The quince is not quite blooming yet, but I needed a picture of it for this post, so I took one from a couple of years ago.
This poor lonely quail is looking for a mate. Not sure there is one in the neighbourhood for him to find, but I made one up for him.
I quail at the thought of the poem I am going to inflict on you today.
Whoever said that snow was white
For certain didn’t get it right.
I know in shade it has some blues
And purples adding pretty hues,
It’s sad when snow shows bleeding red,
A little bird may soon be dead,
If dusty specks turn snowflakes black,
Just turn, you’ll find a chimney stack,
Sometimes a doggie has to go,
So never eat the yellow snow,
But early sunrise glowing pink
Makes snow the prettiest, I think.
Please visit my other blog for writing tips and stories. Today’s post is about filter words.
I wish I knew how to make the mouth move and dub in the words, but this is Ellie, my sister-in-law’s dog, wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day. Be good to each other.
I’ve been asked what breed Ellie is, so I’ve added this bit. She’s a Coton de Tulare. Related to Bichon.
A word of kindness never hurt,
It costs us naught to say it,
So why not give it generously,
It's easy, don't delay it.
We never know what kind of day,
And worries others have,
A loving word, a smiling face,
Could be a healing salve.
Don't do it 'cause it's Valentine's,
We need to supersede it,
To make the world a better place,
God only knows we need it.
These Brewer’s blackbirds are enjoying their day at the beach.
Remember the Beach Boys’ song, “Surf City”? Two girls for every boy?
Well, at this beach, it’s three girls for every boy. You may have to look hard for the sixth “girl.”
Black Bart at the bottom right says, “Now listen here, gang. It’s all very fine to cavort around, playing ‘king of the castle’ on this boulder, and leaping off it like you’re an Acapulco cliff diver, but keep in mind these are dangerous times.
“We have to stay in our bubble. Anything up to 23 is fine, but never, never, never be part of a group of 24.”
“But that just doesn’t make any sense,” chirped Betsy Brewer. “If it’s okay to be in a group of 23, what’s one more?”
Black Bart puffed up his chest. “What’s one more?” He shook his head sadly. “Betsy, Betsy, Betsy. I’ll tell you what one more is. It’s blackbird pie!
“Good grief! Haven’t you heard of four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie? Here, I’ll recite it for you.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing—
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in the counting-house
Counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey,
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes.
Along came a blackbird
And snipped off her nose.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing—
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?”
Betsy felt foolish at first, but she was not to be shamed so easily. “That’s okay,” she chirped. “When the pie is opened and the birds begin to sing, that will be me with my lovely voice, and I will please the king … and who knows? Maybe I’ll be rich.”
Black Bart rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s rich, all right. Rich, like a rich gravy is what you’ll be.”
*****
Please visit my other blog, anneli’s place, if you are interested in informal writing tips.
*****
If you need a good book to read, click on the cover images at the side of my blog posts. Romance, plus drama and adventure.
This female house finch has just had a bath and is now looking for a snack on my brussels sprouts plants.
Photo by P. Gerrie
It’s early May, or so they say,
The wind and rain’s like autumn.
The cherry tree sets blossoms free
That cover all the bottom.
The grass was green, but as you’ve seen
It looks like snow has fallen
The petals pink are fine, I think,
They tell me spring is calling.
Author Diana Wallace Peach has kindly reviewed my novel, Orion’s Gift, and has included it in her April reviews on her blog. You can see all the reviews there.
I enjoyed writing this book because it included many scenes from my travels to Baja California. The plot is totally fiction, but it was inspired by characters I met there.
Sylvia and Kevin are both escaping abusive relationships and individually head to Mexico to camp along the beautiful beaches of Baja. They end up meeting and fall immediately into lust, which gradually turns into something deeper. But nothing’s going to be that easy as the drug trade south of the border strikes a little close to their camper-homes, and even worse, their exes are trying to hunt them down.
