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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 March 27, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isHow long have you gone without something necessary to your survival (food, shelter, water, sleep, or clothing)? I am fortunate because I have never gone more then a nanosecond without the prerequisite for human survival. which is hope. Hope is the one thing that is absolutely necessary for humans to survive. If an individual has not hope then he or she give up the idea of survival and eventually dies, either physically or spiritually. Once a person give up hope then the battle for survival is lost. Hope is always there hiding in terror's darkness its bright light waiting to shine. Hope is the soul's response to disappointment; spirit's survival instinct. Food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep, and oxygen are necessities of the body, while hope is a spiritual necessity of the soul. Humanity survived through the decades because our ancestors did not give up hope and curl up a die when physical survival became difficult or almost impossible. Our ancestors held onto hope and persisted in seeking the things necessary for their physical bodies to survive even if it meant that the had to leave the comfort of known territory to seek those things in unknown places across the globe. Humanity will continue to survive as long as it does not give up hope. Thought of the Day: "Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope." - Unknown |
| In a life well lived faith is expressed through prayer and action. It is a life in which joy, sorrow, laughter, and tears are some of the tests that polish the mirror of the human soul. A life is well live when wisdom comes with maturity just as wrinkles come with age. At its end the soul ascends through the needles eye of death singing praises to the Creator. In a life well lived an individual practices a daily accounting of his or her actions. In this accounting the person determines what was accomplished, what was left undone, and what changes need to be made for a better tomorrow. The individual attempts to make each day better then the one before. In this process the individual learns to refocus stress into action and to use it to feed the energy of achievement, which will cause the stress to dissipate. |
The March 26, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat is your favorite family Easter memory? My fondest childhood memory is sitting in my Grandparents' living room listening to Gene Autry sing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". One of my grandparents would play that song for us everyday beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday. I would sing along with the song. I can still remember some of the words and sometimes even sing it around Easter. |
The March 26, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isHave you ever wanted to trade places with someone else for a day, a week, or a lifetime? If so, who was it and why? I remember a cartoon, I am not sure if it were Bugs Bunny or Tom and Jerry staring in the cartoon; what I remember most about the cartoon was that it was a Frankenstein Monster off take. In the cartoon was a mad scientist who built a machine that switched the the personalities or mental essence (I am not sure how this machine worked) of creatures from one animal to another. Any way the mad scientist switched Bugs Bunny's (I think it was Bugs) personality to the body of a chicken (I think it was a chicken) and the chicken's essence into Bugs' body. The switch caused each animal to act like the other until they somehow managed to get their essences switched back. I thought the switch was funny because it was happening to cartoon animals, which I find amusing. I do not think I would find this type of switch (trading places) amusing it it was happening to me; perhaps after the experience was over, but not at the time. This does not answer the question Have I ever wanted to trade places with someone else? There have been times in my life when I wished I was not me, but that is different from wanting to trade places with someone else. I am glade I never got the wish because the transformation into something or someone else would not have solved the problem. Have I ever wanted to trade places with someone else? No! A hundred times no. My life is complicated enough without complicating it even more with someone else's idiosyncrasies. While walking in someone else's moccasin will increase understanding, it will also hurt your feet if the moccasins are too small or rub blisters on your heels if they are too big. If I want to understand someone's point of view then I can sit down and have a conversation, but I do not think trading places is going to help that much. I can look at other people's lives and think that they have it easier or better then I do; however this is not true because every one wears a mask in public. A mask conceals reality both the beauty of virtues and ugliness of vices. Quote of the Day: "We all have a social mask, right? We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image. But behind that social mask is a personal truth, what we really, really believe about who we are and what we're capable of." - Phil McGraw |
