Sunday, November 30, 2008

The day after Thanksgiving feast

We went to my son Pat's the day after Thanksgiving. He cooked a turkey that had not been frozen. It was very good. We also had a beef roast. My grandson baked three pies, apple pumpkin and lemon . They were all very good.They have a wii and I went bowling. I didn't play but they also played football. Maggie came with us and was for the most part good. My grandson took out his pet snake and put it on his head. Maggie wanted to get it. We brought a stake and chain to put her outside. One time it was not on right and one of the grandkids went to walk around the house, and she followed. He went in not knowing she was there. She decided to check out the neighborhood. Pennie notice she wasn't on the chain, and called her back.The day was very nice but my son Pat got sick probably nerves and my daughter got the flu.Dr John is still recovering from the long ride.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Raven 41

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: posthumous, flagrant, seven days a week, cheese and crackers, pyramid, civil war, clarinet, microwave, absent without leave, blue jeans

Mini Challenge: sugar-coated, thermometer, tractor pull, evangelical, masquerade

The Ten Word Challenge
Mark had been envisioning the meeting with Captain Clark since the teams return. It was a flagrant breaking of the rules for him to shapeshift . Not the Spaceship rules and not Earth's rules, but rules made by the Captain, his adoptive father, and him. It was for his protection for people could be cruel to those who were different.There would be a consequence for breaking the rule, and it would not be eating cheese and crackers for seven days a week. His greatest fear was that he would be sent to the Zonics home planet where he had never been ,to his people he had never seen. They were not meeting in the office but in the Captains residence. The Captain was dress in blue jeans and a tee shirt with a clarinet painted on it. He so wanted to be absent with out leave. Dr Peterson entered the room. Mark could feel his anger and fear. He had lodged the complaint against Mark. Dr Peterson was holding a object pointed at Mark that looked like a pyramid. . Mark knew that he had contracted with a weapons expert to build a weapon that would be able to kill a Zonic. The weapon was to use some kind of microwave ray. Would his report of the Linx be read posthumously. There was the mystery of the human contact with the Linx still to solve. Was there a civil war? The anger was directed at the Captain. The fear was toward Mark.

" How could you knowing the suffering our family went though at the hands of the Zonics, harbor one.? I have written so much on the danger of one Zonic in our universe. It will be you who will lead to the destruction of our freedom. Get him off our ship and out of our universe."
Captain Clark responded" Mark is my son and has a place on this ship. How comfortable would you have felt knowing the truth? Has he at any time given you a reason to be concerned about your safety?"

Mark spoke up,"I have saved you a number of times."The captain gave him a look that said be quiet. Mark was not concerned about the weapon pointed at him. He could easily put it out of commission, but he was concerned about his fathers need to punish him for breaking the rule. Dr Peterson was a well known scientists. He was a man that he admired. There was no question that his recklessness was responsible for putting his father in a precarious situation. Just as his father turned to Mark there was an explosion and the ship was hit. A voice was heard asking for the captain to return to duty.

"We will have to settle this later. Get to safety immediately."The captain ,although needed ,took the time to put on a uniform . He felt he needed the uniform for respect.


The Mini Challenge
It was not the noise that made Sandy Shore want to turn down an invitation to the tractor pull, but the fear that the pesky penguin would show up. There was no telling what that bird would do. On thinking her decision over, Sandy considered she could masquerade as a contestant in the pull. She was making up her mind when the doorbell rang. She looked out the peep hole in the door and saw Jeff. Oh boy. She gabbed a thermometer placed it in her mouth and pulled an afghan off the couch wrapping it around her. She unlocked and opened the door.
"I am not feeling well so I can not accept your invitation,"she lied.
There was no sugar coated pill she could take. Jeff became evangelical in wanting Sandy to go to the tractor pull. Reluctantly she left with Jeff to go to the pull, on alert for the penguin.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy 'Thanksgiving


Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. May you have a great day.

