The Essential Ozzy (Ozzy Osborne Album Compilation)

Hello Grafted In Reader,

Today is Monday July 28, 2025 in my corner of blog-land. A summer heat-wave continues here with temperatures in the low 30s C, about 90, F. This is to alleviate as the week-days pass.

Wow! We are losing celebs seemingly right and left this Summer. Ozzy Osborne in his mid seventies passed away a few days ago. Also, Hulk Hogan, Jazz singer Cleo Laine and trumpeter Chuck Mangione. When one like myself is similar to these artists, the brevity of life is again a true reminder. Make the best of it is my marching order.

One way to make the best of life for me is reading. A new author for me, Lori Copeland, has my reading interest this summer as I continue reading her "Heavenly Daiz" series, book two, "Grace In Autumn". It is about small-town life for residents of a small town in Maine who are preparing for the Winter months ahead. These citizens have been occasioned to receive help from angels assigned to help folk in this community. The book has the feel from the former TV series, Touched By An Angel."

My writing is on hold as I sustained a fall last week in my home and injured my right elbow. It is healing but progress is slow and steady so far.. I will be editing my upcoming title over the next few weeks. Stay tuned if interested!

Until next time, thanks for dropping by. Youre visit is truly welcomed!

God bless and keep us,

Mellow Rock

David C. Russell, Author

 

Collins Language Learning Blog (Harper-Collins)

Hello Grafted In Readers,

Occasionally, I like to share something I have read and learned with you. This post will meet that objective.

Below, I am pasting a learning quiz of sorts from the Collins Dictionary Language Learner Blog.

I'll give you a spoiler: either of the word spellings for these specific words are said to be okay. However, one spelling is said to be preferred over the other.

I also want to thank you for dropping by and paying this blog and me a visit! Okay, the word post coming up

July 14, 2025

Which is correct: rack your brains or wrack your brains; rack and ruin or wrack and ruin; nerve-racking or nerve-wracking? This article tells you which you should use.

rack your brains

If you rack your brains, you try very hard to think of something. For example:

She began to rack her brains to remember what had happened at the nursing home. 

The correct verb to use is ‘rack’ but the phrase wrack your brains is also commonly used.

rack and ruin

If you say that a place is going torack and ruin, you are emphasizing that it is slowly becoming less attractive or less pleasant because no-one is bothering to look after it.

Wrack and ruin is also commonly used, although ‘rack’ is considered the standard usage.

nerve-racking

A nerve-racking situation or experience makes you feel very tense and worried.

They spent a nerve-racking day waiting. 

It was more nerve-wracking than taking a World Cup penalty.

‘Nerve-racking’ is the standard usage, but nerve-wracking is also commonly used.

The presentation of a speech can be a nerve-wracking experience.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, 

The Lord bless and keep us until next we meet.

David C. Russell

Mellow Rock

 

From Another Part Of My Journey (David C. Russell)

Hello Grafted In And On The Journey Reader,

Today is Thursday, July 17, 2025 in my corner of blog land.

I am reflecting this week on my faith journey of the past 55 years. This reflection was brought on by news of the passing of Bible Expositor and teacher, Dr. John Macarthur. He had a radio program called, 

Grace to You. Many of his teachings are on YouTube or at the Grace To You Website.

I became aware of him when eighteen years-old and a freshman at the then Detroit Bible College. I wasn't a regular listener to him but did listen when doing so.

I am somewhat like him in personality and in my fiction writing. We both tend to say what we think!

I leave you with two examples below out of respect for Dr. Macarthur's legacy, and as a reminder to ourselves that people will recall us from their journey and have an opinion of what we leave behind.

To many, Dr. Macarthur was uncompromising. You will sense this if choosing to check out what is posted below.

John MacArthur Q&A: Why is today's Lutheran church so liberal?YouTube Preach Christ or Die!!

Feb 27, 2024

Lutheran churches have deviated from Luther's original teachings, especially in the areas of baptism and communion.

