Tag: life

One of those words just doesn’t belong…

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Have you ever asked Google for a list of words that sound like other words? Well, I did!

  • Affect and effect, Lose and loose, Assure/ensure/insure, Lie and lay
  • Their vs. There vs. They’re, Accept and except, Advice and advise
  • Then and than, All together and altogether, Desert vs. Dessert, Flaunt vs flout
  • Further and farther, It’s/its, To and “too”, Breath/breathe, Capitol vs capital
  • Stationary and stationery, Who vs. Whom

Honestly, where did they come up with all these different words, anyway?

Now, I know that being an ant and all, I’m supposed to be super smart. But, just like people, it takes me a good bit of time, patience, and a lot of work to read and write.

If I’m to become a famous journalist one day, it won’t be easy… but so worth it! Meemaw says that nothing worth having is ever easy, and the hard work makes for a strong character. Though I don’t really understand why I need big muscles just to read and write, I’ll take her word for it. I mean, she’s been writing for a good bit. And she CAN sail a big pirate ship, all by her onesies… well, almost all by herself. The point is, I think she’s fairly smart so I’ll take her at her word.

Out of all the research I’ve done this morning, guess what word got me? I’ll let you in on a secret… it’s not any of those words I just listed… no no. Let me show you what the answer was to my question to Google about words that sounded like other words…

Words that can be confused with other words, known as confusables or commonly confused words, include homophones (sound alike, different meaning, e.g., “there,” “their,” “they’re”) and words that are similar in spelling or meaning (e.g., “affect” vs. “effect”). Examples include “to/too/two,” “accept/except,” “principal/principle,” “lose/loose,” and “than/then”

Out of the entire answer from Google’s AI, while I was planning on discovering the difference between all those words I showed you, I found myself knocked off the highway by the word confusables!

Why did they go to all the trouble to invent all those difficult words with long and confusing definitions, if they planned to one day start moshing words together just for the sake of it? Confusables? I’m confused, so I guess the word does it’s literary job of turning words into confusables. Now I’m not even sure if it’s sunny out or just sunshiny. Do I simply tell you I’m hungry, or am I free to suggest that I’m feeling apetizable… I mean, let’s just throw out all the rules, why don’t we.

Maybe asking Google for help isn’t always the best way to learn…

NOOOOOOO… The Horror…

Wiwohka4 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
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I was born in the late 60’s, spent my earliest years on a farm with only a single Black and White television that was encased in wood that came from Atilla the Hun’s battlefields… nothin like stubbing your toe on the corner of a 300 lb block! While I understand that my numbers are, in most probability, grossly over exaggerated, are they really… really?

Anyway, my point is that I’ve lived in both non-computer days and the current computer age, so yes, things looked different.

But is that different a good or bad thing… or is it just the times, or progress, if you will.

I remember taking typing classes in high school, and excelled at typing, matter of fact… I got skills! The thing was though, outside of a class at school, or my part-time job at an insurance agency, I never used a typewriter. In fact, I’d wager that most of the other student’s parents didn’t buy them one for personal use at home. Could you imagine having to bring your own typewriter with you, packed up in your backpack, or better yet, stuffed in your school locker? Nowadays, you can wear it on the right lens of your glasses. That’s only if you’ve the pocket change for one… their ridiculously expensive!

While I fully miss talking to others out loud, instead of texting, and writing letters on paper and sending them in the mail, one cannot deny the convenience and speed of using a computer. One single solitary box (in some instances, no bigger than a stick of gum), you can hold numerous differing translation of the bible, a building worth of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus’, and past news publications from eons past. You can access a plethora of books on fiction, history, science, religion, and more… from your cell phone/smartphone/pda/tablet/kindle/ and of course, those glasses I mentioned.

It’s undeniable that computers have incredible uses in today’s modern society…

But, we all know that too much of a good thing can spoil it’s goodness, in the end.

Checks and balances, moderation, and wisdom, should rule at the end of the day, wouldn’t you agree? Just make sure you don’t forget the old school days and ways, because you never know when we may need to use it again.

