Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

Takes a Zoomie Kitty and a couple random cookies.

Sighs

After my enthusiasm in the comp thread, I can speak my true feelings here. With only a month to the deadline, I am not sure that I pull this one off. My mood and interest in writing are the pits right now. I have a long weekend happening and I will need that just to get an idea together. I love this topic and really want to be in for it, but the timing isn't great. Don't count me out, but if this becomes a slog instead of something I enjoy, I will have to consider passing.

Hey there, hi there, ho there! I'm here, after a long stretch of time in which RL intruded too vigorously!

Myths and Monsters, eh? Hmmm…

I've got to think about that. I don't believe I'm going to come anywhere close to 10K words, but I am thinking that I want to go big, at least on the theme…

I don't have a real idea yet, just an itch at the back of my head. I'll have to sleep on it a while and see what happens.

Or to quote Curly, of The Three Stooges…"I'm trying to think, but nuttin happens!"

I look forward to reading the entries. I am fond of all things Monsters and Myths.

A lazy weekend ahead. Saturday will be a rainy day, so I'm going to do some baking. I find it therapeutic. I might try making bagels for the first time. I'll also make pretzels; I love them warm from the oven. I'll have to do the kneading sitting down. I'd be asking for trouble trying to do it standing. Pretzels and bagels, thankfully, don't need a lot of work. I don't want to upset my doctors. I'll see how it works out.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Cheers.

Good morning. Kind of grey and wet where I am. And I am a bit grey myself. Feels like a migraine looming.

Anyhow, I am here to put on some hot inspiration for those daring to write about myths and monsters and whatever else folks are putting down in bits and bytes these days. Coffee is a Jamaican Blue Mountain. Teas are Assam and English Breakfast. The pitchers of iced tea and lemonade are washed and refilled.

Have a nice weekend.

Quote by Mendalla

Good morning. Kind of grey and wet where I am. And I am a bit grey myself. Feels like a migraine looming.

Anyhow, I am here to put on some hot inspiration for those daring to write about myths and monsters and whatever else folks are putting down in bits and bytes these days. Coffee is a Jamaican Blue Mountain. Teas are Assam and English Breakfast. The pitchers of iced tea and lemonade are washed and refilled.

Have a nice weekend.

Myth and Monsters is your baliwick! You have to enter!

I will, though I have no idea with what. A spectacularly lazy day here at Casa Verbal-Talia (Verblia?). Raining and drizzly and cold and dark. What's more, we were supposed to go to a "mixer" in Denver tomorrow, but neither of us wants to go, so I think we're on the verge of blowing it off. This prospect delights me, guiltlessly. Lazy lazy lazy!

Anyway. Still editing this dumb tadpole story. It DOES have a monster, but sadly no myth.

Coffee and cookie please.

Quote by verbal
It DOES have a monster, but sadly no myth.

Make one up. From one point of view, that's what Tolkien did with the Silmarillion.

Nothing but sun for the coming week. Going to be summer-y by the end of May, too, it looks like. Does that make me happy? A little, I guess. Might be too hot by next weekend though. Might have to finally switch from furnace to AC.

There's a nice pot of Ethiopian coffee waiting. I've also put out pots of Scottish Breakfast and Lemon teas. Fresh unsweet iced tea and lemonade are in the fridge.

And it's a pancake Sunday.

Still pancakes available if you want 'em. With real Canadian maple syrup even.

And to drink with those, we have some nice Costa Rican dark roast coffee. For the tea crowd, there's Earl Grey and Red Rose. Cold drinks are freshened up in the fridge.

Had another idea for the comp during a period of wakefulness last night. Outlined it this morning and I am less than enthused, but I have an inkling of an ending unlike some other options. One of my old ideas has gone back to the Under Review folder. I would need to cut out a plot element that I think I want to keep for it to go here.

Fun Sunday! Lotsa yardwork on a warm sunny day, and the Mets swept a double-header! Five wins in a row. (Sorry Red.)

