Eustace has begun volunteering at a local daycare, in recent days.
He insists that the babysitting of our granddaughter is a very important task, and one that will need a helper! He’s taken it upon himself to pursue a baby training course. They’re offering a class right down the street, at a local childcare center.
The camel reasoned that if I were ever in need of his assistance, he’d be prepped and ready. I don’t think it will last, however, once he’s expected to change a diaper.
I’ve answered this prompt on several occasions, but last years response is still my favorite!
Enjoy…
I had to laugh when I saw this prompt, as it brought up a memory that had been lost to me… so thank you, WordPress!
I swear that I might have been born in the wild, because my earliest memories include riding bareback while still in diapers… ya, I have a mind like a steel trap!
Anyways, camping is something that came naturally to this girl, and so, I passed it on to my children. My daughters have been camping since before they were born, as I freely went camping during my pregnancies. When my girls began to grow, we began traveling with a group of about 4 or 5 other families during the summer months, camping and fishing throughout the great Northwest. From southern Oregon, across Idaho and into Montana, and even into British Columbia.
Needless to say, my family are avid campers, fishers, hikers and hunters! They weren’t always so experienced at this stuff, and it took a great deal of training and practice, especially in the bathroom department, if you know what I mean? I had three girls!
How does one raise a little girl to be a tough camper, and yet still be a little lady? Like I said, we traveled with a huge group of camping families, which meant cooking together, bathing in close proximity to others, and yes, using the restroom in groups, for security!
With little ones running around, we grown ups thought it was easiest to make an appropriate code word, to signal our restroom intentions. If one needed to use the restroom, we simply said, “I have to go camping”, and anyone who needed to go, simply agreed to come along.
Now, this went on for nearly an entire summer before one of my girls finally asked, “Mamma, how come the grown-ups keep saying they’re camping and then disappear into the woods?”
I explained that it was a polite way of saying that we needed to use the restroom, without saying it in front of others. She didn’t question me further, and seemed not to even understand what I’d said. About a week later, all the families gathered at our home to plan the next upcoming adventure.
There we all were, standing around the kitchen talking, when my daughter marches into the midst of the group and boldly announced, “Everyone, I need to go camping… that means I have to go poop!”
I nearly dropped the plate in my hands!
The entire room went silent for a moment, and then erupted into laughter!
All of the adults in the room knowingly laughed themselves silly, while my daughter marched off to the bathroom. The rest of the day was filled with children running around the house, loudly claiming they needed to camp and then laughing about it!
You know, it’s been some time since we’ve really worked with Squagon’s images. The OpenArt upgrades arrived, and I got totally sidetracked with all the new bells and whistles.
It’s time we went back and worked on our favorite flying squirrel. The upcoming summer events will be requiring a good many images of our intrepid squirrel/pirate, as he’ll be the focus of our crew’s adventurous expeditions.
While I can’t really tell you what those adventures are, as of yet, you can certainly help me pull up some images that we’ll all love seeing, once we set sail. Don’t worry. I won’t leave anyone at the docks. I give my solemn oath!
Anyway, let’s see what we can come up with for our fun loving, flying furball…
If you hadn’t noticed the problem yet, let me fill you in… his tail looks pitiful! Let me see if I can fix that…
Good grief! All I did was ask the ai to make his tail much fluffier than it was, but things got a bit out of hand. Let’s adjust our request to say make his tail somewhat fluffier…
The reason I’m showing you these images is to reflect the sensitivity of OpenArt’s new chat editing feature. Sometimes Norbert, as I call him, likes to take an idea and run with it, often ending in disastrous results. At other times, if I use the right wording or the image is simple enough to fix, this new feature works out rather well. I’m not saying that I want to use this image, but it gives me a bit more confidence about some of the finer adjustments needed, if I want to perfect certain scenes.
Do you notice how the image feels somewhat photorealistic, while still having a bit of that whimsical softness. I think it brings Squagon more depth of personality vs. an actual image of a squirrel. I’m able to give him an endearing quality that reaches deeper than just a plain old, backyard peanut thief! What do you think?
Honestly, I think it has more to do with the program understanding my query, than it does about my skills as an artist. I am a writer, not a painter, nor sculptor, nor full-time national geographic photojournalist, though I may have done well as a traveling writer. The only way I can communicate with any of you is through my literary donations, here on WordPress. For that, I need the help of an art platform that can assist me in portraying a thought, memory, or imaginative tale. I want you to see what I see, which can be tricky when using an artificial form of images.
