Overabundance of "o" Words
Note: Heads Or Hails is now based from it’s own new home. You can read the rules, grab some graphics, check out the themes, and of course sign in to play here!
This week ~ HEADS – Anything starting with the letter O
Occasionally you encounter people who are optimistic and open-hearted. Often you can get caught up in what some consider an overwhelming undertaking. That is what happened when I stumbled across Shelly’s first Share A Square post. Shelly is an old-fashioned sweetheart with an oversized heart. Her task, to have people from all over the world create squares for 140 afghans to give to children with cancer at Camp Sanguinity, surely must have over taken her life on so many occasions. But she outlasted and inspired. I am very grateful to be a part of this effort with both square donations and the piecing together of one of the afghans. Those squares were with me for quite some time and there were times I wondered if I would be able to finish. After the fires I had to remove all the tags and wash each square because of the ash and smoke smell. Keeping track of which tag went on which square was a bit tricky, but love conquers all.
One year, thousands of prayers, well wishes, and oodles of love later the afghans have been delivered. Thanks to everyone who supported the effort with squares, yarn, and emotional support. I would like most especially to thank Shelly for her inspiration, guidance, support and for starting this and following through.
Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
If you think the world is getting cold and distant, just head on over to Shelly’s or Sherry’s to see the pictures. If that doesn’t give you hope, I don’t know what will.
I Can Smile At The Old Days
Note: Heads Or Hails is now based from it’s own new home. You can read the rules, grab some graphics, check out the themes, and of course sign in to play here!
This week–TAILS-Share A Summertime Memory
Nearly all of my best summertime memories involve a forest: either camping or the cabin. This prompt drew my mind back into my youth and a few outstanding memories of summertime. It was impossible to narrow it down to just one, so here are a few.
Picking blackberries with my little brother. Watching and learning to trout fish from my Dad in the Sierras. How the sun reflected off their shiny rainbow scales and how tasty the feast was that night (picture is Moccasin Creek in the Sierra Nevada mountains where the best blackberry hunting was)
Climbing Vernal-Nevada Falls with my Pop. Then resting at the top, in the mist, and feeding the squirrels some of our trail mix. Being completely amazed by the view of Half Dome and the valley below.
Lying on top of the houseboat watching the sun set over the Delta. Exhausted from a day of fishing, swimming, jumping off the roof, reading and adventuring.
Learning to whittle wooden knives for our “survival” in the wilds of the Yosemite campground. Climbing the logs, scaling rocks, forging rivers all the while pretending we were alone in the scare wilderness.
Can you guess which one is me? (Note the little kids whittle with stick on stick, LOL). This is from 1972.
Out Of Bounds
This week’s theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Line
We all have lines. The boundaries we create in our minds that we believe can never be crossed. Spoken or unspoken. Thought of, but maybe not expressed. Maybe you don’t even know you have that line, until someone crosses it. The lines you clearly delineate and guard: You are not surprised when someone crosses them. You are prepared for such an inevitability and you defend your lines.
The other lines, the ones you didn’t know you even had in your head, are surprisingly left open to attack. Possibly because it is so far out there, the chances of anyone crossing that line. But it happens. And you are confused, possibly devastated and unsure exactly what to feel.
So you walk away from that line. You abandon that battle and retreat. You write cryptic posts because it is too personal to talk about. But it’s there. What is most astounding is that people “never cease to amaze you” with what they are capable of.
Just Another Day in Paradise
This week’s theme/prompt is: HEADS - Flower. For more participants in Heads or Tails click HERE.
Before we moved to the property last year I had two or three potted plants that I had managed to keep alive for a few years. They were usually in various shades of yellowing from lack of care. When we moved to such a large property, already overwhelmingly landscaped with beautiful plants, I became a fanatic. I planted and planted. When we moved, one of the hardest things was moving and finding a place for all my pots of plants.
While cleaning out some storage stuff, I found a bag with bulbs in it that had sat too long and began to sprout. I had two ledge boxes that I used for herbs last year so I stuck them in there. They looked pathetic and I wasn’t sure they would survive. So you can imagine my joy Saturday when I awoke and found this single bloom. I think it is an Iris (?). The other five plants don’t have anything that looks like a bud yet, but this one plant has four more. The flower only lasted one day so thank heavens I had my camera (ha, ha when don’t I have my camera?).
You May Bow Before Me
This week’s theme/prompt is: HEADS - Royal. For more participants in Heads or Tails click HERE.
I would like to tell you I am a descendant of royalty because I have always been fascinated by tales of historic royalty. I could tell you I was named for a queen, but that would only be one sentence. So instead I will regale you with tales of dear Mr. Vixen’s ancestry. After all, marrying into royalty is the same as being royal, n’est pas?