Romance with lots of misunderstandings and emotional turmoil is a major theme in the book, but the subplots add a lot of drama to the story. Both exes—who are quite different from each other—have chapters from their points-of-view which adds to the building tension. The subplot regarding the drug trade escalates the danger, particularly for Sylvia.
I liked the quick pace of the story and there was plenty going on to keep me turning the pages. The descriptions of camping in Baja include well-researched details, not only regarding the landscape but also the challenges, the things visitors need to know, and some of the pitfalls. I enjoyed the authenticity they lent to the story.
Kevin was my favorite character as he’s pretty solid and straightforward. Sylvia suffers from insecurities throughout the book, but this struck me as realistic based on her history as a victim of domestic violence. She also has a secret that interferes with any dreams of a future with Kevin. A well-rounded story and highly recommended to readers of romance.
*****
You can find Orion’s Gift by going to my website: www.anneli-purchase.com
As Christmas is only three weeks away, you may be wondering what to do for gifts. If the person you are buying for likes to read, I have the perfect solution for you. My novels are very reasonably priced and will bring hours of pleasure and entertainment.
Three of the six are set on the west coast of Canada. The remote parts of the coast are a rough and tough “man’s world,” but in my novels, the women who live in this environment grow stronger as they face the challenges of coastal life.
A friend of mine painted a portrait that she kindly allowed me to use for the “Marlie” book cover. When I first saw the painting at her house, I knew this was Marlie, the character in my novel.
How did I recognize her? It was in the eyes.
Her left eye has a hint of tears and says, “You’ve hurt me.” But her right eye is hard. It seems to say, “Don’t you ever do that again.” Look at her eyes in the cover of the book. Do you see what I mean?
You can find Marlie on all the Amazon sites. Just go to amazon.com or amazon.ca, or amazon.co.uk and type in Marlie. If you have an e-reader other than Kindle, you can find Marlie on Smashwords.com. It is affordably priced so as not to break the bank.
If you would like to read a review of this book, please click on the link below. The review is near the end of that post.
https://wordsfromanneli.com/2018/09/26/a-great-review-for-marlie/
You can find out more about all my novels on my website: http://www.anneli-purchase.com
Do these photos make you wonder about the story behind them?
If you had these photos as the cover of your book, what would your next two sentences be, after each prompt for chapter one?
Prompt #1
The Farmer’s Almanac said it was going to be worse than any winter on record.
Prompt #2
The kids had been coughing and whining all day.
Just in time for Halloween, I wanted to tell you about a movie I saw way, way back in another century, when I was a little girl. The idea of The Monolith Monsters was so scary for me that I have remembered that movie all these years. The basic plot was simple: Meteors struck the earth and when they came in contact with water, these “rocks” grew and grew until they were like giant skyscrapers that finally “lost their balance” and fell down, smashing anything in front of them and breaking into many smaller pieces of rock which then began to grow again into more skyscraper rocks, which again came crashing down.
So the rocky skyscrapers advanced, coming closer and closer to the big cities where people would certainly die from being smashed by the rocks.
When we traveled to Montana and back, we saw towers that carry high voltage power lines. They reminded me of some monstrous beings. Don’t they look like they will start walking to wherever they feel like going … carrying enough voltage to zap their way through any place they want to go? If I had more imagination I’d write a horror story about them, but even if I could, I think it I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I’m a coward when it comes to horror shows or stories. I just can’t watch them or read or write them without having nightmares for years afterwards.
And it’s not like there is only one of these monsters. They are everywhere.
They have joined together for a more dramatic effect.
Yikes!! I’m scared. Will I be able to sleep tonight???
Oh — and the Monolith Monsters…. Do you know how they were stopped?
Some smart scientist discovered that salt stops them from growing, so it was just a matter of getting truckloads of salt to pour onto them. Whew! Just in the nick of time too!!
If you happen to know of a horror story or movie that features the power towers, please let me know. I feel as if there is a story out there about them but I can’t remember it.
Meanwhile, be careful out there. Halloween is coming.
wordsfromanneli 