Writing Life: New Challenges

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Fires of Waterland in Print

Life is a learning curve. It should be simple, but what fun would that be? Just to raise the blood pressure, make the heart pump harder, sprinkle the nerves of steel with itching powder and make life interesting, at times it gets to be a substantially steep learning curve. We may wail and cringe at the onerous tasks presented to us, but reality calls; life consists of new challenges every day. The writing life is not an exception. One may be able to run, but not hide.

Lady Luck teaches us well; at times, surprisingly with a slap, a sting or a lulu of a comeuppance. Variable outcomes. The dreaded. The unexpected. You know how it works; great illusions become greater disillusions, ~~hmmffnn..~~.. miss the bus so you can get hit by the train instead. It’s always better fishing in the lake farthest away. Go for a dream vacation, jump off of that dream water slide into emerald, bejeweled tropical waters. Yes, the dream vacation, the ultimate destiny, the dream stream down below, but wait…those are real sharks. Or the ship strikes rocks and falls over a la Costa Concordia. One never knows.

Learn to fly, or swim faster, paddle back up that creek harder, run faster, go, go, and go, or sustain minor life-threatening injuries. It’s all a little like writing, isn’t it? Write more, write better, write faster, take on new challenges. It is what it is.

We write and dream, dream and write. Short stories, articles, one-liners, commercials, screenplays, novellas, novels, plays, and even poetry. Poetry! Dreams in prose; rhythm, rhyme, iambic pentameters to soothe the soul. Maybe the joke’s on you, it could be a Shakespearean sonnet or a simple limerick. A written trick. A slight of words. New challenges. A fistful of invisible syllables….maybe a one-time three-liner. Haiku. Make it even more complicated, go for Tanka. Have you ever tried Tanka? As an aside, there’s an upcoming competition at Mandy’sPages. Amanda’s setting it up, complete with instructions. How to write a five-liner. Tanka is a quintain, it’s good to work the writing brain. . ~~See? That rhymed. See how simple poetry is?~~ We ~~guess not~~ shall undoubtedly find out otherwise.

It’s pretty easy to get side-tracked isn’t it? The writing life. Writing more, better, and faster. Creating. There we go. Wow. A book. Published. Elation. The Fires of Waterland. The pages don’t even fall out. Yes, that’s an achievement. Book signing, publicity, and voila, — as another local author related to me. “Now you’re a book salesman“ He smiles knowingly. He’s been there, done that. It’s the writing life. New challenges.

I’ll try Tanka too. It doesn’t even have to rhyme. What good fortune. It has to stimulate the senses instead. Images, even smells. Go figure. New challenges. I’m up to it. How about you?

Is that Incoming I hear?

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Think Squirrels and Nuts

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Squirrels stick out their tongues at Bad Weather

Even Squirrels stick out their tongues at Unnecessarily Bad Weather

Today, May 6th –it is finally warming up. Sun’s out! Imagine that!

It’s been a long, cold spring here in Northwestern Ontario. A major snowstorm on April 12th, and more snow, repeatedly, after that. Unusual to say the least. Enough already? Even the wildlife has been complaining about it, only showing their bird-seedy-sunflower-loving beaks and tender noses on even the best of the worst days. Cabin fever. A distraction may help. Think squirrels and nuts. Squirrels and nuts. Chant now, ‘ohmmmmmmm….ohmmmmm’ , got it?

Wildlife is smarter than we are; they bunk in for the duration, while we humans look about with wary eye, frowning and thinking and finally admitting this weather is just plain ~~miserable, unusual, bitter, unnecessarily cold, crappy and un-~~Canadian. Bite ‘yer lip and get used to it, Jack, think squirrels and nuts instead. Hm..thinking about it, according to the photo, even squirrels stick out their tongues at unnecessarily bad weather.

Hood Ornament Waiting for Spring

Do squirrels, chipmunks and birds know something about weather we don’t? They are incredibly clever, after all. For example in early autumn they snitch all of the nuts from the trees very neatly–and usually just a day or two before we decide the nuts are ripe enough, full kernel, delicious and well worth picking. We rarely stand a chance. That would be with both wild hazelnuts and acorns. We make excuses. Squirrels and nuts go together, after all, should we complain about that? Maybe we should just pay more attention to their skill sets, think squirrels and nuts. “We are immensely clever, after all…”

We are immensely clever, after all…

“And we know how to help ourselves. We even climb down wires into the bird feeder. How about that? We like the chopped apples and bread bits and oh, don’t forget those delicious sunflower seeds too….hm…..”

