Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Walk With Me



It’s suggested to know someone you should walk a mile in their shoes.
Imagine the feel of those cowboy boots as you tug on the straps and immerse your feet and thoughts in the life and stride that created that worn leather. Feel how confident you are as you strut across a crowded room. Notice how everyone hears the powerful, echoing sound of the unyielding leather soles as they meet the wood floor beneath your feet. You can almost hear the haunting whistle from the theme song “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.
Now a code blue alert beckons your attention as you run down the hallway. You hear the sound of your rubber-soled shoes squelch against the polished tile floor. You arrive first to the room and thank your comfortable leather uppers for allowing you to move without concern for yourself as you concentrate on helping a patient during this crisis.
Who are these people? What do they do for a living? What happens in their life? How would it be to walk in their shoes for just a little while?
The fictional stories presented here give you a glimpse of another’s walk through life. So, come on, slip on those shoes andwalk with me.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Gone Writing...and a Little Twitterpated




Each November, hundreds of thousands of writers come together online to share in a similar goal, to write as many words as possible in one month. The goal is to write 50,000 words toward a novel, without doing any editing. That’s 1,667 words per day. It seems improbable, you say? Well, I don’t know. We shall see, because I’ve decided to join in the fun and frivolity! You may think me out of my mind, a little warped, or simply twitterpated. Well, you and the Owl in Bambi may be right. You might say that I was walking along, minding my own business, looking neither to my left, nor to my right, when all of a sudden I ran smack into NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. I let out a hoot! And a holler! Said, Sign me up!
Now, before you all say I’ve lost my marbles. Let me tell you. I’m off to a good start. I’ve already written 942 words and yes, old habits are hard to break. I’ve already edited it once and had to remind myself several times to concentrate on the story. Don’t worry about the editing, that can come later.
This is going to be quite the journey. I hope I don’t end up going weak in the knees. I’m sure my head will be in a whirl before this is over, and as long as I don’t lose my head, I should be just fine.I hope to be walking on air as I reach and hopefully surpass the goal by November 30th. I just hope my quill is light as a feather as the words tumble out of my brain and onto paper.
They say becoming twitterpated could happen to anybody. Well I’m here to tell you, I’m willing to take the chance. I’ve prepared the snacks, stocked up on tea and hung up my Gone Writing sign. I hope to pop in every once in a while to give you an update, but just in case, there’s plenty to read in my archives, and you can always visit my other blogs to see what I’ve been doing there. Your words of encouragement are more than welcome. Thank you for being here and talk with you soon!

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Monday, October 1, 2012

More Matter



I’ve just posted the second installment in a series of stories about Mel, David and their friends as they mark off items from their bucket list. I couldn’t help myself. The moment I saw the You Matter video from the TED Talks, my mind kept playing a fictional story in my head. Please click here to read It’s Time To SayYou Matter. I hope you enjoy it.
And, as always, if you like it, please leave a comment. Thank you.

Friday, September 21, 2012

What It Would Be Like Without Peace


What It Would Be Like Without Peace
©2012 Tracy L. Constantine
I searched through all of my images for something that would be suitable for today, the International Day of Peace. I felt this was most appropriate. Please let me know what you think.

The International Day of Peace is observed every year on September 21st. For more information, please visit http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org.

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Falling Again!



Falling again! Visit the Indiana Dunes to see the majestic colors of Fall as the leaves change against the backdrop of Lake Michigan.

Click here for directions to The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The First Time I Left Home




