Personal Challenge #3 - Save The Queens

This is a work of fiction; anything resembling reality is a figment of your imagination.

Go Here to view image sources.

Three generations of them lived together in the old house in West Virginia, on it's nine acres. Old Ma'm, her brogue still thick and rich as a good stew, whose proper given name was Ivy. Old Ma'm's daughter, Rose, as beautiful as her name and sometimes as thorny. There was almost nine year old May, Rose's daughter; as lovely as a perfect spring morning, with a sunny nature that matched her name. Then there was young Tommy, a slim lad of twelve, he wasn't a Queen like them; there was a good deal of speculation amongst the people of the area about where he'd come from. Most thought he was an orphaned or abandoned child the women had taken in; some of the older folk whispered back and forth about changelings, Tommy being a bit odd in his ways. Still, there was no denying that he was devoted to the Queens and that they were devoted to him.

Peering through the branches, Tommy waved May forward with her lantern. "Careful now Maypop, something ain't right." They were looking for Mrs. McGuffin, the wayward hen who sought out the oddest, wildest places to hide her eggs and having more trouble than usual finding her. Tiptoeing ahead as best she could (the cowboy boots she'd coveted all winter had been an early birthday gift and they were still stiff) she followed Tommy's finger as he pointed at a lifeless Mrs. McGuffin. The snake which had taken the hen's life and, apparently, swallowed her eggs was curled up beside the feathery body; staring at them soundlessly... As the children watched a grey mist rose from the serpent's back and formed into an ugly, shadowy, little grey man. "Run Tommy" May whispered, "tell Old Ma'm and Mama there's a grey on our land!"

I'm going to be very, very bad and finish this tomorrow. Hope you'll forgive me. 

So They Say

The power is going to go off tonight; yet another winter storm. Not a big deal: we just got another load of firewood in, we have propane for the emergency cooker, etc... plenty of food in the house, so we're set. After all, it's a sure bet that we will lose power sometime during the year, most especially in winter. Anyway, thought I'd publish a post whilst I could since it generally takes them some time to get the power back on.

Thought I'd share some photos from the busy day yesterday; the kidling and I stopped by the cemetery where Dad is buried and I took the opportunity to take a few snaps.

First dandelion of the season... good thing they're tough, it's likely frozen by now. Click on any photo to embiggen.

Assorted headstones; the last is that of a Civil War veteran.

Last but not least: I don't generally like pranks but would li love to be able to do something like this when encountering people like the old gentleman who simply would not stop staring at me and whispering with his companions last night! Bwahaha!

Personal Challenge #3 + General

It's that time again... ooooo! 

To encourage myself to continue writing, to explore varied genres and emotional tones, I've decided to begin selecting disparate images every week. (Usually two, but sometimes more or less.) The goal is to concoct a short story which connects the images in some fashion and publish the tale on Friday; you are more than welcome to participate.

This time we have two images, first this:

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And then this:

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Hmmm, wonder what will result from these?? Your guess is as good as mine at this point. 

It was a busy weekend and is shaping up to be a busy week; among other things, my cheapskate tendencies came to the fore and I made a reclaimed wax (and jar) candle... with all my *ahem* high tech equipment.

Freshly poured:

And set:

After the fire is going well, I'll finish up the ham and dumplings for supper and prepare for spending part of the day out with the kidling. She is kindly driving me to the town where I spent a large part of my childhood, to take care of some business and to visit my father's grave. Hope your day is a good one.

Viennese busker covering 'Stairway to Heaven'.

Personal Challenge #2 Ohinniyan (Always)

This is a work of fiction; anything resembling reality is a figment of your imagination.

Having said that, some words will be in the Lakota -Sioux- language and the English translation will be in parentheses. In order to cut down on confusion, I will arrange Lakota words in the same way they are arranged in English. To see image sources, etc... you can click --> Here.

