Blackwater Writing Project

September 30, 2007

Karma and Success

Karma
Karma moves too slowly. I like the concept: do good stuff, and good stuff will happen to you. Do bad stuff, and bad stuff will happen to you. But I want to see the bad stuff happen to bad people immediately. I want to decide what that bad stuff should be and watch it happen. I probably only say that because it hasn't happened. Or, at least, it hasn't happened since I was a child. Sass my parents--instant punishment. Somewhere along the way, though, karma slowed. I'm not sure why.

Someone cuts me off in traffic, and I wonder if I'm supposed to punish them since they don't seem to receive punishment for their crime. I look for flashing lights, but no cops appear. Then I wonder if I'm supposed to be karma's agent. Maybe karma needs me. Maybe karma depends on me to teach people to be more respectful. I usually resist the temptation, but I wonder if I'm attracting bad karma by failing to act. Hmm.

Success
I skimmed the poetry posted by students on wacona.com--cool stuff. It's good to see students publishing their works. And it's clear to see that some are getting into it as they post multiple poems. That's cool. Jana and Joel, the legislative team, needs to collect student samples from you, Katie, at Wacona Elementary before they head to Washington to meet with legislators in the spring. It seems like your school is enacting NWP principles.

Speaking of publishing, our anthologies are at the printers now. I wonder if I should just mail them to teachers or if we should have a publication party somewhere. Hmmm, I'll have to keep thinking about that one.

September 29, 2007

Success!

Ok, I know my last post was a little over the top angry, so I'll follow it up with something nice. The writing project we're doing at WACONA is working. Check out our website: wacona.com and read the wiki--especially the poetry. Kids are excited about writing.

New Topic--People You Hate that You Don't Know

Ok, I know I must be PMSing and I am going to totally screw up my karma, but my topic is people you hate that you don't know. You know those rude, seemingly unfeeling, stupid, self-centered people who piss you off.

I was already hot this morning and then I read about Sonya's trip to the doctor.
That did it! That doctor belongs in the same category and the McDonald's woman. The kids and I wanted to start the morning off having some fun. We went to McDonald's for pancakes. Since we have five in our family, they sent us to the second window--which, for those of you who are lucky enough not to have to go to McDonald's, is fast food pergatory; it is the place you pay for any sin you have committed by waiting forever for an order that you know is destined to be wrong. While I was sitting there, with Andy screaming he had to go pee and Allie bouncing around the front seat, playing with the knobs on the radio, a woman started blowing her horn at me. I don't know whether her car needs to enroll in Weight Watchers or what, but the big hog acted like she couldn't get around me, even though I had been passed by numerous SUV's. So, she laid on the horn. My choices were to leave without my $20.00 order, go around again and wait in the neverending line, or move up until I could no longer reach the window. All decisions were unpopular, but the last one won.
As I was opening the door and doing a back bend to get our order, which was by the way WRONG, the big hog pulled around me and gave me a dirty look. Now, I am fairly patient, but once I lose it, I really lose it. I had to use all the restraint I had to keep from jumping out of the car and pelting that stupid woman with cold pancakes--which they were--and sausages.

Usually, I take a deep breath and say, "Don't let anyone steal your joy," or "Don't let it get to you; the bad karma will come back on you double." This morning I ran out of breath and I wasn't in the good karma mode. My dream is to take these people and put them in one room with each other. I'd love to see that bloodless doctor in the same room with the McDonald's hog. I'd add the new teacher who when I complained about her student beating up on the other children on the playground, she casually responded, "Take him; I don't want him." (Infront of both of us.) Throw them in, lock the door, and let them ruin each other's lives and stay out of ours!!!
I think they should do that will death row prisoners, too. Why waist the taxpayers time and money. Let them elimate each other. And while we're at it, I can think of a few politicians I'd throw in that room, too. Want to declare war? You go first.

September 25, 2007

Bumper Stickers

I think Donna has started a new topic whether she meant to or not!
Favorite Bumper Sticker:

The following statement is true:
The preceding statement is false!

September 24, 2007

Another bumper sticker

Sometime during the Summer Institute, we posted bumper stickers. I just saw another one that made me laugh:
Jesus is coming! Look busy.

My favorite is still the following:
Conserve water. Shower together.

