Turn Around
Don’t stand there on the cliff edge
Telling yourself there is only one way.
How can there only be one,
when I have called to you for so long,
waving and pointing to all the other ways
to leave this precipice?
My voice is hoarse. My arms are tired
But I’ll keep standing here
Waiting for you
To stop telling yourself lies.
The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
13 Happy Things
Hey, I’m in the mood.
1. It’s been a cool summer here in Montana. Only in the last few weeks have we sweltered.
2. I took my fancy new camera to the 4th of July celebration in town and got these shots. It was my first attempt at night photography with this camera. Considering I’m still learning, I thought they came out pretty good.
3. Cold, crisp watermelon in the afternoon. Yum.
4. My new cell phone is great. It can go on the internet.
5. I’m having fun with the quilt. Want to help me make some decisions? I have poll up.
6. I got my Welcome page set up for Blogmania. Yes, I’m still basking. I like basking, even if it isn’t exactly “in glory”.
7. I nice swimming pool with no one else in it.
8. A whole bunch of people are sponsoring me! I feel so pretty. 🙂
9. I love the gab badge I made for blogmania. Every day I switch out the pictures in the middle. Fancy, eh?
10. Ice cream.
11. What? I need to say more? Fine. Ice cream in the cone or in a sunday, or vanilla ice cream mixed with a little yogurt and berry syrup. Root beer floats. Malteds…..
12. Vacation. I’ve got one coming up in about a month. I intend to blog from the road. Which leads me to my latest happy discovery.
13. Wireless hot spots in libraries, camp grounds, grocery stores, and motels. Yeah!
Ah Maria, How to Educate a Heedless Lady
Mr. Al’s take on Marie Antoinette, as seen by her mother, continues.
I must beg forgiveness of all my readers for a mistake that I made last week. I said that Marie Antoinette was not born to be Queen of France. This was quite true. However, she had been pledged to to wed the Dauphin at age eleven. This should have given mom plenty of time to prepare her except for the fact that she actually got married when she was barely fifteen.
Those few years might have been enough for most girls to acquire at least enough knowledge to wing it until they got their “sea legs,” so to speak. But, alas, Marie Antoinette was a Hapsburg. And, as many historians have noted, Hapsburgs were not, as a group, the sharpest pins in the cushion. Marie Antoinette was not dumb, but she had much to learn, not much time to learn it, and a personality that disinclined her to learn anything.
Maria Theresa was an anomaly, although no one would have ever mistaken her for a genius in the conventional sense. It was probably one of Maria’s bigger mistakes to believe her children could rise to the occasion as the situation demanded because, well, that’s what she did. She should have known better.
Poll and TRP
Would you all mind weighing in on the current poll? It’s kind of time sensitive.
And now for the Totally Random Pictures. These are my first two:
I said in the comments of my last 365 that I’d be tossing these in now and then, sometimes with no relationship to what the post is about.
I came back from a family bicycle ride to a beautiful sunset. I stayed home just long enough to grab my camera. Still, that was long enough for most of the glorious color to go away. Instead, I got a pretty go shot of the train. *shrug*
One Lovely Blog and Versatile Awards
Both Eaton and Jingle passed this one along to me. Thanks! You know I love awards. I’ve added your names to Sherrie’s in my sidebar.
I’m supposed to link to ten people and say seven things about myself here. Seems like I’ve already said more than enough about myself, so how about seven sentences instead.
I was supposed to have a guest blog today. I have four people lines up, but none of them sent their posts. It’s my fault. I dutifully organized everything in a spreadsheet, then forgot to look at the spreadsheet. Now I have to go straighten this mess out. Hopefully I’ll be back on track next Monday. That’s me, disorganized under my organization.
I nominate the following bloggers for this award:
Harris Channing who left herself open for it, and was my most recent guest.
Karen Michelle Nutt
Skhye Moncrief
Alison Chambers
Ann Pino
Susan Helene Gottfried
Anastasia St. James
Ericka Scott
Cate Masters
This one was given by Harris Channing. Thanks Harris!
The rules on this one?
1. Thank those who loved me enough to bestow this gift.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Bestow this honor onto 15 newly discovered or followed bloggers–in no particular order–who are fantastic in some way.
4. Drop by and let my fifteen new friends know I love them.
Ah, well. Rules are made to be broken. I figure I’ve already done my seven in the sentences above. As to 15 more bloggers? Well, I’ll try. (Really, playing Association is a lot easier than this.)
Eaton
Jingle Finally! I have one to give you.
Jannie Funster
Sullivan McPig my favorite reviewer
Thom
Sparkle the prettiest cat around
jams o donnell
Lorna who has an intriguing sense of humor
Secret Agent Woman
I could probably pull it off, but I’ve already spent enough time on this.
For those who have never been given an award before read this.
Panty Thief
“Pervert! Jerk! Stalker! I can’t believe he’d do that?”
”What? Stole her panties? I don’t think that’s such a big deal.”
“She was in them at the time!”
Monkey Man hosts the 160 Character Challenge. See what you can write in 160 characters or less, spaces included.
Jill’s Latest Kick
Jill: I took up yoga. Jack, you should take it up too. It’ll make you limber.
Jack: I’m already plenty limber. See? I can turn my body into a triangle.
Jill: You call that a triangle? Check this out.
Jack: Whoah! You win.
Today’s theme is triangle
Previously in Jack and Jill: How Free?
The rules for Photohunt can be found here.
Be sure to visit the home page.
Suzie’s House 173: Pobresito
“Pobresito,” Maria muttered under her breath as she took Drew’s hand. Had it not been for her and Todd, this fine man would not now be addicted to some strange new designer drug. He could have been back in that place he’d come out from, wherever it was, doing simple internet investigations.
“What?” Toby moved closer, making Maria tense, and release Drew’s hand.
“Poor man, I said.”
“Is that all?”
Three Behrs
Baby Behr’s bed is as hard and cold as a tavern wench’s eyes. No wonder he favors blindfolds. Papa Behr’s kindness is soft and yielding though his devotion to duty is firm. Mama Behr’s bed belongs to a man. When all three reach for the prize, what’s a Goldie to do?
The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
361/365 High River
Until a few days ago, the river has been much too high for the time of year. I’ve been expecting it to spill over the banks any minute. Really, we’re so lucky to have such high banks. There’s a bike path running along the river that never gets wet. Then it dawned on me that the reason the land on the other side of the path is so low is because the path sits right on top a levy. Good thing the levy was built so high.
