Forgive my absence, all. It's been a busy and complicated time for me. And Larry – forgive me for missing your birthday! Many happy returns, mon ami!
I'm going to try to read the competition stories now as I just submitted mine. I'm sure they will be intriguing!
Take care out there!
Wait! I have an idea for the competition! Having an idea…well, it's in a strange place, so I have to be careful not to scare it away.
Now…"green" "midnight", "fireworks"…hmmmm…
Hey there. Thanks to Ping and Verbal for the idea-generation ideas. I'll do something along those lines – as well as whacking myself upside the head with a 2x4 to my motor running.
And thanks to Mandella for the tea (Earl Grey, please. Peach? Really?) and Sara for the yummies.
Now to see if I can coax that little thought into growing into a real idea! Thanks for the help, everyone!
Cold but clear here. Toronto tends to miss a lot of the snow that the rest of y'all get. We're nestled in a bowl of hills, plus the heat column from North America's 4th largest city tends to nudge storms north or south of us.
As a result, it's cold but clear and sunny here today, with no snow at all, even though I know they got heap big snow farther south.
Gonna go sit in the corner, and nurse that little thought, now… 'bye…
Hey there, everybody? Anyone got a spare idea for the competition?
So far, my mind is a blank. But then again, that's pretty well normal for me.
I'll have a Red Rose tea, please, and will sneak couple of Sara's GF cookies from the safe…
I'll bet it's colder here, Sara! And we got significant snow today!
I'll have a hot chocolate with marshmallows, and join you if I may! Maybe my fur will help keep you warm!
Hey y'all! Just dropping by to pick up a cuppa Red Rose, and wish everyone a Happier New Year! I'd say it couldn't be worse, but that would just be tempting fate, right?
Anyway, have a good one, everybody!
Happy Boxing Day, y'all! It's been a good Christmas – so far!
People have already started asking me why I'm wearing my Santa hat when Christmas is over.
The reply is simple: Christmas is a tide and a season, not a day. There are the 12 days of Christmas – and liturgically, Christmas doesn't end until Candlemass – February 2nd. And yes, I know that's Groundhog Day, too!
Anyway – Merry Still Christmas, everybody!
I'd like a big mug of hot chocolate … WITH mini-marshmallows … as a lovely end to a very quiet, but quite wonderful Christmas Day.
And Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good night!
I just wanted to drop in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! And to those who don't celebrate it, then I wish you the spirit of Christmas – compassion, joy, understanding, and love. Even if we are not co-religionists, these values are universal!
And if you are travelling, please be careful, stay masked, and do whatever you can to take care!
Hi folks! I need some tea – perhaps some Earl Grey, if we have any.
(checks the cookie safe, finds two gluten free cookies, snaffles them)
We had quite a bit of wind here, too – not as bad as the American Midwest, but quite unusual for this time of year.
But then, the new normal for climate in NO normal!
Take care out there!
Nice platter, Sara! Did you make it yourself?
I'd like some Red Rose tea please, in a largish mug. Feeling the need today for some reason!
Take care out there, folks!
Hi y'all! I haven't been by in a while, so thought I'd stop in, partly to say howdy – Howdy! – and partly to thank Mandella for filling in for me over the weekend.
I'd like some Red Rose tea, please – in a clean mug, if possible!
Take care out there! Still danger lurking.
Happy Turkey-day to all my American friends! Hope you have a lovely time with your relatives – if that's not an oxymoron!
I brought along some turkey cookies and cupcakes for the festivities. Found then lying around on a bar somewhere, and thought you all might like them!
I'll have some Earl Grey, hot, please, and a couple of gluten-free cookies – thanks, Sara!
I love sugar cookies, but I hardly ever find gluten-free ones!
I'll take three, along with some Red Rose, tea, please. And thanks, Sara & Mandella!
Long day here. Lady Jay and I got our booster shots yesterday. I was fine this morning and did a bunch of stuff, but it's catching up to me. I'd like some Red Rose, please, in a clean mug, and a couple of gluten-free cookies!
Thanks!
And I'll take a cuppa Red Rose, please, with a couple of GF cookies, with thanks to Sara!
Grey, overcast day here. I'm going to try to put my head down and actually, you know, WRITE something!
I'll have some Earl Grey tea, and a cheery cherry and strawberry shortbread GF cookie, please.
Thanks Sara!