September 23, 2007

Hey there. I have thought about you all often. I have been pretty busy. My every intention was to log on and post during write night. I forgot.

Let's see. What has been going on with me? The most recent news is that I am experiencing balance challenges. At school we have be doing step aerobics and I have had to hold on to items along the wall to keep from falling over. Well, Wednesday I was not as lucky. I stumbled, tripped and fell in my classroom. If I weren't in so much pain I would have been embarassed. I hyper-extended my shoulder, and bruised my knee. I might have felt better if I had been doing something more spectacular than just walking from one place to the other. We made it to the ER and the doctor was totally disgusted with me. Apparently I wasn't hurt enough for him because he told me to go back to work and led the orderly to believe that I would be out soon, without any help. This is what I gathered from his surprise to hear that I needed a woman to help me redress. Ultimately, the doctor recommended that I rest at home for two days. I went back to work on Friday but am still nursing my shoulder. Any sudden movements bring the memory of the fall crashing back. I am fine though. Jonathan is fine. He started moving around while I was in the waiting room and the labor and delivery nurses came down to check his heart tones. They said that he sounded strong and that I should be careful.


On a lighter note, Jerome would like to know when we are getting together with the blackwater crew for another "night on the town." I don't remember if we had planned to go out once a month or every three months. Anyway, we miss you guys. :)

New Topic--Too Busy to Breathe!

Ok folks, I'm getting a lonely feeling. Are any of you out there and just not posting? Now is the time to give me your excuses. Are you just too busy to breathe?
Write about all that you have to do and I promise I will listen and empathize. Joel take a minute to tell us how you are doing. Let us have baby news from the three moms. Let us here about all the crazy things your undergrads are doing in your classes. This is your chance to vent about all the extra stuff you're doing.

September 16, 2007

Mountain Memories

Ooh, lots of memories of time spent in the mountains:
  • skiing in Colorado with Wes's family
  • the ski trip in New York when I was a kid
  • summer trips to North Carolina--we hiked to waterfalls, slid down natural water slides, and stumbled across a bottle dump site
  • trips to Native American reservations as a kid. I don't really remember this one, but I've seen the picture of me and my sister sitting with some beautiful Native Americans (I keep wanting to put Indian princesses because that's how I saw them at the time) in front of a teepee--very touristy
  • Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain--all those places we've walked and oohed and aahed

I like the mountains. I'd probably choose the beach over the mountains, but that's because the beach feels like home. I grew up in Florida near beaches, and getting back there feels right during any season. In fact, Wes and I were just looking at our schedule, seeing if he had a wedding-free weekend, so that we can return to the beach. But he loves the mountains as well. The cooler weather fits his polar bear tendencies. I love fireplaces, and we rarely see them operational down here except for Christmas.

When I attended a National Writing Project writing retreat, it met in Washington state. Ooh, that was beautiful scenery. We stayed at Sleeping Lady Mountain retreat in rustic log cabins with lofts, a fire pit, incredibly food, and great company. The retreat balanced private writing time with writing groups. Occasionally, when I needed a break from writing, I left my cabin and walked in the valley, surrounded by beautiful wildflowers and caressed by a breeze. I miss it.

Hmm, one of my favorite mountain stories happened before I made it to the mountains. My parents had booked a condo in Sapphire Valley, North Carolina, near Franklin, but I was teaching summer school and couldn't go for the whole week. My whole family went up one weekend, and I drove up the following Thursday. That was the first time my brother and his family had gone. Well, anyway, they went to Whitewater Falls before I got there, one of the best places to slide down rocks. This was our third year visiting this area, so most of us knew it really well.

My mom somehow got separated from the rest of the family while they were returning to the parking lot. Almost out of eyesight, she saw his grandson, so she followed him and didn't worry about it. Well, she followed him all the way to the road, but when she got to the road, it wasn't her grandson. Thus, she ended up at the road rather than the parking lot of the state park. Apparently, this turned into pretty big drama as the family members are trying to find Mom, not knowing if she has hurt herself somewhere, not knowing if perhaps she slipped somewhere down the side of the trail, not knowing where she could be. Some of the grandkids started crying. Chaos ensued. I don't know how they finally found here, but Mom continued to claim that she was following her grandson. I'm not sure my brother's family ever returned to North Carolina with us after that trip.

