The exercise:
Write two haiku about: Goofy.
Started cleaning up the garden this morning, hauling a wheelbarrow filled with butternut squash back to the house for curing. Max was out there as well, helping his grandma harvest pumpkins. I also finally got around to collecting all the bamboo stakes we used in the peas this spring and found them some better winter storage than simply sitting on the ground at the end of the garden.
Probably spend some more time collecting squash tomorrow morning, likely while grumbling about the rain, should the forecast prove correct.
Mine:
Tall, clumsy fellow,
a relic from younger days;
my son brings me back
* * *
Loyal friend to mouse
and duck, lifting them up with
his optimism
Monday October 13th, 2014
The exercise:
Write about: sprinkles.
Had some time to myself this morning while Kat and Max met up with some friends at the park. Managed to get some pictures off my phone and organized, finally, and got around to shaving as well. Also finally.
Was hoping to get a start on catching up with comments too, but I guess that will have to wait for another time.
Mine:
I approached the car slowly, keeping as much as possible to the shadows cast by the boarded up shops. Avoiding empty beer cans and broken glass, I moved as noiselessly as I could. I didn't think anyone was watching, or even should have been, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Two days had passed since I'd abandoned the vehicle there, though it seemed much longer. The constant pressure of being on the run can play havoc with one's feel for the passing of minutes and hours. And the things it could do to individual seconds? Inhumane.
Aside from the rumble of a drunken snore coming from an alley half a block away, the street was quiet. As though it was holding its breath, waiting for something interesting to happen. I desperately hoped to leave before the exhale.
I surveyed the damage from the nearest patch of darkness I could lurk within, knowing I'd have to cross the final eight or nine feet completely, utterly exposed. It was a pleasant surprise to find all four tires still attached, not to mention the windshield appeared to have remained intact. Was it drivable?
I sure as hell hoped so. Though, to be frank, the sprinkle of bullet holes across the front of the car did not fill me with optimism.
Write about: sprinkles.
Had some time to myself this morning while Kat and Max met up with some friends at the park. Managed to get some pictures off my phone and organized, finally, and got around to shaving as well. Also finally.
Was hoping to get a start on catching up with comments too, but I guess that will have to wait for another time.
Mine:
I approached the car slowly, keeping as much as possible to the shadows cast by the boarded up shops. Avoiding empty beer cans and broken glass, I moved as noiselessly as I could. I didn't think anyone was watching, or even should have been, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Two days had passed since I'd abandoned the vehicle there, though it seemed much longer. The constant pressure of being on the run can play havoc with one's feel for the passing of minutes and hours. And the things it could do to individual seconds? Inhumane.
Aside from the rumble of a drunken snore coming from an alley half a block away, the street was quiet. As though it was holding its breath, waiting for something interesting to happen. I desperately hoped to leave before the exhale.
I surveyed the damage from the nearest patch of darkness I could lurk within, knowing I'd have to cross the final eight or nine feet completely, utterly exposed. It was a pleasant surprise to find all four tires still attached, not to mention the windshield appeared to have remained intact. Was it drivable?
I sure as hell hoped so. Though, to be frank, the sprinkle of bullet holes across the front of the car did not fill me with optimism.
Sunday October 12th, 2014
The exercise:
Write about: the horse.
Spent some time this morning helping the guys put in fence posts around a part of the property that hasn't had anything growing in it (other than weeds) since shortly after I met Kat. There used to be apple trees there but Kat's parents pulled them out due to a combination of them not being worth the effort and so that they could scale back just enough to be able to do all the work themselves, with no need for hiring pickers every year.
Needless to say, in an area filling up with vineyards and very little land left unused, that corner of the property has attracted a fair amount of attention. But soon, likely by the end of the month, it won't be quite so empty as Kat's brother is bringing his family's horses down from Dawson Creek.
And before those two get here, we need to get that fence finished.
Mine:
"He seemed like a pretty good horse when I looked at him before the race..."
"Really? You're being serious right now, aren't you?"
"I checked all the things you told me to look out for! The feet, the walking stride, th-"
"Stop talking. Right now."
"You were putting big money on this one, you know I wouldn't cut corners!"
"Mate, you didn't just cut corners. You completely missed them! The bloody horse finished dead last!"
"I had no way of knowing that, I swear! Like I told you, he looked like... oh."
"Oh? Oh?"
"I... um... may have forgotten to replace the lenses in my glasses after they broke while I was getting ready for bed last night..."
Write about: the horse.
