Z is for Zero Hour

So this is the ZERO HOUR, the last post I will be making at this Internet address. But fret not: when Melody takes over ABC Wednesday at https://abcwednesday.com/ starting the week of July 10, 2017, I'll be visiting folks there. Heck, I've already written my A through G posts, except E.

I'll even be on HER team, so who knows? Maybe I'll write an intro there someday.

Did you ever misremember something? In telling the story of my participation with ABC Wednesday under the tutelage of Denise Nesbitt, I wrote that I started in Round 5 with the letter K. But if ABC Wednesday started in July 2007, and my first post was October 1, 2008, that means it was actually Round 3 .

The URL for that iteration of the blog disappeared, except through the Wayback Machine.

Wow, I've been at this a long time.

And I no longer want to guess when I joined the team. But it was before my mother died on 2 February 2011. I had traveled from Albany, NY to Charlotte, NC after my mother suffered a stroke. Because I figured I'd have no way to write blog posts, I wrote a few before I left, including one about my, at the time of writing, anticipated train trip.

Shortly after my sisters and I came home from the hospital, I read an email from Mrs. Nesbitt, to which I had briefly replied that Mom had died. If you read the comments on the post, it became clear that Mrs. Nesbitt had notified people that my mom was sick - I did no visiting of the blogs that week - and then notified folks again upon the news of Mom's passing.

If I ever have the need to cry, all I need to do is read the sweet comments from this post from about 2:12 p.m. on. And when I got home in Albany a week later, there were fresh flowers on my doorstep from Mrs. Nesbitt.

So when she asked me to take over ABC Wednesday in July 2012, I said yes. And I have visited every post over the past five years and attempted to leave a comment; if I didn't, it was because of I could not for reasons idiosyncratic to the blog I was visiting.

And now, after five years, I'm handing it off to Melody, at a new address - note the change in the URL - but operating at the same time of the week, and with the same alphabetical principles.

Since I may have some interest in music, I thought I'd end with:

Au Revoir But Not Goodbye - Al Bowlly with Ronnie Munro & his Orchestra, recorded October 5th 1939 in London

Lyrics by Joseph George Gilbert

With joy, we'll dream away each sorrow,
With love we'll live for each tomorrow;
So let's part, just you and I
With au revoir but not goodbye.

And Happy Independence Day in the US, and a belated Canada Day sesquicentennial! (I LOVE the word sesquicentennial...)

Z-Zodiac

Mrs. Nesbitts’ ABC-Wednesday

Round ~ 17Z

Hello and good morning, -afternoon, -evening, dear people who all participate is this wonderful photomeme, which is a joy to me, week after week, after week. I’m always curious to what you come up with!

This week’s challenging letter is Z and it is simultaneous the last letter of the alphabet and the first letter of 2016. How extraordinary!

Therefore, the word I've chosen today is ZODIAC because our sign is the start of who we are as a person. Moreover, i believe that not only the sign we get at our time of birth is important, i think that the  sign under which we first started our being has influence to.

I am born a Sagittarius and most of the known characteristics do apply to me indeed. Some strong points are Independence, Enthusiasm, Creative, Caring, Generous... Some weak points are Not emotional, Impulsive, Licentious, Hypocrite, Demanding...
From the strong points i don't recognize 'creative' that much. From the weak points i don't recognize myself in not emotional, licentious & hypocrite, on the contrary!

The characteristics of the sign under which i started at the very first point in my time, Pisces, are different but not that much. Some strong points are Dedicated, Fantastical, Accepting, Merciful, Loyal. Some weak points are Undecided, Ornery, Lazy, Escapist, Self-pity.

Truth to be told...  in some of them I totally recognise myself and in others i totally don't.  I think that everyone recognises this. Anyway zodiac is, to me at least, still a world of which I do know far too little.

I am who and what I am... I know my 'faults' and I aim to learn to do better where I go wrong.  So on the borders of the old and the new year... I smile at the points, the strong and the weak, and go on living the best way i can.

Curious to your signs and thoughts about what it means to you.... i greet you all sincerely and wish you a wonderful, happy, healthy, blessed in all possible ways... 2016


Have a nice ABC-day / ABC-week
♫ M e l o d y ♫
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An InLinkz Link-up

Z is for ZOUNDS!

Always liked the word zounds; I like how it sounds. It is a mild oath indicating surprise, indignation, etc. It sounds very Shakespearean, and indeed, it does reportedly show up in Henry IV Part 1. Its first know use was in 1592, so the timing is right.

