G is for Gives

“Glad you came over.  This week’s been pretty frantic, what with all the excitement round here.  Had to do a lot of cleaning.  Sometimes, I wonder if it’s worth it to clean.  Look at all this stuff.  So, I decided to have a giveaway.  This is all stuff I bought, intending to use someday.”

“We could help you set it up.  Only problem is when you want to have it.  See, there’s a couple dinners and a house gifting this week.”

“I don’t think I’ll do it formally.  Just tell everyone to come over and get whatever they want.  I put most everything out on the porch already.”

“It does look a bit bare in here.  What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing.  I just got tired of looking at the same old stuff.  Even with rearranging it.  I don’t know why I bought half this stuff.  The rest is in boxes ready for the sale next month.”

“Best be careful.  Once a space is used to something in it, it’ll fill up.”

“Sheesh.  Where’d you hear that from?”

“I was thinking about it one day.  I had a perfectly bare cupboard and it filled up without me even knowing it.  Found a bunch of stuff I didn’t even know I had.  That’s how I know it’ll fill up again.”

“Criminy, that’s just, I don’t know where you get these ideas.  Space will fill up.”

“Quit laughing.  It’s better than the hare brained ideas you come up with.”

“Ookay.  Hey, wait a minute.  You might be onto something.  Look at this.  I was sure I left that over to Patty’s the other night.”

“What the heck’s in that thing anyways?”

“Well, Patty says this is what she came to get.”

“Was it there when you guys went over?”

“No.  It wasn’t anywhere on the porch or in her house.”

“Someone’s messing with you guys.  A ghost?  Did they ever find out who was in the hall?  I think you should just have a formal giveaway.”

“Well that’s sounds like a good idea.  Still, hauling all this stuff is going to be.”

“We’ll only need a couple cars and the boys can help us.  They just play around in that garage of theirs.”
“I guess.  I’ll leave that part to you.  I’d better call Patty to come over.”

Patience, I tell myself.

A day of rest and relaxation, that's what today is.  Well, I have been visiting different bloggers and reading their posts.  The challenge is fully underway.  And it is exciting for me to learn a great many new things.  For instance:  definitions of new words such as those I saw at Zulu Delta 45 - Defenestrate.  I'd actually read that word in a book once, and didn't look it up.  Course that was in the days I didn't have the urging of a teacher to check my dictionary.  I was skipping ahead to see how many bloggers there were and Zulu Delta 45 caught my eye.  Checked it out and there it was-defenestrate.  Odd how some words can stick in your memory, while others find their way to that black hole (or aimed that way, teehee.)

Writing in Wonderland's Slyvia Ney, has some brainstorming tools.  Another blogger I want to find time to read is Steven Symes.  Looking over his site, well, at least the front page, there are some posts I want to check out, such as the one about the Salem Witch Trials.  And another, History Sleuth's Writings, has a few posts I thought looked interesting.  And there is a history site link.  Yes.

Since I've been writing on this for 4 hours already, I thought I'd better just post and then finish getting sidetracked on some of the other bloggers.  Not too long though, I'm revising also for Camp NaNoWriMo and the other one, for which I've already posted the cover.  Getting a few days of eye rest, one final read  gather up my courage and hit that publish button over to Smashwords.  (Essential, I think, as I've commented here and there regarding my catching of the typos and such in books I've read and how that irked me.  I want to limit mine to the least amount I can find.  Oh for the day when I can hire such tasks out.)

For those of you new to my blog, I have three other blogs, each of which has to do with one or the other of my interests.  niiganab is the very first blog I wrote, many moons ago, Family Legacy is the second and isn't posted to very frequently as I've put a bit too much on my plate at the moment.  The other is about books I read, books I write, books I'd like to read.  Of the four, this and niiganab get posted to the most.

ChiMiigwetch (Many thanks) for visiting and commenting.  Giigawabimin noongom.  See ya later.

F is for Fails

“Well, what were you doing?”

“I needed to get that bag back.  I shouldn’t have sent it over.  How was I to know someone else would come over?”

