Everyday Canvas

January 24, 25, 26, 27 Prompts' Entries

Prompt: We all live a reasonably normal life, we have friends, we've got hobbies, and we'll gladly wander around a store looking for an item rather than ask a clerk where it is because then we won't feel guilty if we don't make a purchase. Reader's Digest claims that we're actually normal but we do have our fair share of idiosyncrasies. Do tell what are some of yours? Are you nuts or normal?

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Who says I “live a reasonably normal life”? Believe me, I never did.

Okay, here goes an example. Palmetto bugs drive me nuts. I don’t mind little cockroaches, but when the cockroach is the size of a mouse, I scream. They disturb me so much that I can’t even kill them. I just run away while pointing a bug spray at them. Taking care of Palmetto bugs, dead or alive, is hubby’s job.

On the other hand, with snakes, hubby and I exchange places. FL is full of snakes. Only six species are poisonous, though. So, I keep shooing the snakes out of the garage and the porch. This happens regularly every few weeks or so.

Each time, I end up devising a different approach. Just a day ago, Ned watched a two-foot-long black snake slither from under one of the sliding doors of the porch; he was frozen and totally unable to scare the snake away. If I were there, it wouldn’t come inside the porch in the first place. Anyhow, I pulled out a wooden stick that was at the end of some cleaning brush and chased the snake out of an open door. I don’t hurt snakes. I never have. I just threaten them. I guess a snake can’t sue me for threatening. You think?

Prompt: Pick a fun fact you've come across this week and share it with us.

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Florida State, in general, is a fun fact in itself. Let me count only a few ways of it.

Florida has more toll roads and bridges than any other state.
Florida has more golf courses than any other state and is home to the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Augustine.
The Florida Everglades is the only place on the planet where crocodiles and alligators live together. Now we have unwelcome pythons, too.
Florida’s largest river, the St. Johns River, is one of only a few major rivers that flow from south to north.
Florida is the largest producer of watermelons in the country. It also produces the most tomatoes, strawberries, and sugar. All these are produced much more than oranges; although Florida still produces the most oranges.
Made mostly of Florida pine, The Belleview Biltmore Resort and Spa, northwest of Tampa Bay is said to be the world’s largest occupied wooden structure at 820,000 square feet.
Jacksonville, Florida is the largest city in the United States. Surprised? It is a fact.
No dinosaur fossils have been found in Florida. We must have scared the dinosaurs away.
Florida driving test doesn’t require parallel parking. Go figure!

Prompt: 1500! Wow. Write anything you want about 15. 15 favorite things, a poem or whatever you want.

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15th century poets
William Dunbar, was born around the time of 1460, he has left vivid images of Scotland in the reign of James IV.
This is considered to be his best poem.

To a Lady

SWEET rois of vertew and of gentilness,
Delytsum lily of everie lustynes,
Richest in bontie and in bewtie clear,
And everie vertew that is wenit dear,
Except onlie that ye are mercyless

Into your garth this day I did persew;
There saw I flowris that fresche were of hew;
Baith quhyte and reid most lusty were to seyne,
And halesome herbis upon stalkis greene;
Yet leaf nor flowr find could I nane of rew.

I doubt that Merche, with his cauld blastis keyne,
Has slain this gentil herb, that I of mene;
Quhois piteous death dois to my heart sic paine
That I would make to plant his root againe,--
So confortand his levis unto me bene.

Another 15th century poet is Francois Villon who was born in Paris in 1431 and disappeared from view in 1463. He is the best known French poet of the late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities.

The Debate Between Villon And His Heart
by Francois Villon

Who's that I hear?—It's me—Who?—Your heart
Hanging on by the thinnest thread
I lose all my strength, substance, and fluid
When I see you withdrawn this way all alone
Like a whipped cur sulking in the corner
Is it due to your mad hedonism?—
What's it to you?—I have to suffer for it—
Leave me alone—Why?—I'll think about it—
When will you do that?—When I've grown up—
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it—

What's your idea?—To be a good man—
You're thirty, for a mule that's a lifetime
You call that childhood?—No—Madness
Must have hold of you—By what, the halter?—
You don't know a thing—Yes I do—What?—Flies in milk
One's white, one's black, they're opposites—
That's all?—How can I say it better?
If that doesn't suit you I'll start over—
You're lost—Well I'll go down fighting—
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it—

I get the heartache, you the injury and pain
If you were just some poor crazy idiot
I'd be able to make excuses for you
You don't even care, all's one to you, foul or fair
Either your head's harder than a rock
Or you actually prefer misery to honor
Now what do you say to that?—
Once I'm dead I'll rise above it—
God, what comfort—What wise eloquence—
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it—

Why are you miserable?—Because of my miseries
When Saturn packed my satchel I think
He put in these troubles—That's mad
You're his lord and you talk like his slave
Look what Solomon wrote in his book
"A wise man" he says "has authority
Over the planets and their influence"—
I don't believe it, as they made me I'll be—
What are you saying?—Yes that's what I think—
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it—

Want to live?—God give me the strength—
It's necessary...—What is?—To feel remorse
Lots of reading—What kind?—Read for knowledge
Leave fools alone—I'll take your advice—
Or will you forget?—I've got it fixed in mind—
Now act before things go from bad to worse
I've nothing more to tell you—I'll survive without it.

Happy 1500, BC!

Prompt: Watching "Heartland", Ty was training his horse and it wasn't going well. His girlfriend Amy's grandfather, owner of the ranch, said: "If you act like you just have 15 minutes, it will take you all day to train that horse. If you act like you have all day, you can have him trained in 15 minutes. So, with that in mind, what things have you done that took all day or just 15 minutes? What was your frame of mind trying to get these things done?

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My frame of mind to get anything done is to just do it. If I don’t do something right there and then, it becomes a burden on my mind. So, whenever possible, I immediately do that thing or let it go. The things I give importance to I spend more time with; with the things that have to be done but are not of great importance to me, the resulting quality depends on luck.