Category Archives: Journalling

Wildlife Surprise

Posted on April 11, 2026 | 4 comments

Moose Tracks: The “Camel” Story
Circa 1972–1973


Back in a small Maine town—North Fryeburg—that’s where my sister and I grew up. We lived on top of a big hill, and every single school day started with a hike down it to catch the short bus.

Yes, we rode the bus.
No, we were not dropped off at the door like today’s luxury models.

Our parents were already at work before we even tied our shoes, so missing that bus wasn’t an option—it was a full-blown personal failure with consequences.

Some mornings our babysitter, Berta—who was equal parts caregiver and second mother—came to our house. Other times, we went to hers. That morning, she came to us, bringing along her daughter, Rachel.

Rachel and Penny were in the same class—best friends, inseparable. Where one went, the other followed. Back then, Rachel didn’t speak due to what we simply called “no talking syndrome,” so my sister Penny became her voice. Which, frankly, meant Rachel didn’t need to talk… and also didn’t talk to me.

We were getting ready to head down the driveway—that long, steep, probably-should’ve-counted-as-cardio hill—when I parked myself at the bay window to keep watch for the bus while slow poke Penny and Rach were doing whatever it was they did before we went to school.

And then…

I saw them.

“I kid you not—there are CAMELS coming up the hill!”

Three of them.
One big one in the middle, and two smaller ones flanking it like a slow-motion parade.

I lost my mind.

“YOU GUYS—COME SEE THESE CAMELS!”

They were just casually strolling up the hill like they owned the place. No rush. No concern. Just… meandering. Like they had a morning appointment and we weren’t it.

Penny and Rachel rushed over, and the three of us stood there, completely mesmerized.

Camels.
In our yard.
In Maine.

It made perfect sense at the time.

And then Berta walked over.

She took one look out the window, paused for half a second, and said:

“You fool, Barbie… those aren’t camels—
they’re moose.”

And just like that…
My grand wildlife discovery collapsed faster than my confidence.

But listen—when you’re a kid on a hill in Maine before coffee was even a thought, perspective gets a little… flexible.

To this day, I still stand by one thing:
From a distance, in the right light… moose have a very convincing hump.

Hope you enjoyed this TRUE story.

Cheers,

4 Comments

Posted in Creative writing, Family, Humor, Inspiration, Journalling, Nature, Writing

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E – Evolving

Posted on April 6, 2026 | 9 comments

Evolving
Growth is the point, not perfection.
Pen to paper.
Thoughts turning into words, ink pressing quietly into a page that will eventually outlive the moment that created it.
Every line carries a little hesitation, a little truth, and the occasional smudge where certainty once tried to live.
Headlines move faster than understanding.
News travels quickly, and judgment travels even faster.
The questions arrive on schedule: What have you done?
What could you have done?
As if the world were simple enough for clean answers.
History has never been that tidy.
Propaganda calls it saving a country.
Some are crowned heroes, others disappear into the quiet margins where the unsung always seem to live. Nations fight nations, while smaller wars unfold behind ordinary walls where no flags are raised but the stakes still feel just as high.
In war there are no true winners.
In the end, everyone falls in one way or another—some loudly, some quietly, but no one untouched.
The past, stubborn as ever, has a habit of repeating itself.
New slogans.
New voices.
Yet the same familiar pursuits continue circling the room:
power, recognition, control, wealth.
And somewhere between the noise of headlines and the echoes of history, a quieter realization waits patiently.
Perfection was never the destination.
But growth—
growth surprisingly leaves fingerprints on every page.


What do you think?  Are you evolving?  How are your challenges that you face going?  Let me know.

Cheers,

 

9 Comments

Posted in #A2ZChallenge, A-Z Blogging, Authors, Blogging, Inspiration, Journalling, Opinion, Poetry, Pondering, Quotes and Thoughts, Random, Writing

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Letter Writing – Feeding the Flock 23

Posted on April 14, 2023 | 7 comments

letter

 

The old-fashioned hand-written letter is definitely a thing of the past. I found this in my grandmother’s old scrapbook. It is dated 1934, which makes this little piece of paper I was careful to scan about 90 years old. Based on the date, my grandmother would have been almost 20 when she wrote this letter to her sister-in-law. I am one of the few left who supports the USPS by writing the old fashion hand-written letter at least once a week.

I find this letter is bittersweet in more ways than one. My grandmother is gone, and has been gone for 36 years. I imagine things were a lot different when it came to relationships in 1934 than they are now. Letters were probably few and far between. There were no emails, no text messages, no personal messages, no phone calls, no Skype, no Face-time, no snap-chat or any of the other social media formats that are available to people today.

