Poetry Challenge #237-Ticonderoga Moments
The moment I learned it was National Pencil Day (every March 30), a scene from my all-time favorite Broadway Musical turned film Bells are Ringing (link is to the Broadway show) staring Judy Holiday and Dean Martin popped into my head. Jeffery Moss (Dean) is a playwright who procrastinating. Millie Scott (Judy) who works at Sue’s Answer Phone, and has stuck over to Dean’s apartment because he’s about to miss a deadline, relays her schoolgirl procrastination story ala the pencil sharpener:
“I’d sharpen down to the GUH and then to the ROG and then to the TI and then to the Tuh.”—Millie Scott in Bells are Ringing
Okay, so this little musical segue is my TICONDEROGA …keeping me from getting with the prompt (or rather “point”?)
Poetry Challenge #237
Ticonderoga Moment
In honor of National Pencil Day, find a pencil—Ticonderoga or not—and write a poem on paper. You can write about anything. Think about how it feels to write with a pencil.
Maybe you should try that more often!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What Inspires Me #13-Saltwater Power
If you are reading this, you are one of us lucky ones who have electricity, or access to electricity to power up our devices. But what about all the millions of people around the world who are not lucky enough to live within a grid?
Saltwater can fuel a battery powerful enough for children to study, people to see to cook and work and read, to charge a phone or radio, to guide a fishing boat home…
People in rural communities in the Philippians, South American, Africa—everywhere there is salt and water—and some human ingenuity can not have safe, non-toxic, environmentally friendly illumination. Saltwater light can be for you too—and me.
This Waterlight, produced by the Columbian company E-Dina, made of bamboo converts salt water into electricity, is completely waterproof, recyclable and reliable in any weather.
When filled with only 500 millilitres of seawater – or urine in emergency situations – it can emit up to 45 days of light and can also charge phones or another small device via its integrated USB port. Read more about Waterlight and E-Dina on this post by Dezeen.com.
For those living by the ocean, a quick dipper is all one needs to power lights, radios—even charge up cell phones.
As for Inlanders? 2 teaspoons of salt stirred into water does the trick.
Doubters???
Try it yourself. Click for step-by-step directions at miniscience.com
Make Your Own Saltwater Battery!
And here’s a link to a step-by-step Utube video from #cleanenergy.
LET THERE BE LIGHT!
Fin Pal asks Norman: "Do You Miss Your Family?"
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Just to be clear, when Norman wrote “small fry” he was not talking about the last crispy fried potato in a packet. “Small Fry” is what we call baby goldfish! And a group of goldfish is called a “Troubling.”
Do you think a goldfish troubling would be troubling to a shark? Or a treat?
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #236-That Was a Close One...
It’s said, truth is scarier than fiction. That’s what today is all about. National Near Miss Day (March 23) commemorates our near annihilation ala Leo and Jennifer’s comedy-disaster Don’t Look Up.
What happened on March 23, 1989 was definitely nothing to laugh about. A massive mountain-sized asteroid, named 4581 Asclepius, came within 500,000 miles of colliding with the earth. In space distance super close! And unlike in the movies there was not one thing we could do have done about it because scientists didn’t see it coming until 9 days after its closest approach to Earth.
“On the cosmic scale of things, that was a close call.”
“Geophysicists estimate that a collision with Asclepius would release energy comparable to the explosion of a 600-megaton atomic bomb.” A collision would have had catastrophic effects on our planet. Scientists discovered the asteroid on March 31, 1989 – nine days after its closest approach to Earth.
Poetry Challenge #236
Happy Near-Miss Day
Have you ever had a near-miss? Not, perhaps, of asteroid proportions, but close enough. Or an almost but… One of those time when afterwards you shake your head thinking, “Dang . . .” Or, if you’d rather look on the bright side, can you recall a time when you thought you didn’t have a snowballs chance in the sunshine of getting something, or getting to do something, or winning—and you did?
Write a poem about that experience, good or bad. And, in the spirit of 4581 Ascelpius, add some hyperbole to make it even bigger-badder-better CinemaScopic even!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
Could we survive being struck by an asteroid? In 1954 Ann Hodges did. View a photo and her account in National Geographic.
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What inspires #12-Spring Training with All-Star Baseball Movies for Kids
What Inspires Me? Spring Training!
Last season, the Atlanta Braves, after besting the Houston Astros in five games, became the 2021 World Champs. Shohei Ohtani, best 2-way player since Babe Ruth, swept the awards. But that’s old news now!
While the MLB teams are warming up, we’re warming up too. Here’s five movies we’re watching (rewatching) while we wait for the season to begin!
(Sorry I am not including viewing/buying links but they are all online & YouTube!)
Yep, you’re not seeing double! There are two posters for Bad News Bears: the original, 1976 Bad News Bears with Walter Matthau and Tattum O’Neal and the 2005 Bad News Bears with Billy Bob. Why not watch both and compare—But hurry! The 2022 MLB Baseball Season opens April 7!
Finpal to Finpal: Does Norman Look His Age?
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Did you know goldfish live about 15 years in an aquarium!
For more about how to care for goldfish so they’ll live a long fintastic life, watch this video from Tankarium.com
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish- about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Don’t forget to order your copy of NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY and NORMAN: ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!
Poetry Challenge #235-Everything You Do is Right
It’s Everything You Do Is Right Day!* That means nothing you do is wrong! (When was the last time you heard that?)
Poetry Challenge #235
Cause for Celebration
Write a list poem celebrating your accomplishments for the day, the week, the month, or even the year! Celebrate everything, no matter how big or small. Add details.
Start with: Today I… (or this week I… etc.) Remember nothing is wrong! You’re the best!
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing!
Don’t Think About it, just do it!
*National Everything You Do is Right Day is celebrated every March 16th. Definitely a day to remember so mark it on your recurring event calendar now!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge 2000+ days ago. Now we take turns creating prompts to share with you. Our hope is that creatives—children & adults—will use our prompts as springboards to word play time. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl):
All who subscribe, comment or share a poem will be entered in . . .
What Inspires Me #11-Strollers at the Border
This line of strollers stocked and waiting at the Polish train station for Ukrainian mothers arriving with young children made my heart sing. As I type Ukrainians are under siege. Bombs are exploding. Families are being torn apart. Homes, lives destroyed. While here, the sun is shining and my biggest worry is belly fat.
What can we do? How can we help?
Sunday, a friend shared a story of how, in response to a request for coats, hats, gloves to send to Ukraine, she emptied their winter closets and took everything to the collection center where her donations were turned away. The center was only taking the best of the best to send to the Ukraine. And, even at that, they were not sure how they were going to get the collected winter garments to the people in need. After being turned back, rather than being discouraged, my friend took the collected garments to a local mission where they were gratefully accepted. “We need your donations, right here, right now!” she was told.
Still…We Want to Help Ukrainian People. What can we do?
Do as those Polish families at the border do: Donate stuff locally. It might not be a glamorous to donate to organizations near home but think about it: By giving our stuff—clothing, food, time—locally, those organization and others can free up resources not spent here, there.
Donate dollars to Ukraine. Here’s a list of organizations put together by Global Citizen. 27 Meaningful Ways You Can Help Ukraine (globalcitizen.org)