Backwoods Boy

I need to check out the story tim mentioned. I also need to read Storms. There is so much to get involved with here I sometimes have trouble choosing. If I correctly understand what you've said about Storms, I've tried that (not here), writing in first-person of the main character most involved (there were four) as if it were a joint project and they were aware of each other's chapters. I have mixed feelings about the results. It allowed some interesting side humor where one character could comment (briefly) about the viewpoint of another and allowed for the most complete coverage. However, even though I started each chapter with text and dialogue that made it clear (to me) who was "writing", I think it confused the reader. I've sometimes written a first-person chapter from two perspectives, but then picked the one I liked the best. I've never yet written in third person, and think it would be more of a challenge.

This gets better with each chapter. I didn't read the first edition of this chapter in detail, but my reaction is that there is a much greater depth than before. I've now read a number of stories on GA, and with each one I'm more impressed with what you have done with this this. It's definitely worthy of publication.

Now I'm curious. If it is a rehash of the same scene, I'm with you.

Just so long as it's "running" and not "streaking"

I've probably heard this because of my early botanical (forestry) background. As to other applications, as long as this here "senior" is just "senescent" and not "senile", it's all good.

x That's nearly an exact quote from the mycologist who gave a lecture on mushroom-picking that I once attended. Then he proceeded to show pictures of a variety of edible mushrooms and their poisonous look-a-likes. Fairly convincing.

Your Haiku is wonderful. You find a lot of nature in your urban world and describe it colorfully. ❤️

That's a lot for one month. A pound a week is more to the point. Don't overdo it as that can cause unintended results. Share that with the migraine doctor, if you didn't. Moderation in all things. If it's an ocular migraine, my hiking companion deals with it, and you'll get some good advice from the doc. Hope you get it figured out soon. I'm sure you'll let us know what you learn.

LMFAO! Thanks for making my day. The embarrassing part is that I had to read through it three times before I got it.

I should look into that. Since you mention the subject, I recommend a book entitled "Eats Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss, a book that was a bestseller in Britain, that covers the subject of punctuation. It's easy to read and has helped me a lot. It was recommended to me when I was tutoring English as a Second Language by the instructor I was working under. I have it out to re-read in light of my participation on GA. As an indicator of the sense of humor with which the author writes, I quote her dedication page: "To the memory of the striking Bolshevik printers of St. Petersburg who, in 1905, demanded to be paid the same rate for punctuation marks as for letters, and thereby directly precipitated the first Russian Revolution."

I'm way not into that technology yet - I don't even have a smartphone - but it strikes me that the results could be interesting inasmuch as I talk to myself all the time. 🙄

Goal: Move to Hawaii!

Your post just before this reminded me of taking out the stitching on the lower half of the legs of my blue jeans and sewing in brightly-colored triangular panels to make them into bell-bottoms. And I was in my mid-thirties by then. Some of us never grow up.

Somehow I missed this one. What interests me is how recently the nonreligious meaning came into being, and that I wasn't even aware of the religious meaning. But in the end, I'm quite sure I don't have any - by either meaning.

Doesn't everyone?

Well, I'm not going to complain about 38 degrees F and a howling east wind, mild conditions compared to you folks. And you're right about the urban issues, tim. We can get a couple feet out here without the problems you have. Yeah, they plow the snow up onto the sidewalk, but the town is small and the traffic is light enough that one can walk in the street without danger. Hope you can stay inside today. I have to go out once, but only two blocks, and the rest of the time I'll be hiding out until the wind dies down, presumably tomorrow.

A perfect setting for two boys to find a friendship valuable to both. A great short story that makes one wish it were longer.

We're having a balmy spring-like weekend. I'm taking advantage of it to do fence repairs caused by the last multi-day windstorm. Perhaps the repairs will help the fence withstand the next multi-day windstorm, starting tomorrow

Also a worthwhile thing to know, and doing something different than the others will probably give you what we used to call "brownie points". Not sure if that expression is still in use.

This one I could do. I've been doing a personal budget ever since I got out of the USAF, didn't have a job, and suddenly realized I had no idea where my money was going.

I turn my calendar to February 😏

I was glad to hear you're using a fitness center. It is good for working off stress. I wish we had a viable one closer than 25 miles away. I used that one for a year, but having to drive that far tends to defeat the purpose.

This is incredibly beautiful, and the nature in it speaks to me strongly. I can so see myself doing exactly what you describe here. And thanks for making it an educational experience by explaining the form of the Ballade. And I thought Tanka was hard

I started reading this to learn more about the world of horses, and learned far more than I expected. I also read one of the best stories I've found online. Thanks so much for your excellent story of western adventure. You have a way of telling a tale that holds interest from start to finish, with characters that are incredibly real.

Sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry.