Please head on over to LatinosUSA for my interview with blogger and photograph Terri Webster Schrandt.
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, care quadrille and light and truth of painting, Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour
d’Verse
I wrote for two d’Verse challenges this week but didn’t find time to post my poems until today.
The quadrille about care if for Sanaa’s prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/07/27/q-252-quadrilling-without-a-care-in-the-world/
The second poem is for Melissa’s prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/07/28/launch-light-and-truth-of-painting/. I did choose my own Henri Rousseau artwork though.
Care Worn
For many
marriage ends our carefree days
Financial obligations mount
as we work relentlessly
towards building a home
Children introduce
financial and emotional cares
We teach and guide
these precious young souls
Beflore they fly
aging parents bring
new responsibilities
The circle of duty
Pink Flamingo (shadorma)
giraffe bird
decked in shades of pink
flamboyant
featherhead
thoughtfully contemplating
fish filled waterway
My Mind
constantly in motion
ebbing and flowing
like the oceantides
I like to keep it
well fed with books
and other fodder
I’m afraid
if I don’t
it may fall back
on itself
and consume me
I wrote this poem today after sorting through my work week in my head. It was a good week. I got a lot done. My young colleague told me on Thursday afternoon just before I left for the week that she was exhausted. She also got a lot done because I give delivery dates for work that I then review. I think its a good thing the team has Friday’s to recover from my tyranny – haha! I am getting a 40 hour week’s worth of work done in 24 hours and that takes drive and determination.
Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour
Terri decided to suggest flowers in planters for The Flower Hour this week. Eeek! I don’t take many photographs of plants in planters. Then, I remembered the indoor conservatory in the delightful hotel TC and I stayed in in Paris. It is called Hotel Keppler and was very old fashioned and delightful. I also took photographs of some of the doors in the hotel so this is a double whammy for Dan’s Thursday Doors too.
You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/30/austrian-room/
You can join in The Flower Hour here: http://secondwindleisure.com/2026/07/28/the-flower-hour-41-in-a-planter/
Hello, and welcome to Hotel Keppler.
Please take a seat in the guest lounge while we complete your check in. (Well, I got to sit, he had to stand at the desk and fill in forms.)
Two slightly different photographs of the indoor conservatory in the dining room of the Hotel Keppler. It was very pretty with lots of greenery and lovely flowers. The food was very good too.
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, CFFC, The Flower Hour and Bird of the Week
Tanka Tuesday
This week, Yvette is the host of Tanka Tuesday. You can read her prompt and participate here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/07/21/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-74-oh-to-dream-7-21-26/
Cotton Candy Dreams
cotton candy dreams
puffy clouds of nothingness
idealistic wisps
of leftover childhood hopes
packaged in lulling sweetness
***
casually consumed
around the boardroom table
ingested in bites
by competitive colleagues
and never-ending deadlines
***
tsunami of life
dissolving spun sugar strands
shrinking floss right down
into a messy syrup
ready to be wiped away
CFFC, The Flower Hour & Bird of the Week
Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is purple. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/20/the-crayola-box-of-8-purple-cffc/
My poem and pictures of the lilac-breasted roller are for Bird of the Week which you can join in here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2026/07/21/yellow-legged-gull-birds-of-the-week-invitation-clxxviii/
lilac-breasted roller (shadorma)
violet
flash against azure
swooping and
swan diving
uttering discordant cries
breeding season dance
This is my watercolour painting of a lilac-breasted roller.
My purple iris and jacaranda tree in blossom are for Terri’s The Flower Hour here: http://secondwindleisure.com/2026/07/21/the-flower-hour-40-floral-abcs-focusing-on-ghi/
This is my acrylic painting of a jacaranda tree. I particularly like it because when placed in the sunshine, the purples change colour and shades of pink, blue and purple become evident.
Roberta Writes – In Touch with Nature – Cape Buffalo or ‘Black Death’
Thank you to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting this In Touch with Nature post about Cape Buffalo also known as ‘Black Death’.
