Do you know the old song, The Cat Came Back? Written by Harry S. Miller, Christmas 1893.

I remember it as an old recording sung by a man with a deep voice and it was very haunting. People who went up in balloons never to be seen again. People exploding in mines in thousands of pieces, but the cat came back. It was one of those scary things you just seem to want more of, maybe to find out more, maybe to hear about survivors.

Turns out there are a lot of versions of the song. A lot of differences in the words. It’s a song anyone can add more verses to, because that’s how it has grown. I have found a good selection, some I remember from long ago and some new to me. You could (should) write more. Add to the legend of the cat that kept coming back.

Here are some of those I found, to inspire you:

The First Verse (Two Versions)

Now, old Mr. Johnson had troubles of his own. He had a yellow cat that wouldn’t leave his home! A special plan with deception as the key. One little cat—how hard could it be?

Old Mr. Johnson had trouble all his own He had a yellow cat that wouldn’t leave his home He tried in every way to keep that cat away Took him up to Canada and told him for to stay.

The Chorus

But the cat came back the very next day, The cat came back, we thought he was a goner, The cat came back, he just wouldn’t stay away.

Verses

Now the man around the corner swore he’d kill the cat on sight He loaded up his shotgun with nails and dynamites He waited and he waited for the cat to come around Ninety-seven pieces of the man is all they found.

Now the cat had company out in the back yard Somebody threw a boot and they threw it awful hard Hit the cat behind the ear ever so slight And down came a brick and drove him out of sight but

Gave it to man going up in a balloon Told him for to take it to the man on the Moon The balloon came down about 90 miles away Where he is now, I dare not say.

They gave it to a man going way out west Told him for to take it to the one he loved the best First, the train hit the curve, then it jumped the rail Not a soul was left behind to tell the gruesome tale.

Away across the ocean he did send the cat at last Vessel out alone today taking water fast People all began to pray the boat began to toss A great big gust of wind came by and every soul was lost.

On a telephone wire birds were sitting in a bunch Saw them up there & said he’d have ’em for his lunch Climbed softly up the pole until he reached the top Put his foot upon the wire & it gave him quite a shock.

At last they found a way this cat to really fix They put him in an orange crate on highway 66 Come a ten ton truck with a twenty ton load Scattered pieces of that orange crate miles down the road.

So I put him in a box and I tied it up quite well. I had some fellows help me and I paid them not to tell. We put it in a boxcar, the west-bound 7:10 The train pulled away and was never seen again.

So I took him to the harbour and I put in on a ship. I bid him bon voyage! for that oceanic trip! The captain was obligin’ and glad to help us out Tied him to the anchor so that there could be no doubt!

Some have an ending verse, like this. In some the cat lives and in others it doesn’t.

So Old Mr. Johnson’s story unfolds, A tale about a cat and the story is old. The reason why the cat just couldn’t stay away There were seven little kittens meowing in the hay, so.

My Verses (not as haunting as I’d like, something to work on)

Tied the cat to a brick thought that would do the trick Threw it down an old dry well The story he did not tell.

Sealed the cat in a specimen jar left it in the trunk of an old car The car went through the wreckers but he found him playing checkers

I found a 53 word short story contest. I like limited word story writing. You need to consider each word, work with the order of your words and still have it all make sense and be a good story. Short stories are very under appreciated.

This is the story I wrote. It's based on an idea I had very early this morning. A longer version would give details and explain everything. But, I think this short version gets the idea across.

I hadn't planned to spend my night waiting with the Witch and spoiled Asian cuisine in the abandoned restaurant.

"Bad business plan, cursing their annoying customers." The Witch toys with her magic glass jar.

A tiny Oriental doll in the jar, screams, unheard. Creepy. Will my bitchy little sister even say thank you?

This is an old poll I created when I used to write for a network called BackWash. Still a good question to think about.

If you had to give up or lose one of your senses, including common sense and the possibility of a sixth sense or the other standard: hearing, smell, taste, sight or touch, which would you pick?

I think the idea of losing our senses haunts us all our lives. We see someone who can't see or hear and we think about how it must be to live without that.

