October 26: Halloween, Writer’s Choice, or YOUR WOTY (Word of the Year) Review
“People think that I must be a very strange person. This is not correct. I have the heart of a small boy. It is in a glass jar on my desk.“
– Stephen King
Featured Bloggers for WQW #40: Cold Weather Tips
For those of you who contributed to WQW #40, we thank you for your ideas.
- EKLASTIC – GET THE RIGHT CLOTHES
- KEEP IT ALIVE – ENJOY THE SEASONS
- LADY LEE – EVERY WINTER HAS A SPRING
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – FLEETING MOMENTS
- SERENDIPITY – SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH – WEATHER PATTERNS, TREES, AND CLOTHES
- WIDE EYED WONDERINGS – bRRR
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ALONG WITH #WQW
Currently, this weekly writing challenge runs from Wednesday through Tuesday at noon. All you need is at least one quote to go with your post. Share photos, and/or write a poem, story, or memoir. Just have fun with it and let the quote or quotes lead the way.
Topics for the year (subject to change) are listed on the WQW Page. Feel free to post weekly, or drop in from time to time – All are welcome.
For October Gems
YOUR BLOG POST GOES HERE – FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE POST IF A PARTICULAR TOPIC MOVES YOU.
- CEE’S PHOTO CHALLENGES – ADVICE FROM A PUMPKIN – HAHAHA
- EKLASTIC – WATCH OUT FOR CHOCOLATE WITCHES!
- KEEP IT ALIVE – NO REGRETS
- LADY LEE – HER BROTHER’S WEDDING RECEPTION IN A MEDIEVAL MANOR HOUSE
- LOVING LIFE – WELL-THOUGHT-OUT UPDATE ON HER WOTY – “UNFOLDING”
- ROBERT’S SNAP SPOT – PUMPKINS TRANSFORMING
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – SEEING THROUGH GLASS DARKLY
- SECOND WIND LEISURE – MYSTERIOUS IS BEAUTIFUL
- WIDE-EYED WONDERINGS – SHE CALLS IT A RECIPE FOR A MARGARITA…
Is Your October Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
Terri talked me through creating these boxes using blocks and choosing settings to change the background and text colors. I made the mistake of creating a “reusable block” and ended up with all my boxes containing the same quote. So beware of the “reusable block” shortcut if you try this!!! I actually had several mishaps along the way, but I won’t bore you with them all. Learning new things keeps us young – RIGHT?
“He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass.“
Ray Dalio
When I read that quote, I had to post his glass mosaic display in Scottsdale that I photographed the night before my flight to Portland. The night in Old Town was magical. It was the perfect start to a perfect trip.
WOTY Report -Curating
In September I stepped back for a week or so from curating to visit bloggers in Oregon and Washington. This month I am shoulder-deep into it again. My glass is PRETTY FULL! Or maybe that’s my plate!
When we moved to Prescott and bought two condos, one for us and one for Vince’s sister, they both came with furniture. But we BROUGHT furniture with us! BIG MISTAKE
Because of that, we STILL own five tables, one coffee table we don’t want, three file cabinets, three bookcases, and three beds – we got rid of one and more decorative items than we can even list. We are down to three large dressers for two bedrooms, with nightstands, end tables, and desks coming out of the woodwork.
We are moving again – or at least today that is the plan. We are downsizing and moving back in with Vince’s sister, Cindy until she finds her own place. That means we have to clean out the garage where we had all the stuff stored that wouldn’t fit into our two homes!
If you come to visit me, bring a U-Haul truck!
The Old Breaks, the New Emerges
“Although it seems counterintuitive, when glass shatters the old becomes new. Starting out as liquid sand, fire heats the sand into glass. If the glass breaks, it can then be re-created as something new.“
Symbolism and metaphors
Great-grandma’s secretary has passed in my family for three generations now and has nowhere else to go. So it sits in our garage sale with its sad broken glass door. It worked well as a display case for some turquoise glassware that belonged to Mom. Because none of it sold at the prices I asked for them. I found the exact secretary online that sold for $1,450. I thought $600 was reasonable. No one that was garage sailing thought so.
“Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee
William Shakespeare
Calls back the lovely April of her prime;
So thou through windows of thine age shalt see,
Despite of wrinkles, this thy golden time.”
Maybe I should restore the secretary and keep the turquoise glassware – not for the next generation, but because I can. What do you think?
Still Curating Blogger Meetup Photos
With over 1,100 photos to share from our trip, I’m going to have to participate in more photo challenges than I have years left in my life. For today, it’s just the glass.
Fort Vancouver Glass
“Fortune is like glass – the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.”
Publilius Syrus
We had very good fortune the day we spent in Ft. Vancouver. Fortunately for us, nothing broke.
