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Writing Prompts! Pumpkins this Time..

Let’s Write About Pumpkins!

Hello! it’s been a while!

Well.. it’s October! 

And Pumpkins are all over the place! 

Worldwide, folks have a love affair with pumpkins and their warty cousins, the gourds! 

Pumpkin everything, it seems! 

I recently shared a post on Instagram- @brendawyatt_ a fun post called – Pick a Pumpkin! There were 7 images of Pumpkins- numbered. I asked them to pick their favorite pumpkin! Then I had instructions for the Writing Challenge with Pumpkin Prompts!

So, now I’m challenging All of you Writers, to give this a try? Why? it’s fun and really, sometimes we just need to Write for the Fun of it.

Most of us, including the Writers here, need Ideas! This one is Fun! And who knows? It may inspire you for your own post or more than one!

A few Tips!

1. The Texture- add details- not just ‘smooth and taunt’, the pumpkin also has a stem- what does that stem feel like? or the Inside of the Pumpkin? a totally different texture! right?

2. Sound. This is a good writing exercise. Why? Describe the ‘Thump’ as a baritone, or give it an adjective- The Thump was solid and strong. Or, I was expecting the Thump to sound hollow.. *finish the sentence.

3. With descriptive writing- What a pumpkin feels like inside? You decide? Will it be? Mushy. ‘I didn’t like the mess!’ or ‘I think the pumpkin didn’t like it that I was disturbing her insides!’ (that’s human characteristics) Which brings me to

4. Give your Pumpkin human characteristics– this is where the Fun really begins! ‘They always said, I’d be a Beauty when I grew up.’ or ‘I’ve always had a problem with my weight, now they tell me that my weight is my biggest asset!’ *I could go on and on… let’s get to

5. Describe the Color of the Pumpkin. Pumpkins come in various colors, especially now. You’ll see everything, from a ghostly white pumpkins, to a pale green, to dark, medium or pale orange. Describe the Color. Imagine your audience doesn’t have an Image to go by. Or, use color psychology! *I teach this, so I can tell you, Orange is almost always a ‘good hostess’.. off you go! Look up the other colors and when you describe your pumpkin, help me see it!

6. This is Emotion. It’s always good to practice Emotional Storytelling. Is the Pumpkin feeling anxious about leaving the Pumpkin Patch? or the Pumpkin excited to find a new home? You know how to do this!

7. Tell us Why you chose your Pumpkin. This one is getting close to home! You should write the emotions you felt choosing that particular pumpkin. What you are dreaming of using it for- decor? carving? toasting fresh pumpkin seeds? or you felt ‘the children would like it?

I don’t know about you, when I’m stuck? or have Writer’s Block– Sometimes, it’s just better to do something New! and Remember why we enjoy Writing in the first place! Drumroll please… I haven’t had writer’s block, I’ve been writing big Time!

BIG NEWS! I’ve been creating a New Online Course! It’s called ‘Writing Content with Confidence’ check it out, if you’d like to know more. It’s affordable, I promise!

The course starts out with a Challenge, it’s called the Writer’s Toolkit. And it has 3 Ways to Shake Loose Some Words! Another way of saying- If you’ve been Stuck or you feel your Writing could use an upgrade- I think they call it a ‘glow-up’ these days! And.. it’s a full blown course, not just a video and one measly download.

*If you’re signed up for my newsletter list? You received a bonus- October Prompts! November Prompts will be coming along soon! I hope to do the same to finish out December!

If you think you’d like to be on the newsletter list here’s the Form for my Newsletter! https://app.kit.com/forms/designers/5528529/edit!

I hope you’ll sign up! So many places to Write these days! Thank you, in advance for signing up!

Love y’all, Brenda

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 18 Comments

Autumn…

fall jeremy 4

There’s nothing stingy about Autumn… Generous words always describe the Colorful Wonders of Autumn. fall jeremy 8

Without a word spoken, her adjectives are Lavish, Splendid and Magnificent.

Reaching toward a Sapphire Sky…fall jeremy 9

the Treasures of Autumn are Emerald, Gold, Ruby, Copper, Amethyst and Bronze.

Autumn is the most generous of all seasons – fall jeremy 6

Rich and warm- she sheds her Abundant Harvest at the feet of fields and forest…fall- jeremy 1

No wonder thoughts of Home and Holidays open our hearts in Autumn.

Love y’all, Camellia

* Alabama in Autumn photographs are used with permission from Jeremy Miniard who so generously shares his talents with Camellia’s Cottage. Find him at jeremy-miniard.fineartsamerica.com

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 8 Comments

Abundant Fall…

For the Beauty of the Earth… for Seedtime and Harvest…

 

for Fields and Farms…

 

for Vines and Orchards…

 

And for Those who heard and answered the Ancient Call- ‘Be Fruitful and Multiply’…we are grateful. To the Creator of All, for Your faithfulness to provide the Beautiful Abundance of Fall, we thank You.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day! Love y’all, Camellia

*all photographs are obviously mine

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 32 Comments

Cornbread Patties…

DB7A8595-A4AF-4EAE-A968-756E7AC144A4Even though Cornbread and Biscuits are made in every region, we Southerners always think ours are the best! Biscuits seem to be the higher culinary art compared to Cornbread’s rustic texture. And the truth is, Cornbread has it’s roots in poverty, yet often graces the finest tables.  French trained Southern Chef Virginia Willis said it best:

 ‘…cornbread and barbeque are close to religion in the South… cornbread was the primitive Baptist to the Episcopalian biscuit, the all night tent revival to the prayer luncheon.’

