Too Much Fighting on the Dance Floor

 Writing exercise today. Flash Fiction:

We all seemed to jolt awake at once. It was the sound of breaking glass and the yelling. I found out later it had been my sixth grade school photo she had thrown at him. The metal frame made a deep dent in the hardwood floor and the glass shattered on impact.

There were six of us peering out of two bedrooms, trying to see, but not be seen during the fight. The youngest of us finally came downstairs, and cried, "I'm staying with you, Dad. If you leave, take me with you." We couldn't hear the response, but it stopped the yelling.

They wouldn't speak to each other for the next couple of weeks. She didn't know how to drive and refused to be in the car with him, so when it was time to get Christmas gifts, she somehow found a taxi van to take herself and us six kids to go shopping at the mall in Evergreen Park.

I'm not sure how they made up. It may have been after she vented to the Aunts, or it might have been because it was the holiday season, or because she was catholic and didn't believe in divorce, but one day they were speaking again - even affectionate with each other. The drama was over for a while.

Later we would hear what started it. We found out that he hadn't come home at a reasonable hour and she called a cab and showed up at his favorite bar where she found him talking to another woman. The Greek chorus of Aunts would use the term slut. She must have left us alone late at night to find him there. We were alarmed at what could happen while we slept.

Eventually, they would fix the glass for the frame of my sixth grade school portrait, but the mark on the wood floor would remain.

Sweetest Surrender of Winter

Wow, kids! What a weekend. It was in the 50's both days at the end of February in Iowa. Of course, there's a good chance of snow tonight and tomorrow, but I can't think about that today. I'll think about that tomorrow.

Since it was so nice out, we did two long rides, and now my legs are very, very sore. On Saturday we rode to Kalona for lunch. It was a strong headwind on the way there.

Also, Kalona is where there are large Amish and Mennonite communities, so there were tons of horses and cows and dogs for me to say hi to.

The ride home was so nice. It was about 53 degrees out, and we had a tailwind for most of the ride. Fifty miles of Heaven.

On Sunday the winds were coming almost straight out of the West, so we decided to ride to Cedar Rapids. Most of the ride is on multi-use trails, which normally feels a lot safer than riding on highways where many drivers are distracted by their phones.

The danger yesterday, was that some of those trails hadn't been plowed all Winter, and the shadier spots were slick and snow covered.

At least the scenery was lovely and bucolic.

We hit one section of trail that was completely snow and ice covered for about a mile and a half. I had to call Coadster and tell her we were going to be about fifteen or twenty minutes late meeting here for lunch.

By Sunday night I had run about 10 miles and ridden 115 miles and I was ridiculously sore and exhausted. I might need to rest for a day or two before I try to exert myself again. I'm sure the cats won't mind if I snuggle with them on the couch.

'Cause I Haven't Got Time for the Pain. I haven't Got Room for the Pain

Sorry that I haven't written in over a week. I got myself a lovely migraine on Friday and it has only subsided for 24 hours a couple of times when I took meds. On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment where x-rays found calcifications just under the gum line, and they proceeded to scrape those off, in the midst of my lovely migraine. Two great tastes in one candy bar...Or not.

Since I've always heard that if one had nothing nice to say, one shouldn't say anything at all (and if you've met me, you must wonder why I ever speak), I've been taking a break from the blog, and like Archie in the photo above, hiding in my cat tree until things perk up a bit. Luckily, I think things are starting to get better, so you might be hearing from me in more detail sooner than you'll want to. Until then, I hope you are migraine free and your dentist doesn't find any calcifications just under your gum line.

I Was Following the Pack, All Swallowed in Their Coats. With Scarves of Red Tied 'Round Their Throats

It's the middle of February and very, very cold. It's not half as bad this Winter, as last year, so it's hard to complain too much. Plus, a couple of days ago I was running outside and felt the change. You know, like in August, when you notice the light starts to look different, and you know that means Fall is almost there? At some point in February, the air feels different, and the birds chirping gets louder and more varied. Those, my friends, are indicators that Spring isn't far away.

Last night my daughters came over and we did a little early Galentine's Day thing. I bought Happy Joe's taco pizza and we watched a girl movie and had a good talk. Of course, all of that mindful eating I've been trying to practice went right out the window, but it was so nice to hang with my girls...Especially, since Stinky is threatening to move to Des Moines sometime this Summer.

This cold snap is only supposed to last another day and we should be in the 40's again. Here's to waiting out Winter and spending your days with your favorite people and pets.

But Just Like the Peace Sign, That Vanished in Our Dreams. Never Had a Chance to Grow

Let's talk about books. In January I read ten of them. Some were amazing and some barely held my interest. Here's how my book adventures went:

1.) The first book trip I took was called "Queenie", by Candace Carty-Williams. It took place in London in the recent past. It was about a 25 year old woman of Jamaican descent, who suffered a ton of trauma as a child, and never really worked through it, and now it is all coming back to bite her. Having lived something similar to this, it was uncomfortable for me to read, but I thought it was very realistic.

2.) My second novel vacation was pretty fantastical. It was "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. If you want a book adventure, here's your story. It has giants and Lilliputians and there is much talk of peeing and gas and all the issues you have to deal with during your travels. So much satire, so much silliness.

3.) My third novel was "Divisadero", by Michael Ondaatje. It took place in California and France and followed the lives of three young people who grew up together on a ranch in Northern California. It was beautiful and sad and hopeful.

4.) My fourth January book was "Embroideries", by Marjane Satrapi. It is the first graphic novel I've read in a while. It took place in Iran and it was basically women telling stories about how they dealt with the men in their lives.

5.) "Do Not Say We Have Nothing", by Madeleine Thein took me to Canada and China during the revolutions and uprisings surrounding Mao and his aftermath. It was a slow, careful read. The stories were so rich and sad and you can see how scary things can be under a dictator and how close we are getting to that here. The whole thing of the government blaming the celebrity elite and the media for everything and using fear to get its people behind the government read a little too close to home these last few years.

6.) "Children of Blood and Bone", by Tomi Adeyemi is a fantasy/sci fi Young Adult novel that took me to Africa in another time. It basically grabbed me and took me so far away from Winter in Iowa. It was so good, and exactly what I needed in the middle of January in Iowa.

7.) I read Henry Miller's "The Colossus of Maroussi" because I thought it would take me to Greece right before the beginning of WWII, and it would keep me warm and entertained. I bought this book in the 1980's and I've carried it around with me, or put it in storage, until I finally read it this month for the first time. Maybe it was too much build up? But it was just alright. It didn't grab me, and I found myself getting a little bored during it.

8.)"The Burning Girl was my 8th read. It took me back to junior high. It was about a friendship between two girls and how they drifted apart. It wasn't very substantive, but it was kind of sweet.

9.) I went on a wild ride when I read "Edie American Girl", but Jean Stein and George Plimpton. It was a non-fiction book about Edie Sedwick and her messed up, very wealthy, well connected family, and her 15 minutes of fame with Andy Warhol. She reminded me so much of the hard to take rich girls I met in the 1980's when I was that age, and hung out with the artsy kids. I felt really bad for her, but she would have been horrible to be around. You see why she was such a mess, but now that I am finally really good with boundaries, I would stay so far away from her.

10.) The last book trip I went on was to South Africa in the late 70's, during Apartheid in "Hum If You Don't the Words", by Bianca Marais. I hadn't heard much about this book beforehand, so I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was a little gem. It took on a tough subject in such a great way. The characters were believable, and even though they were flawed, I rooted for them the entire novel. It was a great last book trip in January.