Weekend with my Momma

 "Got any weekend plans?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna see my momma."

Hurlyburly Hurricane

I woke not to the sound of the storms outside, but to my dog barking.  Surprising, considering just how hard the wind was blowing the rain against the windows. But, Cooper decided he HAD to go out.  

I joke that he is an old man and one of the many reasons for that slight is the fact that he always seems to need to get up in the middle of the night to pee.  There are many nights where I am awoken by the slight jingle of his collar as he gets down from the bed to go drink from his bowl and then wake me up to let me know he has to go outside to relieve himself.  

That's on a good night when he actually bothers to wake me up of course.  All things considered though -- I'll take a wake up to having to spray the carpet.

This time, however, I tried to convince him otherwise.  Especially when I walked past my sliding glass door and saw just how violent the weather outside was.  It wasn't tornado level (thankfully), but it looked like the kind of weather that one should stay in bed as opposed to stepping outside and immediately getting soaked or worse.  I said as much to Cooper but, being a dog, he barked his insistence for the outdoors.

Weekend Coffee Share | Patio Make Over

Welcome back, friend.  

I'm glad you could stop by and visit.  Did you notice something new?  Well, my parents were by this morning and we were able to spruce up my apartment patio area with flowers, plants, and a new set of windchimes.  Best of all, my mother gifted me a cafe table and chair that she had originally found by the side of the road.  I had mentioned how I wanted to write outside more, but my furnishings at the time were less than ideal for it.  

Cue my mother saying "Oh.  I have a table out back that might work for that."  

And, sure enough, it fits perfectly on the patio and is the right size to hold my laptop, a cup of coffee, and allow me to actually sit up in the chair instead of slouching over my portable lap desk.  

My dad contributed to my patio make over by putting up some mesh wire so that my dog could not slip out between the bars and as of this writing he's currently lounging out here and enjoying the view with us. 

If Ever There was a Door

 

I stopped at the end of the trail.  The contrast between the forest around me and the field beyond me was stark to say the least.  It was like a border.  Perhaps I've read too many fantasy novels, but all I could imagine was that if I stepped over the abandoned rubble with my dog and my friend we would be transported to another realm.  

I wish I could say I was writing this slice on the other side of a grand adventure, but that is not the case.  However, I do not want to disparage the lovely patch of grass my friend, my dog, and I came upon during our walk this past Sunday.  The weather was warm, the skies were a shade of blue that can never be properly captured on film much less written word, and this field was tucked at the end of a small hiking trail near a river-side boat launch.

My friend and I had come prepared to draw and write in our notebooks, but instead we spread our blankets out among a field of vibrant grass and clover.  Perhaps it wasn't the fantastical world of elves and fairies, but it was for a moment a world separate from the weight of responsibility and expectation.  There's magic in that alone. 

And certainly that's the best way I can describe the feeling of stretching out and lying down in a secret field. I don't know if I've sprawled out in the grass like that since I was a child.  The sun shining bright -- so bright, that when you open your eyes again all of the colors are off -- and the sky stretching above me as though reflecting all of the possibilities that exist in this world.  My friend, my dog, and I all took a moment to enjoy this parallel world, but all too soon we had to leave.

I now have a better understanding for those stories where mortals leave this plane and elect to stay in fairy world forever.  

#SOL21 | 27 | Chatting Over Coffee

Welcome to another weekend of sharing a nice warm mug of coffee (or your drink of choice) and some time together thanks to Natalie's link up: Weekend Coffee Share.

This is also the last Saturday of the Slice of Life story challenge (see the information at the bottom of this post).  I can't believe we're in the final stretch.  Last year when I first did the SOLSC I don't think I came anywhere close to blogging all 31 days!  Now here we are at the end and, though I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying this, this time I may actually manage to share a slice every day this month.

But there are still a few days to go before that happens.  Instead I'd like to tell you about my week as we sit sipping our coffee.  I've really been inspired by how Tammy structures her coffee share posts, so I am going to try and mimic that writing style today.

If we were having coffee, I would lead us outside to my patio with our mugs.  I would mention how I just got a new order of coffee in from Grounds and Hounds that I hope we can both enjoy.  We can hear the birds singing in the trees and a quiet lofi song plays from my laptop.  It's cloudy and cool this morning, but pleasant if you have a warm beverage to enjoy.  It's a little disappointing after the sunshine of most of the week, but at least it's not raining yet.  There are likely to be storms later, but at least we're outside for now.  There's a small window to enjoy temperatures like this in the southern US and I want to take every advantage I can to be outside.  