The March 25, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWe all have our low points in life. How do you get through times like these? How do you "get up" and continue on? A happy and joyful being, is from a prayer written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Baha'u'llah. Because happiness, joy, and optimism are spiritual attributes, I go to my Baha'i Prayer book when I am down. I always find a prayer that will bring me comfort, lift my spirit, and change my attitude. I try to avoid complaining because complaining does not help and it always seems to make the situation worse. I am not always successful when it comes to avoiding complaining, I am still working on overcoming my tendency to complain. When I am down the first prayer I say begins with "O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit...." This was one of my mother's favorite prayers and it is one of my favorite prayers. I cannot stay down when I read this prayer because it is full of positive affirmations and it lets me place all my troubles, difficulties, and darkness in God's hands. This prayer reminds me that I am a spiritual being having a material or physical experience, it takes me out of myself and raises my spirit to a higher level. It dissipates the darkness that surrounds me in time of depression. All my life I have experimented with methods of overcoming depression. I have not been diagnosed as clinically depressed, my depression comes and goes. I am usually more depressed in autumn and winter then in spring and summer. In addition, certain events in my life exasperate my depression. After looking closely at these events, I found most of them have more to do with lack of control then anything else. Until I looked at the events that increase or cause me to be depressed, I never thought I was a control freak, but now I am not sure. At 66, I am not sure it matter anymore what causes or increases my depression. The important thing now is to overcome or dissipate the depression and the prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah and the Bab or written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá do just that. The other things I have experimented with over the years is keeping a journal (this helps a little), writing my own affirmation (sometimes helps, but not always), smiling when I am depressed (makes other people feel good because they smile back), cafe mocha (this has a physical effect, which does not last), and laughter (the problem here is that I cannot always find a good joke). The one thing that always helps is the Baha'i prayers and scriptures, these always lift my soul and refocus my attention on the positive. Joy is in the scriptures and happiness in the words of the Beloved, even when I cry and tears flow from my eyes I know that joy will soon arrive; I know that God's Glory will transform my sorrow into joy and my darkness into light. Food for Thought: "...I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being..." - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers, Page 152 |
The March 25, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isOn This Day in History: Part One: Find something from history that happened on March 25th to research and give us your thoughts. (Wiki reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_25) Part Two: Invent something that will happen on March 25th some day in the future (one year from now, five years, 100 years) and write about it as if it were history. Part One: March 25, 1948 On this day in history people were born people died, and, in tornado alley, a supercell formed west of Tinker Air Force Base On March 25, 1948, meteorologists made the first successful tornado prediction. This prediction was the results of a military investigation resulting from a tornado that struck the base on March 20, 1948. The weather conditions on March 25 were identical to those on March 20, so the successful prediction was caused by luck and a commanding officer who pressured base meteorologist to stick their necks out in the storm . This incident proved that a tornado could be predicted1. The severity of the March 25, 1948 storm was not known because The Tornado Scale was not introduced until 1971. The Fujita-Pearson scale2, which is also know as the F scale, rate tornadoes from F0 to F5. The wind speeds of these tornadoes are F0, 40 to 72 mph, F1, 73 to 112 mph, F2, 113 to 157 mph, F3, 158 to 206 mph, F4, 207 to 260 mph, and F5, 261 to 318 mph. Part Two: March 25, 2113 On this day in future history, the final battle is won and planetary peace has come; Earth is united and humanity has become citizen contributing to a global civilization. Thought of the Day: "I can promise you that women working together - linked, informed and educated - can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet." - Isabel Allende Footnotes |
The March 24, 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. Tuesday, March 19, my mother would have been 92 years old. I got through the day all right, that evening I watched Betty White's show Off Their Rockers because Ms. White was one of my mother's favorite actresses and I needed something to give me a laugh. On the evening of Wednesday, March 20, I went to a Naw-Ruz celebration at the Baha'i Center in Las Vegas. On Thursday, March 21, I deposited a check in my account and then went to Smith's Food and Drug to pick up some items. While I was there, I applied for and received a free cell phone for senior citizens. The phone is a Sanyo and I receive 250 free minutes every month; if I need more I can purchase 150 anytime minutes for $10.00 and that last ten days. On Friday, March 22, I went to Social Services to get help with the electric bill; despite the fact my brother paid enough on the bill to keep the electricity on the qualified me for the full amount. After I cashed the checks they gave me, I went to the power company and put all the money on the electric bill and now have a credit to cover some of my next power bill. mornings are chilly a slight breeze and blue sky watching jet contrails I finally caught up on my Saturday blog reading. My favorite entry is "Invalid Entry" because it made me laugh the hardest, in fact, I am still laughing. In addition, to this funny story I have another humorous entry from someone who is not in this group, but I thought I would share it anyway: "Invalid Entry" .Quote of the Day: "You have to take into account it was the cell phone that became what the modern-day concept of a phone call is, and this is a device that's attached to your hip 24/7. Before that there was 'leave a message' and before that there was 'hopefully you're home.'" - Giovanni Ribisi |