Take a moment to think on this…

If all our power grids went offline, indefinitely, how long might it take before the war over toilet paper returns?

Don’t forget your cookie…

Wednesday Words…

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Eustace watched Game of Thrones, and now he walks around the house dressed like he’s about to go hunting, whispering “winter is coming”, in the most ominous way… and then quickly adds, “so eat your vegetables!”

He seems to think that it’s hilarious, and has chosen to perform this little ball of apparent comical genius for the company’s Fall Festival Talent Contest.

Ok, maybe it is sort of funny, but I’m not so sure it’ll win him any prizes.

Is this one of those times when you tell your friend their fantastic, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings? You know, like they do for all those contestants auditioning for all those talent shows on television? I don’t want to mention the actual shows, since I think that American Idol and America’s Got Talent have legal teams that block people from using their names for things like this.

Anyway, I don’t know what to do, here. Should I let him do it, or should I try to talk him out of it?

He is a cheeky camel, as you know, so perhaps he really doesn’t care what others think. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be a hit! I mean, he did take an unscheduled summer vacation, and they welcomed him back with open arms. For all we know, he might actually win the contest and become an overnight star!

If you want to know the truth of the matter, I think this whole venture has more to do with retaliation, than any trophy or applause! You see, I think Eustace got his feelings hurt when the company turned down his idea for adding a fresh vegetable cart in the break room. They stated that with the Holidays right around the corner, there wasn’t enough **((time))** to add another venue to the company’s upcoming employee events…

Camel’s are stubborn, you know. I don’t think this is over, do you?

Thursday Thoughts…

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(2023) Looking Back…

I don’t often like to see into my own childhood memories, as they are precarious at best.  But for you, my friends, I have courageously looked through the curtains of the past that most often obscure my view.  I have learned that we must take the good with the bad, as far as memories go.  Haven’t we all had to make peace with our past, in order to walk forward towards a better future?

          This particular memory arose out of the oddest sort of recollection.  My husband brought home a watermelon the other day, and that sounds normal so far, as I am sure this behavior occurs within homes across the globe, nearly every day.  Things played out typically for us, just like most, until the moment my eyes came to rest on the label stuck to the side of the watermelon.  On the sticker were the words, “Grown in Hermiston Oregon”.  I do not often come across the name of my childhood home, and the last place I would have expected it to be, was on a piece of fruit. 

          For several moments, a cacophony of strange emotions floated briefly across my heart.  When I encounter these things, I usually set them aside to process on their own… I have learned not to rush into things willy nilly.  In this way, I dismissed the strange feelings and carried on with my day.  For several days I truly forgot about the sticker.

          Yesterday, as I was working on a story about two squirrels, a memory popped into my head, and the squirrels were momentarily replaced with the memory of a cat. 

I had forgotten about this cat for many years… until yesterday!  In the past I would have slammed the door on this part of my childhood immediately, as it has always brought an overwhelming fear.  I have learned in time, that I can view my past without fear or shame, but rather, with clarity and grace; both of which are great navigators, along the pathways of our hearts. 

          I do not generally slam these doors anymore, as I walk a better path now… a healing path.  While I will look at my memories, I have not ever written down a good one where my father was in the same story.  This morning was different for the first time.  In this memory will be the first written work I have ever done, where my dad is going to get his moment, but not like you’re thinking.  And another surprise I have for you is that you’re going to laugh and walk away very happy.  Let me show you…

          His name was Leroy!  We named him after that song, Bad Bad Leroy Brown!  From birth, this cat was crazy about me, and at the same time he was mean as they come… he stole my 7-year-old heart.  Another thing about this cat… he hated my dad! 

