Jun 23, 2012 |
The desert.
That wonderfully dry, sunny place where plants come and go in the strangest of conditions…
My yard.
That place where this not-so-green-thumbed-person tries to manipulate the elements. Sometimes successfully. Sometimes not.
This blog.
A public, digital record of where the two meet.
The most recent photos of my gardening and greenery attempts:
I neglected to take photos of my Green Pepper Plant. It’s terribly wilted and I can’t seem to revive it. It’s still very green, just wilted. So maybe I didn’t forget to photograph it, so much as I don’t want evidence of my being a plant killer blackthumb.
There are only two tiny flowers blooming in the front window garden. Next year, I’ll remember to lay down some soil first and rake in the seeds. Even when the container says it’s okay to scatter upon dry ground. ‘Cuz that’s obviously not too true.
Are you a greenthumb? What’s your favorite plant?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jun 22, 2012 |
Nutcracker Not Included.
I love Louis L’Amour. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, this isn’t a surprise. But if you’re new, let me just state the obvious:
I love Louis L’Amour.
I named my newest Nutcracker after him. I collect Nutcrackers, and every holiday season my Mom lets me pick one for my Christmas gift. It’s been a tradition for about ten years now. Last year I couldn’t find any that I really wanted. Then suddenly one day, at the local Kohl’s Department Store and looking for something completely unrelated, I turned around and there he was. Rocking right at me.
There was no question. He was The One. Thankfully, Mom let me have him before Christmas, so I could enjoy his company. As you can see, Little Louis sits high on his ridge, overlooking the beautiful front vista of my little Bedford Manor.
So. Let me state again:
I love Louis L’Amour.
I love his style of writing. The infusion of history, environment, and emotion. His descriptions and dialogue are like no other. Which explains how the man could have written over 100 books in his lifetime and been the first novelist to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the United States, and is awarded to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.
Although L’Amour died in 1988, his stories and legend live on. Living in the civilized desert of Southern California, I’m struck by its beauty when I read his stories. I find myself lifting my eyes from the pages to look into the distant horizon. Could that be such a location I’ve been reading about? How many Cochise or Navajo or outlaws have walked across my yard, before it was my yard? Did my ancient Joshua Tree provide shelter and fruit for any struggling stranger? What did my area look like before it was a tame town?
I’ve been reading The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories. My mom, the avid reader that you’ve read about, picked up the book for herself last summer. When I “glanced” at it on her coffee table, I couldn’t put it down. So she lovingly bought me my own copy. I know: awwww! She’s cool like that, my mom is.
And while I haven’t finished reading; in fact, I put it aside through the winter… well, I just picked it up again and have made it my goal to finish by the end of June. I’m not a speed reader like my mom is, but I do certainly love the activity. Especially when it adds so much to my world.
The Creosote bush I photographed last week means more to me now. Almost every story has an amazing quote in it.
I want you to see more in the world around you. To discover the history of America’s wild west past.
So if you’d like your own copy of The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories, here’s how you enter to win a copy.
1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment on this post: Who is your favorite author? This entry is mandatory. If you don’t answer this question, all other entries are void. [Canadian entries only: Since I’m opening this giveaway to my Canadian friends as well, if you live in Canada your rules state you must answer a skills test in order to enter. So if you live in Canada and want to enter, you must correctly answer this question in your mandatory comment/entry: If I start the day with five apples and eat two, then later buy nine at the store, and the next day eat three more, how many apples do I have at the end of the second day?]
2. ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: You can earn up to four additional entries (for five entries total) by doing each of the following then leaving a comment here telling me you’ve done so. If you already do any of these things, that counts as an entry only if you post it in the comments. (Additional entries will be verified):
a. Follow me on Facebook and share this giveaway.
b. Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway.
c. Follow me on Pinterest and pin this giveaway.
d. Share this giveaway on your own blog and leave the link in the comments below.
