Scribere quid cogitas


A WRITER'S CHRONICLE


16th Edition - Sunday 16th January 2022


INDEX

The Reason

When all hope is lost and you can see no future, all you need is a reason to go on.



Submission by @StephiSimone

#Vss365 (#Reason)


She was drowning in life's pity unable to save herself.

Then he appeared, with death's umbilical cord wrapped around his tiny neck.

He struggled for breath but he never stopped fighting.

He prevailed; he lived and so did she.

From that day, he became her #reason.


Fruity Haiku

A sweet little haiku describing winter's sunrises.



Submission by @Barbara52744094

#Vss365 (#watermelon)


winter kisses sky
#watermelon sunrises
seasons sweet embrace


Busy Little Bees


When I heard that there was an apiarist in the community, my ears pricked up. My grandfather had been an apiarist and, whilst that was a long time ago, I retained my fascination for, and support of, beekeepers.

Yes, an apiarist is a beekeeper. However, that is rather an obvious understatement.

No one simply keeps bees. A keeper has to know the societal structure of the hive, the roles and functions of the members and the needs and wants of those in their care.

Who is this superhero? I hear you ask. Our very own @janajwrites, who knows quite a lot of those things previously mentioned. Over to Jana for some rather interesting facts...

I have been a beekeeper for five years. On my worst day, I was stung 37 times. On my best day, I bottled ten gallons of honey. Beekeeping has been quite the journey, and I've learned a lot of interesting things along the way that I thought would be fun to pass on. So, here are some little-known facts about bees:

• All worker bees are female, which means every bee you've ever seen has been a girl.

• In fact, 95% of the bees in a hive are female and they all have a specific job. There are nurse bees, guard bees, queen attendants, and foragers to name a few.

• The remaining 5% are male and they are called drones. Drones cannot sting and do not have a job in the hive. They just kind of lie around and eat, until they eventually leave the hive in search of queen for mating. Their love affair is short-lived though, as drone bees are ripped in two when trying to separate from the queen.

• Each hive only has one queen - although, on rare occasions, a hive can have two, but it's unusual. Typically, a hive has one queen, and she lays all the eggs for the entire hive, which can be as many as 2,000 eggs in one day! Fertilized eggs become female bees and non-fertilized eggs become drones.

• The queen does not mate with any of the drones in her hive, as these would be her sons. In fact, she only goes out on one mating flight, ever, shortly after she hatches. She mates with as many drones as she can in that one day, then returns to the hive full of fertilized eggs and never leaves again.

The queen (red dot) is a larger than the other bees as can be seen in the picture.


• Because drones don't really contribute to the hive, when winter approaches any remaining drones are kicked out of the hive by the worker bees. They drag them outside, then leave them out there to freeze to death. When they try to come back in, they won't let them.

• In the winter, the bees form a cluster in the center of the hive around the queen and shiver to generate heat. They take shifts in turn feeding themselves and the queen.

• The most common kind of beehive is called a Langstroth hive. A Langstroth hive just looks like a stack of wooden boxes. I have all Langstroth hives now, but also used to have two top bar hives. Top bar hives are basically a long, horizontal box and they can't be expanded, which is why I stopped using them.

A five tier Langstroth hive. A level can be added, or removed, as necessary. The structure is more complex internally.


• Bees can fly up to three miles to gather nectar, and a bee will only make about a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

• A queen bee can live 2-3 years, but a worker bee only lives about 6-8 weeks. They basically work the whole time, and work themselves to death.

• Bees die when they sting you, so they really don't want to sting. If a bee comes around you, stay calm. If you are still, it will check you out and keep flying, it's just curious. Don't swat, that's when they get scared and become aggressive.

We all know bees are vitally important for pollinating the foods that we need to live. So, how can you help them? Plant colorful blooms or a vegetable garden! And, if you ever see a bee struggling or hanging out in one place for a long time, they are probably exhausted from their flight and need some food! Mix one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of sugar until dissolved, then set it next to them on a spoon or shallow plate. You'll watch them perk back up as they drink, and you might even realize that bees... well, they aren't so scary after all.



Let's look after those bees peeps. We need them to pollinate our food crops.

