It’s been very quiet here on the blog in recent weeks and and it’s blessedly quiet here at the Writing Castle right now.  I had some construction going on for the past couple of weeks, which means the daylight hours have been filled with the sounds of sawing, hammering, and workers talking back and forth.  The results have been worth it, but I’m definitely enjoying the sounds of silence for now.

The other Eight Ladies have been busily writing away during the blog’s quiet period and you can see the results of those efforts on their author pages out on Amazon.   I just picked up Kay’s latest book–Ms. Trust (A Venus and Mars Affair)–the other day and am looking forward to reading it this weekend.  If the cover is any indication, it will be a fun story.

If you are reading this on October 15th, it’s “National Mammography Day”.  Consider this a friendly reminder to make sure to get your regularly scheduled mammograms.  Early detection can truly be a life saver.

Every year on the third Friday in October, National Mammography Day joins in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This day serves as a reminder to all women that the best defense is early detection. A mammogram can often detect a problem before there is any outward physical sign. Visit your doctor and set up a mammogram.

Encourage loved ones in your life to also schedule a mammogram. Know your family history and share it with your physician. Some with high risk will need to have their first mammography sooner. Use #NationalMammographyDay to post on social media.

For the next few days I’ll be celebrating a few days off of work.  With no on-going construction distractions and some lovely weather in the forecast, I’ll be heading outside for a little mental and physical recharging.  And then there are those new books just clamoring for my attention.  Decisions, decisions.

Whatever I wind up doing with my time off, I plan to pour myself a glass of homemade lemonade and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try after work.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

If you are reading this on October 8th, can you believe there are only 84 days left in the year?

That has to be a mistake, because I’ve got a 2021 ToDo list that has far too many unfinished items remaining for it to be anything other than June . . . or maybe March.

I think I’ll distract myself with “National Fluffernutter Day”.  Although I can’t say I’ve ever tried a marshmallow and peanut butter sandwich, I guess there is always a first time.  Right?

In 1917, Archibald Query of Somerville, Massachusetts invented a sweet marshmallow-like spread called Marshmallow Creme. Before that, in 1913 during World War I, Emma and Amory Curtis of Melrose, Massachusetts invented Snowflake Marshmallow Creme. And then they published a recipe for a peanut butter and marshmallow creme sandwich, the earliest known example of a Fluffernutter.  Where did the term “Fluffernutter” come from? Well, the advertising agency for Durkee-Mower created it in 1960 in an attempt to effectively market the peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

Now that I think about it, perhaps I’ll just celebrate regular old peanut butter and jelly sandwich day.  I’m not sure I’m adventurous enough for the addition of Marshmallow Creme.

Whatever I wind up celebrating today, I plan to make myself a warm beverage (it’s gotten quite chilly here) and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try after work.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Friday and “National Homemade Cookies Day” (if you’re reading this on October 1st).

Can you smell them now?  Will it be peanut butter, chocolate chip, or snickerdoodle? Whatever the recipe you mix up, enjoying them fresh from the oven with a cold glass of milk and family will make National Homemade Cookies Day even better.  Experiment by trying a new recipe or maybe an old one to share fond memories with the next generation.  If you are looking for an excuse to bake some homemade cookies, look no further. Package them up and share them with neighbors, co-workers, and friends!  

I’ve always been a fan of cookies though I generally only bake them around the holidays.  If I baked more often then that there wouldn’t be enough hours in the day for me to work them off on the elliptical machine.  Peanut butter cookies are my favorites.  Or maybe thumbprints with jam.  Shortbread is right up there too.

Perhaps it would be better for me to celebrate “World Smile Day.”  I’m pretty sure that is calorie-free.

Currently I’m celebrating “The Sound of Silence” — I’m having some house repair work done and it seems to involve a lot of loud pounding as well as a plethora of power tools.  The end result will no doubt be delightful, but the path to get there is quite distracting.

Perhaps after my work day is over and the crew has gone home, I’ll pour myself a refreshing G&T and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Can you believe summer is over already?  At least that’s what the calendar says.  The weather report begs to differ.  It definitely still feels like weather for shorts, bare feet, and a refreshing beverage.

Anyway, Happy Friday and Happy “National Punctuation Day” (if you’re reading this on September 24th).  Punctuation seems like a good thing for writers to celebrate.  You can completely change the meaning of a sentence by just playing with the punctuation.

