read more posts by
Amy
I’ve been poisoning the ants at work for some time. I can’t tell that there have been any long term effects. I KNOW Terro works, I’ve used it for years at home and recommended it to countless people. I have had to hear people groan that they’re only feeding them, because you don’t actually get the enjoyment of watching their little bodies keel over, as it is a bait- they carry it back to their Motherland to be put in the catacombs and clutches for the entire colony to divide and consume. Socialism, I say. So anyway, about a week ago, I had stuck some Eggos in the toaster and topped them with blueberries. One can’t have fresh blueberry waffles without whipped cream, so I was squirting it artfully around when I ran out. You know what happens when you reach the end of a can of Redi Whip? I’ll tell you, it ain’t pretty. You don’t even get a warning. Everything is going fine, and then it suddenly isn’t. The little globs of cream shoot haphazardly all over the place. It was on the counter, in the sink, probably dripping off the cabinet. I had whipped cream dotting my arms, my shirt, my glasses. But I’m not one to let a little mess stand between me and breakfast. I went ahead and ate. When I took my…
I hope you have a friend that sits. I hope you have someone who won’t ask questions, or tell you what they would do in your shoes, or how they’ve handled a similar situation. I hope you have a friend that sits. I hope you have a friend that will take you to a restaurant and buy your lunch, and not expect you to eat a bite. I hope you have a friend that will ask the waiter for a box while you cry quietly. I hope you have a friend that will come pick you up and take you to church with them and sit, holding your hand as you weep into their shoulder. I hope you have a friend that sits. I hope you have a friend that opens their home to you when you cannot bear to be alone. I hope they putter around busily, making dinner and coffee and maybe baking a cake for a coworker. I hope you have a friend that is kind and quiet and keeps the TV on the cooking channel. I hope your friend has a dog. Because dogs help everything. And dogs sit, too. I hope you have a friend that isn’t ashamed to have no other purpose than to be on suicide watch because they love you. I hope you have a friend that goes with you when you’re ready, no matter what it is you’re ready for. I…
One tear Waits for its companion On the curve of an eyelash It doesn’t have to wait long, and they are replaced by another And another And another Let me go I want to scream You sacrificed nothing And I want to be untethered And without remorse But I must settle for drowning In sorrow In pear wine In my solitude With only tears That never stop falling It is summer It is always summer When he emerges No matter where he’s been But I won’t save him again…
Here lies a square spade shovelThat could quickly dispose of youIf I could get a good enough swing for momentum Or maybe this wine bottleRecently emptied by yours trulyWould do the trick with more grace I always thought poison would be the way to goBut to get you drunk enough to take itTakes too long Of course a bullet would be the fastest and easiestBut it’s too cold hearted and detachedTo suit me My favoriteIs the hands-on murderI don’t hire a manOr sabotage your truckOr even consult a Voodoo Priestess No. I fantasize about grabbing you by the throatWhen you lean in to try to kiss me goodbye- what would your girlfriend say about that, I wonder-And sinking a butcher knife into your neckAnd watch your eyes widenWith recognitionAs you realize I hate youAs much as I ever loved you.And forgiveness will not come from me…
This is it. The end. And I just found out I’ve been doing it wrong all along. Today’s challenge I saved for last. That’s a lie. I put it off till last. Because I didn’t “have time”. I should have started with it, and used it as a guide the whole way. But no. I thought I knew best. What a joke. As a reader, I am constantly finding things I want to read and people are relentless in their recommendations to me. As I am to them. And I appreciate it! I have found many great reads from the persuasion of others. But what with book club, and books I have had on loan through READS for eons, plus the ones I continue to buy and pile up, I am inundated with material. So when I asked my Aunt Brenda what to pray for and what to fast in her honor, and she said, “I want you to read the book of Matthew,” I will admit, I swallowed hard and immediately began thinking, “well, I’ve got plenty of time to get to it.” And here I am, on the last day, middle of the afternoon, a full six Lent writings behind, and only in the eighth chapter of 28. The reading isn’t hard, and it is quite enlightening, the stories familiar and comforting, but I don’t think I’…
Last week was Library Appreciation Week. I only posted one thing about it, but I think I post often enough so everybody knows where I stand on libraries. In case you recently crawled out from under a lettuce leaf, know that I LOVE them. I don’t know that I can adequately put into words what the library means to me. But I’m gonna try my best. Even though I’m more than a week late. I’m always late. And before I forget, that cover pic was taken by Liz Ballard, who truly has a history with our local library. I didn’t ask for permission, but I don’t think she’ll mind. I have served on the local library board for several years now, and it looks like I’m going off next month to serve on the Regional Board. Anyway, that’s the least of my love. QUITE literally. Board meetings are typically endured, not always enjoyed. Even though they try to make it cool. Here’s our meeting room: But that’s part of adulting. The good news is, it allows me to know what events are coming up before anybody else 😀 I have a lifespan of memories at the library. It brought tears to my eyes when I was asked to serve. My mind flashed back to all the times I’d walked through the door, clutching my satchel, ready to…