          This was not a passing fancy, a tiny dislike, or even a mild aversion to the man… Leroy was always planning the old man’s demise, I think.  This cat would destroy my dads’ things, and only his.  Leroy would intentionally pee on his clothes or in his boots, and every day from the moment my dad came home, the cat would stalk him and seek to bite him at every opportunity.  Guess where Leroy slept at night… hehe… with me!  At one time, my dad got so mad at the cat, he shot him!  Leroy disappeared into the woods… but he lived!  And he came home!  My dad was so mad, but a little scared too, I think.  He left the cat be, and pretended he didn’t care either way.

          One day Leroy did something that set my dad off, and he loaded the cat up and drove him across the county, dumping him at a friend’s barn.  We were devastated by the loss of our Leroy, and for some unknown reason, this was one of the few times my mom ever displayed her emotions.  She went off!!  By the time she got done yelling, my dad was sheepishly driving down the driveway with an empty cat box on the passenger seat.  My mom made him go all the way back down the road and retrieve our cat from that barn!  When that old station wagon pulled back into the yard, we all came running out of the house in excitement.  The first thing we saw as the car door swung open, was our cat Leroy climbing slowly and leisurely from my dad’s lap.  The next few moments are some of the most precious memories I hold of my dad with my cat…

          The man looked like he had been attacked by a weed wacker!  He was covered in cat scratches and bite marks, and Leroy peed and poo’ed all over his lap.  My dad barely got the cat inside the box he had brought along, and Leroy broke free as soon as the car ride home began. Our station wagon never smelled the same after this escapade, by the way.  That cat kicked my dad’s hind end for the full 20-minute ride from that barn.  This twelve-pound feline lived up to his name that day.  Let me tell you…

Loosely written from the Lyrics of the song,

He was my Bad Bad Leroy Brown

Maddest cat in the whole darn town

Badder than that ole shotgun

Meaner than that Junkyard hog (I would never insult a dog)!

 What I wouldn’t give to have been an observer in another car, or even walking on the side of the road, as that station wagon drove by.  There is for sure someone out there, who witnessed my small hero, scratching the life out of my dad all the way home!  It is very true what they say, that many times great heroes come in small packages!

That Cat Ruled!!!!

***No animals were harmed in the making of this episode, and each of the stunt cats were given their wages in delicious fishy treats, as well as, numerous bags of fresh catnip!***

I spared no expense!

You ARE like those you associate with…

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Brands, that is…

Daily writing prompt
What brands do you associate with?
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Ah, the good ole days…

Once, there was time when a girl could eat whatever she wanted, with reckless abandon. She wasn’t tied down to just any old brand. And she never had to worry over what brands she chose to associate.

There was a time when she loved to celebrate with her closest associate, Mr. Folgers…

Alas, those days are gone.

There were the days of joyful indulgences with her most frequent of associates… you may know them. Folks used to call them the Tillamook Gang, but to me, they were my friends. I think I miss Cheddar the most, as she was most often in the kitchen…

Well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this, you are like those you associate with! Unfortunately, they weren’t the best influence, so I had to give them up.

Now, after learning to let go of that which is a bad influence, I cleaned up my kitchen and now have a new circle of brands to hang out with… the healthier kind!

At first, it wasn’t so easy. Meeting new brands that behaved far differently than my old brands was difficult for a time. Strange names and unusual characteristics made me feel very self-conscious and intimidated, not to mention a bit scared. Change is never easy, but for the sake of healthy associations with brands… it had to be done!

Now that I’ve taken the time to get more familiar with her, Chiquita has become a very loyal brand, faithfully supplying me with a better association with potassium, and the like…

Chiquita was so genuinely helpful and giving, she actually introduced me to the Foster Farm Girls…

You know, associating with them has done wonders for my health, seriously!

There is, however, one brand that has been my friend since my earliest days. My mother actually introduced me to them, first. I was only about five years old, when my mother bought me an Easy-Bake Oven. I’d never made cookies before. I’d only ever seen my mother do it, but she was now handing over the spatula, so to speak!

