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I Have a Favor to Ask

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

MAN TYPING HUGE PAGE - CHAPTER TEXT ONLYWell, dear blogging buddies, I am writing this post to ask a favor of any of you who might have the time to visit a new blog. As most of you know, I teach creative writing classes for a local college, and this year we have decided to launch an experimental addition to our curriculum.

We have created an online magazine, Debut Writers Journal, in which we feature work by the students in the creative writing classes. The magazine serves two purposes. For one thing, it allows the students to see their work in print and gets their names out into the literary world. But secondly, the magazine offers opportunities for the more advanced students to learn editorial and publishing skills by working with us on the magazine. It’s a brand new effort and will take some time to polish, but I’m excited about it.

I have posted quite a few pieces by some of the students already (short stories, non-fiction articles, and poems), and I will be posting a few more in the next couple weeks. Then when we get into the summer term, there will be new students to add to the roster. These students are from all walks of life and include every age group — from those right out of high school through those in their 70’s.

Now, the favor I’m asking is that any of you who have time would hop over there and take a look at some of what they have written. You probably won’t have time to read everything, but if you pop in and out from time to time, you can read several entries. And, of course, if you enjoy some of the pieces, please leave a comment for the writers. They are all very eager to learn the ropes of perfecting their craft, and they work very hard. So every word of encouragement is a great blessing to them.

Please don’t feel pressed to say things that you don’t feel sincerely, but when you do enjoy a piece, please let them know.

Thank you so much for being willing to share your time and energy to encourage fledgling writers. I hope doing so blesses you as well. Just follow the link in the second paragraph above and enjoy your visit.

 

~~~

NaPoWriMo, 2015, Day 21 – Erasure Poems

| Sandra Pavloff Conner
I’m way behind with NaPoWriMo, but I thought I’d jump in and get my feet wet again anyway. I wasn’t too thrilled with the prompt for today, so I went back to yesterday’s prompt. It was to write an Erasure poem. The process involves taking a poem or some other text that has already been written and begin erasing words, but leaving the remaining words in the same order as they appear in the original. Then put those remaining words together (still in the same order), creating a brand new poem.
I actually did the experiment twice. Both times I used a poem I had written in the past. The first piece “Yellow” turned out to offer a light, rather lilting new poem, but it’s just a little quirky and requires a new title and new picture to fit the change.  
The second piece “Snowchild,” amazingly allowed me to erase a whole bunch of words, yet say exactly the same thing in the new poem that I had said in the original. Wow. That surprised me a little because I erased a LOT of words. 
Hope you enjoy both experiments.

SMILEY -- NO CIRCLEYELLOW  (Original poem)

Yellow sun, yellow moon,
Yellow ribbon on yellow balloon;

Yellow crayons for coloring,
Yellow bird that chirps and sings.

Yellow squash ripe on the vine,
Yellow daffodils — all mine.

Yellow hair, with cheeks so pink,
Yellow lemonade to drink;

Yellow duckies, yellow chicks,
Yellow grapefruit freshly picked;

Yellow butter drips and drops
From tender, yellow corn-on-cob.

Yellow curtains, crisp and bright,
Yellow anti-bug porch light;

But yellow has its ugly side:
Yellow fever; could have died;

Yellow-bellied, yellow streak,
Yellow-livered, backbone weak.

And sometimes yellow can’t be seen:
It hides in blue and turns to green.

~

TRAFFIC LIGHT
Clker.com

YELLOW (Erasure Version) 
New Title: “Getting the Green Light”

Sun,
moon,
bird that chirps and sings.

Daffodils –
all mine;
lemonade to drink.

Bright light,
sometimes yellow,
turns to green.

~~~

 

SNOWCHILD  (Original Poem)

BOY AT WINDOW - SNOWWhen I was a child, I thought as a child,
And snow was a thing so delightful.
From school we were free; we got wet to the knees,
And our mom’s day was thrown all off schedule.

But now that I’m grown, I must do on my own
All the chores Mom and Dad used to dread:
Stock up food by the loads, drive on slippery roads,
Shovel snow, and repair that old sled.

Now I look with dismay at the skies leaden gray
As I trudge to the store for supplies.
De-icer and salt sell out fast with no halt.
I need new boots to tread on the ice.

The wind from the north is bitter and harsh,
But my temperature, still it is rising;
I am in a foul mood, for I see nothing good
That can come from a snowstorm arriving.

But then the flakes start, and I feel in my heart –
Watching white, fluffy, wonderful, wild
Filling all of my world with such beauty unfurled –
That in truth I am still just a child!

~

SNOWCHILD (Erasure Version)
(No new title necessary) 

I was a child;
snow was delightful.