Down the wires and into the Bird Feeder is easy…

“And we’re just waiting for maple sap to start running in this young sugar maple tree, kids, over here, over here!….”

(Check this out…..maybe there’s something to this after all, the squirrels are way ahead of us…again… think squirrels and nuts, and maple syrup….)

Inspecting the young sugar maple trees for sweet sap

Red Squirrels inspecting young sugar maple trees for sweet sap

“Are we smart or not?”

Hmffjmm..hm.. it seems so. Maybe there’s a genuine lesson here for all of us human types…think squirrels and nuts…squirrels and nuts.. think about it…and the sun is shining too…. ommmm….ommmmm….ommmmmm… Coffee, that ought to do it…

Is that Incoming I hear?

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Let’s Wind Down

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

“now if we can only persuade Mother Nature to listen to the experts.”

Well, it’s official… just finished the A to Z challenge, 26 days, 26 letters, and most importantly, 26 articles, pieces or creations, however defined. Tough job it was, too, trying to think up something different and exciting, new angles on old words, and finding a voice for a specific, compact, and topical approach. Relax. It’s over. Finished, and successfully too. Time to wind down for another year.

All done, from A is for Author to Z is for Zest. Let’s wind down. I wonder how many blogging participants actually completed the challenge?

Psst….I will try and visit as many new blogs as possible. Until next year!

Meantime, since we’re getting so good at finishing stuff, let’s concentrate on winding down winter, too….please? Another worthy project!

See this heap of snow?

A Genuine Pile of Snow 2013 April

Winter was fun, it has it’s moments, this year there was lots of white stuff, cold, too, it’s not like it was the fantasy warm-as-popcorn snow in **Morgidoo’s Christmas Carol, —but cold. Brrrr…you know, the Canadian stuff…cold. So,while we’re at it, let’s wind down winter for once and for all.

With an unreasonably late spring, and a late snowstorm, April 12th, snow piled up pretty good. ~~Good grief, can you believe it? see~~ The snow in the pic? Yes, that is a genuine pile of snow. Oh, I’m the tall one in the picture eh, —notice, no coffee, …..there I am, up there, winding down winter, huh? hmnfffff….snowballs!

That ought to give one for thought, especially considering ~~that even with a short memory,~~ right on this Northwestern Ontario location, only weeks earlier, back in the middle of March, the 18th, for the record,– the boys in this photo were standing on the ground in their snow fort, winding down a snowball fight. See?

Boys in the Snow Fort, March 18, 2013

See why we need to wind down winter? Mother Nature, c’mon, warm up, baby!

The garden is calling, and vegetables apparently do not grow in snow. Uncle Mac, our gardening expert on everything from raised garden beds to radishes to MegaTon cabbages and everything in between,– including Blue Hubbard squash and yellow Boule d’Or turnips –will confirm that. Dollars to donuts he’s puttering away over at Uncle Mac’s garden shed today, and Farm Girl swears by his wisdom and wizardry at gardening, collecting seeds, and even sprouting stuff. Get that? Sprouting stuff already.

If that’s not enough proof for my loyal readers that it’s time for winter to wind down, we can further consult with Glory Lennon, our incredible gardening zeitgeist. She loves sharing her garden and will share flowers of all colours with us anytime, –even my favourite sunny yellow ones!

There you go, A-Z is all done, and this ought to give winter a hint, let’s get the snow out and wind down winter too, –and turn on the heat, some nice, warm sun,…now if only we could persuade Mother Nature to listen to the experts.

I think we might have coffee while we’re waiting for the big wind down / warm up, –or perhaps we shall write something…maybe both. Distractions…..Hmm….Thumb my way through another seed catalogue. We have a pile of them. See all those veggies? Green stuff. Maybe a snooze….

Is that Incoming I hear?

**Morgidoo’s Christmas Carol, a new Christmas classic,– is scheduled to be published in print by Rocking Horse Publishing by Dec. 2013.

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A-Z Challenge: Z is for Zest

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Zest -Concentrated flavour

Z is for Zest. It’s spring. Can you feel it? Hope. The exhilaration, the excitement, the unknown element saturating the air in the springtime? It’s the zest. Dreams of warm, sunny weather, sandy idyllic beaches, dancing under the stars, and warm breezes bearing hope. The zest for life itself, the big plan. What has that to do with an orange, you ask?

