Simple Sunday-True Vision

What is reality?

Is it what I can view? 

Do my eyes really "see"?

The sky above so blue

yet my focus unclear

my perception untrue.

There is far, there is near

Vision of soul we need

Truth seen through a mirror

CCB

5/27/2015

A Terza Rima 

I see a black house and I want to paint it red

Is this the origin of Painting the Town Red?

I was thinking, which is handy since this is Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday, about what to think about (hee hee) and somehow flittering around the web I got stuck (ooo, stuck in the web...a pun!) on the phrase, "Painting the town red".  Where did this originate and what does it really mean?  Of course there are different stories about it's birth so I'll try to enlighten you in as small

My Favorite Places-Mackinaw City

The Bridge in my dreams :)

I was scratching my proverbial head thinking of what to write about for today's W/E Wednesday and after some playing around on the web I finally came up with an idea.  I've been to a lot of places so I thought I'd make "My Favorite Places" a recurring piece.  One of my very special-est places to visit is 

Easy-peasy Dinner

As I was planning on what to post on this Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday, I remembered the fun weekend that just passed and how I actually found what I was looking for at a garage sale.  Now hang on, you'll see in a minute how that fact ties into this entry.  I found the recipe/tip on the left for cooking a whole chicken in a bundt pan and thought it was a nifty idea except I had no bundt pan...boo!  Well

Memorial Day 2015

Vintage 1947 Memorial Day

In honor of Memorial Day I decided to dedicate Mesmerizing Medium Monday to the holiday. 

First up is a painting by J.C. Leyendecker for the May 25, 1947 issue of The American Weekly.  I appreciate how this scene invokes a feeling of somber affection.  

The next memorial medium will be 

Simple Sunday-The Breeze

Like the Spring breeze that blows the seed

Flown in flight, it seems, without a care

Is a force at work, unseen, take heed

Invisible power around we need

To show us how, then need to share

Like the Spring breeze that blows the seed

Ancient words we all should read

Lest we get caught up in life's snare

Is a force at work, unseen, take heed

Tangled, mangled, jangled breed

We are alone, until we become aware

Like the Spring breeze that blows the seed

The force, the breeze, did willingly bleed

An act of love, all sin to bare

Is a force at work, take heed.

Follow the breeze, the force does lead

To the ultimate paradise fair

Like the Spring breeze that blows the seed

Is a force at work, unseen, take heed.

CCB

5/22/2015

A Villanelle

Out and About

Playing with the "Vivid" setting

Here we go again with another Snapshot Saturday and time to let the images convey the mood.  I was in my garden again, as well as out and about.  I hope you enjoy these "eye treats"  :)

Sweet and Smokey Memories

Waxy goodness

My gosh, yet another Flashback Friday is here again!  I dipped into my cache of ideas and drew up these sweet memories, literally and figuratively!  

The Nik-L-Nips were one of the first candies I have memories of.  It was actually quite an odd candy, if you can even call it that. It was basically a small glurk of sweet liquid encased in a wax "bottle" that you could

Gratitude is an Attitude

It's a good way to use a ruler :)

The days flow on and it's once again Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday.  I'm going to emphasize the thankful aspect today and being thankful is always a good thing, unless you get snarky and say you're thankful for not-nice things like someone you don't like having something bad happen to them....that's not cool. Naw, I'm 

The Boy's Beginnings

Early Beatles before Ringo was one of  The Boys

It's Whatever Wednesday and per usual, I get to chat about anything (within tasteful limits,of course) I care to blather on about. Today will be a Beatles Day, the first of many, I'm thinking.  I have loved The Boys since I was 5 years old and my cousin, who I admired, played my 

Trick and treat, for my feet

Whilst overlooking my daily News Feed, I happened upon this interesting tip and henceforth was determined to include it in Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday.  This athletic shoe tip (running shoes are emphasized) explains what that extra hole at the top is 

Conquering Artists

You may be surprised at the artiest's methodology 

I was scanning my news-feed on Facebook when I came across the artwork to the left and when I found out the story behind it I knew I had to share it on Mesmerizing Medium Monday.

The amazing lions were created by a gentleman, Paul Smith, who was born with cerebral palsy back in the 1920's and what makes this work 

Can't sing along to these songs

No lyrics are needed for the tunes included in this week's Flashback Friday.  We'll slide into the 60's for this crop of cool instrumentals.  First up is Booker T. and the M.G.s and their iconic Green Onions.  I couldn't nail down where the song's title came from as the given reasons vacillated between it was such a cool song on one end and it was hated so much on the other, with one story in between saying it was named after a cat!  Oh well, groovin' tune with a mysterious title.

I love to laugh

Spice up the day

For this  Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday I was thinking about funny things and how laughing is such an enjoyable endeavor besides that fact that it's also good for your health...no joke!  Here's a link to check it our for yer-shelf...

Special Strings

A guy and his guitar...it's a beautiful thing 

It's the middle of the week and time for Whatever Wednesday. The spotlight will be on guitarists and some insight into the instruments that made them famous.

