Blogophilia 42.17: Too Many Babas

From the House of Marvin Martian & his space pooch Commander K: We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!

Facebook blogophilia group HERE. Blog topic parameters & how it works HERE.

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title or lyric by Frankie Valli and/or The Four Seasons

Easy Bonus: Include a C.S. Lewis character

These aren’t Babas

Baa Baa Black Sheep has coarser wool and cannot be dyed another color. Because they’re rare, I wouldn’t want to change the color. Even as a shepherd, I don’t think there’s such a thing as Too Many Babas unless you’re a grandma & getting too many baby bottles than what you need at home while the little peanuts come over to visit…

Crazy wild imaginations are signs of a very creative mind. Sometimes difficult to follow, but always interesting & has the best stories to tell or read. Reepicheep would be My Funny Valentine to go on adventures & more, since he’d understand being irascible & honorable.

Blogophilia 41.17: Sign of the Cross

Marvin Martian says: We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE. Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE.

Hard Bonus: Mention something related to Easter

Easy Bonus: Include a bird’s egg

Cross My Heart and Hope to Die

The Sign of the Cross isn’t used in other religions, but has been used in various pre-Christian cultures where they used cross shapes, often representing the sun or life. Spring seems to be a celebration of nature’s awakening, marking the end of winter with themes of life, growth, and hope, focusing on fertility and the resurgence of life. The cycle of life honors the meaning of Easter, to me, and just as the Resurrection is the true meaning, I think we can always do the same within out lives to enhance ourselves. Somewhere in a Bird of Prey nest, lies an egg that will hatch into another one. In Wisconsin, we have a diverse array of birds of prey, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and various hawks like red-tailed & Cooper’s hawk.

Blogophilia 40.17: April Rain

Marvin Martian sincerely says: We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH! And to former Blogo writers, we sincerely invite ALL of you to return to Blogophilia and write with us again – we miss reading your amazing writes. Remember that it’s never too late to start writing again!!

Hard Bonus: Incorporate an April Fool’s prank

Easy Bonus: Mention a yield sign or use the word “yield”

Tip Toe, Through The Tulips

To kick off the April Rain, do something not-so-obvious, like short-sheeting someone else’s bed or using clear tape to hold down the spray hose in the kitchen so the next person gets sprayed… It’s just water, so it’s harmless. It seems odd how, depending on what you plant where, the yield of what grows varies every year. 2 tomato plants at the flat I used to live in grew many more tomato plants than the 5 or 6 I plant where I am now. I’m not growing anything except for raspberries this year…

Blogophilia 39.17: Spring in Bloom

Marvin Martian & Commander K says, We just want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of our Blogophilian friends for joining in the challenges each week! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH! And to former Blogo writers, we sincerely invite ALL of you to return to Blogophilia and write with us again – we miss reading your amazing writes. Remember that it’s never too late to start writing again!!

Facebook Blogophilia group HERE and blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a bluebird

Easy Bonus: Mention something pink

Tulips, the flower under your nose… Speak softly

Nothing reminds us better than Spring In Bloom that we need nature but nature doesn’t need us. The cycle of new growth popping from the ground, tree branches, shrubbery, the earth… A smell nothing can imitate, calling the partial migrating bluebirds to seek their territory…

I’d like to live in the Chilean area, where flamingos, rose-haired tarantulas, and pink fairy armadillos live amongst the bell flowers. The weather is warm, the food has flavor, and the styles have flair! If You Go To Chile, I’m coming with you, for real!

Blogophilia 38.17: The Ayes (or Eyes) Have It

Marvin Martian says: This week’s theme is “The Ayes (Eyes) Have It,” so keep your eyes wide open for inspiration—preferably something green and something gold, as those colors do look rather splendid across the Martian landscape. Come make me proud and join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun, and friendship for 17 years and counting. Now then… shall we begin?

Blogophilia group on Facebook, HERE and on WordPress, blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate the phrase “make me proud”

Easy Bonus: Include something green and something gold

Miniscule America in Switzerland

When visiting other countries, I’ve never understood why anyone goes to their own cultural food… Unless, of course, you’re there long term, and maybe you’re feeling homesick. When my son & I visited Japan, we went to various eateries in Tokyo, and we ate at a different place each meal for breakfast & lunch. We went to my father’s apartment & my stepmother cooked dinner for us, and I’m perpetually grateful. Even when we went to my uncle & aunt in Tsu, Mie (just east of Kyoto), my uncle mostly cooked, and he’s the absolute best home cook for real. So, The Ayes Have It for having local & native food wherever we visit, and seriously, when it comes to authentic stuff, our eyes had it for that stuff, too! We had the opportunity to try the Japanese KFC or McDonald’s. I’m sure there was a BK and other ones there, too, but he’s one to always make me proud by being an explorer. Now, if he’d actually get interested in being the next generation of a Packer Fan, that would be great. Go, Pack, Go!

