Down Time

Hello Friends:

My laptop has decided I must need a break, because it's refusing to work at all now after giving me problems for the last few weeks. I'm leaving a quick message on this borrowed computer to say I'll be out of commission for a while, but will check in with everyone when I'm up and running again...:)

Have a wonderful week,
Lynette

Saturday Centus: Dear John

Jenny Matlock hosts the wonderful Saturday Centus, where she invites us to weave a tale around the word prompt she provides. Inclined to throw in extra challenges, she has limited us to 60 words this week using the prompt, 'Dear John'. This is my fervent, (but in good form), contribution...

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Dear John:

I can't believe what a jerk you are! You steal my truck, take my money and run off with my sister! And then you kidnap my dog!?! I love that dog!

Keep the damned truck, and my cheating sister, but bring Brucie  back or I'll haunt you 'til the day you die! Seriously!!

Sincerely,

Lucy

Photo courtesy of Google

For more microfiction, do check out the link below...

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http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

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Book Blurb Friday: No. 17

All Fall Down

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 Time has forgotten Bedford Falls, although it’s mattered little from the start. Despite appearances, evil simmers in this unloved town. Mary Sykes knows it, as do the  residents still trapped in its frozen web.

She had escaped; now death brings her back to the aunt who’d cruelly expelled her.

 Cautiously, Mary approaches her former home where cobwebs drape across the open doorway. She falters before stepping inside, unsure what she’ll find, knowing only that it won’t be good.

With a crash, the door slams shut, entombing her in darkness.

“Aunt Esther?” Mary croaks into the void, her words echoing back only charged silence.
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Someone else is in the house…..

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With this, Patrick Ferris leads us into a world where secrets fester and things aren’t what they seem. His wicked skill twists terror into the heart and leaves us begging for more. It’s a thrilling read, though you’ll sleep lightly tonight …

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( 150 words )

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I had such fun with this one. I was imagining reasons why the the aunt who raised her suddenly sent Mary away, and who might be sequestered with her in the darkness...more importantly what do they want with her? And just who is dead....so far?

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I'm discovering a dark side of myself that has only shown up recently in these microfiction memes. I think I like it!

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For more fun takes on this prompt that use 150 words or less to entice us, stop by Lisa's Writing in The Buff and check out book-jacket blurbs designed to capture our attention. 

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http://www.writinginthebuff.net/

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And many thanks to Sandra Davies for the great photo!

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http://sandra-linesofcommunication.blogspot.com/

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Thursday Think Tank: Inanimate Objects

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I am not a thing

to play with and discard...please

follow directions!

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This tongue-in-cheek senryu came to me today as I was pondering the difficulties people have in understanding one another. Our lives might be easier if they came with a script, but we wouldn't enjoy the movie quite so much if we knew what to expect at every turn of the page, would we?

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I'm linking up with the Thurdsday Think Tank at Poets United. For more takes on this prompt, check out their link below....

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http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/06/thursday-think-tank-55-inanimate.html#more

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Signs, Signs & Window Views: Sedona

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Since my last post featured

Sedona's Chapel of The Holy

Cross, I thought that
for Lesley's Signs, Signs,
today, I would

continue with

photos of the various

notices posted

around the grounds.

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Beavertail Cactus

After a warm, brisk
climb to the hilltop,

I could completely identify with

The Rocks!

 
 And for Mary t's Windows
 and Doors,  I also wanted to share shots of the home

 one sees when

 looking down into the valley below.

 Take note of the astronomical observatory. Can you imagine starting each day within sight of these brilliant red hills and ending it by gazing at the stars in that huge expanse of clear sky?

This might possibly be the closest we earthbound creatures get to

Heaven until Judgement Day, (and some of us aren't even sure of our chances then)!

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I'm linking this post to Signs, Signs today. For more quirky signs from around the world, check out Lesley's meme at the link below....

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http://signs2.blogspot.com/

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And for Window Views, &Doors Too, stop by and visit Mary t. here...

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http://windowviews2.blogspot.com/

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Sedona Shadow Shots

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Known as Red Rock Country, Sedona, Arizona is one of the most remarkable spots to be found in the U.S. A small and cozy town, it abounds with art-filled shops and warm people. A day’s visit is not enough…one could spend weeks wending down rugged dusty trails, visiting the many galleries and museums, and exploring its metaphysical 
possibilities. 

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Long recognized as a sacred site, Sedona is said to contain four vortex points whose concentrated energies are conducive to meditation, prayer and healing.  If one remains open and accepting, the palpable energy that charges the air can revitalize a tired spirit and renew one’s joy.

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Another sacred space in Sedona is The Chapel of The Holy Cross, built right into the high rocks that overlook the valley below. In this land of bright red sandstone, wide-open sky and sweltering heat, stepping into this chapel is to experience instant peace and a clear sense of spirituality, no matter what your religious beliefs may encompass.

