A to Z Blogging Challenge: B is for Barley (and other grain crops)

This month I’m taking part in the A-Z Blogging Challenge, the annual event where hundreds of bloggers write 26 blogs—one for each letter of the alphabet—and post them each day of April, except Sundays. This year, I’m blogging about: THINGS THAT GROW IN ALBERTA. (Spoiler alert: C is for Canola!) Don’t forget to check back daily and leave a comment on my blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Tumblr or via email at chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com. I’ll randomly pick a few winners who will receive a SIGNED copy of one of the Chase “Superman Duffy” comics.

Barley, wheat, oats, rye, triticale, wild rice—these are ALL members of the grass family grown for their edible starchy seeds. Wait…why would anyone want starchy seeds, you ask? Good question!

Well, they’re perfect for making some of my favourite  food products—like breakfast cereals, or oats for oatmeal, wheat for pasta, and rye for flour. But did you know that only a small percentage of grain crops are used to make byproducts?

Large quantities of barley, corn and rye—especially in Alberta—are grown for livestock feed. Yep, those cartoon images of pigs eating barley aren’t actually a joke.

According to my grandpa, most grain crops do well in Alberta, because they’re resilient against the elements, like a cold snap, or drought.

Uh…speaking of drought, how would you like to WIN a copy of Transpiration? Mermaids, dinosaurs, sea creatures—oh my! Comment below or on any of my social media links to qualify for the daily draw.

Gotta Jet! “C” ya tomorrow.

— Chase Superman Duffy

A to Z Blogging Challenge: A is for Alfalfa

Today kicks off the A-Z Blogging Challenge, the annual event where hundreds of bloggers write 26 blogs—one for each letter of the alphabet—and post them each day of the month, except Sundays. This year, I’m blogging about: THINGS THAT GROW IN ALBERTA. (Spoiler alert: C is for Canola!) Don’t forget to check back daily and leave a comment on my blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Tumblr or via email at chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com. I’ll randomly pick a few winners who will receive a SIGNED copy of one of the Chase “Superman Duffy” comics.

Ready? Set. GO!

*    *    *

Have you seen the big rolls a lot of farmers have in their fields? Covered in plastic or left bare, many of those rolls are made from ALFALFA—one of the most useful and widely grown hay crops in the world.

A large number of Alberta’s ALFALFA crop goes toward feeding farm animals because it’s high in protein and contains a highly digestible fiber. (You’ve probably seen cows eating it!)

It might look cool in the movies, but I’d probably refrain from eating ALFALFA hay—though the crop has been used as an herbal medicine for more than 1500 years (aka: a LONG time).

ALFALFA is a great Alberta crop. Not only is it resistant to drought (extended periods of time without rain/moisture), when it’s planted with other grasses, it helps prevent soil erosion.

SPEAKING OF SOIL… Have you read Beneath the SOIL? Comment below (or on my Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr) for a chance to WIN a signed copy for yourself!

Gotta jet! See you tomorrow for the letter B.

— Chase Superman Duffy

The A-Z of Things That Grow

That’s right, friends. It’s THAT time of year again—the start of the A-Z Blogging Challenge!

If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s where you write 26 blogs, one for each letter of the alphabet, usually based on a theme, and post them to your blog every day in April, except Sundays. So, “A” starts on April 1.

It’s a great way to boost your word count (if you’re keeping track…), connect with other bloggers (there are thousands!), and learn something new.

This is my third year taking part in the challenge. Two years ago, I blogged about my inspirations. Last year, I did the A-Z of writing tips. THIS YEAR I’m blogging about…

THINGS THAT GROW IN ALBERTA!

Seems appropriate for spring, right? I’ll be kicking off the challenge with ALFALFA.

I hope you check in with me daily (I’m randomly giving away some Chase “Superman” Duffy comics!), and even join the challenge yourself. There’s still time to sign up.

Gotta jet! I have a LOT of blog posts to write….

— Chase Superman Duffy

E.T. Phone Home?

Today is Extraterrestrial Abduction Day — so keep your eyes on the sky and be ready to duck, run, and hide. UFOs may be anywhere…and everywhere! And, they may want to ABDUCT YOU!

