Thanks, Bear! Tea and cookies for a chilly day!! At least the sun is out in full force again. Rumor has it tomorrow will be warmer. I wouldn’t whine but it’s been too cold to swim and that is how I manage my brother’s Physical Therapy.

Spent a good portion of my evening on the couch binge watching season 3 of Jack Ryan. Made it through episode 7 and had to call it a night.

I published a new story here that I finally finished editing if anyone is interested in taking a look.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/fantasy/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road

Hope all y’all had a good weekend.

Quote by rolandlytle

Good afternoon to all!

Aaron, my grandson, Is fine. However, he will be wearing a knee brace for a couple of weeks. Thanks, Verbal. I was a well-scouted catcher in high school until I broke my kneecap. A year later, I completely recovered. But no one scouts young catchers with knee injuries. I am sorry, Verbal, but I forgot your favorite baseball team. Who is it?

Gillian, the medication should be alright for a year or two past the expiration date. They set a date of 80-50% of the actual average date to be safe for drugs that do not require special handling. It is almost as bad in hospitals with that trifecta of respiratory diseases as it was at the worst of Covid.

Peace and health for everyone! JLYSDI! ❤️

Glad to hear your grandson is on the mend. Prayers for a speedy and full recovery.

Quote by JustAnotherSapphic

Oh god. I hesitate to even say this cause I really don’t want y’all to laugh at me (even though I know my taste in people can get interesting at times) but I - I was pretty much body slammed with feelings for Drew at the end of last week.

This is why I try not to hold them in but like - he’s really near and dear to my heart (and has been from his first day hosting TPIR) so yeah, I’m a bit of a mess.

Well hell! I had a lovely response all typed and hit the wrong button and it all disappeared! I should know better than to try to post from my phone. The gist of it was that people who truly care about you, Elyse, would never laugh at y’all. Feelings are feelings and can always express them among friends.

Doc says I have to wait until Friday to start round 2 of treatment since I’m still not 100% from the stomach bug that derailed me for nearly a week. But it’s supposed to be chilly this weekend so I won’t be missing much. It will be a good weekend to catch up on some reading

If there are any stories here you wish had gotten more attention along the way, feel free to drop me a message or, better yet, post the link for me here!

For the first time in DAYS, my stomach is finally returning to something resembling normal. Still off a bit, but I feel well enough to peek in the Scooby Doo cookie jar! (But just one cookie! Doc suggested small meals for a while).

Spoke to my "brother of the heart" this afternoon. We spent time catching up because I texted him this morning to let him know I was thinking about him. I've decided I need to do more of that...reach out to people. I'm notorious for getting lost in my own little world.

Hope all y'all are having a good day!

That story is really good! I recommend it as well.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/general/pa-smoked-a-pipe-and-it-smelled-fine

I was supposed to go to the dentist this morning too. However my stomach virus decided otherwise. I discovered that norovirus can be stubborn and hang on for days. ☹️

So, I’m gonna stay over here in my corner and sip on a cola. I did manage some toast today.

On the bright side, the 15 pounds I gained during the holidays (starting with Thanksgiving and ending with NY) is already more than half gone.

Quote by verbal

Yikes! I hate food poisoning! Feel better. I really enjoyed your micro - you described the terror and joy of parenthood in 100 words perfectly.

Roland, sorry your head is mushy today. I'm hoping things will improve, it's nice to see you around here.

We went out to breakfast at our favorite place, and the wait was long, and the food and coffee was cold, so I'm in an irritable mood. Trying to edit, but my head isn't in it. Maybe I'll take a nap.

Until then, I'll have a cookie to munch on.

Naps are underrated. I’ve taken several over the past couple of days and I highly recommend them.

Still not 100 % here but I’m starting to turn a corner I think. Oh maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

The daughter in the latest micro called me today when she lost the connection with her bf as he drove home from being out of state for a while. He said his car made a funny noise right before the connection was interrupted. A half hour had gone by and his phone kept going to voicemail. She was so concerned that she couldn’t get hold of him again that she called the police in the city where he was when the phone went dead. Turned out he lost signal and was fine. But she admitted that worrying about someone you love can cause huge amounts of anxiety. No kidding! Lol. Have to admit, it made me feel good that she still reaches out to me when she needs a calm voice.

Imma have another Coca Cola. I think it’s helping. Maybe tomorrow I will feel good enough to have a cookie too! Maybe I’ll just sneak one into a ziplock baggie for later. 😉

Been fighting a stomach bug the past few days. Although it could very well be food poisoning as that lasts longer than I realized. Only one other person got sick though, so it could be just stomach virus.

So I will skip my typical tea in favor of a Coca Cola. I will be in the corner, watching football (American that is) and working on a new story. Anything to keep my mind off my tummy.

Wow! I’m very glad I managed to finish this story in time! I am so excited to place in the top 3! Congratulations to everyone who placed! I’m so honored to have finally reached the podium!

There were some incredible stories in this comp!!

Quote by Mendalla

🤣Yeah, the 21st century seemed so far off at one time, eh. The original Bladerunner was set in 2019 (made in 1982). Last I checked, we didn't have androids and flying cars in 2019, though maybe I missed something. 😋The sequel came out in 2017 and is dated 2049. So maybe some of us will get to see how it compares to the real "future".

Back on October 21, 2015, my son and I went to a local old style theater to see “Back to the Future” since that was the date that Doc Brown and Marty McFly landed in the future. Fun times!

Quote by Mendalla

Better keep your distance from me then. 😜

More seriously, my maternal uncle had nut allergies and we used to think that's what killed him. Later learned his heart (their family's big weakness, it's what killed my mother) was the problem moreso than an anaphylactic reaction.

