The quieter you become the more you can hear ~ Ram Dass



Saturday, June 30, 2012

Saturday Centus #113





Number of words: 100
Style of writing: Any
Pictures: Any additional you want to share

To see what others wrote for Centus check them out here 


“You know I’m doing this for you” Marcy said cautiously.

“For me” Nancy asked as she flailed from the wall. 

“Jack told me it was on your bucket list.”

“My bucket list? He told me Arnie said it was on yours.”

“Don’t you remember? I’ve done it before.”

“What a stinker, Jack knows I’m afraid of heights.”

“You’re doing well though.”

“Thanks but that’s not the point.  He tricked me.”

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“When he least expects it, I’ll come up with something” she said chuckling. 

Friday, June 29, 2012

Mary #15

If anyone does Saturday Centus you might somewhat remember this story started as a centus.  In  June of 2010, I wrote a few chapters on Mary and then stopped.  I had so much to write about her, writing weekly for centus wasn't enough.  I then wrote and wrote until I had over 30,000 words so far.  In writing it though as I got further and further my original premise somehow got blown out of the water, ha, ha. I stopped writing her story in March of 2011.   I still haven't quite figured out how I'm going to work this out but I thought I would put out what I have so far.   Please remember this is a really rough draft and when I wrote it, I had no chapters.  Before I decided to put this on the blog I had to go back and figure out where I could make them.  I would suggest this is a terrible way of doing it lol.  The first chapter started on March 23rd, 2012.

 
15

As she started to read the inside cover that had writing, she could feel her tears starting to come.  

"Mary, to our darling daughter who was a gift to us from heaven. I started writing these diaries a few years ago to explain some things that were too painful when you were little to talk about. I had planned on giving it to you one day myself but in case something happened and you got it when I passed on, I decided to write this to tell you I'm sorry I wasn't able to give it to you in person.  I hope you find comfort and joy in my words.  Love, Ma.

Mary had a strange feeling and closed the book.  Comfort and joy Mary thought.  I feel nothing but dread.  She decided she would take a bath before reading more.  She went upstairs and soaked in the tub clearing her mind of all thoughts. 

After a while Mary noticed it was pitch black outside and decided to get out of the tub.  She went to her bedroom and it was 9 already.  She hurried into pajamas, re-did her ponytail and went downstairs. 

She went into the kitchen, got a glass of wine and went to the sofa.  Again, she looked at the front of the book with the puzzling words.  Then she re-read the writing on the front inside cover and turned to the first page.  There was a small picture of her when she was a baby.  It said "Mary" and then another picture of a baby that looked just like her but it said "Sherry" under it.  Sherry, Mary thought what the heck? 

Then she read the paragraph under the pictures.  

"Mary there is no easy way to say this but when you were born you were a twin.  Yes, you had a sister that we named Sherry but she died immediately. There was nothing they could do for her.  Since you were born premature, you had to stay in the hospital for about two months.   We had Sherry cremated and while you were still in the hospital we took her back to West Virginia and buried her right next to where our graves will be.  As you can see, you were identical twins.  I know this must be a shock but we were heartbroken.  As you got older, a couple of times I talked to your Pa about telling you about Sherry but he wouldn't have it.  It was the only time me and your Pa ever argued.  I told him I would agree but I would write it down and some day you would know about her either when he passed and I would tell you, or after we both passed and you could read about it and he agreed.  I'm sorry Mary." 

Mary slowly closed the book.  She had a sister...who died...that no one ever told her about.  Mary didn't know what to do.  Should she cry, scream, yell.  She had a million thoughts running through her head.  She remembered being at her Ma and Pa's funeral and vaguely remembered seeing a stone with the name Sherry Jenkins but didn't notice the dates.  She just thought it was one of her Pa’s relatives but it was her baby sister.  

She went back into the recesses of her mind to think if she heard her Ma or her Pa ever utter the name Sherry.  Suddenly, she remembered something and went running upstairs.  She went to the door up to the attic and went up the steps.  All in a neat little pile were boxes of ornaments for the Christmas tree.  She started opening them until she found what she was looking for.  Her Ma had made Angel Ornaments when she was little and embroidered each kids name on the front of them but there was one that had no name.  Mary always just thought her Ma had just made an extra one.  Mary pulled that one out and looked all over it.  Finally, she pulled the hair up on the angel and in very small letters that could hardly be seen it said Sherry.

Mary sat on the attic floor with the angel in her hand stunned for a long time.  Finally, she got up with the angel still in her hand and slowly made her way out of the attic and down the steps to the living room sofa. 

