Daily Prompt: The Artist And The Archaeologist

When you were 10, what did you want to be when you grew up? What are you now? Are the two connected?

At that age all I wanted to be was an artist. The walls of my bedroom were covered with cartoons, Snoopy and Charlie Brown being my favorite. Construction paper and masking tape were my friends, along with pencil crayons and cardboard.

The other thing I wanted to be was an archaeologist digging for lost treasure, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. When I was around ten or twelve, I buried a small box of trinkets so I could have the fun of digging it up. This part of the quest I found rather boring, because I already knew where the treasure lay. I also buried a dead mouse, but never did find the bones, that was very disappointing.

I have been an artist my whole life, and have dabbled in many different mediums. I don’t make my living at it, but it will always be a passion in my life.

I didn’t become an archaeologist, but also remain interested in anything to do with this field of study. The very mention of the word Egyptology, and I’m still conjuring up treasure digs in my head.

For me, these two passions will always be connected, they have defined who I am; who knows, maybe one of these years I may be lucky enough to develop an ancient curse of my own, 🙂

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/daily-prompt-dreams/

Top 10 Fun Things To Do While Camping

A couple of weekends ago we did the camping thing and loved it, we can’t wait to go back. It was the inspiration for this list, so it comes from the heart, lol.

not sure what I’m on, but it seems to be working!

1. It’s always fun to count the ants in your camp site, if they are making a circle around you, and have lit a match, it’s not a good sign.
2. “Marshmallow stuffing” is a fun game. It involves shoving as many as possible into your mouth, until you can no longer hold them in. You should resemble a gopher on steroids if you are doing it right. Once you puke, you loose.
3. Sitting in the dark, poking the fire, now who doesn’t love doing this? If you want added excitement, you can always try making smoke signals with the blanket that is most flammable. This will keep you extra alert and give you a chance to try out the fire-proof apron you bought for barbecuing.
4. Counting spiders while you use the out-house. This is always a fun exercise, and will prompt you to pee faster than you thought possible.
5. If you are staying for more than one day, wait until your neighbor’s check-out, then run over and take any left over fire wood. The campground will re-sell it , and it’s every girl for herself in the woods.
6. Roasting potatoes in the fire is always a fun challenge, since there is no way of truly telling how hot the coals are. If you unwrap the spud and find delicious smelling dust, it’s too long.
7. If you crave a cappuccino while camping, try the poor mans method. Heat the milk in a saucepan, take a short length of rubber tubing, stick one end into the milk and blow on the other. It will not produce foam, but the people watching you will be amazed, and you will be laughing inside so hard  milk will squirt out your nostrils.
8. This is a good time to break out the clarinet and pretend you know how to play. People will offer you all sorts of things for free.
9. While sitting around the fire in the dark, try to spot glowing eyes in the forest. If a pack of eyes moves towards you let the marshmallow burn and run like hell.
10. My personal favorite; when you wake in the morning, count how many spider webs you find inside the tent. It will make you feel so much better knowing that they were running across your face while you slept.

Daily Prompt: Land Of Oz

What’s your favorite part about visiting a new place — the food? The architecture? The people watching?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us NEW.

As much as I love food, I’d have to say its architecture and people watching. I could sit for hours, in a comfortable spot, watching humans do their thing, it’s an education all on its own.

Listening to them talk, even though I may not understand the language, just the sound they make is interesting to me. The cloths they wear, the interaction with each other, maybe I was a shrink in another life.

I also have an appreciation for old buildings and the history behind them, churches and cemeteries are two favorites of mine.

All in all I would have a great time, I’ve always felt I was an explores at heart. 🙂

Daily Prompt: Earworm Birthday

Write whatever you normally write about, and weave in a book quote, film quote, or song lyric that’s been sticking with you this week.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us INSPIRATION.

Last Sunday we traveled to Victoria for my mother in-laws birthday, she is 93 today. I took photos of the event and captured her family having fun, being grateful they have their mum for one more year. She is a true inspiration, and we love her for it.

Ruth the movie star.

Yeah cake!

We had a really nice time, a lot of laughing, the sun was shining, a great day.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/daily-prompt-inspiration/

Daily Prompt: Keep Out For Now

Who is the one person you hope isn’t reading your blog? Why?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us OUTSIDE.

There really isn’t anyone I don’t want to be here. I hope everyone comes here, lol. If I write in the blogosphere, its open season, that’s the way I look at it. If you really want to stay private, don’t own a computer.