National Punctuation Day commemorates all punctuation on September 24th. A period, a comma, a semicolon, a question mark and an exclamation point are examples of some of the punctuation used in writing. They separate sentences and their elements to clarify meaning.  Without them, meaning would be lost or up for interpretation.

I found a website that had a variety of suggestions for how to celebrate the day.  My favorite is:

“Determine which of your contracts for insurance, warranties, or service have a misplaced comma that might be to your benefit.”

If punctuation is not your area of interest, it’s also “National Cherries Jubilee Day”.  If you decide to give that a try, just be careful not to set the house on fire when setting the brandy aflame.

That would totally ruin dessert.

I’ll be spending the day at work and, if all goes well, seeing if I can get the paint sprayer that has been stored in the garage for decades to work.  I’m hoping for success, since house-painting with a roller is a very slow process.

Or maybe I’ll just read the new book that just popped up in my library queue.  Whatever I wind up doing, I’ll make sure to take a break and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy “National Apple Dumpling Day” (if you’re reading this on September 17th) or maybe just Happy Friday.

There is a local apple fair that’s held north of here every year and the apple dumpling stall is always packed with happy customers.  I’ve missed going to that fair during this endless time of Covid.  Perhaps next year we’ll all be able to enjoy apple dumplings, fresh pressed apple cider, and all the other delightful apple goodies once again.

For now, maybe it’s safer to celebrate “National Professional House Cleaners Day” instead.

This day of recognition celebrates a career many overlook or take for granted. While not everyone hires a Professional Cleaner, they do impact our lives in some way. Nearly every business we frequent and apartment building rented hires professional cleaners. The industry also employs approximately 3.25 million people creating a positive economic impact on the marketplace.

I may not be celebrating house cleaners today, but I may very well celebrate “house siding repair people”–well, maybe I’ll hold off celebrating until they finish their work.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my own work today and then getting started on the prep work so I can re-paint my front porch.  Having a house is a wonderful thing, but it does require a bit of maintenance now and again.  With the season starting to take a turn for the chillier, it’s time start taking care of all the outside jobs that need doing.

Somewhere along the line I’ll make sure to take a break and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy “National TV Dinner Day” (if you’re reading this on September 10th) or maybe just Happy Friday.

I remember eating Swanson TV Dinners as a kid, mostly their pot pies, since those had the best low-cost to fill-you-up ratio.  Looking back, they were probably loaded with calories and salt, but at the time they were a bit of a treat.

It’s also “National Swap Ideas Day”, which sounds a bit more appropriate for a writing blog.

National Swap Ideas Day, which is observed annually on September 10th, encourages us to share a creative or helpful idea with someone and trade them for their thoughts in return.  This observance urges sharing concepts and sparking ideas. Many of us are passionate about our careers, hobbies, or special projects. However, sometimes, we require the additional magic that happens when a community of people joins forces to bring a plan to fruition.

Sounds like a good excuse to call or visit a friend and “swap ideas” over some snacks and a nice refreshing beverage.

I’ll be at work all day, so not much opportunity for idea swapping, but maybe something will turn up unexpectedly.  Otherwise, once I finish with work, I’ll be out in the backyard disassembling the portion of my deck that seems to be attempting to disassemble itself. Or maybe I’ll just skip that, pour a glass of fresh-made lemonade (I’ve perfected my recipe), and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

If you’re reading this on Friday (September 3rd) then happy “National Welsh Rarebit Day”.  Growing up, I always read that as “Welsh Rabbit”, though I wasn’t too far off base.

On September 3rd, National Welsh Rarebit Day whips up a tasty and satisfying snack. What is a rarebit? The cheesy toast was originally called Rabbit in a tongue-in-cheek way in the Welsh language because there is no rabbit in the meal. Similar to mock turtle soup having no turtle in it, Welsh rarebit does not contain rabbit. Instead, this dish is made with toast that has hot cheese poured over it. Over time, the dish became known as Welsh Rarebit – a nod to the inside joke.

If you’re not a fan of bread and cheese–crazy as that may be–you could do a good turn for someone in need and celebrate “National Food Bank Day” instead.  Whichever you choose to do, someone will get a meal out of it.

