People born on Leap Day in a Leap Year are called Leaplings.
Thanks to Linda Hill, #1LinerWeds, and for the badge, thanks to Laura@riddlefromthemiddle.com.
#1LinerWeds – February 29, 2024
Revenge
Friday Fictioneers
Claire saw the old vehicle being lifted from the bottom of the lake. Her mother had drowned in that car and it was her fault. Her mom was teaching her to drive. She lost control of the car and they landed in the roadside lake.
The accident was months ago and she could see the damage to the car. Rust and a crooked door where her mom fought so hard to get out. Claire smiled, then looked around to see if anyone saw her. She had finally paid her mother back for all those injustices she’d suffered in her childhood.
100 words
Thanks to Rochelle and Friday Fictioneers and to Fleur Lind for the photo.
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Do You Like the Age You are now?
Do I like the age I am now? This is a loaded question! Of course, the age I am now is better than the alternative of not being here at all. Is it my favorite age (or decade)? Absolutely not.
I’m grateful to be any age since I am still alive and reasonably well, but this is not my favorite decade. I’m at the age where I’m considered to get getting old. In America, when you are getting old in other people’s eyes, you suddenly become invisible. You’re not taken seriously anymore. You aren’t considered to be the wise counsel you once were. You are thought to be behind the times. The amazing thing is that none of those factors may apply to you, but ageism in the U.S. is real. Older people seeking employment are not as valuable to most employers as younger people even though we have a lifetime of learning and wisdom.
On a practical level, yes, I have aches and pains and even a full-blown chronic illness. The chronic illness bothers me more than it used to. It is now harder to control and just managing it has become aggravating. At my age, friends and family have started to die off. I had four very close losses in 2023 alone, most younger than I am. Because the world sees older people as invisible, you experience loneliness. Younger people think people my age are out of touch. If only they could know the truth! We are still 35 in our heads. At my age, most of my friends, including myself, are retired or semi-retired. Retirement is not all it is cracked up to be.
Do I like the age I am now? A resounding no, but it’s way better than the alternative.
@rosemary carlson
Thanks to Sunday Poser.
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The Sheriff
They were finally at the cabin they would call home after a harrowing journey. The wind had torn the cover on the wagon to shreds. They felt torn to shreds by the hardships of their perilous trip.
They walked into their new home. A cabin where she was sure the wind would blow through the cracks between the logs. She could envision their rag rugs on the floor and the colorful flour sacks sitting with food around the kitchen. The cabin had potential.
There was a knock at the door. She looked out the window and there stood the Sheriff.
100 words
Thanks to Friday Fictioneers for the challenge and to Alicia Jamtaas for the photo prompt.
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Does Capitalism Need Democracy?
It’s a beautiful Sunday morning, but cold, in northeast Kentucky. If you just look out the window, it looks like June. If you walk out the door, it’s January. At least it is a sunny winter day!
I heard a news clip first thing this morning – a debate about democracy and the state of our democracy in the U.S. Since my field is finance (though my interests range far and wide), the news clip made me ponder our form of government, which is democracy, and think about it in relation to our economic system, which is capitalism. Since many or most Americans believe firmly in an economic system of capitalism, how can we also believe in a dictatorship where businesses are owned by the government and workers are only paid a wage? I see a contradiction there.
Some fear that the U.S. is moving toward the theocracy form of government where the laws of the state are based on the laws of whatever the dominant religion is in the country and the leader is seen as some sort of religious deity. Although there may be less room for corruption in a theocracy since governmental activities are confined to a few, most theocracies are unstable. Although there are theocracies that have a fairly successful capitalistic economic system, Israel being an example, there is not as much economic growth or personal freedom as in a democracy. Again, I see a contradiction.
Then, we have the monarchy form of government, but I’m not even going there today!
Americans, or most Americans, believe in a capitalist form of economic system. They denounce socialism since they don’t want the government to own the means of production or the companies that drive economic growth, development and stability.
We have a lot to think about and consider in this most important election year of 2024. We have two candidates running for the highest office in the land with very different perspectives. What are your thoughts? Comments?
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#weekendcoffeeshare – February 24, 2024.
Living the dream in the deep woods of Kentucky
Welcome to my #weekendcoffee share on February 24, 2024. It has been a long time since I have been able to pay attention to my blog, but that’s about to change. I welcome all of you who might remember me and everyone new as well!
Up until recently, I was writing full-time, but I have retired. I may work on a book, but I’m not going to write for a living anymore. It’s the time in my life to write what I want to, write a book, and develop this blog.
It’s almost spring here in Kentucky and it can’t come soon enough for me. We have had a very mild winter, the mildest winter I can remember here in Kentucky. We’ve had a little snow a few times but very little. We have had some really cold temperatures, but just as often, it has been spring-like outdoors. What an odd winter it has been. Climate change, perhaps?
A few months ago, I wrapped up my job and, after two careers, finally retired. I last worked for a Wall Street firm, SmartAsset. What a great employer! I wrote financial articles for them for a couple of years and it was really a good experience even though I worked 16 hours a day! Before SmartAsset, I worked for a number of Wall Street firms along with the New York Times. Prior to that, I was a college professor of finance for 27 years. Now, after so many years of work, it feels good to be retired although I do miss it. Here, on my blog, I hope to continue to write about subjects close to my heart including Appalachia and other topics. I also like to participate in challenges here.