Blogophilia 37.17: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Martian Marvin says: Greetings, Dear Earthlings and Fellow Blogophilians!! Welcome to Week 37 of Year 17 in Blogophilia! Spring is happening next week! Oops did you remember to set spring forward and set your clocks ahead? This Earthling had a Martian Moment and forgot…. which explains my lateness in posting! ooooopssss

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE & WordPress blog topic parameters & how it works HERE

Hard Bonus: Include a lyric from INXS

Easy Bonus: Mention a city in Oregon

Cemented In Place

It seems as if life is full of fleeting moments… People we care about, health, memory, a career, etc… “All those years of learning, Just to learn again” INXS – Underneath the Colours album, Just to Learn Again… Maybe Milwaukie, OR (not to be confused with Milwaukee, WI, the city/county just north of me) is a place I could visit without losing direction because that river looks as dirty as Racine’s Root River… but that thought is Here Today, Gone Tomorrow because if I were to move out of the Midwest to a coastal state, it would be to The State of Massachusetts, probably in Plymouth…

Blogophilia 36.17: Where the Eagles Fly

Facebook blogophilia group HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Include the phrase “live for today”

Easy Bonus: Incorporate a boulder or big rock

High on the Perch

In Native American culture, eagles are highly revered and are sacred creatures that symbolize strength, wisdom, freedom, & spiritual/divine connections. In the Southwest, it might be a hawk, but eagles are kind of like masters of the sky.

Where the Eagles Fly is near big lakes, especially with a lot of fish & preserves, coastlines & rivers with unfrozen water. We have an eagle’s nest at our courthouse, which is the tallest building here. There’s even an eagle cam for when the eggs hatch & we get to see the chicks turn into fledglings and eaglets. It’s pretty neat.

Even though it’s good to plan for the future, sometimes you just have to live for today since tomorrow isn’t promised. Just don’t kiss the Blarney Stone then go to California, or else the Buttermilks might fall on your head. Well, maybe not, but just travel safely for your traveling pleasures.

Blogophilia 35.17 – Latchkey Kids

Blogophilia on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works over on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate the word “jejune“

Easy Bonus: Mention dirty clothes

Gen-X: Age of the Feral Children

It seems that even though the Boomers might have been the original Latchkey Kids, it was us Gen Xers who became the feral generation… We went out after breakfast, came home when the street lights came on, and we were anti-establishment, not jejune. We definitely had to bathe and do a load of laundry because we were definitely wearing dirty clothes at the end of the day.

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 34.17 – WRITER’S CHOICE: Celebrations

Marvin Martian says: W00t W00t!!! This week is Writer’s Choice Week, and that means the power is entirely in your hands—YOU choose the topic, YOU decide the hard and easy bonuses, and YOU can use the featured photo or one of your own.  That’s right – we are handing over the creative controls of the spaceship and eagerly awaiting the brilliance you’ll bring to our page. Whether you’re feeling poetic, reflective, whimsical, or bold, this is your chance to let your imagination lead the way. All writers are invited to jump in, take the spaceship reins, and make this challenge uniquely yours! Join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun, and friendship for over 17 years – and where creativity knows no bounds! 

We want to thank you for joining in our weekly challenges! We greatly appreciate your participation, as we do want to continue – as long as we have enough writers contributing each week. So feel free to jump back in whenever you wish – don’t be shy. And keep up the wonderful writing, all!!! As always, we at Marvin house look forward to reading your amazing writes this week.

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – going out

Easy Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – staying in

Choices, choices!

Celebrations are good. Whether we love going out on the town, a secluded romantic area out on the lake, or staying in with a family-style gathering… Life is precious.

I used to be one to be on the go, exploring everything. I can’t do much these days but try to do what I can, and nothing gets done without help. For the moment, Just Don’t Stop Me Now. Come as you are, and if you don’t like it, just Go Away. When you’re here, you’re family, so Raise Your Glass! It’s a feast, so Eat It!

