A to Z Blogfest: Z is for zzzzz's

Z is for zzzzz's,
which means sleeping with ease.
Now that April is over,
my life with be a breeze.
This past month I've restored a house.
I've painted or puttied every day.
I got a new calling
inwhich I'm still finding my way.
And I've blogged a bit of poetry
almost everyday.
Now I'm ready to rest.
I'm so glad tommorow's May.

A to Z Blogfest: Y is for Yellow

Yellow's my favorite color.
I love how it makes me feel.
When I see it as a flower
I want to clap my hands and squeal.
When I see it in a sweater
I want to buy that one.
When I see it on a car
I want to drive for fun.
I love how yellow livens things,
it sends a message to my eyes
of warmth, energy and happiness,
yes, my love of yellow is no surprise.

A to Z Blogfest: X is for Xylem

Xylem is an awesome word.
But then I'm a botany nerd.
Xylem is an amazing thing.
It pulls things up, and life it brings.
Such a metaphor I can't ignore.
I should be like xylem more and more.

A to Z Blogfest: V is for Visit other Blogs

My suggestion for V
is to visit others, not me.
My brain is on vacation
and there's nothing here to see.

A to Z Blogfest: U is for Understanding

Understanding is important
in everything you do,
whether comprehending physics,
or learning to tie your shoe.
It's also quite essential
when creating characters too.
You must understand what they're thinking
or your writing will stink like poo.

(Okay, so I know this one was lame, but I'm in a hurry today.)

A to Z Blogfest: T is for Tree

I love trees! In honor of Earthday and the letter T, I am going to share a picturebook manuscript I have written about one of my favorite friends.

My Friend is a Tree

My friend doesn't wear
pink bows in her hair.
My friend doesn't eat
milk, muffins, or meat.

My friend doesn't shop,
swim, cycle, or hop.
My friend's not like me.
My friend is a tree.

In spring she's all white.
Her blossoms delight
my eyes and my nose.
I love what she grows.

She's so fun to climb
in midsummer time.
If I get the whim,
I swing from her limb.

an apple a day
I eat when I play
with her in the fall.
She helps me grow tall.

Last winter I'm told,
when it got too cold,
she gave her right arm
to help keep me warm.

There's more to y friend.
Her gifts have no end.
She gives me for free
stuff essential to me.

Recycling the air,
she makes lots to share.
Used air becomes new,
so I don't turn blue.

When it's a hot day
I don't want to play.
I long for her shade
where cool air is made.

When I wan to run,
when smog dusts the sun,
I'm glad that she's there,
her leaves clean the air.

My friend's not alone.
All trees that are grown,
like oak, ash, and fir,
give gifts just like her.

We all need the trees,
baboons, birds, and bees,
kids like us, too.
So what should we do?

Recycling is good.
It saves lots of wood.
I'll turn off the light,
add blankets at night.

I'll walk a lot more
to school and the store,
and plant a new tree--
a new friend for me.

A to Z Blogfest: S is for Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year.
It always seems to bring a tear
of sweet gratitude to my eyes
as I peer into its crisp blue skys
and watch white clouds float to and fro,
knowing their mosture will help things grow.
I gaze at young plants, tender and green,
and rainbows and flowers; a beautiful scene.
Eash so fresh, so vidvid, so new.
Spring makes me feel the same way too.

A to Z Blogfest: R is for Rhyme

Is rhyme a crime?
Does it take more time
to spend a dime
to buy a lime
or watch a mime
fake a climb
if we speak in rhyme?
No.
We just enjoy our time.
Aren't words sublime?

A to Z Blogfest: Q is for Quality

Quality Quotient (Tips for quality creations)

Make it quick and easy
in everything you do,
and keep working
while waiting in a que,
whether writing quips or queries
or ordering at D.Q.
Whether quartering off a quilt
or making a queasy quest on stilts,
whatever you do ask questions
and don't quit before you're through.

A to Z Blogfest: P is for Potato Chips (Also Prize for my book giveaway)

Potato chips are my favorite pig-out prize,
along with peanuts, popcorn, pumpkin pies,
pralines, pizza, and sweet potato fries.
If I persist on partaking you can safely surmise
pernicious health problems will probably arise.
And if my pants are pushed to a portly size,
it pretty much won't be a peculiar surprise.