“That bag was over to your house.  I left it on your porch like you asked.  I don’t think you’re telling me everything.”

“The cops were happy with what I told them.  I don’t even have to talk to you.  S’posed to stay away from you and Ilsa.  Just came over to get the rest of my stuff.”

“I’m disappointed with your breaking into my house.  There wasn’t anything in the laundry room.  Told you I took the dress and bag to your house.  It’s no use telling me stuff like that.  I want to know why you came to my house, broke in the back door.  Ciminy, Patty.  Ilsa’s hand was sliced to the bone.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad.  She got a couple stitches, that’s all.”

“Were you there?  Did you see it?”

“She told me.”

“C”mere.  Go up the stairs.  Fact, I think you should help me clean this up, don’t you think?  Yeah, I think I’ll call Ilsa and have her come and watch.”

“Wow.  Is that all her blood?”

“Yes.  Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing here and who you were with?”

“I can’t.  I don’t know who was up here.  Told you already.  I wanted that bag back.”

“Well, we’ll just go over to your house and look at that bag, that dress and whatever else you picked up at the dump.”

“It’s not there.  That’s what I keep telling you.  I came to get it.  Thought you brought it back to your house.  I didn’t want to wake you up.  If I’d known you were awake, I’d have knocked and come in.  I don’t know who else was here.”

“If you’re lying to me, I’ll come looking for your sorry self.  Man, I’m wishing I’d have let Irene knock your silly self black and blue.  You sure you got that stuff at the dump?”

“Don’t believe me then.  I don’t care.  I don’t know what else to say.  I’ll show you where I found all of that stuff, if you want.  C’mon, let’s go.”

“I’ll find out what’s going on sooner or later.  Help clean this up.  Then we’ll go.”

E is for Eludes

“Great.  That’s just great.”

“Watch this part.”

“Shhhh.  Someone’s here.”

“You sure?  I don’t hear, oh.”

“It’s coming from the kitchen.  No, leave it on.”

“There it is again.  Coming this way.”

“Stay here.  I’m going over by the door.”

“I don’t think so.  I’ll be on the other side.”

“Huuuh.  Quick.”

“Where’s the.”

“Ssss.”

“No.  Towards the back.  I can see a shadow.”

“Another one at the front.  Go, look there.”

“Just what do you think you’re doing in my house.”

“Upstairs, they’re going upstairs.”

“Got you, you.  Patty? What you doing, sneaking round my house?”

“Oh, no, you don’t.  Help, a knife.  He’s got a knife!”

“I’ll deal with you later.  Get out.”

“What? Thought you were...Oww.  Get back here.”

“Uhnn.  Dammit.“

“Im’s okay.  Gonna need stitches.  I grabbed for the knife.  Too dark, I think it was a woman, going for your bedroom.”

“Patty was in the kitchen.  I sent her home, told her I’d deal with her later.  Let’s get to the hospital.  I doubt they’ll be back.”

“What’s with Patty?  Aren’t you helping her?”

“Why’d you wanna grab the knife?”

“It was headed for my stomach.  What’d you think I was gonna do, stop, drop and roll? How do you know they’ll stay away?”

“Hello, can you send the cops over to my house?  Someone just tried to hurt Ilsa.  She’s bleeding.  I don’t think the bleeding is going to stop any time soon.  One of them was Patty....  No she didn’t the cutting, someone else.  There were two of them.  Both of them got away after Ilsa was stabbed.  No, I don’t know.  The only lights on were downstairs.  Couldn’t see.”

“Can we go?  It’s hurting like, like, I don’t know.”

“We’re heading to the hospital.  Can’t wait.  Her hand’s pretty bad.”

C is for Clean

“Getting ready for the big day?”

“Don’t step there.  I just washed the floor.  Go round to the side and come in.  Else stand on the porch and talk.”

“Touchy.  I’ll stand and  watch.  Sides, I don’t have time today.  I’m going over to the Duke’s.  He’s having a potluck.  I got bread in the car.  Just wanted to know if you were coming.  In about half hour.”