Unfortunately, relationships are not valued as much as they were in 1934. People in today’s world take advantage of technology and just assume that their friends and family will always be there at the push of a button. And we wonder why it is so difficult for people to have meaningful connections with each other. Respect is a thing of the past and people don’t value relationships like they used to. If there is a falling-out with one friend, they move on to the next person because with social media you can have 3,848 friends on Facebook, yet still not understand the value of one true friend.

With all of the communicating technology available today one would think that contact with family members or old friends would be a normal thing to do. Today do something out of the ordinary. Contact that relative or old friend you haven’t talked to in awhile. Don’t take that relationship for granted.  There is no time like the present.

~I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write you with pen and ink, but I hope to see you shortly and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you … 3 John 13-14

Be blessed,

Don’t forget to check out the Lemon Cake.

 

7 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Creative writing, Family, Inspiration, Journalling, Random, Uncategorized, Writing, Writing Challenge

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Dazbar’s Run – Feeding the Flock 23

Posted on April 5, 2023 | 2 comments

March 3

Dazbar’s Run

Five bodies buried deep, beneath the snow fast asleep.
What kind of secrets will they find, when Old Man Winter’s left behind?

Love
Respect
Trust
Loyalty
Honesty

Love conquers all who give a care, put them together, they become a pair.
Add Respect and give it a whirl, nothing better between boy and girl.
Along comes Trust with a necessary twist, the perfect addition to this Ménage à trois tryst.
Loyalty brings added pleasure; will Respect and Love will equal the measure?
Honesty is the crucial ingredient essential to a fruitful commitment.

Five bodies buried deep, beneath the snow fast asleep.
Wake them up before they die, true Love needs them it’s no lie.
Respect got lost in all the haste, of seasons changing and new challenges faced.
Trust fell behind in Dazbar’s Run, went instead to have some fun.
Loyalty is lagging but not lost yet, still wants to be part of this duet.
Honesty found another host, and that lack of support is needed most.

Five bodies buried deep, beneath the snow fast asleep.
There is a time for everything, flowers will bloom and birds will sing.
Respect and Love are quite a pair, never apart in this affair.
Trust is every relationship desire, without it the mind will conspire.
Dig it up for it’s not lost, just hiding below the surface of frost.
Loyalty is there just hiding out, needing nourishment in times of drought.

Five bodies buried deep, beneath the snow fast asleep.
Dazbar’s Run has had a go, with these five characters we all know.
Love conquers all to those who care
Respect follows Love to make a pair
Loyalty and Honesty make things work
But without Trust it’s all berserk.

Five bodies buried deep, beneath the snow fast asleep.

 

Galatians 5:16,22 “Walk then in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of your flesh.  The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control.

I think everyone has experienced this in some way, shape, or form. It’s a reminder that we all need.  I know I do on a daily basis.

Be blessed,

 

Enjoy the recipe.

2 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Creative writing, Inspiration, Journalling, Nature, Poetry, Pondering, Quotes and Thoughts, Random, Writing

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Feeding the Flock – Introduction

Posted on March 26, 2023 | 2 comments




Hello friends. It’s great to be writing again. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it. I always tell myself this challenge will get me motivated to keep writing throughout the year but somehow my motivation gets caught up in life. Any hoot I won’t keep you with my thoughts and contemplations.

For those of you who have been here before, go ahead and skip this introduction. Are you new to the world of A-Z? Here’s a brief overview:  a group of fellow bloggers come together each year to share in the experience of writing a post Monday through Saturday every day for the month of April (see schedule here). When I first started there were 1,509 bloggers signed up! Not sure how many will sign up this year but I’m on the list at #25 and #26.   You can read more about the A-Z history here. It’s great to have you along.

Even if you didn’t sign up for the theme reveal,  you can still join in the fun. Just think of something you’d like to share that coincides with the letter of the day. But you have to sign up to participate in posting. Most of all, get involved, have fun, share something you know, share something you don’t know, ask a question, share an answer, and make a new friend. Be part of something great, the blogging world of A-Z.

Be blessed,

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

Posted in #A2ZChallenge, A-Z Blogging, Blogging, Christianity, Creative writing, Feeding the Flock, Food, Humor, Inspiration, Journalling, Pondering, Quotes and Thoughts, Writing, Writing Challenge

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Y = You and You are NOT the Christ ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 29, 2021 | 3 comments


Dear Impersonator:

Y is for you, and you are not the Christ. Oh, but to have just one day to be the Christ! Can you imagine all the wrongs you’d right? Of course you wouldn’t do it the way Christ did. Dying on a cross for sinners? Heck no! You’d just snuff ‘em out with an enchanted twitch of your nose or a few hocus pocus words with a swirly twirl of your magic-wand-pen.  No second chances, sinners, you’re gone! Ha ha …now wouldn’t that be fun?

