Nothing could hide it. Not her perfect page-boy or her expensive dresses. My friend said the roof of her mouth was missing. That’s why she drooled all over herself. That’s why we couldn’t understand anything she said.
Not that she talked to us.
But we didn’t talk to her either.
“You’re stealing the old clock?”
“Quiet, or I’ll have you written out faster than you can say Helen Corning.”
“What kind of chum are you?”
“One who doesn’t need a namby-pamby whiner hampering my mystery-solving abilities!”
“Ahhhhh, you’re the 1930’s sassy Nancy, NOT 1959’s fancy Nancy! SO glad to meet you!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post Note: NaBloPoMo posts a daily prompt to ignite bloggers’ imaginations. I decided to respond to today’s prompt – “Which character would you most like to meet?” by working it into my 50-word piece of fiction.
N.D. ~ 1930
Note: Penny, over at WIDELY UNREAD, introduced an interesting writing exercise from 3 A.M. EPIPHANY that challenges writers to create a scene using imperative commands. Penny’s example is 500 words as suggested by author Brian Kitely. I decided to accept this challenge today using the 50-word limit! Let’s see how this works.
Morning Glory
Meet Chelsea at the parlor on Main. Watch Raul open new needles and check latex gloves for pinholes.
Don’t be brave; let Chelsea go first.
Breathe; the stings WILL stop.
Admire Raul’s handiwork, hidden so Mom won’t see.
Dream that night of spreading vines.
Awaken to a nightmare come true.
The two giggled as they struggled to slip pajamas onto uncooperative 18-inch dolls. Joy reigned until both grabbed for the flannel mini-robe.
“It’s mine!”
“No! Gramma gave it to me.”
Tears.
“They usually play well together.” The care-giver observed.
“Sisters?” asked her new assistant.
“Mother and daughter. Eighty-eight and sixty-nine.”
Zuch Smackers!
Ahhh. Must be a first kiss!
Thank you, Flickr, for this foto!
You know how you hear a word for the first time, and then flood gates open and you hear it again and again and again? For example, I remember the first time I “saw” the word “akimbo” – as in “she stood there with her arms akimbo.” It means she stood there with her hands on her hips. Guess that description was too blasé for Harper Lee, so she introduced me – and probably many other readers who poured over To Kill a Mockingbird – to that most unusual word.
I thought it sounded like a character’s name from Roots: Akimbo Kinte, son or daughter of Kunta???? There were not enough context clues to help me figure it out, and so I looked it up in a dictionary – this was before mass Internet. And, as often happens, the word started popping up all over the place. My favorite discovery occurred on the trip home from St. George one summer. We passed a truck hauling a sail boat and as we zipped by I noticed the vessel’s name plastered on the side: AKIMBO! Perfect name for a sailboat, don’t you think?
My latest addition to my vocabulary is SCRUM. Not being a follower of Rugby, I had NEVER heard this weird word. But on Friday evening at Joe’s pinning – NEVER heard of an MBA pinning either – the dean of the college asked the grads to “scrum” forward to pose for a class picture.
“Scrum”???? Like “scrum of the earth?” I guess that would work if the “scum bag” was also a “rummy.” But then would it be “scrummy?” No. The dean used it as a verb. Luckily, my daughter-in-law attended Highland High School – not MY Highland High in Pocatello, ID, but SLC’s HHS, where Rugby reins supreme. She clarified the term for me even though the dean used enough context clues that I was able to figure it out.
Obviously, SCRUM is a Westminster College favorite because the graduation speaker weaved it into his comments the following day, which accounted for the second time I heard the word.
The 3rd repetition was a surprise. Just minutes into Pirates of the Caribbean 4, viewers are introduced to a singing pirate named – yup, SCRUM. How he came by that moniker, I don’t know as there is very little written about the mate.
BUT, I’ll wager that he is one of them lovable RUM-swillin’ ScumBags!
Oh, and see you soon – but NOT tomorrow! 😉
Dad dressed like this while serving as a Top Turret Gunner in a "Flying Fortress.
When I was young I thought Memorial Day or Decoration Day – as it was also called – was set aside to honor ALL whohad departed. And Americans do that, but I did not realize it is primarily a day to remember those servicemen who are no longer with those they fought for. While we attended the grave sites of both my father’s and G.E.’s, I thought of the time a few years ago when we learned more about my Dad’s’ war by visiting the Mighty 8th Air Force Heritage Museum near Savannah, Georgia. It was a great experience for us both, and the biggest thrill was finding Dad’s name carved on the long veteran’s wall.
Here is just a taste from that day of learning and thanksgiving.
The Mighty 8th Air Force Heritage Museum 2003
The 379th Bomber Group
What they all fought for - PEACE!
