Pastor Saves Turtles

I love the picture that conjures up, of Dr. Wessels up to his knees in the creek, with a line of box turtles and snappers waving their little turtle heads and singing, “As I Went Down To the River To Pray”. As long as the Holy Spirit doesn’t descend on any of them in the form of an eagle, it’s a happy little scenario.

What I mean, of course, is that we are kindred spirits in that we both brake for turtles crossing the road. Then we differ. I favor moving them to the side of the road they’re facing. He favors taking them someplace where there is no nearby road. I’m like, what if they have wives and children waiting for them? Like, “Daddy went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back.” He believes that is unlikely.

The Southern Indiana Writers had a book signing yesterday. Many of us came, but few of the people who showed great enthusiasm when I told them about it actually showed up. We did sell some books, but not many. Maybe a library is not a particularly good venue for us. We’re working with Magdalena’s on an event for July that sounds like a lot of fun. More details as they emerge. It was kind of pathetic–Karen was standing there trying to work out the details with us and we were all talking at once, mostly at cross-purposes. It’s like herding cats. We WILL work it out, though.

MA

writing prompt: Write a scene where somebody has to baptize a turtle.

What We Ended Up Having

I didn’t know what I was going to fix last night, but I came up with this:

CHICKEN (or not) AND BEAN QUESADILLAS

• flour tortillas
• pre-cooked chicken
• refried beans
• shredded Mexican cheese mix
• waffle maker–electric kind

Cut the chicken off the bone if it’s on a bone. Cut the icky bits off and give them to the happy dog. Spread refried beans on a flour tortilla, sprinkle with chicken and cheese, top with another tortilla and put in in the waffle maker and cook until there are browned waffle marks on it. Remove and cut into fourths.

I also cut up lettuce and cherry tomatoes and served that on the side. Had salad dressings, enchilada sauce and salsa so folks could have salad or put the veggies on the quesadillas and spice everything up or not as they pleased. Oh, also had some corn tortilla chips for dipping into salsa.

Quite tasty, especially for something knocked together on the fly, and flexible enough to please a variety of tastes. If there had been any vegetarians present, I would have made some quesadillas with just beans and cheese.

MA

writing prompt: What’s in your refrigerator? (Or your character’s?)

I Take-a My Own Picsh

Mom and I went to the shop today and got all our hairs cut. Incredibly, we both liked this cut for me. Now I’m all ready for the Southern Indiana Writers‘ book signing tomorrow at the Harrison County Library.

Now I’m home waiting for #4 daughter and her husband to come visit. Haven’t decided what I’m going to feed them. We’ll come up with something.

It’s very depressing–as boring as my life usually is, and as boring as this blog is in consequence, today I have NOTHING TO SAY. Things are pretty dull when *I* have nothing to say.

MA

writing prompt: Have a character get a haircut.

Doing My Civic Duty

Charlie and I went to Louisville today to march in support of House Resolution 676–single payer health care. There were a bunch of us there, all in good spirits in spite of a slight drizzle. The drizzle cleared up and we even had some sunshine before the event was over. We carried our signs around on the sidewalk not quite across the street from the Humana building. Our permit was for up the block from them. Directly across the street would have been in front of the performing arts building. I don’t know if they were afraid people would think THEY were being picketed or what, but we were placed a block away.

Then a guy from the bank building we were in front of came out all red in the face and told us we couldn’t parade in front of HIS building. We finally got it straight what part of the country was still free for assembly and petition for redress of grievances and walked there. People were honking and waving from passing cars, standing on the street and watching, coming up and getting literature–even joining the event.

After we walked and chanted jazzy little slogans for a while, we had some speeches and songs and then broke up.

Health Insurance Reform – If there is ANY hope of overcoming the enormously powerful and wealthy health insurance corporations it will take millions of grass roots supporters flooding their representatives and senators with comments on H.R. 676 to get real single-payer health care reform passed in America. For that to happen we need a lot of professional nationwide TV, radio and newspaper advertising to help get our citizens educated and motivated. Time is short; please go to www.hr676.org for more information on how to help make this happen.

MA

writing prompt: What cause would your character take to the street to march for?

Lost–in CORYDON?!

I met our interim minister and a fellow parishioner for breakfast this morning at Frederick’s Cafe. We had a full visit, about two hours, then my fellow parishioner had to go to another meeting and Dr. Wessels and I were supposed to go to Cafe on the Square so I could show him the best coffee in town. He said he needed to go back to the office, but would meet me here.