Sometimes you try to play God, point your finger to the ones who are doing wrong.  You try to put things in motion  to turn out a certain way. Sometimes you do things to make other things happen to get you the desired result. How do those times turn out for you? Never very good right?

Remember cutting the Cedar tree limbs because the road was blocked? The neighbors told you they took care of the road. (Course they lied, but you still had to exert your rights). Cops came told you NOT to touch the trees, even though they were on the right of way. “The Jones (not their real name) have a lot of entitlement in these parts.” Shit you not, the officer said so himself.

God took care of it all in the end, but if you had just left it alone instead of exerting YOUR rights, you wouldn’t have so many run-ins with the neighbors.  You also would not have the sheriff’s department giving you a “friendly reminder” every time you decide to start a new project! That name has clout in the these parts…don’t you forget it. You’re a Yankee and the South is gonna do it again (that’s a whole other topic, don’t get started!)

Do you wonder if other people think about having that kind of power? Wonder what it would be like to be the Christ for one day? Isn’t that why writers write? To live in a little bit of fabricated world to set aside the real world humdrums even for a short period of time. That’s why you write when you are writing to entertain yourself.

Even in a good short story with that kind of power you couldn’t handle it. You probably wouldn’t be able to handle three wishes. You’d screw up the first two, then have to use the last one to wish that you never had them in the first place. It’s better to live by these instructions.

1. It is all in God’s hands, you are not the Christ.
2. Any questions, refer to #1.

Thanks for playing along. This was just a silly-willy kind of letter. You were convicted a lot in that last Bible study. It’s good to be humble.  He’s got it all planned and mapped out for you if you just follow His prompting. Don’t try to do it on your own. You’ll mess it up and then you know what happens? 


Your constant and faithful,


I don’t know about you guys but I am ready for a break. Omigosh so many things that I’ve not done around the house. Tomato plants are dying to be transplanted (literally). I sure hope we can all stay in touch if not daily, weekly maybe or monthly. It’s really been nice to have you loyal bloggies come around for a visit.

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Xtra Xtra Read All About It! ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 28, 2021 | 14 comments

 

 

Dear Barbiella:

Isn’t it funny how sometimes the things you have planned or not planned work out like you had no idea they were going to work out? Be honest here. When you put down Xtra Xtra read all about it on the Theme Reveal List, you had no clue what you were going to write about. You just figured something would come to mind and you would get it done.

Perhaps you were going to use this post to list some of the favorite blogs that you have been trying to keep up with throughout the challenge.  

o Music
o Vacation
o Projects
o Cartoons
o Life musings

 

Perhaps you were going to have the news about the new opportunities that both you and hubby have at your places of employment. You are both waiting for that yeah or neigh to go through and maybe you thought  you could brag about those opportunities.

Perhaps you wanted to sing praises about your son and all of the awesome opportunities he has at Disney and Universal. Can’t wait to go on the new ride.  

 

You weren’t really sure until about 8:30 PM last Friday evening when you got the news. (You need to write these things down so you remember them in chronological order!) It’s still kind of a secret because all of the important people have not been told. But in your defense none of the important people read your blog anyways so you need not be concerned that they will find out here.

So you are gonna be a Granny! Isn’t that exciting?   Today is about CELEBRATION! YOU are finally going to be a Granny-mamma! How AWESOME! More to come at a later date.

Your constant and faithful,

 

The end is near … on the last three letters XYZ.  Don’t give up now. You can do this.  Try to get yourself a copy of the Master List so you can continue to visit other blogs throughout the year.  Buy a TSHIRT if you haven’t already.  Make some comments or share your linky-dinks on the social media platforms.  Have some fun.  Enjoy the ride…ooh Road Trip coming up.

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Weekly Letters ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 27, 2021 | 10 comments


Dear Cool Heel:

Cool heel is a joke, but for real, one of your heels is cold all the time lately. You don’t know why, but it won’t warm up. Maybe you need to get a cup warmer and set it on that during the day? Ha ha.

Did you know December 7th is National Letter Writing Day?

You know it’s funny, you have been writing yourself this whole month and not paid much attention to writing any of the weekly letters you normally do. Saved some money in postage. Your S☼nshine mentioned he hadn’t seen a letter lately so you did sneak in one to him, and your pregnant daughter (secret revealed) over the weekend.  It was strange as you were composing the letter like you were still writing in second person point of view. It’s a little bit of a challenge writing in the first person again.

The weekly letters are the reason this theme came about. They are as much fun as this month’s challenge. Even more fun (especially) when you get a letter back. Most people are not letter writers and don’t write back.  But it’s peculiar when people don’t like to get a letter.

