Fragment Friday

1.       I either need to become a sanctuary or find a way to write off bird seed on my income tax return. Who knew sparrows could eat so much?

2.       It’s so cold out it takes half the drive to work to get any heat in the car. Every time I buy a car I swear quick heat will be a priority. Then I go and buy the car in the middle of summer and forget…

3.       My poinsettia plant is finally blooming. It apparently failed to get the memo it is supposed to be a Christmas plant.

4.       I wish I could knit faster. I’d have more socks to wear, but somehow playing on my Kindle wins out over slogging through knitting the foot portion of a sock.

5.       It’s nice that it’s not pitch dark outside when I get off work. Not long until I can play after-work-Fetch with the Corgis again.


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Fragment Friday

Merlin at Christmas (taken with my new camera)

1.       My Corgis are brothers, but it’s amazing how different in temperament they are – just like human brothers.

2.       It’s interesting to watch the remnants of Christmas fade away, week by week. Pretty soon they will be gone, except for the neighbor who leaves his lights up and blinking until April.

3.       My new year started off by ordering a book of poems by one of my favorite poets, Carl Dennis. Who are your favorite writers to jump start the year?

4.       Knitting another pair of socks for myself. I should be knitting a hat for the change in weather I know will come. Or more mittens, you can’t have too many pairs of mittens.

5.       I feed the local birds every morning. Considering how much they eat, they shouldn’t even be able to lift themselves off the ground…


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Fragment Friday - Pre New Year's Edition

1.       I don’t make New Year’s ‘resolutions’ but I do think about things I’d like to accomplish during the upcoming year. How about you? Resolutions or wing it?

2.       I would like to get more proactive with my poetry and submit more. Of course submitting is a whole ‘nother job and set of skills. How do you track your poetry? I’ve been using a program called Sonar that is nifty. I am toying with creating an Excel spreadsheet, but frankly, I can do almost everything in Sonar that needs to be done.

3.       Do you set writing goals for the year? Mine are very loose, as in ‘create a new story, poem, work on the novel every month. Of course in April and November I do the poem a day thing. Trying to figure out how to expand the concept to writing a poem every day. I did do a haiku a day for a month, which was difficult. Maybe pick a theme for a month and write to that theme?

4.       I happened to open a paper copy of a thesaurus the other day, and was reminded again how much fun serendipitous word finds are . . . .

5.       I think it’s time I upgraded my Word program to its latest version. I’m still running on 2003. I tried Open Office but wasn’t really happy with it and the space it took up.


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Fragment Friday – Pre-Christmas Edition

1.       I have numerous Christmas carol earworms that even heavy metal has failed to eradicate.  Trying to hold out until Dec 26 when all such insidious noise miraculously ceases. I hope.

2.       I actually finished my Christmas shopping well before Christmas this year. Amazing how that reduces anxiety and keeps me from banging my head on the kitchen table.

3.       If it wasn’t for the Internet, I wouldn’t have accomplished Number 2 above. All hail the mighty power of mouse clicking and credit cards.

4.       It’s really hard to edit poetry with Christmas carol earworms. The temptation is to make everything rhyme in archaic words. I didn’t realize I knew so many antiquated terms until I tried to substitute terms.

5.       Why wasn’t  I smart enough to order everything pre-gift wrapped? Because I like the challenge of rolls of paper, sticky tape and unevenly cut lines? In other words, it’s not truly Christmas without some wrapping paper punishment? And yes, gift bags are the easy way out…


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Fragment Friday

1.       My neighbor has enough Christmas lights on his house that I don’t have to decorate. Neither does the rest of the neighborhood.  I’m also sure airplanes flying overhead get blinded.

2.       I may actually get some Christmas cards out before Christmas. Don’t anyone faint.

3.       I have a Kindle Fire now. Liking it so far, except for the lack of WiFi hotspots anywhere near where I work.

4.       I have a sudden urge to fix oatmeal, the long suffering stuff, not the blah-in-a-packet mess.

5.       Poems have been edited, taking a break before embarking on more writing/editing. Editing is the never ending part of writing. Good thing I like it.


