Month: March 2026

The Numbers Game #118

Fandango6 Comments

It’s time for another installment of Judy Dykstra-Brown’s The Numbers Game. This week’s number is 240. To play along, we need to go to our WordPress media/photo file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos we find under that number and include a link to our posts back to Judy’s Numbers Game post of the week.

Here’s my collection of photos based on the number “240.” All of the photos below have appeared in my blog posts. Some are photos posted by other bloggers as photo prompts. Some are screenshots or photos that I took. A few may have been generated by AI art apps, but most are photos I grabbed from free photo sources like Pixabay, Pexels, Pinterest, Unsplash, or Google photos.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

SoCS 2019/20

The Ego of the King

Fandango9 Comments

Back when the American Founding Fathers were shaping the new republic, they deliberately avoided placing living individuals on the nation’s currency. To men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, that practice smacked of monarchy — of kings stamping their own likenesses onto the instruments of national power. The United States, they believed, should be different.

Nearly a century later, Congress made that principle explicit. In 1866, lawmakers passed a statute barring the portrait of any living person from appearing on U.S. currency — a rule that remains in force today.

That tradition has generally held, though not without pressure. In recent years, a growing market for commemorative coins and political memorabilia has blurred the line between official currency and privately produced tributes. Some of these items have prominently featured living political figures, including Donald Trump, raising uncomfortable questions about whether the spirit of the old prohibition is being quietly eroded.

The law itself may still stand. But the instinct behind it — the rejection of elevating living leaders to something resembling royalty — feels less certain than it once did.

And now, the egomaniacal Donald Trump is once again pushing the envelope. Unfazed by the concerns expresssd by the Founding Fathers and the law passed by Congress, Trump is breaking both tradition and possibly the law. His handpicked Commission of Fine Arts last week approved a design for a 24-karat commemorative gold coin to mark America’s 250th anniversary. The coins shows an image of a scowling Trump, with his fists pressed on a desk. (See image above.)

The reported plan is for a 24-karat gold collectible coin, likely about one ounce of gold, with a proposed face value of $250. But that is not the same as the sale price. A face value on a commemorative coin is often symbolic, while the market price depends on the gold weight, finish, and mintage.

If it is a full ounce of 24-karat gold, a reasonable retail expectation would be roughly spot gold plus collector premium, which often means well above $4,000 depending on the market when sold. The U.S. Mint has indicated that it would be a “limited production run,” which means it will be small enough to keep the coin relatively scarce, and that tends to support higher collector prices.

Bear in mind, though, that if produced by the U.S. Mint, the gold coin would be an official commemorative coin issued by the U.S. government, not a private “tribute” coin sold by a campaign or outside company. The Treasury’s take is based on the initial sale price charged by the Mint, not the face value. Later, much higher collector prices are just private‑market trading gains.

I wonder how much money Trump will make by selling his big, bad King Trump gold commemorative coins on the open market.

The rich just keep on getting richer!

Fandango’s Story Starter #240

Fandango10 Comments

It’s once again time for my Story Starter prompt.

Here’s how it works. Every so often I’m going to give you a “teaser” sentence or sentence fragment and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to build a story (prose or poetry) around that sentence/fragment. It doesn’t have to be the first sentence in your story, and you don’t even have to use it in your post at all if you don’t want to. The purpose of the teaser is to spark your imagination and to get your storytelling juices flowing.

This week’s Story Starter teaser is:

At midnight, the abandoned amusement park came alive.

If you care to write and post a story built from this story starter teaser, be sure to link back to this post and tag your post with #FSS. I would also encourage you to read and enjoy what your fellow bloggers do with their stories.

And most of all, have fun.

FOWC With Fandango — Helmet

Fandango14 Comments

Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “helmet.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.

Share Your World — 03/30/2026

Fandango2 Comments
Share Your World

Di, at Pensitivity101, is once again our host for Share Your World. Here are her questions for this week.

1. Can you speak a second language?

I speak a little French and a very little Spanish. But I am excellent at speaking Igpay Atinlay.

