FF55,10/26/12 Mouse and Rat Eater

I got the creepy crawlies
at 5 am on any given morning,
I drove to the Old Mall,
let myself in the back    
and pitta-pattered along the dim
hallways to the pet store.
Then in pitch black to turn on the lights.
Sometimes I tripped over
the bosses 16 foot python
loose for exercise ...



                                 Sorry to say I never knew if the snake
was out or not. Sometimes when I turned on the lights
 his aquarium was full, -or not.
 He was very heavy and powerful,
so he would stay loose till the
boss arrived as late as 10 sometimes -
4 hours wore on my nerves...   Happy Halloween !

Mag. 140 10/21/12 Best Friends

                                                                           


             It was so strange to step up behind the plywood painted in detailed green on one
       side and  peer through that little triangle.
           " Try not to blink!" Marie yelled and slammed two water balloons fast,onto the
          wood,splashing and splattering water everywhere. Including of course my face!
        "Oh yeah sure!" I yelled, ducking reflexively. I darted out from behind the 4X4 foot
     wide piece propped up in our back yard. "You go try it!"            
   
           And then the chase was on, because Marie was NOT going to be tagged or
       bullied and pushed into going behind that board. She ran and I chased all over the
        neighborhood !
         Behind McPherson's down the alley between Smiths and Michael's
      into a garage and then down across the yard to Thomson's.
     She darted and twisted  us right through the shrubbery and up onto
     the back porch and into her kitchen.
    "Whoa! stop the rodeo right now!" Her Father yelled; reaching out and scooping

      her off her feet. " Hold on -"  

     Of course I had put on the brakes immediately.

     "Sit Freckles-" He pointed at me and then the chair by the table. I sat.

     " And you-" he swung Marie forward, plunking her down beside me "Freeze!"

     She froze. And that was how we came to be slathered in orange Mercurochrome

     and then presented with a generous slice each,of fresh peach pie with whip cream.

         A very unexpected, favorite way for a hot Sunday afternoon to end.

Grandma's Goulash week 83

                             
  The little orange and white fish was worried; every time someone lifted or set down the plastic bag, all his friends and family got bumped !

       I tripped over Jinksy's post this morning and couldn't resist joining in!  140 words and spaces. Thanks-

FF55 10/19/12, Toe Tapping in March

Our first official date
in early Spring of 1989,
we laughed our way
up the steps of
a train car diner

Slid onto red vinyl seats,
with grey swirled Formica
had sugar, salt napkin holder
standing by the jukebox
on every table .
Three songs for 25 cents  
a sing along with Cheeseburg,
fries and a coke!



                                         A note to those who came by last week- My neighbors finally
put up their inflatable decorations for Halloween! There are about 10 crowded together along the grass-
Did I say  they had a dracula ?!

Mag 139, 10/14/12 Midnight

                                                          Midnight Snack, 1984, by Curtis Wilson Cost

                                                 
                                        She had been waiting and waiting for her Father to go to bed.
                                    It had been twelve hours since they had made camp here on top
                                    of this low ridge with a good view of the homestead.
                                        Sarah looked over at her Mother's blond and silver hair
                                   flowing over the top of the sleeping bag beside her. She could just
                                   hear her soft breathing. Sarah sighed, her Mother had gone to bed
                                  after eating a light fish dinner, they had cooked on a neat little fire.
                                        She knew how full she had gotten from the hunk of bread
                                 and fish- Not very... There is a nice side of venison hanging up
                                 in the shed down there. She felt for the sheath hanging off her belt;
                                 and picked up the binoculars again.
                                     Her Father sat at the table, just inside the kitchen door writing.
                                The newspaper folded neatly beside him.What are you doing ?
                                 who are you writing - Joe ? Her older brother had moved further
                               west several years before.                               
                                    She saw her father fold the letter and put it in an envelope.
                              Then he opened the newspaper and shook out some bright
                              little objects flashing in the light.                                                                                                                                                           
                                Sarah jumped to her feet, grabbing for the flashlight and running
                            toward her Father's cabin. He threw Mother out and had promised her                            
                            help! -I think those maybe diamonds-!
                                                                          

FF55 10/12/12 Downstreet Silent Haunts

Below us stretches
a meandering white house
with a narrow stretch of lawn
and a single shapely tree.
Only a ring of china elves
and mushrooms cluster by the steps.
Rather than its usual booming, blooming
sway of swollen orange figures;
a Frankenstein, Great Baron ,Cinderella
balloons leaping, leaning and reaching with music and cackles!

Mag138,10/7/12 8oz Heaven

                                                         

Sick Woman, 1665, by Jan Steen

                 " Marguerite, Marguerite-" Thomas was beside himself.

"What now dear one?" He took her pulse, " Steady and a bit slow-"

   He paced a bit more, hands clasped behind his back. Then peered down at her head

resting on a pillow. " Eyes open and vacant-" He rubbed his chin. " Migraine

last week, tooth ache- ?" Is that what Mrs. Colbert had said this morning ?

   He marched toward the door intent on finding that poor lady for confirmation.

*Sigh* It is too late now-she will have gone home...

    He turned abruptly and struck something with his toe, it went skittering away

ending up under the bed. He followed and knelt down to retrieve it.

    " What- ?"  The brown glass bottle was stoppered with cork and empty. He opened

the container and sniffed. "WHEW!" he jerked the offensive vial away from his nose.

What-he racked his memory for a name and yanked up the skirt of the four poster bed

again, peering into the dim depths. "Ah-hah!" Three more bottles lay further underneath.

     At that moment the door opened and a gentleman peered in. 

    Thomas got up." Peter-come in, please-" And turned as the elder man entered,

"Has Marguerite been well? I came to say good night and found her like this-"

He waved to indicate the lady reclining near him. 

   " She has been calling for medicine regularly of late-" Peter stood by the door.

    "Why?" 

   " Her stomach I believe-"

     Thomas blinked thoughtfully." Do you recognize this scent-?" He held out the bottle

The man came forward and took it from his hand.

   His reaction was similar to Thomas's."How foul-" He shoved the bottle back.

  " Pain or poison ?"

  All the grey haired man could do was shrug."Good question-I guess we must 

investigate,"He glanced at the sideways lady who had not moved. "Before it is too late."

   

                                

FF55, 10/4/12, You Can Make It Up

The other night
sedentary from supper;
I didn't want to get up
off the couch at 7:25
and go out in the rain.

My husband was no help
"It is yucky out."                                  
Twenty-seven years ago I wanted
to take a class in Tai Chi.            
Finally I had class # 3,
and I couldn't move.