D.G. Kaye's Blog, page 55
February 20, 2021
Sunday Movie Review – The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
My Sunday Movie Review is for The Celestine Prophecy. This was a book recommended to me by a friend more than ten years ago, and I still never got to it. James Redfield wrote both, the book and the screenplay for this New Age fictional story about synchronocities that lead us to where we need to be and to the people we meet throughout life for reasons. “Look not from the mind, but from the soul. For the life that is coming, is already before us, waiting to open the world. Just look more closely.” ~ from The First Insight Storyline: Disillusioned and temporarily rudderless, John Woodson is about to experience a dramatic and profound metamorphosis. Through a mysterious set of coincidences, he finds himself on an adventure to Peru in search of ancient scrolls, known as the Celestine Prophecy. The prophecy and its nine key insights, predict a new awakening that redefines human life and provides a glimpse into a completely spiritual culture on earth. Resistant at first, skeptical and unsure, John finds that each step he takes, each person he encounters leads him to a new awakening. It is only in this letting go that he finds his destiny and comes to understand the meaning that had escaped him when his adventure began. —James Redfield https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398842/ Some poignant quotes from reviewers: “This film reminds me how to take care of my energy and be aware of others energies and the importance of being around places and people that are good for our souls. ” “If for no other reason watching this movie can show how people can improve their lives by just how they treat each other.” Blurb for the book: The #1 bestselling phenomenon with millions of copies sold around the world — now with a guide to creating your own Celestine Prophecy experience. You have never read a book like this before–a book that comes along once in a lifetime to change lives forever. In the rain forests of Peru, an ancient manuscript has been discovered. Within its pages are 9 key insights into life itself — insights each human being is predicted to grasp sequentially; one insight, then another, as we move toward a completely spiritual culture on Earth. Drawing on ancient wisdom, it tells you how to make connections among the events happening in your life right now and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come. The story it tells is a gripping one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystallize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow. Praise for The Celestine Prophecy “A gripping adventure story filled with intrigue, suspense, and spiritual revelations.” – Commonwealth Journal “A spiritual classic…a book to read and reread, to cherish, and to give to friends.” – Joan Borysenko, PhD, author of Fire in the Soul “In his inimitable style of great storytelling, Redfield opens us up to a world of insight, inspiration, synchronicity, and power.” – Deepak Chopra My 5 Star Review: This book was originally written in 1993 and revised in 2006. John goes off to Peru and learns the way of the world from an ancient manuscript rumored to reveal the future of mankind. The energies we exchange with each other are the catalysts of what transforms human society. Chaos in the world will change us and have us look at everything differently – a prediction for our modern times. John, newly fired from his teaching job, learns about the secret scrolls of Peru, and in a quest for knowledge, he goes there in search of a priest who knows about the scrolls, which have been stolen. There are many messages interwoven in this spiritual, fictional story. An insightful tale told through story encompassing, coincidence, how people we meet, even for an instant, seem to play an integral part of foreshadowing us into another event of life. Other insights on how opening ourselves enables us to receive, our purpose for being, staying alert to signs, how giving connects us in ways we never realized, and that things are not always as they seem. This movie is inspirational and I think if everyone watched it, the world would be a better place. ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 20, 2021 22:00
February 19, 2021
WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT | Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry
Colleen Chesebro’s Weekly Syllabic Poetry Challenge at Word Craft this week is a #Photoprompt. I hopped on with an Inverted Nonet – 9 lines, inverted syllabic count from one to nine. THE RULES Write a poem using a form of your choice: Haiku, Senryu, Haiga, Tanka, Gogyohka, Haibun, Tanka Prose, Renga, Solo-Renga, Cinquain, and its variations, Etheree, Nonet, Shadorma, Badger hexastich, and Abhanga. The first of the month challenge, you can write whatever syllabic form you choose, but not this challenge. Post it on your blog. Include a link back to the challenge in your post. (copy the https:// address of this post into your post). Copy your published post link into the Mr. Linky below (underlined with a hyperlink). Please click the small checkbox on Mr. Linky about data protection. Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work. Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so. Rumination Crash. Waves surge. Rainbow’s edge. The precipice. Exulting in mist. Spray of indecision. Contemplating the abyss. Ray of sunshine reignites light. Resolute decision to remain. ©DGKaye2021 If you’d like to hop on the challenge visit the original post. Source: WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 213 #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT | Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry
Published on February 19, 2021 22:00
February 18, 2021
#Writers Tips – #Publishing Scams, Future of Self-Publishing, #Bookbub Profitability?