Some of you who follow closely are probably confused. First of all, there are technically 40 days of Lent observed. But there at the start, I didn’t take off Sundays, so I’m gonna wind up with 44 days by the time Easter gets here. Also, my last post is day 35. Where did the other days go? Well, sometimes you gotta prioritize. And yesterday, something traumatic happened in our little town, and it bears a blog post. Today was going to be for Paris, and the crippling shock of the loss of Notre Dame. It was truly a marvel. And when something stands the test of time and wars for eight centuries you think it will be around forever. But one spark….just one spark and all the history and beauty will crumble. I can only imagine how paralyzed Parisians feel. And were they scared, too? Did they think it was another terrorist attack? Thank God it wasn’t. And I haven’t heard of any casualties, but I haven’t researched it, either. Today is Wednesday, April 17th. Yesterday, I was sitting at the office with my DC and Engineer when a bunch of sirens cut loose and blasted down the road. They were going so fast I swear the building rocked. Which, in itself, is not unusual. They’re always in a hurry going somewhere. Lots of emergencies in this town. Although from my experience it tends to be…
~Wednesday April 10th A long time ago, this lady would come in the Co-op once a week and buy birdseed. She was always friendly but did not loiter. She just got the items on her list and away she went. One day, I inquired after a gentleman that I frequently waited on that worked for the same outfit she did. I hadn’t seen him in awhile, and frankly, I was worried about him. (He was a little gruff, but I like to think I had worn him down some with my cheerful and slightly sarcastic demeanor). That got us to talking. Turns out, we had a lot in common. The more we talked, the more we wanted to talk. She increased her visits to twice a week so we had more chat time. We swapped recipes. We quoted movies. We conversed about mutual acquaintances. It wasn’t long before our talks could no longer be contained to 45 minute segments at the counter & we made plans for an afternoon of floating on the lake. Most of y‘all know I like to be neck deep in water. I don’t even mind fish nibbling at me (although those in the gulf DID get a little aggressive). But Tammy Lynn is convinced that alligators and bull sharks exist in Douglas Lake and they will attack, lest she stay hyper aware. At one point during the afternoon, a sizable fish decided that I was a…
I’m that girl.The one that still prefers to be called “girl”Although clearly it would be totally appropriateTo address me as ma’amI’m still holding on to the pastWith my dyed hairAnd my funky jewelryAnd the bright clothesI still want to be That GirlWho drinks beer on patiosAnd rides with the top downAnd Guns-n-Roses blaringI want to be noticedAnd appreciatedAs ME.I am That GirlWho still can’t do sums in her headAnd doesn’t hesitate to order dessert And happily abandons responsibilites in favor of a good bookI’m the girl who will exercise by throwing a ball for her dogOr swimming in the lakeOr meandering up the mountain just to eat a bag of Chex Mix at a waterfallI don’t want to hurry I want to LOOKAnd SEEAnd DOAll the things I’m not supposed to have time forI’m That GirlWho doesn’t like crowdsWho would rather stay homeAnd eat Chinese on china platesIn front of the TVThan some fine dining establishment where you feel obligated to tip 30% Even though service was less than mediocreAnd your baked potato was coldAnd your salad was warmI’m That GirlWho cries at the National AnthemWho believes in working for what you getWho wants to know how you feel about LIFEI’m That Girl behind the keysBehind the wordsBehind the times…
~Tuesday, April 9th. I’m beginning to run out of things to give up. Especially now that I’m praying for groups of people, so I have no specific requests from individuals who know how to really get under my skin with stuff. (Looking at you, Jena, who made me leave my jewelry at home!) Lent’s not supposed to be easy, though, so I picked something today that I would miss dearly, because my prayers are encompassing. I will do without Google. Yes, I use it all the time at work. I check out the weather. I shop for things I don’t need, but think I do. I use it to look up popular restaurants. Then I use it to find the good restaurants. Yes, I use it even more for song lyrics. Yes, I USE IT FOR EVERYTHING. JUST LIKE YOU DO. And it got me to thinking. Everything I need to know can be found within seconds. And I really depend on it. And I absolutely take it for granted. It is so frustrating when I run out of data, or the internet is down, or I’m in no man’s land and it takes more than ten seconds for a search to come up. But what did the farmers do? What do many of them still do? A long long time ago, before everybody had a cell phone in their pocket, we had a tiny, heavy computer at…
