Hey, everyone! I didn't forget about you. And I didn't forget about this blog. Honestly, I didn't. Life just hasn't been my friend lately. I won't go into a lengthy explanation but it had to do with family matters and visitors and obligations and being ill. I'm still not 100% better but am functioning. SO hopefully I'll be able to get the ball rolling again here.
Thanks to those of you who sent me messages asking if all was okay. You are so sweet.
Today I wrote a limerick.
There once was a gal with a blog
who got caught up in life's ugly smog.
Hadn't posted for weeks on end,
got concerned notes from her friends,
asking if she'd croaked. Like a frog?
Well, that's all for today. Thanks for hopping over to my pad today.
'Til next time...
rib-bit!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Birthday Bash Poetry Contest Winners
On March 1 (over a month ago) I held a Birthday Bash Poetry Contest in honor of Dr. Seuss. I asked followers (and even non-followers) to write a poem. If you didn't read that post, here is a scaled-down version of the rules:
1. The poem had to rhyme.
2. The poem had to use one of the following four titles.
The Pig in the Wig
The Cow in the Towel
Goats in Petticoats
The Mouse and his Spouse
3. The poems had to be rated PG-13 (because my daughter was one of the judges.)
4. There was no restriction on how long or short the poem could be. Participants could enter up to 4 times-- once for each title.
Well, guess what, folks. The winners have been selected and prizes have been verified. The judges were my teenage daughter, my husband, and I. I printed out copies of the poems that were post and/or emailed and asked both of them to select their two favorites, thinking we could narrow them down more easily after that. As it turned out, chosing a first place winner was no problem at all since all three of us had this poem on our lists. Even though it's a little "cheesey" we all felt it said much in a few words and make us SMILE! Here it is.
Every time I say “Cheese,”
they flat out call me a tease
‘cause I take their picture instead.
1. The poem had to rhyme.
2. The poem had to use one of the following four titles.
The Pig in the Wig
The Cow in the Towel
Goats in Petticoats
The Mouse and his Spouse
3. The poems had to be rated PG-13 (because my daughter was one of the judges.)
4. There was no restriction on how long or short the poem could be. Participants could enter up to 4 times-- once for each title.
Well, guess what, folks. The winners have been selected and prizes have been verified. The judges were my teenage daughter, my husband, and I. I printed out copies of the poems that were post and/or emailed and asked both of them to select their two favorites, thinking we could narrow them down more easily after that. As it turned out, chosing a first place winner was no problem at all since all three of us had this poem on our lists. Even though it's a little "cheesey" we all felt it said much in a few words and make us SMILE! Here it is.
A mouse and his spouse
A mouse and his spouse,
tiny guests in my house,
oftentimes feel misled.
tiny guests in my house,
oftentimes feel misled.
Every time I say “Cheese,”
they flat out call me a tease
‘cause I take their picture instead.
(c) Jacqueline Hallenbeck
Congratulations to Jacqueline! She wins a signed copy of R.J. Clarken's book, Mugging for the Camera which is described as "a fun and funny
collection of odd, off-beat and really quirky poetry which can be
enjoyed by anyone who has a good sense of humor, a whimsical imagination
and a fair appreciation of the witty bon mot. Penned in mostly light
verse, this album of original 'snapshots' makes use of (and frequently
abuses) classic metrics like the ever-popular iambic pentameter; and in
the process, often wreaks general havoc upon traditional poetry forms
such as sonnets, haiku, couplets, etc. in order to capture those special
moments in time having to do with creative and unusual word play,
peculiar events in the weird news and everyday life in the suburbs,
among other things." If you aren't familiar with R.J.'s work, go check it out. I know it always makes me smile.
And a big thanks to R.J. for donating the signed book. You rock!
The other winner is the "kid's choice" award. My daughter awards that to Marie Elena Good of Poetic Bloomings for her poem.
The Mouse and His Spouse
The mouse had a spouse with a very big brain,
And he a big ego, and so she would feign
Nonsensical humor, absurd and inane,
To make him feel good for each thought he’d retain.
‘Til one day he realized just what she had done.
He got on her case, and he ruined her fun.
