The Program - DWP From 4-26-12

“Cleo, Ashley, Is it time?” Darcie called from the kitchen.

“Almost!  Looks like you’ve got about three minutes.  Throw the pizza in the oven and come sit down! “ 

With a slam of the oven door Darcie races into the patio and sits behind the camera. 

“Ready Ash? In Three, Two, One.” 

Cleo points her finger at Ashley, indicating to her two companions that they are live and on the air.

“Good Morning! I’m Ashley Stewart and thanks for watching Trash to Treasure. Today we will be making a vertical garden using repurposed pallets.”   

Ashley steps to the left and the supplies for the day’s activity come into view.

“As you can see here on these saw horses, I have an old sod pallet.”

 Slapping her hand upon the pallet Ashley smiles and looks back into the camera.

“To ready the pallet for planting I’m going to have Cleo assist in stretching some garden cloth across this side of the pallet and then she’s going to staple it in place using this staple gun.” 

Ashley raises the staple gun and smiles again as Cleo walks on scene carrying a bolt of landscape fabric.

 The camera zooms in for a closer look at the pallet.

“Remember to cover both the top and bottom of the pallet with the landscape cloth to prevent any dirt from escaping.  Once the garden cloth is firmly in place you may wish to cover it with a second layer. This will strengthen the unboarded areas of the pallet and compensate for the weight of the soil.”

While Ashley is speaking she points to the top of the pallet while Cleo follows the instructions that her fingers give embedding staple after staple into the wood.

“Be sure to staple every four to five inches to prevent your soil from seeping out of unsecured sections during watering.  You’ll also want to staple along each board to prevent the soil from running down the back of the pallet and clumping near the bottom.”

Cleo continues stapling the landscape cloth to the pallet as Ashley addresses the audience.  “Cleo and I are going to finish up here, Thanks’ for watching the first segment of “Trash to Treasure” We will return after these messages from Prana Farms.”

Harmony - DWP From 4/25/12

A writing exercise - 197 words in five minutes and practically no punctuation. If you try it don't edit your words, just write and fast! Save editing for later!

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Todays writing prompt at DWP is harmony I have not really been able to come up with very much Using harmony as a name was already done so that was out Harmony  has also been done as a poem I tried a scene but that didn't turn out well I tried clustering and word association Neither of them were fruitful.   Now that I am trying to come up with another idea I can not think of anything so I decided to try another method of combating writers block instead.  I went searching on the internet for ideas when I stumbled upon Dr. Wickeds write or die web app. It was here that I came up with an idea. I set the timer for 500 words in five minutes and sighed and pressed write.   So here I am writing about harmony or not writing about harmony at all in the weirdest form imaginable. Stopping and stumbling is no good the kamikaze mode erases the words i ve already typed I have to be fast and get them all on paper. My time is almost up.   Harmony in 3,2, 1, done! 

Loneliness / Solitude - 2 Haiku - DWP From 4/24/12

Quiet, Dark, Scary,
Turning at every sound,
Where are the others?

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Basking in the sun,
On a cushioned by window,
Laying, Book in hand.

The Strawberry Kingdom - DWP From 4/23/12

As the shiny red corvette inched along, the crowd parted allowing it to pass.  My feet rested on the leather interior of its back seat while I sat on the rear end graciously waving at everyone I passed.  For once the long red hair, now blowing in the breeze, was of benefit to me.  I looked down at the folds of my green dress spread out around me, a contrast to my white skin. I thought of myself as a flower blossoming for the first time in front of all these people.   As I held on to that thought the smile on my freckle dappled face widened. 

Living in the moment, I barely noticed as we crossed under the large arch decorated with two giant strawberry cutouts and generous lengths of red and green toile.  The car stopped. Getting out the well dressed driver walked toward me and took my hand. With a nod of reassurance he helped me from the backseat and placed a hand upon the small of my back, escorting me down the cobbled walk, and up the stairs of a raised dais.  Gesturing to the throne before me, he silently instructed me to sit. I settled against its plush strawberry shaped backing, as a long red and gold scepter was thrust into my hands. 

