tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63604271965223651442012-02-26T00:21:07.068-07:00An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous TravelGetting around the world when it's very often difficult getting around the house.Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.comBlogger9621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-40825674952997310202012-02-25T16:35:00.000-07:002012-02-25T16:35:10.992-07:00Real Toads Sunday challenge: Ella's photos
© Photo by Ella Wilson
*I first put my heart on paper
when I was very small
and my parents smiled,
and told me it was good...*so I put my heart on paperthe first time I fell in loveand my loved one smiledand told me it was sweet...*then I put my heart on paperthe next time I fell in lovebut my lover laughedand told me it was wrong...*oh, how could my heart on paperbe good and sweet, then wrong?Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-70203180029465936282012-02-25T09:54:00.001-07:002012-02-25T14:22:00.480-07:00Camera critters and shadow shots, EcuadorTo market, to market,
To buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggity-jog!
No, we didn't really intend to buy livestock at the Ecuadorian country markets after our trip to the Galapagos Islands some years ago, but if we had wanted any, it would have been easy to find. However, we went back to our Quito hotel (above) without buying a pig in a poke.
This little pig went to market...
© Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-74871592751926190362012-02-24T16:11:00.001-07:002012-02-24T16:47:53.763-07:00For Real Toads: a poet's first two linesOver at the writers' group, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Mary (In the Corner of My Eye) has offered us a way to get a poem going. Choose, she suggests, the first two lines of a poem by someone whose work we admire, and use those lines to jump-start a poem of our own.
Your timing is perfect, Mary, because my brain is not in gear atallatall and my head is still stuffed up with a cold.
I Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-18163114610808265512012-02-24T12:05:00.000-07:002012-02-24T12:05:02.152-07:00Weekend Reflections: Paris Opéra
Buildings and buses around the Opéra in Paris reflect its beauty.
© Photos by Richard Schear, 2011
Posted for
Weekend Reflections, hosted weekly by James in California.
Thanks, James!
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-70979657980696402802012-02-24T09:10:00.000-07:002012-02-24T09:10:53.270-07:00Book Blurb Friday #52, congratulations, Lisa!Lisa Ricard Claro, at her blog Writing in the Buff, has been hosting the Book Blurb Friday meme for a whole year now. I know she had thought about calling it a day (or a year) but I'm very pleased she has decided to continue with it. I might still have a bad case of writer's block when it comes to blogging about my travels with my healthy husband, but memes such as Book Blurb Friday have managed Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-86127337769383621522012-02-23T23:45:00.001-07:002012-02-24T22:50:55.797-07:00Weekend Writers' Retreat: some nonsenseI have been ill, with a very sore throat and partial laryngitis. One of my brothers phoned and didn't recognize my voice. A friend phoned to offer me a ride and, as soon as I said "Hello," replied "Well, I guess you aren't going out anywhere, are you?"
It's been that kind of week, so it should be no surprise to find out I can't write anything much worth posting.
So, for this weekend's Writer's Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-92080178774102628772012-02-23T15:22:00.000-07:002012-02-23T15:22:46.027-07:00SkyWatch Friday: all-around sunrise
East
Northeast
East-southeast
South-southwest
Southwest
© Photos by Kay Davies
Taken within five minutes of one another, these photos represent an almost complete circle of the sunrise at our house earlier this week. I wasn't dressed, so I didn't want to stand in the middle of the intersection to shoot due north, due south or due west.
Posted forSkyWatch FridayTo see more skies from Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-12549005741901302252012-02-22T18:14:00.002-07:002012-02-22T18:40:51.871-07:00Thursday Theme Song: Ma, he's...
Photos copyright Richard Schear and Kay Davies, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fjf8TIjG2E
Posted for Hootin' Anni's musical memeThursday Theme SongTo see and hear the tunes other bloggers are hearing this weekpleaseclick HERE!
Ma, he's making eyes at meMa, he's awful nice to meMa, he's almost breaking my heartI'm beside himMercy! Let his conscience guide him!Ma, he wants to marry meBe myKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-163356679899274502012-02-22T13:42:00.000-07:002012-02-22T13:42:37.972-07:00For Real Toads: Kenia's challenge: dialogue
Not a real toad
At the writers' group, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Kenia has asked us to write a poem as dialogue with someone else's poem. Now this not an easy challenge, but I'm going to try to respond to it because spoken dialogue is difficult for me today. My throat is so sore, I've almost lost my voice. Talking hurts. My niece phoned me, and was quite happy to do all the talking, Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-56854265777993728582012-02-21T08:44:00.001-07:002012-02-21T09:10:12.415-07:00ABC Wednesday: F is in Hawaiian skies
Fotos copyright Kay Davies, 2010
How many times can you find the letter F in these Hawaiian clouds? Several?
Posted for Mrs. Nesbitt's alphabetical meme, hosted this week by Paula.
Thanks, Paula, and thanks, Denise!
ABC Wednesday
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-49330618144769416842012-02-20T16:32:00.001-07:002012-02-20T16:33:21.682-07:00Our World Tuesday: how soon they grow upA blogging friend e-mailed me, because I had mentioned "the little ones" in our family, and asked me how many little ones there are. Some of them aren't as little as these photos from my archives show, and yet I think about this summertime visit and it doesn't seem so very long ago to me. How long ago was it? Well, the young fellow in the first photo is now 10, and will be 11 later this year. Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-75714595965703579382012-02-20T12:07:00.001-07:002012-02-20T14:48:38.458-07:00For Real Toads: submitting my Mad limericks
© Photo by Richard Schear
Insomnia last night. Too many things going around in my head about the upcoming kitchen reno. Beautiful day today and I couldn't even think up something original for the microfiction prompt at Succinctly Yours. Had to resort to a quotation instead.