Something to keep in mind. Perspective. Everyone has a different stance on things. Writing how you feel or what you think may not be perceived by someone else the same way. What you find happy and exciting, others might see as depressing. Sad but true. No way around it. [Matthew 7:6] Be careful what you share and who you share with.

And one more W thing… What do you season a WOK with? Do you season a WOK?  Why is your WOK always getting tarnished with rust? Can anyone help?

Your constant and faithful,

10 Comments

Posted in #A2ZChallenge, A-Z Blogging, Creative writing, Family, Journalling, Letters from the Heart, Letters to Self, Letters to Self, Opinion, Pondering, Writing, Writing Challenge

Vicious Life Cycles ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 26, 2021 | 9 comments


Dear Barbarinie:

It sucks that you picked vicious life cycles as today’s topic. Sometimes you have to face it. Life is not all skittles and beer or rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes life wants to push you down and fuck ya stick it you where the sun don’t shine. Not so much life, really, but people in your life or situations that come about that involve people in your life. You know like the ebb and flow of the Atlantic tide.

Vicious life cycles are something like generational sin. It goes on and on until someone decides to stop it. Not that they can because you have tried to right the wrongs. Just because you speak it true, won’t make it real. You cannot control how others will react to your desires. You are not the Christ (coming up in a future post).

Vicious are the things in life that you want to change, you try to change, but you don’t have the power to change them. So what can you do?


1. Don’t sweat the small stuff. In a day/week/month/year it won’t matter anyways.
2. Realize all people are messy. They deal with the same things you do.
3. Show grace. Everyone needs to be shown a little clemency.
4. Know when to just shut up. Remember what Thumper said in Bambi.


Practice these few things and that will be the beginning of stopping the vicious life cycles you find yourself in with people. Just know life is not always going to be smooth as velvet 🧶

Go have a good day now.
Your constant and faithful,

Can you believe we are on our last week of the challenge?  How’s everyone doing?  Having a good time?  I am going to be bummed to see it end.  How about you guys?  Are you going to keep at it and continue blogging on a daily/weekly/monthly basis?  How do you fit it all in? Just curious.

9 Comments

Posted in #A2ZChallenge, A-Z Blogging, Blogging, Creative writing, Family, Inspiration, Journalling, Letters from the Heart, Letters to Self, Letters to Self, Opinion, Pondering, Quotes and Thoughts, Random, Writing, Writing Challenge

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Understanding Truths ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 24, 2021 | 6 comments


Dear Barbie

Understanding Truths, what does that even mean? Remember the truth or dare game you used to play as a kid? It was always intimidating after the question was asked knowing you had to be truthful or take the dare. Who knows what that dare could be? Kids had a funny way of making each other participate in silly and stupid things. And to be honest, how did they know if you were telling the truth or not.  Ever since the ballerina incident your conscience always got to you.  

Tall Cool ☺ne always says, “Say what you mean and mean what you say”. He is very literal. It’s hard for you because you write.  You write for effect and sometimes things need embellishment. You should work on articulating without trimming when communicating … you are not writing a story.

Point to mention, this new venture at work entails a full background check ~life time. Crazy, huh?  You are pretty good at knowing what is in your past since you’ve journaled about every little detail. While trying to get the documentation for one such incident from the court, the person on the other end tried to tell you it wouldn’t show up when they did the background check. Hello? Person on the other end of the phone, you’re seeing it, what makes you think “they” are not going to see it?

Why do people have an issue with truth? Do they think that if they don’t talk about it makes it not true? Do they think if they speak what they think is true that’s what it will be?  This is where Understanding Truths came to land on the list.



Just a quick look in your bible’s index and there are over 58 references to the word “truth”. Probably the most important one is John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” If you ask Him, He will give you all the truth you need. You don’t need to understand anyone else’s truths.

Learn about some truths here … today (4/24/21) only

 

That’s all for today. (Oh and you have a secret… )

Your constant and faithful,

 

6 Comments

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TGIF – Thanksgiving ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 23, 2021 | 8 comments


Dear Barbie

Can you believe there are only six letters left after today? Whatever will you do? Today’s letter is about thanksgiving. Not the holiday (although it is Tall Cool ☺ne’s favorite) but thanksgiving in general.

As you read through the past letters in your little orange journal, you find a few revelations that have helped you understand and get past some of your silly stubbornness. Let’s just say you still have a long ways to go. But aren’t you happy you took the time to write to yourself? At the end of this month you are going to owe yourself 26 letters! (Ha Ha)

Seriously though, when you forget to give thanks for the simple things, you tend to look for things that you don’t have. When you do that it snowballs into a great big battle of discontentment and disappointment. It’s actually been quite nice writing to yourself here on your blog because you have such great people who respond. Thanks, blog buddies! ☺  I really appreciate all you do!

