PYPT From October 14th Recap -- Next PYPT is Thursday
Half the fun is showing up
Attendance was up this week. Seems more people are learning that Pimp Your Post Thursday has returned. PYPT is a live curation show held in Discord. It’s an opportunity to put your, or someone you like, work out in front of others.
Unlike dropping your link in a group and hoping someone will have a look at it. You have an opportunity to make connections with other people. They get to know you and you them. It’s a more personal connection. People are more likely to check out someone’s work they have interacted with.
It doesn’t matter where you write, you can share on PYPT. Everyone is encouraged to visit the links as they are shared. Not everyone is going to be interested in every post and that’s okay. Read the ones that interest you, leave a comment, upvote if you can, share if you can. It’s writers supporting each other.
Let’s have a look at what was shared on Thursday October 14th:
Here’s the recording link on Youtube if you’d like to hear the comments on each post:
https://youtu.be/_ZSBOzN65dE
Here’s the posts:
@bluefinstudios shared a post written by @repayme4568 on Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-104601/@repayme4568/my-journey-to-the-hive
@danoski shared a post written by @daniella619 from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-161155/@daniella619/zapfic-microfiction-dye-pot-or
@solominer shared a post from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-123046/@solominer/cold-days-are-vital-to-fruit-trees
@bluefinstudioes shared a post written by @wrestlingdesires from Hive — LInk here https://peakd.com/hive-106444/@wrestlingdesires/let-our-picture-tell-your
@rhondak shared a post from Vocal -- Link here https://vocal.media/fiction/against-her-heart
@sgt-dan shared a post written by @ralpholy18 from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-13323/@ralpholy18/a-series-what-if-philippines-myth-creatures-as-splinters-volume-1-aswang
@enginewitty shared a post written by @thekittygirl from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-124452/@thekittygirl/petrified-wood
@danoskie shared a post written by @ddn688 from Hive — LInk here https://peakd.com/hive-155221/@ddn688/am-alive-challenge-post-171
@bluefinstudios shared his post from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/proofofbrain/@bluefinstudios/cool-fall-harvest-and-furry-friends
@thekittygirl shared a post written by @millycf1976 from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-174578/@millycf1976/a-perfect-world
@enginewitty shared a post written by @jongolson from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-119826/@jongolson/the-passion-filled-journey
@bluefinstudios shared a post written by @dreemsteem from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-155530/@dreemsteem/the-silver-lining-amongst-fire-and-covid-hehe
@sgt-dan shared a post written by @crypto-guides from Hive — Link here https://leofinance.io/@crypto-guides/what-is-fantom-crypto-ftm
@jamesrussell shared his post from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/theterminal/@jamerussell/how-to-source-properly
@enginewitty shared a post written by @shadowspub from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-181335/@shadowspub/maedlnhj
@chris-uk shared his post — Link here https://peakd.com/hive-194913/@chris-uk/elm-hill-photography-collection
@sgt-dan shared a post written by @itzninjafool from Hive — Link here https://peakd.com/c-c-c/@itzninjafool/the-new-dct-a-coin-based-on-taking-part-of-dandd-campaigns
Hive is the main source for posts being presented currently. PYPT first ran on the Hive legacy chain (Steem) and then moved to Hive. It ran every week for over two years before I took about a one year break. People are familiar with it. Don’t be shy though, you’ll soon find you’re only a stranger once and people want to see what you share.
There are a lot of writers who post on multiple platforms. The objective for Pimp Your Post Thursday is to create a space where writers can come together and get to know each other, to support each other. And, of course, to have some fun.
How to Join PYPT
Discord is a chat platform made up of multiple servers. Each server forms it’s own community of like minded people. To get discord visit here . It’s available on your browser, as a desktop app and on mobile. https://discord.com/
While the browser can be a great way to get familiar with Discord, we’ve found that trying to use the voice channels on the browser doesn’t work well for many. The desktop app seems to be more robust for voice. Discord was developed for gamers but has become very popular for many projects as a place to build community.
Now you have Discord, you’ll want to join the Dreemport server. You can join any time. It may be a bit quiet when you arrive. If you’d like to get my attention you can ‘tag’ me by typing an @ in front of my name. Yes, I’m ShadowsPub pretty much everywhere. https://discord.gg/TsdYfkG
On Thursday, the show starts at 12pm Noon EST. There will be notices in the channels before starting time reminding people that PYPT is starting and the channels to join. Never be afraid to ask questions, someone will answer.
Come on over and join in.