The March 23, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isYou awaken one morning to find an hourglass has been placed on your bedside table. A note attached to it says, "Two Days." Write about what happens next. Damn, I thought sitting up in bed and reaching under my pillow for my cell phone, I turned the alarm off in my sleep again. I opened my eyes, lifted the pillow and stared. My cell phone was no where in sight. Did my cell fall on the floor? I raised my eyes to the nights stand, staring blankly at the huge hourglass reposing on the stand. "What day is this," I whispered removing the note attached to the hourglass. "Two day..." I shook my head. "Two days until what?" I place the note on the stand, got down on my hands and knees, then begin to search under the bed for my cell phone. No luck, my cell was nowhere to be found. "Is this April Fools Day?" "Coffee," I grumbled as I stood up. "I need caffeine! I can't be expected to figure this out without at least two cup of hot, strong, and black coffee." I walked slowly through the house checking both the front door and the sliding glass door. Both doors were locked from the inside, so no one could have gotten into the house during the night. In the kitchen, I checked the coffee maker to make sure I had put fresh water and coffee grounds in it last night, but before turning it on I added one more scoop of grounds before turning it on. While the coffee was brewing, I went out to pick up the paper. Back inside the house, I opened the paper and looked at the date. "Saturday, March 23, 2013," I folded the paper, put it under my arm, and went to the kitchen. "I was right, it's not April Fools Day so...." There sitting on the breakfast bar, was the hourglass with the note attached to it. "Maybe I'm going crazy," I placed the paper next to the hourglass, poured myself a large mug of coffee, and sit down at the breakfast bar. As I sipped my coffee, I stared at the hourglass. I was fascinated by the way the grains dropped into the lower half of the glass. One grain descended every second as if counting down to a momentous event. "Two days until what," I got up, poured myself more coffee, and went back to the breakfast bar. "It can't be the end of the world because that was supposed to happen last year. The world was supposed to come to an end on December 21, 2012." I picked up my newspaper, separated the sections, and then placed section a back on the counter. Opening section b, to the obituaries, I glared at the full page advertisement. In two inch letters were the words Two Days center above People of Las Vegas, you have two days to repent of your sinful way. At this point I did not know whether to laugh, cry or what, so I read on. "People of Las Vegas," the ad said, "if you do not repent in two day your sinful city will disappear from the face of the Earth. We will transport every square block of your city, to the Venus the hell of your solar system." "As if my life isn't complicated enough," I mumbled. "Now I'm going to have to learn how to survive on Venus. I hope they have good coffee there." |
The March 23, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWrite about the funniest thing that ever happened to you. Whoever makes me laugh the most wins!  I believe that God loves laughter. I believe that God has a sense of humor. I believe the divine Creator enjoys seeing human beings laughing and smiling. I believe that laughter and humor are spiritual attributes, which, like tests and difficulties, help polish the mirror of the soul. What was the funniest thing that ever happened to me? This is a difficult question to answer because a lot of funny things have happened to me over the past 66 years, 2 months, and 29 days. Another reason this is a difficult question to answer is that I am still alive and I suspect the funniest thing has not happened as yet. As long as I am alive there is still the possibility of something funnier happening. What was the funniest thing that ever happened to me? Considering all the funny things that have happened to me, I know that the funniest thing to happen to me, up to this point in my life, had something to do with either food or an animal. It could have been an incident that caused me to laugh so hard, I shoot milk, soda, or coffee out my nose. I think I must look hilarious when the liquid I am drinking shoots out when I am laughing hard. What was the funniest thing that ever happened to me? I think I will go with an animal incident, but not the one with the one with Midnight and his stress incontinence. All though, I have to admit that having a cat pee on me when I was attempting to put him into the carrier to take him to the vet had to results in someone laughing five or six minutes. Not me at the time, but the farther