ancient, speckled orbs
water smooth, sand-polished gems
glisten, river rocks
river rocks by Angie Quantrell
Category Archives: The Daily Grind
The 5th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest!!!
CURIOSITY THRILLED THE CAT (214 words)
The most mysterious gift Pink received for Valentine’s Day was a shiny, heart-covered box.
But saving the best for last, Pink first snooped through the house, using her feline nose, super whiskers, and strong kitty body to locate other special day treats.
What’s in the bag? thought Pink.
Lick,
sniff,
snort.
“Meooowww, I smell kitty snacks.”
What’s under the bed? thought Pink.
Creep,
grab,
drag.
“Yow-wlll! I want that catnip mouse.”
What’s on the table? thought Pink.
Leap,
twist,
bump.
“Grrrrrr, I don’t like dog bones.”
What’s hanging over the chair? thought Pink.
Stretch,
jump,
hook!
“Roooaaarrr! Give me that yarn!”
What’s through the cat door? thought Pink.
Race,
run,
skid.
“Pffttt. Go ahead, fly away flutter-by.”
Pink sat in the lovely sunshine, pausing to groom her soft fur. Stretching, she dug her claws into the door frame, a forbidden treat. But only if she got caught.
“Pink!” growled Mama Mauve. “Stop sharpening your claws.”
Putting on her best innocent face, Pink strolled back through the cat door.
There sat the most mysterious, shiny, heart-covered box Pink had ever seen.
And it was all hers.
What’s in my beautiful box? thought Pink.
Dig,
claw,
rip.
“Mmmmm. A furry, fluffy, fantastic pink blanket for me!”
Time for a catnap thought Pink.
Scrunch,
scrabble,
curl.
Purrr-fect!
Throwback Thursday: The Year of Kevin and Angie (Happy 35th Anniversary to Us) #TBT
Look at the cute guy! He asked me to marry him back in the days of Polaroid pictures. He took this picture and had to mail it to me (snail mail). 1981! What a great year.
We graduated from high school in 1981 and I went off to college. Poor fellow. He thought he would never see me again, lost to one of those studious university boys.
Four years later, after too-many-to-count phone calls (ring twice and hang up to let the other know we were thinking about him/her), boxes of letters and cards, miles and miles traveled to visit each other (I chose a university that was over four hours away from home), and alternating weekend visiting schedule, we were married at our home church.
After a honeymoon to Disneyland (yes, we are a COOL couple), we settled in the lower Yakima Valley to raise our children and pursue our careers.
How long was our dating and engagement period? The total is about seven years. We met in high school, started dating, took a year off, then got back together for good. 35 years later, we are still best friends and more in love than ever.
And they said it would never last.
Take your time, youngsters. Be patient. Wait for the right person. Make sure you are best friends first. And then commit for the rest of your life.
LOL. Old lady Quantrell giving marriage advice. Best ever piece I can give? Base your relationship on faith in Jesus. God has kept us going through good and bad times, and we’ve had plenty of both.
Happy anniversary, my love.
Haiku Moment: morning frost
spikes of glass reflect
shimmer, glow in morning beams
frost swaps dull for bright
morning frost by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: thunder thighs
it’s not what you think
thunder thighs meanings vary
dog running in field
thunder thighs by Angie Quantrell
thunder thighs compliments of Ginger, chocolate lab
Book Report: THE BOY WHO GREW DRAGONS by Andy Shepherd #BeeAReader
The Boy Who Grew Dragons
Written by Andy Shepherd
Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
Yellow Jacket, An Imprint of Little Bee Books; 2020
Thank you, Yellow Jacket Books, for this review Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Boy Who Grew Dragons. I’m happy to announce that I totally enjoyed reading this middle grade novel.
Honestly, I can’t say enough about this fun read. Dragons with explosive poop, an unsuspecting boy and his friends, an interesting gardening experience, trouble with neighbors, and adventures galore provided a very entertaining read of The Boy Who Grew Dragons.
Why I Love This Book:
~ Dragons! Tiny dragons who bond with humans, drop explosive poop, and get into trouble. Books with imagination always catch my attention.
~ A mysterious tree in the garden grows funny (weird) fruit. Dragon fruit tree? Is there not a real life fruit called dragon fruit? Does that fruit also grow dragons? I digress.