When was the last time you tossed away an orange peel without thinking about it?

The zest of an orange or lemon is the outer, concentrated layer of the peel that contains virtually all of the flavour that can be found in the peel. Smart chefs and bakers recognize the zest contains the highly-concentrated flavoured orange or lemon oil–a veritable jewel-box of flavour. The rest of the peel, the white pulp, offers little taste. What has that to do with life?

The fact is, the exciting part of life, the zest – like the zest on the orange or lemon can be found living out on the edge; on display for all to see, and hopefully to taste and enjoy. The colour, the joy, the flavour. The excitement. Let us equate zest to life experience–and what we do with our lives, bucket list included. The rest of life is bland and ordinary by comparison –consumed by structure, daily routine, work, obligations, bills, problems, health issues, and stress. We deal with the basic structural requirements for survival.

Under the zest, the rest of the orange also has purpose, structure, juices and uses, even the totally bland white peel, but the characteristics of zest render it special, worthy of thought and taste. The concentration of flavour makes life tasty, interesting and special. Scrape some zest off and taste it; taste life, while you’re at it; you’ll see it’s worth doing. Go for it. You may be surprised. Why discard the best part of life?

Zest is the extra joy, zing, and excitement available to you not only on your oranges and lemons, but also in life itself. Think about it. I’m thinking we must strive to take full advantage of it. That’s why Z is for Zest.

Is that Incoming I hear?

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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A-Z Challenge: Y is for Your, You’re, and Yore

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

In days of yore: 1820-Country-Wedding by John-Lewis-Krimmel (1786-1821)

Y is for Your, You’re, and Yore too. In days long gone, days of yore that would be, it may be recorded that the English language was much admired for it’s trickery and common-sounding words now known as homophones. Perhaps they came with a wink or a wee inclusion of the Irish, Scot, or Welsh. Today one might be more tempted to use the dialect version of ‘your’ being ‘ ‘yer’ –as in “up ‘yer kilt”. Go figure.

‘Tis why the language is beautiful, is it not?”

Unlike in the days of yore, your improper selection of the correct synonym or homophone could result in revelations of illiteracy in the upper class, or at the very least, might earn one poor grades in middle school accompanied by a dunce cap and immediate and stern admonishments from buttoned, top-hatted and bespectacled teachers of English. All of that for poor writing skills. Your mind image here might be Scroogified, at best.

Today most people do not bother; we are are displeased only if such perturbing defects bother one’s sense of grammar, wizzardly protocol or self-entertainment with faded memories of an arcane language once perfected. Should you always write what you think is right, and pay no attention otherwise to other purveyors of chicken-track scribbles? Hm…that reminds me. See what good comes out of yore?

Perhaps you’re one of the contented and secret, quill-yielding, literate ~~lunatics~~ fascinating ~~old geezers~~ people that delight in, ~~twisttittiling~~ the twistification of ~~wordlings and wordettes~~ words to salsify your own ~~wintickling~~ wonderful but ~~whackified~~ weird sense of ~~parsnipperies~~ particularities in prose, adding spice to life, and creating bad habits which you shall wear to the gravy. Habitually? Off to the nunnery with you, we laugh raucously. ‘Tis in black and white habits are written.

Do you have any favourite homophones?

Ready or not, you’re on the right track. Get used to it, Jack. Be unique. Your secret will be safe with me, just like in times of yore. That’s why ‘Y’ is for ‘Your, You’re and Yore.

Is that Incoming I hear?

photo credit: Wikimedia commons

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A-Z Challenge: X is for Xeriscape

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Xeriscape landscaping by Grace Design Associates

X is for Xeriscape. It is interesting to note that upon occasion people honestly have neither the time, temperament, or inclination to babysit lawns, grow grass, feed and weed flowers, and trim, prune and water every Saturday without fail. Why? They’re definitely xeriscape people. Special people with special needs.

Once upon a time, ~~( in the land of Nod and almost long ago enough to be a Grimm fairy tale)~~ I had the good fortune to spy a front yard with bright green grass. The driveway itself was normal asphalt gray, matching all of the other driveways on the street. Hardly noticeable, it was, but the lucky homeowner never had to cut the grass again.

The lawn area was paved with asphalt, and painted dark green. Green as grass. I’m betting he had to paint it at midnight when nobody was looking, perhaps every few years, but essentially it is maintenance-free, and no doubt, will never need water.

