This weekend's pain management has just been rest. I'm completely over-using my body right now and things are not holding up well. Our shirts and stickers business has been busy, as well as our freeze dried foods business (we'll be doing a bunch of small markets throughout November and that's really exciting), and general at-home-mom-job things all combined in the past couple of weeks to simply be too much. Thankfully I could spend half of yesterday in bed. And the past two nights I was able to overcome the anxiety monsters before 1am so got adequate sleep for the first times in... let's not count that, okay?
Moral of the story: be nice to your body because chronic pain issues can really hurt a lot more when combined with strains, possible stress fractures, and pinched nerves. Tonight, though, with a bit of pain meds and some willful ignoring of pain signals, I'll be able to go out with the kids for a couple hours of covid-safe Trick or Treating. I'm really hoping the neighbor who had a candy bucket duct taped to the top of the remote control car is again delivering candy to the end of the driveway in the same creative way. My kids absolutely loved the "RC Delivery" last year. I hope you're having a great weekend! 
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Dinnah’s my best friend in the whole world, baby Stacy. When she was my size, we’d sit in the closet when she was sad and I’d sing to her until she was happy again. Shh-shh-shh, don’t cry. She’ll be here in just a moment and she can warm you right up. See? She’s got a puffy, warm coat on and a little holder inside just for you. See? Here she is. I told you she’d be here and keep you warm.
Dinnah? I know I said I wanted to play on the swings, but I can see your breath and I saw baby Stacy’s, too, when we first came out before you zipped her into your coat so I think it’s too cold for you and baby Stacy to play outside. And it’s very dark and very late for a baby to play out here…
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Hello! This is a weird little story, which makes it perfect for Halloween weekend. I'll post up Part 2 on Sunday as this isn't the story that I want to start on November 5.
Happy Halloween! 
Photo by Luca, www.unsplash.com
Part 1
Hi, Dinnah. It’s very late to play, isn’t it? You’re crying. Did you have a bad dream? Here, tuck into my blanket. I’ll always share my blanket any time with you.
In the closet it is safe and all the toys each have a place. It’s like a little rhyme, you know? I still like rhyming. Do you still like rhyming? Do you remember this one from when we first met: I am Alice and I like to play, so we’ll be friends all night and day? No updates this weekend, no story parts to post, and so I totally forgot to make a note in here on Friday that... this week there aren't any updates lol. A new story will be starting on November 5, and I'll have a Halloween update on October 29. See you then!
As for writing, I got a couple hours in on editing, a new story idea ambushed my brain, and I think I know which short story to start in November. I've narrowed it down to a choice between a couple of my stories, at least. (*Whispers*: that's a lie. I'm lying. I have, like, five stories that are close to ready and I can get editing passes done on to start at the beginning of November. Each of them is the one I want to start posting whenever I'm editing it. This decision is becoming harder than it really needs to be.)
Those municipal elections I was ranting about a couple of weeks ago? They're officially scheduled for this coming Monday. Most people I know already voted at the advanced polls, so we're all just waiting for word of how things are going to be. I really hope a couple of my chosen candidates get elected. Due to the outcome of the federal election we just had, I don't have high expectations that what I'm hoping for will happen, but unsinkable optimism for the win because I'm still hopeful. Otherwise in life, we'll be working at an outdoor vendor market tomorrow (October 16) at the Lessard Community Hall in Edmonton. We'll be hocking our freeze-dried candies, treats, fruits and veggies to the masses. I'm looking forward to it. In my very limited experience, selling candy at a farmers-market style event is the very best form of retail work. I hope you get to have a great weekend!
I've been able to pick and poke at a couple of my short stories during this past week. Not much happened for new words, but lots of editing improvements were had during the hours at my keyboard. I've been able to sort of get a plan together for the next story to blog out, which will start November 5th if all goes well. Keep an eye here next week for the free downloads of Daion Echoes through Transglass. I hope you get to have a good weekend!