NOTE: originally published on PattiMay.com -- Image copyright ShadowsPub
*Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc.*
*Would you like to receive writing prompts regularly? You can* *subscribe to Prompt A Day to get started**. Choose between the Daily Edition or the Mon/Thurs Edition* https://shadowspublishing.com/subscribe/
It's Been Five Years in Crypto
I was head down on a project the other day, creating a journal and covers. When I took some time out to check through my Hive notifications I discovered a note from @hivebuzz on Hive reminding me August 5th was the fifth anniversary of my joining Steem and now on Hive.
What a journey it has been. Hard to believe it’s been only five years. When I found the Steemit site that day I only vaguely knew about crypto. I had no idea how it worked or even if it was real value.
Often things come into our lives when we need them most. I didn’t actually know it at the time when I started on Steem but my life and focus of attention offline was shifting. That gave me the time to focus online. I’ve enjoyed the journey, the learning. Always seems like a lot more to learn but that will happen when I need it.
For a couple of years, or so, I did a weekly live curation show called Pimp Your Post Thursday. It was an interesting time. People from the blockchain presented their posts, we got to know each other, made connections. Yes, connections, people would talk about their plans and next thing we knew, someone else had something to contribute. It was always cool seeing those happen.
From the show and the discussions around it, emerged the idea of a monthly Witness chat, bringing the community and Witnesses together to get to know each other and talk about concerns on the platform. I was always learning something.
There were friendships made. People like @bluefinstudios, @dreemsteem, @thekittygirl, @snook, @enginewitty, @saffisara, @tattoodjay, @jackmiller, @guiltyparties, @sgt-dan, @rhondak, @isaria, @crimsonclad, @whatsup and more who just aren’t coming to mind at the moment.
It was hard to believe that when I started the idea of leading a voice chat once was far from my comfort zone. To evolve to every week, and two shows, that was a big step for me. I also learned how to record them and livestream. The need came up, and I learned. My favourite way to learn most of the time.
There was that Witness vote where the discussion about newbies and onboarding them came up. While I was moderating the chat, @dreemsteem had a brainstorming happening in the wings and by the time it was over, her idea of the Welcome Wagon was underway. Another connection made. And oh, where she’s gone with that and its evolution over the last few years.
Some of those people have become valued friends. I’m better for having them in my life and would find it emptier without them.
In the last year I’ve finally started to focus on publishing books. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and never thought I had time. The pandemic put an end, at least for now, of the offline volunteering I’ve been doing, freeing up time and focus.
But, I’ve not diverted focus in the cryptoworld. I’ve been along for the ride helping @dreemsteem on her journey. That smart lady with a million ideas along with the brains and energy to make them happen. She’s not afraid to let something go when it doesn’t work out the way she wanted or it’s time for it to evolve.
She’s introduced us to another great group of people over the last year and we’ve grown into a worldwide family. Something crypto and blockchains do, they bring people together with common cause and community grows.
I have a feeling, there will be another five years flying by and I’ll look up and think, is it really been five more years?
A Writer's Journey in Crypto
Learning about this new way to earn while getting paid to write has been an adventure.
In August 2016 I’d heard of Bitcoin because I had been reading about an exchange which had been hacked and millions of dollars worth stolen. I’d also heard about it being used on the dark web for nefarious purposes.
Never did I ever think it would be a way I’d earn and invest. It would also lead me into trying things I’d never tried and meeting great friends and community on Discord.
Adventure awaits if you’re willing to learn. My adventure started when I happened upon Steemit.com. It wasn’t a very good site from a design and layout standpoint. What drew my attention to continue to explore was people were getting paid money to write articles. A lot of money on some of them.
After some exploring I learned:
the amounts shown for articles wasn’t what the author earned in USD
it was an estimate of what the article would payout after 24 hours
it was paid in a cryptocurrency called STEEM
steemit.com was the first cryptocurrency based social media site and was just weeks old
at the time a STEEM was worth about $5USD
the more STEEM you had, the more power you had on the site
to use that power, you had to ‘power up’ or stake STEEM which locked it in for 24 months
users used their power to upvote posts.
the upvote awarded the author STEEM based on the power of the voter
the voters also received a portion of what the post earned, shared between them
blogging was the only option available other than investing by buying STEEM
Plunging in and making the first post
It took me a few days to take the plunge and signup. The process wasn’t terribly hard except I ended up with these long ‘keys’ that I was supposed to carefully record and guard. They came with firm warnings, losing the keys would mean losing my account. The system didn’t provide password recovery. The keys were my password, four of them with different purposes: owner, active, posting and memo.