Lulu snuggled up to her on the couch and Mary said, "Lulu I think I made a bad mistake coming home.  Instead of coming to terms with my life, it is becoming more complicated.  I have half a mind to pack up my stuff and just leave and not tell anyone just the way I came.”  Lulu purred. 

Her phone started ringing.  "Mar" Johnny said.  "I'm sorry it's so late but I'm going to have cancel dinner for tomorrow night.  I just got done talking to Sandy and she asked me to come over for dinner and I said okay.  I hope you’re not mad.”

"No, that's okay.  You go and have a good time.  We'll do it another night.  I was just getting ready for bed so I'll talk to you later, okay?”

“Good night, Mary” and they hung up.

She had forgotten that Johnny was supposed to come over.  Thank heavens, something came up.  She didn't think she could face anyone right now. 

She turned the lights off, laid back down on the sofa and pulled up her grandma's afghan.  As she lay, she looked over at the coffee table and there was just enough moonlight coming in that she could see Sherry's angel.  She remembered asking her Ma one time, if she could have a sister and her Ma had told her that she couldn't have any more children. "Ma and Pa, I wish you would have told me" and she cried herself to sleep.    
 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Nora Ephron

It's funny in a strange kind of way, I knew her but I didn't know I knew her.  In my Mary story, I mention You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle.  I loved those two movies.  Finding out that Nora Ephron passed away and reading about her I was unaware that those were two of her movies. 

It's a sad thing to find out that she's gone.  I wonder what other movies she would have made that I would have loved as much. 

Monday, June 25, 2012

Random thoughts

1.  Do you see our house on my blogger header?  Click on this link to see what the railings look like. http://www.vikisplace.blogspot.com/2011/09/finally.html  I want to get shutters for the windows but I can't find the exact color to match the door.  I was thinking of putting up white shutters to match the railings on the steps.   What do you think?

2.  One of the rabbits dug a bunch of grass away from our weed filled back yard, ha, and last night he was laying in it.  Oh boy.

3.  I'm wondering about my Mary story.  I've got over 300 pages written on it, lol.  I don't know if I should continue posting it or just stop.

4.  Weather - crazy.  Again today almost feels like a fall day.  In a few days it will be hot, hot, hot.

5.  I hate house cleaning.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Saturday Centus #112


The prompt this week is:  'It's an amusing little whine...' (and, yes, the misspelling is deliberate)
Number of words: 100 plus the 5 words of the prompt.   105 total. 
Style of writing: Any
Pictures: Any you want to share

Check out what others did for the prompt 

 
It's an amusing little whine when they want to go out” the butler said to the maid.

“Because you don’t have to do it” she said.

“How hard can it be?  I’ll do it.”

He put the leashes on the Great Danes and went to the walking path on the estate.

He felt so regal walking the two dogs until they both started running. 

“Sasha!  Max!  Stop! Stop!” he yelled as they kept going. 

They took him further down the path right into the creek.   

As he stood up to his knees in water he thought that whine wasn’t so amusing anymore. 

Friday, June 22, 2012

Mary #14

If anyone does Saturday Centus you might somewhat remember this story started as a centus.  In  June of 2010, I wrote a few chapters on Mary and then stopped.  I had so much to write about her, writing weekly for centus wasn't enough.  I then wrote and wrote until I had over 30,000 words so far.  In writing it though as I got further and further my original premise somehow got blown out of the water, ha, ha. I stopped writing her story in March of 2011.   I still haven't quite figured out how I'm going to work this out but I thought I would put out what I have so far.   Please remember this is a really rough draft and when I wrote it, I had no chapters.  Before I decided to put this on the blog I had to go back and figure out where I could make them.  I would suggest this is a terrible way of doing it lol.  The first chapter started on March 23rd, 2012.

 
14

When Mary got up, she started taking all the knick knacks that were all around and putting them in boxes.  She took her mother's jewelry box and the vintage vanity set that was on her Ma's dresser and put it in her room.  Mary had fond memories of it.  She remembered looking at the back of the brush and hand held mirror with the delicate pink flowers adorning it.  Her Ma used to fix her hair with it when she was little girl.  She would tell her stories about her grandma and grandpa while fixing her hair.  She would always tell her when she left the holler to move to Ohio, her Ma gave it to her.  Hannah would tell Mary how her Ma fixed her hair with it when she was a girl too.  It was a family heirloom and she was to have it eventually.  Her Ma would then tell Mary how her grandpa who had very little money saved and saved so on their wedding night he could give it to Mary's grandma.  It was one of her grandma's most prized possessions and when she gave it to her Ma; she knew she had her Ma's blessing to move away.  