To re-introduce myself to you, and just introduce myself to anyone who is new, I have been writing and teaching for many years. I’m now older even though I still feel like I’m 35 in my head! I won’t say that age is just a number. Believe me, age and aging is real. Another subject I’ll write about here. You can expect 2-3 posts per week from me. I live in the country near a small town in Kentucky, a beautiful state. I live very near the Bluegrass, horse farm country. My family includes my husband, also retired and with some serious heart issues, and two dogs and one cat. More about the livestock here later!
Late February, I think, is an odd time of year. Not quite still winter, but not spring yet. At least not here. The days vary from very cold to quite warm. But there aren’t many signs of spring yet except the horses are having their babies and they are adorable when they are out in the fields. I am definitely anxious for spring.
That’s all for now. I welcome you all to my #weekendendcoffeeshare. I hope to see you again soon. If any of you know of any challenges that are currently ongoing, please drop me a note in the comments section and let me know where I can find them.
Thank you!
#weekendcoffeeshare is sponsored by Natalie of Natalie the Explorer
Rosemary
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The Ruins of Our Lives
By R.M. Carlson
Photo Credit @ Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
She lifted the baby out of his crib. As she raised up, she smelled something burning. She took a quick look around her apartment. She heard the commotion in the street and walked to the doorway. There, in the middle of the usually quiet suburban street, was a bonfire. The fuel was books and the soldiers were gleeful.
Laying her son back in his crib, she started gathering their things. She didn’t know where they would go but away from here. Her son would have a chance at a good life and freedom.
Thanks to Rochelle for Friday Fictioneers.
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On the Run
”Where can we go to hide?” Amy Wu asked her fellow escapee, Chien-Chi.
”I know just the place where we can get lost,” Chien-Chi replied. “Follow me.”
Amy had escaped the mob who wanted to use her tiny Chinatown store to store weapons. She had refused. Her friend, Chien-Chi was trying to help.
Amy followed Chien-Chi as he sprinted through Chinatown, He skidded into a Chinese restaurant and she followed. It was busy and a maze. Easy to get lost.
Amy followed the owner to the back of the restaurant. There was the freezer. Her purserers stood right beside it.
For Friday Fictioneers. Thanks, Rochelle!
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#weekendcoffeeshare 83
Good Sunday morning! If we were having coffee this beautiful late summer day, I would invite you in and offer you any of the coffees or teas you fancy. So help yourself to a cuppa, pull up a chair and let’s talk!
It’s been a beautiful weather week here in the Upper South region of the United States. Specifically, just as information for those of you who are new, the state is Kentucky, the northeastern part near the southern Ohio border. My grandfather used to call the weather we’ve been having “bright, blue days.” They usually only happen here in June and September, so the weather is early this year. Does that mean an early winter? I love the bright, blue days. The temperature is warm and the humidity has dropped. Perfect! All in all, it’s been a wet summer here. I’m aware of the drought in many areas of the U.S., but not here. The Appalachian area south and east of me, Eastern Kentucky, had a record-shattering “1000 year flood” recently. So many Kentucky residents are shoveling mud and trying rebuild. It’s very heartwrenching.
Did you meet your writing goals this past week? I’ve been taking a break from writing, but I’m about to jump back in it with both feet. I’m working on a couple of books that I’m determined to finish. I don’t really see much hope for working much in the next couple of weeks. It’s an awkward time of year with just a couple of weeks left until the unofficial start of the fall season, Labor Day weekend, arrives. It’s also pretty busy with the students going back to school. We tend to go back to work after Labor Day if we have been vacationing. Until life settles down, I will probably stick to blogging.
This is the time of year I take a close look at my flower gardens. Some of you know I live in the woods, so it’s impossible to garden for veggies. I’ve been making notes on these flower beds around the house to see what I need to replace. I want to know what did well and what did poorly. As far as veggies go, we go to a local farmer’s market and get amazing green beans, corn, cantaloupe, beets, strawberries and much more. We have had wonderful, healthy eating this summer. I love to cook if I have fresh vegetables and fresh fruit to use.
It seems my days are filled with appointments of one kind or another and small, but necessary, projects around the house. I can’t do nearly as much as I could just a couple of years ago. Time marches on and I’m surely not a spring chicken any longer. My body (and soul) tell me that every day.
Sometimes, I worry because my tolerance for other people, up close and in person, is at an all-time low. I’ve always been a loner, an introvert. Still am and on top of that, I don’t like to be around people much these days. The pandemic helped me grow accustomed to not being able to see my family and friends, which is one of the biggest effects of the pandemic on lots of people. I usually prefer more private pursuits now, either with my husband, or alone. I save my very limited energy for that.
We would have liked to have done a little traveling this summer in our RV. Who can afford that? At current gas prices, it would cost $500 to fill up the gas tank – once! Soon, we want to take a RV trip around one of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, which hugs the U.S. – Canadian border. Everyone raves about that drive. Lake Superior is such a beautiful, wild, lake and the trip takes you to its waterfalls and pictured rocks all along both coasts. The southern coast of the lake is in Northern Michigan while the northern coast crosses into Canada.
I feel like I just gave a journalistic report on my world. I’d love to hear about your world. The differences are what makes life interesting.
Goodbye until next time!
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The Best of Times
She only saw the ocean once in her 78 years. A few years before she had to leave home, her brother-in-law arranged a trip to the beach for she and her sisters. They spent a week at the seashore and it was a glorious time. They had their coffee on the beach in the mornings and their nightcap at night,
She spent time collecting sea shells. She kept them in a glass dome after she returned home.
When she had to leave home for good, she took her shells. She thought of her sisters and remembered the best of times.
For Friday Fictioneers. Thanks, Rochelle!
The Write Scribe 
