%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  Well, here it goes! 'The Bard's Hall Contest' got me blogging again, so wish me luck! |
|
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. -- Maya Angelou Here I go again, blogging! I'm doing this for:
My blog picture above is located in the beautiful, scenic Sedona, Arizona. We vacationed there at the end of December, 2019 thru January 2020 - right around when the pandemic began. What a chaotic year it was, too! A scary time for all of us! I am hoping that this blog will show my creativity, heart, and soul, and reveal a little more of myself. I'm a shy person at heart and don't post too much in Newsfeed, but I love reading what others are saying.  I'm off to post my first blog... |
 Prompt 4: What places, sites, locations should Andre visit in your hometown? If Andre goes on a tour, it will take him past State Academy for the deaf, another stately building established in 1863. It now also houses children who are blind. There are day students who come and go home. Then there are students who live too far away and are housed in dormitories. Past Shattuck St. Mary's School is a coeducational Episcopal-affiliated boarding school – Approximately 70% of its students are boarders. It has been in existence since 1858. It is known for teaching engineering, bioscience, pre-conservatory music, and vocal performance. It also has hockey, soccer, figure skating, and golf in its curriculum. Past where Faribault has a BMX track which stands for Bicycle Motor Cross. Nearby there's a state-of-the-art skate park, an aquatic center with zero depths and slides, a golf course, and a paintball course. I'm sure he would come away with this being his favorite place. There is a new Trail Head facility that starts your bike journey down the Sakatah State trail that’s 39 miles to Mankato (a nearby city), past beautiful prairies and picturesque lakes. The Cheese Cave – A gourmet destination that offers samples from Faribault Dairy. Very tasty! Paradise Center for the Arts – This place is beautifully restored, it’s a local theater with Hollywood genre architecture. Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior – First Cathedral of the American Episcopal built in 1862 Donahue's Greenhouse - Over 130 varieties of climbing Clematis vines and holiday poinsettia. What a beautiful aroma when touring through here, Andre! Historic Downtown – More buildings on the National Historic Register than any other outstate city in Minnesota. Ableman Apple Creek Orchard – Beautiful Orchard with apples ready for the picking. Does Andre love apples? Rice County Historical Museum – They display local history topics from pre-contact Native Americans to the 20th century. |
| Prompt 3: Write about something you lost that you’ll never get back. *********************************************************************** I lost my wedding ring and engagement ring. I put them away in my jewelry box because I wanted them soldered together. They were rubbing up against each other and wearing down each ring; plus, my engagement ring was larger than my wedding band. It just didn’t look right. Two of my children decided to go gold hunting in our empty calf house. It was all freshly done up with hay and this seemed the best place for them to hide my jewelry box. I’m not sure if they took each of my necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and wedding rings and individually hid them, but this is what they decided would be the gold they would find. Brian was seven and Gail was four years old. Brian took something else along on this gold hunt. Why he brought this I never found out? What it had to do with gold hunting is beyond me. He brought along some matches. Did he want to burn the hay to find the gold faster? What went through his young mind I’m at a loss? I was in the house cleaning out the closets when my older son came running in “Yelling fire!” I looked out the window and saw our calf shed in flames. There are three other buildings close by, our chicken coop and hog shed. I had to act fast and called the fire department, called my husband, then ran out to find out what happened. Kevin already pulled down the lever to shut off all electricity. Thank God his father told him about this the other day. I asked Kevin how did this happen? He told me that Brian and Gail were playing in the shed. My legs gave out on me thinking they were still in there. He told me they were sitting on the screened-in porch, both rocked together in the rocking chair. I guess they had a shock of their lives! The fire department arrived in time to save the chicken coop filled with chickens. My husband arrived a little later. I decided it was time to question Brian on what happened. He told me they were looking for gold and took my jewelry box out to the calf shed. I asked why he took matches along? “There was so much hay, I couldn’t find anything, so I lit a match to see better. That scared me, mama!” I thanked God that my children were safe. I was sad about my wedding rings, and my husband made me feel better that he will find them with his gold metal detector. The next weekend he decided to look for my rings but to no avail. The fire was hot and could have melted them. Who knows? They were gone and that was that. We didn’t stop trying though but gave up when nothing was found. The best thing that came out of this whole mess was that none of our children played with matches again. |
