What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve done on a date?
We’d gone to see a movie with friends, and all of us girls went to the restroom, just before the movie was about to start. The bathroom was very busy, and definitely needed a good cleaning, due to all the traffic that came through it’s doorway. In a rush, we got in, did what needed doing, and got out, as quickly as we could. In all the rush, I had unknowingly collected a strip of toilet paper on the bottom of my shoe. I proceeded all the way down the lobby, all the way down the walkway to the front of the theater seats, and all the way across to the other side of the seats… all the while, dragging this strand of toilet paper, still stuck fast to the bottom of my shoe. Mind you, all my girlfriends saw this, and said nothing, as they thought it was simply hilarious.
Once I realized what had happened, I was mortified!
Dirty cards, girls, dirty cards!
F.Y.I. … I am the kind of friend that would first step on the tissue, in order to get it unstuck from your shoe, and then giggle with you about it later, in private.
If I can confess that one, you can surely come up with your own embarrassing moment to share. Go ahead! You know you wanna confess it, I know you do!
For some, fear of the dark might be a real thing. For others, perhaps it’s something as benign as a spider, or even a bee. Yes, those things are rather minor when speaking of overcoming fear, but no matter how well someone tries to explain away them away, the uncomfortable feeling may still remain.
What about fear of injury, disability, or even death? This category of fears won’t be so easily defeated! While we usually carry these fears in the quiet recesses of our minds, for some, the fear remains in the active part of the brain.
Living in constant fear can be overwhelming, leaving some to sink into very lonely places within themselves. If left unchecked, those fears, accompanied by negative thoughts that surround them can be debilitating. The idea of existing in fear all the time sounds exhausting! So, how can we avoid it?
You know that old saying, mind over matter? I think that’s the secret! The brain seems to have a nasty habit of taking a thought and just running away with it, so to speak. I don’t think it matters what the fear is, or even how real or imagined it may be. We, as humans, have a tendency to overthink things, quite often.
Now, I’m not talking about having a healthy dose of fear to keep us physically safe from avoidable injuries, and/or mistakes.
The fear I’m referring to is the kind that we’ve built up in our minds over something that may or may not ever occur, in the near or distant future. Those are the fears that we most often find ourselves wallowing in, and constantly revisiting. Out of the blue, we realize we haven’t been worried about a thing for a while, so we pull it all back out of the box we’d been storing it in, and start the worrying once more.
What’s the one thing that helps, when we feel overwhelmed with fears? In my opinion, it’s having someone that can make us feel protected, and safe from our fears. But, is there even such a thing?
I spent my entire childhood on the streets, sleeping behind dumpsters, or sometimes in the bed of a stranger. I did what I had to do to survive. The only reason I could brave the dark alleyways was from my fear of the adults in charge of my care. It was far more dangerous in some of the foster homes I’d been placed, than it was in the bed of a complete stranger. So, I grew up with an actual absence of fear, where it probably might have offered more protection.
When I was 17 years old, I found myself at a cross-road. I was tired, lonely, angry, and wanted out of this world. That was the first time I met a fear that I could not master, within my own power. It was the fear of what came after death, since I was considering a way to take my own life.
In a dusty old attic, within a rickety old farmhouse that stood beside the sea, God spoke to me clearly, as if He were standing right there in that room. He met me in that place, asked that I believe in Him, and promised that He would never leave, nor forsake me. I accepted His offer, though it was more like I demanded that He prove it! He would have to earn my trust. I know, I know, it was an unreasonable demand. But, do you know that God took my demand, and has delivered it a thousand fold, over the years.
Now, when I look back over those seasons of my life, it’s clear to see God’s hand at work, even before we made our little seaside pinky swear. I am here, simply by God’s design, to be used for His own purposes. My eternal home is waiting for me, with my room already prepared.
Armed with the truth of who my Creator is, the blood of His precious son Jesus Christ that covers me, and the hope and faith in my future eternal heavenly home… my fear has been replaced by FAITH!
It’s funny how this mornings prompt was asking about self-confidence, and how to gain it. I suppose that what I’m about to tell you, might be the perfect example for the response I posted.