A fat little man with cherry red chipmunk cheeks rose and walked to a podium covered with an abundance of streamers and balloons. He tapped the microphone and it squealed. I watched as a number of individuals scrunched up their faces or covered their ears attempting to avoid the sound. The cherub faced man apologized, cleared his throat and continued. Welcome friends and neighbors! I’d like to present to you the queen of this year’s Strawberry Festival, Ms. Scarlet Barry!

Schedule - DWP From 4/22/12

Why schedule the bus
When it can’t keep the pace
It is causing quite a fuss
I wish I had some mace.

These people have gone wild
They’re making an awful din
That’s putting it quite mild
I can’t believe the mess I’m in.

The pushing has just started
Now I’m bouncing all around
All sense of restraint discarded
I hope I'm not knocked down.

Now someone’s thrown a punch
And it’s landed upon my face
The impact ended with a crunch
So my eyes rolled up in space.

I’m a victim of this ugly fight
Which did not have to happen
I’d of made it home tonight
If the driver wasn’t napp’in!

Homonyms - Four Lined Poem - From 4/21/12

They're sisters in sound,
And brothers in site,
Twin pears of words
But witch one is write?

3 Day Challenge - DWP From April 18, 19 and 20

The prompts for Wednesday 4/18, Thursday 4/19 and Friday 4/20 are part of a three day challenge.

Each night we will get a  prompt and have to write a portion of the story. No one knows what the next prompt will be or how the story will turn out. I will be listing mine here and for the next THREE DAYS I will edit this  post to include the new section of the story.

WEDNESDAY 4/18/12 : DWP PROMPT: THE BOX

Faith Hope walked the litter strewn sidewalk of a New York City street. Stopping on the busy corner of an intersection she placed a wooden box upon the ground and climbed aboard. Raising a bible high above her head she began to shout out to the cities inhabitants as they passed by "repent the end is near!" She pleaded, begged, and demanded for the morning commuters to understand and take action. "Get right with God while there is still time." No one seemed to notice, they just walked by as if she was invisible. An hour later Faith's voice was hoarse. Feeling as though she had accomplished nothing she lowered her arm and slid down off the box. Taking the box up in her hands Faith Hope continued alone down the litter strewn sidewalk of the same New York City street.

THURSDAY 4/19/12 : DWP PROMPT: INSIDE

Shuffling down an alley Faith finally reached her new makeshift home. She crawled into the discarded cardboard box and read the words scribbled over and over on the walls: Michael, John, Jesus Revelations, Seven Angels of Destruction.

She sighed. Inside her heart she held love for her fellow man and wished nothing more than to save them from their fate, but inside her head she knew the path was a difficult one. A path very few would follow. They would have to choose, she’d already made her decision years ago.

But today she had spoken to the masses and made her presence known. Soon they would come looking for her and together they would journey back to Mount Zion. She would be bathed by its bright light and walk the cool marble floors in bare feet running her hands along beautiful white stone walls. Smiling at the thought of her future, she sat and waited for the inevitable.


FRIDAY 4/20/12: DWP PROMPT: MASTERMIND – Added restriction: only 4 lines of prose

For two days Faith performed the same routine, but on the third evening three men followed her into the alley.

“We’ve been looking for you, Delilah, Interesting name. Faith Hope?”

Delilah stood frozen in place. “Jesus always said the world needed a little more faith and hope.” She turned on her heel clapping and laughing as she looked over the three men in their sterile white lab coats. “Oh John, Michael, Jesus, you’ve come for me after all! Did father send you?”

John took hold of Delilah’s arm, with Michael walking ahead and Jesus on her side. The four walked purposefully to a waiting black sedan. They entered and the car sped away. Passing under a large wrought iron arch Delilah looked up to read the words “Mount Zion Institution” and grinned.

