Today is a great example…

Daily writing prompt
How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

NO!

Today is not the day, WordPress!

I’ve a husband that just finished finals, and I’ve been running from doctors appointment to doctors appointment for over a week, now. We both need a break!

It’s time for some Icarus. They just released a new expansion so the game’s got my full attention… And you’re interfering with that plan, WP, no offense.

Today’s prompt came as the perfect opportunity for me to show you how easily I’m willing to say the NO word, when it comes to my goals.

Today’s goals?

Icarus…

Homemade muffins…

Time with my very best friend…

See? Nothin else fits!

Don’t think I’d forget your cookies…

That’s always, always a yes… even though the cookies say no.

(2023 remix) Space Travel, Here We Come…

Daily writing prompt
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

The Big T!

Teleportation!

I know it’s not technically a skill or ability, but it kind of is in the world of imagination. That’s how I wanted to answer this prompt, so there’s that!

I hate to sit in an airplane, next to the door with the writing, “Occupied” above the handle. I want to travel, and see my loved ones, but between the cost of the flight, whether I want to pay to take my toothbrush, or if I want to drink anything better than water and a biscuit, I get discouraged.

Not even reserving my spot in 1st class, premier, or anything other than, hurry get on or we will leave you here, it is no longer easy, nor is it fun for me to travel.

If it were not for the blip in a movie where the object arrived inside out,

I would have pursued building and trying to use my own. For now, I will leave it to Hollywood, but once a large number of more daring volunteers successfully make it, I am for sure, all in!

Cookie?

I wasn’t sure if you wanted plain or frosted, so I made both…

Maybe cookies are actually my real secret ability, after all!

(2024) Woodpecker…

Daily writing prompt
What is one word that describes you?

Of all the species of feathered flyers out there, the one bird that describes me would be the Woodpecker! Why? Well, I read off of the Wikipedia site that these birds have very strong jaw muscles.

Word? Oh, I thought it said Bird. Oh well! It’s too late to go back now…

Anyone who knows much about me, should already be aware that I talk a whole lot! I mean A LOT! I always have… and I highly doubt that I will be slowing down any time soon.

Over the years I have been chided about it, counseled to slow it down, and/or even avoided because of it. For a time, I attempted to back away from my own chatty nature, in hopes of pleasing others. I soon learned that it was more my personality than my chattiness that pushed others away. Their loss!

When I discovered that I like myself just as I am, I stopped trying to be that which I was not, for others sake!

I refer to myself as a Woodpecker, because I wish to be incessantly hammering out the love of Christ, over and over and over again!

For anyone who is bothered by my noise, there are plenty of other trees in the forest! I am sure you’ll find another comfortable place to perch!

God made me this way, so I’ve no intention of changing something if God tells me it’s not broken!

Here, I’ve left you some seeds…

Just kidding, sillies! I wouldn’t feed you bird seed… well, not only…

Wednesday Words…

What’s the likelihood of a camel successfully living in a Tiny Home?

Eustace seems to think he can make it work, though I’ve some serious doubts. Let’s just hope he doesn’t try to make it a multi-level house… that is, unless he wants a lot of open sky lights!

Well, if anybody can make it happen, I’m putting my vote toward team Eustace…

Planes, trains, and…

Daily writing prompt
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?

While I think I ‘d rather enjoy a really cozy cabin, aboard Amtrak, I couldn’t help but think of that Steve Martin and John Candy movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It’s one of my favorite holiday movies to watch, and most everyone loved both of those comedic actors?

My favorite part of the whole movie was the airport scene with Edie McClurg, where they were trying to get their rental car, and she was busy making turkey sounds on the phone.

Then again, the snuggly hotel scene…

Specifically, the Chatty Cathy doll reference had me nearly pulling a stomach muscle from too much laughing.

While I love all of that movie, I would prefer that I stay on a train… with room service!

Have a cookie for the road…

Confidence is as confidence does…

Daily writing prompt
Who is the most confident person you know?

I’m going with Forest Gump on this one!

Just look at all the valuable lessons he’s taught, thus far. Why the title of today’s prompt response, in and of itself, was great wisdom.

Look how fast they roll off the tongue…

A confident person is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get!

I might not be confident, Jenny, but I know what love is.

… from that point on, whenever I was going anywhere, I was confident!

… and I met the confident president… aaaagiiinnn!

Me and confidence, we go together like peas and carrots!

See what I mean? What a guy! Oh, wait! I just realized that the person has to be someone I know, and I never actually met the man.

This is hard because I only know about a half dozen people, up close enough to gage their confidence level.

I’m going with my husband, as the man keeps movin whether it rains or shines. No has never stopped him, but only rerouted his path! Yes, I know I’m being partial. But, as this prompt fully intends us to answer with partiality, I’ve full license to proceed!

My husband! My best friend! My partner in crime! My lover! The other half of myself!

Wait! If all that is to be true, then what did I just say? Don’t think I walked you into me being the confident one, because that would be entirely self-gratifying and I’m in no way calling myself the most confident person in the room.

