Our lot back along the lake contained a huge area of trees including Birch, Oak and Elms as well as Dogwood Trees. Spring was always pretty when the Dogwood Trees would blossom. However, they only last a few weeks and then the blossoms drop onto the ground and make a mess. Fall is the worse though as all those trees have leaves that fall off and litter the ground. We rake the area around the house, but the trees on the perimeter just litter the ground and build up. We also dump our raked up leaves in this area as well which tends to make those piles larger. Oh well, there was no where else to take them as we lived at least a half a mile off the road where they actually picked up the raked leaves. Too far for us to drag them so into the wooded area they went.
****************
Tessa–
Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses
Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.
Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, ÿplease manually add your link in the comments.
**********
Many little girls beg their parents to let them take ballet lessons. Although it might have crossed my mind at some point as a child, my parents couldn’t afford the lessons, let alone all the costumes required for the recitals. The only recital I had ever attended was one that featured my granddaughter.
Tessa–
Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses
Mary glanced at the cabinet in her room, the only place she had to store her clothes. The room was not equipped with a closet. There was no room for a chest of drawers. All of her clothes were in the cabinet.
*****42 words*****
Tessa–
Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses
Write a story that starts with your character in one place. Then they go through a series of events or experiences that leads them to a moment where everything changes for them.
Then let us follow them back through a series of events that mirror those that happened before, and show us how the world looks different to the character now.
Valerie looked forward to her last day of high school. She would be an adult now, and no one could tell her what to do or when to do it. This is going to be great, she thought. I will stay out all night if I want to, sleep all day, and forget about studying. She didn’t plan on attending college and successfully convinced her parents that she would sign up for the county college, although she had no plans to attend it.
“Get up, Valerie, and get dressed,” her mother said from the doorway.
“I am an adult now, and you can’t tell me what to do. I intend to party every night, come home late, and sleep all day.”
“Valerie, I have news for you. As long as you live under my roof, you will follow my rules. You get up, get dressed, and start looking for a job. You will work this summer before you go to college in the fall. You will pay some rent for this room until the fall college starts.”
“What do you mean I have to get a job. I am not following your rules because I am an adult now.”
“OK Valerie, suit yourself. Pack your things up and move out. My house, my rules.”
“Fine, I will find my own apartment and then you can’t tell me what to do.”
“What do you intend to pay for this apartment with, not to mention food and clothes, utilities like electricity and heat, etc.”
“What do you mean pay for all those things?”
“You seriously don’t think they are free now, do you?”
“But all of my friends are moving out, and the ones who stay with their parents don’t have to pay to live there or follow their rules.”
“I don’t care what your friends are doing. We can’t afford to support you forever. While you are in college, we will pay your expenses so you don’t have to work and can study in your downtime away from classes.”
“Move or get a job. Those are your choices.”
Valerie started to get up and headed to the shower. Once dressed, she went to her computer and looked up a job website. She started to peruse the list of openings, but nothing appealed to her. She tried another site. Again, she didn’t find anything she wanted to apply for. She was stumped.” She finally decided to head the industrial park and go to every one of the factories that were there. Hopefully, some of them were hiring.
She was tired and planned to hit the local Mall tomorrow. Those stores always had help-wanted signs in the windows.
She headed home for the day. Upon arrival, she went to her room and got the applications for the local college. “Mom, can you help me with these applications for the fall college session? I want to go to college. I can see now that being an adult would be much easier with a career to support me. I want to live here with you and will get a job as soon as possible and go to work so I can pay the rent.”
“I am happy to hear that, Valerie. You only have to pay rent if you aren’t working and going to school. As long as you apply to college and get a job, we will be happy to let you live here, just like you have throughout high school.”
Mom and daughter hugged and then settled down to fill out the applications. Valerie was starting to get excited as she looked at the college’s programs.
Tessa–
Advocate for mental health and invisible illnesses
Tessa Dean - Author 