We stopped to check out these amazing wood and glass totems at the museum and store before we drove over to the actual fort. They were hollow, so you could step inside of them and look through the glass. The fourth picture is how Terri and Kirstin looked through the glass tongue. In case you don’t recognize them, Kirstin is on the left and Terri is on the right. 🙂 If you look closely you can see part of the words on Kirstin’s shirt.
The medicine bottle is identical to the one that Vince won’t part with. It belonged to our neighbor’s mother in California. It didn’t make it to the garage sale for the last two years. 🙂
Cape Meares Lighthouse in Oregon
Terri and Cee both have this great lighthouse in their posts this week. I wasn’t going to add mine, but why not. It was a great place to visit.
“Cape Meares Lighthouse may be the shortest on the Oregon coast, but it features an impressive, kerosene-powered lens. First lit on Jan. 1, 1890, the first order Fresnel lens was one of the most powerful and largest of its day. Mariners could spot the distinctive red-and-white flashes from more than 21 miles away.”
Oregon State Parks
AZ Glass Door
“People who live in a glass house have to answer the door.“
Karl Pilkington
Did you notice the prisms in the glass? I just noticed them.
Heading Toward Halloween
I played with presets in Adobe Bridge to create these effects to scare everyone for Halloween. I was inspired by Carol Cormier’s gigantic skeletal basketball player. These skeletons live on Rosser Street in Prescott, AZ.
This week’s WQW Is Inspired By
- Sunday Stills – glass – mostly from our Vancouver Blogger meetup with Kirstin Troyer of Loving Life.
- Cell Pic Sunday Always learn new tricks about processing pictures on his post. This week is the Oregon Coast.
- Thursday Doors
- Thursday Trios
- WOTY Link Party ( I hope I make it at the right time this month. :))
Now it’s your turn.
Any great plans for the end of the month? Our church is having a Trunk or Treat party in which you decorate your trunk. How are you doing on your word of the year? Have you picked one for next year? I’ve picked mine, but I still have to get through with curating.
Ongoing on Always Write
- PPAC Photographing Public Art each Friday – no theme – one more day to post for this week.
- Upcoming topics for WQW
- November 2: Senses: Touch or Feeling
- November 9: Holiday: Veteran’s Day
- November 16: Travel: Memorable Trips
- November 23: Holiday: Thanksgiving, Gratitude
- November 30: Abandoned or Artistic Buildings/or Writer’s Choice/ or YOUR WOTY Review
For a list of past WQW posts visit my WQW Page
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
63 responses to “WQW #41: Is Your October Glass Half Empty or Half Full?”
I love the Your Highness photo. Very creative, haha. So many other fascinating subjects in your shots too.
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Thanks, Gift!
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Stunning glass every where! I particularly love the mosaic glass display in Scottsdale glass.
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Thanks, Ju-Lyn. That area along the canal is always uniquely decorated.
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hi, Marsha. My name is David.
In order to participate in this prompt, is anything other than a pingback required?
Thanks!
David
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Nothing, other than find a quote and respond to it with a picture(s) or a thought(s).
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thanks!
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You’re welcome. Love to have you contribute. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, I chose the word regret for my blog this week. Here’s my post
http://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/10/31/quotes-for-life-regrets-2/
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[…] In response to WQW # 41- Writer’s Choice, hosted by Marsha […]
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[…] this post inspired by WQW #41 […]
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Hi Marsha, my goodness, that is a giant skeleton. I don’t think you should sell the secretary. I think people always end up regretting selling family heirlooms and you never get the right amount of money for them.
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It will make a great project for this winter, Robbie. I think I will keep it. 🙂
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I am happy to hear that. I am a ‘terrible’ collector of vintage and antique items and I really regret that my parents sold off important items in our family history.
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I’m sorry, too, Robbie. We sold off so many things. I was loaded with grandparents and great-grandparents that there was no choice. Mom and Dad were both only children. There’s just so much stuff you can keep! Since neither my brother nor I have children, we have kept what we wanted and the rest will go eventually to strangers who can enjoy them as heirlooms of their own. 🙂
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I didn’t realise you didn’t have children. That is right then, it will pass on to others eventually. I am one of four girls, my dad is one of four boys, and my mom one of four girls and four boys. I have 5 nephews and nieces and two sons so lots of potential recipients of my ‘things’.
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You need to be the preserver of history, as I’m sure you are in many ways. 🙂
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[…] Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesday: Halloween […]
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[…] Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays #41: Halloween […]
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I’m double dipping with you today.
https://ceenphotography.com/2022/10/28/pumpkins-and-quotes-ppac-and-wqw/
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I love the advice from a pumpkin!
