Fifty Word Challenge #83: Time — I lost Dad in November of 2021. Now that I’m not his caregiver anymore, what am I supposed to do with my time? Some thoughts: Grow my own. Write about it. Hone my skills in the pool hall. Write about that. Start lunching at wine bars. Back to work? Nah. …

How Long Do I Wait? I Hit Submit…Then Silence How long after submitting a story to a publication do I wait for an answer before self-publishing? I mean, it’s been two weeks and not one word! Then again, who knows if I’m even signed in properly. I seem to be having so many problems with…

How an Apple Watch Can Keep You Motivated My Own Personal Experience As you’ve probably guessed, I received an Apple Watch from my hubby for Christmas. Ok, maybe I even asked for it…or a reasonable facsimile, I didn’t care. I didn’t want him to spend too much on me, I just really wanted a way to track my…

I’ll become a hermit. — Well, Mother Nature is at it again here in Texas. Cold weather is moving in today and tomorrow, and we are expecting a wintry mix of sleet and snow. 😢 As for me, I don’t do ice, and I’ll probably be nursing a recovering doggy after getting her teeth cleaned…

From Across the Room Challenge Woop Woop! I finally made into a paid challenge with a poem! It’s called It Must Have Been Fate and if you click on the link, you can read it and vote for me! I have been writing on Medium for quite a while on…

A dose of micro fiction. — A railroad was built somewhere in Texas to boost the economy, naturally, cheap apartments sprung up on either side almost simultaneously. Soon, the riffraff moved in. Crime escalated. Local businesses moved out. No one cared about cleanliness. Long-time residents moved away. Property values decreased. Everything was destroyed after that. My answer to the prompt words: build and destroy, I hope you enjoyed it…but is it fiction? Maybe.

Yes, I occasionally take a poof. — I recently discovered that I write better when I’m stoned. Unfortunately, all this creative genius strikes when I’m supposed to be sleeping, yes, I sometimes take a poof before I climb into bed. Otherwise, I don’t sleep. I can compose the best story lines in that state. My mind just goes and goes, and I think to myself, I should get up and write this down, but my husband is trying to sleep, so I don’t think he would appreciate it much. What am I to do in this case?

Being a caregiver is tough, especially when it’s your aging parent — So is sharing yourself, your time, and your talents to make a person in your care feel loved, comfortable, and well-cared for, even on your worst days. You’re exhausted, and maybe they’re on your last nerve because they make you feel like they are unappreciative. Take my dad, for instance…

A Possible Series in the Making — When Pearl saw Moody standing behind the tree, she asked him if he wanted to help or stand there all day. Together, they finished assembling her bed, which would go in the first real bedroom she ever had to herself. Once that was done, she laid down on the grass and imagined how good her new life would be, then she and Moody carted the frame up to her room. She and Moody became fast friends that day.