I See Stars, I See Mars, I See . . .

If you remember the ditty "I see stars, I see Mars, I see someone's underdrawers ," like me, you must've gone to grade school in the 1950s and 1960s--or earlier.

We sang that ditty on the playground during recess when a girl wearing a dress hung upside down on the monkey bars, went too high on a swing, or got her skirt tangled in a jump rope. Wait (she says blushing), I was usually the one who did those things and was taunted by some smart aleck out to spoil my mindless fun.

Now, when I hear "I see stars or I see Mars," I smooth down my imaginary skirt so as not to offend anyone.

Earlier this month I received an e-mail about the planet Mars. Briefly it reminded me of my playground embarrassments, but even more it made me believe I might witness history on August 27--this coming Friday.

Here's what the e-mail claimed: On August 27th Mars will approach Earth and swell to the size of a full Moon. "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN!"

The e-mail advised to tell my grandkids--which I did. Faithfully all month I've looked up in the sky, "It's a bird, it's a plane," oops, that's another childhood jingle. Anyway, I've looked skyward at night and have seen what I thought was the planet Mars. And it is bright.

Then I did some research. Okay, I actually didn't do a lot of research, I Googled the word Mars.

I found an article on Red Orbit News, titled "Demystifying The Mutating Mars Hoax." You can read the entire article by clicking on the link above, but in a nutshell: If you go out on the evening of August 27th, the bright light in the west is Venus. But if you grab a pair of binoculars, a few degrees to the right, you will be able to see a little orange star-like object. That is Mars.

Before reading the news article I had planned to announce the historic event of seeing Mars this coming Friday.

Good thing I checked out the facts first. I might've once again embarrassed myself having some mindless fun.

Pockets Magazine Seeking Themed Submissions

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

After reading comments about some of my postings this month, I realized a few callouts have been for regional markets and contests, so I thought it would be a good idea to post about a national market. I think it helps to write around a theme, so I was happy to find that Pockets Magazine has a submission call out that focuses on themes.

Pockets Magazine out of Nashville, TN, is designed to connect kids 8-12 with "God the other six days." Pockets content includes fiction, scripture stories, puzzles and games, poems, recipes, colorful pictures, activities, and scripture readings. Freelance submissions of stories, poems, recipes, puzzles and games, and activities are welcome. The magazine is published monthly (except in February).

Here's some information I found about their themes for the next few months on the Pockets website:

Hope (for the April 2011 issue) Due Date: September 1, 2010.

Family - In This Together (for the May 2011 issue) Due Date: October 1, 2010

Caring for Creation (for the June 2011 issue) Due Date: November 1, 2010

For complete writer's guidelines, including rate of payment, their special needs, and submission requirements visit their website.

Good luck! If you submit and receive an acceptance, please let me know so I can recognize you right here!

Contest for Kansas and Missouri Poets

Here's a contest announcement for residents of Kansas and Missouri
sent to me by Maril Crabtree

Davis Grove Haiku and Nature Poetry Contest: “Words to Weigh”
Co-sponsored by The Port Authority of Kansas City, MO and The Writers Place* The photo at left is from their website.

Submission Guidelines:

The contest is open to all residents of Kansas or Missouri.
Submissions will be received by email only.
Submit no more than three (3) poems as an email attachment. Submission of more than three poems will disqualify all poems from consideration.
Submissions will be blind. Submit a cover letter with name, address, phone number and email address, with the first line of each poem submitted, as a separate email attachment. Do not put identifying information on the poems themselves.
Submit poems and separate cover letter to: wordstoweigh@writersplace.org
Submissions must be the original work of the author and be unpublished.
Submissions must be no longer than four lines.
Subject matter of submissions should relate to themes such as rivers or other area waterways, docks, wharfs, the riverfront Heritage Trail, and other nature-based images suitable for poetry similar to (but not limited to) haiku and relating to the mission and goals of the KC Port Authority*. (see http://www.kcportauthority.com/)
Deadline: September 15, 2010

WINNERS: Four winning entries will be selected. Each winning entry will receive a $100.00 prize and each winning poem will be engraved onto a historic concrete barge anchor to be situated in Davis Grove, part of the Western Riverfront park area, adjacent to the Riverfront Heritage Trail in Kansas City, Missouri. Winners will participate in the opening ceremony for Davis Grove projected for Fall, 2010.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

*The Port Authority's mission is “to enhance the economic vitality of Kansas City, MO, as a redevelopment entity through transportation, trade, commerce, and riverfront development within the statutory authority granted by the State of Missouri and the City of Kansas City.”