MacDougal has done a lot of genealogy for us, both my family and Mr. Vixen’s. He has found nearly an entire state of Mr. Vixen’s family, including living relatives, family reunions, and an entire cemetery named for us. This name we have, with it’s rich American history, is not the same name Mr. Vixen’s ancestors came to the promised land with. We believe at Ellis Island it was changed to it’s current form.
For today’s prompt we will, however, concentrate on the original form: Eckhardt. One translation says: “Eck” means sword in Latin and “hardt” means hard, therefore being swordhard. Another says “by the sharp edge of the sword” First found in Saxony, it appears to belong mostly to German Black Knights of noble birth.
The main insignia on the family’s coat of arms is a shield with an arm clad in armor holding a sword and cutting with it an oak branch. The oak branch is denoted by its leaves and acorns. This symbolizes that the family bears a “strong sword.”
So, now you may all feel free to address me as Lady Vixen.
Luna Pacis
Heads: Peace (or Tails: Piece) (Click here for more participants)
Luna Pacis?
Pacis is a latin word which means ‘of peace’. The word itself was created to describe Pax, the roman goddess of peace. Luna (which most people recognize) is the latin word for ‘moon’. (from lunapacis.org)
"…Grandmother the Earth. That power is here all the time. It is continuous, and nobody controls it."
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
Tails Of Ted
Tails: Every Tom, Dick or Harry (Click here for more participants)
Funny story for this weeks prompt. When Nannygoat was 16 or 17 she and her brother were always teasing their Dad (Mr. Vixen) about being addicted to his computer game. It went on for some time and whenever he was teasing them or harassing them it became a way for them to call him a name without using language that I didn’t allow. They would say “You’re addicted” with the accents so that it actually sounded like ‘you’re a dick Ted’. This went on to become their favorite way of insulting each other.
So one night we were visiting at Great’s cabin. We got into a hotly contested game of Balderdash. My uncle Tom is a serious balderdash player and is merciless with his sarcasm and Nanny and MacD are not exempt. At one intense moment Nanny wanted to stop playing and her Uncle Tom wanted to play another game. He was haranguing her to play again when she said, “You’re a dick Tom.” Silence descended immediately and we all just stared at her for a moment. Her face turned red as she realized what she said and she started yelling, “I meant your ad-dic-ted!!!” We all just started laughing.
Recovering – Maybe
Remember last Friday when I mentioned a cold that was kicking my ass? Sometime during the night Sunday to early Monday it killed me. Which was downright excellent timing, since I was out of sick pay at work and was able to call in dead instead.
I am at work today. We shall see if I remain that way for long.
It’s Tuesday, so it is Heads Or Tails day.
This week’s theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Mother
Mom’s are cool. I like to think all mom’s are cool, but now someone will probably point out that they’re not. So I will just say mine is totally rad. Here are some links where you can visit really fantastic moms: Nannygoat, WackyMommy, Marlee, Allisone, Sumgirl, Mimi, Jen and PenelopeAnne. Not only are they great moms, but they will probably write better posts than I today.
End semi-dead, sick post. Over and out from the land of tea, honey, and tissues. Lots and lots of tissues.
Express
This weeks Heads Or Tails is Express. For more participants visit the Heads Or Tails new home.
When you are unhappy time stands still. When you are happy all you want to do is slow down and enjoy the moments. Moments of time that swiftly pass by. Rapidly the world presents its glory to you. You try to capture the high-speed memories within your mind for closer perusal at a quiet time. Yet non-stop events assault your delighted mind. Your mind’s eye feels that these accelerated experiences will pass and you will feel like you missed them. The sheer velocity with which they occur, makes you feel dizzy, yet disoriented, with joy. These are the times of which your life story is made up. Quickly moving, a movie to play in your head for all time.
A Cavalcade of Cavorting Fools
Note: Heads Or Hails is now based from it’s own new home. You can read the rules, grab some graphics, check out the themes, and of course sign in to play here! This week–HEADS-Fool
Who Is Not a Fool? ["Qui non stultus?"] —Horace (65-8 B.C.), Satires, 2.3.158
Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere. —William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night (3.1.39-40)
He dares to be a fool, and that is the first step in the direction of wisdom. —James Gibbons Huneker
You can educate a fool, but you cannot make him think. —The Talmud
April Fools’ Day: This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four. —Mark Twain
Can you find all the April Fool’s Day tricks hiding in this painting by Norman Rockwell? There are 57 that I know of and they are listed behind the break.
Find the Vixen
For Realz
Spread The Frenzy
Barked Back