Hello Monday! You Always Show Up On Time...

" The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation. "    
- Benjamin Disraeli

" There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself,
for what we see is what we are. "
~  Ernst Haas

" It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realize them. "
~ Man Ray

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Project 365- a Photo Every Day.... I make so many photo's that I can only post my very.. very.. most favorite ones.. I am always tangled up about what day I am supposed to post on..  I am pretty sure it was Saturday so I am late again.. I do thank anyone who visits me from there and them from here..

My Mom and  My
Great Nephew.. I think he looks like her...
check out their cheeks...

family fun - playing "Strut Miss Lucy"...

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Magpie Tales- #69


The Next Step- ( a haibun)


next step altered
tiny shell missing fondly
tranquility reins

one misstep and I knew I'd be eating sandy spam on wheat and lemon cookies...
Lila was telling tales of rice plantations and slavery... pirates and skeletons all jumble together..
I was pondering wee spiraled cones..

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
6-13-2011


3 Word Wednesday- alter.. fond.. tranquil

Weekend Wordsmith- skeleton

Theme Thursday - 6/9/2011- spam

Haiku Heights #47 - slavery

One Single Impression #172- miss.. ( to long for)

Sunday Scribblings #271- The Next Step.....

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Oh what a long and busy day.. I had a house full of nearly teens.. three girls and one boy.. they all wanted to play Sims at once and we all know that won't work.. they played rock band once or twice but this one would all but squeal over the others choice of song.. finally I said .. "I have had enough...." .. well.. actually I didn't say that.. but  I said some other stuff.. and ordered them to the dining table to write me a story... they draw a scrap of paper with a prompt on it.. I have to have at least five sentences... and when everyone is through they stand one at the time and tell us their story..  nothing too hard.. but I do want an illustration of some kind.. ok so I'm mean..  we are learning reading and writing skills.. spelling and art... they also help cook.. and toss corn at critters....  play hide the penny... and swim..
I gotta tell you.. kids think deep.. they claim I am making them keep a journal cause I'm mean and making them learn all summer.. the truth is that I do hope they learn something this summer..  they are really talented and I want them to know that..  but every time they present their stories I learn from them.. and that is worth every second of getting up early and listening to ... "she looked at me... she touched my phone.... she texted about me to Em"... all day.. I also made and canned 4 quarts and 7 pints of salsa and 20 quarts of squash today...  time now to rest and cool off..   Thanks for stopping by to read a few of my words today.. I welcome both comments and followers... I hope you have a remarkable day..
Patsy

Rainy Days and Mondays.... Sometimes They are One in the Same...

" The only normal people are the one's you don't know very well."
- Alfred Adler

"I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing."
- Ronald Reagan

" And the blood of brave men was shed like unto the shedding of rain from a black cloud." - Ferdowsi

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A Photo Each Day-

- A Bright Red Cardinal

- Trying to stay dry!

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- Micro Fiction #69-

"What if time stops?" asks Aurora
"Don't be silly.. time can't stop.. only clocks can stop!"
says her maid..

Now a lost city sleeps!

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Slight of Hand-

wishing doll blazes
dumbfounding barbarians-
carnies collect coins

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1-17-2011

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China Town Winter

frostbitten Buddha
apprentice sweeps salty slush
cabdriver sneezes

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1-17-2011

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Heartless

deceitful lad smiles
his soul secretly fuming-
carpetbagger brays

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1-17-2011

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Today has been another wet day.. the chickens clucked their displeasure and stayed up on their roosts most of the day.. getting down only to eat a few grains of soggy scratch feed.. and waddle to the nest to leave us some eggs.. even the ducks quacked at the skies as if they had had enough rain for a few days!..The dogs whined to go out.. then barked to come right back in.. Cooper slept.. Dave braved the rain to feed all of the animals and to gather the fresh eggs.. I must admit that I was lazy today.. I did laundry.. two loads.. I shopped for food and then cooked it.. nothing fancy.. just hot dogs with the fixings.. slaw and chili and cheese.. I babysat Hannah and Dani for a few minutes while their "Nini" went on a job interview.. and I played some games on-line.. and of course I blogged..