While I’m not sure of how many will remember, two years ago I began a journey towards a dream I’d been carrying for some time. Ever since I was a small girl, I’ve been a dreamer, seeing incredible adventures that no one else could see. I always wanted to be able to write them down, in the hopes that someone else might journey there, someday.
Now, I’ve always written in journals, sent letters (in the dark ages), and told funny tales and adventures to my children. But, to tell a story from beginning to end was merely a dream, or a fantasy, if you will.
Journey With Me was the first public platform that I’d ever written on, outside of my own tablets and notebooks in the closet. Early in 2023, I had an idea for a story about a dragon, but it was very early in the dreaming stage. For anyone who remembers, I wrote a series called “Just A Bag”, which ended up being the catalyst for an epic journey. Amidst our homeless ventures in that broken down old R.V., Brutus was born.
For six months, I buried myself in the writing of Brutus. The journey gave me a safe place of peace, where the real world had no control over the lives of those within the tale… I did!
However, once the book had been completed, there was only an empty road before me… no home, no money, and absolutely zero support from anyone that mattered. I should say, anyone that mattered, aside from One! While you might think my husband was that go-to, he was not. Yes, he is my best friend, and other half, but Creed is more analytical, more technically inclined, as well as, motivated. He typically reads things from networking textbooks, and watches how-to-s for flying drones, and building self-sustaining robots. He get’s a free pass on trying to keep up with the amount of stories I write. Anyway, the One I am referring to is God.
In faith, I waited for the signs that I should step forward with the story.
With all the advancements in online self-publishing, I began considering whether I should simply begin, or maybe go back over the story one more time… or two.
After two years of arguing with myself, over whether I’d done my due diligence in the editing, it occurred to me that I needed to get moving. Volume II of the series is fully underway, so the first book really needed to be on the shelf (electronically speaking).
Though I cannot yet afford to publish in print, there was still the chance to try an e-book. We tested the Amazon KDP avenue with one of my children’s books, but it went nowhere. But, I wasn’t fully disappointed, as those books really aren’t meant for computers… they should be in a child’s hand.
Again, we looked into self-publishing through a number of companies out there, but all they wanted to do was take my money (of which, I have none). So back to Amazon we went.
In the end, it won’t matter if the story sells or not, because I’ll know that I completed what I started, from beginning to end… and no one can take that from me.
I’m not writing this to you for a like, a share, or even to direct you to a sales website. I simply felt that it was important for the ones who’ve been with me since the beginning of this journey. You see me write about Brutus all the time, as he travels wherever the Barnyard Babes travel. Interestingly enough, it seems that all the characters from Journey With Me are intertwined with one another. But, in regards to having his own story, the dragon deserves his own recognition.
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, I released his story:
I simply wanted to express my gratitude for who you are… my WordPress family. I believe that God brought each and every one of you into my life, through this site. I feel truly blessed in that!
Remember the proverb “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”? Or, what about “Practice makes perfect”? Today’s prompt gave rise to a number of sayings, statements, and suggestions that reveal the answer. What did they all have in common, you may be asking yourselves? I saw one commonality among the list, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed.
All those sayings seem to be encouraging us to do one thing… don’t quit!
If you want to be confident about a thing, you have to learn it, first. Then you practice and perfect your skill at it, as much as possible, right?! Don’t look at mistakes as the end, but simply, as a way to improve your skills.
And, the number one rule to having self-confidence is… don’t let others tell you that you can’t!
If you believe in your heart that you were meant to do a thing (providing it is used for good), then walk forward in faith, and do what the prompt’s title says… Just do it!
It hardly seemed that a full month had come and gone, without a single word from Ollie. Life on the wharf went on, with ships coming and going, and work about the tavern kept Maiyah busy from dawn til long after dusk. She didn’t mind it, actually. The busier she was with tasks, the less time there was for thinking on Ollie’s absence.
Brugo settled back into his normal adorable antics, and the crying finally subsided…
The baby began to sleep through the entirety of the night, which meant that Maiyah was sleeping like she should, as well. They were both in good spirits when they woke up, so Maiyah now had the energy to juggle baby and food platters, without a second thought.