I was like a fish out of water without help screens. After exploring and reading articles I started to get the general idea what to do. Post on my blog, visit other articles and leave comments. I learned pretty quickly, my vote was worth nothing, leaving comments would help others find me.
It was intimidating that what I wrote only had 24 hours to earn. But, I plunged in and wrote a post. For the first few hours there wasn’t even one vote or upvote as they’re called. There’s a downvote, you don’t want. Upvote adds value, downvote takes it away.
After reading other posts, I decided my opening sentences were pretty lame. I rewrote the opening and then went off to do an offline errand. I returned to find a few votes and one of them had given the post a $90+ value. WOW, I had my first visit from a whale! A whale is a large stakeholder.
Totally awesome someone had liked my work enough to give it a big vote. Now, I had to figure out if this was something I was going to be able eventually get paid with. After more exploring, I found posts explaining how to exchange STEEM for USD. Okay, apparently that much is real. As long as Canadians could do the same, this was good.
The mind boggling learning journey continues
Now I had some more details:
any content I wrote on this site was 100% mine
the copyright was mine to use any where I wanted, no strings attached
when I received payout on a post, I was in effect mining STEEM for me to own.
I didn’t have to run expensive hydro burning mining equipment, I just had to write words other people liked and voted on
there’s no fees to move Steem around on the chain. Moving bitcoin or ethereum always has a cost, sometimes a very expensive cost
steemit.com was a frontend (public facing) access to a blockchain called Steem
there was no central authority running the blockchain
a group called Witnesses were voted in by users (any user could and should vote)
their job was to validate the blocks of data our posts, comments and transactions generated.
the blocks of data weren’t stored on a central server, they were stored on every server on the blockchain, the servers the Witnesses provided.
if data was changed on one server, they would have to change on all the servers or that block of data became invalid and would be removed.
this decentralized process is what kept the data secure across the entire blockchain
developers and coders of all kinds were working on building apps on the steem blockchain
these apps would eventually be part of an ecosystem all running on the same platform I was blogging on
I’d read about blockchain and its potential but didn’t know they had come into existence because of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. There was a whole new world of crypto I’d never seen before. It was mind boggling and exciting at the same time.
The journey was not without concerns
It was also a bit scary. Crypto can be a bit like the wild west. You don’t want to plunge into it without doing some careful learning. Without being able to ‘write my way in’ I likely never would have even considered it. One of the first concerns I had was finding articles and forum posts claiming Steem was a scam.
It took me a while to reach a conclusion. No, not a scam, it was different than many already in the space had seen before. We know what being the first mover on any innovation can be like, people push back and try to discount. I decided to stick around and see what develop. I also decided fairly quickly not to look to STEEM to be my main source of income. I chose to treat it like an investment which wasn’t costing me money out of pocket.
It’s been almost five years now since I first stumbled onto Steemit.com. What an interesting five years it has been. I’ve learned a lot and also learned there is always more to learn. In some ways, I’ve been like the kid in the candy store watching first the Steem platform and now the Hive platform develop.
Hive? Where did that come from?
While no one entity owns the Steem blockchain, the company which brought it into existence and did the main blockchain development, Steemit Inc is privately owned. In the best of both worlds, that meant there would be a symbiotic relationship between the community on the blockchain and the development company.
Steemit Inc held a huge block of STEEM. In a world where size of stake determines the size of voice on the blockchain, that block of stake gave Steemit Inc a high level of control and influence. Steemit Inc mostly left the chain and the growing ecosystem to develop on its own with their developers driving the underlying infrastructure. With some exceptions it was sort of symbiotic.
Until February 2020 when Steemit Inc decided to sell out to Justin Sun at Tron. The sale included transfer of the large stake to Sun and the steemit.com frontend to the Steem blockchain. By then, other frontends had developed so control of one wouldn’t have had much of an impact on the chain. The control of the large stake, that was another matter.
I’ll not rehash the matter. I wrote a lengthy post about it here. https://shadowspublishing.medium.com/anatomy-of-justin-suns-hostile-takeover-of-the-steem-blockchain-bf28de9c6e2b?sk=104151c001e0bf19d3596ff67b31bfa7
The upshot of the situation was a group of stakeholders and developers came together to hardfork away from the Steem blockchain and form the Hive blockchain. The Hive blockchain airdropped almost everyone on Steem a matching amount of HIVE. I now had holdings on both chains.
For a while I was going to continue on both chains until I saw some more of Sun’s poor behaviour, to say the least. I powered down my STEEM, converted some to HIVE and some to Bitcoin right at the start of the latest bull market. My investment was paying off. My crypto home is the Hive blockchain.
