I pluck a feather from the air
An angel passing
As the champagne cork
flew across the room
The mirror ball spun
Silver dancing fairies lit the room
We jive to the sound of jazz
In a smoke-filled room
Clash with a stranger’s shoulder
The beat slows to a gentle sway
Dancing closer now
The feeling between us electric…
99 words, no more, no less. It’s a simple constraint, an easy-to-master literary art form, and a powerful writing tool for creatives and entrepreneurs. Writers calibrate the usefulness and beauty of 99-words through weekly flash fiction challenges.
Being here in the first place
The friendships we make
The lovers we take
Fighting through the storms
While an angry mother
Tries to rearrange the world we live on
The beauty of a coral reef
The sunsets, the full moon
So many gifts
The hand of a stranger offering help
The sound of a new-born baby’s cry
Life continuing
Someone will always be here
While others leave
A reminder of our immortality
Art made by a stranger’s hand
That we like to look upon
Most of all to be loved
To love in return, to live, to prosper…
Image by scvincent.com
I fly over land and sea
Finding all I am meant to see
Astral body glowing bright
Alongside birds who fly at night
I see tall dark trees in winters light
Reaching for each other to say goodnight
Spring returns with summers oncoming light
New warmth returning bright green leaves
We sleep now beneath soft grey clouds
Curtains drawn against the dying of the light
A strip of blue as a reminder of days return
With a slow spinning world
We root our lives upon…
After the hissy fit had almost fizzled out, I realised there were a few things I could still do, even without our own wi fi. (which died on Friday afternoon)
I discovered a while ago that there was a way I could piggy back on someone elses wifi. With their permission of course. As luck would have it, we have family living next door, and while this is sometimes not a good thing, it would save my sanity now.
There was just one hitch to this, always is, isn’t there. My newly instaolled Windows 10 didn’t seem to know about this trick, ay least I couldn’t find how to do it anywhere.
But I have done it before, on my laptop. This runs on Windows 8 and has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. Everyone should have another way of connecting to the internet in times of trouble!
I couldn’t post anything yesterday, and it haunted me all night, then I had an idea.
I could repost something from our WP archives, just so our site doesn’t look so bare.
Although I can no longer access my image files, despite racking my brains, I have found a temporary solution for this problem too. WP Media files contain every image I have ever used, so a neat supply there. I know this chaos will only be until Wednesday (at least, I hope its only until Wednesday) but I actually need to blog every day. Sad, I know.
I have been taking advantage of the quiet moments by finally finishing PayBack. Although having said that, I wonder if it should have a rounding up of the loose ends chapter? Especially if there might be a sequel.
I have yet to discover how to print something using the laptop, but I will find out.
(I hope!)
Jaye
There are days when I find our never-ending list of emails such a chore. Days when the list is stuffed full of messages from people I don’t know, and endless advertising. Not to mention all the get-rich schemes and must-have courses that cost a fortune!
It can take two hours to sift through them all and this must be done twice a day, seven days a week.
Today was a good day. There were several beautiful poems, inspiring stories and articles that had me reaching for my notebook. Smiling one moment, then wiping the tears from my eyes the next. There was also a couple of helpful posts that might make my life more interesting.
I like to share the better and more helpful emails with our readers, when we get them, of course. I mean, you can never have too much of a good thing, and if we can cheer up or help at least one person each day, I consider that a good day.
There is one aspect of our email list that does concern us, and that is the amount of companies trying to fool you into opening their emails for fraudulent purposes. We are advised to ignore them and never open them, but if it’s a company you use or belong to, it can be worrying. Supposing it’s genuine and you really need to read it?
I mean, how are we supposed to know the difference?
Much more of this, and I can see that letter writing might be making a comeback!
Most people think bonsai are just small trees in pots, but they can be any size. There seems to be so many different names, too which makes it all very confusing.
| Japanese classification | Required hands to move bonsai | Approximate size |
| Imperial | Eight-handed bonsai | 60 to 80 inches |
| Hachi-uye | Six-handed bonsai | 40 to 60 inches |
| Dai or Omono | Four-handed bonsai | 30 to 48 inches |
| Chiu or Chumono | Two-handed bonsai | 16 to 36 inches |
| Katade-mochi | One-handed bonsai | 10 to 18 inches |
| Komono | One-handed bonsai | 6 to 10 inches |
| Mame | One-handed bonsai | 5 to 8 inches |
| Shito or Keshitsubo | Fingertip bonsai | Under 2 inches |
Traditionally, the size of bonsai was measured by the number of hands needed to carry the tree.
