.

′′ And every time it seems impossible to take the next step, I seek to remember the countless blessings that have brought me this far.”
__ Ana Already

Text and image source: Mitra Shahidi https://www.facebook.com/100007738899262/posts/3036719976595936/

Since this series began in January 2018 there have been over 1100 Posts from Your Archives where bloggers have taken the opportunity to share posts to a new audience… mine.

The topics have ranged from travel, childhood, recipes, history, family and the most recent series was #PotLuck where I shared a random selection of different topics. This series is along the same lines… but is a ‘Lucky Dip’

In this series I will be sharing posts from the first six months of 2021 – details of how you can participate are at the end of the post.

This is the second post from author and publisher Claire Plaisted and it is a reminder that we need to set a worth on our work and that of others that reflect not just the finished project but all the work that goes into it… that includes writing books.

Know Your Worth…

I’m not fond of practical jokes. They’re usually performed by people – famous or next door – who you’d cross the street to avoid.

But there is a level of trickery that can be justified as long as one is prepared to face the consequences…and only as a matter of important principle.

My lovely wife, Bernie, would tell you that my most ‘celebrated’ example of this was during a holiday in Cyprus, many years ago. On the first morning, we awoke to find a parade of cats on the patio. Mindful that such places are full of hungry strays, we simply stared out of the patio doors at them.

Secure in the knowledge that they had our attention, most of them left; leaving an elegant ginger pair: father and son, to parade around our pool before junior was ceremoniously dumped on our doorstep as the ‘lion king’ went about his…

Since this series began in January 2018 there have been over 1100 Posts from Your Archives where bloggers have taken the opportunity to share posts to a new audience… mine.

The topics have ranged from travel, childhood, recipes, history, family and the most recent series was #PotLuck where I shared a random selection of different topics. This series is along the same lines… but is a ‘Lucky Dip’

In this series I will be sharing posts from the first six months of 2021 – details of how you can participate are at the end of the post.

This is the first post from children’s author and travel blogger Darlene Foster and was published on January 1st 2021 and was a summary of Darlene’s goals and their achievement for 2020…Like most of us, Darlene met some stumbling blocks due to Covid but still did an amazing job of keeping on track…

Since this series began in January 2018 there have been over 1100 Posts from Your Archives where bloggers have taken the opportunity to share posts to a new audience… mine.

The topics have ranged from travel, childhood, recipes, history, family and the most recent series was #PotLuck where I shared a random selection of different topics. This series is along the same lines… but is a ‘Lucky Dip’

In this series I will be sharing posts from the first six months of 2021 – details of how you can participate are at the end of the post.

This is the first post by Abbie Johnson Taylor and in this post she shares a short story that illustrates the need to be careful when sending gifts….

Just My Luck by Abbie Taylor

The weekend after I was laid off from my job as a guidance counselor at the local high school…

The School Marm

*by Winslow Parker and Joan Myles*

TSM 7

“First, you must tell me why I should not call you ‘Birdie’”

“Well, it’s a long….” Began her aunt. She was interrupted by curses, the sound of galloping horses, then a single pistol shot.

“Oh, my goodness!” cried Mrs. Krane. She rushed to the front window and stared in disbelief. “Oh, Jonathan !” she wailed, opened the front door and rushed out.

Lucy moved through the door, quickly assessing the tableau. None but Mrs. Krane moved. Within the half-circle of mounted horsemen, Reverend Krane lay face down in the dust of the street. Blood pumped from a hole in his back.

Beatrice released her apron, folded it three times and pressed it against the wound. She could feel no breath, no pulse.

When she regained her own breath, she demanded, “What happened? Who did this?”

The horsemen, in unison…

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a cancer recovery retreat in the Lake Logan North Carolina area hosted by Casting Carolinas. Casting Carolinas is a non-profit organization that offers one-day and three-day retreats for women surviving all types of cancers. They use their own unique F.L.O.W. program that combines fly fishing instruction with medical education and mindfulness, teaching survivors skills to help them deal more effectively with the emotional effects of cancer and survivorship.

To say that I was extremely excited for the retreat is a gross understatement. I had originally been chosen to attend in October 2020, but due to unforeseen circumstances of a pandemic, the retreat had to be cancelled indefinitely. Sigh.I would remain on the waiting list to be contacted when things opened back up. When the email came through in June stating they were opening up registration again for an October 2021 retreat, I was…

Note: This book review was posted here several years ago. Recently, the author, whom I’ve known for quite some time, passed away after a long battle with cancer. I’m reposting this, with some slight changes, in her memory.

***

The Demmies: A Novel

By Ann K. Parsons

Copyright 2017.

Buy from Smashwords.

Fast forward to the year 2050. Demmies are what Randy Newman could have meant by “Short People.” These genetically engineered human beings are no more than two feet tall, and as a result, their bodily functions are different from ours. However, they have voices and minds just like we do and can live, love, and think just like the rest of us.

For years, Alex Kenyon and his family have been birds in a gilded cage, living in a luxurious doll house in a lab in Houston, Texas. By day, they are celebrities, promoting the cause of…

Delighted to share the news of the latest poetry anthology to hit the shelves – Word Weaving #1: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse – The Moons of Autumn. – Colleen Chesebro and other Poets

About the collection

Word Weaving is a yearly poetry journal, and for our first issue, we bring you poetry crafted from a broad mix of new and established voices across the spectrum of Japanese and American syllabic poetry forms. Enjoy this collection of poems that celebrate the Moons of Autumn.

Contributing Poets:

Annette Rochelle Aben, Mona Bedi,  Nancy Brady, Colleen M. Chesebro, Goutam Dutta, Bill Engleson, Elizabeth F., Andrea Finichiu, D.L. Finn, Jeff Flesch, Ken Gierke, Franci Hoffman, Thom Kerr, Sujata Khanna, Ruth Klein, Jules Paige, D. Wallace Peach, Gwen M. Plano, M. J. Mallon, R.V. Mitchell, Elaine Patricia Morris, Lisa Smith Nelson, Pat Raffington, Susmita Ramani, Kerfe Roig, Aishwarya Saby, Akhila Siva…