Roberta Writes – WordCrafter Book Blog Tours presents A GEM for your Pre- or Type 2 Diabetes
The Giveaway
Got a question or an observation about the book, the GEM method, the author, or the tour? If not, just say, “Hello!” Comments at each stop earn entries in the Giveaway for a chance to win one of four signed print copies (If you live outside the U.S. a free digital copy will be substituted due to the high costs of international shipping.)
About A GEM for your Pre- or Type 2 Diabetes
Have you just been diagnosed with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes and don’t know where to turn, or have you tried different weight-loss programs or medications that haven’t done enough?
GEM—Glucose Everyday Matters offers a practical, science-based approach to preventing and managing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes by focusing on one powerful idea: reducing blood glucose spikes that can quietly damage health, energy, mood, and motivation.
Developed from decades of clinical research and real-world coaching, GEM helps readers understand why blood sugar rises—and how small, realistic choices can improve it. Rather than rigid diets or exhausting exercise plans, GEM teaches flexible strategies that fit everyday life: eating smarter, moving with purpose, understanding your body’s signals, and using glucose feedback as a tool for empowerment.
Inside this book, you will discover how to:
• Lower blood sugar naturally and sustainably
• Reduce cravings, fatigue, and energy crashes
• Lose weight without feeling deprived
• Improve motivation, confidence, and emotional well-being
• Use simple movement and meal strategies to reduce glucose spikes
• Personalize diabetes management to fit your lifestyle and goals
• Build lasting habits that support long-term health
Whether you are newly diagnosed, trying to avoid diabetes, struggling despite medications, or supporting a loved one, GEM provides a compassionate, evidence-based roadmap toward better health—one manageable step at a time.
This is not about being perfect.
It is about discovering what works for you and making meaningful changes.
To learn more about diet and blood glucose control, see A GEM for your Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes at your favorite retailer here: https://books2read.com/GEM
Becoming Aware of Choices
How Do Carbohydrates Really Affect Blood Glucose (BG)?
There are three classes of foods, called macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. These categories can be further divided into many subgroups. Of these three macronutrients, carbohydrates are the primary nutrient that significantly raises blood glucose (BG). Most foods contain a combination of all three macronutrients. See the examples in the table below.
Standard reference estimates are provided.
| Food / Beverage | Carbohydrates (g) | Fiber (g) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) |
| 6 oz grilled salmon | 0 | 0 | 34 | 18 |
| Red wine (5 oz) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cabbage (1 cup, raw) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Peanut butter & jelly sandwich | 40 | 4 | 10 | 16 |
| Potato chips (1 oz) | 15 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Oatmeal with raisins (1 cup oats + 2 tbsp raisins) | 49 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Whole milk (8 oz) | 12 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Raisin bran with whole milk (1 cup cereal + 1 cup milk) | 58 | 7 | 13 | — |
This table illustrates an important point: not all foods are created equal when it comes to macronutrient composition.
Even more importantly, not all carbohydrates are the same. As shown on nutrition labels, some foods contain fiber, a form of carbohydrate that is not digested and therefore does not raise blood glucose. To estimate the carbohydrates that actually affect BG, you can calculate net carbohydrates by subtracting grams of fiber from total carbohydrates.
Some ketogenic and “low net carb” products also include sugar alcohols, which are carbohydrates that may be only partially absorbed, digested more slowly, or excreted before fully impacting blood glucose. For this reason, some products subtract both fiber and sugar alcohols to estimate net carbohydrates.
Why does “net carbohydrate” matter?
Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have estimated that, on average, one gram of carbohydrate raises blood glucose by about 4 mg/dL (though individual responses vary).
Using the examples above, a meal of grilled salmon, cabbage, and red wine might raise blood glucose by approximately 28 mg/dL, while a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bag of chips and a glass of milk might be expected to raise it by approximately 248 mg/dL.
Understanding these differences highlights the powerful role that food choices can play in blood glucose management.
To learn more about diet and blood glucose control, see A GEM for your Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes at your favorite retailer.
If you have had type 2 diabetes (T2D) for 24 months or less and would like information about our ongoing NIH GEM study, contact Jacqueline Rodriguez at ZMT8XG@uvahealth.org or 434-422-2653.