However, I did come up with three original (and true) limericks for Mad Kane's Limerick-Off, and am now submitting those Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-55849630939955397882012-02-20T10:03:00.001-07:002012-02-20T10:05:15.927-07:00Succinctly yours: revolutionEach week, at Grandma's Goulash, we are given a prompt photo as well as a word of the week. Grandma's daughter, Calico, chooses the word before seeing the photo. Then writer-bloggers are asked to write about the photo in 140 words or less, or in 140 characters or less, including spaces and punctuation, and to include the word of the week if we'd like, and if we can.
Well, this week's photo and Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-55669700595720221042012-02-19T15:20:00.000-07:002012-02-19T15:20:14.250-07:00Mag 105: telephone in fieldEach week, from Willow Manor, comes a photo prompt for writer-bloggers. Magpie Tales (aka The Mag) encourages us to use our imaginations to find the story within the picture.
Here is this week's photo, along with my response to it.
To enjoy other writers' responses as well, please click HERE!
The Pink Light
by Agatha C. Tea
prompt photo by epic mahoney
“Hullo, is that young Constable Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-49987332832501743502012-02-18T19:08:00.001-07:002012-02-18T21:09:09.951-07:00Pet Pride and SSS2: Lindy in the sunset
"Ooh, that sun is so bright, it hurts."
"Maybe it will help if I close one eye."
"No, the only thing to do is to close both eyes."
Posted for Shadow Shot Sunday 2
hosted by Gemma, Rose, and Magical Mystical Teacher
as well as for
Pet Pride, hosted by Lindy's friend Bozo and his family in Mumbai
"Hi, Bozo," says Lindy. "I'll bet you get some very bright sun in India. Does it ever hurt Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-62754595462055696622012-02-18T14:11:00.004-07:002012-02-18T20:32:19.509-07:00For Real Toads and WWR: Mary Ann's photos
Photo copyright Mary Ann Potter
For our delectation and inspiration today Kerry posted several photos by Mary Ann Potter, a very talented poet-photographer and a member of the online writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. Mary Ann's photos are all amazing, as she has a superb eye and a wonderful way with special effects and textures.
I just couldn't decide which photo to choose, Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-2020176093023661922012-02-18T11:46:00.001-07:002012-02-18T14:19:25.030-07:00Camera Critters: not visible here, but...
I took this photo after a snowfall last month, when I could see, from the footprints, that deer had come to eat from the ornamental crabapple tree in our front yard, and last night they came again. They really did.
Our Valentine's Day snow was almost gone last night, and the ground beneath our ornamental crabapple tree was almost bare, so all the fallen fruit was uncovered. Five deer came to eatKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-13103555520189120772012-02-17T20:30:00.000-07:002012-02-17T20:30:41.715-07:00Weekend Reflections: colder than hereOne place that's probably colder than Alberta right now, in February, is Alaska. These photos were taken during our Alaska cruise with Holland America in the summer of 2007.
Posted for
Weekend Reflections,
hosted by James in California. Thanks, James!
© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear, 2007
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-7301126172542828332012-02-17T10:38:00.001-07:002012-02-17T10:43:05.997-07:00With Real Toads: Laurie's word: ethereal
the daytime moonthe nighttime seaand, in between,an ethereal perfumeof salt-soaked air:pacific
© Photos by Kay Davies, Oregon coast, 2011
Today's Word with Laurie is ethereal which means celestial, heavenly, unworldly, spiritual, intangible, delicate; or relating to or containing the chemical ether, which makes my phrase "ethereal perfume" seem somewhat redundant. Claiming poetic license, Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-1181240805186933572012-02-16T20:13:00.001-07:002012-02-16T20:15:20.888-07:00Book Blurb Friday: doggone boat
Photo supplied as prompt
As part of his training as a Search and Rescue Dog, McGee had to learn where to put his feet on the forward end of a Zodiac so he could be first on the scene without falling into the water.
His rigorous water, fire, ice, snow, and drug training is the subject of Minnie Cooper's new non-fiction book, The Making of a Dachsie Hero. All predictions are for this book to hitKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-8332078559085789612012-02-16T16:16:00.000-07:002012-02-16T16:16:35.229-07:00SkyWatch Friday: Marseille party sky
© Richard Schear photo
The sky in the Mediterranean French city of Marseille was full of bright-colored pieces of paper, like giant confetti, during a huge city-wide party at the waterfront in the spring of 2011. There was a parade, there were performances, and there were plenty of people, in costume and in everyday clothing, from all over town as each neighborhood tried to outdo the Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-26250483704116745312012-02-15T19:47:00.000-07:002012-02-15T19:47:08.053-07:00Thursday Theme Song: come on, do...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j_I5ndxI28
Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now (C'mon baby ride the locomotive) I know you'll get to like it If you give it a chance now (C'mon baby ride the locomotive) My little baby sister can do it with ease It's easier than learning your ABCs So come on, come on, Do the locomotive with me You swing your caboose now Come on baby, jump, jump the Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-89451414260057220142012-02-15T14:13:00.000-07:002012-02-15T14:13:34.487-07:00For Real Toads: Grace's haiku challengeGrace has told me more than I ever wanted to know about haiku, but I'm glad she did. Today's challenge for the members and for those who care to make a submission to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, is to write haiku using the key ingredients: a seasonal reference (kigo) and a cutting word or turning point (kireji).
Wikipedia photo
© Photo by Kay Davies, our yard, 2011
*haru Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-79148301938562095432012-02-14T11:25:00.000-07:002012-02-14T11:25:47.418-07:00ABC Wednesday: E is for Elk
© Photos by Richard Schear, Southeastern Alberta
Not camouflaged as well as deer, the mighty elk and his harem depend, perhaps, too much on their additional height, bulk, and speed. When lying down in the tall, brown winter grasses, however, they blend right in with the landscape.
Posted for Mrs. Nesbitt's popular alphabetical meme
ABC Wednesday
with this week's guest host, Roger O. Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-11125667764311388582012-02-14T10:18:00.000-07:002012-02-14T10:18:50.996-07:00For Real Toads: a poem for Valentine's Daythey are my peoplethey are the oneswith whom I’ll sharefor whom I’ll careto whom I’ll givethat they may livehappyjoyousand freefor, once, they were me.