Then we get older and another fear is losing our mind, our ability to think and do things for ourselves.

Animals don't have a sense of self, scientists say. It's a test they try on animals - putting them in front of a mirror to see if they can understand they are looking at a reflection of themselves. I've seen cats go crazy, hissing and pouncing, trying to threaten (or feeling threatened) by what they see as a strange cat who hisses right back at them. Pretty scary if you don't understand the concept of a reflection. But, they can do the same with the image of a cat on a box too.

I don't know if not having the knowledge of reflections and photography or graphic arts should leave us to assume these animals don't have that sense of self.

How could you prove an animal does have a sense of self? How do you know you have a sense of your own self? Do you even understand the idea of what having a sense of self is? Maybe that is the sense (not on my original list) which you might give up. How different would you be without it?

day 1. write a letter to your past self.

day 2. write a letter to your your future self

day 3. write a letter to your parents

day 4. write a letter to your siblings

day 5. write a letter to your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/love/crush

day 6. write a letter to your best friend

day 7. write a letter to a stranger

day 8. write a letter to someone you’ve been thinking about lately

day 9. write a letter to someone that changed your life

day 10. write a letter to yourself

via 10 day letter challenge - Heck Yeah Tumblr Challenges!.

100 Creative Ideas

This was originally posted to HubPages. When it became mothballed due to their no-index policy I pulled it and brought here to rescue it from content scrapers and give it a second wind.

This will be my 100th post to HubPages. I actually joined years ago but didn't start writing here until last year. Still, it took awhile to write 100 posts. I almost went ahead and just posted one of the ideas I have been working on without thinking to make this post anything special. Then, I stopped. One hundred posts should be some kind of milestone. So, after considering a few ideas, I decided to post 100 creative ideas to help, inspire and push others to be creative (more creative). Yes, they are slightly slanted to women. But, I'm thinking of ideas out of my own head and that's who I am.

Enjoy the ideas. Let me know if you try a few and what kind of creative adventures and explorations you have.