Welcome to a new edition of Writers Tips. In this collection, I’ve curated some helpful articles particularly geared to authors – Best sites for authors to promote their books on, publishing scams to beware of, predictions for the publishing future and a comprehensive lowdown on the profitability of paying for a Bookbub ad. Agent, Laurie McLean, guest feature at the blog of Anne R. Allen, sharing her predictions for the publishing industry in 2021. Agent Laurie McLean Gives 10 Publishing Predictions for 2021 Also, on the blog of Anne R. Allen, Anne shares the new 2021 publishing scams going on – including phishing scammers stealing manuscripts! Publishing Scammers to Watch Out for in 2021 Author Deborah Jay, generously shares her advertising endeavor with Bookbub and shares why the exorbitant ad costs are worth it. #BookBub Featured Deal – final analysis Pioneer Indie Author David Gaughran shares a comprehensive list of the best book sites to advertise our books on. (check this isn’t in last edition) https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-... Six different bios every author needs by Nate Hoffleder guesting at the blog of Anne R. Allen. The Six Online Bios Every Author Needs Nicholas Rossis with 5 tips to improve our Linkedin profiles. 5 Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile I hope you enjoy these excellent helpful articles, and don’t forget to file them away for those days they are relevant to your work, for easy access. WordPress let me know today is my 9th year blogging anniversary. Where did the years go? Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com! You registered on WordPress.com 9 years ago. Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging. ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 18, 2021 22:00
February 17, 2021
Smorgasbord Laughter Lines – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Kibbles and Wishful Thinking | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
I wanted to share some good laughter here with you all. Sally Cronin and I collaborate twice a week with funny memes and jokes from Sally at her Smorgasbord Laughter Lines. In case you may need a good chuckle, I wanted to share one of last week’s posts here for your reading enjoyment. Smorgasbord Laughter Lines – February 9th 2021 – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Kibbles and Wishful Thinking Welcome to laughter lines with some fun from around the web from Debby Gies and a joke or two to make you smile from Sally. Now something from Sally: The perils of aging… Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can’t look that old. Well, you’ll love this one…. My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his diploma, which had his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that i had a secret crush on, way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, grey-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High school. ‘Yes. Yes, I did.’ he gleamed with pride. ‘When did you graduate?’ I asked. He answered, ‘In 1967. Why do you ask?’ ‘You were in my class!’ I exclaimed. He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, fat, grey-haired man asked, ‘What did you teach?’ If you enjoyed these, please hop over to Sally’s post and read the rest. Source: Smorgasbord Laughter Lines – February 9th 2021 – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Kibbles and Wishful Thinking | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 17, 2021 22:00
February 16, 2021
Let’s Have A Look – FDA curbs unfounded memory supplement claims – Harvard Health Blog – Harvard Health Publishing
Let’s Have a Look at this. How well do many of those pharmaceutical ‘miracle’ drugs they tout in advertisements work? Putting aside the long drawn out, often dangerous side-effects always recorded at the end of a commercial ad, in haste, in hopes your ears may miss a few, is it worth it to take this drug? So this little question came to mind when I Googled the memory touting drug, Prevagen. To be honest, I looked it up out of curiosity because whenever I watch American news channel MSNBC (which I pay a premium to have), I can’t get over the same three or four themed advertisements that play over and over – pharmaceuticals, insurance companies, and more of it’s ilk. And the same ad for Prevagen comes on no matter when I watch that channel. But I digress, and after seeing that commercial numerous times I was curious about what exactly is in this ‘miracle’ drug? I mean, I know my short term memory sometimes plays tricks on me, so maybe I should take this? As a person who does her damnest not to have to take pharmaceuticals, and thankfully, I don’t, except my compounded natural dessicated thryoid medication, my little meno-moments got me curious enough to look up – or try to look up, what is in this stuff? It led me to this page of Harvard University medical educators and contributors on various topics. Dr. Robert Shmerling, Senior Faculty Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, gave