Doggone it! I went and did it again. I AM the only one in the room!

Well, whatever you choose to believe, here, I simply meant that my husband is truly the most confident person I know. We’re in this car together… til the wheels fall off!

Cookies for your time?

(2024) The List Goes on and on and on and on…

Daily writing prompt
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

I’ll be honest in saying that movies are more my thing, as far as binge watching anything over and over again. First of all I abhor commercials, so tv episodes usually only consist of about 18 minutes of show and 12 minutes of sales pitches on everything from toilet paper to cars! Secondly, I am not usually captivated enough by a television show, to watch it more than once… let alone more than 5 times.

That being said, I will confess that I’ve watched the Castle series more times than I wish to admit, but we purchased the series on DVD to alleviate all the bothersome commercials.

Now binge watching my favorite movies, on the other hand, is one of my guilty pleasures, as I am an avid insomniac with hours of nocturnal boredom. The list I’m about to give you, are my late night favorites, and the number of re-watches shall not be disclosed… but the number 5 is Childs play for this owl!

My ultimate go to, in the wee hours, is The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings… all of em!

Next up would be the Harry Potter series, but my most watched of that series has to be The Prisoner of Azkaban with Gary Oldman… great actor!

Then we have the entire series of Jurassic Park movies… the original will probably always be my favorite one, primarily due to them keeping it pretty close to the actual book.

Then there’s Tomb Raider… and Stargate… and of course, The entire line up of Pirates of the Caribbean, with Johnnie Depp. I absolutely love the entire cast of characters in each and every movie of this series.

If I were to list for you, every movie that I’ve watched too many times, we would be here til the cows come home, as they say. I will say this… we have a terabyte drive that holds over 600 movies and most of my favorites are on that drive, so there’s that…

Here, have a movie snack…

(2024) It’s a Menagerie…

Daily writing prompt
Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

Obviously, my first thought was of the tortoise, which I often write about when it comes to my steady forward march in life.

But then again, there is the Loud Mouth Frog…

or Chatty Cathy, but she is more of a doll than an animal…

In the past I was akin to a Wolverine, all growly and snarly, with an aggressive attitude…

Of late, however, I’ve begun to see myself surfacing in some creatures you may be familiar with… let’s see…

There’s a mouse I can sometimes relate to…

While at other times I feel a bit Squirrelly…

Anywhere in between, you may find me looking a bit more creative…

Last but not least, there are those days where I just feel more bossy and fussy…

How could I ever forget to remind you of my ability to fling commas, and the like, all, over, everything………,,,, ,,,,,””””: … Just saying! I know she is not an animal, but she is an imaginary creature of sorts… and this is my blog, so I get to put whatever I want in here!

As there are simply too many different animals for me to choose from, I am unable to pick just one. I have mentioned on multiple occasions that I am a maelstrom of emotions, so it stands to reason that I should be able to pick all of the above, just to cover all my bases. Wouldn’t you agree?

Here, have a Wookie cookie to go with my crazy answer…

I made the goggles out of Oreos, so I know it’ll taste delish!

Eyes before ease…

… except after seas?

No, that’s not right. I believe the English language rule states that it’s i before e, except after c’s. What I’d like to know is why? If they both sound the same, why on earth are we throwing in a complicated if and or but with these words. Didn’t anybody ever hear of the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” ? I’ve heard of it!

Before I get myself in an unnecessary bother, maybe we should first ask Mr. McGoogle to try and work out the problem.

Question #1 should be to establish what the actual rule states. No one should go on here say about a thing, but should instead seek the facts. Let’s do this…

According to the AI Overview,

In the English language, a common mnemonic spelling rule is: “I before E, except after C

However, the full, more accurate rhyme often includes: “…or when sounded as ‘ay’ as in neighbor or weigh”

Key Details Regarding the Rule: “Cie” Words: Sometimes ie follows a c anyway, such as in science, glacier, ancient, and sufficient.

The “C” Exception: When the i and e combination follows a c, the order is usually ei (e.g., receive, ceiling, deceive, conceit).

The “Ay” Exception: When the ei combination makes a long “a” sound (like “ay”), e comes before i (e.g., neighbor, weigh, vein, sleigh).

Other Exceptions: There are many words that break this rule, such as weird, seize, leisure, protein, and foreign.

So, ok, I can agree with this ruling as long as it can be clearly determined by the pronunciation of the word. That part makes sense, but what screws everything up is the fact that there are so many varying accents from differing nationalities. What then? Unless one is prepared to pull up a voice modulator every single time one of these words come up, the margin for error is incredibly wide… in my humble antsy opinion.

I suppose if we only had a handful of words that utilized this particular linguistic merry-go-round, it wouldn’t cause me such aggravation. But guess what? The English language is smothered in the ie, ei, except after c, or ay rule. Not just that but we get to also separate words like weird, seize, leisure, protein, and foreign, as these words break all the rules. What’s an ant to do, here?

Well, figure things out is what I need to do, if I’m to make a top-notch journalist! If children can learn it, then so too can an ant… this ant, to be exact!