Spent some time this morning helping the guys put in fence posts around a part of the property that hasn't had anything growing in it (other than weeds) since shortly after I met Kat. There used to be apple trees there but Kat's parents pulled them out due to a combination of them not being worth the effort and so that they could scale back just enough to be able to do all the work themselves, with no need for hiring pickers every year.
Needless to say, in an area filling up with vineyards and very little land left unused, that corner of the property has attracted a fair amount of attention. But soon, likely by the end of the month, it won't be quite so empty as Kat's brother is bringing his family's horses down from Dawson Creek.
And before those two get here, we need to get that fence finished.
Mine:
"He seemed like a pretty good horse when I looked at him before the race..."
"Really? You're being serious right now, aren't you?"
"I checked all the things you told me to look out for! The feet, the walking stride, th-"
"Stop talking. Right now."
"You were putting big money on this one, you know I wouldn't cut corners!"
"Mate, you didn't just cut corners. You completely missed them! The bloody horse finished dead last!"
"I had no way of knowing that, I swear! Like I told you, he looked like... oh."
"Oh? Oh?"
"I... um... may have forgotten to replace the lenses in my glasses after they broke while I was getting ready for bed last night..."
Saturday October 11th, 2014
The exercise:
Write a four line poem about: passing.
Our last outdoor farmers market of the year is in the books and it was a pretty good one. Sold most of the apples I brought, along with all the cherry tomatoes, most of the larger tomatoes, and all but one of the ornamental squash and ornamental baby pumpkins, not to mention a good chunk of the garlic.
The morning started out with sunshine but then things clouded over and it was fairly cool for the rest of the day. Just a few sprinkles of rain during the market and then a few more drops on the way home, but otherwise it held for us.
Had turkey dinner up at Kat's parents place this evening and it was both delicious and a lot of fun. Max definitely had a blast, which tends to be infectious.
Also happening tonight: the Canucks continued their positive start to the hockey season with a fun 5-4 win over Edmonton. We watched a bit of the game at Kat's parents place and Max was quite fascinated. For a while. Then he just needed to get up and run around in circles some more.
Mine:
He wants to write.
He tries and tries so hard but... ouch!
He can't help it -
He just passes out on the couch...
Write a four line poem about: passing.
Our last outdoor farmers market of the year is in the books and it was a pretty good one. Sold most of the apples I brought, along with all the cherry tomatoes, most of the larger tomatoes, and all but one of the ornamental squash and ornamental baby pumpkins, not to mention a good chunk of the garlic.
The morning started out with sunshine but then things clouded over and it was fairly cool for the rest of the day. Just a few sprinkles of rain during the market and then a few more drops on the way home, but otherwise it held for us.
Had turkey dinner up at Kat's parents place this evening and it was both delicious and a lot of fun. Max definitely had a blast, which tends to be infectious.
Also happening tonight: the Canucks continued their positive start to the hockey season with a fun 5-4 win over Edmonton. We watched a bit of the game at Kat's parents place and Max was quite fascinated. For a while. Then he just needed to get up and run around in circles some more.
Mine:
He wants to write.
He tries and tries so hard but... ouch!
He can't help it -
He just passes out on the couch...
Friday October 10th, 2014
The exercise:
Write four lines of prose about: the pilgrim.
It's Thanksgiving long weekend here, which means a visit from Kat's aunt and uncle from Calgary. They arrived around dinner time this evening so we went up to have a visit after we finished eating. It took Max a little while to get used to them, as he hadn't seen them since Christmas, but eventually the Charm Show began.
Oh, and his Uncle Adam was there as well. But he's been here since last Sunday.
Because he lives here now.
I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Well, Kat's brother has a job in OK Falls that began on Monday. This is all very exciting, but will become even more exciting when his house in Dawson Creek sells and his wife and daughter are able to join him here. They'll all be living with Kat's parents until they're able to find a place of their own around here, likely in either Oliver or OK Falls.
We are so looking forward to having Max's only cousin living so much closer. They'll actually be able to grow up together, instead of seeing each other once or twice a year.
So, you know, somebody hurry up and buy their house please.
Oh yeah, heading to the market tomorrow morning for our final outdoor market of the year. They'll be doing two more markets but they're usually so poorly attended, not to mention poorly weathered (... you get what I'm going for there, right?), that they're generally not worth attending.
Thankfully, with Kat's new job providing some much needed steady income over this upcoming winter, we won't have to.
Mine:
The ship has reached shore at long last! We shall live and grow in this new world, with the memories of our fallen comrades forever near at hand. Far from the tyrants who wished to tell us how to worship and what to believe, we can practice our ways in peace.
And, soon enough, we shall have these savage natives doing the same...