When I walk Molly I sometimes snap random photos.

This wall is in the parking lot of a community shelter, it makes quite the statement.

These are not exciting, but they did make me think. The window with the bars is someone’s home, I was at street level looking down. Not really the view most of us dream about when we are having our coffee Sunday morning.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/daily-prompt-outside/

Daily Prompt: Jack Of All Trades

If the world worked on a barter system, how would you fare? Would you have services to barter? Would you be successful, or would you struggle?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us SKILL.

The world on a barter system, hmm… people helping each other, what a concept.  I’d like to think I’d be ok, I’m fairly well-rounded when it comes to skills. This all really depends if our world would be the same as it is now. Do we still have modern conveniences, have we moved back one hundred years?

I don’t mind helping out, I like being part of a “team effort for the good of the whole”, sort of thing.

Why don’t we go one step farther, and say that the human race has realized consuming animal products is a thing of the past. The planet we live on can no longer support the millions of “animals”, we raise for food.

There would certainly be an opportunity to help people understand this new way of eating. I’m always trying new vegan foods, I love experimenting, so I would certainly have services to offer in this area.

I can plant a garden, even though my rows are crooked, I’ve never thought the carrots minded being extra close to the beets. If a riot in the veggie patch is the least of our worries, I think we’ll be ok.

Cake decorating, sewing, painting walls, I’m pretty sure I’d think of something to offer. Most of us are able to do more than we think. In this crazy modern world, it’s easy for “manual skills”, to be looked upon as non-essential. When it comes right down to it… I take comfort in knowing I’d be able to do more than “push a button”, waiting for the replicator to make my cheesecake.

 

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/daily-prompt-skill/

 

 

 

Daily Prompt: Mirror, Mirror, Please Don’t Crack

Finish this sentence: “When I look in the mirror, I . . . “

Photographers, artists, poets: show us MIRRORED.

When I look in the mirror, I see an incredibly talented person with wrinkles deep enough to require a putty knife. What’s the point in having a magic mirror, one that makes you look younger, when all it’s doing is telling you a lie?

I’ve never felt the need to be fake, I don’t have the patience. It takes far more time to be dishonest, than it does to tell the truth.

The next bit is something I wrote about ten years ago, it still makes me chuckle. It doesn’t really have anything to do with mirrors, but rather being truthful about who we are. It seems a good companion, along with my musings for the day.

THE THREE F’S OF LIFE

FAME:  While many people think fame is reserved for the likes of Movie Stars, Astronauts, and Politicians, the real significance of the word is best illustrated by the life of the Rock Star. Rock Stars live the life most of us only dream about. Too much money at a relatively young age with little regard for people punching a time clock.
Endless trips to exotic parts of the world complete with giant bugs and tour buses that do not have flush toilets.
Mobs of screaming young women who want to have your baby, all the while trying to tear a piece of your clothing off, even if it’s the sweaty underwear you’ve had on for the past two days.
Listening to the pleas of loyal fans tell you that if you sign your name “Elvis” any where on their body, they will love you forever.
And last but not least, you get to go back to your high school’s twentieth reunion wearing sequined pants, a black velvet shirt, and hair that once belonged to someone else.

FORTUNE:  Finding one’s fortune in life can take us down many roads, with very different results.
A sudden wind fall in the lottery might bring a feeling of bliss, until we realize our “friend” ratio has dramatically increased overnight.
Some people run away to join the circus in hopes of finding their fortune, only to realize that walking behind the elephants with a large shovel probably wasn’t one of the brighter decisions they made in life.
The stock market is another area where the “risk taker” will invest a large amount of money in a company that sells a breakfast cereal made from tree bark, only to have the environmentalists close the company down using the slogan, “Your Kids Are Eating Mother Nature”.
Treasure seekers are perhaps the ultimate in fortune hunters. They run after clues hundreds of years old, all the while trying to convince the host country they are merely hacking apart the mountain side looking for inexplicably large rodents.

FRIEND:   The word “friend” is highly misused these days. People use it in the lamest of circumstances. Bumping into someone on the street and then saying, “Sorry friend” is a sure-fire way of having the person look at you like they’d rather smack you in the head than put you on their Christmas list.
Politician’s will use the word friend so often, that by the end of the campaign most of us are ready to get out of the political circle and put our efforts toward supporting something less phony like a religious cult.
While in school many of us developed a circle of so-called friends who wasted no time in telling other “friends” that we French kissed the principal, smoked pot in the gym, and drilled a hole in the bathroom wall so we could all enjoy a sneak preview, all this in the span of one day.
Those of us who know what the word really means will understand that a “friend” is someone who will still think you are the greatest person on earth even after your rock star phase didn’t turn out quite like you’d planned, and they will not laugh at you when you tell them you once walked behind an elephant.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/daily-prompt-mirror/

Daily Prompt: Great or Greatest?

