The Floor is Open...Talk About You

What ya up to, bloggy buds? I've got a dentist appointment (eeek ewww) today to get a crown replaced, then more work on the manuscript.

So, if you were a squirrel, what kind of goodies are filling your food tray today? Hope whatever it is, it's good!

See y'all tomorrow, hopefully with a new edition of Lunacy to post.

{Photo Angie Ledbetter}

The Floor is Open...For Blog Tawk & Contest

I just noticed on my site meter that Gumbo Writer blog is approaching the big 10K visitor mark. Wooohoo! In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm giving a prize to lucky number 10,000 who comments here...or at least, as near as I can determine who it was. I'll have unbiased persons in the form of kids and DH (Deer Hunter) to help me if dilemmas arise. The prize will be in the form of a gift card because postage is cheaper.

Now, about blogs & blogging, a few questions have been circling the gray matter:

• Do you only visit others who comment at your place each day, or do you have a strolling route you just automatically take each time you read others' blogs, or maybe you only visit the places listed in your blog roll? How do you decide where to visit and/or comment?
• Does anybody in here know how to teach dummies about linking to others' posts beneath comments? What's it all about, Alphie?
• What makes you want to follow a blog and/or add them to your roll?
• What do you hate about blogs/blogging?
• Lastly, is ya fer or again' comment word verification?

Okay, time to go check on Bandit (the new pup) and do some Ledbetter Lunacy drawings for tomorrow. Hope you get a nice surprise, good news or just a day without stress today!

Christmas Bliss and Blog Biz

This is my tree before all the gifts got wrapped and scattered beneath it. It's fun finding inexpensive ways to decorate it each year. Did you know if you choose a non-traditional color/theme, you can get decorations for next to nothing? The pink feather boas came from a party store, the pink ribbons were from my wedding almost 25 years ago (tied together now to form garlands), there are some plastic fruits, stuff from a clearance sale at a plant nursery, and some gold mesh wedding gift bags (10 for $2.50) with drawstrings that I put curled ribbons or plastic ornaments inside of and hung on the tree.

I hope you are enjoying spending time off from "real life" to be with friends, family, in quiet and serene relaxation, or doing whatever it is you love doing. Our family gathered last night for our traditional Christmas Eve, and a good time was had by all. After church and a huge potluck, we always play Dirty Santa with gag gifts. For the last 10+ years, a black silk teddy and rabbit ears have been wrapped and re-wrapped to circulate to the "lucky" winner. Last night, Mom swapped the gift she picked -- a bag of toilet paper -- for the teddy, afraid it might make its way outside the family since there are more and more friends, Significant Others, etc. attending. Those velvety rabbit ears atop her chemo-bald head was a sight to see!

Now, for the blogging part...do you ever check the keyword analysis for your blog? I tell ya, it's simply and purely fascinating! Here are just a few of the phrases used to locate my blog last week:

strange growth on tree
what does shazayum mean
easy gumbo recipe
hurricane joke gift
gumbo writers

Do you look at your blog's statistics and see all the different countries visitors are from? Like me, do you wonder who all comes by your blog but doesn't leave comments? What's the one thing you'd like to add to your blog? And what do you like most about your little corner of the blogosphere? Okay, enough questions.

I'll leave you with a few more shots of my 2008 Christmas tree. Hugs to all, and to all a good day! {And if you haven't seen how the Ledbetters have "elffed" themselves just for you, zoom down to the bottom of this page and click on the video.}

The Floor is Open...What's Your Worst?

Since we're all decorating (and photographing for the Gumbo Writer's contest...right?) our Christmas trees and thinking about what we'll get all the special people on our lists this year, I have a burning desire to know the worst gift YOU ever got.

Was it a mod wide tie sorta like the one pictured above? A dollar store hard-as-a-rock nasty fruitcake? A re-gifted item totally unlike anything you might desire or want, with the price or gift tag with someone else's name left on it? Something befitting a 3-year-old? Something so ugly and horrific you didn't know whether to laugh or cry?

