When you are talking to your adult child about food that you made when he was growing up. You mention apple dumplings and he says he remembers the butter sandwiches I made. “Smacking my head!”
Running from problems doesn’t make the problem go away …
I had debated sharing this story on my blog before, but never did, though I did write a story around it. Yes, true experiences do sometimes inspire my blog stories! When my husband and I took a trip to the beach last year, we witnessed something tht had been brought into shore by the waves. Something I don’t want to witness again. A man’s bloated body. Moments before we had been having a fun conversation with the couple beside us about seagulls and food. They then went down to the water and we started reading, having just come back from a walk. The next thing we knew the woman that had been next to us was yelling for us to call 911 that her husband and his friend had pulled a body out of the water. I will say that 911 was there within 3 minutes. The life guards were quick to action giving CPR and loading him up on a 4-wheeler to take to the ambulance. They were bagging him on the way to the ambulance. Unfortunately I don’t know whether the guy survived or not, but I have wondered if I would ever see the story on Dateline. This is the problem of being a writer, your imagination goes crazy. The guy did have a gash on the side of his head. In my blog story the guy and his wife lived happily ever after, because as you may have already guessed, I like happy endings. 🙂
Desiree’s stomach sank as she looked at all the boxes surrounding her. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen. Not only did the boxes surround her, but they were spilling into the dining room. It was enough to make her want to turn around and go back to bed!
Why couldn’t she snap her fingers like Mary Poppins and have all the boxes disappear with everything being where it was supposed to be? How perfect that would be. If only her life was that magical. Right now, she felt like Cinderella. So much work to do and no prince to be found.
At least she had unpacked her Keurig. She would need it today!
Desiree was in the middle of putting all of her glassware and plates away when Callie ran into the kitchen.
‘Mommy, Mommy! Want to have a tea party with me?”
Her daughter’s eyes were bright with expectation.
“I am sorry, sweet pea, but I can’t right now. Mommy is busy, but save a cup of tea for me, okay?” She gave Callie a tight hug.
“Okay, Mommy, I will, as long as Teddy doesn’t drink it.” She giggled and ran back to her room.
There was nothing better than the sound of Callie’s laughter. Her laughter and unbridled joy had pulled Desiree through this tough year. How thankful she was for her precious daughter.
Turning up her music, she got back to unpacking.
“Mr Teddy, this cup is for my mommy. You can’t have it!” Callie shook her finger at him. “Here is a cup for you.”
“Remember, Susie, hold tight onto your cup. We don’t want any spills. You are wearing your prettiest dress.”
Callie was proud of her doll, Susie. She looked beautiful. Mr Teddy didn’t look bad either wearing a red polka dot bow tie. One had to look their best for tea parties.
Oh, Cathy, her other doll, was being too chatty again. Callie told her to stop talking, but she ignored her. She needed something to get her attention. Oh, Callie knew what to do.
Jumping up from her chair, she grabbed something from her bed. She didn’t know where it had come from, but it should get Chatty Cathy’s attention. Ding, Ding, Ding!
POOF! Pink and purple smoke filled the room. When it cleared, Callie couldn’t believe her eyes. Her face reflected a golden sunbeam. Jubilation filled her heart.
“Hi Miss Callie! Welcome to our castle.”
They knew her name, Callie was shocked. This was the bestest day ever!
“Hi! I can’t believe I am here.” She sat down at the table when a servant pulled out a chair for her.
“We are real glad to have you, and now I propose we make a toast to Callie.”
They all raised their crystal tea cups, and Callie couldn’t still the rapid beating of her heart. Whoever would have thought that she would share tea with her favorite princesses! Cinderella, Snow White and Belle.
The progress may be slow, but Desireee felt good at what she had accomplished so far this morning. Taking a breather, she sat down.
She noticed a flyer on the coffee table with the other mail.
“Thursdays are Free Ice Cream cones for children. Come to Jack and Jill’s Icecream shop this summer and cool off with a yummy treat.”
Desiree knew that Callie would love getting some ice cream, and it was time for a break. She headed to Callie’s room and knocked on her door. There was no answer. Maybe she had gone back to sleep. She knocked again.
“Come in, Mommy.”
