May 13th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning!

What is it with all the ticks this year? I can understand getting a few on me while we were working in the garden in the back yard. Our tractor isn’t working at the moment because it needs a tire, and apparently, since it is an older tractor, the tire isn’t readily stocked, and they are having trouble getting it for us. This means we haven’t been able to cut the grass, so it is ridiculously overgrown at the moment, thereby being a breeding ground for ticks; but I shouldn’t find a tick crawling on me for a simple trip to the mailbox. We also shouldn’t be finding ticks crawling on the ceiling in my car.

I have had four on me in the past two days, and I can’t shake the feeling of having bugs crawling on me. I know there’s nothing there, but I still have the creepy-crawlies. I don’t think I got more than three hours of sleep last night because I kept waking up, thinking something was crawling on me. EEEEEWWWWW!

I keep running my fingers through my hair and keep scratching my scalp, just to make sure, so for two days now, I have been walking around looking like Heat Miser. Even multiple showers have not alleviated the sensation. I realize it is mostly psychological, and I had better snap out of it soon before I lose my mind. This is the worst case of heevy-jeevies I have ever had.

Okay, today’s blog is going to be short and sweet, because RV has an early doctor’s appointment today. I hope you have a fabulous day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

There’s a knock at your door, and when you open it, someone famous is standing on your doorstep.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sarah looked at the clock, nine fifteen, “Who the heck can that be?”

Paul hit the mute button on the remote, “Only one way to find out.”

“Smart ass,” she teased. “No, no, don’t get up. I’ll get it. But just so you know, if it’s an axe murderer here to kill me, you’ll be the first one I haunt.”

Sarah peeked through the side window and saw a woman standing on her porch. Cautiously she opened the door, “May I help you?”

“I am so sorry to bother you, I know it’s late,” the woman said. “I hit something in the road and it blew out my tire, there’s no cell service out here, and you were the only house I saw. Can I please use your phone to call Triple A?”

“Honey!” Sarah called. “Can you come here please?”

Paul lumbered out of the living room, then eyed their unannounced guest before he said, “Never seen such a pretty axe murderer.”

The woman was slightly taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“Pay him no mind.” She glared at her husband’s lame attempt at humor. “She has a flat. Can you just help her so she doesn’t have to wait, for God knows how long, for Triple A to show up. It’s not like we’re on their normal route.” Sarah turned to woman, “We’re really not on anyone’s normal route. How did you get way up here anyway?”

“GPS. I had to take the detour down on Route 9, and things seemed to have gotten mixed up after that.” She continued in a rush, “Please, let me just call. I don’t mind waiting, and I don’t want to disturb you any more than I already have.”

“It’s no problem.” Paul insisted, then tilted his head and studied her more closely. “Have we ever met before? You look so familiar, but I just can’t place it.”

Your Next Challenge is:

Write a story using the following three random items: Runway, Wine, Chewing Gum

You have ten 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.

May 4th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Karolyn, Ed & Me
My nose looks HUGE!!

Good morning! Breakfast with Ed and Karolyn was lovely. Karo surprised us by treating. She had recently come in to a windfall of DD gift cards – she’s a CCD teacher, and class just wrapped up for the season. The DD cards were teacher’s gifts from her students. We got to chat for a little over an hour. Ed told us, and showed us photos, of his place in Wisconsin.

The view, he gets to wake up to every day, is amazing. His town only has about four hundred people. He has to drive over an hour for good pizza. It can get below negative 35 degrees sometimes in the winter, but he still made it sound like some place I would like to visit…in the summer of course.

Within half an hour of when I got home, Lys came home from visiting a friend at Rutgers the night before. I could tell she was tired, her and Megan probably stayed up chatting all night, but I put her to work anyway. Colby, which is Lys’ dog, had a few ticks on him. The ticks have been really bad for the past two weeks; we have all found ticks on ourselves. (I cringe just thinking about it.)

Colby is a quarter Golden and three quarters Collie, so his fur is really long, and really, really, thick; so I wondered if the Frontline wasn’t penetrating all the layers and that’s why, even though he was treated, we still kept finding ticks on him. It was time for drastic measures.

Colby fur

Lys grabbed Colby, and I grabbed the buzzer. The dog was going to get a summer cut, then a bath with flea and tick shampoo, and then a flea and tick collar. After fighting for almost an hour to get through his fur with the buzzer, I gave up and used the scissors. I figured if I could get the long stuff off, I could then buzz him to make it even.

Let’s just say, I seriously doubt I would ever have a future as a dog groomer. After two more hours of

More Colby Fur

snipping away, I tried to use the buzzer to even it out. The fur was still too thick, and I didn’t want to remove the guide from the buzzer because I didn’t want the haircut too short, and for Colby to end up getting sunburned.

Don't give up your day
job Mehma

He looks…interesting. His fur kinda has a rippled effect, and he sort of resembles a Golden Doodle. When my husband saw Colby, he laughed so hard, coffee came out of his nose. He was mostly laughing at the dog, but he was also laughing at me. I was covered, and I mean COVERED in dog hair. Even my shoes were furry. My clothes were so bad, I had to strip in the garage so as not to bring it into the house.

Unconscious puppy

After Colby’s haircut, the girls gave him a bath, something Colby absolutely hates. He was so exhausted, and so traumatized afterwards, I didn’t even scold him when he passed out on the couch.

(Sorry Facebook readers, if you want to see photos, you need to go to my blog.)

Okay, I figure I have about an hour left before the house wakes up, so I should go and get some editing done while it’s quiet. I hope you have a sensational day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

A single candle burned in the window…

Okay folks, we are going to try something new, and stretch your comfort zone. This is going to be your prompt for the next three days, however, on Thursday, you need to write a Romance; on Friday, you need to write a mystery; and on Saturday, you need to write in a different genre / style of your choosing.

You’re my candle in the window, my port in the storm

The smile that greets me, to let me know I am home

My haven, my refuge, my glimpse of grace

My heart, my life, my gift from the fates

Every day I thank the lord above

Because he has blessed me with my one true love

Ten minutes goes by really quickly when you’re writing a poem.

Your Next Challenge is:

You were born, raised, and have lived a good chunk of your life in the middle of the country. Now, you get your an opportunity to travel to the coast, and you see the ocean for the first time.

You have ten 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