A to Z home

Continuing on the A-Z April challenge (and trying valiantly to catch up) I give you the letter C.

Chance, change, choice – or maybe Chia pets?

Many people like to play games of chance – a friend is heading for Vegas soon and will likely contribute to their school district. That’s what I did when I visited several years ago.

I take chances on things all the time – will I make it through the intersection before the light turns red? Will my ticket win if I enter the latest raffle this or that organization is holding? We all do that type thing.

but . . . (more…)

A to Z home

Today – still catching up – the letter is B.

How perfect is that? My given name is NOT PurpleMoose (really?) but Barbara. I was named for my mother’s youngest sister who is only about 18 years older than I am. Aunt Barbie is my last living tie to my Mom, although we are thousands of miles away from each other. This moosie lives in Alaska’s “wilds” and she lives in the farthest wilds of Texas.

Heh – two Barbaras in the two largest states. (both MY state and I are bigger – lol)

Barbara seems to be a dying name. Most of the ones I have met are in my generational age – anywhere from 80’s to 60’s – although I have met a few in their 30s.
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Discovered the challenge through Clew’s Blues blog and thought I might try it. Doing it unofficially because there are over 1000 people doing it and I choose not to do a linky-log thingy with that many links to it. So, each day I write for this challenge I will simply give you a link to the A to Z home and let you choose whether or not to go there to read. Deal? Deal.
🙂

The idea is to write something every day but Sundays (see I’ve already broken a rule) thus writing 26 days on the letters of the alphabet. I need to catch up on some days: A and B (Friday and Saturday)
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A: Alaska

Hubby and I moved to Alaska in 1978 – we were not yet 30, had two young daughters (3 and 8) and needed to get away from the BIG city of Columbus, Ohio. His mother had moved to the Atlanta, GA area and my mother had passed away five years previously.

We still had some kin around – cousins and such – but it was time for us to move on to become adults.

We attended a small church there – which hosted “home missionaries” from Alaska often. One of them sold us – hook, line and sinker – on Alaska. He always brought gorgeous pictures of scenery, including shots of water, mountains, fishing, wildlife . . . ALASKA with all capital letters.

We knew it was the right move to make when we were able to sell our moderately large home,all of the furnishings and two vehicles with little to no advertising . . . in TWO WEEKS!

It was a GOD thang!

A job as winter caretakers for a Kenai fish packing company was arranged for hubby by the missionary pastor. Hubby was hired over the phone without an in-person meeting. The owner even purchased hubby’s airplane ticket because we hadn’t closed on the Columbus house yet and had no money.
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Taking a step away from Richard and Angela for a bit. This week’s 100 Word Challenge by VV is “Voice”. Today’s piece is about a woman in Texas whose voice has been taken away from her. Shelly is a storyteller in local schools.

Do you have a word to say? Share it with us.
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She lost her voice. She wasn’t sick. Her voice was simply taken. She had told a tale.

And she lost her voice.

The schools said “No more! No more will you come to tell your stories to our precious babies! They are only 12 years old.”

She reasoned, “Twelve is old enough to discern right from wrong; old enough to know when stories are told to teach a point, right?”

“Well, yes,” they reluctantly agreed. “But!”

The debate continues. My friend told a ghost story to fourth graders. People who did not even hear it complained. They took her voice.
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Personally – I don’t know a 12 year old who does NOT like scarey ghost stories. My own grands would have loved Shelly’s tale – it is posted on her blog, btw. I’m sorry her voice is being taken. I hope justice prevails.

This week’s challenge is Cuffs – so, carrying on from the past two 100 Word challenges – the plot with Richard and Angela thickens . . .
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“What did you say?”

“I’m getting the car, Ang.”

“What car? Wait – the ‘vette? Why do you need a sports car? You’d have to keep it in storage six months every year. We live in Alaska, for Pete’s sake!”

“Angela, stop! I’m getting the car. I need a break. I’m tired and I want out.”

“Out? Rich, you’re freaking out – you’re freaking ME out. Let’s talk about this later. People are starting to stare.”

Rich stood, tugged his cuffs down over his wrists and pulled on his jacket. “You’re right. Let’s go. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in public.”

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