I get away from that incident the funnier it becomes. What was the funniest thing that ever happened to me? I will go with the sparrow in the house. I think the bird came in through the open patio door and flew into the living room thinking it could get out. I did not know the bird was in the house until I saw the cats chasing something around the living room drapes. I went to investigate and found a sparrow attempting to hide or get away from the cats. I was laughing so hard I almost did not catch the bird, I really would not have matter if the cats caught it because, even though they knew they were supposed to chase birds, once they caught them they did not know what to do with them. However, since I did not want the cats to find out what they were supposed to do with birds, I had to catch the sparrow and take it outside. Once outside the sparrow flew away. Thought of the Day: The reason angels can fly is because they take themselves lightly. - G.K. Chesterton |
The March 22, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isLists, lists, lists. To-do lists, check lists, laundry lists, bucket lists ... Seems like there is a list for everything. Write a humorous list of things you are NOT going to do today. Today I am not going to hunt Zombies, Vampires, or Werewolves. Today I am not going to complain about the wind, the rain, the snow, or the sun. Today I am not going to jump off the cliff of conclusions onto the rocks of stupidity. Today I am not going to laugh when I want to cry or cry when to laugh. Today I am not going to do the expected or expect the mundane. Today I will not let sleeping dragons lay especially if the snore. Food for thought: Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today. - Mark Twain |
The March 22, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat is your idea of the perfect day? a brisk spring morning mourning doves mourn winter's death rock doves are cooing My idea of a perfect day is one filled with nice surprises. I went to Social Services to see if I could get help with the power bill because I had difficulty paying the bill for February and March. My brother had already paid the past due to keep the power on after March 21, so I figured all I would get would be enough to pay the part he did not cover. I would have been happy with that; however, I received a pleasant surprise. It did not seem to matter that my brother paid part of the because I qualified for the entire amount they will pay. They gave me two checks, totaling the amount I qualified for, I cashed the checks and went to the power company customer service office to put the amount on the power bill. I got to the customer service office and encountered another pleasant surprise. I had to deal with a machine instead of a human being, which was good in this case because I typed in the customer name for the my account, the amount I owed was appeared on the screen and the message "This machine does not give change, any amount over the bill will be credited to your account." I put the bills in, the machine counted them properly and printed out a receipt with the amount paid and customer number. I now have a credit with the power company. On the way home from the power company, my car started making some rather odd noises. It sounded like metal on metal, but it did not occur until after I took my foot off the break. I suspect it may be the breaks, but I know very little about how a car runs so it could be anything. Since this is Friday, I will wait until Monday to contact my mechanic, I am not planning to go anywhere this weekend. Especially since today I picked up my senior commodities allotment and a free loaf of bread. I got two more pleasant surprises when I picked up the food. In one bag was a container of 2% milk and in another was a can of beef with juice. This means that tomorrow I can make sloppy joes and have a glass of Ovaltin. Today was just full of pleasant surprises, so all in all it was a very good day. Thought of the Day: “She glanced down at the contents of her plate. Just tell him what it is. Simple. Look at it and say what it is. "Sloppy Joe," she managed. "Hmm," he said, sounding doubtful. "May he rest in peace.” ― Kelly Creagh, Nevermore |
The March 21, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWrite an opinion piece on a cause you feel deserves more support from others. (Examples: breast cancer awareness, wildlife conservation, equal rights) Alzheimer's is a disease that will eventually affect every family in America and in the world. According to the article "Cure for Alzheimer's closer"3 by James Chapman, of the Daily Mail, those suffering with this disease are growing. This devastating disease is striking, not only the elderly but, middle-aged people as well. A vaccine for the treatment and possible cure has been found through research done on genetically engineered mice. Trial with human patients suffering from mild-Alzheimer's or the early stages of the disease are in progress. The vaccine shows promise to at least treat the disease if not cure it. Another promising line of research is "embryonic stem cells", according to the November 13, 2012 blog article "Alzheimer's disease could be helped by a type of brain cell recently generated from embryonic stem cells"4. This article discusses the use of these stem cells in treating "neurodegenerative diseases", on of which is Alzheimer's. Since this is a disease which will affect every family on the planet, we need to pursue all lines of research that show promise to cure or treat this devastating disease. Alzheimer's not only