Down they come, twirling, sun-sparkling, lilting in sudden gusts. Daisies dancing in summer–except it’s winter. The falling flowers are snowflakes. Continue reading
BOTS
17:00
(Click here to view : What the park bench sees everyday)
She supposed she really ought to be scattering bird seed, perhaps corn for the larger ones. So her grandson had often told her, in kind but stern words. “The mold on the bread could kill them!”
But her widow’s pension was meant for sustenance, not luxury, so she shared what she had. The birds didn’t seem to mind, judging by how they gathered about her feet on this park bench, every day at 5 pm. And they never left a crumb behind, so where was the harm? Continue reading
Attention/Protest
Snowmageddon! Stay home if you don’t have to go out! Feels like double-digit negative temps! Treacherous conditions! Freezing drizzle! Mega-storm sweeping the continent, laying waste to everything in its path!
She switched off the tv, powered down her computer, snapped off background radio reports. She believed the footage: Continue reading
All Are Welcome Here
A little flash fiction around a prompt of “Wife Carrying.” Because maybe that’s the true test of a strong partnership:
It’d never occurred to them that their participation might not be welcome. Celebrating the fortitude and stamina required to go the distance in marriage–what better way to do this than with a test of physical endurance? Continue reading
Rodeo Event #1: Why I Had to Cancel Our Date
Countdown from the Carrot Ranch Contest: Modern Tall Tale in 99 words (for more detail, see the link below).
Yes, I’d promised to be there by 7:00, but my shower took longer than anticipated because the hot water heater was on the blink and I had to crawl underneath to light the pilot and then dropped the one match I’d brought and the explosion Continue reading
Essential Element
“The best-laid plans.”
“The egg unhatched.”
“The circle, its ends unmet.”
“A triad missing its third…”
“Thus only a dyad.”
The nave is cold, cheerless,
No sun to set stained glass windows afire with stories. Continue reading
Rodeo Event #4: Bucky’s Baked Beans, A Love Story with Two Spoons
Countdown from the Carrot Ranch Contest: Re-visioning your flash in 4 steps (for more, see the link below)
Step One: 99 word flash, to include “beans”
Bucky’s Beans
It was definitely not what I was expecting. I thought we’d celebrate Bucky’s return from her Antarctic dogsled adventure with a lavish meal, and go shake our butts at a dance club. Maybe not that last one. Bucky’d only been home for two weeks.
What I saw was Bucky on the couch in sweats and wool socks, legs folded underneath her, spoon dipping into a can of baked beans.
I hid my dismay, but not well enough.
“When you’ve been living off a dogsled, a can of beans is a feast.”
I sighed, grabbing a spoon from the kitchen. Continue reading