That approach might be a bit extreme, don’t you think? It worked for him. He even had a gnome or two on it. Perhaps that’s what counts. The concept. I was never there on Saturdays, so I don’t know if he ran around with the lawnmower making it ‘look good’ and normal or not. Perhaps grass-coloured indoor-outdoor shag carpet would have looked closer to natural. ~~Then you’d have to vacuum it. No matter.~~ An extreme and unusual Xeriscape. A pioneer in the art of not-grass-almost xeriscaping.

The fact is, you, too can have your own Xeriscape. Landscaping without grass or flowers. Turn your lawn into an essentially maintenance-free ~~moonscape~~ space. A real one. Install stone, pebbles, crushed rock pathways, timbers, old wagon-wheels, split-rail fencing and anything you prefer for your theme, even a few short gnomes—arranged suitably. ~~to avoid working Saturday afternoons~~ Prevent the necessity of struggling to produce green grass, live areas that demand attention, cutting, fertilizer, and fixing. This strategy is particularly clever if you’re perpetually short of water in hot, dry areas.

Xeriscapes may not be as extreme as and designs vary widely as asphalt, and plain stone, but typically may also have a few clumps of grasses suitable for arid desert areas, some dry-land bushes that acclimatize to dry conditions, and even cactii and succulents suited for the local climate.

Xeriscapes are ideal in the hottest, desert-type geographical areas where only a few cactii and succulents might survive otherwise. Stones, pebbles, sand and cactii go well together in Xeriscapes. Try it, you’ll like it! Xeriscapes can be beautiful, improve the curb appeal and value of your property. You won’t even have to cut the grass.

That’s why X is for Xeriscape.

Is that Incoming I hear?

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Grace Design Associates, Santa Barbara, CA

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A-Z Challenge: W is for Women

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Mona Lisa in Detail (Louvre)

Why is W is for Women?

Women are unique human beings. Unusual women are everywhere, every one is different; debutante, delightful, the ordinary, extraordinary, contrary or exceptional. It takes all kinds and all descriptions; tall ones, short ones, redhead, blonde, brunette & brown, plain, cute, beautiful, smart, vibrant, dumb, clever, witty, eye-candy, busty, small-breasted, elegant, gold-digger, whacko, dowdy, lazy, hard-working, fast, slow, -girlfriend, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, daughter, girl-next-door. She may be a friend, gay, lively, loser, lover. She may be skinny, pleasantly plump, chubby and well-toned, big and small, a valley girl, actress, athletic and/or a lunatic, insane, a talker, crier, princess, duchess, dancer, ballet prancer, waitress, teacher, or opera singer when musical laughter peals from painted lips as the fat lady sings.

Women can be delightful, annoying or diligent. Cheaters, faithful, genuine, artificial, painted deceivers. Sloppy. Neat. Irritating. They may be Great cooks, homemakers. Substitute secretary, CEO, pot-burner, gardener, smiling, gentle baker with great buns. She may be illiterate, educated, compelling, personable, and intelligent.

Descriptions of all kinds keep coming; devil, angel, sneering, snotty, gullible, sultry, sexy, nice, a hottie, silly, soulful housekeeper, granny grey, maid or mom, Queen, mother, missus, Mrs., Ms. and madame. She may be a fine lawyer, farmer, tailor, hairdresser, hooker, companion, date, shapely, writer or artist. She can be exciting, arrogant, humble, dim or dull, drab, dreary, or ~~even in drag~~ do-nothing dazzler, wear-nothing, sunburned naked nudist, bikini clad, lady, catwoman, superwoman, teacher or flower-girl flautist.

Don’t forget to check out those ~~bad-ass~~ biker-babes, cello-players, genius gardening zeitgeists, and the rhythms and rhymes of giant-hearted prose creators, gnomes and Victorian poets. Moaning Mona and the Mona Lisa….There sure are a lot of women…. ‘Ya gotta love’em all.

Women–it takes all kinds, and they’re wonderful, that’s why W is for Women.

Is that Incoming I hear?

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A-Z Challenge: V is for Victory

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Victory- The Greek Goddess Nike at Ephesus, Turkey

Victory: A state of Mind

V is for Victory. I’ve always contemplated the possibility that victory could somehow be just a state of mind, –a condition of the mind we happily convince ourselves is important. Questions about victory abound. Is victory just another ‘state of mind in time ‘ with which we delude and entertain ourselves? Is the concept really much simpler, for example, just instant happiness derived from small achievements in life?

