Seven

This is a slightly different take on Erica's Friday Five, Five Favorite Musicals and Kaye's Fun Friday spotlighting State Fair

I'm not a big fan of musicals. I almost feel anti-American in light of those who chimed in how much they loved musicals. There are a few I enjoy: The King and I, Pippin, the Music Man. Muppet's Christmas Carol, Wizard of Oz. There are some I'll even admit to liking: Oliver, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof But for the most part, I don't like musicals. So today, seven reason's why I don't like musicals:

1. Singing detracts from the drama. I gotta wash that man right outta my hair. For heaven sake's don't sing about it, pull up your big girl panties and give that man the brush!

2. Real cowboys don't sing. Real cowboys sing Git along little dogie and sing badly. Just listen to Charlton Heston in Will Penny singing Git along little dogie. He sings and sings badly. Real cowboys don't sing junk about a surrey with fringe on top. Yeah, I know there was a whole group of singing cowboy's. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. Don't care much for them either. You don't hear the Duke singing Outta My Way, Pilgrim.

3. It's embarrassing to watch Clint Eastwood paint his wagon. I'm glad he learned his lesson and went on to do the man with no name movies without singing his lines. Real cowboys just don't sing.

3. Lumberjacks don't sing either. Otherwise, it sounds like I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok. I want to wear a bra just like my dear papa.

4. Soldiers lustily singing We'll follow the Old Man wherever he wants to go ain't goin' my way. Soldiers sing cadence. I heard 'em when I was a kid visiting my brother who was in basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. Your eyes are straight. Your pants are tight. Your er...boys are swinging from left to right. Sound off! One, two. Sound off! Three four. Bring it on down. One, two, three, four. One two. Three four.

5. The heroines seem so ditzy when they sing.

6. Heroes too.

7. I saved the best reason for last. Cats. What was the point? Two thumbs pointing way down to the litter box.

Anyone else out there dislike musicals?

New Toy

I like working in the sunroom, but sometimes it's a hassle bringing tools and toys up from the studio. I was reading The Decorated Page, a how to book about keeping an art journal. The book had a suggestion about keeping a set of items so if you wanted to journal on the go, you could without hunting up the items you needed. With this in mind, I went on a trip to Michael's to buy some items like watercolor pencils and markers. While there, I found this wonderful tote. On sale! It has tons of pockets to hold pens, pencils,paints, inks, etc. It has large inside pockets to hold a book, a cutting mat, and my current WIP. I'm working on a journal to document my weight loss journey. Now I can sit in the sunroom and work to my heart's content. If I'm arting, I'm not eating!

Now if only I could organize the studio space as efficiently!

Do you have a vocation or avocation that you like to be portable? How do you tote the supplies you need?

Wednesday Weigh-In

Another week has gone by. Another pound lost. Down five so far. I'm smiling. Jeans haven't got looser yet, but they will in another couple of weeks.

July is birthday month here. The Eldest just celebrated her 20th. last week. Instead of a cake, she asked for Key Lime cupcakes. I found the recipe at Betty Crocker.com but instead of making the filling with whipped cream, I flavored whipped, lite frosting with lime juice. The cupcakes were much easier for portion control for everyone, and I brought a bunch to a friend recovering from surgery so I didn't have to drool over the ones left. You can have you cake and lose weight too. We'll see how I do next week, with another birthday coming up.

How do you handle special occasions and weight loss?

The Writer's Meme

The Writer’s Meme

What’s the last thing you wrote? The first chapter of a Big Valley fanfic story called Spurred On. All my fanfics can be found at my site Heathwave's Corner. Shameless plug

What’s the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? A very dreadful poem I wrote in high school. Heath going off to war

Favorite genre of writing? Western

Most fun character you ever wrote? Besides Heath, Asa Waters from Just Heath

Most annoying character you ever wrote? Corporal Wessel from Just Heath, enjoyed tormenting the men in Carterson prison

Best plot you ever wrote? Just Heath. It’s a story within a story, and I was told I did near graduate level research.

Coolest plot twist you ever wrote? Having Heath be a drummer boy during the Civil War.

How often do you get writer’s block? From time to time. Right now I'm blocked on Spurred On

How do you fix it? Dunno, I’m still blocked

Write fan fiction? Yes, and I whine.

Do you type or write by hand? Usually I use Word to compose my stories. It’s easier to cut and paste to move paragiraffes around. I did write the last chapters of Just Heath in longhand as I was sitting in the car waiting for my parents to finish grocery shopping

Do you save everything you write? Yup, save my fanfics and blogs

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it? Haven’t yet

What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written? I’m quite partial to Just Heath. I’m proud of the way I worked bits of canon and series dialogue into the story and had a unique view of Heath as a drummer boy during the Civil War.

What’s one genre you have never written, and probably never will? I don’t think I could write Romance.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? I’m stalled on Spurred On. I've been too busy whining at my other blog, Whine and Cheeze

What are your five favorite words? Not sure I have any favorites, at least not that I can print. Gyromausolate is a favorite, but I have yet to use it in a story. Looking over this meme, Just and Heath.

What character that you’ve written most resembles you? When Heath mouths off, that’s me.

Do you ever write based on your dreams? No, but I have composted my stories in my dreams.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? I is trying

Does music help you write? No, I work best in silence

How do people react when they find out you write? When they find out I write fanfiction? Like this

Quote something you’ve written. The first thing to pop into your mind. “I want justice! I want justice like you got when you put a bounty out on the man who murdered your husband. You didn’t give him a job. You didn’t invite him to sit at your table. You didn’t invite him for a roll in between your sheets!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Heath realized he had gone too far, but there was no going back ." Heath to Victoria in Guilt

This meme came from Kaye Dacus. If you mosey onto her blog, you can enter her 500th blog post contest.

Morning Glory and Roses

The earliest I've ever had blooms on the morning glory. Roses seem to be doing well too.

Seven

Seven things I like about the Yankee Candle Flagship store in South Deerfield, MA

1. Always a good time spent with the family. No matter how many times we have visited, the girls love this place.

2. Miles of candles to sniff. Miles of candles and candle stuff to buy along with kitchen stuff, gifts, linens, candy

3. You can talk to Santa. Really! Santa works the off-season in the toy department. He always has time for a chat.

4. Walking through the Black Forest and Bavarian Village where it's Christmas time year round. I love all the Christmas ornaments.

5. The German Christmas music that plays in the background in the Bavarian Village.

6. Tossing pennies in the moat of the Bavarian castle to make a wish. The pennies are donated to charity.

7. The gargoyles figures outside the Bavarian castle. I was tempted to buy one for the garden, but had already spent my money on Christmas ornaments.

Got a favorite place you like to visit?

'Tis Himself

Yesterday, we took a ride to the Yankee Candle Factory flagship store. Besides miles of candles, there's a year round Christmas shop decorated like a Bavarian village. That's my favorite place in the whole store. I love Christmas ornaments. As we were wandering through, Himself happened to spot a tree decorated with Irish ornaments. Well, I just couldn't resist. Here they are hanging on the year round wall tree of the girls' ornament pictures.