Tag: Family

Posted in Challenges, Fiction, Flash Fiction

The Sound of Silence

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

#RetroTuesday June 25, 2024

Friday Fiction with Ronovan Writes

Challenge #30 – Favorite Song

Introduction: Way back in the day, everyone loved Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” It was an anthem for the baby boom generation, including me. Flash forward to about 2016. I heard a cover of the song by the band Disturbed and it knocked me off my feet – and still does. This story is about that song, but the Disturbed interpretation of it. Maybe I should say my interpretation of their interpretation.

Here are the lyrics for those of you not familiar:

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
Then the sign said, “The words on the prophets are written on the subway walls
In tenement halls”
And whispered in the sound of silence

The Sound of Silence

No one talks to each other anymore. At least not in America. Not in other countries either or so I’ve heard. All we hear is the sound of silence. People who are alone and lonely. Families who have broken apart. Friendships that have been destroyed. Neighbors holding grudges against neighbors.

When people do talk to each other, it is with raised voices and it is a tirade of hate, misunderstanding and evil. So silence has fallen upon the masses.

We’re afraid to disturb that silence. Our society has become so fragile we can hear our world coming apart. The ripping of those societal bonds is silent, but we know and hear it anyway.

We try to talk with them, to reason with them. We might as well stay silent as their neon god has convinced them that it is us against them. All we want to do is save ourselves and our country. They don’t seem to see that we will be destroyed if the silence prevails. How have they been blinded and deafened? Can’t they compare the current state of affairs to history? Instead of dialogue, there is the well of silence.

The silence, like a cancer, stands in the way.

Thanks to athling2001 for hosting this challenge.

Posted in Appalachia

Stories of Appalachia: The Beauty Queen

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Country women are the hardest working women around. Particularly country women who live in Appalachia. All work hard at home which is often a farm, or these days, land that was a former farm. Many also have jobs outside the home, more now than in the past.

Sarah was a woman of the past, living her entire life in Appalachia. She was born in the 1930’s, so her life spanned the century mark in 2000. Most of her life was like women had lived in Appalachia in the past centuries, but parts of her life were very much in the present and future. She was most comfortable with the traditions of the past but valiantly tried to embrace the present and look toward the future.

She was the kindest, most caring person I’ve ever known. She was beautiful inside and out. She met the love of her life, Randall, as a small child. They were neighbors and playmates in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. Teenage sweethearts, they even went off to college together after they married. Randall became a biology and general sciences teacher in the local school system. Sarah went to work for the county’s Board of Education.

They had a rich life, full of friends and family although they had no biological children. They did have a very special daughter who came to them through Randall’s family. Sarah loved her, as did Randall, as if she were their biological child. After they cared for her as she grew up into a successful and kind adult, she spent many years caring for them.

Their special daughter is still caring for Randall. Sarah considered her to be her own. Until the last twenty years, Sarah and Randall also cared for Sarah’s mother. Such is the way of the rather clannish people of Appalachia. Family still means something to them. They take care of their own.

Sarah and Randall lived in Sarah’s grandparents home place. It was most of the way up a “holler,” which is the Appalachian slang for a long, narrow valley between close mountains. Most of that holler was part of Sarah’s grandfather’s large farm until the grandparents passed away. Sarah’s mother retained land and the house. When Sarah’s mother passed away, Sarah inherited it. They made their home there for the rest of their lives. It was a beautiful place.

Before the opioid epidemic that affected Eastern Kentucky among many other areas, the entire region was green and lush with farms here and there. Then, one of the area’s major industries, coal mining, began to die and the unemployment rate started to rise. Not only did the area lose the coal mining jobs, but their major cash crop of tobacco also vanished.

Many left the area, but just as many did not. They didn’t want to leave their families. Drugs found a foothold due to joblessness and poverty. Suddenly, it wasn’t quite as beautiful as it had been in Sarah’s childhood, but she and Randall remained in the family home place after Sarah’s mother passed away.

