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 |   Drop by drop the snow pack dies, watering the arid lands below. |
    Other Blogs and Journals containing the continuing writing adventures of Prosperous Snow celebrating   "The Snowflake Chronicles"  "More Snow Melt" "Writing in Snow" "Welcome to My Life" "Memories of Snow" "Dreams of Snow " Poet999's Thoughts about Writing and Other Stuff http://poet999writingthoughts.blogspot.com/ Poet999 - A Butterfly Emerges From Her Cocoon http://poet999.blogspot.com/ |
The July 11, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isCompetition brings out the best and the worst in us. Should more activities or competitions be encouraged for children in schools? Or should they be discouraged? I see nothing wrong with competitions in schools, as along as it teaches children to strive to do their best. Teachers and others running the competitions need to help children learn from their failures. Competitions in school should be about learning instead of winning. In life a person does not always win, but one can learn something from failures.  morning thunderstorm thunder rolling proclaiming cool summer shower cloud cover all day the wind competing with clouds for our attention This afternoon I a struggling to write. I look out my window and watch the American flag waving in front of the house across the street. It sits next to an olive tree, which is one of the few left in this neighborhood. The trees in everyone else's yards look good, as if they could live another fifty years. The trees in my yard are pathetic dying or perhaps zombie trees because I know one of them must be among undead. It is just waiting for a strong wind to push it down and take out the power line in this neighborhood. I do not have a green thumb. The only plants that will grow for me are weeds. I have no problem keeping weeds alive or getting them to bloom. I have beautiful oleanders in my yard and they bloom all year long, which proves that oleanders are weeds. Anything that I can grow is a weed and I know there is either a story or poem in that idea. Weeds compete with each other in my yard, but the trees die. Thought of the Day: "There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there." - Indira Gandhi |
The July 10, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" and "Invalid Item" isPinpoint a moment in your past where you had to make a big decision. Write about that other alternate life that could have unfolded. Life changing decisions, one, two, and three: Which had the most impact upon me? The three most important decisions I made in there chronological order. First, the decision to spend my life living with my mother when I moved to Las Vegas. Second, the decision to give my daughter up for adoption. Third, the decision to become my mother's caregiver. I suspect that the biggest decision was to move in with my mother when I came to Las Vegas. The reason I say this is that I believe that choice had an effect upon the other two decisions. What alternate life style would unfold if I could go back in time and change or unmake the decision to live with my mother in Las Vegas instead of going out on my own? I would not be writing this today because my mother was the person who encouraged me to write. True, I might have been more independent (this is questionable), but I would not be writing. I would not have given up daughter up for adoption and given her a better chance at fulling her potential then should could have with me. I would not have heard about the Baha'i Faith and had the courage to investigate it or Baha'u'llah. I know I would have ended up with some loser who thought he was a man. Someone who only wanted a woman to make a living for him while he went to bars to philander and get drunk. |
The July 10, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWhat was your favorite meal as a child? Do you still eat it today, or make it for your own children (if you have them)? Does eating it/making it bring back any childhood memories? Succulent pieces of crispy chicken, Lovingly made from scratch by Grandma Mary. After Grandpa Frank beheaded a frier, Grandma dipped the dead chicken in boiling water, I got the job of plucking its feathers, While Grandma mixed the flour with the spices, And then mixed one egg with some milk. After I finished plucking the frier, Grandma burned its pen feather off Over the burner of a gas stove; Next she placed an iron skillet on the burner And put oil or lard into the skillet. Grandma cut up bird and removed its innards, Then she washed the pieces under running water, Now she was ready to dip the pieces in the batter Before placing them in the hot skillet. Grandma dipped the piece in the milk-egg mixture Next she rolled them in the flour-spice mix And, one-piece-at-a-time she put them in The iron skillet to fry to a crisp golden brown. Do I still eat Southern Fried Chicken today? Yes, but I don't make it from scratch. The closest I come to this process is to purchase a chicken from the grocery meat department already cut up and a package of premixed flour and spice mixture. Normally, I go to a fast food chicken place or a restaurant for my Southern Fried Chicken. When my mother was alive it was easier and less messy to purchase the chicken this way. Now that I am the only one in the house, I have fewer leftovers when I buy a meal this way. Quote of the Day: "I love the smell of fried chicken." - Giancarlo Esposito |