Okay, probably not... But if you’re like me, you may be fascinated with outer space. (Really, what’s not to like?!) In fact, I’ve been to space…well, um, my character has.

In IT’S A BLAST, the third book in the Chase “Superman” Duffy comic series, “I” meet Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk before captaining a space shuttle to three different planets where I teach some cool E.T.’s how to grow canola. Wait…you haven’t read the book?! Well, you can order it from the Alberta Canola Producers’ Commission at learn@learncanola.com OR, you can check out this week’s story start challenge, write something, email it to me at chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com, and WIN a copy!

Other ways to celebrate the day? Read science fiction novels or watch movies like E.T. But don’t forget to keep your doors locked—you don’t want to be abducted, right?

Gotta jet!

— Chase Superman Duffy

This weekend, I'm seeing green!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

We don’t REALLY  “celebrate”, but my mom makes “green” pancakes for breakfast, and if we’re really lucky, we have Shamrock Shakes—mint ice cream, FTW!

But I have to admit, until we talked about it in school today, I didn’t know WHY anyone celebrated St. Patrick’s Day—or even who Saint Patrick was.

APPARENTLY he’s the patron saint of Ireland because he brought Christianity to the Irish. According to history, St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the miracle of the Trinity of God. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world with shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns, pots of gold and obviously, the colour green. The original intent has been lost, but it’s neat that every March 17 many people still celebrate the Irish.

This weekend, my sister and I are pulling out the craft supplies and making some fun St. Patrick’s Day-inspired stuff for Tuesday.

Like these paper plate leprechauns:

And these rainbow hands:

And these shamrock fingerprints:

And MAYBE this St. Patrick’s Day Princess crown—IF my sister’s LUCKY (see what I did there?) (P.S. This is NOT my sister.)

I’m sure the materials / instructions are self explanatory, right? What about you? Crafting anything for St. Patrick’s Day? (Don’t forget to wear GREEN!)

PS: These craft ideas and more found here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/craft-index.htm

Gotta jet!

— Chase Superman Duffy

Inspired by the beat!

Sometimes, when my grandpa is out in his canola field, he listens to podcasts. Not just about farming, but other cool stuff too—like history, science, and pop culture news.

The other day, Grandpa and I were listening to a podcast about the history of pirates (argh!), and for some reason we had to stop halfway through. Talk about a cliffhanger!  So, when I went for my run later that afternoon, I started playing  the second half on my iPod.

Not a good idea.

The information was great, obviously, but I probably had my worst running time—ever. There is something totally un­­inspiring about listening to a podcast when training…or writing, as it turns out.

Maybe it’s the beat, but I’m really motivated by music. I have a dozen or so playlists on my iPod—one for sprints, one for distance runs, one for writing scary scenes, etc.—and I can always count on them to make me go faster, or longer, or write harder. (Did you know that there’s poetry with a rhythm that will distress you?)

Sometimes, I even play the SAME song over and over again. Like right now, I’m writing a spooky scene in my short story. Know what song I have on repeat? The theme song from the movie HALLOWEEN. * shudder * If that isn’t enough to send shivers up your spine…

What about you? How does music inspire you?

Gotta jet!

— Chase Superman Duffy

Mermaids, monsters, goblins, oh my!

Yesterday was Tell a Fairy Tale Day, and in addition to reading about them in school, I actually read Snow White and the Seven Dwarves to my sister last night before bed. It’s not bad for being a bit girly.

I like Fairy Tales. Or at least, some of the creatures in them—like elves, fairies, giants, mermaids, and even trolls. (Hey! Did you know there are mermaids in the latest Chase Superman Duffy book—TRANSPIRATION? Cool, right?) Plus, traditional Fairy Tales rely on magic of some kind. Magic is fascinating.

So, I got thinking that maybe I should start writing a new short story this week. I might use the story starter from this week, I might come up with something totally different.

How about you? Could you write a Fairy Tale? Which magical creature would YOU choose? I’m thinking elves. Or maybe giants. Wait! Trolls are pretty colourful. I like trolls.

So many choices! I guess I had better get started. Gotta jet!

— Chase Superman Duffy

P.S. If you write a Fairy Tale, SEND IT TO ME. My email is: chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com. You could win a copy of TRANSPIRATION!