Water Off a Duck's Back

WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck
It must be a duck

If it swims like a fish and breaths like a fish
It must be a fish

If it barks like a dog and chews like a dog
It must be a dog

If it meows like a cat and sleeps like a cat
It must be a cat

If it looks like a human and acts like a human
Never, ever believe they are a normal human

Humans can be
Sarcastically catty
Mean as a dog
Slippery as a fish
Clueless like a duck

Being a human can sometimes be underrated
Or very worthwhile and appreciated
Lonely, hollow, self-deprecating
Friendly, happy, and very loved

Too many humans worry
Too many stress
Instead of letting problems go
Like water off a duck's back

The Wedding

Thanks for all the support from my fellow writers during the preparations for my daughter's wedding. I will only post one photo here, but if you would like to see more, check them out on my writing blog or my rants blog:

My Muse and Me

or

Rightmyer Rants

From Rightmyer Rants

Temporary Insanity

Sorry guys, but I'm pleading temporary insanity for the rest of the weekend. If I don't see you guys Tuesday night at class, someone come looking for me - I may need you to bail me out of jail or cart me off to Eastern State.

Wedding, wedding, wedding, wedding ... bet you can't guess what's on my mind!

Sylvia Davis Is Coming to Town

Sylvia DeLee Davis will be reading in Harrodsburg on Saturday, July 25th at 2pm at the Kentucky Fudge Company. Please join us in welcoming this wonderful author to our hometown.

Sylvia is a seasoned writer whose works appear in numerous anthologies and journals. She is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and resides in Richmond, Kentucky where she is a teacher and tutor. Sylvia compiled Appalachian Angels after listening to friends tell of crossing over to the other side during a near-death experience (NDE), or being assisted by angels during emergency situations. An avid collector of books on NDE, Sylvia is convinced that angels do indeed reside in the hills and hollers of Appalachia. She trusts you will believe too.

Happy Grandpappy

I am not one to brag too much but since I am a new grandpa and it is sort of my first, I just had to do this post. One thing though, I will not leave it up too long (maybe a week) so everyone can get a look and then I will get back to the real stuff.

Her name is Lilianna Abree Ormond, she weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. She and MaMa are doing great.

In the pic of me with her, she was less than 5 hours old and when I talked to here she just watched and listened. I hope you all don't mind my bragging just a little. By the way, in the bottom picture, she was about 20 minutes old. And, you should see here feet and fingers... they are really long... I will have to erase this because if she ever saw it she would hate me for telling you that.

Prayer To The Waning Moon

Prayer To The Waning Moon

Beautiful Sister,

As the alabaster warmth of your face

Fades in sleep,

Take this melancholy with you.

Let it dissipate

Like hurtful smoke,

In the jet black darkness of your dreams.

Normandi Ellis

Normandi Ellis - Kentucky author, Berea College teacher and Editor of Berea College Magazine - was the guest speaker at The Advanced Writer Workshop, lead by Tony Sexton on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at the Mercer County Public Library. She offered the class a "jump start" - a prompt to help start the writing process - in addition to talking about the publishing aspect of writing. She also read several passages from two of her books.

For more information on Normandi Ellis you can visit her website here.

June Assignment

At our last meeting, Tony played a game of 20 questions with us. From out 20 answers he choice 3: 1.) Favorite character we have written about; 2.) Made-up name for a female character; and 3.) Made-up name for a male character. From these 3 names, our assignment is to write a story incorporating all 3 of the characters. The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 12, 6:30 at the Ag Center.

An Evening with Normandi Ellis

The Advanced Writer Workshop - lead by Harrodsburg's own Tony Sexton - and The Community of Mercer County Writers will be hosting Normandi Ellis as our guest speaker on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 7pm at the Mercer County Public Library. It is very exciting to be hosting this wonderful Kentucky Writer.

Books by Normandi Ellis:


Dreams of Isis

Awakening Osiris

Feasts of Light

Fresh-fleshed Sisters

Sorrowful Mysteries and Other Stories




She is also the editor of the Berea College Magazine

Barn Shadows

(Photo by Dan Felstead of Wood and Pixels Narratives)

BARN SHADOWS

The standing barn has absorbed the frequencies
Of passing memories and feelings gone by
Darkened with shadows of passing time
Or the communications of a earlier eon

The old oak planks are a testimony
Of the hardworking tobacco farmer's life
Permeated wood with fragrances not soon forgotten
The emotional scars like the many wood worm holes

So why is my life wrapped in the shadows
Like the claustrophobic lines on the barn
Instead of breaking free to a different life
Where laughter can chase the shadows away

The shadows help to conceal my presence
As I wait behind the scenes
Never quite comfortable in the role of a leader
A follower I'll always be

Will my life eventually calm down
Will I come to miss these times
But I don't want everything all sunshine and roses
Because the shadows are now my best friends

Eyesight is the First Thing to Go ...

... so, I have changed the font size on the blog. Even with my glasses, I'm having more and more trouble reading small print, so I made the change out of necessity.

If you think this is too large, please let me know and I can make it a tad smaller, or change it back to the original size.