Gratitude List #9: More of Free and Freedom

Sci-fi book cover: Kéthani by Eric Brown

Today's gratitude list predominantly continues on the theme of free and freedom from last week (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2015/06/gratitude-list-8-free-and-freedom.html) as well as the outdoors, in no particular order as follows:

* Reading an interesting sci-fi book: didn't think I was a fan of science fiction!
* Relaxing and reading in a nearby park with lots of trees, including tall pine trees
* Creating colourful and tasty salads with organic vegetables and fruit
* Free samples including that of food
* Fridays Shipyards Night Market in North Van
* Gelato! Especially on a warm summer evening - oh, spring!
* Free music outdoors and great bands
* Free vocal session (introductory)
* Free coffee after so many stars/points collected
* Free/donation luncheon
* Being able to air dry laundry again outside on a sunny weekend
* Walking the neighbourhood nightly, usually around sunset (before/after) sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend
* Beauty whether homes, gardens, neighbourhoods, and vistas

* Living in North Vancouver: I love it here!
* A walk by the ocean in picturesque West Vancouver
* Eyesight: being able to read and see lovely vistas

P.S. I changed my photo on last week's gratitude of the side of this Bavarian Alps home.

And now your turn, what are you grateful for? Today and/or this past week and/or in general?

Wordy Wednesday: Powerful yet graceful

Today's Wordy Wednesday prompt - Oops! I just realized I accidentally initially titled this with "Wordless" rather than "Wordy" and now wonder for how long did I do that?! Perhaps that was for a photo prompt? I just came back from checking and luckily only last week was incorrect. (Thank goodness!)

Anyway, as I was starting to say, today's prompt is attributed to B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, writer, and blogger 'Eloquent Mind' as she calls herself. She writes a blog entitled, "Life! As it is...experiences, writing, poetry, and more..."

Eloquent Mind writes both fiction and non-fiction, poetry, and stories to spice up the flavours and enliven her blog posts.

I hope you enjoy reading her posts as much as I do as she has an easy writing style and thus makes for easy reading which I so appreciate. Hope you do too!

In line with Eloquent Mind's love of ballet dance, I write similarly as 'ballet' came to mind - actually the image of a leg came first - with her phrase prompt, powerful yet graceful.

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Her feet twisted outwards, knees bent in plié, the young girl exerted all her effort into holding that position. [Note: For those of you who aren't familiar, this is a common ballet pose where a dancer bends the knees and straightens them again, usually with the feet turned out and heels firmly on the ground.]

So easily a pose come by the other similar-aged dancers she saw around her. But then they weren't like her. No, not at all!

For she had a formidable strength and an indomitable spirit unlike others who would more than likely fail from resigning firsthand, given her circumstances. But little Chloe knew what she had to do, what she wanted to do, and channelled all her strength, energy, and willpower into whatever she undertook, particularly in her passion for dance.

Chloe was what others - some - would term "special" as in "special child." She had been born healthy with exceptional progress in the first few years of her life when tragedy struck.

The doctors weren't 100% sure, not just yet, what with the myriad of childhood illnesses and diseases - as many it sometimes seemed as likely questionable causes - mother's health including her diet and that of her child's, environmental toxins in food, water, clothes, homes, and the like, as well as vaccinations and a host of other possibilities - that were rampant everywhere.

The wee lass though had started dancing from a tender age showing a natural inclination due to her zest. Both her parents knew instinctively to sign her up for lessons, though eventually they ended up being held at home.

Her parents shielded her from possible ridicule in the form of shaming and bullying. They were protective of Chloe not wanting to worsen her condition anymore, whether physical, mental, or emotional.

Yet Chloe was charmed with not only a resolute determination, she also possessed a natural poise, a grace beyond measure. In fact, because of her persistent attention to her movements, especially that of her arms and legs, you would say she was powerful yet graceful.

Gratitude List #8: Free and Freedom

Bavarian Alps style home

Today's gratitude list is on the theme of free and freedom, neighbourhood and mice as follows:

* Free training for public speaking via my work
* Free exercise class focusing on legs, bum, and tum
* Sunny hot weather this weekend to air dry my laundry :)
* About an hour nap due to a few early mornings, late nights, and allergies
* Making time to read (and enjoy) a book
* Spending some time outdoors: farmers markets, reading, walks
* Going for walks in my new neighbourhood
* Farmer's markets on the North Shore, including a few in North Vancouver
* Having an abundance of food in my fridge including lettuce/salad & fruit
* Meeting the owner of a Bavarian Alps style home: love that look!
* Meeting a neighbourhood cat just down the street where I live
* Scenic views from up on high (on the streets in Upper Lonsdale)
* Two mice caught in the hall/storage area between the outer and inner doors
* A dog upstairs with a keen sense of smell: he found the second dead mouse - I had heard the snap of one mousetrap ...hmm, wish I had a cat or dog! ;)
* Found a loonie (a one-dollar coin)

Mouse traps: old and new styles

Though I had SO wished for the mouse to escape outdoors to freedom - thought I had only one mouse (unless another came in in the meantime) - to go back outside harm-free, my landlord had tried various means including mouse-friendly traps where they would be caught alive.

Nothing seemed to work and thus she resorted to old, traditional mouse traps which I did not wish in my home. Thus, they were placed in the corridor between the outside door and my apartment door.


What are you grateful for today and/or this week?

Wordy Wednesday: SCREAM!

My story today is a word prompt challenge (https://blogarhythmblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/wordy-wednesday-and-blogging-tip-1-june-2015/)

Today's word prompt is "Scream." 'Scream' makes me think - pardon the aside - of the following childhood rhyme: "I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream."

I'm going to take the liberty and morph "scream" into SCREAM! (in all caps and with an exclamation mark). I hope you don't mind though I am sure you can understand why, right?

This word prompt was submitted by B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, writer, and blogger Inderpreet Kaur Uppal (http://inderpreetkaur.blogspot.in/).

I have come to know Inderpreet through Blog-A-Rhythm where I have read some of her Indian book reviews which sound rather intriguing. She also writes reviews on American, Australian, and European books as her travels take her around the world. Her other writings include fiction based on blog prompts and non-fiction for articles such as www.womensweb.in where she writes as "indywrites."

You can check more about her writings here: http://inderpreetkaur.blogspot.in/p/writing-for-you.html.

Now, onto my story ...
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She moved recently. Was it two or three weeks ago, already?!

At first she thought it was the crackling of the new thermostat-controlled electric baseboard heaters she had in her new studio suite, two steps below ground level of a house. Then she thought it might be the rain outside, strumming against the window panes and cement pathway.

One night there was no rain and no heater on. Yet there it was. The distinct sound of something. Something rustling. In the nook acting as storage were a number of boxes filled with various items, some with brown wrapping paper, bubblewrap, and the like. Somewhere in there. Over there.

Oh NO! Oh dear! What was it?! She let out a blood-curdling SCREAM!


Note: This is based on a true story of me except that I actually didn't scream. ;)