destroys the brain and memory of its suffers, it also destroys the caregivers and family both emotionally and financially. We cannot let this disease continue its path of destruction. We, as human beings, have to do everything we can to find a cure for this disease. There are promising cures waiting to be discovered through research, but we have to support the research financially both through government funds and individual initiatives. We owe it to our parents, grandparents, children, and ourselves to find a cure for this disease. In order to do this every line of research must be pursued. Food for Thought: "In addition to relieving patient suffering, research is needed to help reduce the enormous economic and social burdens posed by chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, cancer, heart disease, and stroke." - Ike Skelton The March 21, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWrite about a moment in your life when you had to "step up" and do something, even though perhaps you didn't want to. When did I have to "step up" and do something I did not want to do? It was the day I had to become my mother caregiver and oversee her affairs because she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. All my life, Mom had been and independent self-motivated woman. After she and my father were divorced she became an single working mother with four children. Fortunately, we lived in Blackwell close to her parents, so they could help a little; however, Mom did most of the care giving and earning a living. Mom worked until she was 82 or 83, the only reason she stopped working was that the hotel-casino that employed her closed its doors. Otherwise she would have continued to work as long as she could. I think I knew there was a problem before the doctor diagnosed her with Alzheimer's disease. There were not hug indications, but little things. Things that she would not have considered doing earlier and then there was the anger in situations she once would have let pass or roll off her back. I did not want to admit Mom had a problem, but when the doctor gave the diagnosis I had to accept it. I had to step up and take control of things. I had to become Mom's mother instead of her daughter. Quote of the Day: Caring for an Alzheimer's patient is a situation that can utterly consume the lives and well-being of the people giving care, just as the disorder consumes its victims. - Leeza Gibbons Footnotes |
The March 20, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isWhat was the most outrageous thing anyone has ever dared you to do? OR What was the most outrageous thing you have ever dared someone else to do? Anytime I do something outrageous it has to do with food. All my life I have found food comforting. I will attempt to eat any type of food because I might find it good and if I do not like it the first time, then I will usually try it again because I figure the food is an acquired taste and I will attempt to acquire the taste for it. I have one exception to this rule of trying a food more then once. The exception to this rule is spaghetti pizza! I have no desire to try spaghetti pizza again because once was enough. Before I go on with this explanation, I have to say that "It seemed like a good idea at the time." However, in retrospect it was not my best experiment with creative cooking. This is how the experiment went down. The day before, a Friday, we (Mom and I) had bought a pizza, a pepperoni pizza to be precise. There was leftover pizza, which I am inclined to eat for my breakfast. On Saturday, Mom went to a meeting (this was several years ago before the Alzheimer's disease) and left me home alone. I got hungry and decided that I would have the rest of the pizza for my breakfast. There was also some leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator, since I was hunger and did not see any sense in warming both of the foods up separately, I put the spaghetti on top of the pizza and warmed it up in the oven. The spaghetti pizza did not taste horrible. The only reason it, I say, it did not taste horrible is because a bland taste and a horrible taste are two different sensations. I ate it anyway because there was no use wasting food because the experiment did not work. I suppose it would have been different if I had burnt the spaghetti pizza. I was disappointed about the taste because normally my food muse is good at judging food combination ideas. Fortunately, this failed experiment did not and will not prevent me from combining other foods. Comfort food a creation of love and the warm sensation of creativity. Food for Thought: "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." - Harriet Van Horne |
The March 20, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhat do colored Easter eggs make you think of? These are the memories of colored Easter eggs, laying in a woven straw basket on green faux grass around a chocolate Easter bunny, with tiny candy eggs scattered throughout. These are the memories of colored Easter eggs... eggs of red, blue, yellow, and orange; eggs that Grandma Mary helped us color on the eve of Easter. These are the memories of colored Easter eggs scattered in an airport field across from my Grandparent's house; eggs that we searched for on Saturday afternoon, as we anticipated Easter Sunday's feast. These are the memories of colored Easter eggs, of waking up on Easter morning to find the Easter baskets that Grandpa and Grandma had place on the kitchen table after we had gone to sleep on Saturday night. These are the memories of colored Easter eggs; the memories of peeling eggs for breakfast to eat with the bacon, toast, orange juice, and milk Grandma fixed for us. These are the memories of colored Easter eggs; of returning from Easter Sunday services to eat our chocolate bunnies, with another cold glass of milk. Thought of the Day: "Happy easter everyone. I miss easter egg hunting. Is it weird for adults to do that?" - Mark Salling |
