Well, howdy y’all! Hey, a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya, and welcome to the first Monday of the month!

What’s the big deal about that, you ask?

Well, that means it’s time for our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically) where YOU are invited to share a bit of your own lessons learned with the rest of us! And this time, the topic ought to prove to be an interesting one, don’cha think?

I mean, plants are all around us, aren’t they? And you’re bound to have learned a thing or two from ‘em at some time or another, I’ll bet. For instance, I once learned several things about “finding your place”, so to speak, from a couple of Philodendrons in my backyard (see “Phil and Queenie – A Love Story”).

And then there’s a bunch of lessons I learned from a Bougainvillea that wasn’t doin’ so hot in a hanging basket (see “The Bougainvillea Blues“). And then, of course, there were some very important things I was reminded of upon encountering a surprisingly resistant little weed (see “The Weed“). Anyhoo, I’m sure you see my point, right? There’s all kinds of things you can learn from the plant world, after all.

Now, to participate, all you have to do is write a blog post about your experience. (NEW! You can also link to an existing post! No more excuses!) Remember, your entry can be as eloquent or as brief as you like. You can also make it relevant to your blog’s theme or not – it’s totally your choice. (If it just doesn’t fit your blog, you can always submit it to me as a guest post here at the Zone if you like. Just drop me an email and tell me about it at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net.) You get to choose your format, too; so far we’ve had everything from multi-part prose (up to 5 parts) to poetry and even video entries.

Here’s How to Enter

Hey, you know the drill. Like I said; you can pretty much write anything you like, as long as it illustrates a lesson (or lessons) learned. Be specific. Be non-specific. And, since I never impose a restriction on length, be as eloquent as you like. But most of all, be yourself – and write something!

The contest is open from now thru Sunday, August 9, at midnight (that’s midnight to me, which is GMT-5 time), so write your post(s) (yes, you can enter more than once!), and send me the links! I’ll post the entire list of entries on Monday, August 10.

And let’s not forget the details…

1. Write a new post (or link to an existing one) on your blog with a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). As I said, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like. C’mon; show off for us!
2. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (To make sure I don’t miss it.)

That’s all there is to it! Next Monday, August 10, I will post the entire list of entries right here at the Middle Zone, so be sure and drop by to check ‘em all out.

As always, we have just two simple rules around here:

• For the sake of the general blogging audience, please keep it G-Rated. (Also please note: this is a request, not a demand, since after all it’s your blog and you can do what you want. Fair warning: I can choose to link to you or not.)
• Be nice.

All right, ladies and gentlemen; you know what to do! Grab the writing instrument of your choice and start writing!

[Note from the Proprietor - I realize it takes a little time to write your entries, but would you mind too terribly not waiting until midnight on Sunday night, August 9, to notify me? Sometimes it can be difficult to get them all compiled by Monday's 6 am post time! I surely thank you, and as a token of my appreciation - have yourself a cookie!]

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