Quote by DenimAngel
Quote by JamesPBear
Is there any Red Rose left? Or hot water, for that matter?
Uninspiring day today. I feel like I got nothing done.
I need to write a story or six!
The tea kettle has fresh hot water and the Red Rose is in the tea chest on the counter . And there are some yummy gluten free cookies in the Elmo Cookie jar .
Thanks, Sara! You're a Bear-send!
Is there any Red Rose left? Or hot water, for that matter?
Uninspiring day today. I feel like I got nothing done.
I need to write a story or six!
And good bear-ly morning, y'all! I'd like some Red Rose tea – no lemon, no milk, please.
And I'll check the cookie safe – YES! a couple of GF cookies left, so I'll snaffle them.
Finally, I have to thank the judges. I know I joked about being #11 in a field of 10, but I am surprised, and even slightly abashed at the compliment they paid my story by creating a special category of notice for it. Thank you!
Quote by Mendalla
You neglected to mention the "honorable mention" that went to a certain white, fuzzy Inspirations regular. Congratulations, James. Personally, I thought yours was top ten material but then I would have to figure out who of that group wasn't and I'm not going there. As Molly said in her announcement post, it must have been a tough one to judge.
I didn't mention the honourable mention because I didn't see it. Besides, being a polar bear is an automatic honourable mention, don't you think, Silverback?
So, the Spooky Story winners have been posted – and there are a number of Inspiration regulars among them!
Ping is the Big Enchilada, taking 1st prize
Violent the Virtuous gets 2nd place, and
Writer Girl the Amazing gets 3rd!
1st Place: Innocent Until Proven Gullible by Ping
2nd Place: The Wonderful World of Wally Weasel by Violet_the_Verbose
3rd Place: Just a Girl Who Loves Cats by WriterGirl
Runners Up:
.
Congratulations to you all! I expect Ping will be buying hot chocolate all around!
(stumbles in and collapses on a chair)
Do you have any gerbil tea? I got my flu shot today, and I am just out of it!
I don't want any caffeine as I'm going to trip on off to bed soon as I can work up the energy, but I need SOMEthing.
Maybe Celestial Seasonings, "Sleepy Time Tea"? If they still exist?
I don't drink gerbil tea very often.
(slumps forward on the counter)
ZZZZzzzzz…
Ooohhhh! Irish Breakfast tea! Yes, please!
I'm good on cookies for now. I'm watching my midriff – grow. And it shouldn't, so… "no cookies for me!"
Good day, everybody! I know that our (rented) PVR has a hard drive, but Mandella, how do you attach an external hard drive? And how do you record TV stuff on one? I'd love to give Bell the heave-ho, but since the demise of DVD recorders, I haven't found a simple way to record stuff, and I'm not willing to go back to being a slave to broadcast schedules (and commercials!).
Meanwhile, Writer Girl has produced an extraordinarily lovely story that I would encourage you all to read:
Fat Grandma
I'd like some Orange Pekoe tea, and I'll check the cookie safe to see if there are any GF animal cookies left!
Thanks!
Quote by verbal
Congrats on the win, Sara! The Braves deserved it. I became a big fan of Albies during the postseason. No more baseball for five months.
Not quite, Verbal. Pitchers and catchers report in 3 months and 11 days!
I'd like some Red Rose tea, please, in a clean mug, and some of Sara's GF animal crackers. Polar bears by preference, of course, but I'm not that picky.
Thanks!
Quote by Mendalla
Numerous parents on Monday:
Nonsense. I NEVER (let me kids catch me) eat their Hallowe'en candy!
I'd like an Orange Pekoe / Red Rose tea, hot, in a mug, please, and if there are any of Sara's GF animal cookies, I'd like a bear (with white frosting, if possible) and an elephant, please.
Thanks!
I'm not a fan of spooky stories, so mine actually has a happy ending. And there are elements of truth in it – although I'll not tell you where!
It's set in Ireland, it is, and tells the story of a lass who desperately needs help to avoid her own death – and doesn't know it.
Find it here: The Road Not Traveled
And my thanks to all the kindly folk who have already set eyes on it!
Greetings everyone! May I please have tea à la Picard – tea, Earl Grey, hot? And a couple of Sara's Zoo animal GF cookies would go down a treat!
Speaking of treats, we're not going to be handing out treats again this year. Too scary! We've given treats to kids going home from school by sending them down a kid's slide instead, and hope they're OK with that!