What makes a blog great? What makes you follow a blog or “Like” a post?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us GREATNESS.

I would say there has to be something that sparks my interest in the first three seconds. Is that being an impatient jerk? I’ve run across so many that I like, and those I keep reading over and over again. The blogging experience has been a mind opener for me, and I am richer for it.

I like blogs that talk about mother nature, or photos of her greatness. Travel blogs are also fun to go through. When they are well done they make me feel like I am riding along. Blogs that go beyond “skin deep” are intriguing, something completely random always gets my attention.

Reading about life on the farm, or recipes to go with it will always grab my attention, it’s in my blood and I love it!

Cats, what can I say. The world would be a much sadder placer without them. 🙂

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/daily-prompt-great/

Daily Prompt: The Natural World

Describe your first memorable experience exploring and spending time in nature. Were you in awe? Or were you not impressed? Would you rather spend time in the forest or the city?

Photographers, artists, and poets: show us NATURE.

I would defiantly spend time in nature. As a matter of fact, if we lived in the country, ( we will some day ), I’d be hard pressed to go anywhere.

I was raised on a farm, the best place in the world for a kid to grow up. There were always places to explore, flowers to pick, trouble to get into. Yes, believe it or not, I was a little rascal from the start.

I can remember a forest of fir trees on our property. There was a small gravel road we used to walk down with trees on either side. It was heaven, for me as a little kid. We used to have wiener  roasts on the road, mum would spread out a blanket and we’d enjoy just being outside among the trees and birds.

That’s me in the blue, with my hotdog roasted black, like my dad liked it.

When I was about five or six we moved to another farm. To this day I still remember walking through the pasture land and this is what I saw.

A sea of yellow, it was breath-taking, and I’ve always wanted to go back.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/daily-prompt-nature/

Top 10 Foods To Never Take On A Picnic

Canada Day is around the corner, so it is appropriate to lend my wisdom regarding picnic food, and park etiquette.  Sounds simple, but you’ll be surprised how people screw this up. These are in no particular order, they are all equally bad.

1. Soup is not picnic food. No matter what the magazines tell you, it does not look cool dribbling out the side of your mouth during the three-legged race.
2. Peanut butter is a poor choice. Your mouth will be so gummed up, you can’t yell at the dog who just crapped near your blanket.
3. Jell-O salad is a tricky choice. That really cool shape you left home with, may resemble something like a blown-out tire by the time lunch time rolls around.
4. Sardines are never a good idea, especially gross if you are on a date. Leaning in for a kiss and getting the ass end of a fishing trawler is not romantic.
5. Stay away from hard-boiled eggs in the shell. They can too easily be used as weapons of choice.
6. Leave the ghetto blaster at home, on the porch, beside the empty 26er, no one is interested in hearing, “ Yo big mama beat the dog down..” you get the idea.
7. Control small children; you will not be impressed when they run back to the blanket with brown stuff on their fingers, and even more grossed out when they pick their nose, after telling you they found chocolate bars on the ground.
8. If you want to smoke pot, do it in the back woods. Most people frown upon the smell of burning cow shit, while they eat potato salad.
9. In many cases it’s best to leave the pooch at home, unless they are restrained, listening to your every word, like the cat does, ha-ha, joking!
10. No microwave ovens. Just because you found one that plugs into a battery doesn’t make it cool. You will look like an over-applianced idiot, and the laughing will be so loud people will call the police. When they get there, they will laugh.

Enjoy your day! :0)

Daily Prompt: No Longer a Mere Mortal, Thank God

You’ve imbibed a special potion that makes you immortal. Now that you’ve got forever, what changes will you make in your life? How will you live life differently, knowing you’ll always be around to be accountable for your actions?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us LONGEVITY.

I have this feeling I would take more risks in some ways, and other things would stay the same. Is there a magic wand that goes with this ability? :0)

Being incapacitated freaks me out, like being injured in a fall, and laying in a bed all day. Being immortal means I could do things like rock climbing, sky diving, and not have to worry about ending up like a pile of oatmeal.

