Another Chapter in Dee's Life

Dee loved to read. As a young girl, she would cozy up under the enormous cottonwood tree in the backyard and lose herself in other peoples worlds. She cherished each one of Mildred Wirt Benson's installments of Nancy Drew's exciting life. On a daily basis she would stop by the grey stone building that housed the library and the local health clinic. The smell of rubbing alcohol permeated the air as she stalked the librarian...begging and pleading for an exact date as to when the next Nancy book would arrive. She had to get there first or wait those long, hot, boring weeks until she could get her sweaty hands on it. Dee was positive that Miss Charlotte could see her out of the gleaming library window.. and go hide among the tall shelves!

Dee would often try her hand at writing...mostly short poems and silly stories about getting even with her arch-nemesis, Becky Voorhees. She could just imagine making a slave of Becky, "carry my books, clean up the house, don't talk to me unless I give you permission, pick me up on your bike at exactly 4 pm, and bring me my slippers!"

Little Dee would often accompany her mother to clean up at the Voorhees two-story farmhouse. The banana mansion is what she called it...with its perfectly sparkling white porch all around the front of it. There was a pond too, where Becky and friends would often swim in the summer. "Go get us towels and blankets... and haul our basket back up the hill, and Dee.. bring us some cool water while you are at it. ..not too cold either,just barely cool." Dee followed instructions because she knew her mom needed this job... and was afraid of what Becky Brittlebutt would do if she spoke up.

While walking down that hot dusty road with her mom, toward their tiny vanilla house, Dee would think up devious ways to get even. "I'll just write her out of my head."

And so, with clenched jaws, she began.

The irony of this story? Becky Brittlebutt grew up to be a creative writing teacher! Life isn't fair.

Fearless Writing!

Crescent Dragonwagon and my workshop friends. My son offered to come and take a few photos- free of charge. Thanks Mike! Check out his website. He didn't have much time so he only took 8 frames...but I liked them all very much. (got my hair all purdy before I made the trip and then got up late and didn't have time to get all "done up". Oh well).

This workshop..well, it was a play and work. Brilliantly taught. I met some extraordinary writers in the past couple of days..one who truly didn't have a clue how very outstanding she is! It wasn't me. :) I am working on it though...and I just have to keep writing. Thank you Crescent for keeping it REAL. Seriously...one of the very best decisions I've ever made in my life was to do this thing. As Ms. Dragonwagon says, "Nothing is wasted on the writer."

BTW...Linda warned me about hermit crabs and sleeping naked under the ghost hotel in Belize!

P.S. My granddaughter is taking me to her pre-school for show and tell today...so I best get cleaned up. It takes me longer to paint the barn these days.