Today, February 14, writer-bloggers submitting poems to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads have been asked to write a poem about love, without using the word "love" in the poem. It's an interesting challenge, Kerry. Thanks! I enjoyed it.
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-34399873958975277692012-02-13T20:31:00.001-07:002012-02-14T09:47:58.107-07:00Succinctly yours: this week's word: honest
Photo provided as prompt
To be honest, I thought we'd never find my dream home but there it was. It even had red chairs on the veranda, just as it had in my dream.
138 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and the word of the week.
Each week, on the blog Grandma's Goulash, we find the Succinctly Yours meme, with a prompt photo to inspire writer-bloggers to write a short story of 140 Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-40564213519811027382012-02-13T19:27:00.000-07:002012-02-13T19:27:46.444-07:00Our World Tuesday 25: camouflage
Desert camouflage clothing, worn by members of the Canadian and British military who practice desert warfare in our part of Alberta, is beige and tan, so the individuals blend into the landscape just as well as these deer, who would actually blend in even more if they didn't have white tails.
Posted for
Our World TuesdayKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-55277651731593901242012-02-13T14:59:00.003-07:002012-02-13T23:08:54.492-07:00For Real Toads: love for Valentine's Day
http://www.frog-clip-art.com
http://www.clker.com/clipart
~A-HOPPIN' AND A-HOPIN'~Toad went a-courtin’ and he did go, okay,out to Las Vegas for the Cirque du Soleil—he wanted a gal who could fly through the airand catch a trapeze by the skin of her hair—okay, uh-huh, soleil~he saw that gal and she was a bird, oh yes,with feathers where her hair shoulda been, but yes—our toad justKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-61288134843741771092012-02-12T15:43:00.001-07:002012-02-12T15:55:09.973-07:00Shadow Shot Sunday: the Catherine PalaceThe intriguing intricacies and intricate intrigues of the lush Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, have left many shadows of one sort or another—on the walls, on the floors, or in the history books.
My husband toured this huge, beautiful palace without me during our August holiday last year. My sore feet were happy to miss all the walking, but I was sorry to miss such beauty—however, my Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-90485242935051401392012-02-11T13:48:00.001-07:002012-02-11T20:50:51.779-07:00For Real Toads: Talon's beautiful photosAs a Weekend Photo Challenge for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, Fireblossom posted 5 photos taken by her blogging friend Talon (a fellow Canadian, nice to see you here, Talon) and introduced Talon's muse: Stripey the Cat. At least, I assume that's what he is. I'm sure Fireblossom would have mentioned if Stripey were Talon's familiar. On the other hand, Stripey seems to have Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-27483424059144249762012-02-11T09:19:00.001-07:002012-02-11T16:44:03.679-07:00Camera Critters; Pet Pride: foes, fans, flight risks
This little dog (above) barks and barks and barks whenever Lindy goes by (see her footprints outside the fence) but Lindy just ignores all the fuss and bother.
Lindy waits patiently in last month's snow while her daddy takes a picture of the little dog, although she doesn't understand why he would want a photo of such a noisy dog. (She forgets she barks at dogs going past our fence, too.)
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-58109966476902322152012-02-11T00:07:00.003-07:002012-02-11T00:09:17.019-07:00Saturday's Photo Hunting: "vintage" this weekHere are two views of my favorite piece of furniture. I fell in love with this desk when I was 14 years old. I didn't ask my dad to buy it for me, I just told him to get Mom to bring me sandwiches every day because I'd have to stay there, in the store, because I couldn't bear to be parted from it.
It has been with me ever since and is now 136 years old.
*
I inherited intricate pieces of Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-22056418411907538862012-02-10T16:51:00.001-07:002012-02-10T17:23:08.457-07:00Weekend Reflections riding a train
Photos by Kay Davies, copyright, 2011.
These photos were taken at the end of November, 2011, as I went to Oregon to visit my friend Maryann (whose photos I've used a couple of times on Weekend Reflections posts). The first I shot from the Amtrak station in Seattle, and the others I took from onboard, riding south on the Amtrak Cascades.
Posted forWeekend Reflectionswhich is hosted weekly by Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-63951477945860609652012-02-10T11:17:00.000-07:002012-02-10T11:17:24.228-07:00Book Blurb Friday: crown on gateEach week, Lisa Ricard Claro, from her blog Writing in the Buff, posts a photo (this week by Ashley Ortiz) which writer-bloggers are asked to imagine as the cover of a book. Then we are to imagine we've read the book, and then to write for it an inviting "blurb" of 150 words or less, which will make browsers into buyers.
Congratulations to Lisa this week for reaching Book Blurb Friday #50.
~
Now Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-85141259949728994062012-02-10T09:59:00.000-07:002012-02-10T09:59:34.393-07:00For Real Toads: musical challenge, Patti SmithMarian's musical challenge today at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads features a longtime multi-media artist and Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame member named Patti Smith: songwriter, singer, musician, poet, journalist, actor, author, activist, who is as young as springtime and as old as I am.
Patti won the National Book Award for her autobiography Just Kids, and our Marian is going to see and hear her, Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-72638925879082525442012-02-09T14:04:00.002-07:002012-02-09T17:36:03.231-07:00SkyWatch Friday: Medicine Hat, Alberta
Above, a residential area on the north side of Medicine Hat, the city close to our small town. The South Saskatchewan River can't be seen here, but it is in the coulee (valley) between the houses and the low sculpted hills on the south side.
In the photo above right, the leafless trees are on the road to Police Point Park.
Above, looking up from downtown Medicine Hat to South East Hill where Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-54824922698675184312012-02-08T16:07:00.000-07:002012-02-08T16:07:40.789-07:00Thursday Theme Song: deep in the...
Cactus flower. All photos by Richard Schear.