Spill the beans -- inquiring minds really do wanna know! I promise not to laugh (too loudly) when you reveal your worst Christmas gift ever. And since I'm all about turnabout being fair play, below you will feast your eyes upon not one but two (2) such items I received when I was in my late 30s; from the same person, just a few years apart. Item #1, the handy household helper, was not nearly so subdued in color. Rather, it was a bright (eye-blinding) puce green model and much larger in stature than the one pictured. Item #2 is an exact model down to the very brand name.

Ready?...................

...................

........(keep scrolling)............

................

.....(is the suspense killin' ya?)...........

.................

..................

................

(wait for it, you won't be disappointed!).............

...................

The Floor is Open...Let's Talk Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving, my wonderful bloggy buds! Hope your day is going exactly like you planned and hoped for.

I'm off helping volunteers prepare Meals on Wheels (giving regular workers a much-deserved break), then on to my parents' for the traditional gathering, where I'll snag the gobbler carcass for a slammin' gumbo, if I'm lucky and fast enough. What's the highlight of your day?

A friend sent me this little story (supposedly true) via email, so I just had to share the wealth since it fits the Turkey Day theme so well. Enjoy!

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, Mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister she needed something from the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, Mom exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant Bird!"

At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her turkeys lay eggs!

Yep..................she's blonde!

The Floor is Open...for a Contest!

The rules are simple. Look at the photo below. Stare at it if you must. Whatever you have to do to get in the prize zone, do it. After you've gone cross-eyed or come up with a brilliant idea, submit it in a comment. You can either write a caption or the opening line of a story. If the creative juices are really flowing, feel free to submit a short poem of no more than 10 lines.

The top 3 entries, judged by moi, will be entered in a poll beginning Saturday, and running for a few days to give everyone a chance to vote.

The winner will receive via the US Postal Services, a prize of my choosing and of indeterminable value, probably not wrapped in the above manner. Doesn't that sound fun? No? Do it anyway. Your creative nature is screaming to get out!

Okay, here's the contest photo:

[I can already hear it "speaking" to you...so go ahead, post your thoughts!]

The Floor is Open...

What are we gonna chat about today?

You're most cordially invited to throw out a question, suggestion, comment, or something that makes ya go "Hmmmm?"Or post a link to your best ever post or recommend a site or blog for us to check out. Thursdays are reserved for "talking amongst ourselves," so let your imagination run free.

And/or feel to continue with the limericks from yesterday. If you've already done one, that's okay, post another! There are some real winners there. I might just have to get out the ol' prize bag and do a poll of the top 3 entries for y'all to vote on.

So don't be shy, and you quiet readers -- it's time to delurk and let your bloggy voices be heard. :) Come on...we promise not to bite!

Rearranging the Furniture

Do you constantly change the furniture and looks of your blog home? If so, to what results? Being fairly new to the blogging game, I have to ask: "Is this gonna be a constant phenomenon, or is it just the nature of settling into a good routine that I feel changes need to be made from time to time?" Of course, there's a good possibility that I just like changing things up to keep from getting stale. So, help me Blogosphere friends, and tell me if you like to make changes to your schedules, features, routines, "furniture" too...or is it just me?

"Way back" in September, I shared plans for what my Gumbo Writer posts would be about according to the days of the week: http://angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com/2008/09/hear-ye-hear-ye-order-in-blog.html , and now I'm already switching things up.

And now for the new format...

• Mondays - Remain the same. Tout Le Monde is a hodgepodge of whateverness.
• Tuesdays - Featured yummy recipes and pics.
• Wednesdays - Continuation of Wednesday Writings. (I like this in the middle of the week.)
• Thursdays - Sorta still The Floor is Open, as I like to pick your brains and vice versa, but I'll also sometimes be taking juicy recent comments left by dear bloggy friends to explore more in depth.
• Fridays - TGIFs will be devoted to the new Ledbetter Lunacy bad drawings and stories of my crazy family life.
• Saturdays - I'll continue shining the Gumbo Writer spotlight on various impressive, funny, weird, or interesting blogs, people, websites, events, etc.
• Sundays - Politically Incorrect Kartoons (PIK) and humor, or other things that make me laugh.out.loud. Because it's good for ya!

