She clicked a switch and the big electric organ hummed to life. She stuck her tongue out and moistened her lips and the rings on all of her fingers clinked as she positioned her long boney fingers over the keys. Continue reading “Third Person – Now in Past Tense, Then in Present Tense”
The Catnip Wars
It’s come to it at last. Scuffles in broad daylight over the catnip patch.
Fluffy Bum, who rarely ventures outside has discovered Miss Kitten’s well kept secret. There’s catnip in the vegetable bed. In hindsight, Miss Kitten’s been hiding her little habit very well. We just thought she was feeling good for her age. Little did we suspect she’s been getting high on catnip. We think it’s been going on for months. It’s only recently come to light, however, since Fluffy Bum developed a fondness for the “evil” weed as well.
Miss Kitten has made it plain that if she sees Fluffy Bum anywhere near the catnip, there’s going to be trouble. But the power this plant has over them is truly incredible. Even in the certain knowledge that she’s going to get beat up, Fluffy Bum makes straight for the catnip at every opportunity.
Today Miss Kitten made an even bolder move declaring her adoration for her special herb. She purred and rubbed face in the catnip, took a bite, and then attacked the plant as if it were hiding a family of mice.
Writing for the Adventure Travel Market
by Kim Davis
A freelance writer interested in adventure travel wrote me to ask:
“Is there any room for professionals with these adventure jobs? Like you, I am a desktop publisher with an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Technical Writing. Do these adventure jobs have openings for people who want to use their education while working and traveling instead of shifting gears to lead tours or bartend? Those jobs sound great, but I would feel guilty abandoning my years of education and experience.” Continue reading “Writing for the Adventure Travel Market”
Immortals in the Fog
Why do people drive around in the fog with no headlights on? Do they think they are immortal? This morning we had to go through a thick fog on the way to school, which makes me nervous to begin with. I mean it’s one thing when I’m alone in the car, but when my children are with me I worry much more. It seems like one in every four cars has no lights on–the drivers oblivious in the pea soup. Now I don’t know about the rest of the country, but most vehicles where I live are HUGE. For example one particular “immortal” I passed this morning was driving a 1-ton, dual wheeled pick-up truck. To make matters worse, it was a BLACK pick-up truck, and it was about 6 feet from me when I finally saw it–traveling at seventy miles per hour. YIKES!
And did I mention the little old lady driving at speed down the shoulder? Large white sedan, no lights. It’s amazing she didn’t kill anyone. Combine that with the never-ending road construction, the high speed limits, and the lead-footedness of most of the drivers in Madison County, and you really take your life in your hands when you venture out in the fog here.
And then there are the fog lights. After living and driving in Europe for many years, I became familiar with the rules for using fog lights. A friend once told about being stopped in a rental car in England because his fog lights were on when they shouldn’t have been – the policeman leaned down and asked “Foggy in there, is it?” Here in Texas, the cars have BIG fog lights on the front, and none on the back, and there are no rules in the state of Texas to govern their use. The result is that you see these yahoos in their pick-ups with fog lights blazing at all hours of the day and night in every kind of weather EXCEPT FOG!!!