A cold, wicked October wind whistled around the eves of my house. I pulled on a sweater and poured myself a cup of tea. The wind… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It had been the first thing I heard upon waking. As I lay in the gray dawn half-awake and half-asleep, my inventive mind formed the fanciful notion that it’s high pitched moan was the collective voice of all the women that lived before me. They seemed to be calling, “Clean…clean your house…clean your house now…winter is coming!” Continue reading
Archives
The Embalope…Please!
Dolls, and doll clothing pulled from the darkest corners of the closet covered the varnished hardwood bedroom floor. My sisters, Mary and Betty, sat in a circle among the fascinating litter with two cousins. One of my cousins had something I wanted…a small purse with a comb, handkerchief, and mirror in it. Continue reading
Beauty Queen
I stared into the monitor screen and read what I had spent the last three hours writing. Nodding approval I commented, “Good…I like that” Still looking at the screen, my fingers began to tap out more words. Only one more sentence and my article would be finished. The keyboard under my hands seemed to groan when I leaned on it during a pause in my typing. Continue reading
Empty Nest
The room looked small. Boxes were stacked here and there nilly-willy through out. Arnie turned to look at the pile of futon bunk-bed-parts leaning against the wall out in the hallway. Beyond the bed parts sat boxes containing Tammie’s various computer components. He shook his head in disbelief. Continue reading
Pack Rat Fever
Grabbing my green-handled broom, I began to wield it with quick, no-nonsense, perfunctory thrusts. The corn bristles flew across my kitchen linoleum. The speed of my movements made a dust bunny go airborne. Startled out of my preoccupation with planning what to do next, I stopped and watched the fluff of dust float back to the floor. Continue reading
A Damaged Dress
One peek out of the dining room window told me what I wanted to know. The mailman had already come by. I saw fresh tire marks on the road along side the mailbox. Also, the red metal flag on the box was pushed down. That meant he had picked up my outgoing mail. I squinted and leaned closer to the window. Something appeared to be swinging back and forth under the mailbox. Perplexed, I wondered, “What IS that?” Continue reading
Indian Summer
I hastily ran a comb through my hair, picked up my purse and headed for the back door. Tammie was applying her make-up and didn’t have her shoes on. I chided, “Aren’t you ready to go YET?” We had several things planned for the day, so it was important to get an early start. Continue reading
Sharing Sunshine
From the kitchen window I watched dirty gray clouds chasing each other across the sky. The muggy day looked dreary, and I didn’t feel like doing anything. Shadows lurking in the dark corners of my kitchen were dispelled when I flipped on the florescent lights. Suddenly my house felt cozy. The day would be a wonderful one to spend making bread, and puttering around the house. Continue reading
A Taste of Summer
A cool summer evening breeze sighed through the pine trees behind me. I stopped weeding for a moment to sniff the air. It smelled green; from mown grass that dried in the sun, of the freshly pulled weeds at my side, of nearby moist field grasses growing on top of last year’s mulch. Now in shade, the garden soil beneath me felt smooth and silky, still warm from the day’s heat.
Rainless in Seattle
Raindrops beat a restless tattoo on the leaves of a flowering crabapple tree outside my bedroom window. Not wanting to get up yet, I kept my eyes pinched tightly shut. As the rain increased, I became aware of its insistent, rhythmic drumming on the rooftop. Continue reading
Life Lines 