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.

Jeff, I am sure the cats are relieved that Talia is home.

I'm having more struggles with paperwork, phone calls, and online nonsense. I think programs are set up so people can't easily navigate them, thus saving the government money. Sigh. It all makes me very frustrated and feel stupid.

My middle son and his girlfriend are coming this weekend, which will put me in a better mood. Hopefully, the weather will be good, and we can go out on the boat.

TGIF, cheers.

There is too much rejection in writing.

Coffee please.

Quote by verbal

There is too much rejection in writing.

Coffee please.

Jeff, there's too much rejection in life.

OTOH, if everything were accepted from everyone, there would be no simple way to tell good from bad, and we would drown in too much information.

Which, come to think of it … we are!

(checks coffee urn, sniffs) WHEW

I think we could use a new brew.

(Empties old coffee, rinses out machine, refills and resets, the hits ON)

OK, it should be ready in a few.

Meanwhile, try some tea. A much more civilized infusion beverage!

(checks cookie stash) Hope Sara comes in soon. Looks like we're getting kinda low here.

BTW, I finally got off my furry rear end and posted my competition entry.

It's weird. Just sayin'…

Dreaming…

Quote by JamesPBear
It's weird.

You say that like it's a bad thing, Mr. Bear. 😉 The world needs more weird (that kind, not the Trump/Vance kind).

Thanks for getting the coffee going. Sorry I am kind of neglecting this place.

I am completely at sea with this comp. Nothing's coming to me, nothing I've tried has stuck. OTOH, my two longer fiction works are moving along well right now. Not fast, but the stories are coming together. Expecting these to be at least novella length based on progress so far.

Good morning!!! How are you all this fine day? 😊

Got some nice Dark Roast Costa Rican coffee waiting for you. There's also Darjeeling and Buddha's Blend teas. Washed the pitchers and made up fresh iced tea and lemonade. Sodas are stocked up.

Into some lovely and, yes, cooler, drier weather. I actually did not look like I had walked through a rainstorm after mowing the lawn yesterday. Will warm up again by the weekend but how bad it gets really depends on where the humidity goes.

Hey everyone. Glad to see Inspirations is lively.

verbal, I am glad you do not need a boot. Strange that you need to get it checked out again. I hope you start feeling better soon. There is a lot of rejection in writing, generally speaking, which is unfortunate but there are reasons for it. If a piece of your writing was recently rejected, I am sorry you had to face that. Think back on all the times you were published. That is a great accomplishment.

Mendalla, sorry to hear you have been feeling depressed. I hope your mood has lightened, if only at least a little. Maybe spending some time in your garden might lift your spirits. As for the comp, you still have plenty of time to write a poem. Whenever I get stuck mentally on something, I put it out of my mind. Inspiration eventually comes to me. Maybe you just need to clear your head.

gillian, sorry to hear of the difficulties you are facing. Hopefully time spent with your son and his girlfriend this past weekend helped relax you.

James, nice to see you posting here more often. As mentioned in the comp thread, congrats on entering.

As for myself, I wrote a poem for the comp yesterday and submitted it last night. Rose, my pitbull, just climbed up next to me. Pinky, my miniature pinscher, is on my other side. Time to sign off for now. I hope everyone feels better with whatever they are dealing with.

I hope you all have a lovely day.

Quote by Mendalla

I am completely at sea with this comp. Nothing's coming to me, nothing I've tried has stuck. OTOH, my two longer fiction works are moving along well right now. Not fast, but the stories are coming together. Expecting these to be at least novella length based on progress so far.

Maybe sitting out on "Beyond the Veil" is the best thing for you. Even though you initially wrote two poems, you have been struggling with the comp since it began, it seems. It also seems you are in a good place now, focusing on your longer fictional pieces. Life often takes us by surprise; you may very well be inspired to write a poem sometime before Sept. 6.

Quote by Cora
verbal, I am glad you do not need a boot. Strange that you need to get it checked out again. I hope you start feeling better soon. There is a lot of rejection in writing, generally speaking, which is unfortunate but there are reasons for it. If a piece of your writing was recently rejected, I am sorry you had to face that. Think back on all the times you were published. That is a great accomplishment.

Thanks for the well wishes. Yeah, I got a story rejected that I was pretty sure had sold, and I was really excited. Took me a bit to get over my disappointment.

I'm glad I don't need a boot. Going to physical therapy on Thursday - we'll see what happens.