I was placed upon a stool that had been stacked with several Yellow Page telephone books. Before me sat my brand new oven, all the little trays, sprays, spoons, and such. But the world turned on it’s axis, when my mother handed me a large bowl filled with cookie dough! It wasn’t just any cookie do, however, but the original recipe from Nestle Toll House Morsels package… that was all it took!

From that little oven, came some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted! Now, perhaps it was the sugar rush that kicked in, or even the bit of caffeine from the chocolate chips, hitting the bloodstream. The point is, I was hooked… not just on cookies, but on the Toll House brand!

I’ve had occasion to use other brands, but I always come back to Toll House! Whenever I see their packages, I’m immediately transported back to my childhood days… the good ones, though they be few. Thank you, Toll House!

I bet you guys are glad I kept this brand. I wouldn’t serve you anything less than wonderful… hugs

Barnyard Blues…

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I awoke this morning, to questions that don’t seem to have satisfactory answers, as far as deciding on what to write for my normal Friday post. I’m going to be fully honest when I say that Barnyard Business episodes may not be the right fit for WordPress.

While my heart wants to continue with the stories, the response on WP has not been what I’d anticipated. Now, don’t go getting your feelings hurt or anything, because I’m certainly not blaming any of you.

The imaginative stories I come up with are really meant for children, and let’s face it, there aren’t any little ones knocking on my WP door. If folks are reading any of them to their children, I’ve never had any comments or such that might reflect someone’s interest.

I published a children’s book, but it was mainly for testing the waters. I think I’ve sold one copy, but I wasn’t surprised. My books are meant for children’s hands, not in the form of a futuristic Etch a Scetch!

This will be my third Christmas spread that I’ll be putting together, and as you already know, nobody ever seems to show up for the party. You can be butt hurt about this statement, or you can simply accept it as truth. You all have busy lives, I get it! Plus, the bottom line for this site is to reach hearts, not collect back pats and overly wordy accolades… it’s not about me!

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to make it more about me than about sharing the Gospel. Maybe it wasn’t my primary reason back when I started… but it is now, more than ever! I try not to overdo it, but let’s face it… that’s what the cookies are for, right?

As I am the president of my own Overthinkers Anonymous Club, it’s important that I make no rash decisions about a thing. Prayer comes first, then looking at said thing objectively, follows. After that, I write my thoughts down, usually here on WordPress. Any following steps come into play, once I receive your feedback. You may or may not even realize how important you are, in terms of what I write, how I write it, and when I publish said thing.

You are my family, and your thoughts matter to me, especially when it comes to what I put on this website. Why? Because you are important to me… very important!

I really would appreciate your feedback, as to whether or not I continue with any of my children themes, here on WordPress. It may be a situation where I simply journal on WP, but pull all of my main character episodes to a different venue. My desire is to write that which is useful for your edification, inspiration, encouragement and overall blessings. If it needs changing, so be it! I love you enough that I’ll write however I must, if God can use it to reach your hearts!

Hugs

Preferably with family…

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Daily writing prompt
How do you celebrate holidays?
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Wasn’t I just writing about how many holidays there were? How funny is that?

I would have preferred that WordPress ask me about one or two holidays, rather than lumping them all together. Why?

Because, holidays, the main ones at least, are vastly different from one another, and each carries its own significant meaning, traditions, and ceremonies.

If I were to attempt in sharing my celebratory habits for each of the holidays that I recognize, we’d be here til the cows come home, as they say. And, not only that, but we’d never get to the cookies that I leave down at the bottom of the page!

I suppose at the heart of it all, it doesn’t really matter which holiday anyone chooses, as long as they are celebrating with friends, family, and loved ones, ya know?

That means YOU, just in case you weren’t sure who I was referring to. I may have inadvertently given that secret away, with all the “Hugs”, the bucket’s of cookies, or possibly all the Monday Messages harassing you for Christmas lists.

I guess I could say that all that effort put in with idle threats, affection and sugary bribery is my way of celebrating the holidays.

Now, some might not agree with my list being a valid form of Jolly activities, but it bothers me not! You know why?

