Quote by CuriousAnnie

Yes I was the same, surprised and delighted on 1 January to get a Top Story badge added to my profile here and to my competition story, as the most liked story in December.

I was I confess then totally embarrassed when the results came out as my story was last (or second last) in the competition, lol, so in reality far from being a top story.

Like that you can sort 'top stories' by genre too, interesting to see on both sites what my highest rated genre stories are.

Not sure about this current competition, have done 700 words, but hit pause to write competition elsewhere, which is taking a while to get done. Toddlers are not writer-friendly, but himself is so adorable and I'd have it no other way.

Your story was amazing, so I’m not surprised it was the most liked story. I have had stories on the other site do well with likes and comments and not place at all. Sometimes judges see things differently than the average reader.

Enjoy himself being a toddler. I barely blinked and my baby will be 27 in a month’s time. Not sure how that happened. Lol!

Quote by Mendalla

Good morning. Putting on some Jamaican Blue Mountain for the coffee set. Teas are Irish Breakfast and Cream of Earl Grey. Hot water is on, as always, for hot chocolate or other teas.

Things are all set up for my new car. Just need to confirm how much the insurance is going to cost and when my broker can get it added to the policy and then I can finalize my pickup time. Yay, no more juggling my schedule around my wife's.

Story is happening but slowly. I've got a glitch in it that I need to sort out before I get too much further.

My boss is having nasty side effects from his second shingles shot. And guess who else is due for that? 😲

Have a nice one, gang!

i had both shingles shots last year and had no issue.i thought it was because I had shingles twice in my life! But hubby had no reaction to the Shingrix and neither did my brother. So I guess expect the worst just in case and be grateful if/when it doesn’t happen.

Good luck with the new car!

Ba dum tiss

Went right over my head.

I visited Pearl Harbor a few years ago for the first time and then again this past November. It should have clicked in my mind but I’ve been operating on about 2-3 hours of sleep each night for the past week. So my brain is a bit dull.

Quote by verbal

Congrats! Where do top authors/stories get posted? I don't see anything on the front page.

Thanks for the set-up James.

Boring day, though I guess that's a good thing. Snow is melting, temps are WAY up. We got vaccine shots yesterday, I am fine, but Talia's arm is kinda achy.

I ground out 1000 words yesterday, but I am mired in a hard section of writing right now. No distractions today, I just have to write my way out of it.

Sigh. Time for a bagel and then time to write.

A coffee and a goalpost cookie please.

if you scroll down to the bottom of the page (any page it seems) there is a section called leaderboard. I discovered this on the red site when I was #2 for December at got a badge added to my profile there. You can check out the all time top authors and stories as well. It’s kinda cool. 😎

Glad your shots went well. Achy arms are pretty common. And well worth it.

Quote by JamesPBear

Sounds like a good day for our TechGoddess! Well-deserved congratulations on both counts!

After checking, I've made pots of Red Rose and Lemon Zinger teas, and a dark roast Kenyan coffee from Cooper's Coffee Company.

I'll grab some Lemon Zinger and mosey on back to try to catch up on my backlog of reading!

You forgot to mention you snagged #2 and a top author badge as well. Congratulations to the prolific polar bear!

Quote by AnnaMayZing

But wasn't Pearl Harbour made into a proper state in 1941?

No. It’s part of Oahu, Hawaii.

Coffee, tea, or whatever your beverage of choice might be…

All drinks are on me today! ☕️🫖🧋

January was apparently a successful writing month for me here on SS. I managed to snag a top author and a top story badge overnight. My back is feeling well patted and I appreciate my friends here who have read and liked my stories. Thanks!! 😎

Hubby comes home today, YAY! I’ve slept so poorly this past week. I predict I will sleep like the dead tonight. 😴💤

Hope all y’all have a great day. I’m off soon to take my brother to the eye doc.

It finally feels like Florida again outside. Managed to take my brother to the pool in the morning. This afternoon I did some laundry and other housework and managed to squeeze in some writing in. Hope y’all had a good day.

Quote by KatarinaTechgoddess

39/50 including both Hawaii and Alaska. Plus I’ve been to the US Virgin Islands.

Forgot to mention that I’ve lived in Michigan and Florida. (Hubby lived in Arizona for work for a few years but I only went to visit him, so I can’t count that one).

39/50 including both Hawaii and Alaska. Plus I’ve been to the US Virgin Islands.

I belong to a cozy book club with ten friends.