New Topic--Let's Take a Trip to the Mountains

This morning, I stepped outside and I didn't feel the oppressive heat of summer. Could it be fall? In Blackshear, I'm sure we have many more summer days, but I am dreaming of the mountains. Does anyone else share my love for the mountains?

I grew up in the mountains and it has been at least 10 years since I have been back in the fall.
Oh, I used to love to walk into the apple ware houses. The aroma of the apples was sweet. The apples all sat in little white bags and boxes, waiting to be taken home and transformed into pies and applesauce. Usually on those days, we'd wear bluejeans and sweatshirts and wind through the crooked mountain roads. Stretches of mountains tipped with orange and red swirled beside us.

During the fall, my best friend and I would always hike a mile up to the top of our favorite mountain. Sometimes there would be snow or ice on top and we sat in the winter wonderland looking at the brightly colored world below. When we descended, we'd be starving and we'd drive into Cleveland for hamburgers loaded with everything. It was the only time my mostly vegetarian friend would break down and give in to her carnivous side.

Nights in the mountains are the best! You get to wear beautiful sweaters and sit by the fireside, sipping wine out of handmade pottery glasses and listening to guys with beards try to outdo each other on guitars. Sometimes when the fireplace works a little too well, you step outside into the dark night. The chill takes your breath and sends it up in little streams of white. The stars seem to twinkle more in the chilly sky. The gravel crunches under your feet as you walk down the driveway and look at the pond. Moonlight seems to dance on the top of the water, too cold to seep below.

The beach is a wonderful place and I enjoy it, but there is nothing like the mountains in fall.

So do you have any memories of the mountains or would you rather be at the beach during the fall? Tell us all about it.

September 10, 2007

My faves

I'm a little slow posting tonight because I was too busy talking about ESL pedagogy. When I did get busy writing, I selfishly returned to a narrative I have been working on and really need to get done before Tuesday's deadline at least to make next week's issue of The Southern Cross (the official newspaper of the Diocese of Savannah—it's a Catholic thing).

Favorites?
Anything with chocolate.
Toilets with toilet seats (ever been to Lourdes, France?).
Mac computers.
Music that's not too loud; I wish they'd turn the volume down a little. It's not my favorite music...that is music, isn't it?

I'll post my other story when it's done, which will be later tonight.

Write Night

Favorites: Hmm, well, I just tried the smoked turkey and muenster cheese at Hildegard's, and that may become a new favorite. It was pretty tasty. I wolfed it down while Vicki educated Diana and me about ESL pedagogy and problems therein (work on the thesis) and while Rebecca calmly wrote with her iPod as a sound barrier.

Okay, time to write. Favorites, hmm, okay, I'll start with a list:
  • Favorite show: Law & Order, pretty much all of them.
  • Favorite Showtime series: The Tudors. It shows a hot Henry VIII before he became a fat tyrant.
  • Favorite pen: Pilot G2. Thanks, Adam, for introducing them to me. The problem is that the ink runs out pretty quickly. Or maybe--as my students and Wes insist--I just write too much.
  • Favorite historian: Alison Weir. I love all her texts about the Tudors. I think I've read them all. I recently finished a book about Catherine Medici. I really need to get to the Paperback Rack to get some junk novels. I'm tired of reading stuff that's good for me.
  • Favorite essayist: David Sedaris. I love everything he has ever written.
  • Favorite photographer: guess!
  • Favorite trip soon to be taken: NWP Fall Meeting in New York. I'm so excited that so many teacher leaders are going.
  • Favorite class: English 2000, Writing for Teachers. (I don't really think of the Summer Institute as a class.)
  • Favorite music: I know it's completely cheesy, but I have to tap my feet to 80s music. "Tainted Love"--come on, doesn't everyone like that song?
  • Favorite part of the Summer Institute: freewriting and sharing.

Okay, I'm running our of steam. I need someone else to pose the questions. Then I'll answer. Usually, writing leads me to think of stories to tell, but not tonight. Tonight I was too stressed about getting here on time (didn't make it), too worried about taking the time to get my laptop from Wes (he met me at my car to hand it to me), too stressed about students asking me questions after class, too worried about the fifty notebooks in my car I need to check before Wednesday, too queasy about my eye appointment in the morning (I think I may need bifocals, but I didn't think I was that old).