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Fragment Friday

1.       I don’t know who invented motion activated music-playing Christmas ornaments, but I’m sure there’s a special circle in Hell reserved just for them…

2.       A liberal dose of Metal or Weird Al is the only way to cleanse your brain of the aforementioned tinny Christmas music.

3.       What a neat surprise to be editing poems and find one you don’t remember writing – and it’s actually good.

4.       My knitting ambition far exceeds my attentions span and sometimes my ability. Colorwork is for those that can concentrate and follow symbol by symbol instructions in a chart format. This would not be me - not without much effort and brain strain.

5.       Tempted to knit little booties for the dogs. But I’m afraid their reaction will be the same as for the dog booties I bought them. Long suffering expressions and much foot shaking.


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Fragment Friday

Call For Submissions -


Every Day Poets needs your poems! We are looking for poems for publication after the Valentine’s Day holiday. Now’s the time to send us your best work. Go to EDP for details on how to submit your work.

Now on to the Fragments.


1.       Why am I always surprised by how darn cold in gets in Wyoming? It is winter, after all. For some reason the pictures of the Grand Tetons dressed in white always seem somewhat warm looking to me.

2.       My campaign to get the people at work to drink better quality coffee seems to have stalled out in the face of bulk cans of dubious brew. I’d even brought an extra coffee grinder into work, but alas, they insist on Wal-Mart super dooper saver extra insipid coffee. Why yes, I am a coffee snob. (thanks to Scott)

3.       I finished the November Poem A Day challenge with 36 poems. So I over achieved just a little. Now to edit them into some kind of cohesive order. Luckily, most of them themed together nicely. One or two are angsty drivel that will probably get rewritten. Even in the drively-est of them there is usually a good line or two.

4.       Speaking of writing, the Great Unfinished Fantasy Novel is back on the menu. I had a minor epiphany of sorts on tying up a loose plot thread at the end. Now maybe I can rewrite that final battle scene and kill everyone who deserves to die with a clear conscience.

5.       Trying to get into the mood to bake – something, anything. I do plan on a whisky-apple pie for Christmas, but don’t you think a few cookies and maybe some bread before then would be nice?

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Fragment Friday - Post Thanksgiving Edition

1.    Switching colas is made more difficult by the fact no restaurant mixes it the same way. My taste buds are confused.

2.    I ended up making 3 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, and eldest child promptly took one off my hands. Good boy.

3.    Thinking of upgrading some of the software on my laptop. I hate change, though, so thinking about it is as far as I've gotten.

4.    Did you know Corgis honk like geese when they are excited?

5.    The good thing about duck for Thanksgiving – no leftovers. The bad thing about duck for Thanksgiving? No leftovers.


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Fragment Friday

1.    It's a beautiful day out for November, warm and sunny. Maybe the rest of the leaves will fall from the trees so I can rake before the snow.
2.    Looking forward to a fiber artists gathering this weekend. Knitters, spinners, weavers all in one place sharing techniques and food and fun.
3.    The drawback to all the leaves on the ground? Balls are hard to see. The dogs suggested I open a new can of bright green tennis balls for fetch.
4.     Debating what color to paint my living room. I have cans of burnt orange paint I bought last time I got the urge. Not so sure on that color this urge around.
5.     Never thought I'd see the day I could walk out of a bookstore with nothing. Hope our local bookstore's expansion includes more (and newer) books...

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Fragment Friday

1.       It’s that time again – the drive to work in the morning punctuated by sunrise in pinks and blues.

2.       My poems of late want to be prose poems, but I don’t want them to be. So we are tussling.

3.       How can apples have no flavor this time of year? It seems unnatural…

4.       Why does everyone want me to solve their problems? Personal and professional? I don’t get paid near enough to do that.

5.       Another 40mph wind day. Wyoming normal.


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