Now I’m grown;
I see nothing good
from a snowstorm.

Flakes start, and in my heart,
I am still a child!

 

~~~

 

`

Friday Fictioneers – 4/24/15 — ‘A Trip To the Stars’

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

So good to get back to Friday Fictioneers this week. If you’d like to join in with your own 100-word story, follow the link to learn how. The photo prompt this week is thanks to Douglas M. MacIlroy.

PHOTO PROMPT - © Douglas M. MacIlroy

A TRIP TO THE STARS

“You’ve got to be kidding!” she said looking at the row of four observatories.

“What do you mean, Honey?”

“When you described a package deal called ‘Honeymoon Under the Stars’ I thought you meant a warm, exotic beach.”

“But, Sweetheart, it’s the only place on earth to spend a week in a real observatory and study the heavens.”

“Harold, I don’t want to study the stars. I want to feel like I’ve been carried there by love … and speaking of that … how can we … you know … in that kind of place?”

“Don’t worry, my love,” he said, kissing her thoroughly. “I’ll give you a trip to the stars whether you ever look through that telescope or not.”

 

~~~

Loraine In Love

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

This little limerick is to make up for my more depressing 100-word story earlier today. Whew!  Glad I’m out of that mood.

LORAINE IN LOVE

TRAIN ENGINEER CARTOON -- OPEN CLIPARTThere once was a girl named Loraine
Who was wild for engineers of trains.
They could be short or tall;
She just loved them all;
Having one for her own was her aim.

Now, the guys who drove trains all agreed
That Loraine was no prize; no indeed;
So precautions they’d take,
Each to make his escape
When Loraine for a date came to plead.

Then a young engineer came to town
Who was clueless when she came around.
He became so beguiled
When right at him she smiled,
That right then on one knee he went down.

Oh the wedding was really a beut.
On a honeymoon now they’re enroute.
As they sit side by side
Engineer and his bride.
Down the tracks, at full throttle, they scoot.

There’s a moral to this little tale:
That a woman in love never fails.
If she’s made up her mind
And she’s true to her kind,
It’s the end for those poor, helpless males.

 

~~~

Trouble With the New Editor

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Normally, I use the old editor window to create and publish my posts. I DO NOT like the new one. However, I’ve noticed this past month that even when I publish from the old editor, if I try to “edit” the post later, WP gives me no choice but to use the new editor window.

That being the case, I assume they are switching over to the new one completely very soon, so I’ve been trying to publish from it as well. But I often cannot get it to publish my posts when I tell it to. I keep telling it to publish “Immediately,” but it keeps trying to schedule a post for a later time. I have the problem most on my “Hangin’ Out With God” blog, but I have it here part of the time as well.

Is anyone else having the same trouble?

I’m supposed to start a new blogging class soon, teaching several students how to create and maintain a blog, and I normally have my students use WordPress — mainly because the people who blog here are so friendly and interactive.  But if the editor window is not going to work correctly, I’m not going to be able to have my students use WP. They’ll be defeated before they start.

I can’t seem to find any place that lets me actually talk to a real technician who might KNOW what he’s talking about. All I can find are windows to type in a question to ask about the problem on a forum. One other blogger on a forum shared her ideas of possible solutions, but they didn’t work, and she’s as fed up with all this so-called “improved” stuff they’ve loaded us down with as I am.

If anyone has found a solution to the problem — or you know how I can actually communicate with a WP technician — let me know.

What I really wish — along with thousands of other bloggers apparently — is that they would just go back to what they had before this year and let us get back to simple blogging. Since all the changes, it takes at least 2 or 3 clicks in different places to get to things that were one click away before. And then things don’t work correctly.

If you have any practical advice, I’d appreciate your sharing it.

Thanks a lot.

Does God REALLY Care About You?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

TERRY'S TINY PURPLE STRIPThe God who took the time and effort to put so much beauty into such a tiny flower is the God who cares about every little part of you and your life.

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God … casting the whole of your care on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”  (Amp.)

By the way, did you notice God’s definition of the word “humble”?
So many people seem to think that to be humble means  to look down on ourselves and consider ourselves worthless subjects who deserve all the problems we’re facing — to say of ourselves that we’re not worthy for God to help us.  However, God says true humility is the understanding that we cannot fix our own problems, but that we have a Father who loves us so much that He wants to fix all of them for us. So true humility gladly and with great thanksgiving, turns every problem, care, and anxiety over to Him — fully expecting Him to deliver us.

 

~~~

Let Me Introduce You To . . .

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

MAT AT MICMy world grew much, much larger, and exponentially richer the day I started blogging. A few years later, I have so many wonderful friends and acquaintances online that I find it hard to try to list all of them. However, periodically, I like to introduce some of those people — and their own blogs — to my readers. A few of you already know these people, but many of you probably do not. 