The July 9, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" and "Invalid Item" isYou’ve imbibed a special potion that makes you immortal. Now that you’ve got forever, what changes will you make in your life? How will you live life differently, knowing you’ll always be around to be accountable for your actions? Beware the boredom of immortality! The first thing I would do is make a list of things I wanted to experience now that I did not have to worry about dying. I think eternal life in the physical realm would become extremely tedious after the first five or six years. I would have to find things to do to keep boredom from becoming chronic and dangerous. A list of thing I wanted to do or learn would help alleviate the monotony. The second thing I would do is purchase a recreational vehicle camper. That way I would not be stuck in one city or state, but could move to another location whenever I found myself becoming board with the place I was living. Immortality gives a person a chance to visit every place that a short lifespan prohibits. RV homes are better for people blessed with eternal physical life because it encourages adventure, which mitigates depression a possible side effect of terminal boredom. The third thing I would do is purchase a private plane, get my pilots license, and a passport. Because with a plane and a passport I could fly anywhere in the world and keep the adventure of immortality exciting. The fourth thing I would do is to volunteer with different humanitarian organizations. Physical immortality should be a blessing and not a curse, especially if it is received through a potion. Helping other members of the human race and the animals that inhabit this planet is a way of making eternal life a blessing. There are only two other things I would do. One of those is to keep a journal or rather journals of my adventures in immortality. The other thing I would do is explore different types of jobs and find a way to earn a living for the rest of my immortal life. I suppose I could take up temp work which would allow me to move from place to place without having to worry about money or a permanent job. |
The July 9, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isHave you ever collected anything? Tell us about your collection - why you started it, how long you've been collecting (or were collecting) and your favorite pieces in the collection. I have attempted to collect stuff, but I have never continued the practice because the stuff I chose or was interested in was either too expensive or associated with an old relationship. The first thing I got interested in was stamps, which I stopped collecting because the relationship ended. When I got to looking at my collection, after the relationship ended, I realized the guy had stolen my most valuable stamps. It is probably a good thing the relationship ended before I found out about the stamps because I am not sure I what I would have done if I had found out about the stamps while still "in love" or perhaps I should say "in passion" with him. The next two things I attempted to collect was coins and Harley-Davidson items both, of which, became too expensive. I collected the coins before the Harley-Davidson items and ended the coin collecting long before I started the Harley collection. I stopped collecting coins for two reason, first it was too expensive and second it was boring. I still have the Harley-Davidson items and have no plans to get rid of them. I like the brand, as well as, finding it exciting and a good way to encourage my muse. The only other thing that I collect or appear to collect is books, but I am planning on weeding my collection and giving many away. I am beginning to think the book collection has passed beyond the collecting stage to the hoarding stage, so the best thing to do is have fewer books. I have decided a person should have just enough books to fill the bookcases one owns and no more. Collecting or hoarding? A thin red line separates the pathological collector, the compulsive hoarder, the pack rat from the non-stressed sane collector. Thought of the Day: “We are hoarding potentials so great that they are just about unimaginable.” - Jack Schwartz |
The July 8, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" and "Invalid Item" isWould you rather spend time in the forest or the city? In the Forest In the forest, trees rise over a small clearing in the center of which is built a one-room log cabin. The trees shade the cabin in the morning and afternoon, but at high noon the sun shines directly onto the center of the clearing and the cabin. Behind the cabin, on the west side of the clearing, is a path leading into the forest, if you follow that path for about one-hundred yards you will come to a small wooden building with a half-moon cut into the door. An unpleasant odor emits from this building, open the door and you will find a one-set toilet also constructed of wood with old catalogs or magazines lying in neat piles close to the toilet seat. This little house is the outhouse for the log cabin. The cabin faces east and has one door in the front with a window on the right side of the door. The window, which cannot be opened, contains a single pane of glass. Inside the cabin an iron cooking stove sits in the center with a pipe leading up