Posted in Flash Fiction, Non-fiction

Gun Control: Guns vs. Our Children

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
Gun control
44 Magnum hand gun with copy space

Often, I write fiction on this blog, but occasionally, I will write what is essentially an op-ed piece about an important issue, gun control in this case. Gun control, and any laws we might pass concerning gun control, is controlled by the U.S. Congress. The shame of it all is that the U.S. Congress is controlled by the gun lobby. In other words, money from the National Rifle Association (NRA). We don’t have effective gun control laws in the U.S. due to the inaction of Congress who think more about lining their pockets than about the children affected by the gun control laws. Children like those destroyed at Sandy Hook and just yesterday, in Texas.

What are we thinking? Why do we elect Senators and Representatives who won’t support or vote for serious gun control legislation in the U.S.? What if it were one of your children in the schools that have experienced mass shootings? Don’t give me a rant about the Second Amendment or your so-called liberties. Those are excuses. Why do you have an issue with strict laws aimed at illegal guns on the streets if you are a licensed gun owner and don’t plan to use your guns in the wrong way? Why do you have that AR-15 in your garage? Do you need it to hunt food? Even those among you who are hunters know the answer to that. It doesn’t take an AR-15 to kill a deer.

There have been over 200 mass shootings in the U.S. since the beginning of 2022. Two hundred days haven’t even passed yet. Is it any wonder that home schooling is on the rise? Our society in the U.S. is fracturing and even though gun control isn’t the only issue, it is surely one of the bigger issues. Do you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem?

Posted in Flash Fiction, Friday Fictioneers

Absconded

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
Photo prompt by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

See that picture on the wall of the girl with the flaming hair? She’s my sister. She was my roommate, but now she’s gone. She left without warning me that she was going to bolt.

Look at the mess she’s left in my apartment. It’s appalling that she left me with this mess without telling me. How could she do this to me? How could she just abandon me? One day she just didn’t come home. I waited, but all I got was that terrible phone call. I can visit her, but I don’t like to go to the cemetery.

For Friday Fictioneers, May 22, 2022

Posted in Flash Fiction

Back in the Blogging Saddle

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
“A nice, shiny, brown leather english saddle on horseback. Canon Eos 1D Mark III.”

What a ride the last few years have been! After retiring early from a career as a college professor, I decided to try an encore career – writing. Freelance and contract writing in my field of finance. I’d been blogging here at WordPress for several years before I embarked on this encore career and really enjoyed it. Writing for challenges. Writing about several of my fav topics and themes. Writing for the fun of it. Then, I decided to turn professional and my world certainly changed. No more blogging here for fun. There weren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve missed it.

I retired from writing professionally a couple of months ago. I expect I’ll tackle a book or two or three. No, not in my field of finance but perhaps fiction. Maybe some non-fiction stuff about some of my interests. I’m taking my time though since I retired to just STOP in my life and give myself some years to smell the roses. I enjoyed blogging here so much in the past that I’d like to try it again. I hope to see some of my old friends here and make new friends along the way.

I’m interested in finding some writing challenges as I enjoyed them in the past. Is there still a #weekendcoffeeshare? If so, where can I find it? I know my friend, Sue Vincent, is gone and I’m so sad about that. Did anyone take over her writing challenge? Do you know of any other interesting writing challenges you could point me to? I would really appreciate it!

I hope to be seeing old friends and meeting new ones soon. I’m so happy to be back!

#writingchallenges, #weekendcoffeeshare

Posted in Politics

Not Your Father’s Republican Party anymore

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

In the immediate aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election, Democrats are celebrating and Republicans are denying and crying. The current President is pursuing his legal remedies and screaming, “fraud,” but without any evidence. Democrats are blinded by the light of the Biden/Harris ticket. But, there are issues that the U.S., not just each individual political party, has to solve before we can really move forward.

