Monday, February 28, 2011

microfiction Monday #72...


The idea is to tell a story in 140 characters or less.





"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."

"Mrs Hubbard, with heartburn that severe, 
you need a Alka-Seltzer. God can't help you with this."




Visit Susan to enjoy more microfiction Monday!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sunday Film Challenge...


Today, in honor of the Academy Awards
I'm beginning a new game.

We start like this: I give you five facts about a film

1. the year the film was released
2. a character name, could be a major or minor character
3. a quote from the film, maybe an obscure quote
4. the studio that released the film
5. an actor in the film
From time to time, I may offer additional clues. 

You may leave your answers in the comments or email them to tilden@tildentalks.
 The first person to answer correctly will win nothing! 
But I will reveal the correct answer later in the day.


The clues for todays puzzle are:


 1. 1969
2. Col. Stonehill
3. "You can't serve papers on a rat, baby sister.
You gotta kill him or let him be. "
4. Paramount Pictures
5. John Fiedler


Answer for this puzzle:
TRUE GRIT!


godessmanda and Pegtraveller both got the correct answer early this morning.




Friday, February 18, 2011

Poor Colleen....

She's in a world of hurt.
She had four teeth out today and she is not feeling good at all.
I think the pain meds she was given made her ill. Mum said lay off those. After a freak out call to the dentist, we found out the only real worry is fever. He said everything else she is experiencing is to be expected.
Keep Colleen in your thoughts, it's going to be a bumpy night.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Valentine’s Day ~ Quilldancing Assignment #2





Your Writing Assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a complete story in 500 words or less using the scenario below to kick-start your thinking. Publish your story on your blog on February 15th, then go on over to Quilly's and link to her story, here.


Quilly has twelve writing assignments ready, one for the first day of every month. Every month! 


The stories are due on the 15th, even in April!

The Scenario:

February is the month of love. Your prompt requires only that you write a love story. Fashion it as you will, and remember there are many kinds of love.

~~**~~

"Lady? Lady! Leave the baby with MayElla and walk with me a little while..."

Papa was standing near the gate to the church yard. He often liked to walk among the memorials after Sunday Celebration. He told me he liked the peace of the churchyard and the quiet bustling of the trees, and the joyful activities of the squirrels and chipmunks. We walked along in silence for a time.

"My Dear, do you have any recollection of the day you were born? I suppose not, the harshness of birth is best left with mothers and fathers."

I tried to think back to the moment I was born. But my earliest memories took me back to the day Arliss arrived, screeching and squalling. I was almost four and our cook, Missy kept me in the kitchen. She was baking bread that day. I will always associate birth with the aroma of a fresh bread.

"O Lady, you arrived amidst a fierce storm! The wind howled. The rain beat at the windows. Branches crashed to the ground and every animal on the place took cover. You were our first and I was terrified!"

No one had ever spoken to me about the day I was born. I never thought about it. Papa paused, filled his pipe and lit it. He stood there with a wistful look on his face, I wondered what was going through his mind.

"Aunt Sarah had helped two young women from The Old Farm when their time came, so she had an idea of what to expect, but Mama and I had never been near a woman giving birth. There was so much strain and tension, there was such a feeling of urgency. I felt utterly helpless."

" Papa, why were you afraid? There ain't nothin' to birthin' a baby. I done it lotsa times." 

" I've never spoken of this to anyone before. Lady, your entrance into this world changed me forever. I became a man that day. When I first looked on you, when I first looked into your eyes, I could see your heart. I could see the strength and love in your heart, at the moment you took your very first breath. God's love for me washed over me and He spoke to me. I can't tell you the words, because there were none, I just knew that forever you would be my most cherished joy. And I knew I could never let you go..."

I was about to ask why he was scared that day.

Papa helpless? I couldn't imagine such a thing. Papa was a strong man, not only in body, but in his intellect and his convictions. Until the boys were big enough, he cut and stacked every stick of firewood for the big house and both cottages. Papa never took the easy way when disciplining a child or making an argument.

It was true. Aunt Sarah took me along sometimes when women in the village gave birth. I was there to keep the fire hot, care for the older children in the house or fetch anything that was needed. If a husband was present, he assisted Aunt Sarah.There were times when the husband was too nervous to help. Those times, Aunt Sarah sent the man away and I took his place.

