THE GARDEN

The wind chill factor was, as expected, very cold. The Rhododendron and Camellia leaves are curled in on themselves as protection. The snowdrops, which were beginning to flower, are lying flat on the ground, I’m not sure if my yellow witch hazel, which was starting to bloom beautifully a week ago, will recover its former glory. All my pots are covered, keeping them from cracking. By exchanging the hummingbird feeders every hour, they were able to feed.

HENRY AND DAISY

For the first two days of the cold snap, it was impossible to take Daisy outside because her legs were too thin. Wearing four layers of clothing, plus a hat and scarf, Henry and I took three quick walks during the day. He wore two coats! But male dogs and their need for the right smells meant we were pretty cold by the time we were home. Wrapped in two thin coats and topped with her winter coat, Daisy went out and did her business; she was quick. 

BOOKS

I find it ironic that when the weather is inclement, it doesn’t entice me to sit down and write. I want to stay in bed and read. I have already read seven books this month. Most of them were short, some old ones that I am re-reading to see whether I want to continue to keep them. My favorites are The Silver Star by Jeannette Wall and The River Beyond the Dam by Jean L. Waight, a local author. The two books were completely different. The latter was the author’s struggle to find God in a form and church that fitted her way of thinking. I have read two of Jeannette Wall’s previous books, her memoir, The Glass Castle, and Half Broke Horses, a creative non-fiction. I loved all three of them. They were sad. They were witty. They were very human. 

WRITINGS

As to writing, I have finished the second edit of my memoir and handed it over to my beta reader. Now, I must wait. In my last blog post, I mentioned that The Blue Bottles Writing Studio will write a series of Micro Fiction stories in the next few months. This is my story from the first prompt.

THE ROOST by Elizabeth Jane Pryce

Ozzie stopped suddenly and then took off running. Emily raised her head, shook it a little, and continued walking. Emily liked to watch the ground. The open space above her seemed too immense if she looked up. Emily kept her thoughts to herself as she slipped under the fence. She was going on her own adventure. It was a delightful sunny day on the trail. 

Ozzie was the opposite, voicing his opinion loudly to other walkers. He knew they didn’t always like his voice. But Ozzie knew if Henry heard his voice, he would back Ozzie up. But where was his friend? They had all started out together.

The other walkers all look the same to Ozzie. Tall, with heavy coats. Their faces looked out of thick hats and hoods. Most, he didn’t know. Today, the other walkers were all standing, staring up into the trees at the black things sitting on the branches. They were making pleasurable sounds. It must be something adults were interested in.

Ozzie ran back to Emily. She had come out from the patch of long grasses and was hurrying along the trail. Emily looked up and grinned when she saw Ozzie. Emily didn’t know where Henry was either. But she had seen him run off in the opposite direction a  while ago. She was now going to investigate. Did Ozzie want to come too?

Ozzie wasn’t sure. He followed Emily for a few steps. Ozzie wanted to find his friend. He ran ahead, overtaking Emily. She was too slow and ponderous. He needed to run, raise his voice, and have Henry join in. He must find Henry.

He wasn’t under the trees. Ozzie knew Henry wouldn’t be interested in those objects. Where was he? Henry’s not in the water. He’s not running across the field. This was the last place Ozzie could try. Trust Henry to find something interesting on the other side of the path.

Then he heard a sharp noise. Ozzie ran into the winter thicket of trees and brambles. He saw a flash of blue and red. It must be Henry’s jacket. Now I’ve found you, Ozzie thought. I’m coming. Let’s go scare those rapscallion rabbits together.

“Henry, Henry, come on, let’s go. I’m getting cold standing around here.” A human voice called.

And another voice, “Where’s Ozzie? Can you see him?”

There are our humans called us back to the roost. They didn’t understand we were about to have a real game together. We’d better go, Henry, Ozzie barked. My owner may have treats for us if we hurry up.

Thank you for reading,

E J P