Porthole

Hey Hay 30dbc#10

Hey Hay

IGOTTAGO

Sumojo: "Yep. My grandparents had a two-seat outhouse but at night we used a chamber pot. I have pots and in an emergency would manage. I use a cup to pee." re "Busting" 

Viv: "My grandparents had an outhouse and used chamber pots. I grew up in a family of 5 with one toilet. For me, this is my present reality. I've been in this old hotel for 13 years. I've thought about moving out. But rent is cheap. So much to consider. ​I'm not sure everyone could handle more details unless they've worked in a nursing facilty or assisted friends or family with similar issues. But I have." re "PEES IN A POD" 

Kathie: "Well, well, well... welcome to my world. When I travel around the world and stay in hostels I know where the exits and toilets are before I have to use them. I've thought about depends..." re "30 day Blogging-Nov 11, 2021" 

HAY

Robert: "I've lived in areas that grew hay but I know nothing. In NE Kansas years ago they were 4-croppers or hog farmers. More need for the corn and milo and silage. Regardless, they would've all helped out. Farmers can be very cooperative. The competition wasthe weather, not each other". re "Hay Now" 

Sonali "Honesty is fine. This is a very Euro-American prompt. I grew up where hay was used by the dairy farmers for horses and cows. In Kansas they grew corn and other crops to feed cattle and hogs. All I can say is that in Kansas the farmers worked together. The competition was the weather." re "I haven't the foggiest notion - #30DBC" 

Sue: "Farmers understand working together. The 'enemy' is the weather (or maybe rabbits) not each other. Neighborly people also do well. Even in cities there's cooperation. One sees this everytime there's a disaster. What has happened here is that people don't want to know their neighbors. I'm just the opposite." re "Bringing in the hay." 

*Judith "From the horses mouth... as they say . Thanks for the details and step by step description. In Kansas it was corn and combines and silage. No question that the whole community would step in. Cooperation was the key to survival. Everyone watched the weather. Harvested all night if they had the right equipment and a storm front was moving in. One question... can you tell the moisture/mold etc. in hay mostly by sight or smell or touch or taste or sound? In other words what senses were used before fancy monitors and such? Are there certain weeds that affect harvest? We cut shattercane out of the milo (sorghum) to not gum up the machines. As children, we wild-strawberry harvesters knew by taste, sight, smell and whether it was hard or smooshy. One thumps watermelon. In any case, thanx for a peek into your world. Experience trumps opinion or fantasy when it comes to making hay. " re "Make Hay When the Sun Shines" 

Marvilla: "It would be a 'disaster' and everyone would help. Workers need to be fed, folks needs someone to look after kids or the elderly. More so when a disaster or tragedy hits." re "Neighbor’s situation " 

Lilli: "Robert: nope ropes and danger noodles? Lilli: yes, farmers understand cooperation. In the old days survival depended on it; it still does but hard to explain this to some folks. You'd be there with your coffee-by-the-carload and donuts-by-the-dozen or enough soup and rice to feed an army. Of this I'm sure! " re "Hey, neighbor!" 

Petra: "Apondia wrote what hay cutting and baling is like. She can do that because she has first hand experience. I can only observe what I saw in small farm communities I lived in long ago. Farmers are cooperative. Their enemy is the weather, not each other. City folks can be cooperative too. Like when me and my neighbors were stuck for days due to a blizzard." re "Helping a neighbor" 

Cappucine: "I've lived in combine country. It's used for wheat and other crops not hay. That said farmers always help each other in the MidWest. Apondia lives in the NorthEast near where I grew up. The folks there are not as friendly but I'm sure they help each other. My city was in the snow-belt so blizzards were common and neighbors always checked on each other." re "hey hey hey" 

Viv: "When I lived in Kansas there was no question that everyone would help. Elizabeth and Judith make valid points: people aren't as neighborly these days." re "KINDNESS" 