Continuing up the drive the car stopped at the entrance to a huge stone building. Upon entering, they walked down a hall lit by a multitude of blaring florescent bulbs. Delilah was placed in a Plexiglas room where she was forced to sit opposite a well dressed old man who coughed and choked as he puffed on his Cuban cigar.

  “Father.” she spat. “Your product kills people!

She grabbed him by the shirt and the truth was revealed. His breathing was shallow. He looked more ragged then the last time she’d seen him. He was nothing more than a shell of his former self.

She sneered, “It’s killing you too old man; your days are numbered. Repent and get right with God while there is still time.”

The Moon - 2 Haiku - DWP From 4/17/12

Phases of the moon.
Triple Moon Goddess shifts, to
Maiden, Mother Crone.


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Daughters of the moon,
Born mid June through mid July,
Cancer is our sign.

Roots - DWP From 4/16/12

In the back yard of the Hillbilly Manor Daisy Mae and Ellie Sue sat in plastic lawn chairs sipping long island ice tea directly from the can.

"Well howdy there Ellen". Daisy Mae shouted when she saw the large red sun hat of her neighbor float along the top of the hedges.

Ellen Delany-Prince stopped. Peering over the hedges, she removed her large sun glasses and twirled them in her dainty fingers.

Ellen sighed. "Hello Daisy Mae."

"It sure is a hot one, do ya wanna come swimming in the pond?"

Ellen wriggled up her nose.

"That's quite alright. I have an appointment with Jaques Hamilton, stylist of the stars!"

Ellen turned on her heel and was about to stride back to her house when a gust of wind blew her hat off of her head.

"Ellen honey", started Ellie Sue,"You best go get you another hat, cause your roots is showing."

Ellen blushed a bright pink.

"Mine aren't the only ones!" Ellen shot back as she briskly walked up the front stairs and through the front door, slamming it behind her.

No Room For Error - DWP From 4/15/12

Vincent took hold of the alligator’s tail and gave it a quick shake back and forth before yanking the animal closer and grabbing hold of its thick neck.

"All alligators are extremely dangerous. But the average adult alligator has a bite pressure of 3000 PSI." Vincent said to the crowd.

Vincent laid the small gator across the table. "Now how many of you have heard you can put an alligator to sleep by turning it over and rubbing its belly?"

A few members of the audience raised their hands. "We'll I'm going to try and demonstrate that phenomenon for you today."

Vincent carefully clamped the alligators mouth closed with his hands and turned the gator over.

"As you can see the gator is out cold." Vincent grabbed hold of the alligator’s foot and lifted it off the table. He let go and the foot fell back to its original position.

"However watch closely as I flip him back over. He will immediately wake up in an even grumpier mood then before."

Vincent turned the alligator back over and was maneuvering his hands around the mouth of the alligator as it woke.

"As you can see there is no margin for error. One mistake and" Thawp! Thwap! The alligator’s tail lashed out repeatedly hitting Vincent hard across the back.

“Ugh!” Vincent gave the crowd a false smile and said, “Anyone want some gator tail?”

Lasers - 4 Line Poem - DWP From 4/14/12

Planetarium

The lights go off and the door closes
Then speakers blare Guns and Roses
Laser lights dance along to the tune
But the show ended much to soon!

Knots - 4 Lines Prose - DWP From 4/13/12

Bo Baron stood in front of the green screen and adjusted his tie as his camera man counted down. "3,2,1, action."

"Good morning Sandy and hello Pagoda Beach. I'm Bo Baron with your weather on the 8's update."

Sandy Waters sits at a news desk waiting to be taken off the air. She gives the camera an over exaggerated smile before replying "Good morning Bo how's the weather out there this morning?"

"A small craft advisory is in effect for this afternoon, leading into the early evening hours. Expect moderate to gale force winds coming out of the east at 25 knots."

Sandy's smile never wavers. "Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen it sounds like a rough day at sea. Now back to Frank Cates with more "Morons in the News.""