Over the last five years in addition to writing on the blockchain, I’ve become active in related Discord communities. I started my own Discord server called The Ramble. From there I launched into doing some voice shows in an effort to support and add value to the crypto experience.
The cornerstone of the shows was Pimp Your Post Thursday. The show gave members opportunity to promote their posts and activity on the chain on the show. Participants took turns coming on voice and talking about their work. It was opportunity to meet others, put voice to screen names and build community. Some very strong bonds were built.
Voice meetings were also a way to help people learn more about the platform. Discussions were often broad. Never knew what would end up being talked about as discussions were allowed to flow from post topics.
A monthly Witness Chat was established which brought the community and the witnesses together to talk about what was happening on the chain. They were an opportunity for interaction between the Witnesses and the community in an effort to encourage members to be more aware of what was happening as well helping them get to know Witnesses they were being asked to vote for.
After almost three years of twice weekly shows, I took a break from doing them. I had learned how to record the shows, some basic video editing and even how to do livestreaming. I’ve not been a fan of creating video but it gave me a start. I’m now starting to create videos.
Most importantly, I had formed those strong friendships that continue today.
The Uptrennd Experience
A friend asked myself and some others to join her on a new platform, Uptrennd.com a centralized site where you could earn an Ethereum based token called 1UP. I crossposted between Hive and Uptrennd. Editing some of my older posts from Hive and posting them to Uptrennd.
On Uptrennd @dreemsteem (known there as Tiger Lily) scaled up a project she had originally conceived on Steem. It was a project designed to come alongside new members and guide them to get started on the platform. What she developed is blogging training and learning crypto at the same time. It’s also become a strong community of very caring people from many countries.
A major downside of Uptrennd is that it was not decentralized like Hive is. It started off claiming to be free of censorship and control. It would be run like a decentralized platform because it was going to be moving to a true blockchain.
The Sharp Contrast Between Centralized and Decentralized
The founder of Uptrennd tired of his creation and moved on, largely leaving the site in limbo. The value of 1UP moved up some but not near what it could have had he continued to actively work on the platform or form a good management team with the latitude to move it forward. The site was at his mercy.
Late in April he posted an announcement. 1UP had been sold to another crypto project. Uptrennd.com would cease to exist on May 31st. Anyone who wanted their content would need to save it before them. Just like that, he pulls the plug on the servers and it’s gone.
This would not happen on Hive. Any number of witnesses can and have quit. They can shut down their servers and the blockchain just keeps on running. It would take shutting down hundreds of servers run by hundreds of people to be able to dismantle the Hive blockchain.
Notes:
- original image from Pixabay.com modified by me
- this post was originally posted on medium.com
Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc.
Would you like to receive daily writing prompts in your inbox? Join Prompt A Day to get started. You’ll receive a new set Mondays and Thursdays. https://www.subscribepage.com/promptaday
What Are Luna Moths and Their Meaning?
A friend posted a picture on Facebook one morning of a huge green moth on a pillar of her patio. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it. It didn’t take long to locate it on Google. It was a Luna Moth, one of the largest in North America. Although, not rare, they are rarely seen.
In Canada they are found from Saskatchewan east and in the United States, east of the Great plains from Florida to Maine. In the northern part of their range they will produce one generation per year while in the southern areas there will be 2-3 generations.
They were first identified and written about in 1700 by James Petiver, the first saturniid moth in North America to be formally identified. Their name refers to their nocturnal nature and the eye spot on the wings resembling a crescent moon.
They have lime green wings and a white body. The adult wingspan is usually about 4.5” (11.4cm) but can expand to as much as 7” (17.8cm). The adult Luna moth will appear around late May/early in the northern areas, around April in the southern areas. Their lifespan is 7-10 days.
With such a short lifespan, they don’t waste time on getting the mating ritual underway. The females emit a strong pheromone which males can pick up over a kilometre away. Once discovered the male (or males) will make a beeline to the waiting female. The first to arrive will be the one and only mate.
She will lay about 200 eggs in small batches on the underside of leaves of bushes and then will die. The eggs will hatch about 10 days later. They will molt about 5 times over the next 3-4 weeks as the caterpillar grows to a length of about 2.5” (6.4cm). The fat it develops during the caterpillar stage will nourish the adult when it emerges. The adult doesn’t eat.
The caterpillar’s green colour helps to camouflage it and protects itself from predators through a clicking sound with its mandibles and regurgitating a distasteful fluid. Predators include: hornets, bats, ground beetles, owls, wasps and rodents.