through the roof. This wood burning range has an oven built into its left side and a place to put wood or kindling on the right. The top of this stove will hold three or four skillets or other cooking pans. On the south side of the stove is a wooden table with two chairs. Sitting near the window is a little round writing table with one chair and next to this is a small bookcase holding several book. At the back of the cabin, behind the stove, is a bed large enough for one adult. In front of the cabin is another path leading into the forest. If you follow this path or about two-hundred yards you come to a stream of fresh flowing water. This is where the cabin's inhabitant gets the water she uses. The water has to be carried back to the cabin in a bucket. In the City A two-story eastward facing townhouse sits in a gated community, with a neatly manicured front lawn. On the first floor is a living room, kitchen, and a modern toilet. This townhouse has two doors, one leads from the front into the living room and the other door leads from the all electric kitchen into a backyard surround by a stonewall. A staircase leads from the living room to the second story. The second story contains two bedrooms and a shared bathroom located between the two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms is used as an office with computers, printer, desk, a bookcase containing several books, and a closet used for storing office supplies. The other is used as a regular bedroom and bed, chest of draws, dresser, nightstands, and a closet. Where would I rather live? Given those two scenario, I would rather live in the city where I have indoor plumbing and electricity. If I could have a house in the forest similar to the townhouse in the city and within twenty miles of a city or small town, then I would chose the forest. I decided several years ago that there are certain modern conveniences I like and want. I like living close to movies and restaurants. I like having indoor plumbing and electricity. I like having a computer and being able to read after dark without lighting a candle. If I cannot have these things living in a forest then I prefer the city. |
The July 8, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isFreeze a scene from your weekend and describe it in as much sensory detail as possible. On Sunday morning, variegated gray clouds covered the sky above Las Vegas. The clouds, ranging in color from dirty white to charcoal gray, promised a long soaking rain that would bring with it flash floods. The thunder grumbled like a person awakened from a sound sleep by someone pound on her front door. Each time the thunder boomed, I looked out the window hoping to see lightning, but the lightning did not flash close enough for me to see it. I did not think it would rain in my neighborhood. Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson make up one gigantic metropolitan area, so it can rain in on section while the sun will be shining in another. It did rain in my neighborhood. The raindrops were so gentle that I could not hear them hitting the cement of my driveway or the roof of the patio. I got off the couch to turn off a computer I had put into hibernation because it woke up. I looked out the window and saw a pool of water forming in my driveway. The raindrops, even those dripping from the eaves of the house, were almost invisible. The gentle rain fell for, what seemed like, fifteen or twenty minutes. The rain and the thunder stopped about the same time. Then the clouds began to disperse moving in whatever direction the wind was blowing. The sun came out drying up the puddle of water before noon. It did not rain or thunder the rest of the day. At the time, I wondered if this was the first thunderstorm of monsoon season. After all, it is July when the moisture laden winds from the Gulf of California begin bringing rain to the southwest. monsoon season clouds dirty white and charcoal gray conceal morning July and August monsoon season thunderstorms bring rain and flash floods Thought of the Day: "Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm." - Robert Louis Stevenson quotes |
The July 7, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isBlog. Tell us about your week. Include your favorite blog entry from your fellow challengers from the preceding week and, most importantly, why. This morning, as I am composing this, it is raining and thundering in Las Vegas. I cannot see any lightning, but I know there is lighting because I hear thunder. I have turned the computers off and I am sitting on the couch eating breakfast and composing this entry. I hope to get it posted sometime today. today's prediction thirty percent chance of rain checked weather online The week of June 30, 2013 began with extreme heat warnings and temperatures above 110 degrees. There were clouds at random intervals during the week, but not rainclouds. On Tuesday evening, July 2, a dry lightning strike started a fire in Carpenter Canyon. By the time Friday arrived the fire had spread to Kyle Canyon and forced mandatory evacuations of people living on and around Mount Charleston. The extreme heat warning ended on Friday. As of today, the fire is still raging on the Mountain and I do not know if the higher elevations will receive enough rain to help control the fire. My favorite blog prompt and entries occurred yesterday, Saturday, July 6, 2013. I enjoyed the six-word story exercise. I also enjoyed the entries that responded to that exercise. I liked the entries because they make me smile, laugh, or gave me something to think about. The problem I have is decided which entry I liked best. I need more coffee and read today's newspaper is the fire raging Quote of the Day: "O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention." - William Shakespeare |