The March 19, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isShare with us your favorite St. Patrick's Day tradition. If you don't have one, think up a new one. The closest thing I have to a favorite St. Patrick's Day tradition is the wearing of the green. I wear something almost every St. Patrick's Day. The only time I do not wear green on that day is when I am planning to remain home. Even when I do stay home, I look down at what I am wearing and realize I am again wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. I will put on a green skirt, blouse, or dress on this day without even thinking or consciously planning what I am going to wear. I think I need a new St. Patrick's Day tradition. I need to find something that is more attuned to my creativity and weird sense of humor. Therefore, I think I will start making Spanish rice with green salsa and calling it Irish rice. I suppose I should add something to it to make it a bit more Irish. Perhaps some Irish potatoes and mutton or lamb. Maybe I will simply consult an Irish stew recipe, but instead of making stew mix the ingredients in with the rice and then add the green salsa. Life is too short to stick with the same old traditions all the time. New taste sensations and experiences is what makes life interesting. One of the things my grief counselor suggest was to start a new tradition. Instead of moping and crying on those days that I miss Mom the most; on the days that Mom and I had did something special, was to start a new tradition. So what new tradition am I going to begin today on March 19, 2013 my mother 92nd birthday. One thing I am trying is staying up all night and writing. After I finish this, I am going to say a prayer for the departed and attempt to write a poem about my mother's 92nd birthday. Mom liked my cooking always said that it tasted great Mom encouraged me. Food for thought: “Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course.” ― Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book |
The March 19, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWhen was the first time you really felt like a grown-up (if ever)? I had to laugh when I read the prompt because there are times I do not feel like a grown-up. Sometimes I feel as if I am a helpless child waiting for an adult to give me to help me cross the street. This feeling normally occurs when a situation is out of my control, at these time I want to sit down and cry. I have felt that way often, since my mother passed on and I suspect it has something to do with the mourning and grief. Now that I have gotten that out of my system, I will respond to the prompt. It's that grown-up feeling, you know the emotion I'm talking about, that big girl feeling you get the first time you cross the street by yourself or make your own breakfast. When was the first time I really felt like a grown-up? That is a good question; I know it had to have something to do with being able to walk to school by myself or make my own breakfast. I was the oldest child, so I was able to walk to grade school by myself for two or three years before I had to walk with my little sister. When I was growing up, most parents did not worry about someone taking their children as they walked to school. I am sure I did not walk to school by myself in the first grade; however, by the second grade I could walk by myself in relative safety, but I was making my own breakfast before that or at least part of my breakfast. When was the first time I really felt like a grown-up? It had to be when I poured dry cereal in a my bowl, spooned in sugar, and then poured milk in the bowl over the cereal. That was a good moment because I did not have to depend on either of my parents to fix my cereal for me. True, Mom still toasted my bread, but I could spread butter and jelly on it as well. I knew the moment I was able to fix my own breakfast I was a big girl because I did not have to depend on someone else to fix me something to eat. I did not matter that the only thing I could fix myself was cereal, all that mattered was that I could do it myself. This is something I have not thought about in years. I think one reason that being able to make my own breakfast, even if it was only dry cereal and milk, gave me a sense of freedom. I was able to do something by myself without any help, which suggested, at least, to my child's mind that I have more freedom of accomplishment. Thought of the Day: Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can have the grown-up look in their eyes. - E. M. Forster |
