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About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.

Through My Eyes

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This rather large creature showed up on my deck the other day. I’m not a big fan of creepy-looking bugs, so I was none too pleased to see it lounging there in the sun as if waiting for me to fetch an iced tea and a straw.

“Would you like your tea with a squish of lemon?”

“Uh… did you say ‘squish’?” The creature eyed me nervously. Or at least I think it did. With those shimmering eyes it’s hard to tell where it may have been looking.

“Did I? That must have been a swat. A slap. Er, I mean a slip. What I meant to say  was a ‘slice’ of lemon.”

The creature shifted from one foot to the other. To the other… to the other…

“Everyone thinks my kind are terrible, and they just want us dead. Okay, so we suck blood. And spread diseases. And harm livestock.”

“And your point is?” I paused, boot in mid-air just inches above the creature’s head.

“Just try to see the world through my eyes.”

“Through your eyes?” I bent down to study the gleaming, striped, colorful shields that I assumed were the creature’s eyes.

“Yes. Look deeeeep into my eyes.” The creature began to sway back and forth. “You’re getting sleeeeepy….”

I could barely keep my head up. I just wanted to lay down and rest.

“When I count to ten, you’ll see things as I do.”

“You can count to ten? But you’re just a bug!”

“One… two… ”

I tried to blink, to turn away, but I couldn’t. The creature’s voice droned on.

“Eight… nine… ten! Now look at me and tell me what you see.”

I flicked my wings and shuffled my six feet.

“Wow! Words cannot describe!” I marveled. “But you know what? I suddenly have a thirst for blood.”

“Great! Let’s go find another unsuspecting human!”

And with that, we buzzed away into the sunny, blue sky.

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JNW’s Halloween Challenge: creature

Under the Full Moon

We all know that seemingly ordinary folks turn into werewolves during full moons, right? Well, they’re not the only ones to transform.

Take my seemingly innocent dog Chules for example. He loves to go out and explore in the moonlight.

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But sometimes… he morphs into:

a charging bear

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or a lone wolf

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howling at the moon

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or maybe a rearing stallion

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or a zombie!

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Scariest of all is when he turns into

a hyena!

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Fortunately, once the full moon begins to wane, he turns back into his lovable self.

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What creatures do you see when you venture out on a full moon?


The Daily Press weekly photo challenge: Transmogrify
JNW’s Halloween Challenge: Full Moon

Graveyard by Day

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Clatsop Plains Pioneer Cemetery (est. 1846) in Clatsop County, Oregon USA

I grew up playing (respectfully) in this cemetery. It doesn’t look too scary now, but as a child, I had all sorts of imaginings about what might be lurking in the trees, or about stumbling across — or into — a sunken grave, or hearing otherworldly rustlings and voices just behind me.

And while it looks innocent enough by day, you still won’t find me going there after dark.

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JNW’s Halloween Challenge: Graveyard.

Grave Warning

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If you be brave, pass through this gate
but be forewarned there death awaits.
On this dark night, old headstones glow.
Bones shift and stir in graves below.

Outstretched limbs point to the sky.
Leaves rustle as fanged bats pass by.
When midnight tolls on Halloween,
ghosts rise to haunt this eerie scene.

The gate will close as morning nears.
Those trapped inside will disappear.
Next Halloween when the gate swings wide
they’ll at last return from the other side.


JNW’s Halloween Challenge: Gate

The Great Escape

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If only Leroy had distracted the guards a bit longer, they  would have made it over the fence to freedom.

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Leroy had warned them to wait for nightfall before storming the fence, but they didn’t listen.

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Leroy said the grass was greener on the other side, but some had been behind bars so long it had begun to grow on them.

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Leroy gave up on helping the captive trees and went back to the greener grass.


JNW’s Halloween Challenge: Forest/Plants

Shiny Things

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The Daily Post weekly photo challenge topic this week is Shine.

The challenge as posed:

Has something bright or reflective caught your eye in the moment? Share a photo of something you were able to explore a bit!

When I was considering what “shiny” things I had seen lately, I remembered the creek where I had hiked a couple of weeks ago. I looked through the photos I had taken that day. Even though it was a cloudy morning, the light of day reflected off the water as it rippled over the smooth rocks of the river bed, creating a shiny ribbon that rolled past me and disappeared into the lush greenery crowding its banks.

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But I kept reviewing photos and came across a set that I took just two days ago, but had not really given any thought to after loading them onto my laptop. I had arrived at an appointment early, and rather than sit in the office waiting room, I walked down the second floor hallway to where I could see light coming in through a window.

Through the window was a view of a rain gutter attached to a first floor roof overhang. Leaves had blocked some of the rainwater from flowing into the downspouts, and it made a shiny thin line reflecting the (once again) cloudy sky. Of course I took a photo.

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When I turned away from the window, I saw a drinking fountain with two brass and steel basins reflected off a mirrored back splash. Shiny indeed! And of course I took photos.

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That is, until I saw a woman watching me through a nearby office door. Her expression was that of someone about to call security to report a loiterer taking random photos of plumbing fixtures. Not shiny at all. I retreated down the hallway to my designated office waiting room.

I wish more things in my life were shiny. My car… my windows…  I should probably stop photographing rain gutters and do something about that. Maybe on the next sunshiny day. Around here, that pretty much gives me until July to get it done.