Monthly Archives: October 2015
Pipe!
“I hate irrigating,” Liam grumbled as he trudged into the field. “What is irrigating?” Alicia skipped along beside him. “We just have to turn the wheels on the gates so the water will go down a different set of ditches. Here’s the first one.” He walked up to the chest-high, metal gate and started turning the soccer ball sized wheel on the top to let the water flow into a new channel. “You turn that one while I do this.” […]
Suzie’s House 428 : Even a Toothbrush
The guest room struck Ethan as so placid it bordered on nondescript. None of the quirky paintings from the rest of the house had made it into this space. No high-end furniture or retro styling here. Just a regular bed, normal dresser, empty closet, inconsequential side table, and a nice window looking over the dark glinting of a lake. He liked it. Ethan felt right at home here.
NaNoWriMo 2015
Yep, I’m doing it again. I’m going to write a book in November. This time it’s going to be a Science Fiction idea that I’ve had floating around in my head for a number of years. It’s one of those great, archetype-filled journey stories. An outcast struggling to find his place in the world ends up the savior of his community. The only problem this time is that there aren’t any human beings in the story. The hero is a […]
13 Things That Didn’t Fit
I’m still working on my post about Jakarta. As I go through my notes, I’m finding a lot that won’t fit. 1. That’s a picture of a river we crossed in the bus. I think it gives a good idea of the skyline of Jakarta. But it doesn’t fit in the flow of my post, so out it went. 2. Fun fact. An Iman – Moslem spiritual leader – in the mosque we visited is elected to his position by […]
Suzie’s House 427 : In His Shoes
If there was one thing Ethan wanted to prove to the world, it was that he had the exact right amount of tolerance. Certainly a great deal more than his co-workers at American Family Insurance Group. But not so much tolerance that he would allow bad things to happen. To quote some editor or another, “I like to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brains fall out.”
Religion in Indonesia
This was the most religion-oriented trip I’ve been on in a very long time. It’s not that the travel company focused on it. It’s that the country is very intense about religion. It’s the kind of place where “What is your religion?” tends to come up soon after “Hello.” Normally that kind of environment makes me uncomfortable. In this case, I just kind of fell into the groove and let it go. Not everyone in our group felt that way. […]
A Random 13
1. I was working on my Jakarta post, but got too tired to finish it. 2. 3. It seems like Photobucket is getting harder and harder to work with. Or maybe it’s just my ancient desktop.
Suzie’s House 426 : Three Cups of Tea
Pete placed three cups of tea on the coffee table. The first he put in front of Ethan, the latest lost puppy to be brought home by Gabriel. The second he gave to Gabriel. The last he kept for himself. He wasn’t a bit surprised when Gabriel clasped his hands together, leaved forward with one of his rare smiles, and said, “I’ll go first.”
Mosquitoes in Indonesia
About a month before my trip I dutifully called the local health department’s travel nurse to make an appointment for whatever immunizations I might need. Turns out a month is not enough notice.
Ella
“Wow! Look at that ride! I want to go on it. Can I, Daddy? Can I? And the carousel, and the fun house, and roller coaster…” Ella dragged on her father’s hand in an effort to go everywhere at once. “Slow down, Ella.” “But tomorrow the fair goes away! What do we do then?” Ella threw her hands out in an exaggerated version of a gesture her mother often used. “Well… I’ve been thinking. How would you like a carousel […]
Suzie’s House 425 : A Certain Something
Ethan fell back a step. Two men were kissing right in front of him, one of whom had invited him to spend the night. “Um…” He couldn’t quite keep the worry out of his voice. He glanced at the trees surrounding the fancy, cubist-style condo on whose front step these two men were absorbed in such a public display of affection. One of them made a little moaning sound, and the hair on the back of Ethan’s neck stood on […]
The Straw Hat
I am fairly proud of my ability to pack. I know how to reinforce things so they are not as vulnerable, and how to condense clothing so it takes up less space but doesn’t turn into a completely wrinkled mess. So when I bought the straw hat, I knew it was going to be a challenge to get it home, but I expected to be up to the task. First, I wore it a lot. For two thirds of the […]
