Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

Quote by verbal
I wrote a VERY dark story last week, so dark even Talia hated it.

At least she's not the editor reviewing it, eh. 😊 My darkest story is gone now (from here, might have it stashed in my writing archive still). Good story but, yeah, dark.

Quote by verbal
a Presidential address to watch

Should be an interesting one. Might even be more interesting than the game, though an NY crosstown game should be run.

Hi peeps

It's been a busy day. But got things done.

Cookies today are movie themed : movie tickets , popcorn bucket , movie canister ,film strip ,boxed candy , soda cup and stars

*cleaning out the cookie jars and filling the jar to the tippy top with fresh cookies .

Braves are injured plagued again . Gotta call up some help

Austin Riley is on the paternity leave list until the weekend series .

giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats

pouring a large glass of tea and adding in lemon and sugar then moseyin over to my favorite overstuffed chair

Good morning, everyone.

I collaborated with maryruth on a poem about peace and nature on a summer's night; "Peace." It was published 13 hours ago which is exciting. Mer is a dear friend of mine and I am grateful to have collaborated with her. I most likely will again.

I hope to get some writing done today, as is my hope everyday.

I hope you all have a beautiful day.

I look forward to your poem, Cora.

The Yankees got PUMMELED by the Mets last night on national TV! I will try not to crow, but it was fun. Talia and I even went to a bar to watch the first half, sort of a pre-birthday celebration (my birthday is this weekend). Big fun.

Sara, I believe your Braves are up next.

Now, off to write. I still can’t do my walks - trying to stay off my foot.

Coffee and a STAR cookie please.

My husband and I are going out of town for a long weekend. Friends have a condo in a ski town. But in the summer there is swimming, biking, hiking and good food. On Saturday there's a brews and blues festival. The weather is going to be lovely, mid seventies during the day and mid fifties at night. I've been told that I've been in a bad mood lately and really need to get away. I haven't been dealing well with some of my parents issues. So I get the weekend off and enlisted my only sibling to step up. Hopefully I will return with a renewed energy or any energy. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I should be back by Tuesday. Cheers.

Hi, all. In a gap between meetings. Sorry i didn't have time to do the setup this morning. Have not had a crazy meeting day like this in a long time, actually. One more work meeting to go, then I have a personal one. gasps for breath

Sad news in Canada today. A wildfire is raging in Jasper National Park, just North of the more famous Banff National Park. Houses destroyed in the town of Jasper and the town and park have been evacuated. I was there with my wife back when we were dating pre-marriage. Lovely part of the country.

Quote by gillianleeza

My husband and I are going out of town for a long weekend. Friends have a condo in a ski town. But in the summer there is swimming, biking, hiking and good food. On Saturday there's a brews and blues festival. The weather is going to be lovely, mid seventies during the day and mid fifties at night. I've been told that I've been in a bad mood lately and really need to get away. I haven't been dealing well with some of my parents issues. So I get the weekend off and enlisted my only sibling to step up. Hopefully I will return with a renewed energy or any energy. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I should be back by Tuesday. Cheers.

I think I know where you're going. Have fun! A gorgeous place, if I'm right.

Good morning!

Didn’t sleep well, but I am up and around today. Still trying to stay off my foot, though I am really missing my walks. On the plus side, more time to write.

Excellent Mets/Braves game last night Sara. Two very evenly matched teams. Should be a good series.

My daughter messed up her Achilles tendon yesterday. It’s not looking good (part of the reason I couldn’t sleep last night). But hopefully the care she has been given at the hospital will help.

Coffee and several cookies please.

What is it with your family and feet, anyhow? 🙄😕 Hope you both recover.

Good afternoon. Nice day around here again. Starting to heat up again but not too bad yet.

Got company coming over (son and d-i-l) for dinner tonight.

Writing but not for here.

Good day (almost afternoon here)!!