I have an idea for a poem. We'll see if I can get it down on paper.

Quote by Cora

Maybe sitting out on "Beyond the Veil" is the best thing for you. Even though you initially wrote two poems, you have been struggling with the comp since it began, it seems. It also seems you are in a good place now, focusing on your longer fictional pieces. Life often takes us by surprise; you may very well be inspired to write a poem sometime before Sept. 6.

That's kind of where I am right now. Just leaving the comp well enough alone and hoping my muse comes back from vacation. That said, we are coming down to the wire. At least there's a long weekend before the deadline so I have some time if I do get something going.

And I just realized that in rejigging a character in the story I am working on, I inadvertantly turned him into Will from my story The Bat. Some differences in the details, but his name is Will and he is haunted by an act of violence he committed as a teen protecting a girl was in love with. But I think I am okay with the reprise in this case because this version of Will is on a different trajectory.

That version was a time travel story where Will got to rewind his life and change the past. But here I can focus on him dealing with the consequences in the here and now, particularly how it affects his relationship with the female protagonist (it's basically a romance but might end up with thriller elements as I piece this together).

Hey everyone.

My poem was just approved! I am always excited whenever a piece of mine is published.

I hope everyone is having a lovely evening.

Comp entry: The Veil Between Good and Evil

Good morning, campers!

Costa Rican dark roast in the urn, Red Rose in a pot on the sideboard.

Poetry comp is heating up nicely!

Lots to do today, so I'll steep and run!

Done licking my wounds. I got a nice follow-up email from the folks that rejected me. And hopefully physical therapy tomorrow will hopefully allow me to take walks again, which would be great. I swear I have addicted to walking.

I won’t talk politics, but purely on a speech-making level, Michelle Obama gave a speech for the ages last night. I watched both conventions, RNC and DNC, and hers was the best so far. Even better than her husband.

Gonna try to write that poem today.

Thanks for the set-up Bear. Coffee!

Hey everyone.

verbal, I am glad you got a follow-up email. Those are always nice and they do not always get received. I have been in PT countless times. I am prone to injuries, especially during my snowboarding days. I kind of enjoy PT. It is nice, light exercise. For the times I went, I remember going 2-3 times per week. Getting to know the physical therapists also made PT enjoyable. I very much enjoy walking. Nature is beautiful.

Quote by verbal

Gonna try to write that poem today.

As in a poem for the comp? I hope so. I remember you posted here awhile back you were going to enter the comp. If not, writing a poem just because you want to is always nice as well.

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day.

Quote by verbal
Michelle Obama gave a speech for the ages last night. I watched both conventions, RNC and DNC, and hers was the best so far. Even better than her husband.

People keep talking about her making a run someday but I don't know, having seen the ringer the dingbats put her husband through, I would not blame her for saying "hell, no" and just continuing to be a supportive presence for people like Harris.

(end politics)

Today was a fun day. Booked it off work and spent two hours hiking with my best friend, as in the one I married 31 years ago today. By this time on August 21, 1993, we were officially husband and wife.

Putting on some of my favourite oolong tea to celebrate. Goes good on its own or with either milk or cream (if you're lactose intolerant, you can try soy or almond but I make no promises since I haven't tried it).

Quote by Mendalla

Today was a fun day. Booked it off work and spent two hours hiking with my best friend, as in the one I married 31 years ago today. By this time on August 21, 1993, we were officially husband and wife.

Putting on some of my favourite oolong tea to celebrate. Goes good on its own or with either milk or cream (if you're lactose intolerant, you can try soy or almond but I make no promises since I haven't tried it).

Congrats on the anniversary! Sounds like a fun way to celebrate.

Off to physical therapy today. I went for a short walk yesterday, and had some pain, but nothing crazy. I hope these guys can help.

Are there any cookies? Where is Sara? We need cookies!

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorning!

Ape is rocking out to Verimillion by Dutch singer Simone Simons. She's a redhead so do the math on the album title. More in the music thread later.

Coffee is Deathwish Dark Roast. Teas are Assam and Raspberry. Pitchers of iced tea and lemonade are washed and filled. Sodas are ready. And I've added some flavoured soda water (Bubbly, if you know that) to the mix.

Thanks for the coffee Ape.

