Monthly Archives: August 2021

Hi Suzanne. Or should I say Natasha.  Ha. Ha. You picked a great name for yourself- very American. I can picture you strumming your banjo on your knee as you’re coming around the mountain. Ha. Ha. And your name for … Continue reading →

MISSING She was beside herself with grief and fear. She didn’t know what to do. Vinnie had been missing for over a month. She had gone to the police, but they did nothing. Out of desperation she contacted a private … Continue reading →

THE QUEST It was the same scenario every day. Little or no variation. The Clampitt family arose at five AM. Jedediah and his oldest son, Obediah, did all the chores: milked the cows, slopped the pigs, fed the chicks and … Continue reading →

The acronym RSVP on an invitation is taken from the French—Répondez, s’il vous plait—meaning Please reply.  In the good old days, of course, it was intended that the reply would be returned only to the original sender. Nowadays, malheureusement, the … Continue reading →

Should I pick that up? I think the better question is… Why should I pick that up? My new husband of one year started as a dream. He’s kind, respectful and a lot of fun to be around. But I … Continue reading →

Sure, he had some resentments in his life. Many of his medical school colleagues had made millions as they approached their retirement. Still, his life as a pathologist in a major city was pretty good. Unlike his friends who railed … Continue reading →

The Hummingbird symbolizes happiness and joy. It appears out of nowhere and briefly spreads happiness and joy into the lives of those it passes. It carries messages from those who have passed on, to their living relatives, according to ancient … Continue reading →

A young mother of my acquaintance, my daughter, was recently bemoaning the fact that her kids forever seem to have messy bedrooms.  Because those kids are my grandchildren, I was quick to jump to their defense. “You and your sister … Continue reading →

Albert Einstein said “A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.”After all, one person’s mistake is another’s invention. That statement was never truer than with my childhood friend, Skizitz. Others saw everything she did as a mistake, … Continue reading →

Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results defines neither insanity nor genius. It’s the process that curses writers to perpetually search for the right words to convey an idea, describe a sunset, or tell a story. Sometimes inspiration … Continue reading →

Those of you who can spell words like discombobulated and irreconcilable without looking them up, will never understand what a traumatic experience it can be to write a simple letter. Only a true non-speller can relate to the angst one … Continue reading →

(This story is my submission for round 1 of the Florida Weekly writing competition. The prompt picture is a dilapidated house with a gaping hole in it’s side. Please, excuse my unkempt appearance. I haven’t had a human visitor in … Continue reading →

Somehow the door wouldn’t open. The bare light bulb hung in the hall flickering a warning. Would I listen? No. I would not be deterred from my mission- whatever that was. I couldn’t find my keys and I didn’t see … Continue reading →

CAN YOU IMAGINE He had no idea how he got there. He was butt-down, feet-up in a garbage can, located somewhere he had never seen before. The last thing he remembered was the party with Sheila. Loud music was playing, … Continue reading →

WHO DRIVES Cranky Claus (pronounced claws) hadn’t driven a car for the entire eighty-five years of his life and he damn-well wasn’t going to start now. Only thing he ever drove was the old John Deere with which he had … Continue reading →

“Son, you’re ‘bout two steps short o’ the finish, an’ three bricks shy of a load!” So said the foreman, minutes before handing me my walking papers.  I tried arguing with him, saying it wasn’t my fault the wooden pallet, … Continue reading →

“Hi Mom, I need to ask you something about your crockpot.” Jamie called her mother on Facetime.  “I can see you, can you see me? Isn’t this Facetimes thing fun?” her mother laughed.   “Mom, hold the phone back, I … Continue reading →

What a lovely child you have Mrs Crane He’s so precocious, well behaved needs little to entertain How is he as your son, did he go with you to Aspen Does he sleep well when the day is done Or … Continue reading →

Just as my grandparents had ruined my mother’s last year in high school, my mother ruined mine. And now she was ruining my adult life. “Don’t you see the irony of this?” I was indignant as my mother got all … Continue reading →

Why wouldn’t you want to save 10% on your auto insurance- and be a safer driver to boot. So here I sit in my AARP Senior Driver Safety course. I am looking forward to making the world a safer place … Continue reading →

The official-looking sign posted on the door read, “Safe Driving for Seniors.” In many states, the term seniors could apply to high school seniors but not in Florida. The attendees in this room were all past retirement age and had … Continue reading →

I accompanied my eighty-year-old Grandpa Fred to his mandatory driving exam recently.  My being there wasn’t because he needed my support, however.  Rather, it was to keep my Grandma Ethel, who insisted on going along, out of his hair. Easier … Continue reading →

When we moved here, I never thought I’d be investigating a murder. Moving into a new community is never easy. It’s like the first day of school or camp all over again. They don’t know you and you don’t know … Continue reading →

Jerry couldn’t find the much needed items he would require for the trip. He spent hours upon hours searching in the basement, looked through his unsocial bedroom and other places of refuge. The light he was searching with was dim … Continue reading →

I know. Whenever the topic of waste management comes up your eyes begin to glaze over and your thoughts wander off to cheeseburgers or your shopping list. But your cheeseburger and shopping list are exactly the problem. We humans are … Continue reading →

Knee deep in a few hundred square feet of cucumbers and sweltering in New England’s August heat, I had one thought. Pickles. And one question for my friend and fellow gardener. “Annie, can you can?” “I can!” She flounced her … Continue reading →

TOYS IN THE ATTIC Mee-Maw and Pop-Pop were killed in a horrible car crash. I was extremely close to them, taking their deaths very, very hard. For months after they died my mother, brother and myself could not enter their … Continue reading →

MIRACLE Claude did not have an inkling of how he got there. It was an exquisite place with lush vegetation, teeming with extensive wild life. There was no one there like himself. Claude was terrified, almost in a panic., but … Continue reading →

My twelve-year-old grandson and I were re-organizing the garage when he came across a sealed clear plastic container. The only item inside was a rusty old can with a dent in it. The can was unopened and had no label. … Continue reading →

Dr. Cadavah, as they jokingly referred to her in the hallways, reviewed the data. She had spent her lifetime pinpointing the exact cause of death for hundreds of her patients. She smiled as she said out loud, “I’m so good. … Continue reading →