Have you ever felt that taking a vacation is like running away?
It’s been years since I’ve taken a real vacation. The chance to get away and relax. Do nothing. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to do just that. I didn’t plan it. It just sort of happened. Things lined up just right and before I knew it, my husband turned to me and said, “Why don’t you go see your Mom?”
“I can’t just leave like that,” I said with a searching look.
“Why not?” he contradicted.
“I can’t just leave you here alone.”
“This week is going to be a long week. I’m going to be working most of the time anyway,” he chuckles. “Just do It. Call your Mom and ask her if it’s okay that you come.”
“What about my writing?”
“You’ve got a laptop. You can write from there. It would be a good break.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
He picked up my cell phone and handed it to me. I dialed her number and popped the question.
“When?” she asked.
“Tomorrow or the next day,” I replied.
I could hear the surprise in her voice as we talked about it. She agreed, of course.
And as I hung up the phone, my husband hugged me. He gave me a kiss and said, “Get packed.”
I smiled and with excitement complied.
The next morning, I kissed my husband as he left for work. I got the last of the things I needed to do finished in a surprisingly short time, placed the bags in the car and turned onto the highway. As I drove I began to recall childhood memories and by the time I arrived at my Mom’s house, I had a complete story. Over the course of the next few days, I wrote what I had envisioned on my drive.
You know, there’s nothing like the feeling of running away…even for just a little while. Click here to find out what happened The First Time I Left Home.

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Saturday, August 11, 2012

The Fox In My Back Yard


A few weeks ago, we heard a noise at our front door. When we looked out the window, we saw a baby fox running off with a dead bird. A few nights later, I saw a bird laying on our steps with two puncture wounds. We quickly decided that the mother was training her pups on the art of hunting. We watched for over an hour and saw a much smaller baby fox approach. She was quite skittish. I call her ‘she’ because of her size. She was quite a bit smaller than the first fox that we had seen. Unfortunately, the photos taken were not very clear because of the triple pane glass and low light. However, upon waking the next morning, I made the unfortunate discovery of a dead fox in our yard. This was undoubtedly the baby girl fox from last night. I am posting a photo here of the poor thing.
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Later that day, I decided to get some Vitamin D and laid my blanket out in the sun. I did bring my camera because you never know what wonderful things you will discover. After just a few minutes, I heard a very soft rustling and looked into the back yard to discover a baby red fox looking toward me.
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I zoomed in on the cute little face and took a close up.
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As I sat watching him, I saw his ear twitch like a radar homing in on a sound.
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His attention was diverted by a bluejay that landed in the grass.
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I’m sure one day he will be a great hunter, but not this day. The bluejay sensed danger and flew away, allowing the fox and I to continue gazing at each other with curiosity.
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Friday, August 10, 2012

Enjoy The View


Our world is full of natural and formed beauty. I try to create simple, down-to-earth photographic images of these scenes, because I want to share the beauty that surrounds each of us. If I can inspire you to explore and cherish this landscape, why, that makes it all worth while.
At age 11, my dad gave me the gift of a camera and with his professional skill provided me with a tool that became an extension of myself. He allowed me to enthusiastically discover the wonder of this form of expression.
Photography has changed not only this world, but my world. I see this world through a camera lens and eagerly share the view.
Each week, I share my passion with you by posting one of the images that I have captured on my photography blog. Please click here to enjoy this week’s view!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Bucket List


I write fiction stories and have for quite some time and have just recently shared some of them on one of my blogs. I posted She’s Got Flare. It’s a short story about Mel and her friends. They’ve just graduated from college and one of the things they vow to do is to immediately start on their bucket lists. In their first drawing, David’s name is chosen and they set out to do the top item on his list. Click here to read the story to find out what they have committed to and the surprising outcome.
Discover wondrous places, thrilling adventures and magical moments as each item is crossed off their lists.
As always, I welcome comments and discussion. So, what’s on your bucket list?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Exciting Response!


I am so excited at your response to my blogs in the very short time that they’ve been active. I started blogging on WordPress just about a month ago. Each of these blogs has reached a milestone. There are over 200 wonderful followers of each of these sites. You must realize that this is extremely encouraging, especially to a relatively shy writer and photographer. 8)
I have quite an analytical side to my character as well, so provided below are the statistics:
204 people Enjoying The View
212 people reading what’s On My Mind
208 people Walking With Me
Thank you for your encouragement, feedback and for spreading the word. I appreciate the confidence that you have in me and am eager to continue sharing!
Tracy
http://tracyconstantine.wordpress.com


Fireworks background provided by Free Digital Photos .net