The thing to remember is this… the program only as good as the one using it. It’s an artificial means of creating images from words, nothing more. The ai doesn’t think for itself, nor you, for that matter. It simply responds to a pre-written set of words, and it holds a memory bank of definitions for those words, phrases, and sentence structures.
Normally, I will start with a simple descriptive sentence. I offer the ai a character image, a brief visual descriptor, and an action to perform. On occasion, this first request provides a usable image. However, for most of what I do, the program offers an ai assisted expansion of the original request. I like to use these extra helps because many times its not what you ask, but how you ask it.
For instance, when I ask the ai for Squagon sitting on a bale of hay, this is the first response from the ai:
Now, I’ll ask for the ai to assist with the query. This was the result,
A photorealistic image of @MySquagon perched atop a golden bale of hay in a rustic barn setting, natural afternoon sunlight streaming through weathered wooden slats, casting warm amber highlights across the textured straw and creating soft dappled shadows on the worn plank floor, the hay bale’s compressed wheat stalks visible in detailed layers, dust motes floating lazily in the sunbeams, aged timber walls with peeling paint in the background, the character resting naturally with balanced posture against the organic texture of the dried grass.
These were the images offered from the enhanced prompt:
In this situation, I much prefer the first image over the assisted one. It captures much more of his personality, and looks more realistic. Sometimes the ai assist works out better, and sometimes not. It all depends on what I am asking the ai to do with the character. The action will always play heavily into the image’s final features.
For Squagon, I think we shouldn’t have too many obstacles along the way, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I wanted to do some work with the little guy before summer expeditions get underway. I like to be prepared for any and all perceived hang ups and/or roadblocks to a successful sailing season. You’ll thank me for it later, I can assure you.
Well, that’s all for today’s tinkering session. I think we got a lot of things figured out for now, and big or small, they all will help to get us where we were headed, right?!
May your writing hold true, and your words make a difference to the world…
Early mornings have always been my time to be most productive, due to the quiet, most probably. After a good nights rest, the early morning hours become like a peaceful sanctuary. There are few interruptions to distract me from the days goals.
While I may rarely leave our apartment, my day is certainly not without it’s numerous interruptions. There are busy traffic sounds, just outside our windows. An entire five story building is being constructed right across the way, so there are those sounds drifting in, as soon as the work day begins. Never mind about phone calls, text messages, chores, and meal planning. The list is still a long one, even for a homebound writer.
Mentioning that I am a writer only goes to further explain my need for the early morning quiet. While some might find writing in a chaotic environment to be conducive to successful literary creation… I most certainly do not!
Quiet hours of early morning study, prayer, and a hot cup of peppermint tea, are what I consider my most productive hours. As much of my WordPress writing is done live, and without previous preparation, I need it quiet so that I can concentrate. Some days I hit it well, if I’ve slept enough and woke in my normal early fashion. Then there are the days where I didn’t sleep so good, or stayed up later than was normal on the previous night. All bets are off on those mornings.
Well, that was most assuredly more information than any inquiring mind really wanted to know, regarding my productive hours of the day. But, just in case my answer gets used for some study that gets published in the New England Medical Journals, I figured I should put forth some effort.
Just for extra credit, I baked some cookies, as well…
Now that we’re back aboard The Torrent, I’ve set about reading through some of the books in Wiwohka’s office.
If there are things we’re needing to know while at sea, I need to be able to read these old books. More than just reading them, though. I’ll need a better understanding of many older terms and phrases than we’re used to reading in modern writings. I’m not just talking about all the thee’s, thou’s, or hence forth, and such. Those are easy enough to adjust to while doing my reading, but I get derailed every time I come across words I’ve never before seen used. Thus far, much of my reading has been from current publications that come across the desk. Nothing in all that will be useful in deciphering old maritime maps, scrolls, and letters from abroad.
I know Wiwohka says she doesn’t need my help in all this, but who am I, if not for a literary entrepreneur, right?!
So, how does one become more familiar with the wide world of words? Why we use the good ole World Wide Web, of course!
Where to start our educational search, is the first question to ask. Well, I simply went to Mr. McGoogle and typed this:
“Unique and unused words in the English language”
And so it has begun…
According to Google’s AI overview,
These unique and rarely used English words are often prized for their specificity, evocative sounds, or niche meanings, ranging from poetic descriptions to obsolete, humorous terms.
Unique Words for Specific Moments
Apricity (noun): The warmth of the sun in winter.
