Good evening! Vacation ending. Got to go to the office tomorrow to meet a potential new team member. And attend a couple boring meetings (is there any other kind??).

Right now, just relaxing with a cup of sencha (Japanese green tea) and ... * checks cookie jars * ... maple crunch cookies

Coffee's on, kettle is boiling, and I've put an assortment of breakfast goodies (danishes, muffins, croissants, etc.) out.

Yes, I am on vacation, why do you ask? Nothing dramatic, just a couple days NOT working from home.

Nice weather right now but that is supposed to end this afternoon.

And this cover of the Moody Blues "Nights in White Satin" hit my YouTube recommendations this weekend. The cover is a terrific version of one of my all-time favorite songs and the video is a bit strange and (he he) moody, reminiscent of classic David Lynch.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NxPkxUMLH8g

I loved this song already before I found this video and this version is just ... wow. It's Amy Lee of Evanesence, the writer and original singer of the song, teamed with a Japanese band and orchestra. I love my music big and dramatic and this live performance is about as big and dramatic as it gets.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/PelfG8hn-7c

And the Japanese lead singer is incredible, too, holding her own with one of the most powerful voices in rock.

River (in particular, the Yangtze). Never done one but have done lots of ocean cruises.

Buffet or a la carte?

Actually, I have a question about form. Are poems going to be welcome in the shorter categories? I can't really see me writing a 40 word story but some of my poems are in that territory.

Yes, poems will be accepted in the shorter submissions.

Motorhome, I think. Getting a bit old for trailers unless they are fairly big (is a fifth wheel a trailer or motorhome?)

Cruise or resort? (once COVID is over, of course)

Smiles come from inner joy.

Actually, I have a question about form. Are poems going to be welcome in the shorter categories? I can't really see me writing a 40 word story but some of my poems are in that territory.

More painting done. Have to go back out this aft to do second coat. Basically, I'm repainting the frames around some external doors. If I ever get a chance to replace them, I'll get aluminum or vinyl coverings on the frames similar to the door from the kitchen to the deck, which we replaced two or three years ago.

Nice day for it, anyway. We've got showers in the forecast starting from noon tomorrow.

Now for some tea and cookies.

Frank Baldwin stared out the window of his office. The lights of downtown Eversham shone before him. Usually, the mayor smiled when he looked out at those lights. A lifelong resident who had been the city’s mayor for twelve years, Frank was pleased and proud with the work he had done to improve the city. Tonight, though, he gazed out at them and sighed. It was looking like twelve years...

Added 10 Aug 2020 | Category Romance | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 214 | 6 Comments

Butterflies and bees danced under the summer sun as Gail walked to the raspberry patch. The heat was increasing as the day wore on but was still bearable. With the lake as her pool, the heat did not really matter to Gail. She would re-apply sunscreen and go for a dip later. Finding a bush with plenty of ripe, red berries, Gail started picking. Her husband Michael was grilling a trout he...

Added 28 Jul 2020 | Category Flash Fiction | Votes 20 | Avg Score 4.94 | Views 430 | 19 Comments

I am slumped in a chair, staring at my newest painting. For over twenty-four hours I have been awake, painting in a near-trance for more than half that time. The painting portrays a scene not far from my studio, a shallow bay on Lake Madeline. A woman emerges naked from the water. An overturned canoe floats nearby. The woman’s name is Lily. Memories flood in. ***** Thunder rumbled in...

Added 30 Sep 2019 | Category Supernatural | Votes 9 | Avg Score 5 | Views 557 | 11 Comments

Spooky people come out to play. This is now your special day. Scare the other folks away. Spooky people play! Monster people come out to dance, Tonight will be your perfect chance. Caper, spin, stomp, and prance! Monster people dance! Witch-y people grab your broom, Soar up through the twilight gloom, Past the stars you're going to zoom, Witch-y people zoom! Halloween people this is...

Added 31 Oct 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 586 | 5 Comments

The rider came swiftly towards Avenigar. Keeping his horse at a fast trot, he reached the cluster of buildings that stood beyond the town’s West gate. Those buildings stood mostly empty and boarded up now that winter had arrived. During the summer, though, they were home to hundreds when trade caravans passed through en route to the mountain passes. Dev Jackelbury, Warden of Avenigar, stood...

Added 13 Oct 2018 | Category Fantasy | Votes 8 | Avg Score 5 | Views 719 | 8 Comments

I saw the light born and reborn this morning. From dark sea and dim horizon came a holy glow, A signal that night's rule was ending; A first, tentative announcement that light and life would indeed return from the underworld. That first dim glow grew brighter, and my heart quickened, Delighting in the light, celebrating the warmth and brightness that soon would be. Then it happened. In...

Added 15 Jan 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 896 | 5 Comments

The wind gave a piercing howl, rattling the windows of Professor Jack Lange’s apartment. Jack lowered his book at the sound and stared out at the blowing snow. "Wow, what a storm!" announced the disc jockey on the radio as if he, too, had heard it, "If you don't gotta go out, don't go." Jack turned off the radio. The storm had given him a rare day to himself, so he wasn’t especially...

Added 29 Mar 2017 | Category Horror | Votes 6 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,195 | 9 Comments