Dinner with Russo

A little known fact about moi- I can never resist a dare. So when Hunky Handyman triple-dog- dared-me to eat a mini octopus you better believe I tried. I used my fork to paw at the tentacles. I even cut the brain of the octopus in half to see the insides. (My grandfather was a Doctor so you better believe I have a dash of a scientist in me.)

Did I succeed? That would be a definite no. I bit off one chuck of the brains and nearly vomited.

So, instead, I gave the slimy wonder to my two cats, BeBe and Lux.

I loved this pic of the two-I dropped the camera mid-shot, so, they look like little ghosts.

On Gratitude

Photo by Raja Ramchandra

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart


God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "thank you?"  ~William A. Ward


The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts.  No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.  ~H.U. Westermayer


Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.  ~G.B. Stern


There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed.  If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


Gratitude is the memory of the heart.  ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French

A little treat for you

Sara B. Larson, writer extraordinaire, is having a major giveaway on her blog. All to celebrate her achievement of 200 followers. (The gnome slayers say: Congrats!)

You can pick the prize: book, gift card to Barnes and Noble or Amazon and chocolate or a 10 page critique of your manuscript.

If you haven't checked out her blog, do so now. http://http://sarablarson.blogspot.com

Sara has style, class and has also acquired a writing agent. The girl has mad-skill!

Check out her blog.

Gratitude

November Challenge: Things we are glad that we have

Care for a lil dinner in a pumpkin? This pic below is my Halloween creation. Yummy.

For some odd reason, when the Holiday season comes around I morph into a 1940's house wife. And no, you may not see a pic of me in my frilly apron. I have my dignity.

On to my list of what I am grateful for-

*Even though I sliced off a huge chuck of my skin with a paring knife, I am grateful that I did not reach an artery.

*I am lucky that my Piece Of Crap car still runs, even though hunky handyman nearly ran over my toe when doing an oil change.

*Being sick is a blessing because hey, at least I can crack people up with my Fran Drescher sounding voice.

*Sure, God gave me some wacked-out hair but at least I don't have lice. Trust me, been there, done that twice.

Last but not least, I may not be where I imagined when I was twelve but I am alive and mostly-happy. And that's what matters most.

On Halloween

From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

Scottish Saying - Probably inspired by Darkspume, Gnome of Despair

'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world.
William Shakespeare


I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.
Author Unknown

Shadows of a thousand years
Rise again unseen,
Voices whisper in the trees
'Tonight is Halloween!'
Dexter Kozen

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
Edgar Allan Poe
The Raven.

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.
Erma Bombeck

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
George Carlin

Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.
Steve Almond


I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
Henry David Thoreau

Awful Fabulous Opening Sentences

Hello Gnomeslayers of the world!  Today we add a new feature to our blog, titled: "Awful Fabulous". It will appear occasionally and unpredictably when I, or the other two, or all three of us, are sleeping off a Little Debbie's-filled weekend and are too tired to write anything else. Or when we are feeling glib. Today "Awful Fabulous" is my gift to you. Lists of things - you might even call them writing prompts, if you are feeling generous - that you are free to use in your own writing.
You're welcome.


This month's list is called (dun dun dun!):
Awful Fabulous Opening Sentences! Please partake freely.

1. "I knew she was going to dump me when I kissed her and tasted the onions she'd put on her burger at lunch. I'm allergic to onions."
2. "He was the kind of guy who never asked for directions and never got lost. Except when he did. Which was all the time."
3. "She was long and lean and filled my doorway in much the same manner as a long and lean woman would if she were standing there filling it."
4. Eleanor's children were her life. Mostly because she fed off of them regularly.
5. The sun rose in a bloody red smear like when you fall off your bike and road-rash your knee but you're too busy to go in and have your mom put hydrogen peroxide on it, and besides, that stuff stings like heck, and so the blood just runs down your leg and dries there. Like that.
6. "I love you," he said. "I'll love you forever." To which she replied, "And I'll love you forever. Or until after your funeral. Whichever comes first." That's when he knew he should have made her sign the prenup.
7. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. No, it was the best of times. Actually, no it was the worst of times. No wait! The be . . . .the wor  . . . It was the . . . Four score and seven years . . . Call me Ishmae . . . Ernie.
8. He was dead. She knew he was dead because of the way he lay there moaning, "I'm dead! I'm dead!"

There you have it, dear writers. Use at will.

With love,

The Indespensable Gnomeslayers

No Way did THAT Just Happen

Challenge of the Month: Paranormal Experience


It's no secret for me to tell you that I can be a self destructive person. True, I have gotten better with age. In my late twenties, I have been able to make peace with myself. I have learned that life is fragile and can be taken from you at any time.

Halloween is a Holiday that centers around everything morbid-ghosts, death, etc. Sure, there is candy galore and so much more. Somehow, the death part is always personal to me.

A long while back, there was a two year period that I prayed for my death every day. Oh, dear reader, I really hate admitting that secret out loud to you but its the truth. Sounds selfish but I loathed what cards life had dealt me.

On a Halloween night, the weather was more like Christmas than Fall. Snow laid everywhere as a gaggle of my friends and I trudged into a physic shop. The scenery was exactly what you'd expect when in a fortune teller's abode (crystal ball, gypsy-like tapestries and everything Gothic)

The fortune teller went through all of my friends promising the usual-love, babies and happiness. I seriously was not listening to any of the drivel the crazy-lady said to my friends.

Not until, she stared me down and said, "You're at a dead end."

I rudely responded, 'Excuse me?" (Yeah, I'll admit, I was beeyotch back then)

Anyways, crazy-lady continued, "Change your life choices or your journey will end. Keep praying for death and you will perish before your time."

Those words still haunt me. I wonder, how in the world did crazy-lady know my inner secret? I had not told a soul. Many years have since passed since that freaky night of poignant wisdom. Death has not found me yet. Sure, he has taken someone very dear to me but that's beside the point.

I do not wish to die, at least not yet. And I have dear crazy-lady to thank for waking me from my slumber in the month of Halloween.