Drawing A Blank - DWP From 4/12/12

The time for inspiration had passed. I sat thoroughly annoyed by the sight of the deadline written in red upon the calendar.  I love to write and I’ve always had stories to tell but when pushed none come to mind.   I turned back to face the computer.  The blinding white page of an empty word document stared back at me. 

“It’s just a simple children’s story.” I chastised myself. “You can do this! You’ve done it for years, don’t choke now!”  I perused the list of possible of plots in my mental catalog.   

“A young child is afraid of the dark?”

“No, it’s over done.”

“How about please go to sleep? “

“That has got to be one of the most over used plots in human history!”

“Okay I’ve got it, a monster under the bed?”

 “Ugh!  Woman quit kidding yourself; most kids think there is a monster under their bed at one time or another.” 

“Think! Think!”

“How about a kid saves the day story?”

 “Ahhhhhhhhhh!  Could you at least attempt to be original?”

 “Forget it! I give up! I think it’s time for lunch!”

The Swarm - DWP From 4/11/12

The torrential downpour was over at last!  Its end finalized by the melody produced in part by the croaking of a small group of frogs.  Kyle sat in his cabin listening to the rain steadily drip from the roof. Then something much larger banged hard on the metal flashing. It was followed by another heavy thud, and another, and another.

“What the hell was that?” Julie said as she raced to the window.

“It’s nothing to worry about. The rain probably just knocked some pine cones loose,” Kyle replied, “They’re pretty big up here in the mountains.”

Julie spun around “Uh, Kyle, it’s not pinecones; you better come take a look at this!”

Kyle ambled over to Julie and scanned the grounds surrounding the cabin. He watched as huge ugly toads fell from the sky.   

Julie looked crossly at Kyle, “That ain’t normal!”

“Nope!” he said, “Not a bit.” A smile started to creep across his face but disappeared as he caught sight of a black dot floating in mid air. He pointed,”Julie, what do you think that is?”

Julie pressed her face against the glass. “How should I know?” came the agitated reply, “You’re the Ranger.”

The couple watched in awe as the ominous black mass grew in size coming closer and closer. Suddenly a large yellow object slammed hard into the glass, just inches from Julies face.  She screamed and skittered away from the window falling backward over a small metal heater.

Kyle looked from the window to Julie and from Julie to the window. “Locusts?” he said bewildered.

His face contorted at the sudden realization, “What have we done?”

The locusts were upon them now, their bodies blocking out the light and covering the cabin in inky darkness.

Order - 2 Haiku - DWP From 4/10/12

Within the order
The hero Silver Surfer
Saves the comic world

Carefully arranged
The five colors of Feng Shui
Restore harmony

Hovering - DWP From 4-9-12

This prompt brought absolutely nothing to mind that hadn't already been explored by the other writers at DWP.  So my submission is short,  it's okay though. I already wrote a big blog post today and read a bunch of articles on writing. So all and all the day has been a success.

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Flying on delicate wings of black, blue, and red

The butterfly extends it’s proboscis from her head

Hovering silently above, it takes a deep drink

Of the nectar from flowers both white and pink

It's Tuesday!

I can already tell Tuesday is going to be a favorite writing resource day. On Tuesday at 2:00pm ICL writers get together in a chat room and have discussions. They talk about issues their having with their writing, publishing markets, contests their entering, etc.  I am going to set this time aside each week because I think it is important to learn from others and it also gives me a chance to discover new opportunities I may not have been aware of. So Tuesday's at 2:00pm don't come over and don't bother calling, unless you like talking to the answering machine!

Last time I wrote about my course work we left off with Part Five of section one so I'm going to pick up there today.

Part Five: Make contact with your readers.

This one I've got nailed. I don't need to change anything in my life to complete this task.  I am a school volunteer! Most volunteer days this year have been spent in the library but in previous years more time was devoted to the classroom. I am also an active parent, I am on every single committee our school has.

