Category: Photography

Six Sentence Story: What To Do About Noital

Emperor Dunklematerie reviewed the budget for the next year noting the line for the University of Noital. He asked his royal advisors, Why so much money for Noital?

“But, your Highness, they do so much good that doesn’t need to be done,” one advisor said.

Dunklematerie knew that all of his advisors were doctorates of something or other from that university. None of them would row against the current of support for their alma mater.

Regretting every penny, Emperor Dunklematerie groaned, Ach . . . go ahead and fund them.”

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Denise offers the prompt word “row” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Proverbs 17:16 KJV – Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

Six Sentence Story: Emperor Dunklematerie’s New Clothes

Emperor Dunklematerie walked down the street in his new clothes which were so finely made that he might have appeared – to the untrained eye – naked.

“I applaud our glorious Emperor who’s not only a brilliant scientist but a connoisseur of the arts,” one well-paid servant of the realm posted with a billion AI-generated likes.

Another showcased the ingenious tailors who fashioned the exquisite clothing out of the “density of the darkest gravity”.

And another remarked how pricelessly expensive those designer clothes were with holes in them everywhere – not just the knees – to cover the Emperor “in the cosmic void itself”.

Unfortunately, once a certain breed of children reach a certain age and before they reach a certain other age when they start thinking like they’re supposed to, there’s not much you can do with them. Thanks to them the whole world got to see AI-manipulated clips of Dunklematerie before their social media accounts where locked.

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Denise offers the prompt word “breed” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Proverbs 16:18 KJV – 18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

A fallen tree clothed in fungus

One of my poems, Words, has been published today in Whispers and Echoes. I am grateful to Sammi Cox for accepting it.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: In the Garden

Dale offers the prompt “in the garden” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The following photos were taken last year at Mirabell, the garden in Salzburg, Austria, where the song, Do Re Me, from the Sound of Music was partially filmed.

I think I was in the 8th grade when our class went to see this film at a theater in Chicago when it first came out in 1965.

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One entrance with a view of the castle in the distance
Flowers along a rock wall
From inside the garden
One of the dwarf statues. Others can be seen around the circle.
The garden is in the last part of the song, but there are many views of Salzburg before that

Six Sentence Story: Prodigal Son

Brian spent most of his life running away from blessings, but they overtook him anyway. His heart changed as he physically stopped, turned around and went home. Although the time he wasted overtaking useless stuff overwhelmed him, he was relieved that he no longer felt compelled to do any of that.

They say the narrow way is narrow and Brian was just beginning to realize how narrow, yet fulfilling, it was.

One day the devil challenged God, “Being omniscient and all, surely You still know, even though You might not want to remember, all those wicked things I got Brian to do, don’t You?”

The devil stared at God trying without success to penetrate the Light with the dense darkness of his trimmed vision hoping God would give him a philosophically precise answer this time that he could pick apart with satisfaction through eternity, but all God said was, “Nope.”

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Denise offers the prompt word “trim” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Hebrews 10:16-17 KJV – 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

June Limericks

All of these limericks were originally posted to Esther Chilton’s Laughing Along With A Limerick during the month of June. Some I have slightly modified.

I’ve added two photos for those who prefer a picture to a thousand words.

There’s a trail that some call the Way.
There are others that lead one astray.
Some are wide. Some are paved.
Some are sweetly depraved,
but astray I won’t wander today.
Prompt Word “trail” June 2, 2025 (modified)

One and a half roses

Though I thought I was perfectly Frank,
I was Jerry. Then Bill. My heart sank.
Then it rose with the thought
that whatever I caught . . .
You caught what? . . . and my mind drew a blank.
Prompt word: “frank” June 9, 2025 (modified)

There’s a bowl filled with soup and a spoon
as a girl, Goldilocks, hums a tune.
Since the bears are away
she’ll have soup, but she may
have to leave and she’d better leave soon.
Prompt word: “bowl” June 16, 2025

Another view of the roses

There once was a crack in the code
and a hack from a coder who showed
if the hack fixed the crack
then the crack was the hack
and the code with the hack would explode.
Prompt word: “hack” June 23, 2025

There once were some thieves and a clock
with a sonorous tick for each tock,
but the thieves weren’t aware
that a lock was placed there
as a block of foul theft of our clock.
Prompt word: “block” June 30, 2025 (modified)

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Take a Hike

Dale offers the prompt “take a hike” for this week’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.

I begin the hike by crossing Regent Parkway. I go up and down many hills because this part of South Carolina is not the plains, but more like the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, or some other mountains, I don’t know which.

After following the trail (or sidewalk) I reach a park. Soon I reach my neighbor’s flower garden. Then I wander down the neighborhood street until I reach the entrance to the abandoned golf course.

There is a (very) steep incline which I normally wouldn’t take except today I’m giving a tour. Then I follow the cement trail making sure I avoid any snakes needlessly sunning themselves. Then I reach the pond with the ruined structures.

And then I’m back home.

We have crossed Regent Parkway and are on the sidewalk lining that road.
Now we are at the park with Regent Parkway to the right.
A sunflower that is no longer in bloom, but producing seeds in my neighbor’s garden.
The steep incline. The top in the picture is not the top.
If you survived the incline, here is a view of the top.
A view of the pond.
On the way down the hill there are some ruins such as this one.
On the way home there are wild blackberries.
I bring some home for my wife.