| PROMPT 2: Share a sad story in your blog entry, but not just any sad story, your sad story should have an interesting twist or an unexpected happy ending. Your story can be taken from personal experience, something you witnessed, or completely fictitious. ************************************************************* I lost my mother when I was only sixteen, a junior in high school. I knew she was going to die, but I still prayed for a miracle but to no avail. I missed her; she was the one I always went to with my problems. I coped as best I could as I finished my junior year. My best friend helped me by talking me through my anger at losing my mom. I eventually graduated and got a job as a legal secretary. My first child died during delivery, an emotionally devastating experience for me! I looked forward to becoming a mother and had to pack up all the baby clothes that I had bought and got at my baby shower. Friends and relatives tried to comfort me as best they could, but I blamed myself. I shouldn’t have hung those curtains in the baby’s room. I kept on like this until my husband said we were going on a vacation, away from all these reminders of what we lost. This helped! We took a two-week Hawaiian vacation. My husband and I talked things through, but we also enjoyed our stay. I was later blessed with five children. My father moved in with my husband and me when he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was a big help in taking care of the children when I went back to work. He loved them and they loved him. Three years later, I came home from work early to find my father dead in his beloved recliner. Thankfully the children were still at school! I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. I ran around in circles, unable to concentrate on any certain thing. With shaking fingers, I grabbed my phone and dialed 911. Things didn’t get back to normal for quite a while. I would sit in his chair and become lost in memories of my dad always being there for me. The outings we had together, our family picnics, dinner out together, church doings, visiting relatives, vacations together, or going to water parks, watching the children having fun. This became an everyday thing I did, and one day when I was sitting there, daydreaming, I looked up at the ceiling to find a brownish-yellow spot on the ceiling. Where did that come from? I began to pace, trying to figure out which child did that without me noticing. I questioned each one, but they denied having anything to do with it. I thought back to when it seemed to just appear, and began to wonder if my dad was showing me, he was here with us. Each day that went by it got darker and darker. “Dad, I know you are here with us, but that spot is driving me crazy!” I decided to paint the ceiling that weekend. I asked dad to forgive me, but that spot gave me the creeps; plus, that spot didn’t look pretty. It sure became a conversation piece though! Well, I painted the ceiling and it looked great once again. The next day the spot came back. “Dad, I know you want to protect us, and I love you for it, but you also know how I loved to keep my house looking beautiful.” Every one of our friends and relatives had to come and look at the ceiling. I shook my head and laughed it off. “Dad, you can stay! I love you!” |
| Prompt # 1 May, 1st. '22 — A bit about the history of your town/area. Every place has a history. Some towns were founded to support gold rushes, others were close to oceans. What's the History of where you live? What was the early industry that made your town the place to be? Who founded your town and when? **************************************************************** My city, Faribault. is a small town built along the banks of the Straight and Cannon Rivers. These two tributaries played a vital role in my city’s early development, an opportunity for fur trade with the Dakota Sioux Indians, who lived along these rivers until 1745, then they were driven south after clashing with Ojibwe over this territory. So, there are a lot of native Dakota Indian names that have never changed to this day. Minnesota ( Mní Sota) means clear water - referring to 'where the waters reflect the skies because the water is clear and still.' Alexander Faribault, an early fur trader, founded this town in 1852. He loved its scenic qualities, abundant resources, and desirable location. The citizens who live here are proud of its history, and its well-kept businesses in the downtown area. Faribault has more buildings registered on the National Historic Society than any other city its size in the state of Minnesota. He built his house in 1853, is considered the oldest frame structure in the area, and it still stands in its original location. Growth, development, and economic prosperity followed