Tag: writing

My thoughts?

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Daily writing prompt
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
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Are we really saying that living a long life is a mere concept? I guess it could be, but it just sounds weird. First of all, it wouldn’t be considered a mere concept, if you were born with a disease or disability.

I looked up the definition of concept, but it only made things worse. But, as I’ve committed to answering these prompts without being flippant, I’ll give it my best shot.

Since the prompt is only asking what my thoughts are about this whole concept thing, ummmm… living a long life is a great concept, I guess. In truth, only God knows the length of my life, and nothing I do or don’t do will change that outcome.

I suppose the concept of being a decent human being is also good, if you’re a decent person. But, what good is that concept if you’re an arse, by nature?

I can honestly say that I am unable to really come up with any life altering thoughts, regarding long life being a mere concept. I will be making every effort to live a long life, but it’s not really in my hands, is it? We can do everything right, but still accidentally get hit by a bus. Concept just flew out the window.

Life, itself, cannot be placed in a box, given boundaries, and/or assigned any wonderful concepts… it doesn’t work like that. There are no guarantees, precautions, or conceptual guidelines that keep reality at bay.

Besides, I can’t personally think beyond the day in front of me, let alone focus on what my earthly old age might look like. Rather than thinking on the concept of a long life, how bout we just do the best with what we have, and leave the rest of it to God.

Now eat your cookie…

Tuesday Tinkering…

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Guess what? Norbert got an upgrade!

Well, OpenArt was actually what got a facelift, but I like to refer to the AI by a fictional name, just for fun.

Anyhow, one of the changes to the program was an upgraded visual for all my characters… that means, more realism and more accuracy. I love it! Of course I’ve no intention of paying for a silly account upgrade, but they did give me a freebie, so I chose Squagon.

Our tiny flying squirrel has never been the same since the switch to this AI application, so I gambled with my freebie character upgrade, and look what we got…

SUCCESS!!!

This new upgrade made it possible to put life back into our little guy, real fur and all. Plus, no matter what I tell him to do, the program now keeps the character perfectly in tact. No more free range, off the reservation, loose AI interpretations of what I ask… at least, with the visuals. It still tries to change what I ask for it to do, in some futile hope that I’ll like it’s version instead of mine, but I enjoy telling it off. I’ll have to make all new characters for each of them, but it’s cheaper than paying for the next tier of membership.

There are also a number of improvements on the beta version of putting two characters into the same scene. It’s still not good, but it is better than before…

They’ve even made improvements to the storyline side of things, like the short videos…

I didn’t like how the AI opted to change faces by the end of the video, but it still felt like somewhat of a success, in and of itself. Don’t think for one moment that I’ll settle for anything less than a true Tilly and Henry. This was just the first of many tests and trial runs, but I don’t mind, really. It gives me time to improve my own skills, utilizing ai for my illustrations without letting ai change my direction, if that makes any sense.

For now, it’s back to the drawing board, or rather, back to the ai program. I intend to become quite proficient with this program, but let it be made quite clear that I am NOT an artist, but simply a writer who enjoys bringing visuals into my writing. I think it helps with introducing an atmosphere that enhances the readers ability to see and feel what I do when I write. Trust me, if I had an actual publisher with an actual illustrations department, I’d leave the graphic visuals to the pros. But, til things change in this department, OpenArt is my go to.

Tinkering is by far the best way for me to become more proficient in the editing department, as well as sharing my progress with you.

My hope is that I’ll have some better pieces of video and images to share by next week so that you, me, and Norbert, can view the improvements made. I think I want to tackle both Osrig and Peanut, as they are both a battle with Norbert’s abilities. The ai program really seems to struggle with creations that are human, vs, fictional, or animal combinations. My characters are nearly all part human or animal, mixed with a fictional imaginary type creature. That’s why I love them so! These characters each have a life of their own, which I strive to keep true to their personalities, not just what Norbert thinks.

Well, that’s it for now. Maybe next week will have some real successes, but I’ll probably show you the failures, as well. Sometimes the mistakes are better than the perfect outcomes, wouldn’t you agree?

A bit too much…

Wiwohka6 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
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This girl likes to have fun, if you hadn’t picked up on that yet, but “playtime” has had to be toned down these days.

From the time I was small, playtime revolved around hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, and/or any fun activity out in the wilderness.

Over the years I’ve walked marathons (running them is silly), played softball, and at one point even played a game of tackle football in a muddy field, no joke. I was fast, light, and could take a hit!

