Friday, March 30, 2018

Common Canine Commands


1. Sit. If a dog can sit, than they are a good pup.
2. Stay. A hard command for some pups, who just want to follow their person everywhere.
3. Come. The call to come is one that, if obeyed, often leads to treats or a head rub.
4. Lay down. Because a standing pup can make a great roadblock, while one laying down is merely a speed bump.
5. Roll over. These two sweet words pave the way to belly rubs.
6. Fetch. The command to play, to play with both person and toy! Some dogs love to fetch, while others never seem to fully understand the concept.
7. Play dead. Sometimes the death is dramatic, with moans and leg twitches. Other times, the pup may have simply fallen asleep.
8. Heel. To walk beside your person is a wonderful feeling. To be trusted to remain by their side even while off the leash? That's fantastic.
9. Speak. To bark on command can be a great source of fun, but take the barking too far and your person might become annoyed.
10. Shake. The meeting of paw and hand is the best way to greet someone. It shows refinement of manners in a way that jumping up on them does not.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Springtime


When the snow melts, the flowers begin to bloom.
Bees buzz, and the birds wing home as the world warms.
Storms still rage on occasion, but the rain outweighs any late snow flurries.
Spring brings with it a hope of brighter days, after the long silence of winter's frozen gloom.
Brighter days, warmer winds. Oh, how the world cheerfully welcomes springtime!
For it is a time of new beginnings, a season of soft hearts and happy minds.
Spring brings with it a renewal of things, and sometimes a renewal is all that we need.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Yellow Things


1. Lemons.
2. Sunflowers.
3. Canaries.
4. Curry powder.
5. Christmas tree worms can be yellow.
6. Kokarit frogs.
7. Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies.
8. Yellowfin tuna.
9. Citrine.
10. Bananas, though some people prefer to eat them while they are still green.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Three Sisters


Once, there were three sisters who came to rest in a forest. The night was cold, and they decided to built a fire.
Only, the three sisters could not agree on how the fire should be built.
The eldest, who had the most melodious voice in the land, thought they should sing a song of summoning to get a salamander to light their fire.
The second sister, who was a student of magic, thought she should use the spell of Ignatius.
The youngest sister, who had spent time learning from the castle servants, suggested they use a bit of flint and steel.
The oldest two sisters laughed at the simplicity of their youngest sister's suggestion, then set to arguing with each other over which idea they would use.
After a little time, they decided to both attempt to light the fire, and whichever method worked first would be deemed the best.
And so the eldest sister began to sing, and voice echoing throughout the forest hauntingly.
Meanwhile, the second sister started to chant, an ominous air surrounding her with each word.
The youngest sister decided to give both if her sisters plenty of space, and so headed farther into the trees collect more wood for the eventual fire.
After some time, the eldest sister's song reached a crescendo right as the second sister shouted out part of her spell.
The ground shook, and a rumbling filled the air.
The wood they had gathered for the fire burst into flame as a dragon dropped down from the sky.
"My, what pretty snacks," the dragon growled as it snatched the two sisters in its claws. Loosing a bout of flame into the air, the dragon beat its wings and vanished back into the night sky.
When the youngest sister returned to their camp with her pile of wood, she knew not the fate of her two sisters.
And when she later returned to the castle, her mother had no choice but to name her the new heir to the throne.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Qualities of a Superhero


1. Bravery. It takes courage to run into burning buildings, chase vile villains with plans to rule the world, and do it all when the world might not like you because of your powers.
2. Compassion. If you didn't care about someone, you'd probably be a bad guy or staying out of everyone's way by pretending to be "normal".
3. Intelligence. Be it street smarts or multiple PhDs, a hero needs at least a bit of intelligence in order to not only survive, but thrive in their heroics.
4. Guilt. A little bit of regret and sorrow can help a hero stay a hero, for if they forget or become jaded toward their mistakes, a hero can lose sight of what it means to be a hero.
5. Adaptability. A hero who can think on their feet, use their surrounding to their advantage, and work through whatever chaos destroyed their plan is a hero who gets the job done.
6. Humility. The hero isn't always the smartest person in the room, and the hero can make mistakes. If the hero allows arrogance to cloud their judgment, then the hero won't last long.
7. Confidence. If the hero doesn't believe in themself, then no one else will either. A healthy level of confidence in their own abilities can serve the hero well in many situations.
8. Purpose. A hero without a purpose is a hero without a reason to fight. Why does the hero fight? What are they trying to accomplish, and why do they want it?
9. Honor. A hero who does not have honor is just as bad as the thugs they fight. A hero must pick what lines they will not cross, and then stick to those standards.
10. Hope. If the hero doesn't believe that there is something good to be had from all the effort being a hero costs, that the world can change for the better, and that their role in the future matters, then the price they must pay every day will destroy them. For a hero's life is not easy, nor does it come without a lot of suffering and pain. But if there is hope, then each day can be met head-on.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The Monsters of Bob


There are monsters on the land of Bob.
Some are hairy and scary, with long spikes down their back.
Others are small and quick, with nimble fingers that have eyes at each tip.
So what do the monsters do to pass each day?
Why, they sing songs made up of the unique sound each monster makes.
For in the land of Bob, each monster can make only one sound.
A growl or a hiss, a yowl or a groan.
Only the one sound, the sound that's their own.
But each Tuesday night, at just after eight o'three, the monsters all gather for a song jamboree.
They take their sound, and the make out loud.
Growl!
Roar!
Hiss!
Snarl!
Their sounds mingle together, and cause such a fright!
That none of the neighboring villages get any sleep on Tuesday nights!

Friday, March 9, 2018

It is Good to Laugh


1. Because laughter can make you feel better after a rough day.
2. A laugh can cause a chain reaction of laughs in those around you.
3. When something is funny, why not laugh about it?
4. Because it is usually better to laugh than to cry.
5. Laughter can bring people together.
6. The dog finds your laughter to be exciting.
7. Because laughing reminds the cat that he isn't always a creature of elegance.
8. It makes for an ice breaker at parties, so long as there is actually something worth laughing about.
9. Because laughing at things that scare you can make them less scary.
10. Being able to laugh at yourself can keep you from developing an over-inflated ego.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Down the Rabbit Hole


Down the rabbit hole, then left at the stream.
If you follow where the water flows, you'll find your dream.
But beware if you go looking, for not all is as it seems.
For in finding your dream, you may find yourself caught up in a nightmare's scheme.
Wherein hopes will be shattered, left to crumble at the seams.
And your past forgotten, drowned out by the screams.
Down the rabbit hole, in the land where no light gleams.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Dragons can Read


1. They can live for a long time. When you get to be over a hundred and three, you pick up a few skills.
2. Because knights aren't their only enemies. If you had a scholarly wizard flinging spells at your tail, wouldn't you study the same spellbooks they did?
3. When you hoard books, it isn't just for the smell.
4. Waiting for knights to come slay you gets boring after a while.
5. Because princesses are much nicer when the dragon who took them can gush with them about the current best-selling book series and what fictional couple is the best.
6. How else would a dragon know where to find the richest kingdoms? Ye Olde News is a great source when trying to add to your hoard.
7. Knowing your enemy is only half the battle, for it also pays to know what your enemy has recorded about you.
8. Because a good story isn't just amusing to humans.
9. Dragons are often more intelligent than humans, so why wouldn't they know how to read in multiple languages?
10. Misinformation is best spread when the heroes think that ancient scroll was written by some wise seer. The best way to fool them is to have read enough scrolls written by wise seers to know how to replicate the style.