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I have rarely experienced the
complete sense of ease that
came upon me whilst I sat quietly
in this small chapel.
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 My thoughts stilled, my body
relaxed, and I was able to
simply be in the moment
…not a condition we experience
often enough in our
technologically driven
world.

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These pictures take

me back to that quiet

centre, and the

celestial shadows

seem a perfect

match for

Sunday Shadow Shot.

 

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For more shadow

 shots, do stop by
Tracy's meme

at the link

below...

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

Thursday Think Tank: Ocean Waters

So still it seems not

to move, yet life's tide pulls us

onward to the sea...

I am linking this post with Poets United, Thursday Think Tank. To read more poems about things oceanic, do check out the link below...

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http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/06/thursday-think-tank-54-beachocean.html#comments

And my heartfelt thanks to all who left such kind words about the loss of our boy, Oreo. The blogging world is just bursting with caring souls who understand family is about more than just its people. I will definitely be stopping by to visit each and every one of you...:)
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Yesterday, We Lost a Friend

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 We have never had to seek out pets to adopt into our home…they have always found their way to us. We love them unreservedly in the brief time we’re allotted with them, and mourn the loss of a family member when it is their time to go.

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Yesterday we lost our boy, Oreo, a sturdy, handsome tomcat inclined to stride about the cul-de-sac, asserting himself as the neighbourhood’s top feline, only to return home and immediately snuggle up in whichever warm lap was available to him.

Oreo was the grandson of our petite tortoiseshell cat, Zoe, though at twice her size and inclined to play rough, there was little matrilineal similarity. Zoe came to us unexpectedly one Sunday afternoon as we explored an old graveyard, cleaning off headstones to read the wonderful words generations past used to honour their loved ones.
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A sudden squeal of brakes near the entrance caused us to turn, just in time to see a girl step out of her car, toss something roughly into the trees, and quickly peel out again. Seconds later, we heard a shrill, forlorn howl, and on racing down to help, came across the smallest, sweetest kitten I’d ever seen. In that instant, Zoe became part of our family.
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Tiny and young as she was, we did not realize she was coming into heat, and in no time understood she would soon be having her first, and only, litter. The next-door neighbours requested a kitten, and though we warned them to avoid our huge error in judgment, they failed to have their cat spayed, and more kittens were soon on the way. From this litter came a cheeky black and white fellow their kids named Oreo.
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In time, the people next door moved to a new house, a few blocks north of us on the other side of a busy street. Imagine my surprise, then, when I went out to the yard a few days later to find Oreo looking at home on the warm top of our picnic table. Luckily we had exchanged phone numbers before their move. We were able to advise his owners that their cat had returned to his old neighbourhood, and handed him over when they came by that night to reclaim him.

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Two days later, Oreo was back, meowing a greeting to me from the picnic table as if that was exactly where he was supposed to be. We were not able to reach the owners quickly this time. We left a message on their answering machine but they did not come for a couple of days.

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Oreo was definitely a leaner cat than he’d been and happily tucked into the food I began to regularly place in front of him.

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Meeghan and Oreo with their toys

 When the old neighbours finally showed up, we voiced our concern about the dangerous main road Oreo had to cross to find his way to us, and repeated our advice that he be kept indoors until he got used to the new house. Though they vehemently promised to do that, Oreo was back the very next day.

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This time, we did not phone…clearly when his owners noticed him missing, they would know where to find him. As several days passed wherein they neither phoned nor dropped by, Oreo effortlessly joined our family and has been with us ever since.

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On Saturday afternoon, he could be seen sitting in the driveway, as he liked to do, surveying his little world with satisfaction. After supper, our son, J.J., came to tell us Oreo was dragging a back leg. It seemed reminiscent of an earlier leg injury, earned upholding his reputation as a scrappy cat, and with our son Jules holding him, we hurried out to the animal emergency hospital.
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Expecting another cast and a plastic collar, we grew concerned when the vet spent overlong on his examination, and even more concerned that Oreo’s entire hind end now dragged behind when he tried to walk. We had never heard of Arterial Thromboembulisn, (ATE), a frightening condition that strikes without warning. The vet explained that a blood clot had shot to the aorta, blocking blood to the legs and hip and instantly cutting of circulation. Cats Stricken with ATE are literally fine one moment and paralyzed the next.

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The vet advised leaving him overnight, where he could hook Oreo up to an I.V. and administer meds to help with the considerable pain, but warned us gently that the prognosis was not good…once one rhombus has been thrown, more usually follow.

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We got the call at six a.m. to say our beautiful boy had passed away. I am grateful it was swift and his pain was short-lived, but am lost without his large presence in our too-quiet house.

