![I Believe… [Too Much Absence]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/579fa3912994ca0eff850271/1730684696431-9LG56F84KEH4VEPSQ13U/IMG_2287+2.JPG)
Thank you, Joe of the 6th or 7th Century!
But the exciting part is that when they came up with the sins that would merit this public humiliation—lust, wrath, gluttony, and so on—some churches didn’t just have seven. Some included an eighth: Dejection.
The Cereal Wish | Part 3
“What can I do for you?” asked the funnel of incense as it materialized into a small-boned woman in a red Chanel suit.
My Dead Dog Tried SLUGGING and YOU WON’T BELIEVE the RESULTS
So for people who don’t know, slugging is where you moisturize like normal BUT THEN add a layer of petroleum jelly and leave on overnight
Memory is a T.J. Maxx
When she was seventy-three, Mom got arrested at a T.J. Maxx. They brought her to a little security office and laid out the charge: switching price tags, which she denied. "The tag came off! I was trying to fix it!"
Our year
There were splinters in our hearts the size of floorboards.
We waited, shivering.
100% Within My Rights
Until this moment, I have not really appreciated the magnitude of the problem of misdirection. Big lies are easier to spot and avoid. Mitch has not repeated Trump’s extreme lie that the election was “stolen.” He has only said Trump is “100 percent within his rights to look to allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options.” True enough. I mean, we’re all 100 percent within those rights at all times, aren’t we?
Trip Report | White Sunglasses: Russell Springs, KY
I’m walking Nola through Russell Springs KOA, a park reviewed on Google as “not bad for what it is.” We drove down from my cousin’s in Paris, Kentucky, attracted by the website description. “It's water, water everywhere when you stay at this campground right next to Lake Cumberland!” But the campsite map notes, “No access to lake from KOA.” However, the showers are clean and there's 24-hour laundry. Not bad for what it is.
The Cereal Wish | Part 3
“What can I do for you?” asked the funnel of incense as it materialized into a small-boned woman in a red Chanel suit.
The Cereal Wish
Fast & Short is a flash fiction collaboration between eight Literate Ape writers. Each was tasked with authoring one piece of flash fiction that would be combined to create a single short story. The writers’ flash fiction needed to serve two purposes: 1) Stand alone as a unique piece of flash fiction and 2) Serve as a vehicle for building a larger story and driving that story forward. Here is that developing story.
Trip Report | Day 15: Springfield, Illinois
Trip Report Day 14: Florida, Missouri
Trip Report | Day 13: Topeka, Kansas
The connections at Shawnee Lake County Campground are oddly placed, so we had to nose in for electric and still couldn’t reach the water. Because of this, our front door faced another front door, which is strange when you’re RVing. Most front doors are on the passenger side, which gives everyone a little more privacy.
Trip Report | Day 12: Greensburg, Kansas
“Are you into green?” asked the lady working the museum store at the home of the largest hand-dug well in the world. Completed in 1888, the well was Greensburg’s biggest claim to fame until an EF5 tornado killed twelve people and wiped out almost all the buildings in 2007.
Trip Report | Day 11: Dodge City, Kansas
There’s a huge grain processing plant that hums like a well-tuned diesel truck someone forgot to turn off. You get used to it and then hear it like new again, over and over during your stay in Dodge City, which is in the midst of a revitalization initiative. There’s a petting zoo and a dog park right next to the new KOA campsite.
Trip Report | Day 10: Springer, New Mexico
Pulled into Santa Fe Trail RV Park at seven, exactly when the lady on the phone had said they closed. Jumped out without my coat and ran up to try the office door. It was locked but there was a sign telling us where to park. It looked like something my mom would write if she were alive and ran an RV park.
Trip Report Day 9: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Trip Report | Day 8: Grants, New Mexico
Newbie tip: Bibblets are little seeds and bits of undergrowth that can stick to a tiny dog’s muzzle. If your dog is taller than an iPhone, don’t worry about them.
Trip Report Day 7: Grand Canyon, Arizona
Trip Report | Day 6: Grand Canyon, Arizona
“We should invite them for a drink,” I said after we left to go shove their plastic levelers under more wheels of our rig.
“Maybe,” Dave said. “Did you see the bumper sticker?”
“No,” though I had noticed the model name on their trailer was Connect.
“Trump-Pence 2020,” Dave said.
Trip Report | Day 5: Monument Valley, Utah
Some national parks are dog-friendly; Arches is not one of them. Dogs are allowed in the parking lots only. So our plan to hike there and appreciate some arches devolved into Dave and Nola waiting in the parking lot while I went and looked at an arch, then came back to wait with Nola while Dave went to look at an arch. Except then he got a nosebleed so we just left.