Thanks for all the well-wishes, guys! I'm not back up to 100% just yet, but I'm getting there. If only I could just stop coughing........
But anyways, it's MONDAY! And you all know what that means...

The name of the game is "Make It Up Monday," and the rules are as follows:
Every Monday, I am going to post a picture that I have found somewhere on the interwebs.
Take a look at the picture - I mean really look at it - and write down in the comment form a response to it.
It doesn't have to be super long or anything (but it can be as long as you want), just a few words even will do.
I will post information about the picture, but it is up to you whether you use it or not. If you want to completely disregard the info I provide and come up with something completely original, then go for it!
For example, if a person is in the photo, what is he or she thinking?
What was going on directly before the picture was taken?
What's going to happen after?
Or, if you like captions, write a caption for the picture.
Easy as pie.
My only request is that you keep it marginally clean. Nothing that is purposefully offensive or rude, s'il vous plait! I believe that every word in the English language has a place for use (including the 4-letter ones), but please don't use them gratuitously. Just in general be classy about whatever you write.
All games have winners, right? Well, this one is no different. I and a small team of super qualified judges (aka my awesome family) will look at all the submissions and pick out our favorite. Depending on how many people enter, we will pick between 1 and 10 entries, and on Friday at approximately 5pm I will post the winner(s) with his/her/their submission(s) and a link to his/her/their blog(s). Free publicity! Wooo!!!
Always remember, have fun with your writing. Don't force it and just enjoy getting your thoughts out on paper (er... or computer screen?).
I will post my response in the comments section along with you guys, but it won't be added onto the list of submissions.
Here we go!
Good luck!
Peace.
Stef.
But anyways, it's MONDAY! And you all know what that means...

The name of the game is "Make It Up Monday," and the rules are as follows:
Every Monday, I am going to post a picture that I have found somewhere on the interwebs.
Take a look at the picture - I mean really look at it - and write down in the comment form a response to it.
It doesn't have to be super long or anything (but it can be as long as you want), just a few words even will do.
I will post information about the picture, but it is up to you whether you use it or not. If you want to completely disregard the info I provide and come up with something completely original, then go for it!
For example, if a person is in the photo, what is he or she thinking?
What was going on directly before the picture was taken?
What's going to happen after?
Or, if you like captions, write a caption for the picture.
Easy as pie.
My only request is that you keep it marginally clean. Nothing that is purposefully offensive or rude, s'il vous plait! I believe that every word in the English language has a place for use (including the 4-letter ones), but please don't use them gratuitously. Just in general be classy about whatever you write.
All games have winners, right? Well, this one is no different. I and a small team of super qualified judges (aka my awesome family) will look at all the submissions and pick out our favorite. Depending on how many people enter, we will pick between 1 and 10 entries, and on Friday at approximately 5pm I will post the winner(s) with his/her/their submission(s) and a link to his/her/their blog(s). Free publicity! Wooo!!!
Always remember, have fun with your writing. Don't force it and just enjoy getting your thoughts out on paper (er... or computer screen?).
I will post my response in the comments section along with you guys, but it won't be added onto the list of submissions.
Here we go!
Good luck!
Peace.
Stef.
Comments
“I'm not sure- let me take a look.” Mom examined the picture carefully: the dapper young women in their hats, the mustachioed men, the determined horses trudging through the unpaved pathway... “It's an old photo, obviously, but I don't know where it came from or to whom it belongs.”
“It looks like they're going on a trip, Momma.”
“Yep. It looks that way.”
“Do you think they're going someplace fun? Somewhere with swings and McDonald’s cheeseburgers?”
“Well Ellie, I don't think there will be cheeseburgers, but maybe new opportunities where they are going.”
“Oh.” I scanned the picture again, looking at the individuals riding in the carriage, considering what each must be thinking. “Look at that little girl in the front. She looks upset.”
“It was a long ride. She's probably a little bored.” Mom said, shuffling through the box.
“Next time, she should just bring a portable DVD player so she has something to do.”
I didn't know why, but Mom laughed.
