My mother sits at the kitchen table, her purple bathrobe loose around her thin body. She covers her face with her hands. I drop to my knees beside her chair and look up at her. I am like a baby bird, waiting to be fed my mother’s wisdom and understanding and love. She drops herContinue reading “Lift the Flap”
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June Camp NaNoWriMo Stats
Well, the June camp of NaNoWriMo is officially over and I failed to reach my goal. Yes, we had family visit and we took a mini-vacation and I have three kids and my husband did not travel like he normally does, but those are just excuses because in the end I still failed. I startedContinue reading “June Camp NaNoWriMo Stats”
The Power of a First Word
She sat in the dark, rocking the fussy child. She was so tired she didn’t remember climbing the stairs to answer the crying toddler’s wordless call for comfort. It had been a hard pregnancy, a hard birth, a hard year of transitioning from three children to four. And this child was proving to be hardContinue reading “The Power of a First Word”
Bombshell by M-A-C
It was her one night out a month, a time to be with girlfriends, to leave husband and child to gorge themselves on frozen pizza and chocolate milk while she sipped French wine and talked shoes and upcoming vacations. Walking into the restaurant, heads turned and she couldn’t resist putting a bit of swagger intoContinue reading “Bombshell by M-A-C”
Keeping Score
“It was a nice service,” Peter said, pulling away from the curb. He glanced into the back seat at me, but his comment was meant for his mother sitting in the passenger seat. “Except for that bum cozying up to Martha.” Louise frowned. “Here she is, burying her husband and she has to deal with thatContinue reading “Keeping Score”
What I Tell You Three Times Is True
I slip into the stairwell of the derelict hotel and begin to climb the five flights of stairs. My footsteps are steady, but my mind weaves erratically. I don’t want to think, but my mind won’t behave. At the first landing, I pause and breathe. I do not want to stop again. When I reachContinue reading “What I Tell You Three Times Is True”
Map Reading: An Acquired Skill
I know I’ve mentioned my love of chalkboards, but I also have a bit of love for maps. I love the look of maps, the soft colors of blue and green and yellow, but also the black and white antique maps and the bold colors often used on the USA map. And not just maps,Continue reading “Map Reading: An Acquired Skill”
Russian Prisons and Cannibalism
National Geographic recently broadcast a documentary, “Russia’s Toughest Prisons,” featuring three prisons: Prison Camp 17 in Siberia where the temps reach 50 below and it takes three days for visitors to reach the camp; Vladimir Central, where Stalin’s son was imprisoned; and the prison I found the most fascinating: the Black Dolphin, which is quiteContinue reading “Russian Prisons and Cannibalism”
Down With E-Readers…?
Have you read Gary Shteyngart’s novel Super Sad True Love Story? It is a good book, certainly very smart, but I was mad reading it. Really. So mad, in fact, I contemplated not finishing it. But because I have a thing where I like to finish a book no matter what and yes, I knowContinue reading “Down With E-Readers…?”
Chalkboards
I have always loved chalkboards. I love the feel of the chalk in my hand, the sound of chalk tapping against the chalkboard as letters, words, sentences appear on the black surface. I love the ease with which an eraser can wipe a chalkboard clean. Perhaps I should’ve been a teacher. My parents probably don’tContinue reading “Chalkboards”
Andrea Miles 