Flash in the Pan – Come

The fog hung heavy as a wet sheet shrouding the naked trees. The confused pair couldn’t see past a nose. Footfall on dried leaves warned they weren’t alone.

The quaking boy tugged on the weary girl’s hand. He breathed into her little ear. “Come—this way.”The girl’s forehead drew tight. He nodded, outstretched hand before him, scanning.

Wikipedia Commons

Snap.

He squinted behind them but no image unfurled.

Snap.

“Run, Lucy. Don’t let go my hand.” Four little feet churned sticks and leaves until they crashed and plunged. Soft autumn leaves cushioned and covered the runaways.

“I’m right behind you!”

Crack!

~ * ~

The word limit for Come is 100 words. I used all of them.

Check out http://mommasmoneymatters.com/flash-fiction/ for the rules and to join the fun.

Flash in the Pan – Lightening

Slim ran a three-finger hand through his hair; his chin dropped to his chest. “I don’t know what the world’s coming to,” he said.

Moose shook his head. “Big Sam was having a barbeque, you say?

“Yeah, last Saturday. I never seen a kid so broken up. Poor Jackie.”

“That Big Sam’s kid?”

“Yeah, small for his age—only nine years old. He’s the one found it.” Slim looked away; his shoulders sagged.

Moose cleared his throat. “Geez—no way.” He closed his eyes.

“Kid can’t get it—his new dog is dead. Had the pup but two months,” Slim said in a gruff voice.

“They know who done it?”

“Nope, but it was white lightening in the water dish.

“Ah, stupid. Stupid waste.”

~ o ~

Lightning was inspired by M3 Flash Fiction challenge. DO check it out and play!

The word limit for dinner was 125 words; this post is a mere 124 words.

Whose Money is it by the Way?

I don’t recall if I’ve had a good rant this year. You can’t expect a body to remember everything she’s done over a six- month period, or is it in the last half-year? I can’t remember where I put my glasses two minutes ago…or is it three…whatever. If I don’t get to the point soon I’m going to lose my train of thought. Where was I?

Let’s talk groceries; my favourite subject. The packaging is getting smaller. Who’s noticed? Let’s look at pasta. Wait a minute. Is pasta measured in grams or litres? I might venture one is for dry goods and the other is for wet. Never mind. I know a way that’s a lot easier to visualize without the confusion.  To put this strange measuring into prespective, think a one litre bottle (L)  vs a 750- millilitre (ml) bottle of wine. The difference is something like 250 ml. Sometimes I think I make this stuff up because I was slow in grade school. You may think I’m a cheap wino but I know how to subtract. Pay attention to smaller sizes and higher prices. I know you get the picture so stop smirking.

The first time I recall making a whole box of pasta (375 grams or was it more at some point?), I had so much I couldn’t give it away. One package doesn’t go as far nowadays. I do save the leftovers but I don’t have much after four servings. Whole wheat and whole grain pasta is being promoted as heart healthy (but in a 300 gram-size) and the price has—you guessed it—steadily crept up as the content has shrunk. I’m positive the 375-gram box is smaller thanI remember, but I wasn’t paying attention when I should have been; I wasn’t retired yet. Everybody is downsizing one way or another except for my tush, it seems.

Tuna is a favourite pantry item I keep on hand and am always afraid I’ll forget to restock. I make a mean tuna salad with white kidney beans and chopped celery I adore. (Let me know and I’ll post the recipe.) You know those days when lunchtime munchies won’t leave you alone? Most days I’m satisfied with a big tossed salad, especially in summertime, or homemade soup out of my freezer. Today it’s tuna salad straight up (sometimes I go nuts and mix tuna and a tossed salad together).  Not long ago those little tins of tuna cost only 77₵. The past few months the price has been sneaking up ten cents each time I go shopping. This week they’re up to $1.07.

Nobody likes to talk about—I can’t understand why—papier toilettes. (Sounds better in French, doesn’t it?) You thought I’m not aware of your sensitivities, maybe? I’ll ignore the insult.

Let’s get back to the subject at hand—oops. Stop being so squeamish and let me finish. This time the packaging is getting BIGGER. Yep, I said bigger- looking. Instead of buying eight or twelve (single) rolls, somebody thought fifteen DOUBLE rolls is better—double rolls, count ‘em, equal to thirty regular rolls. Wow! What a bargain. Think again. They’re not wound as tight as they once were. Take note a roll doesn’t go as far as it did once. Am I right?

In the end, what will a dollar buy in the future–a quarter-cup of cereal? Remember not long ago old folks said a cup of coffee used to cost a dime? How much is it now?

Happiness is…

Mostly, it’s the little things that make me happy. At first look, they might seem small and meaningless but just wait till you get to be my age, you’ll appreciate them too. In the grand scheme of things, the smaller they seem, the greater the pleasure. Let you show you some of them—it’s not THAT funny!

• finding the leftover chocolate when scavenging for a snack and not worrying how long it’s been there
• finding my slippers in the middle of the night on the way to the can
• finding I’ve pulled up the covers on the bed on the way to the bathroom so the bed’s nice and warm when I return. Yay.
• not having to get up to the can more than once or twice a night. Burrrr.
• the cat’s sleeping in and not waking me to feed him
• sleeping past 6:00 AM
• giving up on all those miracle creams that are NOT working their magic anymore
• not forgetting to gas up before my trip so I won’t be stranded
• finding my keys where I put them (in my purse)
• finding my cell phone still has a charge
• remembering my PIN number

If I could just remember where I’ve put my glasses, life would be almost perfect. Oh, by the way,  I can’t forget that my lip reading skills aren’t up to scratch yet so I have to keep asking my kids and grandkids to repeat the question…or is it the answer?