She found that the tedious and boring ledger work wasn’t nearly so droll with Brugo happily assisting…
While he may not have been able to count, and Maiyah had to watch that he didn’t try to eat the coins, baby Brugo seemed to keep her spirits up with all the giggles, and his nonstop baby babble.
Once morning tasks were completed, Maiyah would take Brugo for walks along the dock, and spent a good deal of playtime before the baby’s naps…
Taking her responsibility for Brugo as a priority, Maiyah left the dining area in the hands of the bar tender, and acting barmaid. She took the time to bathe the baby, read or sing to him, and then always rocked him to sleep, before laying him down for bedtime…
Early on, Maiyah had made the decision to simply trust Ollie, as she had always done. Refusing to believe that the ogre would abandon them, she focused on doing the best she could to honor the commitment she’d made on the day Ollie had left.
Instead of doubting the ogre, Maiyah began pray to for his safety each night, and then carry on each day, until he returned…
Far north from The Ogre’s Rest, and much further out to sea, Ollie sought to forget everything he’d left behind. Working himself to the point of exhaustion during the day certainly aided in the ogre’s ability to sleep, but did nothing to alleviate his bad dreams.
Night after night, he dreamt of his wife, their son, and the life he’d made with Maiyah, back in the small shanty village he’d come to love. No matter how hard he tried, the faces of those he cared for kept flashing through his mind, regardless of whether he was sleeping, or awake.
To make matters worse, the weather had begun to change, bringing cooler temperatures, enormous amounts of rain, and high winds that sought to tear through the sails. Even with Ollie’s immense strength, it was nearly impossible to keep the rigging from breaking loose.
Then, after several days of unusual calm, the ship sailed directly into an incredible storm that suddenly arose without warning. The ship was tossed about as if it were only a child’s play thing. Sails tore, rigging broke free in more places than could be fixed, and a crack began to appear in the main mast.
The ship began to list violently, and she began taking on water from the waves that relentlessly crashed over the bow and onto the deck. In a panic, men began jumping overboard, in a futile attempt to swim for shore. Land could barely be seen through the sheets of rain that seemed to fall sideways, as if the world had tipped onto its side…
With a strength born of desperation, Ollie held fast to what remained of the rigging, in hopes of restoring some sort of balance, but the damage was far to extensive, and there wasn’t anything left on deck to tie anything off. The waves had washed everything over the sides of the ship, to sink below the waves…
Ollie began to hear loud popping noises, as the main mast finally snapped and gave way, from the severe winds. When the mast came crashing down onto the deck, it barely missed the ogre’s head. The torn sails tangled themselves around Ollie, knocking him off his feet.
Just as the ogre freed himself from the tattered sail, the entire mast rolled off the deck and into the sea, dragging everything attached along with it. He’d nearly been doomed by the sail, but now he realized that the ship itself, was quickly being sucked under the waves. There was a large hole in her side, where planks had simply been ripped away by the force of the waves.
With one large jump, Ollie dove into the frigid waters of the churning sea, and frantically made for shore.
Half drowned, and so weary was the ogre by the time he reached land, it was all that he could do just to drag himself out of the waters.
For a time, the ogre simply lay there in the sand, catching his breath and letting the strength return to his arms and legs. When he had the strength to stand, the ogre made his way onto the beach. Hurriedly scooping up any semi-dry driftwood near the forest line, Ollie hastily built a campfire for warmth. If he didn’t get dry soon, he was sure to catch his death from the cold.
The ogre was glad to be alive, but entirely miserable. Now what was he to do? He was alone, soaked to the skin, and every muscle in his body hurt. All this managed to do was make his heart ache even more than before.
If the ogre had only felt twinges of guilt when he’d first set foot aboard that ship, he felt fully cursed, by this point! In his misery, the ogre realized that he deserved to be lost at sea for his cowardliness. What was wrong with him, anyway? Running away to sea had been such a childish act, now that he saw the truth of things.
The question was, what to do about it, now that he recognized his own foolishness?
Will Ollie finally do that which he should have done long before that stormy night?
