Tag: family saga
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By the Shores of Solon Pond (5)
Negotiating pay is tricky business for young farmer boy Waldo. His brother’s coughing woke him early. Coffee bubbled below and his father’s slightly burnt corn cakes gave off a sweet, acrid smell. The water in the washbasin was slightly reddened by a clot of his brother’s blood and a wave of yesterday’s worries flooded him […]
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By the Shores of Solon Pond (4)
Waldo worries his uncle will find fault with him on the first day of work. Lucian bounded over the hill with his pair of overly enthusiastic yoked calves. One day, he would sell them and set aside the money for his own savings. Waldo envied him a moment until Lucian smiled and waved. “Waldo’s come, […]
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By the Shores of Solon Pond (3)
As the woods grew darker along the path into the valley and up to his family’s cabin, Waldo’s mood darkened as well. His uncle’s look of doubt at Waldo being able to attend school echoed what was already lurking in the back of his mind. Owls called to each other. Waldo called back the sounds […]
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By the Shores of Solon Pond (2)
Will a new opportunity keep Waldo from going to school again? (Excerpt from Chapter Two of WIP) The day was low now with only moments left of twilight as he passed his uncle’s farm with its neat stone and wood fence along the road and his prize winning English White cows ambling within the big […]
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Are you an addict too?
The only witness to my brother-in-law’s death was someone who may have alerted the police by cell, but fled the scene on foot. The details are still sketchy. After a long struggle with addiction his soul exited. At first my husband was relieved. His brother’s phone calls from Vegas lately had had a familiar tone, […]
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Stop Crying
Do you cry too much? My father used to reward me for staying in and being safe. As a police officer he coolly handled blood, insanity and anger, but he could not handle threats to his children. He could not handle the idea of them making mistakes or being shamed. His heart was in the […]
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Flowers in the Window
Bring in those flowers and put them on the windowsill where you wash the dishes. You pass them every day, but you’re so busy and there will be new blooms tomorrow. My mother once said she felt sorry for flowers picked and put in a vase and didn’t need them. She said this because she […]
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Book Review: The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
My father lived in a cursed house as a child. Every night an old hag with a red kerchief wrapped around her head climbed the shingles of the house up to his window and knocked with her boney fingers until he woke with a start. My uncle was hit by a truck in that house. […]
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Memories: Growing up During the Sexual Revolution
A Peeping Tom wandered our neighborhood when I was about nine. Once when I was sleeping over Susan Brennan’s house the doorbell rang late at night as we dosed on the couches with the television buzzing the end of the broadcasting day. Drowsily, we pulled the curtains back, too tired to be afraid, and saw […]
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Book Review: Giants in the Earth by O. E. Rolvaag
Are you looking for a light and cheerful winter read? Well, this isn’t the one! It’s brilliant — like snow-blind brilliant. It’s human, but in the most tragic sense. It’s spellbinding like a breathtaking winter sunset when it’s far below freezing. Most Americans are familiar with THE LONG WINTER by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Pa’s optimism […]
Author Adrienne Morris 