A writing prompt exercise

Jot down your father's age at your conception. Then your mother's age. Write a brief description of the house where you were born, as you remember it or as you imagine it. Then write to one or both of your parents, or about them.

My dad was 31, my mom 32 when I was conceived around Thanksgiving. The story goes that the pains were so bad when Mom was delivering me, she almost jumped out the hospital's 4th floor window. My dad stopped her, and as far as I can tell, that's the last time he actually changed her mind about anything. She was one lady who had her own opinions and stuck to her guns, even when faced with absolute proof she was wrong. That happened a lot … and the walls of their dining room still echo from the sounds of their frequent squabbles.

~~~

I'm looking at ANY thing to get myself into writing! Lol.

Currently editing COMING HOME -- with a definite out-the-door target date of October 31st!!

I mean it this time ....

Fallout

A friend of mine posted that he hates 'April's Fool's' jokes. He got me thinking, and sometimes, you know, those practical jokes can backfire on you ....

One year, my hometown was going through a bad time. The local coal mine, where quite a lot of people worked, had been cutting production and laying people off, more and more as the months went by. The community was getting worried; scuttlebutt was that the mine was closing, and everybody was unsure just how bad things would get.

Then one day in our local paper, headlines announced that the coal mine owners had been bought out by a new concern, who planned to re-open the mine, shinking new shafts and creating thousands of new jobs!

You guessed it; the date on the paper was April 1, and when people discovered the whole thing was just a hoax -- hoo, boy, were they mad!! But when Mid-Illinois farmers get angry, they don't just blow their top; they sublimate the feeling, and find ways to make your life extremely uncomfortable.

And so, in this case, within a very few months afterward, the editor/publisher responsible for the April Fools headlines announced that, due to personal concerns, he was stepping down as head of the paper ....

I'll leave you to draw your own moral conclusions. ;)

A Slice of Life ... but Whose?

In my old house, where my parents have lived now for over 30 years, I'm sitting at the kitchen table, writing on my latest draft. Across from me, my mother, looking little and old, tries to put together a jigsaw puzzle. I know she won't be able to complete it, and it's really too difficult for her, but she refuses all help. Plus it makes the time pass quicker.

Breaking in on my concentration, my mother asks, again, "So how's your brother Rex and -- oh, what was the middle brother's name?" (I'm her only child, but I don't say that. I don't want to upset her.) She then mentions the boarders living with us (we never had boarders; she must be thinking I'm someone else), and that she distinctly remembers the house I grew up in -- "Do you still live there?"

This time I answer her. Perhaps something will get through. "No, Mom, I haven't lived here for a long time now."

"Not here - the house you grew up in."

"Mom, this is where I grew up."

Her gaze is unwavering, almost staring. "But you don't remember your other brother's name?"

I only look at her. After a bit, she turns again to her puzzle, and I go back to my work.

But I can't see the page before me.

From out of the blue

Do I mean myself, or ....?


Frankly, I don't know what I mean.


Yes (sigh) it's been over a year since my last post. Oh, you want an update? Well, let's see --

• Friendship: That was my last post, so I start here. I seem to have improved in that regard. No, my looks haven't changed (lol), but I count more people as real friends. (Could it be they were there all the time ... eh, could be!) Anyway, that's an upswing for the better!
• Elder Care: My parents are both in their upper 70s, and are starting to deteriorate rapidly. My mom has Alzheimer's, and some days she doesn't know who my father is, let alone who I am. My husband and I look in on them at least once a day. They are (for now) still in their own home, though I expect that to change very soon.
• Mental Health: I, like everyone else on the planet, have several mental demons cluttering up my Anxiety Closet who really need dealt with. Well, thanks to a good friend, I think I can safely say that this year one of those little twerps has been kicked out of my Closet for good! It's too soon to say with any real certainty, but I truly think this one has been banished into utter oblivion. Good riddance to it -- BLEH!
• Writing: Totally frustrated to report that I have yet to finish and send out even one MS!!! Argh! And I've started on a brand new work, but THIS one I'm determined to finish and send out SOON -- before summer. I swear it.

So, for the moment, there's my life.

As I said a couple of months ago -- 2008 should be an interesting year!