Once the caterpillar has reached full size it will start to spin itself into a silk cocoon wrapped inside a leaf. It will remain in the cocoon until the adult is ready to emerge by cutting its way out with tiny serrated spurs on it’s wings. The adult will emerge with its wings folded up against it and over the first few hours it will rest and the wings will start to spread out. And the cycle of transformation begins again.
The Symbolism Around the Luna Moth
With their nocturnal nature leaving the Luna moth rarely seen there is an aura of mystery around them. They have an undeniable beauty about them. It’s not often you look at a moth and see something as amazing as a Luna moth is.
As a spirit animal, their short lifespan teaches us about transformation and constant change throughout and to make the most of it. To not fear change as change is inevitable and necessary.
A Luna moth caught inside away from the light will show a determined drive to get to the light, no matter how vulnerable it makes them to a predator. You can’t usually achieve anything in life without allowing some vulnerability.
Many believe seeing a Luna moth is a symbol of pending luck within the near future.
The Luna Moth in Your Dreams
If you experience seeing a Luna moth in your dreams, the circumstances carry a message:
If you see or happen upon one, it signals you are expecting some good fortune in the coming weeks or months.
if one lands on or near you, that’s a warning of potential danger. It may be a warning of something in your near future where you may find being cautious will bring you fresh meaning to a life situation.
If you are releasing a Luna moth during a dream it’s a signal a willingness for you to let go of a painful past, ready to begin again with a more positive mindset.
I never did ask my friend if she had some good fortune after the visit from the Luna moth. I did ask her for permission to use the image, which she granted. You’ll be seeing it again in the near future. Stay tuned.
*Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms.*
*Would you like to receive daily writing prompts in your inbox?* *Join Prompt A Day* *to get started to receive a set Mondays and Thursday.* https://www.subscribepage.com/promptaday
It's a Holiday Monday in Canada - Sort Of
The August long weekend is a mixed bag for Canadians
Most of the statutory holidays in Canada have a national purpose, but the August one, it varies from province to province. It’s not a statutory holiday in every province even though most employers give the day off. For those not familiar with the term ‘statutory (or stat) holiday’, it means a paid day off or overtime if you work it.
The most common name for the holiday is Civic Holiday. It’s has always kind of felt like some politicians were looking for a reason to have another holiday during the summer and just created it without a real purpose.
The provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland along with the Yukon Territory don’t observe it at all. The Yukon will celebrate Discovery Day on the third Monday in August. That marks the day gold was discovered setting off the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 1800s. Quebec celebrates its own holiday in June and Newfoundland will celebrate Regatta Day on the first Wednesday of August.
In British Columbia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and the territories of Nunavut and Northwest Territories, the day is a stat holiday. While Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Ontario observe the day without it being a stat holiday. Many employers treat it as a holiday giving staff time off.
**British Columbia**
The English claim to have explored what is now British Columbia in the 16th century but it wasn’t documented until 1774. After gold finds in the 1850s the British Colonial office established the Colony of British Columbia in 1858. It became the sixth province to join the Dominion of Canada in 1871. British Columbia Day was established as law in 1974 as a day to celebrate the the province’s pioneers.
**Alberta**
In 1974 the province declared the first Monday in August as an annual holiday to recognize and celebrate varied cultural heritage of Albertans. It’s an optional holiday leaving it up to employers if they choose to recognize the day or not. Events are held across the province including the Edmonton Heritage Festival for those who are off for the day.
**Saskatchewan**
In 1905 Saskatchewan became the 10th province to join the Dominion. In 1975 the provincial legislature observed the 70th anniversary by creating Saskatchewan Day for families to gather and enjoy the day on a warm day because “Our prairie winters are usually harsh and long; our summers, while lovely and warm, are unfortunately quite short.” (from the transcript of the legislative assembly meeting where the holiday was proposed.-March 17, 1975)
**Manitoba**
While not a stat holiday, Manitoba uses the day to celebrate Terry Fox, a native of the province. Terry Fox lost his leg to cancer at the age of 18. Determined to raise money and awareness for cancer research, in 1980 he started the Marathon of Hope in St. John’s, Newfoundland and set out to run across the country. He ran an average of 42km every day for 143 days (5,373km in total).
Just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario on September 1, 1980 he was forced to end his journey when cancer had spread to his lungs. He died nine months later. Just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario on September 1, 1980 he was forced to end his journey when cancer had spread to his lungs. He died nine months later. His grit and determination had struck such a chord with Canadians the government ordered all flags to half mast and his funeral was nationally televised. A rare honour for an ordinary citizen.