I have to admit achieving victory in a sweaty, physical sense can be quite real, a heady, worthy goal. Something like completing a three-legged race; let’s say a hundred yards or so and the delegated prize is an ice cream cone. On a hot August day one can be be victorious and win. Not surprisingly, to the victor go the melting spoils.

**Let’s feel it.**

Imagine you won that 3-legged race to nowhere at a last-day-of-summer picnic. Celebrate. Victory is ice cream melting; enjoy it quickly, before it disappears. Cheering, sweating, falling over into some lumpy buffalo grass, grinning at the so-called slower ‘losers’. Happiness. Wander around, proudly, smiling, eating that vanilla ice cream cone.

Rewards

All that effort for such an insignificant, melting victory, but it is victory nevertheless. You are unbeaten, elated, superior, victorious, and somehow, invincible. That’s what victory at age 6 feels like.

Is it any different now? Not much. Bigger trophies, bigger toys, bigger delusions. On to bigger, sweeter dreams and the next, bigger challenge and achievement. It’s still a state of mind. That’s why V is for Victory

Is that Incoming I hear?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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A-Z Challenge: U is for Utopia

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

The Peaceable Kingdom Edward Hicks

U is for Utopia. A state of perfection. Something none of us have, but everyone wants. Isn’t that strange? Every human being in the world has probably contemplated perfection at some point. Becoming perfect. Living in perfect conditions; Utopia itself…. No fear, sickness, poverty, or political problems. No flat tires. No fire alarms. No headaches. No cheating, stealing or being bad. Peace. No war. No lack of jobs, no bills, no wants going unfulfilled. No reality. ~~Wait.~~ That’s a good point isn’t it? No reality. A total suspension of reality.

Why is utopia never achieved?

Human beings are imperfect, so it defies logic to imagine a collection of old reprobates, crabby people, profiteers, jealous spouses, broken minds, thieves, court jesters, diamond dealers, scientists, bankers, kings and fools working together to achieve perfection?

Let us laugh raucously and proceed with our inordinately imperfect lives while we wait. You never know, it might get better. Keep thinking of perfection. ~~Tongue in cheek.~~ Fingers crossed.

Ready? We’re waiting. It never hurts to dream. It never hurts to keep hope in the heart. That’s why U is for Utopia.

Is that Incoming I hear?

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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A-Z Challenge: T is for Time

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

1 Simple, Old Time

T is for Time. Time spent wisely, time wasted foolishly, time wished for passionately. Each of us have an allotted time–the question we perpetually ask is, where does time go when it passes us by? Where does time reside? In old clocks? Heritage buildings, old, dusty classrooms where the hands of the old clock moved at a slow, painful pace?

Time is fluid

Time may feel hard, difficult, gentle and healing, painfully slow, or incredibly fast. Above all, it is persistent. The clock is ticking. The seconds march on, curiously, whether we use it productively or not. It seems logical, diligent and clever to use every minute wisely, doesn’t it? What do you do with your hours, minutes and seconds? What did everyone do for years on end in ancient days? Study the stars?
This old clock works may give us an idea how dedicated some people were. Can you imagine how long it took to build this?

2 Vintage Franz Zajizek Astronomical Clock machinery

Are we astute enough to realize that every second, every minute, every hour counts? How about you? Is your internal clock broken or just pausing? Starting a boring job may seem daunting, it may “take forever”. Try it. Sit and think about it for 8 hours instead. Imagine that. Eight hours from now, your dreary job can be done, completed, something to be proud of–or you may have completely wasted the same 8 hours thinking about it. Time passes regardless what you personally do with it.

Better check your time out. I thought you might even want to take a precious minute and think about it. That’s why T is for Time.

Is that Incoming I hear?

Photo credits: 1 author

2 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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Is that Incoming I Hear?

Writing Life: New Challenges

Think Squirrels and Nuts

Let’s Wind Down

A-Z Challenge: Z is for Zest

A-Z Challenge: Y is for Your, You’re, and Yore

A-Z Challenge: X is for Xeriscape

A-Z Challenge: W is for Women

A-Z Challenge: V is for Victory

**Let’s feel it.**

A-Z Challenge: U is for Utopia

Why is utopia never achieved?

A-Z Challenge: T is for Time

Time is fluid

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