When you look back and see what you have or what you don’t have, it’s usually the daily little things that mean the most. Does that make sense? It’s the trivial things that are huge if they aren’t there. The first breath you take when you wake up, indoor plumbing, the flick of a switch that brings light to the room, a hot cup of coffee, that little piece of Bible scripture that starts the day,  a wink from Tall Cool ☺ne when he peeks into your office each morning, the purring of the cat cuddled up on your neck, the good morning texts from your kids, the bunnies, birds, butterflies and squirrels in the yard, a glass of wine at the end of the day… The list is endless if you just take the time to think about it. It’s the small daily things that count as big in the end. Be sure to give thanksgiving every day.

Have a great day!

How’s everyone’s challenge going? Are you all having a good time? Visiting lots of other blogs?  I gave up trying to visit five new blogs each day– my bad I’m sorry. But if you visit me I do my best to visit you. Have you ordered a t-shirt yet? I really hope Jeremy creates a SURVIVOR TSHIRT for completing the challenge. Are you finding all of the letters so far in the scavenger hunt?  Don’t forget to check out the master list and see if there is a blog you may have missed. We are on the final stretch now.  You can do it!

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Salting the Wounds ~Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 22, 2021 | 6 comments

Dear Salty Dawg:

Salting the wound is making an already unpleasant situation worse. As much as you want to share your little orange notebook entry for today’s letter, you know it’s not the right thing to do. Sometimes you just gotta know when to let people go. Sometimes you can’t fix the wrongs they feel in their life. Sometimes it’s not you. Sometimes you have to accept that you have done all you can. Sometimes they won’t let bygones be bygones.  Sometimes you need to let them go, scissor ✂them out of your life. Stop trying to fix them.

You probably should have picked Starbucks or Sunshine or summer or Sometimes… here’s a song by one of your favorites.  Perfect for this post…..


See ya,

                   

 

 

6 Comments

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Reflections of What Made You Who You Are ~Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 21, 2021 | 10 comments

Dear B,

Well you have absolutely done it again. Picked a topic which takes a lot of deep thought and contemplation. How in the world will you get this post done in time? There’s much to do…cooking, cleaning …. and calling your mother.

You may have to cheat just a little.

Why do you write ?  Have a gander right here.  When you get a chance maybe you should update that.

Writing has always been a hobby but at one point there was a time you wanted to be famous.  Remember that terrible book you had so many issues with?

It’s more fun to just have a place to ponder your thoughts and write whatever you want instead of what people tell you to write.

When you get sick of writing let your creativity explode in the kitchen. You always have something tasty going on over there.

Tall Cool ☺ne and you have such a fairytale to tell, not to mention the on-going journeys and never ending projects. My, my, you are a busy little thing aren’t you?  Just a face in the crowd baby, a face in the crowd.

Now, in perfect fashion, you have decided to take on that opportunity you talked about in an earlier post. Good luck my dear. You can do this. You have the inclination and determination it takes to push yourself to reach higher goals. If you are comfortable, you are not challenging yourself. Remember that, and when the going gets tough, get a cup of coffee and the tough will get going.

You just realized you don’t have a blog for the kids and grandkids.  You need to build a site for them….one more thing to add to your to do list.

until next time your constant and faithful,

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Quiet Time ~Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 20, 2021 | 11 comments

Dear Barbie:

As you mentioned yesterday people are part of your life. While thinking about what to write in regards to quiet time, two very special people came to mind.  Your sister and your friend Rach.  A lot could be said about the quietness between you and your sister, but instead, we are going to dedicate this one to Rachel.  She knows a whole lot about quiet times.

Read about Rachel’s Quiet Time here.

What are your thoughts?  Do you know someone like Rachel?

If you have any Questions ❓ for Rachel feel free to send her an email.

Until next time,

your constant and faithful,

I don’t know about you but this has been so much fun writing and getting to talk to you guys everyday.  I really hope we will stay in touch.  If not every day maybe once a week, or a month?  I need the encouragement so I’ll help you if you help  me.  ☺

11 Comments

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People ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 19, 2021 | 8 comments


Dear Barbie:

People are part of your life. They come and go in your life all the time. Some people are part of your life forever and some for a short period of time. People are funny human beings with different characteristics that make you love them or not like them so much at all. Sometimes you can chose to have people in your life and other times you don’t get that option.