a great scientific explanation of the touting of Prevagen, it’s actual efficacy, and mentions the protocols the FDA takes before allowing a drug on the market, and the stipulations of wording that can be used by the advertisers. Here are some of the points Dr. Shmerling makes: “Like many heavily-advertised supplements, this one makes many claims. The bottle promises it “improves memory” and “supports: healthy brain function, sharper mind, clearer thinking.” Never mind that the main ingredient in jellyfish (apoaequorin) has no known role in human memory, or that many experts believe supplements like this would most likely be digested in the stomach and never wind up anywhere near the brain.” “As “proof” of power, a bar graph shows a rise from 5% to 10% to 20% over 90 days in “recall tasks.” But there’s no way to know what these numbers refer to, how many people were studied, or other important details. And no information is provided about effects on memory after 90 days. The fine print under the graph says that the supplement “improved recall tasks in subjects” without explaining what this means. While a company-sponsored study reported improvements in memory after people took apoaequorin, the published version demonstrated minimal improvement (summarized here).” “The US Federal Trade Commission wasn’t convinced of the supplement’s benefits. It charged the supplement maker with false advertising back in 2012. In the legal filings, the company was accused of selectively reporting data and misleading the public by claiming that Prevagen is “clinically proven” to improve cognitive function. The lawsuit has not yet been decided.” You can read the full article, where it continues on about what claims pharma companies are legally allowed to make, and which claims are not allowed as disclaimers. According to what I’ve read from the above articles, I am personally not convinced I’d want to take that drug. Interesting the wording permitted to use in advertisements leaves me feeling a bit duped, and without the long term benefits or side-effects, a lawsuit still pending on whether or not the efficacy has been proven for effectiveness and listening to claims in the ad how it’s ‘given them back their peace of mind’, I’m not convinced either. If you’d care to share your thoughts on FDA issues with claims you don’t agree with from your own experience, please share your thoughts here with us. And if any of you readers here take Prevagen, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts about. Source: FDA curbs unfounded memory supplement claims – Harvard Health Blog – Harvard Health Publishing ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 16, 2021 02:00
February 13, 2021
Sunday Book Review – A Box of Memories by Allan Hudson #ShortStories
I love short story books. They give me a complete story in bite sized pages I can finish a story in a short time and pick up the next. I have two of Allan Hudson’s books on my Kindle, somehow pushed down into the fray from every consequent book I’d added. And I picked out this gem, A Box of Memories when I felt for a new short story book. Stories take us into a day in the life, or a span of a life. Blurb: Many of the short stories herein are inspired by memories I have of events in my life or related events I’ve witnessed or read about. Family is important to me so many stories are about relationships, love, sharing and giving, overcoming difficulties. Read about an older man and an abandoned baby. His last days. Three men acting like boys. Ten year old boys and the trouble they get into. The grueling work of dismantling ships by hand. Retirees with too much time on their hands. The dangers of shopping in Outer Space. Visiting a Food Bank. A covered wagon with a family and all of their possessions. Escaping slaves. Seniors with nothing to eat. The revenge of the wasps. Returning to the country of your birth. A Honey Trap. A detective that discovers crimes too close to home. My 5 Star Review: A wonderful collection of short stories from the heartfelt to sci-fi – Far Out Mall, spanning various lives of people, old and young. Hudson has a wonderful style of writing that takes you in to the remotest detail and brings his characters alive. Below I’ve listed some of my favorites: In the first story – Reaching the Pinnacle – Grandpa and granddaughter share a nature hike together and granddaughter shares her good news with him. Lloyd and the Baby was one of my favs – when 55 year old confirmed bachelor Lloyd finds an abandoned baby in the home he rented out to a young couple and watches them steal out in the wee hours of the night, packing Lloyd’s furniture onto a moving struck, skipping the rent, he scurries over to the home to see what’s left. Lloyd finds they’ve abandoned their six month old baby crying, left in a box, leading to the adoption of the little tyke, renaming him Eugene. Four Memory Boxes – After Lloyd’s passing, Eugene goes through Lloyd’s sacred four boxes of all his treasures and possesions in