Sarah’s grandfather and grandmother had a large family. There were many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Especially in the last years, Sarah graciously welcomed any family member who knocked on her door and planned family get-together’s and reunions. After all, that was the family home place for Sarah’s side of the family. In the present day, the family is dwindling away until mostly cousins remain, but the cousins were always welcome.

Then, tragedy struck. Sarah was struck down by a heart attack probably caused by underlying health conditions. Other health issues cropped up and Sarah was transferred to the nearest city where her health issues could be addressed. Sarah was 83 and Randall was 86. Beautiful Sarah survived for a number of days, but finally, the doctors could do nothing else and hospice was recommended. Sarah only briefly survived in hospice with her daughter and Randall right beside her. Tragically, to Sarah’s family and friends, she passed away after a long life with her soulmate.

I always thought of Sarah as a beauty queen. Beautiful inside and out, she positively affected everyone’s life that she touched. She was rather eccentric, (I just thought of her as her own special person), but filled with common sense. She often advised me and other members of the family. She will be so missed by her family and friends. I will be lonely for Sarah the rest of my life. Randall is, thankfully, still with us, but he is failing.

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Note: Why am I writing about Sarah? She was my beloved first cousin and we always stayed close. Without Sarah, I will be lonely for the rest of my life for her unique personality, the culture she represented, and my own family which is lost to me. She represented a dying culture that was beautiful to its core. People who cared about their family and friends and were willing to sacrifice to care for them describes the Appalachian people in general and Sarah specifically. May Sarah, who was a beauty queen to me, rest in peace.

Posted in Musings, Non-fiction

Tuesday Twists – April 23, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

See this house? It was unexpected that I had the occasion to think about it today. This house was built in 1901, remodeled of course since then. It was built by my grandfather for my grandmother and what he hoped would be a growing family. HIs family did indeed grow.

The daughter of the oldest child is my first cousin. Even after my grandparents passed away and my cousin moved into our family’s home place, it was the place we always gathered. I almost cry when I say those days are over now.

The cousin who lived here was placed in hospice care today. She was elderly, but her illness came on quickly only a few days ago. She isn’t expected to live very long at all. Her life can probably be measured in days. Her husband can’t live here in his home alone since he has dementia.

My cousin and I were very different but quite close in our own way. I will miss her, just knowing she’s there along with the family gatherings in that old house.

The old home place will be sold after they are gone and the last of my grandfather’s beautiful farm will just be a memory. It was a very emotional day for me today, which is why I’m writing instead of sleeping in the middle of the night. First, I have to deal with my cousin’s demise and, at the same time, the fact that our family home will soon be forever gone. A double whammy of grief.

For people my age, these years are called the Golden Years. Tonight, in the throes of my grief-induced insomnia, I say not so much to that.

Do you have an experience with grief to share?

Posted in #unicornchallenge, Challenges

The Runaway – #UnicornChallenge – April 12, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

The two boys hopped on the freight train as Cadot, the old Ojibwen man, watched. It was a dry, windy day, typical for these Dust Bowl days of the 1930’s in America. Even though the most profound effects were in the Midwest, most of the country was affected in some way.

The two boys were from a poor white family in town. They came out to the area around Cadot’s cabin near the railroad tracks to pick blueberries. Northern Michigan was renowned for its blueberry crop. The boys picked the berries for money to support their family.

After picking as many blueberries as they could carry, the boys would hop on a passing freight train and sell their blueberries at every stop. They would ride another freighter back.

One day, the older boy came to pick blueberries alone. Cadot asked where his brother was, and he replied that he had left home after they had fought. The boy was 15 years old. 

Almost ten years passed. The Dust Bowl was over, and World War II was firing up. Cadot had a visitor, and it was the boy who left home. He had come home to join the Navy. He had been sending his family money from Baltimore. When the boy left, Cadot grieved and didn’t expect to see him again. 

After the war was over, there was a knock at the cabin door. There stood the boy, now a man, home from the War. His seven-year-old daughter was with him.