G.E. points to Daddy's name on the Veteran's Wall
My hero!
Speaking of unsolicited email messages, I received one a couple of weeks ago that I did NOT research via Snopes. Although the originator of this message is A.Nonymous – which is usually the case – I trust the content as the images speak for themselves!
The Royal Disney Wedding
Well, the royal couple has been married for nearly a month, and while reviewing the billions of wedding photos, the two were startled to find some taken by a Disney Studio photographer. They didn’t realize Mickey was part of the crowd of paparazzi!
I am not a registered Republican because I consider myself an independent. On my FaceBook profile, I post my politics as “conservatively liberal” – which I know bugs some friends and family members. Most of the time I am rather disgusted with the whole political realm on “both sides of the aisle.”
While there is much to complain about, I worry about the MISinformation that is spread far and wide via mass email messages. So often what I receive is downright frightening, and I have a hard time believing these scare tactics guised as wake-up calls. Because many believe the press to be the handiwork of liberals, I suppose ultra-conservatives feel they must spread their views through nasty talk show hosts and email messages.
The first thing I look for when I receive such email messages is the source of the information – who is authoring, publishing, and sending this? So often that important detail is missing, but I’ve also learned that when a source is cited, the information may have been manipulated and thus it is compromised. For example, excerpts from Lee Iaccoca’s book that is critical of some Republicans were “revised” so that Iaccoca’s words lam-blast Democrats. (It’s lengthy, so if you follow the link, read all the way down to the bottom to see how his thoughts were misrepresented.)
Next I look at content and what purpose it serves. If the information is overly biased, I am suspect. That’s when I go to sites like Snopes.com that investigates rumors, legends, scams, etc. While some may wonder if Snopes is credible, I researched their origins, practices, and investigations and learned enough to feel that they are what they claim to be: amateur folklorists who have built “one of the Internet’s most trusted authorities.”
Recently, my husband forwarded a message to me that claimed President Obama had removed the American flag from his press conferences, and that he had decorated the White House in a Mideastern decor. Before I checked this out, I wrote the following to G.E.
Maybe I am naive, but I just can’t bring myself to see a conspiracy behind every change. Maybe it’s a subtle way of reaching out to the millions of peace-loving Muslims throughout the world. Maybe this little act [of adding a Mideastern flavor to the furnishings] has sparked the pro-democracy rebellions throughout the middle east. Maybe the flag is just out of the range of the photo. Who knows?
Then I went to Snopes to see if I could find out more, and sure enough I did. While the email showed photos of several former presidents speaking before Old Glory along with a picture of President Obama on a flagless set, the Snopes’ research explained that many presidents have spoken to the nation and an American flag was not present. Not only did the article explain why that happens, it also featured photos of such occasions. Go HERE to learn more – if you want to.
Another message claimed that President Obama has created a policy declaring that military men cannot speak at faith-based meetings. First, Donna P. Parsons of Lancaster County School District’s Instructional Services supposedly authored the message. I work for a school district in the curriculum department, and I know I would be in big trouble if I sent out controversial information with my “work signature” attached to it.
Second, it was sent by a retired vice admiral, and so maybe Ms. Parsons just emailed the admiral who then forwarded it to the rest of the world. To check it out, I went to Snopes and entered “Sgt.1st Class Greg Stube,” the name of the Green Beret who was supposed to speak at a charitable event for Catch-a-Dream.
Not surprisingly, I learned that President Obama did not create the policy but rather the Department of Defense, and it has to do with speaking at charitable events not at faith-based public events or at churches. Again, if you want all the details, go HERE.
Don’t be mistaken, I do not support many of the decisions made by President Obama and the Democrats, but I do think we owe it to ourselves to validate information. Let us be an informed citizenry, not a duped one.
And now I will step down from my soap box. =)
It is DAY 23 of posting EVERY DAY IN MAY! Sheesh! I do have some important things to write about, just not tonight. Mondays are always SO tough, aren’t they? And this has been a pretty rotten day for some family members and friends.
To liven things up, I pulled out a photo taken by Grand-daughter Taylor. It features a VERY creepy, crawly, AND CRUNCHY treat I brought back from Albuquerque. Believe me it took courage to even buy these little suckers! And I just know there is a story to be told about how these “alacranes” found themselves in such a predicament!
Which do you prefer: Pineapple, blueberry, or apple SCORPION???
Maybe we could retell a favorite tale – something like “3 Little Scorpions.” They crawl off through the desert to seek their fortune but end up swimming in vats of artificially flavored corn syrup. Imprisoned in their glass-like houses, the 3 are packaged and trucked many more miles until they end up in the home of the bravest kid on earth – one who actually EATS the suckers … scorpions and ALL.
Writing My Life 