Nuts are only a problem if I ingest them. It would be rude for me to bite, so I think we are both safe. 😉 But I always carry my epi-pen just in case

Fortunately, I have a strong heart. But a weakness for cookies. Scooby Snacks will be my safe choice here. My daughter likes to make a dip called Pumpkin Fluff and we use Scooby Snacks for dipping. Sinfully delicious!

I am allergic to all nuts, sadly. But I LOVE Scooby Snacks! Many thanks for being the best cookie fairy ever, Sara! I'm gonna have some of that hot cocoa, too, even though it's seventy here today.

Wonders if there are any cookies left...

Tea will have to do.

Admittedly, I do my best poems and micros on my iPhone.

Good morning from the foggy beach! From my living room window I can’t tell the Gulf of Mexico is actually out there, the fog is so dense.

I’ve never tried Black Currant tea, but it sounds intriguing.

It might be a good day to write since it’s doubtful it will be a good beach day.

I making it my goal to write more stories here, even if they are micros or poetry.

I am also going to try to read more stories. Message me with a link if you have one you’d love me to check out.

A cuppa tea to relax before bedtime feels like just the thing!

Happy birthday Sara! 🥳🥳🥳

The fog rolled back in today, so it’s gloomy outside.

Thanks to everyone who read, liked, and/or commented on my comp story. I appreciate those who promoted me to finish and submit it. It helped me stretch a little! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the comp stories.

Wishing my stories appealed to more friends and readers here.

A relaxing, cozy place to sit and read and write.

Another foggy morning here on the beach but it looks like it will burn off a bit better today than yesterday. Just poking my head in to say hello and hope the new year is off to a good start for all y’all.

Happy New Year everyone! As we celebrate across the time zones may we all experience peace and joy.

This looks like an interesting challenge. 😎

Congratulations to all those who placed in the top 10 for the poetry comp. And to all those that entered such amazing poems but didn’t get a top 10 nod, know that I sure wouldn’t have wanted to be a judge in this comp. So many good pieces!

Sipping some tea this morning contemplating my day. Hope all y’all have a lovely Saturday!

Quote by Molly

I would like to thank each and every one of you that participated, read, scored, commented, and judged. We couldn't do this without you and I appreciate you and your contributions to this site.

So without further ado, I would like to congratulate your top 10!

~

1st Place: The Conscious Dreamer by  WriterGirl

2nd Place: Spirit Of Someone by  InThisMoment

3rd Place: Lonely Reverie by  Mendalla

~

4th Place: The Interview of Invocation and Invitation by  OpheliaTusk

5th Place: Darkness, Thief Of Light by  KatarinaTechgoddess

6th Place: Hunted by  TheShyThespian

7th Place: Impossible by  Dreamcatcher

8th Place: Long Game by  verbal

9th Place: Time by  Brad_Naylor

10th Place: Unrequited by  redwriter

Everyone did such a wonderful job and I heard from all the judges that this was one of the hardest comps for them to decide. You should all be proud of yourselves and I look forward to seeing all of you in the next competition.

To the top three, I will be in touch regarding your prizes!

Congratulations to the top three (yay, Kimmi, you’re number one!) and the remaining top ten. I’m blown away to be in that list! Fifth place feels good when it’s been a hot minute for me as far as comps go.

I loved all the feedback I got on my poem.

Thanks so much for hosting a great competition.

There were so many amazing poems (many of which didn’t place) and such an outpouring of talent. Poetry is hard. But y’all made it look easy.

Another cup of tea for me

With lemon and some sweet honey

To soothe my throat so sore and dry

And comfort as the day goes by

Happy Sunday all y’all 😎☕️

Thanks James. I’m grabbing a quick cuppa tea between the gym and the pool. No rest for the wicked. TGIF all y’all.

Quote by JamesPBear

Take care, Kat! That doesn't sound like something worth being impatient about!

Well, folks. I guess the moderators located an emergency supply of barf bags, because they published my poem. I won't say approved it…

Anyway, you can find it here:

It Was A Dream…

Ah, but Bear, There isn’t much I can eat without the shots. So many food allergies. That’s why I’m impatient.

And you blaspheme my friend, no barf bags are necessary, as your poem is fabulous!

Quote by Mendalla

God, and we are complaining about how long it takes some stuff to arrive. At least what we are waiting for isn't potentially life-saving, just annoying to not have. Hope they show soon.

Technically I shouldn’t be going out anywhere without the new epi-pens. But the nurse did assure me that being only one month beyond the expiration date, I should be fine. But apparently not fine enough to give me the serum. Praying the damn things come before 2 pm tomorrow. Otherwise I have to wait until next week to get vials. In which case I’m gonna have to be extra careful to avoid my food sensitivity list (Aka everything that tastes good). Ah well. It could be worse. It’s just frustrating to wait.

Thanks, James, for reading my story and suggesting it to others. It sat languishing on my flash drive for so long that I wasn't sure I'd ever finish it and publish it. So, many thanks for giving it some attention!

I had a poem all written and then realized it doesn't fit the comp! UGH! I will have to see if I can revise it to fit or if I'm gonna have to start from scratch.

I'm currently waiting for my new epi-pens to arrive so that I can go pick up my new vials of serum. I paid for the damn things, but my current epi-pens are expired. So, the ENT won't let me have the vials until I have an unexpired one in my hand and the company that sends my Auvi-Q is behind in sending my new pens. It's annoying because these pens were ordered nearly 3 weeks ago. They should have arrived in plenty of time.

Okay, rant over. I'll have a cup of tea and see if I can find my inner calm again.