Food Choices
About Daniel J. Cox
Daniel J. Cox (Dan) is a professor of Psychiatry, Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center and a member of the Center for Diabetes Technology. He is a longstanding investigator of behavioral diabetes- how behavior affects diabetes and how diabetes affects behavior. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry (LifeScan, Abbott, DexCom, Lilly).
In 2010 he shifted his research focus from type 1 to type 2 diabetes (T2D) following his own diagnosis of T2D. He was not optimistic about losing weight and was not thrilled about a lifetime of medication, so he developed an alternative and effective way of managing T2D. Glucose Everyday Matters focuses on preventing high blood glucose (BG) by choosing foods that do not raise BG much and by lowering high BG with physical activity. Since an initial diagnostic A1c of 10.3 (reflecting a three-month BG average), GEM has put his diabetes in remission-lowered his A1c below 6.5 with no medication. This transformation was achieved with significant critique, support, and help from his wife Debbie.
Tour Schedule
Mon. 7/20: Short Trailer & “How Does GEM Work?” – Poetry by Mich: Hotel by Masticadores: Masticadores Philippines
Tues. 7/21: “Becoming Aware of Choices” & “Food Choices”– Roberta Writes
Wed. 7/22: “Dietician Monica Davis Interviews Daniel J. Cox” – Patty’s Worlds
Thurs. 7/23: “Bringing Down BG with Pysical Activity” & “Gem’s Research Findings” – Undawnted
Fri. 7/24: “Protecting and Extending Your Investment” – Writing to be Read
____________________________________________
Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!
Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Tanka Tuesday, W3, The Flower Hour and Thursday Doors
Today is Friday at last and I do have it off. My work hours are under severe threat and I’m going to have to increase them for three months as I have a big project on the go. There is no use in working the hours and not getting paid for them. Anyhow, onwards and upwards.
d’Verse, Tanka Tuesday and W3
I’ve used the d’Verse theme of night provided by the wonderful Dora for both my Tanka Tuesday and my W3 offerings this week.
You can join in Dora’s d’Verse challenge here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/07/14/my-god-its-full-of-stars/
Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challenge is to write a bussokuseki. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/07/14/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-73-bussokuseki-7-13-26/
This first poem is a bussokuseki about the African bush at night.
Night in the Bush
darkness in the bush
shines like polished black marble
healthy and glossy
splattered with bright, sparkling stars
by comparison, town dark
appears anemic and pale
Jaideep’s challenge is to write a three line poem merging a cultural tradition and modern technology. You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/07/15/w3-prompt-220-weave-written-weekly/
I selected the tradition of using the Southern Cross constellation as a directional guide combined with working on a computer.
My Artificial Life
Dark night of my computer screen
loads itself into start mode.
Logon criteria flash,
artificial Southern Cross.
Guiding my entrance into
another working day.
The Flower Hour
Last week I mentioned that I’d attended a partner conference in my new job. These photographs are of the gorgeous pincushion protea flower arrangements that graced the lunch tables.
You can join in Terri’s The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/07/14/the-flower-hour-39-something-about-orange-flowers/
Flower arrangement featuring three pincushion proteas in red, orange, and yellow. 
Close up of a single pincushion protea. The red tipped orange petals are narrow and curve inwards above its yellow centre hence its name – pincushion protea. 
A slightly more distanced shot of the three pincushion proteas flower arrangement.
Thursday Doors
On Sunday past, my family attended the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Monte Casinos Pieter Torien theatre. It’s been more years than I’m going to tell you since TC and I last saw this show and I’d forgotten how graphic it is. I was a bit worried about Michael’s friend, Jenna, but she took it in her stride and enjoyed it.
You can join in Dan’s challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/16/korean-heritage-room/
These are some beautiful doors from outside the theatre.