We’ve been watching The Peripheral. It’s a little intense so we have been watching one episode at a time. You have to pay attention closely. We tend to follow it up with episodes of Anthony Anderson’s To Tell the Truth which is lighthearted fluff and just my speed before bed.

Be safe out there all y’all who have wintery weather. It’s actually warm enough today that my brother wants to swim. Better yet, hubby worked a break into his schedule to join us.

Hope your hernia consultation goes well, Ape, without any surprises.

Hope you feel better Sara! Migraines can really take it out of you!

Thanks for the cookies. 🍪🥰

Quote by Mendalla

Good morning, Gil and all.

Snow on the ground and more on the way if the weather geeks are to be believed. I am half-inclined to head back South until March. After going in fits and starts, seems like winter is starting to happen in earnest.

Coffee is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Teas are English Breakfast and Cream of Earl Grey. Hot water is ready for hot chocolate or other teas.

Cold, snowy, bleak winters are why I sold my house in Michigan and moved into my vacation rental full time. No regrets. And when you live at the beach on an island, people come visit. So I still get to see family and friends.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? That’s a question for the ages, isn’t it? What if the answer is deeper than we know?

Please take a look at my recent story and find out:

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road

Many thanks!

If there are any giraffe cookies left, I call dibs.

I have a couple of Mardi Gras story possibilities swirling around in my head. Not sure if anything will come of them but I may take a break from napping to see if I can put anything in writing.

Hoping my energy doesn’t take too long to return now that round two of treatment is done. I have things that I need to accomplish this week.

On a side note, we paid the twenty bucks on Prime to see “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last night. It was different than any movie I’ve ever seen and I was a little doubtful at one point but I absolutely loved it. Hubby enjoyed it too. You have to pay attention, no playing games on your phone while watching this one. And you have to hang in there for a bit when it seems to go off the rails. But that is the whole point. The acting was outstanding and a scene toward the end between a mother and daughter made me cry. It was worth paying for in my opinion.

Quote by gillianleeza

It's been a busy week with various appointments for my Dad. He loves them because he enjoys talking with everyone and never stops. He exhausts everyone around him. But after he gets clearance from his doctors, he can have surgery.

For some reason, I am having difficulty dealing with losing my cat, Apollo. I wonder if it's because we don't have any pets now. When Hannibal died, we still had his brother. I wake up thinking he is on the bed with me. He acted more like a dog and would greet me at the door and follow me everywhere. We'd watch tv, and he'd even get up and follow me into the bathroom. I'm grateful for the extra time we had with him. He accidentally got out five years ago and was missing for five weeks. So these past five years were a bonus. He was such a sweet comfort when stress was too much.

It's going to be a quiet weekend. I see several naps in my future. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Cheers!

Hugs for you! You’ve had a LOT going on lately. So of course losing your kitty seems even more heart wrenching than it might have. And losing a beloved pet is hard. Naps are good. They are restorative and good for the soul. Cuddle up with a favorite blanket and tune out.

Ten days of feeling like hell, followed by a celebration!

This looks fun! I may have to peek through my NOLA pix from a few years back to see if any spark an idea for me.

Happy Birthday, Larry!

Blinks…can’t believe Chessie let Jeff let her.

Honestly she loves me ninety percent of the time, loves my hubby at night when she wants extra attention, coexists with the kids when they visit, and tolerates my neighbors. The fact that she didn’t swat your hand is rather remarkable. Perhaps you are a cat whisperer.

My neighbor stopped by a bit ago. Okay so I have very invasive, yet treatable cancer, and I’m a lil miserable with the treatment side effects right now. But her hubby has Alzheimer’s and can no longer drive. After our visit I feel less sorry for myself. I hope I helped her as much as she helped me. She came to check on me, vent a little, and borrow nail polish remover.

If the Cookie Monster left anything besides crumbs, I’m gonna grab a few Scooby snacks and wash them down with a Coke Zero.

Happy Birthday to redwriter’s lady! I hope you’ll enjoy celebrating with her.

Sara, Chessie says MEOW! Which loosely translates to Thanks! She deserves a treat as she has been my constant companion throughout my treatment.

I’m doing more reading today, so if anyone wants to send a link my way to give your story or poem some attention, I’d be happy to like and comment for you.

I appreciate those of you who have taken a look at my latest here (link in my signature) “Why Did the Chicken across the Road?”

I'm gonna curl up with a cuppa tea and a cozy blanket (and my cat of course).

