Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Lucky Seven, Fried Chicken, Bargain Shopping, and Construction

     This one is for my writing friends. One of them (Hi, Ruth!) tagged me for a Lucky Seven post. Sorry it took me so long, Ruth, but I've been up to my eyeballs with other obligations lately. The rules are:

1. Go to page 77 of your current WIP.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences, or paragraphs, and post them as they're written.
4. Tag seven authors.
5. Let them know.


So here are my seven paragraphs from my Work In Progress:


     “Momma, Daddy dug up Uncle Herbert again. You have to talk to him.”
     “Oh,” she said, sinking into a chair. “I wondered why Rae-Lynn didn’t stop by for coffee this morning. I assume she knows.”
     “She knows alright. She came by the store yesterday to tell me to talk to Daddy or there was going to be hell to pay. Not only did he dig him up, but he left a bucket of fried chicken in the grave. Right where the box of ashes should be! I fell in the grave trying to get it out before Aunt Rae-Lynn saw it, but I was too late.”
     Momma’s hand fluttered to her mouth. “A bucket of chicken. Oh, my. And Rae-Lynn saw it? You’re sure?”
     “I’m positive. What can Daddy possibly be thinking leaving something like that in a man’s final resting place? Has he lost his mind?”
     “No, Jill, he hasn’t lost his mind. He wasn’t leaving a bucket of chicken as much as he was leaving a message for Rae-Lynn. Get your bagel out of there before it burns; the lever on the toaster is broken again. I have to go talk to Rae-Lynn. I’ll see you later.”
     “But, Momma, wait—” It was too late. She was gone.

I'm tagging (if they are interested, I won't be offended if you don't join in, but I'd love to read a bit of what you're working on)---

1. Mirka Breen at Mirka Muse 
2. Terry Lynn Johnson at TerryLynnJohnson
3. Kelly Hashway at kellyhashway
4. Bryan W. Fields at The Froonga Files
5. Liz Straw at Gotta Write



     And . . . that's all because I like to be different. Please visit these blogs because they are very enjoyable and some of my favorites.


     In other news, I'm back in Florida and I put my in-laws and their friends on a plane back to PA this afternoon. I'm glad they had a wonderful vacation, but I have to be honest--I was a nervous wreck that one of them would "have a spell" or trip and fall while on my watch. I know my sisters-in law and the story would always and forever start with, "Remember when Judy took Mom and Dad to FL and (fill in disastrous health emergency here)." Mostly, I'm glad they didn't have any emergencies, but honestly, I'm especially glad it didn't happen when I was responsible for their well-being. I have enough black marks with this family already. 

     My mature guests went out of their way to put things ship-shape before they left, even though I asked, then begged, then threatened, to try to get them to sit and relax. I told them I would strip the beds, wash the sheets, and remake the beds, but they are stubborn women who have run their own homes for decades, so they ignored me. I had to wrench the big suitcase out of the guy with the cane's hand as he tried to get it and himself down the stairs. I wanted to make things as easy as possible for them, but I don't blame them for asserting themselves. It can't be easy when you've lived a full, independent life raising children and running businesses, and now no one trusts you to do anything for yourself. I tried to give them as much space as possible while being close by in case they needed me. We all survived and they said it was one of the best vacations they ever had, so it was a win. Whew.

     I tried to show my MIL how to use the dishwasher and she told me that they wouldn't need it because "they were on vacation." That struck me as funny because, for me, more technology means less work for me and therefore, a more relaxing vacation, but for them, technology was stressful and a vacation meant a break from trying to figure out how to work things. They spent a lot of their time shopping or window-shopping, which is also the opposite of how I want to spend vacation time. I loath shopping and wait until I have a long list of absolutely necessary purchases so I can do it all in one fell swoop. I would much rather be hiking through the woods or walking on the beach looking at nature (or for animatronic dolphins and deer) than strolling along a boardwalk or through a shopping district peering into windows. They have my eternal gratitude for not making me go with them and I'm happy that they were able to find "bargains" that made them so happy they told me the stories of the purchases over and over again.

     They also asked if they could stay at the house again, perhaps this fall.

     I'm sending my husband with them next time. My nerves can't take it. 

     (I wrote this back when Ruth tagged me for Lucky Seven. I'm actually back in PA now working on wedding plans and getting the house in shape for the eventual wedding guests. I decided that planning a wedding wasn't stressful enough, so I've added construction workers and running around picking out wallpaper and tile to my to-do list. By this fall, when the wedding is over and my youngest daughter leaves for college, I will probably need to nap for two weeks straight.)



   


10 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great excerpt, Judy! You had me at "Daddy dug up Uncle Herbert again." Great glimpse into what's sure to be an entertaining read =D

    Glad you survived FL with your in laws without a disaster to mark the occasion. With a wedding to plan and a remodel it sounds like you've got enough stress in your life!

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    1. Thanks, Ruth! I'm itching to do some more work on this WIP, but it's sure hard to find enough time in the day.

      Yes, I survived, they survived, and the house survived. All in all, a good outcome. They really had a great time and it was sweet watching my in-laws with friends they've had for sixty-some years.

      Judy

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  2. Very interesting lines!

    Thanks for tagging me. You can find my post here. http://kellyhashway.blogspot.com/2012/03/lucky-7-meme.html

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    1. Thanks, Kelly!

      I enjoyed your lines. And I always enjoy your Monday Mishmash.

      Judy

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  3. Thank you for the tag, Judy. I'll sit this out, because I just did one of those recently. I enjoy your posts also. Funny and biting, in a good way.

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    1. Yes, I realize by the time I was tagged, quite a few BB's had already participated. I'll scroll through your blog entries to find your Lucky Seven post. I missed it.

      I hope my posts aren't too biting. They are done with love and believe me, my most biting comments are saved for my own behavior, looks, intelligence, etc. I give myself plenty to work with.

      Judy

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    2. No, not TOO biting. Just full of punch, and I enjoy reading them.
      I haven't done this tag- I did another. I only have so much 'tag-game' in me. Now I see that this one's seven, and I had to do eleven. Seven-eleven. Hmm... Yours is a bargain!

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  4. I'm flattered, but my current WIP is only up to fifteen pages at the moment.

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    Replies
    1. That's fine, Bryan. If you want to participate, you could post seven lines or paragraphs from page seven, but it's up to you. Lots of Lucky Seven participants had to bend the rules a little.

      I'll be sending my daughters the link to your blog so they can see your bunnies. They will love them.

      Judy

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