Of course, I cannot begin to tell you in one post about all of the wonderful blogs I follow, but I can suggest a few of them at a time and give you a short synopsis of what you can expect to find when you visit them. I’ll do another list later on. But for now, here are nine great blogs that you might enjoy as much as I do. 

Making It Write

Jane Basil writes mainly about the challenges that are in her life and about her heroic and mostly successful efforts to overcome them. Her writing will intrigue you one day, humble you the next, cause you to delve deeply into your own conscience on another day, and the day after that inspire you to reach farther for your own dreams. She is one of the most honest writers I know, and she truly appreciates readers’ feedback.

 Lucid Gypsy

Gilly Goldsworthy was the second real friend I met after entering into this delightful hobby called ‘blogging.’ And she is one of the most ‘comfortable’ bloggers I’ve become acquainted with. I use that word to describe her site because that’s just what I feel every time I visit. I know I will enjoy a sense of welcome and refreshing and, very often, learn something new. Gilly loves to travel, and she often writes about the places she visits. She enjoys her family, her nation, her British and Nigerian heritage, and her friends — both in person and on the Internet — and her blog makes that enjoyment abundantly clear. Her site is filled with lovely photography and some of the most charming haiku and tanka I have ever read — as well as articles about a large variety of subjects.

 Restawyle

Gerry Ainger will have to go down in history as the very first blogging friend I made after I became part of the WordPress network. He is super friendly, gracious, and big-hearted. You will find an enormous variety of subject matter on Gerry’s blogs. This link is to only one of his sites, but once there, you will find links to the others. If you enjoy music, stories of fantasy, or trips down memory lane, Gerry has a little bit of all of it for you.

Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Lee Dusing is just a super lady — or perhaps I should say a super birdlady — or maybe that should be ladybird.  Anyway, no matter how we say it, Lee has one of the most incredible sites I’ve connected with on the Internet. She works harder than almost anyone I know to fill her site with a storehouse of information, and does it all with excellent photography and interesting visits from other bloggers as well. Her focus is on birds and how they are gifts from our Creator to teach us many things and to make our lives fuller and richer. I sometimes go over there just to listen to the audio of birds singing.

Northwest Photographer

Bob MIelke is one of the most incredibly talented photographers I have ever known. His sites are so enjoyable. (Besides his WordPress blog, which is the link you’ll find here, Bob also has a Tumbler site with full-screen size photos, and a National Geographic site where he posts photos he’s submitted for possible use by that periodical. You’ll find links to those 2 sites on his main blog.) Bob has been a portrait photographer, although he does a lot of landscape photos these days. He’s also an artist and a photography instructor, but I think his favorite thing to do is visit the Portland, Oregan Zoo and take super pictures of all the animals. You can’t visit his blog without experiencing any number of “oooohs” and “aaaaahs” before you go away. And if you’re interested in learning how to take better pictures, he’s got some great tips that he’s always willing to share.

The Day After

Dawn is a very down-to-earth lady who is a professional photographer as well as a talented writer. Her site is rich with photographs of a huge variety of subjects. My favorites are her landscapes and buildings.  She creates calendars with her original photography gracing every month. Every Wednesday she posts her articles and stories, and generally she takes part in several writing challenges each week. I’m also jealous of where she lives, and if you visit her site, you’ll soon learn why.

Pure Glory

Christian ministers Hazel Straub and Gabriel Cross are the two hosts of the ministry site Pure Glory. Every day, without fail, they post a message — based on God’s Word — that goes right to the heart of where we live. Their encouraging posts have helped me many times — often as if they had written the words just for me personally. However, I know many, many people feel that same way when they read those messages. I believe that’s because the Lord tells them exactly what to post every day. If you want a word that will lift you, strengthen your faith, and make you know you are loved, visit them often.

Writer On The Edge

Writer Tish Farrell’s site is classy, warm, and full of energy. She covers a wide variety of subject matter — and always with great photos to accompany her words. Tish has written some wonderful articles on writing, full of thought-provoking and encouraging ideas. But whatever she posts, from pictures of red elephants to articles declaring shopping to be the one characteristic that most denotes our humanity, she makes the reader feel that she’s completely invested in what she presents.