Posted for
Hootin' Anni's
Thursday
Theme Song
Here's another one for Anni (with a few little twists from Canada's wild west, plus a vocal from our favorite TV show). I intended to use Gene Autry, I really did, Anni, but sometimes, honestly, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LapXZBkWQSg&feature=related
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-81226419975548963022012-02-08T11:03:00.002-07:002012-02-08T16:00:43.600-07:00For Real Toads: magical realismKerry has suggested, in that way only Kerry can do, members and visitors at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads might want to write about Magical Realism today.
Magical Realism, says Kerry, makes the ordinary seem magical and the supernatural seem commonplace.
She did provide photos, and I chose one as a prompt for my little ditty.
❣Black cats took over
Photo supplied. Unknown origin.
the town Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-86613926509715256402012-02-07T13:00:00.000-07:002012-02-07T13:00:06.287-07:00ABC Wednesday: D is for Dominican Republic
Dick tans, but I burn!
© Richard Schear photo
In 2004, I accompanied my husband on his company trip to the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean nation which shares an island with Haiti. I have to admit I did go swimming with the dolphins, and it was a thrill. At the time, I had no idea what some nations (not necessarily the DR) did with dolphins who couldn't be trained. I would still say Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-22718341863064944592012-02-06T17:55:00.000-07:002012-02-06T17:55:03.537-07:00Our World Tuesday: thoughts of summer
We only think kindly of weeds when they're not around, or when we remember the moths and butterflies of summer. Then we smile at photos of dandelions or of the wild morning-glory, which is known on the prairie as bindweed because it grows up around other plants and chokes them out.
The heat of a prairie summer is too much for me, but summer sounds pretty good when it's cold outside. We've had Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-2969761243339725512012-02-06T13:22:00.000-07:002012-02-06T13:22:32.687-07:00Limerick Off: my first tryIt is Monday, time for this week's Limerick Off at Mad Kane's Humor Blog, where Madeline writes a limerick and asks writer-bloggers to write one of their own using the same first line. Minor changes to the first line are allowed, as long as the rhyme remains the same.
This is my first submission to this challenge, and I enjoyed it so much my limerick turned into a three-stanza poem. The first Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-78180274249198392202012-02-06T12:30:00.001-07:002012-02-06T16:03:29.300-07:00For Real Toads: Open Link, February 6
"How dreary – to be – Somebody! How public – like a Frog – To tell one's name – the livelong June – To an admiring Bog!” ― Emily Dickinson
❣
It is Open Link Monday again at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, and Kerry posted this little poem by Emily Dickinson, whose work I have always admired. I agree with Ms Dickinson in principle and in person, but I have chosen to disagree in verse, just toKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-40714062333390709222012-02-05T17:01:00.002-07:002012-02-05T19:45:59.282-07:00Weekend Writers' Retreat: book-in-progressExcerpt from my work-in-progressAN UNFITTIE’S GUIDE TO ADVENTUROUS TRAVEL*CHAPTER 8—ONE STEP AT A TIME* I have to check the weather before agreeing to a vacation. I don’t like to go to hot places when they’re hot. Even at home, I don’t go out much in the heat of a prairie summer, because I melt. My face gets bright red. Everything, including my hair, perspires. I’m completely miserable, so I Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-58253475824131220972012-02-05T11:56:00.002-07:002012-02-12T17:57:06.513-07:00For Real Toads: my husband's photosSeveral days ago, Kerry asked us if she might use some of my husband's photos as prompts for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. Dick was very flattered and soon we were both exhausted after going through our many travel photos as well as the pictures he takes when walking our dog Lindy. Much to our surprise, Kerry snaffled a photo from my blog to add to the mix: one of my Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-19004908792892018612012-02-05T11:25:00.000-07:002012-02-05T11:25:07.707-07:00Mag 103: heart and stone❣
Each week, a photo comes from Willow Manor, as an inspiration to writer-bloggers everywhere. For some weeks now, no photos from Magpie Tales have spoken to me, but today's prompt produced this little poem in a matter of mere minutes.
It happens that way sometimes, doesn't it?
Today's photo comes from the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, one of the many places we didn't visit when we were in Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-55980410057374273002012-02-04T23:44:00.000-07:002012-02-04T23:44:31.963-07:00Succinctly yours: speculate
His broker wanted him to speculate in the stock market.His father told him to get a job before speculating in anything.‡
Each week, over at the blog Grandma's Goulash, Grandma chooses a photo and her daughter Calico chooses a word of the week before she ever sees the photo.Then writer-bloggers are given a choice:1. Write a short story of no more than140 words about the photo2. Write a Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-28607785404911303652012-02-04T19:48:00.002-07:002012-02-04T23:49:19.123-07:00Shadow Shot Sunday 2: under the moon
© Photo by Richard Schear
During their walk today, Dick and Lindy saw the moon high in the blue sky, and below it the sunset-shadow of a house on the wall of another house.
Posted for
Shadow Shot Sunday 2
now hosted by the team of Gemma, Rose, and Magical Mystical TeacherKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-45719930897963264462012-02-04T19:35:00.000-07:002012-02-04T19:35:10.822-07:00Pet Pride: Lindy and daddy snore with TVThe family that snores together, stays together.— Lindy Davies-Schear
© Photo by Kay Davies
"TV? Are we supposed to be watching TV? Isn't it a commercial right now?"
Posted for Pet Pride
hosted by Lindy's friend Bozo and his family in Mumbai, India.
Lindy says, "Do you watch television, Bozo? Even when they have dogs on there, I find it puts me to sleep. It does the same thing to my Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-6251521762606618092012-02-04T08:28:00.000-07:002012-02-04T08:28:54.402-07:00Camera Critters: Barcelona, 2008
The critter above welcomes visitors to Barcelona's waterfront, while the pigeons, below, aren't afraid this rearing steed will throw them off.
© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear, 2008
Posted for
Camera Critters, hosted by Misty Dawn.
Thanks, Misty.Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-47911372290319024192012-02-03T12:51:00.000-07:002012-02-03T12:51:15.928-07:00For Real Toads: temptation or confessionHmm, my friend Fireblossom has challenged the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads to write about temptation and/or confession.
This is the real deal, baring our souls for all to read. Dare I bare?