My children are also very active at school so I spend a lot of time there even when I'm not working myself. On Mondays my children attend K-Kids which is a community service group. Also on Monday's are the school yearbook committee meetings.  Tuesday's are filled with Tutoring and Student Government. Wednesday's are devoted to God and I am the assistant teacher for a class of 4th and 5th graders at our church. Thursday's my children gather their books and attend Harry Potter Book Club and Friday is Mom's Taxi's day off. Unless we've volunteered ourselves for a school function like Spring Fling, Winter Carnival, Family Fun Nights, AR Night (for reading) or The Book Fair. The weekends are family time and kids from ages 4 to 22 can often be found here. Like I said I've got this covered.

Part Six: Start a writers notebook.

This is going to be a bit difficult as I am not the neatest writer. Sometimes even I have trouble deciphering the mess I wrote when it comes to reviewing my work. Part of this stems from my disability and part of it stems from the fact that once ideas start flowing they just run off with themselves and I have a hard time trying to write it all down before it's gone.

I did purchase some small notepads to keep in my purse, and I have a card file with a good starter set of note cards. As an additional measure I put Evernote on my phone so that if I have decent battery life I can skip the pen and go write to typing, which I prefer. I am a tactile person though, I prefer books to ebooks and I like to be able to sort my notes across a desk  and reorder them. You can't do that the same way with computer files. So I'm going to have to try and create a happy medium between these two evils.

Part Seven: A writer as a business person.

I think that my self diagnosis of borderline OCD will help with this issue. I can repair my own computer so that's no problem unless it needs a part I have to run to the store for. I write in a home based office so I have a copy machine and a fax machine here.  The stationary store is about 7-10 miles down the road but it's right next to Walmart so I can visit it before doing my grocery shopping.

My filing cabinets, all five of them are sorted out already. it's one of the benefits of being meticulous, the drawback is that your so careful that sometimes you save things you really do not need!  So I should probably go through these once every three months or so one drawer at a time and dump what information is just taking up space for no good reason. I've got a dry erase board and Excel between the two it should be fairly easy to track submissions, shouldn't it?  My main problem is going to be keeping current with the markets.  So that is what I'm really going to focus on for this section.

Part Eight: Mixing it up.

Yeah I'm thinking,  No thank you!  Sure it would be nice to write a novel and a short story at the same time and I'm organized enough to do it. But there is no way I could. I immerse myself in my characters I need to finish one work before starting another.  I could do a draft of a short story and then a draft of another and bounce back and forth between each of them as portions of the editing process are completed but in no way could I do this with a longer  piece of writing. maybe that is the mark of being a novice?  Maybe someday I'll get there?  But that day is not today.

And so that's it, I have finally completed all my notes and as many of the activities for the first section in my course work as possible. I feel like I was able to cross a lot of items off of my list as things I'm already doing or have already purchased. So I'm happy with my success so far and have already pointed out those things I realize i need to work on which is a step in the right direction toward fixing them and achieving even greater success.

Routine - DWP From 4-8-12

“Mom!” The girls screamed in unison.

“What? Can you not yell through the house?”

Having been asked the same question many times throughout the day the girls simply responded, “You have to come sit and watch our show.”

“Another one?” Mom left the laundry basket sitting on the utility room floor and took a seat on the living room couch.

“Introducing Lena and Brina’s World Famous Comedy Routine!” The girls bowed and mom clapped.

“Hey Lena, How do you wake up Lady Gaga?”

“I don’t know Brina, How do you wake up Lady Gaga?”

“You poke her face.”

Mom laughed, as both girls took turns taking exaggerated bows.

“Thank You, Thank You very much.” They repeated over and over.

Mom sat quietly on the couch waiting expectantly for another joke to be told.

“Mom! That was the end of our show. You’re supposed to leave now!” Lena said before grabbing her sister’s hand and running toward the computer in search of new material.

