FF: Bits N Pieces

Fridays use to be my favorite day as it was the end of the work week, now it is because it is time for Friday Fragments over at Mrs. 4444's and Random 5 over at A Rural Journal. Gather your bits and pieces or five random facts and join the parties!

 Four cars parked in the narrow parking lot exit

This week I am starting off with a pet peeve. Why is it that otherwise nice people turn into complete jerks in an elementary school parking lot during the winter? It never fails to annoy the crap out of me that seemingly intelligent people become so ignorant and inconsiderate when picking their children up from school. These people park anywhere they can find room for their car, in the roadway, on the lawn and even blocking cars that are parked legally. Then they refuse to move until their child gets in their car.

This is how they parked to wait for their child.

This person went so far as that after getting their child instead of driving with the flow of traffic while leaving the school parking lot they drove up on the curb and over the sidewalk (that children use to walk home from school) in order to cut across the corner of the lawn and gain access to the street.

You can buy these HERE

Years ago I had a book of these tickets. I think it s time to buy more.
Message on ticket: "This is not a ticket, but if it were within my power, you would receive two. Because of your Bull Headed, inconsiderate, feeble attempt at parking, you have taken enough room for a 20 mule team, 2 elephants, 1 goat, and a safari of pygmies from the African interior. The reason for giving you this is so that in the future you may think of someone else, other than yourself. Besides I don’t like domineering, egotistical or simple minded drivers and you fit into one of these categories.

I sign off wishing you an early transmission failure (on the expressway at about 4:30 p.m.). Also may the Fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. With My Compliments."

This week was so hectic I barely got a chance to check in with my favorite blogs. So after a long day yesterday I headed over to A Few Clowns short and was treated to a rather humorous Friday Fragment post. I was distressed to hear he is still waiting for his secret fragment decoder ring so I just had to correct the situation. (actually it was just a really good excuse for me to play around in Photoshop.) I sure hope Mrs. 4444's doesn't mind I took it upon myself to do this.  So here you go Lisleman your very own ring and credentials, just right click and save.... :D
Oh and a big thanks for the shout out!

Now a two for one fragmented fact. I am so ready for winter to be done with. We are expecting over a foot of snow tonight..... UGH!!!!! I want warmth and more importantly COLOR! Thank heaven for stores that sell bright colored flowers in the winter time.
Part 2: Mrs. G and I saw these pretty flowers at the local Wal-Mart. Instead of just buying them Mrs. G took a picture and sent it to Mr. G.  A few minutes later she gets a text message from him that reads "Oh, those are pretty."  She responds with "Yes they are very pretty" he responds with something about liking the color combination and she responds with something about that she really likes them and finally he responds with "OH! this is some kind of a hint" Obviously that day the lights were on but no one was home....lol
He did redeem himself by coming home with the flowers that night.

I love being a Grandmother! I am sure you have never heard (read) me say that before....haha, probably more times than you cared. But it is especially nice when I can get my kids to say things like "Who buys their grandchild an air hockey table!" ..... I DO! This week I bought my seven year old grandson Bubba an air hockey table. I love air hockey and buying it for the grand kids was the perfect excuse to have one at home for me to play.
I have been wanting to stop in and see the wild animal exhibit at the Call of The Wild visitor information center down the road from us for some time now. It always seems like I am in a hurry to get here or there and don't have time to stop. But not today. Today I planned my morning to include a visit to the visitor's information center. I am so glad I did, now I will have something fun to share for Sunday In My City this week. Plus I even got a great reflection shot for Jame's Weekend Reflection.

So there you have my bits and pieces. I will be sharing more photos from Call of the Wild on my photo blog and on South Dakota Photo on Sunday.

Friday Facts N Frags

As this week comes to an end I find I have more fragments and odd facts than I do full posts! 

Bubba decided he wanted to play in the snow but didn't want to be cold so he made his own snow…..lol

Rapid City All Elementary School Orchestra's first concert practice was Thursday. Sissy was among the 300 plus 4th graders in one room!

For an hour Bubba and I sat on the floor, with him laying his head in my lap, listening to the kids practice. Luckily like the rest of our family Bubba loves listening to music and he thoroughly enjoyed the practice. Trying to stand up at the end of the practice though was quiet a chore.

During the winter I have a difficult time keeping my nails long as they become very brittle so I broke down and had acrylics put on so that I could go back to painting fun designs on my nails. Wishing for warmer weather I decided a nice island sunset would lift my spirits. 

At noon today the temp was a nice 42 degrees with mostly blue sky and a few scattered clouds. With the sun shining down on us, I was rather surprised to see snowflakes drifting onto my windshield as I was driving down town. When I got to my destination about a mile from down town it was still flurrying but only very lightly. I tried to get a shot of the snow but the flakes were small and melted as soon as they hit the car.