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Week in Review

Last week I helped my daughter make learning posters for the Christmas program. She was helping he choir directer who does the Christmas program. The simple way to do the posters is to write on the poster board the song words. Pennie got a Cricut for Christmas and had not been able to use it as much as she would like. She decided that this would be the perfect time to use it. The Cricut cuts out forms out of paper etc. The Cricut was set to cut light material. She did not understand that and had a few failures before the setting was correct for cutting out construction paper letters. The next problem she faced was the size of the letters. We wanted them big enough to be seen by all the students, but the least amount of poster board used. I took the cut letters from the paper and at the beginning because we didn't have the setting correct it was time consuming. We had managed by Saturday night to have two songs on large poster boards. It was 2:00 AM before we could go to bed.

Dr John and I worked also on the train layout and got nine packages out on EBay and sold.

Back to the posters. They got used but as they were used the letters would come off. Pennie came home on Sunday and in the afternoon got all the songs on small er poster boards{easier to hold up]. She used the simple method of just writing the words on the poster board. She has them all ready for next week. She learned a great deal about the Cricut's use.

We got our first significant snow fall today.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Raven's

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.
Ten words: pipe organ, ravages of time, lottery tickets, angelic music, five x five, boxes of books, flattery will get you nowhere, yodelling, pig tails, knitting needles

Mini challenge: canary yellow, grizzly bear, out of the frying pan into the fire, simpleton, Ministry of Crazy Walks

The Flicks
Ten Word Challenge
Mark in the form of the giant thin green bipedal humanoid creature, engaged a pair in conversation. Another gift he had was that after listening to a conversation for a little while he knew the language. The pair were heading to the palace. No one prevented him from entering with the pair. There was angelic music being played by a pipe organ. He looked around and he could not see the pipe organ. The room was spacious . It had marble tile with beautiful mosaics on the wall. The room was attractive but showed the ravages of time. The organ stopped, and then he jumped because there came a sound that he had only heard from Carol Burnett on old CDs. There was someone yodelling. Out from a sliding door came a creature like the others but smaller in pigtails. The pair bowed to the smaller creature. Mark followed their lead bowing also. The creature with the pigtails walked past them and the pair followed, and so did Mark. She walked to another sliding door. The door opened to a five x five room with a box of books and another box of what looked to Mark like large human dolls. The pigtailed creature pulled out of the box three dolls. The creature then went to the box of books and sorted through the books finding two and taking them. She then walked passed them and the three followed. Mark was silent as the other two discussed as they followed that the Princess was "Not right" because she was obsessed with the belief that something looking like the dolls did exist.

Mark had learned that the creatures were called Linx. Their names were Let and Sut, and the Princess's father wanted the two body guards to stop his daughters belief in what Mark knew to be humans. As they made their trek toward the waterfall that Eric and his father were hiding behind ,Let and Sut argued over who would be the best in convincing the Princess. Each one was trying to convince the other that the other would do the better job. After Let described Sut's amazing verbal abilities, Let said"Flattery will get get you nowhere." Sut finally agreed to explain to the Princess that the beings she had dolls of, did not exists. He made no head way.

Eric had spent the time of their hiding telling his father Dr Peterson that Mark was not a threat. They had known Mark for sixteen years and no one had been hurt. Dr Peterson argued that Zonics are powerful and that Mark alone could destroy the ship and its inhabitants. Eric as he talked to his father check the court yard. He saw three giant figures and a shorter one approach the waterfall.
"They are coming this way,"whispered Eric.Dr. Peterson and his son ran back to the fake living area. They hid behind the couch and just in time. The four came into the room. The shorter one with pigtails placed the dolls it was holding on to chairs around the table. It spoke to them, brought over the fake food seeming to be pretending like a human child with dolls. One of the dolls which had grey hair, had a ball of yarn and knitting needles. The smaller creature then moved the dolls to chairs facing the fake TV. The creature with the pigtails went to a pocket of the doll which looked like an older human male. It pulled out what looked like lottery tickets. It then bounced the dolls up and down raising their arms. It was then that three of the Linx froze, and Mark shapeshifted into Mark the human.
"Lets get out of here now," he said.
Eric and his father did not argue but left the way they had originally came in. They were not met by the wild dogs , and they move quickly and silently to their space shuttle. Each one was thinking about all that had transpired on this excursions.