The Terry Fox Foundation has kept the Marathon of Hope alive since his death. The annual Terry Fox Run to raise funds for cancer research has become a fall tradition in Canada and around the world.
**Ontario**
The idea of an August holiday was first floated in Ontario in 1869 but has never become a stat holiday. Toronto calls the day Simcoe Day in honour of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of the province and is credited with founding the town of York which would become Toronto. In Ottawa, the day honours Colonel John By who built the Rideau Canal and founded Bytown which is now Ottawa.
In other communities in Ontario, local celebrations are held to honour a local person or organization. Where no special celebration takes place, it’s known as the Civic Holiday.
**New Brunswick**
One of the original four provinces to join the Dominion, New Brunswick has celebrated the August weekend like a birthday for the province. It’s a stat holiday and many local communities use the day to present civic awards.
**Prince Edward Island**
Known as the seat of confederation, PEI didn’t become part of the Dominion until 1873 and that was only because Canada outbid the United States on helping them get out of debt. The August holiday is not a stat holiday but like other non-stat provinces, many events happen over the weekend especially cultural festivals.
**Nova Scotia**
One of the four original provinces of the Dominion, Nova Scotia also celebrates the day as a provincial birthday and call it Natal Day but, it’s not a stat holiday. The first Natal Day was organized in 1895 with the intention of marking the arrival of the railroad line in the area. Construction was delayed but the day went ahead celebrating the local history instead.
**Nunavut and Northwest Territories**
Both territories mark the day as a stat holiday with local celebrations.
So, there you have it. The most diverse holiday we have in Canada, the August long weekend.
NOTE: Image header from Pixabay
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*Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms.*
*Would you like to receive daily writing prompts in your inbox? Join* *Prompt A Day* *to get started to receive a set Mondays and Thursday.* https://www.subscribepage.com/promptaday
Let Me Introduce My Friend Tramp
Just so you know, this is Hobo.
It’s been a while readers since Shadows left the computer alone long enough to let me run my paws over the keyboard. I think she’s kind of jealous of my writing style. She’s also been home a lot too, which I am not going to complain about. If I had my way, she would never go out the door, her place is here, tending to my needs. Well, mine and Tramp’s.
Have I told you about Tramp? I don’t think so.
After I lost my best buds, Dawn and Fawnya I was really sad. Shadows was too. She gave me extra cuddles which I think was as much about her needing the company as me needing it. It was a win win. Not a win-win-win-win like her friend dreemsteem likes to have but you know, I’m not as big as her so she’s just going have to be happy with what I’m happy with. I used to do some writing for Dreem, I think she gets me.
It was really hard for me when Shadows left the house. I really hated being alone, it made me really sad all over again and a little bit scared. What if Shadows didn’t come back? I’d be all alone, who would feed me or do my litter box? Well, and cuddle me too, cause I do like those cuddles.
Now, I have to say here. As much as I love Shadows — she can be a bit slow at times. It took me chasing her through the house, trying to grab her arm in a useless attempt at stopping her from leaving. I had to do it over and over before she realized, I wasn’t playing, I was scared and anxious.
To her credit, she got on the job. Wasn’t long after she came in with a strange looking box she called a carrier. She set it on the floor and opened it. I looked inside and, be still my heart, there was a kitten looking at me. She ran past me and up the stairs, hunkering down on the top step when she couldn’t go anywhere else.
I approached her slowly and tried to make friends but she was pretty scared. It was okay, I’d just wait a bit. After a while Shadows brought the treats out, set a few on each step and then put a bunch part way down the stairs and walked away.
Newbie in the house or not, I was not missing out on treats, it was every cat for herself. As I ran up the stairs to the waiting treats, she ran down them and we shared. It was that easy to make friends with her. We bonded over Temptations.
We explored the house together and I showed her around. Now, she was cozy with me and we played but only as long as Shadows stayed in one place. Tramp, as Shadows called her, was having no part of my human. Not even close, Shadows stood up and Tramp ran away to hide. It was a big deal when she started watching Shadows and I snuggling, from a distance. She wasn’t taking my word that Shadows was a friend, nope, no way.
I heard Shadows say that it’s been almost two years Tramp has been here. Whatever two years is, I guess it will mean something to you. Tramp and I are still good friends. I think we will be buds for life. In the last while she has started coming around Shadows more. I guess Tramp decided that it’s not a bad idea to cozy up to the person who brings you food every day and cleans the litter box up.
Shadows has been really patient with her. She just lets Tramp come to her and ask for petting and oh, those scratches between the ears. OH I love when she does that.. I have her well trained on them, I just put my head down and she knows to give me the scratches. I’ve trained her so well, Tramp doesn’t have to even ask, she just does it for her.