The July 6, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWould you consider yourself "musical?" Most of my life I thought I was a good, perhaps not great, but good singer. I sang in the choir at the First Southern Baptist Mission located, in the Smelter Heights, in Blackwell, Oklahoma. I managed to learn to play Chop Sticks on a piano, was not difficult since I needed only two finger to play the song. I sounded good in the shower or bathtub, I even sounded good in the car driving down the street with the windows rolled up or down. Then in my late forties or early fifties, I learned I was tone deaf. I realized that I was musically challenged. I was disappointed, but not devastated. I still enjoyed listening to music. I still enjoyed singing along with the songs I knew. I never wanted to be a famous singer or musical artist, so the tone deafness did not affect my carrier dreams. The only thing I had to do was to redefine musical on a personal level. Since vocally I was not melodious1, I had to find another definition for musical. After giving this subject a great deal of thought, I have decided that I am musical because I have "an interest in"2 music. I attribute my enjoyment and affection for music to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Frank (my mother's parents). They always had records in their home and the watched musical variety shows on television. I enjoyed sitting in their living room and listening to the records or watching television with them. I enjoyed going to church with them and singing in the children's choir or with the congregation. I am musically challenged, but I am musical. I am musical because my brain responds to the melody of a nightingale, to the anguish of a mourning dove, to the sorrow of bagpipes, to the joy of a harp, to the raindrops of piano keys, to the birdsong of a flute, to the heartbeat of drums, to the... Thought of the Day: "I believe that the brain has evolved over millions of years to be responsive to different kinds of content in the world. Language content, musical content, spatial content, numerical content, etc." - Howard Gardner Footnotes |
The July 6, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWrite a minimum of five, but a maximum of however many you like, 6-word stories discussing your relationships with the people in your life (your significant other, coworker, kids, pets, parents, that stranger who cut in line at the supermarket). See this site for examples and more information: http://www.sixwordstories.net/ Snow: Need story. Six words. Writer's block. Mom: Mom dead. Seven months. Miss her. Carpenter Canyon: Dry lightning. Mountain burns. Fire spreading. Las Vegas: Triple digits. Extreme heat. Stay hydrated. Independence Day: Illegal fireworks. No deaths. Lucky year. Friday: Difficult day. Called brother. Tears gone. Monsoon Season: Thunderstorms, flash floods, and cars stranded. |
The July 5, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" Is there a painting or sculpture you’re drawn to? What does it say to you? Describe the experience. (Or, if art doesn’t speak to you, tell us why.) Art speaks in the spectrum's dialect to the human soul. A person must want to hear the voice of a painting or a sculpture before the art work will speak to the human soul through the eyes. Art has a secret language of its own, which only the soul can hear. It whispers to the spirit through colors and images rather then words. A poet or writer can put words on paper attempting to translate what a particular piece of artwork says to him or her; however, something is last in the translation because the writer is attempting to translate into words the interpretation of the soul. Art speaks I listen in silent gratitude waiting for my soul to respond. In order to hear what a piece of art has to say, I have to approach it in silent reverence. I have found that even the most disturbing painting or sculpture has something to say about society, the artist, or myself. If I find an artwork disturbing, I want to know why I find it disturbing. I have that the most disturbing pieces of art says something negative about culture in which it was created. Art speaks in the soul's arcane language, or in the culture's colloquial tongue. Thought of the Day: "Art is a step from what is obvious and well-known toward what is arcane and concealed." - Khalil Gibran |