“Sheesh.  Why you wanna drag me to all these socials?  I’m busy right now.”

“He’s having a going away party, for himself.  He decided to head out.  Guess you were right bout that.  Where’d you get that dress?”

“I’m cleaning it up for someone.  It’s not too bad.  There’s one spot won’t come out.  Been working on that for a couple days.  Looks like coffee.  Might have to cover it over.”

“Thought I saw someone wearing it at that dance over to the Hall last week.  Behind the building, yeah.  I tried to see who it was, too dark.  Sides, I was parking the car.  Don’t know why I didn’t just leave it at the front.  We left right away, everyone was pretty much wasted by the time we got there.”

“Why you wanna go to those anyways?  Nothing but trouble happens.  People get into quarrels over the least little thing.”

“Not much else to do round here.”

“I keep busy.  Fact, I have a few more things to do today.  I’m not going to that party.  I need to see the old lady on the ridge.  She might be able to help me get that stain out.”

“Why you working on it?  Seems like a lot of trouble.”

“Keeps me busy.  Anyways, that might not be coffee if you saw it over to the dance.  Thinking it has to be something else now, like one of those fancy drinks they keep serving over there.”

“Whose dress is it?”

“Don’t know.  Found it at the dump.  Ohh, not me.  You didn’t hear bout that?  Knock down, drag out fight and you didn’t hear?”

“I didn’t hear nothing.  What happened?”

“Herself didn’t tell you?  Well, I was on my way to the store when I heard them hollering.  When I got to the house, they were rolling around, each trying to hang onto a bag.  When I said I’d toss her out to the road, she left.  Then Patty said she found it down to the dump.  She found some stuff inside.  It was pretty dirty.  She’d tried to clean it.  Something stained it and she wants me to clean it.  I need to get busy on this.  Didn’t you say you were going to the Duke’s?  Bring me a plate, will you?”

D is for Dress

“Bout time you got here.  I need to hurry.  Don’t sit down.  Why I let you talk me into this.  How does this look?”

“Looks fine.  You need to get out more.  You’re always in this house by yourself.”

“Well, I have things to do.  Can’t always be doing this kind of stuff every day.”

“Stand still.  That collar is crooked.  And you’d better let me braid your hair.  Did you get that dress cleaned then?”

“Yeah.  Grape juice.  I didn’t let it soak long enough the first time.  Course it was pretty dried on when I got it.  Pretty dress.  You remember any more about it?”

“Not much more.  She was running away, if that helps.”

“Not much.  Trying to remember, ouch.  This is a mite small.  Can you get me a different one?  Not very good at this.  Think that’s the reason I don’t like going to socials.  Never could see the sense.  Dressing up for people you see every day?”

“Found them.  I thought you’d had some pieces to put in your hair.  Stand, no, sit.  This will take longer if you don’t sit.”

“Don’t know how you can do this every day.  I’m glad I work outside.  Fancy me digging in the dirt with this on?”

“Weell, maybe not the dress.  You could fix your hair with these though.”

“Maybe.  Have to think bout it.  Didn’t Ruby say she was going to buy a dress?”

“Ohh yeah.  She was all gungho over some new man she’d met.

“Did you ever see her wear it?”

“No.  Fact, I think she got her brother’s car and went up to Mall.  That was about two weeks ago.  There, all set.”

“Well, time to get going, I guess.  Haah.”

B is Belongs

“Ya going to the meeting?”

“Yeah, guess so.  Not that I have anything done for it.  All my squares turned out not so square.  Off by an eighth of an inch on one side.”

“That won’t matter.  We can make something else with them.  Just bring it.”

“I was thinking of quitting.  My stuff never works out, I pick weird colors.  And the last time, I lost a needle.”

“Sheesh!  One would think you had all the woes in the world.  Everyone has off days.”

“No, really.  Everyone else does some beautiful work.  Mine look so dull and lumpy.”

“I’ll”

“And crookedy.  Who wants a crooked blanket?”