OH OH … here comes Shadows wanting the computer. I guess I better say bye for now. I hope she will put this up where you can see it. I’ll try to get back to see you soon.
OH P.S. I’ve been listening to my friend Dreem talking in something called meetings… I like what she always does at the end… so… BYEEEEEE!
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*Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms.*
*Would you like to receive daily writing prompts in your inbox? Join* *Prompt A Day* *to get started to receive a set Mondays and Thursday.* https://www.subscribepage.com/promptaday
Respect Cuts Both Ways
Age is no excuse for being mean
"Hey grandpa! How are you today?"
Grandpa showed up at the store at a busy time. Dad and I were busy with customers, a pop delivery and a small wares salesman waiting for an order. Dad was handling the pop delivery and cash register. Having just finished helping a customer, I was about to attend to the salesman.
"Just fine until I saw you." No smile played around his lips. Did I hear that right? Yeah, I did.
Responding casually, as if inquiring about the weather, "Well, to hell with you" turning my attention to the startled salesman. I'm not sure I said hello to my uncle following grandpa inside. For all my outward calm, hurt and fury stirred inside.
Those few seconds took me by surprise. I rarely saw grandpa as a young adult. As a child, courtesy and respect, no matter what he said. As an elder, no backtalk allowed.
When we visited the grandparents, we always did our best to avoid doing anything to set him off. The smallest infraction and he would be quick to chastise. If mother knew he reprimanded one of us, it meant hearing from her later for our unacceptable behaviour.
His nonchalant manner of publicly cutting his granddaughter down sparked new courage in me to take a stand and send the message I could return his cruelty with my own. Not my proudest moment. Impulse rarely is.
My inner thought train was mulling over what I had just done as the salesman, and I discussed our order. Grandpa would complain to the parents. I wasn't too concerned about dad's response. I dreaded mother's response.
I'd noticed dad's relationship with grandpa was always distant. They'd talk like two strangers chatting over coffee more than father and son. I never recall hearing grandpa ask anything about what dad was doing or his family. He seemed quite content with treating his son like a casual friend he was mostly disinterested in.
Grandpa was a very healthy ninety-year-old. He took delight in proving his strength by putting your hand in a death grip if you shook hands with him. He also was still selling Rawleigh's products. They carried a range of items like pie mixes, extracts, spices, personal care items like ointments and liniments. Quality products, with a dedicated customer base. I remember the inventory room in the basement. We could look, but not touch. My uncle had driven him out to the area to deliver products to his customers.
When the busy spell eased, dad went into the living quarters to visit with grandpa and my uncle. It delighted me to mind the store rather than have another encounter with grandpa. After they left, dad came out to relieve me for lunch that I'd missed. If he knew what had occurred, he wasn't saying anything.
Mother was sitting in the kitchen. I felt tension in the air. Unsure if the tension was hers or mine. After a few minutes of tense silence, I addressed the elephant in the room. Her response would decide if I was going to make lunch or flee.
"So… did grandpa share his greeting with you?" Her lips tightened. I tensed. Her tight lips were never a good sign.
"OH, yeah. He barely got through the door before he started telling me you told him to go to hell." Her voice carried irritation, but not anger. I cautiously relaxed slightly.
"Did he say why?"
"He claimed he was kidding with you and you took it wrong."
"Well, the total absence of a smile and his stance didn't exactly give me a hint." I defended myself, expecting the hammer to fall.
"I told him to take it up with you. You're an adult and not about to tolerate insults from anyone." I had to clench my jaw to stop it from dropping. Was this my mother defending me, breaking the respect at all costs rule?
Nice adulting perk, not having to put up with snarky elders. The perk would not apply to mother nor a mistake of speaking boldly to her. My memory of watching my elder brother telling mother to go to hell when they were arguing over something was vivid. Her lightning-fast hand shot across his face as he towered over her.
Yeah, I took the win on this day and made my lunch.
It would be many years later before I shed light on the father-son relationship. By then, grandpa had died, and I'd been visiting grandma as often as I could. At one hundred years old, grandma was still sharp as a tack. During one visit she told me dad and my grandfather often clashed.
"I often told him that boy would be big enough to hit back one day," she said, without further explanation. Seems dad put some mental distance between them instead.
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Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms.
Would you like to receive daily writing prompts in your inbox? Join Prompt A Day to get started to receive a set Mondays and Thursday. https://www.subscribepage.com/promptaday
Beware of Tangling With Me
You may find it addictive, fun and creative
Many who know me will read that headline and think “Oh oh, who has ticked Shadows off?” I’m going to talk about a different sort of tangling.