Write four lines of prose about: the pilgrim.
It's Thanksgiving long weekend here, which means a visit from Kat's aunt and uncle from Calgary. They arrived around dinner time this evening so we went up to have a visit after we finished eating. It took Max a little while to get used to them, as he hadn't seen them since Christmas, but eventually the Charm Show began.
Oh, and his Uncle Adam was there as well. But he's been here since last Sunday.
Because he lives here now.
I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Well, Kat's brother has a job in OK Falls that began on Monday. This is all very exciting, but will become even more exciting when his house in Dawson Creek sells and his wife and daughter are able to join him here. They'll all be living with Kat's parents until they're able to find a place of their own around here, likely in either Oliver or OK Falls.
We are so looking forward to having Max's only cousin living so much closer. They'll actually be able to grow up together, instead of seeing each other once or twice a year.
So, you know, somebody hurry up and buy their house please.
Oh yeah, heading to the market tomorrow morning for our final outdoor market of the year. They'll be doing two more markets but they're usually so poorly attended, not to mention poorly weathered (... you get what I'm going for there, right?), that they're generally not worth attending.
Thankfully, with Kat's new job providing some much needed steady income over this upcoming winter, we won't have to.
Mine:
The ship has reached shore at long last! We shall live and grow in this new world, with the memories of our fallen comrades forever near at hand. Far from the tyrants who wished to tell us how to worship and what to believe, we can practice our ways in peace.
And, soon enough, we shall have these savage natives doing the same...
Thursday October 9th, 2014
The exercise:
It's been a while since the First Line Prompt last made an appearance here, so I'm bringing it back for another visit. Use the following line as your opening and then take it wherever inspiration tells you to go:
The playground on South Street was not a friendly, welcoming sort of place.
Inspired by this afternoon's trip to the playground with Max, though only in the loosest possible sense. We hadn't been there in quite some time and he was very excited to get reacquainted with the various pieces of equipment.
It was nice to get there again while the weather is still nice. Will have to make that more of a priority as long as this trend of clear skies and warm temperatures continues.
Mine:
The playground on South Street was not a friendly, welcoming sort of place. Visitors were greeted by a barbed wire fence patrolling the perimeter of the area and the only way in was through a jagged hole that had been cut by only the good lord knows who.
All of the equipment was covered with rust and peeling paint and at least three playsets could be seen peering over the weeds from where they lay in collapsed heaps. The neighbours had obviously been using the place as a landfill for quite some time, judging by the smell.
None of that stopped kids from playing there, of course. At least those whose parents didn't have much interest in their activities outside of their homes - as long as they were out of their hair for a few hours and came home alive, preferably before dark, all was well.
My mom wouldn't let me near the place. Looking back now, it's easy to see the love behind that decision. At the time, though?
I hated her for it.
I mean, how in the world was I going to become one of the cool kids if I wasn't allowed to go to the one place they were guaranteed to be found?
It's been a while since the First Line Prompt last made an appearance here, so I'm bringing it back for another visit. Use the following line as your opening and then take it wherever inspiration tells you to go:
The playground on South Street was not a friendly, welcoming sort of place.
Inspired by this afternoon's trip to the playground with Max, though only in the loosest possible sense. We hadn't been there in quite some time and he was very excited to get reacquainted with the various pieces of equipment.
It was nice to get there again while the weather is still nice. Will have to make that more of a priority as long as this trend of clear skies and warm temperatures continues.
Mine:
The playground on South Street was not a friendly, welcoming sort of place. Visitors were greeted by a barbed wire fence patrolling the perimeter of the area and the only way in was through a jagged hole that had been cut by only the good lord knows who.
All of the equipment was covered with rust and peeling paint and at least three playsets could be seen peering over the weeds from where they lay in collapsed heaps. The neighbours had obviously been using the place as a landfill for quite some time, judging by the smell.
None of that stopped kids from playing there, of course. At least those whose parents didn't have much interest in their activities outside of their homes - as long as they were out of their hair for a few hours and came home alive, preferably before dark, all was well.
My mom wouldn't let me near the place. Looking back now, it's easy to see the love behind that decision. At the time, though?
I hated her for it.
I mean, how in the world was I going to become one of the cool kids if I wasn't allowed to go to the one place they were guaranteed to be found?
Wednesday October 8th, 2014
The exercise:
Quick, before the month moves on without it, a return to our yearlong monthly prompt of Vancouver Irrealis.
If you haven't joined in on this one already, feel free to snag any old prompt from the archives that you haven't written on yet. Don't worry, I'll see it.
