Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

Quote by WriterGirl

Woohoo! SEVEN entries in the competition!

Come on in, Verbal and Mr Ape, the water’s warm…

Life is busy, DubyaGee. I will read the entries, but I doubt I'll enter.

My Heaven's Gate shoe story has turned into a love story, almost against my will. It's like, the characters decided to fall in love, regardless of what I wanted to write. I'm about to send it off to an anthology. Wish me luck!

Coffee!

Quote by verbal

Life is busy, DubyaGee. I will read the entries, but I doubt I'll enter.

My Heaven's Gate shoe story has turned into a love story, almost against my will. It's like, the characters decided to fall in love, regardless of what I wanted to write. I'm about to send it off to an anthology. Wish me luck!

Coffee!

Oooo good luck! Let us know!

I entered a 53-word contest this morning. Ha! Talk about tight writing!

Quote by WriterGirl

Oooo good luck! Let us know!

I entered a 53-word contest this morning. Ha! Talk about tight writing!

.

Oh? Were you tight when you wrote it?

Asking for a friend…

Quote by JamesPBear

.

Oh? Were you tight when you wrote it?

Asking for a friend…

Humor from a big furball! Love it!!! 😜

Quote by verbal
It's like, the characters decided to fall in love, regardless of what I wanted to write.

Characters going their own way, eh. Sometimes you get the best stories that way. 😊

Good morning. I am away right now, just an overnighter. Have a memorial to go to and it is far enough from home as to require an overnight stay. Will be heading home this afternoon (For the other Ontarian, I am in Lindsay).

Hiya, Peeps

It’s a hot one here, but I’m doing better with the heat. My acupuncturist added an herb for hot flashes to the voodoo cocktail he makes me, and my hot flashes are significantly diminished! It’s crazy!

In other news, I’m excited that I found a press that runs a monthly 53-word contest. I entered this month to a prompt of “sand.” They announce the winners on the 1st of every month, publish them on their website, in their quarterly mag, and an anthology book. Big fun for me! I stretched out my entry that I titled “Thirteen Minutes of Glory” to a micro I titled “King Clawdius” here.

Good morning and back in my usual haunts. Too much driving over the past two days (8-9 hours total including pit stops) so nice to be sitting at my desk instead of the steering wheel.

No comp entry yet but ideas are dancing in my head. Something will happen eventually, I am sure.

And since I was up in Haliburton in Ontario cottage country, we've got a stock of beans from Haliburton Coffee. Today, there's some of their Colombian Azalea medium roast brewed for the coffee crowd. For teas, I've got Cream of Earl Grey and Kenyan Tinderet. Washed the pitchers and made fresh lemonade and iced tea. Soda stock looks good. Here's cookies.

Fresh pots of coffee and tea are on. More cookies laid out. How's things? Air quality sucks where I am. Smoke from wildfires (surprised?) in Northwestern Ontario.

I have a new idea for the comp but I'm having trouble finding time to bash it out. The previous one, while I have a 1000 word version done, really screams for more detail (like, maybe 2000-3000 words) so might be something I put out after I get an entry in.

Our air quality sucks too and just because it's so hot and humid. The weather forecast everyday is hazy hot and humid with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. I'm refusing to go outside anymore. 😠 I miss my parents pool so much. I hope everyone is having a good Monday. It's great to see all the competition entries coming in. Take care of yourselves. Cheers.

Quote by Mendalla

Fresh pots of coffee and tea are on. More cookies laid out. How's things? Air quality sucks where I am. Smoke from wildfires (surprised?) in Northwestern Ontario.

I have a new idea for the comp but I'm having trouble finding time to bash it out. The previous one, while I have a 1000 word version done, really screams for more detail (like, maybe 2000-3000 words) so might be something I put out after I get an entry in.

You can do it! And remember, all of our entries are missing the details of a 2000-3000K entry.

I have a 1000 word story. Needs work, but I can submit it if nothing else comes to me. Still a bit skeptical about it, though. Seems a bit too much like my Sounds of Silence entry from last year (only 7 months ago) so might sideline it and see if another idea pans out.

Good day, all. Still a bit steamy here but the smoke has moved on. Freshened up the hot drinks and made new pitchers of iced tea and lemonade.

Hope all are well.

I'll have some iced tea, please, unsweetened. I'm sweet enough as it is.

Yes, we kept the house buttoned up yesterday, but have opened up to let the fresh air in. I usually do that in the morning to cool the house down and get some cross-ventilation going, then close up as the day warms.

In summer, of course. Don't do it so much in Winter as Lady Jay doesn't appreciate snow drifts in the house.

Looking forward to your comp entry, Mendalla! Come on in, the water's fine!

Quote by JamesPBear
Don't do it so much in Winter as Lady Jay doesn't appreciate snow drifts in the house.

I actually don't mind opening them for a bit now and then on days when it isn't snowing but my wife is highly cold averse. And I'm not even a polar bear. 😉

I've got some Port City Java dark roast coffee brewing, there's Yorkshire tea on the sideboard.

I've checked the cooler, and Mendalla has it well stocked – except somehow the Coke Zero seems a bit short.

I'll get some from the back.

I've made some lemonade, using more ice and less water so when the ice melts it'll dilute properly.

I've made some spice bars from my grandmother's recipe. They helped get me through university!