John MacArthur: EVIL CHRISTIAN COMPROMISE by 5 MINUTE CHRISTIANITY on YouTube. Play on Google. 4:58

John MacArthur: EVIL CHRISTIAN COMPROMISEYouTube 5 MINUTE CHRISTIANITY

May 21, 2022

John MacArthur warns about the dangers of compromising the Gospel by joining forces with the world, citing examples from the Lutheran church and the Bible.

Myself:  I still nurture my faith which has changed over the years to now include elements of Jewish spirituality. I write this within my fiction rather than make it my fiction as previous. I will answer to God for this choice, and am aware of this.

Meantime, God bless and keep us on our journey!

David C. Russell, Author

Mellow Rock

 

Quit Complaining - YouTube · RealJessicaRose 26.3K+ views · 5 years ago

Hello Grafted In Readers,

Today is Tuesday July 15 in my corner of blog land.

First, our post title is, Quit Complaining.  It features a music video on YouTube that you may type in and enjoy the visual and the accompanying song by Jessica Rose.

One of the stories in my forthcoming self-anthology is titled, The Chronic Complainer.

You may read this story by pressing enter on the next line:

https://spillwords.com/the-chronic-complainer

I am it's author, David C. Russell.

Online, I found out these are common complaints by humans living in the developed world:

- forty-hour jobs

- spoilers

- bad customer service

- roadside litter and or people who litter

- robo-calls

people cutting in a waiting line

not being able to connect to the internet

I plead guilty to a few of the above. I also probably would have been a grumbler were I one of the multitude who made up the Exodus from enslavement in Egypt to a place called the promise land.

Does complaining help us feel better?

Yes, when actually complaining, but shortly thereafter doesn't that affect wear off?

Something to think about until our next visit.

I appreciate you dropping by, and as always, comment or hello is welcomed!

God bless and keep us!

Mellow Rock

David C. Russell

 

No Longer A Slave (Acoustic, Wesleyan Southern University Singers)

No Longer Slaves | University Singers at Freedom's Hill Chapel YouTube · Hello Grafted In Readers,

Today is Wednesday, July ninth in my corner of blog land. How goes it today, this season?

Writing and planning writing have been at the forefront of my life activity recently. I figure it will take up to three months to birth my forthcoming title, "From The Red Chair", a short story collection of about 11,000 words total. The theme, finding mental health.

Steps to birth include: paying the editor; blogging and promoting on GoodReads and elsewhere; re-reading manuscript after edit to approve or make corrections; formatting and a cover design; publishing to Draft2Digital and some other popular platforms; publish on Google Play as an auto-narrated book; promote, relax, celebrate.

My father used to often claim that anything worthwhile takes time and effort. I agree with dad.

The title of my post is also a song found on YouTube. The performers are a small ensemble from Southern Wesleyan University located in the USA. Freedom from enslavement is a personal choice, and a choice aided by someone, something, and one's God.

The alternative is freedom to be a human being, human doing.

Until next time we visit, feel free to say hello, comment, and may God bless and keep us!

No Longer Slaves | University Singers at Freedom's Hill Chapel

YouTube · Southern Wesleyan University

1.1K+ views · 4 years ago

About this result related to YouTube 

Story: Etudes and Inventions (David C. Russell, Mellow Rock)

Hello Grafted In Readers,

This post is somewhat celebrative in nature! Welcome to my corner of blog land as we enjoy July 1, 2025. Also, sentiments to our Canadian readers, and Happy Canada Day to you!

The following is a story I wrote for a contest by Reedsy Editing online. Out of over 300 stories, it was approved and is posted at the contest URL below.

A young adult recalls a summer nearly ten years prior when he was a pre-teenager. For me, that was years ago but in retrospect, fun to recall what is remembered.

Here is the URL, which I cannot turn into a link.

 

https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/3bflb3/

I know the story will be available to read, like, and comment on through the third of July.

https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/3bflb3/

Until next post, God bless and keep us. Enjoy this season and value the lessons we learn.

Mellow Rock,

David C. Russell, Author