There is the issue of civility. There is a bigger issue of right-wing extremism. The current discourse between members of the two political parties is rancorous and hateful. Democrats resent the Party of Trump and the changes that have happened in his name over the last four years. Republicans seem to want a continuation of those policies, though most except his most enthusiastic cheerleaders (Lindsey Graham, anyone?) remain silent. Waiting to see what happens. It’s this writer’s opinion that the Republican Party, which I now think of as the Party of Trump, may have the more realistic view of the situation in the U.S. There are groups of right-wing extremists that are not going to go away just because Donald Trump does. Trump was a figurehead of extremism. Where there is one, there will be another.

Not only will there be another strongman, Trump is not going anywhere. Oh, he will leave the White House, but he will start his own media company and continue to disseminate right wing propaganda and fake news. The 70 million people who voted for him will swallow it all, hook, line, and sinker. There will be more conspiracy theories, started by the strongman himself, Trump. Of course, all the people who voted for Trump will believe every word even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

The Democrats have always been optimistic and hopeful. They don’t seem to see that just because Trump is gone, it does not mean Trumpism is gone. Forty-five percent of the country voted for Trump. True that it is a minority, but a large minority. Trump and his minions brought the lack of civility to the U.S. Also, Trump brought the image of a strongman into the American conversation for the first time. Joe Biden, good man that he is, is probably not going to be able to wipe that image from our consciousness nor from the Republicans‘ hopes for the future. For some reason, the GOP has made a hard right turn and has embraced the strongman image without realizing the problems that it brings along with it. Such as the demise of our democracy.

Democracy does not flourish under authoritarianism. I’m reasonably sure that the Republicans in Congress realize this and that they have made the choice to follow the Pied Piper, or the strongman in charge, anyway. Is it because they are closet racists? Surely not all of them are. But even though Donald Trump will fade into the background of national politics soon enough, another strongman will emerge. It is as inevitable as the grass growing. Once there is a perceived opening in the consciousness of a group of citizens that allows authoritarianism in, it is not easily pushed aside. There are already probable 2024 candidates waiting in the wings.

Senator Tom Cotton is one who will probably run as a populist isolationist. Senator Josh Hawley seems to be the upcoming darling of the Republican Party and has made statements exhibiting his strongman tendencies. Whether either is the personality type that can pull it off is a question yet to be answered. Don’t forget that we’ve had one reality show President. Another non-politician could certainly be waiting in the wings ready to take conservatism as far right as it is possible for it to go.

Democrats need to be prepared for this. We can’t let our party swing too far to the left since that is a recipe for the alienation of a portion of the party. Regardless of what rhetoric Republicans want to spew, Joe Biden is a centrist, which is a good thing given the current political climate. There are a number of possible Democratic Presidential candidates for 2024 waiting in the wings and many of them do not occupy a centrist position in the party but rather a progressive position. That sets us up for a 2024 election between far right and a far left candidates.

Even though the Democratic Party should give a voice to the progressives, it would be a mistake to fully embrace progressivism at this point in our political history. Such a sea change takes decades to make itself comfortable in the consciousness of people. The Republicans have been moving toward ultra-conservatism for awhile. It started decades ago with Rush Limbaugh’s TV and radio show, continued with the Tea Party, and came to fruition with the election of Trump. The Democrats don’t need to give an opening to another possibly charismatic political figure on the right who can blindside us like Trump did. The way forward is a centrist strategy to appeal to most of the people most of the time.

Posted in Appalachia

Appalachia: Appharvest Aims to be the Breadbasket of the U.S.

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

I live in the south-central portion of Appalachia, actually on the fringes of the region, in northeastern Kentucky. We are excited about the future here due to Appharvest making its home in the county in which I live.

Appharvest is a startup company that has opened the largest greenhouse in the U.S. in Rowan County, KY. The goal of the company is to produce the majority of tomatoes used in the U.S., taking that market share away from our traditional supplier of tomatoes, Mexico.

Appharvest is a greenhouse that covers 60 acres and employs almost 300 people. Jonathan Webb is the founder of the company. He is a Kentucky resident and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. Appharvest is within a day’s drive of 70% of American consumers. It is a facility, patterned after greenhouses in The Netherlands, that uses sustainable crop production techniques. It uses recycled rainwater for irrigation and a combination of solar energy and LED lighting in order to grow the tomatoes. At a later time, Appharvest will expand beyond tomatoes.