Plus, Diana has already posted--she posted before I even arrived. What's up with that? I guess I'll move on to reading.

Favorites

Too right this is great thing to use with a list. Brainstorming ideas, something I never did till I was in Donna's class. I didn't know how. My 4th graders don't really know how either, and the shame of it is that they are supposed to get paragraphs, writing process, and all the small details necessary but at the same time write acceptable pieces for grading. It is rather daunting and overwhelming. I want them to learn one step really well and then move on, however this is not the way it works and I must do the best with what I have.

At the end of the forst week of school I gave a sheet with questions, one was what had they learned about the teacher. I saw a variety of responses but among them were I like coffee, I love to write, I like music on, and I like to be on time. These kids were spot on with each observation. In addition to all of these things, I like to be with hubby, joke and play with my kids, spend time with my new grandson, call my family (too expensive to visit), meet friends, have a glass of wine, a good book, and relax in the tub.

The last three are actually closely connected. I don't need candles, because I can't read by them. But the soothing atmosphere of mirrors with sheers and scented water is a great start. The water is about as warm as getting into a spa, and a portable spa allows me to create bubbles and feel the massaging pulse of water as it is forced onto my aching piggies. The music from the bedroom trickles under and around the door being absorbed into my subconscious slowly bringing me to awareness when a tune I recognize as a favorite plays. There is a blow up pillow behind my head that softens the tub so I can lay back, the book rests on the side until I am ready to open the pages and find another place to escape to. A glass of wine or cup of tea sits waiting. The tea is hot and steam swirls from the top as steam from a volcano blows visibly into the air which is noticably cooler. However, should I go for the wine, it is the opposite effect. The glass filled half way with ice chips freezes and the wine poured over the ice creates a momentary steam effect. Eventually the ice melts and the glass has beads of water streaming in rivulets to the tub. As I emerge eventually from the water, I too am steaming, but also chilly from the air and hurry to wrap up.

Usually in a pair of wooly pj's. What a dichotomy. And of course another favorite.

Write Night

Hi folks,

Rather than generate two topics for this week, we'll use the topic Katie provided last night for the blog: Favorites. You may want to scroll down to read Katie's discussion of the prompt. Also, she wrote an interesting story inspired by Andrea's poem. Hmm, intertextuality, anyone? Anyone, I just wanted to remind people that I have class until 6:15, but I'll be there as close to 6:30 as possible, ready to eat and write and share. See you tonight--in person or on the blog.
Donna

September 09, 2007

Beyond the Fence--Inspired by Andrea's poem

This is a kids' story inspired by Andrea's poem. Teachers are writing this year and posting to a blog to show kids that we write, too. Feel free to give critical feedback!