Mini Challenge : Sandy's Date

Sandy had no idea how unusual her date with Jeff , the B movie star was going to be. They left the movie set ,and drove to a park near the lake they were filming. There was a small hut at the entrance. It said in bold letters above the door Ministry of Crazy Walks. Jeff picked up a map and paid the entrance fee. They began walking on the path when Sandy almost fainted for there was that penguin with the cinnamon floppy hat, and wearing a canary yellow jacket. The penguin waved at Sandy. Jeff said nothing. She grabbed Jeff's arm tugging on his navy jacket.
"Do You see it? Do you see it?"
"See it? what?
"The penguin in the yellow jacket and a cinnamon floppy hat?"
"What are you talking about? I don't see anything. Wait, there is some thing behind that rock. It is." He walked closer, Sandy followed close behind, but the penguin was not behind a rock. It was beside them.
"It is a grizzly bear"
They were about to run, when it rotated to the side.
" It is a fake bear. Brave me I feel like a simpleton. Nothing to fear from a fake bear."
" But what about the penguin?"
" A penguin? I don't see a penguin."
" Then there was a roar, a lion was charging them. Jeff was pulling Sandy. He saw a brick building ahead. He hoped they were close enough to get there before the lion. Sandy saw the penguin beside her then ahead of her. The penguin went in ahead of them. Sandy closed the door leaning against it trying to catch her breath. Jeff was leaning over trying to catch his breath. Sandy heard the penguin chuckling.
"What are you laughing at. you ran too."
"I am not laughing." said Jeff
Just then they heard the flutter of wings and a giant bird flew at them. It was out of the frying pan into the fire. The bird was on a string hanging from the ceiling. It seems that the animals they were meeting were models. The penguin was still there, and Sandy knew it was not a model or was it. Jeff and Sandy decided it was time to end their first date. Jeff left Sandy off at her place, quickly driving away after a short kiss.The future of this pair did not look so good.

Sunday, November 16, 2008



Sandy Shore could not believe how fortune had gone her way. She landed the leading role . She was kissing the leading man Jeff Hurtz. The film was being filmed on Lone Lake. A beautiful secluded lake in the mountains. The shot had to be taken several times, which Sandy was enjoying as she sat in the light blue convertible. Was that thunder she heard . She looked up into sky to see the dark thickening clouds. She thought nasty thoughts toward the heavens. She gave Jeff a questioning look. Would they have to stop the filming? She knew they would because the scene did not call for rain or storm and the lighting would not be right. Sandy’s fortune had turned suddenly she thought. Jeff gallantly escorted her out of the convertible.. They ran as the rain drops started to fall toward the main lodge, The filming crew joined them in the scramble for shelter. All were drenched by the time they entered . The noise from the excited voices was deafening . She looked at Jeff and was hoping that her disappointment was not showing. Jeff and Sandy walked toward the back of the room passing around the beautiful but fake wedding cake. In the movie script, they were to be married but never had a honeymoon because some monster from the lake attacks them. They sat at a decorated table. Passing the time they talked about from where they came and general get to know more about you information. An announcement came that there would be no more shooting for the day. The crowd slowly cleared the room. The two continued in conversation. The next day they would be filming again and Sandy was glad for that but she was glad also for the time of not filming. The rain was not unfortunate , but she continued in her good fortune. She had a date.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Raven's Challenge

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: palace, hypocrite, canned air, telephone, biscuit, pinball, acorn, customary, fruit juice, waterfall

