Flowers

I love spring.  Especially all the flowers and plants.  I even bought a small greenhouse this year so I could start buying plants early. There's just something about spring that compels me to get out and play in the dirt.

 Here's what it looked like a couple weeks ago. Since then I've added 5 Oleander plants, several cacti, a couple tomato plants. In the red pot is a giant elephant ear bulb I'm eagerly waiting to sprout.




                                         I even have lettuce, red leaf and green.

I have two strawberry plants that are blooming.

                                                                                     Snapdragons...







I've added a couple more since I took these pix and will have to share them later. 

And while I didn't buy this one, I really thought it was cool.

I saw this at a "home and ranch" store Saturday and really, really wanted it. I just knew if I brought it home something horrid would happen to it.


So, what's your favorite flowers?

Ergo...

Definition: Hence, therefore...

Synonyms: accordingly, consequently, so, thus, wherefore

She drives like a maniac ergo I'm not surprised she totaled her vehicle.


As a writer I like words. I've decided ergo is my word for the week and will try to use it as often as possible.

What about you? Do you use new words often? Got a special word you like a lot?

DUH...

Got things that need to be done?

Here's a nifty little system for getting things accomplished I discovered several years back. I'd forgotten about it over the past several moves and all the things happening in life so for those who have seen this before, hopefully you'll enjoy the reminder. And, for those of you who haven't, give it a try, see how it works for you.

D - Do it first.  Don't wait around, do it and get it over with. 

U - Understand it might not be fun.

H - Hurray! Now celebrate, you did it!


Don't you just hate ending the day knowing you didn't get the things that needed to be done taken care of? I do. I'll lay awake berating myself for not getting everything accomplished, feel guilty and be miserable.  When I apply D, I don't have that problem. The important things are done and I can move one to the things I want to do without all the guilt.

The "U" reminds me I might not enjoy some things. But the satisfaction of marking things off the to-do list sure is nice.

And we need to remember to celebrate. We need to celebrate our accomplishments. And not just the big things.

So, what do you think? Will DUH work for you?

I'd love to take credit for DUH but that goes to Margie Lawson.

Comma, Comma, Comma...

That's right, commas. I really dislike 'em. Seems I never have enough. And the ones I do are in the wrong spot most of the time.  (I debated about putting a comma after do in the last sentence but decided not to.)

I figure I'm not the only one with comma issues so here's a few links that may help.
  

Basic Rules of Commas in Writing

10 Simple Rules for Using Commas

5 Simple Comma Rules to Live By

Grammar Girl

Bloons TD 5

Time for another confession... I enjoy killing bloons! 

Bloons TD 5 is a tower defense game, meaning you set towers along a course to defend whatever needs to be defended.  In BTD5, you want to keep the bloons from getting to the end of the course.

You do this with different monkey towers, each with different abilities. There's the simple, dart-throwing monkey, the ninja monkey and many others to choose from. Each with different upgrades.

I'm at level 55 now. I've beaten most of the levels on easy and medium...except the advanced and extreme levels. I'll go for hard later. It's a way to let the brain relax for a few minutes and de-stress.

You can give it a try here or on Kongregate where I play. Just don't get addicted. :-)

All Right or Alright

Today is the first day of the A to Z Blogging Challenge which was started by Arlee Bird.  This is my third year to take part so a big THANKS for coming up with such a great idea and sharing it with us. Y'all can check out Arlee's blog here. Now to this year's first post.

Confession time... 

I use alright a lot. And while it's alright with me, it may not be all right with those who use proper grammar. Several sources say it's a  misspelling of all right and probably stems from already and altogether, which are all right.

So...is it all right to use alright? Again, some sources say sure, some say nope. My critique group lets me use it in dialogue but make me change it the rest of the time. My advice, check with your editor. The English language is always evolving so it may become all right sooner or later.

Here's Grammar Girl's take on it. 

What about you? Do you use alright or all right?

March Madness - take two

Last March, I had fun with a March Madness theme and figure it'd be fun to try again. Here's a link to the first post from last year. 

So... In like a lamb or lion? Today the sun is shining, the skies are a beautiful blue and the wind has finally calmed from the last several days. It's still quite cool, down into the mid 30's. My better half told me yesterday to make sure I close the door on the greenhouse tonight cause it is supposed to be seriously cold. (One of his friends even rented a tent heater for his greenhouse which is why he knew to tell me.) I won't heat it but, I'll close the door. I need to share pix of my plants with y'all later. :-)

Did you know March first marks the start of the meteorological Spring? And apparently the start of the "storm chaser" season.  Now, I admit I like a good storm but I'm not sure I want to go chasing after one. 

Is March coming in like a lamb or lion where you are?

And speaking of madness...did you see where they are taking bets on who the next pope will be? I mean, really!

Next...do you follow the actual March Madness? Got a favorite team in the playoffs? I don't really care for basketball and neither does my better half, at least not until March. For those of you who don't know how it works, here's a nice article on the process.

Here's something I just discovered today.  Southern Writers Magazine. Looks like a nice resource. They have a short story contest going on too...deadline is midnight tonight.

Leave a comment, sign my guestbook and we'll do something special at the end of the month. I've got some books to give away. :-)