Top Dog - 4 Line Poem - DWP From 4-7-12

I'm the King of the hill
Said Jack with a thrill
But with a push he was found
At the bottom of the mound

Ready, Set, Get Busy! (ICL)

It's Easter! So Happy Easter Everyone!

I just got home from spending the day with a ton of relatives at the home of some extended family. It made for a busy day but it was fun and I had an opportunity to get away from the house, which I don't get to do that often. 

Now that I am home I've had a chance to read chapter one of one of my course texts and discovered I have a lot of work to do!

The chapter posed two interesting questions:

1. Why do I want to be a writer? That's easy, I have stories to tell and character ideas bouncing around in my head, waiting to get out! 2. What do I want to write? Fiction, more specifically Fantasy Fiction! I knew that before even signing up for the course. Maybe having a direction in mind puts me ahead of the game? I'm not sure, but I am certain about what I want to write.

Now on to the work!

PART ONE:

The first part of the instructions were also easy. Writers write! Write what you know! Write often! Even daily because that's the key to convincing yourself and others that you are in fact a writer.

Okay!  No problem! I do that! I complete the daily prompt everyday for Daily Writing Practice.
Sometimes I write poetry or short stories on Protagonize. Other times I write posts for this blog, just like I'm doing right now. So I'm checking that one off my list. I've been developing the writing habit since January and I think I've been doing a good job of trying to carve out some time for my writing. Until I signed up at ICL I didn't really have a direction as to what to write about, or how to go about it. I was just winging it. It worked for the short term but it's going to be great having a bit more guidance.
PART TWO:

Set some goals: Short term, interim, and long term.

This one was not so easy because some of these interim goals might take a long time and wasn't sure how to cut them down in smaller chunks. But I did come up with something and I think I can expand upon these a bit more in the future.

Short Term Goals:

• Continue to develop the writing habit.
• Choose two magazines for children and send away for the guidelines.
• Buy a new Dictionary & Thesaurus (Mine are falling apart.) 
• Create a workspace.

Interim Goals:

• Continue reviewing award winning works written for children.
• Practice writing dialog.
• Rework submitted stories, adhering to the editors notes.
• Build a tool box of resources.
• Become familiar with the children's market.
• Complete ICL course work.
• Read all suggested stories.

Long Term Goals:

• Create and publish short stories and non fiction articles for children.
• Break into writing middle grade fantasy fiction.

PART THREE:

Develop a consistent writing schedule.  Yeah, that's laughable. Not the writing schedule, but the fact that I need to create one that is consistent. Thankfully the chapter encourages you to be flexible. Ultimately I would love to say that I plan to write from 10:00am to 3:00 pm.  Because that is the time my children are at school and when I am suppose to be "free".

I'm not really sure  what I'm suppose to be free from? Laundry? Dishes? Tripping over scattered toys?  Dr's appointments?  Filling out medical and school paper work?  Oh I know, maybe I'm free to do everything my family, friends and acquaintances want me to do because they have the misguided idea that I sit here all day watching TV and I'm just itching for something else to do? 

Boredom? Me? No Sir! Wrong!  All that stuff is still here waiting to be done, the only thing I am free from is children. Children who may, if they are in a good mood, actually help me get something done! 

let's be honest, because I'm trying to care for a large family it is usually noon or later before I even get half of my household tasks done each day. So I'm going to attempt to divide this five hour time period in half.  Two in a half hours will be spent on domestic chores (and the farm) and the other two in a half hours will be spent on something pertaining to writing. ** While still attempting to deal with all the unexpected interruptions in between.

Some of the things I might do that pertain to writing are:

• A daily prompt.
• An ICL assignment
• ICL course reading
• Revising and editing
• Reading other authors work

Sure I will have more time in the evening when I'm helping my kids with their homework, making dinner, demanding that they take a bath and get ready for the following day. I'll try to sneak in a reading but I do not want to make this writing time as it will be to difficult to maintain the flow of thought.