All the boxes were closed up and she looked around the room.  Besides the bedding everything else was down.  She moved all the boxes in front of the closet and left them in case Jimmy or Johnny wanted to go through them to see if there was something they wanted. 

She took the diaries, went back to her room, opened the jewelry box and took the little envelope out that said Hannah's keys and went downstairs.  She put them on the coffee table and decided to make something to eat since it was starting to get dark already. 

She wanted comfort food knowing that she was going to be looking at the book her Ma had made.  She had taken out some ground meat earlier and decided to make some sloppy joe's.  Her Ma would always make it when times were rough and green beans.  She looked around Ma's recipe file and found the recipe and checked and she had all the ingredients.  She even had some fresh green beans.  As she started cooking, her thoughts wandered to what could be in that book.  Would it make her happy or sad?  She did know she felt anxious about it. 

Mary sat at the table eating her sloppy joe's and green beans while Lulu sat and watched. When she got done, she got up wrapped up the food she didn't eat and started washing dishes.  She thought maybe I should call Johnny and tell him about the diaries or whatever they are.  She decided to call him and ask him for dinner the next night.  After she would read hers, then she would decide whether to tell him of her discovery or wait. 

When she had all the dishes done and wiped off the table, she headed straight for the phone.  "Hi Johnny" Mary said. 

"Hi Mar, what's happening?”

"For some reason, Jimmy bought me a big corned beef.  I don't know what he was thinking.  I was going to make corned beef and cabbage tomorrow and wanted to know if you would come over and help me eat it.” 

"Sure, I couldn't turn that down.  Besides, I don't get home cooked meals very often or at least that are edible" and they laughed.

"I was cleaning out Ma and Pa's room today.  I'm giving most of their clothes away and a lot are going to get thrown out because they're no good.  I have them in boxes in their room.  Maybe when you come you can look at them and see if there's anything you want.”

"That sounds good to me.  What time should I be there?” 

“Probably about 7 would be good". 

“Okay, I'll see you then.  Have a good night, Bye.”

"Bye, Johnny" Mary said as she thought I hope I have a good night. 

Mary looked at the three books on the table.  She picked up the first one and looked at the picture of Jimmy.  He must have been about three years old.  She smiled when she saw the curly brown haired boy.  "How come he got all the curls, Lulu"?  She then noticed his name and underneath it said Our First Born Jimmy.    “The Thinker”    

She picked up the second one with Johnny's picture.  He was the same age.  He was the only one of the kids that had blond hair like her Pa but his hair was straight like hers.  Under his name was the words Our Second Born Johnny.  “The Tender-hearted”  

She hesitantly picked up her book.  She looked to be about three years old as well.  There she stood in front of her Ma's flower bed in a beautiful summer dress with her hair in a ponytail.  On her book was written “Our only living daughter Mary.”  

"That's odd" she said out loud.  "Only living daughter?  What does that mean?  Why would Ma not say Our Third Born like she did with the boys?  And... where's my word describing me?”   

Mary grabbed for the three keys frantically trying to find the one that would open her book that she hoped would help her find answers.  Finally, she opened the book and gasped when she first recognized her Ma's handwriting.  

 


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Mom seeing things?

I think it was last year or the year before, Mom told me there was a wedding between two residents at the nursing home.  She went on and on about it.  Finally, I asked the nurse and she said no one had gotten married.

I figured Mom must have imagined it and I forgot about it.

I  saw on the calendar for this month there was going to be a mock wedding.  Today, Mom told us all about it.

It finally dawned on me that must have been what she had been talking about the earlier year, she just didn't know it was a mock wedding.  Apparently, the nurse I had talked to must not have been there that day and didn't know it happened.

Now I know she did actually see a wedding.

I'll have to try to figure out what's behind her telling me sometimes a bird will come and sit on the edge of her bed.  There must be some truth to it, I just haven't figured it out yet, ha.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Saturday Centus #111

 
The prompt this week is:  'Has it really been a decade?'
Number of words: 100 plus the 6 words of the prompt.   106 total. 
Style of writing: Any
Pictures: Any you want to share

Prompt is in blue

 Go to Jenny's to see what everyone wrote for the centus



Has it really been a decade? Where has the time gone” she asked her husband as she got into her spanx.

“Yeah, it’s hard to believe another class reunion already.”

“I think we still look good for our age.  I can imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of plastic surgery tonight.”

“Good thing we don’t have to alter our appearance” as he put his spanx undergarments on and his toupee.  

“You got that right” and she put on her fake eyelashes. 

“We still got it Babe.  Do you like these elevator shoes?”

“Yes, I do.  Come on, let’s go check everyone out.”