Part 23: Crypt-ic ending
Eleanor and Rose, and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 23
Part 23: Crypt-ic ending
Filed under cartoon by author, Eleanor and Rose, Story by author
New word: “subsus”
In this day and time health experts across the country are telling Americans that the average American diet is a wreck: two low in fiber, too high in fat, too high in salt, too many calories, etc. What is needed is a word to capture all this, and here it is: subsus.
Subsus is a combination of
Substandard: adj., meaning below standard or less than adequate.
and
Sustenance: n., means of sustaining life, nourishment.
Now, your doctor or health professional, when he or she tells you to lose weight and eat better, can sum it all up with one word: subsus. “Fred, as you know, your subsus will be your undoing, first of your belt, then your pants’ button, and then your very health.”
Fred then will heave a big sigh and promise to do better, but after several mornings of nothing but one poached egg, one piece of plain, un-buttered toast, and one cup of tepid, black coffee, Fred may feel he is suffering subsus of a different sort.
Filed under new word, New words to live by
Photo Finish Friday: “New digs”
Even the “wee little people” have to consider climate change when finding new digs.
“Well, Colm, have you and the little missus decided on which home will be yours?”
Colm didn’t like the way the realtor used the phrase “the little missus,” but he held his tongue. He’d let “the little missus” glare do all the talking on that point. He and Caroline had come to look for a new dwelling, one outside the faery hill they were living in. The sea level was rising and their hill had already started taking in some water. Yet, he wasn’t quite sold on this type of housing. After all, even it sat on spindle taken from an old staircase in rundown historic home, as advertised, he didn’t know he was quite ready to buy one.
“Maybe this will help you make up your mind,” Jasper the realtor said. He rubbed his hands together, then slapped then against each other, then shot his sleeves. His jacket was as loud as his actions. Rumor had it, the darn thing was actually made from a section of a horse blanket. If it had been from a braying jackass, it would have been more appropriate.
“For today, only,” Jasper said, “I will throw in a ten pound bag of birdseed at no additional charge.”
“Birdseed?” Caroline asked, speaking for the first time in over an hour. “What do we need birdseed for?”
“Why, my lovely, for the birds that will be stopping by.”
“You mean this is a bird house?” She asked.
“Only if you let them stay,” Jasper said. He rubbed his hands together again, then slapped them against each other again, then shot his sleeves again. “And if they should become a bother, I have a couple of cats on retainer that for a small fee I can send over your way for a few days, and that should clear things right up.”
Colm sighed. Moving into a neighborhood above ground was going to be harder than he had imagined.
Filed under Photo by author, Photo Finish Friday, Story by author
Haiku to you Thursday: “Radish sandwich”
Sliced radish sandwich. /
Butter and pumpernickel /
embrace Spring’s first crop.
Filed under Haiku to You Thursday, poetry by author
Writing tip Wednesday: “A, An, and H”
Which is correct usage?
A. James joined an historical society in Atlanta during his years living in Georgia.
B. James joined a historical society in Atlanta during his years living in Georgia.
PenPal says:
If you chose the second sentence (B), you are correct. The only time you use the article “an” before a word starting with an “h” is when that words starts out with a silent “h” and thus a vowel sound. If the “h” is audible, then the article before it should be “a.”
Examples:
I have an hour to waste while I wait for my ride. (“hour” starts with a vowel sound)
She appears to be a happy person. (“happy” starts with an audible “h”)
Martin has a huge chip on his shoulder these days. (“huge” starts with an audible “h”)
Kim received an honorary degree from NYU. (“honorary” starts with a vowel sound)
Simple as A, B…H!
________
Cathy Kodra a/k/a PenPal
Cathy Kodra works as an independent editor in Knoxville, TN. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Roanoke Review, New Millennium Writings, Common Ground Review, Now & Then, Cavalier Literary Couture, Slow Trains, Still Crazy, The Medulla Review, Prime Mincer, Yemassee, and others. She is a contributing editor for New Millennium Writings and past guest poetry editor for The Medulla Review. She was first runner up in Prime Mincer’s 2011 Poetry Contest, judged by Rodney Jones, and took first place in the 2012 Old Gray Cemetery Poetry Contest. Cathy’s first poetry chapbook, Thin Ice, was published in 2011 by Medulla Publishing.
Cathy is a member of the Knoxville Writers’ Guild and of two local writing groups. An avid reader and writer, she is currently working on two poetry collections and a collection of short stories. Her hobbies include gardening and vegan cooking, and she lives happily with her husband Ron, two dogs, and a cat. She can be reached at www.cathykodra.com.
Filed under Writing Tip Wednesday
Eleanor and Rose, and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 22
Part 22: Ring a bling
Filed under cartoon by author, Eleanor and Rose, Story by author
Monday morning writing joke: “Pregnant pause”
Q.: Did you hear the story about the pregnant woman writer who went into labor during deadline and began screaming, “Couldn’t! Wouldn’t! Shouldn’t! Didn’t! Can’t!”?
A.: She was having contractions.
Filed under Monday morning writing joke
Eleanor and Rose, and “The Case of the Fleaing Colors,” part 21
Part 21: Gem and sales
Filed under cartoon by author, Eleanor and Rose, Story by author
Haiku to you Thursday: “rain … leaves … love”
Lightning … thunder … rain /
Wind scatters all that remains /
Memory … leaves … love
Filed under Haiku to You Thursday, poetry by author
Writing tip Wednesday: “New Millennium Writings”
New Millennium Writings
$4,000 offered in Literary Grants and Awards, Plus Publication
$1,000 for best Poem
$1,000 for best Fiction
$1,000 for best Nonfiction (Nonfiction includes humor, memoir, creative nonfiction, travel, opinion, essay, interview, features, investigative reporting, etc.)
$1,000 for best Short-short Fiction
Visit www.newmillenniumwritings.com for user-friendly guidelines and much more, or jump straight to www.writingawards.com and employ our simple submissions process.
To apply online, follow these guidelines
1. No restrictions as to style, content or number of submissions. Enter as often as you like.
2. Winners announced beginning in September. All contestants will receive our high-quality 2014 anthology.
3. Send between now and June 17, 2013, Midnight, all U.S. time zones.
4. Simultaneous & multiple submissions welcome. Previously published material welcome if under 5,000-circulation or if previously published online only.
5. Each fiction or nonfiction piece is counted as a separate entry, and should total no more than 6,000 words except Short-Short Fiction (no more than 1,000 words).
6. Each poetry entry may include up to three poems, not to exceed five pages total per entry. All poetry Honorable Mentions will be published.
7. Save cover sheet or letter with the submission you’ll be uploading and send as one file. Should you forget to include such covers, however, it’s OK, as contact information is automatically forwarded to us when you pay online.
8. Payment is $20 per submission in order to cover our many expenses and reserve your book. Payment will be by credit card or echeck through PayPal
9. Each entry must be in a separate file (up to 3 poems in one file (See #6)). Many file formats are accepted.
Filed under writing contest, Writing Tip Wednesday
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