PART FOUR:

Finding a place to write!  This is the last section I want to discuss tonight because it's been a real hassle lately!  My 11 year old twins decided they no longer wished to share a room.  My husband and I were happy to oblige at first. The twins are very different in personality and we thought the separation may decrease the turmoil that's been  occurring between them lately.  It seems they have been taking turns intentionally trying to annoy the hell out of each other which ultimately has me playing the role of referee. This is a role I do NOT enjoy.

Anyway, it took a major overhaul of three rooms to accomplish the task. Now my "office" which use to be quiet, is now shared with a cable TV complete with VCR, DVD and gaming system, the dog, (Chloe) her bed and a gazillion squeaky toys. Oh yes! And let us not forget my husbands two desks ( For our home based business Scott Trim Carpentry) that look more like two piles from an episode of Hoarders then an actual workspace!

Unfortunately, The twins still think of my office as "their room" since it once belonged to them and will come in whenever  they feel the need and play with the dog and it's squeaky toys. And each of the children also use my desk as a dumping ground for all school papers and any articles of mail. As crazy as it sounds I made a special place for the mail on top of a file cabinet right near the door. This way they don't even have to come in the room to drop the mail off, which saves me time each morning trying to sort out my desk before being able to set to work and stops my notes from being accidentally mixed in with the junk mail.

The whole switch over has had it's trials but I am happy to say that at least my portion of the room is put together and appears as though it will be a more than adequate space in which to work. I won't show my husbands half of the room. It frightens me.

My Writing Desk

&

For Scott Trim Carpentry

My Craft Desk and School Papers & Projects

The Mail Holder!

Flight - 4 Lines Of Prose - DWP From 4/6/12

The doorbell rang and young Jared Frink ran as fast as his little legs would carry him and opened the door wide.

“Hi Grandma!” he said as he hugged Margaret Frink around the knees.

Margaret looked down at her young grandson taking notice of his Superman Underoos and accompanying red cape. She smiled.

“What’s this you have on Jared? Are you a superhero?”

Jared nodded. “Yup,  Suppe Man!” He held his arms up high above his head and made a swooshing noise.

“Oh!” Margaret said delighted. “Have you been practicing your flying today?”

Jared nodded. “Yeah.” Then he cast his eyes down to the floor.

Margaret placed a finger under his chin and raised his head so she could get a good look at him.

“I’m not very good a flying, Grandma.” Then all of a sudden his face brightened and he smiled showing his lack of incisors for the first time. “But I’m really good at crashing!” Jared put his arms high above his head, turned and used his super powers to zoom through the living room and up the stairs.

Random CD - ( First Line - Mudvayne's World So Cold) DWP From 4/5/12

When passions lost

And all the trust is gone

The children pay the cost

Becoming more withdrawn



Retreating from reality

In an attempt to ignore

All the acts of brutality

They can’t escape anymore



The despondent grow weak

As they lock their hopes away

Our outlook turns bleak

And we watch the world decay



You simply must believe my dear

Faith is what you need to show

Then the hidden pathways clear

And all at once you will know



All is not as it might seem

So pray in earnest for the dawn

The one who reigns supreme

Promised to help you carry on



Listen for the angel’s voice

Ring out above the fray

Let us all rejoice because

Christ has shown the way



Happy Easter

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To all those of other faiths,

Have a great weekend.

Butterfly - DWP From 4/4/2012

On zebra wings of black and white,
The swallow tail takes off in flight.
Shallow puddles it tends to seek,
Extends its tongue and takes a drink.
Paw Paw Trees provide a treat,
The sweet nectar it loves to eat.
Then off again into the sky,
To wander past and flutter by.

Fast Food - 2 Haiku - DWP From 4/3/12

I apologize ahead of time for the first one...

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Eat Taco Bell, Then
Make a run for the border.
Don't forget the fan.

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You call this stuff food?
Tiny pieces of .... Chicken?
Drenched in Canola.