You may respond with that mild oath when I say that, as the cliché goes, all good things must come to an end. Denise, the doyenne of ABC Wednesday, and I have decided that ABC Wednesday should conclude, for a variety of reasons.

Now, the good news is that it won't take place until the end of Round 20, or four more trips through the alphabet.

We have discovered along this path that there are folks who participate in a round, then drop out for a bit. Others start a round, but don't complete it. I think we should take this as an opportunity to invite those folks to participate once again.

Or maybe you have friends who have THOUGHT about trying ABC Wednesday but have not. THIS would be a good time to start.

I thought to invite previous participants directly in a mass mailing - we have the emails from the Linky - but frankly, we'd rather that YOU invite some of your online friends, letting them know that we'll be doing this only another two years.

Not incidentally, we have hornswoggled Troy, who has done several of them to date, to create badges for rounds 18 and 20, and Gattina for Round 19. Here's the badge for Round 17:

We hope you'll stick around, invite friends and neighbors. If you want to join the team in visiting folks and/or writing the zephyr-like words of wisdom, please let me know at rogerogreen (at) gmail (dot) com.
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An InLinkz Link-up

Z for Zachariah

Zachariah was a prophet and the father of John The Baptist.
 His wife was the Righteous Elizabeth, it was thought that she was unable to bear children.
One day when Zachariah was in the temple an angel of the Lord appeared before him
and told him that his aged wife would bear a son who "will be great in the sight of the
Lord (Luke 1 : 15) and will go before him in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17).
The prophet doubted that this prediction would come true and for his weakness of faith
he was punished by becoming mute.

When Elizabeth gave birth to a son, through the inspiration

of the holy spirit, she announced that his name was John, although no one in their family

had this name.

When Zachariah was asked he wrote down the name of John on a tablet..

Immediately the gift of speech was returned to him, and inspired by the holy spirit he

began to prophesy about his son as the forerunner of the Lord.

.

King Herod knew about John's unusual birth, fearing that he was the foretold King of the Jews he ordered

the killing of all the boys born about that time.

 When Elizabeth heard this she hid herself and the infant in the hills, The murderers searched

everywhere for John to no avail.

 When they were getting near to Elizabeth she implored God for their safety, and immediately the hill opened up and concealed her and the infant from their pursuers. 

During these tragic days St Zachariah was taking services in the temple when Herod's soldiers slaughtered him because he wouldn't conceal the whereabouts of his son.

 Elizabeth died forty days after her husband and St. John, preserved by the Lord, dwelt in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to the nation of Israel.

It was said that he existed on honey and locust. He eventually went on to be known as John the Baptist and baptised Jesus but there lies another wondrous story.

Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist,

My thanks to Denise and Roger and all the helpers for keeping the ZESTY ABCW going from strength to strength!

Happy New Year to all the ABCW friends
Di. xx















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An InLinkz Link-up

Z is for ZONE

ZONE is an interesting word in that it means a lot of different things, many of which apply to ABC Wednesday:

There are time ZONES. I don't know how many are represented by our participants - I'm in US Eastern, where are you? - but it's the variation across the globe that has ABC Wednesday start on Tuesday for many of us, because it IS Wednesday - in New Zealand!

We live in different weather ZONES. Some are in the temperate ZONE; others are in places more torrid or frigid.

Don't know about you, but when I write, I need to be IN THE ZONE, that sweet spot that allows for creativity, defined as "a mental state attained by a person fully immersed in some activity."

In basketball and American football, there's something called the ZONE defense in which a defender covers an area of the court or the field. We do the same sort of thing at ABC Wednesday. One person in our group will visit the first dozen or so participants who post through the Linky device, another the next dozen, etc. And we like to mix it up, so that different people are covering different ZONES each week, when possible.

And ABCW itself is a ZONE, an area of diverse interests, uniquely shared together. This ZONE has the ability to create relationships, even friendships, as we discover the commonality of us all.

It is my fervent hope that you remain in our communication ZONE designed by Denise Nesbitt seven years ago. Bring along others, because this is not meant to be a restrictive ZONE, but an inclusive one.

Round 15, with the letter A, starts next week!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Z is for ZENITH

It's the end of another round of ABC Wednesday. My, the time has just ZIPPED by.

I thank ZEUS - or the deity of your choice - for the great ZEST from our team this time through: Mehroo, who unfortunately could not stay too long; Carver, Gattina, Joyce, Kate, Linda, Pheno, and Wil, who kept y'all well visited with their ZIPPY comments; Troy, who not only wrote his semiannual intro, but designed the next (ZEN) logo, and the current one, and the one before that, and the one...; and, of course, Denise, the ZOETIC, who started the whole thing about 78 months ago.