the world, and discovers some fishy paperwork about how Eugene was adopted, which doesn’t exactly match up with what Lloyd told Eugene about the truth of his abandonment when Lloyd took him in as his own. Two Boys, One Wagon and a Secret – the curiosity of young boys and their favorite past times, looking for empty bottles for cash – until their curiosity gets them more than they bargained for when they get curious about smoking. Food Bank – a humble man delivering his contribution for the Food Bank, taking in the scenery around – the poor, cold and hungry waiting for the bank to open – the man hands his scarf over to a young girl shivering, the scarf his son had given him. The spirit of kindness and compassion. Funeral Food – one of my favorites, whereby a woman who can’t seem to survive on her pittance in government assistance gets crafty and begins following obituaries so she can attend funerals that offer food after the services. The author takes up a subject where far too many find themselves in this situation. Even in our city of Toronto, they’ve recently announced that 1 out of every 5 cannot afford food. This is an all too common problem in our world of greed, but thankfully, Hudson brings in some compassionate characters. I also enjoyed the story about the Two Grumpy Old Men, a.k.a. TGOM, and the two follow up stories about these retired men who open up a cafe/restaurant as goodwill, not for profit and a peek into their lives. This book is for anyone who enjoy stories about a slice of life with richly developed characters who bring Hudson’s stories to life.
Published on February 13, 2021 22:00
February 11, 2021
Q & A with D.G. Kaye, featuring Canadian Author, Allan Hudson
Welcome to my Q & A. Today I’m thrilled to be featuring a fellow Canadian, friend and author – Allan Hudson. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Allan’s writing, he’s a multi-genred author, and I’m currently reading one of his short story books – A Box of Memories, which offers a variety of themed stories from fiction to the odd sci-fi, with one common thread – Allan is a wonderful writer of description. His characters are are richly descript, and take you right into the moment. Allan also hosts his blog – the Southbranch Scribbler, and features author promotion interviews too! Today I have a double feature with Allan’s Book 1 of his Detective Jo Naylor series (female protagonist) – Shattered Figurine, a murder, mystery, adventure. And Allan has recently launched Book 2 in the series – Shattered Lives, and he’s sharing excerpts of both his books here today along with a bit about himself in our Q & A portion. About Allan: Allan Hudson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. Growing up in South Branch he was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother who was a school teacher. He lives in Cocagne with his wife Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. When not at the keyboard, he continues to enjoy woodworking, glass work and furniture restoration. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories – The Ship Breakers: In the Abyss – received honourable mention in the New Brunswick Writer’s Federation competition. He has stories published on commuterlit.com, The Golden Ratio and his blog – South BranchScribbler. www.southbranchscribbler.ca Blurb: Detective Josephine Naylor receives an email telling her where to find the last body. The messenger tells her “only you can stop this madness”. Discovering a shattered figurine on the corpse, she’s overwhelmed by the possibility it might be the one she sold in a yard sale. If so, she knows who the killer could be. She prays that she’s wrong. Excerpt for Shattered Figurine This regrettable murder left no doubt in Jo’s mind that the killer is the same person, based on the method of execution. Forensics had confirmed as much with the second body. That murder had brought forth the criminal psychologists to create a profile that would tell them what type of individual might commit such a crime. The scene before her is, therefore, extremely important, so she stands well away. She is still able to discern an unusual shape upon the victim’s forehead, which, once uncovered from its icy envelope, will likely prove to be a piece of broken crystal similar to those found in the same spot on the pale dead skin of the two other bodies. Jo is standing at the edge of a wide field shadowed by alders and tall spruces that front the extended forest behind her. The rising sun is just cresting the pointed tops. The body is lying parallel to the tree line at the rim of the pasture. It’s early December. The night fog turned solid as the temperature dropped below freezing, cloaking everything in stark white.Jo is startled from her contemplation of the scene by the sensation that someone is watching her. She turns toward the open field, scanning the perimeter of the woods. Nothing moves; not even a breeze disturbs the black-and-white scene. A rise in the field blocks her view to the road and her