Five Photos, Five Stories: From Inside and Out

This is Photo Story #5 for the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge.  The rules are to post a photo a day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo.  It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph.  Oh yes,  and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge.  Today I nominate Debbie of The Mountain Kitchen, a place to learn a whole lot of wonderful things about food, delicous-ness, and mountain living.

It is an odd thing,

a windowless view

of a landscape unseen

and a sky never blue,

of lovers inside

with an old lovers’ kiss

but no more to hide

of a sweet lovers’ tryst.

It is an odd thing,

a windowless view

From both inside and out.

This is my final submission for the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge.  In a way, it felt like cheating because two of the five were poems.  But I learned  from this exercise that poetry is my automatic first response to sights and sounds and photographs are particularly inspirational.  Thank you to those who followed along with my “stories” and thank you if you joined in on the fun. The results have been spectacular.

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Five Photos, Five Stories: Sit There Where You Can Hear the World

This is Photo Story #4 for the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge.  The rules are to post a photo a day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo.  It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph.  Oh yes,  and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge.  Today I nominate Ana of Celebrating Sunshine, who has a blog that shines with a truly happy outlook on life. 

Beyond my home there is a forest glen

where hoof prints and purple shadows

 line a path of dappled shade and sun

deep with a woodland reverie.

Come upon a rustic bench for resting

a place where you can think unfurled.

Sit there,

where you can hear the world.

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Five Photos, Five Stories: The Horsey Hatrack

This is Photo Story #3 for the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge.  The rules are to post a photo a day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo.  It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph.  Oh yes,  and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge.  Today I nominate Eliza Waters who once sent me a surprise gift.  Thank you again Eliza.

There is a strange tradition in my family.  We do not send gifts at expected times.  And we only send peculiar, laughter producing, or  perfect things calculated to insert the element of awe into our lives.

One of those awesome surprise gifts came yesterday.  It was in a giant box that weighed heavily and was filled with a whole lot of bubble wrap.

There is just no describing the heart-quickening excitement that comes from opening an unexpected mysterious package.

The return address was not familiar.  A secret admirer maybe?  One never loses hope even into extreme maturity.

We had not ordered anything, so I must say I was puzzled.  Could this be a mistaken delivery of gold bullion from Fort Knox?

Aha!  It is a Coat/Hat Rack – but not just any old hat rack.  And then I guessed who sent it.

This is another one of those delightfully unexpected, unconventional, perfect gifts from my brother and sister-in-law!

• The four horses fit right in since we live in a rural area of Virginia devoted to equestrian activities.
• The steeds are all looking back as if to say, “Happy Days are Here Again.”  That’s an old song.  Do you know it?
•  We are a family of dedicated travelling companions and enjoy each others’ company, so the plaque symbolizes all of us together and “on the road again.”
• There is only one fair person in our human group and there is only one fair horse in the hat rack.
• The four horses and their “business ends” perfectly represent my fun-loving brother who is famous for taking pictures of the back sides of all varieties of living things.
• And in the end  (pun intended), this perfect gift is a happy reminder of love and the importance of family.

There is something to be said for giving unconventional gifts at non-traditional times of the year.

Thank you Steve and Viv!  I am not disappointed (well, maybe sort of) there were no gold bars in this package and Bill and I both love the hat rack!

And we can’t wait to see you both again as we ride fly off together into the sunset.

 

Notes:

Although I was born long after 1932, I do know that the song, “Happy Days Are Here Again” was Franklin Roosevelt’s selection for a campaign song that debuted during the 1932 Democratic Convention.  He was the first President to choose a pre-existing song for a campaign and it became the Democratic Party unofficial theme song for years to come.  

“On the Road Again” is a song made famous by country music  singer Willie Nelson and was one of his most recognizable tunes.

For some reason, I am into quoting old songs for blog posts.  

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Five Photos, Five Stories: #1Going Out Feet First

One of my favorite blogger friends, woodlandgnome, has invited me to participate in the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge.  The rules are to post a photo a day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo.  It can be fiction or non-fiction, a poem or a short paragraph.  Oh yes,  and each day nominate another blogger for the challenge.  Today I nominate Cindy of Photos from the Loony Bin.  This should be fun!

 

Mabel did not have a death wish.

She was getting old though and things were starting to show and tell.

First off people were opening doors for her as if she might be too weak to open them herself.

Then her doctor was the same age as her son and he had to keep “looking things up” to verify treatments.

Fast food clerks offered her senior citizen discounts on coffee.

Police excused her from speeding tickets if she said she was rushing to use a bathroom (from drinking too much coffee).

But that wasn’t all.

Mabel was actually beginning to witness the ravages of age.  It began with her hair which she was losing.  What used to be thick voluptuous locks were now thin limp strands.  And though she used to be a glossy brunette, she was now a dull mummy look-alike.

Then Mabel received a magnifying mirror for Christmas.  She could not remember who gave it to her (she was forgetting things too) but if she knew, she would now mail that person a poison pen letter.

She could see wrinkles!

And little hairs on her chinny chin chin.

And spots.   Many many many spots.

Mabel was depressed until she stumbled upon some magic slippers.

Actually they were magic sandals.

The sandals were magic because they made Mabel’s feet look young!

And every time she looked down at her feet she smiled.

“That’s the real me,” Mabel thought, and “I haven’t changed a bit.”

And her gait lengthened and her posture grew proud and tall, and she no longer lamented new spots and wrinkles.

She just looked down for the magic to begin.

“I want to go out feet first,” she said to herself.  And that was not just a death wish either.

It was really Mabel’s Living Wish that her new sandals would not fray or fade like the rest of her as they grew old.

 

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