For instance, B.B. King names his guitars "Lucille" and you may have known that but do you know why?  Well, it turns

Cheesy Idea

Ah, convenient! 

I thought I'd come up with my own idea for Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday but upon checking, I found out there were many others that were as clever as I!  I love using baking soda all around the house because of all of it's multi-tasking uses.  In an earlier entry, I 

One man's trash is another's instrument

I was listening to the news (pretty sure it was T.V. and not internet) when I caught a snippet of a story about a group of musicians called the "Trash Orchestra" that, logically, turn trash into instruments.  Of course I had to investigate and of course I had to share the video on this Mesmerizing Medium Monday.  When I was

Simple Sunday-Rain Reigns

If spring showers grow our grain

the same rain watering flowers

Then I suppose it's safe to say

April Showers bring flour and flowers!

CCB

5/7/2015

An Epigram

The Voice of Spring is here again

We call Grape Hyacinths "Rattle-tails"

Time for Snapshot Saturday and let's venture into my garden, shall we?  Of course we shall and let the photos do most of the talking :)

Ooo, and don't forgot to click on "Read more" even though it's mostly pictures...

Seventies Stuff

Used this on almost everything

Strap on your platform shoes, kiddies because it's time for another Flashback Friday. Today I'll highlight items I vividly remember using back in the day and first up is the Dymo Label Maker.  I had tons of fun with this gadget

Our Loopy Language

English is fun!

The clan and I (not the kind with a "k") were talking about the English Language and how difficult it can be with all it's rules that are always meant to be broken (e.g., "i" before "e" except after "c" or when sounding like "a" such as neighbor or weigh...with exceptions, of course).  So this Thoughtful/Thankful Thursday really has me thinking, especially since I notice the word "thought" as in "thoughtful" in the chart to the left!  I actually had to look up a few of those words to make sure how they were pronounced.  In case you are like me, "slough" is pronounced "sl-oww" like cow, "slew" and also 

Good old days?

Is he working on a movement here?

Well, you just never know what I'll post on Whatever Wednesday since I don't either!  I was actually looking up vintage hats on a Google search (it may end up a topic sometime soon) and I found some odd old-time pics and thought it was a good idea for some easy kicks and giggles, so here it goes.

I don't have any idea what is going on in this photo...the gentleman is apparently playing some sort of organ but past that, well who knows.  I'm not sure if he's wearing any undergarments but the thought makes me feel sorry for the stool (geez, I innocently wrote a couple of taste-less puns in the last two sentences and the

Don't burn, baby, burn

Yikes!  Don't panic and think before you act

The hubby and I somehow got on the topic of how to put out a grease fire (yup, I'm getting old and the memory slips gears now and then), so I thought I'd better look up some info just in case.  So with that in mind, let's venture into Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday.

I thought I remembered something about throwing baking soda on the flaming grease pot and I found out that it's an okay option but you'd need quite a bit for it to do it's job and usually folks don't have a bucket of baking soda handy.  The following link has a concise and very helpful article on what to do....
http://www.rockymountainfire.org/howdoi/kitchen.htm

In addition to this article, the following videos drive home the points and hopefully the tips

We got the beat

Very true

The week has pulsed on to yet another Mesmerizing Medium Monday and today I thought I'd bang on the topic of music, specifically the percussion section.  I am a bit prejudiced to this particular section of a musical ensemble as my daughter is, as I believe I mentioned

Simple Sunday-The Game

On a humid summer afternoon

oh, there were so many of those.

I suited up in my uniform

and despite the heat I was happy 

to wear my knee-high pants and stirrup socks,

with my cap to shield the sun's rays.

I never got tired of seeing that expanse 

of green grass, the soft brown dirt

between the bases with 

lines of white chalk as a guide.

The stands with it's seats, row upon rows

reaching towards the blue sky

cavernous yet free at the same time.

And the crowd, too many there to count

I loved the sound they made

the chatter, the cheers especially

even to boos had their moments

I'd feed off their excitement and energy

like a kid in a candy store

getting a buzz off all that sugar.

I'm not sure what I preferred

working the field, chasing the stitched ball

and making a play to get 

that batter out anyway I could

running, stretching, sliding

or falling on the field.

It didn't matter as long as 

the play was made.

Or the slight crouch at home

with my Louisville in my grip

trying my best to interpret the

hard ball being hurled at me

and the thrill of hitting 

the "sweet spot" and watching

the ball fly higher and higher

over heads and into the stands

with eager fans vying for 

that home-run ball.

It's a beautiful game

with its pace and plays

the mood echoing around all

the winners and the losers.

It didn't matter too much to lose

well, after some time to cool

as there was always another day

another game and chance to win

but most importantly

just to play the game.

I am the old-timer

the one the youngsters 

try and top

and I hope they do 

because that means the 

game will continue on

played on a diamond

how appropriate that is!

This game is a jewel

 to be admired and enjoyed

with all it's many facets.

I have had my days on the field

and I am done

but God willing there will be 

many, many more to follow 

in my profession of play

and join the ranks of

The Boys of Summer.

CCB

4/30/2015

A Dramatic Monologue