If you have a favorite day o' the week here at GW, please let me know. I'm doing scientifical researchery and experimentalation on what you like to see/read. :)

Now, for a question that sorta fits in: if you were the lucky recipient of a free blog makeover from a famous interior decorator or artist, who would you pick and why?

{PS I put something brand new on the blog. The first one to find it and put it in a comment will get a prize snail mailed all the way from Louisiana to you somewhere in the continental US.}

Where in the World is Gumbo Writer?

If you're reading ye ol' blog today, thanks, and even though I'm not home in front of my trusty computer {named Forest, BTW, because I used to have to beg him to run so much}, I've left you with a photo of what I think I'll be seeing today.

I'm finally getting to visit my friend Kathryn up at her mountain paradise! You'll recognize her from faithful comments here and from her always interesting blog posts http://kathrynmagendie.spaces.live.com/blog/ , at our Year of Gratitude blog http://barbaraquinnyearofgratitude.blogspot.com/ , and for The Rose & Thorn's blog http://roseandthornreviews.blogspot.com/ . Yeah, that's a whole lotta bloggin' goin' on, but all great reads.

And lest you think I'm dropping in on a bloggy cyber friend out of the blue, have no fear. Kat and I have been friends in real life for several years now. She used to live here in the Big B.R., but moved to find paradise on her mountain. *sniff*

Anyhoo, I'll have full reportage and pics when I return. Until then, what's your dream vacation? Price and obstacles do not exist.

Throwin' Out the Bait

Whatcha wanna talk about today? Hmmm. How about your favorite poem, or at least a few lines? Remember when you had to memorize those ghastly long ones in school? But now that you're a mature adult...well, older, anyway, what poet or poem really moves you?

I have a lot of favorites. Some are local and well known; others are international superstar poets. When I think about all my personal favs, I think the common denominator is they are accessible, I don't need a pick and chisel to figure out what the hairy heck they're talking about (although they do have hidden meaning and images and layers through which I can wander at my leisure). They also usually speak to universal human emotions and experiences.

Here's the poem Flounder by one of my top ladies of poetry, Natasha Trethewey:

Here, she said, put this on your head.

She handed me a hat.

you 'bout as white as your dad,

and you gone stay like that.

Aunt Sugar rolled her nylons down

around each bony ankle,

and I rolled down my white knee socks

letting my thin legs dangle,

circling them just above water

and silver backs of minnows

flitting here then there between

the sun spots and the shadows.

This is how you hold the pole

to cast the line out straight.

Now put that worm on your hook,

throw it out and wait.

She sat spitting tobacco juice

into a coffee cup.

Hunkered down when she felt the bite,

jerked the pole straight up

reeling and tugging hard at the fish

that wriggled and tried to fight back.

A flounder, she said, and you can tell

'cause one of its sides is black.

The other is white, she said.

It landed with a thump.

I stood there watching that fish flip-flop,

switch sides with every jump.

Isn't that beautiful? I'm sitting on the pier fishing with the people of this poem, absorbing the beautiful scenery and lessons imparted. The meaning is so subtle and powerful, beginning with the title. I was lucky enough to hear Ms. Trethewey speak before she won her Pulitzer, and get signed copies of her books. More here--->

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/natasha_trethewey

Okay, share your poetry favs, or one of your own! What is it you love about poems, or don't you? If you haven't checked out some of the great contemporary poets' work available now, you really should treat yourself. Many writers believe reading and writing poetry helps them with their prose too. What's not to love?

Great Escapes Made Easy

Thursdays are reserved for chatting about different things, so today, I'd like to get feedback from fellow bloggers on what they do to maintain their mental health...ya know...the ways they find to get off the spinning hamster wheel of life for awhile.

We all need time away from our daily routine, chores, work, projects, ruts. Without those opportunities, we can lose perspective, risk becoming burnt out, and maybe completely drain our bodily and spiritual battery reserves dry. Then we're no good to anyone.