Oh, yes, and I must especially thank Leslie, who has ZOOMED in to become my major domo. She ZEALOUSLY writes most of the polite letters informing folks that they need to mention ABC Wednesday on their posts, and should actually have a Z in the Z week post.

Of course, I must thank YOU for participating each week. Without you posting your pictures and poems and essays and observations, ABC Wednesday would be ZILCH, ZERO, an empty shell on the Internet, all ZONKED out.

I hope you come back next round, and invite your ZANY friends, to add some ZING to this enterprise!

Z-o-o-ming through this Round!

Before you catch your zzzzzzzs, let me zip right through  here real quick as we end  this ABC Wednesday round.  Whether you are enjoying your zero calorie drink, doing some zigzag drawing with your pen, or in the zone for  reading your zodiac, please enjoy some of these zooming  action  photos  taken  from the WildLife Ranch, one of the Popular zoo in San Antonio,  Texas.
b


Thank you to our zealous team who never fails to  visit our blogs every week.

Z is for ZERO!

ABC Wednesday is now at the end of Round 11 and next week Round 12 commences.
We are stripping down the very fabric ABC Wednesday stands for - yes our new introductions will be shorter, more candid and focussing on what brings us joy and amusement.

Are YOU up for the challenge?

Watch this space!

ABC Wednesday team are busy people - our main priority is ensuring all who partake receive comments and visits.Could you be a team member and bring another smiling face to the table?

Round 12 is knocking on the door - will you let him in?

Denise Nesbitt
ABC Wednesday founder and Team member!

Z is for...........

10..........
9  .........
8  ........
7  .......
6  ......
5  .....
4  ....
3  ...
2  ..
1  .
ZERO.

Blast off!

..

Here we are.......the end of one round ...next week the start of a new one!

Are you aboard for the next stage in the fantastic adventure known to the many as ABC Wednesday?

The new captain of the expedition is our very own Roger....I am stepping down for the next part of the journey but will be around as co-pilot!

The ABC Team will be aboard as we charter new territories and take on board new experiences!

So seat belts at the ready....we're off!

Over and Out!

Denise, here, mrs nesbitt, that's me

proud to be part of Team ABC

with a question for all the ABC crowd

let me hear your answers - shout it loud!

What will YOUR decision be for Z?? here in UK  pronounced zed)

Are you calling it a day and going back to bed?

Or will you take the challenge of a brand new day

and shout Round 10 is here...hip hip hooray?

Will you  illustrate intently your ZEST for life

and comment on others midst your troubles and strife?



Will you go the extra mile and share something appealing?

That will have us in awe, hanging from the ceiling?

If you're aboard for the next round

Do you fancy a step  in an effort to expound?

We like to pride ourselves with our introductions

Infact we see it as a type of seduction!

If you fancy introducing a letter

Just let us know - it couldn't be better!

What ever your fancy whatever you choose

Just let us know - we appreciate your views!

Enough of this rambling there's work to do...

it's ABC Wednesday so over to YOU!

Zounds, it is Z-Day!

Gad zooks!   Can you believe we have traveled from A to Z one more time on ABC Wednesday?   We have zigged and zagged and zipped our way to Z-Day!  It’s been zany and zingy, and your contributions have caused me to sing “Zip-a-dee-do-da, my oh my what a wonderful day” or “Zing went the strings of my heart,” but never would you have heard the “zzzzzzz's” of my falling asleep.

So thank you for making this round of Mrs. Nesbitt’s brainstorm such a success!  Let’s celebrate with a house party -- the best dance music I know is Zydeco which you can tap into at Louisiana Zydeco Live.  For a good history of Zydeco and Cajun music, visit "Contemporary Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music".

Bon temps!

And there will be a next tour of the alphabet so “Come on back, you all!”  Remember last week's message form Mrs. N -- WE NEED YOU!

Z!

This letter of the alphabet denotes one thing -

Are you going to scream or are you going to sing?

Are you game for the next eighth round

or are you grabbing for your coat & homeward bound?

The round has brought challenes for many here

and for all your efforts lets have a "Three Cheers!"

We have fun each Wednesday - there's no denying

and we really appreciate all your work and trying

From the obscure, the funny, the simply outstounding

you bring us your best, always resounding!

So dear bloggers I ask Is it a yes or is it a No?

Are you on board for the next part of the show?