The March 18, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isYesterday, Sunday, March 17 was St. Patrick's Day. Research the holiday's origin and provide your thoughts. What does St. Patrick's Day mean to you? On March 17, 461 A.D., Saint Patrick died. Saint Patrick's Day, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick", is the day that celebrate the Patron Saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick used the Shamrock, a clover sprig, as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity. Saint Patrick's Day is normally celebrated by "wearing of the green", parades, and pubs or bar selling green beer. For me, Saint Patrick's Day is not a Holy Day I commemorate. The most I will do on Saint Patrick's Day is wear green because when I was a child if I did not wear green to school in Saint Patrick's Day someone would pinch me. Since I am one of those people who bruise easily and, at the time, pinching on Saint Patrick's Day was considered normal childhood behavior, I had to do something to protect myself because the teacher would not; I got into the habit of wearing green on Saint Patrick's Day. If I were going to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day it would be in honor of my Irish ancestors; however, since I do not celebrate days in honor of my German ancestors or my Scotch ancestors, there is no reason to celebrate in honor of my Irish ancestors. Please check out "Free Day: Saint Patrick's Day" .The March 18, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isIn honor of St. Patrick's Day, blog about anything that has to do with the word GREEN. Green is the color of spring, of life, of immortality, of resurrection and rebirth. Green is respect for the earth, it lightens or conceals our carbon footprints upon the planet. Green is the color of money, of greed, of the sin of over-consumption. Green is a dual-natured metaphor representing both the spiritual and material aspects of human nature; both the good and the evil desires of humanity. Green is the color representing both the beauty of the natural world and the ugliness of humanity's unbridled passions. Green quote 1 of the day: The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind. - Gaylord Nelson Green quote 2 of the day: Capitalism knows only one color: that color is green; all else is necessarily subservient to it, hence, race, gender and ethnicity cannot be considered within it. - Thomas Sowell |
The March 17, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" is FREE DAY: Today's a free day with no prompt, so write about whatever your heart desires! And HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! ! ! Everyone's Irish on Saint Patrick's Day, at least, all the drunks seem to act that way, as they order beer or their chosen form of Irish cheer. I am not sure about everyone being Irish on Saint Patrick's Day, I do know that many people wish they were Irish on Saint Patrick's Day. Me I am Irish all year long, in fact, I am Scotch, Irish, German, and possibly English and Native American. If I were a cat I would be referred to as an American Short Hair. If I were a dog then I would be called a mixed breed. Saint Patrick's Day, the day when one is supposed to wear green and look for shamrocks, which are sprigs of a three-leafed clover. Apparently, Saint Patrick used the shamrock as a metaphor for the Christian Trinity. This beautiful green plant is also the symbol of Ireland, which makes sense since Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Blessing of the Day: For each petal on the shamrock This brings a wish your way - Good health, good luck, and happiness For today and every day. ~Author Unknown |
The March 17, 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. My week floated somewhere between fair and good. The swelling in my legs has gone down, but I am not sure why. I do not know whether it is sleeping stretched out on the couch facing east, drinking more water and juice, or the change in seasons. I do not care why the swelling has gone down, I am just happy that my legs are not swollen the way they were all winter. Everyday for the past week, I have gone out for the paper and heard nightingales, sparrows, and other birds singing. In addition, the trees are leafing and the weeds are growing. By weeds I am referring to the oleanders in my yard. Despite the fact that they attempt to pass themselves off as flowering shrubs or trees, oleanders are weeds. The reason I say this is that you can cut them down, stop watering them and they will continue to grow and bloom. Since they cannot be easily killed not even with weed killer, they are weeds. oleanders wave in a gentle morning breeze through every season My favorite entry for the week is "Invalid Entry" composed by The_Cavity has wisdom teeth!  . The reason I like this entry was the mention of Cheese-Its and Baskin & Robins, which made me hungry. I cannot make up my mind about ice cream either, the names of all the ice cream choices sound good and I always want to try everyone. As for the Cheese-Its, I cannot eat just one.the wind is blowing tree limbs are waving good-bye to winter's remnants Food for Thought: Ice cream is my comfort food. - Jessie Ware |
The March 16, 2013 prompt for "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" isPretend that you see yourself walking into a room. What is your first impression of yourself? What stands out about you? Now change the room you are entering (gym, office, church, etc) How does that change your impression? I watch myself walk into the room, who is this gray haired woman entering my abode. As the shock wears off, I realize it is me and I do not remember coloring my hair gray or is it closer to salt and pepper; perhaps I should consider a new shampoo that enhances the beauty of the gray. I watch myself walk into the Baha'i Center, head held high, I stop to catch my breath and continue into the mail hall. I smile as I notice my gray hair glistening reflecting the chandeliers bright light; perhaps when my gray hair turns completely white it will be as beautiful as my mother's and my grandmother's. Thought of the Day: Gray hair is God's graffiti. - Bill Cosby |
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