V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #84: sun

February 17, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Despite Ric’s protest that the light is not good, I take the camera and drive to the river. It’s February, traditionally a sunless month. I need to get out. The sky is heavy and grey, clouds undefinable. Still, the sun makes his presence known, as if he too is tired of the somber mood. I […]

Oh, Those Eyes

February 13, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Love abounds with four-footeds around Those eyes that watchour every move,speak volumes (For Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: eyes.)

V.J.’s Challenge #83: Product placement

February 10, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Product Placement Unintentional My shampoo is soft,sensitive with rose petals –his is fortified,extra fresh – blind purchases,both conditioned. A tanka inspired in the shower. Too much I say! Products invadingmy creativity. Hope you have fun with this one. To participate, create a post, link back here or leave a link in the comments. Respond however […]

In a Whisper, All Changes

February 9, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

I didn’t dare to even whisper it. I shifted the computer screen to Ric’s line of vision, and left it there, open for him to comment. Or not. You see, we’d applied to adopt two dogs – Havanese crosses, ages two and ten months – and been turned down by the rescue agency, as I […]

Landscapes

February 5, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The path before me titillates –beckoning hues, rolling hills –I set my lens on discovery. My heart belongs to this land –lush landscapes, and dynamic seasons –here I’ll stay till shadows succumb to night. (For Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week challenge: landscape.)

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #82: whisper

February 3, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

I’m right behind you! The voice is whisper-scratchy, low and menacing. I can see you! I whisper back, giving my voice a threatening tone. The teacher strikes continue here and I am filling in for working parents. Granddaughter #1 and I are playing a game in which we think of normal sentences that are scary […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #81: regulars

January 27, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

The sound of oversized boots dragging across wooden floors announced that it was 2:40 p.m. Shuffles, as we called her, would arrive each day, walk to the back of the store where the cash desk was situated, touch three things, and then turn around and slump on to her next stop. She had a mop […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #80: habit

January 20, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Be careful of the habits you make,” my father used to lecture, cigarette in one hand, whiskey in the other. “They will either make of you a slave or a master.” Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about, and I hated that his sermons were always: “Do what I say, not […]

A Passenger’s View

January 14, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I reconcile this passenger imposed lifethrough a photographer’s lens Record the road ahead, the passagesfind resonance in what lies outside my window. (For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: A window with a view)

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #79 – subtraction

January 13, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

I adopted my father’s rage at a young age, and learned to wrestle with the best of them, typically boys, ’cause Father said never hit a girl. Most days, I’d return from school with debris in matted hair and torn stockings. Mother would shake her head, muttering: “No one will ever love you.” I heard: […]

Resilience

Boxes are filling up around us. We’re making a dent in our to-do lists. Doubt seeps in. Are we doing the right thing? Then I remember all the reasons behind making this choice and affirm: We are dismantling one life to build another, purposeful existence.

Monday Mood: squirrely

The movers need to be arranged, and the closets sorted and packed, and when was the last time we bought groceries…. Head and attention are going in too many directions at once, and I’m exhausted before I get started. Might be a little cranky too. The stress of moving is real.