I've heard that Jana gets a little more involved with bees than simply looking after those in her hives, and I'm hoping she'll come back another time and tell us more about these other activities.


WordSquare
WordSquare #012

Words must be a minimum of 3 letters long.

They must contain the letter in the shaded square.

Only the letters in the square can be used.

There is at least one 9-letter word in each square.


WordSquare #011 Solution

9 letters

INGENIOUS

8 letters

ENGINOUS, UNIONISE

7 letters

ENSUING, GUENONS, GUNNIES, IGNEOUS, INGENOUS, INGINES, INOSINE, INSIGNE, NOISING, SEINING

6 letters

ENNOGS, ENNUIS, ENSIGN, GENIUS, GEUNON, INGENU, INGINE, INGOES, INIONS, IONISE, NONUSE, SINING, SOIGNE, UNIONS. UNISON

5 letters

ENNOG, ENNUI, EOSIN, GENII, GENUS, INION, NEGUS, NEONS, NINES, NISEI, NOISE, NONES, NONGS, NONIS, NOUNS, OUENS, SEGNI, SGNOE, SENGI, SINGE, SONNE, SUING, UNION, USING

4 letters

ENGS, EONS, GENS, GENU, GIEN, GINN, GINS, GNUS, GONE, GONS, GUNS, INGO, INGS, INNS, IONS, NEGS, NEON, NIES, NONE, NONG, NONI, NOSE, NOUN, NOUS, NUGS, NUNS, ONES, ONIE, ONUS, SIEN, SIGN, SINE, SING, SNOG, SNUG, SONE, SONG, SUNG, SUNI, SUNN, UNIS

3 letters

ENG, ENS, EON, GEN, GIN, GNU, GON, GUN, ING, INN, INS, ION, NEG, NIE, NIS, NOG, NUG, NUN, NUS, ONE, ONS, SEN, SIN, SON, SUN, UNI, UNS



Dead Flowers

Flowers at the end of their lives remind us of the fragile and temporary nature of life.



Submission by @ViolaDawnAuthor

#SatSplat


Broken days are these
Dried dead flowers in the breeze
To rot with such ease


Irridescent Beach

Sunset Beach, North Carolina, USA



Video courtesy of @AbandonMansion



Loss

When you lose someone, you lose a part of yourself and that pain never leaves you to recover and regain peace of mind.



Submission by @NarlenBrando

#Hashtag (#Prompt)



My voice a
Mute Gift
A silent Life
SCREAMING
& Whispering
& Tears
My misery has
Never had company
And if that Fickle
B!tch finds me
Silence will be the only
Promise Ever Kept
Scrolls of Daydreams
Yours and Mine
Can Climb
And build mountains
To the Sky
For others to read

Dedicated to Valerie.


My Best Disguise

You must ask yourself, do you truly see me for who I am, or is this just a disguise?



Submission by @AmellMirai

#Vss365 (#disguise)



My goodbyes
Are never see you later
You listen to
What you want to hear

My shadows
lurk behind my brightest light
You see my presence
Like dead stars shining at night

If truths make the perfect lies
I am nothing
But, my best #disguise

Image courtesy of pngfind.com


Frenemies?

Mothers understand the needs and hurts of other mothers, no matter what differences lie between them.



Submission by @ArvindIyer15
#Vss365 (#enemy)





Image courtesy of @ArvindIyer15

"Why do you choose to help me?" the wild cat asked, her eyes brimming with emotion "I've always been your #enemy"

"Because as long as I've known you, we've both been mothers" the little songbird said, as she took to the skies to scan the forest for the cat's missing cubs.


Supportive?

Is the community on Twitter as supportive as everyone says it is? Have you been supportive of others?



Or is it the same old highschool story of a popularity system?
Is ability, talent, or writing sometimes sacrificed to the great god popularity?
Care to prove it? Be supportive and simply like the work for what it is, not who wrote it.
Retweet if you think the work is worthy of more attention.
Support newcomers/new talent/new styles.


Moon Over The Bay

A full moon shines over the bay and the hungry camera takes its fill of glittering coastline and pale night sky.