Space Station - DWP From 4/2/12

The chamber door slid open and Botanist Sasha Reese stepped into the room.

Sensing her presence the grow lights used to illuminate the lab came to life one after the other in rapid succession.

“Good morning Doctor Reese.”

“And a very good morning to you, L.I.L.Y.. Please begin voice recording.”

“Right away, Dr. Reese.”

Sasha walked to the first of the raised beds.

“Everbearing Strawberries, minimal fruit present. The fruit remains hard and green.”

“Ever bearing my arse.” Sasha exclaimed under her breath.

“Excuse me Dr. Reese? But what do strawberries have to do with your… your arse?”

“Never mind that L.I.L.Y”

Sasha moved on to the second bed.

“Concord Grapes. Lots of new growth. Five months and still no fruit present.”

Sasha sighed “To hell with these grapes. I’ll try a different species.”

The door to the chamber slid open again and botanist Dr. Richard Campbell stepped into the room.

“Good morning Dr. Campbell.”

“Good morning L.I.L.L.Y. How are things going this morning?”

“I’m sorry to report Dr. Campbell that Dr. Reese had decided to send the grapes to hell because her arse is everbearing.”

Fourth - DWP From 4/1/12

The sun was setting as Sam pulled his truck into the easement of the narrow dirt road known as Meadow Street. He turned off the ignition, placed the keys under the visor and opened the door. Happily he skipped his way to the other side of the shiny vehicle and opened the passenger side.

“May I Miss Blankenship?”

“Why of course, Mr. Adare. I’d be delighted.”

Sam helped his companion from the vehicle and together they carefully walked down the embankment. Heading toward a blanket that lay stretched across the grass of the open field. A brown wicker picnic basket was set off to the side. Miss Blankenship smiled at the sight. Sam was ecstatic, he’d spent days looking for just the right place to finally win the heart of Karen Blankenship. He’d even spent the hour before, at this very same spot spraying can after can of mosquito repellant. Just to make sure that their time together wouldn’t be spoiled by the evening bugs that resided near the water’s edge.

As they took their places on the blanket, Sam tried his best to be a proper host.

“May I interest you in a chicken salad sandwich and some sweet tea? Perhaps you’d like a bit of chocolate cake?”

Karen accepted a glass of tea and half a sandwich and the two sat quietly eating while nervously taking turns smiling at one another. Fifteen minutes later Sam’s careful planning paid off. Just as they were finishing their shared meal vibrant colored fireworks of red, blue, green and gold began shooting overhead. Karen’s eyes sparkled; she had thought Sam had brought her here with the intention of spending time with her alone and skipping the Independence Day fireworks. The sight of them now high over head, coupled with their beautiful images reflected off the lake set the stage for an enchanted evening.

Karen smiled and took hold of his hand. Sam’s smile grew and he turned to her and whispered.

“Happy Fourth of July, Miss Blankenship.”

DWP - Prompt : White Lies (Four Lined Poem) (From 3/31/12)

No, it wasn’t really a lie
It was more like an omission
But my attempts at being sly
Have put me in a precarious position

DWP - Prompt : Town Elders (Prose) (From 3/30/12)

“The boy may enter now, Hanzel”

The man standing at the doorway bows to the members of the tribal counsel and lifts the flap of the tent. Without looking back he exits and begins to address a young man standing outside the tent.

“Ranku, the counsel requests your presence.” Without another word Hanzel leads Ranku back into the tent.

The eldest member of the counsel stands. “Ranku of Tabreth, today is the eve of your sixteenth birthday. Today we will see which quest shall mark your transition to manhood. Walk to the sacred chalice and draw from it a single stone.”

Ranku does as he is told. He places his hand into the chalice and pulls from it a small blue stone with the number three engraved upon it. He holds it out to the counsel elder.

“Three has been chosen. It is the quest of the oceans .You shall retrieve a black pearl.”

Immediately Ranku curses his luck, a tear falls from his eye and he is left wishing he would have learned to swim.