car, but she would have heard a vehicle approach. The silence is intense, nature seeming to mourn the young girl’s death. Jo would definitely hear the crunching of frost under someone’s boots. Review for Shattered Figurine by author Anita Dawes. The opening chapter presents the detective, Jo Naylor, with a very important question. One she didn’t really want to answer but knows she must. The next chapter, one year later, hits you square in the face with full on complicated and violent action as we discover what this story is all about. Shattered Figurines is a surprisingly unusual detective story in that it doesn’t follow the usual plotline for this genre and the characters aren’t run of the mill either. The author has captured a very real element in both the story and the characters and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I love a good detective mystery story and Shattered Figurines is one of the best I have read this year. I shall be first in the queue when the author writes another one in this series. I hope that whet your appetites. Now, let’s get to know more about Allan! “Thank you so much Debby.” Do some of your own character traits or personal experiences spill intoyour book characters? I’ve never felt any of my own personal traits would be of interest to my readers as I live a sedate life and I love writing action and adventure stories. My stories, perhaps, reflect how I might like to see myself, a hero, fearless, not afraid of what might be around the corner. Bold enough to take that first step into the unknown. I’m normally cautious about such things but not my adventure characters. They take all the chances at what needs to be done. I do, however, use characteristics from people I know, their goodness, their kindness, their mannerisms, their good looks or sex appeal. And no, I’m not naming any names. Personal experience on the other hand is something I rely on. I’ve always considered it to be much easier to embellish a couple of paragraphs or sentences or a full page with something I, or an acquaintance, may have encountered. An example is in two of my short stories of young boys, I myself had a wagon and used it to collect returnables on the side of the road when I was young and was the basis for the beginning of the story. In the second story, I did accidently start a fire which got out of control one time. In another, a camping trip with two friends is based loosely on a similar outing with my brothers-in-law. It’s much easier. D.G. – I love that you also add characters who do things you’d aspire to do. And I have to say, when I read the wagon stories, I thought to myself, hmm, did Allan do this? Lol. 🙂 What’s your opinion on self-publishing? I absolutely love the concept of self-publishing. When I wrote my first story, I did so with zero knowledge of what came next. This was at a time that self-publishing began to find its rightful place in the printing business and was no longer being regarded as vanity publishing. Here I was with my story, gone over a dozen times, rewritten and still wondering what it needed. I started searching on the internet. Please bear in mind that I was fifty-six years old when I started writing. Although, looking back now, it’s not old but I was wondering would I have enough time to write all the stories I wanted to. I love books and I ached to hold one of my own in my hands. Writing was (and still is) a tremendous hobby. There was so much information available and as a naive writer, I was drawn at the websites that offered to publish my book. But it was for a hefty fee of course, with no promises. I read comments of rejection slips, waiting for months to hear back from agents or publishers and if anything was accepted it would be months, maybe a year or more before my story would see print. My head was spinning. Then someone directed me to self-publishing. Wow. What a concept. I knew immediately, this was how I would go forward. I followed wise advice to hire professionals for editing, covers and formatting. Yes, I had to bear the expense but it was worth it. I didn’t have to wait. There are multiple, free platforms to market your books. Get a website, tell everyone you can. What a ride it has been and I’ve never looked back. I don’t think there is anything a traditional publisher can offer me that I don’t already have. D.G. – My story was similar to yours Allan, so I knew it was my job to learn the biz too to get my books out. Look at us pioneers! 