Som enifty new entries in the competition, Mendalla and Annie among them.

It's bubbling up nicely – and what a great topic! Thank you, Molly!

I agree with Roland. Both are good, but the second looks somehow more together.

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.

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?

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 WriterGirl

Oooo good luck! Let us know!

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

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Oh? Were you tight when you wrote it?

Asking for a friend…

Let's see – we've got some Picasso Blend coffee from Dunedin, Florida, Yorkshire and Darjeelings teas, plus lots of cold drinks in the cooler. I'm not sure what recipe Mendalla uses for lemonaide, so if it's too sweet, let me know.

Hope everyone is well – as well as good!

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Quote by gillianleeza

I love seeing competition entries coming in.

Jeff, that poetry reading sounds amazing.

I'm finally planning our trip to Newfoundland. Things have been a bit chaotic, and I couldn't secure the ferry reservations I needed, so I've adjusted the dates, but it works out better. We are getting two ferries this trip. We'll drive to Maine the first day, and the next day, take a high-speed catamaran ferry to Nova Scotia. The next day, we'll drive across Nova Scotia and board the ferry to Newfoundland for a nighttime crossing. We've always wanted to take the Cat ferry. It's a long journey, but we've built in time to see some sights. I love visiting my husband's family. His sisters treat me like one of their own, and we always have a good time. So I won't be around much in August. I haven't been in eight years, so I am excited. My dad's in good hands, and my brother is near so he can handle any issues.

The weather here is stupidly humid and hot. I hate sweating just because I walked outside. At least we've been getting enough rain, so my gardens are happy. Take care of yourselves and stay cool. Cheers.

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Our family took that Cat, Gillian. It was a long ferry ride, but fun, especially if you like fast ships.

However, in retrospect, my biggest regret was not spending more time around Bar Harbor, Maine. It's a delightful part of the world, whereas the geography on the Nova Scotia side is much less interesting. Try to spend some time in Maine before taking the Cat if you can!

OK, folks, I've thrown my hat, er, story into the ring. I had some fun writing it, which I take as a good sign.

I was only able to get to it because I shipped off a proposal to a literary agent about representing my edited version of my father's autobiography. The working title is: The Invention of a New Science: A Firsthand Account from the Birth of Physical Oceanography.

It was a lot of work researching the agent and agency, and then crafting the letter and the rest of the submission, and the odds of being accepted are never good, but I have hope, so we'll see.

The basic problem with publishing anything is that there are so many other people publishing works that any given project or manuscript gets buried. I'm finding that with Bear and Girl. The book has drawn rave reviews and ratings, but doesn't sell much. Nothing wrong with the book – just too many alternatives.

Such is life in the modern era.

Quote by Molly

Good morning. I want to thank everyone for your patience with my silence. In the last few months, I've lost several people, I've been sick, and my father has not been doing well. It is hard to stay fully focused on being responsible when your mind is pulled to its breaking point. I want to publicly thank gillianleeza and Sherzahd for everything they do. They are amazing. I don't know what either I or the site would do without y'all.

As for my announcement, I thought a fun little summer flash was in order: https://www.storiesspace.com/forum/writing-competitions-and-calls-for-submissions/summer-love-competition

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So very sorry to hear that, Molly. You don't deserve that – no one does.

And thanks for thinking of us, even so.

Sounds like it should be a light-hearted and delightful comp! I already know the story I want to tell – an adaptation of something that actually happened to me – now I just have to find the time to write it.

Quote by verbal

Here in the US it’s “we stopped that nation-destroying bill from being passed” day. They voted all night long but thus far, they are unable to throw 11 million people off of health care to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Stay tuned.

EDIT: The bill passed the Senate. The billionaires are in charge now.

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There's more in that bill than just tax-cuts for billionaires at the expense of the poor, unfortunately. One thing that has largely escaped notice is all the money for ICE. It's just barely less than Canada spends in total on national defence!

What's that person going to do with all the money, and all those people, you ask?