Hazel xxx
http://pablos-angel-new-kid.blogspot.com/
We're a family of love,lust and marriage
The continual jarring of her little body made Tiffany quite upset, but she knew she mustn't say anything. Mama and Papa would surely put her back inside the carriage with Uncle Roy. Although sitting up front was uncomfortable, it was a thousand times better than the company of the said uncle, who smoked a cigar what seemed like every ten minutes - and the baby, too.. but Tiffany just settled in a little more and tried to find a tolerable position.
She'd been unhappy when Papa told her they would be moving out West with other folks going to find new claims in the Praires. When she found out both of Mama's sisters' families intended to come, she was absolutely mortified until her mother assured her that they would have their own wagon.
That, however, only lasted until Aunt Liza's wagon hit a nasty rock, causing it to tumble over on its side. Much damage was sustained, and it was decided that the family should ride in the carriage while their belongings were spread between the other two wagons.
When Aunt Shirley insisted on a photo of the crammed carriage "for memory's sake", Tiffany glared at her camera and wished harder than ever that they'd never left Wisconsin.
"I sure hope this roof holds out!"
When questioned as to why they had taken up the whirlwind of Manifest Destiny after vehemently refusing to leave the coast, each of them would sigh in response and then mutter how something had come up that required they leave home immediately. Most assumed the farm had taken a southerly turn. Few listened when they complained about vampires destroying their cattle. None believed them when they said they were going west to take out those who had preyed on their loved ones.
Though there was the occasional passer-by who gave them a look… A bright-eyed look veiled in a knowing shadow. Though no words were exchanged, often they’d get a tip of the hat or a happy nod from these folk. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of these folk were spotted more often than not bearing pitchforks and playing with fire. No one knew if the family would be successful. No one knew if they would die in their convoluted efforts.
A week into the family’s journey, no one would ever hear of them again.
His nobility unshaken, Jonah replied, “People thought we were a great nation. But the way we got there? It didn’t have to be like that.
“But it was like that,” I crowed back. “You can’t unmake it.”
“We can go back. You saw it. We proved it. This is really time travel!”
It really was time travel. And yes. It was impossible. And now it’s not. But Jonah’s plan was absolutely impossible. I tried to reason. “So you’re going back to… What are you going to do? Erase slavery before it happened? Delete Manifest Destiny? Get rid of every attempted genocide? Bring back the Passenger Pigeon? You can’t do it.”
“It didn’t have to happen that way.”
But it did. And even if it could be changed, which I was sure was an absolutely insurmountable task, why?
“Jonah,” I said, “history isn’t what happened. It’s what the books say happened. It’s what we remember. Except we weren’t there to remember it. Just tattered documents and uncaptioned photos. I don’t want to change the past. I want to change history. We’re literally going to rewrite history.”
“No!” He yelled back in genuine, honorable anger. “It’s not going to happen the same way.”
“Look. I want to change the world too. It’s gotta be better. But I want to change it now. Not then. I could give a damn about sixteen-whatever. This is the 26th damn century!” I snapped. But I knew noble Jonah would not budge.
“It has to be real. It has to be genuine,” he said.
That’s when I knew he could not be part of the plan. We were going back into history in two days, and I intended to rewrite it, not redo it. And when I did rewrite it, Jonah’s page would have to be left out.
:o
hmm, perhaps my mother knows this family, though. or maybe my grandmother.
they seem to be knowledgeable about all the large families everywhere.
The Crane Tavern and Coach Line is offering a $100.00 reward to anyone providing information on four stolen horses and one of their coaches. The picture posted above was taken just one day prior to the theft and shows the horses and coach that was stolen. The Crane and Tavern coach driver was found walking along the green river one week after the Connely family pictured above stole the team and carraige from him by gun point. The driver reported the theft occurred about halfway between big rock and bigger rock canyon.
Please contact local sherifs office if you have any information about the werabouts of these horse thiefs or the stolen coach and horses.
Mama told me not to come
She said, that ain't the way to have fun, son
That ain't the way to have fun, son
...
I seen so many things
I ain't never seen before
Don't know what it is
I don't wanna see no more.
;-)
Okay, okay I'll 'fess up. These are not my words, but they are my inspiration. Although I have no idea why this picture brought to mind a 3 Dog Night.
But, I've opted to take inspiration from Stef and so my MIUM response is to time warp us into the previous century in order to have some fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXrzHRSDFDc
Be well,
.guy