Shiny Teeth

Whenever I have a doctor/dentist appointment in Chico I always take advantage while I’m there to have a little fun. The last time I was there, I went to Barnes and Noble, which has a Starbucks inside. I bought a couple of books and got a coupon for a free cookie. I usually get coffee anyway, so I was able to sit at a table in the café and have my coffee and cookie.

The tables have been removed again, so no sitting around enjoying my coffee this time around. My appointment was to have my teeth cleaned, and it was right before lunch time, so I knew I’d be hungry afterward. In times past, I would’ve packed a sandwich to have with coffee in the café or maybe go to the Taco Bell by Tinseltown. Since I couldn’t sit inside Starbucks or Taco Bell and didn’t feel like sitting in the car to eat, I packed a sandwich to eat on the road home.

I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a couple of books by Darcy Coates. Fantastic horror writer. Her last book I read was Craven Manor. Lia had actually picked that one out last time she was here because the blurb on the back sounded interesting. She left it with me to read first. It’s a bit on the adult side, but I think Lia could handle it. Good story!

I wandered around a bit and then got my coffee. When I bought the books I got a coupon for BOGO half-off for cookies. I chose sugar cookies this time and got a peppermint mocha to go. Munched my sandwich and slurped my coffee on the way home. The only thing I regretted was not having a CD to listen to. I was in the car getting ready to leave home when I realized I didn’t have it. Since I was running a tad late already, I didn’t go back inside. As it was, I got to the dentist exactly at 11:20, my appointment time. And I have to admit, I haven’t learned yet how to work the radio in the car…*sigh*

BBQ Hijinks

It may be September, but it’s still nice enough out to utilize the BBQ.

Growing up, we NEVER did anything like outdoor grilling. Just wasn’t a part of our lives. When Marv and I moved to Oroville we got a Weber coal BBQ grill. No frills. Very basic. We’ve used it for many years and have had many great meals with it. We’ve also had some interesting failures.

I’ve always liked a bit of burned edges on my hamburgers and hotdogs. One time, though, Marv went a bit far with the hotdogs, and after crunching through a couple of them, I have never wanted them more than lightly grilled. I still like the crispy edges on my hamburgers, though.

We did chicken legs once, and those got entirely too singed and I don’t think we’ve ever tried to do those again.

The biggest oops was trying to do a turkey for Thanksgiving. Marv’s bro and his wife were here for that. Not surprisingly, being November, it was cold and rainy. We set up the Weber on the front porch so there would be some overhead protection. It took forever for that bird to cook, and even then it wasn’t enough. Marv’s bro got sick. I’m surprised we all didn’t come down with food poisoning. Never again for that kind of meal, either.

But Marv does a stellar job on hamburgers and pork chops. Just the right amount of crispiness on the edges.

VERY Short Stories page three

Hats Off

(a simple story)

She awoke one morning with a desire to wear a hat to work. She dug through all her closets but could only find a red stocking cap that she dimly remembered as once belonging to her brother. She pinned a yellow silk flower on the front of it and wore it. No one at work mentioned the hat, and since she didn’t deal directly with the public, her boss didn’t care.

On her lunch hour she bought a small straw hat that had little silk roses and a small bird on it. She wore that hat for the rest of the week.

On Saturday she went out and bought 4 more hats, so she’d have a different hat every workday. Her straw hat became her Monday hat.

Tuesday was a blue felt cloche with a matching felt rose.

Wednesday was an Indiana Jones type hat. (She always felt adventurous on Wednesdays.)

For Thursday she broke with tradition completely, turning a green denim gardening hat inside-out and sewing small plastic carrots on the brim.

Her favorite was Friday’s hat: an old-fashioned man’s bowler with a daisy on the side. It took four hours hunting in various thrift stores to find that one.

She was much happier now and decided to indulge in one more desire that had been getting stronger and stronger. She got a cat.

After that, she was a force to be reckoned with. There was no stopping her. Or her cat.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The Inner Cat

(a modern tail)

She finished washing the dishes and went out onto the patio. It was a bright sunny afternoon. A slight breeze brought the smell of the neighbor’s rose garden to her. She thought of the ironing waiting for her in the laundry room and lay down on the warm bricks. The myrtle trees cast dappled shadows on her face. She lay there humming softly, a slight smile on her lips.

Her neighbor, who had been trimming the roses, watched her for ten minutes before asking, “What in the world are you doing?”

She got up quickly, but with no embarrassment.

“I was just getting in touch with my inner cat,” she replied, as she went back into the kitchen and poured herself a saucer of cream.