By Mrs. Eyles


No one at Sandy Bottom Elementary School ever ventured beyond the fence. No one. Everyone knew that the old house behind the thick blackberry brambles and tall, thin, skeletal pines was haunted. Everyone knew.
Jimmy Jones just didn’t care. He wasn’t afraid of the 5th grade bullies who sat at the back of the school bus. He wasn’t afraid of Principal Stiles, who looked just like a big, grizzly bear with a bad attitude. And he certainly wasn’t afraid of ghosts.
Jimmy was the only student at the school who would stand next to the fence and pluck big, juicy blackberries right off the bushes. He’d come in from recess looking like he had a fight with the old copy machine in the office; it leaked black ink on your hands and left off ink on your paper. He never said anything. He just went back to his seat which touched the coat rack and slid down in his chair. He was quite a sight with his black mouth, black hands, and red hair poking out in all directions. We all could sort of understand why he wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Actually, we had discussed the situation during lunch over dried up pepperoni pizza and decided the ghosts might well be afraid of him.
Mrs. Peabody, our teacher, was really, really old—at least 35. She was kind of pretty, except for her thick eyeglasses. They looked just like the bottom of soda bottles! She couldn’t see very well at all. That’s the reason she never said anything to Jimmy. He was quiet and at the back of the room. She probably never knew he was there.
Well, one day a bunch of us kids were standing outside the school looking beyond the fence. It was October 28th and all of us were thinking about Halloween. Donny Miller was going to be a vampire. His Mom had bought him real, fake blood. Jenny, his sister, was going to be a fairy princess for about the gazillionth time. Jenny really believed she was a fairy princess in real life. She just got a chance to actually dress like one on Halloween. “Blue” Carrington, of course, wanted to be a football player. He always wanted to be a football player; he liked to hit people. I wanted to be a cowboy, but I didn’t say that. I said I wanted to be a Power Ranger, because everyone knew that cowboys were not cool, anymore. I had to be an undercover cowboy. Jake, my best friend, was the only one who played cowboys with me. He liked being the sheriff, so he could wear the badge. I liked riding my white Lab, Ginger, and shooting bad guys with my water gun. My little sister was always the bad guy, but my Mom wouldn’t let me shoot her or ride Ginger in the house. Sometimes Moms just don’t get it.
Anyway, Blue said we should all go beyond the fence on Halloween.
I suddenly started feeling sick when Jimmy Jones came bounding down the steps.
“Hey Jimmy,” I shouted. “Why don’t you come over here?”
I had no idea why I said that. I just was all nervous because I was afraid Blue was going call me chicken, since I in no way was going over that fence on Halloween. It just slipped out. Well, everyone was shocked, including Jimmy. He stopped and looked at me like I was crazy
I could feel the color crawling up my neck and climbing over my chin. I knew I had to say something fast to make me one of the cool kids again.
I cleared my throat and said, “Come on over here. Blue has something he wants to tell you.”
Blue looked at me with his mouth open, “I do?”
“Yea, don’t you remember what you said about the fence?”
Blue looked blank. I pretended to look annoyed.
“Blue doesn’t believe anyone has guts enough to go beyond the fence on Halloween. I do though. I believe you will do it.”
Everyone looked at me and then looked at Jimmy. No one spoke.
Jimmy lost his look of surprise. He was used to people making fun of him and challenging him. He just wasn’t used to anyone being friendly to him.
“So, what’s it to you if I make it over the fence?” he asked in his flat, “I don’t care” voice.
I relaxed now. I knew I had him baited and the other kids wondering what I was doing, but suspecting it must be something really cool.
“Plenty, I am going to bet Blue my book fair money that you have nerve enough to go beyond that fence on Halloween night.” Everyone but Jimmy gasped; they knew my parents were big fans of reading and gave me mega bucks for book fair.
Jimmy eyed me suspiciously. “What’s in it for me?”
“Half,” I said generously. I heard another collective gasp.
Blue swallowed hard. His parents weren’t big readers.
Jimmy looked at Blue, “You good for it?”
Blue, being the football player he was, shouted, “Don’t worry about me!” Secretly, Blue was trying to remember how much money was in his piggy bank and how many times he could mow the grass before the first frost.
Instead Blue said, “You don’t have it in you, anyway. You two will be paying me and if you don’t have the money, I’ll take it out of your hide!
Right then, Blue sounded a little like his Dad. His Dad always said things like, “I’ll take it out of your hide.” But, all of us knew that Blue liked to hit people, so we guessed he was serious.
I spoke up, “You don’t have to worry about Jimmy. I’ve got him covered. You just got to figure out a way to sneak out on Halloween night so you can watch him.”
Blue shut up. We all knew he was considering what was going to happen to him if his Dad caught him.
Blue didn’t have time to say anything else because Mrs. Peabody started hitting people with books. She didn’t do it on purpose. It just happened. n She didn’t see the pencil Mandy Perkins had accidentally dropped on the step. Mrs. Peabody flew through the air, just like a witch at Halloween. The bundle of books she had in her arms began to rain down on us. Blue got the worst of it, getting smacked by the Oxford English Dictionary right on the side of the head. He and Mrs. Peabody spent an hour with the school nurse after that.
The next day, Mrs. Peabody surprised everyone. She came into class with a big ace bandage on her leg and no glasses. She had gotten contact lenses. We weren’t sure she could see any better, but she sure looked a lot better.
Jimmy looked the same, but Blue didn’t. He seemed nervous.
At recess, Blue found me next to the swings.
“I’ll meet you tomorrow night at the gate. I can sneak out after my Dad goes to sleep about 11:00. If you don’t show, you pay me.”
I tried to look bored. “Fine.”
Jimmy didn’t make a sound when I told him the plans. He just nodded and went back inside.
The next day, we were all miserable. It should have been a fun day filled with candy corn, Nerds, and Laffy Taffy, but all we could think about was that night. I knew I could get out because I was supposed to spend the night with my grandma. She always fell asleep early and snored like a bathtub drain clogged with a wash clothe.
