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Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

/ Janna Hill / 17 Comments

I know I’m running the weekly photo challenges back to back. A little something in between would probably make for a better reading experience but I am in a hurry. Preparing for a weekend camping trip should not be this complicated and finding a sitter for a smart alack, socially inept chihuahua should not be so difficult.

We have become entirely too indulgent. I suggested to the mister we travel with nothing, relying on our natural abilities and make that damn chihuahua catch us a squirrel or something. Yeah, he’s still laughing.

So here are my recent shots for the Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Up

/ Janna Hill / 10 Comments
What’s Up?

The cost of living, this week’s photo challenge, hot air balloons and floating babies…

A shot of the latter two would have been nice but all I got was a Corn-snake with a belly full of Mud Martins.

I might have been dreaming about hot air balloons surrounded by cherubs when someone apparently looked up and the commotion started. I rose from my place of leisure and watched as everyone headed toward the excitement. “Get the tongs and steady the ladder. There’s a snake up here along the rafter.”

I (of course) grabbed a camera and the rest is pictures.

The throng and tongs
Hold her steady.
An oral anatomy lesson.
Tongue lashing
Hmm…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Change

A few shots from last weeks trip to the southern end of the Colorado River. It was a welcomed change except for the cold front, I could’ve done without that. Thankfully the chilly gloom was short lived.

A change in scenery. Ahhh.
A change in the weather. Arrggh.
The change left over from the trip. Oh well.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Color

/ Janna Hill / 13 Comments

This weeks photo challenge is COLOR and how neat is that since we are surrounded by endless shades of it.

New Park, New Colors
A lovely wild Lantana
Subtle colors on a cloudy day
In Trivial Pursuit of color
The American Oystercatcher

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the Details

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

I have been busy – I mean crazy busy! Or maybe I’m feeling lazy and every little thing feels like a huge undertaking?  No, I’m going with the crazy busy but that doesn’t relieve me from commitments. I made a commitment (if only to myself and my mother) to participate in the weekly photo challenge and by golly the show must go on! Besides, these challenges give me a reason to take a break from the mundane and enjoy what others have to offer. As I a writer I’m prone to get so involved in writing and research and blah blah blah that I forget life’s fundamentals. Not just the bathing and eating, I forget to do that all the time. Sometimes I literally forget to breathe… to get up and take a walk… to look outside the scenes inside my head. That’s when Honey (aka my husband) steps in and performs CPR.

My chaos is no more trying than the next persons and probably less than many. The world is spinning faster for everyone and we hamsters must pick up the pace. We must also admit when it’s just a tad too much and relinquish the wheel or the camera in this case.

So, without further ado I present Honey’s take on this week’s photo challenge: Lost in the Details.

Finding Myself lost in the details.

Finding Myself lost in the details.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward

/ Janna Hill / 15 Comments

This week’s photo challenge is titled FORWARD not foreword as in preface, prologue or introduction although I am prone to confuse the two or is it too? It’s two.

The pictures should convey what forward means to the photographer. I considered a covenant i.e. a contract or an agreement (since I couldn’t use an overview) but those definitions didn’t inspire a snapshot. Maybe an advance like a picture of a million dollar check? Yeah, right. How about the front of an object? No that won’t do. Think (I said to self) forward as in opposite of reverse. And voila! It was as simple as going for a ride.

Construction is moving forward.
This is more of a standstill.
Which way should we go???
Away from the city. Onward ho! Mush mush!
Some move faster than others.
Leaning forward & rural construction. They call it progress.
Growing forward on a quiet country lane. (The tree & pole seems to be reaching for one another)
Well phooey! It may look like the end of the road to some…
I call it an adventure. It’s not IF we are going forward but HOW. 🙂
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep moving forward.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Kiss

/ Janna Hill / 11 Comments

This weeks photo challenge is Kiss

I had almost decided to pass on the weeks photo challenge but Sunday some of the family were standing around watching Cameron retrieve a tennis ball from the roof (yeah, that’s how we play) and the idea struck me. “Hey! Y’all start kissing” I said as I readied my camera. Of course they all gave me a wary look and mumbled amongst themselves with lifted eyebrows. “It is for this week’s photo challenge” I explained. They sighed a unified ohhh, stepped back a few feet and crossed their arms. I think I would have gotten better results if the challenge had been show me your naked butt. I considered using the kiss and make up card but there was no circumstance to warrant such harsh punishment. I was left with nothing but kiss my… when Cameron (now off of the roof) went in to action. He is my partner in pictures and has helped me more than once with a photo challenge. We all know he loves to take pictures but [hApPy dance] he also takes direction well. “Work it Cam. Worrrkk it.”

Happy Kisses
Kisses to comfort and bless.
Brace yourself. The Kissing Bandit
Playful Pecks

Crazy Conversations (Moe I’m Dying)

/ Janna Hill / 8 Comments
Cotton, peas, your friends, your seat, your nose… There are a lot of things you can pick. Family isn’t one of them. Disclaimer: Life is crazy, people are crazier and my family… well they get the crazy award if there is one. This is a work of ‘true fiction’ inspired by family. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. CAUTION: They cuss.
 

Moe, I’m Dying

Pippin: I got my lab reports in from the doctor. There’s an H beside half of them, what does that mean?

Kit: High. H means high, L means low.

Pippin: I know that! What do these numbers say about my health?

Kit: Ask your doctor. I forgot to lay anything out- what do you want to eat?

Pippin: I don’t know. Answer the door.

Kit: You answer the door, I’m busy.

