Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Quotable Quotes Quoth the Witch

One of my long-time blogging friends is hosting this week...Dear Dear Robin. This gal has made me giggle and spew my morning coffee more times than I can count. She is a gifted writer who shares thought-provoking vignettes that I have copied to remind me about priorities. Her melt-away mints are scrump-delish-e-oso. Whenever I need a lift, I can always visit her place and find one there. (And, no, I'm not talking about a bra either.) Everytime I dig through my trash to recycle, I think of her. (S.P.E.A.R. Challenge 2006) Yes, she is the best trashy blogbud anyone could ask for. She celebrated her birthday yesterday. Happy Happy Birthday, Robin.

There is no doubt in my mind that someday we will meet.

Here's what she has to say about our challenge today:

Quotable quotes and words that inspire.

Perhaps it's due to the current series simmering in the ol' PENSIEVE...maybe it's because I'm inspired by the words of those much wiser than me...or I wonder if it's because I believe in the POWER of words (in keeping with my "image-bearer of God status", who also must believe in the power of words since He SPOKE the world into existence and inspired men to record His thoughts...). 

Regardless of what motivated me to choose this for a theme, next week please share words that inspire and motivate you--brief or bloviatory, silly or serious, from great world leaders to last night's Comedy Central...from a Hallmark greeting card to your favorite book.  Choose one, choose many; let the quotes stand on their own or tell where you first read or heard them and how they affected you.  There's a lot of leeway with how this topic can be handled.

Did she just say, "bloviatory?"  Where the heck is my dictionary ?

This was such a fun Fun Monday...I just couldn't stop myself. Here are just a few of mine that popped into my pointy little vacant head:

1) "What you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you say."  (My thoughts when I listen to my FIL)

2) "Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have." (In my first life)

3) No matter how flat you make a pancake, there are always two sides. (My side is the right side. Your side is the wrong side.)

4) Never hold your farts. They travel up your spine and into your brain. That's where $hi++y ideas come from.  (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.)

5) You cannot change that which you will not acknowledge. (Dr. Phil, to me, in my face)

6) You wouldn't worry so much about what people thought about you, if you knew how seldom they did.  (Joe McGraw, to me, in my face)

7) "So, how's that working for you?" (When someone offers up their explanation excuse.)

8) "There are times in life when you just don't want to miss the opportunity to SHUT UP !" ( I so wish I could remember this one.)

9. "If you are 'barefooted', and you step in dog poo-poo, and it oozes between your toes, would you rather it be warm or cold ?"  (Just wondering)

10) "AnodeMan will not be running the the Great Wall Marathon in the Tianjin Province because of the pollution."  (FYI)

11)" Husbands are like fine wine. They get better with age." (That's why I locked AnodeMan in the cellar.)

12) "Where the he!! did all these friggin' Indians come from?" (What Custer probably thought)

13) "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes you time and it annoys the pig." (Robert Heinlein)

14) "If you can't make a mastake, you can't make anything."  (Mom/Mrs. Winters)

15) "Why are you still reading ?"  (Just wondering)

16) "If Swampy named the Seven Dwarfs...(why isn't it spelled Dwarves?)"  Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful, Psycho

17) "In a motel bathroom, when I turn on the light, I don't want a stupid fan to come on, too. If I want the fan on, I'll turn it on."  (One of my many pet peeves psychotic things I hate)

18) "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. sit in the boat and drink beer all day. (Chinese Proverb George Carlin)

19) "Your optorectomy is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. to sever the nerve between your a$$hole and your eyeball to correct your $hi++y outlook on life."  (What I would like to say to some people.)

20) "Why are eyebrows growing out of my chin ?" (What I ask everytime I look in the mirror)

21) "She has the IQ of Tickle Me Elmo." (What people probably think while I'm talking or reading what I've written)

22) "If you're going to draw on the wall, do it behind the couch...or tape a piece of paper over it so no one will notice."  (Daughter #1)

23) "If you're going to cut your bangs off at the scalp, do it will the sharpest shears in the house. Then hide the evidence with a towel."  (Daughter #2)

23) "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line." (learned in geometry)

24) "The longest distance between two points is a short cut." (learned while traveling with AnodeMan)

25) "I can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." (Plato)

26) "Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the most on the present moment." (Buddha)

27) "Children make your life important."  (Erma Bombeck)