Putting on some dark roast Nicaraguan, fresh ground, in the coffee pot. For teas, we've got Darjeeling and Buddha's Blend. Pitchers are washed and refilled with unsweet iced tea and lemonade. Sodas are stocked up.

Lovely weather here, but that temperature is inching upwards. 30C by Monday with the humidity starting to rise by then, too.

Good evening, everyone.

gillian, I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend with your husband. Hopefully you will return home refreshed.

verbal, I am sorry to hear of the injuries to you and your daughter. I hope you both fully recover. It is nice to see you having a positive attitude about not being able to walk as much. And Happy Birthday! I read that this weekend is your birthday. I hope you have a lovely day. 🎂🥳

Mendalla, very sad to hear of another fire up there. And in such a beautiful place. I hope everyone affected by the fire, especially those who had to evacuate, are okay.

It has been a low-key day, here. Soon I will be having dinner with my family and spending the night with them.

I hope everyone has a lovely evening.

Today's coffee come from Jamaica, some medium roast from the Blue Mountains.

For tea, we are offering Original Earl Grey and Scottish Breakfast with hot water on hand for other fine teas.

Cold drinks are mixed up fresh and filled to the tippy top.

Have a nice one! Hot and muggy here (groans).

Thank you for the birthday wishes folks. It was a pretty chill time. Got a new phone and a book about ants (Superorganism) that looks bonkers cool. Cake was eaten, MarioKart was played.

We saw Mean Girls the Musical Saturday night. It was really fun.

My daughters’ ankle is pretty bad, but healing. My heel is better, though I may call a doc today.

Coffee and ALL THE COOKIES!

Quote by verbal
Thank you for the birthday wishes folks.

Oo, missed that in Cora's post. Glad you had a good one. Ants make good horror. E.g. Them is possibly the best of the 50s atomic mutant giant movies. Just sayin'.

Quote by verbal
We saw Mean Girls the Musical Saturday night. It was really fun.

When I heard that existed, I was a bit baffled. Doesn't seem like material for a stage musical. But then, neither did Les Miserables at the time, I guess. If anything, Les Miz was probably more likely to become an opera prior to Boublil and Schoenberg working their magic.

Good afternoon, everyone.

verbal, I am glad you enjoyed your birthday. I hope healing continues for your heel and your daughter's ankle.

It has been raining all morning and afternoon but as I have written before, I enjoy the rain.

I think I may get working on a poem or story sometime soon. Ideas and lines are solidifying in my head, I think.

I hope you all are well and that you have a beautiful Monday.

Come up here for a visit. Been showering on and off this afternoon. Even a thunderclap.😊

I'll put on some green and herbal teas for the afternoon. Won't keep you up at night. 😀

Dancing around what to write next. I'm sure I'll hit on something that clicks eventually.

Getting up near 100 degrees today. Gonna be a hot one. I am still trying to keep from walking, but I have no problem with staying inside during this nonsense.

Nothing new here. Mets won last night. I got a late birthday present - a drone! - that I may try to put together this week. It’s a little complicated. Looks like Big Fun though.

I slept well, but coffee and some cook would be swell!

Has anyone heard from Red lately?

Quote by verbal
I got a late birthday present - a drone! - that I may try to put together this week. It’s a little complicated. Looks like Big Fun though.

Just don't fly it near any opposing teams' practice fields (Olympic stuff that I'm a bit salty about).

Quote by verbal
Has anyone heard from Red lately?

I was thinking the same thing.

Good day. I'll put on a late pot of Colombian dark roast coffee along with some Raspberry Royale and Ginger Peach White teas.

Quote by verbal

Has anyone heard from Red lately?

Jim has been on my mind for a while. I see that he is active on SS whenever I click on my "Friends" tab. I sent him a message five days ago. I have yet to hear from him. If I do I will let you know.

I hope you guys have a beautiful day.

I hope he is okay too.