Jenny and Donny Miller lived next door to my grandmother and they were going trick-or-treating with me. They had talked their Mom into letting them spend the night, so they were going with me. I still worried about Jimmy not showing up, but no matter which way the night went, I would still be considered cool. I could always check out books from the library and tell Mom and Dad all about the books I had bought at the fair. If they asked to see them, I’d tell them that I left them at school.
I guess I should have worried about lying, but it didn’t cross my mind at the time. I had plenty of time to be sorry about that later.
Mrs. Peacock couldn’t figure out what was wrong with all of us. We fidgeted all during the day, didn’t seem overly interested in the paper pumpkins, the Halloween movie, or the sacks of candy. She said we must all be coming down with something. We were; it was called fear.
Finally, the last bell rang. We scattered toward our home to choke down the typical Halloween dinner: hotdogs and fries. Then, we put our costumes on. We went from house to house like we were doing chores instead of getting treats. We went to bed without a whimper, leaving mounds of candy uneaten, and lay waiting until 11:00.
When we heard the first snore, we sprang from our beds, slipped down the stairs, and raced across the dewy grass.
The chilly October air slapped our faces and we felt a jolt of excitement. It was really happening!
By the time we got to the fence, we saw two shadowy figures. Jimmy and Blue had both beat us there.
When we were all gathered there, Blue said, “Well, let’s get on with this-- if you’re going to do it. My Dad may wake up and check on me.”
“Sure,” Jimmy said as he jumped over the fence and disappeared into the Blackberry bushes and spooky pines.
We were all shocked that he had done it so fast. We stood there and felt a collective chill from the damp air.
Suddenly, we heard a terrible, blood curdling noise—like nothing we had ever heard before. Then, the worst thing happened. We heard a boy screaming. Jenny started to cry. Blue turned white. I broke out in a cold sweat.
Donny spoke, “Shouldn’t we do something?”
“Run,” Blue said. “Run with everything you’ve got.”
None of us argued. We ran faster than we had ever run in our lives. We didn’t bother to breath or touch our feet to the ground.
When we got to Grandma’s house, we vaulted up the stairs. Jenny was trying not to cry out loud. We were all shaking. I went in the bathroom and threw up.
None of us said a word. We huddled together in one bed and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
My Grandmother blamed the way we felt the next day on too much candy and drove us to school in her SUV.
Jenny went to her class and Donny and I went into our class. The first thing we noticed was Jimmy’s empty desk. Donny and I looked at each other.
Mrs. Peacock came in cheerfully. She had a new hairdo to go with her no glasses. She looked nice.
Her smile faded as she looked at Donny and me, “Are you two alright?”
I could stand the guilt no longer; I started sobbing, not just crying, but sobbing. Now everyone knows, neither crying nor sobbing is cool. I could feel my kid status plummeting from “cool” to “geek.” I just didn’t care anymore. Mrs. Peacock gave me a hug and a tissue. She listened, a little alarmed, as Donny and I told her the whole story.
“Well,” she said, when we had finished, “We better check this out.”
We never had recess in the morning, but this morning she took the entire class outside. The assistant principal watched the kids while Mrs. Peacock and Principal Stiles climbed over the fence.
I stood back and started crying again. “Don’t go!” I screamed.
“We’ll be fine.” Principal Stiles said in his most authoritative tone.
They were gone for what seemed like an hour. It was really about 10 minutes.
When they got back, Mrs. Peacock said, “You and Donny need to come with us. I think there is something you should see.”
Shaking fiercely, we climbed over the fence and walked through the bushes and trees until we saw an old shack.
“What’s that?’ Donny queried in a trembling voice.
“You’ll see,” said Principal Stiles.
We walked up to the shack and looked through the broken window. On the floor of the shack was Jimmy. He was in the same clothes he was wearing when he disappeared; curled up on a dirty blanket, sound asleep. A few wrappers from baked potato chips that they served at school lay around him. I didn’t think anybody liked those. A couple of apple cores were thrown against the wall. One pair of old jeans that he wore to school was waded up under his head for a pillow. Finally, an ancient battery operated boom box sat beside him.
“I think he was trying to teach you a lesson,” said Mrs. Peacock.
“Does he live here?” I asked amazed.
“We’re afraid he may.” Mrs. Peacock said sadly.
“No wonder he wasn’t afraid, “said Donny.
“Oh, I think he was afraid, just not of ghosts.”
“Where are his parents?” I asked.
“We think they left him all alone.” Mr. Stiles said.
I shuffled my foot in the grass, suddenly feeling even worse about myself, “We sometimes made fun of him, especially when he ate the blackberries.”
“He was probably hungry.” Mrs. Peacock explained.
“What will happen to him?” asked Donny.
“Well, he will be taken to a foster home and given clothes, food, and shelter, while people try to find what happened to his parents and if he has any other relatives.”
“We’re sorry, Mrs. Peacock,” I said on the verge of sobbing again.
“Well, all of us should have paid more attention. When he came to class in the same clothes two days in a row, I should have known something had happened. We all have a lesson to learn from this.”
“Yes,’ said Principal Stiles, “This should teach all of to be better observers and less critical of others. Most people are probably doing the best they can under the circumstances.
Both Donny and I shook our heads. They never found Jimmy’s parents, but his foster parents were nice. They ended up adopting Jimmy and now his hair is always brushed and he doesn’t eat blackberries anymore.
I gave him all my book fair money; I felt like I owed it to him. I didn’t ask Blue to pay me anything, but he had already asked his parents if he could cut the lawn until the first frost, so for about a month, they had the neatest lawn in Sandy Bottom. I still checked out those books from the library. I had to have something to do during the month I was on restriction for lying to my parents and sneaking out of the house.


