Six Sentence Story: Up

It's Thursday, which means it's time to join the Six Sentence Stories link-up. This week's prompt: Up.

If one were to be believe the "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION," scream of the real estate listing, this house might be the one--the one that had not only the million-dollar views without that hefty price tag, but also no backyard neighbors, and unobstructed access to mountain hiking trails. Determining whether or not the house lived up to its reputation required, of course, an in-person visit, and as the husband and wife drove to the address, they took note of the attractive houses in the neighborhood.

The "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION" house greeted them with its tall, weedy lawn and overgrown shrubbery, but they only had eyes for the fact it had landscaping--including fruit trees, maples, pines, and beloved quaking aspen. As they climbed up the front steps, the joy of a wrap-around porch overshadowed the disappointment of a broken door bell.

Upon entering the house, the couple read a note taped to the back window, admonishing them to be sure to go up to the swing in the backyard and see the view. After a perfunctory tour of the house, they followed the note's advice and realized they were home.

Photo: A tan two-person swing sits at the base of a jagged mountain

Ten Things of Thankful: 39 Years Edition

A political map of the world circa 1987. The Soviet Union takes up a sizable portion. A lot has happened in the last 39 years. The Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Twin Towers fell. Technology has changed: landlines and phone booths are practically extinct, and random questions can be answered in seconds by asking Google, Siri, or Alexa. No longer do drivers keep the Thomas Guide in their cars; navigation systems will give turn-by-turn directions, and recalculate when the driver doesn't follow the directions. Some cars don't even need drivers. While many shoppers do their shopping in-person, some simply log into Amazon and have their item show up on their doorstep--sometimes within hours. I've seen pieces of the Berlin Wall. I've traveled to places that used to be behind the Iron Curtain. I've been to Ground Zero. I no longer have a house phone, and have looked up the answers to countless questions using my cell phone. I do not miss the stress...

Ten Things of Thankful: April Showers Edition

A red peony bud prepares to open fully After an incredibly dry winter, we had a bit of precipitation this past week, in the form of falling snow. We didn't have much, and it didn't really stick, but we'll take water however it wants to come. Fortunately, my peonies seem unaffected by the cold snap, and are ready to put on a show here soon. 1. I'm thankful for moisture. 2. I'm thankful the flowers are still going to bloom. I don't know how the colder temperatures will affect the fruit crops. The strawberries look like they are still planning to set fruit. We'll have to see what happens with the peach, apricot, pear, and apple. (The apricot only bears heavily every other year anyway, and I think this is an "off" year--though I could be wrong.) Strawberry plants in full bloom 3. I'm thankful for anticipated berries. We continue to clear out and otherwise prepare John's parents' house for sale. I've been going through old photos and...

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago. I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon. (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...

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