If we were having coffee, I would point out my nearly empty bird feeder and the new hummingbird feeder I put out.  According to what I've read the hummingbirds should be migrating through my state soon and I want to make sure I catch their attention this year.  I just hope it doesn't draw ants or wasps instead.  The other birds are happily partaking of the bird seed at least and I'll probably need to refill that soon.  Unfortunately, it looks like they may have also attracted a cat to skulk around this morning.  Her belly is low to the ground though and I'm starting to wonder if maybe she is a pregnant cat looking for a safe place to give birth.  I really don't need a cat or her kittens -- my dog Cooper doesn't share attention easily.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about the adventures I went on with my dog this week.  It was our Spring Break and I forgot how nice it was to just take things slow and go out into nature.  I took Cooper to several parks and gardens.  I tried to get him to ride in a special dog-back pack I bought, but he was pretty stubborn about that and insisted on being on the ground.  I think he enjoyed getting to smell and leave his mark on all the trees and bushes.  While he did that, I would try and leave my mark on the pages of my notebook: sketching the plants and creeks and scenery in either drawing or words.  It was pleasant and did wonders for my anxiety and stress, the opposite of having to brave certain crowded places in a mix of masked and non-masked individuals.

If we were having coffee, I would definitely share those pages of my notebook with you, as well as, some of the pictures I took of my time out and about yesterday with my friend Katie.  We are both vaccinated and felt a little more comfortable eating outdoors at a restaurant in Hot Springs called Diablos Tacos & Mezcal.  We ordered tacos and margarita flights to top off a day of shopping and garden walking.  It was delightful, though I'll admit I probably drank a few two many margaritas.  It was a nice treat for myself though and I don't regret the money spent at all.  

If we were having coffee, I would sigh and say that unfortunately we are going back to school next week and that I'm not sure I'm ready for Spring Break to be over.  It was relaxing and I have not yet prepared lessons for Monday.  It's still break though and I need to focus on that, not the fact that I didn't grade anything over break.  It really is hard to get out of the mindset that I should work during this time -- I shouldn't!  I've also reached another snag in my novel writing because I've reached a part in the story that's new and not just revisions, so it's causing some frustrations for me to write.  I know I just need to push through it, but it's not always easy to find the motivation to even open the document.

If we were having coffee, I would reach over and pet my dog's head for comfort.  He's sleeping soundly, even snoring, likely still exhausted from yesterday's adventures.  I would offer you a smile and invite you to share your celebrations and frustrations as well.  No sense in me doing all of the talking.

I'll sip my coffee and wait for you.  After all, it's not raining yet and the coffee is still warm.

This post is part of the 14th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge.  

                    #SOL21 and information around Slicing can be found on Two Writing Teachers. 

#SOL21 | 24 | Cooper's Three Stop Field Trip

Hi!  My name is Cooper and I'm a dog.  I had a busy day today because my mom took me to not one, not two, but THREE different parks.  

I didn't pay attention at first as she prepared food in the kitchen, though I did start to get suspicious when she packed food and a book and a metal box in her backpack.  Usually that's what she does when she is going to work and about to put me in the kennel.  I started following her around, hoping to remind her that she shouldn't leave me!  We were doing so good this week -- I thought we had finally broken the cycle of putting me in the kennel.  It looks like she was backsliding though.  Again.

Luckily, it must have worked.  She slipped on her shoes and put my leash on me and we headed out to the car.  

#SOL21 | 05 | Who is Watching?

Am I the only person nosey enough to peer into people's windows as I walk past them?  I'm not talking full on face pressed against the glass or anything.  But if a window has its blinds open and you can see inside someone's space, do you mean to tell me you avert your eyes or are you like me and you take a peek into what's happening in there?

Maybe that's just an apartment thing.  After all, it's not like there's a yard to keep the distance.

I don't mean to do it, but as someone constantly on the look out for the next character, story, or slice idea it's hard not to take a peek into the living rooms of others as they have their blinds pulled back and their light streaming out practically inviting me to do so.

This is on my mind because while walking my dog, Cooper, this past evening I had to double take as on the second floor I caught sight of someone who had a deer head mounted in their apartment living room.  I've seen deer head décor before, but it never occurred to me that something so big would be in someone's apartment.  

Here are a few other things I have noticed when walking my dog around our apartment complex:

- There is an apartment on the back side of the building with a tiny kitten who occasionally pokes his head between the closed blinds.  I always shout KITTY! when I see him.  I have no idea why.

- The apartment at the end of the row has a pair of chihuahuas that absolutely DO NOT like Cooper.  I can usually count down when they will begin barking at us as we walk past.  I've made it a bit of a game.

-  The couple on the front-side, second story of my building who regularly watch anime and I try to identify what they are watching as I walk back to my own apartment to watch anime.

- The guy on the second floor with a dog that also likes to bark at Cooper.  Last night her owner was with her on the balcony and when the barking began he chided the dog, "Oh. My. God. Hannah. Shut up."

Of course, most people keep their blinds closed.  I suppose there's a reason for that.