Tuesday, October 31, 2017
October Leaves and A Lesson in Persistence
Before the month is over, I'd better post these photos of October's leafy extravaganza.
That is what we expect from October in southern Ontario.
What I didn't expect was this renaissance of the purple mums we planted back in June.
They flowered for about a week. Then, despite my constant watering and fertilizing,
I didn't see any more flowers. Lots of leaves, but that was it.
About Labour Day, I stopped watering the planters.
A few days ago, the purple mums came back to life.
Mother Nature is reminding me to keep watering, keep believing, even when it seems that flowering season is over.
You never know when that mum plant--or that sleeping manuscript--will have a renaissance.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
TB Thursday - Mom
100 Years Ago Today...
photo taken in 1924, when she was seven
We gave her this restored photo for her 80th birthday.
She said, "I feel like you've given me back my youth!"
Kudos to MacCrae Custom Colour Studio and its magicians
who worked many, many hours with PhotoShop's cloning device
to eliminate the rips caused by a straight pin.
Also, my grandmother had scrawled the date and my mother's age in blue pen on the FRONT of the photo!
The linen dress and matching hat were the height of fashion which my grandfather had brought back from Paris.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
Mercury in Retrograde Strikes Again
Mercury is in retrograde between August 12 and September 5.
two retro cars (old MGAs)
If you've followed this blog or its predecessor for long, you've probably noticed that
Mercury has it in for me.
So far, this is how Mercury has tripped me up:
1. Mattress Snafu
We ordered a new mattress and box spring set (before August 12). We did NOT order a metal bed frame because the one we had was fine. The comfy new mattress arrived on August 15. With a new frame.
"We didn't order a frame," we told the delivery men.
"It's here, so we're setting it up," they replied. They dismantled the old frame, set up the new one, plunked the mattress on top, and started to leave.
"Take away the old frame," we said.
"No, we can't do that."
So M and I schlepped the heavy, unwieldy thing to the recycling room on the main floor of the condo.
"You've just done your aerobic exercise for the day," M told me.
Five minutes after we got back to our suite, we got a phone call from the delivery men. "We're coming back to pick up the new frame you didn't order or pay for."
They took away the new frame and plopped the mattress and box spring set directly on the floor.
The next day we returned to the mattress store and told them what happened and asked whether the warranty was voided by not having a frame. "No, you're fine with the mattress set directly on the floor."
Miscommunication at its finest.
2. False fire alarm
Last night the fire alarm went off.
At 1:45 am.
Panic ensued for 15 minutes until we heard the announcement that it was a false alarm.
My first thought was about getting both of us dressed and out of the building. At least *sigh* we didn't have to carry a 25-pound dog down the stairs, too... :-(
My next thought was: SAVE THE MANUSCRIPT! (my work-in-progress).
As a result of last night's escapade, I've decided to keep the flash drive containing my WIP in my purse at all times when I'm not actually using it.
3. Other minor things
including no sound on my husband's computer and other problems with his new cell phone.Monday, May 22, 2017
Janet Reid's 100th Flash Fiction Contest
I had fun entering Janet Reid's Flash Fiction Contest and reading all that fabulous writing.
The challenge was to incorporate these five words into a micro-fiction of 100 words or less. The words could be alone or incorporated into other words.
- fin
- scapegrace
- gaze
- forti
- scram
Here are the finalists and their entries:
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.ca/2017/05/final-100-contest-results.html
Congrats to Kate Outhwaite!
Here's my flash fiction story.
Jane looks a right mess, and I tell her so.
"Couldn't sleep," she said. "That bloody scapegrace kept me up, tossing and turning, humming in his sleep. Finally I slipped out to the gazebo to catch a few winks."
She opens two beers. I fortify myself with a gulp before looking for Paul.
He's playing the piano. His eyes are kaleidoscopes.
"Cool tune," I say. "Got any lyrics?"
"Scrambled eggs. Oh, you've got such lovely legs."
I need a place to hide away. "You've been smoking up again. Honestly, Paul, I wasn't born yesterday."
The challenge was to incorporate these five words into a micro-fiction of 100 words or less. The words could be alone or incorporated into other words.
- fin
- scapegrace
- gaze
- forti
- scram
Here are the finalists and their entries:
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.ca/2017/05/final-100-contest-results.html
Congrats to Kate Outhwaite!
Here's my flash fiction story.
Jane looks a right mess, and I tell her so.
"Couldn't sleep," she said. "That bloody scapegrace kept me up, tossing and turning, humming in his sleep. Finally I slipped out to the gazebo to catch a few winks."
She opens two beers. I fortify myself with a gulp before looking for Paul.
He's playing the piano. His eyes are kaleidoscopes.
"Cool tune," I say. "Got any lyrics?"
"Scrambled eggs. Oh, you've got such lovely legs."
I need a place to hide away. "You've been smoking up again. Honestly, Paul, I wasn't born yesterday."
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Amsterdam - CBS Sunday Morning, May 21, 2017
In case you missed it, CBS's Sunday Morning program, filmed in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, tulips, canals, Keukenhof, art...it's all here. Enjoy!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amsterdam-first-city-of-the-modern-age/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab8c&linkId=37842558
Amsterdam, tulips, canals, Keukenhof, art...it's all here. Enjoy!
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amsterdam-first-city-of-the-modern-age/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab8c&linkId=37842558
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
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