Thanks for stopping by today.. I welcome comments and followers..

Have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Snow Day..

"Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery."
~ Bill Watterson

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
~ John Ruskin

"The Eskimos had fifty-two names for snow because it was important to them: there ought to be as many for love."
~ Margaret Atwood

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We have had a rare couple of days with snow and Ice.. mostly ice in my own yard..

Dave convinced me to go for a ride with him.. I held on white knuckled as he slipped and slid along the roads..

.. Staying in the ruts was the only way to stay on the road.. we saw a deputy slide right into the ditch..

~ The road less travelled...

- One of my young pine trees..

~ Grandma's old rose bush encased in ice..

~ a horse in a coat..

~ I love all the patterns and designs the ice makes on everyday items such as these posts..

Though it is still very cold.. it did warm up enough today to melt all of the ice and what little snow there was.. thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I welcome both comments and followers.. Have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Photography Contest .... Pet Faces!

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” ~ Josh Billings

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I Heart Faces~

Photo Contest/Pet Faces
~ Diamond...

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Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I welcome both comments and followers..

have a great day!

Patsy

Shutterday- Rain!

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~ Ashley Smith

"Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity. " ~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you." ~ Langston Hughes
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Shutterday-

Theme 187- Rain.. .

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Thanks for stopping by my Blog today.. Have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Ahh.. Sunday.. Time for a NEW Week!

"The dead of midnight is the noon of thought."
~Anna Letitia Barbauld

"We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer."

~ O. Henry

"The experimenter who does not know what he is looking for will not understand what he finds." ~ Claude Bernard



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Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I had plans for a bunch of great photos today.. But somehow that didn't happen.. or maybe the photos I wanted didn't happen.. this hasn't been a good weekend for photos.. Em and I heard there was a carnival in town ..we would go See that.. bound to be great shots there.. carnies in their fancy not so fancy dirty clothes and all the rides.. lots of photos.. he got there.. there were a gazillion folks walking around.. we were about to step out of the car and.. her phone rang.. no walk.. no carnies .. no photos.. Dave an I had an errand out of town.. OK.. fine.. I'll look up a few Geo-caches.. (our other hobby!) we'll make it a combo day.. I'll get photos of the other town.. needless to say about half way there we discovered that we had NO CAMERA.. I searched and searched deep and wide.. because I never.. ever leave home without my camera.. at least one .. I had one.. it had one photo left on the roll of film.. all the other film was at home along with my good camera.. we did make a few shots with the cell phone but I was in a foul mood and really didn't try.. I hate to be somewhere where I know there are great shots and not have my camera.. So as you see I have had a rough.. frustrating weekend when it comes to photos.. But I do make photos of some sort every single day.. so I was still able to choose from my favorite photos of the week..

I welcome comments.. Have a wonderful day!
Patsy

.. Winter Time Feed..

.. Just an OLD tree..

My favorite color blooms in my back yard..

.. Laughing Happy Baby!..

Weekly Winners invites us to share our favorite photos of the week with them on Sunday!

Patsy

Monday... Cooler.. Sharing Two Haiku!

"Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition."
~Eli Khamarov

"The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words."
~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe


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Lost Soldiers

steamy rice paddies
weathered old Joe muttering~
oh let freedom ring

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-17-2010


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... A Fairy Tale...

grasping a bright bloom
enchanting words he whispers
blue birds sing praises

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-17-2010

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Thanks for stopping by today.. My world has been a little scrambled for a couple of weeks.. hopefully it will all straighten up and smooth out real soon.. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my simple life today.. I pray tomorrow is a wonderful day for us all..

Patsy

Thursday.. Three Things as Always... Birthdays.. Whats?..Photos and Poems..