28) "Insanity is inherited. You get it from your kids."  (Crazy person with children)

29) "Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate." (Someone who has a hit list)

30) "Health is the greatest gift. Contentment the greatest wealth. Faithfulness the best relationship." (Buddha)

31) Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone?" (Erma Bombeck)

32) Don't mix up your b's and d's and your p's and q's. (Me)

33) "Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity." (Kahlil Gibran)

34) "If it has tires or testicles, you're going to have trouble with it." (A woman's rule of thumb)

35) "You can do anything with children if you only play with them." (Otto von Bismarck)

Thanks RobinRobinBoBobbinBananaFanaFoFobbinFeeFiFoFobin...Robin ! This was Fun !

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Message from the Emergency Swampcast System:

It's a Party, Party, Party !  A Pampered Chef Party. And you might very well be a big winner !

Don't want to go to a party ? Well, here's a deal for you !  Just peruse this catalog, find something you want for yourself, or a gift for a friend, or a gift certificate...and e-mail me with your order.  You'll be helping out this little gal at the same time. There will be much more information posted tomorrow, so come back and drool for a while.

swampwitch06@gmail.com

Directions for Flying an F-5 Tiger: UPDATED !

 

 

Sorry guys. I just couldn't help myself.

VFC-13,  here,  and here

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Message for the Emergency Swampcast System:  Alright Already ! Amazing how many e-mail messages I received requesting photos of the 'drivers' of these birds. So, here are more photos for your viewing pleasure:

Not close up enough? Ok, Ok. Here are some close-ups !

That's enough 'eye-candy' to last you gals for a while.

 

Thankful Thursday and ALMOST Wordless Thursday

 

These photos were taken of Mt. Garfield and The Bookcliffs. These colors "happened" in less than two minutes.

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I am thankful for colors and the gift of sight. I am also thankful for my cousin, Kim, who created my new header with two of my favorite photos.

Pop on over to JulieBug's Place for other Thankful Bloggers and to Wordless Thursday participants.

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OK. OK. So, I used some words today. If you don't want any words, just close you eyes cover your ears or scroll down to the next post.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Sign-up

Festival of the West: Brims & Trims and Other Miscellania

First of all, a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated in yesterday's Fun Monday. I think there were over 50 partipants, but since I can only count to 20, I'm not sure. You made me laugh. You made me cry. You made me remember why I blog. For those of you who may not have taken the opportunity to read about THE ABC's, scroll down to yesterday's list and just randomly choose a blog or ten. You'll not be disappointed. I was so surprised that no one chose The Greek Alphabet, and at how many chose to follow the rules. For those of you who didn't follow the rules, you especially make me smile. Most of you understand my deliquent attitude when it comes to Fun Monday Rules... many times, we are on the road, and I have to create a post prior to knowing the rules, so I just make up my own. Then, I try to at least add a proper introduction and the link to the host/hostess. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it ! Be sure to go tell my Trashy Friend, Robin that you want to play next week.

I had one of those "eerie-feeling-moments" while I was reading Hootin' Anni's post. (I can't find her permalink, so just scroll down for her ABC Fun Monday post if it's not at the top.) For those who don't know her, she is way out-there-in-outer-space. The "Sky Isn't the Limit" where's she's concerned. Anywhoowhoo, if you read her post yesterday, you'll understand why I posted these pics. This is what I saw when I looked out my window while reading her post:

Those aren't long, horizontal cirrus clouds...

...and then later in the day, this is what I saw out my window. I started to PhotoShop the "bright spots" out but decided I like them. Obviously, I'm looking due west, into the sun, but was still able to capture those "contrails" Hootin' Anni mentioned yesterday.

Part of The Colorado National Monument and a cottonwood tree.

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Now for today's post:

Whenever we attend Festival of the West, I always try to feature one of the vendors. This year, I chose:

Mainly, because we spent s-o-o-o-o-o much time there because it was suggested to me by an OLD friend to be sure to check out the hats at this place.

So, we did.  There were a lot of hats ! How many do you see ?

AnodeMan: "Can you make me look like George Strait ?"
OR
AnodeMan: "Do you have one with hair ?"

 

McSteamy, did his best.

If there are recognizable hats on any stars that you can think of, these guys probably custom-made it for them. So, call the guys at Brims & Trims, and you may end up here, or not :

More Festival of the West hats to be posted soon. Stay 'tooned.'