In you’re opinion you are lucky to get the opportunity to work from home and not have to meet people face to face on a daily basis. Others might disagree, but you have a tendency to tell people exactly what you think (you are working on this and doing a good job, but still have a long ways to go).  You think a lot of people are a few cans short of a six pack.

This challenge has brought many new people into your life and it’s a blessing to be able to learn about so many new things and the opportunity to visit new cultures, fresh ideas and different opinions. You would like to mention some people (old pals and some new faces too).

Our smiling Janet is taking us on a round trip through San Francisco.
Curious Cathy is sketching us pictures and sharing Looney Tunes cart☺☺ns.
John single-handedly is counting down the top 40.
Tamara always has a fresh new perspective to ponder.

How could I forget Karen where I can always go home to Maine?
Iain shares the background of characters from his State Trilogy.
Pradeep is taking us through Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore.
Arlee (founder of A-Z) taking us for a river ride.


There are so many more people to mention and should but then it wouldn’t be short and sweet. Make sure you visit the master list and pick a category you wouldn’t normally look at. Go see what they are up to. Make a nice comment! You have more people to meet, so what are you waiting for.

Cheers,

Well folks we only have two weeks to go.  How is everyone doing?  Are you planning to keep at it after the challenge is over?  I for one definitely want to keep writing.  It brings me such joy.  We still have the After Survey, Reflections and then the Road Trip…that will be fun.

 

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Opportunity for Growth ~ Letters from the Heart #atozChallenge

Posted on April 17, 2021 | 7 comments

Dear Fortune Hunter:

What in the world will you come up with next? Opportunities for growth? What is it that you want to grow in? That chocolate cake is a great opportunity for thigh and butt growth. Pretty sure that’s not what you were talking about when you put that on your theme reveal list.

You were probably thinking more of growth being on the spiritual side. That Bible study you have been working on It’s All Under Control has helped a lot. The struggle is real, my friend and you will deal with it on a daily basis. Control is not your friend.

At the time of writing this letter you were a little convicted for letting an opportunity slip by. One of the crew members on Tall Cool ☺ne’s Crew was given the chance to move up on the crew and take a new position with a small pay increase. He just had to show some effort that he wanted to do it by going to get a permit and then doing some training to get a certain license. (All paid for and done at work.) His response was “The little bit of money is not worth my time and effort”.

This convicted you a little because it was similar to a response you used when a new opportunity came up at work. The opportunity you gave up was a new position that offered an increase in salary and flexible shift.

While writing this letter you just talked yourself through it. The thing that is different between the crew member and you is about 35 years. You have to take courses on your own time. What do you want to do with your free time?  It is not paid for by the company until you pass the test. Then you are not guaranteed the position. Also not sure that your hours would be the same.

Maybe you will regret not engaging in the opportunity. One door closes, another one opens. Sometimes you have to know when to say no. That, my friend, is opportunity growth.



Until next time,
Your constant and faithful

[Side-note: this is the short version. You promised your readers you would keep these posts short and sweet. The full version can be found in that cool Orange 🍊 journal you bought for yourself just for this project]

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Marriage ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 15, 2021 | 8 comments


Dear Woman:

You sure know how to challenge yourself with this years A to Z Blogging Challenge. Marriage? You really want to write about marriage?

A bribe to make a housekeeper think she’s a house holder.                                                     ~Thornton Wilder

An institution which is popular because it combines the minimum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity.                                  ~George Bernard Shaw

Neither heaven, nor hell… simply purgatory.                                                                                                ~Abraham Lincoln

Another topic with potential of stepping on toes and being controversial.  Why you picked marriage for the M topic we may never know.  Here you are, trying to come up with something witty and sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t have a clue.

Here’s what you’ve learned:

  • Don’t put anchovies on pizza
  • Fruit does not go in beer
  • All potato salad is the same
  • No matter how you slice it, cake is not pie

There are other things but it’s too early in the morning, you’re brain has not had enough coffee.  You just asked for a tip from Tall Cool ☺ne.  His words of wisdom: Don’t get married until you know everything! 

Tomorrow we’ll talk about needful things.

Until next time,
Your constant and faithful



What is A2ZBlogging? Using this premise, you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z. It doesn’t even have to be a word–it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself. The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

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Love Letter ~ Letters from the Heart #atozchallenge

Posted on April 14, 2021 | 8 comments

Dear Barbie:

Do you know what a love letter is? An expression of love in written form. You are loved. Tall Cool ☺ne loves you so much. Look at that little note you found while trying to find the perfect picture for this post.

The frankest and the freest product of the human mind and heart is a l♥ve letter.

~Mark Twain

Something of substance. Something you can hold on to. It’s not an email or a text message that is going to be deleted with the next update.  People do that all the time on social media.  They share memes telling this one or that one how much they love them.  Unfortunately it’s usually after someone dies.  If it’s not important every day, why make it important when someone dies? 