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[…] I am double dipping today with Marsha’s challenges: PPAC challenge and WQW (Writer’s Quotes Wednesday). […]
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[…] October 26: Holiday: Halloween/or Writer’s Choice/ or YOUR WOTY Review […]
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Lovely idea for a post!
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Thank you so much, Robert.
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Love the cabinet with the turquoise cups Marsha….I’ve got about 4 different old antiques I can’t get off my hands either.
Great pics and quotes. love your lighthouse picture too.
💗🎃
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Thanks, Cindy.
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You weren’t kidding when you said you’ve seen those giant skeletons in your neck of the woods. I can’t even imagine how much something like that would cost. Thanks for the shout out for Thursday Trios.
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You are welcome. I hope I put the link in. I think I need to go back and do it.
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great post, Marsha 🙂
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/10/27/october-gave-a-party/
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Thanks Lady Lee. 🙂
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Love, love, love those skeletons!
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Aren’t they great? Costco must have had a sale on them. 🙂
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I recognized that door right away!!
More challenges than years left, hahahahaha.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
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That was such a fun day, Jodie. More to come, for sure. 🙂
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So much packed into a post full of wonders Marsha. While you were pondering if the glass was half full or empty……I drank it 😂😂
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LOL It was the best Scotch ever, wasn’t it?
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I actually cannot stand scotch or most spirit drinks, Vodka and Tequila the exceptions. I was drinking a glass of water 😂
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I’m almost 100% water drinker, LOL. That was the first thing that popped into my mind!
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You are so busy! I can’t believe you are moving, again. I always thought it fun to weed out and organized, but you have a lot of stuff.
I love the glass mosaics, and Halloween. And more than that…all the energy you put into your blog, your travels, and your uplifting life. Love ya.
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Takes one to know one! Love ya, too! 🙂
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I know how you sell that stuff and for BIG money!……….Say the stuff is haunted!
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hahaha Terri didn’t tell me you were so funny! 🙂
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I have always found it really difficult to throw things away or sell them, You never know when they might come in handy, is the phrase that haunts me.
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Me, too, Phil. But even if it will come in handy, with too much stuff, I can’t find it when I want it anyway, no matter how organized I try to be. I can’t organize both my husband and myself and he goes and buys another or whatever it is that he needs. 🙂
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I have published the long version of Not a proper Job on my blog as promised:
https://fenlandphil.com/2022/10/26/an-unusual-job-for-a-woman/
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Wow! Still not long enough, my friend. I left you more questions. I am really getting into this gal!
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Now I am beginning to know how Conan Doyle felt.
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How funny, Sherlock. 🙂
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https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2022/10/wqwtheme-woty-update-unfolding.html
forgot my link
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I loved all of this post Marsha…I didn’t realize you were moving. It’s tough selling some things at garage sales…people just want to pay garage sale prices and they don’t often see the value of a piece. That secretary desk is neat. As are some of the items inside it. I love those quote boxes. They are pretty sharp looking and the quotes are awesome. After I posted my “glass” post, I found more photos in my camera photos that I had taken specifically for the challenge but forgot about. I may go back and add them. We’ll see.
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I’ll check out your glass post after I finish up all my comments. I had some extra glass posts that I didn’t use, too. I’m sure I can use them sometime.
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Great quotes you found, Marsha, and so perfect for glass and beyond. I almost used a couple of those myself. Nicely done on the quote boxes, glad it worked out so well. Yes, those do not make good reusable blocks, LOL. Those Halloween decorations are so inspired–someone has a wicked sense of humor!
We did have a bit of fun at Ft Vancouver and Tillamook. I can’t tell you how much fun you are to hang out with–you have a great sense of adventure! The masks on the totems turned out perfect for your October theme and thanks for the shout-out again.
The end of October is turning out to be a good Autumn after all–I will share some pics this Sunday for “mysterious.”
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Ah, yes, and I’m ready for that one, too. But next Sunday is the perfect day for mysterious! I may have to go Halloween hunting. 🙂
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[…] Always Write […]
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Oh I so enjoyed seeing your quotes and photos. You made glass proud. Isn’t that the cutest lighthouse ever 😀
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It is indeed. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I enjoyed putting it together. 🙂
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Hi from Sunny Italy. Not sure how long we are staying… having trouble getting return flight to the States. Time to spare, go by air! 🙂
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Just stay there. Vince wants to move to Italy next. We’ll meet you there! JK – well kind of. He would love to be adventurous. His wife is not there. 🙂
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I love the glass mosaic spheres and the giant skeleton. And, the lighthouse… great pictures throughout.
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Thanks, Janis. I had fun with all of them. 🙂
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[…] Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays: Halloween […]
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Cuter than cute!
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