"Shic'eshi!" (what a woman calls a male cousin) she called, jiggling her fussing baby gently. She watched him approach, her eyes still bright despite her troubles, and he carefully took the little one from her before kissing her on the forehead. " Hau hankashi, hepela!" (Hello female cousin, happy to see you!) Turning back the blanket, Bernard greeted the now-quiet child: "Hau thanhanshi!" (Hello male cousin... from one male to another.) Giggling, Dosi... whose full given name was Theodosia... exclaimed "iyokiphi!" (he is pleased) this is the first time he's been quiet since we got to the airport! Was it a long flight, cousin? Did you have trouble changing planes at Minneapolis? Have you eaten?" "Your Ina (mother) could learn a lesson from you, little cousin, but once a magpie always a magpie." Winking, he handed Dosi's son back to her and picked up his bags; following her out to her old clunker of a car. 

From the corner of his eye, Bernard inspected his beloved cousin, noting the changes in her: thinner, hair cut short, sad eyes, and murmured " chante shice, hankashi". (I'm sorry/sad, female cousin.) "Don't do that Bernard!" Sighing, she said, "Just English right now, okay, otherwise I'll cry again. Michael is gone from this earth and my tears can't bring him back." Nodding, he touched her shoulder a moment, then looked out the window at Aberdeen . . . (Aberdeen, South Dakota that is.)

"Was Unci (grandmother) right? Are you moving back home?Will you still do the presentation dance, Bernard? Please? I made you a new roach." (A roach is a head piece made with quills, you can see one in the last photo.) "Aw Dosi, you didn't have to do that, but thank you; did you choose a name for your son?" Shaking her head, she glanced at him and smiled, "Nope, that was always going to be your job, remember? I make the babies and you name 'em. Oh and before I forget, Bobby TwoHawks will be at the dance, his Ina said."

"Oh really..." he drawled. "Yeah really and don't even pretend to be snotty; he's been a big help to me, buying diapers and formula for the baby." Laying his head back, eyes closed, he pretended to fall asleep; memories of Bobby and possible names for the baby playing through his head until the car stopped and Dosi shook him lightly. "We're back in the big town now; Bullhead, South Dakota... musta been named after you, cousin." Stretching and yawning, he stepped out of the car, popped his back, then turned around for his bags while Dosi got the baby from the car seat. 

A long arm stretched past him to take one of the bags; turning, he found himself nearly nose to nose with a freckled face and familiar hazel eyes.  "Hau khola,  (Hello, male friend to male friend; indicating a special bond.) welcome back to the rez, I've missed you ... Are you back at Standing Rock (Standing Rock reservation) for good this time?" Laying his hand on his friend's shoulder, looking between Bobby and Dosi, he said one word, "Ohinniyan" (always) before leading the way to his Unci's door.

Three days later: dancing with his young cousin in his arms he glanced up to see the three of them together; grandmother, cousin and friend all watching him. 'Perhaps', he thought, 'Bobby and I can be more than friends?' then turned his attention back to the dance. Stopping before the elders he held his young cousin out and spoke aloud, for the first time, the name he'd chosen to honour both of the infant's parents: "This is Micah Theodore ManyHorses."

(Thanks for the good thoughts everyone, the tremors are better and my shoulder isn't hopping up and down anymore. Who knew that orange soda would contain caffeine???)

Until Tomorrow

That's how long I'm putting off posting my story... The tremors have been particularly pernicious for a couple of days; pushing a share or like button is do-able, but extended typing is not. Still, have figured out what's causing it and all should be rectified in a few hours. In the meantime, wouldn't life be lovely if we could adopt her philosophy?

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Methinks this is a good time to re-post this video about Essential Tremor: (By the by, not shilling for donations by posting this video, just showing what it can be like.)

Snow Daze

You'd think, dependent as we Americans are on the automobile, we'd be good drivers, yes? Nay, not so. This video shows the result of 3 inches, 7.62 centimetres, of snow on a major interstate. The 50 vehicle smash happened next to the family farm . . . this is not my video however; we knew better than to be on the roads after seeing this: (Scroll down for vid.)

Is it unreasonably cranky for me to suggest that too many drivers must have gotten their licence from a Cracker Jack box? Or that remedial driving school should be considered?

A Personal Challenge #2

To encourage myself to continue writing, to explore varied genres and emotional tones, I've decided to begin selecting disparate images every week. (Usually two, but sometimes more or less.) The goal is to concoct a short story which connects the images in some fashion and publish the tale on Friday; you are more than welcome to participate. 

This time we have three images:

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And a little music...