Don’t conform to this world.  Make time to let the ones you love know how much you love them.  You are loved Barbie… so much. You love so many people and you do what you do.  Send them the old fashion handwritten letter.  They love that.

People are busy and people don’t have time.  So are you. Everyone has the same number of hours in a day.  It’s sort of like that saying it’s not the years of life you live, it’s the life in the years you live.  It’s not how many hours you are busy, but what is the business you are filling the hours with?

Continue making time to tell the people you love just that.

Until next time,

Your constant and faithful,

 

How’s everyone’s challenge going? Are you all having a good time? Visiting lots of other blogs? Shout out today to John for listing the perfect song to add to my blog today.  I’m trying to visit five new blogs each day but it’s not easy. Have you ordered a t-shirt yet? I really hope Jeremy creates a SURVIVOR TSHIRT for completing the challenge. Are you finding all of the letters so far in the scavenger hunt?  Don’t forget to check out the master list and select a few that you may not normally visit. Good luck and have fun.

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Kids ~ Letters from the Heart #A2ZChallenge2021

Posted on April 13, 2021 | 13 comments


Dear Mom: (it sounds like “mum” when you say it).

You say anchiladas instead of enchiladas, selsa instead of salsa, sireen instead of siren, dooryard instead of drive-way, and the list goes on and on. But this letter is not about your accent and how you say things the wrong way. It might be more fun because writing about kids is could be a little contentious.



Between you and Tall Cool ☺ne you have four kids: three boys and one girl. NRMZ in order of age. Our Nice, Radiant, Motivating and Zealous children.  One of a kind, our group of kids. They are grown adults. You don’t get to see them as much as you would like to.

Everyone says they live their lives for their kids, and every choice they make is for the good of their kids. You don’t think so. It’s hard to write about kids because someone’s feelings might be hurt, or someone else might judge you based on what you say.

It is hard to live up to the standards that people have for each other. You try to lead your kids to make good choices, what you think is the right choice. As much as you want to take care of every little issue that they have, sometimes you have to let them figure it out on their own.

When they call and say “Mom, I don’t know what to do.” That does not translate into “Mom, tell me what you would do because I know you have my best interest at heart and I can always count on you to lead me right.” Even though you think that now, they are not going to listen to you any more than you listened to your mother. You still aren’t listening to your mother, so don’t expect more from your kids than you can do yourself.

You think that one day all four kids, NRMZ with spouses and children in tow, are going to come to your house for a nice Sunday dinner. You have been talking about this since before you and Tall Cool ☺ne were married. Tall Cool ☺ne keeps telling you it’s never gonna happen. You can’t help having a dream, a wish, a hope.

This letter should have been about kangaroos or karaoke. Kids are too hard to write about. You love your kids. As much as you don’t want to admit it you want to control situations and relationships. You need to get over that and just let them be. They are not you and they do not see things the way you do. Enjoy their company and phone calls when you get them.  Stop mingling in trying to make everything like the Brady Bunch. You are not Carol Brady.

Until next time,
Your constant and faithful,

How’s everyone’s challenge going? Are you all having a good time? Visiting lots of other blogs? Did you get a TSHIRT?  Have you found all of the letters so far in the scavenger hunt?  Don’t forget to check out the master list and select a few that you may not normally visit. Good luck and have fun.

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Journal Master ~Letters from the Heart #A2ZChallenge2021

Posted on April 12, 2021 | 8 comments


Dear Journaling Master:

This entry kind of feels like cheating because you used journaling in a previous A2Z challenge, but it seems only fitting that it be used again. For real, your hand written journals date back to sometime in 1982. You’re gonna keep them FOREVER!

Most of them are crammed into a plastic tote. Do you remember when you used to try to put them on a bookshelf in chronological order? You are so anal sometimes. But they took up way too much book space. It was the journals or the Stephen King collection. Too bad for you, Steve’s book display is a little more attractive than your hodge-podge of journals.

You have thought about getting rid of them. What purpose do they serve other than taking up space? But whenever you think of destroying them, you have nightmares and it scares the shit out of you like cutting your hair. It feels like part of you would die.

After-all, one day you may want to read through your trials, errors, tribulations, satisfactions, fulfillment, and success. Or not, who knows? For now the journals stay.  Besides, journaling is a way of escape, a stress reliever, a problems solver. Grab a pen, grab a cup of coffee☕, open up a fresh blank page and let your journey begin.

Until next time,
your constant and faithful,

What do my fellow journal keepers do with your journals? How do you store them? Are they in neat little boxes? Do you keep them? What are your thoughts and ideas about keeping old journals?

