Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Tag: #daily-prompt

• Daily Prompt: Do It Yourself Ambitions

  Posted at 4:17 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on February 28, 2023

  

  Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

  I shouldn’t take the time right now to write this, especially when I have an unfinished prompt sitting in my Draft Folder. My blog has been lonely too long. Besides, I miss all of you. So, here goes:

  Projects

  I could have written a post for a manual labor project of remodeling a room, or rooms, an outside garden project, or installing a generator in a car. I chose something else. My first self-published book Howdy, Ma’am. The book has such a history, it took two blog posts to write the full timeline: Howdy, Ma’am: the Journey Part one and Timeline Part Two, the Journey of Book. It wasn’t my intention, but it reads like a chapter taken from my memoir, if I ever wrote one.

  

  Brain Work & Responsibilities

  When I say DIY, I mean the mental anguish work of plotting it out, writing the book, editing and revising it on my own. Proofreading and uploading it for publication. Add marketing to the DIY batch.

  Let’s not forget we have to find the time for sitting-the-fanny-in-the-chair. Do you have kids and a full time job? Good luck.

  Learning

  We could count all the studying and research necessary to do the aforementioned as a project too. Albeit, I can’t call the project in its entirety a Do It Yourselfer. If so, I would have formatted it myself, created the book cover, and edited it all myself. Big mistake on all sides – for me. I’m smart enough to know what I can’t do.

  Getting Out of Your Own Way

  This girl is creative but not talented enough to create a cover or good enough to edit my own book. Many of you do your own covers and formatting. Pat yourselves on the back, my friends. A while back, I had to learn how to format when my formatter retired. I still don’t call myself an expert. Every new book takes me through a multitude of emotions from the joy in finishing it to freaking out about preparing it, publishing it, and whatever happens next. I’ve accepted this will not change.

  So, yes, in conclusion, I still say one of the biggest DIY projects I’ve taken on is my dream job of writing and publishing a book.

  Dear friends and visitors, can you think of an ambitious DIY project you have taken on?

  Thanks for reading!

  Mic drop and out. 😎 Peace.

  Posted in #AmWriting, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife | 7 Comments | Tagged #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, book publishing, bull rider series, Daily Prompt: Do It Yourself Ambitions, DIY Project, Howdy Ma'am, mary j mccoy dressel

• Day 29 Bloganuary: Simple Acts

  Posted at 6:21 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 29, 2022

  

  This is Day 29 for Bloganuary. I can’t believe there are only two days left both in January and Bloganuary. Today’s prompt is:

  How are you changing the world?

  Let’s face it… On a planet of billions, little old me trying to change this big old world is beyond my limitations. If I can change someone’s day, human (or animal), with an act of kindness or a smile behind my face mask, I’ll be happy to lift their spirit the best way I know how.

  How about this? In a grocery store, if someone stops their shopping cart to let me pass in front of them, I’ll say, “Thank you! I’m smiling behind my mask.” I see their eyes brighten and can tell they’re smiling, too. That’s a simple act, but kindness is remembered.

  When I have to throw away the drink carrier plastic we find on a four, six, or eight pack of bottles, I cut it into pieces so it doesn’t become a problem for wildlife like in this video. Recycling would, of course, be better if I lived closer to a recycling facility.

  In addition, I like to think that after all the years I taught children life skills and how to read, I had a part in giving them tools to contribute to changing their little part of the world, too, but who knows if one day they’ll want to take on a larger piece of the world.

  Shopping at smile.amazon.com helps to support a charity you care about. At this point, my charity is Salt River Wild Horse Management Group. In the past, it was Make a Wish Foundation and will be again one day.

  I didn’t expect to write this much, but here it is. Today’s prompt wasn’t easy for me to answer until I broke it down into simple things that can be done to change the world, even if only through one small act at a time.