These photographs are of the stage:
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, W3, Bird of the Week & Thursday Doors
It’s been a crazy week! Is there any other kind of week, I wonder. I attended New Partner Induction on Monday and Tuesday and a Partner Conference from Wednesday to Friday. So many new ideas and new people. My coping mechanism is to draw and paint and write poems so I have three poems to share with you today. I have also started a new art project – my biggest to date and perhaps my most ambitious. Michael thinks its ambitious but I just think its just bigger. All my art projects are very ambitious at the time of initiation. I push myself further with each new painting.
Tanka Tuesday
Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday challege this week is to write a tanka Puente poem with the theme of light vs dark.
Colleen has also announced the submission dates to the new Sunflower Tanka anthology 2027. I would love it if you participated and submitted your syllabic poems. You can find out more by reading Colleen’s post here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/07/07/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-72-tanka-puente-7-7-26/
Something New, something older
room of new partners
most young – bright eyed and bushy tailed
full of excitement
ready to take on the world
determined to make their mark
AI won’t replace humans, but humans who use AI will replace those who don’t—Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI
sprinkling of old hands
pockmarks on golden surface
engaged yet cautious
veterans of corporate wars
survivors of constant flux
More excitement with Sunflower Tanka! Colleen and I are running a new series to promote the anthologies. You can read the first post here: https://sunflowertankaanthology.com/2026/07/10/introduction-to-contributor-chris-hall-her-review-of-sunflower-tanka-an-anthology-of-tanka-tanka-prose-experimental-tanka/
W3
Jodi’s prompt is “For this prompt, write a poem in which every line is a lie — except one.“
No, I didn’t write about AI – hehe! You can decide if what is a lie, if anything. Lies in this poem are in the eyes of the beholder.
Some Days
Some days the sun does not rise
Golden horses do not pull the fiery ball
across the blue washed sky
Cotton tailed clouds do not gambol and play
Flowers do not bloom
do not expose fragrant centres
to buzzing bees and butterflies
the day does not progress
all remains in darkness
Other days
the sun leaps into the sky
washing the world
in golden light
Bird of the Week
You can join in Bird of the Week here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/bird-of-the-week-invitation/ and read the latest post here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/common-gull-birds-of-the-week-clxxvi/
Racing or The World’s Dumbest Bird
Two kori bustards
racing down the road
are they trying to escape
our slow paced vehicle
(perhaps its TC’s purple jersey
I hate it too)
Or
is the male chasing the female
male kori bustards
have a bad reputation
for playing the field
attempting to breed
with as many females as possible
but taking no responsibility
for the resultant off spring
(Hey! that sounds familiar …)
One goes left
the other right
they appear the same size
more or less
but males are up to 40% larger
my perception must be wrong
(what about yours?)
Mr Right looks confused
(there’s a surprise!)
glancing over his shoulder
as I hang out of my window
(you’re not supposed to do this!
what if I fell out
got eaten by a lion
or worse yet
kidnapped by a baboon)
snap! snap! snap!
As we slowly pass
Mr Right warms up to the idea
of posing for the camera
gives me his best side
(can you see his smile?)
Thursday Doors
My blogging friend, Brian, featured a photograph of the gargoyles of Notre Dame pre the fire. You can read his post here: https://equinoxio21.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/random-travels-umpteen/. I am sharing a few pictures I took of Notre Dame and its gargoyles so Brian can rest assured they are thriving. My shots aren’t as good as his!
The doors are for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/07/09/old-sturbridge-village-6-26/
First Notre Dame and its doors:
These are the gargoyles. My friend, Chris, also likes gargoyles. You can find Chris’ blog here: https://lunas-online.com/2026/07/10/a-spaceship/
Roberta Writes – Reblog: Famous Books and Authors – The World According to Garp by John Irving
I found this book to be completely fascinating and absorbing. My thanks to Barbara from https://bvitelli2002.wordpress.com/2026/07/06/book-review-fox-by-joyce-carol-oates/ for pointing me in the direction of this book.
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, CFFC, and The Flower Hour
I’m late this week. I had planned to post this last night but I had a three-hour art class in the morning and then I had to take Mom back to the optometrist for more tests and to chose new frames for her two new pairs of glasses. My mother loves shopping and she can not be hurried, and shouldn’t be because she enjoys it so much, so she tried on just about every frame in the shop. We chose two really lovely frames and she is very happy. I was exhausted when we got home at 4pm as I learned a new technique at art which was quite difficult to implement initially (I’ve got the hang of it now) and then all the traffic and stress of the tests. The good news is the technique looks really good on my current painting and Mom’s eyes are doing a lot better.