Because, just this last Sunday I made my first successful Gluten Free Banana Muffins… and they tasted good! In all good conscience, I shouldn’t be serving you cookies that I haven’t tasted myself, first. How am I to know if you’ll like them?

I start my holiday celebrations for November and December, here, right now. I know that it’s only September, but I need the time to practice, taste, and even sample what I wish to offer you during the holiday season.

So, what does all this blather mean? Let me shorten it up a bit…

Holiday + Family + Cookies = Happy Holidays!

Cookie?

Tuesday Tinkering…

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Who would have thought that it would be so much work, trying to create an adorable troll that wasn’t a cartoon? Seriously! In truth, as much as I enjoy working with images, writing is my main passion, not art! At some point, I must accept that this operator’s errors are the main problem. With that being said, I think I’ve been able to come up with some decent images without compromising the quality of Peanut’s lifelike features.

The first image was my favorite, as far as a realistic background goes, but our little Peanut looks downright inappropriate, if you ask me!

Take a look…

I had to cover the little guy up, just so that you can see the image. For whatever reason, Norbert (AI) thought taking the troll’s clothes off would make the background look more realistic. I don’t know, but I did nearly spill my tea in my lap when the image first appeared. Shocking, really! While a mother’s love finds nothing offensive about a chubby naked baby (we find it adorable, and so, so pinchable), but as for the rest of the public… butterflies it is!

I did go back and correct Norbert, in regards to the clothing issue. And, I think it’s a start toward creating the images of Peanut that I wish for you to fall in love with, as I have…

However, as the clothes were put back on, notice how the scenery goes right back to looking like a country Barbie Cottage. But, by fiddling with the level of creativity that I allow Norbert to have, we finally began to get somewhere.

What do you think?

I had to remove Peanut from the first image and insert him into another, for a start. It’s better, but realistically, I don’t want to have to edit each and every image, because darn it, that should be Norbert’s job!

So, I had a thought! What if I take the image of the Peanut I love, and ask Norbert to change the house in the background? Look what happened…

For some reason, if I ask the AI to change a specific thing in the image, rather than ask it to blend the two together, perhaps it’s less confusing. You know how I have a tendency to talk a lot. Well, maybe I overexplain things when asking the AI for help. Hmmmm… I’m going to keep at it!

For now, at least, we are beginning to get somewhere, maybe.

Monday Messages…

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Can you believe that we’re already halfway through September? Summer is rapidly dwindling, as the cooling winds of the fall season begin transforming the lush green foliage to all those differing shades of glorious reds, yellows and golds.

I think that it should be a law that the moment the fall arrives, everybody has to put their Christmas lights up! Well, think about it for a moment! There’s far less lighting in the fall and winter months, so it would make things far brighter.

I think Halloween and Thanksgiving can still do their own thing, but just work around the lights, that’s all.

I mean, come on. All the stores put all their holiday products on the shelves at least two months before the actual holiday, so I say we fight back!

From the moment the stores start piling up candy and pumpkins all over the place, we should all put up our Christmas lights as an act of defiant solidarity!

Maybe I want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in December on my birthday, I don’t know. That way I might get an actual gift. Honestly, I feel sorry for anyone who is born on or near a holiday. Everyone just figures they can do a twofer… no fun! I am praying my granddaughter is born on or near my daughter’s birthday in November, because her due date is the day after Thanksgiving.

Also, why can’t we just combine Mother’s day with Father’s day and just call it Parent’s Day. You know, I asked Google how many holidays there were. First of all, it has to break them down into categories. That should be our first clue that we humans have far too many holidays, memorials, tributes, Month long celebrations for nearly every nationality out there, and special events commemorating this or that! Seriously, we should really think about extending our 365 day cycles to like 600 or so, just to really have recovery time in between parties!

Remember watching Little House on the Prairie, when they would celebrate Christmas? They gave each other handmade gifts and items needed for survival, and they didn’t have cars to drive to and from their festivities… they had to risk life and limb to travel through the wilderness in six feet of snow, just to bring gifts!

