mollyhousemouse

oh Caz! thank you so much for this! so many profound things come from kids, shame more people don't listen! i will be saving this!

hello Ashi! thanks for adding to the conversation and taking the time to read this. have a great day!

it's for just that reason, that You thought about healthier options after hearing these conversations, that it's an important discussion You were already living a healthy lifestyle, but we made You think and that's why it's an important discussion to have and if our conversations about food can make someone like Mac Sir think about His choices maybe someone else will think about it too

i remember the incident well, and W/we are glad that something positive has come from this setback for Him and that's a good attitude, diabetes affects every system in the body, i wish like hell He would have paid more attention to the doctors and that i had been strong enough to insist that He did this is a great place to have this discussion and i applaud your efforts

Phil was diagnosed Type 2 about 13 years ago and we didn't get a lot of support then either. He's lucky in that His employer offers a program through their overall "Wellness Initiative" and we get much more support now. it's a delicate dance this one, balancing what's good for you nutritionally and those things that are just good to eat! He's learned, i've learned, it's not been easy and He wasn't always a good patient and did what He wanted and ate what He wanted. Michael Sir and you, have it figured out much better than we did at that stage.

looks good James! i've never made it from scratch, always used a box mix it might be worth a try thanks for sharing!

from the readers perspective, the first kiss scene can be a make it or break it moment. if the author has been true to the characters, as @Comicality talks about, it's a wonderful moment. if the author rushes thru it, just to get to the steamy sex, then the steamy sex scene isn't even worth it. that first kiss is a snapshot of the relationship, and adds to the foundation of it's evolution. thanks for sharing your thoughts, Comicality.

i've said it before, that i see poems in pictures. this little gem is no different there's a sense of mystery, and longing in this one the veil of ice makes the whole scene a little murky, as if the photographer, or cinematographer, shot the scene through a screen i think you write wonderfully, Sir, and am glad that You share with us

this is also something i have talked with other authors/writers about, that what might seem trite to me, means more to them. the other thing we talk about is when readers leave a comment and the author/writer doesn't respond. i think it's important that if someone takes the time to comment on one of my blog posts, it should be acknowledged

this would make me much less inclined to comment also @droughtquake the comments section is written by fans, it's a kind of fan club. talking with other people who have enjoyed the story should be a part of the whole experience i think that when you relate your own experiences to that characters, the actions in the chapter it would validate that what was written as fiction, in fact, has a basis in reality. it's also one of the ways to make your comment more meaningful to the author, wouldn't you think? that what he, or she, or they, have written has reminded you of this time when......

over about the last year or so i've become more active on GA in doing so i've learned the value of the reaction, comment and review. it's often difficult for me, as a reader, to comment on a story offering. it seems superficial, trite and cliche to say "thanks, i enjoyed that" over and over, especially when 6 other readers have said the same thing. i want my comments to mean something to the author. what i find myself doing is reading and re-reading before commenting. in the last 3 or 4 months i've joined a "team" and have started blogging. i see now, even more just how important the reactions, comments, and reviews are. this has spurred me to be more consistent in doing that and also with sharing what i've read with others thanks for bringing up the topic @Ronyx

Parker, you have a wonderful way with words! these were delightful!

this is lovely! it plays in my mind like film noir, like a Sam Spade movie the first stanza all foggy and grey, the second done in flashbacks the third and fourth back to the film noir (i had to google "dross" just to make sure i was sure of what it meant, lol)

it is most definitely cheating! the test is an assessment tool for the teacher, you, to see how much of what you've presented has "taken," or stuck with the student. having the aide give answers gives false data for the teacher. the higher test score may lead you to move to the next level, the next topic, which may or may not build on what the test was about. now the student, or students, who were given the answers are at an even greater deficit. i am totally behind giving the student the tools to succeed, the quiet place or the test being read that you mention, but handing out answers? no not hardly! if i were the parent in that situation, i'd also be a little pissed! how many other tests has this aide "helped" little Sally with and how far behind is she now? having just gone through a charge of academic dishonesty with Number Two Son (proved false, received a hand signed apology from said teacher) this pokes a raw spot i hope that you are able to get this rectified @DynoReads

i'm not an author, but i do blog here occasionally. i find using the tags widens the exposure to what i've written. i've started using the tags to search for others blogs on subjects that interest me. thanks for all the hard work Myr