❣
sublimate
sublimate
sublimate the urgings
❣
lurking
in the cupboard
crying
calling
wooing me with their chocolateness
cookies
candies
caramel-centered chocolate-coated cravings
❣
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-61116667605386240692012-02-03T10:32:00.001-07:002012-02-03T23:08:05.029-07:00Weekend Reflections: ripples on the train
Photograph by Kay Davies from our European vacation, spring, 2011. ©
Posted for
Weekend Reflections, hosted by James in California.
Thanks, James!Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-44918899100420344812012-02-02T18:37:00.001-07:002012-02-02T22:27:08.499-07:00Book Blurb Friday: dead vines on bricks
Photo by Kathy Matthews
Each week, Lisa Ricard Claro, on her blog Writing in the Buff, posts a photo (this week by Oregon's Kathy Matthews, whose photos I always love) and challenges writer-bloggers to see the picture as the cover of a book. We must imagine what the book is about, then write a blurb of up to 150 enticing words to convince browsers to become buyers.
THE PERP'S PEEPSby Minnie Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-70309404109163284222012-02-02T15:31:00.003-07:002012-02-03T19:39:24.221-07:00SkyWatch Friday + Saturday Photo HuntingWell, I'm fresh out of groundhog photos, so I thought I'd see what I had...and I found one of Lindy last year on Groundhog Day. She can see her shadow, and a bit of sky above the greenhouses near our house. (Our little town in southeastern Alberta is known as The Greenhouse Capital of the Prairies.)
This winter has been the opposite of last year. As seen above and below, we had a lot of snow Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-53154369143388468612012-02-01T23:54:00.000-07:002012-02-01T23:54:48.729-07:00Thursday Theme Song: there is nothing...
I had a different song all set to post for this week's
Thursday Theme Song
but for Wednesday's challenge I posted about my all-time favorite movie for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, and decided to feature a song from that movie instead.
The lyrics of this song I chose for TTS reminded me that my husband plans to watch the Super Bowl this weekend. So, guys, this one's Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-14630291821630738932012-02-01T19:51:00.001-07:002012-02-01T19:53:14.841-07:00Ella's Edge for Real Toads: moviesOkay, I'm going to give you a few hints, and some of you may be old enough to guess my all-time lifetime favorite movie.
There's even a prize. I'll send you a ticket just like the ones in the photo Ella posted for her movie challenge today at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads.
She asked members of the writers' group, and anyone who has a favorite movie, to write a poem, either about the movie, or Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-25599878491691063902012-01-31T11:41:00.001-07:002012-01-31T20:20:10.667-07:00Cupboard love, "C" for ABC Wednesday
All photos
from Google
"Cupboard love" is an English phrase referring to affection that is given purely to gain a reward.The term derives from the way in which a cat will give the cupboard, which contains its food, superficial "love" (which is not normally exhibited) when it wants to be fed.The phrase is most often applied to human activity, for example when a child will say "I love you so muchKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-33911875796121014832012-01-30T20:59:00.001-07:002012-01-31T18:41:34.213-07:00For Real Toads: Open Link, January 30genetic memory:is it real?I went to Scotlandwith Momand Dadand the rest of the mob.no onefelt itexcept me, and I didas soonas thewe got off the plane.I’m here,I said,I’m in Scotland,I’m homeand I can feel itin my bones.*I had nothing for Open Link Monday this week. I’ve been researching a subject dear to my heart—a kitchen renovation—and have therefore been distracted, but I read some submissionsKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-8124555315885625892012-01-30T13:20:00.001-07:002012-01-30T16:34:19.186-07:00Our World Tuesday: a 6th birthday partyAn exciting event this past weekend was the 6th birthday party for grandson Liam.
Dick was fortunate to have had a business meeting in Edmonton on Friday, so he was able to be in Red Deer for our third grandson's birthday.
*
Yes, January birthdays in Alberta generally involve snow, tobogganing, ice skating, bonfires, and hot drinks as well as balloons and cake.
Congratulations, Liam, only 10 moreKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-74498975381765892942012-01-29T21:03:00.000-07:002012-01-29T21:03:54.388-07:00Mellow Yellow Monday: Costa Rica
© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear, 2007
Posted forMellow Yellow Mondayhosted each week by Drowsey Monkey.To see other mellow yellows from around the world, please click HERE!Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-5096216851666273362012-01-29T10:34:00.001-07:002012-01-29T10:35:39.990-07:00Magpie Tales: Kandinsky, 1921*
Wassily Kandinsky, 1921
Each week, from Willow Manor, comes a picture or photo to inspire us to write.
That's it: to write.
Easier said than done, as a matter of fact. There are no restraints imposed by this meme. That's why I love it sometimes, and hate it other times, depending on my muse, the state of my health, and other factors.
This week is Mag 102, and I'm going to give it my best shotKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-29873395932153218402012-01-28T23:58:00.000-07:002012-01-28T23:58:52.962-07:00Succinctly yours: tree, bicycle, hibernateEach week, a photo is posted at the blog Grandma's Goulash for the Succinctly Yours meme. Grandma's daughter Calico chooses a word of the week before she sees the photo. This week, her word is hibernate, but I couldn't fit it into my 140-character mini-story.One hundred and forty characters? Yes, including punctuation and spaces! We could also write a short story about the photo, using 140 words,Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-76565430088618368522012-01-28T12:53:00.000-07:002012-01-28T12:53:25.265-07:00For Real Toads: Daryl's photosI have long been a fan of Daryl Edelstein's photos of New York. I think one of the things I like most is her sense of perspective. She can give any old thing a new angle: making it shine, making it jump, making it sing.
Fireblossom has offered us not one, not two or three, but fifteen of Daryl's photos and asked us to choose one as inspiration in today's Weekend Photo Challenge at the writers' Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-20900395856643353212012-01-27T21:08:00.001-07:002012-01-28T10:18:27.256-07:00Saturday Photo Hunting: dark
Very early morning, Kizhi, Russia.
Midnight in Moscow.
