Challenge #34 The Adventures Of Squeaky

This challenge comes from a small writing group.  we have a large series of random questions that we answer and share.  The goal is to answer at least one per week.

Question:

You are a children’s book writer.  Write the first few lines of your new book.

The Adventures of Squeaky

“I have a special friend and her name is Squeaky.  Her other name is Scarlett and she has long black hair that she wears in a pony tail.”

This actually is the start of a children’s story  idea I have been tossing around for a couple of years.  After I met the child I refer to in this story.  The daughter of a friend who can convey  a variety of messages without using a single word.  Not that she isn’t vocal, but she has turned her voice into a game with the adults in her life.

She has become more adorable over the past few years and now has a younger sister that she adores.  Mom and Dad have their hands full with this pair of adorable little girls.  Perhaps this is another bucket list item I need to add to my bucket?

Advertisement

Good Vibrations

This is for the 99 word challenge based on the prompt.

How long since I felt vibrations about something, it was just a little over a week ago.  A friend put a picture of a quilt block up and it drew me in totally.  I created 4 similar blocks in just over a week using scraps.  Unheard of.   New fabric’s quarantined.

I am now in the final stage of quilting the entire quilt inspired by that picture.

It is 4 faces made from random fabric pieces and things like a purple nose seemed to work for me.  Today a friend reminded me about a quilt show  looking for covid-19 projects to display.

Happy 74th Birthday

I have fulfilled one of my wishes from last year and I made it to 2020…a classic example of be careful of what you wish for.  I will celebrate my birthday in some capacity, not sure yet what that will be.  I am a firm believer in celebrating and have been for a number of years.  It’s my old grandson story, I can see my kids rolling their eyes now.

Several years ago, my grandson was turning 5 and I was gone for a couple of days so I would not be at his birthday celebration.  When I came back, I asked about his birthday and he had a good party.  Next he jumped up and raised his arms above his head and said “See I am bigger now that I am 5.”  He was so excited, how could I not celebrate my birthday as much as possible.

I will let you know afterwards what I actually do.  My plans are pretty low key right now, so Happy Birthday to me.

Fathers Day During Covid-19

My father passed away over 40 years ago and I still miss him just about every day, do we ever get too old to need a dad, I don’t think so.  What makes it tougher is that my relationship with my mom was divisive at best and a daily battle.  In the Unites States we celebrate dad the 3rd Sunday in June, other countries have many other dates to celebrate.

For a time dads were the butt of the joke on television and at the movies, then the switch was flipped and he became the stern authoritarian person.  Occasionally you saw that dad’s really knew best or had a good idea or was just a good guy trying his best.  My dad was close to being the last one at least in my eyes.

My dad holding me in the yard.

As an adult I discovered that one of my brothers thought he was an idiot, another thought he was useless at best and another was very much afraid of him. I adored him and wish we could have had some form of father/daughter talks.  My dad like many of his generation was not a talker, he was the strong silent type.  I can remember only a couple of one on one conversations.  I know he talked to my mom and sadly she used to talk bad about him to me,  how he spent too much money on Christmas.

I am sure life for both of them must have been very hard.  Minimal education and working hard to get ahead, a large family that always needed something more.  My dad always worked at least two jobs when I was a kid.  But I did the same thing, as a single parent it was two or three jobs when I could do it and it never seemed like it was too much.

Must be the quarantine or the social distance from the world that is causing me to be so reflective and missing my dad after all these years. Talk to your kids while you can or more important, listen to them and they will teach you.  Hope all you fathers have a great day out there and just love your kids, hug them extra today.

Challenge# 33 Mountain Climbing

This challenge comes from a small writing group.  We have a large series of random questions that we answer and share.  The group goal is to do at least one per week.

Question:

Have you ever thought about climbing a mountain?  What do you hope to gain by this accomplishment?  If you have climbed one, describe the experience in detail.

Me???  Mountain Climbing???

Never in a million years would I have ever considered climbing a mountain at the top of my list of achievements or goals or bucket list items.  Due to this writing challenge, I think it has just been put on my bucket list.

My mountain of choice is Flattop Mountain just outside of Anchorage, Alaska.  This is one of the most climbed mountains in Alaska.  It is easily a one day event and it is 1.5 miles high and 1350 vertical feet high.  There is a shuttle service that goes from downtown Anchorage to the mountain.  The suggested time is 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the trip up and down the mountain.

When I lived in Anchorage several years ago I was in flabby physical shape.  Working a hard physical job toughened me up and I started walking a bunch more than ever.  Since I came back, off and on I kept with it.  This year I really became more serious about staying in shape and easily walk over 3 miles in a day and do that several times a week.

A few of the people I worked with took the trip to the mountain with small children and made that hike.  My grandson when he visited there made the trip to the top.  Next trip to Alaska this is first thing added to my schedule.

Only goal is to say I have done it.  I have hiked to the top of some mountains in the Blue Ridge range and the Appalachian range, but never really more than getting off the road and hiking the short distance to the top.  I don’t think they really count for this.

I love a bucket list add on as much as I love something checked off the list.

Deep Waters

(This was written for the 99 word challenge, based on the words deep waters.)