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For some "updated" pics of another one of our grandbabies and one that's on the way, go visit Baby Cakes and tell them SwampGammy sent you.

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Random? Did someone mention random? I know. I know. I'm all over the place today. Has anyone seen my meds? Wait ! I don't take meds ! Does anyone HAVE any ?

Ella Minnow Pea

Well, well, well ! Look at all these bloggers who signed up for a Fun Monday that is being hosted right here at The Asylum.

Not only did they sign up, but many of them signed up before the spell was cast. What a brave lot of bloggers they are.

I'm not going to spend much time explaining what the challenge was because they were given permission to not follow THE RULES !

But, there are always those who "mind their manners" and do as they are told. Those are the blogs where you will find something posted about the ABC's.

Then, there are those who leave comments like this one. And, I'm sure what Nekked Lizard Man has so succinctly said here, echoes what most of you think about my Fun Monday challenges, Tags, and MeMe's... and I quote, "Why is it that your Fun Mondays always remind me of a weekend binge, then trying to go back to work, but you can't find your keys and even if you could, your wallet was somehow left in your pants and washed, so you can't find the number to AAA due to the little paper is now all balled up, - since - when you walked out to your car, you found you had a flat...

Can you rename your Fun Mondays to "Just submit a number and that will suffice"? NLM

So, without further adieu, the curtain is rising, and I present you with the cast of characters who are ALL a few "blocks short of the alphabet" starring in today's Mon Funday: 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE (Give it a listen !)

Robin (the pensieve one)    OUR HOSTESS for March 31
Jo Beaufoix                       OUR HOSTESS for April 7
Nekked Leezards                OUR HOST & HOSTESS for April 14
Chris B
Gattina
Hula Girl at Heart
Nikki
Carrie
Janet
Jettied
Kaytabug
Aoj & the Lurchers
Junebug
Melanie
Christine
Min
Beckie
Alison
PamelaJamela
Shirley  (help me here...I don't have a link for Shirley)
Peter
Celeste
Tiggerlane
Sauntering Soul
Jientje
Sandy  (If you keep cornfoosin' me, I'm gonna whack you !)
Julie
Sayre
Faye
Karisma
Arkansas Songbird
Simply Jenn  (typing with all the fingers on her left hand)
Jan
KarmynR
MamaLang
Ellen B
JulieBug  (Be sure to sign up for her Thankful Thursday)
Chaotic Lisa
Karina
Mariposa
I.T. Guy
My4Kids
Kitten Katie
Hootin' Anni  (Please ! Please ! Keep your clothes on !)
Molly
Swamp Angel 65
Rachel
Amanda
IAmWhoIAm
Baba Night Owl
Jill
Jenn V
JanJanMom

Here is an ABC idea from my days in the classroom:

This is a little book that can be used to record memories. It is especially useful for children when traveling or just as a "journaling technique." List names of people, places, events, phone numbers, restaurants, draw illustrations, etc. in ABC order.  Different trips can be dated and color-coded, and the book can be used many times. Makes a great reference book for later. I find these at Barnes & Noble or Borders, and they cost about $4.00.

Or, a sheet of lined paper with the ABC's listed down the pages works just fine. These pages can be titled, dated and kept in a 3-ring notebook.  "Kids" like the idea of jotting down words or phrases instead of complete sentences.  This teaches "note-taking" techniques with the use of key words.

Now, for the ASSIGNMENT today: 

Post something about the ABC's. 

                              

PANGRAMS: 
A pangram is a sentence constructed using all the letters of the alphabet.
The most widely know example is: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Ideally, pangrams are short and do not contain proper names. A pangram is also known as a "holoalphabetic phrase."