~ Tomas is a believable, interesting main character. I enjoyed all of the characters, even the not-so-nice neighbor.
~ The cover and internal illustrations are fantastic and perfectly compliment the story. Yes, this middle grade novel is illustrated with funny, clever, and enticing artwork.
~ Great writing and engaging story
I think young readers will devour The Boy Who Grew Dragons.
Yellow Jacket Blurb:
This hilarious middle-grade novel with illustrations throughout sees Tomas discover that he can grow dragons in his own garden!
When Tomas discovers a strange old tree at the bottom of his grandfather’s garden, he doesn’t think much of it. But he takes the funny fruit from the tree back into the house and gets the shock of his life when a tiny dragon hatches! The tree is a dragon fruit tree, and Tomas now has his very own dragon, Flicker!
While Tomas finds out that life with Flicker is fun, he also finds that it is very…unpredictable. Yes, dragons are wonderful, but they also set fire to your toothbrush and leave your underwear hanging from the TV antenna. Tomas has to learn how to look after Flicker—and quickly! And then something extraordinary happens: More dragon fruits appear on the tree! Now it’s official, Tomas is growing dragons.
Pasture Pets
The pets we have. Let’s call them pasture pets.
Foo-Foo. Not technically our rabbit. Though I have recently informed my honey that this is my rabbit. Not rabbit soup. (No guarantees for others in the bunny market, as it were…coyotes, hawks, eagles, and other larger predators who roam freely. Like the playground cougar sighting at the school where 3 of my grands attend.)
Poor bunny Foo-Foo. Someone released him. Or he escaped. He is quite the digger, as evidenced by the ditch beneath our Mabel Gate. Or she. I feel like it is a he though.
Charcoal. Again, not our pet. I can’t even claim him, because he really belongs to the neighbors on the east side of the pasture. They would know if we adopted this funny guy. Also thought he was a she and hoped for a random egg now and then. But she began crowing all hours of the day. This daily visitor will either help our garden grow (by eating pests and fertilizing) or keep it from growing (by nibbling greens and digging up tender shoots). Either way, not our chicken.
Speaking of…just as I was finishing this post, who trots in from the pasture with a fresh snack?
Monet. This one is really our pet. She adores pasture life and voraciously hunts other pasture pets of the rodent and avian varieties. By our pet, I mean she sleeps in at night (to avoid cat/dog/coyote fights in the wee hours), we feed her on a regular basis, and pay her worming and vet bills. We used to have her twin sister, Mabel, until a pack of dogs decided she was snack worthy. Those dogs were definitely NOT our pets. And they are the reason we now have a Mabel Gate.
Ginger. Not our pet. Though we are doggy grandparents. She loves visiting us in the pasture. More for chasing the ball and occasional cat (Monet) or jumping in the ditch filled with mud and water. But still. If we would let her, she would visit inside the RV. What fun that would be! So. Though she is not our pet, technically, we have adopted her as a family member. Neighbor. Just over the fence.
Other “not our pets” include (but not restricted to) hawks, eagles, coyotes, skunks, goats, ducks, quail, geese, voles, mice, rats, woodpeckers, blue jays, magpies, doves, cats, dogs, frogs, snakes, water rats (I really don’t know what they are…but they are big and swim in the irrigation ditch), crows, worms, slugs, song birds, and lots and lots of insects.
Need a trip to the pasture zoo? Come spring, we will be open for business. I mean, the hibernators will be out and about, the frozen will thaw, eggs and litters will hatch, and who knows what else will spring to life. Bring a lawn chair and a camera. We’ll treat you to the habitats and adventures of Pasture Pets.
Our human pasture guests. (not pets)
Write a Valentine story for these little ones? You bet!
Hey, writer friends! OR Hello friends who would love to try their hand at writing a short Valentine story for young readers!
This is your opportunity to join Susanna Hill’s Valentine writing challenge contest. Lots of fun, new friends and connections to be made, and a neat way to share your story. Or if you just love to read, join the adventure and read what other writers dream up. We are a crazy, creative, imaginative bunch.
Head on over to Susanna’s blog for the details.
Until then, I’ll be dreaming of Valentine’s Day and something fun to put in a story.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love, Laughter, and Life 