1. Write your own list of 100 things.
2. Gather up all your pens and some paper. Have a pen testing party. Get rid of pens that don't still work.
3. Create a design with coffee cup rings (or tea) on a blank page.
4. Take paper and pens - find somewhere public where you can spend an hour or longer just writing whatever comes to mind.
5. Draw a dragon. It doesn't matter if you can't draw, doodle until it starts to look good.
6. Interview someone interesting, to you. Ask them what you really want to know.
7. Write a suggestion and send it to the right people.
8. Go barefoot (within reason) for at least an hour.
9. People watch.
10. Practice calligraphy. Bonus if you can use a fountain pen too.
11. Pick up a pebble, a leaf, a shell, something small from nature.
12. Start an account on Twitter and use it.
13. Try ASCII art. Images created with keyboard text.
14. Write a haiku poem.
15. Draw a map of your local area, add all the land features, streets, etc.
16. Play Scrabble with someone.
17. Leave your car at home and take the bus for one day.
18. Read out loud.
19. Write your favourite word on an index card (recipe card) then decorate it in any way you dream up.
20. Try a unique flavour of tea. The best I had was caramel.
21. Make a chain of paper dolls.
22. Write a postcard to someone, mail it.
23. Take a unique self-portrait photograph of yourself.
24. Read the newspaper and clip out one idea you can write about.
25. Try baking something: pie, cake, cheesecake.
26. Repurpose an old T-shirt in some useful way.
27. Try Snip.it - set up a topic you want to research there.
28. Paint your body. If you seldom paint your nails, try that. Otherwise, face painting, a temporary tattoo...
29. Photograph water, any kind of water: rain on a window, a puddle, water in the sink...
30. Make thumbprints and turn them into characters.
31. Try origami. Follow a pattern and see how it turns out.
32. Write at least one journal (diary) entry about your day.
33. Clean out your purse or wallet (or both). Reduce clutter in a small way.
34. Put an ice cube in a glass of water. Start writing, keep writing until the ice has melted.
35. Try a graphics software, Gimp is free, create a web banner for your blog, site or just your own name.
36. Write about your ultimate vacation: where you would go, how you would get there and what you would do.
37. Rename all the characters in whatever book you are reading now.
38. Think of something completely unacceptable to write for a woman's magazine. Write it anyway.
39. Photograph an abandoned place or thing in your area.
40. Take one photograph of anyone (not someone you know) in a public place, street photography.
41. Watch a favourite movie you haven't seen in a really long time.
42. Read about night photography and give it a try.
43. Sew on a button. If you are already a sewing diva create something with a lot of buttons.
44. Create your own bookmark.
45. Try freestyle embroidery. Embroider a square of fabric which you can sew on as a patch on jeans, a blanket, etc.
46. Invite a friend over for an unbirthday party.
47. Use crayons and draw a big picture - be a kid again.
48. Become a cartoon artist for a day.
49. Clip glossy photos from magazines and create a collage.
50. Write a fictional news story. Use the newspaper writing style and all 5 Ws - who, what, where, when, why and... how.
51. Try a crossword puzzle.
52. Crochet a granny square.
53. Get sticks and yarn to create a God's Eye pattern from the 1970's.
54. Use paperclips or dandelions (in season) to make chains you can wear.
55. Find out about mail art. Write a letter and use what you have learned about mail art.
56. Start a scrapbook for something. Not for family photos, but a collection of newspaper clippings and such which you keep together in a traditional scrapbook.
57. Write your name over and over using different fonts/ lettering each time.
58. Make your own personal time capsule to be opened more than a year from now.
59. Recycle newspaper by trying paper mache.
60. Learn how to tie a sailor's knot of some kind.
61. In winter make a snow angel, in summer try a sand angel, or something else you can lie in and make an impression upon.
62. Make Jello, pick a few colours, add the cubes to a large bowl and squish it all with your toes.
63. Repurpose all those unmatched socks. Sock puppets are easy, what else can you do with them?
64. Write out your favourite quote (or find one) and share it with someone else.
65. Settle in somewhere nice outside and try bird watching.
66. Turn something you like to cook or bake into an actual recipe, with measured ingredients and instructions for a beginner cook.
67. See how far back you can go with your family tree, without peeking at anything you have already written/ printed out.
68. Give yourself a ribbon for 'World's Greatest...'make it out of ribbon, paper, whatever you have on hand.
69. Read one non-fiction book from the dust bunny collection on your bookshelves.
70. Draw happy faces. Keep drawing them with different expressions until you run out of ideas.
71. Go without your watch for a day. Ask other people the time or find a clock in stores, on the street, etc.
72. Watch for little lost things in the street, sidewalk, etc. What can you find when you really look?
73. String together different sized coloured beads and see what patterns you can make.
74. Play with the sand, the snow, a pile of leaves, whatever is in season.
75. Try some of the other mystery settings on your camera. You might like them.
76. Design your own business card, even if you don't have a business.
77. Back up your computer files. See what you forgot you had. Save the important stuff to a DVD.
78. Write the dedication for a book you haven't written yet.
79. How would you sell ice to people living in the Arctic?
80. Get sidewalk chalk and remember the world of chalk drawings.
81. How many different kind of shadow animals can you make?
82. Play with an ink pad and rubber stamps.
83. Make doll clothes. They can be for paper dolls if you don't sew.
84. Try to fold a better paper airplane.
85. Bake and decorate cookies or cupcakes.
86. Use a small mirror to write secret messages or draw backwards pictures.
87. Draw a family of stick people, add pets, the family car and a house too.
88. Draw or sketch or doodle something you can't see.
89. Get big sized paper and take crayons to the cemetery. Make cemetery stone etchings. (Don't use stones which look fragile).
90. Create a connect the dots game for kids.
91. Make a meal based on one colour, try to keep every food/ dish one colour.
92. Make a list of everything you smell.
93. Trace your hand and then draw all the lines in your palm.
94. Try storytelling. Or just write a complete nonsense story for fun.
95. Collect random words and pull them together into a story.
96. Write a story using less than 50 words, flash fiction.
97. Paint something.
98. Draw a flower.
99. Cut out paper snowflakes.
100. Plant something. Use a flower pot or container of some kind if you don't have garden space outside.