Comments, conversation, and an update

First... for the update...
On November 18th, I entered a writing prompt contest with a story about Tom Turkey, who dreamed of flying to the moon. The contest was run by a website called "Literative." I found that contest because, that day, I couldn't think of a topic for the daily blog post so I started searching for fun writing prompts.

On Sunday, I received an email from Literative, letting me know that I had won the contest and that my story would appear on their website on December 9th (today). 

Here is a link to my story on the Literative website: Tom Turkey attempts to fly to the moon

Literative holds flash fiction/writing prompt contests every month. Keep checking their website! I will add it to my "check it out" section quite soon.

And now... for some comments and conversations!

Christmas trees and other cool stuff:

Alana: Beautiful scenes. I participated in Small Business Saturday, too, mostly to buy gifts for some family members. I already have too much clutter - I need to give things away. but I did pick up a couple of items of beauty for myself and a friend. My item of beauty, if you insisted, would be a piece of jewelry - a ring, a necklace, or a bracelet. (No earrings, please!)

Sounds good. Jewelry is wonderful and a great decoration for any outfit. It can even tell a story. I love small, local businesses. Today, I visited a store called "The Pink Martini." What a pretty store, full of colorful merchandise. It smelled good, too! (There is nothing like an aromatic place of business!)

Tattoo... me?:

Some people love tattoos, while others don't care for them.  Not everyone who loves tattoos sports them. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground when it comes to tattoos.

Alana: I don't have a tattoo - I don't even have pierced ears. I once wrote a blog post about tattoos, and a woman who had tattoos of Dr. Seuss characters on her arms and legs. That would be the highest form of happiness for an author, I think - to have his or her characters tattooed on someone.

Oh my gosh. How awesome would that be? I could see that Doctor Seuss tattoos would be very fun tattoos to wear.

Cerebrations.biz: Well, my religion forbids the permanent tattoo. Which probably shades my impressions of same. 
I also watch how those folks who had tattoos inserted into their dermis years ago now "sport" the most grotesque remains of the idea.
Well, yes, skin eventually sags and the tattoos might not look as great when you're old as when you're younger. It is a risk that people take when they decide to have a tattoo. Some people don't worry about it and those who do... they probably opt for temporary tattoos (just paint), which will eventually wash away. If you're not sure about the tattoo, I would recommend the temporary tattoo. It is fun and, by the time that you're bored with it, it will be washed off and gone.

helzdesign said: yes i have a tattoo :) a sentence on my left upperarm saying "choose to be me"
guess the words tell you, what it means to me. long struggle of finding myself and being myself. and yes i would love to have more tattoos.
one should be a heartline with the name of my son included
For you, helzdesign, and for many people, a tattoo is a means for expressing what is in your heart. Having the message tattooed on your body where it can be seen is another way to share your story. Thank you so much for giving me this perspective on the concept of the tattoo.

An Entire World... in little boxes:
Alana: So timely, Alice. I made my annual visit today to Hanukkah House, a museum open one month a year in Binghamton, devoted to the holiday of Hanukkah. It had already been a tradition to show some of the dollhouses and dolls (Madame Alexander and others) of Bobbie King, a member of the congregation. Mrs. King was killed in a Binghamton mass shooting on April 3, 2009 while teaching an immigrant adult education class at the American Civic Association in Binghamton. It's so poignant seeing those dollhouses, which have been displayed each year since with the permission of Mrs. King's family. I didn't know very much about the "how to's" of what many of us call dollhouses before now (I guess I'll still call them that). I've blogged about Mrs King's dollhouses from time to time, and will link to your post the next time I do.

The Hanukkah House sounds wonderful. I would love to see it. Mrs. King's family is so kind and generous to share the dollhouses. What a beautiful way to honor Mrs. King and to keep her memory alive!

The Human Cost of Pollution: Tonawanda Coke:
Lee: Thanks, Alice, for informing us. This is very important! We need to share this with more Islanders. 

Thank you, Lee. When I get updates on this situation, I will continue to share it.

Teacher Stories 1: Being a teacher is just who I am.
Alana: My late best friend was a retired fourth grade teacher. She also taught kindergarten and she may have taught a year of second grade (I forget if she did). School definitely isn't anything like what it was when I was in second grade (1959). iPads! I wouldn't recognize one of those classrooms. I was quite impressed by this interview. Your subject sounds like a born teacher. Her students are fortunate to have her as their teacher.

The world and school have changed over the years! The iPads are a great idea, a great way for kids to practice their skills. In fact, they are a high tech version of the slates that, years ago, kids used to use for practice. They could practice math skills or penmanship or some other skill and erase the slate when they were done.

Ginny Marie: Moving from the middle school to second grade would be quite a shock! I taught second grade for 12 years, and now I teach preschool. That was an easy transition! I bet the kids loved that lesson on the Three Little Pigs, and they will remember the importance of sequencing!

I think that they will remember sequencing because they discovered it for themselves! Also, they will remember it because their teacher made it fun. I think that it's easier to learn when you're happy than when you're annoyed or bored. Oh, and teaching preschool sounds like fun!

Enjoying life on a deserted island:

Susan: We homeschool, and I'm thinking this would make a fun writing assignment. Thanks for the idea!

You're welcome! This could also be a fun family exercise or even a creative writing game! Enjoy!

Grand Island decorates for Christmas:

Shalini: Such beautiful joyful pics! Thanks for sharing then Alice :)

You're welcome. I'm glad that you enjoyed the photographs.

Rose Mont said: I had to check out your blog as I'm originally from WNY. The snow is coming..... I can't say I miss it or at least being in the midst of it. It's pretty to see, just not be in.

Thank you, Rose Mont. I have to say that I agree that snow is pretty to look at. By the end of February, I will prefer that the snow would just stay inside one of those snow globes. In fact, I love snow globes year round, even in July. Before I get sick of snow, I do need to have a few snowshoeing adventures, which I will share in this blog (not today... approximately 25 little snowflakes fell and then the snow stopped).

My request for readers: Please keep those book recommendations coming! I'm hoping to share a readers' choice for Christmas post next week!