Author Archives: Alice
AWOL
Um…. yeah. I’m sorry about that. After all the times my bloggie buddies have simply disappeared without warning, leaving me hanging, not knowing if they were dead or alive…. I never had any intention of doing the same myself. Where was I? Just living IRL. It seems when I finally threw in the towel on Suzie’s House because the vast majority of my readers had no interest in it, I lost interest in blogging all together. I went back to […]
Ella’s Deli
Her editor said, “bring more local color into the book.” So she looked around the city and found several stores that were unique to Madison. One was Ella’s Deli, where a merry-go-round out front told you what it was like inside. She included it in the book. Her editor said, “what kind of place has toy trains under glass for tables? It’s not realistic. Take it out. The Challenge: Write a story in 100 words or less The Challenger (Hub): […]
Belfast
On the south side of Belfast, Marge hired a Black Taxi driver to show her around. On the southern side of the wall, all the murals of Belfast depicted a wish for peace and harmony. Marge took pictures. On the Northern side, the murals depicted aggression and supremacy. Marge got out to read the graffiti. “So many people want to take down the wall. Why hasn’t it been done yet?” “I hope they don’t” the cab driver said. “Not until […]
Point of View
“It was an extraordinary place. See the train in this picture? People would jump on the roof as it passed and ride that way for miles!” Marge tapped her tablet to bring up the next picture in her power point presentation of her most recent trip. “What I want to know is where you were standing when you took the picture. It looks like you are above the train.” “Oh I was! I took a hot air balloon. The train […]
Last Weekend
I had the slickest 4th of July celebration this year. The family packed into a car, went down to the mall where the fireworks were going to be lit with hardly any traffic between, found a spot in a packed lot in less than fifteen minutes, and got out of the car just as the first fireworks hit the sky. We didn’t bother hiking the few yards to the main seating, which was just part of the parking lot anyway. […]
Time For a Hip Replacement
You know it’s time for a full hip replacement when: 1. The fake hip is no longer strong enough to make up for the arthritic side. 2. You can’t dance anymnore. 3. You’re husband puts your health insurance at risk. 4. The pain goes all the way to the knee. 5. Losing weight doesn’t seem to make a difference. 6. The hip pain interferes with the exercise program. 7. The elliptical machine no longer helps. 8. You walk slower than […]
Rock Star
Angelique finished the show with a few karate moves she’d picked up while on tour in Japan. High kick, left and right punches, then a roundoff all executed in leather, lace, and spike heels. Thunderous applause for her signature rebel songs. “Great set, but you were a couple feet off the mark on Lonesome Rider. The spotlight missed you.” Her manager handed her a towel as she strode off stage. “Would have been fine if you’d let me sing what […]
Building
He didn’t care what his family said. Too far from town. From school. From work. Too dry. Too cold. Too hot. Too everything! They threatened mutiny. But still, he would build his dream home on this precious plot of land. The first attempt burned to the ground. The second washed away in a freak flood. The third caught in an earthquake. Yet still, he was sure. This was where he intended to lay his bones. One way or another. The […]
Kelp for Hair
Becky nearly drowned. She’d jumped off the pier into the briny deep only to find a forest of seaweed swaying in the wake of her intrusion. The feathery green tendrils wrapped around her arms, legs, and hair. At first she though it only a nuisance. As air ran low she thrashed. In the desperation, she clawed her way to shore. When at last she rose from the water, coughing and heaving, her friends said she looked like a mermaid and […]
Spring is in the Air
Seasons look different in the big city. He was used to the muddy slush of Spring where hot and cold traded places and flowers battled with snow. Spring should be at least a little green. And if not, there were friendly neighbors to share the misery. Instead, all he got was gray brick. Frustrated he tried to find a park. Big, fat snowflakes drifted down all around him. “For God’s sake! It’s already April!” He shouted, shaking a fist. “Fool.” […]
Through the Darkly Woods We Go
Craig crept slowly forward. Although the castle with it’s artistically draped ivy looked as peaceful as anywhere else in the computer generated world, you never knew when a level 50 vampire or even a field boss might jump out and drag your poor character into a major battle. If he could get into the castle proper, he might be able to lay his hands on a good sword. Then… “Craig! Are you done with our taxes yet? I need to […]
Dye Job
Marge fingered the scarf thoughtfully. She’d purchased it in Indonesia while touring a textile factory. There had been dozens of women working hand looms in the front room. They talked about how it was hard work with long hours and low pay, but the job kept their families together. When Marge got home she saw the pictures of a machine loom in a back room. The fellow traveler had gone a few steps further to investigate a noise. Now, looking […]
Greenland
The names Greenland and Iceland are both all about deception. When the Vikings named Iceland, they wanted to keep people away from their fertile new lands. On the other hand, when Eric the Red got kicked out of Iceland, he wanted to take as many people along with him as he could. So he called the next big island over “Greenland” to lure people. So it should be no surprise that Iceland is a lush, green, beautiful place with an […]
Swan Song
Ruth and Inga stood side by side at the edge of the pool. Late in the year, the pond had shrunk as far as it might. That was the best time to fetch the piano. “I still say it’s a crying shame.” Inga shook her head. “A waste of a perfectly good piano.” “The shame is that not a single one of those would-be musicians passed my little test. Most of them didn’t even set foot in the water, let […]
