Survival of the Fittest will not be Me

I can still see my husband's face as he slapped down his book in his lap, looked at me and said, "Why do YOU want to go to Cabela's?" (sporting goods store)

"I'm working on my next book -- you know -- the feel good book for the end of the world?  I need to know how to make a fire from flint, or sticks and stones or whatever people use out in the woods."

Cabela's had a collection of fire making tools, in two places.  I asked several questions.  The teeny, tiny picture on the packaging left something to be desired.  "You just scrape some of this stuff off, strike this part really hard, you get a spark, you're good to go."  Okay, I can do that.

No.  I can't.  I scraped.  I got a spark.  Several sparks in fact.  Even some really big sparks.  No fire. "We're dead when we run out of matches," I said to my husband.

He comes over and strikes the stick several times.  He feels the paper I've got sitting there.  "What?" I asked.

"I wondered if it was wet."

"Right, because water would be an accelerant!"  I yelled.

"Try dried leaves," he offered walking away.

"Don't you know people in the military you could talk to?" my niece asked.

"Yes!  Your uncle, my husband the former Marine!"  We looked at each other, looked at him and then back at each other.

"That's not gonna work," she said.

"Yeah, I already found that out," I mumbled.

Yes, I know others in the military, boy scouts, eagle scouts, Scout Masters but I'm still going to be dead once the matches run out.

I'm hoping the chocolate holds out 'til then.

Missent Letter, story line prompt

Recently I received a letter in the mail with a purple stamp on it saying: Missent to Mauritius.  I have to admit, I had to look this up.  It's an island in the Indian Ocean.  The letter originated in Missouri and was being sent to Michigan, roughly 700 miles apart.  It took the scenic route, being sent across the ocean and Africa (a flight takes a day and 4 hours).

This happens so often the island  post office needs a stamp?

But it did get me to wondering: for people who are stuck in their writing and need a writing prompt I give you this: write a story from the letter's point of view.


A few examples of my own:  'I didn't like the devilish grin of the mail carrier as he looked at me and then stuffed me back in his bag instead of the mailbox.  What did he have in mind?'

'S.O.S.!  See Our Stamp!  Somebody, please!  I can't go overseas!  I'm scared of flying!'

'I landed on the island of my dreams and was sent right back!  I didn't even get opened.'

Have fun writing.

Forgotten Bookmarks

Here's a fun look at something we all do -- use anything but a real bookmark to hold our place in a book. A friend lent this book to me so I used a paid bill for my bookmark (seemed only proper not to use a real one).
When I go to return this I feel I should put a little something in there for my friend or for the next person to find. But what? A really outdated picture? My kids being goofy? A hand-written note that makes you wonder? Unsigned, of course. A hidden treasure map that I make up?
Ah, the possibilities are endless as to what you'll find between the pages of a book.

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Bookmarks-Booksellers-Collection-Between/dp/0399537015/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436305892&sr=1-1&keywords=forgotten+bookmarks

Machine Embroidery - Animals

I have been playing with my embroidery machine and just picking random animals.  I had fun making up these six on the left but what to do with them?  I could make them into a baby quilt but there are no little ones on the horizon.  As I looked at each individual one I heard, "Well, there's Grampa, his picture on the mantel staring down at everyone." "There's Homer out fishing.  Hope he doesn't catch those three seahorses."  

 

 

 

 

Why don't I make this into a story?  I could write above each block, sew them together and then . . . what?  Save it for someone who will show up in the future?  Raffle it off?  Any suggestions?

 

Old Bible Handbook

Cleaning out my parents belongings I am finding things I have never seen in my life.  And some of it has been very interesting.

Take for instance this twenty-fourth edition, 1965, Halley's Bible Handbook complete with the Latest Archaeological Discoveries.  But the oddest note I found was this:

The Most Important Page in This Book is 814

And it's not the last page.  It is a suggestion as to what goes in a sermon or reading in the church. 

Pinnacle Achievement Award

      Congratulations to Beg(ga)(he)r on winning the Pinnacle Achievement Award for Fiction. 

Wrong Sentence

Don't you love when you read something and you do a double-take?  What did that say? 

Today in my writers group the sentence that we were supposed to write about said: You have been given the opportunity to atone for one sin. 

That is not what I read. 

Instead my brain picked up: You have been given the opportunity to be stoned for one sin. 

On reflection I guess that could be taken a couple of ways.