Thanks for the Honor: One Lovely Blog Award

October 13, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

A big thank you to Sandi for nominating my site for the “One Lovely Blog Award.” I have only recently met Sandi through the Blogging 101 course and have found her blog, Sappy as a Tree, wonderful inspiration and a welcome read. Thank you Sandi for nominating me. I humbly accept.

Now, for the seven fun facts about me, the woman in the Cow Pasture:

I have a Master’s Degree in Nursing Administration.
My career spanned from delivering babies to end of life Hospice Care.
During my career, I was the first Bone & Tissue Transplant Coordinator for Red Cross, covering seven counties in the state of SC.
I have 8 grandchildren.
I spent 10 days in Paris this past April with my youngest daughter, for her birthday.
My first published article was, “How Do I Ask?” published in 1989 in Nursing ’89 on transplantation.
My favorite genre to read and write is crime. I love exploring the dark edge of humanity.

I happily pass on the nomination to the following 15 blogs (in no particular order). The rules to accept the award are as follows:

* Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
* Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post.
* Share 7 facts/or things about yourself
* Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform the nominees by commenting on their blog.

Fiction Notes

Good Conversation- A Wonderful Dream

October 12, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

DAILY PROMPT

Counting Voices

A lively group discussion, an intimate tête-à-tête, an inner monologue — in your view, when it comes to a good conversation, what’s the ideal number of people

Oh to have conversations once again, what a wonderful dream. However, with a cell phone in every persons hand, and texting thumb a new medically recognized ailment, I can’t say I expect much in the way of great conversation anymore.

I’m not a fan of crowds. I find them too loud and an impossible environment to carry on a good conversation. However, should one be so fortunate as to find another individual willing and able to participate in the lost art can be fun, exciting and widen one’s social circle.

I enjoy the give and take of conversation, two to six people is fine with me as long as the others participating understand conversation etiquette.

Turn your phone off and put it away.
Make good eye contact.
Ask questions, participate.
Listen actively.
Pay attention to body language.
Don’t be boring by rambling on.
Be attentive to the others and their interest.
Don’t monopolize or get on a soapbox.

Here’s hoping we all have the opportunity for more conversation.

Enough, Already!

October 11, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

DAILY PROMPT
Ready, Set, Done
10 minutes. You and your keyboard (or smartphone. Or tablet. Or pen and paper). No pauses, no edits, no looking back: it’s free-write time!

I’ve had enough. Our society, the country is off it’s rocker. Case in point, an article published by The National Review, October the 8th, regarding the “Gender sensitivity training of teachers in the Lincoln Public School system.

Training materials came from Gender Spectrum, an organization with the goal of, “Providing education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for children of all ages.”

Nebraska took it to the extreme, these training materials encouraged teachers to:

“Don’t use phrases such as ‘boys and girls,’ ‘you guys,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen,’ and similarly gendered expressions to get kids’ attention,”
“Create classroom names and then ask all of the ‘purple penguins’ to meet on the rug,” it advises.
Teachers are encouraged to hang signs on their classroom doors insisting that “all genders” are welcome while discontinuing the time-tested practice of lining boys and girls up separately before leaving class.
“Always ask yourself … ‘Will this configuration create a gendered space?'” the document says.”
Educators should prominently display photographs of gender-benders in the classroom, the new policy insists, and give students at least four choices when it is imperative that gender be determined (girl, boy, both, or neither).

Are you kidding me? As if our kids approaching puberty aren’t confused enough. According to the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), between 0.1% and 0.2% of live births are ambiguous enough to become the subject of specialist medical attention. Did you catch that, 0.1% of the population!

Are we simply going to sit back and allow a minority of 0.1% erase the identity of our children and future generations? Because that’s what will happen. Erase male and female roles from our society? We might as well make eunuchs of everyone and have all future children fertilized in test tubes. Ridiculous!

In the guise of political correctness and inclusiveness, we as a society, afraid to speak for fear of being labeled, are allowing the tail to wag the dog. Shame on you Nebraska and shame on all of us who have remained silent up to now.

Enough already. If there is a child or adult with issues, by all means provide assistance. But, leave the rest the hell alone. Our society is screwed up enough.

My Undoing

October 7, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups # 151

The prompt for this week: …as I rose in the dark…

My eyes fluttered open to an unfamiliar room. The cool touch of silk sheets lay across my naked body. I turned to look at my companion. His hair tousled in sleep with lashes long and dark as his hair, lay facing me.

My heart skipped. Memories of his touch awakened the desire to touch his lips and trace the smile that had been my undoing.

As I rose in the dark to dress, I noticed the white line on his ring finger, picked up my purse, and let myself out.