The July 5, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isMake me laugh in any way you can. The instructions in the e-mail containing this prompt said "...we have a very open-ended prompt for you to take in any direction you choose." Since I am directionally challenged that should not be difficult. Directionally challenged is the politically correct way of saying "Snow has no sense of direction!" Fortunately, I live in Las Vegas, so there are landmarks I can see above the tree line or whatever buildings are in my line of sight. The landmarks help, but they are not foolproof. I can still get lost because sometime I get the feeling that this town was laid out by a drunken prospector. One of the landmarks use is the Landmark Hotel and Casino, which looks like a tower with a round UFO on top. As long as I can see it's UFO-shaped top, I know I can find my way back home. Of course that does not help when I get in one of the newer sections of Las Vegas because there are places in this town I cannot see the Landmark. When I get into one those areas, I hope that the directions I have gets me to where I am going and then home again. I am probably the only person on this planet that can get lost by following mapquest directions. The weird thing about getting lost is that I never know how I got lost or how I got unlost again. I have to go to a new place at least three times before I stop getting lost. I know that sounds odd, but that is how my lack of direction works. If someone is with me showing me how to get to an unfamiliar section of town, I have to be driving because if I do not drive there I will never find my way back to the house again without difficulty. My family seems to think my inability to distinguish the difference between north, east, south, and west is funny. All right, perhaps it is amusing, but I do not think its laugh out loud while shooting coffee from my nose funny. I would like to have a normal sense of direction. I would like to be able to follow my nose when I go to a new section of town and know that my nose will lead me to my destination. My nose does not lead me to my destination, unless I am looking for an open sewer, a rose garden, or any other place that has a strong aroma. A Knock Knock Joke Knock, Knock. Who's there? Charlie! Charlie, who? Charlie Horse. |
There is no July 4, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" , so I guess that means I can write whatever I want.Thankful Thursday Today I am Thankful ...  that this is the Fourth of July because it always brings back fond memories of my childhood; that I went to my grief counseling meeting last night because the "homework" for today is to do something for myself that I enjoy: that I bought a package of beef frankfurters when I went to the grocery store yesterday because the I like to have hot dogs on the Fourth of July; that I have horseradish mustard to put on my hot dogs; for the invention of false teeth because it make eating frankfurter sandwiches easier; that I learned a new word while watching the history channel yesterday, the new word is resurrectionist3 and it refers to a grave robber; that the temperature in Las Vegas only got up to 112 degrees yesterday: that I received a carton of milk with my senior commodities on Wednesday;  that my right knee does not hurt the way it did on Monday and Tuesday; that I remembered to stop at the gas station Wednesday morning to purchase gas.Gratitude the joy of giving thanks for the daily blessings of life. Food for Thought: "Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate." - Meredith Grey Footnotes |
The July 4, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isYou have been transported back in time to 1776 and the founding fathers are asking for your opinion on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights articles that they are proposing for structuring the new government. Which ones would you keep? Which would you remove or change? Why? It is Thursday, July 4, 2013. I am sitting at my desk the living room l sipping a glass of iced coffee and researching the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America. On September 1789, twelve amendments were suggested, but only ten were ratified.4 The Bill of rights covers the subject of (1) religion and the freedom of speech, (2) "well regulated Militia" and the right to bare arms, (3) quartering soldiers in citizens homes during peace time, (4) an individual's right to make sure his or her home and belongings are secure, (5) the Grand Jury, (6) a speedy public trial, (7) the right to a jury trial, (8) forbidding excessive bail and "unusual punishment", (9) certain rights are retained by the citizens, and (10) that certain powers are reserved to the individual states.5 Would I suggest changing or removing any of the Bill of Rights? No! The first ten amendments are well-written and fairly easy to understand. If there is something not covered by the Bill of Rights then Amendment eleven to twenty-seven take care of those items.6 The fact that the Constitution can be amended or changes suggests that it s a dynamic document, which is still valid today and remain valid in the future. The Bill of Rights were ratified in December 17917 and became a part of America's legal code. In the last 222 years only seventeen amendments have been added to the Constitution, so the founding fathers had to be doing something right. The majority amendments were added because the United States Congress felt that they were needed to cover situations that the founding fathers never considered nor would they consider even if someone from the twenty-first century took a trip back in time to tell them. I suspect they would be happy that the amendments were added because of the changes that occurred in the country over the years. This are your rights, as citizens of the United States so celebrate. Thought of the Day: "A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference." - Thomas Jefferson Footnotes |
