The Bag Lady

“I don’t care what you do with it, I just want it gone,” Alex said, pointing at the dollhouse.  

This wasn’t the first time he threatened Joseph with throwing out the ancient toy. His son’s obsession with it was a constant reminder of his own traumatic childhood. Joseph sadly picked up the small house and went out to the porch, setting it on the swing beside him.

“I’ll never let you go, don’t worry, I’ll just hide you in the woodshed.” Joseph remained, swinging with the dollhouse, as if he was in a trance. Back and forth, with one hand constantly held on the toy.

He first discovered the old dollhouse in the barn, along with other treasures, broken bikes, old nursery rhyme books, and a baby’s highchair. All thrown aside to be taken to the junk pile. Being a curious, bored child, he was sorting through the items and came upon the house. Quite small, but there were a few remaining pieces inside it and the door still worked. He was instantly fascinated and dusted it off as well as he could and took it to his room.

The inside figures were intriguing and he carefully cleaned them and set them in different rooms. Every afternoon it was his first choice to play with after school and chores were finished. His father would find him playing with it for hours and began to worry. “I should have destroyed that years ago, but somehow I couldn’t”, remembering he threw it out on the junk pile, thinking it was safely away. Memories of his own fascination disturbed him and then finding his son acting in a similar manner, upset him further.

Joseph stopped swinging and picked up the dollhouse for one last session of play before hiding it it in the shed. As he covered it with an old gunny sack, he patted it softly, promising to return soon.

https://wordpress.com/2018/02/16/first-line-friday-february-16th-2018/

The subject of his and hers came up a couple of years ago when people were discussing unisex bathrooms. Really, who cares? This is not a party arena, if you gotta go, you gotta go! But I saw this on Facebook and had to laugh:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 17/18

I don’t know but I’ve been told

People are rude when they get old

They seem to think they know it all

If you ask, you hear their call

They sound off 1 2, sound off 3, 4

Sound off over and over and more.

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

I don’t know but I would think

This constant noise would really stink

If you know someone like this

Take the lead, you must insist

Sound off 1 2, sound off 3 4

Say I’m not listening anymore

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

I don’t know but I can muse

That even I may be accused

Of sounding off 1, 2 sounding off 3, 4

So if it’s true I don’t amuse

And you don’t like to read my views

There’s only one thing you can do

Turn my sound off

1, 2…..3,4! 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

https://rugby843.blog

Just lazin’ around, watchin’ the tube

It’s a day off from the regular rude

Ride on the bus to a job where the crude

Boss constantly yells, a dastardly dude

〰

If I had my choice, was in the mood

I’d have a nice dinner, something stewed

I’m not picky about my food

I’m just an ordinary dude

〰

I’m not a prude but neither lewd

I’m a hard worker not any old rube

I don’t like to argue or start any feud

I work for a living to support my brood

〰

So, is the interview over, got what you need?

I kept it short, that’s what we agreed

I hope when they look at it and read

They’ll take it as meant, and concede

All different lives in their own way, succeed.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/rube/

➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿AND:

Sure I see the importance of these issues, especially the fluorescent pink, don’t you?😱😫🙄😳😡

https ://rugby843.blog

Spring brings the roses

A thoughtful Valentine gift

Be my secret, love

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/heeding-haiku-with-chevrefeuille-february-14th-2018-secret-love/

Bright beauty among the grey pavement is a hopeful sign, an inspiration to all those who step around it, admiring its tenacity. Only a few will tromp on it, refuse to acknowledge its existence as they hurriedly travel to an unwanted destination.

I see this flower as a sign of how the world can be, should strive to be, how we all, no matter what our circumstances would be, if only we stopped a minute or two in our life and just thought.

Think of the flower, the strength it took to achieve growth at all, and a bright, beautiful bloom? That’s how life should be, shouldn’t it? Isn’t there a minute in your day when you can just stop, think of who you want to be, or what want to accomplish, and how you can bloom?

Tale Weaver – #159 – February 14th – The Coming of Spring

She sadly put away the books, her work was finished. The loss of students meant she was moved into another location, a different school. She knew this was not the answer but administrative members were actually at a loss as to how to solve this problem.

Another school shooting that week, more innocent children murdered. In her observation as a teacher for twenty years she thought she could change things. She tried working after school, holding open sessions of discussion with the students and just being there if they needed. Previous traditional routines were not the answer. It had to come from the students, ultimately their parents, to break the link between teaching children about guns and actually having access to them. The “turn off the news” and taming of this growing problem is definitely not working.

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“Households that have many guns, not ancient ancestral “treasures”, or the “necessary” hunting rifles, or the “protection from intruder” types, will always be perceived as necessary by people in the US, but the semi automatic weapons should be housed and used only by the military. I may be alone in this, but any gun does not seem to me to be necessary in any form, in a home.

The latest shooting report said that the students “friends” heard him say what he was going to do, saw the guns he housed to do it, and did nothing. How to end these tendencies, these acts of violence, is apparently a mystery to all of us. All the officials’ thoughts and prayers of the world will not end this. What will? Being a grandmother, I am fearful for the school age children. How can teachers be held responsible when the parents ignore or even promote a cache of guns in their home? I have no answers.”

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“Check out your elected officials and next time you have the opportunity to check the box, think about yesterday, or the many other victims, and the results.”

Weekly Writing Challenge #128

Mondays the gentleman walked the street

Only an overcoat and bare feet

He’s very suspicious he heard them say

He ignored them and went on his way

It was his only costume, it was laundry day.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/suspicious/

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/costume/

Personality?

Was more than her charm

Yellow polka dots

Female curves in bikinis

Men loved those sandy beaches

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge, No. 71: Character & Affection, #SnyonymsOnly