Mini Challenge: buyer's remorse, lava, haphazard, mildew, soup to nuts

The team feeling they were out of danger examined the underground room more carefully only to discover things were not as they appeared. Yes there were computers, a microwave, beds, a telephone, and even a pinball machine. Eric walked over to the computers and picked up the cords they were not plugged in. Mark went over to the phone, and it had a cord not plugged in. Dr Peterson examined the walls and there were no outlets. Dr Peterson opened the small refrigerator. It was stocked with food. There was a glass bottle of fruit juice. Dr Peterson picked the bottle up and shook it. The juice did not move."It is fake,"he said. "Everything is fake." Looking up at the ceiling cameras were located in four locations. Were they real or fake? There was a fake biscuit on the table. It sure looked real. Eric was hungry but he guessed he would have to eat the rations he took with him from the space ship. Both he and his father reached for their back pack at the same time. To get to the food rations the canned air had to be removed. Mark did not notice the eating pair as he continued on his search of the room. He did find a real acorn. He picked it up and put it in his pack for storage. Mark noticed that there was a wall switch. He went over and pulled the switch expecting it to be fake also, but was surprised to see the wall open. There was a tall narrow hallway. "People come check this out ,"he shouted at the other team members. Eric and his father stuffed the food into their mouths and quickly picked up the remaining items putting them into their backpacks. They examined the opening leading into the hallway. The hallway was lit which caused them to be cautious.



They did not follow their customary order, but Mark led the way. Mark made the comment that he was the brave one. Then he felt like a hypocrite because he had the feeling that he could handle any situation because of his abilities. He made no apology. They followed the hallway and it was about a half mile long. Then it came to the end, it just stopped and they were standing and looking at a wall. There was a plate on the wall, which Mark touched and a door slid open and they were standing behind a large waterfall. Before them was a large court yard with what looked like marble pathways winding among fountains.and waterfalls. There was a green tint giving a peaceful feeling. There were tall,giant size, biped creatures walking about the courtyard. " This looks like a palace," said Mark. Unthinking he shapeshifted into the form of the creatures roaming about. Eric and his father moved back into the hallway just enough to hide themselves. "Oh great" said Eric. His father was flustered. "Whats going on?" Eric looked at his fathers face and wondered if this was the time to reveal Mark was a Zonic. Mark had moved quickly on to walking with the tall creatures and conversing with them. Eric was in a spot.


Mini challenge;


While out driving Sandy Shore saw a quaint little shop on the side of the road. She stopped and went in. There was a slight mildew smell. The shop had a every item from soup to nuts. They were not neatly arranged but they were haphazard. She could not believe again what she was seeing. The penguin with the Cinnamon floppy hat was picking up a blue lava lamp. She was not sure what to do. Sandy picked out a sugar and creamer and headed to the register to talk to the clerk. She put down the sugar and creamer taking out of her purse a wallet to pay ,bending over toward the clerk and whispered" do you see a penguin in a floppy hat?" "What?" said the short gray haired clerk. The clerks voice was loud . "Shush . Do you see a penguin?" asked Sandy. "No I don't have penguins" Frustrated Sandy paid for her sugar and creamer hoping she would not have buyer's remorse. Sandy watched as the lava lamp in the penguins hands left the shop. The clerk move quickly as she could from behind the counter running after the penguin holding the lamp. The penguin moved faster than the clerk. "Did you see that?" " The lamp floated . "I have a ghost. A fast ghost. I have to call Ghost Hunters." Sandy left the shop looking for the penguin. It had vanished ,if it was ever really there.

3rd Wordzzles

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.
Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: France, cold weather, backhoe, light and shadow, Humane society, ambivalent, “Happy Birthday, Sarah Jane,” Martians, Thanksgiving Day Parade, green eyes

Mini Challenge: she’ll be comin' round the mountain when she comes, pumpkin pie, yellow jacket, short-changed, life after 50




Ten Word Challenge:




Dr Peterson despite his problems of fear of Zonics, wanted to get another research project in before the cold weather came to the planet Harper. Mark and Eric were back at loading the shuttle, and Dr Peterson was in the lab . With only Eric there Mark felt free to use his ability to move objects with his mind, and the job was going quickly. Over the speaker came a Happy Birthday,Sarah Jane. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "I don't know Sarah Jane, but have a Happy Birthday",said Mark. Happy Birthday, Sarah Jane",repeated Eric.

Wearing spacesuits the team left the shuttle. They roamed about , and saw an object sitting in a field. It was large, and had a large appendage. It appeared to be metal. "What is that?" exclaimed Mark. The light and shadow made it look like a monster. "It is Martians"said Eric faking his fear, with wide green eyes. "It is a backhoe, said Dr Peterson. "A what?" question Mark. "A backhoe . A machine used in construction many years ago,"said Dr Peterson. The team approached the machine and examined it. They found the words made in France printed on it. It was rusty and looked to be abandoned for a long time.