Callie was sitting at her small table with her tea set displayed on it.
“Tea party still going, I see. I think Teddy may be getting a little sleepy.”
Callie laughed and sat him up straighter.
“Mommy oh Mommy I have had the bestest time ever! You will never believe where I was. I was far, far away in the land where the princesses live. I saw Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle! We had tea and cake and..”
Desiree put her hand up. Callie sure was wound up, talking a mile a minute. She thoroughly enjoyed Callie’s wild imagination.
“That is amazing. I want to hear everything, but what about you tell me everything over lunch. Then we can go for ice cream for dessert. Unless you are too full from eating cake with the princesses?” Desiree winked at her.
‘I am not too full! I love chocolate ice cream and sprinkles! Let’s go.”
“Let me help you change out of your pretty dress, and we will go. But remember you have to eat your green beans first for lunch.”
Callie wrinkled her nose and sighed. But then thought of the princesses again and smiled.
“First, there was a lot of pink and purple smoke, Mommy, and then…” Callie was chattering away again as Desiree helped her to get dressed.
“Whats that on your bed, sweetie?”
“Oh, that’s my cowbell. It’s so cool. It’s how I was able to see all the princesses and go to the castle far away. Shall I ring it again?”
Desiree smiled, “Let’s eat first and then sure, you can ring it again. I would like to meet the princesses too. Though you will always be my favorite princess.” She kissed Callie on the cheek as they headed to the kitchen.
“I also got to meet the seven dwarves, except for Grumpy, he didn’t want to come to a tea party.” Desiree laughed, hoping that Callie’s imagination would never end.
Happy Tuesday! Remember your first childhood love? The sweet age of innocence. I couldn’t pass this picture by when I saw it. One can’t help but smile at the joy of the little girl. May you be surprised by joy today. Keep Smiling and enjoy the following quotes. As always, thanks for reading. I do appreciate it!
The truck started sputtering. What was wrong? WHAT! That couldn’t be right. He always kept his truck filled up with gas. The gas gauge mocked him, proving him wrong. He pulled off on the side of the road, right before the engine died.
Ugh! Jenna apparently had not filled his truck back up when she returned it last night. He hadn’t even thought to check when he left this morning. All he could think of was getting away for a while. Should have known. Why would Jenna bother to refill his gas tank? Being kind wasn’t something that came naturally to her. He unfortunately had found that out in the short time they had dated. What he had ever seen in her, he didn’t know. He must have the word “sucker” stamped on his forehead.
His big heart kept getting him into trouble when it came to women, but someday his luck had to change!
Fortunately, he wasn’t far from the park. The bigger question was, how far was the closest gas station? Maybe a park ranger would give him a ride. For now, Peyton wouldn’t worry about it. He needed a day of solitude among nature, and he was determined to enjoy it. Grabbing his backpack and water bottle, he headed down the road towards the park.
The exercise felt good. By the time he made it into the woods and on the waterfall trail, he wasn’t as upset anymore about Jenna or the gas. HIs Mama said there would be days like this, but Peyton didn’t know there would be so many in his looking for love journey. He was really ready for the day when he could go from a jack to a king.
Oooh, thoughts about the state of his love life flew from his mind as he stared straight ahead. Standing real still, Peyton tried not to move. He didn’t want to scare the deer away. It was looking right at him.
This was what his soul needed. A moment in time that reminded him of the beautiful things in life. The deer soon turned and ran, leaving Peyton’s heart touched and feeling light.
The climb to the waterfall was rugged, but it was worth it. Listening to the roar of the water coming down was music to his ears and he took a seat on a boulder nearby and rested.
“HI! I have seen this waterfall many times, but never tire of it. ”
Peyton looked to see a park ranger nearby. A young woman with short hair that shined like gold. The hair framed her face in a cute bob. When she smiled, he noticed her dimples.
Her soft voice had been a little hard to hear over the waterfall, so he walked closer to her.
“Hi! This is my first time here, but I will be coming back for sure.”
“That is great, my name is Sierra. If you have any questions, feel free to stop in at the ranger station before you leave. I would be glad to try and answer them. Right now, I better get back. Have a good day.”
“Thanks!” Peyton waved as she turned around and walked away. He should have asked her where the closest gas station was.