2. Can you remember any popular novelty gadget from the past that is not so widely available today?

It was kind of a novelty back in the 80s: an early, hand held PDA, the Palm Pilot.

3. Can you juggle?

You mean physically juggling things like balls or bowling pins? Then the answer is no. But I’ve spent my life juggling finances and budgets and emotions.

4. What is your favorite snack food?

If I want something salty, it’s potato chips. If I want something sweet, it’s Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares. If I want something healthy, it’s Mandarin oranges.

Laughing Along With a Limerick — Time for a Treat

Fandango10 Comments

Esther Chilton has a prompt where she challenges us to craft a humorous limerick.

This week Esther has given us the word “treat.” Are you ready?

Rover heard his owner say “treat?”
He spun around fast on his feet
He jumped, flipped, and rolled
Did everything he was told
Then exhausted fell asleep, he was beat

Image conjured using Copilot

FOWC With Fandango — Constellation

Fandango10 Comments

Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “constellation.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.

This Was Certainly a Surprise

Fandango11 Comments

Were you blogging on WordPress in 2019 and 2020? If you were, you might recall the proliferation of blog awards. From the Liebster Award to the Mystery Blogger Award. From the Unique Blogger Award to the Vincent Ehindero [who?] Blogger Award. From the Beautiful Blogger award to the Blogger Recognition Award. From the Real Neat Blogger Award to the Sunshine Blogger Award.

There were so many bloggers being nominated for so many different blogger awards that being nominated for a blogging award had no meaning. Blog awards became like those chain letters of old. In fact, blog awards became so annoying that many bloggers — me included — declared our blogs to be “Award Free Blogs.” There was even a badge someone created:

And then, in late 2020, blog award nomination posts just disappeared. I checked my blog history and the last blog award nomination I got was in September 2020.

Until today. After five and a half years without a blog award nomination, Midna, over at Beyond the Twilight, nominated my blog for the Sunshine Blog Award! I kid you not. What a shocker. She nominated my blog plus those of ten other bloggers for this long dormant — or so I thought — blogger award. She even provided all of the rules:

  1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. ✔️
  2. Thank the person who nominated you. ✔️ Thank you, Midna.
  3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. ✔️
  4. Answer your nominator’s questions. ✔️
  5. Nominate up to eleven bloggers. ✖️
  6. Ask your nominees eleven questions. ✔️
  7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts. ✖️

So, my blog is an award free blog, but I will answer the questions Midna asked. And that’s as far as I will take it. I will not nominate up to eleven other bloggers for this award. But I will invite any blogger who reads this post of mine to feel free to answer the same questions Midna asked me and to link back to her blog if they wish to do so.

Anyway, here goes.

1. What is your favorite flower and why? Well, my mother’s name was Rose, so I guess I will go with that.

2. In your opinion, what is the difference between Sci-Fi and fantasy? Sci-Fi involves space and time travel, rocket ships, flying saucers, aliens, other planets, robots, and the stars. Fantasy involves dragons, wizards, goblins, kings, knights, and maidens.

3. Which do you have a harder time reading, fiction or nonfiction? Neither, actually. If the book is well written and it grabs me, either is fine. That said, I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction.

4. Does butter go on everything? Not even close to on everything.

5. What is your worst (physical) fear and why? Falling and breaking more bones. Why? Because I’ve already broken too many. I don’t need any more.

6. What is the oldest book you have ever read? I suppose, in terms if when it was actually written, probably the Bible. Great work of fiction.

7. What is your favorite part of Spring and why? The weather. Need I say more?

8. Do you prefer to be hot or cold? I think it’s easier if you’re cold to warm up by putting on more clothing or heavier clothing than it is to cool off when you’re hot.

9. Do you prefer physical book, e-books, or audio books? Mostly e-books these days.

10. If you were stuck on an island, what is one thing you would have to have with you? An e-book reader loaded with great books and a large supply of fresh batteries or a solar-powered charger. An MP3 player might also be nice to have with me.