Tanka Tuesday
Willow asked poets to write a tanka poem about a photograph that brings to mind a particular memory. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/06/30/tanka-tuesday-challenge-71-photo-tanka-photo-tanka-6-30-26/
This photograph of a gold roses cake I made for my mother’s birthday some years ago is the inspiration for this poem.
The Invastion (double tanka prose)
Whenever I see a shoebox, I am reminded of cockroaches. During the height of my cake making phase, I used to make a lot of fondant flowers. To create the cupped shape of the various flowers, I moulded tinfoil into a bowl shape of the correct size for the flower and carefully arranged the flower inside. I then placed the flowers inside a shoebox and left them to dry for at least a week. Some layered flowers, like roses, took me three weeks to a month to make as I gradually added additional petal layers week by week. I kept a collection of empty shoe boxes in my pantry and used them when I needed them. There were at least ten piled up on a shelf at any given time. Early one summer, I noticed we had several cockroaches in the kitchen. I set some cockroach traps around the room but the problem continued to escalate. A few weeks later, I decided to clear out the entire pantry in an attempt to get rid of the cockroaches. When I brought down the shoeboxes, I discovered they had been adopted as cockroach nests and the boxes were full of these nasty, little creatures. The boxes were disposed of, the pantry cleaned from top to toe, and cockroach traps set just about everywhere. This did bring an end to the invasion but I have never recovered from the horror of discovering all those revolving insects inside those shoeboxes. I no longer collect shoeboxes and am paranoid about cleaning under the fridges and stoves to ensure no unwanted visitors gain a foothold in my kitchen.
peaceful neighbourhood
twenty-four hour food service
attracts cockroach guests
unappealing as they are
nature always has her way
***
taking precautions
to keep insect world in check
part of normal life
should these creatures disappear
world as we know it would end
CFFC
Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is brown. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/29/the-crayola-box-of-8-brown-cffc/
Terri’s Flower Hour
When I went shopping this morning I saw this gorgeous King Protea flower. I bought it to photograph with a view to paining it. Terri’s The Flower Hour prompt is patriotic florals. The Giant or King protea is the national flower of South Africa.
You can join in here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/30/the-flower-hour-37-patriotic-florals/
Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday, CFFC, Thursday Doors & Sunday Stills
It doesn’t rain in Johannesburg during the winter. At least it never did until this year. This week, after the winter solstice, we got rain and a heavy mist. While in the traffic on my way into the office, I wrote this poem and took the accompanying photograph. Unusual for my home city.
This poem is a lai comprising of nine lines for Melissa’s Tanka Tuesday challenge. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/06/23/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-70-the-lai-6-23-26/
Slish! Splosh! Splash!
grey cloud hovers low
golden headlights glow
splish splosh
car snake ultra slow
drizzle impacts flow
my gosh
large puddle – oh no!
mud streaks quite a blow
must wash
Thursday Doors, CFFC, and Sunday Stills
Dan’s CFFC challenge is blue. I have found blue pictures for Dan’s Thursday Doors challenge and Terri’s Sunday Stills wild animals challenge.
You can join in Dan’s CFFC here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/22/the-crayola-box-of-8-blue-cffc/
You can join in Dan’s Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/06/25/czechoslovak-room/
You can join in Terri’s Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/06/21/sunday-stills-animal-of-the-month-where-the-wild-things-are/
Click on the slideshow to view two giraffes that I saw at Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterkloof, South Africa. This is a series of three photographs of the heads and upper necks of two young giraffes against a bright, blue sky. In the first photograph, the two animals are close together but apart. In the second and third photograph, the two giraffes have crossed their necks at the top so that their heads are pointing in opposite directions. In the second photo, the animals are looking straight ahead while in the last photograph they are looking up with their heads angled upwards.
roberta-writes.com 