Author Archives: Kat Myrman

December 20, 2016

Twittering Tales #9 – 20 December 2016

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt, and your mission, if you choose to play along, is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less.

If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing us a new prompt.

Have Fun!

Here are the results for Twittering Tales #8 based on this photograph from last week:

From Michael at Morpethroad Morpethroad:

Christmas eve it’s just us. The cold is all around us save for the fire in the hearth. We snuggle close, its where we want to be. Together.
(140 Characters)

From Ladyleemanila:

flames licking the logs
warming glow, crackle, sparkle
keeping each other warm
ecstasy and passion felt
ah! the love for each other
(127 Characters)

From Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:

She loved a good fire. So warmed her heart and her pyromaniac soul.
(67 Characters)

From Willowdot:

Glowing logs capture the imagination.
Dreams arrive in concentration
Memories fill us with happy contemplation.
Yule tide celebration.
(137 Characters)

From Pat at Black Cat Alley:

Swarthy skin, crocodile grin, she sold herself to the devil; fire-whiskey lipped, slip of the tongue – she can’t recall the terms of use.
(137 Characters)

From Elsie at Ramblings of a Writer:

Watching that flame burning the wood reminded me it’s summer in New Zealand, please be careful when lighting fires.

Beware of forest fires.
(138 Characters)

From Kathryn at AnotherFoodieBlogger:

The large beam that held up the farmhouse fell crashing to the ground into the engulfing fire. At that point Jenny knew it was a total loss.
(140 Characters)

From Sonali at Howling with the Wolf:

The flames lapped at her feet, ground unsteady, yet she still wielded her weapon, held her stance.

The real fire was in her eyes.
(128 Characters)

From Poetry Joy:

Logs crackled in the hearth. Flames licked higher and he wondered what it would take to light even a spark in his dark, world-weary heart.
(138 characters)

and from me:

Nothing warmed her heart more than a crackling fire, hot cocoa and a few banned books to burn; freedom of speech and expression be damned.
(139 Characters )

What an awesome collection of Twittering Tales we had this week. So many different takes on this prompt. Thank you everyone for playing along!

See this week’s prompt photo below:

_________________________________________________________________

Twittering Tales #9 – 20 December 2016

Photo from Pixabay.com

“It seemed like a good idea. They would wait for the perfect moment to snap a selfie. But the waves were larger than they thought!”

kat ~ 20 December 2016
(129 Characters)

32 Comments | tags: 140 characters, Challenge, twittering tales | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Flash Fiction, Humor, Twitter Tales

December 19, 2016

Winter Song – Magnetic Poetry Monday – 19 December 2016

By Kat Myrman

bird on a bough
deep in sweet song
happily she seasons
the cold winds of winter
and earth’s quiet browning
blanketed in frosting
she must be warmed
by memories of spring

kat – 19 December 2016
(Magnetic Poetry – Nature Kit)

10 Comments | tags: bird, Magnetic Poetry, nature kit, song, Winter | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Magnetic Poetry, Poetry

December 18, 2016

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 December 2016

By Kat Myrman

Happy Sunday! We had a beautiful full moon this week. I love the Roman word for moon, Luna. Considered the feminine counterpart to the masculine Sol, for the sun, Luna has been a favorite subject of artists and writers, her beautiful full face, an illuminated fixture in night sky.

Though earth revolves around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth. She always shows us her face, each facet glowing with the same intensity. Some would say that she is only a dark orb of rock, a pale reflection of the sun’s light but I believe she makes the light accessible to us. We cannot gaze for long at Sol’s blustering, spitting face. Luna filters that intensity and softens the destructive nature of the Sol’s all-consuming, blinding fierceness. She bends the light so we can gaze upon it. She often calls us to reflect, to hope, to dream. And she is by no means weak or powerless. She commands the night sky, dipping her finger into the oceans causing them to swell in the rising of the tides. Even when the earth blocks her face from the light, she is there, unchanged, surrounded by a host of stars.

Luna, with her feminine traits, causes me to reflect on a few important truths about being female, despite what we have been encouraged to believe. It is interesting that I started this week with a reminder to love oneself and ended it with a comforting recipe that I share every year with my daughters. In the same way, I feel compelled to share this “recipe”; a list of affirmations on what it is to be female in this man dominated world. And to the beautiful men reading this…it is not my intention to dismiss your magnificent traits. It is the times we are in. With so many ugly words and actions directed toward women, I feel we need to be reminded who we are.

You are a woman…
You are a compliment and partner, not a pale or lessor reflection of man.
You have a purpose and a path, you are not a possession that needs keeping.
You are mysterious and intuitive.
You are strong.
You are powerful.
You are beautiful.
You are vibrant, not a cold, inanimate object.
You are a hearth keeper with the ability to contain and soften the intensity of raging fires, warming those around you.
You are fierce.
You are a co-creator of life.
You are a nurturer.
No attempts to control you will ever change these truths.
You are a woman.

…and here is today’s Shi Sai..

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 18 December 2016

Remember to love yourself my friends
we are a long fall from Eden
fair Luna owns the night sky
nothing warmed her heart more than a crackling fire
it is quite a rush
always thought ye were a legend though,
peaches, cream and sweet kisses
it’s just horsefeathers
murmurs of spring…
So just as I would tell my daughters from memory each winter, I’m sharing my recipe with you.

~kat

7 Comments | tags: being female, Luna, Shi Sai, week in Reverse | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Week in Review

December 17, 2016

Easy Potato Soup – The Ultimate Comfort Food

By Kat Myrman

Every year, when the weather chills I get a litany of calls from grocery store aisles. The conversations go something like this:

“Hi mom, I’m at the store. Tell me what I need to make potato soup.”

And I smile and happily recount the list of simple ingredients as memories swirl in my head from days gone by when my four daughters were little and my pocketbook was lean. There is nothing like this simple staple to warm hearts and fill hungry bellies. It’s the ultimate comfort food.

This year, as my brood gathers for the holidays, soups and chewy ciabatta bread is on the menu. One of my son-in-laws will be replicating the Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana (it’s his specialty!) and me? You guessed it! Potato soup!

Now you will find all sorts of fancy and elaborate recipes online and in cook books. Some require broths and other ingredients like chicken or ham, broccoli, carrots or cheese. My recipe is all about paying homage to an amazing nightshade edible tuber, the esteemed pomme de terre, the magnificent potato!

So just as I would tell my daughters from memory each winter, I’m sharing my recipe with you.

Ingredients for a Crowd

5 lbs of Red Potatoes, peeled and quartered

1-2 sweet onions, chopped

2 12-oz cans of evaporated milk

1 cup of butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound)

1 TBS salt (plus more to taste)

2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Optional: cornstarch to thicken

Place onions, potatoes and salt in a large stockpot. Add enough water to completely cover the potatoes. Boil, uncovered until the potatoes are soft.

Remove from the heat. Don’t drain the water. Using a potato masher break up the potatoes, leaving several small lumps. (If your pot is too deep you can transfer the potatoes into a bowl to mash.)

Blend in the evaporated milk and butter. If your soup is too soupy, you can use a tablespoon or so of cornstarch to thicken. Have a taste and season to your liking, adding the pepper and additional salt.

And if you must, you can always add the extras I mentioned above. My kids like to add shredded cheese and bacon bits. Me? I like it simple. Warm, smooth, filling. The perfect dish on a cold sleety day! Yummy in my tummy! Stay warm everyone!