“I figured it helped you feel shrewder, my Hon.
I know that you need to feel YOU’re the smart one.”
He squeezed her and told her, “No need to appease.
I know I’m the one with the great expertise
To outsmart the mousetrap with flair and with ease,
And keep us in plenty of mouse-lovin’ cheese!”
The spouse of the mouse said, “You’re one sharp chap,
And the brain in my head likes your fine thinking cap.”
Then the mouse and his spouse took a nice little nap
(‘til she sneaked out to disarm their daily mousetrap).
The mouse had a spouse with a very big brain,
And he a big ego, and so she would feign
Nonsensical humor, absurd and inane,
To make him feel good for each thought he’d retain.
‘Til one day he realized just what she had done.
He got on her case, and he ruined her fun.
“I figured it helped you feel shrewder, my Hon.
I know that you need to feel YOU’re the smart one.”
He squeezed her and told her, “No need to appease.
I know I’m the one with the great expertise
To outsmart the mousetrap with flair and with ease,
And keep us in plenty of mouse-lovin’ cheese!”
The spouse of the mouse said, “You’re one sharp chap,
And the brain in my head likes your fine thinking cap.”
Then the mouse and his spouse took a nice little nap
(‘til she sneaked out to disarm their daily mousetrap).
(c) Marie Elena Good
Marie Elena is the winner of a signed copy of the book Natural Musings: Photography and Poetry by Michelle Hed. This book combines Michelle's stunning photos with her short poem. A perfect combination. I know because I have this one on my book shelf. But why not check it out yourself.
Michelle was also kind enough to donate the signed copy of her book. You also rock. (I had to resist the urge to type, "you rock, Hed!" LOL. Yeah, I know, Michelle. You probably tire of hearing the "head" jokes and you know I usually never do them but couldn't help myself. Seriously though....you ROCK!)
The other two poems that were one the lists are our runners-up. They have no idea they've won and they'll have to wait a tiny bit longer to find out, because today is the day for Jacqueline and Marie Elena to shine.
I'll announce the runners-up sometime in the next week, so stay tuned in to find out who wins some tasty, European chocolates.
Thanks to everyone for taking part. It sure was a blast!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Coming Soon
No. I haven't forgotten about the Birthday Bash Poetry Contest. The winners have been selected. I am in the process of working out the prizes and will make the announcement this weekend.
Stay tuned.
And for all of you who are writing a poem a day in April to celebrate poetry month, whether it be NaPoWriMo or Poetic Asides or Pulitzer Remix, etc., I hope you are having fun with the challenge.
Stay tuned.
And for all of you who are writing a poem a day in April to celebrate poetry month, whether it be NaPoWriMo or Poetic Asides or Pulitzer Remix, etc., I hope you are having fun with the challenge.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Quote and Question - March 26, 2013
In honor of Robert Frost's birthday, I offer these quotes:
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
I'm not confused. I'm just well mixed.
I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.
I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
******
My question to you is...which of these three quotes resonates with you the most and why?
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
I'm not confused. I'm just well mixed.
I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.
I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
******
My question to you is...which of these three quotes resonates with you the most and why?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Birthday Bash Contest Reminder
Hi, everyone!
I just received notification that an autographed copy of RJ Clarken's book, Mugging for the Camera, will definitely be offered as a prize in the Birthday Bash Poetry Contest. If you haven't entered, that should be incentive enough to get you writing. RJ writes some delightfully silly poems. She also writes serious work, and it was just announced last night that RJ won the Pantoum Poetry Form Challenge at Writer's Digest. Congratulations, RJ!
There are still four days left to enter the Birthday Bash Poetry Contest. CLICK HERE to go to the original post listing the guidelines.
I have enlisted the help of my daughter and husband to help with judging. As poems come in I copy and paste them (excluding name) into a file. After the deadline I will print a copy of the file for each judge. The two winners will be notified by the end of March.
Several of the contest entries are listed in the comment section of the original post. Others have been received by email. We currently have about 20, but keep 'em comin'. The more poems, the more difficult it is to decide and the more I can torture my two judges (insert evil smirk here). But seriously, just send them in, because I love reading them. It sure beats housework.
