On the first Monday of each month, instead of an assignment, we have what we call “Writers Choice.” For this we each choose our own topic. It could be an older piece of writing that we’ve never read to the group, or something new. Sometimes we do an earlier assignment that we missed, or we may bring a current work in progress.
Lunch with my alien neighbors.
By Henry Dumas Sophia squinted her eyes when she read the note from Steven on the kitchen counter. “I’ll be home in a few hours and I will pick up some Chinese food for lunch.” The note from Steven said. Stevens’s long, strawberry-blonde, shoulder length hair and a full unkempt beard made…
An Asinine Solution for Social Justice Abuse
Upon this writing I decided to kill two birds with one stone. That is, my writer’s choice assignment will incorporate a word list assignment. Fourteen words derived from a third party source. So I write ….. In 1985 a statue of Janette Pickering Rankin was placed in the Statuary Hall in Washington D.C. The inscription…
Sweet Memories
by Randy Munch On a driving vacation with our daughter and her husband we toured through Germany, Austria, and Hungary. While in Budapest we learned that the company that our daughter worked for had staff located there who reported directly to her. They insisted on showing us around the city. They arranged a candle lite…
Christmas Letter
by Randy Munch Well here I am writing my inaugural Christmas letter. My dearest spouse insists that only a total social Philistine would refuse to dispatch greetings to his family and friends at this special time of the year. As such I am composing with some fancy font to add a more personal touch and…
What’s in a Name
by Randy Munch Two of my daughters who are currently successful professionals in the IT industry attended Bedford Road collegiate which is a high school in a Canadian city of about 200,000. It was one of six high schools in the city and one of two that had a higher enrollment of First Nation students.…
An Airplane’s Orchestra
The airplane’s landing gear drops, kerplunk All passengers, as if on cue, jump. As it descends to the landing strip, nervous passengers tighten their grip. The wheels hit the ground, a loud thump they make and screech as the pilot pumps the brakes. A chorus of cell phones when turned on, chromatic dings creating a…
A Deck of Playing Cards with Attitude
My brothers, sisters in law, nephews, and I gathered one Saturday night for a rousing evening of playing games. One game required several decks of cards, so we opened new packs and threw them in the mix and the game began. We had neglected to remove an information card from each deck and simply tossed…
Old man wisdom
July 31, 2022 / Henry Dumas By Henry Dumas As you may expect, I filled my life with things I wouldn’t do again, as well as things I wish I had done. These are the consequences of never really growing up. There are things in my life for which I would appreciate a magic make…
Turnabout Is Fair Play
December 12, 2022. By Henry Dumas Steven glanced at his best friend Robert. He shook his head from side to side and quietly scoffed. “You look like crap; do you still want to go duck hunting?” Steven’s long, red, tangled hair and unshaven face made him appear like he had spent a week in the…
Snowbirds
By Pam Crawford Having arrived in North Dakota mid-March, we immediately started looking for a warm place to live. Being creatures of habit, we migrated to the same neighborhood we settled on in the past few years. We scoped out the area while perched atop of a huge silver maple tree in front of what…
A PRESENT HELP
By Judy A Knox A PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED Excerpt from Dewdrops of Grace by Judy A. Knox I find myself continually amazed at how God shows us His love and grace through ordinary, everyday circumstances. Little examples of his care and protection come along almost every day, but every now and then one incident…
MORE ABOUT MARTHA JO
By Martha Jo Tisdale Martha Jo Walker, named for her two grandmothers, entered the world on Sunday, June 6, 1943 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. When Granny Walker answered the telephone and learned that “Martha Jo” had indeed arrived, she said, “I’ve never liked my name . . .until today.” The family moved to the small town…
A BLIND DATE
By Martha Jo Tisdale Barbara was a little late making her Saturday morning call to her mother but after hearing all about the evening’s double date she wasn’t too surprised. Carla, Barbara’s roommate, had been trying to get her to commit to another blind date for months so actually was surprised she had, since she…
DAD’S BOOTS
By Marge Tisdel Burnstad My dad, a member of “The Greatest Generation,” wore many styles of boots. Each pair could tell a story of his sixty-six year journey of life. Dad’s baby booties would reveal a child born to a prosperous farm family. Life changed dramatically during the Great Depression. Dad’s boots were…
DISGRACE
By Carol Redmore We are, I am afraid, a disgrace to our neighborhood in Fountain of the Sun. The first incident occurred a couple of years ago; the other two were recent. But the first set the scene That happened a year or so ago when our granddaughter, Amanda, and her husband and two little…
PERHAPS LOVE
By Dorothy Tarpley Your words were thoughtless and hurtful, The tone of your voice sharp and cruel Your embarrassing tirade was childish, Only making you look like a fool What happened to make you so angry? Did someone do harm to you first? Your wounds have not healed, they have trapped you Till they do,…