Thanks to C.E. Ayr and Jenne Gray for hosting the #UnicornChallenge!

Posted in #atozchallenge, Challenges

F is for Family – #AtoZChallenge – April 6, 2024

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Theme: Aging and Associated Issues

#AtoZChallenge

The relationships between generations of families is rapidly changing, not just in the U.S. but in much of the world. The generation that is aging right now is the baby boom generation. This generation changed a lot in the U.S. and in the rest of the world, The generations behind us are very different. The baby boom generation is actually where the attitudes starting changing about taking care of the elderly. Now, the generation behind us, those in their 40s, is called the “sandwich generation” because 40% of households in their 40s include both an elderly parent and children.

Often,the elderly (who are now usually the baby boom generation), don’t particularly want to live with their children. Illness may make it necessary. Money may also make it necessary. In the U.S., assisted living facilities and nursing homes are prohibitively expensive. Other cultures take care of their elderly far better than the U.S.

There are subcultures in the U.S. that still do feel a desire and a responsibility to take care of aging parents. One area where this subculture lives is the area where I live, Appalachia. You find many multigenerational families in my area of the world. In some other cultures in the U.S., children often live thousands of miles from where they grew up which doesn’t foster the ideal environment for a multigenerational family.

The elderly who have strong family ties often report a stronger immune system, less illness, improved mental and physical health, and a longer life overall. Work on your family relationships during your life so they will remain strong and supportive as you age. Check out government eldercare resources for very good information on family life and aging.

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing, Writing Challenge

Harbinger – #writephoto

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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It somehow seems unfair that, as you get older, life gets harder. Haven’t we paid our dues by now? Isn’t it time for easy street? Apparently not. I’ve just spend one of the hardest summers ever and I’m hoping it isn’t a harbinger of things to come. I don’t normally believe in omens, but the events of the past summer has filled me with fear.

The good news is that I’m enjoying improved health. I’ve also had the opportunity to visit long-lost relatives — my father’s side of the family. It was wonderful to see them. Then there is the bad news. My life was flipped upside down this summer, early on, when my husband had a huge health scare. Major, unexpected, and emergency open-heart open-chest surgery. I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified in my life and I remain frightened. He survived and has recovered quite well. I’ll never quite recover from the fear. Then, one of my best friends, a childhood friend, passed away, again quite unexpectedly. I still don’t believe he’s gone. To me, we’ll always be kids, camping out in my backyard.

On top of all this, my contract writing job ended. I knew it would, but I’m still sorry it did. I don’t quite have it in me to job hunt. At least not right now. I may wait awhile, then freelance. I don’t think I’ll take another contract position. I’m not cut out to answer to a boss at this point in my life. Operating my own freelance business is more my style now. Writing non-fiction business articles. Perhaps breaking into the B2B market. I also have other areas of interest – politics, culture, education. Maybe finishing my two books. A novel and a book of flash fiction. Those are my ventures into fiction, except for the fiction I have written and will write on this blog. I’ve made a good living writing freelance in the past.

I was reminded this morning of the harbinger I really should focus on. Three months  ago, I rescued a little dog named Clara. She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a breed I’ve loved for years. She is seven years old and had served as a breeder dog in a kennel. I won’t go into all of her problems, but she was not well when she came to me. She had been neglected and only valued for her puppies. Clara has had a long summer of veterinary care and loving care in my home and she’s started to blossom. She’s starting to respond to us and she’s remembering she’s a dog who has the opportunity to play and be happy. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. Perhaps Clara is the harbinger I’m looking for since fall has arrived and winter draws near. She represents hope for the future.

Posted in Politics, Thanksgiving, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare 11/19/2016

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Good morning! Come right in. I’m glad to see all of you this cold Kentucky morning! Please, take a cup of the beverage of your choice. Several types of coffee and tea. I probably don’t have as much to choose from as usual as I’ve had a terribly busy week, but I hope you’ll find something you’ll like. Bring your cup into my writing studio so we can talk!