The July 3, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isIf you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why? I don't think it's possible to ban a word because no matter how derogatory the word someone is going to use that word. Someone will use the word for the shock value. Someone will use the word to start a fight or a riot. Someone will use the word because of lack of education or respect for another human being. Someone will use the word simply because it is a word and other people don't want it used. I don't think it's advisable to ban a word because words are part of the history of a nation and the planet. If the word is banned then the history surrounding that word is forgotten or pushed aside as unimportant. If humanity forgets history then it is doomed to repeat history. Since that is the case, then the banned word will appear again as history is repeated. Rather then banning a word, we need to learn the history behind the word and why the word is inappropriate to use in a civilized conversation. A person should learn the connotations of the word and the way it's used in all context to understand why the word should not be used. There is another reason a word should not be banned. If one word is banned, it could lead to the banning of all the books using that word. Since books are made of of words, the banned word is already in many books beside the dictionary. Are we supposed to ban all the books containing that word. What happens to the books that are taken out of circulation because they contain the banned word? A book may be taken out of circulation, but it still exists because it was printed in a book. What are we supposed to do with all the books that contains the forbidden word? Do we put those books in a vault or a library called the Library of Books Containing Banned Words or the Library of Banned Books? Who makes the decision to ban a word? Do we have a committee somewhere that looks at all the words ever created? Do we give this committee power to decide which words to ban and which to keep in the language? Does this committee have the power to ban the books containing the banned word? The English language, like every other language on earth, is dynamic and ever changing. Almost every year new words are added to the dictionary because they come into common usage. Just as new words come into common use other words drop out of the vocabulary or at least out of common use. I don't believe it is advisable to ban a word. Instead of banning the word it is better to educate people as to why the word is inappropriate and eventually the word will drop out of common usage. The answer the questions If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why? No I would not permanently ban any word from general usage because it is another form of censorship. I wouldn't use the word, but I wouldn't ban it either. Words are tools which have to be used carefully because, like any other tool, they can be dangerous. Food for Thought: "Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself." - Potter Stewart |
The July 3, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isLook out your window and describe what you see. Alternatively, look at the desk in front of you and describe it. For the ambitious, try both.  It's about 4:50 am here in Las Vegas. The sun is still below Sunrise Mountain or Frenchman's Mountain depending on whether you can identify the difference between the two. I suspect the one I can see, if I go outside and walk into the middle of Bracken Ave. is Frenchman's Mountain. I think Sunrise Mountain is a little to the south, so facing east I would have to look to my right; if I were willing to walk into the middle of any street in Las Vegas this early in the morning. The scene outside my living room window is darkness with slight illumination from a street light on the western corner of Bracken Ave. and Bruce St. The light on the corner illuminates the back of a white car, which belongs to the neighbors on the corner. I cannot see the houses directly across the street, but I can see the light in the window of a two story house on the corner of a street further down. The light shows above the roof of the house across the street. This is a light that remains on all night, I don't know why the people keep a light in the upstairs window. As I glance out my window, I can see the darkness fading. The ebony night turns deep blue, with the approach of dawn. This early in the morning, the sky appears cloudy; however, I think that is an illusion of the morning. I don't think there are clouds in the sky. Of course, I could be wrong about that since I can't tell the difference between a first light sky and a cloud covered sky. I also can't seem to distinguish the difference between the light in the house across the street and a light in the second floor of a two story house on one of the farther corners. As dawn approaches, I can now determine that the light in the window I described in the last paragraph is in the house across the street. I still don't know why they keep a light on inside all night. Perhaps for the same reason, I keep a light on in the entrance hall and in the bathroom all night. Now that there;s more light outside, I can see the neighbor's trash cans on the curb. The neighbor's directly across the street placed three full plastic trashcans on the curb for the