So here I sit, but where is he? Have I been ditched, or is he lost? Lost in a one-horse town? Or does he actually need to get some work done? Some people do, I’ve heard.

I’m downloading information on foods for my Culinary Chronicles for Worldwide Recipes, so it isn’t as if this time waiting is lost. I’m just getting kinda worried about him. Guess I’ll pack up in a bit and go see if I can locate him. I don’t mind being ditched, but I am a worrier, and I need to make sure he didn’t get run over by a turnip wagon or something.

MA

He showed up. Sure enough, he was working. He’s barely met me, but he knew me well enough to know I would still be with the coffee and hi-speed internet, so joined me here when he could. Now I need to run between the raindrops to my car, run my errands, and go home.

writing prompt: Somebody is stood up. Under what circumstances? How does he/she react? What are the consequences?

Blah blah blah

Full day today. Taking Mom to eye doctor, then going to the grocery. Looks like a pretty day, in spite of the forecast of storms and thunderstorms for the next 40 days and 40 nights. They said it was going to storm all day yesterday, too, but we had some drizzle once and a cloudburst, and the rest of the day was fine.

Charlie’s family came over for their monthly get-together, which it was our turn to host. Charlie and #3 daughter worked like dogs–a hell of a lot harder than any dog WE ever had–to get the place looking great. They repainted the playhouse and cleaned it top to bottom. The kids had a blast in it.

That Dog was here, of course–Forrest. I would call him my bete noir, but he’s white, and bete blanc just doesn’t sound as scary. He isn’t exactly a scary dog, unless you’re between him and foodstuffs. A nice dog, but single-minded. I still have the scars. He and our dog, Joe, kept me up until about 3 this morning, fighting over who was going to sneak onto the porch and rub mud on it. Every time I would drop off to sleep, WHUFF! WHUFFWHUFF! Apparently, Forrest won, because I got up this morning to find Joe sitting in the middle of the driveway so I could clearly see HE was the GOOD one and was NOT on the porch. Neither was Forrest on the porch, once I reasoned gently with him by means of an umbrella. I called his daddy on him, and he’s gone for the moment.

Now that I’ve missed the deadline for SWORD AND SORCERESS XXIV, I feel as if a load has been lifted. I really really wanted to be in it again this year, and I really really like the story I’m writing, but I started it too late, and I felt like I was pushing it. I can usually write a story quickly when I need to–professional, and all that–but I’m kind of fragmented right now. Need to get my ducks in a row, my beans counted and my head on straight. Need to clean out my chiche closet and swap for some new ones.

MA

writing prompt: Have a character open the door and find a strange dog on the porch.

Thank You

I’m a fire-breathing Democrat and a Peacenik at heart. I hate violent conflict, and would always rather find a win-win solution or at least one everyone can live with. With all the will in the world, that isn’t always possible.

I’ve known people who served in the Second World War. One of them always cried on the rare occasions he talked about firing his gun in battle. He never lost sight of the humanity of the poor kid on the other end of his rifle. He knew who HE was, and that let him know who the other guy was. Still, he also knew what he was fighting for, and that gave him the courage to break his own heart in service of a larger goal.

The war in Iraq was always wrong, but the men and women who go when and where they’re asked are NOT wrong. The people who work with calculation and efficiency to try to dehumanize them, who use them as pawns–THEY are wrong. The military men and women who remain human, who risk themselves every day to give the apparent civilian the benefit of the doubt–THEY are heroic.

Everywhere we have troops, there will be broken warriors. They’ll be broken in body, heart, mind, soul, spirit. But most will not be broken, because most of them will have friends around them who won’t let them be–not entirely. They can’t always keep their friends from being wounded, but they can and will help them stay, in all important ways, whole.

Thank you, all of you who serve with honor. Thank you, all of you who have each others’ backs. Thank you, all of you who never forget the humanity of the people you have to be wary of, and never forget your own humanity–the most important treasure you’re fighting to preserve.

I hate war. I wish the one in Iraq had never been started. But it was, and most of the people who are serving there are doing it for honorable reasons.

Thanks.

MA

writing prompt: If you’re for the war, write a good character who’s against it. If you’re against the war, write a good character who’s for it.

The Battle Begins

Okay, yesterday I was all Little Mary Sunshine, and “Oh, the sweet little lightning bugs! Oh, Bertie, I sometimes thing the fireflies are the twinkle in God’s eye,” and all that. Today, I’m suited up and practicing pointing my finger and Mother Nature and making ray-gun sound effects, like, “Pew-pew-pew!!” If I may use a phrase I picked up from the father of one of my friends, Mother Nature “done peed in church”.

