I am sorry I missed yesterday….. People in our area love fireworks; one of our dogs does not. Memorial Day seemed (to them) a good excuse to set them off, which in turn set poor Herbie off and into panic mode. We wonder where he came from, my husband and I. We adopted him from a rescue that got him from the shelter when he was brought in as a stray. But true strays don’t usually know basic commands, don’t love to ride in cars; trusting they are headed to the park. True strays are not usually housebroken and non … Continue reading Smoke and Fire

—Short Story Sunday— I apologize for being absent the last few days. Between the rain and the hot and the humid the bug situation here has been out of control. Just walking the dogs or going from the porch to the car results in literally a million itchy bites. Ok….maybe not really a million but it sure does feel like it. So I have been an itchy, swollen, cranky mess and in and out of consciousness thanks to multiple doses of antihistamines. But I am back tonight for Short Story Sunday. And this one IS short. Prompt: Write a ghost … Continue reading Hurrying Home

Sometimes we debate, my husband and I, the difference between waxing and waning; gibbous versus crescent. The age old conundrum between a moon half empty and a moon half full. Pessimist vs Optimist. Tonight as we sit on the on the porch, on the corner where old buildings tilt at even older windmills; as we witness the fall of day and the rise of night played out as it has been over and over and over again; a cycle stuck on repeat, on a corner where time stands still, there is no debate. Tonight we agree. The rising moon is … Continue reading Bad Moon Arising

It is a billboard that sits at an intersection. An intersection where the most diverse demographic of drivers are held equally hostage by a light that pauses red on all sides for just a moment longer than is necessary. A moment in which those headed to “The Island” and those headed to “Nine to Five” meet and converge; sit and wait. A moment in which those on all sides will the light to turn green for them first; forcing those on opposing sides to surrender and yield to their rights and right (of) way. It is in this pause between … Continue reading “Welcome To This Beautiful World….”

The prompt for this week’s story (which was issue as a a challenge the same week Fifty Shades of Grey hit theaters) was: Write a story no longer than 150O words that include the following elements: a statuette, a bottle of perfume, and a matchbook. I fussed around with it all week. I could see the story in my head but wasn’t sure how to translate it to written words. “If only this were a movie….” I lamented, finally embracing the notion and letting that phrase lead the way. The following is where that mantra and 1281 words took me….. … Continue reading Shades of Gray

The “Scavenger Hunt” word this week wasn’t hunted for or scouted out. It wasn’t stalked or ambushed. It didn’t hide while I seeked; sought it out; peeking into shop windows, staring at clouds, keeping watch for it; straining my eyes and my imagination; willing myself to see it in both the shyness of shadow and boldness of light. The word presented itself in the form of a present. A gift given to me by a neighbor and friend. He spotted it, he said, in the dusty corner of a second hand shop. It reminded him he said, of me. Of … Continue reading “Recognize”

His sure and steadfast gait has started to waver. He lists a bit, from side to side; drifts and veers off course, threatens to capsize. She feigns difficulty navigating the the relatively smooth terrain; puts her arm around him, leans in close. He instinctively reciprocates; those early days of courtship, when she insisted on wearing her highest heels, despite the fact that balancing in them was impossible, are hardwired into him. Always he caught her just before she stumbled; supported her, held her close, unaware that the shoes were worn for that purpose alone. Now it is she who steadies … Continue reading The Rudder