Well, since I don't have any entries to read at the moment, I guess I will tackle the ironing.
HELP!
Please.
Send.
Poems.
Pretty please.
I just received notification that an autographed copy of RJ Clarken's book, Mugging for the Camera, will definitely be offered as a prize in the Birthday Bash Poetry Contest. If you haven't entered, that should be incentive enough to get you writing. RJ writes some delightfully silly poems. She also writes serious work, and it was just announced last night that RJ won the Pantoum Poetry Form Challenge at Writer's Digest. Congratulations, RJ!
There are still four days left to enter the Birthday Bash Poetry Contest. CLICK HERE to go to the original post listing the guidelines.
I have enlisted the help of my daughter and husband to help with judging. As poems come in I copy and paste them (excluding name) into a file. After the deadline I will print a copy of the file for each judge. The two winners will be notified by the end of March.
Several of the contest entries are listed in the comment section of the original post. Others have been received by email. We currently have about 20, but keep 'em comin'. The more poems, the more difficult it is to decide and the more I can torture my two judges (insert evil smirk here). But seriously, just send them in, because I love reading them. It sure beats housework.
Well, since I don't have any entries to read at the moment, I guess I will tackle the ironing.
HELP!
Please.
Send.
Poems.
Pretty please.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Overcoming Adversity
Nick Wilford has put together an anthology with seventy stories of both fiction and non-fiction as well as poetry about overcoming adversity and is currently selling it as an eBook (It will also be available in print soon.)
The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send Nick's stepson, Andrew, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country (Scotland) no longer challenge him nor and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees. You can help by purchasing a copy of the book and by sharing this post with other. I know I will.
If you are in the U.S., the price for the Kindle Edition is only $3.54. Just CLICK HERE to go to the page on Amazon.
To order on Amazon in the United Kingdom, CLICK HERE. The cost is
£2.03.
It is also available on SMASHWORDS and GOODREADS.
Oh, and did I mention that it features work by great writers such as E.J. Wesley, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Kyra Lennon. There's even a short piece by me. So why not buy a copy? It's a win-win situation. You get great reading material and Andrew gets one step closer to his educational needs.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Birthday Bash Poetry Contest
This post might be sort of rushed, because I just came up with this birthday bash contest about half an hour ago. In fact, I haven't even sorted out all the details yet but there isn't much time to think. I just need to type, type, type and figure it out as I go, because tomorrow is the big day.
Those who know me well know that though I have a February birthday, mine has already passed. So whose birthday are we celebrating? I'll give you a hint. He wrote one book, two books, three books, four, five books, six book and a whole lot more. He had red books, blue books, yellow, tangerine, and a very famous book about eggs that are green. He wrote rhyming books that brought him great fame. By now you probably all know his name.
That's right. Tomorrow (March 2) is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. Other pen-names include Theo LeSieg (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards) and Rosetta Stone.
In honor of his birthday, I am holding a poetry writing contest. The rules are as follows:
1. The poem must rhyme. After all, Dr. Seuss is best remembered for his ability to write appealing rhyming stories that both children and adults enjoyed reading.
2. The poem must use one of the following four titles.
The Pig in the Wig
The Cow in the Towel
Goats in Petticoats
The Mouse and his Spouse
Yes, I know. You could probably think of quite a few more titles, maybe even more exciting ones, but those are the four choices. That means there should be no poems entitled Turkey and the Beef Jerky or The Monkey and his Junkie or The Squirrel and the Epidural. If you do send me something like that, I admit that I will probably take great pleasure in reading your work. However, it will not be eligible for the contest.
Also, the poem itself must focus on the title chosen. By that I mean, if you pick The Pig in the Wig, the poem must revolve around a pig who is wearing a wig. You can't write about a boy who is grumpy all day and his parents use all sorts of failed methods to get him to smile and then in the last few lines have him smile because a pig in a wig goes trotting by.
3. The poems should be rated PG-13 because my daughter will be one of the judges.
4. There is no restriction on how long or short the poem should be. It doesn't even need to be funny. Though we do love funny. Just make sure it has some sort of rhyme scheme. AND you can enter up to 4 times-- once for each title.