If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that it has been kind of a scary week here in the Ohio Valley from a weather perspective. We, like many of you, are experiencing a drought that just started this fall. It is so dry. We did get about 15 minutes of hard rain last night; obviously not enough to do anything but dampen the ground. We live in the forest with deciduous tress surrounding us. The leaves have been falling for weeks and we have been trying to keep them cleared away. A few weeks ago, wildfires started in my state and they are now close to me. Finally, the temperatures have dropped to normal and the winds have died down. We are hoping for rain.

If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that I have some exciting news. News that is, at least, potentially exciting! I may have a new job. At least I am hoping it will work out. I wear two hats in my professional life. I am a writer and sell my writing. I’m working on a novel and write non-fiction articles on a variety of topics. My second hat is that of business consultant. In my previous life, I was a college professor for 27 years and did some consulting in the finance area for many of those years. My new job, if it works out, is as a finance consultant.

I know those two professions sound like they could not possibly  be simpatico. I have a variety of interests so when I retired from teaching, I was able to pursue my love of literature and writing. I, however, still have my finance knowledge and am able to consult with and help big and small business. I am often consulting for someone somewhere even though I am also writing.

Those of us in the U.S. have had a Presidential election. I know the world was watching that election. Obviously, many Americans were happy with the outcome and many were not. Political science has always been of great interest to me so I am watching the aftermath of the election carefully. For me, it is a rather frightening time in the U.S. I don’t remember such a time during my adulthood. I’m hoping for cool heads and good advisers.

In America, one of our favorite holidays is coming up this coming Thursday and that is Thanksgiving. For many people in America, we find that is our favorite holiday. Families gather but it’s not a commercial holiday like Christmas. I find myself missing the big family gatherings that I attended as a child and young adult. Those gatherings don’t happen for me anymore as most of my close family are gone. I have a quiet Thanksgiving now. I surely miss the gathering of my family at my grandfather’s farm deep in the heart of Appalachia. Mostly, I miss my family.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. To my international friends, have a wonderful week! #amwriting #amblogging #writing #Thanksgiving #politics #weekendcoffeeshare

This post sponsored by parttimemonsterblog.com

Thanks, Diana!

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Please! Come on in to my writing studio and join me for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate! It’s cold this morning – in the 30s. It has finally gotten cold here in the Ohio Valley. I think most of us here are welcoming a bit of normal weather for this time of year. I always welcome some cold in this age of global warming. It kills the bugs that would plague us in the spring. We will have a hard freeze tonight, I suspect.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have my normal selections of coffee and tea to offer you, including chicory coffee and green teas. I also have, as something new for you, matcha green tea which I received as a gift this week. I would love to share it with you. Are you familiar with matcha? Matcha is a specially grown tea. It is grown in the shade for just three weeks and then ground into a fine powder. It is sort of a Zen thing as it supposedly calms the mind. But, the interesting thing about matcha is that it has unparalleled health benefits. One cute is equal to 10 cups of regular green tea. It is packed with antioxidants and nutrients. Check it out! Please let me make you a cup!

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it has been an interesting and disturbing week in the United States because of our Presidential election. It was a contentious election and campaign. Many people are very happy with the outcome. My hope is that they knew exactly what they were voting for in terms of policy. Almost as many people were very disturbed at the outcome of the election. Those of us who are fearful of what could happen have to keep an eye of things and organize into groups that can lobby for our positions, such as women’s rights. I think we all realize that the international community thinks the U.S. has lost its collective mind and I’m not sure they are wrong. I find myself in a wait and see mode. I will try to keep all of you up-to-date here and with my blog postings, though I won’t post about politics very often.

If you are wondering about Americans leaving the country and relocating, I would say that many feel like I do – they will take a wait and see attitude. No one wants to abandon America. It depends on how untenable things become…..if they do. If we see any signs of the rise of Fascism at all, we will leave the country in droves, I am confident. Not all of us necessarily to Canada. There are other countries that would be attractive. Younger people would stay and fight but older people…..it would be hard for us to do that.