Anyone sick of me talking a out this dumb tadpole story has got to realize it's worse having to work on the damn thing every day.

Should be a pretty chill day today. Time to get at it. Thanks for the set-up, a coffee and a cookie would rock.

Quote by verbal
Anyone sick of me talking a out this dumb tadpole story has got to realize it's worse having to work on the damn thing every day.

Someday it will grow up into a big, happy frog story.😋

Good morning. I might finally have a comp story worked out. Not one of the old ideas I was looking at but something new. Dark fantasy, I would say, but maybe with a touch of humour. We'll see what happens as I write.

There's some Jamaican Blue Mountain in the coffee pot. Teas are English Breakfast and something new, a masala chai. Iced tea and lemonade are in the fridge. Sodas are stocked up.

Have a good one and, as always, later alligators.

Yay coffee

It's been a busy few days

On a mini vacation in the valley of the sun,.... (Mesa /Gilbert should be renamed hades) it 8am and it's freaking 81 degrees

Nice hotel. Krispy Kreme a block away from the hotel

Came down with someone special for his grandson's graduation.

It's been fun meeting his family.

In honor of graduation season I have graduation themed cookies

Morterboards, gowns diplomas 2023 and the tassel was worth the hassle

grabbing a large coffee gotta get thru the day ... graduation later this afternoon

giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

We missed our son's grad, but so did he. He got sick the day before we were headed up and was worried it might be C-19 so didn't go. Fortunately caught us in time for us to change plans.

Scarfs a mortarboard to have with some English Breakfast tea.

Crazy smoke from you Canadians in Colorado yesterday and today. Gives the sky this weird hazy glow. I stupidly went out for a long walk yesterday and felt crappy for several hours afterward. Gonna try to stay inside today.

I think I finally finished the tadpole story. I really like it, but it needs a lot of work to get it into shape.

Red's three-part "I Am Viennese" is, incidentally, wonderful.

I have a goofy sci-fi idea forming for the comp. We'll see what blooms.

Coffee and a mortarboard cookie please.

Quote by verbal
Crazy smoke from you Canadians in Colorado yesterday and today.

The Alberta crowd I know on the Canadian site I admin have been complaining, esp. ones with health issues. One woman basically shuts herself with extra air filtration on. Here in the East, it's pretty quiet. The problem is mostly in Alberta and parts of BC.

Good morning!

There's some Nicaraguan medium roast waiting for the coffee crowd. Teas are Irish Breakfast and Cream of Earl Grey. Iced tea and lemonade are ready if you're craving something more chill.

Thanks for the set-up Ape.

Finished the tadpole story and I think I like it now. I also finished a story about a sinister form of Creeping Phlox. It's pretty weird.

Today I will take a shot at a comp entry. 10,000 words is a big sandbox. I'm not sure where I'm going, but I think mine will take place on the moon.

Dying for some coffee. And exactly three cookies please. Don't let me have any more.

Ping! Join us for a cup of coffee, you magnificent bastard, and tell us what you are cooking up for the comp.

Quote by verbal
And exactly three cookies please.

One of my team at work is from the Dominican Republic and went down to visit family recently. Came back with these absolutely to die for coconut ball cookie things. I try to keep myself to 2-3 per day but it is not easy.

Quote by verbal
Finished the tadpole story and I think I like it now. I also finished a story about a sinister form of Creeping Phlox. It's pretty weird.

Eager anticipating the third movie in the universe, Tadpole vs Phlox. Coming in 2024!

I love my creeping Phlox. Now I'm looking at it suspiciously. Whenever you mention your tadpole story I picture it getting in somebody's ear and taking up residence in their brain. I think it was earlier talk of ear ailments.

A pretty sunny day here. My middle son came up for an unexpected visit before he starts a new job. It's always good when one of my kids can visit.

My garden is off to a good start. I hope everyone is having a good week. I'll take a couple cookies to go with me as I sit on my deck and admire my gardens and read a book.

