Yearly Archives: 2012

That’s The Revolution

Posted on by February 25, 2020

“Starman” came on this afternoon. Halfway, through I realized Caroline was singing every word. When did she get in touch with her inner Bowie? Yesterday, it was “Taxman” and both kids. That was less surprising, since I’m raising avowed Beatle maniacs. We belt out Beyoncé, too. I still sing with my Mom. To the Beatles. To Sam and Dave. And I rock with Dad to metal. My parents infected me young, she with the belief that music is timeless, and he with the certainty that the new is always worthwhile. Now, I hope I’m doing the same in my turn.

 

 

 

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????… Read the rest

Flutterby Butterfly

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Let me get a couple of administrative details out of the way first.

1) If you’d like to read my short story “End of the Line”, then you need to go buy a copy of Idea Gems Tough Lit VI.  It costs a dollar to download (and you can download it to your PC if you don’t have a Kindle). (And if you’re really interested, you can buy it in physical touchy-feely format for $8.50.) Yes! I’m SO excited to have a piece in a publication that people actually have to pay MONEY to read! Please, go check it out.

2) The following is my entry for Velvet Verbosity’s 100 word challenge, where the word of the week is Fragile.… Read the rest

Walking

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Trouble came easy in those days. Cassandra remembered sitting on Tyree’s stoop when Stoney Hamilton sloshed down Scoville swearing and firing a handgun. “Goddamn, cunt, bitch, asshole, hoebag, fuck!” And at ‘fuck’, he pointed his gun straight in the air and staggered forward a few more steps.

“Listen at him.”  Tyree rose to watch. Cassandra joined him.

Cassandra said, “That’s not going to stand.”

Stoney swiveled until he found them. “Goddamn, cunt, bitch…”

“Yeah, I know, hoebag and all that dumb shit. Put down that gun before you hurt somebody.” As Cassandra resumed her seat, Stoney aimed at her and pulled the trigger.… Read the rest

Houseguests Part III (final)

Posted on by February 25, 2020

It happened so fast, and exactly on the day we had to let Fudge go. It was this one bright, beautiful spot on a sad day. And I was too full right then to blog about it.  Exactly seven days after the first of the caterpillars went into their chrysalides, those four all emerged. Caroline made a remark walking out the door that she thought we might have butterflies today, and an hour after she was gone, I looked behind me to see that POOF they had arrived. They came soundlessly, and the only warning we had was darkening of the crysalides, which I was too slow to photograph.… Read the rest

Memories Captured May: Once Upon A Train

Posted on by February 25, 2020

 

Once more this month, I’m linking up with Galit Breen of These Little Waves and Alison of Mama Wants This for their monthly Memories Captured Link-up. I think my favorite thing about this meme is the way it invites me to explore an entirely different style of writing. It’s WAY outside my comfort zone, and I’m always challenged to truly capture an authentic memory in my own voice.

… Read the rest

Mother’s Day From Authors

Posted on by February 25, 2020

And now, allow me to bring you the best and most unexpected guest post ever. I took the kids grocery shopping, and we picked out Sam’s birthday cake for next weekend, and when I got back, Scott had written me a mother’s day card with various quotations of dubious origin. These are things the authors only told him, let me assure you.

But I will share them with you, because I love you like my mother. Or something.

“Fork clang. Shoes on. Love. the trash went out…”  — Joyce

“Love. Pointless. Dying. Alone. Perhaps only partly cloudy.”– Hemingway

“Love, a yes, that, as it spring forth anew each day with the force of a river fed from high in the mountains, from a spring up there…” — Dickens

“Love, the thing that is beautiful just like a rose” — Shakespeare

“A life without love is like a squirrel pie without the squirrel” — William Shakespeare Bocephus.… Read the rest

Beauty and The Beast

Posted on by February 25, 2020

Sam’s Saga starts here:
Sam Part I,

Sam Part II,
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Sam has had a rough year. A rough, rough year. He loves ballet, but he nearly rejected it because he went through a phase of hating everything. And when things were at the utworst, when I thought he was going to have to stop dance, the ballet reached out to him. This was late last year.

They were making a calendar. They needed a little boy to be in a picture, and would Sam please come. OK, let me be clear. They did NOT need a little boy for a picture.… Read the rest

Houseguests Part II

Posted on by February 25, 2020

The houseguests emerged. Butterflies don’t typically breed in captivity, but last night we are pretty sure ours did. We think, in fact, that this weekend we will be releasing an egg-heavy butterfly mother.

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This weekend at Trifextra, we can write whatever we want, but it can only be 33 words long, and it has to include the word mother.

We didn’t take any pictures, but here’s youtube video that looks like it was made by people whose butterflies came from the same place. That habitat looks a lot like ours.

May I just say…it took their butterflies ages to move past ‘mating ritual’ into ‘actual mating’.… Read the rest

All Fooked Up

Posted on by February 25, 2020

It’s a day of guest posts and fantastic followups for me today.

First, I have a hilarious guest post up on Lynn’s blog, All Fooked Up today. I actually first came to All Fooked Up because another blogger did a guest post. When Missy, The Literal Mom did this post about her favorite word, I followed along to discover other bloggers who adore F-bombs as much as I do. I subscribed immediately, and I haven’t been disappointed.

Lynn runs a regular guest post series called Go Ahead, Amuse Me where she features funnies from other bloggers. She welcomes guest posts, too, you just have to be FUNNY.… Read the rest

Communication Gap

Posted on by February 25, 2020

“You are quite the enigma.” Jerilee’s new foster mother studied the smiling girl. This was the child’s third full day in the home. Mama Fernandez moved clean socks from a red to a yellow basket as she tucked pairs together. “It’s certainly pleasant to be in your company,” she continued. “Does the racket bother you here?”

Jerilee went on smiling and began kicking her feet against the bed. Mama Fernandez finished another pair of socks.“I talked to your teacher again today.  She said you got a 100 on the spelling test all three times you turned it in. But she wants you to remember you aren’t responsible for your classmates’ work.”… Read the rest