Pippin: Come on in man. Did you hear the bad news? I just got handed a death sentence… Moe, I’m dying.

Kit: Do you want chicken or pork chops for dinner?

Pippin: I’m dying and she wants to know if I want pork chops for dinner. Do you see what I’m dealing with Moe?

Kit: We have left over pork chops. They smell a little funny but I think they’ll be okay if I rinse the sticky stuff off.

Pippin: It ain’t bad enough the pork is killing me slowly; she has to add ptomaine to the mix. Have you ever had ptomaine poisoning Moe? It’s bad, real bad. You’ll have to watch that when I’m gone, don’t eat anything around here or you’ll be a goner just like me.

Kit: Okay would you rather have the chicken? It’s still frozen but I could microwave it for a minute or two then fry it.

Pippin: Did you hear that Moe? My only alternative is a radioactive chicken. Not only will it be full of cancer causing radiation but she’s going to boil it in oil so she can finish me off.

Kit: I’m not boiling it in oil, I’m frying it.

Pippin: What’s the difference? My arteries don’t know the difference. My cholesterol is 5000 and you want to argue?

Kit: Oh, you’re talking to me now?

Pippin: See Moe, she’s hoping I’ll get mad and have a heart attack right here in front of her. You’ll have to call 911 – she won’t do it.

Kit: Stop telling him that! You are not dying.

Pippin: I’ve got high blood pressure-”

Kit: And your cholesterol is not 5000, there’s no such thing. No one has ever had cholesterol that high.

Pippin: Don’t listen to her Moe. Look at this here report. I’ve got high pressure, high sugar, high triglycerides…

Kit: You’ve got high hopes too if you think that dog gives a hoot about all of your ailments. Moe, you want a pork chop?

Pippin: Now she’s just trying to hurt my feelings. You love me don’t you Moe? Come back here. Moe heel! Moe… Moe? Dammit Moe you know I’m dying.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Love

/ Janna Hill / 14 Comments

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

What’s love got to do, got to do with it. Only everything! The lyrics of Tina Turner’s song are entertaining but they speak from a damaged point of view. Resounding fear disguised as brashness, calloused pains and the inability to get past unhealed scars.

What’s love but a second hand emotion. Her voice is bouncing around in my head but all I can imagine are happy hearts.

Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?  Everyone Tina. Everyone needs a heart. Sure it is bound to be broken at least once but so are bones.

Is it better to have never loved at all? Does one suggest a hardened heart? If bones can be broken so can a brittle heart. Nay, I say it is better to love always. Don’t argue with me on this Tina, I know broken bones tend to heal faster than broken hearts but that’s because a bone has never known the fullness of love.

The Heavens paint a lovely picture with a heart shaped cloud.
Love doesn’t care what you wear when you’re fishing.
There is nothing like a mother’s love
Spying on young lover’s Lake Tawakoni
Salty kisses that say I love you.
Heart shaped lines in the sand. May only sorrows be washed away.
Oh heck, now the Bee Gee’s are asking me How can you mend a broken heart? … Love Barry! All you need is love.

How Do They Do That?!

/ Janna Hill / 7 Comments

More Indie Adventuring

Amazon is the all-seeing eye! Seriously I put my housecoat on before I sat down to write this and if you’re naked you should grab a cover too, unless you’re into that sort of thing.

I know now they see everything or I see now they know everything…  Either way I am aware of their stealthy little spies and spiders, that they are constantly surveying the World Wide Web. How? I don’t know the how’s of such spyjectory but I do know that if you have a title with KDP Select (Kindle Direct Publishing) and you publish it elsewhere they will hunt you down and bring it to your attention. They may go so far as to kill your stuffed bobcat, lord I hope not.

In all fairness the KDP Select agreement states digital books will remain exclusive to Amazon. Well…

A few months ago I decided to combine a series into one e-book The Rage Trilogy. It just so happened one of the books in the series was still signed with Amazon’s KDP Select. I know! I thought I un-checked the box for automatic renewal but apparently I didn’t. The Rage Trilogy was never in KDP Select but it includes a title that was.

Lesson(s) learned: 1) Next time make certain! 2) OCD might come in handy. 3)  Amazon is bigger than the CIA and IRS combined. 4) Spyjectory is my favorite new word. (Call me Merriam and I’ll define it for you)

So now I’m all nervous and a bit paranoid because I received this e-mail from The Eye Amazon where they named the [one] book and included a link to the trilogy @ Barnes and Noble.

How do they do that?!

Here’s a copy of the e-mail:

Hello,
We found the following book(s) you’ve published doesn’t meet the KDP Select content guidelines. Books enrolled in KDP Select must be exclusive to Amazon in digital format while enrolled in the program.
Unjustified Favor (Between the Rage and Grace) (ID: B008D94WHM) is available on:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rage-trilogy-janna-hill/1113580485?ean=2940015523058
Please copy and paste the entire URL above into your web browser to see where we found your book. You can also do an online search for your book to discover where else it may be available.
In order for your book to remain in the KDP Select program, we’ll need you to ensure that it is exclusive to Amazon within 5 days from the date of this email. If, after this 5-day period, your book is still not exclusive to Amazon, it will remain for sale in the Kindle Store, but will be removed from KDP Select. Upon its removal, it will no longer be eligible to earn a share of the KDP Select fund.
Please note that repeated violations of the program’s exclusivity requirement may result in loss of KDP Select benefits for all books you have enrolled in the program, such as participation in the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library (KOLL) and the usage of free promotion days, as well as KDP account termination.