A: A quart jar of oil mixed with zinc oxide makes a very bright paint.
B: Back in my quaint garden, jaunty zinnias vie with flaunting phlox.
C: Cozy sphinx waves quart jugs of bad milk.
D: Dental surgeon zaps sexual joker with quick-frozen valium.
E: Exquisite farm wench gives body jolt to prize stinker.
F: Five jumbo oxen graze quietly with packs of dogs.
G: Grumpy wizards make toxic brew for the evil queen and jack-in-a-box.
H: Hark! Toxic jungle water vipers quietly drop on zebras fror meals.
I:  I have quicly spotted the four women dozing in the jury box.
J: Just work for improved basic techniques to maximize your typing skill.
K: King Alexander was just partly overcome after quizzing Diogenes in his tub.
L: Lazy jackal from raiding zebec prowls the quiet cove.
M: Monique, the buxom coed, likes to fight for Pez with the junior varsity team.
N: Now is the time for all quick brown dogs to jump over the lazy lynz.
O: Opium frequently leads to bad palpitations, hazy judgement, and causes weak sex drive.
P: Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
Q: Quick waxy bugs jump the frozen veldt.
R: Rowdy virgins have quite often been willingly picked for prized in juicy sex marathons.
S: Six boys guzzled cheap raw plum vodka quite joyfully.
T: The risque gown marked a very brazen exposure of juicy flesh.
U: Uphill jogging will tax pounding heart muscle very quickly: better to be lazy.
V: Vexed funky camp juggler quit show biz.
W: We could jeopardize six of the gunboats by two quick moves.
X: Xylophone wizard begets quick jive form.
Y: You go tell that vapid existentialist quack Freddy Nitzxche that he can just bite me, twice.
Z: Zelda quickly wove eight nubby flax jumpers.

Suggested reading:  Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Very quickly & zealously, why don't just compose a pangram before exiting ?
...Or not.
At least say, hi.

Another Sticky Note for ABC Mon Funday

Here are the victims participants of Mon Funday, March 24, so far. (For a split second, I had the urge to list your names but put someone else's link on it.) Please make sure your link is working.

Robin (the pensieve one)  Our Hostess for March 31
Jo Beaufoix                     Our Hostess for April 7
Nekked Lizards                 Our Host & Hostess for April 14
Chris B
Gattina
Hula Girl at Heart
Nikki
Carrie
Janet
Jettied
Kaytabug
Aoj & the Lurchers
Junebug
Melanie
Christine
Min
Beckie
Alison
PamelaJamela
Shirley  (help me here...I don't have a link for Shirley)
Peter
Celeste
Tiggerlane
Sauntering Soul
Jientje
Sandy  (If you keep cornfoosin' me, I'm gonna whack you !)
Julie
Sayre
Faye
Karisma
Arkansas Songbird
Simply Jenn  (typing with all the fingers on her left hand)
Jan
KarmynR
MamaLang
Ellen B
JulieBug
Chaotic Lisa
Karina
Mariposa
I.T. Guy
My4Kids
Kitten Katie
Hootin' Anni  Please ! Please ! Keep your clothes on !
Molly
Swamp Angel 65
Rachel
Amanda

If you have signed up and don't see your name here, please tell me again, I'm old and a bit slow.

If you are interested in playing along, here is the challenge...or just scroll down to the next post. You are also welcome to play along and just create your own Mon Funday as a surprise. I just love surprises. Leave a comment so you can be added to the list.

Please take note...most of these brave souls, signed up for Fun Monday BEFORE they even knew what the challenge was. But, they were probably thinking, it doesn't really matter what Swampy hits us with, I'm doing my own thing. She hasn't followed a rule in ages, so why follow hers.  For those of you who are thinking along these lines, you make me smile. (And I know EXACTLY who you are.) Hit me with your best shot.

Until then, here's a quick review of the alphabet just in case you do decide to follow the rules.

Just an example to show how easy this can be:

ABC's for life:

Accept differences

Be kind

Count your blessings

Dream

Express thanks

Forgive

Give freely

Harm no one

Imagine more

Jettison anger

Keep confidences

Love truly

Master something

Nurture hope

Open your mind

Pack lightly

Quell rumors

Reciprocate

Seek wisdom

Touch hearts

Understand

Value truth

Win graciously

Xeriscape

Yearn for peace

Zealously support a worthy cause.

You may sign up on this post if you're not skeered.

Fun Monday A B C's

FUN MONDAY: ABC's

Back in my school teaching days, I used the A-B-C technique of making connections and remembering things. For instance, if we had studied Ireland, one assignment would be to list all 26 letters of the alphabet down the page and add words and/or phrases remembered about that unit of study:

IRELAND:
A - Antrim (County of)...
B-  Blarney Stone, Belfast...
C - Cork, connacht, crystal...
D - Dublin...

