In the course of my life, I’ve heard no end of guile from the mouths of men. Most I’ve laughed off, waved off or stared down in derision. To date, the only male who’s paid me a truly sincere compliment is my youngest son, Ben. From the first time he looked up at me...
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A crisp, sunny afternoon in March found my kids and I enjoying our yearly visit to the Celtic Faire. Food, music, fun and local characters always make it an event to remember. But this time, it got the better of me. My oldest daughter and Valkyrie-in-training had been introducing me to all her new...
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Twenty one years ago, you came into our lives. For all the false alarms and doctors’ protests, you took your sweet time showing up. But we were so happy when you arrived that it really didn’t matter. You looked up at me with those big bright eyes, and sighed. We understood each other at...
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A big part of my life is coming to an end. I’m not sure I mourn it, but I’m not happy about it, either. I entered into it willingly, but leaving is more out of necessity than desire. I’m not a bridge burner, but I think there are times when a relationship becomes so...
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I have a real longing for my grandfather’s grapes. When I was little, we would go out in the vineyards on my great-grandparent’s property and pick grapes. Many a grape would go into our mouths before reaching the kitchen, and I can still taste the sticky goodness. My teeth would break through the thick...
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This is an actual quote retrieved from Wikipedia this evening, and it brings back memories: “Front Royal, settled by whites as early as 1738, was originally known as Lehewtown, and was also known as ‘Helltown’, due to the abundance of rough and wild mountaineers and river travelers in the area who came into town looking...
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My brother had a party for his seventh birthday.  His idea of celebration was to run and hide.  I joined forces with his classmates , two years my senior, to try and chase him down. With my own classmates, I would not have been so bold.  Newly five, I had already experienced a year of...
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There weren’t many lessons in school that I anticipated with such fervour. Yes, I had an enduring interest in language, but English was always my favourite and strongest subject. However, when I was 13, what manifested itself as a schoolboy crush led to an interest in another language that would have far reaching changes...
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He used to write of horror, but now his pen was full of grief. As the tears of ink hit the page, he paused, staring ahead. He recounted that day. The words on the page could never do justice to what was on his mind. He used to write of horror. Maybe he still...
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For Memoir Prompt: Feeling Different – This prompt extended another week. Being as quiet as I was growing up, there were many, many instances where I felt left out or like I didn’t fit in. Fortunately, I always had a few close friends and family that I could count on for feeling loved and...
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For the memoir prompt – A moment that changed my life Today, I was writing a new Squidoo page on how an Ansel Adams book and George Winston CD piqued my interest in photography. What they really did was make me want to visit Yosemite National Park in California. After visiting Yosemite with my...
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Jackson plus Amber etched deep into that top beam! Flathead Bridge held memories. A quarter mile before sailing into its curve Amber assuredly pressed her foot into the gas. Surreal…Savior by Lights played…Jackson’s apparition stood mid-bridge…she swerved…quietly resigned! Hissing steam…Amber dead silent. Dreams of being together forever realized…at last!
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Series Afflict!» Slipping through the crowd unnoticed Breeann took the steps two at a time. What would she do if…frozen, mid-thought, he swaggered into the courtroom. Seconds an eternity. Not Guilty!! Gasps resounding in her ears! Tortuously sliding middle finger down his cheek, across his lips…her heart cracked! Breeann’s plan for Cranston set into...
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It was a hot, blue-skied summer day. The sunlight created glistening pinpricks in the apartment complex pool. My babysitter had brought me and my siblings there because she had friends who lived in the building. No lifeguard, but since it was such a nice day, there were many adults and children in and around...
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They were the last two of my grandmother’s babies. Close as twins. One with flaming red hair and beautiful green eyes. The other, a blond Adonis. At seventeen and nineteen, they were coddled as the babies of the family, and praised by all for their good looks. It was on a rainy night. They...
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Series Afflict!» Putting a spin on constructing this 55 word series, it’s moving along in reverse. Her solemn vow…to never look back! Tears replaced with hard lines of determination. Levi’s cabin on Old Mill Road for her dad’s souped up fishing boat sealed the deal! Breeann already knew the bastard’s routine, she’d also perfected...
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My entry for the memoir contest to write about a father, uncle, or grandfather. Just like everyone, Grandpa, you had your rough and smooth edges. I just wish I had known and understood both a little better. Although we had Sunday dinners at your place for many years, I feel like I know very...
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Monkey mind, we all have one. It’s that mind that never stops thinking. It is also your critic and judge, telling yourself that you can’t write. Natalie Goldberg says, “Monkey mind can take the form of your mother, a nun, a professor, a priest.” That’s why you need to make yourself write, schedule it,...
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The Doc knew this was going to be no holiday. He pondered his title for a moment, smiling and appreciating the contradiction. He swigged down another whiskey. Pain came easy to him. The pistol gleamed in the sunlight of high noon. They were awaiting him. There was a score to settle. Let the killing...
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Series Afflict!» Cranston never knew what hit him! Stirring, groggy…there she stood! That bitch! He had beaten the charges! Struggling against restraints, hell-bent on slapping that smirk off her face! What was that taste in his mouth? Where was the blood coming from? After pulling his lips apart to scream, his tongue plummeted to...
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