The team continued to investigate the surrounding area. As they walked they heard a loud snap. Mark immediately used his ability to read minds to search for intelligent thought., other than human. He picked up nothing. He lead the team forward assuming they had nothing to fear.The terrain became more hilly, and more densely forested. He did begin to pick up images of them moving. Something was encircling them. He felt the hunger of those encircling him. The others heard the low growling, then saw the matted frames of dogs of differing breeds. There must have been thirty or so, to many to shoot with their guns.They were menacing. Mark saw that the earlier snap was not the dogs ,but a way to open a door in the hill ahead. "Follow Me," he said. He led them to and through the door, using his ability to freeze movement to stop the dogs. Dr Peterson was concerned about his own safety and didn't stop to think how they got by the dogs. Mark whispered to Eric "I think the Humane Society would be ambivalent to my treatment of the dogs."


The team found themselves in a large underground room. The room was equipped with antique computers and other equipment. They found another room with beds, and another room with table and chairs and a microwave. It looked like this was the living quarters of humanoids from some where. Earth? " I feel that I could have a Thanksgiving Day Parade to celebrate a place of safety. But are we safe. What happened to those who lived here?" Mark whispered again to Eric," You are always safe in my hands" Eric nodded but he was not so sure.


Mini Challenge:

Sandy Shore bought a piece of pumpkin pie, and sat at the counter in the diner. She felt the waitress had short changed her. She asked and so she had. Things were made right. Sandy felt well dressed in her new yellow jacket but paranoid because she was continually looking out the window and at the door waiting for the penguin with the cinnamon colored hat to appear. To keep her mind sane she bought a magazine with an article in it Life after 50. The radio must have been playing real oldies for she heard, She'll be comin'round the mountain when she comes. It had been many years since she sang that song, when she was at 4H club. She went back to reading her magazine. The radio began broadcasting the news, when she heard someone humming She'll be comin'round the mountain when she comes. Looking up next to her sat that penguin. She shook her head. Impossible, penguins can't live like this. What made it more strange is that the waitress did not seem to see the penguin just like the salesperson had not seen the penguin. What should she do?

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Peace

I forgot about the Peace Day. The day has almost gone so I am going to say May the Lord give you peace. May it not be peace without war but an inner peace also.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

word challenge Picture

Today I face another Raven's Challenge.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: squeaky toy, perpendicular, olives, shanty, howling at the moon, soul, bow and arrow, uniform, statistics, praying mantis

Mini Challenge: glamour, rocking chair, cormorant, objective, symbolism


Veronica was glad she had accepted the invitation to the Fall Art Show. She passed up the table of goodies although she could hear their call. She noticed a bowl of salad on which there were black olives arranged in the likeness of a spider. She felt that was an unusual item, but it was close to Halloween. She walked slowly down the aisle examining the art displays,
they were not placed in uniform perpendicular lines , but in clusters. She wondered if where they were placed drew people to them. She did not have any statistics but at craft sales the best booth was near the door. A painting caught her eye. What caught her attention was a large full moon. There was a gray wolf howling at the moon. The wolf was silhouetted against the moon with its head raised. At the wolf's left side was a shanty. The shanty's door was ajar and a dark figure held a bow and arrow. In front of the raised foot of the dark figure was a squeaky toy. That was not the only detail that was unusual, but among the tall grass surrounding the shanty and wolf on one blade was a praying mantis. She knew in her soul that if this was a motion picture the noise of the squeaky toy would throw off the aim of the dark figure sending the praying mantis and wolf in different directions, and the wolf would be safe. You could feel the tension looking at the picture. Veronica then moved on to the next cluster of art objects, but wondered if that picture would be something she would want in her house. It would be a talking piece.




Five word paragraph


Sandy Shore could not find the glamour that was supposed to be in going to the beach. That penguin with the cinnamon floppy hat sat in the only rocking chair. Sandy's objective now was to get into that rocking chair. She tried bribing with fresh fish ,but the penguin sat firm. Sandy felt that the cormorant flying over head, and pooping was a symbolism of her stay at the beach.