P is also for Prize. I will now announce the winner of my Hazzardous Universe Contest. The PRIZE goes to:
Damsel in DisDress, Margot Hovely
Margot, if you happen to read this post shoot me an e-mail or a comment with your address so that I can mail the book to you. In the mean time I will try and contact you. Thanks, everyone, for entering. Watch for my next month's contest. I will be giving away a big puppet. Hey, that's a P word too.

A to Z Blogfest: O is for an Objective Book Review: Depth of Deceipt

O is also for Orange, the color of the cover of Betty Briggs' new book, Depth of Deceit, a fun book I've reviewed as part of her blog tour.

I was a bit leery when I picked up Depth of Deceit to read. Though I love horses—at a distance, grazing in the fields—I have never been a fan of the National Velvet-type books. But I was pleasantly surprised by this book by Betty Briggs. Almost immediately the story pulled me into its intrique and mystery.


Beautiful Stephanie Saunders is a junior attorney at an established law firm. She feels like she always gets stuck with the less-than-desirable jobs, such as public defender for scum. Stephanie has no family, as she was orphaned at a young age. Her job gives her hope of a bright future, but at the moment very little comfort. The only thing that keeps Stephanie sane is the horses she loves but does not own. A court assigned client comes along that seems different somehow. At first she thinks he is following her. Then she begins to be attracted to him. But the more the story unravels the more the reader discovers and intricate web of deceit woven by the people Stephanie has come to trust.

I was glad to see that horses were not the main theme of this book. They were merely an extension of the main character, serving to warm the reader up to Stephanie and bring out the loving qualities she herself did not think she possessed. I kept the pages turning as discovery after discovery led me to ache for this young woman whose life had been turned upside down by forces completely out of her control. Everything came to a head in a climax that truly had me on the edge of my seat.

My only major disappointment in the book was the way the author didn’t take advantage of her brilliantly constructed climax and kept the story going long after it felt like it should be over. A few pages after the climax was all that would be needed to tie up the loose ends and make sure you knew the girl gets the guy. But she dragged the story on, telling me superfluous details that only distracted from the invigorating story I had just experienced.

I would still heartily recommend this book, especially to those who love a good romantic suspense novel.

If you would like a purchase link for the book click here.
I encourage you to visit Betty Briggs' web site to learn more about her and her other great books.

A to Z Blogfest: N is for Nice

Nice is a word that describes how things are.
Its numerous meanings can stretch wide and far,
like nifty, not naughty, noble, neat, new,
neighborly and notable to name just a few.
But more importantly, nice is a word
by which I note my novel friends like you.

A to Z Blogfest: M is for Mother

I wrote this tribute to my mother when she passed away two years ago. I thought it would be fitting for the letter M.

Vitamins and wholegrain foods,
foot massage and flowers,
sewing dresses, baking bread,
creating things for hours.

My mother shared her gifts with me,
I loved the things she did.
I've followed in her foot steps
since I was just a kid.
It stared out quite simple,
a dress, a boutonniere.
But the creations grew much grander
with every passing year.
An education and a marriage,
a family and a home,
achievements that were mine because
of the example I was shown.

My heart is full of gratitude
for what my mom gave me,
for how to learn and love,
and live creatively.
But most of all I'm grateful
for how she lived her life,
and served her Lord and family
in good times and through strife.

I no longer have her smile
to brighten up my day.
But I have a cherished memory.
I want to live her way.

A to Z Blogfest: L is for Laundry

I wish laundry day
would stay away.
Or better yet, the laundry would do itself.

The colors would crawl
into piles big and small
from heaping hampers or where it'd been stuffed on the shelf.

It'd be great
if the socks would mate
and generate rather than shrink.

There'd be no stains,
no pre-spotting pains,
nor would the clothes ever stink.

They'd walk to the washer,
dash into the dryer,
then fold and put themselves away.

I'd ignore the strange,
and the pocket change
if my laundry day could be that way.

A to Z blogfest: K is for ketchup

Made from tons of tomatoes,
sugar and spice,
ketchup's a condiment
that's really quite nice.
It brightens a burger,
makes your dogs a delight,
forms a fiesta from fries,
and can even add taste
to your tuna surprise.
The cadre for ketchup
continue to mount,
but as a serving of vegetables,
I won't let it count.

