These flowers? Were gone two days later.
This is what happens when I get off my bum, pick up my Canon Rebel and start fooling around.
I wish all my pictures would turn out this good.
Flash Fiction: On the Dotted Line
“Sign here, please.”
I watched the couple give each other a bright smile before they each took a turn to sign their name on the dotted line. They sat on the edge of their seats, their excitement nearly palpable. Their baby, who couldn’t have been more than a month old, twitched slightly by their side.
“Okay,” I said and forced a smile. “That’ll do it. Your first payment will be due the 15th of next month and …” I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a keychain with two keys attached, “here are the keys to your new home.”
The woman squealed and the man chuckled as they both stood and prepared to leave. I watched them behind a veil of sadness. I had been in the real estate business long enough to know trouble when I saw it.
“Thanks,” the man said and held out his hand. I shook it firmly and appeared friendly on the outside, inside, I was seething and fought the urge to jerk him toward me and hiss a warning in his overly large ears.
The couple scooped up the baby carrier and without a backward glance, they exited the real estate area.
“Are they gone?” my boss materialized right outside his office.
“Yes.” I continued to stare after the couple as they crossed the foyer. “They can’t afford that house, Mike. We shouldn’t have approved their loan. I predict a foreclosure in about fourteen months.”
He shrugged. “Not my problem.”
I winced.
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Fiction under 250 words.
I recorded this story through AudioBoo. You can find the recording here.
Working Those Legs
So, I tweeted this yesterday:
And believe it or not, Kevin did it.
He needs to be on his feet as much as possible. The more he walks, the more he works those stiff muscles and the easier it will (eventually) get for him.
We have gone to the mall once. He didn’t walk the entire length of the mall, but he walked quite a ways. He took frequent breaks (sitting on the seat on his walker) and we stopped to buy a pretzel and drink some lemonade.
That was his “reward” for making it all the way down to Auntie Annie’s Pretzels.
His walking improves every day. He’s picking up his feet and no longer shuffling along. He’s still having trouble standing upright entirely, but he’s working on putting more weight on his legs and less on his arms.
He is still experiencing a lot of swelling in his right leg. It looks about twice the size of his left leg by the end of the day. We’re not sure what to do about that and we’re hoping most of it goes away when he stops taking the Coumadin (blood thinner). He has enough Coumadin for another month’s worth and we’re thinking when that runs out, the doctor won’t require him to be on it anymore since the whole reason he was on it to begin with was because he was immobile. And apparently, when your body has been through the trauma that Kevin’s body endured, your blood thickens and gels around your vital organs as a self-preservation tactic.
At any rate, he has retired his wheelchair. He no longer uses it, actually, he flat out refuses to use it anymore.
He’s doing more and more things on his own. He made his own breakfast this morning (and we’re not talking cereal and toast, we’re talking scrambled eggs and sausage) and though it’s hard for me to step back and watch him, it’s necessary. Though Kevin’s attitude has been amazing throughout this whole ordeal, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that there are days (like yesterday), that he just gets sick to death of the whole situation and though I wouldn’t exactly say he feels sorry for himself, he gets very irritable and impatient.
I can totally understand why.
He has two more weeks of physical therapy, well, four sessions. I think we’re going to try and get him on stairs this next go-around, or sometime this week, at any rate. He also REALLY wants to get into his truck. He won’t be driving, of course, but I can certainly drive him around (it would come in handy when he has band practice).
Driving. I should ask the PT’s about when they think he might be capable of driving again. I mean, he can lift his legs and move them now so … the only issue I see is the reaction time. Though I know he’s dying to get back to normal, I think driving will likely be the last thing he attempts – we certainly don’t want to put him, or anyone on the road, in danger.
A little over two weeks before we go to New York. The question is: walker or wheelchair?
Monday Mingle – Aging
Questions I answered this week: (submitted by Dee from Say Anything)
All about Aging:
1. What is the one thing you find most frustrating about getting older?
2. What is the one thing you like best about it?
3. What age did you look forward to most?
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Questions for July 5th:
Summertime fun:
1. When is the last time you went to a beach? Where?
2. What are your plans for this summer?
3. What are your favorite summer recipes (you know, those that don’t require the oven!)
Good Things to Come
I’m not a Mormon. But the story in this video transcends all religions leaving only a positive, and uplifting, message.
Don’t give up.
Teaching: Love: The More Excellent Way (Part One)
Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.
If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.
Let’s get started:
If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.
Thanks for reading.
(Comments have been turned off. The information is here to inform and bless you. God granted you the gift of free will – take it or leave it).
More from Write From Karen
Small Talk Six: Me? Spoil Our Boys? Never!
List six ways you indulge or spoil your children
Actually, I think it’s more apt to say:
List six ways you DON’T indulge or spoil your children.
Because yes, I’ll be the first to admit it, our boys are spoiled.
But they’re not brats.
No really! I KNOW parents SAY their kids aren’t brats, but honestly, our boys are not brats.
Usually. 🙂
Let’s see if I can narrow down the ways we spoil out kids (and then offer excuses for doing so):
1. Allow them to play video games for as long as they wish. (Hence the reason they’re both uber geeks and never leave the house. BUT, geeks make money AND I know where they are … so WIN!)
2. Though we expect them to make their beds and keep their rooms clean, we don’t really require them to do anything else around the house. (Though they will if we ask them. But we have to ask them, they don’t usually do it of their own free will. That’s a bit annoying, actually).
3. Pretty much buy them anything (as long as they follow the rules and continue to do well in school).
4. Take them on awesome family vacations every summer. (Confession: I actually do this one for ME because they’ll be moving out soon and I want to take advantage of this time together).
5. I buy them junk food and soda in the hopes they will actually GAIN weight. (They are both so skinny!)
6. The boys both have their own computers – with Windows Vista (I’m still on XP). We pretty much buy them anything and everything electronic because it gives US an excuse to do the same because come on man, it’s FUN to play with that stuff.
Am I wrong? 😀
Write From Karen 