The boy dragged the it of the broken branch laboriously through the damp sand. It made a fine writing surface, with the tide gone out. He could scratch in it to his heart’s content, and then when the waves came back, whatever he’d written would be erased. The same could not be said of paper.… Read More Odd Prompts: Flick
Lately I’ve been feeling like I’m getting dumber in my old age. My mind is slipping. Maybe it’s just where I’m at today. Maybe it’s hormones. Maybe I can’t think clearly of a Monday and it’s just that. I do know that I have been feeling like I can’t get as much done as I… Read More Feeling Dumb
I’m a child of the North. I’ve never walked through an orchard of orange trees, with their heady perfume, but I’ve read about it. Perhaps some day. I do know that it is nothing like the same sort of stroll through a blooming apple orchard. Apple blossoms, fleeting delicate petals that begin to fall almost… Read More Orange Blossoms
There have been a few times I’ve posted here in support of friends who needed help, and today is partly about that. Jenn Hast, who is an artist, photographer, and will soon be an accountant (why yes, she is a polymath and Renaissance woman!) is dealing with cancer. The outlook is good, if the short-term… Read More Mutual Aid and Comfort
The coffee shop was buzzing, as it was every Monday morning. No one knew how the baristas managed to start the work week off with such bubbly, sunny enthusiasm, and no one ever asked. There are things it is best not to know. What you need to know is that the coffee here is good,… Read More Odd Prompts: Monday Morning
I’ve moved the site to a new host, for a number of reasons. In the process of migration – which I had done for me, so much easier than managing it myself! I’ve migrated the site on my own twice, and it was a lengthy and painful process every time, because I don’t know what… Read More New Host
The cat was doing some slick moves, I had to admit, some kind of soft-shoe dance with his tail adding a shimmy no human would ever be able to match. He ended with that ridiculous top hat rolling down his arm, popping off his paw, and coming right at me. I caught it reflexively, and… Read More Odd Prompts: Catch
I’ve been a mother for a little over twenty-four years, now. I say a little over, as I gave birth to my first child just about twenty-four years ago at the time of the post, and I was certainly a mother even before she arrived into the cold January of a New England winter. My… Read More Musing on Motherhood
Some mornings, when it’s a lazy day and the kitchen is clean, I’ll get on a creative baking kick. This was one of those mornings. I didn’t want something sweet, I wanted savory, and relatively fast to whip up, and to use up some random refrigerator odds and ends. Cheezy Breakfast Skulls 2 c baking… Read More Cheesy Breakfast Skulls
“I can’t do everything. I want to.” She angled her palms, as though she were pouring out water from them. “I can’t.” “No one expects you to.” Ella reached for Bonnie’s hands. “John would be unhappy to see you like this.” “I know. I’ve been cheerful when he’s called, but he said… he said last… Read More Odd Prompts: Everything
I’m hopefully going to take advantage of a mild weather week here in North Central Texas to do some outdoor work. My garden here at the Crooked House is as wonky as the interior of the house, and I’m hoping to establish some things now, so they have a chance to survive the Summer. Like… Read More Winter Garden
For the love of old books, I’ve done many things. For these, it was simple enough… a dollar and fifty cents, plus the time and energy to bring them 500 miles home with me, and the shelf space to keep them. It was, perhaps, a silly thing to do. You see, I don’t intend to… Read More Bibliophilia: Companion Library