New Topic--Favorites

Thank you to all of you who are responding! I know all of us are busy, so my topic this week is to designed to make all the list makers in the crowd happy. Just take a few minutes to reflect on your favorites. What favorites? Anything is game, from icecream to children's books, from movies to movers. Write a list, a poem, or a song. It's up to you!

I'll start. . . . . . . . mocha and mint, the mountains in the fall, the beach anytime, cold shrimp, warm lobster, bright colors, funny people, icy Cokes, cheeseburgers with everything, cotton sheets, white Labs, blue skys, puffy white clouds, spooky stories during a thunderstorm, a warm fire on Christmas Day, snow, 70 degrees or cooler, good friends, romantic movies, writing, reading, swimming, flowers everywhere, a room full of balloons, a date with my husband, cuddling with my children, spring, spending money, and reading your bloggs. Happy writing!

September 06, 2007

Dangling from the tips of my fingers

My secret persona....hmmmm. I guess if I had to have one, it would be the outdoor adventurer type. Not necessarily the wild kingdom (regardless of what some might think...spiders truly ARE icky) but the hanging from the precipice type of guy. I have had the opportunity to do this on a few occasions, and the experience left me breathless. When you are hanging from your fingertips from a crack in a rock wall with nothing between you and the ground but a half a mile of thin air, you BETTER live moment by moment! (think the film "Vertical Limit", one of my favorites) As I grow older and more aware of my mortality (remember, almost taken out by a .025 ounce spider) the desire for living on the edge has waned, but not entirely. I catch a whiff of cold air in the fall, see a commercial for Miller High Life, or Busch (Head for the Rockies) and the old desires kick in. I guess now I would have to also watch out for Sasha Reed hiding bodies in the upper reaches of some secluded glacier, black ski suit and appropriate spy weapons at hand. (You're Welcome, Amy!) Anyhow,we will never grow old as long as we remember what was, what is, and what could one day be again!