"O Lady, my dearest one! My heart was full of joy at your coming, but the work of it scared me so. Your Mama had a harder job than I have ever seen the strongest man attempt. I could not help her in this work, I could not ease her pain, I could not bring you any faster to lay you in her arms. I could only watch and pray."

For the first time, I saw Papa differently. Not as the head of the household, or the caretaker of every soul on the place, but as a man, with fears and feelings and joys and tears. He became more to me that day. At that moment, I knew he loved me. Up until then, I knew Mama and Aunt Sarah and the other children loved me. But at that moment, I knew for sure and for certain that Papa kept me in a special place in his heart. Maybe it was because I was the first.

~~**~~

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Whose Chicken Is It?

There's a rooster in the neighborhood. I know this because I can hear him all day long. At night he must roost somewhere, because he's quiet then.

I don't know if that noisy chicken is free range, lost or what. Sometimes I can hear him crow over there and sometimes I hear him over there. At any rate, he must be annoying the neighbors. I had a couple geese here one spring and they had to go because they bothered  the folks around me. Those geese would honk their heads off very early in the morning.

I think the noisy chicken should come over here. We would feed him. We would make him very welcome. We like chicken. We would find a nice place for him. First, in a pot, then on the supper table...

Thursday, February 10, 2011

I Wanna Be Like Jackie Onassis...

When I work at the greenhouses I wear prescription sunglasses. It's just too bright for me and without them I  cannot see a thing and I get a mild headache. I went looking for my sunglasses this afternoon. When I found them, the left lens kept falling out. I wore them anyway, but after the lens fell out about 20 times, I decided I might need new glasses frames.

We were planting teeny, tiny plugs about an inch high. I had to wear my regular glasses. They were good, but with the bright light and the missing lens, I developed quite an attitude. I really needed my sunglasses. I tried changing my position but the glare off my glasses was too much. I could barely see what I was doing.

I complained to Margaret and she went off to her car and brought back a huge pair of Jackie O like sunglasses. She handed them to me and told me to try them. I thanked her and said "Where'd you get these?" Marg said she found them in her car after lunch.I told her I had to wear my glasses or I couldn't see my work. She snatched them from me and put them on my face over my regular glasses.

I was astounded. I could actually see a lot better. After thanking her profusely, we got to work and quickly planted those plants and moved on to planting a bunch of hanging baskets.

We finished about 80 baskets when Karen came in. She seemed to be searching around for something. After a couple minutes she came down the aisle to me and Marg. As she came along she was looking under the benches and checking between trays. As she got to me she looked up and said "There's my glasses!"

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Poor Penny...

Penny has been under the weather lately. She's spent the last few days in bed with a fever.


She made a visit to the doctor this evening. He diagnosed her with double ear infections and Lyme Disease. 
That would explain why she hasn't been herself lately.
After the round of antibiotics and the flush and drops for her ears, I'm hoping she will bounce back.
Just now, she's in bed whining and asking for a drink, just like any other 4 year old...

Monday, February 7, 2011

New Snow Boots: The Key to a Brand New Scene...

With all the snow around here of late, I've been tramping around and I've worn out my snow boots. Once the boots were wonderful. They were everything one wished for in a boot: great tread, warm and waterproof and terribly stylish. Today they are torn, cold, let water and snow in and are slick on the bottom. I fell on my arse more than once in January. I want new ones and I want 'em fast, there's more snow predicted for later in the week.

Tammy has sorel boots that she likes very much. I tried them on and found them quite satisfactory. While being comfy and warm, they are also waterproof and ready to take me snowmobiling or to the slopes or just through my yard to feed the rabbits. But what I really want is for them to take me on a vacation. I would prefer to jet off to a sunny location, but with spring so far off, I'm afraid my body would react violently to sun, sand or temperatures over freezing.