You know we loved you fiercely, Oreo, and you showed us every day how much you loved us. I'm sure by now you’ve found Angel and curled up on the couch beside her as you used to do.

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Please take very good care of each other until we see you both again…

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Thursday Think Tank, A Little Late...

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Golden plain as far

as the eye can see...room to

roam and to be free.

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Having watched lions move unchecked across the wild savannahs of Africa, I wish only the same untouched environment for every new generation of cubs.

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To read more poems around animals, do check out the Thursday Think Tank at Poet's United...

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http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/06/thursday-think-tank-52-animals.html#more

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My First Book Blurb Friday!

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If Only

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Jane raced down the lane, too frightened to scream, whimpering only when her foot slid on a can and sent her crashing to the ground. For a moment she was unable to breathe. Panic clogged her throat, pain tearing outward from her bloody knees, now deeply pierced with gravel.

If she could only rest a bit…

From behind came the sound of footsteps approaching. Jane rose frantically, her mangled legs buckling in protest.

If she could only reach the end of the lane…

Up ahead, headlights blazed on with a startling brilliance that sent her stumbling to her knees once more.

If only Jane knew her life would never be the same again after this night, if she can only live through the night.

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In her latest thriller, author Lynn Wright keeps us breathless from first page to last. Read it only if you’re prepared to keep looking over you shoulder…

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(150 words)

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I believe novels like this work because there is a core of fear in each of us that defies reason and never completely dies. Although I have read many such books, this is the first blurb I’ve written and my first attempt at Lisa’s BBF. Now that I see how much fun it is, I’m wondering what took me so long to join!

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For more blurbs designed to lure one into a book based on a photo prompt using only 150 words, do check out Book Blurb Friday at Writing in the Buff…and thanks to Lisa's son Joe for this weeks great picture!

http://www.writinginthebuff.net/

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Weekend Reflections and SkyWatch Friday: B.C.

 Some time ago we motored north up the coast of Vancouver Island to spend an afternoon with a much-loved aunt.

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On this cold and drizzly weekend, I took uncommonly few shots, deterred by the dampness that settled into my bones - and my camera - each time I stepped outside.

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I expected little of the photos, but once copied to the computer, decided they told a tale of life on our rainforest shoreline and might be worth sharing.

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 Artists like Onley and Markgraf have used the same cool grays and blues to depict our mountains, so often enshrouded with cloud...water reflecting back the weak sun as it attempts to break through.

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While I in no way liken my work to theirs, I do hope these shots impart at least a little of the mystery and magic this province weaves around the hearts of those who love it.

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For more skies from around the world, check out this link:
http://skyley.blogspot.com/
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And for wonderful reflections, stop in at the site below:
http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

Microfiction Muse #10

I offer a twisted tale for Diane Estrella's Microfiction Muse...

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"I'm going to be sick!"

"Don't worry, sweetie...your mom knows what she's doing."

"Then why is she brandishing that bloody knife?"

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(pause)
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"I'd say the vegan diet's not going well."

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Thanks to Polly at The 5th Sister for supplying this great photo and to Diane for inviting us to pen a tale around it in 140 characters or less. You'll want to check out the other entries...

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http://dianeestrella.com/

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http://5thsister.blogspot.com/

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Since I'm already on a skewed path here today, I might as well throw in a pair of limericks that came to me at the same time as the above. Madeleine at Mad Kane's Humour Blog unleashed a monster when she opened my world up to limericks!
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A woman who brandished a knife
Took a poke at the love of her life.
Her wrath he did fear,
So he choked back a tear
And reluctantly made her his wife!
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A fellow who brandished a knife
Had a penchant for stirring up strife.
His girl he did whack
When she’d not have him back
And now he’s serving fifteen-to-life!
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You might want to check out Mad Kane's blog, though you could find yourself developing a new passion...LOL.
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http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/
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Microfiction Times Three

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I am apparently hooked on microfiction memes since I keep finding more of them all the time, (though truthfully, I believe they find me)!  Today, I offer three tiny bits of writing...

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Both men pondered the chance of claiming Gwendolyn’s heart…they had dropped drastically in the latest affection polls! Might one yet win her back….and by what means?

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(140 Characters)

(Photo provided by Grandma)

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The course of love rarely runs smoothly! Grandma at Succinctly Yours challenges us to spin a tale in either 140 characters or 140 words, using the photo prompt she provides. A further challenge is to insert her word of the day, this week's choice being "ponder". To see other takes on this pic, do check out the link below...

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http://grandmas-goulash.info/

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Life’s challenge gives us pause

…in the end, it is love

that will temper its harsh turns

and allow our hearts to find

peace therein.

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(25 words)
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(Photo by Lynette Killam)

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Yes...a mere 25 words is the limit Jenny Matlock set on this exercise, asking only that we base it on the theme of, "In the end". What a wonderful way to combat verbosity! This is my first time playing along with Saturday Centus, but I'll warrant it will not be my last...