LOL! yes Sir, i get your drift. i feel the same about Phil Sir the difference is indeed something to celebrate i am enjoying them, but boys still baffle me! thanks for reading Sir

LOL @Kitt ! it's not the BO, that's a really icky smell, it's just boy i think someone referred to it as musk yes, this is true! Phil laughs when i tell Him it's His turn to be the adult! that is very true @Dodger! thanks!

ah yes, those toys do sometimes get bigger with age thanks A! LOL! no, they don't really grow up JayT and yes, most of the time, they smell better as men! Thanks JayT!

thanks tim! for giving me the courage to do it and for reading it! yes They are always boys, even at 53! thanks, Parker! the youngest is in fact 17 lol! i do a lot of listening when i have a car full of Number Two's friends... thanks Def! oh jp, yes those noises are forever! having been married for this long, i can attest to that, LOL! i hadn't thought of that smell, in that way, but yes i imagine it was intoxicating! thanks jp!

Mac Sir, and tim, i believe congratulations are in order. this is another beautiful piece and the fact that it was done blind, as it were, only adds to the wonder of it i often say that poems leave me speechless, this one doesn't. quite the opposite. there are so many things i'd like to say, but the thoughts and feelings it invokes are difficult to express coherently. it does, however, leave me breathless. thank you Sir thank you tim

Boys are odd creatures. Yes, they are. Don’t try to deny it. Let me explain. i took both my boys shopping today. (Yes i know you know i detest shopping. i had no choice in this. Anyway, that’s a different blog post. ) Boys, make odd noises. They were talking, and they would accent their conversation with these strange vocalizations. i can’t even begin to describe them. Is there a gene, or other chromosomal anomaly that enables the male vocal chords to do that? i tried hard to just listen and not react. It was fascinating. Truly. Boys, they smell. They do. i know for a fact that both these boys showered. This morning. But, they’d walk past me to see something on a shelf and there was a whiff of...something on the breeze. It wasn’t that it was unpleasant, but it wasn’t roses and lilacs either. It was just “boy.” Boys, show affection differently. Now granted these are not boyfriends or lovers, they’re brothers, and that’s its own kind of relationship. And these brothers are 6 ½ years apart in age. The physicality of their affection startles me still. Shoulder punches, high fives and fist bumps that resembled an MMA fight, shoving, headlocks. At one point, i was concerned about the glass jars and bottles on the shelves at the store. But these boys were aware of where they were and this tussling affection was measured and controlled. And the name calling! Oh good heavens! If i didn’t know any better i would have thought they didn’t like each other. Boys, though, still surprise their mom. They found a movie they both wanted, neither had enough to get it. They agreed to split the cost. In a most satisfying and adult way. It was an affirmation that they do like each other. Even if mom doesn’t understand them! Yes, boys are odd. It’s a good thing that they grow up. Or do they?

this is such a fun little story full of wonderful word pictures from the eye roll, to the traffic jam, to the Hatchimal! and of course it had to be Budweiser and Labatts! i giggled a little each time i read it! thanks for including me in the magic that is your storytelling ❤

truly no words smiles, joyful tears the last 8 words hit my heart ❤ ❤ ❤

i hadn't known about reviewing until recently, i'll be more cognizant of it now. i do comment quite regularly and was recently given some advice about it. an author i respect said that you shouldn't be self-conscious about comments you may want to make. they are all welcome, and remember, even if it's something similar to a comment you made on another work, a potential reader won't know or care. so i am becoming bolder in reviewing and commenting.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better. Martin Luther King, Jr.