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America." ~ William J. Clinton

"You can put wings on a pig, but you don't make it an eagle." ~ William J. Clinton

"If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance." ~ Orville Wright

:~} :~} :~} :~} :~}

1:~ Birthdays.. Today is the birthday of at least two important people in American History.. I am sure there are many others born on this day who may have played a part but I think you will agree that these two men do deserve a Happy Birthday mention...

~ Orville Wright was Born August 19th- 1871 and is best known as the first person to successfully fly an airplane. This first flight was December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This inaugural flight was soon to change the skies forever.

Known as "Bubs" to his family .. Orville started his own printing business when he was 15 years old and was running a weekly newspaper by his junior year of high school. His grades.. except for science.. were very low.. as his newspaper grew he lost interest in school and did not go back for his senior year. Even though he never finished high school.. Orville as well as his brother Wilbur earned a great many honorary graduate and post-graduate college degrees.

Orville Wright was active in the promotion of scouting and sat on the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was the scouting advisor for the Aviation Merit Badge.

He and Wilbur also won three separate prestigious awards...
Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded June 17, 1909
Legion of Honor, awarded June 20, 1909
Collier Trophy, awarded February 3, 1914

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~ William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was born August 19th-1946.. He was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. At 46 he was the third-youngest president...he served two terms..

Clinton plays both the tenor and soprano saxophone and demonstrated his abilities many times on the campaign trail. He also collects saxophones, both miniature and life-sized...In high school, Clinton played saxophone in a jazz trio... The three musicians wore dark glasses on stage and they called themselves "Three Blind Mice"
..He Graduated Georgetown University (1968)and Yale University Law School (1973)..

He is allergic to dust, mold, cats, pollen, beef, and dairy products.. he is said to have smoked marijuana once but said he did not inhale..

In 1998, as a result of issues arising from his personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern.. Clinton became the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives... He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges against him... He apologized to the nation for his actions and continued to hold the most popular approval ratings for his job as president..

In October 2002, Bill was given an honorary induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, becoming the first white person in the hall..

Bill Clinton is the first president to be a Rhodes Scholar...
His nickname as a child was Bubba...

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2-What is it??

... ~ today I am again asking you to take a look and see if you know what this is..? I am getting easier and easier here.. I am sure someone will know this one at first glance... keep in mind that I may have flipped.. or cropped the photo hoping to confuse you..... It however has NOT been altered in any other way.. it can be a common or a not so common item but I always expect someone to know what it is..
I feel sure that everyone will know this item with very little trouble.. you may have one just like this....I will even give a few clues this week.. to help everyone out..

~ UPDATE~ Yes I am a Mop.. Big Time.. Was the very first person to guess it .. followed by two other right answers.. Maybe this was too easy but it is actually hard to find a regular mop now.. everyone uses those steaming scrubbers or wet padded other expensive things..I do thank you all for playing.. I will be showing another what is it soon..

~ sometimes I am wet.. sometimes I am dry.. I can be found in the corner or on a nail.. almost every house has me.. those who don't are sure to need me.. what am I??? I will be giving a small prize to whoever gets this what is it right.. Do you know what it is.. you can't win unless you comment.. Have a great day!

Patsy

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3- Fear in ten words or less.. an AllPoetry.com contest...


I smell a Rat ~

quivering despair
heart throbbing ~ hair on end
eek! a mouse!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
2-10-2010

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~ Bonus.. look at this poor little guy.. hanging on for dear life.. trying to stay dry as the rain drops fell.. I tried to get Emily to let him run up her arm and into the house where he would be safe from the storm... She had a fit.. shivered and shook as she slammed the door on the poor creature.. maybe she like lizards as much as I like mice...

It's a Hot and Dry Wednesday!

"The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown." ~ Rene Magritte

"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." ~ Mohandas Gandhi

"Has fortune dealt you some bad cards. Then let wisdom make you a good gamester."
~ Francis Quarles

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Sepia Scenes ~ #94

~ The way to the top of an abandoned building.. I love stairs.. and iron.. but you couldn't pay me to climb these narrow spooky steps... rising silently into the creepy darkness of above.. there is No telling what dangers wait at the top of these stairs...
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Three Word Wednesday ~ celebrates their 200th prompt

This weeks words are~ drink- feeble- predict

Wishes..