He's going to set them up as his storm troopers, his SS. They've already shown a proclivity to nab people – any people, citizen or not, including "enemies" – without due process, to wear masks, and refuse to show ID. It's going to be "Nacht und Nebel" in the Land of the Free, I fear.

And I'm sure there are other rotten Easter eggs buried in the 1,000+ pages of crapola as well.

Quote by WriterGirl

I’m so glad you didn’t have any problems today. ❤️ I was worried about you and everyone out today after hearing about the Minnesota shootings. I was afraid other crazies would try to follow that crazy man’s actions.

They ARE following a crazy man's actions.

Although I'm not sure I would call that individual a "man."

Congratulations, WriterGIrl! I've long held that an artistic genius needs to feel compelled to create, and it's clear that you are. And both Ape and Verbs are right about your ability to create belieable, relatable characters.

So, well done! But now that there are no more mountains to climb, what do you plan to do? Rest on your laurels?

Somehow I don't see that in your future… 😉 ❤️

Well folks, I've been writing – just not fiction. Or at least, I don't think it's fiction…

I've co-written a paper for a technical journal on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence – and my co-author is an AI named … wait for it … Mycroft Holmes. I suggested the name but he enthusiastically concurred, so now it's Mike and Bear.

I've submitted it to Frontiers in Computer Science with the catchy title:

Your AI Is Good at Faking It—But How Intelligent Is It in Real Life?
Beyond Benchmarks: Measuring Emergent Meaning in Human–AI Partnerships

I feel quite sure it'll make the NYTimes bestseller list. 🙄 🤣

I'll take a big mug o' tea and wander back to commisserate with WriterGirl. Both of my parents are dead, and they managed their exits about as gracefully as I've seen it done. No muss, no fuss, no hospitals, tubes, or doctors. I should be so skillful!

WG, Gillian, you have my sincere empathy. It's gotta be soul-wrenching and gut-destroying. 💔

Hey there, hi there, ho there! I'm as simple as can be…

Or something like that.

Did you miss me? I'm elusive!

Sorry I've been AWOL folks, but life has been complicated. I've taken on a new project, and BIG one.

My father was a pioneering Oceanographer, starting in the 1940s and culminating around 1990 when he retired to be a professional golfer.

Before he died, he wrote his autobiography – all 156,000 words worth of it.

I sort of read it when he gave me a copy that he had printed at a local print shop, but more recently, I started to think more about it, especially as I now have experience in self-publishing.

It occurred to me that his autobiography is also about the invention of a new science: physical oceanography, and might be of interest to colleges, universities, researchers and research institutes, and people who enjoy reading about science and the history of science.

Accordingly, I'm going to attempt to edit his MS with an eye towards slightly refashioning it into a description of the invention of physical oceanography.

When I say he and his colleagues invented the field, I mean that quite literally. When they started it was thought that the ocean basins were mere repositories for sand from erosion on the continents that had been poured out by rivers. There were no instruments – they had to create them, dealing with conditions of extreme pressure and cold temperatures at the ocean bottom. And there was no one who could offer them any guidance.

Plus they had to deal with the constant problem of scientists everywhere and any time – to secure funding, and fend off political interference and censorship.

Sound familiar?

It's quite a task, but I'm hoping I can manage it.

Of course there have been other things going on in my life as well, like, um, well – life.

But I thought I would drop in, especially to read WriterGirl's creepfest, "Frayed", which I truly appreciated – even if I didn't find it light and fluffy!

Hi everybody! Gillian, I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. Life isn't usually fair, but it seems you've had more than your share of woe. 💔

So I'm having my snow tires removed on the Bear-mobile.

GOOD TIMING!

It's freezing out there this morning: -8, but feels like -18C, which is cold in almost anyone's lexicon.

But, Spring is coming. I'm holding onto that thought, especially because Lady Jay gets grumpy when it's sunny but too cold to go out and grub in the dirt.

While I'm here, I'll put on some nice Costa Rican medium roast from Second Cup Coffee Co., check that there's hot water for tea and infusion drinks, and restock the cooler.

