off. On the other side would be my most favorite piece of Easter candy. It was a solid white chocolate cross. The Easter Bunny would get the best white chocolate crosses, ever. I only wish I could find them now. Everything else from the basket would be eaten and then I would eat that cross. |
Day 498 March 31, 2014 Writing Prompt Prompt: Is March going out like a lion or a lamb where you live? Well, if you only count today, then it is going out like a lamb! It was a wonderful Spring day, in the 50's and sunny! It was so warm some of the snow from this past weekend melted. April 1st is supposed to have highs in the 60's here, but don't get too used to it. It is going to snow this weekend again. I remember one year we had snow on Mother's Day. The big difference between that year and this one is how long this winter has been. I do not remember any winter being this cold for so long. Usually, we have had at least one stretch of a couple days in the 70's by now. I don't think we have had a day over 60 since November! The good news would have to be that the tulips and daffodils bulbs ave started to pierce the ground! Somewhere under all the new fallen snow is Spring! I hope it comes soon!      March 31, 2014: What movie always makes you cry? (Or at least makes you emotional.) I just finished watching Somewhere in Time, my all time favorite movie! I cry every time I see it. What a beautiful story! I have a few other movies that make me emotional as well, just not tears-in-the-eyes emotional. Watching JAWS scares the heck out of me- every time! When the head floats out of the hole in the boat I jump every single time! I feel very patriotic after watching Saving Private Ryan! There are many emotions involved with watching movies and I think we all experience them differently!  |
Serial Experience! Part Two Prompt for March 30, 2014 Photo albums. On the first day (yesterday), tell us all about your experience with photo albums (physical or electronic). Do you still have pictures from when you or your children were young? Did your mother ever bring out your baby photo album at an inopportune/embarrassing moment (family reunion, boyfriend/girlfriend visiting, etc.)? Feel free to share some pictures with us if you want to Bigsmile On the second day (today), let us in on your future photo album plans. Any big trips coming up you hope to document? What is your motivation for recording these important events if there is potential they will only sit in their albums on a shelf for most of their life until they are removed, leafed through, and winced at? As a follow-up question: do you think that hiding behind a camera lens removes the photographer from the experience taking place in front of them? I would hope that someday, someone would stumble upon my collection of photo albums and look upon them with awe and wonder. From the early albums that my parents kept straight through to the current ones, kept on the computers and flash drives. What a commentary of life they would write. The only problem with photos and they only tell half of the life story. They rarely show the pain or other circumstances of a life. One can only wonder what is behind the smiles in the photos. Yet, the stories can be told of the families in the photos. Many authors can make they own novels from a single snapshot. Photos and photo albums will forever be a staple in our culture. Some examples of how important photos can be to people can be readily found. How many of your friends have shared photos on Facebook today? Are you on instagram? How about Pinterest, where not only can you find friend's photos but you can share strangers' photos as well! the next time you see an entry for a photo prompt on this site, think about this blog and how important photos can be!
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