September 04, 2007

Secret Beach Bum

Beach Bum is probably my favorite secret persona. I could go to the beach in any season, lazing on the sand, reading a novel. Oh my gosh, I'm homesick just thinking about it. As many of you can probably guess, though, I have multiple secret lives:
  • Cheerleading Captain: Apparently, this one gives people the most trouble, so let me get it out of the way first. I was a cheerleader for three years in high school and captain for two years. I LOVED the attention, though I would hate it now. Dancing was my favorite part; we danced at half-time. Remember I went to a small high school that didn't have a football team, so we cheered for basketball games. I wasn't good at making up dances since I never took dance lessons, but I loved the dances, and we usually performed them to rock songs. A song will come on the radio, and I'll say, "Ooh, we did a dance to this one." Wes always respond, "Of course you did." He seems to think we did way too many dances. We danced to "Eye of the Tiger," "Pyromania," "1999," and "Push It." Okay, so they weren't all rock songs. I can't remember any other songs until they play on the radio. I still remember some of the cheers, though, particularly the ones we learned at camp in Tallahassee in the summer in the heat. Yuck. Just to mess with people further, I was also a bat girl for the baseball team and a member of the tennis team and school photographer and a member of the yearbook squad and participated in the essay event for literary meet and won best actress for the region in One Act Play and was voted Class Flirt and was Miss Whigham. Any of the other ones mess with your image of me? (Smile)
  • Detective Donna, able to crack any caper, unswayed by emotion except for vengeance for the injured. I feed this secret life through my voracious reading of murder mysteries. Often, I'd rather avoid real people to finish solving the crimes in my books. One day, I will write a murder mystery. Some friends and I started one once. We went to the beach (stay down, Beach Bum) and decided to write one, so we created characters while we were there. We have about seven chapters written, but we haven't returned to it in over a year.
  • Marine Adventurer: I'm pretty sure I was mixed up at birth, and I was supposed to be born into a rich family so that I could afford to travel constantly to great oceans, swimming with sharks, diving with whales, watching great white sharks jump out of the water in search of seals, snorkeling with tropical fish. I'm not sure what happened. I love my family, but I may still have to file a complaint with the stork.
  • Londoner: Yes, I'm an Anglophile. I love London and most things British. I've been to London three summers now for five weeks at a time. I would love to do a semester abroad, but unfortunately, I'm not willing to be away from Wes for three months--who knew I'd be that sappy? And he can't leave his business for three months. Well, he could, but then I probably couldn't afford to go to London. (Big sigh.) I love the theatre, public transportation, the pubs, the history at every step. I love the craziness of sitting in Parliament to hear debates on taxing pet food--the intimate frisking to enter was kind of interesting as well. I love watching the crazy motorcycle drivers, wondering if they'll survive the mad traffic scene. I especially adore wandering through free public museums and art galleries--all that history and culture available for anyone. The National Portrait Gallery fascinated me as I stared at images of all the kings and queens and daughters and sons and courtiers from Tudor England.
  • Politeness Police: Sometimes, I just need to slap people. Children who yell at their parents in public--okay, I don't want to slap them. I just want their parents to discipline them. I'm not talking about high-spirited children. I like them. I'm talking about rude children who believe (because their parents have created this reality) that everyone should do their bidding. Those parents should keep those kids at home, where that reality can be maintained. People who snap at others for no reason should not be allowed in public. In fact, I think I should decide if people are allowed to leave their homes or not. The answer will usually be no. What's interesting is that I don't really understand most etiquette issues, such as who should be introduced first. I just know that politeness is a virtue that may need to be enforced on some people.
  • Hermit: Lindsi is familiar with this side of me. She experienced it in Albuquerque as we avoided every possible person we might meet while going to Old Town. I need solitude, more than most people, certainly more than Wes, who is the extrovert in the relationship. But here's what's weird. Other than time for reading, I used to love being with people and being in the center of things. In fact, I realized at one point that I often wanted to be IN the center. I had two good friends, and I often walked between them. Weird, huh?

Hmm, I' m not sure what other secret lives I have, but I'm sure Wes has tons of ideas about all the personalities inside of me. The problem is that they're aren't really hidden. There are past Donnas and future Donnas. The chance to become Beach Bum Donna permanently entices me to play the lottery occasionally even though I know it's dumb.

September 01, 2007

New Topic--Secret Lives

Ok, Amy inspired me this week. Her comment to Donna made me think. She said that she couldn't believe Donna had ever been a cheerleader. I'm sure that many people would not believe that Amy is really a cold blooded killer, either. So, what about the rest of you? What persona have we missed in the past? Or in the present, for that matter. For example, is Joel really a kindergarten teacher or is he secretly training to be the new crocodile hunter? Was he bitten by those spiders while at his South Georgia home or on a secret mission to save dangerous spiders from extinction? Is Wes really a photographer, or is he an undercover FBI agent?

As usual, there are no rules. Take the factual or the fantasy road with your writing. Just write!
PS I missed seeing all of you.