You know, the thought occurred to me that some of you may not fully know of Squagon’s story. While there are many that have been with us since our beginnings, there are a number of you who’ve never heard of Acorn Valley, Pinion Valley, or the names and stories of Squagon’s family. He’s a prince, you know.
But, to tell you of his royal pedigree, one must first explain how Squagon came to be here with us, in the first place. To do that, I’ll have to give you a brief rundown of our cheeky squirrel’s nutty beginnings.
Squagon is the grandson of the Acorn King, whose son fell in love with the daughter of the Pinion King. The squirrels from Pinion Valley are classed as flying squirrels, while those from Acorn Valley are not, but the two were in love and both kingdoms were forced to accept the union, if only to keep the peace between the two squirrel nations.
As it happens, Squagon was born with wings like his mother, except that his were a bit misshapen.
The Acorn King took this as a bad sign for their kingdom, and he banished the baby from Acorn Valley. The Barnyard was known to the squirrels, and it was asked that Squagon be placed in our care. The king didn’t want to get rid of the baby, but he didn’t want his kingdom’s bloodlines weakened by a strange looking, sickly baby. It wouldn’t do!
Of course, we took the baby in and raised him there, within the Barnyard. Upon his first birthday, an armada of the royal house of Pinion arrived, only just made aware of the baby’s existence. They took the young squirrel prince, which was their right, and he was lost to us for a time.
Oh, we were allowed to visit him occasionally, but only that. It was expected that Squagon was to take up his place as the future heir to their kingdom, but until such time, he was to fulfill his princely duties within Pinion Valley.
Then, about a year ago something tragic happened. I awoke one morning to find the Barnyard gone, without a trace! In a panic, I searched everywhere, but to no avail. I was horrified to discover that not only was the Barnyard gone, but so were all the babes.
I searched the nearby forests, only to find that Acorn Valley had also gone missing. It was all gone! The valleys, the squirrel kingdoms, Brutus, the library, and everything else… simply vanished into nothing. It was heartbreaking!
While searching the woods for those missing, I happened to stumble upon Squagon, just sitting in a tree, all by himself. He was frightened, and very confused. All he could say was that he’d awakened alone, in the forest. There wasn’t a trace of his family in any of the nearby forests.
Long story short, I was able to recover all but a handful of the babes. I also relocated young Henry and his church mouse family, as well as, Brutus. However, I must admit that the dragon actually found us, first.
Anyway, its high time we set about finding the lost squirrel kingdoms. Squagon has been devastated over the loss of his kin, and I can no longer bear to watch him suffer. Could you just walk away? I can’t! Why, whose to say that they aren’t just misplaced, right?
So, now that you’re familiar with Squagon’s story, and can hopefully understand the importance of this journey, we can begin our search. First things first, we must follow the maps of our last journey inland, while searching out young Henry last summer.
Fortunately, Brutus has a love of maps and thought to draw one of our travels there, in the event that we ever sailed that way again. Now, as luck would have it, we are doing that very thing!
I’ve studied that map, thoroughly. Not far from where we traveled inland, there is a split in the river. You should be able to see it marked on the map with a purple arrow. I’ve an itch at the back of my neck that says we should travel up that fork in the river. We already know that Henry’s family are a ways up river in the other direction.
What if we sailed right past the route that could take us onward to one of the two missing valleys? I think it’s worth looking into, on the off chance that there are at least some clues to their whereabouts.
We’ve some days ahead of us before reaching that river inlet, so make yourselves at home, and enjoy the sunny weather. Life jackets, floaties, and snorkel gear are stowed below deck. Just ask Nugget. She can show you where everything is.
Oh, and Mini Wiwohka is making Beef Stroganoff, salad, and homemade bread for supper. She’s also made a blackberry cobbler, so you better work up a good appetite…
Just for fun, I want to post a question each Tuesday that must be answered honestly, whether it makes us squirm or not!
Now, don’t worry yourselves because I won’t be asking anything sensitive or inappropriate. I have to answer these questions, also. While I may be willing to blurt out the truth, not many others would willingly follow suit. No judgement, here.
