The Dog Days of Color:

Bob Hazlett is the very creative, colorful, and fun leader of our TGO Writing Group. He wrote: “Select one of jim’s pictures (Click Digital Photo Art in left column) and write a short piece (prose or poetry) motivated by the picture and describe the colors in your article as many different ways as possible.”

I did best as I could. Here is my selection:

:

This story takes place in one of my dreams with three of my dogs, Sooka, Dyna, & Newfy,  drinking a beer under the old majestic green oak tree near Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Sooka: “My goodness people are so funny,” 

Dyna: “I know. I was dark green with envy – maybe even mad as a harsh red hen when I saw all the Black Lives Matter signs people posted.  What about you Sooka – don’t smokey silver lives matter.  I am in real trouble with my multi-color hair of brown, tan, and white.  Anyway, Newfy fits right in with her coat of coal black.”

Newfy: “I know people say and do funny things. Just the other day I saw one of them lying on the bright yellow sunshine, turning bright red as a beet. I always search for the shade of dark green trees edging the beach when I go to the beach.

Good Boy – You caught it

Unless of course, they are throwing me one of those bright green disks.  I know why I really enjoy jumping up to grab the disk – it is a challenge. But why do they enjoy waving their arm and throwing the disk. That does not seem to be a challenge for them.  If they want a challenge they should try catching that dirty green disk in their teeth.”

Dyna: “Hey, did you know that they can even bark up an atomic blue streak that makes no sense.  Old Joe, the one that puts out that real crunchy slimy brown stuff in a bowl for me to eat said “Woof, Woof”  the other day. I tried to figure out what he said but it made no sense.  If I said “Woof, Woof”.  You know it is “Hello, how is your day going?”  But the way Joe said it, the best I could understand was “To murky red blazes of hell, how is your faded blue majestic red dog hanging?”  Now that makes no sense.” 

Newfy: “Your are right on. I have heard many funny things from them.  Joe’s wife said to that other man that comes around.  “Let sleeping dogs lie’   Since I was the only dog around, I assume she was talking about me. Why would she want me to tell a bold faced white lie – I always tell the truth and I do not care what they do when he is around here.”

Sooka: “Yea, I they talk funny: This morning I went to the bathroom out in the dusty brown grass area in the back of the lawn. 

What is a doggy bag – an old hag or an old bag???

Old Joe shouted to his wife something about a doggy bag.  I  got a little offended – because his tone of voice sounded like he was calling me an old bag.  He had that tone of voice just because I had to go to the bathroom? They are funny non-hairy creatures, for sure.

Dyna: “Speaking of bathroom, last week Joe was out most of the night with the boys.  He came home singing & swearing a shocking blue streak. He kept singing something about what your baby blue eyes do to me.  Then he fell down on his hands and knees, just like one of us dogs, and crawled into the living room and collapsed on the couch.  Next morning he rolled onto the floor and groaned so loud that his wife came in cussing a blue streak and  kicked him in the ribs.  I could tell he was feeling poorly. He said I am “Sick as a dog.”  Then he stumbled into the bath room and threw up in the bowl that I often drink from. He sounded like a dog barking when he threw up – but you know his ‘His bark is worse than his bite.’” He was as meek as a fluffy white lamb the rest of the day.  Every time his wife spoke he would say “Yes Deer.”  At least he did not say “Yes, dog””

Newfy: That kick in the ribs made me think of one of their sayings:’It’s a dog-eat-dog world.”  It is funny but it is  a lot better than “It is a People eat dog world.  Now,  that I would worry me.

Sooka: “That is for sure, but you made me think of something else.  Joe’s wife says she is not too fond of cousin Jim because he is always “putting on the dog.“  I feel the same way about cousin Jim. Because, putting on the dog must be like putting on a sheepskin coat.  We all know what happened to the sheep before the sheepskin coat was made.“ 

Not Aesop fable. This is Brubaker’s fable: My tail of good dog Newfy in the manger. Newfy said: “Come on in. I will  get up and walk out of the manger so you can eat the hay.”

Newfy: “Before I go to the manager to rest, we should always have a moral to our doggy chats?

In my dreams last night this farmer beat me with a big knotty brown stick. No puppy love there.  Here is the moral:

“A Dog asleep in a manger filled with lustrous green hay, was awakened by the cattle, which came in tired and hungry from working in the field. … When the farmer saw how the Dog was acting, he seized a knotty brown stick and drove him out of the stable with many a blow for his selfish behavior. Moral. Do not grudge others what you cannot enjoy yourself.”

Now a few of my photo-art images. Color in everyday life is always eye-catching:

“God Bless America, Land That I Love” Our wonderful country – I hope my colorful image of the flag coveys the respect for our flag that that I truly have.

Eye-catching meal color – look at the brilliant green beens. The camera caught just the right contrast and light to make you look at that appetizing bean side of the plate

No PhotoShop here – photo as snapped with my iPhone.   This guy like to dress up in the morning with color.  Do you think he (I called him Gimpy) is a bad luck guy. He is the one that had an accident and now only uses 3 legs and his 8 point antlers grew at a very distorted shape. But now he used them to grab someones 4th of July decoration for his own decoration – Yipes – Now I call him Candidate Gimpy – he looks like he is about to make a patriotic speech.  Post script: I did take the decorations off of him.

The eye-catching red of my friend’s clothing and the eye-catching white feathers of the gulls make this photo for me – I love it.

Where is the color?

Oh my – It was in PhotoShop

Oh my, I even looked deeper into PhotoShop

As you swing through life, I urge you to think about color every time you can – often – smile, love it, and add those adjectives to your speech as you describe the color you see to your friend. Oh my, do not forget to describe  the emotion it made you  feel also.