I’m writing this a day before publication (since I’ll be busy) so I don’t know how the views/votes for the “U” stories is progressing. Not well, I’d wager. Not a big deal since we have enough votes to declare a winner (one vote). OK, OK, I know a few readers are still planning to vote, so I’m assuming by the end of the round, we’ll have at least two votes. If we get three votes, I can hope for a three-way tie.  

If you are a reader of our stories and someone who votes, thank you in advance for casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge U-Stories” are HERE(link) Votes will be accepted until noon, Chicago time, on Wednesday, December 16th.

OK, so these are the last photos from a Still Life contest I had entered. I mean, I had more, but this rounds up the ones I thought worth-while sharing.

Two things about this set of photos. One, I’m not going to explain what you are looking at. Two, I’m presenting them in reverse order of how much I like them.

I mean, like all parents, I’ll say I like each one as much as the others, but, you know, in a different way.

The “U” stories are still struggling to generate views (let alone votes). Not sure what’s going on, but I assume it has a bit to do with the world going to crap, the holidays, and COVID-19 parked on everyone’s minds. 

As this is, has been, and will be an effort just for the fun of it, it means the drastic reduction in readership is of no practical consequence . . . other than to the fragile egos of the writers. Poor sods are anxiously following the poll and watching their self-esteem shrivel-up. It’s actually worse for the other two writers than for me since I’m not the one mailing out notices to friends and family. Anyway . . .   

If you are a reader of our stories and someone who votes, thank you in advance for casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge U-Stories” are HERE(link) Votes will be accepted until noon, Chicago time, on Wednesday, December 16th.

I’m continuing with photos from a Still Life contest I had entered. Today’s photos can be said to be loosely related; not quite a theme, per se, but at least peripherally related.

Yes, them be toothpicks for people with very big gaps between their teeth (or massive cavities). OK, OK . . . they’re crochet needles and a few other implements I’d be hard-pressed to name.

The “U” stories voting block is off to a non-roaring start. Odd that, as I’d have thought Thanksgiving week would be the one to fall light in readership and voting.

But, no . . . it falls on the “U” stories to rein in the head of voting steam from the last few voting blocks. It’s OK . . . heck, early on we had voting rounds barely breaking into the teens (as far as votes are concerned). Of course, we all know what this means . . . the “V” block better offer up amazing stuff so that we might recapture our audience.  

If you are a reader of our stories and someone who votes, thank you in advance for casting a vote for your favorite of the three. Links to the stories and the poll for voting for “Alphabet Challenge U-Stories” are HERE(link) Votes will be accepted until noon, Chicago time, on Wednesday, December 16th.

Yesterday, I posted a few photos from a Still Life contest I had entered. No, I did not win and you can probably see why . . .

The thing is, I presented them as photos. I should have done paintings. Everything looks better in paintings. Well, nearly everything.