His gaze turned back to the waterfall at the right time. There was a rainbow sparkling through the water.
A broad smile spread across his face. Maybe he had finally found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He wondered if it had anything to do with a certain young woman with golden hair.
The saying about watching what you say around writers is true. One never knows what may provide inspiration. Thanks to my friends, they keep me well supplied. 😉
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Sunny was all smiles. Another bright and fun day to be had. Tia, the chipmunk was close by, and when Sunny saw her, she took off after her. Racing her to the big oak tree. Tia scampered up it.
“I win!” She taunted Sunny, looking down at her.
“Next time, you may not be so lucky.” Sunny replied, giving her best threatening look. Tia laughed all the harder seeing Sunny’s face. She wasn’t afraid of Sunny. Tia knew it was all in jest.
Sunny wasn’t like the other foxes. She was friends with the little critters in the woods and would never hurt them.
Filling her belly with yummy berries, plants, and earthworms was more than satisfying to Sunny.
“I will see you later, Tia. I am going to go hunt for some berries. I noticed that Mr McGregor’s berry patch is full of berries now. They are calling my name. “
“Be careful, you know all the close calls that Peter had! He gave his poor mama so many gray hairs.”
“I will be, don’t worry.” Sunny headed towards the berry patch. Her taste buds tingled with anticipation.
She was almost there when Skippy came running with the speed of lightning and ran smack dab into a tree. Falling down on his back, he was still.
Sunny shook her head. Skippy never watched where he was going, but he had a hard head and was always fine.
Sure enough Skippy soon moaned and sat up, rubbing his head.
“You need to start slowing down, my friend.”
Skippy shook his head. “There was a wild woman after me yelling at the top of her lungs about having squirrel stew! I have to get out of here.”
Sunny’s fur stood up. No one was going to make stew out of her friend!
“I don’t know what to do. My poor Tawny is still trapped in the tree in the mad woman’s yard. She is afraid to come down.”
Mr McGregor’s berry patch would have to wait. Her friends needed help. While Skippy caught his breath, Sunny pondered what to do.
“I got an idea. Listen up, this is what we will do.” Skippy was all ears. He was nuts over his precious Tawny and had to save her.
Sunny and Skippy were at the edge of the crazy lady’s yard.
“Are you ready?”
Drawing in a big breath and puffing out his chest,Skippy said, “Yes!”
He dashed across the yard and up the tree to Tawny. Quickly telling her the plan, they started to scamper down the tree.
“You again! You little rascal, this may be your last day.” The wild woman was yelling again, and Skippy’s heart was pounding.
Sunny came running, and the lady cheered when she saw Sunny grab the two squirrels by their bushy tails.
“YES! Bye-bye squirrels. Enjoy resting in the belly of a fox.” She cackled.
Once they were out of sight and safe, Sunny gently dropped Skippy and Tawny out of her mouth.
“Thanks, Sunny! You are a fantastic fox to have as a friend.”
“You are welcome. no one messes with my friends. Now I am going to go treat myself to some berries.”
Tawny and Skippy grinned. “Enioy! You deserve them.”
Once again, Sunny headed to the berry patch. She had to pass the wild woman’s house. The lady was still outside wearing a smug grin. Doing a celebratory dance.
She spied Sunny. “Hey, little fox, you are my hero. I was hoping you would be back. I have some food for you, as a reward.”
Sunny was curious. Did she have berries? She sat down in the yard and waited.
Soon, the lady came out carrying a pretty china bowl filled with long, wiggly things. Reminded Sunny of earthworms but tasted much better.
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This was turning out to be a fine day. Sunny slurped the funny worms up as the lady continued to praise Sunny for getting rid of those terrible, mischievous squirrels.
Little did she know that right now Skippy and Tawny were living the life on a friend’s boat.
Once more Skippy had avoided becoming squirrel stew. He smiled as Tawny snapped the picture!
The score: Skippy-101 vs. Wild lady- 0
They laughed while eating more pineapple. Life was good!
Haku, the dragon, told me to buy this vibrant red plant that I saw the other day. It’s called Dragon’s Breath and says its easy to grow! What could possibly go wrong? Supposed to last all summer, loves the heat. Hopefully it will at least make it through June.