Blogophilia 33.17 – Intentions of the Heart

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric by The Eagles

Easy Bonus: Mention a heart

warehoused love

In Wisconsin, there are 2 religions. Whatever you practice (or not), and the Green Bay Packers. For whatever reason, Super Bowl Sunday is included with Packer season, whether or not the Pack is playing or not. For those who aren’t much into pro football, there’s always college football, because cheeseheads love Bucky Badger. Win or lose, it’s always a good game with 5th quarter. No, it’s not overtime.. The Badger marching band takes the field after the game, and it’s almost 25 minutes worth of music, antics, etc. The Rose Bowl is also part of the season, regardless. Around here, this is definitely the Intentions of the Heart.

Heart understood how deep it goes when people have stuff to hide… I follow mine when it comes to knowing when people lie… There’s always something, whether it’s the line-up of excuses, backpedaling, changing the subject, or saying something so nonsensical that most people will blank out & forget the conversation at hand… Yes, I pick that up. In the words of The Eagles, You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes –
And your smile is a thin disguise – I thought by now you’d realize – There ain’t no way to hide your lying eyes – One Of These Nights album, Lying Eyes

Just being simple for our Super Bowl dinner tonight, our version of pub dogs & baked beans.

For your Valentine dates, especially for those of us who don’t want to deal with people… there are pizzerias offering heart shaped treats, and Woodman’s has sushi trays that are heart shaped.

Blogophilia Week 32.17: Grocery List

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Mention a song title that has to do with food

Easy Bonus: Include 3 things from your pantry

Summer Picnic!

Valentine’s Day is coming up. Maybe rather than taking your date to an overpriced chain restaurant, it’s time to write up a Grocery List and cook your favorite person’s favorite meal! Make it a smorgasbord with Food, Glorious Food! Don’t forget a Red Red Wine to go with the meal, like a Carménère to go with dinner. Some things to buy: bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs, tomato paste, Italian spices, and polenta to make chicken cacciatore. Enjoy!

Blogophilia 31.17: The Doctor Told Me

Ecrits Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE

Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a lyric or song title by The Fifth Dimension

Easy Bonus: Include a diagnosis

Table Surfing

I can’t remember everything The Doctor Told Me! A kitten stepped on the keys and sent a message on the interwebs. (The 5th Dimension Dreams/Pax/Nepenth The Magic Garden album) I think my little cat was mentioning trimethylaminuria, a condition that the body can’t process a certain chemical and you emit a fishy odor, but I had opened a can of tuna and didn’t share it fast enough for her…

Blogophilia Week 30.17 – A Higher Calling

From Marvin Martian & Commander K: This week we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a time that calls us to reflect on something greater than ourselves…. Thus, our topic “A Higher Calling.” Imagine a postmarked letter as a catalyst: open it, read between its lines, and allow your thoughts to wander freely. Come join us at Blogophilia, the place for blogging, fun and friendship for 17 years!

Blogophilia on Facebook HERE. Blog topic parameters & how it works on WordPress HERE.

Prayer for Serenity

In times going downhill, we need A Higher Calling but it seems people are going in different directions on this. I’d like a postmarked letter detailing how everything will be fine, but, it’ not that easy. One who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as one who helps to perpetrate it. One who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Blogophilia 29.17 – Mr. Sandman

Marvin Martian asks: Do you find yourself wanting to nap or sleep more in the wintertime? Do you have colorful dreams or chilling nightmares? This week, let’s explore your experiences when “Mr. Sandman” pays you a visit. Join us at Blogophilia, for blogging, fun and friendship for 17 years! 

Blogophilia group on Facebook HERE and blog topic parameters on WordPress HERE

Hard Bonus: Use each of these words: peak, peek & pique

Easy Bonus: Include yarn or something made with yarn

Sleeping Wisely

Waking hours of the morning always come too early, especially when Mr. Sandman skips your house regularly… At the peak of exhaustion, ready to say eidelweiss but no, my mind piques and every neuron fires… Who let the dogs out, anyway? La La Land is more like Alice in Wonderland peeking from my dreams than the other way around. Crocheted hats & scarves are the best.

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 28.17 – White Abundance

Facebook blogophilia group HERE. WordPress blog topic parameters & how it works HERE.

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a song title by Yanni

Easy Bonus: Include crystals

Winter of 78/79

Winter in Wisconsin usually has a White Abundance of snow. We’ve had warmer winters, but this one is particularly abnormal, with things melting. Snow crystals can be quite beautiful as they fall, adding an extra layer of quiet. Before the Night Ends, remembering the good times… (DVD by Yanni)