Petrichor (noun): The pleasant, earthy smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.
Psithurism (noun): The sound of the wind in the trees.
Sonder (noun): The sudden realization that every passerby has a life as complex and vivid as your own.
Eucatastrophe (noun): A sudden, positive turn of events; a happy ending.
Limerence (noun): The state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person.
Phosphenes (noun): The light and shapes you see when you close your eyes and apply pressure.
**I used the internet to create appropriate sentences**
One must take a word by it’s meaning and then re-create it in a usable fashion, right? Let’s see how I do…
The early mornings apricity felt pleasant on her skin, as she made her way across the snowy expanse.
I know, a rather long-winded sentence for making the meaning clear enough to understand. I have much work ahead.
The air was thick with petrichor as the storm broke, rejuvenating the parched earth.
I guess it’s a decent enough word, though I might just as easily have said that it smells fresh after the first rain of the season. Oh well, one must broaden their vocabulary if they wish to become wiser.
The only sound in the forest was the soft psithurism of Autumn leaves.
Why do we have to make things so complicated, I wonder. I would just say that I could hear the sound of the wind in the trees. In truth, it takes longer just to make sure that I spell the word correctly.
She felt a quiet sonder watching the commuters, wondering about the hidden stories behind every stranger’s face.
I don’t know that I shall ever find need of this particular word, but you never knows when I might come across it in one of these old books.
Against all odds, the unexpected rescue felt like a total eucatastrophe to the stranded hikers.
While I wouldn’t exactly find a use for this word, it’s easy enough to understand the meaning if one already knows what a catastrophe is.
Sarah experienced limerence for her new coworker, finding herself constantly daydreaming about him.
Can’t we just say she had a crush on him? So much easier to say, although it’s understandable that no one would understand my meaning, unless they were already familiar with my choice of words.
This last one’s easy, and I don’t even need the internet’s help with the sentence…
When she rubbed her tired eyes, she sawphosphene’s.
Everyone is familiar with seeing stars, right?! I’m so glad that at least one of these words seems easy enough to remember, and not so hard to write down, either.
Just wait! You’ll see. Before you know it, I shall become one of the most renowned seafaring journalists in all the seas, with none matching my literary prowess! Well, it could happen, you know. We’ll never know unless we try, right?!
While most of the world may have adapted to communicating their ever-changing emotional states, by simply selecting any one of a number of prefabricated symbols, I have NOT mastered this particular skill.
Not only am I unable to assign myself the correct cartoon symbols, at any given moment, but when I do attempt using emojis, they’re so tiny that I often pick something that doesn’t have anything to do with what I meant, in the first place.
Honestly, if I want to display my thoughts and feelings with a cellphone, I’d much rather just call you to say it out loud. Even better, I’ll write my feelings out in actual words.
While I know that we live in a day that requires we do things at a much faster pace, than we did back in the day, I refuse to be rushed into communicating with others. So much gets lost in translation, if we aren’t fully paying attention to those we communicate with.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Some of the emojis out there are actually cute and funny. The problem arises when one uses them to complete the whole conversation. I get lost on a sea of smiley lips and exclamation marks, and usually miss the meaning of the message, entirely.
Don’t expect to receive any long list of tiny cartoon images from this writer. Though I may not be well versed in the emoji department, I can bake a decent batch of virtual calorie-free cookies. Of these, I do have my favorites…
Chocolate Chip are always a fan favorite!
I do love putting frosting on things…
My favorite, however, are those buttery shortbread cookies…
I pulled this off of Google, by asking for any funny news stories…
In an unexpected turn of events on April 23, 2026, three baby rabbits became unlikely seafaring adventurers after stowing away in a container in Dundee, Scotland, and ending up 93 miles off the coast of Lincolnshire on a North Sea oil rig.
Here are the highlights of this “odd news” story:
The Stowaways: The bunnies, seeking a warm spot, hid in a container that was trucked to Aberdeen and loaded onto the FS Aquarius vessel, which delivered them to the Valaris Norway drilling rig.
Deck Patrol: Two of the bunnies were spotted hopping around the pipe deck of the rig and were immediately rescued by the crew, who set them up with a warm bed and vegetables in the radio room.
The Third Stowaway: While the first two were being transported back to the mainland, the Aquarius returned to the rig, where a third bunny was discovered hiding inside a forklift.
Safe Return: All three were safely reunited at New Arc Wildlife Rescue in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where staff reported they were doing well and “eating us out of house and home,” according to the 2026 reports.