My friend chose a few crazy questions for her blog post earlier this week, http://wakinguponthewrongsideof50.com/2024/05/21/250-wacky-weird-questions/and challenged us to share some questions in a post too. I thought it would be perfect for my Friday post, so here you go. Feel free to ask a crazy question of your own, if you have one and I will answer. Share your answers in the comments.
Do you think if anything is possible, is it still possible for anything to be impossible? What would it be?
The FBI wants to question you, why? What did you do?
Gabriel’s five best friends followed him on the way to school.
“It’s not fair.” He grumbled to himself. Why did his parents think school was so important.
Oreo looked at him with sympathetic eyes while Creamsicle led the way. She knew the way without even looking where she was going.
Mocha held back. He was the shy one of the group. The last thing he wanted was a crowd of school kids rushing out to see him.
Rocky and Pogo joined the others in soaking up all the attention from the school children, but the only person Mocha wanted to be around was Gabriel.
Gabriel turned around and looked back at Mocha standing alone. “I will be back, buddy.’
Creamsicle pranced down the hill, tossing her head from side to side. She was always happy and full of zest. Gabriel would be happy once Saturday came!
On Saturday his grandparents were coming for a visit and he couldn’t wait.
His Grandpa liked to tell stories of when he was young and lived high up in the mountains. He had been a goat herder and understood Gabriel’s close relationship with his goats.
Saturday had finally come. Gabriel was up with the sun. He was excited.
“Aren’t you an earlybird today! Why can’t you bounce out of bed so easily on a school day?” His mom questioned him, seeing him sitting in the kitchen.
Gabriel groaned. “Don’t talk about school!”
His mom smiled as she ruffled his hair with her hand. “Would you like some pancakes or waffles for breakfast?”
“Waffles, please.’ He enjoyed pouring the maple syrup into each little box.
“When are Grandma and Grandpa coming?”
“Ahh! So that’s the reason you are up early. They will be here in time for lunch.”
Gabriel sighed a little. He was hoping it would be earlier, but it would be okay. This would give him time to work on finishing the surprise he was making for his grandma’s birthday. His grandpa had helped him with it the last time they were together.
It would be so fun to give this special gift to her. Grandpa said she may even get tears in her eyes due to being so happy. Gabriel thought that was silly, his mom got teary-eyed at times, too. She said they were happy tears. Women sure were strange sometimes.
Gabriel painted the last stroke when he heard his grandparents outside. He put down his brush and ran outside.
“Grandma, Grandpa!”
Their faces glowed when looking at him.They enveloped him in warm hugs, and Grandma kissed him on his cheek. He allowed his mama and grandma to kiss him, but Sarah from school drove him crazy. She always chased him at recess, trying to give him a kiss.
Later that night, they sang Happy Birthday to his sweet grandma. His mom had baked a chocolate cake with cherry icing for her. It was yummy!Why couldn’t his mom bake special cakes every night?
Once supper was over, Gabriel went to his room to wrap his Grandma’s gift. He sure hoped she would like it. Grandpa had said it would remind her of her childhood and a book that her Grandpa would often read to her.
Gabriel’s mama would often talk about how his grandparents knew each other as children. She enjoyed telling him their sweet love story, but Gabriel wasn’t into hearing love stories. He liked it better when his dad told him bedtime stories about dinosaurs and dragons.
Walking over to his grandma, Gabriel placed the birthday gift in her lap.
“A gift for me? You are my favorite grandchild.”
Gabriel knew that he was their only grandchild, but it still made him feel all warm inside when she called him her favorite.
“What a fun surprise.” She wrapped her arm around him, pulling him against her.
“Grandpa helped me. He made them and I painted them.”
Her hands flew to her cheeks as she unwrapped the last piece of gift wrap. “A pair of wooden shoes. These are beautiful! Thank you so much! I love you.”
She squeezed Gabriel in a tight hug and gave him another sloppy kiss, which he endured. He was happy when he looked up at her face. Grandpa had been right,tears glistened in his Grandma Heidi’s eyes.
Happy Tuesday! I thought everyone could use a cute image to start the day or if your day is ending, may it bring a smile as you close your eyes. May the following quotes bring a smile as well!