Often times, honesty can be hard to come by. Why? Because we’ve conditioned ourselves to believe that little white lies aren’t really wrong. Trying not to be rude, attempting to alleviate fear, or protecting private information, have all been among the many excuses we make for being dishonest with others.
This is simply a fun way of bringing to light the age old habit of avoiding the truth.
I will start us off by answering today’s question first. Then, if you feel compelled to do so, just leave your answers in the comments below…
What is your ultimate guilty pleasure song?
Bang Bang, by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj
In truth, it’s more about the musical arrangement than the lyrics of the song that draws me. I love music with a really good base sound, and any sort of drums. This song makes me want to dance like I did when I was young, which was some years ago. Silly, I know.
It would be hard to pick only one moment. While it may not be a box office smash hit, it’ll certainly make you squirm in your seat, shed some tears, really come to dislike the bad guys, and want to throw your popcorn at the screen, a time or two.
Though I highly doubt that my journey will make the reviews, it has certainly left an indelible mark on the pages of my memories. How often do we replay a scene from our own circumstances, over and over again? Sometimes the scene is warm and tender, offering moments of quiet reflection. At other times, it feels like a recurring bad movie in our dreams… one that refuses to leave us.
I guess my point is that maybe WordPress could have asked a more specific question, if they really wanted me to answer the prompt. Do any of us carry merely one or two movie worthy memories to recall? I highly doubt it!
Besides, have you seen some of the movies out there, just now? With the falling quality of on screen acting, cheap theatrics, and terrible plot lines, most would find it much more entertaining to simply share their own stories. And, the added bonus to making our own movies is that there aren’t any commercials. Just sayin!
While you may be used to my switching things out, now and again, I am about to perform a major alteration in the normal order of things about this site!
Why? What could be the reason for such sudden changes? Take a wild guess…
If you thought the answer was “A BABY”, then you win the prize!
I had a great many delusions of grandeur, in regards to this summer’s line up of stories, jokes, and anecdotes to regale you with… but, that has been thrown out with the bath water, as they say.
This ole mare ain’t what she used to be, at least when it comes to balancing a nearly 25 lb. baby on her hip for hours at a time. It never occurred to me how much energy my grandbaby would be requiring. So, after this last weeks schedule, I realized that things would have to change drastically, at least for the time being. As she grows and becomes more independent, things should normalize. For now though, we’ll be navigating these writing/baby waters more thoughtfully. Work smarter and not harder, as they say.
I realize that I’d previously told Lilly that Monday’s would be her baby question series, but I really need her help with things aboard the ship, as we search for Squagon’s lost squirrel kingdom.
I feel bad, honestly I do, but it made more sense to focus on one or two important tasks, rather than try and hold up the entire schedule of baby care, website activity, and my own personal projects that go on, after the daily posts have been completed.
I know she’s upset at the moment, but I give you my word that she’ll get her chance to write on Mondays, upon our return from this summers travels. Besides, there will be so much activity about the ship, and tasks she’ll be needed for; it’s doubtful that the ant will have a moment to think on it.
The two commitments I’ve chosen to hold myself to, are the Thursday and Friday postings. It shouldn’t be difficult to send you the updates from our journeys aboard The Torrent, as captain’s logs are a requirement while under sail… I think it’s maritime law, or something like that. The Friday posting, while supposed to be written live on that morning, will actually be worked out several days prior, after Maisie flies home to her mamma. Well, she doesn’t actually fly herself home. Brutus takes her back and forth, being that he can fly, and all.
From here on out, we shall be winging it, as they say. I know, I know… I use that sayin a lot. But, it’s not really my fault though. I can’t help it if those sayings keep popping into my head, and I’m certainly not going to take credit for what somebody else thought up!
This was a rather long winded way of saying that I’m busier than I expected to be, and the time spent with my granddaughter is far more precious than any writing I might ever accomplish. The writing will always be there, ready to go, but these fleeting days spent with Maisie are far more important, and they won’t be here for long. Before we know it, she’ll be walking, talking, and growing up. I choose not to miss any of it, not even for a moment!
And, I plan on sharing all those moments with you, my WordPress family. Isn’t that what family is all about?!
Journey With Me! 