The rescue charity praised the offshore crews for their “maximum effort” in caring for the intrepid trio during their accidental 22-hour ocean adventure.
All is well in the world of small creatures. That is, unless the bunnies were nefarious bandits, seeking new lands to conquer! In that case, we may need to form a delegation, of sorts, to govern the bands of wild naughty bunnies roaming the high seas, lol.
I should have known better, I really should have. Putting any trust and faith in man, without relying on God to sort out the details always ends badly.
I am learning to walk one day at a time, seeking God’s sustaining power over man’s. It’s been a hard learned lesson, though. I can come to the father readily, when it comes to studying scripture, prayer, and living a godly and obedient life. But when it comes to certain aspects of surviving this earth, my strength can sometimes waver.
I’ve been enduring several form of physical ailments over the last year, without any real successful resolution. I get many headshakes, frowns, and “I know it’s unfortunate” statements from much of the medical profession. The stream of physicians offering pills to cover symptoms, but no cure, has been staggering.
The word discouragement doesn’t begin to cover it!
Several weeks ago, I took the risk of seeing yet another specialist, in the hopes that they might simply move ahead with my hernia surgery. Once again, there were a lot of apologies for how I must feel, but only more referrals that never went through, anyway. I can’t even get the insurance company to pay for one of my much needed medications. They’ll prescribe drugs that you can’t afford, nor will they do anything to solve the issue. Just more band aids.
Its become rather obvious that I must rely on God, and God alone. I’ve already dropped off two of the medications previously prescribed, and am working towards discontinuing three more. No more drugs!
2 Corinthians 12:9 says,
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.””
One day at a time, is all that I need to make it home. I would offer the advice of “Physician, heal thy self” but I don’t think most of them can any more…
According to the note pinned to the hood of the baby’s coat, his name was Brugo. The name didn’t ring any bells for the young barmaid, but the name of his father stole her breath away.
The note claimed that the child belonged to Ollie, the tavern’s owner!
Maiyah was shocked, to say the least, as she’d rarely ever seen the grumpy orc with a lady friend. And, those he spent time with didn’t stay long, what with his terrible temperament.
Niceness can only go so far with a lady, if the rest of your time is spent drinking, and carousing with the rest of the drunken sailors visiting the wharf. The orc lived a very lonely life, though he be surrounded by others. Maiyah thought maybe that was the reason for his being so grumpy all the time.
Looking down at the baby orc, Maiyah faced a huge dilemma. What to do with the baby, and what to do about the letter she now held.
If she were to take the baby straight away to his father, Ollie would surely send him away. He might even become angry enough to put Maiyah out on the street, just for being the one who brought him the baby. She wasn’t only worried about his reaction to the baby, but the note that came pinned to his coat.
Maiyah felt that it was wrong to read someone else’s letter, so once she saw the baby’s name she stopped reading the letter, and placed it in the pocket of her apron.
For the time being, all that Maiyah could think about was how she was going to sneak the baby into her room. Maybe if she waited for the right moment to talk to him, when the orc was in high spirits, she might lessen the shock of revealing the note, and the baby that came with it.
The important question was, how would she be able to keep a baby hidden in a place one was not meant for small ones. The adorable little beast would stand out like a beacon, from the moment she set foot inside the tavern’s doorway.
She knew she could safely navigate getting the baby in, simply by stuffing him in the bottom of a laundry basket, and then covering him with the clothes. That wouldn’t be the issue. What she worried over, was how to keep him hidden and quiet. What was she to do with him while she did her work, within the tavern. Ollie would surely notice her absence, as she never missed a single shift.
Well, she would have to figure things out as she went. Maiyah had never done something so reckless before, but needs must when one encountered something unexpected. Dipping into the kitchen, Maiyah retrieved a laundry basket and returned to the fish barrel, where the baby sat waiting.
He seemed quite happy to climb into the pile of soft clothing. Quickly, she pulled the laundry around and over him, to hide the little beast from spying eyes. No sense in being undone by a nosy tattle tail.
Once she’d safely made it up the back stairway to her room, she deposited the baby onto her bed. He just sat silently watching her, making no move to climb off the bed. Not knowing what else could be done at the moment, she offered the baby a biscuit, propped some blankets about his shoulders, and left him there. If she didn’t get downstairs to begin serving customers soon, Ollie would become suspicious. All she could do was pray that the baby would fall asleep, or something.
How will Maiyah keep the baby hidden, and for how long?
Journey With Me! 