I don’t know, in a world where time waits for no man, as they say, we sure do have a lot of time to waste on all these “pat yourself on the back” parties. Now, I’m not saying that everyone behaves this way, so don’t go there! I’m simply basing my findings on what I see, hear, and experience from where I’m sitting. You wouldn’t believe the immense pressure that is put on folks living in poverty. It was so humbling for me to attend my daughter’s baby shower on Saturday, with no gift to offer… nothing.

Of all the things I’ve ever done wrong in my life, the people I’ve hurt, and the pain I’ve caused others, namely my children, God tells me I did something right. You know how? In the character of my children. My youngest daughter, who turned 30 this year, pulled me aside, and produced a gift for me to give her sister. Maybe it was for my sake, or perhaps it was her sister she was thinking about, but I don’t suppose it really matters.

Why am I rambling on about all this silly nonsense about too many holidays and celebrations? First of all, everyone is already seeing the stores gear up for cavity night, so I know you are feeling the beginning birth pains from your wallets… and the parties haven’t even started, yet. And, secondly, because I am fairly confident in saying that many of you already purchased holiday items for this year, but at the close-out after holiday sales from last year. Don’t panic, nobody will call you out on it, most of all myself. I get it! A bargain is a bargain, am I right?!

I suppose that I wanted use this mid-September Monday Messages just to start prepping you for what’s inbound for these upcoming months, so nobody can say they DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH NOTICE to get me their virtual Christmas list, which seems to be very difficult. This will be our third Virtual Christmas, and I have plans! So suck it up, Buttercups, and get it together!

I mean it!

If you don’t, it may spoil the whole thing. I know I’ve probably said this in the past, but this time, I’m being fully serious! I have some major surprises, not to mention my third installment of Tilly and Santa’s adventures. Oh, and there’s so much more, but I can’t say a thing, yet. So, now do you see why it’s so important that I get your lists ahead of time. I need time to put everything together.

So, your jobs… virtual Christmas lists mailed before Thanksgiving, and, show up for the party on Christmas morning. Last years idea of a bag of puppies was exhausting! I had to hand deliver most of them, since there were too many absentee guests… holes in the corners of my couches, poo doo on the floor, and somebody peed on the Christmas tree, shorting out the lights!

So, if a puppy is on your list… you better show up this time, or it won’t be charcoal that Santa leaves in your stocking! Tilly has quite a bit of influence with ole Saint Nick, seriously. If I were you, I wouldn’t risk it!

Fall Back Friday!

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As usual, I sat down at the computer this morning, ready to work on the day’s writing projects. Even though the daily prompts are usually enough to get my creative side moving… it just wasn’t happening for this normally active brain! But, I did wake up far earlier than normal today. Unfortunately, my peppermint tea just isn’t cutting it, today.

Anyways, I thought to visit the photo archives, hoping for some inspiration, motivation, or any other kind of __ation that might encourage me to get something done.

Have you ever gone through your image archives from earlier writing seasons, discovering that you can remember which photos went with what writings? For me, it’s like a imaginary baby album!

Can you believe that I started writing my first full Fantasy/Fiction book just two years ago?

No, it’s not published… yet. It’s fully finished but as I’m my only editor, agent, and publisher, it waits.

I went back and found all the beginning baby pictures that I used for Tilly, Brutus… and, our favorite flying squirrel. They were all so adorable…

It’s shocking, to say the least, how many thousands of images my albums hold! And, yes, I said thousands. Don’t judge! Now, I’ll admit that my collections have gotten a bit out of hand, but surely, I’m not the only photo hoarder that ever owned a bookshop on our WordPressame Street!

So, I think it’s only fair that I should put your literary feet to the fire here, as well! Come on… be honest! On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the worst picture propagator out there, and 1 being unable to hold a smartphone in your hand, which are you?

Take your time…

No rush, or anything…

Seriously, I can wait…

Here, have a snack while you gather the courage to be truthful about your hidden hoarding habits…