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that Veteran’s Day was also this week. So many Americans had family members who fought in one war or another, from World War I through World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and all the Iraqi/Afghanistan conflicts. I think Veterans’ Day meant something to all of us.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I find myself thinking about Eastern Kentucky today. They voted, almost exclusively, for a man who has threatened to take away services they depend on, such as Medicaid. He also promised to bring back coal mining, a promise that there is no way he can keep because that industry is dying.

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’ve spent the week writing. I’ve written many posts for this blog but I have also spent time working on my novel. For those of you also working on a novel, I have found an excellent novel writing program. If you are going to write a novel of around 80,000 words or so, the file on Microsoft Word just gets too big and difficult. It becomes too unwieldy to move scenes around. There is a program for those using a Windows-based computer called yWriter that helps you keep everything in order. For Apple computer users, the best novel writing program is Scrivner. You can download both off the Internet. I’m currently learning how to use yWriter. If you are using yWriter, get in touch and we will figure it out together!

To all the American writers. Regarding the Trump administration. Remember that we can write…..and write and write and write. There is power in the pen if we see this administration going off the rails.

I hope all of you have had a good week! Back to writing. Please come for coffee/tea/hot chocolate next week! #amwriting #amblogging #writing #coalmining #EasternKentucky #realDonaldTrump

*This blog post is sponsored by parttimemonsterblog.com

Thanks, Diana!

#weekendcoffeeshare 11/12/2016

Posted in Appalachia, Eastern Kentucky

Book Review: Clay’s Quilt

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Clay Sizemore, a young coal miner who lost his mother at a young age, is the main character of Clay’s Quilt. This novel by Silas House, a renowned Kentucky author, was House’s debut novel in 2001. I’m reviewing this book for you because it is one of the best novels I have ever read. It is worth reading whether you are interested in Appalachia or if you are just interested in reading a good novel. If you like a heart-wrenching story, populated by colorful characters, and set in the most difficult of environments, you will enjoy Clay’s Quilt.

The story is a microcosm of life in Appalachia based on this one Eastern Kentucky family but it will strike a familiar chord to members of all Eastern Kentucky families. I know this writer, at times, felt like I was reading about my own family.

Free Creek, the setting for the novel, is located in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, near coal mining operations. Young men like Clay Sizemore and his friend, Cake, are born here and never expect, or want, to leave. They settle into their occupations, raise a family, have a big extended family full of aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews, and this is their life. It can be a very good life. It can also be a hard life, but these people, the people of Appalachia, don’t know that. This is all they know and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Clay Sizemore lost his mother in a tragic car accident when he was three years old. That day, an icy and snowy winter day, Clay’s mother decided she was going to leave her husband. She took Clay with her and lost her life on slick roads. His extended family closed ranks around him and raised him from the age of three. After that day, Clay never knew his father. He had his beloved Aunt Easter, who took care of him as a boy. He also had Uncle Paul, who made quilts, and Dreama, his cousin who he loved like a sister.

Clay became a hard-working coal miner. He worked in the mines during the day, but on the weekends, he and Cake went to the local honky-tonk, drank their fill, and listened to their mountain music. There he met the beautiful Alma, a fiddler with whom he wanted a future, but Alma had her own problems. Most importantly, Clay had a box of his mother’s possessions from which he tries to put together her past, hoping to figure out who she was and who he is. During this time, Uncle Paul is making a quilt – out of the pieces of Clay’s mother’s clothes.

This is a beautiful story written by Silas House in lyrical prose. It is short on sentimentality and long on descriptive characterizations and good storytelling. It is easily readable in a weekend. Clay’s Quilt is a stunning and mystical novel that will stay with you for a long time after you read it.

You can get the Kindle edition at amazon.com or the hardcover or paperback at Abe Book’s. Enjoy! #writing #am writing #blogging #appalachia #Best_Books