“Oh!  Stay home then.  I’m going.  It’s not everyone who belongs in that circle.  Why, I heard that they only pick people who have a good sense of what belongs where, what colors go where.”

“Who else belongs in that circle?  Maybe...nawh.”

“What?”

“Think I’ll go.  Just to see, mind you.”

“You wanna hear the latest?  I heard...”

“No.  You know I don’t like to listen to gossip.  Criminy, I pretend to listen to it down to the meetings.  Don’t have to listen to it here.”

“Here comes the Duke.  Do you suppose he’s really leaving...”

“What did I just say?  Sides, he’s better off leaving.  The way women fall all over his every glance, faint at the merest hint of a smile.  One would think he was sick of it.  Could be that’s the reason he’s leaving.  Maybe the women here aren’t good enough?”

“What’s the matter?  OOhh.  You made a try for him, didn’t you?”

“Naw.  I didn’t.  I know someone who did though.  And she was mad cause he wouldn’t go on that trip to the powwow with her.  She was crying around.  Literally buckets of tears.  When she saw I was watchin, she flounced off.  Now she’s really mad.  Guess she had her heart set on something.”

“Who was that?”

“Never mind.  You’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.  C’mon.  Let’s get this stuff loaded in the car.  I want to find out who belongs in that circle.  Man, people around here have the weirdest...”

“You always do that.  Start something and leave me hanging.”

“Well, you need something to occupy your time with.  Otherwise, you mope around.  Help me lift this.  Whatever did I put in this basket anyway.  It weighs a ton.”

A is for Argue

“I saw you carrying a bag home.  That’s my bag.  Where did you get it from?”

“Down to the dump.”

“You have to give it back to me.  I want it back.  Right. Now.”

“Can you tell me what’s in it?”

“None of your business, what’s in it.  That’s my bag and I want it back now.”

“Only after I take out what’s in it.  Since you can’t tell me what’s inside, you’ll get the bag.  Only that.  Hey!  Quit grabbing the bag.”

“Weelll, giivvve it toooo me.”

“Get out!  This is my house.  Get out.  I’ll bring your old bag down to your hou.”

“I said to give me that bag.  I’m not going anywhere without it.”

“Hey! Why you.”

“Why’d you steal it?”

“Why did you throw it away?”

“I didn’t.  I want it back!”

“Well, I found it at the dump.  There wasn’t anything in it.  It was empty.”

“You just said”

“Well, I changed my mind.  Get out!”

“I’ll be back, you old witch.  I’m going to get my bag back.”

“Good luck with that.  I was going to bring down to your house.  Now, I’m not.”

“You, you, give me my bag back.”

“Not until you get out of my house.  Stay outside.  I’m keeping what’s inside.”

“That’s my bag, I said.  Watch it, don’t you tear it.  Now see.”

“I’m keeping what’s inside the bag.  I know it’s not yours.  You threw this away and now you want it back.  Just because I found it.  It’s still a good bag.  Ouch.”

“Give it...yeah.  hey!”

“I said you get out of my house.  Get out! Get out.  Give it back.”

“Leave my bag alone.  You can’t have it.”

“I found it, you old witch.  You threw it and now you want it back.”

“What’s going on here?”

“Stay out of this, you hag.  She took my bag and I’m taking it back.”

“I didn’t.  I was down to the dump and I found it there.  It was in a pile of clothes and stuff.  I picked it up and put a couple other things I found down there.  I just got back and she came running over, hollering and screaming at me.  What’s down to the dump is up for grabs, I say.  She can’t come over here and try to take what’s mine.  Besides, I told her I’d bring it to her house aafter I unloaded the stuff.  She just wants to take what I found.  Sides, she already threw.”

“Hey, take your hands off her.  I’ll haul you out to the road if you can’t be civil.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.  You’ll take her side anyway, you old coot.”

“She’s gone now.  What’s in the bag?”

“A dress, shoes and necklaces.  They were laying in a pile at the edge of the dump near the woods.  I saw the shiny.”

“Hmm.  Better put them away before she comes back.”