For some reason, I have never considered having a large bonsai. Probably because they are not too easy to handle or for the amount of space they would need. Wherever we have lived, and there have been a few moves, I must always steal space for my bonsai. I start with one, but soon acquire more, either from seed or gifts from the birds. Sadly, most of our moves have meant giving away my collection, and I have lost some good ones this way. But it never takes me long to start again!
Image by Jaye Marie
Repotting even medium sized bonsai can be backbreaking, especially if you have several to cope with. When Anita brought home a 4-foot Christmas tree last year that had been abandoned in the Christmas rush, turning it into a bonsai never occurred to me. I was just so pleased that they hadn’t chopped off its roots and it has sat in its pot at the bottom of my garden ever since.
I was glad to adopt this tree, probably because of my despair at how many trees are killed every year in the name of Christmas. This one had been spared and that made it very precious to me. I have been meaning to plant it somewhere special, but finding the time do this and a suitable place in our jungle of a garden has not been easy. So, why has my mind, some 8 months later, come up with the idea that it could be my first large bonsai?
How the idea even found room in my head in the first place was amazing, for I haven’t been able to think of anything except my WIP for months.
My problem with ideas like these, is they tend to keep growing (a bit like the Christmas tree) So, just in case I haven’t enough to think about, I know I have a new project.
Image by Jaye Marie
I spent a long time studying it yesterday and it wasn’t long before I realised this could well be an impossible task. There were such a lot of big branches and I don’t have a clue as to which ones to keep and which to prune.
I have a feeling that this project might take a lot longer than I thought…
©JayeMarie
Here are the two words for this week:
HERE’S THE CATCH: You can’t use the prompt words! SYNONYMS ONLY! ❤
I
Pilot
My own dreams
Nightmares come too
They won’t be held back
My mind captivated
By the charms in this strange world
The people I greet I may meet
I feel my heart flutter try to wake
Back here in my own world they are waiting
I circle, I climb, drifting over strange worlds
Shadowed nightmares follow close behind
My heart now beats a kettle drum
I run, try to reach safety
What part of this nightmare?
Do I bring back home?
This spinning thread
Of silver
Broken
dreams
Image by Pixabay.com
I
Met the
Ghost within
My silent self
One who whispers words
To hear inspiration
Letting my own light shine through
Life to my imagination
I grow with sweet silent whispered words
To shine as bright as stars in the dark night…
Justice, no more than a roll of the dice
An acid tongued judge, passing judgement
On other people’s lives
Often without knowing the true story
As to how this poor soul stood in the dock
I leave the jury room, outside, the hail hits me
On the back of my neck
I act instinctively, run for cover
Safe, I scratch the back of my neck
It feels sore. Acid rain maybe.
I know where I would rather be
I need to burrow under my duvet
Forget the world, for me it often runs too fast
I hate the feeling of being the one
To tamper with someone’s problems
I judged him guilty on the evidence given
Too fast, his life now behind bars
Maybe I will bake a cake with a file hidden inside
So, he can hack his way to freedom
No one knew I had been living with this man
For the past ten years, on ill-gotten gains…
99 words, no more, no less. It’s a simple constraint, an easy-to-master literary art form, and a powerful writing tool for creatives and entrepreneurs. Writers calibrate the usefulness and beauty of 99-words through weekly flash fiction challenges.
Carrot Ranch is a dynamic online literary community for those practicing craft, reading stories and discussing process. Charli Mills is the lead buckaroo who hosts challenges, guest blogs, and an annual multi-contest called the Flash Fiction Rodeo.
September 5, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that shows true grit. You can use the phrase or embody the theme. Who or what has true grit? Go where the prompt leads you!
Over the years I have noticed
How many members of my family
Grit their teeth when trying hard
To achieve their goal
I tend to do this when getting angry
My teeth grit, my jaws clench
Muscles moving, trying not to let out words
I could not take back
I have seen a young woman
Eyes bulging, teeth gritted
Trying desperately to move her car out of harm’s way
A lot of teeth are getting worn down by determination
I did wonder why no one offered to help
Maybe they worried about their teeth
Do you do the same?
