Why fit in when you were born to stand out? — Dr. Seuss
Red leaves
stand out among
the green and brown colors
of this Japanese maple tree.
How cool!
Note: Poetry form is a Cinquain inspired by Tanka.
Dog-eat-Dog World?
God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest. ~J.G. Holland, American novelist and poet
Recently, I heard a raucous jabbering outside my window and naturally, I had to take a peek.
Some people would claim that’s procrastination, that I was merely postponing the writing of my novel.
I know better: it’s an innate curiosity about the world around me, something every writer needs.
Corny Time
If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere. ~Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter
Happy Thursday!
The corn, as you can see, has tasseled. This is a crop of field corn near where I live. It’s NOT sweet corn, which features full, round, white and light yellow kernels and is planted for human consumption.
Did you know only about one percent of the corn grown on American farms is sweet corn? I didn’t either. But yes, the bulk of our corn is field corn, which you wouldn’t want to eat.
Field corn has dryer, more golden kernels (often with a small dent) and is processed for use in foods with corn ingredients (cereals, chips, etc.), as animal feed, or saved as seed for next year’s crop. It’s also used for non-food things like ethanol.
Sweet corn is generally available July through September, weeks before field corn. In fact, field corn stalks must completely dry out, the silks at the top of each ear turn dark brown, and the ears flip down with the silks toward the ground before a plant is ready for harvest (October-November, usually).
It’s a delicate balance, with farmers sometimes having to rush to get their crops harvested before winter sets in.
Speaking of time, I’m going to take a few days off — the Domer has promised to visit, and I understand there’s a birthday cake with my name on it! Don’t forget me — I’ll be back soon!
Sunday’s Gem — Bloodstone
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist
Legends from the Middle Ages declared the “Blood Stone” first formed during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, when His Blood fell upon the green earth.
Bloodstone slab — image thanks to www.gia.com
Growing a Novel
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary, explorer, mountaineer, and one of two climbers confirmed to reach the top of Mount Everest first
The
path lies
straight ahead.
Put one word down
and then another
until you reach the end,
confident along the way
that you’ve written the best story
you can under the circumstances.
And won’t it feel great to finally finish?
Staring at a screen, forsaking playtime.
Growing a novel isn’t easy.
Maybe that’s why others don’t try.
Stop complaining and fretting!
Tackle the task at hand.
Watch the word count grow
as you write scenes
and chapters
someone
loves.
Note: This poetic form is called Double Etheree.
Pandemic Puppies??
Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail. ~Henry Wheeler Shaw, American humorist
As those of you who regularly read my posts know, my soul-dog Dallas went to the Rainbow Bridge as March 2020 ushered in the COVID pandemic.
At first, I didn’t want a new pup. Didn’t want to look at puppy pictures, didn’t want to reach out to ask breeders questions.
I was grieving, and I knew I needed time to do that properly.
Hot Stuff
You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive. ~Author Unknown
Think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Zipping around in your souped-up car
Shimmering silver body, slightly elevated rear
Muffler announcing your presence better
Than trumpets proclaiming royalty’s arrival.
Think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Baseball cap turned backwards on your head
Heavy metal music pounding its rhythmic beats
With wailing vocals sufficiently intense
To pry the dead right out of their graves.
Think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Pulling to within inches of my rear bumper
As if you’re eager to hop in my back seat
And join me for a little spin around town.
Refusing to move over to another lane
Even when I deliberately slow to a crawl.
Think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Forcing me to change lanes
Forcing me to lose my temper
While you swoop around me
As if I’m in a car park or some driveway
Woolgathering or taking a siesta.
Think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Approaching that traffic light beside me
Then flipping me the universal sign
Of disdain. Of anger. Of disrespect.
Then zooming off in a cloud of exhaust.
I can be as crude as you, fella
But I choose not to
Not because of you
But because of me.
Still think you’re hot stuff, don’cha?
Note: Details changed to protect the guilty.
Hang in There
To give vent now and then to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man’s heart. ~Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and statesman
Emotions swirling
Like clouds skudding o’er the sky
Best to say nothing
Wordless Wednesday
People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us. ~Iris Murdoch, Irish and British novelist and philosopher
Sunday’s Gem — Obsidian
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist
Feeling under stress? Suffering from pain or a wounded spirit?
Then get yourself some Obsidian!
Tumbled black Obsidian stones, approximately 1″ in size, $2 each. Available at https://www.el9shop.com/product/black-obsidian-tumbled-stone/