Immediately upon the opening of the Rowan County, Kentucky facility, ground was broken for a second Appharvest greenhouse in Madison County, Kentucky. Appharvest is set to be a great asset to this region of Appalachia, providing jobs and national exposure.

Posted in Flash Fiction

Lucid

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

They keep pulling her away from her piano.

She isn’t yet lucid, but trying to fight her way out of the nightmare.

The strangers.

Why don’t they want her to play?

She tries to reach her mother, her father.

They keep drifting away.

Thanks to Rochelle!

Posted in Appalachia

Appalachian Recipe: Fall Apple Cake

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Hi everyone! This is a very old Appalachian recipe, handed down from my great-grandmother to my grandmother and finally to my precious Aunt Red, the lady I wrote about in the blog post,  The Most Elegant Lady. It is so old that the writing is extremely faded on the paper I have. I have to get it typed up before it completely fades away! Since it is fall apple season, I thought it was time to share this with all of you!

Fall Apple Cake

*This cake was originally supposed to be made with Winesap apples. Winesap apples are very hard to find now. Granny Smith apples are the best substitute.

2 cups sugar

2 cups vegetable oil – Wesson oil or other oil

Mix sugar into vegetable oil

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsps cloves

1/2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsps salt

1 tsps baking soda

3 cups finely chopped apples (Winesap or Granny Smith)

Optional: 1 cup finely chopped nuts or 1 cup raisins

Mix everything together

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour

Let cool on a baking rack before cutting it

ENJOY!!

Posted in Appalachia

Appalachia: John Morgan Salyer, Father of Bluegrass Music and Kentucky fiddle music

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Kentucky fiddle music, the precursor to Bluegrass music, began to be common in households across the eastern Kentucky area of Appalachia in the late 19th century. It developed in more or less complete isolation in the rural, geographically isolated parts of Appalachia and eastern Kentucky. John Morgan Salyer, this writer’s great uncle, is remembered as the last great fiddle (violin) player. He was instrumental in the development of Kentucky Fiddle music.

John did not like playing publicly, although he did from time to time. We have an extraordinary collection of John’s music only because his sons, Grover and Glenn Salyer, recorded them on a home disc machine during the 1940s. John’s music is housed at Berea College in Berea, KY.

John Morgan Salyer, a pioneer of Kentucky fiddle music and the beginnings of Bluegrass music, was my great-uncle. In the picture below, my grandmother, Mollie Evelyn Salyer, is on the right of John Salyer, and her sister, Julia Salyer, is on the left. John Salyer was the son of Morgan Salyer and Katherine Patrick. He was my grandmother’s half brother. Morgan Salyer married my great-grandmother after his marriage to Katherine Patrick ended.

John Salyer was born in 1882. He was raised in a log cabin on Birch Branch, off Burning Fork Road, in Magoffin County, KY. He lived in that specific area of Appalachia all of his life. He began playing the violin, called the fiddle in that part of the world, when he was a boy. When John was 8 years old, he broke his leg. His father, my great-grandfather, Morgan Mason Salyer bought him a violin. He began to realize his musical talent. John subsequently spent 3 years in the Phillipines during the early part of the 1900’s. When he returned home to Magoffin County, KY, he married and had nine children, two of whom died at birth.

John’s branch of the Salyer family and my grandmother’s branch of the family were tied together by a common father, Morgan Mason Salyer. The family was musical and they frequently got together and played music. John played the fiddle. My grandmother played the banjo. John’s musical influences were local musicians including Willie Fletcher and Jeff Gipson.

Back in those days, from the late 1800s to the 1950s, few people received any formal musical training. They learned from older generations. There was very little travel to other parts of the country. Automobiles did not come to Magoffin County, Kentucky until the 1920s. The families would get together in the evenings and play. Kentucky fiddle music developed through largely informal groups of people getting together to play on someone’s porch or in their living room in John’s case. There are stories in the family of evenings spent playing and practicing with John Morgan Salyer. 