Fort McMurray, northern Alberta.
From our back yard, southern Alberta.
Posted for this week's theme "Dark" at
Saturday Photo Hunting
hosted by our friend Gattina in Belgium. Thanks, Gattina!
© Photos by Richard SchearKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-20300770772706527482012-01-27T19:20:00.004-07:002012-01-27T23:01:55.769-07:00Definitions, meanings, ego and confusion
Photo by emdot on Flickr
It seemed to me there had been entirely too much confusion between the words "democracy" and "capitalism" lately, so I decided to look them up, in case I was wrong. After all, I was wrong about something else, earlier today, so I thought I'd check this out.I chose, for purposes of comparison, definitions from the online Oxford Dictionaries, surely the contemporary Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-79668356889461498132012-01-27T15:13:00.005-07:002012-01-28T17:43:21.719-07:00Wonderful reflections: would you believe......my husband got a photo of this sunset...
...reflecting on our dog as well as on the fence beside her?
Posted for James at
Weekend Reflections
and for
Camera Critters hosted by Misty Dawn
and also for
Pet Pride hosted by Lindy's buddy Bozo in Mumbai, India.
Lindy says, "Look at me, Bozo, all lit up like a Christmas tree, but too late."
*
Lindy's golden curls really shone like gold in theKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-9072180379468771152012-01-26T19:08:00.000-07:002012-01-26T19:08:19.077-07:00Book Blurb Friday: pink flower photoEach week, Lisa Ricard Claro hosts Book Blurb Friday at her blog Writing in the Buff. Lisa posts a photo (this week by the terrifically talented Tammy Goodsell) to inspire writer-bloggers to think of a novel with this photo as the book cover. Then, we are asked to write a "blurb" to sell the book, using no more than 150 words.
Here is my submission of 144 words:
Author Wickie Peidya has Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-87113253350393512312012-01-26T13:44:00.000-07:002012-01-26T13:44:32.369-07:00SkyWatch Friday: Christmas cloudsAs January is fast fading into February, we'll take one nostalgic glance back to Christmas, 2011, with these decorative cloud photos.
© Photos by Richard Schear
Posted for SkyWatch Friday
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-46539468683532302582012-01-25T18:44:00.000-07:002012-01-25T18:44:55.665-07:00Thursday Theme Song: and they call it...
And they call it
Puppy Love,
just because we're
not just teens.
Tell them all I am so glad
That I now have my puppy one.I walk each day my walk with you,
Our walks are all such fun.
How can I,
How can I tell them
This is Super Puppy Love?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuG_fTwoUoU
Posted for Hootin' Anni's
musical meme
Thursday Theme Song
Thanks, Anni!
This is our favorite meme.
© PhotosKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-86498474843730496732012-01-25T10:45:00.000-07:002012-01-25T10:45:17.040-07:00For Real Toads: Nazim HikmetKenia introduces the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads to the person and the works of Turkish poet/revolutionary/martyr Nazim Hikmet.
*
"Hikmet's imprisonment in the 1940s became a cause célèbre among intellectuals worldwide; a 1949 committee that included Pablo Picasso, Paul Robeson, and Jean Paul Sartre campaigned for Hikmet's release.“On November 22, 1950, the World Council of Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-61620898331508912602012-01-24T10:38:00.000-07:002012-01-24T10:38:45.920-07:00ABC Wednesday: B is for Brugge, Belgium
My intrepid photographer and his long lens capturing other tourists in a small boat.
© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear
Theatrical release photo from Wikipedia.
After seeing the 2008 comedy crime drama In Bruges starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, we were determined to visit this lovely city in Belgium. We enjoyed the movie but we enjoyed the scenery Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-58427625499489386252012-01-23T19:42:00.001-07:002012-01-23T19:43:31.540-07:00Magpie Tales, and Real Toads: Hoppek's "Ever"
Boris Hoppek "Ever"
in parts of China,
as in Japan,
housing space has become scarce—
homes
and beds
are becoming
smaller
and smaller—
with
some beds requiring seatbelts
to protect the sleeper
Posted for Willow atThe Mag 101(formerly Magpie Tales)and Kerry atOpen Link Mondayfor the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real ToadsKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-16149146241020084742012-01-23T13:29:00.002-07:002012-01-23T17:52:51.136-07:00Our World Tuesday: a year in the life
I'll leave it to you to guess which seasons these photos represent in southeastern Alberta, Canada.
Posted for
Our World Tuesday
© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear, Alberta, 2011/2012
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-92020396208331647812012-01-22T20:49:00.000-07:002012-01-22T20:49:34.341-07:00Mellow Yellow Monday: Las Vegas yellowsOne year, Dick's company trip took us to Las Vegas. There were plenty of things to photograph there, and an amazing number of them were yellow, some much brighter than others.
© Richard Schear photos
Posted for Mellow Yellow Monday
hosted each week by Drowsey Monkey. Thanks, Drowsey!Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-60343817655901991292012-01-22T15:58:00.003-07:002012-01-22T19:09:27.965-07:00Saturday's Photo Hunting: animals this weekI'm a bit late for our friend Gattina's Saturday Photo Hunting, but I couldn't make up my mind what to do. The theme this week is animals, and of course I immediately think of Lindy, but I wanted something different.
I've decided to show you these animals (and a couple of people) we saw in Russia last summer. These shots are taken from the deck of the river cruise ship Viking Surkov after our Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-27048146587064985972012-01-21T23:58:00.001-07:002012-01-21T23:59:53.872-07:00Succinctly yours: bluster
Photo provided as prompt
Oh, yeah? If you think I bluster, Buster, wait until you hear me nag, you old nag!
Posted for
Succinctly Yours
the weekly meme at the Grandma's Goulash blog, when Grandma chooses a photo, then her daughter chooses a word of the week without seeing the photo.