Back in April I invested in an iPad and Apple Pencil with a mind to start learning to draw on the tablet. While I can be a bit on the creative side, an artist I would never lay claim to. But, like writing, with enough patience and willingness to practice, drawing can be learned. So I’m told. I’ll let you know how that works out.
I’ve been putting the tablet to good use. Not drawing yet but transforming available resources into images that are uniquely my creation. It’s been fun.
Doodle Art Page Found in a YouTube Rabbit Hole
One of my go to resources to learn from is YouTube. There’s been some interesting rabbit holes I’ve wandered into that have led to creative ideas. While watching a video on using Procreate, I happened to notice a suggested video on how to create doodle art pages.
I watched how the artist approached creating the doodle art page. Long story short, he decided on the elements he wanted as part of the page, created them and then laid them out in layers on the page until he had them organized as he wanted them. He then used doodle patterns to fill the spaces between the layout.
What is Doodle Art?
Doodling tends to be very freeform in design. The artist has the basic idea of what they want to do but pretty much draw as the spirit moves them. That is one reason it is so common for people to doodle when doing things like talking on the phone or sitting in meetings. It’s something the hands can do without the mind being fully engaged. I’ve seen some beautiful work produced by doodlers.
Doodling to Commemorate the Poppy
Watching the video sparked an idea for something I wanted to do. I created a doodle art page to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poppy becoming the flower of remembrance in Canada. I’ll write about that another day. Here’s the finished product:
When I was exploring how I wanted to approach the doodles to tie the images together, I came across something else. ZenTangle®. Now, I’d looked at it before and was curious but didn’t explore the concept at the time.
Difference between Doodling and Zentangle
The main difference between doodling and zentangle is that zentangle is focused on creating pattern designs purposefully. You start out with simple lines and shapes then build on them to create the finished tangle. A tangle is usually done on a 3” square of paper with a pencil or pen. The size keeps the time spent short and the pen or pencil makes the equipment minimal.
I took the time to watch a video from the National Museum of American Illustration on the zentangle method by Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts who are credited with creating the method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MY-67cTXsw&t=3s
It’s a presentation the couple did and about 50 minutes long. I found it interesting to hear Maria talking about the concepts behind the method. It is a method designed to overcome some of the most common excuses for not being able to draw. No talent, no time, can’t afford the equipment etc. The patterns are drawn from the world around us.
Zentangle is a Registered Trademark
When I visited Rick and Maria’s site, zentangle.com I learned that the term “Zentangle” is a registered trademark. I can create Zentangle inspired patterns but calling them by the name would be infringement. Especially if I was selling that work. On their site they asked that in work like this, the first mention of Zentangle include the registered trademark symbol, which I have done here. https://zentangle.com/
Poppy Doodle Page Includes Tangle Patterns
Back to the poppy doodle page, I decided to create a grid and fill each part of the grid in with tangle patterns to complete the page. It was my first effort at doing them, so I kept to very simple ones. I was using the Apple pencil to draw the patterns, something I was still getting used to controlling. Keeping it simple was necessary.
As I worked on the poppy page, I decided I wanted to work on learning more of this drawing method. But, not drawing them on paper. I’d be drawing them onto my tablet. For the last few weeks, if I settle into watching some video in the evening, I have my tablet in hand working on a tangle, or two.
Continuing to Learn Tangle Patterns
I created a 3” template grid that I start each tangle with making the effect like drawing on graph paper. The lines help me learn my perspective as I work through the different patterns. The patterns are flexible and can be used to fill any space. Some artists are very creative on their use of them, like in the header image of this page.
Tangle patterns are so simple, words aren’t even needed, just images. By observing the change from one image to the next, you can follow the pattern. I found a free app called Tangle Patterns that has over 100 patterns with how to images. Lots of them can be found on Pinterest and there are YouTube videos demonstrating patterns.
The tangles in this article, other than the one in the header, have all been drawn by me on my iPad. I use a fine line to draw the patterns and then other brushes available in Procreate when I do shading or want to create thicker lines.
I’ve started a project that will see me using tangle patterns to fill an image. I’m learning new patterns as I go and then apply them to part of the project. It’s going to take a while but should be fun.
There are lots of patterns around to use, pick up a pen or pencil and give them a try. You might just have fun and then you’ll be tangling with me and no one will have ticked me off.
NOTES:
This article was first published on my site: PattiMay.com
Header image from Pixabay.com
All other images created by the author.
@ShadowsPub
