dialogue « Nancy Drew Too

Friday Flash -- July 16

“I want those to go, too.” She pointed to the row of rosebushes, yellow and red blossoms bobbing in the breeze.

“Ma’am?” The bushes were healthy, lush, and while he wasn’t a flower man himself, he was sure someone had lavished a great deal of care on them, and recently, too.

She smiled and [Continue reading]

Finance & Economics 101

Move over, Paul Krugman, I’ve got The Word on Money from Alton, my Tree Guy. Remember him?

He was back today with his son Dale to trim some trees at our beach property. I forgot the camera so I’m recycling an old picture.

The heat index here today was 105 degrees. That’s hot, [Continue reading]

CW - Update on goals & progress

So where am I along my Creativity Workshop path? According to the original plan, I should be starting my last of four stories centering around a specific place and time: post-Hurricane Ike Galveston Texas. Am I there?

Nah. I realized during my week in Texas that there was Absolutely No Time [Continue reading]

Friday Flash Fiction

This one came out of a short conversation I had with an airline seatmate last week. She’d slept most of the flight, and I only got to talk with her after the plane actually landed. She was in her late 20’s, probably, and she’d just come from visiting her sister, who was a couple of [Continue reading]

Conversation Stoppers 102

I should know better, I really should.

Lately I’ve spent too much time around people who are in terrible places in their lives – bad luck, bad choices, bad planning, and who knows what else. And I think, “Oh, here’s what I’d do differently.”

But would I? Could I? Would I find myself on the same dead [Continue reading]

Out on a limb

I mentioned to my regular blog followers that we had some tree work done a couple of weeks ago and that I might post something about the Tree Guys who did the work. There are so many stories, but this is one that I dashed in the house and wrote up as soon as [Continue reading]

A day in the life

Yikes. I hate to disappoint those of you who have been thinking my time away from blogging is due to my hot-air balloon trip across the Alps or the Sahara.

Not.

We’ve been getting rid of the yucky green stuff that covers decks, porches, sidewalks, houses, driveways, fences and small children here in the [Continue reading]

Conversation Stoppers 101

Two things:
1. I should probably keep my mouth shut more often.
2. But if I don’t, I need to make sure I have my little notebook with me so I can write stuff down. Like I did on Sunday.

So I notice this license plate on the ferry: HA INC. It’s from one of those [Continue reading]

Friday Flash Fiction

The whole trailer shook when JimBob slammed the door on his way out.

“Berneice, that man gonna explode from mad one of these days. And with his heart — Uh uh.”

Berneice kept stirring the gravy; JimBob didn’t like it lumpy.

“Well, Lord’ll decide that one. I just try and help Him along as best [Continue reading]

Authentic details make writing authentic

I finished yesterday’s post, published it and looked at it again — something felt Not. Quite. Right. I did a little research, and sure enough, cardinals eat nuts and seeds, NOT bugs. Shoulda known that from my bird feeder.

So I edited Ms. C’s invitation from “Let’s go eat some BUGS” to “Let’s go eat [Continue reading]