a couple of years later. After the completion of the first steam-powered sawmill in 1854, the sleepy settlement of Faribault of twenty buildings turned into a bustling town with more than 250 buildings. Historians considered this growth an important milestone in 1855 and 1856 when the creation of roads that connected to other settlements and trading posts, the availability of mail service, and the construction of schools and churches. Afterward, it was then platted in 1855 and granted a home-rule charter in 1872. There are 18,218 adults who live in Faribault, 3,769 of whom are seniors in Faribault. (Female 11,051 46.43% Male 12,749) There are plenty of parks in and around the area with hiking trails, water parks, golf courses, great restaurants, plenty of events such as racing, visiting caves, great shopping centers, and much more. We have all four seasons to enjoy. I love it here! |
| There once was a woman named Arden, Who had a nightmare of a break-in, She got scared and kicked out in defense At her husband who didn’t move an inch Sending her to the floor on her assets. A woodpecker came to cause a stir, By drilling holes in her Gazebo! With a broom, she convinced him to go, Pileated looked down his long beak, Crapped, then flew away with a loud screech. Once she put her finger in the fish tank, Where a betta fish was swimming by, Thought it was food, he bit her point-blank, She drew her hand back in fright, the fish flew across the room with a cry, Right where her cat was playing - "Sigh." 16 lines Written for:"The Humorous Poetry Contest"  |
| My day at the circus was admiring the bright colors I didn’t notice. Clowns walked around trying to be not funny. Trapeze artist made people laugh but screamed at the balancing acts doing plate-spinning. The ringmaster didn’t announce the gymnast as they jumped, spun, and tumbled into the crowd. The optional springboard athletics tried to catch and support no one. The most interesting act was not building a human pyramid. I was so shocked at the inhumanity of each completion, I cried. The tumblers got the crowd not excited while solo acrobats did floor performances, creating a spectacle tumbling out of the ring. The animal acts became chaotic, as lions, tigers chased each other. Dogs and horses did no tricks. performing seal did a unbalancing act so clever. The bed of nails looked unpainful, but they still slept on it which didn’t stump me any. No mystery there, just some non-trickery. Walking into the Big Top made me feel unhappy. Where did they set it up? In some farmer’s muddy field that made the clowns unrecognizable as they put on silly untalented performances. The contortionist with their flexible bodies looked painful as they went from one opposition to another. Squeezing into large things as they didn’t balance precariously. The custard pie joke made people choke as they were pushed into people’s faces by an inexperience clown. Who wanted to be the suspecting victim? I ran and hid behind a window. The escape artist didn't tie each other up and unlocked the suitcase. Unsuspended in water showed how non-dangerous it looked. The tricks mostly involved an accomplice untied in special knots. This is what I saw when I went to the circus. Too many people arguing they weren’t performing seals or something like that became also a hit, or unpopular attraction. 298 words |
| Next week, temperatures are looking up in Minnesota, they'll be in the 40's and 50's! This is when we'll began seeding for our greenhouse. This growing season we're growing more than just tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries. There will be lots of green vegetables, herbs, fruits, sweetcorn, and even flowers. Marvin, my hubby, who has the green thumb, has things all planned out, then he runs it by me. I love his plans, and I can't wait until it's all done, and see the final results. My daughter, who lives across the road from us, loves her flowers gardens. She adds more varieties each year. I think it'll be eye appealing on both our places. We hope it'll slow down the traffic a little, because they drive much too fast by our places. Well, I'm off to find some new Easter dinner ideas, because we'll be holding it this year. Will it be ham again, I'm not sure? There's still time for planning. I can't do much of anything right now, it so cold out, 22 degrees, and 15 mph winds. Brrr,,I'm staying inside where it's nice and warm. |
| I got a big surprise when entering the four week challenge. One day I clicked on "Invalid Item" and got a 'surprise of my life.' Darlene of Dark Dreamscapes selected me as Queen of Darkness. (You can win this honorary place just by entering her contest and write some winning poems) What a honor! Thank you 🌑 Darleen - QoD! You made my day! I received these two items that I will treasure always  Here's my plaque:  Here's my badge: ![Merit Badge in Queen of Darkness
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on earning "Honorary Queen of Darkness" for Octoberfest 2020/2021. Your steady presence and wonderful poetry at [Link To Item #darkpoetry] honor us and we bow in this moment for you.
