Gullible Grandma

Ann's writing challenge:

It is 10:30 at night on a warm May evening.  A woman has found a place to sit in a small architectural alcove on the outside of a church a block away from her residence.  She chose this spot not for any religious significance but because it faces a grassy area and the backs of other buildings.  In the darkness, it is unlikely anyone will see her there.  She weeps.

Why is she weeping?


She was so stupid. How had she not seen it for what it was? She couldn’t go home to face her husband yet; he’d be furious. She would sit outside in the darkness of the church alcove for a while longer. She looked out to the buildings in the distance, their lights burning brightly, and wiped the shredded Kleenex she gripped in her hand over her swollen eyes. She hadn’t been able to stop crying since she figured it out. Maybe if the door to the church was open she’d go inside and pray. She needed all the help she could get.

“Grandma, I’m in Canada and I’ve been arrested. I need you to wire money to me for bail. But please don’t tell Dad.”

The telephone connection crackled. “Grandma, will you help me?” His voice was high and panicked.

“What have you been arrested for, Josh?” Her only grandson lived with his dad across the country in Oregon. She hadn’t seen him since he started college two years ago.

“They said they found drugs in the trunk of my car when they stopped me for going too fast. Grandma, I don’t do drugs and it was just 5 miles over the speed limit. I wasn’t paying attention.”

She’d gone to the bank and wired $30,000 to her grandson in Canada. It was almost all they had in savings, but she had to help him. He promised she’d get it all back because the lawyer who was representing him told him he’d be able to get the charges dropped.

After she had wired the money, she had second thoughts. Something just didn’t feel right. She called her son in Oregon and Josh answered the phone. “Canada? No Grandma. I’m home this weekend from college staying with dad.”

She called the police and then Western Union. They took her information, but told her what she had already figured out. She’d given her money to a scam artist.

Now she had to face her husband to tell him she had wired almost all of their savings to someone in Canada, and it was gone forever.

She stood and walked to the door of the church. She’d go inside first and pray for some of that divine intervention.

Poem to capture a moment in time

August 21, 2012 10:20PM

Pitch black, the country night
Calm and still
No help from winking stars
The air with a hint of chill

The feeble beam of my flashlight
Bounces as I scurry
It attempts to push back the dark
To take away the worry

120 steps from door to gate
Then I tug it till it closes
To keep out the deer
And save my pretty roses

Only darkness across the street
Things are not the same
Since Thursday July 3rd
When that house went up in flames

A startled bird flees the hedge
And I jump in alarm
Surely there’s no one there
No chance of any harm

But I’ll remember to do this earlier
Tomorrow night
Before darkness presses around me
And gives me such a fright.

Would you read this book?

ANNA IN THE PORTRAIT 

by Linda McMann 

CHAPTER 1

Hillside Manor 1909

 “He’s here, he’s here! He’s come for Anna,” said Bessie running into the room wringing her hands. Her eyes darted around the mahogany paneled room looking for a place to hide behind the massive walls of books.

“Go. Now. Leave us,” Isabella said to the housekeeper as she hurried across the rich burgundy Persian rug and shooed her away. She locked the double doors to the library, leaned against them and heard Bessie's heavy footsteps tromping down the hallway towards the back of the manor.

Isabella’s heart pounded in her chest as she gathered her swirling thoughts together and concentrated on the instructions for the spell she was about to cast. It had to work, it just had to.

She moved to the fireplace and hugged her distraught young daughter. Above the mantel hung a portrait of Anna, commissioned and completed upon her graduation from Miss Porter’s Finishing School this past spring. Long dark curly hair framed her petite face and violet eyes, matching the iridescent purple cape around her shoulders, gleamed with unshed tears . Isabella fastened the ancestral sapphire pendant around Anna’s neck and placed her rose gold wedding band in her palm.

 “Mother are, are, you, you sure?” said Anna. Tears gave way and slid down her cheeks as she struggled for control, gripping the ring.

The desperation in Isabella’s eyes spoke louder than her words. “It’s the only way I know to insure your safety, my love. We don’t have much time.”

 She closed her eyes and cleared her mind for a moment, then clasped her daughter’s hands as she spoke:

“Be still

  Be safe

  In this painting you shall dwell

  Till one true love breaks the spell

  Be still

  Be safe

  Carefully watch and wait

  For release to your one soul mate.”