My brother just announced he wants to swim tomorrow. So I can stop feeling guilty for not taking him to the pool today. Life’s little mercies.

Thanks a million, Sara for filling the cookie jars! Im gonna put some of my favs in a ziplock baggy for later. 🥰

Quote by Mendalla

You're in Florida? We had to go around Florida to get back to N'Awlins from the Bahamas and it was possibly the coldest, windiest Southern cruise I have been on (I have done Alaska, hence the qualifier). Not bad here in NOLA, though. Low twenties Celsius.

Good evening. Visited the National WWII Museum, which is quite impressive.

And Jeff might seek political office? Cool, I guess. I have thought about taking a stab at council someday. Municipal politics are largely non-partisan in Canada so I wouldn't need to align myself with a party. Probably a retirement project, though.

Yes I’m in Florida and normally it’s cooler in January than other months but it’s been downright cold the past several days. And the winds have been wicked as well. Today looks calmer so far and rumor has it we will climb back into the 70s F today.

I have fond memories of NOLA and would love to go back some day. The history buff in me especially enjoyed the historical ghost tour. And the sweet tooth in me enjoyed the beignets.

My son dabbled in politics on his 20s but met a lovely woman and now he’s 31, married, and has two wonderful boys. His focus is on family these days as he doesn’t feel he could do justice to both. Perhaps he will consider it again when the kids are grown.

Sending hugs to Gillian. My mother passed in 2008 from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and the last two year of her life sucked. Now my neighbor’s husband has dementia and it’s so hard to watch his slow decline. He’s been taking aricept for the past year or so and it did seem to slow down the progression, but dementia is robbing them of what we’re suppose to be their golden years of travel and enjoying retirement. Dementia is cruel.

it’s a quiet morning here, so I will enjoy some tea and do some story editing.

Thanks, Bear! Tea and cookies for a chilly day!! At least the sun is out in full force again. Rumor has it tomorrow will be warmer. I wouldn’t whine but it’s been too cold to swim and that is how I manage my brother’s Physical Therapy.

Spent a good portion of my evening on the couch binge watching season 3 of Jack Ryan. Made it through episode 7 and had to call it a night.

I published a new story here that I finally finished editing if anyone is interested in taking a look.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road

Hope all y’all had a good weekend.

Quote by rolandlytle

Good afternoon to all!

Aaron, my grandson, Is fine. However, he will be wearing a knee brace for a couple of weeks. Thanks, Verbal. I was a well-scouted catcher in high school until I broke my kneecap. A year later, I completely recovered. But no one scouts young catchers with knee injuries. I am sorry, Verbal, but I forgot your favorite baseball team. Who is it?

Gillian, the medication should be alright for a year or two past the expiration date. They set a date of 80-50% of the actual average date to be safe for drugs that do not require special handling. It is almost as bad in hospitals with that trifecta of respiratory diseases as it was at the worst of Covid.

Peace and health for everyone! JLYSDI! ❤️

Glad to hear your grandson is on the mend. Prayers for a speedy and full recovery.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

Oh god. I hesitate to even say this cause I really don’t want y’all to laugh at me (even though I know my taste in people can get interesting at times) but I - I was pretty much body slammed with feelings for Drew at the end of last week.

This is why I try not to hold them in but like - he’s really near and dear to my heart (and has been from his first day hosting TPIR) so yeah, I’m a bit of a mess.

Well hell! I had a lovely response all typed and hit the wrong button and it all disappeared! I should know better than to try to post from my phone. The gist of it was that people who truly care about you, Elyse, would never laugh at y’all. Feelings are feelings and can always express them among friends.

Doc says I have to wait until Friday to start round 2 of treatment since I’m still not 100% from the stomach bug that derailed me for nearly a week. But it’s supposed to be chilly this weekend so I won’t be missing much. It will be a good weekend to catch up on some reading

If there are any stories here you wish had gotten more attention along the way, feel free to drop me a message or, better yet, post the link for me here!

For the first time in DAYS, my stomach is finally returning to something resembling normal. Still off a bit, but I feel well enough to peek in the Scooby Doo cookie jar! (But just one cookie! Doc suggested small meals for a while).

Spoke to my "brother of the heart" this afternoon. We spent time catching up because I texted him this morning to let him know I was thinking about him. I've decided I need to do more of that...reach out to people. I'm notorious for getting lost in my own little world.

Hope all y'all are having a good day!