🙂 When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? I remember an assignment in high school where we had to write a story in English class. I don’t recall the story or how well I did but I do remember how much I enjoyed doing it. The English teacher chose my story to read to the class and offered suggestions to make it better. The urge to write has always been there. I was taught to read at a very young age by my mother who was a school teacher. I imagined telling stories must be so gratifying. As a young adult, I attended a creative writing class and once more, the instructor used one of my stories to be read to the class. I felt I was onto something with her encouragement but never seemed to have the time to write. Moving forward to my early fifties, I discovered author Bryce Courtenay and fell in love with his novels. Reading his biography, I found out he only started writing in his fifties and I sent him a letter telling him how much I enjoyed his work and I was considering writing something. I expect it was one of his assistants who replied but nonetheless, it was a letter of encouragement and tips. I haven’t looked back since. D.G. – Isn’t it funny that the slightest bit of encouragement can lift and propel us to go after what we want. And know you are not alone. I know many of us in our community didn’t begin serious writing and publishing til that 50 mark! What can you tell us you’ve gained from blogging as an author? The most rewarding discovery in the beginning of my blog, and it remains the same, is meeting like-minded authors. Such as yourself, Debby. Offering their fellow writers an opportunity to share their dreams and writing with a new audience. The encouragement is fantastic. Many of us are in the same situation, blogging, meeting bloggers, introducing creative minds to our followers. It’s the best way to reach out to new readers. By offering the same vehicle to other authors, searching for new platforms. I’ve meet so many great writers struggling to get their stories to market. I’ve read much of their work. Different genres, different voices. I’m a firm believer that we learn to write by reading as much as possible. As an author, there is nothing better than learning to blog, in my opinion. It opens so many doors. D.G. – I couldn’t agree with you more Allan. And thank you for the compliment. 🙂 And very true how we always learn from reading more books! If you could have any of your books made into a movie, which one would you choose and why? I think it would be a thrill of a lifetime to have a novel adapted for the big screen. To see your name in the credits and the title of your book that inspired the drama. I would choose my second novel, Wall of War. It was so much fun to write. Before I started writing, a story set in Peru, a discovery on Incan gold, floated in my mind continuously. It was the story I wanted to write at first but I didn’t. Here’s the silly reason why. I began to outline the story just as Clive Cussler’s story Inca Gold became known to me. It was published in 1994 but I only...
Published on February 11, 2021 22:05
February 10, 2021
The Sue Vincent Rodeo Classic « Carrot Ranch Literary Community
The Sue Vincent Rodeo Classic Carrot Ranch is running a parade of fun challenges to take part in the Sue Vincent Rodeo. You can enter by writing a Flash Fiction entry, reblogging any of Sue’s beautiful posts or buying and reviewing her books. See the details below. I recently reviewed Sue’s beautiful guided journey of meditations in Petals of the Rose, you can read my review here. Today, I’m also sharing a beautiful poem written by Sue. Please read how to join in the fun below the poem. To leave no place for regret in a life Save only mistakes from which to learn Letting error serve good purpose Redeeming remorse for hurt Carelessly committed Youthful folly wakes To see itself Mirrored eyes Reflect Pain Joy Growing Unfolding Other choices From a deeper well Embracing each moment A gift of living presence Harmony of body and soul Accepting human imperfections Part of the blueprint for the journey home Here at the Carrot Ranch, we take the business of 99-word literary art seriously. Those who participate in the Ranch prompts or yearly Rodeo saddle up to TUFF (The Ultimate Flash Fiction) it out and train new Rough Riders as we go. Now, the Ranch is hosting a new event to sharpen minds, welcome new hands, and celebrate one of our own the best way we know how: our first ever Rodeo Classic. In this Rodeo Classic, we’re here to celebrate a stalwart center of many blogging corners, Sue Vincent. Sue has variously contributed to the community here at the Carrot Ranch, through communication with many other bloggers, and run her own famous #writephoto weekly blog prompt. You can (and should!) follow her on her blogs, The Daily Echo and the shared blog France & Vincent. She has inspired us to become better writers and shown us the power of mystery and myth. We also suggest taking a perusal at her book corral and Amazon pages! The Rodeo and Prizes If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the Sue Vincent Rodeo Classic serves as a special challenge. Riders will have to condense the following photo into a story of 99 words (or, if you prefer, a poem of 99 syllables). Writing 99 words has never seemed TUFFer! Each story needs to have a beginning, middle and end. Poems must have distinctive theme, movement, and rhythm; no rhyme scheme is necessary, but neither will rhyme be punished. Go where the prompt leads you – any genre is acceptable, but keep it family friendly