This dog belonged to the people that owned the farm I boarded Magi on in Halifax County, Va. The sunlight speckling the specked dog was a shot I couldn’t resist. I always smile when I look at this picture. I hope you do too.
Ready for a belly rub.
Yesterday’s post was on the theme of “Love”. For some reason I mistakenly thought that was the theme of the week. Oh well, ‘waiting’ works too.
Magi, waiting to hit the trails
I always preferred bareback riding to using a saddle. Magi and I had our little routine. I’d gear him up to go, then tie him up to answer mother nature’s call before leaving the barn. Once mounted, I tended to stay mounted for hours. The downside to riding bareback is that I couldn’t get back on once I got off without something to stand on. It’s sad when you can’t get on your own horse without help . . . the price of getting older, I guess. Magi and I spent many a happy hour riding the trails and enjoying the beauty of Nature together.
The sleeping child is my grandson, now 10 years old and going strong. The cat was my beloved stray. The cat is the subject of my first post on the subject of ‘Love’. You’d think I would start with my family, but this is the first photograph I came across and it said ‘pick me’, so I did. (LOL)
Stray showed up on my doorstep one day. I fell in love at ‘meow’.
I’ve had a lot of cats in my lifetime, but this cat was like a soul mate. He was such a true gentleman. Stray definitely had a little piece of my heart, so I begin this week with honoring him. Love, sometimes being a double-edged sword, turns to heartbreak as was the case the day my dear, sweet Stray died. Our street was not particularly busy, and Stray usually stayed in our yard but I still worried that one day he would get hit. The day it happened (Oct. 1, 2006) , standing at the window, I saw the car hit him. I rushed outside and found him hiding under the front hedge, clinging to life. I helplessly watched as the life faded from his eyes and his body went limp. It took fifteen (+/-) grueling minutes for him to die and there was nothing I could do but hold him and cry. There was no use in calling a vet as it was obviously that he’d been crushed. He labored to breath and blood oozed from his mouth. I cried for days thereafter. Finally one day, my youngest son pointed out to me that some animals never experience love at all in their entire lives. Some animals are abused, neglected, or simply raised for slaughter. Stray had been loved. And even if we did only have a mere five years together, it was a bond of joy and now bittersweet memories for me. So today as I ponder the subject of ‘love’, I am thinking of Stray, wishing I’d brought him in the house that day. Maybe I should have waited for ‘regret’ to be the theme of the week to post this entry.
In an effort to get my next book out, I’ve been trying to correlate the manuscript with my drawings for book two in the orples series of books, tweaking both as I go. For now, let me present the exterior cover of Book Two with my friends in blog world. A glimpse of the inside pages (which is subject to change) was posted on my blog a few days ago.
The cover design for my next book, The Orples Make A Tree Home.
If interested in getting more familiar with orples, please visit the ‘ Orples Overview Category’ of my blog posts. Those posts include previews of what is happening in the world of orples, beginning with the first book. Maybe one day, I can get with the right publisher and ‘orples’ will become a household word. Wow! Wouldn’t that be something?.
To compare my first book with this book, I’ve posted the both covers here today. Book one is already published and available on Amazon and through Barnes and Nobles. I’m offering signed copies with handmade orples in limited supply on Etsy. com.. It takes about four hours to make a pair of crocheted orples (about the size of an orange . . . photo below) and so the price of the sets may seem a little high, but they will be limited since I am making the orples myself. I wonder how many people now wish they had a handmade Sponge Bob doll by the guy who created him, before Sponge Bob took off? I can only imagine what that would be worth today.
Book Cover for "How Orples Came To Be"
The billboards on the covers on my first two books are a bit different, but I think that is appropriate. The first book gets the ball bouncing and introduces the orples into the world of people. My first two sequel books will use the same sign background, after that, we’ll have to see since I’ve not yet written book four to date. Book three of the orples series is going to be “The Orples Learn To Read”. Book three still needs quite a bit of tweaking, so I’m not sure exactly when I will be ready to publish it (soon, I hope). In the meantime, I’ve already got several ideas simmering in the background, in hopes that orples will find their place in the world of children’s literature. But alas, book two comes before book three. So I’d better be getting busy!