I subscribe Paul Krugman's Substack feed. He doesn't sugar-coat stuff, and this morning talked about how the American health care system – such as it is – is being chaotically disassembled. Here's a chart he used to start the essay – and that's BEFORE the firings at CDC, NIH, FDA, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Buckle up, folks. It's going to be a rough ride for everyone. America was the world's hub for medical research. Not so much any more.

Quote by gillianleeza

The news cycle is both exhausting and horrifying. It's hard to stay positive.

My father's long-term care insurance provider finally evaluated him. We've been trying to activate his policy for months. I am convinced they slow the process and hope you'll give up or that the insured will die. Everything is exhausting, and now I not only have insomnia but have started walking in my sleep. I haven't done that since I was young.

I am sorry for complaining so much. I did not realize how badly I have been coping these days. I hope therapy and a trip to Germany at the end of the month can reset some things. I'm going to clean out a closet or organize some drawers now. If I can't sleep, I might as well get something done.

Have a good Thursday, everyone.

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That's precisely what insurers do, Gillian. It's corporate policy, whether written or unwritten, to delay and deny as long as they can.

As for insomnia, I'm not sure there are any good answers, but you can try meditation, and some gentle exercise, such as yoga or tai chi.

And looking forward to something positive helps, too.

But above all, take care of yourself. That's the only way you'll be able to help your dad.

Good morning everybody!

It's been a few days since I checked in, so forgive my absence. I've been busy working on publishing a book.

Let's get some caffeine happening.

We've got some nice Sumatran dark roast beans in the coffee urn, plus Yorkshire and Darjeeling teas on the sideboard.

Those cream-filled canolli seemed to go down a treat last time, so I brought some more.

We had some wildly weird weather yesterday – a whole season in one day!

It started with overcast, cloudy, and cool.

Then we had a near white-out, leaving the formerly bare ground covered in snow – again – with high winds.

Then the snow turned to ice pellets.

Then freezing rain.

And overnight we had repeated thunderstorms.

And this morning we have fog.

I'm expecting a plague of locusts and a rain of frogs at any moment!

How's everyone else doing today?

Howdy homies, it's Hump-Day!

I've got some fine Costa Rican medium roast in the pot, plus Early Grey and Buddha's Blend teas on the sideboard.

Plenty of hot water for other infusion drinks, and hot cocoa with marshmallows.

Cooler is stocked, fish are frozen, and all's right with the – coffee bar.

Out there? Not so much. The Orange Menace rages…supreme?

Let's hope not.

Hmmm…I seem to be first in.

Naming cats now? Sheesh. What next? Everybody knows that only Polar Bears need names.

We've got some mellow Farmer's Blend from Balzac's in the coffee pot, Darjeeling and Buddha's Blend teas in the sideboard, plus plenty of hot water for other drinks.

The cooler stocked, and the stock is cool, and I'm gonna lounge back in the corner booth with Writer Girl!

Elbows up, y'all!

Hi there y'all.

It's wet and rainy here today – but I gather that's the case for most of the Eastern Seacoast. WriterGirl might be getting thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes, so I hope she's battened down the hatches.

Jay has been out playing in the mud – I mean the garden – because there are early shoots poking up out of the ground. She gets elated over the new bulbs we planted last Fall coming up, then annoyed at the holes where the squirrels dug up others of the bulbs. And she's started to rake snow and leaves off some of the beds, even though our DIL says she shouldn't. At this time of year, Jay wants to SEE green shoots, even if it causes some burrowing bugs to go elsewhere.

I've got Dark and Stormy coffee blend from the Carib Coffee Co in Antigua brewing today. Seems appropriate.

And I've got some cannoli with various kinds of fillings for those who are NOT watching their waists.

I've checked the cooler, and Mendalla has kept everything fully stocked, and ready to go, so we're good.

Take care out there, everybody.

Elbows UP!

Quote by WriterGirl

I feel for you, Gillian! It truly is the hardest thing seeing a loved one suffer and caring for them while trying to live your life, too. Dad has a 3-yr long term health coverage policy. We just kicked it in and are not sure what we’ll do if Dad lives over three years. Mom only lived 1.5 years once we moved her to memory care. Fortunately, their insurance companies were great to work with.