11. Do you create new names for your characters or use normal ones? Do you always use names? I usually name the characters in my stories — at least first names, sometimes last names as well. And, for the most part, unless I am writing science fiction, the names are normal, contemporary Anglo-Saxon names.

I am not going to nominate eleven other bloggers for the Sunshine Blogger Award. But I do invite anyone who wishes to answer the same questions Midna asked me, and/or the questions she was asked in her blog post, please don’t hesitate to do so.

And remember, folks, mine is an Award Free blog. Let’s not go back to 2019 and restart this blog awards nonsense again.

Song Lyric Sunday — Introspection

Fandango22 Comments

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday challenge, Jim Adams has asked us to find a song related to Sigmund Freud’s id, exhibiting instinctual drives that seek immediate pleasure or gratification without regard for reality. After giving this a lot of thought and rejecting a number of songs that at first I thought might make the grade, but then after listening to them I felt they wouldn’t cut it, I finally decided on a song by Peter Gabriel titled “Digging in the Dirt.”

“Digging in the Dirt” is one of Peter Gabriel’s most intense and personal songs. It was released in 1992 as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Us. It’s a raw, rhythm‑driven track that doubles as a kind of public report from his therapy sessions and emotional inner work.

The song was a minor hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., peaking at number 52, but it topped both the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts. The song was moderately successful on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 24, and it reached the top 10 in Canada, Portugal, and Sweden.

Lyrically, the song portrays Gabriel “digging in the dirt” inside himself to find where he’s been hurt, rather than avoiding those feelings. Phrases like “something in me, dark and sticky” and “I’m digging in the dirt / to find the places I got hurt” turn introspection into a physical, almost archaeological act. The song also reflects his struggle with self‑destructive impulses and his attempts to understand his own darker side, including research he did into violent behavior and murderers.

Gabriel studied inmates on death row to find out what made them kill. He said, “I read lots trying to understand the buttons that operate and make you feel the way you do. When you have self-knowledge, you don’t fall into the same behavioral traps. One of the keys is to take responsibility. Blaming anyone else, especially in relationships, is a futile activity and not going to move you forward.

For fans and critics, “Digging in the Dirt” stands out as a brave admission of vulnerability to from an artist often associated with mystique and theatricality. It also signals a turning point in Gabriel’s mid‑’90s work, where he foregrounds psychotherapy, relationship breakdowns (notably with Rosanna Arquette), and self‑responsibility as central themes. In interviews he’s said he hoped the song might encourage others to take their own emotional work seriously.

The music video, directed by John Downer, is strongly symbolic, showing Gabriel trying to “excavate” himself from the ground, morphing into a skeleton, and interacting with a wasp that represents his anger. Over the course of the clip, the word “HELP” sprouts as mushrooms, then “HEAL” appears in blooming flowers, suggesting that self‑confrontation, however painful, can lead to healing. The video won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 1993.

Here are the lyrics to “Digging in the Dirt.”

Something in me, dark and sticky
All the time it's getting strong
No way of dealing with this feeling
Can't go on like this too long

This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you

Don't talk back
Just drive the car
Shut your mouth
I know what you are
Don't say nothing
Keep your hands on the wheel
Don't turn around
This is for real

Digging in the dirt
Stay with me, I need support
I'm digging in the dirt
To find the places I got hurt
Open up the places I got hurt

The more I look, the more I find
As I close on in, I get so blind
I feel it in my head, I feel it in my toes
I feel it in my sex, that's the place it goes

This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
This time you've gone too far
I told you, I told you, I told you, I told you

Don't talk back
Just drive the car
Shut your mouth
I know what you are
Don't say nothing
Keep your hands on the wheel
Don't turn around
This is for real

Digging in the dirt
Stay with me I need support
I'm digging in the dirt
To find the places I got hurt
Open up the places I got hurt
I'm digging in the dirt
Stay with me I need support
I'm digging in the dirt
To find the places I got hurt
To open up the places I got hurt

Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt
Digging in the dirt
To find the places we got hurt

FOWC With Fandango — Ascribe

Fandango12 Comments

Welcome to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “ascribe.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. Show them some love.