Sitting where I sit now, with a rainy day ache in every single place that I injured myself over the years, playtime has had to become a bit less aggressive.

I traded my outdoor adventuring for online gaming outdoor adventuring (don’t judge), as I’ve no desire to collapse from trying to do things the way I used to. Not only that, but the embarrassment of being hand carried off the path by some young, strong, and handsome paramedics… no thanks!

I may not be a young spring chicken any longer, but this wise old owl has traded her adventure shoes for Meemaw slippers. Don’t think that this is just anybody’s game, no ho ho way! You wouldn’t think that rocking a baby to sleep would be so tough… until you have rocked them for an hour, while holding yourself in the most awkward and uncomfortable position. You’ll ache for days, trust me!

I guess you could say that my playtime has become selective now… I save up all my physical energy for baby, while I imagine, write, and virtually play online games. I also bake you virtual cookies each day, which I consider playtime, as well.

Speaking of cookies…

From the depths…

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I sat for a good bit this morning, trying to find the words to enter back into the stream of literary traffic that is WordPress… and it’s been hard, to say the least.

If I could sum up the last several months in only a few words, it’d be something like, “alrighty then, wasn’t that a ride!”

I could tell you the details about my health journey, and perhaps in time I may, but now is not the time… maybe later.

On the upside, we’ve a new granddaughter that has to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever lain eyes upon…

From the tip of her tiny toes, all the way to her silky soft hair…

… our Sugarplum was the most wonderful of Christmas package one could ever imagine! While I would love to show you a cascade of new baby pictures, I wish to respect my daughter’s privacy, so for the most part I’ll be using the Avatar created for Maisie unless Mamma gives me approved pic’s for public viewing…

Please forgive any future crazy writing angles, as I’m still trying to right my health situation. When you are physically compromised, it bleeds over into your emotions, as well.

In a tiny nutshell, doctors have failed to offer anything other than more drugs, so we’ve been forced to step back from modern medicine and seek a different route. Basically, we’re DIYing it. I don’t know what’s to come, but God does, so I’m leaving it in His mighty hands.

While God watches over me, I’ve been tasked to continue my writing. I want to publish my works, and I want to be here, with you… my family.

So, with that being said, let’s just get back to it, the writing that is…

Let’s all celebrate and have a party… cause the Punctuation Fairy has returned!!!

(2023) What She Thought She Saw…

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     The whole day had quite simply sucked! 

After the grocery shopping debacle that morning, her good mood had soured and gained a downward run that she knew would not improve.  Her shopping cart wheel had given out in just the right spot coming off of the curb in front of the store letting everything in it simply fly, full force, into a passing car in the parking lot. 

After completely re-shopping, off of her crumpled receipt that had a piece of old chewing gum in it, she hurried home in an attempt to unload before her youngest child awoke from a very brief fake nap.  

Driving home, the officer did not appreciate the narrative she reeled off as her excuse, giving her a speeding ticket anyway. 

Once home, groceries unpacked and children playing, she tried to find solace in a piece of chocolate cake that she had reserved on top of the microwave the night before, only to discover that the cat had peed on the front of the microwave. And yes, she had already eaten the cake when she discovered this bit of information. It had been one of those days! 

When she walked into the room to check on her children as they played, she was certain that she heard her 5-year-old say to her Barbie doll, “You #@*ch!”

In shocked horror, the stressed out young mother began to let loose with a scolding lecture regarding language.  Looking up from the dollhouse in confusion, her daughter asked, “Mommy, if I can’t call this a bench, then what am I supposed to call it?” 

Perspective!

     I so want to go back to having the perspective and imagination of a child, without all the grown-up things that derail the good stuff. 

That’s a perfect world, which this is not, but the beauty of the human soul is that it can learn, recover, forgive, and grow. 

I am growing again!

(March 2023) Hey Bob

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So, here is a funny story!  I love the outdoors and if I can help it, I am out there as much as possible.  I make an effort to take a walk nearly every day, and I have a route that I have used for some time now.  I do a good amount of thinking on these morning jaunts, as I call them.  Sometimes it can be very productive, but at other times, I let my mind just wander to relax.  On one of these such relaxing mornings, I hatched a plan, that in my mind, would be very funny to any that were involved.  I have a great many squirrels that I encounter on a regular basis, and I was going to recruit them for this idea.

