January 21st Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Yesterday I was still in too much pain to be able to string coherent words together, so sorry there was no post at all, let alone a writing challenge. I can’t believe it’s been a week since I have given you a writing challenge. You would think, in seven days, one of you would have had time to submit a response. Whatever, I still believe you are doing the challenges, just not posting them. How about, if you’re still not comfortable with posting your responses (even after seeing some of the terrible responses I’ve posted), how about you just leave a comment – “did it”, “hated this one”, “this made me laugh” – WHATEVER, just something so I know there are living breathing folks out there who are still reading these.

I spent all day Sunday sleeping and then all I managed to get accomplished yesterday was a trip to the chiropractor for some muscle work. I was supposed to go back again today, but, unless it’s an emergency or a quick run around the corner to the store, I don’t drive in the snow. I figure one less vehicle on the road, in nasty weather, isn’t a bad thing.

So the 6:00 am phone call came in telling us there is an early dismissal, which means school gets out at noon. The snow started here a little before eight – two hours ahead of schedule, and we are supposed to get 5” – 8” during the day and then 3” – 5” more tonight. Why can’t they just say we’ll be getting 8” – 13” and be done with it? And what’s the deal with naming winter storms now? The last one was Hercules, even though he really didn’t pack that much punch. This one is Janus. If you don’t know, Janus is a Roman god. You’ve probably seen sculptures of him; he’s the dude with two faces, and represents the flip sides of things – war & peace, beginning & ending, past & future. Our month of January is named after him, because January marks the beginning of a new year. (And there ends your lesson in ancient Roman mythology for the day.)

I don’t know how long my back will hold out today, so I am only planning on spending an hour editing and then my “big chore” of the day will be straightening up the kitchen. It’s amazing how much of a mess two people can make while mom’s away for a few days. With being away for four days, then in no shape to do anything for the past two days, my New Year’s resolution of cleaning the kitchen before I went to bed has completely fallen by the wayside, and I’m not doing too hot on the others I made either. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?

Okay, I already feel the back starting to cramp up, so I had better get to the challenge. I wish you all a safe day & happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

On the whisper of the wind you could hear…

On the whisper of the wind I could hear the gentle snow fall while the remainder of the dark field was silent. No animals rustled, no birds sang, and there was not another human for miles to disrupt the peace. I breathed in the crisp night air, then exhaled and watched the plume dance on the slight breeze. I closed my eyes and turned my face to the sky. One by one, tiny flakes landed on my nose and eyelashes. Their icy kisses brushed my cheeks. Unable to curb the impulse, I stuck out my tongue and caught several flakes mid-flight. Clean and crisp, they reminded me of long ago frolics in the snow. I look around to make sure no one watched, and I lie down in the snow, move my arms and legs, then carefully rise so I do not disturb my creation. A laugh escapes me. The cold begins to penetrate, and I sigh. It is time to head back in, but I smile and say a hushed thank you for the brief moment to be allowed to be a kid again.

Your Next Challenge is:

I’ve never seen a (insert animal here) do that!

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.