And one day, perhaps, reply to it.
I'm going to have another go at catching up on the comments eventually. Hopefully soon.
The NHL returned to action this evening and the Vancouver Canucks opened their season with a 4-2 victory over Calgary. This team looks quite different from last year's, so hopefully that equals different results.
Mine:
The tea this time was comfortingly familiar to Tristam - peppermint with just the right amount of honey stirred into his cup. Anne-Marie and Rewand, however, set their drinks down after one sip and proceeded to forget that they existed.
"Am I... back home?" Tristam asked, keeping his eyes on the tea rather than run the risk of seeing pity or sympathy in the woman's eyes before an answer could be verbalized.
"In a manner of speaking," she replied.
"What the hell does that mean?" Tristam was tired of half answers. He was tired of the never ending barrage of weirdness. He was, most clearly of all, simply tired. Exhausted, really.
"An explanation - a proper one, one that might actually satisfy you - would take hours," she said, her words floating through the steam rising from her cup. "We don't have time for that."
"Well, we do," Ertrob said with a laugh like bells chiming. "But you don't."
"What is happening?" Anne-Marie cut in before Tristam could start yelling. "You said that you could tell us."
"These worlds are overlapping at an increasing rate," the woman told them after the briefest of pauses. "Crossovers are happening on a daily basis. And not just humans, as you obviously know, but entire buildings as well."
"How is that possible?" Anne-Marie asked.
"How could that go unnoticed?" Tristam added a heartbeat later.
"That is beyond our current knowledge," the woman told Anne-Marie before turning to Tristam. "Only abandoned buildings have gone over and remained so far. It is difficult to say why. Perhaps there is less resistance when only wood and stone and brick are involved, no flesh and bone. Or perhaps..."
"Someone or something is controlling what overcrosses," Rewand said.
"That is a possibility that must be considered," the woman admitted. "But there is one thing that we can say with some certainty, as grim as these tidings may be for you to hear."
"Get it over with already," Tristam said, the end of his patience having been left far behind.
"The two worlds are becoming one," the woman told him, then returned her attention to Rewand and Anne-Marie. "And when that final overlap occurs and becomes permanent, your government is dead set on being the ones who are in control."
Quick, before the month moves on without it, a return to our yearlong monthly prompt of Vancouver Irrealis.
If you haven't joined in on this one already, feel free to snag any old prompt from the archives that you haven't written on yet. Don't worry, I'll see it.
And one day, perhaps, reply to it.
I'm going to have another go at catching up on the comments eventually. Hopefully soon.
The NHL returned to action this evening and the Vancouver Canucks opened their season with a 4-2 victory over Calgary. This team looks quite different from last year's, so hopefully that equals different results.
Mine:
The tea this time was comfortingly familiar to Tristam - peppermint with just the right amount of honey stirred into his cup. Anne-Marie and Rewand, however, set their drinks down after one sip and proceeded to forget that they existed.
"Am I... back home?" Tristam asked, keeping his eyes on the tea rather than run the risk of seeing pity or sympathy in the woman's eyes before an answer could be verbalized.
"In a manner of speaking," she replied.
"What the hell does that mean?" Tristam was tired of half answers. He was tired of the never ending barrage of weirdness. He was, most clearly of all, simply tired. Exhausted, really.
"An explanation - a proper one, one that might actually satisfy you - would take hours," she said, her words floating through the steam rising from her cup. "We don't have time for that."
"Well, we do," Ertrob said with a laugh like bells chiming. "But you don't."
"What is happening?" Anne-Marie cut in before Tristam could start yelling. "You said that you could tell us."
"These worlds are overlapping at an increasing rate," the woman told them after the briefest of pauses. "Crossovers are happening on a daily basis. And not just humans, as you obviously know, but entire buildings as well."
"How is that possible?" Anne-Marie asked.
"How could that go unnoticed?" Tristam added a heartbeat later.
"That is beyond our current knowledge," the woman told Anne-Marie before turning to Tristam. "Only abandoned buildings have gone over and remained so far. It is difficult to say why. Perhaps there is less resistance when only wood and stone and brick are involved, no flesh and bone. Or perhaps..."
"Someone or something is controlling what overcrosses," Rewand said.
"That is a possibility that must be considered," the woman admitted. "But there is one thing that we can say with some certainty, as grim as these tidings may be for you to hear."
"Get it over with already," Tristam said, the end of his patience having been left far behind.
"The two worlds are becoming one," the woman told him, then returned her attention to Rewand and Anne-Marie. "And when that final overlap occurs and becomes permanent, your government is dead set on being the ones who are in control."
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