And there's some chocolate pinwheel log with whipped cream

I got my second rejection on my father's autobiography, so onwards and upwards!

Actually, I'm going to step back and consider my options. A university press may be a better choice.

We'll see.

So how's everybody else doing today?

Oo, Bear brought goodies. All is well here. A bit fatigued for some reason. Didn't sleep the greatest last night so that's likely part of it. Heard that the contractors might be out to start on my driveway next week so there's that. I have a new idea for the comp but haven't had time to take a crack at it yet. Cats are involved (the one I have in hand involves cellos and headbanging).

Quote by Mendalla

Oo, Bear brought goodies. All is well here. A bit fatigued for some reason. Didn't sleep the greatest last night so that's likely part of it. Heard that the contractors might be out to start on my driveway next week so there's that. I have a new idea for the comp but haven't had time to take a crack at it yet. Cats are involved (the one I have in hand involves cellos and headbanging).

Ooo cats! I love it already!

Quote by Mendalla

Oo, Bear brought goodies. All is well here. A bit fatigued for some reason. Didn't sleep the greatest last night so that's likely part of it. Heard that the contractors might be out to start on my driveway next week so there's that. I have a new idea for the comp but haven't had time to take a crack at it yet. Cats are involved (the one I have in hand involves cellos and headbanging).

Cats! Yay!

Nothing new here. Editing the novel, which is mostly boring, interrupted by periods of sheer terror at all I have to change.

Still. Coffee is hot, cats are purring, and my wife is ever-patient. And I get to walk today! Sadly, no baseball.

Coffee!

Quote by verbal
Cats! Yay!

The cats had you at gunpoint, didn't they? 😜

My youngest son, Raymond, brought his girlfriend (Stephanie) and her two lovely children (Sylar and Alexander) from Phoenix to NC to get married! Stephanie is delightful and insightful. Sylar seems smart for his age, and Alexander has a question about everything. Both children are already calling me grandpa!!! They got here Monday and are getting married tomorrow at 10 am. I am so excited!

I have an interesting idea for the competition, but I write so slowly these days. I will try to finish it in time. Can I enter it on the 1st or before the 1st?

The All-Star game was such a disappointment. Deciding the winner on something that has no substantive bearing to the game of baseball.

I hope you enter, Roland! Still lots of time left and you don’t have to use the 1000 words if you can tell your story in less.

My next up is a memoir of some constants in my life and how they shaped me. It’s an emotional, but healing write for me. It’s called “Petals and Scars”.

Have a great Thursday! :)

Quote by rolandlytle
They got here Monday and are getting married tomorrow at 10 am. I am so excited!

Congrats to your son. A wedding with two grands out of the box sounds grand. have fun.

Quote by rolandlytle
Can I enter it on the 1st or before the 1st?

Usually entries stay open until end of day on the due date but I forget which time zone they use. Molly could tell us better (once again, I wish we could @ tag in this software).

It's been a few weird, stressful days. Dementia is such a cruel disease that sometimes causes the most awful behaviors. Thankfully, I will be visiting my middle son this weekend. He and his girlfriend bought a house, and they are excited to show it off to us. Sometimes I have to get away from it all. My father is well taken care of where he lives now, but I still feel guilty about taking time for myself. Sigh...

I need to stop coming here and whining. Maybe another day, lol. Have a good Friday, everyone.

Quote by gillianleeza

It's been a few weird, stressful days. Dementia is such a cruel disease that sometimes causes the most awful behaviors. Thankfully, I will be visiting my middle son this weekend. He and his girlfriend bought a house, and they are excited to show it off to us. Sometimes I have to get away from it all. My father is well taken care of where he lives now, but I still feel guilty about taking time for myself. Sigh...

I need to stop coming here and whining. Maybe another day, lol. Have a good Friday, everyone.

I know you know this, Gillian, but there is absolutely no reason to feel guilty, and for several reasons. First, and most importantly, you did the best you could for him – really, the best that anyone could do. There is no reason to regret that, and if there's blame to be assigned, blame the disease, not you, nor him.

And second is the simple truth that you can't give what you don't have. If you burn out, it won't help him. Indeed, it would make his life worse. So take care of yourself so that you can take care of him as best suits his current situation.

My younger brother is going through Alzheimer's, about middle-stage at this point. He's a brilliant man, far smarter than me (though it burns me to say so), and it's heart-breaking to speak to him and hear the things he's losing.

But he has an amazing woman as his wife, and two of his three grown children live nearby, and are being actively helpful.

Yet it still hurts.

So, take care of yourself, take a deep breath, and let go of the guilt. It doesn't help either of you, and it certainly hurts you.

And there's a big Bear hug waiting for you – if that helps.

Good morning!!

Having your son and his partner show off their new place sounds like a good use of a weekend. Have fun.

I'm now 11 years past Dad's dementia but I hear both of you. It's rough seeing someone go downhill like that. Vibes to all concerned.

I've got three possible stories for the comp, but I'm pretty sure the newest one is going in. It works best in the Flash format while the other two really need more than 1000 words to do their stories justice. And one of them doesn't really fit well in the Summer Love theme, even. Will be best on its own. So I've got an entry that just needs editing plus my next two SS stories.

Fresh Tobermory Grotto coffee is on as are Assam and English Breakfast teas. Cold drinks are lookin' good. Kettle is available if there's some other tea you prefer. And there's brownies.