Out of the Gate

01/01/2026

Out of the Gate

A New Year finds no resolutions being made in the dawghouse, where’s the challenge in that? 😎

Daily writing prompt

What are your biggest challenges?

This one looked way too easy to answer this morning. I fell asleep last night after watching Maimi take Ohio State out of the playoff picture, sweet dreams, you bet! Waking up around 2:30 this morning, I waited an hour to make the drink of the bean-flavored water, now this, my friends, was a challenge. 😛

A challenge I had to finish before the end of the year yesterday was remaking my first video, ‘It’s 420 in the AM’. I was disappointed in the way I made it, and truthfully everytime I watched it, I cringed. I made another video for it, taking the first one down. It will be posted at the end of this.

A happy surprise found a post from our favorite Mayor, Kevin, over at the Beginning at Last. Great to hear from ya, brother, Happy New Year! I also heard from our friend Laura, and it is great to know both of these sweet souls are surviving. May you both thrive in the coming year.

There will be many challenges facing the dawghouse this year, and hopefully, I will be able to bark loudly while completing them in dawgy fashion. I walk into the New Year with a positive attitude today, but that, in truth, is not a big challenge, as my faith is carrying me into the New Year with grace.

Today marks many things for people to celebrate. Another challenge I don’t have to worry about is the hangover usually associated with this day. I do see some challenges that are out of my control, like the playoff picture. Today finds Alabama playing Number One Indiana in the Rose Bowl at 4 PM on ABC. I will be watching the Oregon Ducks, hopefully win their game, before watching this one. Go Ducks!!! Finishing off the football day with Georgia and Ole’ Miss. I consider this a challenge, a challenge of not throwing something at the TV when arguing with the refs on B.S. calls 😂.

Another challenge I know will be taken seriously is Di’s TTC. Yesterday, yesteryear, she supplied us with some great words to challenge us with, and I am looking forward to those this year as well, so let’s start with that here.

TTC
Your three words today are:
ABSTRACT - relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colors, and textures.
ABSENT - not present in a place, at an occasion, or as part of something.
ABSCOND - leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action

As it is too early for the word daily to be published, it is absent in todays post. Going forward into the new year, you will find some of my posts and videos to be abstract, which is fine with me, as most of my life has been like this. While this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I don’t have to abscond my blog page for copyright infractions, leaving me free of worries. With that, I close this challenge knowing I did my best to make this answer plausible.

So this needs to be said today before I close this, the first post of what I hope is a blessed and beautiful year for you.