I came up with a plan to simply begin saying hello, out loud, to every squirrel I encountered and give each a random name, as if I actually know them.  I thought that if I did this, eventually, the passersby that frequently saw me, would begin to think that maybe I knew the squirrels.  I could simply wait for the time when someone would stop me to ask how I knew all of the squirrels names, and I could then say, “Oh no, I have no idea, I just thought it would be funny”. I didn’t say that it WOULD be funny, I just imagined it would be funny.

The next morning, I headed out onto the trail, thoroughly tickled with myself, for what I thought would be an extremely funny idea.  Honestly, I giggled to myself all the way down the block as I began looking for my first unwitting participant (a squirrel, that is).  I got about a half hour into my trek, playing over and over in my head how it would play out, and then I spotted a squirrel.

I learned two things that morning.  Number one, I discovered that, apparently, a lot of squirrels share the name Bob.  Number two, Peanuts!  I should have brought peanuts.  My recommendation is that we not engage in conversation with wildlife, unless we bring some sort of food offering.  I think someone else may have been conditioning these guys way before I ever thought up my ridiculous idea!

Here is how it went down…I saw the squirrel, I approached confidently, thinking how funny this was gonna be, I called out, “Hey Bob”, and before I knew it I was being chased down the trail by three hungry squirrels.  I felt like it happened in slow motion…lol…I spoke, our eyes connected, they looked hungry, I had nothing but a coffee tumbler and a tissue, Coffee over Heathens I say!   I did not care how absolutely ridiculous I must have appeared to onlookers.  I actually think I may have laughed out loud at myself, but I did not care!  I walked a different route for two days after that to let them forget me hopefully.

I still see the same three squirrels on the trail regularly, and the accusation is still there on those furry little faces… Where Are OUR Peanuts!!!!

(2023) Old Toys…

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Just the other day, from out of nowhere, came a happy memory of one of my favorite toys from childhood, my Hippity Hop!  I was born on a farm and aside from my horse, my favorite toys were ones I could ride on.  I have many memories of bouncing around the yard and pasture on that thing, and boy it must have been made of magic rubber because it never sprung a leak, that I can remember. 

When I thought on it a bit, I realized that for the life of me, I cannot remember whatever happened to my favorite toy.  As I pondered this, more memories of toys that brought me joy came to mind.  Some of them came to tragic ends, as some toys do, when we are too hard on them or just don’t take care to protect them.  Others, however, I quite honestly cannot remember what became of them. 

It occurs to me that people are kind of like toys, in the sense that we sometimes, for whatever the reason, lose track of people that we once loved and held dear.  Sometimes I feel like the child, and at other times I have felt like the toy!  Instead of this thought leading me, or you for that matter, into the negative, I want to share an insight with you. 

I have a soft spot in my heart for those little old fellows that own huge pieces of land simply teeming with old things…some rusted beyond repair, while others may yet be restored and reused.  The point is that they simply refused to let go of anything that might one day be saved. They never stops loving and dreaming about bringing the beauty back to those old things.  It doesn’t really matter if the old man ever gets them restored.  I am just encouraged by him always hoping and dreaming. 

I am so glad that God will never get tired of me!  He will never forget that I am there, or nudge me aside with His boot.  God never stops believing in me, no matter how damaged or dinged up I become.  The Masters hands are always mending, rebuilding, and restoring me to how He sees me…His own!!!!!

(2023) Do You Remember…

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***Part 1 ***

What was wrong with this picture? 

One morning, while standing in my kitchen and talking on the phone with my girlfriend, I just knew something wasn’t right! I kept glancing out the window suspiciously towards the sound of singing. 

There was my five-year-old, happily playing on her swing set in the back yard. 

Something wasn’t right with the scene I observed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. 

          You see, it’s usually the absence of noise that signals childhood mischief, but I could see her clearly and she was simply swinging. Wait a minute… that’s it! 

I could see her but not clearly because of the distance between us.  I asked my girlfriend to hold on a second, momentarily placing the phone on the counter.  Leaning out the back door, I called for my daughter to come into the house.  Hopping off of the swing, she happily made her way toward the back door, where I stood waiting.

 As she drew near, my eyes became riveted to her forehead, where her bangs had once been.  My baby gave herself a reverse mohawk! I saw what looked like a small monk!  She had somehow sheared off all of the hair on her forehead! 

In mortified shock I grabbed the phone up and cried to my friend, “You have to come over and look at my baby girl’s hair”! 