A Celebration and An Award

My posts haven't been regular this week because I've been:

a.) Getting the grandkiddos ready for back to school (physicals, hair cuts, shopping)

b.) Working on two deadlines (book review, interview)

c. ) Too darned tired

Now that the grandkiddos are back full time and my deadlines have been met, I am celebrating my sense of relaxation. Let's see. I'm drinking a cup of tea, surfing the web trying to find a special necklace for Cari's 16th birthday next week, thinking about my doctor's appointment, and taking the Scarlett O'Hara approach to where to start with housework. "Tomorrow's another day."

Now for the award. Back on Coast Guard Day (Aug 2), Carol over at Under the Tiki Hut gave me a Circle of Friends award. Thanks, Carol, for the cool award. I've been saving it for a special day to share with five blogger buddies. In exchange for receiving this awesome award, I've been asked to:

Pass the link to five other bloggers.

Post a link from their blog to mine.

Notify them that they have received the award.

So, here are my five selections for The Circle of Friend Award:

Tammi at Message in a Blog

Mary Nida at Life's Beautiful Path

Donna at Mystical Journeys

Sioux at Sioux's Page

Madeline at Shellshank Redemption

Now, I need to notify them that they have received the award and ask them to pass it along.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Stay cool, and take time to write.

Truth or Fiction and Bubble Gum Contest Winner

Now that the hot and sticky weather has cooled down a bit, it's time to announce the anwers to my August contest. One lucky submitter can relax with some --- bubble gum.


First for the answers to the questions.

* I am the middle of seven children. True Our blended family includes: Marleen, Glenda, Kathleen, ME, Jim, Tim, and Bridget.

* When I was 50 I sailed the Greek Islands with two men. True. Walt’s brother Werner divides his time between Germany and Greece. Werner has a Trimaran, which he designed and built himself. Werner gives tours during the summer. For my 50^th birthday and our 30^th wedding anniversary, Walt surprised me with a trip overseas. We flew to Munich to visit with his family then onto Thessalonica. Werner picked us up and drove us to Volos, where his boat is docked. We set sail on the Aegean Sea and sailed for about ten days. It was the trip of a lifetime, which we could never have afforded if not for Werner’s hospitality.

* My mother was a model. True. Mom modeled hats when she worked part-time at Sears. I still have several of her hats and hat boxes.

* I’ve never eaten a peanut butter sandwich. True. We grew up on cheese or jelly sandwiches, butter bread, Spam, baloney, and for a treat baloney and cheese. Since I made it to adulthood without eating a peanut butter sandwich, I guess I never acquired the taste.

* I drink at least three cups of coffee a day. False. I tried coffee once when I was 18 but didn’t like it. Tea is my beverage of choice—hot or cold. Oh, and Diet Dr. Pepper and wine on occasion.

* My favorite short story writer is Flannery O’Connor. I would also accept Katherine Anne Porter.

* I have been to China. True. I went with my sister Kathleen and a few of her friends in 2000. Fascinating place to visit --- once.

* My father was born in Hannibal. False. Trick question. My mom was born in Hannibal and moved to St. Louis as an infant. Dad is a St. Louis boy.

* Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, my husband is an Austrian immigrant. Another trick question. False. Walt is an immigrant, but not from Austria. Walt hails from the Bavarian city of Erding, in Germany. Here's a photo.

* If I could have a super power it would be the ability to travel through time. While I would like to have many of the super powers suggested by others, the one power I would LOVE to have is time travel--to the future and the past.

Okay, so now that you know more about me and my family than you ever thought you would need to or want to know, here is the winner.

Cathy C. Hall answered seven questions correctly. So, Cathy contact me so I can send you your goodies.

Last Call - Fact or Fiction and Bubble Gum Contest

Early this morning it was already hot and stick outside when I took out the trash, which reminded me about my August contest - Fact or Fiction and Bubble Gum - or Bubble Gum Contest for short.

Here's a last call to enter. I posted about it on August 2. Here's a link to the post.

The contest answers and name of the person with the most correct answers will be posted on Monday.

Good luck, and stay cool!

Gateway to the Best Contest from MORWA

Last Tuesday, Claudia Shelton, a writer in critique group, told us about "Gateway to the Best," a contest the Missouri chapter of Romance Writers of America (MORWA) is sponsoring.


When I asked if the contest was open to anyone, she told me it was. She also promised to send me the contest information, which she promptly did. Thank you, Claudia!


Here are the "Gateway to the Best" contest highlights:


* Open to writers unpublished and uncontracted in novel length (40,000+) fiction within the last three years


* Deadline Sep 10


* Several categories, including YA


* GRAND PRIZE: US $100, a full reading and critique of her entire manuscript by a MORWA Published Author, a certificate, and a "Gateway to the Best Grand Prize Winner" electronic banner announcing the win for the author's website.


* First, second, and third places are awarded in each category.


* Electronic format only contest.


* Please read the official rules for contest fees and other information before completing the submission process.

Good luck!