Take care of yourself! Anxiety is an unwelcome companion for sure!

My Wildcats are fixing to play. Will be tough to get a win!

I agree with WG, Gillian. You can't give what you don't have, and if you fall apart, you won't be able to help your father – or the other people who depend on you.

The first rule of life-saving is not to become a second person that needs saving.

Therapy can help. Make sure you're working with a therapist with whom you feel comfortable, and whom you feel you can trust. If that's not this one, find one that you can work with.

Beautiful photos, Gillian. We've been to the Outer Banks, and two things stood out to us.

First, how beautiful it is.

And second, that people build homes in a place renowned for hurricanes – and then expect government assistance when their homes are demolished. Repeatedly.

In Canada, we share your frustration with that administration and the cretins that populate it. They seem to be doing everything in their power to destroy America, both internally and externally. America's reputation with its allies around the world is in tatters, and government services are going to become problematic. How do you trust a country that tears up long-standing treaties on the whim of an immature narcissist, and or a government that ignores laws?

Worse, the government services being eviscerated include weather forecasting, air traffic control, and debt management.

Ray Dalio, who is a famous hedge fund manager with a long history of anticipating problems and opportunities, has warned that America is flirting with disaster. Its deficits are so large that it has to borrow trillions of dollars on the world market every year. At the same time, it is alienating everyone who is likely to buy that debt. Bond buyers may wonder if America will honour its debts – or look to "restructure" them, which means default. The critical question is: Can we trust America?

Dalio is warning that one day, America will put bonds and t-bills up for sale – and there won't be enough buyers. That would cause interest rates to spike and could trigger a global financial panic.

Worse, Dalio says that such an event is "imminent".

It happened to New Zealand in 1984. It can happen to America.

The best thing to do, as an American citizen, is to call your senators and representative, and complain that you can't get the services you're paying taxes for, and you're not happy about it. Even if they don't respond, they tally the calls, and it affects how they behave.

As for us foreigners, all we can do is stand up to that puerile bully, and hope that America comes to her senses.

I know that doesn't assuage any of your worries, and I'm sorry about that. It's the world we're living in right now.

Hello everybody!

Beautiful – cold – sunny day here. The sun should warm things up (I hope), and the sun certainly created some excitement yesterday as it melted the snow around the front of our house. Then, late in the afternoon, when our 4-year-old granddaughter was walking home from school with her parents, they called us out to find … green shoots! Flowers beginning to poke up from beneath the snow!

Lady Jay, who is a gardener down to her (dirty) fingernails, was so excited. It gave her hope that perhaps Spring isn't too far away.

And with that, I'll take an Earl Grey tea to go, and I brought some peanut butter cookies to share.

And since it's been a while since I dropped in, congratulations to all the winners, especially Markie, Kat, and WriterGirl!

It was a fun competition! Thank you Molly for the inspiration!

I believe Mendalla has gone into the office. I'd love to see a photo of him in a suit and tie!

Anyway, there are Sumatran dark roast beans in the coffee pot, Earl Grey and Irish Breakfast teas on the sideboard, and hot water for hot chocolate and other hot beverages.

Take care out there, 'K?

You know I would have offered tea, sympathy, and a (cautious) ride to the doctor's office had I been there, right, WG?

I see there's no one around, so …

We're featuring Farmer's Blend from Balzac's Coffee Roastery today, with Orange Pekoe and Irish Breakfast teas.

There's hot water in the kettle for those wishing to make hot chocolate, and we always keep a supply of mini-marshmallows.

Cold drinks in the fridge – I don't see any lemonade, but there's probably some lemons if someone has the talent – and the squeeze.

And top of the morning – and the new month! – to y'all!