The instant her daughter vanished, a flash of blinding light filled the room. Isabella shielded her eyes with trembling hands. Her knees gave way and she sank to the floor. She touched her head gingerly and rubbed at the ache there with one hand. She moved her hand over her heart.

Did she do the right thing? Did she say the right spell? She looked up at the portrait. It changed ever so slightly to show her twenty-year-old daughter now wearing the sapphire pendant and holding her gold wedding band. A hint of lilac, her favorite fragrance, remained in the air.

Relief and sorrow washed over Isabella as she stood, pressing her palms down the front of her skirt, absently smoothing the fabric. It worked. Her daughter and the pendant were safe. She stumbled as she took the first step, and grabbed the back of a chair, steadying herself. Squaring her shoulders, she moved forward opening the doors to the library and walked to the front door of the manor to answer the insistent knocking.

             She stood tall as she met Alfred’s gaze. She must maintain control.

“I’ve come for Anna. We are to be married as our families agreed. I will be moving the date forward, since you are without protection now that your husband is gone.”

She looked into his cold eyes and saw the lack of compassion there, even as his words belied it. “My husband called on you yesterday to cancel the betrothal and I know you’re responsible for his death. You will not take our daughter.”

“I have the agreement in writing and you have no choice in the matter, Mrs. Harris.” He advanced forward, raising his fist and shaking it at her. “Do not underestimate me. I will have Anna as my wife.”

Isabella stepped backwards involuntarily. She met his glaring eyes and strengthened her resolve. Her voice rose, “Anna has been sent away to safety. She will not be marrying you now or ever. Good day to you, Mr. White.”

She slammed the door and bolted it, leaning back against its solid support. She could hear him shouting threats, and slowly sank to the floor as every bone in her body lost its rigidity. A desolate moan escaped her lips. She hugged herself with arms that would never hold the two people most dear to her again, and rocked back and forth.

“God be with you darling girl, as I cannot.”  

Two amazing food preparation tips in one post!

Bananas
Okay, I've eaten bananas for a very long time, and I usually resort to using a knife to open the end to start the peeling process. Now I have learned another way: peel a banana like a monkey. Here's a video to show you how:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBJV56WUDng


Corn
A friend of mine just sent me a video on how to cook corn that is amazing. Fast, easy, and it stays hot! We tried it tonite and it works! Check it out!

http://youtu.be/YnBF6bv4Oe4

A traumatic day in the neighborhood

I've been thinking about the families in Colorado that are going through the tragedy of losing their homes to wildfires. Seeing pictures on the news brings the devastation home clearly. But nothing brought it home more clearly than what happened just across the street today.This morning our neighbor's home caught on fire. The couple left for work, leaving their older son at home sleeping. The fire started and quickly spread. The son was able to get out of the house and to a neighbors to call 911. When I walked out to open our gate at 9:30 a.m., smoke was pouring from all the windows and the east wall was a bright orange ball of fire. The first fire engine was already there connecting to the hydrant closest to the home. I could hear others on the way. By 12:30, they were finishing up; the house is a total disaster. The cause - the clothes dryer. Luckily no one was hurt, and two dogs and a cat are also safe. Makes you want to check the lint trap in your dryer, right?

Spring Garden Project

This spring our garden project was to widen the flower bed at the back of the house (you can see where it originally ended by where the dirt stops) and add plants and a water feature.

We started by digging up the asphalt, shaping a new bed, and adding a drain.

Then we added a watering system and four truckloads of soil!

Next came the pad for the fountain, the plants (thanks for your help, Nancy), and bark mulch.

And finally Amelia

She's a beauty. The entire fountain stands 80 inches tall.

I can see and hear the waterfall from the kitchen window. The neighbors say they love to hear the peaceful sound of the fountain while they work in their yard. Our project is a success and makes a beautiful retreat!

From the pen of a child

This condolence note I received when my mom passed away has a special place in my heart. It was written by Hannah, the eight year-old granddaughter of the owner of the foster home my mom lived in. Hannah came with her mother to visit several times a week and got to know the ladies well. She read to them, brought water, talked with, drew pictures, and generally entertained them. She was surprised when my mom passed away, after a very short decline. 

Her grandmother said she had lots of things to tell me, so she took several pieces of paper and wrote down her thoughts. 

 Hannah is a pretty special young lady, don't  you think?