There would of course be the realization that I have to eat even better and try harder to keep in shape, because being immortal doesn’t mean I will never be sick, it just means I will always be here no matter what, at least this is the way I look at it.

Longevity is a tricky word. It may imply to some people they can do what they want, eat what they want, and they will never get sick…. but read your instructions carefully, and don’t wish for something you don’t fully understand.

Laying in that hospital bed and being 500 years old, is not my idea of being immortal.

Being a ” God’, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Next time you blow out those birthday candles, choose wisely.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/daily-prompt-mere-mortal/comment-page-1/#comment-204446

Weekly Photo Challenge: Companionable

This is an easy one for me, I am blessed to have the most amazing man in the world, with Molly and Beanie adoring me, so really, it doesn’t get any better than this.

I have two other companions who are with me always, they sit on the small shelf above my head.

My dad is in the small brass urn and my buddy of eighteen years, Simon the cat in the larger one. As a family we choose to keep a small bit of dad with us, my mom has one, and all of us kids.

I am indeed, a lucky girl.

Daily Prompt: We Can Be Taught! Really?

Tell us a moment or an incident that you treasure  – not necessarily because it brought you happiness, but because it taught you something about yourself.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us LEARNING.

Well I have to say the first moment that comes to mind is one from last night, and it is one that brought me happiness.

My husband and I have this inside joke about how both of us are terrible dancers. If we went to a night club people would be lining up to watch the comedians, and forget why they came in the first place. We’re rather uncoordinated, it’s not like we woke up yesterday and said, ” hey, I thought I used to know this”, lol…..no, no…. we’re bad and we know it.

Last night we were in the middle of a hug ,and it turned into us trying to dance, yet again. We were jiving in the kitchen, laughing hysterically because the first thing we did was step on each others feet, lol.

Grabbing a special moment doesn’t have to be planned, the best ones are spontaneous and full of good intention, sometimes making you laugh so hard your sides hurt. We vowed to keep dancing, but next time include Molly our little Westie. She stood looking at us like she didn’t know who we were, and Beanie the cat had a screwed up look on his face.

This is just so cute I had to pass it on.

Be yourself and have fun, and just remember, if the dog and cat laugh it doesn’t mean they don’t love you.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/daily-prompt-learning/

Daily Prompt: The Artist’s Eye

Is there a painting or sculpture you’re drawn to? What does it say to you? Describe the experience. (Or, if art doesn’t speak to you, tell us why. Photographers, artists, poets: show us ART.

This is one of my all time favorite pieces, it’s called ” Catastrophe”, by George Rammell.

This piece just screams togetherness in the most bizarre way. It was created in 1976, his first large sculptural project after graduating from art school.

What makes this even sweeter is that George Rammell is a BC artist, I had the good fortune to take a weekend, rock carving workshop with him back in the eighties.

His work continues to inspire and intrigue me.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/daily-prompt-art/

http://josephrathjen.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/324/

Top 10 things Not To Do At The Movies

This ties in with my Daily Prompt for the day, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

10. If you are sick, don’t go to the show. The rest of us don’t need to hear you blowing your nose during a love scene.

9. If you walk into the theatre and see someone sitting in the top row, don’t sit next to them. They are there because they DON’T want to sit next to you, or anyone else.

8. When the theatre is crowded don’t pretend your friend is coming to take the seat next to you. Doing this makes you a selfish jerk and you should reserve that for when you go to vote.

7. Don’t wear perfume! If you want to smell like a cheap ho, save it for when you go to the bar.

6. Don’t sneak potato chips into the theatre. There is a reason they are not sold at the concession stand. “Man killed for eating chip in theatre” is not the legacy you want to leave your family. They would be too busy laughing to be distressed.

5. Don’t text during the show, save that for when you are walking through an intersection.

4. If you’ve come with someone else, don’t talk about the movie, WHILE YOU ARE WATCHING IT. If the rest of us wanted commentary we’d watch hockey.

3. Don’t sit on the seat that has a plastic bag over it. Someone has puked on it, and that bag is for your own safety. Better yet, sit far away from it, because as we all know, the smell travels.

2. If your pop is empty, don’t keep sucking on the straw. Save that action for another time and place.

1. And the mother of all time. STOP shaking your bag of popcorn! Honestly… what are you hoping to accomplish? The only thing you will likely get is dirty looks and a foot in the back of the head.

