Life in progress


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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 5th, 2024

Hey there! Today is the day for our fifth prompt for Just Jot it January 2024, and it’s brought to us by Judy. Thanks so much, Judy! Please be sure to visit Judy’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 5th, 2024 is “penultimate.” Use the word “penultimate” any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list and what’s to come, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for Friday, January 5th, 2024.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


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JusJoJan24 the 4th – Captivating

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is courtesy of Wendy. Check out her blog here!

I’ve always been captivated by sparkly things.

I think it started at Christmas time.

Photo: A sparkly red ball hanging from my Christmas tree along with a few other non-sparkly balls and a plush bear with wings, holding a star.

If I had my way, all my ornaments would be sparkly and they’d turn all by themselves so they sparkle more. Or maybe that would be overkill. Less is more, after all. Besides, I might be so captivated I wouldn’t be able to do anything else the whole time the tree is up.

This sparkly post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Wendy for the prompt!


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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 4th, 2024

It’s January 4th and today is our fourth prompt for Just Jot it January 2024. Today’s prompt is brought to us by Wendy. Thank you, Wendy! Please be sure to visit Wendy’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 4th, 2024 is “captivating.” Use the word “captivating” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list and what’s to come, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for Thursday, January 4th, 2024.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


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One-Liner Wednesday & #JusJoJan24 the 3rd – ?

Do you ever take a picture with your phone and wonder where or how you took it? Mine are usually blurry pics of my feet or just black pocket photos. But this one … No, I don’t have any clothing this colour, but it is lovely.

Photo: Red. That’s it. Just red.

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure.

Here are the simple JusJoJan Rules:

1. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). The prompt will be the word in quotation marks in the title of my 2am post. You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

2 a) The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

Badge by Laura @ riddlefromthemiddle.com

3. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

4. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

5. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

6. If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

7. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

8. Have fun!


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Why not celebrate?

I was talking to my best friend, John, this morning about Just Jot it January and marveling that it’s been 10 years since we started.

So I figured why not celebrate?

Grab your 10 year badge!

Photo: The 2024 Just Jot it January badge featuring a stick figure with long hair sitting on a blue stick figure chair at a stick figure desk with a stick figure computer screen that’s on fire and a red 3D balloon with “10 years” on it.


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JusJoJan24 the 2nd – Gregorian

I want to start this post by saying if Gregorian came from a guy named Gregory, there should be a Lindarian something or other.

This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt is courtesy of Willow. Check out her blog here!

Things that were readily available when the Gregorian calendar (the one we use now) came about (in the late 1500s):

  1. Horses on every corner. Or at least on every corner that mattered.
  2. Fresh vegetables without steroids.
  3. Clean air. (Except where the horses were, then WHEW, how ’bout that smell?)
  4. Kids that weren’t glued to a screen most of the time.
  5. Lots of blacksmiths. Because horses.

Things that weren’t readily available when the Gregorian calendar came about:

  1. Horsepower. At least not the car kind.
  2. Milk in bags. Not in Ontario or Quebec, Canada? It’s a thing.
  3. Air that’s free of the scent of horse manure. (But what about those diesel engines? WHEW!)
  4. Computers that could tell you at any given point how many days to Christmas … I could actually do without that, thanks very much.
  5. Few blacksmiths, plenty of tire shops.

And that’s my Lindarian list.

This listy post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!

Thanks again to Willow for the prompt!


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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 2nd, 2024

Okay, let’s really get into this. Today is our second prompt for Just Jot it January 2024, and it’s brought to us by Willow. Much appreciated, Willow! Please be sure to visit Willow’s blog to read her posts and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 2nd, 2024 is “Gregorian.” Use the word “Gregorian” any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list and what’s to come, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


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JusJoJan24 the 1st – In Training

This post is part of Just Jot it January. To join in, click here to get to the prompt and drop your link.

I’ve been in self-imposed training for a while.

It’s not as athletic as it sounds, though I wish it could be.

I mean, I do try to walk every day.

But mostly, I’m constantly trying to train my brain to stick to a schedule.

I write everything down. My hours of every day are (mostly) documented.

But I really need to get rid of all the question marks during the hours I spend just scrolling on Facebook.

Wasted time, for the most part.

Except when it’s good for finding more ways to train myself to spend my time better …

Thus, my endless training loop.

But this year …

Yeah, probably the same as last year.


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Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 1st, 2024

Happy new year, and welcome to the daily prompt! It’s the first official prompt for Just Jot it January 2024, and it’s brought to you by me. Here’s your word of the day:

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 1st 2024, is “train.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you’d like to see what we have so far on your prompt list, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for January 1st, 2024.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan24 and/or #JusJoJan24.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


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Prompt Me Part 1 of 2 – #JusJoJan 2024

First half of the month – January 2 – 16, 2024

I’m looking for prompt words for Just Jot it January! This is your chance to inspire other people and have your blog linked to the Daily Prompt post.

I’ve decided to do this in two parts again this year—Jan. 2-16, and Jan 18-30. I only need 11 prompt words today, so if you miss getting your word in on this post, you’ll have another chance on Sunday, January 17th.

Read the rules carefully! I need 11 single words to use in the Just Jot It January challenge, for January 2nd through to the 16th. This is how you can be included:

  • I’m looking for a single word, plus a link to your blog, plus the name you wish me to use when I post your prompt (your name or the name you blog by). So for example, mine would be “antidisestablishmentarianism lindaghill.com Linda”
  • If you write more than what I’m asking for in your comment, for example, “My word is antidisestablishmentarianism, and my link is (this) and my name is (my given name or the name I blog by),” I’ll tell you to try again. Same thing if you try to slip in two prompts, even in two different comments—I’ll only accept the first. If I get the same word twice, I’ll only accept the first person who got to it. If you’re the second, I’ll let you know so you can try again. And please, remember this is a relatively G-rated blog, so nothing too risque.
  • The first 11 comments on this post that include a single word (plus link and name) will be the prompts for the first half of January.
  • These prompts will go up on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 2am EST. I’ll take care of One-Liner Wednesday and Stream of Consciousness Saturday myself.
  • I’ll link back to the blog of whomever gives me a prompt on the day I use it.
  • Make sure you get your comment in early. You don’t want to miss out!
  • Please don’t bother entering a prompt if your blog is inactive or if it exists only to sell things. If you haven’t posted in over a month and you’re only looking for clicks, your prompt word will be rejected. If, on the other hand, you’re planning to use JusJoJan to inspire you to get back into the swing of things, let me know immediately in a second comment — NOT the one you give your prompt word in. Remember, that’s ONE word plus your link and your name only. If I can’t find a reasonable number of posts written in the last month that aren’t trying to sell a product, your prompt word will be rejected.
  • I’ve found over the years that prompt words that are negative in nature don’t get as much participation as more positive words. I don’t want to limit you, but please keep in mind that if your word is on the sadder or angrier side, your prompt may not get as many responses.
  • If you provide a prompt, I encourage you to join in as much as possible throughout the month.
  • Only one prompt per person for the month. If you get in this time, don’t try again next time.
  • NOTE: Please count the number of correctly formatted comments ahead of yours. If there are already 11, save yours for January 17th!

Please see the “Rules” post for a complete list of the prompt words. I’ll populate it as the words come in. Here’s the link in case you missed it: https://lindaghill.com/2023/12/31/just-jot-it-january-2024-the-rules/

Okay. Are you ready? Aaaaand … prompt! One word, one link, one name!

We’re done for this round! Turning off the comments. Thanks so much to everyone who supplied a prompt. 🙂