Writer-bloggers are invited to write a 140-word short story about the photo, or a mini-story using 140 Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-48374497203739033892012-01-21T19:07:00.000-07:002012-01-21T19:07:22.314-07:00For Real Toads: photo prompt, M. Bednar
© M. Bednar photos
Kerry presented the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads with three photos by talented poet/photographer Margaret Bednar, and I found it difficult to choose which picture to use as a prompt for my own poem. Kerry also featured one of Margaret's poems and it is lovely.
I finally decided to use two of her photos as inspiration, and to share this one of the Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-68134094964124684642012-01-21T11:23:00.001-07:002012-01-21T18:04:19.959-07:00Camera Critters and Pet Pride with Grommet
Lindy, caught in soft focus, is looking mellow while visiting two of Dick's daughters and our three young grandsons, ages 8, 6 and 2, in Red Deer, Alberta, earlier this month. In the background (and below) is our granddog Grommet, a Jack Russell Terrier who used to be full of bounce but is much more mellow now that he is also 6 years old. He and Lindy really just ignored one another after their Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-8582442785308002252012-01-20T14:42:00.000-07:002012-01-20T14:42:31.325-07:00Another one from my friend
© Maryann Brown photo
This mixture of golden reflections and shapely shadows comes from my friend Maryann, a Californian now living on the beautiful Oregon coast. She spent Christmas in California with her children and grandchildren, and couldn't resist capturing this cell-phone shot of the sun's rays bouncing off windows and onto a parking lot in Santa Rosa. A golden gift for Christmas, for Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-89070877460698698132012-01-20T11:37:00.004-07:002012-01-22T13:29:30.273-07:00For Real Toads: nonsenseWhat a wonderful way
To start out my day
Of poetry-writing and dishes.
Thanks go to Laurie
And here is my story
Which doesn't contain any fishes.
By definition, it doesn't have to make sense. It is nonsense, the word of the day offered by Laurie for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads.
*
It took me a while to get used
To the books of the late Dr. Seuss.
It's true. I had never Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-57244230306555675922012-01-19T19:45:00.000-07:002012-01-19T19:45:54.459-07:00Book Blurb Friday: a couple near water
Each week, Lisa Ricard Claro presents Book Blurb Friday at her blog, Writing in the Buff. She offers a photo (this week from the camera of Sioux Roslawski) for us to imagine as the cover of a book. Then, writer-bloggers are to imagine the book itself and write a blurb for it, a blurb to turn browsers into buyers. However, there's a catch: the blurb must be 150 words or less. It's a challenge, Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-75567271628362464852012-01-19T15:36:00.001-07:002012-01-19T17:31:43.401-07:00SkyWatch Friday: sunset, Red DeerThat would be the city of Red Deer, Alberta, blog fans, not a herd of red deer looking at a sunset. Dick and Lindy and I were in Red Deer recently to see two of Dick's daughters and three of the grandsons. Lindy behaved so well at the Red Deer Lodge, and Dick was pretty good, too...he took these photos of the sunset!
I love the layers of colors between the trees (above).
© Photos by RichardKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-23097747692363963312012-01-18T17:29:00.001-07:002012-01-18T19:26:04.782-07:00Thursday Theme Song ...is hard to do
© Photo by Richard Schear
Raking up is hard to do...our eldest grandson, Kayen, several years ago, but he still has the same great smile! He raked up this pile of leaves, then hid in it until his dad came along, and jumped up to surprise him. As Neil Sedaka would say, "Down, Dooby-do. Down! Down!"
*
Down dooby-do down down
Dig myself in the leaves down down—
Don't take the lawn away from me,
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-11324510269894699002012-01-18T12:51:00.000-07:002012-01-18T12:51:48.153-07:00For Real Toads: the TanagaFor this week’s poetry format challenge, Grace has presented the writers’ group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads with a style originating in the Philippines and called a Tanaga.
“It is similar in nature to the Japanese short forms of haiku or tanka. Most tanagas were passed down orally. They are claimed to be one of the oldest form of poetry in the Philippines,” says Grace. “We'll be working Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-11243111866320244782012-01-17T11:14:00.000-07:002012-01-17T11:14:25.138-07:00A is for Arnhem: A Bridge Too Far
On 17 September 1944 thousands of paratroopers descended from the sky by parachute or glider up to 150 km behind enemy lines. Their goal: to secure to bridges across the rivers in Holland so that the Allied army could advance rapidly northwards and turn right into the lowlands of Germany, hereby skirting around the Siegfried line, the German defence line. If all carried out as planned it should Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-3541969183941353472012-01-16T23:58:00.000-07:002012-01-16T23:58:07.797-07:00Succinctly yours: woman on benchEach week, a photo is posted on the blog Grandma's Goulash, and writer-bloggers are invited to write a short story about it in 140 words or less, or a short-short item of 140 characters or less, including spaces and punctuation.
I'm running late this week but I'm going to try for the 140-character option.
Here are my three submissions:
*
The woman sat, dreaming happily after her lunch. LittleKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-17684869808780183982012-01-16T17:25:00.000-07:002012-01-16T17:25:34.644-07:00Our World Tuesday: we missed the deerWe often have deer feeding at our ornamental crabapple tree when there's snow on the ground and the weather is very cold (it's -21C or 5.8 below zero F today) and some deer did visit last night but we missed them.
Looking out the new window in the door by my desk, I could see the footprints in the snow. Too bad we didn't see our visitors.
Above, the wind just about filled in the footprints Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-41098571701000685502012-01-16T11:00:00.000-07:002012-01-16T11:00:27.012-07:00For Real Toads: Madrigals and RondelaysIt is Open Link Monday for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads and Kerry invites us to post something unspecific. It would be difficult to find anything less specific than this poem I wrote in the middle of the night, and found on the table this morning. I rather like it, even if it ain't art.
Of Days and Rondelays*when the soft is on the kittenand the warm is on the dogwhen Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-10475262253242459092012-01-15T23:31:00.000-07:002012-01-15T23:31:53.935-07:00Mellow Yellow Monday: taxi in Quito, Ecuador
© Photo by Richard Schear, November, 2006
We laughed when we woke up our first morning in our Quito hotel, which was in the former British embassy, and looked out the front window of our room to see a familiar picture of The Kentucky Colonel.