5. The deadline is March 16 (that gives you two weeks) and the winners will be announced by March 31. You may post your poem directly in the comments section of this post or if you prefer to send your poem by email, write "I wish to email my poem" in the comments section and I will contact you regarding how to do so. However, please note by entering the contest you give me permission to post it later, because the winning poems will be made public when I announce the winners.
6. Since I just came up with this idea less than an hour ago, I haven't sorted out the prizes yet, but there were be at least two winners. Since this is a poetry contest and I have several friends with poetry books, I am thinking of providing the winners with a list of books available as prizes (or perhaps non-poetry books as well).For instance, I might send them a list of six books and they each get to pick one. And if all else fails, there is always German chocolate. Of course, if anyone has further ideas for prizes, I am open to suggestions.
7. You don't need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but it sure would make me happy. :-)
I think that's about it. If I've forgotten any details, feel free to ask.
Now go embrace your inner Seuss and start writing. You can write your poem in your car. You can write your poem at the bar. You can write your poem with a magical gnome or write your poem with your dog at home. You can write with pen and ink. You can type your poem by the sink. You can write your poem here or there. You can write it anywhere. Just write it.
And have fun.
Those who know me well know that though I have a February birthday, mine has already passed. So whose birthday are we celebrating? I'll give you a hint. He wrote one book, two books, three books, four, five books, six book and a whole lot more. He had red books, blue books, yellow, tangerine, and a very famous book about eggs that are green. He wrote rhyming books that brought him great fame. By now you probably all know his name.
That's right. Tomorrow (March 2) is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. Other pen-names include Theo LeSieg (LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards) and Rosetta Stone.
In honor of his birthday, I am holding a poetry writing contest. The rules are as follows:
1. The poem must rhyme. After all, Dr. Seuss is best remembered for his ability to write appealing rhyming stories that both children and adults enjoyed reading.
2. The poem must use one of the following four titles.
The Pig in the Wig
The Cow in the Towel
Goats in Petticoats
The Mouse and his Spouse
Yes, I know. You could probably think of quite a few more titles, maybe even more exciting ones, but those are the four choices. That means there should be no poems entitled Turkey and the Beef Jerky or The Monkey and his Junkie or The Squirrel and the Epidural. If you do send me something like that, I admit that I will probably take great pleasure in reading your work. However, it will not be eligible for the contest.
Also, the poem itself must focus on the title chosen. By that I mean, if you pick The Pig in the Wig, the poem must revolve around a pig who is wearing a wig. You can't write about a boy who is grumpy all day and his parents use all sorts of failed methods to get him to smile and then in the last few lines have him smile because a pig in a wig goes trotting by.
3. The poems should be rated PG-13 because my daughter will be one of the judges.
4. There is no restriction on how long or short the poem should be. It doesn't even need to be funny. Though we do love funny. Just make sure it has some sort of rhyme scheme. AND you can enter up to 4 times-- once for each title.
5. The deadline is March 16 (that gives you two weeks) and the winners will be announced by March 31. You may post your poem directly in the comments section of this post or if you prefer to send your poem by email, write "I wish to email my poem" in the comments section and I will contact you regarding how to do so. However, please note by entering the contest you give me permission to post it later, because the winning poems will be made public when I announce the winners.
6. Since I just came up with this idea less than an hour ago, I haven't sorted out the prizes yet, but there were be at least two winners. Since this is a poetry contest and I have several friends with poetry books, I am thinking of providing the winners with a list of books available as prizes (or perhaps non-poetry books as well).For instance, I might send them a list of six books and they each get to pick one. And if all else fails, there is always German chocolate. Of course, if anyone has further ideas for prizes, I am open to suggestions.
7. You don't need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but it sure would make me happy. :-)
I think that's about it. If I've forgotten any details, feel free to ask.
Now go embrace your inner Seuss and start writing. You can write your poem in your car. You can write your poem at the bar. You can write your poem with a magical gnome or write your poem with your dog at home. You can write with pen and ink. You can type your poem by the sink. You can write your poem here or there. You can write it anywhere. Just write it.
And have fun.
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