When I talked to Mike today, he was checking out Utah Ski Resorts. A new pair of boots would fit right in on the slopes of Brighton or Alta. Mike skis a few times a year, I go only once in a blue moon. The reason being, I spend more time tumbling down the slopes and retrieving my ski's than I do actually skiing. More than once I've run into the woods or put other skiers in danger. One doesn't make a lot of friends that way. But I am willing to give it another go. At the very least, I could tramp around Utah in my new boots, instead of Carver.

To tell the truth, I'm just in it for the change in scenery. Expensive scenery? Certainly. Well worth it? You bet!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Candy Isn't Just for Holidays Anymore...

Both Manda and I have been suffering from a general malaise lately. I think it's due to the winter doldrums, she thinks it's due all the comfort food we consume.

Low light levels at this time of year and staying indoors all day every day will contribute to our sense of blah. Cream soups and heavy stews help the slow feeling too. Too many hot cocoas topped off with cream and yummy chocolates fill me up and send me right to the sofa.

Manda and I decided it's time to get out, walk a bit and get to the gym and do a little exercise. She's done those things, I have not. Manda said our food choices have to change as well. Change? Who said change ever helped anyone? Manda demanded we eat healthier. I agreed but refused to give up everything. I will not give up candy.

I live for rich creamy nougats and chocolate anything. Light chocolate, dark chocolate, nut chews and truffles are the reason I get out of bed in the morning. In fact, I'll take chocolate dipped, rolled or dolloped, on just about anything. Manda can't make me give up my one true passion.

I don't think she's silly enough to try.

Skywatch 4, #30...


Skies from all over our planet...


Check out more Skywatch here...

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Try These Fun Superbowl Recipes to Spice Up Your Party!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kenmore Live Studio. All opinions are 100% mine.
Tam and I are planning a party for the big game and we've been scouring magazines and websites looking for the perfect Super Bowl Recipes.
Steel Curtain Shrimp Skewers are a sure crowd pleaser! Whip together a quick marinade of rum, lime juice, mint and shallot and swim your shrimp in it overnight. When your guests arrive, slide the shrimps on skewers an saute. Voila! A quick, tasty, citrus-y appetizer. This dish not only smells and tastes great, it displays nicely and cleans up in a jiffy.
We got two of the girls to blast together the Tailgate Tacos. In no time they had shredded cooked chicken and simmered it in BBQ sauce and layered that with mozzarella, cheddar, avocado,tomato, sour cream and jalapeno, all atop tortilla chips. We all raved and the girls were quite proud of themselves.
The Steak Nachos were my favorite. I marinated the steak last night in a citrus marinade. I took it over to Tam's and we grilled it up and sliced it thin. We arranged it on a platter with tostadas we cut into triangles and briefly fried in hot oil. We added some guacamole, jack cheese and refried beans. It made a beautiful display and was more than tasty.
We didn't try the Pittsburg Popcorn only because we wanted a surprise for game day. Check out the videos and follow the link for more quick videos showing you how to make snacks that are quick, easy and tasty, with ingredients that are easy to find at your market.

Visit Sponsor's Site

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

397 - 66...

Dirty Hands and Domain Checks...

I attended a greenhouse convention today. Gretchen, Mike, Margaret and I took in a seminar dealing with what makes a retail garden center popular and profitable. The seminar ran about 5 hours. Beforehand, each of us was concerned we might be bored stiff, but it was a great seminar and very informative.

One of the main topics of the seminar was communication. How do retail garden centers communicate to their customers? This doesn't necessarily mean the act of speaking to a customer, but by what methods do we communicate information to our customers. There are numerous ways to get the job done, but the seminar focused on marketing tools such as print ads, email blasts, radio spots, t.v. ads, articles in local newspapers, press releases, social networks and websites. What interested me most was the discussion regarding websites.

Our retail shop has a website, but the domain doesn't exactly fit the name of our shop. I did an instant domain check to see if there might be a domain name more in line with the name of our shop. We are going to revamp the whole site this year and I thought that maybe a domain change may be in order too.

We took a great deal of super important information from the seminar. What was really exciting was that each one of our group found different things that spoke to that person personally. We all had copious amounts of notes. When we talked on the ride home, it was revealed that each one of us has a gift or special knowledge or talent concerning one aspect of the retail shop. With those gifts more clearly defined, we all feel empowered to get our hands dirty and grow the business!