It seems like all I can talk about is gardening. That's not the case, but I'm going to do one more blog about gardening before I move on to other things. This wonderful fall weather has made it easy to gradually ready the yard for winter, rather than breeze through like a whirling dervish to complete everything over one weekend. It also has allowed for me to collect seeds from the various annuals I planted. One of the most interesting vines I planted this year was the Egyptian pea vine. The seed is a very interesting black pea with white tips, and the vine is spectacular, shooting tall branches into the air with purple flowers littering the top. I planted it around the mailbox and in the corner of the chain link fence, which added beauty and grace to the yard. The seeds were easy to collect, with large pea pods containing three or four seeds each. The pods were purple when forming, and turned a shiny brown as they dried. I have many more seeds than I can use. Maybe I will try to sell some of them... Another plant I am collecting seed from is morning glories. I know it's not necessary because the morning glories reseed themselves like weeds, but I really like them. The … [Read more...]
November 1 words
Sharpen your pencil, or keyboard, or iphone or whatever you write with. This month's project is a creativity stimulator. The object of the project is to take the seven words posted each week and create a short story that includes each of the seven words. The sky's the limit, as long as the story is less than 250 words. Submit the stories to me and I will post them on this site. THIS WEEK'S WORDS: Orange, tree, sprinkle, mouse, gun, underwear and tissue Please submit your story through the comment box below. … [Read more...]
Letter 2
She stepped off the train, her stiletto heels clicking on the concrete platform at Union Station. Her slender fingers slid into her coat pocket to make sure the letter was still there. The letter is what brought her to Chicago in the first place.Her editor thought she was crazy when she burst into his office the day before, giving one day notice that she would be gone for two weeks. She could see the veins in his neck quickly enlarge through his dark brown skin, and his eyes narrowed as they always did when he was angry.“You can’t do this to me right now,” he said. “The story you are working on is too important.”But she had to leave for Chicago the next day. She didn’t tell him why. She just said it was a family emergency. “We’ll see if you have a job when you get back,” he said as she turned to walk out the door. All her co-workers had listened to everything, though they pretended to be working. Everyone had treated her differently since her husband died six months ago. It was as if they were afraid she would break if they talked to her. Maybe his sudden death brought mortality too close to home. She didn’t dare tell any of them about the letter for fear they would think … [Read more...]
No Time to Quit: Life in a Broken Package
No Time to Quit: Life in a Broken Package By Gail Lipe Imagine beginning your life no longer than a table knife in a hospital that lacks even an incubator. Your premature body decides it has had enough and your heart stops beating. Then a nurse breaths life back into you. Through the birthing process, a brain injury causes cerebral palsy, and normal body movements do not develop. Life is hard and help is difficult to find. That is how Gail Johnson's life began in 1932. Her life is littered with miracles that came from decisions made by strong, passionate people. Through a combination of those decisions, surgeries, training and perseverance, Gail has lived a full life. No Time to Quit takes you on a journey through many of the major challenges and events of her life. It shows that there is no time to quit. The book is available at: http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000651227/No-Time-to-Quit.aspx It also is on Barnes and Noble's website and at Amazon. … [Read more...]