Cheers!

Ape scurries in and scrambles to put things on

Coffee pot is full of ... oh crap, grabbed verbal's Costco stuff. Oh well. He likes it, at least. Teas are Red Rose and Earl Grey. Iced tea and lemonade are chillin'.

Wrestling a bit with how my comp story should end but will probably just start writing and see where it wants to go. I have enough figured out to get started.

Costco coffee! Today is my day!

No Talia Thursday, and I am having lunch with my daughter. I will work on the comp entry some. The Creeping Phlox and Tadpole Summer are finally done. I submitted them to places yesterday. I really like those two, though neither were easy. I haven’t sold anything in awhile. Sigh.

That crazy smoke finally cleared out, behind an intense rainstorm here. Hope you Canadians are okay.

Mets lost again. Tonight we try to avoid being swept by the lowly Cubs.

A coffee and a cookie again.

Quote by verbal
Mets lost again. Tonight we try to avoid being swept by the lowly Cubs.

😋

It’s all fun and games until Drew wears his blue glasses more than once during the same week.

After that, I’m a wreck and all bets are off.

Here comes coffee

Here comes tea

Lots of caffeine for you and me.

(No, that's the beginning of my entry for a future poetry comp. Well, unless the theme is making people's eyes open. 😀)

There's also the usual cold beverages but I haven't got a poem for them, yet. Stand by, though. (watches room clear out)

The Mets actually won a game!

We had CRAZY clouds here yesterday afternoon, though thank goodness it didn't translate to severe weather. Cloud TV! We should have a similar warm/stormy afternoon today. I really love living here. I'll try to post a pic - hope this works.

Gonna tack another thousand words onto the comp entry today. Thing're getting weird, folks.

Coffee and a stormcloud cookie please.

Drew was in my dreams for once.

I was standing in line trying to get on TPIR and he walked by with the producer, smiled and winked at me, then turned to said producer like, ‘Get them into the audience and be sure that George (the announcer) calls them down.’

Then I was up onstage with him, and after taping, he kissed me in his dressing room.

No time for Myths and Monsters for me. About to take Mira further on her escape to England.

And here's the reason why:

Quote by verbal
Red's three-part "I Am Viennese" is, incidentally, wonderful.

Thank you , Verbal

Quote by redwriter

No time for Myths and Monsters for me. About to take Mira further on her escape to England.

And here's the reason why:

Quote by verbal
Red's three-part "I Am Viennese" is, incidentally, wonderful.

Thank you , Verbal

So glad to hear it, Red! It's a great adventure.

My M&M is veering off course a bit, but I will try to figure out a course correction as I garden this weekend.

No big plans. I'll grill salmon/chicken and read and write and walk and watch baseball. Pretty much all I ever do. Not that I'm complaining. I know this sweet spot won't last forever, so I am doing my best to simply enjoy it.

Have a great Memorial Day all.

Coffee and a cookie would be swell.

Oh man. On Thursday, I found out that PlutoTV is getting an entire channel devoted to Drew’s episodes (which sounds like it’s going to be seasons 38 thru 40 unless/until they add more seasons).

It’ll mean commercials cause that’s just how PlutoTV works, but for me to see even more of him whenever I need to, anything. Absolutely anything. 💜🥰

Coffee is on for those so inclined. It's a Brazilian dark roast. Teas are Assam and Lemon black teas. There's fresh pitchers of unsweet iced tea and lemonade in the fridge. Pop supply is checked and restocked, as are the various condiments and add-ons.

New weekend, new story. Yep, I am on to my fourth comp idea. This one seems like it might stick. Bit of kaiju, bit of horror, bit of dark fantasy, maybe even a pinch of Lovecraft. Yeah, might go serious weird. And I'm destroying Toronto which is always good for lulz, at least if you're not from Toronto (we Canadians tend to pick on our largest city for some reason).