Here’s the fine print:
MOJO BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY RULES FOR The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories:
1. This giveaway is solely through Molly Jo and the blog Frankly, My Dear…. There are no corporate sponsors and is in no way endorsed by any other person, business or entity.
2. Only legal citizens of the United States and Canada aged 18 years and older are eligible to win.
3. This giveaway begins at 5:30 a.m. PST on Friday, June 22, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, June 29, 2012.
4. Winner will be selected from all eligible comments on Saturday, June 30, 2012 through Random.org.
5. One prize consisting of a new edition of The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume One: The Frontier Stories will be given. No substitutions or transfers allowed.
6. Molly Jo and Frankly, My Dear… are not responsible for any damages that may occur during shipping.
7. You may comment as much as you like, but any comment/commenter that does not meet the requirements will be disqualified from this Giveaway.
8. By leaving your comment on this post, you agree to be bound by the rules of this giveaway in their entirety.
So there you are. Have fun, and good luck!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jun 21, 2012 |
I’ve been having fun with Photobucket lately. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s a great free online photo editing site.
You can upload your photos and change them completely. You can reverse images, colors, tones, hues, add borders and texts… in short, have fun!
The two I’ve been working on started as these originals:
and ended up with these great quote-photos I love!
The first quote is my favorite, from Louis L’Amour:
The second is something I posted on my personal facebook wall that was well received, so as a reminder to myself I made it into this photo. I took this photo at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA over a year ago. It was early morning, the sun was just beginning to show its light, and I’ll never forget the quiet beauty of that moment.
In the near future, I hope to have many more creative expressions. How do you express yourself? Leave a comment or even link up your posts on this week’s “What’s the Word?” Wednesday Blog Hop. Oh, yeah. That’s the very first photo editing I did.
Pretty cool, huh?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jun 20, 2012 |
So. Here’s the thing. The response to “What’s the Word?” Wednesday hasn’t been building as much as I’d like. But the permeating message I’ve come to understand and hold on to lately has been “patience” and “slow and steady”.
Just because I can’t see the fruits of my labor doesn’t mean there aren’t any. And so this week I invite you to leave your comments and links regarding anything you want to talk about. Have pets? Did someone make you smile? Need prayer? Write something deserving of attention? Prefer Pepsi over Coke?
I really look forward to reading what’s going on in your lives! I want to know what you want to read about, what’s going on in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhoods, who makes you happy…
My goal is to collect 20 comments/links before next week.
So c’mon. Spill your guts. Or not. Tell your secrets, or fluff. Whatever you want to share.
What’s the Word? Wednesdays is a linky that allows other bloggers to share whatever is on their minds that they want to talk about. Think of it as a virtual coffee date with some great friends.
What’s going on in your world? Tell us all about it!
A few things to remember:
- Each week’s linky is valid from Wednesday through the following Tuesday. So if you link a post today, you can still come back and link another post tomorrow!
- If you add a link, please put the badge on your post as well.
- Be sure to check out what others are posting, and even leave a few comments.
After all, a great coffee date is one where everyone gets to chat, dontcha think?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jun 20, 2012 |
[*This post was originally intended for Tuesday, June 19, 2012. At the time, I opted not to publish it.]
So. There’s this fluxuating see-saw inside of me. Do I write for the sake of writing, exposing you to dribble and drab? Or do I take a break and not post anything at all?
Either way is not a happy option for me. But right now I have nothing worth saying. All my words are tied up inside of me, and what I need to say can’t be spoken. What I want to say is senseless.
I recently promised you no more mundane posts. No more nothingness from the recesses of my mind.
So I have nothing. I have everything inside, and nothing I can share right now.
I apologize for that. But I thank you for continuing to read.
In the meantime, I’ll wrack my brain to come up with important, substantial writings.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll stay tuned.
Cuz I may have nothin’ right now. But it ain’t gonna stay that way for long!
And that’s a promise!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