Quote by WriterGirl

Omg, I have a treadmill story for you! And a warning! I had a treadmill and it backed up to the edge of an old piano with pointed decorative wood on sides. I decided it was okay to text and jog. 🙄 Lost footing and flew backwards and pointed edge of piano rammed into my butt crack. 😳😳😳 I immediately fell off and couldn’t move my legs. I started screaming, “My Butt! My Butt!” Within a few minutes I felt my legs again but was in soooo much pain. My son rushed me to the Dr. I didn’t break my tailbone but badly bruised it. Like a knot the size of a peach formed and a two doctors were all up in my crack checking the damage. I had to sit on a donut for weeks. Haven’t been on a treadmill since!

Sounds, um … painful…That's really, uh, too bad, WG!

(covers mouth, trying very hard to stifle another expression of emotion)

Hi everybody! I'm back!!

Did you miss me?

Did anyone notice I was gone?

Hello?

(shoulders slump) Oh well…

Anyway, we're back from the Land of the Free(?!). Probably our last trip there until there is a positive Regime Change.

It was … interesting, and mostly quite enjoyable.

Just popped in to get some tea, but I'll brew up some Costa Rican dark coffee, and leave pots of Orange Pekoe and Darjeeling teas on the side for folks. Hot water for hot chocolate or other teas, of course.

Sorry – don't have any goodies to offer – other than my enchanting personality, I mean.

'Bye! Sunny day here today, cooler after yesterday's rain. I think it's about 16 or 17C – a long way from -8-10 at home!

I wonder if our snow service found our house under all the snow?

We'll find out later this month!

Yes, folks, it's true – here I am, back from vacation, just to enter the comp!

It's called:

A Chip Off the Writer's Block

Hope you like it!

(walks in and looks around)

Anyone got a cannon I can fire off in here?

Oh, well – it's Friday. Maybe everyone's out making plans.

I've got some fine Guatemalan dark roast coffee in the pot, plus Darjeeling and Matcha green teas on the side.

Didn't bring any cookies today – anyone got any goodies? Since Sara departed for parts unknown, we've been kinda hit or miss in that department.

Gillian, of course you can count on our vibes and support. We all go through hard times on occasion.

I've put Lavazza beans in the coffee maker, and we've got Orange Pekoe and English Breakfast teas on the sideboard.

(checks cookie jars) Hmmmm… gettin' a little thin on the ground here. I'm not a baker, but I'll see what I can scare up for baked goods.

There. Sugar cookies, and cream-filled cup cakes. That should hold most people's sweet teeth (sweet tooths?) for a while!

Yeah, well Lady Jay gave me a sign for my office door this Christmas. It says, "I think I seized the wrong day!"

Ha ha.

Anyway, I've cleaned out the coffee urn, and loaded it up with fresh Spring water, from the fresh Spring that runs through Jeff's story (I think) in the warmer months, plus some nice Costa Rican Gold, dark roast coffee.

We've got Oolong and Darjeeling teas on the sideboard, plus hot water galore for them what wants hot chocolate.

"Leave the story, take the …"

Jeez Louise.

OK, well we've got Café Roulade with cannoli cream. Take it or else.

How's everyone doing this fine, frosty Friday?

Good news for those of us who live around the Great Lakes: The recent Artic Vortex has frozen over about half of the lakes, which you will recall were unseasonably warm, with the result that there won't be as much lake-effect snow for the balance of the winter.

I'll take the silver linings when I can get 'em.

Quote by Mendalla

So we are back on the ship trying to relax on Serenity, the adults only deck, but there's a band playing loud on the ship across the pier from us. Right now they are covering Bon Jovi, which I can live with but it's not really what I want right now. Playing black metal at full volume can't drown it out. Are full broadside cannon volleys still legal in the Caribbean? ☠️😄

Absolutely cannon broadsides are legal in the Caribbean – provided you don't get caught!

Sounds like, music aside, you're having fun, Mendalla! Enjoy a cocktail for us, eh?

We've got Columbian medium-roast in the pot, and Darjeeling and Buddha's Blend teas on the sideboard, and some cream-filled cannoli that I picked up this morning on the way in.

Still cold today – like -25C with wind chill this morning, which is about -13F, so – cold however you count it!

Oh well. I've only got to go out and pick up groceries. I'm glad I had the Bear-mobile battery replaced earlier! It's all good now.