Ladies, if you are looking for an aerobic workout that is sure to get your cardio going and tone up EVERY area of your body you should check this VIDEO out. I am considering trying the workout but doubt I would last past the first verse of the song. Oh and guys, if you want to see a rather provocative dance go ahead and play the video.... ;D 

Now for a quick overview of this weeks posts:

Here on Artistic Composition I finally managed to post the poetry I wrote that was inspired by THIS POST over at A Few Clowns Short.

I also shared one of our latest inspirational art pieces titled Moments Like This. You can see that post here.

If you enjoy photos of the sky, check out the fast moving wall cloud photos I posted on South Dakota Photo.

If you have a physical disability or know someone that has a physical disability and have not yet read 'The Spoon Theory' hop over to With All My Senses to read the story.

I also did a little playing with a light bulb.

Have a terrific weekend everyone!

I want to give a big thanks to Mrs. 4444's and Nancy for hosting a couple of really fun meme's. Be sure to hop over to Mrs. 4444's and share your fragments, and don't forget to stop by Nancy's for Random 5 Friday.

Poetry

Back in December Bill over at A Few Clowns Short inspired me to write a bit of poetry with THIS post. I can't believe it has taken me almost two full months to get around to posting this, but here it is. This first poem was written directly after reading the post at the above link.

Fading

I feel myself fading

curled up n cold
 

Ignite the flame 

Let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn
 

There's more to life than

simply living
 

Ignite the flame 

let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn
 

All curled up and fading

I've lost my spark
 

Ignite the flame 

let me burn . . . burn

yes let me burn

 © 2013 (a)Nita Davis

The first poem, although it flowed out of me in mere minutes, just seemed so cliche and even a bit morbid so I started on a second poem. I wrote the second poem that same day but it didn't have the flow that I wanted so I set it aside. Then yesterday I pulled it out and made some slight changes to the repeating stanza. Here is the finished poem.

Ignite The Spark

Like the fire in the forest, let me dance against the wind,
for this toneless daily livin's got me fading out again.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!

As a demon on a dark night sent to smother my last spark,
is this lonely dismal journey which consumes my very soul.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!

Enough this fading into naught, this dull and lifeless living
where I hide forever curled up in my quiet little shell.

Strike the match.
Ignite the spark. 
Watch me blaze!  

© 2/20/2014 (a)Nita Davis

Hmmmmm......  the mood of the second isn't much better than that of the first.

Hmmmmm..... can we say Cabin Fever!

Moments Like These

Special moments are those extraordinary moments between all the everyday moments that make up our lives. Although those extraordinary moments may be the easiest to remember they are not the moments that define who we are. It is the simple everyday moments that make us who we are. So embrace each moment, rejoice in it and share it. In doing so we find joy and contentment.

Random Fragmented Rambling

As the old saying goes, better late than never!
Without a lot of preamble I will wrap up the week with a few fragmented rambles.

Image Source

 This last week has been a very emotional week for me. Tomorrow it will be two years since my dear husband left this world. More and more I find myself reminded of the scene in "Anne of Avonlea" where old Mrs. Harris speaking to Anne of her late husband says "How could he go away and leave me alone and crippled like this? Dying was the only thing that he ever dared to do without consulting me. …" I remember watching that scene and laughing at the thought that she was so domineering that she even expected her husband to get her permission before he died. But now, oh now I understand her anguish and in my head often relive those very words. By the way if you haven't seen the Anne of Green Gables movies yet, I highly recommend them. They are long but packed full of laughter.

On Thursday February 13th we welcomed my latest granddaughter, Kylie Mae into the family! She came in at 21 inches long weighing 8lbs 15oz. My oldest son is now blessed with three beautiful daughters.

This week has gone by in a blur both figuratively and literally. I'll post more about the literal blur on With All My Senses in the next day or two. As for the figurative; Between my part time job, doctor visits and SSI appointments there was little chance to do much else.

The moon was really pretty last night. I really should have set up the tripod for a better shot but after a long day I just didn't have the energy.

In my humble opinion all houses should have a front porch. If ours did, I know where I would have spent the week. You can see more of this house and other old houses here in Rapid City in this post.

My youngest son and one of Artistix Networks' prized artists is getting married in September. Of course this means I need a new dress! Here is the one I want, but I have a feeling it will clash with the pastel green and yellow wedding colors.... :(








That wraps up my fragmented rambles for the week. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember to hop over and share some blog love with Nancy at A Rural Journal  and Mrs 4444's.  at Half past kissin time.

Inspirational Thoughts on Thursday

Prints and products available Here

I often marvel at the beauty found in a simple dried seed pod against a vivid blue sky.  Maybe it is the contrast of dark and light, or maybe hard and soft, but either way I seem to be drawn to these sights each winter.