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Ignore Negativity ~ Letters From the Heart #A2ZChallenge2021

Posted on April 10, 2021 | 9 comments


Dear Sunshine:

Today’s submission couldn’t have come at a better time. You beat yourself up all day yesterday for being an unproductive member of the blogging society. You even read a couple of blogs and didn’t post a comment or like them. Shame on you! You slob, do your job. That will teach you to stay up late, drinking and partying half the night on a school night!

Speaking of one of the other blogs, lets give a shout out to John over at The Sound of One Hand Typing! He enlightened your musical knowledge. Tall Cool ☺ne has a song. It’s included with today’s contribution for your listening pleasure.


Pay attention to ignoring the nay-sayers. You are doing better at not getting involved in the controversial posts and conversations you see on social media. Your next step is to ignore them completely. Don’t read them, don’t write about them in your journal, stay away from them completely. No good comes of it.

Let’s use the COVID vaccination as an example. People are taking about it and have lots of opinions on yeah or nay for vaccinating. You were contemplating it and could go one way or the other, didn’t really matter to you.  After reading Steph’s post on Corona , it put your thoughts in different perspective. Tall Cool ☺ne, your kids, your parents, your friends, everyone around you has got the vaccination or is scheduled to so it was time to get on board. As of writing this post, you have your first booster scheduled (good for you).

Ignore the negativity. It serves no purpose.

Until next time,

your constant and faithful,

How’s everyone’s challenge going? Are you all having a good time? Visiting lots of other blogs?  I’m trying to visit five new blogs each day but it’s not Have you ordered a t-shirt yet?  Have you found all of the letters so far in the scavenger hunt?  Don’t forget to check out the master list and select a few that you may not normally visit. Good luck and have fun.

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Helping Those in Need ~Letters From the Heart #A2ZChallenge2021

Posted on April 9, 2021 | 7 comments

Hello, Hello, Howdy and Hey-hey whaddaya say?

Your letter today is going to be short and sweet because Tall Cool ☺ne decided since it was Thirsty Thursday you guys would pretend you were back in high school and instead of him going home after Rockford Files he stayed, and you guys played… into the wee hours of the night (or morning). You are getting a little too old for that on a “school” night and it’s gonna be a long day on three hours of sleep.

Today’s offering is about helping those in need. You might interpret that to mean helping homeless helpless people. Not today my friend. Help is support for anyone who needs it. Just because you work at home don’t think there are not opportunities to help. It comes in various ways.

It can be as simple as a smile 🙂 over the phone ☎️ and if you try really hard people can hear that smile 🙂 in your voice. A gesture 🤙, a peace sign ✌️, a tip of the hat 👒, a nod of the head 🙃, even a like 👍on a social media site or other places you interact with people virtually.

Helping is a gift. Not everyone has the personality to be a helper…some are antagonists. Avoid them at all costs…just kidding, those are the ones who need the help the most. Remember that the next time someone comes along that you would rather avoid. Be the one person in their day that shines.

Until next time,

your constant and faithful,

What is A2ZBlogging? Using this premise, you would start beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.  It doesn’t even have to be a word–it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself.  The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

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Gardening ~Letters from the Heart #A2ZChallenge2021

Posted on April 8, 2021 | 8 comments

 


Hey Bob:

(That’s just a little inside joke. When you call your mother, that’s how she answers the phone. ☺♥)

When the list was made for the “theme reveal” your letter about gardening was meant to be just that. Out in the garden, planting green beans, and cucumbers and tomatoes and all those fun vegetables that you and Tall Cool ☺ne love to eat through the summer and then can/preserve the abundance for later consuming.

After the past few days of self-reflection, gardening has taken on a new perspective. Think of it in a metaphorical sense. Maybe you need to go weeding.

Sometimes what we see as good and pretty is actually destroying what is healthy. For example the wisteria in the back yard is beautiful when in full bloom. The scent is a little over-powering but the flowers are gorgeous.  Unfortunately the plant itself is invasive. When Tall Cool ☺ne cut it back (to your dismay) azalea, camellia and gardenia bushes were revealed.

 

 

Sometimes giant pretty things need to be destroyed to reveal healthy little things.  What is in your life that needs weeding? What looks big and pretty that is covering up small and healthy?

Food for thought.

your constant and faithful,

 

How’s everyone’s challenge going? Are you all having a good time? Visiting lots of other blogs?  I’m trying to visit five new blogs each day but it’s not Have you ordered a t-shirt yet?  Have you found all of the letters so far in the scavenger hunt?  Don’t forget to check out the master list and select a few that you may not normally visit. Most of all, have fun! ♥

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