Photograph courtesy of @VictoriaRosePhD


Future Articles

There are certain areas of the writing community that are under-represented here, which is mainly due to my lack of involvement in those areas. That does not mean that these genres/areas/topics are excluded. If you have any articles tweets, stories, anecdotes to share then do, please, submit them for consideration.

Feel free to let me know of any notable tweets, artwork, photos, videos, incidents of interest, and I'll check them out for inclusion in the first edition of the new year.


Fiery Sunset

I captured this sunset yesterday. It's the view from my workspace but I'm not usually there late enough to see this.





Photograph courtesy of @StephiSimone


Invisible

It is a chill sensation to know that you are not even seen by someone in whom you've placed your trust.



Submission by @mila255h
#Vss365 (#disguise)



I fear the severity of loneliness.
A life best lived in service to others masks the #disguise of longing.
Romance not on the cards til I took chances.
I gambled on you eons ago, yet you betrayed as assuredly as the moon shines nightly.
Invisibility my mockery of solitude


You Can Do It

The truth behind "I'm fine" isn't the end of hope. It is the beginning.



Submission by @MissVerse_



So many faces
So many lies
Smiles and laughter
While buried alive
Years of perfecting
The phrase I'm fine
Battling the company
Of regret and misery

Beginnings are written
Not the finale
Change the story
With time you'll find
The right chapter to write

Original image courtesy of pngAAA.com


Seduction

How tantalising of poetry to dare to seduce the unwary and leave them in breathless anticipation.



Submission by @poetkisses



versed intoxications
edging her naughty
closer
to their manifestations
she blushes,
incandescent
soaking
in everything he pens
she shivers
her lips,
swollen
start to covet
and devour
every word
as if
eternally in starvation
she quivers
and prays
to consume
his poetry
'til delirium


A Solo Performance?

Have you ever wondered if you share the thoughts of another or are you truly alone in this existence?



Submission by @storiesin_howls

#AtreyasVerse (#chorus of shadows)



does the chorus of shadows sing to you too
are those lyrics echoing in your head as well
that we could have had it all
in another world

or

is it just me
am I thinking too much
and you not at all
cause for you it's past and gone
am I dancing with the demons alone?

Motionless Reflection

Take the time to be content with your own company and enjoy knowing you can be still, and feel strong doing it.



Submission by @Dinkintown

#Vss365 (#serenade)



Listening to the wind
#Serenade the sky
Leaves scurrying
To find shelter
Birds nestled together
Smells like Fall weather
Sipping peach ginger tea
Reflecting on Me
Taking in the power
Of being still.

Original image courtesy of pngitem.com


Post Mortem

Something is going round murdering people. Detectives are stumped so, who better to investigate? Someone who can communicate with the dead!



Submission by @Michaelbigchees

#Vss365 (#glimmer)



See the slight #glimmer of magic lingering in the air.

Regular uniforms, and Detectives are unaware of the deep purples and greens of mystical residue.

Give the lead the look.
She knows the drill.
Clears the room.

Speak with the victims.
They'll tell me what killed them.


Lord Of The Meadow

Many pictures of trees have passed before my eyes on the timeline, but this one had me staring. A majestic tree cloaked in winter's robes.





Photograph courtesy of @Sunstormed


The Quest For Spring

Here is the first part of a story that has been inspired by the "Lord of the Meadow" photograph by @sunstormed.

PART 01

The fox sniffed the bitter cold air. His breath steaming. His eyes restless; ears twitching. He was being watched.

A raven, possibly the first to arrive, was roosting in the upper branches, and there was the scent of another.

Tiny black eyes peered at him from the foot of the trunk, but they swiftly disappeared when the creature curled into a bundle of spines.

"A wise precaution, little one." The fox quietly growled his acknowledgement of the safety measures undertaken by the timid creature. "But it is unnecessary. I am not here to hunt."

"Liar!" The raven screeched and flew down to harass the predator.

A slight duck of the head avoided the miserable wretch's attempt at intimidation. "Not on this occasion, carrion breath." The fox snorted as if to remove the foul stench of the raven's breath from his nostrils. "I have been summoned."


Images courtesy of
(Hedgehog) : pngegg.com     (Fox) : pngonly.com     (Raven) : pngwing.com