Give Southerners a sack of cornmeal and- if they’ve lived here  more than a generation or two… they’ll have at least a half dozen variations that are based on the simple recipe for Cornbread. There’ll be no looking up recipes, it will be second nature as the Southern cook will know exactly which one to use for which meal.

  • Onion studded Hushpuppies are perfect with seafood,
  • Slender Corn Sticks seem to finish a big pot of chili or savory beef stew,
  • Long Pans of Cornbread Dressing must reside alongside a baked hen or roasted turkey…
  • a Pone of Cornbread goes with almost anything, though is true alchemy with our Barbeques,  Chicken and Dumplings and makes our Southern Vegetable Plates unforgettable.

It’s the lowly and quick Cornbread Patties which seem to enhance big steaming bowls of Vegetable Soup, Potato Soup or simple Lima Beans with true bliss.  Just a quick change in the amount of liquid to our regular Cornbread Batter, a spatula and a bit of oil heated in a Cast Iron Skillet as hot as the Devil’s Doorknob and before you know it…you’ll have a golden pile of Cornbread Patties! Here’s how you make ’em…5D35CC49-7912-42F0-BC0C-B9A7CE65F311

Camellia’s Cottage Cornbread Patties

  • In a mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 half cups of White Self Rising Cornmeal, 1 large egg whisked, enough water or milk to make a batter similar in texture to pancake batter except maybe thinner.
  • Vegetable Oil for frying (just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet)- these are not deep-fried!
  • Heat oil until very hot, with a small ladle pour batter into approximately 3 inch rounds.
  • Fry until there are bubbles around the edges of rounds and batter is set, carefully flip over and fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels.
  • Serve as soon as possible.  These are better when they are hot and crisp with a dab of butter.  Makes 18-20 small patties.

Now, I must say- I never heard Cornbread Patties called Johnny Cakes or Hoe Cakes (which I think of as a Yankee version with a heavier batter, y’all ) but I have heard Cornbread Patties called Fried Corn Pones. Now, bless your heart, call ’em whatever you want to, just don’t add one grain of sugar- these are meant to be savory!55E12AA3-EA48-4B2B-8305-4306291A8F49

The day I made mine, I sautéed some chopped baked ham and onion in a bit of bacon drippings, then steamed the fresh baby limas. Served warm in a bowl with cherry tomatoes, a baked sweet potato alongside and a sweet onion cut so thin you could see through the slices were extra good with these crispy little Cornbread Patties!

8DDA806A-5CC8-46C3-AE58-7BC4CC9F5616Oh my, I hope you’ll try a batch and substitute them for plain soda crackers when you make a big pot of soup this Fall!

Love y’all, Camellia

*Chef Virginia Willis is the author of a wonderful cookbook aptly named Bon Appetit, Y’all and has her own version of Cornbread Patties which she calls Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

*Photographs are obviously mine

Posted on by Camellia's Cottage · 31 Comments

Fall Forage…

It’s early Fall, when mornings are cooler, days are slowly but surely getting shorter and evening deep blue skies are a bit darker hue. Armed with clippers, I went out to see what I could see, a Fall Forage that inspired me to bring a bit of early autumn indoors to enjoy…IMG_0182

I found bright purple Beauty Berries, almost fluorescent in color, the Glory Bower’s pale blossoms are now magenta and dark blue berries…a few Figs still left unripe, leaves still crisp and green…plump and orange-y Rose Hips…IMG_0196

Lichen laden branches pale and ghostly alongside unripe celadon Nandina berries… Clipping and cutting, my bag was getting full and interesting…A papery hydrangea nodding her summer head.IMG_3484

Frilly ferns and fronds under leaves just thinking about changing to Fall colors. Chive seed heads bright and white cheerfully stood alongside unforgettable spidery blooms from a fall bulb I can’t recall! Lavender and pale blue wild blooms growing near thick leaved sedum- always my Autumn Joy…IMG_0189

When I spread out the morning’s bounty from my early Fall Forage… I lined them up like the scouts they were- to let me take their beauty shots. They behaved so nicely… I couldn’t stand to let them go to waste and wilt. What would my Fall Forage look like in a bouquet… IMG_3495

Then a fleeting thought. What if I could somehow take a photograph that resembled an old oil painting…You know the ones with black backgrounds.

I think they call them Old Masters. IMG_0199

A happy coincidence I will admit, a quick and blurry picture, with not a single brush stroke except from the Master Gardener Himself and random clippings from an early morning Fall Forage.

Love y’all, Camellia

*All photographs are obviously mine- Oh my, on days like this! *Plants are not listed in order.