John did not ever sign a recording contract. Instead, he played at square dances and hoedowns in his local area of Magoffin County. Once, he and other musicians went on a rail trip to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The musicians went from car to car playing their music all the way from Kentucky to Chicago. When they arrived in Chicago, they were invited to play at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago, a famous venue.

John Morgan Salyer was a farmer by trade. He passed away in November, 1952 from complications of diabetes.

 

Left: Julia Salyer, half-sister to John Morgan Salyer; Middle: John Morgan Salyer; Right: Mollie Evelyn Salyer, half-sister to John Morgan Salyer

 

 

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, Flash Fiction

#weekendcoffeeshare – Labor Day 2020

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#weekendcoffeeshare

Good morning! I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to invite all of you for coffee until today, the last day of Labor Day weekend, 2020. I’m so glad you could stop by. Grab a cup of Blue Mountain coffee or a cup of tea and I will fill you in on the past week.

Life is so busy in semi-retirement! I find myself wondering how in the world I ever had time to work. My career as a college professor was long and required long hours of work doing research and preparing materials for teaching, not to mention the time I had to devote to committee meetings. Life isn’t that busy now, but I still work part-time. This second career is that of a professional writer. I’ve been lucky that I have been able to find freelance, paying gigs for over 20 years now.

At this time, I’m trying to slow my life down a bit. I’m working freelance and part-time. A lot of my writing is for a company I’ve been associated with for over 12 years. Isn’t it funny that life seems so busy and complicated? Sometimes, I think the advances in technology have made life more difficult and complex instead of simpler.

It’s a beautiful fall here in Kentucky in the U.S. Cool nights, but hot days with bright blue skies. It will start cooling off here soon, although September and even October can be hot during the day. I find myself looking forward to fall. Summer is not my favorite season. I prefer cooler temperatures and rainy days!

The pandemic, despite all the deaths and illness, has forced my husband and I to take life a bit easier. We have been hiding at home, for the most part. We live in the country, or what used to be the country. Civilization is encroaching. My neighbors, even though we are all an acre apart, seem too close. When I moved here 22 years ago, mine was the only house on this road. Now, there are a number of homes on my road and I’m not particularly happy about that, even though we have good neighbors.

I spent this past week on a number of varied things. I’m putting together a book of flash fiction to independently publish on Amazon. I have several books that I’m working on, both fiction and non-fiction. I try to write 4 – 6 hours per day. Of course, I also have my job and I have three articles due soon. 

Besides writing, I spend a good amount of time on food preparation, particularly since the start of the pandemic. We try to buy local, so I go to various vegetable markets and country stores to get the freshest food. We buy meat from a local farm and chicken from the Amish. I buy seafood and fish from a company on the west coast. Almost everything we eat, I make from scratch. All of this takes time, thought, and preparation. We’ve had a lot of wonderful fresh vegetables this summer.

I don’t have tales of travel this summer due to the pandemic.We have been homebodies, but in two weeks we’re taking a week long RV trip to a lake that isn’t too far away. It seems that RV travel is the way to go this summer since you don’t have to be around people because you are self-sufficient. I’ll be sure and report in during and after the trip.

Can you name on thing you particularly enjoyed during the past week? I’ll start. I heard from two old friends, both live far away. I hadn’t talked to either of them in many years, so I enjoyed our conversations a great deal. It’s interesting. The pandemic has made me appreciate the simple things in life. 

Thanks for coming! See you next week.

Rosemary

Posted in Flash Fiction

The Tokens – #writephoto

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Walking through the woods on the day of the autumn equinox, she found them. Tokens lying at the foot of a tree. Arranged in a precise manner. A fall leaf signifying the season. The season when the harvest is over and it’s time to rest and renew. There was a grey feather. A sign that balance will be achieved in the universe. A sign of the season of neutrality and hope. Last, she saw the two red tokens. Red for boldness, passion, and creativity. She sat at the foot of the tree and let the magic of the tokens overtake her.

 

Thanks to Sue Vincent #writephoto