I'm back from my mini vacation. It was nice to get away and do something a bit different. I loved riding ski lifts in the summer. I could spend all day just going up and down and watching all the mountain biking going on below me. They turn the mountains into a giant bike park and have professional events there and contests as well. The weather was lovely, no ridiculous heat or humidity.

I hope everyone is doing and keeping cool. The heat has returned and it's only going to get worse. I hate to wish time away, but, I'm tired of this weather. I'll take a cold lemonade to go. Cheers.

Good morning, y'all!

After a rather wet, stormy day yesterday, seems nice here today. Less muggy, though still too hot and steamy for my taste.

Putting on some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in the coffee pot. In the teapots we have Irish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend. Cleaned up the pitchers and made fresh iced tea and lemonade. Soda stock looks good.

Good day at the Olympics, with Canada's women's rugby 7s picking up silver and US picking up bronze. Cool to see North Americans having some success at a sport that has largely been replaced by American football here. And, of course, the US women's gymnastics squad put on a stellar show to get the gold in the team event, with Simone Biles' return after her problems in Tokyo being the highlight.

Good morning, everyone.

I am glad you enjoyed your mini vacation, gillian. Thank you for sharing with us what it was like. Hopefully temperatures will begin to cool down in September.

This year I am not watching the Olympics.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day.

Quote by Cora
This year I am not watching the Olympics.

I'm following it but not really watching much, just the highlights reels that CBC (Canada's national public broadcaster) posts on their YouTube channel.

Hey all.

I haven’t seen a single second of the Olympics, not even the much-maligned opening ceremonies. Heard the backlash though.

I think I am going to the doctor about my foot. I imagine I will get a boot. It’s not a lot of pain, but it is not going away. My daughter’s much worse injury is healing nicely after a rough start.

Other than that, same old thang.

Coffee and three cookies please.

Quote by verbal
not even the much-maligned opening ceremonies. Heard the backlash though.

It's overblown. I only recognized that tableau because of the controversy. Absent that, I would not even have associated it with the Last Supper. Tempest in a Christian teapot, IMHO. And we got a top heavy metal band playing in an Olympics, so we metalheads (most of whom enjoy a good parody of Christianity to start with) aren't too fussed about it.

The controversy I'm hearing about is that Joe Duplantier, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Gojira, was using a different brand of guitar at the Olympics than the one he has a longstanding relationship with. Is he changing brands? Going dual brand? Inquiring headbangers are demanding to know. 😊

Hi peeps

It's been a busy time since Saturday.

My little town had some flooding from a monsoon . but it's recovering nicely

I have seen some highlights from the Olympics. Last time I watched the Olympics from start to finish (lol) was in 1988 Seoul when Greg Louganis was diving . Other than that it's been watching mostly diving and swimming and some gymnastics

Other news the Hank Aaron forever stamp is available for purchase today at the post office so I'm off to there later today

giving the adorable critters fresh water and treats and pouring myself a large ice tea and mixing in sugar and lemon

cleaning out the empty cookie jars and filing them to the tippy top with fresh cookies

Today's cookies are Olympic theme : the five rings . Gold medals, silver medals and bronze .

Good morning, all! sliding a plate of still-warm chocolate chip cookies on the counter

I thought I would leave those and this...

https://www.storiesspace.com/forum/writing-competitions-and-calls-for-submissions/beyond-the-veil-poetry-competiton

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you for announcing the new SS comp, Molly. It looks very interesting. I am excited, for sure.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day.

"Beyond the Veil" sounds like a wonderful theme. Already stewing it over. Let's get cracking, poets!!

And to help with that, here's some Jamaican Blue Mountain dark roast coffee. Teas are Assam and Mukujima Sencha (green). Cold beverages are looking good.

Sounds like a cool comp! And one for the poets, this time.

I took a walk yesterday, and could barely walk afterward. My foot is in a lot of pain now. Gonna lay around and write, all day.

Politics are crazy in the US these days. It's like someone shouting in your face, all the time. I'm trying to find ways to lower the volume, just to stay sane.

That's all for now. Good luck poets!