  Have a wonderful night. ~MJ

  Featured Image Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Bloganuary | 0 Comments | Tagged #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel

• Day 27 Bloganuary: Alone Time

  Posted at 8:14 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 27, 2022

  

  Hello. Welcome. This is the 27th prompt for Bloganuary. The month sure is moving along at a good click. FYI: If you’re asking what the heck is #Bloganuary, click here to learn more.

  Let’s get on to today’s Prompt.

  Where do you go when you need solitude?

  Solitude distracts me from the norm. For me, it’s walks in a park, near a lake, or uptown. Many people walk in my town. On some days, it’s rare to find an empty place there, but people watching and overhearing a bit of their conversations are part of my solitude, if that makes sense.

  

  I live in a four season climate with harsh winters, so walking year round is often too cold. When possible, I walk to get away and breathe in fresh air. Since I’m alone a lot of the time, anyway, I don’t always need to be outside of my home to find solitude. If I stay inside, I read a book or watch TV. That escape acts as a distraction from what is my norm and gives me peace of mind. It might be hard to believe, but getting lost in writing is a form of solitude to me, too, because it takes me away to whatever setting I’m writing and gives me an escape the same way reading does.

  How do you find solitude or peace of mind?

  This link takes you to other bloggers’ posts who are using today’s prompt. Thanks for popping in today. ~MJ

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, Bloganuary | 0 Comments | Tagged #BloganuaryDay27, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel

• Day 26 Bloganuary: Gratitude

  Posted at 11:29 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 26, 2022

  

  We’re on Day 26 of Bloganuary #daily-prompts. Wow. I praise those of you who have posted every day or even most of the days this month. I didn’t begin until the sixteenth.

  Note to new visitors: It isn’t often I post daily on my blog. This is something I’m trying out for the month of January 2022. WordPress created Bloganuary and gives us daily prompts to write about. It’s a way to get in the habit of posting. Get all the information you need HERE. You still have until the end of the month to write your own Bloganuary posts.

  The prompt for today asks what is a favorite thing about myself. I’d rather ask others what their favorite thing is about me. Of course, I won’t! Instead, today I’m using a previous prompt. Earlier, I noticed the introductory #Bloganuary message said we can use the prompts or write anything we want. Well, great, because today I’m backtracking again to a prompt I missed:

  What are 5 things you’re grateful for today?

  I got up on January 1st this year and grabbed a stack of sticky notes (before coffee). I wrote a title:

  

  In the beginning, I added to my notes in the morning, but throughout the day, I came up with other reasons to be grateful. Now I write it down when a new reason comes to mind. For example when the sunshine melted snow off my car. This meant I didn’t have to go outside to do it myself. Brrr. ☃❄☃

  I chose these five to share with you today.

  

  

  

  

  

  I figured in this case I’d show instead of tell. Thanks for visiting. It’s Wednesday. Soon, I’ll get back to posting Wordless Wednesday posts. ~MJ

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, #WritersLife, Bloganuary | 2 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #BloganuaryDay26, #daily-prompt, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel

• Day 22 Bloganuary: Sharing a Quote

  Posted at 1:31 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 22, 2022

  

  Prompt of the day for Bloganuary: What is your favorite quote and why?

  Day 22. Today’s quote is one of my favorites by Robert Brault. Why did I use this quote? Sometimes we have to appear strong even when we aren’t. What about the times we’re vulnerable? Don’t we all need a safe place to fall when we need others to be strong for us, even if it’s with nothing more than a hug? I love hugs. I think Robert explains it perfectly in his quote.

  Robert Brault hasn’t written a quote I haven’t liked. Not that I’ve seen every quote he’s written. A visit to his blog today left me with bittersweet feelings. He’s calling it quits. See below the quote.

  

  He says:

  After 13 years of blogging and tweeting (and as I push into my mid-80’s), I’ve decided it’s time (and probably past time) to call it a day.

