Foto Friday #99

Grammy Writes3 Comments

BUGS are creepy and downright strange, but they all have a purpose in life… just like we do.

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A bee’s purpose is to balance delicate ecosystem functions. As pollinators, they are crucial to the world’s agricultural production. Bees pollinate approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States.

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One the of strangest looking creepy-crawlers is a stick bug, sometimes called a walking stick. Because they look like twigs, it is difficult for predators to spot them. They are herbivores who can do great damage to foliage, but they are an important source of food for birds and other animals.

For September 25 Photo a Day Challenge: Strange and for

Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: Up Close and Personal

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“Hey, Bud”

Grammy Writes15 Comments

“Who do we have here?”, the man asked me as I walked with my grandson on the hiking trail behind my house.

I walk on the trail nearly every day and often pass this man as we go in opposite directions. We exchange brief pleasantries, usually about the weather.

One day when my grandson was visiting, he joined me on my morning walk. He had just gotten a hair-cut in preparation for his first day of Kindergarten. The cut was pretty dramatic – a mohawk – so it was hard to miss! We passed the man on the trail. “Who do we have here?” he asked me, and to my grandson he said, “Hey, Bud! I like how you cut your hair!”

My grandson just looked at him and said, “I didn’t cut it”!

The man thought that was hilarious and could be heard laughing as he continued his walk behind us.

My grandson apparently felt the need to defend himself: “Well, I didn’t cut it, Grammy! The barber did!”

“I know, honey”, I said as we walked towards home. He looked confused, but I was amused!

For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Bud

It’s Only Words #12

Footprints

Grammy Writes18 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with words. Words on my “do not like” list include nightmare, exploit and laundry (and hate, so I really shouldn’t use it here). Then there are words that just make me feel good – like raindrops, whimsy and cookies. Another of my favorite words is footprints. It always reminds me of that poem about two sets of footprints becoming one when God carries you through difficult times. I love that! It also reminds me of the poem I wrote several years ago about my father. I used the word “footprints” in it, so whenever I hear that word – my thoughts immediately go there. Here is the poem:

MY FATHER, MY SEAGULL

I felt myself

lifted away by a mighty seagull.

I helped him scan the waves in search of food.

I held on tight

as he swooped down towards the water,

then suddenly, we headed out to sea.

He caught an updraft

and we soared higher and higher.

He didn’t even need to flap his wings.

We watched the waves

try to overtake each other, yet they

always seemed to find their way to shore; as did we.

He landed gently.

I let go of his neck and slid down slowly.

He watched me leave my footprints in the sand.

Then he left me.

I tried to catch him, but I couldn’t, so I cried

just like I did the day they told me Daddy died.

For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Footprint

It’s Only Words #11

Foto Friday #97

Grammy Writes16 Comments

… and to the Republic for which is stands,

one nation under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

The sculpture For Which it Stands by James Haire is located at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is in reference to the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. We need to be reminded again (and again) of these words and their meaning.

For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Again

Panda Cam

Grammy Writes1 Comment

Facebook isn’t good for much, in my opinion, unless my friends post pictures of their grandchildren or I find an amazing animal video. I have been fascinated recently by the Panda Cam at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo showing Giant Panda Mei Xiang and her newborn cub. Mei Xiang instinctively knows to be attentive to the cub’s every need: to nurse it, to clean it, and because it has no fur yet – to cuddle and cradle it to keep it warm. The zoo created a den for them where they will spend the first few months of the cub’s life. Follow the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Panda Cam on Facebook to watch this precious time between Mother and Cub:

 https://s.si.edu/2xiVLKp. #PandaStory #PandaCubdates

For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Instinct

It’s Only Words #10

Foto Friday #95

Grammy Writes24 Comments

A Sign of the Times – Covid Style:

Hide & Seek with the Sun at Scotts Bluff:

The Highlands Landscape at Eilean Donan Castle:

Like all of us, I struggle to fill the void that Covid has caused. My volunteer activities are no longer an option, social outings are few and far between, and spending time with my grandchildren is not as easy as it once was. I’ve had to find new diversions for my free time. My latest endeavor is making creative collages with my existing photos. I can spend hours in attempt to find just the right combination of imagines and layouts, backgrounds and margins. I made these collages with PhotoScapeX, but there are many image-maker programs available.

For Lens-Artists Challenge #110 – Creativity in the Time of Covid

The Introvert – 201

Grammy Writes8 Comments

Standing in shadows

hoping not to be noticed

yet begging to be

This Haiku would lead you to believe that an introvert is a socially shy person. While that can be true, being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean social anxiety. It means people with this personality trait tend to be more inward focused. They turn more to internal thoughts, feelings and moods rather than external attention – like in this haiku which I posted here on August 6, 2017:

The Introvert – 101

She is just a girl

whose sunlight stays inside her

silently shining

Wishing a good day to all my fellow introverts!

It’s Only Words #9