Pa wished the rain would never stop.. he wished he wasn't older that dirt.. he wished he had a drink or a joint or both...

Ma wished she could have found a mark and made some supper money before the storm.. But the night was still young.. and they were in the city that never sleeps..

Happily she reached out and took Pa by the hand.. she liked the way his wrinkles and hers lined up.. they had been wishing together for most of their life.. a lot longer than she could remember living anyway.. A sudden storm had caused her to run from the park.. dragging Pa along with her.. she laughed a little thinking about what they must have looked like flying along.. two old badgers like them.. coats flapping in the pouring rain.. Who would have ever predicted where they would be today.. she knew they couldn't stay here on the narrow stairs for very long.. some gang banger or crack head would be coming sooner or later to claim the dry space as his own.. Sometimes a girl had to do what a girl had to do.. She had learned that soon enough out here on the streets.. "Keep to yourself and keep alive".. she muttered..

"What you saying?... " Pa asked.. "Listen at that thunder".. Cocking his head to the left side he sighed.. "reminds me of when we lived in Charleston.. Hugo came and knocked us on our ass..."

"Yea" Ma said.. " Paid ten dollars a gallon for water to drink.." "yea" he agreed " till I decided to steal that truck... every body had plenty of water then... "

" I wish I had a nickle for every body that we gave water to back then.." she grumbled.. "Might have been enough to keep me and you afloat.."

Pa Pulled her closer to his side.. "You warm enough?" He wondered.. "we could take off some things if you're too hot.... I'm too hot.." He leered.. " I wish we had some satin sheets and a big old water bed.. You remember when we had that big old water bed don't you.. me and you and that crazy dog you had.. what was that dogs name again...?"

"You old pervert" she laughed " some cracked up.. gang banger might come along and make you wish you was dead... you keep your clothes right where they are... I remember that old bed.. and that crazy old dog.... Pearly May we called that dog.. crazy thing would bite her own self.."

"Ain't scared of no Gang Banger" .. He said... " you know better than that!"..

"Come on Pa.. " eyes glittering she pulled him to his feet.. as the sound of approaching hoodlums caught her attention.. "Time for me and you to move on... I sure hope this bunch ain't broke like the last ones were.." patting to the sharpened steel in her apron pocket... she let her shoulders drop .. and whispered.... " and this time ... please! .. won't you try to act feeble?"

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Mad Kane.. shares a first line for a Limerick every Wednesday night..
I have also used the same three words to finish off a limerick of my own.. I love Limericks and though I don't follow the facebook group of Limerick off.. I do often write one of my own from her first line.. you should check out her page.. she is very funny..

Half Good~

A woman who worked for her Dad
loved to drink and always wore plaid..
I predict.. swore her Gran
a feeble minded man..
and for her that won't be half bad..

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-4-2010

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Wordful Wednesday~ for those of us who Just can't be quiet..


~ yesterday we had quite a storm.. I heard a sound much like the trickle of a fountain.. drip drip plop .. drip drip plop.. Plop..Plop.. Drip drip... Plop.. I looked everywhere trying my best to figure out where the wonderful rhythm was coming from... It wasn't the water falling into the rain buckets on the steps.. It wasn't the rain gutter running over.. Finally I spotted the source of the music.. right outside the window.. the pond was filled with giant elephant ears plants.. they would fill with rain drops from the storm and then tilt their huge leaf head and pour the water into the leaf below them.. over and over they filled and tilted.. Making a beautiful song in the storm.. Imagine my glee this morning to find a few leaves still holding a sparkling bulb of rain water right in it's center.. and if you look close at the drop you can see a reflection of the other giant leaves.. I have loved these plants from the time my Brother Davey gave me the first bulbs.. I love them even more now that I know they are so Musical!

~ I Thank you for stopping by my blog today.. I hope you enjoyed my photo's and words.. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Patsy