So, both political conventions are done, the race begins in earnest today. It’s exciting now, but in 70 days I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sick of the hoopla. Still, democracy in action can be a thrilling thing, for all parties. And you can trust me: I once shook Richard Nixon’s hand!

I’m walking again! I got exercises to help stretch out my foot, especially the arch, before I walk. Yay!

Enjoy the weekend everyone. Coffee and a platter of cookies please.

Hey there, hi there, ho there!

Busy time here. Bear and Girl – the book – is almost published. I say almost because Kindle can't seem to get their shit together and publish the ebook version of the paperback and hardcover they've already approved.

We'll see what happens, and I'll make a formal announcement when it's all done.

Take care!

Quote by verbal
I once shook Richard Nixon’s hand!

Washed it thoroughly afterwards I hope. 😁

Never shaken hands with anyone higher up than a mayor. Did get nodded and smiled at by Pierre Trudeau once, not long before his retirement from politics.

Quote by JamesPBear
We'll see what happens, and I'll make a formal announcement when it's all done.

I can't ... bear the suspense.😎

(Flees giggling)

Weekend coffee is on. Some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

For teas, we got Scottish Breakfast and Buddha's Blend (white + jasmine green w. hibiscus).

Cold drinks looking good.

Nice weekend here. In fact, we are getting the nicest weather we've had all summer right now, though it's getting a titch warm for my taste (29C tomorrow).

Poetry time. Or story time. Not sure which yet, but I will endeavour to do some writing.

Thanks for the set up Ape.

I’m in the comp! All my poetry reads like prose, but I wrote a poem! I’ll get around to reading the other entries soon.

Slept pretty well. Yay! Off to the dentist today. Wah! But life is just a series of Yay’s and Wah’s, right? Should be a fine day.

And I’m walking again! That’s a big win.

Anyway. Have seen Sara or Red around of late. Hope you guys are okay. We have to keep an eye on each other.

Coffee and a cookie please!

So Verb's poem has been published, and it is lovely.

It reminded me of a Zen saying…

But you'll have to read the poem first:

Rainbow Geometry

Ape here. Coffee is on. Went with a simple dark roast from somewhere. Teas are English Breakfast and Kittie Zoomies (verbs left some in the cupboard and I want to use it up). Wash the pitchers and made fresh iced tea (NOT Kittie Zoomies) and lemonade. With Sara not around, thought we were running short on goodies so I picked this up at a local bakery.

Hey everyone.

It is nice to see you so excited, verbal. I am glad you entered the comp.

Nothing new here. I was thinking about Jim and Sara the other night. I hope all is well with them. In addition to Mendalla's butter pecan pie, here are some cookies for you to enjoy:

Comp entry theme

Monkey theme

I hope everyone has a beautiful day.

So Cora is now the new cookie lady? 😊 Maybe I should write a poem about cookies. But not sure how to make that fit the theme. Cookies from beyond the veil doesn't sound terribly appetizing, really.

Quote by JamesPBear

So Verb's poem has been published, and it is lovely.

It reminded me of a Zen saying…

But you'll have to read the poem first:

Rainbow Geometry

Thank you so much for the signal boost, James. I’m not sure it is really poetry, but I did enjoy writing it. I will get to the other entries soon. How goes Girl and Bear?

And those monkey cookies are delightful, Cora. I’ll try one.

I hope Sara returns before baseball playoffs start! We need her treats!

Physical therapy today. It’s helping, so I shan’t complain.

Coffee please.

Quote by Mendalla

So Cora is now the new cookie lady? 😊 Maybe I should write a poem about cookies.

Haha, thank you for the laugh.

Cookies as a theme for a poem is interesting. I think if you get creative you may very well be able to write a poem well suited for the comp, cookies or no cookies.

Since you ask, Bear and Girl has finally been published, after a LOT of hassles with Kindle. They had some kind of "technical glitch" which caused the ebook to be hung up for 23 days!!

NVMD, it's been published now. Here's a link to the site:

Bear and Girl: A Story of Hope, Friendship, and Strength

And here's an earlier version of the cover, but most of the other versions I have are too big to upload here.

Love that cover, Bear. Nice blurb on the back, too. Congratulations.

And good morning to y'all.

Kind of grey and muggy here. Had some wicked storms roll through yesterday evening and there's a chance of shower or thunderstorms today. In short, it's wet here again.

Coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain. Teas are Darjeeling and Raspberry Royale. We look good for cold beverages.

Have a good day!