I think I was 4 when it happened.  I was sitting in the metal tub that we used for our baths and the water was cold, more was heating on the kitchen stove.  An older brother came in, kettle in one hand, book in the other.  The water began pouring and I began screaming, it went right on my leg.  Mom came to my rescue, only time in my entire life as I recall.  She was a lost person with all us kids, never had a chance to be herself. Then the real abuse started as best I can recall.

Gigantic Leaves

Earlier this year I was able to visit a conservatory before it was closed with everything else that was an open public place.  This is one of the many gems the city of Chicago offers to all and it is free to visit.  Many gloomy days have been spent by students from nearby schools sitting in a quiet space reading in the green welcoming space.  The Lincoln Park Conservatory  has a number of different rooms that house a variety of plants and a lot of quiet seating areas to enjoy.

Once you go through the entry area you are engulfed in a forest of palms and greenery that transports you to a tropical place.  This was where I focused on this current set of photos.  I am not a tall person, five foot nothing is how I usually describe myself so these plants truly tower over me.  My fascination was with the huge leaves on some of these plants.

In many cases, these leaves were longer than I was tall and I could have easily been completely hidden behind one leaf.  This greenhouse area occasionally has plants that brush the roof towering overhead.  I did not document the names of each plant which are on small signs in the ground by each plant.  I was simply swept away by the leaves.

Next time, once it is able to reopen, you have a couple of hours to spend consider this as a destination.  My family always included a stop here before we went downtown to look at the Christmas window displays.  Something fun about going from the tropical heat to the usually cold frosty display in the city, this made our standing in front of a window in the cold seem not so cold.  Also a great place to sit in a quiet room filled with plants and read or just absorb the energy.

Challenge #32 Mercedes Benz

This challenge comes from a small writing group.  We have a large series of random questions that we answer and share.  The goal is to answer at least one question per week. ( My personal goal is to do one year.)

 

Question:

Have you ever tried anything on to see how it would fit (not clothing)?

My shot at a Benz

Well over 30 years ago, I had an opportunity to try on my favorite car, a Mercedes Benz.  Thank you Janis Joplin, I was a huge fan of her song Mercedes Benz.  I will always let people know, I am not a car person,  I can’t tell a Ford from a Nissan from a Lexus.  The only two cars I could identify as they drove past were a Volkswagen or a Mercedes and it was just because of the song.

I was working for a small gas station/tire shop/auto repair shop and it was mostly family that worked there.  The wife of the owner drove a Mercedes at the time and I told her that one day I wanted to drive a car like hers.  Fast Forward about 2 years.  I find an older car for sale at my price point.

I go to meet the seller and it is about 10 years old, dark green sedan,  I ask if I can take this to my mechanic  and have it checked out.  I proudly pulled up to work the next day in my “new” car.

I go in and start working and wait until the owner comes into the office so I can talk to him. He does not seem as excited as I am but said yes he will look at it.  Puts it up on a rack when time permits and checks it out. At the end of the work day, he has me walk down and look at my car on the rack and he begins to show me all the rusted out places under the car.

He knew where to look for the weak spots, the undercarriage is full of rust and holes.  as pretty as the car looked, it would need major repairs and soon. Sadly that car went back to the owner, I moved on and have never owned “my”car, nor will I.

Lyrics

Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.  My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends.  So, oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz

Justice For All

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These words were repeated by rote as a child and shelved as a busy new mom, single parent of 3 and older independent woman.  Now they shape all our worlds, force us to look at ourselves and everyone else.  No longer can we ignore or hide from them.  I am still learning and hope never to take them for granted, I may need help, so call me on it if you see it. I also hope we can all live and learn by this standard. Where  we go from here could be very beautiful for all of us. I hope.

Challenge #31 Adrenaline Rush?

This challenge comes from a small writing group.  We have a large series of random questions that we answer ans share.  The goal is to answer at least one per week.
(My personal goal in addition to this is to try and complete one each week for one year.)

Question:

What do you do for an adrenaline rush?

My first thought is, I am old, I don’t do adrenaline, so I begin with my research, maybe I do this in another way.  Right now with the Covid 19  lock down all over the world I think most about getting back to travel and think maybe that is my adrenaline rush.  It could be.

What I learned about adrenaline in a nutshell.  It can, decrease the ability to feel pain, increase your strength temporarily and sharpen your mental focus which will allow you to think quickly and form a clear plan of escape.  Not much chance of that, this pandemic has hit all regions of the world. (Sad face here.)

Some adrenaline rush activities to do, commit to achieving a lingering goal by a deadline like hitting a target weight or stop smoking or write a short article once a week for a year.  Bingo.  I had no idea you are my adrenaline rush.

Some other things that are considered an adrenaline rush are not life threatening like being first on the dance floor.  Make a speech in a public forum where you don’t know your audience, sing karaoke at the top of your lungs,  watching a horror movie, bungee jumping or sign up for surfing lessons.

I think today’s lesson is that I am an adrenaline junkie and never knew it.  Yes, on occasion I have done public speaking where I knew no one in the room, far too many times I was the first one on the dance floor with my white girl dancing.  I did  indoor sky diving and zip lining and loved every minute of both.  I have also moved to new places with no safety net and not really an overall plan.  Not a big fan of horror movies and have always proclaimed that I never could be drunk enough to do karaoke singing. So while I have not been in a lot of life threatening situations I do enjoy my short bits of travel, I can hardly wait to get on an airplane again going to a new city or country. My heart rate it increasing just thinking about it.