*^*Heartbl*^**^*Crown*^**^*Moon*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Queen_of_Darkness-1982963_14.gif) Winning poems of 2021:
I discovered that I enjoy writing dark poems. This is why I entered so many times at Dark Dreamscape. I never wrote any poems before, but when I decided to become a member of WDC, this is when it all changed. I follow some rules pertaining to poetry, but mostly I just write what I feel. Just had to document the greatest day of my life. Thanks again, Darlene, for creating this great contest! |
| When the government knows everything about you, that's tyranny; but when we know everything about the government, that's democracy. - This is how things should be, but is it? Do we really want the government to know everything about us? I don't! They want to give us free money so they can control us. They hate people working and taking care of themselves and their families. This way they can't control us. Beware of all their government handouts! They don't do this without an agenda attached to it. President Biden wants vaccine mandates! This really isn't a law, but big corporations follow this mandate, making it almost impossible to work without getting the jab. Where did all our freedoms go? I thought we can think for ourselves on what we put in our bodies. The democrats hate the constitution - Some of the rhino republicans do too. All of us were born free, and these power-hungry politician want to take these freedoms away from us. One of them is Mayor de Blasio of New York City. He wants all the firemen to get the jab. If not, they will be laid off. If all firemen walk off their jobs, who will put out the fires? Don't you think this is stupid? This is dictatorship in my eyes. Many other democrat governors follow suit who love power and dictate to the people on what they want done. Governors like Whitmer of Michigan and Bowser of DC, or mayors like Lightfoot of Chicago and De Blasio of NYC, they love to dictate to their people! There are others like California's governor Gavin Newsom, etc. Hello, socialism! If we don't stand up for our rights we will lose our country! We must fight for our freedoms! If your voice had no power, they wouldn't try to silence us. Right? So fight for your rights, people! I really don't want the U.S. to be a Socialist country which can turn into communism so easily. Want to stand in a bread line? Bernie Sanders thinks this is a good thing. They took the guns away from the Australians and New Zealand. Now they are in big trouble if they don't take the jab. Their freedoms are in jeopardy and what I hear is going on, tears come to my eyes. Check out https://www.brighteon.com/ who supports your freedoms to speak - (they give live daily broadcast). Here you'll find out the news that the main street media will never tell you. Ignorance is bliss to them, so everyone will act like sheep and follow the leader on the democratic policies. |
| What is happening to our country? First of all the Biden's Administration wants the IRS to spy on us, seeing how much we pay takes. Then they want our tax money to go to the illegals crossing our border, the ones who were separated at the border during Trumps Administration - Why did President Trump to this? He wanted to make sure these were the child's rightful parents, but it sure became a great talking point for the democrats. Well, now they want to put these reparations into their huge bill, they want to give $450,000,00 to each person separated at the border. Around 90,000 have already signed up for this windfall. The democrats really hate hard working people! So, this is how they'll punish us by giving out hard earned money to these aliens who broke the law and crossed over our border illegibly. Well, this all makes sense in the democrats eye because they love anybody breaking the law - They don't arrest anyone who killed, raped, stole from anybody, burnt buildings, or even start forest fires in California. They feel we've been too hard on the criminals - This explains why the democrats want to defund the police. They hate the police because they lock up all their friends. These are the ones who go around and sell the drugs - They'll do whatever the democrats tell them to do? Why? This way the crooked politicians don't have to dirty their hands. During the 2016 election it was democrats who conspired in the DOJ, FBI, CIA, NSA to get dirt from Russians to smear Trump with sexual innuendo and collusion that didn’t exist. Now, that everything came out that this was all bogus, they have been fired from these organizations for ethical misconduct, quit in disgrace or will be under prosecution soon. What ticks me out the most is that Biden, while vice president, helped get his son multi-million dollar gigs that required no work because he was a drug addict that needed money to support his cocaine habit and hooker habit. Remember when he once knocked up a hooker who tried to get money from him to him raise their child. Of course he was way above her and refused to pay her anything out of his millions he cons foreign governments. No wonder they want the cops disbanded! So they scheme, without being called on it by the police, they can get their many voters or potential voters - all criminals like Illegal immigrants, illegal drug dealers, illegal drug users, violent felons and corrupt officials who only care about one thing - getting back into power! This is why our government is not working for the people anymore! Why should they? They get in illegally, so why not scheme? It has paid off for these democrat and rhino-republicans for many, many years. This is why our country is going to hell. All across America, infrastructure concerns are all too familiar. Whether it’s roads, bridges or transit systems struggling to provide convenient, reliable access. Water pipes and plants are struggling to provide clean, affordable service, our infrastructure is failing to deliver on good, reliable usage. Every time I cross a bridge I pray it won't fall down, or drive on our roads that look like a bunch of patchwork, their condition deplorable - potholes here and there that you have to remember not to hit. Who lives like this when there should be money tucked away for such a project. Where does this money go? They tax us for gas we buy for our cars - this was suppose to go towards such a project. Put these politicians in charge of our hard tax paying money, and they use it for their pork barrel spending. Thank you for listening to my rant, I had to let loose on these crazy goings on right now. Our country is in trouble, and we need to fight once again like we did back when, so we won't be taxed to death again - what England did to the thirteen colonies. Otherwise the government will control our whole life and we'll find ourselves in a breadline like third-world countries. They hate Americans who work and support themselves. They want to give us free money until we're dependent on them, then they'll spring all these different mandates they want people to do. They want each American to be good little sheep, and beg for our freedom. This is socialism that will soon turn to communisms. Wake up people, we don't want this to happen to our country! It's getting to that point, so let's act before it's too late! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE! |
 Log in to Leave Feedback |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