Epilogue
Trevor crouched to adjust her son’s jacket, making sure the brilliant green of the collar trimming complimented Lott’s eyes as well as she believed it should. She also checked that his shirt was staying tucked. The full-faced frown he directed at her was achingly similar to the expression his father wore every time she’d fussed about his appearance and she smiled to see the resemblance. This little boy in front of her was growing out of everything again and she hadn’t had time to shop for a new shirt after realizing this one was too small only an hour before they’d had to leave the house. If she’d known yesterday…
She never thought she’d one cycle live landside, but here she was, counting hours and days. Here we are, she corrected the thought and hugged her boy.
Well, we're one election down and one to go. The sham of a federal election barely concealing the attempted power grab was an expensive failure on the part of the Liberals to gain a majority seating in parliament. Thank goodness it failed. I unfortunately am one of the many Canadians who live in the majority of Canada which is not southern Ontario, and therefore is obviously not the federal "favorite child" who controls election results in our current voting system.
Ahem: <Steps onto soapbox to rant>.
As for the other election, advance polls for our city's mayorship start this coming Monday. I don't even know where to begin to look for those who are not blatantly corrupt or self-serving at these small polls. Our Premier is watching in surprise as our health care system collapses, after jumping gleefully onto every opportunity he was able to create to reach this point, and cities and townships are trapped in the nightmare of trying to keep the peace as constituents die and protest. And the main question I hear on the radio that Edmonton politicians seem to be focusing on during the past couple of weeks is: "How can we revitalize the downtown core?"
Seriously? That's their Big Question? Bit of back story for you, friends. As warned by every city who tried to influence the decision, a downtown stadium and/or arena deters people from an area due to the crime they attract. The arena our city's politicians at the time demanded was "in the interest of revitalizing the downtown community and businesses" was voted down by constituents three times before being pushed through in a backdoor deal. It has since been a financial drain on the city and – surprise, surprise – a draw for crime activity within the downtown core, ensuring accelerated small business closures and less people visiting the remaining businesses and downtown events (and that was before Covid showed up and geared the decline to an even faster pace). Sorry, Useless Folks Making Selfish Decisions, you killed downtown Edmonton when you lined your pockets with the money skimmed on the backdoor arena deal. Now we all have to live with that failure. How about, instead of flogging that long-dead horse of "revitalizing downtown", you start acknowledging the growing numbers of Covid deaths and Long Covid survivors and enact useful aide and support for our community's families and victims? How about some city-wide contact tracing, and support for Edmonton Districts' schools and teachers to re-implement 2-week isolations after close contacts? What about ensuring safe access to opioids and addiction recovery support for those growing numbers of people with addictions whom our provincial government has denied by closing safe dosing locations? What steps is Edmonton taking – aside from lip service – toward meaningful Truth and Reconciliation with our local Indigenous populations, inclusive of city policing reform? And, as our federal government chokes any chance of economic recovery for the main industries Edmonton supports, how will the city ensure housing security and affordable access to retraining for skilled workers and their families? The city is in crisis, which is doubled due to your own actions and those of the politicians before and above you, and your talking point is to "revitalize downtown" while holding an election in the middle of a pandemic. Awesome. Just. Freakin'. Awesome. Sigh: <Climbs off soapbox>.
7-5
“Looks like the handle for a manual hand crank,” Lissa said, not impressed.
“Well, yeah, this is,” Leo agreed. “But,” he said, drawing out the word as he gave the handle a shove and started rotating the circle in the floor. Heavy decking scissored closed across the top of the tunnel gap, covering the small pit completely and interlocking in the same pattern as emergency doors. Leo kept cranking and a smooth, third, thinner section of decking slid across the top and then lifted to be level with the floor under the current flooring. It hissed as the mechanical autoseal inflated. “So, rather than escape the same way you got in, we’re both now stuck in here?” Lissa asked. |
AManda FLIEDERThis was a weekly blog updating on Fridays, but life got busy. Now I pop in when I can to let you know I'm still chipping away at my stories. If you look back through the archive you'll find weekly quick personal blurbs about me, as in what's going on during my life as an Author and mom, and each blog entry doles out my short stories and novellas in bite-sized parts for everyone to read. For free! Check out my Short Stories section for free e-book downloads of most of my writing :) (Aside: almost everything I've written is free to read over on WattPad, too.) Archives
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