I wish

Mia leaned against the wall, the unpainted cinder blocks scratchy against her back. She brushed sweat from her eyes with dirty fingertips. Lily perched on the edge of her cot, keeping what little air there was circulating on her skin.
“I wish we had a hot dog,” Lily said, “and an ice cream soda.”
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Morning routine

The cat purrs in my face.
I brush her from the bed.
The cat comes back.
I elbow her away.
The cat comes back.
Go ‘way, I say.
The cat comes back.
I turn over, hide.
The cat comes back.
I give up, climb out of bed.
The cat: victorious.
Please leave a comment with your first 50 words on the topic “morning routine.”

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Hate, Actually

You have to be taught to love and hate.
Love thy neighbor.
Love one another.
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
The love you get is equal to the love you give.
With liberty and justice for all.
Anything else is hate, actually.
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Low sun

The colors of fall are beautiful without enhancement. Even so, the sun plays tricks by moving low in the Southern sky to light up the fall colors from the side. The low sun illuminates the individual leaves of the trees from a new angle. The shadowy intensity of summer’s overhead glare is gone. Wheeling around [...]

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The Bay

The oyster said to the crab one day, “Have you seen anyone else here in the bay?”
“Not for a long time,” the crab replied. “Everyone in my family is gone. I’m glad to find you. I haven’t had a chat in ages.”
“Me, too,” said the crab. “You know I heard that we have to wait [...]

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The Single Story

Writer Chimamanda Adichie talked at a TED Conference about the danger of a single story. Adichie describes how we form stereotypes based on knowing a single story about a people or a place. She describes herself as a storyteller and has written 3 novels. Since hearing her talk, I try to identify the single story [...]

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Get to Know Me

If someone really wanted to get to know me, they could read the daily trivia that dumps from my brain on this blog–every post way back to the beginning. Other places where I write are technical or journalistic or professional. This blog is just crap out of my head. The stuff that falls from your [...]

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Election Day

Election Day was coming. I liked Ike. Well, my parents liked Ike. So I liked Ike. My friend Judy, a member of the only Jewish family in my small town, liked Stevenson. She was passionate about Stevenson. I was happy when Eisenhower won. Looking back, I think Judy was right to support a liberal Democrat. [...]

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The Crane

The crane, the sandhill crane, flies south along the Rio Grande in the fall. Thousands of them. Many stop and feed along the way, providing spectacular evening flight performances when they return to the fields along the river for the night. With a 6′ wingspan and standing waist high, they’re wonderous.
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Cat Set Back

How do I do a cat set back to go with the clock set back? She had mealtime down to the split second and now is forced to pace and meow and stare when food doesn’t appear at the appointed time. I explained to her that the time changed and she needed to adjust accordingly, [...]

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