There were many mellow yellows around The Colonel and his bucket-hatted young admirer, but this taxi was a far-from-mellow yellow, undoubtedly for Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-37006379806909898902012-01-15T13:03:00.000-07:002012-01-15T13:03:47.886-07:00For Real Toads: the open gate
not a real toad
Kerry has featured poet-photographer Isadora Gruye, with one of her poems and three of her photos this weekend for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads.
Isadora's poetry and photos are hauntingly beautiful, leading me to drop my Pollyanna attitude briefly to make way for some haunting reality. The idea came to me at first sight of the photo below, and the form of Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-78843849216421113382012-01-15T11:51:00.000-07:002012-01-15T11:51:28.265-07:00Pet Pride: one shoe off and three shoes on
© Photo by Richard Schear
Hi, it's me—Lindy!
I'm slim, and I'm trim, and I'm lovely, so if I want to let my dad carry one of my snow boots for me, it's okay. I've been around cyberspace long enough to know I have a few fans, perhaps more than a few, so I'm not proud. I know we'll go home, where my mom will have a hissy-fit about my poor, sad, cold foot, and she'll make sure my dad gets all theKay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-7254970839157038842012-01-14T20:46:00.000-07:002012-01-14T20:46:55.506-07:00Shadow Shot Sunday: White Rock, BC
'Twas the end of November
But along the west coast
No snowflakes would flurry,
Green shadows we'd boast!
I stayed at a friend's house, with a shadowy deck, before carrying on down the coast by train to visit a friend on the Oregon coast.
I admired the flowers still hiding in shadowy, sheltered spots under the trees.
Evergreens and ivy alike produced their own kinds of shadows to lure my camera.Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-90412006483965176442012-01-14T13:37:00.000-07:002012-01-14T13:37:07.195-07:00Camera Critters: raggedy-eared rabbit
Has someone been nibbling on the ears of this cute little snow bunny?A bucktoothed suitor, perhaps?
Posted for Misty Dawn'sCamera CrittersThanks, Misty!
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-44270224357457436712012-01-13T21:19:00.000-07:002012-01-13T21:19:15.521-07:00Saturday Photo Hunting: joyOur friend Gattina in Belgium has selected "Joy" for the theme of her Saturday Photo Hunting this week.
It wasn't easy choosing joyful pictures to post for this weekend. Anyone who has seen my blog has already seen the most joyous photo I know: our dog Lindy rolling on the ground. I've chosen a few, including another one of Lindy rolling on the ground!
Above, youngest grand-nephew chasing Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-33485999394579951402012-01-13T20:11:00.000-07:002012-01-13T20:11:33.539-07:00Reflections of fire
No, Dick and Lindy didn't witness a house-fire on their walk. The sunset, however, as reflected in these windows, might have alerted more than a man and his dog.
Posted for
Weekend
Reflections
hosted by James in California.
Thanks, James!
© Photos by Richard Schear
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-74972367999180627722012-01-13T19:51:00.001-07:002012-01-13T20:08:11.481-07:00Book Blurb Friday: graffitists defeatedEach week, Lisa Ricard Claro features Book Blurb Friday on her blog, Writing in the Buff. She posts a picture (this week by her husband Joseph Claro) which we are to imagine as the cover of a book. Of course, then we have to imagine a plot for the book (that's the hard part) and write a blurb of 150 words or less to convince browsers to become buyers. That's not always so easy, either.
Joseph Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-41059347067454877892012-01-13T14:57:00.000-07:002012-01-13T14:57:29.845-07:00For Real Toads: dangerousPoetry is a very dangerous word.—Tom Waits
Marian’s musical prompt today for the writers’ group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads features the song All the World is Green by Academy Award-nominated singer/songwriter Tom Waits. His lyrics are wondrous.
Marian included the above quotation from Tom, and it reminded me of the times in my life when poetry had a death-grip on my mind.*
poetry is Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-8068218075511084382012-01-12T13:31:00.000-07:002012-01-12T13:31:22.097-07:00SkyWatch Friday: over the prairie
© Richard Schear photo
Nothing flashy for this week, just an evening sky across the prairie. We haven't had snow for a while, but we have flurries in the forecast for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, the temperature hovers around freezing, but doesn't stop Dick and Lindy's regular walk over by the coulee. Today on the way home, Lindy met a chihuahua. She was not impressed.
Posted for
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-60682950567955980822012-01-11T19:22:00.003-07:002012-01-11T23:22:59.562-07:00Thursday Theme Song: this one's for Anni
In keeping with the flower theme from the Wednesday writing challenge at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, I'm featuring a song that's had a long and colorful history in the US, particularly in Hootin' Anni's Texas.
*So, for Anni's musical meme Thursday Theme Song, I give you the version I remember best...of...
The Yellow Rose of Texas
(Mitch Miller, 1955, hear it here)
There's a yellow rose in Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-83462039251960214352012-01-11T13:05:00.000-07:002012-01-11T13:05:03.592-07:00For Real Toads: by any other nameI missed yesterday's Open Link Monday with the writers' group, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, but today's challenge is to write an unusual poem about flowers, trying to avoid clichés.
Here are the definitions Kerry provided, along with the origin of the word cliché. I love it, fitting in as it does with my typographical background. Jinksy, for one, will understand why I couldn't resist.
Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360427196522365144.post-67582056713825173532012-01-10T17:36:00.000-07:002012-01-10T17:36:41.934-07:00Z is for Zebras, Zip-lining, and, of course, Zoo
Z in the sky here in Alberta
Z is for Zip-lining, which Dick tried in Jamaica a few years ago. I did not try it. I didn't even watch him trying it. The instructor took this photo of Dick looking somewhat dubious, while I was miles away doing something much safer.
And Z is for Zoo, a subject about which I could go on and on and on!!
In the top photo are some Zebras dining at the San Diego Kay L. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09966266404058177742noreply@blogger.com24