and related to the photo. If you haven’t wrangled here at the Carrot Ranch before, you can find some prize-winning 99-word flash from the 2020 Rodeo or the 2019 Rodeo at these links. Don’t cheat with 98 or 100 words or syllables! We’ll only accept 99 word stories or 99 syllable poems written in English! (We’ll be using https://wordcounter.net/ to count words and https://syllablecounter.net/ to count syllables so everyone has the same standard). Only write 99 word stories. Do not write 99 word poems – we want 99 syllable poems. For this rodeo, we’re offering a $100 grand prize. Five runners up will each receive one paperback from Sue Vincent’s collection of published books (those who live in a region where the paperback is unavailable may receive an e-book instead). No fee necessary to enter but this is a fundraiser so we kindly ask for a suggested donation of $5 per entry (no more than two entries allowed per writer). The contest will close at midnight on Friday, February 19th, 2021. Winning entries will be announced and read at CarrotRanch.com/blog on March 22, 2021. Top entries published at Carrot Ranch. We will not accept entries previously published (even if published on your own blog), so keep them tucked away for now. Please continue reading at the Carrot Ranch for details on submissions. Source: The Sue Vincent Rodeo Classic « Carrot Ranch Literary Community ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 10, 2021 22:00
February 9, 2021
Updates – This Extrovert is in Hibernation Mode #Health and Wellness
The last cliffhanger I left you with for my first 2021 post, my husband’s illness, my nonfunctioning leg, and our shower ceiling caving in, have been keeping me quite busy lately. The onslaught at everything coming at me has put me in introvert mode. I am 99 percent an extrovert and one percent introvert. When I get in introvert mode, it’s an introspective thing where I need to close myself in – not quite at the part where I’m digesting things and trying to find my way around what seems my new life. When I get quiet, my mind is very busy. And until I can come to resolutions and/or acceptance I need to go within myself, not ready to share with others what I haven’t yet digested myself. So for those good friends of mine who check in with me daily and silently know that when I’m ready I’ll spill, thank you. I feel right now my life is at a crossroads of many things – some I can’t peg, yet, I know are brewing, and some I’m having a difficult time facing. I don’t know if this past year was a catalyst for or if because of the isolating life we’ve been living alone together 24/7, it has allowed me to watch and be part of as my husband’s health issues persist. In a flash I seemed to have gone from wife to caregiver. As I long for the days of Covid to pass so I can resume living, I’m just as anxious about when the time for living does come back. Because the living I’ve known for over 20 years now, is not and will not be the same. Since just before the new year, my husband has been accumulating fluid daily. This happened five years ago when he was first diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver. He was drained and put on two types of heavy-duty diuretics. One in particular was specific to pulling fluid from the liver area. The combo finally got properly dosed and worked well for the past five years. Then late last fall, a side effect of one of the pills, retaining too much potassium, was raising hub’s levels and had to be cut down. Thus the fluid buildup came back – except it’s not going away anymore so he’s now that guy who Dr. B told me about five years ago when I asked him if this fluid retention would come back. He’d told me he had patients who had to have a paracentesis every month, but maybe my hub would be luckier, I’d hoped. We had a good ride for five years, but now my husband has been going every two weeks for draining (Paracentesis). They can only get out approximately four of the ten litres he carries (we know by weight). Four days later he gains it all back. Last week I spoke with Dr. B and he’s moved the procedure up to once a week. We have to sign consent papers every time he has this done because of course the danger of inserting the long needle in his side with a drain tube, guided by ultra sound, done by a radiologist, has its risks. Today is drainage day again, thankfully. My life has changed so much, considering there’s been no real living going on. Last February we were in Mexico, we came home mid March and the next day was lock down. My husband fell ill the day before travel home day, and life has been unwell ever since. Just like that, snap, our lives changed, during lockdown. My husband will not be going back to work of course, so I never got to experience that transition time from when he went to work a few days a week and loved to run errands, giving me my personal time. He always needed to be busy. So he got involved, voluntarily with some household jobs – emptying dishwasher and the many garbage cans. Then