Mother Nature apparently decided that, since I was so enamored of her lightning bugs, she’d send some more of her buggy little pals. So yesterday I was busy with visitations.

Ticks and chiggers, okay. Don’t like ‘em, but if I go outside I have to expect ‘em. Fair enough. But–

Okay, there were two different kinds of (in consideration for #4 daughter, who is arachnophobic, I will call these creatures by a code name) — two different kinds of squid in the house. One squid was the kind that look like Bambi at the end of Bambi Meets Godzilla, like a blotch with legs all sticking out around the edges. A wood squid, Charlie calls them. It was up on the wall, just squatting there all squidlike. Charlie took care of that one for me. The other squid was one of those streamlined gray ones with the racing stripes and the little legs all curled up under it. It was right on the couch where I habitually sit. I went librarian-poo. Fortunately, my #3 daughter, who is terrified of grasshoppers but loves squids, was here, and she rescued us from each other.

The rest of the day was one roach after another. Little ones, medium ones, one of those long flying ones made out of cellophane–you know the kind? They FLY if you aren’t careful. That one was ON MY ARM! I was like, DEAR GOD, what have I DONE? I will TOTALLY let your people go! Leave Egypt, and take your freakin’ plagues with you!

Here’s hoping today brings less of nature or more of liquor. If I’m going to have these Ray Milland moments, I might as well be drunk.

MA

writing prompt: Do bugs freak your character out? Some bugs but not others? How does he/she react to various bugs/insects?

Getting Ready

We’re hosting Charlie’s family get-together this Memorial Day, so we’re getting the house ready. Charlie’s getting the house ready, actually. All I have to do is straighten up, run a quick vacuum, dust and cook. Charlie uses a gathering of the clan (with a c, children, clan with a c) to do major projects, like paint the deck, clean and paint the playhouse, dispose of all the storm damaged trees, redo the kitchen….

I’m like–let’s not do any kitchen renovation over the weekend, okay? I need to have the kitchen free to cook this year.

The host always provides meat and bean soup and cornbread. We have a ton or two of shaved ham, and we’ll get some fried chicken from the deli. I’m making pintos and cornbread. I’ll also make some deviled eggs. That’ll be great, because everybody makes deviled eggs differently, and I love the way I make them and don’t much like anybody else’s way. Most people use Miracle Whip and sweet pickle relish, but I like mayonnaise and no sweet anything. I usually just use mayonnaise, powdered mustard, salt and pepper.

SAW MY FIRST LIGHTNING BUGS OF THE SEASON LAST NIGHT! HAPPIEST. THING. EVER! Nothing that isn’t people makes me so happy as watching lightning bugs rise up out of the grass and get all twinkly all over the place. First flower, first lightning bug, first red/orange/yellow leaf, first snow. Signals that there’s beauty and joy in every season. Anchors, reminding me of all I love in life so I don’t get tempted by The Big Sleep. What Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech can’t accomplish, blue-tailed lizards do.

MA

writing prompt: Write a scene with lightning bugs in it.

An Almost One-Dish Meal

I told you about how I cooked a bunch of chicken breasts in the crock pot. Okay, so (and this would work with any pre-cooked chicken, o’course), I made this quick and easy thing. You need a RICE COOKER for it, one of the best gizmos I ever bought.

ALMOST ONE-DISH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

• cooked chicken
• rice
• asparagus
• multi-colored peppers

Put rice in the cooker. Add water any seasonings to taste. Top with seeded peppers and as much fresh asparagus as you can fit in. Drizzle with garlic-flavored olive oil. Cook. Heat cooked chicken. Divide the rice and vegetables into dishes and top with chicken.

I’m getting over my cold, but you still wouldn’t want to eat across the table from me. I went to Mom’s last night and we watched RUNAWAY BRIDE. I love Richard Gere and I love Julia Roberts. They both seem like people I would love to know in person. It makes me happy to watch either one of them work. I didn’t much like the story–a woman who dumps multiple men at the altar because she doesn’t know who she really is but has pretended to be what they wanted. Once, barely acceptable. Twice, no. Three, four…. Seems like the guys in one little town would wise up, doesn’t it? But it was still a fun movie, thanks to all the good secondary and bit characters, and ALL the good acting from everybody in the cast. Good music, too.

MA

writing prompt: How would one of your character feel/act if dumped at the altar?