Here are a few things I do to recharge:

• Go to a movie in the middle of the day.
• Read a few chapters of an absorbing book.
• Listen to music which has the power to transport me.
• Take a whole day off. If I can't physically leave home, I unplug the phones (including the cell), and just "be" for the day. The day might include visiting with a friend, taking in a museum or local site, sneaking in a good long nap, taking pictures around town, or hanging out at a bookstore/cafe.
• Spend time with a favorite hobby. Or try on a new one for size. I've recently been enjoying creating Treated Text. *More on that later, but for the moment, you can gaze upon an example below.* LOL
• Make concrete plans for a longer, bigger escape -- as in, outside my zip code for several days -- sometime in the near future.
• Count my blessings and list the things I'm grateful for. [I'm putting in a plug for our Year of Gratitude (YOG) blog here since it's befitting. We invite you to visit and check out the thoughts of four women writer friends on the benefits of an attitude of gratitude! http://barbaraquinnyearofgratitude.blogspot.com/]

I'd love to hear your ideas on cheap/free, easy, accessible ways to relax. C'mon, don't be shy! Hope the rest of your day is stress free and wonderful!

Just a Reminder

Today's P.S.A. has to do with something we should all take time to do often. Backing up our hard drives? (No, but we should do that too.) Living with gratitude and appreciation in our minds, acts and words? (Not what I was thinking about for this post, but also a good idea.) Not living beyond our means? Remembering to vote? Being kind to old folks and animals? (Nope, nope, nope, but all good and worthy endeavors.)

That really important reminder is this ~~ take time today to let those you love know how much they mean to you. Make a phone call, send a note or card, write an email, give them a hug and tell them in person, whatever it takes.

I've been to several wakes and funerals these last two weeks, and sitting in the church or funeral home, I think, what if that was me or someone I love more than words? Did they know how much I loved them? A friend lost her husband suddenly yesterday. Now she is arranging for his funeral. I hope they had time to exchange kind words and expressions yesterday before she left for work.

The people you express your feelings for will appreciate the boost and brightened day. You'll feel better too, just for having shared the love. Win-win. And on that note -- thank you for being so kind to me in my new blogging journey. You have made a difference! *smile*

Amphibious Ambitions

Every now and then, a good email forward lands in your inbox, and it makes you smile, sigh or think. This one made me do all three:

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition among themselves. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. When the race began, no one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top. They said things like, "Oh, wayyyy too difficult!" "They'll never ever make it," and, "Not a chance they can succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing one by one, except for those, who in a fresh tempo, kept climbing higher. The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But one continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up climbing the tower. After a big effort, he was the only one who reached the top.

Naturally, all the other tiny frogs wanted to know how he managed to do it. A fellow contestant asked how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal. As it turned out, the winner who reached the top was deaf!

The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart. Always think of the power words have. Remember, everything you hear and read will affect your actions, so always be positive. And above all, be deaf when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams.

What's your favorite piece of animal wisdom, fable, story or experience which has stayed with you?

Here's one from my personal memory book: When my youngest son (I'll call him Court Jester, or CJ for short) had just turned four and his sister and brother were in pre-K and K, I taught his class at a church nursery school. All the kids are gathered in a circle around me and I'm asking about the different sounds animals make. There was mooing, cheeping, oinking, woofing noises all through the group, then I got to CJ. "What does the froggy say, son?" I ask with pride and love shining in my eyes. CJ, with deadpan look at me, right as the school director enters the classroom, "Bud...weiser."

If you're not old enough to remember those popular commercials, this one's for you---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcbasIb8lQ

Hey, Buddy, Can Ya Spare a Tip?

It's Thursday, therefore it's time to open the floor to questions, thoughts, whatever. Since this is a new topic for me, I'm going to solicit help from my blogging friends to get started.

Send me ideas...wait, scratch that. Please leave comments on what you consider your best blog post ever. What was it about? What sort of reader reaction did you get? Did that post lead to bigger, better things for you? Know up front that I may be "borrowing" your best ever ideas in the future, and if I can figure out how, I'll link back to your original post. C'mon, help a blogger out! *smile*