Writing With Some Ink and a Hammer

Scott Thomas Summers is a prolific writer and a teacher of literature and writing as well. He seems to be one of those people who has a dual personality — at least where his writing is concerned. He has written two powerful books about the American Civil War, telling the stories in each book from the perspective of a young soldier. The books are written in free verse, and Thomas’ ability to make the experiences blatantly real is something that I envy. More recently he has written about the life of Jesse James with equal realism. However, his alter-ego is that of a fantasy writer, and just as thoroughly as he creates reality, he also creates totally make-believe worlds filled with trolls, goblins, dragons, and the valiant warriors who fight them.  The truth is you just never know when you stop by Thomas’ blog whether you will be galloping with a posse chasing Jesse James, slaying a dragon to rescue a fair damsel, or fighting for your life at Gettysburg. Better just hop over and find out.

~

It’s worth repeating one statement from my introduction here. There are many other blogs that are worth visiting and following. But in order to do them justice, I must present only a few at a time. So watch for the next installment, and I’ll add a few more for you to check out and enjoy.

~~~

A Morning’s Adventure for Blackie Bird & His Family

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

Today NaPoWriMo asked us to write a poem that is a conversation. It sounded like a fun thing to do, but I didn’t have any time to sit down to my computer and create one.  However, thinking about the challenge brought back to my memory a story I did a couple years ago that focuses on conversation in a bird family. So I pulled it out of the archives, dusted it off, and re-posted it. True, it is not a poem, but it’s so doggone cute maybe no one will notice.

BLACKBIRD - PUBLIC DOMAIN

“Mama!”
“Mama … we’re hungry!”
“Yeah, we’re hungry.”
“Just hold on, kids. I’ll check on Dad’s progress.”

“Honey, I thought I’d better come and see if you’d found anything yet.”
“Not yet. Those dang Cardinals grab everything in sight!”
(Sigh) “I know. They think just because they’re so splendid to look at they should get the best of everything.”
“Hey, look — two worms! I’ll grab ’em.”

“Oh, Honey, look out!  Kitty-Kitty’s comin’ at you at 2:00!”
“I see him, but if I fly off, I’ll lose the worms to the Bluejays.”
“What can we do?  Oh, wait. I see Barn-a-Bee on the roses. Call him to come help.”

“Hey, Barn-a-Bee, Kitty-Kitty’s crouched to attack. Help me, quick!”CAT # 1 - cropped
“On my way.  Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ….”
SMACK!
“MEOW!!#%$!!#$%!!”

“Great hit, Barn-a-Bee!  Right on the nose. Kitty-Kitty won’t be back in this direction for a while. Thanks, old pal. I owe you one.”

~~~

‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’ — Where Did It Go?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

GUN FIRINGJust in case a few readers are still trying to read “Innocent Until Proven Guilty” in individual segments, I’ll let you know that those segments have been deleted from the blog, and the story is now all on one page, which can be found in the navigation bar above. That story will be available for free reading for about a month, and then it will be deleted completely because it is going into an anthology of my stories that will be released this summer. So if you haven’t read it yet, and would like to read it for free, there’s still a little time.  Enjoy.

~

Just Call Me ‘Senorita’

| Sandra Pavloff Conner
SENORITA CLIP ART.JPG hispanicclipart.blogspot
http://hispanicclipart.blogspot.com/

I’ve always insisted that words have great power. They can move people to action; they can stop people dead in their tracks; they can hurt and destroy; they can give life and health. Words have power.

That truth came home to me anew when I had lunch in a Mexican restaurant today. Another friend and I were giving a treat to a lady whom we love dearly — and who has been dealing with dementia problems for the past couple of years. It was our small way of letting her know how much we love her and of giving her one more opportunity to feel normal again.  My focus was on her, of course, and seeing her delight and enjoyment of the experience was all the return I needed.

However, something else happened that gave me an added lift, and it came from a direction that I would never have expected. Our waiter — a young man who was very intense about getting our orders exactly right — especially since our friend had to have specific kinds of food — came back to our table several times to check on us. Every time he did so, he addressed us a “Senoritas.” Now, on the surface, that may not seem so very unusual. But when you consider that I have eaten in lots of Mexican restaurants during my lifetime — in a number of different states — many of which were staffed by Mexican people who could barely speak English — yet not one time in all those experiences have I ever been addressed as a “Senorita” — then the event is unusual.  But the most unusual thing about it was that every time this young waiter called me “Senorita,” it made me light up inside because it made me feel young and pretty.

Why?  I’m not sure.  But you know something? I don’t care why!  All I care about is that he used that title for me very naturally — and repeatedly — and it resulted in giving my personal outlook on myself a happy lift that lasted all day and is still with me as I write these words late tonight.

So — tomorrow — I’m going to make an extra effort to say some happy, positive, lifting words to the people I come in contact with. I usually try to speak to people in a positive manner anyway, but now I’m going to work even harder at it. This Senorita is going to pass on the happiness.

 

~~~

Senorita clip art: courtesy hyspanicclipart.blogspot.com