Thursday Travels…

The weather has just been wonderful, hasn’t it? There have been no storms or overly strong winds to contend with, as we’ve sailed along the coastline. Not only that but it’s been warm enough that I went ahead and set up a little pool on deck. Now the little ones might have somewhere to cool off. It’s even big enough for us adults to sit around the edge and dip our feet in.

We’ve a good distance yet to travel, and if we were to stop every time someone wanted to swim, it’d take til next summer to get to where we want to go. Besides, once we move inland it’s going to be slow going, as the ship cannot travel as quickly upriver as it can upon the sea. There’ll be plenty of playtime about the river, as we move further inland.

Not only have I set up the pool, but there’s a cooking class going on in the galley. Mini-Wiwohka is teaching everyone how to make edible flower arrangements with pieces of fruit. I’ve never done that before, but it sounds really fun. It brings a whole new meaning to playing with our food, lol.

Oh, I also brought along bags of planting soil, and some empty containers, as well as, seeds for different flowers. I thought it might be fun to plant them and see how fast they grow while we’re traveling. I always wondered if things could grow faster than normal while sailing, since the water makes the sun seem so much brighter out here. We can build flower boxes above deck, and place them out of the way, along the sides of the railings. Call it science, if you will…

I don’t know about any of you, but I certainly didn’t get to sleep in this morning.

I was unceremoniously roused from my slumber long before the sun was fully up. Now that I think about it, you were up early, as well. I guess Squagon has been visiting everyone during the wee hours before dawn.

I didn’t realize he’d be this relentless!

Please accept my apologies for the early morning disruption from our resident squirrel. It never occurred to me that he might decide to continually wake us all at the crack of dawn, each morning. Even though the ship is constantly moving, and we are steadily heading in the right direction, I suspect that he’s worried we’ll miss spotting the proper place to turn inland.

I can’t say that I blame the anxious squirrel, can you? It’s been over a year since he’s seen any of his family. He doesn’t even know if either of the valleys still exist, nor if any of his kin are still alive. Since I’m not even sure if this journey will be successful, I’ve no way to reassure him of their safety, unless we can find them.

Brutus has been flying up and down along the coast, hoping to spy the inlet drawn upon his map. Once he finds it, he’ll return with news. Until then, all that’s left for us to do is to try and distract the forlorn little squirrel. I can’t imagine what it must be like for Squagon, not knowing what may come.

Oh, well! There’s nothing to do but sail onward.

And while we do all the sailing that has to be done, there should be plenty of things to do around the ship, right?!

Baking, crafting, gardening, swimming… and, I almost forgot to tell you that Eustace and Creed installed a huge movie entertainment center, just off the galley. Starting tonight, we’ll be showing the entire Pirate’s of the Caribbean series, just for the fun of it. Actually, it was Nugget’s idea! I’m almost certain that she has a crush on Johnny Dep…

Well, I’m off to my cabin to look over the chart notes and coordinates for that river we’re looking to find. Brutus should be returning anytime soon with word on how much further it is.

There’s a barrel on deck, filled with gardening tools if you’ve the desire to get started with the flowers. I’ll join you as soon as I’ve finished my paperwork, and look over the menu for tonight’s dinner.

I think Mini-Wiwohka is making Brown Sugar Burgers and waffle fries, but I want to check before promising you anything that can’t be delivered.

If any of you want to try your hand at dessert, have at it! Everything you’ll need should be in the galley.

Wednesday Words…

Poor Eustace! This morning, he wanted to know how babies are even able to grow, at all?

By the looks of it, Maisie got more food on the floor and the camel than in her mouth!

We’re just lucky that the camel likes carrots!

Happy Wednesday, everyone… hugs

Truthful Tuesday…

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!

Truthful Tuesday…

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.

What about you?

Now playing in theaters near you…

Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?

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!

Cookies?

Wednesday Words…

As you may know, tomorrow is departure day for our Barnyard crew, so everyone is busily loading the ship in preparation for the adventures ahead.

Eustace is apparently all packed, and ready to head for open waters. If you ask me, the camel is taking the whole baby preparedness thing a bit further than anyone might have anticipated.

But, if you think I’m going to burst his happy bubble, you’re crazy!

What this ship needs is a happy camel, a confident camel, and a free babysitting camel, standing at the wheel. Traveling the high seas with a baby onboard will be quite the undertaking, and I’ll need all the help I can get!

Wednesday Words…

Well, I must admit that Eustace has done an outstanding job on the installing of our ship’s new baby cabin.

The only problem is, where to put the baby. Eustace put so many stuffed camels in the room, we’ll be lucky to get her into the crib. The silly camel is so proud of how the room turned out, I don’t have the heart to tell him we need to tone it down on the plushie bonanza!

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Hugs

Wednesday Words…

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.

Let’s see the camel try and figure that one out…

(2025) What exactly do you mean by that?

Daily writing prompt
Have you ever been camping?

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!

I’m still laughing…

Want a cookie?

Monday Messages…

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 saw phosphene’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?!