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Daily Prompt: Island of Misfit Posts

We all have something we’d like to write about, but that doesn’t really “fit” our blog. Write it anyway.

My blog is whatever I want it to be, I’ve not really set myself strict guidelines, and that’s the fun part. So this morning I’ll play along and be a movie critic.

Hubby and I went to see the new superman movie last night, “Man Of Steel”, a good action flick if that’s what you’re into. I won’t make this a “spoiler alert”, because I think people who do that should be slapped in the head. Nothing more irritating than someone telling you about a new flick when they know you haven’t seen it.

Since I’m not a real movie critic it means I don’t have to follow the guidelines they would….he he.. my favorite part, it’s in my nature to be a shit disturber to some extent.

The casting director did a good job picking the actor to play superman, Henry Cavill, fits the bill in every way, including looking good in a spandex suit. Tall, handsome and suave… I could go on, you get the picture. Amy Adams is awesome, a talented girl who will be around Hollywood a long time.

The story is refreshingly different from the other versions we’ve seen, thank God. Special effects are good, which is what we have come to expect from tinsel town these days.  Russell Crowe plays superman’s father, a nice touch, with Kevin Costner playing his earthly version.

We’ve seen good and bad 3D, and opted out to pay extra to see the big guy, it’s not always necessary to fully enjoy the show, and especially irritating when it turns out to be a mediocre effect. The best we’ve seen in 3D was the movie Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. An arrow came flying at me and I moved my head to the side so it would stick in my eye…:0)

I of course, had to have an over-priced bag of popcorn, as usual. I’m somewhat of a piglet when it comes to the non-nutrient dense food particles.

It may have been more fitting for us to have seen a Wolfman  movie, the full moon last night ( and tonight ) will be the biggest of the year, but hey. We opted to watch a guy save people rather than have them for snack.

I don’t mind ranting about things from time to time, perhaps this is a new calling for me. :0)

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/daily-prompt-misfit/

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Anniversary Sweetheart

Today is our fifth anniversary, we have been together for seven, glorious years. It took both of us awhile to find the right person, but later is better than never.

We spend a lot of time smiling at each other, and the laughing goes without saying. He is my best friend and I his, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Both of us like to be hams on occasion. He once pretended to be Elvis playing a guitar, and I just so happened to have the video camera at the ready. I love spontaneous moments like this, and laugh each time I watch it.

He is the love of my life, and I cherish every day, even when he’s not serenading me.

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Ice-Cream Meltdown

I gave into my cravings today.

You might want to read my Daily Prompt from this morning, or this post is going to make me sound like a raving lunatic.

If you look closely you can still see the frost on the tub. Not real ice-cream you say? It tasted real enough to satisfy my craving for the REAL thing, and made me feel less guilty.

After leaving the store I drove to a not-so-near by park, because atmosphere is everything.

I enjoyed the view from the car as the spoon sank deeper and deeper into the tub.

I finally had to stop when my waistband became so tight I could hardly breathe.

This is hardly the most flattering photo, but I wanted you to know it’s really me, and not some deranged woman in the supermarket parking lot. Ok, wait a minute, that was me……….lol

Now honestly, how many people do you know who would stuff their face and show it to the world?

And by the way, I left the spoon in the car.

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Daily Prompt: Shape Up Or Ship Out- I’m Thinking About It

Write a letter to the personality trait you like least, convincing it to shape up or ship out. Be as threatening, theatrical, or thoroughly charming as is necessary to get the job done.

Dear Ms. Procrastination,

Your partnership with Ms. Insecurity is taking a large toll on the mother ship. It’s high time the two of you make a decision as to whether or not you want to remain as part of the crew.

I would ask that you change your ways to more positive ones, or leave the ship so another more qualified individual can take over your position.

Yours truly,

Captain Marilyn

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves

The weekly photo challenge is all about curves, here is my take on it.

I just spent the weekend camping with Paul and Molly, we had a great time overall. Very cool in the early morning’s and sunny after that. Looking over my photos I realized, hey, there’s a curve. :0) A little cheesy perhaps, but, fair is fair.

Our campsite was visited regularly by cute little chipmunks, very adept at stealing food and other choice items that were not nailed down.

Molly loved being in the outdoors, even though we had to keep her tethered on a long rope the whole time, otherwise she would have been running after the little critters regularly.

And here I am relaxing by the fire with my faithful Westie and my bag of junk food.

Wonderful weekend, but I still didn’t get to see a sasquatch.

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