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Writing means different things to me. I'm a storyteller, a book editor, and a songwriter. For me, it's like breathing.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Weird Word Wednesday

dawn horse
noun
Popularity: Bottom 10% of words
Definition of dawn horse
:  eohippus

any of a genus (Hyracotherium syn. Eohippus) of very small primitive horses from the Lower Eocene having 4-toed forefeet and 3-toed hind feet

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Monday Musings: Snow on Lake Havasu mountains photograph


We had snow on the Lake Havasu mountains back in March of 2016. I'm posting the picture now because it is so hot here, I thought this might help me cool off. Maybe it will work for other people trying to endure the hot summer. I think it's working. LOL I already feel a little cooler.

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.


Beauty may be the real beast.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Weird Word Wednesday

daw
verb \ˈdȯ, ˈdä\
Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
Definition of daw
chiefly Scottish
intransitive verb
:  dawn
Origin of daw
Middle English, from Old English dagian; akin to Old High German tagēn to dawn, Old English dæg day


First Known Use: 13th century

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Weird Word Wednesday

daven
verb  da·ven \ˈdä-vən, ˈdȯ-\
Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
Definition of daven
intransitive verb
:  to recite the prescribed prayers in a Jewish liturgy
Origin of daven
Yiddish davnen

First Known Use: circa 1930

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast.



Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Weird Word Wednesday

daimyo
noun,  dai·myo \ˈdī-mē-ˌō, -(ˌ)myō\
Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
Definition of daimyo
plural daimyo or daimyos also daimio or daimios
:  a Japanese feudal baron

Variants of daimyo
also daimio play \ˈdī-mē-ˌō, -(ˌ)myō\
Origin of daimyo
Japanese daimyō

First Known Use: 1727

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.


Beauty may be the real beast.

Monday, August 08, 2016

Monday Musings: There is life in the desert

Most people think the desert is barren and devoid of any life. I thought that was true until I moved to the desert. The abundance of plant and animal life here astounded me. All you have to do is open your eyes and ears to experience it.


Most mornings I awaken to the odd, rhythmic sound of a quail calling to his family or the shrill calls of the very vocal grackle. I watch humming birds buzz around my feeder, listen to mourning doves cooing. I see rabbits, lizards, roadrunners, owls, bats, even snakes. Mocking birds often fill the air with their “mocking” cries.



We just moved to a house that backs up to a wash and it is full of life. Dozens of chipmunks live in burrows along the wash. They socialize with their neighbors, the rabbits and birds. When a chipmunk senses danger, it sends out a loud trilling noise to warn the other chipmunks.



On quiet nights, the chilling howls from coyotes ring out. When I hear that sound, my skin prickles because it signifies they have caught something.

We don’t have thick, luscious green pine trees here, but there are numerous plants and trees that flourish without the need for much water. My favorite is the palo verde tree. In the spring, its green branches sprout yellow flowers. Its pods also provide food for the various animals.


Many types of cactus grow here in the desert. In spring, beautiful flowers bloom among the sharp, menacing spines. Cactus wrens build their nests in the cactus, probably for protection from predators.


Life is everywhere here. On the stark surface, beneath a sweltering sun, it can be deceiving. But in the early hours of the morning and just before sunset, the animals come out to gather food, rabbits and chipmunks scurry from bush to bush, and the birds fill the air with their excited chatter. It’s so serene and beautiful here in the desert I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast.



Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Weird Word Wednesday

dago
noun,  da·go \ˈdā-(ˌ)gō\
Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
Definition of dago
plural dagos or dagoes
usually offensive
:  a person of Italian or Spanish birth or descent
See dago defined for English-language learners
Origin of dago
alteration of earlier diego, from Diego, a common Spanish given name


First Known Use: 1832

Kelley Heckart
Otherworldly tales steeped in myth & magic.

Beauty may be the real beast.