Unless I get distracted by something bright and shiny, I’ll be spending at least part of my day building a rolling garden cart for the yard so that I have a place to store flower pots, garden tools, and assorted other gardening stuff.  I’m re-purposing a bunch of random wood and some wheels from my dad’s old workshop–fingers crossed that it all works out for the best and no injuries ensue.

There’s always a first time.

Assuming I still have all ten-fingers in prime working condition after my building project, I’ll be pouring a glass of fresh-made lemonade (I’m still working on perfecting my recipe) and giving today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Last Friday in August!  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  I think of summer as 4just beginning, but the back-to-school supplies and Halloween costumes in the local store paint a different picture.

I’m writing this post on Thursday evening in the remaining hours of “National Dog Day”–one of my favorite day.  My Facebook feed has been full of pictures of dogs, including a few of my own from years past, which provides a welcome distraction from the negative events of the day.

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 27th), then it’s ‘National Just Because Day”, which kind of sounds like a way of saying “we couldn’t think of anything specific to celebrate on this day.”  

“In the late 1950s, Joseph J. Goodwin of Los Gatos, California created Just Because Day. It began as a family holiday and grew into an annual celebration across the United States. National Just Because Day offers up an opportunity to do stuff…just because.  Feel free to celebrate this day any way you choose.  Just because!”

Feel free to interpret the day however you see fit; I’ll probably still be scrolling through dog pictures.

I’ll actually be spending part of my day going to my physical office.  Though we’re continuing to work remotely, there are occasionally some things that I need from the office that I didn’t think to bring home 18 months ago.  I’m hoping my trip will be brief and that I’ll be able to time it so that I can get there and home before the Friday afternoon traffic starts to pile up.

Once I’ve wrapped things up in the office, successfully made it home, and possibly even enjoyed a refreshing adult beverage, I plan to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

The days are just flying by!

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 20th), then today is “Lemonade Day”–a tasty observance, just perfect for sunny summer days.  My lemon tree in the backyard is flourishing, with lemons the size of grapefruits, so Lemonade Day is definitely something I’ll have no trouble celebrating.  It’s also “National Bacon Lover’s Day”, so perhaps I’ll pair a glass of lemonade with a nice Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwich and make a double celebration out of it.

Suddenly I’m looking forward to the day with much more enthusiasm than usual.

This is a regular working Friday for me because I forgot to calendar myself out of the office this week.  That’s probably all for the best since I have edits to make on the article I’ve written for the Day Job and they need to be done by Monday to allow time for the necessary bureaucratic review.  Once that is finalized I have a new blooming vine from the local garden center that needs planting and coaxing around a trellis before it gives up on me and starts taking things into its own hands . . . I mean tendrils.  

Somewhere along the line, I plan to take a break, grab a frosty glass of lemonade and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Friday! 

I hope you enjoyed the Eight Ladies Serial story that we wrapped up on Monday.  It was fun to watch the story develop day after day and great to see how much creativity we were able to pull out of a set of random words for each installment.

Now that those characters are off living their best lives, it’s time for the rest of us to get back to writing.  And what better way than with a writing prompt and a whole new set of random words.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing this week, though not of the fictional kind.  I’m writing an article for my day job, which may not have a hero and heroine battling through conflicts and obstacles, but it has certainly required quite a bit of creativity and storytelling skills.

I think happily-ever-afters are more my style.

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 13th), then today is “International Lefthanders Day”–an observance I am particularly fond of, being of the lefthanded persuasion.  I remember how thrilled I was as a kid when I got my first pair of left-handed scissors and found an entire store just dedicated to left-handed stuff. Amazing!

Wonder what it’s like to see the world from a “left-handed” point of view? On International Lefthanders Day, August 13, you get to explore that world for a day. Did you know Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were all left-handed?  Rock out with Paul McCartney or Jimi Hendrix, the world’s greatest left-handed guitarist.  (Stevie Ray Vaughan, born right-handed, learned to play a left-handed guitar like his hero, Hendrix). There’s also Oprah Winfrey,  Julia Roberts and Lady Gaga, left-handers all.  In baseball, there were the legendary “southpaws,  Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.  International Lefthanders Day 2021 will be observed on the 13th of August to celebrate the differences and distinctiveness of left handed individuals.

Once I finish my work article and perhaps take a break to enjoy a refreshing adult beverage, I plan to take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.

Care to join me? Continue reading →