garbage trucks to empty. This is Wednesday, one of the two days in my neighborhood that trash is collected. The intriguing thing about the neighbor's across the street, is that they always put out three black plastic trashcans twice a week, Saturday and Wednesday, for the trucks to empty. I don't suppose it's any of my business why they have that much trash, I do notice that they never put any recyclables every other Saturday for the recyclable trucks to empty. Apparently haven't gone green, so that could explain why they have so much trash. It's probably none of my business why they have so much trash. At least, not as an ordinary human being; however, I'm not an ordinary human being. I am a writer! I have an excuse to notice what's going on in my neighborhood because I can always use it in a story. I can use the trashcans in a story and I can use the light in the window of the house across the street as a story. I think the light is in the window is in a bathroom and not the entrance hall of the house on the corner. I can understand keeping a light on in the bathroom all night and perhaps all day. If it's on all night, no one know when or if a neighbor goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which isn't anyone else's business. the first light of day reveals night's hidden secrets and activates a writer's imagination Thought of the Day: "Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere." - Carl Sagan |
The July 2, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Do you know a second (or third, or forth, etc ...) language? Would you like to learn a new language? Why or why not? If yes, which would you like to learn? I speak American English and a few words of Spanish. I attempted to learn more Spanish, but found it extremely difficult. I did not increase my vocabulary of Spanish words. I know enough Spanish to order off a Mexican menu, say thank you, hello, good bye, and ask if ask if a person can speak Spanish. If I were going to learn another language, it would be Spanish because the two main languages spoken in Las Vegas is English and Spanish. another language is always an advantage especially in Las Vegas Quote of the Day: ❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞ ‒ Nelson Mandela The July 2, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" Who did you idolize growing up? Growing up in Oklahoma, watching late night television, watching prime time TV shows, watching Ozzie and Harriet, watching I Love Lucy, watching The Lawrence Welk Show: who did I Idolize? Growing up in Oklahoma, going to the movies, watching... is my memory going because I cannot remember the movies or their stars: who did I idolize? Who did I idolize growing up? Thinking back to my childhood, I realize it was not the movie stars or the television stars I idolized. My heroes were closer to home. My hero was my father, who held me on his lap while he read the the Sunday comics. My hero was my Grandfather, who took me water skiing and shot off Roman candles on the Fourth of July. My hero was my Grandmother, who baked cookies for the neighborhood children on Halloween. My hero was my mother, who (after my parents divorced) worked the graveyard shift at Bob's Grill, came home, and got my siblings and I off to school before going to bed. |
The July 1, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat's your opinion on vampire fiction? Vampire fiction an exercise of imagination. Vampire fiction or escapist literature? Vampire are a part of the mythological landscape of humanity. Vampires are evil creatures that are killed by sunlight. Vampires are symbols and reveal something about humanity and its fears. I have written vampire stories, which I have to edit or rewrite before I consider them complete. I am happy with only one of the vampire stories I wrote for "Invalid Item" . I have to edit, but not rewrite "Winter in Post Hole, Arizon" [18+]. The other stories I have to completely or partially rewrite. As I compose this entry, I realize why I have to rewrite those stories. There are grammar problems with all the stories; however, grammar issues can be solved by editing the story. I think I took the wrong approach when I wrote them, so I have to change my approach.What is my opinion of vampire fiction? It is less scary then reality. We live in a frightening world, which we cannot control. When a person walks out the door in the morning there is no guarantee that person will return home at night. If at the end of the day, a person ends up in the morgue instead of their home then what happens to their body and their spirit or soul (if that person believes there is a human soul). In vampire fiction, once the person is turned then he or she lives forever or at least until they encounter sunlight, a wooden stake, or some other vampire killing device. Then there is the fact that, most vampire are good looking and usually extremely handsome or exquisitely beautiful. This is how most vampires look today and how they have looked since since Bela Lugosi play Dracula in 1927.8 I have a couple questions about vampires with "to die for looks". Do vampires only chose "beautiful" people to turn? If a vampire turns a person with "a truck ran over their face" looks, does that person suddenly become handsome when turned? Thought of the Day: "I'm not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I'm afraid of what real human beings to do other real human beings." - Walter Jon Williams Footnotes |