One more day down. Kimberly was sitting outside on their deck, overlooking beautiful Lake Placid
When she had said that she wanted a house with a view, Aiden made sure to find a fabulous one.
“Only the best for the love of his life.” He had said. They had been standing on the pier of Lake Placid when he proposed. The shades of soft pinks and fiery oranges made for a spectacular sunset on a night that she would forever remember.
Three years later, and never would she tire of seeing the brilliant sunsets.
They had spent countless hours on the lake during the day and watching the sunset at night. She didn’t need a castle, not when she had her slice of paradise. Her lakehouse. But paradise came with a price.
Would Kimberly still have said yes if she would have known the extent of the price when it came to being married to Aiden Fletcher?
The life that Aiden and Kimberly were building together was worth the worry and many nights that Kimberly spent alone. Being married to an FBI agent wasn’t always easy, but she would make it.
The days went by quicker this time. Now, after a month of him being away on special assignment, he would be home within a few days! She walked back inside. Only two more nights alone.
Over the past three years, Kimberly learned that in order to keep her sanity that she couldn’t dwell on the fact that Aiden’s job had its dangerous times.
Times like when he had to storm barricaded buildings with potential explosives inside. Or have to psychologically try to get into a killer’s mind to know what they were thinking and to try to stay a step ahead of them.
Aiden often needed time away to de-stress after particular, grueling missions.
Kimberly might worry about him when faced with stressful times, but she admired his dedication to his job. As well as his sense of integrity, which helped him to be a remarkable agent.
He also had his share of monotous days in the office. When the big excitement was whether or not Vivian, his secretary, would walk into the office smelling like she swam in a pool of perfume. She was such a sweet older lady, but her perfume could literally take one’s breath away.
Kimberly’s heart was full. Aiden’s arms encircled her, and she was at peace. Her husband was home, safe and sound.
“This was one of the strangest missions yet that I have been on. I think our witness must have escaped from a mental hospital. You should have heard the wild things he was telling us.”
Running her hand through his golden wavy hair, she listened. Listened as they reclined on the sofa, eating Chinese food. They always ordered in on his first night home. Not wanting to leave the intimacy of their home.
Shep, their border collie, stayed at their feet in hopes of them dropping some honey glazed, seasame seed chicken on the floor.
Candles lit up the room, the perfect Hallmark setting.
“This guy kept insisting that he had heard a hippo singing one moment…and then…”
Kimberly interrupted, “A hippo singing? I didn’t know they could sing.” She giggled. “What was this guy drinking?”
“Well, according to this guy, hippos can’t sing. He said his ears were still ringing as he left the river and was out taking a leisurely hike in the country.
Then he saw the guy that fit the description of the man we have been searching for. Six foot, with short jet black hair and a mustache.”
“Oh, great, so even though he may be a tad delusional, thinking hippos can sing, do you really think he saw the guy? Was he able to give you any more information? Did he talk to the guy? Does he know where the guy went?”
Aiden rolled his eyes. ” Can’t say he was too helpful, for in his words, the next thing he heard was the sound of a bell ringing and this guy disappearing in a blur of pink and purple smoke.”
Kimberly spit out her Boba tea.
“Are you joking? That is crazy!”
“I am only repeating exactly what the guy said. He said that after the smoke cleared, he noticed a brown cow grazing in the field. That it was wearing a sparkling, silver bell around its neck. He figured that must have been the bell he had heard.”
Aiden shook his head. “There seems to be no limit to the crazy people I meet through this job. For then, he went on to say that he thinks the cow made the guy disappear. That he had heard about Betsy, the Wonder Cow, and her enchanted bell!
But now I would like to focus on the crazy woman I fell in love with and have deeply missed.”
He enticed her with his smile as he ran his hand up her bare thigh, sending shivers of desire through her body. He fingered the lace of the black lingerie she was wearing.
Drawn in by the passionate look in his eyes. She licked her top lip. Feeling amorous.
Without words, Aiden teased her lips with an ever so gentle kiss, quickening her pulse, and then he pulled away. Taking her hand, he pulled her off the couch, leading her upstairs.
Nuggets of Gold 