Hanging up the phone, I attempted to calmly ask my child what happened… note that I said attempted.  She looked concerned at my anger and said, pointedly, “My hair was in my eyes, so I got out your sewing scissors and cut it off.“

  I was in tears by the time my girlfriend walked in and I turned to her for comfort in my hour of need.  All I got from her was a long round of hysterical laughter.  Point in fact, she laughed for a good bit, to my dismay.

“How can you laugh” I cried… “It’s not funny!”

As she tried to contain her laughter (not very well, I might add), my friend said, “I know this seems awful, but her hair will grow back.  Look, kids do things like this.  I’m sorry for laughing, but I can’t help it!  Its hilarious, really it is!  I’m sure you will look back on this and laugh, someday.  In fact, you can laugh at anything my kids do to me when it happens.  I will even call you first.”

After my girlfriend left, I had to hunt down all the evidence to be found.  Underneath my own bed, I retrieved my scissors… along with a massive pile of hair!  There was a lot more contributions of hair than I had anticipated, which was rather alarming!  My thoughts momentarily raced to my other children, but then quickly moved on to one or more of the family pets in the house. 

When I asked whose hair I’d found, she confidently took me to her toy pony, sittling in the corner of our family room.  The poor jumpy horse had received an army style crew cut, and was never the same after that, the poor thing.   

Of course, my girlfriend was right! I did look back and laugh. 

And if you are wondering, I did have the occasion to take her up on that offer.  Several years later, I did get my chance to laugh at her child’s silly antics. 

That, however, is another story…

(June 2023) Investigating Truths…

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Looking Up!

Believe it or not, this flower is actually a good three feet above my head! I would not have even noticed it, had I not paused for a moment to rest my aching back. I am not sure that I want to go as far as to say that I am glad I injured my back. But I can certainly appreciate the lessons gained from my recovery process. One of those lessons is that I need to slow down!

I learned to slow down both physically, as well as mentally. In the physical realm, too much of a good thing (walking) is never healthy without taking the time to make sure you are capable of pacing yourself. I am learning to slow my walking down, and also to take days off for a refuel. Selecting regular days to rest is something I have to force myself to do. Mentally, I think it is also very necessary to do the same thing…

Take a day off!?!

While realizing that it can be difficult, it’s so very necessary that we take a mental day off, once in a while! You know, shut the brain door… close the shutters to our internal house windows.

I hope you weren’t’ expecting me to expound on the mental day off, as there are too many self-help resources that have already saturated the market on this subject. Actually, I am not even going to spout anything useful in the physical activity department. I just like to “walk” you into an insight I’ve gained, rather than just throw it at you like a water balloon.

Beauty and goodness are all around us! Each and every day, the sun rises to reveal these things. It carries on toward darkness, til it’s replaced by the rising of the moon. Over and over, again and again, this happens. We’re given so many opportunities to see and experience all that God’s created just for our pleasure and enjoyment.

My insight, if you have not already figured it out, is this: Slow down, and take the time to LOOK UP!

(2024) Not On My Life…

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Daily writing prompt
Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?
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Not only do I not wish to do any re-living at this moment, but I wouldn’t wish any of my life on any other human being!

I hear so many folks talk of what they would do differently if they were to go back in time, but as much as I don’t want to go back… I also wouldn’t trade it for any amount of money!

The me that you see today is a priceless gem, cut from the hardest of stone. I am a blade made of iron, shaped through both fire and ice for tempering… I am a chosen child of God!

Has it been difficult, exhausting and painful, yes!

Have I had to walk through life as an outsider… an outcast? Yes! Most often, I am simply misunderstood by those that surround me.

Have I done any of this alone? Nope!

Whether good, bad or in between… all of it was foreseen by the one who knew of my very birth, before the foundations of the earth had ever come to be…

The path I now walk is a combination of many things, much of what I brought on myself along the way. By revisiting the old me, doing or saying a thing any different than I did the first time around, could possibly undo a lesson that was vitally necessary for my walk with God, at this moment in time. No thanks!

I love the me that I am now, so, as they say… There’s no going back, There’s no better time than the present, or even better yet,

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.” (Matt. 24:42–44.) May we heed this warning given by the Lord and get our houses in order and be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

I’ll not waste time looking back, but instead, I shall be ever watchful for His return. I think that is a far better idea, with far better rewards, than re-living any single moment of my earthly life.

Have a cookie…