A to Z Blogfest: J is for Jars

Jars

Big ones, little ones
old ones, new,
jars make me jealous
by the things they can do.
They hold and preserve things
in colors of all hues,
from jams and joint creams
to junk like booze.
Fragile ones, tough ones,
clear, brown or blue,
jars are good for holding things,
but so are me and you.
Jealousy, justice, jitters,
and joy to name a few.
But just like a jar,
we can keep or jettison our contents
and replace it with something new.

A to Z Blogfest: I is for ice

Ice is nice,
at least once or twice
as cubes inside
my soft drink.
But ice is bad,
at least what we've had
outside for three days.
I think it stinks.

A to Z Blogfest: H is for a Hap Hazzard giveaway, also for Husband

This month's contest/giveaway prize is a copy of Julie Wright's Hazzardous Universe, a new fun middle-grade science fiction novel. You can check out my review and or just leave a comment to enter. Yep, that's all that's required to enter for my drawing for the book, is be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. I'll announce the winner at a random date before the end of the month, so don't wait to enter.

I couldn't let H pass by without a rhyme for to honor it, as I didn't want the poor letter to feel left out. So here are my random thoughts and rhymes for H.

Husbands

Husbands help.
Husbands hinder.
Husbands give off heat
in the heart of winter.
Husbands hug.
Husbands hear.
And whether hair or bald,
you hold them dear.

A to Z Blogfest: G is for Garden

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes.
They can be full of weeds
or win blue prizes.
They can grow gourds and greenbeans,
guava or grapes.
They can grow in a greenhouse
or in grand landscapes.
Or a garden can be something
grown in your mind
if you have fertile soil
and good seeds of all kinds.
Gratitude, generosity,
gentleness and grins,
when thoughts produce these,
it's where greatness begins.

A to Z Blogfest: F is for Frank

Frank could be a hotdog
you devour at a meal.
Frank could be a demeanor
that could make or break a deal.
Frank could present your opinion
if something's right or wrong.
Or Frank could be an author
that loves to write in song.

A to Z Blogfest: E is for Ego

Egos are big.
Egos are small.
Egos are something
possed by all.
Egos can be bad.
But they can be good
when they motivate a person
to do what they should,
by coming out of their shell
and strive to do well.
But if an ego ever gets in the way
of saying "Have a nice day,"
to one you might think is odd
or has sinned against God,
or doesn't dress like you,
or do what you do,
then it's time to get a big pin
and take your ego and stick it in!

A to Z Blogfest: D is for Dogs

Some dogs are daring,
some are dramatic.
Some do their duty
out-doors so sporatic.
Some are dangerous,
others docile and darling.
Some dig in dirt,
while others dash after starlings.
But the greatest deed dogs do
is be devoted to me and you.

A to Z Blogfest: C is for Calories

Cookies and cakes,
chocolates and cremes;
confections galor
collect in my dreams.
Though cheerful and calm
this culinary chant seems,
it chugs and it churns,
and to my conscience it screams
that my closet and clothes
contain no more room in their seams,
and celery and chard
should compose my calorie teams.

Blog for "B" is About What's Beautiful to Me

Butterflies and bees,
bluebells swaying in the breeze,
and the blanched bark
of a boquet of birch trees.
Botany and bugs
are what's beautiful to me--
or anything that blares nature's bounty.

A to Z Blogfest

I just barely found out about this fun blog fest. It will be running through the month of April. Every day participants will blog about a different letter of the alphabet, starting today with the letter A. I hear that it is a great way to add followers to one's blog.

I'm going to pick something random to start with. The first thing that popped into my head that starts with A is AIR. So now my thoughts about air I will share. Hey maybe I should do it in rhyme.

Air is there,
it's everywhere.
It blows through our hair.
It determines what we wear.
It can be wild, mild or fair.
It helps grow a pear,
and a bear
and everything, I swear.
But we'd better beware,
though there's pleanty to share,
it might not always be there,
if we don't take care
of the air.

That was fun!
Tomorrow hop on over and see
what I do for B.