The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, nineteenth century American poet
Gathering storm clouds
Hurricane remnants perhaps?
No, just a cold front
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Love … or Not!
Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance. ~Dan Greenburg, American writer
There once was a caramel-colored cat
Who discovered a lass as she sat
He snuggled up close
She thought he was gross
And that was the end of that!
What Price Beauty?
A bargain ain’t a bargain unless it’s something you need. ~Sidney Carroll, American film and TV writer
You have to be a pretty good detective when you have sensitive skin … and allergies.
Makeup counters, laundry detergents, and even shopping can be perilous. No wonder, since skin is the largest organ we humans have (about 20 square feet in area!)
Sophomore Novel Slump
There are no easy methods of learning difficult things; the method is to close your door, give out that you are not at home, and work. ~Joseph de Maistre, French moralist and philosopher
“They” say once you’ve written one book, it’s easy to write another.
Don’t believe them … they lie.
Sunday’s Gem — Amazonite
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
Because there are so few turquoise-colored stones, one like Amazonite is particularly striking.
Thanks to http://www.mineralminers.com for this amazonite specimen
Ranging in color from light green to blue green — often with white veining — Amazonite is a member of the Feldspar family. It carries a 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness (1-10) and can be found in shades of white, yellow, pink, red, gray, or even colorless.
The presence of lead is what gives it its color.
Hurricane Thoughts
I know hurricanes.
Always swooping in overnight
With screeching winds,
Drenching rains, tornadoes.
Now Texas has come under fire
With a monster called Harvey.
Watching the devastation
Brings it all back to me.
No power for days on end.
No air conditioning; no hair drying;
No cooking; no television.
Hot sodas, no ice, bed at dusk.
Trying to get a newspaper out
Without the resources needed.
The easy part is finding folks
Willing to tell somebody their story.
Flooded homes and businesses,
Empty spaces where buildings once were.
Disruption of daily existence;
Focus on the elation of being alive.
Trees stripped of leaves,
Long lines, irritability.
Staircases leading to an open sky.
Gratitude to strangers for aid.
I know hurricanes.
And while coastal living can be ideal,
It also can be precarious.
Maybe cornfields aren’t so bad.
Note: I’m forcing myself to turn off coverage of Hurricane Harvey, or I’d never get anything done. Still, my thoughts and prayers are with those uprooted by its path. Stay safe out there!
The Sky
A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn’t see the clouds at all — he’s walking on them. ~Leonard Louis Levinson, author
Always hanging over us
Breath-taking views
Cloudy occasionally
Downpours, too.
Ever changing appearance
Foggy mornings with dew
Generously providing
Healing for our moods.
I often glance upward
Just to see the skies
Kind of a pasttime
Looking at the sunrise.
My search is rewarded
Now with this scene
Of sunlight diffused
Prisms that gleam.
Queer the fuss we make over
Retrograding Mercury and
Sporadic solar eclipses
That prompt us all to look
Upward until
Voilà!
We realize that once again
Xtremes of nature
Yell loudly while the commonplace
Zips along unnoticed.
Note: This is a poetic form known as the A-B-C Poem. First one I’ve ever tried, and it was harder than I expected!
Join Me, Please
The lovely poetess/fantasy author Cynthia Morgan of BooknVolume has graciously offered to put me and my soon-to-be-published novel Unplayable Lie in her author spotlight today.
Thank you, Morgan!!
Please hop over to read our interview and leave us a comment. When you’re done, hang around a bit and enjoy Morgan’s golden pen — you won’t be disappointed.
Once again, thanks to all of YOU for being such loyal, supportive readers and friends!!
Peeking In
How strange that Nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude! ~Emily Dickinson, 19th century American poet
Moth or butterfly?
Who cares when it’s so pretty
And tarries awhile?
Note: Found this beauty clinging to the screen one day when we were taking advantage of natural air conditioning. Any guesses as to what it is?
I Think I Can…
You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~Author Unknown
Dallas here.
As time goes on, I’m learning something about my mama.
She’s got a Green Thumb.