And by the way …
Oscar is the one with the beard.
Oliva has two leaves and sports a pink bow.
Thumbing through my photos in my efforts to find something to share for today’s post, I thought the following shot would capture ‘the take time to smell the ‘flowers’ mood I am in this morning. I’ve been trying to arrange my priorities this morning and blog posting has been one priority I though I’d satisfy early. There are so many things that require attention. Sometimes, things work out better by taking a minute to regroup and try again.
Stopping to smell the flowers.
This photo was taken on one of my little trail rendezvous on a hot summer day. Magi in his fly mask, always enjoyed grabbing a little bite of the many delicacies offered along the way. He looks like he is smelling the flowers. Wrong! Chomp,chomp.
Today, I’ve been trying to focus on my next book, “The Orples Make A Tree Home”. This will be book 2 in the orples series of books I hope to publish in the near future. It looks like I’ll have to start out on kindle, and hopefully circle back and offer actual print copies soon thereafter.
Olivia is daydreaming about learning to read.
In this illustration, Olivia is opening the door for book 3 which will be “The Orples Learn to Read”. I am hoping to create a series of books that will interest children of all ages with various little lessons on life lingering between the lines. My publisher has set the age for my first book “How Orples Came To Be“ from 9-12 years old but I disagree. I think it is appropriate for children 8-80. Either way, even though my post today reflects hope on a more personal level, I felt it appropriate for the overall theme of the week.
One day, a long time ago, I read a little caption by “Ziggy” that has always stood out in my mind. So in tribute to that statement (which is well worth sharing), I came across this photo, which is proof of the truth of the Statement . . . . . . . .
Enjoy today while it is here, because someday it will be a long time ago . . . Ziggy
Looking through my photos to post in my efforts to fulfill my ‘post a day’, I came across this picture of my mother, who died in 1998, with my son, now approaching his 31st Birthday. I have to ask myself, “Where has the time gone?” Looking back on this photo (taken in 1986), memories of my mother (may she RIP), my children, when they were small, and all of the trips we took to Maymont Park in Richmond, Virginia, I am reminded of Ziggy’s wisdom. We still visit the park often, but now it is my Grandchildren that scamper about playing with the animals, and spreading their wings. As today becomes tomorrow, repeatedly, I am grateful for my old pictures that take me back to those todays, so long ago.
I swore I wasn’t going to get into Politics on my blog, but with the subject matter being “hope” and the political atmosphere being what it is, I couldn’t resist putting in my two cents. Ron Paul has renewed my hope that we might be able to reclaim our Nation, our Constitution, and our rights, so I would like to give him the acknowledgement that he deserves.
Dr. Paul is doing pretty good, despite the fact the GOP wishes he would go away. They like Candidates on the team that will play their game and Ron Paul is not for sale. Some people think Dr. Paul is too old to run. He’s challenged his running mates to a 20 mile bike ride and so far, he doesn’t have any takers, so I would think age is not a problem. Think of all of that wisdom that comes with it.
It looks like I’m not alone. Nationwide, Dr. Paul fills the house at his speaking events. People are hearing the message of freedom and experiencing the hope that one day we will get America back!
In addition to your history lesson for the day, I hope you get a smile as well. I don’t know who to thank for the original lesson since this was a cut and paste from an e-mail I thought worthy of sharing.
The History of the Middle Finger
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as ‘plucking the yew’ (or ‘pluck yew’).
Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and they began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew! Since ‘pluck yew’ is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative F’, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as ‘giving the bird.’
IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!
And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing.
This is so worth sharing!
A dog and cat in clothing. Puns. Travel. Bacon. Not necessarily in that order.
Transition...Easier said than done
Theadora's Field Guide to Shopping in Paris
I must read before I grow up (too much)
Roaming, at home and abroad
Seeing Life Through Photography
Positive Attitudes With A Baking Twist
Where shall I start?
squeezing the moment, sharing the joy
"A closer look is much more than a different perspective of what we see from afar, like opening a door in your mind to see what crawls out." Ledia Runnels
What you see is what you get....... birds, animals, and all sorts of things, but remember; Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt. .
Honest Reviews, Bookish Discussions & Enthusiastic Nerding.
Come for the sass, stay for the class
orples 