he’d take some garbage down the end of the hall to the chute, and the rest to the recycle bins in the parking level. It gave him something to do and he enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy it quite so much, but I’ve relieved him from his duties. The days before draining days he walks on a walker because his legs are like lead. Current prognosis on past events: So it took three weeks and various shades of yellows, greens blues and purples, but as of four days ago, I can walk proper without limping. I’m pretty sure I tore my calf muscle. It was painful and only a few days later the bruising was down my whole calf, ankle, and foot. I was using hub’s walker for over a week. So I guess there wasn’t enough excitement when I stubbed a toe bang on, precisely to the corner of the TV stand. I don’t remember feeling that kind of pain in many years. After sitting down and holding my foot for ten minutes til the initial throb wore down, I hobbled to the freezer door, below the fridge doors. I opened it and put my foot right among the frozen vegetable bags and stood there with the door opened for a good five minutes. It helped a lot. The pain was gone. The next day however, 3 toes and half my foot up were purple and I couldn’t move two toes. But, as of this writing, I have movement back. I am definitely blaming this shyte on Mercury Retrograde. Our shower was fixed and retiled almost two weeks ago, and we’re awaiting the new shower door. Until then, I’m grateful for the clear, shower curtain and temporary bar they put up for the meantime. Two nights ago I had to call 911 as my husband slid to floor trying to get out of bed at 130am to go to washroom. I could not lift him for all the tea in China and was forced to admit my defeat and call for help. I realized my superhuman powers are limited after watching two EMS guys struggle to finally get him up. They were very kind and gave me some helpful tips to help ‘seniorize’ things at home. They are also going to set up some help to come in a few days a week to help with hubby, so I’m looking forward to that part. So yes, as you can see, there’s a lot I’m swallowing right now as my first priority is my husband, but in my head and as I witness my husband’s health decline, it’s all still so raw and very tough for me to witness and accept, as I’m having to learn to accept that things will never again be the way they were. So that’s my update. I felt since I’d posted about the mayhem going on in my life, my readers at least deserved a follow up. Never take life for granted for it can be snatched in the blink of an eye. ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 09, 2021 02:00
February 6, 2021
Sunday Book Review – Petals of the Rose by Sue Vincent – #Meditation
Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today I’m reviewing Sue Vincent’s Petals of the Rose – Guided Journeys. A wonderful book to calm and go within ourselves with guided meditations. Blurb: A series of guided meditations, designed to open aspects of the personality in as gentle and natural way as the petals of the rose open at the touch of the sun. Each inner journey will carry you to a haven within your own psyche from which to explore layers of your own being, learning their meaning and purpose. From mystical and silent castles, to the song of the unicorn… each journey takes you deeper into your inner being and carries you out beyond the stars. Stories stir the imagination, casting images upon the screen of mind that allow us to explore, in safety, aspects of our lives and being that we might otherwise avoid or overlook. There is a rich vein of experience in memory that can be mined for its treasures. One of the simplest and best ways of exploring the labyrinths of the mind is to do so through a guided journey.Meditation and visualisation are not arcane practices in which a few indulge… we all use these tools every day, to navigate our way around the world and our lives. We ask ourselves ‘what if?’, creating imaginary scenarios before we act. We visualise the route we walk to work, or what the basket full of ingredients will look like, once assembled and cooked, on a dinner plate. There is no mystery in meditation… but when you give time and attention to the practice, it can open the door to many mysteries… including those of our own being… My 5 Star Review: A small book that packs a punch for the soul. Sue Vincent offers up some wonderful calming and soothing meditations with guided imagery to help take us into a higher mindspace and bring us into a calmer sense of self. This book offers simple meditations with painted visualizations in words (which this author is known well for) that aid in getting us into a meditative state and help to stir our senses by taking us into the imagery and leaving us to continue with wherever our imagination takes us. A lovely book to keep at the bedside to use for those reflective moments, or when we just need to zone out and recompose. ©DGKaye2021
Published on February 06, 2021 22:02