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http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/search/label/Saturday%20Centus

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This is another new meme for me. Eric 's Monday Morning Photo Prompt asks us to write a piece in whatever style or size the Muse dictates...

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The man woke up slowly, suspended in that place where one knows not which is real and which is the dream. He could feel cold steel under him, its icy, unforgiving surface chilling every inch of his being and setting him atremble. After a time, his eyelids slid open, but he quickly scrunched them shut again to block out the fierce and brilliant band of light that assailed him and pierced straight through his brain.

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Something was not right. Unease settled hard into his gut, threatening to unleash the bile that roiled up and began to demand release. He struggled to remember where he was, but the cold numbed his mind, and his eyelids proved inadequate guards against the riveting brilliance that continued to torment him mercilessly.
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It was now that the first real lick of fear worked its way up his rigid spine. Dear God…what was happening?
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(147 words - Photo provided by Eric)

This one was fun to do- unlike anything I've ever written before - but the picture made me think of alien abduction, and I quickly put down the first thing that came to my head! To read more responses to this pic, drop by Eric's page for a visit...
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http://bifocalunivision.blogspot.com/

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Skywatch Friday, Weekend Reflections, Shadow Shot Sunday: Colorado to Utah

After visiting Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado last year, we passed through Four Corners, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona come together, then made our way back up Utah to continue our exploration of the state.

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 Along the way, we passed stunning rock formations as the topography changed with every turn of the road. I was hard pressed to capture the ever-shifting scenery.

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All the while, clouds scudded above us, building and releasing in turn

to toss undulating shadows over the striped hills.

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I've previously shared the enchantment which Utah wound about my heart...these big skies go a long way toward showing why I was quite unable to resist its lure.

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I'm linking this post to Skywatch Friday, a great meme hosted by Klaus and the rest of the team...I definitely suggest you stop by to enjoy many skies

from around this world...:)

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http://skyley.blogspot.com/

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And though there is only one reflection photo, I will link to Weekend Reflections hosted by James at Newton Daily Photo, always a beautiful place to visit...

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http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/

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I'm also taking part in Shadow Shot Sunday with Tracy at Hey Harriet. Do check out her wonderful posts...
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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
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Thursday Reflection: Time Out

I need only be still,
 and let the day unfold

as it is meant to.

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Photo supplied by Ella Wilson

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While I normally advocate active navigation of one’s own life, there are days when a time out is called for; days to accept that perfect control is an illusion and to trust that what we did not plan might bring us just what we need at that time.

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A quiet bench, a moment of pause and a modicum of faith can still the chatter in our heads and reveal to us a world of possibilities we might otherwise not see.

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Poets United has introduced an exciting new feature called 'Reflection' into it's Thursday Think Tank. On the first Thursday of each month, the talented Ellen Wilson will graciously provide us with a photo prompt around which to build a poem. If you find this as much fun as I do, check out other work at the link below!

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Utah Photo by Lynette Killam

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http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2011/06/thursday-think-tank-51-time-out.html#more

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And if you're up for a real treat, do stop by Ella's Edge and settle in for a great visit...

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http://ellasedge.blogspot.com/

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Las Vegas photo by Lynette Killam

Signs, Signs: Signs We Obey

If you've read some of my earlier posts, you will know that my husband and I have an unfortunate penchant for ignoring 'Keep Out' signs. For us, the lure of the unknown seems to undermine our normally law-abiding ways, that curiosity inexorably leading us into mischief.

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Mesa Verde, Colorado

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But there are signs we would not dream of disregarding. We would never risk causing damage to ancient ruins that have stood for many years and deserve to be left for future generations to marvel at as we do. 

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Nor would we trample through environmentally fragile environments in which plants and birds are protected from the ravages of encroaching habitation.

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Serpentine Fen, British Columbia

Surely, we all wish only to be thoughtful stewards of this wonderfully diverse but fraught world.

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And of course, it only makes sense to obey signs like the one at left, particularly if you haven't ever seen Poison Ivy up close and cannot readily identify it.

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We did go through this trail in Colorado with a little more caution than we normally exercise.

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There may be hope for us yet!

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For more signs from around the world, do check out Lesley's great meme at the link below...

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http://signs2.blogspot.com/

Microfiction Muse #9

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His journey a quest, the young man came to learn that what he sought was closer than he knew….and that the place he might find contentment and joy lay within his own heart.

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(140 characters)

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Diane Estrella invites us to write a tale around the photo prompt she provides, using 140 characters or less. Today's photo is of my friend Pat’s son, taken while he spent time with the Peace Corps in Africa. For more words on this prompt, do check out the following link...

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http://dianeestrella.com/