Kathie: "I saw how people came together in Kansas when a tornado let the hogs out. And I saw how folks responded to a blizzard back home. Kindness is not as uncommon as some people think. You would do what you could while others did what they could. " re "30 day Blogging-Nov 10, 2021" 

CASTLE

Cappucine: "Funny response. I didn't see any castle when I visited Australia. Must've gone to the wrong country." re "let down my hair" 

?Sonali "Yes, well worth the read. Thank you. This prompt triggered me which is why I posted my own. I didn't grow up with castles. Like your comment about hay... I had no clue how to answer. " re "An Old Folk Tale Retold - #30DBC" 

Kathie: "1963... when the poet was young. All I can say is that some people listened; all I can moan is that most of us didn't." re "Blog entry for Nov. 9, 2021" 

Sue "Yes, it does jump around like a dream. Well done. What did the Queen say by-the-way? Like... "On with your clothes or off with your head" perhaps?" re "Searching for lost memory " 

Mike: "Well ... are you sure you got to the right one? I mean... Igor...?" re "In the castle east [30 DBC entry]" 

Judith "Not a lot of castles in the US. I can see how open house tours would be interesting but I don't think we ever did that. My family didn't have much interest in moving or seeing other people's houses when I was growing up. One of the charms of the open air museum of Maihaugen in Lillehammer Norway were homes from various decades." re "Pricing the Ticket" 

Marvilla: "I would never find the prince or princess. I have nightmares where I look for a friend others are hiding. I couldn't deal with fantasy yesterday. Reality bites." re "The castle " 

Petra: "I believe a friend has moved to Wales. Possibly Swansea. I've never been. Future trip? I'd like to escape to the world for 2 years and then maybe to a city that has access to the country. American cities are notorious for sprawl and lack of transportation." re "A castle in Wales" 

Viv: "Hopefully the UTI has cleared up. In our family it makes people 'loopy'. Not everyone is prepared for change nor deals with it well. Castles can protect or become a 'prison'." re "DDOUBBLE TTROUBBLE" 

Ray: "Just within your grasp... This can be worked on some time if you want to make it a story of its own. "He/I dreamed a dragon" could become flash, a short story, an intro to a longer work. You give the dragon a voice. This dragon is no mere object; he has dreams of stars and sparkly things ... and a few anger-management issues. Since dreams and nightmares can be a glimpse into someone's 'soul' this could be saved until it inspires you to work on it again." re "Flight of Fancy" 

QP "Yes, Lady Elizabeth. May I help you with anything else M'lady? IMHO, the last two lines weaken this passage. There are better ways to show angst. That said, it could be worked into a short story or a chapter in a longer work. Keep it until it speaks to you again. Then listen closely, M'lady; it may know what it wants." re "Entry To The Castle" 

MaryAnn "This is a fine castle , may I look around it.?" So disarming, like Agatha Christie. Delightful."

DECADE

?Marvilla: "Even a child can walk across the country with slow steady steps. Yeah... making new habits that are better than the old is a good beginning. Getting out of one's comfort zone is another. Getting out of bed (where I'm now sitting) would help me! Glad you mentioned mistakes. That's part of the process I really didn't understand as a child. Mistakes were not allowed in a place and time where perfection and product were valued over process. I wish you many more mistakes to help you along the way. " re "Now is my best decade" 

Mike "I have a kick-the-bucket-list. (parse as you please) I think I'll do 2 year plans from now on. " re "The Year 2031: Status? [30 DBC entry]" 

PRAISE/CRITICISM

Marvilla: "Harsh criticism crosses cultural boundaries. In the Thai TV series I watch the compassion or cruelty can be an important part of the story. 'Tough love' is merely tough is there is no love. Maya Angelou said, "when we know better, we do better."" re "Ruined with praise or saved by criticism " 

Darken: "I do think we need both. Praise can kill but so can criticism. I can take criticism when I know I'm loved unconditionally. " re "Invalid Entry" 

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