The July 1, 2013, the prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isYou get a piece of magical chalk. Anything you draw comes to life. Either describe what you will do with the chalk or create a list of rules for using the magical chalk. The Rules for Using Magical Chalk Magic, like love, can be dangerous, so Always make sure you return the chalk to its carrying case. Gather any chalk dust inadvertently falling onto the floor or the ground Into a brown paper bag and dispose of it properly. Contact the Council of Artistic Wizards and Sorcerers About art lessons before drawing Living creatures of any species or gender. Caricatures of Humans or other soul possessing beings Are strictly forbidden. Literary characters, mythological creatures, or vegetables are legal. Knowledge of anatomy is required. |
| It is the last day of June 2013, I spent the past two days focusing on reviewing so that I could purchase another 1-month premium membership. I succeeded! My writing.com membership expires on July 31, 2013. I am not as tired this morning as I was yesterday morning, but that is because this morning when my alarm went off at 4:00 am I turned it off, took my thyroid medication, and went back to sleep. I go back to my regular 11:00 pm bedtime tonight instead of the 12:30 am bedtime. Helter swelter, the homeless need a summer shelter because of extreme heat warnings. The last two day I have gotten online between 4:00 am and 12:00 pm. One reason for this is afternoon temperatures between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Another reason is going to bed at 12:30 am and getting up at 4:00 am, I had to take an afternoon nap. June is almost over, but the extreme heat warning remains in effect until Monday or Tuesday. After that the temperatures are supposed go down to more reasonable degrees between 105 through 109 Fahrenheit, at least in Las Vegas. The June 30, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isHave you ever been in snowball fights? Were they good or bad experiences? On the last day of June, I would enjoy a snowball fight, I would enjoy getting hit in the face by an ice cold snowball while standing in the shade of an oak tree in triple digit temperatures, wondering why I was ignoring the extreme heat warning just to get hit in the face by a snowball. The last time I was in a snowball fight was when I was a child in Blackwell, Oklahoma. One of my sibling, hit me in the face with a snowball. At the time I did not like the experience. However, after the past couple of days in Las Vegas, experiencing extreme heat warnings and an outdoor temperature of 115 degrees, I am reassessing the experience. I have decided that the problem with snowball fights is that they happen in winter when temperatures are below 50 degrees. Snowball fights would be much more pleasant and welcome in summer when the temperatures rise over 100 or 110 degrees. The June 28, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat historical events happened the year you were born? According to historyorb.com,9 420 historical events happened in 1946. I am going to list one or two for each month (except December which has three events). These are the events that I found most interesting.  On January 1, Mauchly and Eckert finished ENAIAC the first computer in the USA. On January 17, the United Nations Security Council held its first meeting. On February 26, two people were killed and ten wounded when a race riot broke out in Columbia, Tenn. On March 15, Attlee, British premier, agreed with India's right to independence. On March 22, the first United Sates rocket left Earth's atmosphere; it ascended 50 miles. On April 16, the United Sates launches the first capture V-2 rocket in White Sands, NM; it ascended 8 km. On May 9, "NBC's Hour Glass" premiers; it is the first hour long television television show. On May 26, a patent was filed in the United States for the H-bomb. On June 3, the United States Supreme Court ruled that race separation on buses was unconstitutional. On June 7, discrimination in interstate travel is banned by the United States Supreme Court. On July 1, the United States dropped an atom bomb on Bikini atoll, which was the fourth atomic explosion. On August 6, the United States officially submitted to the jurisdiction of the World Court. On September 11, the first mobile long-distance car-to-car telephone call occurred. On September 30, Churchhill argued in favor of a United States "of Europe". On October 9, the first electric blanket was manufactured; it cost a consumer $39.50. On October 24, the first photograph of Earth was taken from outer space; the camera was on board a V-2 number 13 rocket. On November 12, the first "autobank" was formed in Chicago; this is banking by car. On November 13, in Mt. Graylock, MA, the first artificial snow was produced from natural clouds. On December 5, President Truman, with Executive Order Number 9808, created the Committee on Civil Rights. On December 12, the United Nations accepted John D. Rockefeller, JR's gift of six Manhattan blocks. On December 31, President Harry Truman officially proclaims the end of World War II.Thought of the Day: "Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft." - Winston Churchill Footnotes |
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