  Robert Brault

  I’ll miss his posts and news. As well as quotes on his blog, he also has books available on Amazon in multiple countries.

  Wow, I’ve dropped two posts in your inboxes today. It’s not a record. Haha. Thanks for reading!

  Featured Image credit: Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, Bloganuary | 0 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, amazon, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Robert Brault, Robert Brault Quote

• Day 21 Bloganuary: Back or Forward in Time?

  Posted at 5:44 pm by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 21, 2022

  

  Today’s Bloganuary writing prompt is:

  If you could, what year would you time travel to and why?

  Have you thought about time traveling? I’m not ashamed to admit I’d travel to the Victorian Era.

  If I knew the precise year I needed, I’d tell you. You see, I have a chalk drawing of my grandmother at eighteen. I believe it’s a chalk drawing. Before I was old enough to know any better, I destroyed a small area of the background by rubbing at it.

  The photograph is in horrid condition now, but I can’t part with it. The drawing is in full color with a slate colored muted background. The size of the drawing is around 16×20. I don’t know what the material is, but it crumbles and breaks after all these years. Let me tell you the story my grandmother told me about how the painting came to be, and why I’d like to travel back to ride the train with her.

  She traveled a lot as a young girl. One day while getting off the train at a station, an artist thought she was so beautiful that he asked if he could draw her. She grew up in Brookfield, Missouri, so the portrait could have been done in St. Louis. We’ll never know. I’d love to go back in time to ride the train with her and witness this event. Her hair is auburn in the drawing and styled similar to Jane Seymour’s hair on the cover of my Somewhere in Time CD.

  

  In the drawing, she wore a pink dress with a high neck. If I remember correctly, she wore a cameo broach. Could the cameo broach she had in her jewelry box when I was a child be the same one? A hat sat more toward the back of her head. She’s posed facing forward, but she wasn’t gazing at the artist.

  What do you think, readers and friends? Is there a year, an era, or event you’d like to experience? Let us know in the comments. Until the next time, stay well and be safe.

  Train track credit: Image by Peter Mayer from Pixabay

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, Bloganuary | 0 Comments | Tagged #AmWriting, #Bloganuary, #BloganuaryDay21, #daily-prompt, #WritersLife, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, Time Travel

• Day 20 Bloganary

  Posted at 9:01 am by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel, on January 20, 2022

  

  It’s the twentieth post for those who started Bloganuary on January 1st. I started on January 16th.

  Today’s prompt is to post a favorite photo I’ve taken.

  Hobby

  Oh, photography is a favorite subject, but it’s impossible to choose one favorite capture. Photographs of memories with my family are at the top of my “favorites” list. I love taking pictures of landscapes and nature. Nature photography takes patience. Many of my printed photos live out of sight in boxes. Luckily, I have a lot on my phone, but they’re nothing like family photos from long ago.

  

  Memories

  Today I’m posting this photo because: 1) the image evokes a heartwarming memory and 2) it’s one of my favorites. This image of the mountain is from the California side. A while back, my boy took a photo of this from the Oregon side and had it made into three large canvas panels for a Christmas gift one year. I cherish the thought and the wall hanging. I took this on a day trip my oldest son and I took on Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago when I visited him.

  We’re getting close to the end of the week, so you all have a peaceful and healthy downhill slide to the weekend. It looks like Bloganuary doesn’t take the weekend off. 😊 Thanks for visiting! ~MJ

  #bloganuary, #daily-prompt

  Note to new followers: I don’t usually write a blog post daily. Please, if you will, bear with the notifications in your inbox throughout the rest of the month. Soon, you’ll wonder why I’m not writing posts often enough.

  Camera Featured Image: Image by Jürgen Polle from Pixabay

  Posted in #AmReading, #AmWriting, Bloganuary | 0 Comments | Tagged #AmReading, #AmWriting, #Bloganuary, #daily-prompt, Bloganuary, Mary J McCoy-Dressel, photography

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