Another use for this techinque is to record a family vacation...list PLACES (restaurants-monuments-hotels), PEOPLE (those on the trip-others you met), ANECDOTES, anything that had to do with the trip. Kids love to keep an on-going "journal" this way because they don't get bogged down with complete sentences, correct grammar, punctuation, etc. Plus, it's a handy-dandy way to document the trip for future references.

TRIP TO AUSTRALIA:
A - Australian Open, aborigines, Aussie, aerial pingpong...
B - beer (Toohey's Old), Brisbane, barbie, billabong, bloke, bluey...
C - crocodiles, chewie, chokkie...
D - "Don't drop cell phone into Yellow River...", didgeridoo, dingo...

With that in mind, here's the Fun Monday Challenge for March 24:

Choose a topic/theme and make an alphabetical list of words, phrases, photos...however you want to share your topic/theme.

Topics can range from pet-peeves, vacations, people who have influenced your life, jokes, favorites, philosopher's quotes/sayings, birds, flowers...anything. The sky is the limit. Your ABC list can be depicted with words, photos, illustrations...  You are limited only by your imagination. Be funny. Be serious. Be creative. Be sarcastic. Be there, or be square. 

And, yes, of course you may bend the rules. Just entertain us. If you can't do all TWENTY-SIX, do as many as you can. (If you have kiddos, let them join the fun and help with the list. Make it a family, brainstorming session.)

Who am I to give you guidelines for Fun Monday? I have bent broken most Fun Monday rules for over a year now, and all of you have been gracious enough to put me on your list. Here is your chance to bring it on. If you don't know the alphabet, make one up. In other words, just have fun and teach us something using your own set of A B C's.

Until then, I'll leave you with this thought:

Haven't signed up yet? Here's the place.  I will compile the list of participants with your links in the very near future and post it for your reading and listening pleasure.

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For those of you who have come looking for Festival of the West pictures, I promise that they will be here soon.

Wanna Play Fun Monday March 24? Sign up here !

Here's the deal...I'm mulling around in my vacant-little-pointed-head what the challenge will be for next Monday, March 24. The details are coming to me, but I've just not fine-tuned it yet.

SO, for all you very courageous bloggers out there, here's your chance to sign up BEFORE you even have a clue what I will ask of you.  (And many of you are thinking, who cares what the rules are, I'm creating my post now because Swampy never follows the rules anyway.  Go for it. Your ideas will probably be better than mine anywhoo.)

Since I don't know how to do a Sticky Post, this is the best I can do:

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

My blogbud, NikkiNikkiBoBickeyBananaFanaFoFickey....Nikki, is our Fun Monday Hostess with the Mostess this week.  I never know what I'm going to find in my mailbox from her, so I've learned to let other's look first.  But I assure you, it has all been good so far. Did you know she does THIS? Believe me, it's worth your time to go look.

Here's what she says about today's challenge:

1.) I don't know about you, but my family is great at creating strange words that only we know the meaning. Some were created when the kids were first learning to talk, others came about when our tongues were twisted and the word came out funny. Either way, the words stuck and we still use them in our daily conversations. What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining!

OR/AND

2.) In honor of St. Paddy's Day, please share your worst green beer story!

Well, here are a few words/phrases that came from our past and some that have been 'created' just recently:

Mom, where is my 'woobie?' (Go watch "Mr. Mom' if you don't know  what a woobie is.) 

Would you fix me a san-fin ?  (sandwich)

Look, Mom ! There's a big red firefu#k!   (We were all thrilled when she finally learned to pronounce her T-R consonant blend.)

My name is Kar-Ker.  (Little Miss P's name for herself)

Look at all the manus !  (balloons)

Where are my go-goes?  (crayons/magic markers)

I have too-tats on my arms and legs. (tatoos...drawn with go-goes)

Do you want a who-who? (cardboard rolls for wrapping paper)

Did you bring me any momentums?  (momentos...asked by a 16 year-old)

Those are pretty Christmas ormanents.  (same sixteen year-old)

Fosty the Noman, was a jolly happy soul.

Love Lipton Tea.  (The hymn, "Love Lifted Me")

...and, last but certainly not least...

Daddy, you have a tail.  Mommy doesn't.  (You figure that one out.)

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Green Beer Story: It tastes better going down than coming up.

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Nickeroo, this is for you...

Happy Green Mon Funday, Ya'll !