A Place of Blinding Green – Chapter 11

The first time I saw Ireland, it was from the air. The sun came out just long enough to light up the hills below me, and I was struck with just how vibrant the colors were. When I finally found myself at ground level, the feeling continued. Of course, it is a country of roads and cities, towns and coast, like every other place, but the countryside, with it’s overgrown stones and amazing garden walls, studded with flowers and fushia, is a riot of color. It took my breath away!

Sookie feels that way now, following Breandan to a new life she is sure will be better than the one she left. She is looking for her future, and she is sure that her Mother’s advice was sound.

I have, myself, taken such bold steps. Most turned out for the good, though they were rarely as advertised. Sookie will find, as I did, that the best adventures are found when you keep you heart open and your attitude one of willingness.

Thank you, Ms Buffy. I hope your holiday was wonderful, and to all my readers, here in the U.S., or abroad, my best to all of you.

Chapter 11 – A Place of Blinding Green

It’s a holiday here in the U.S.

So I’m posting an extra chapter.

It’s time for things in the U.S. to draw to a close, and Sookie to find her way to her new home. That will unfold over the two chapters that will release this weekend.

Things are a little busy here in my world as well. I am moving in the end of July, bowing to the pressure of tax laws and becoming a homeowner again. I have enjoyed the independence of renting, but there are down sides. And so I will be spending some part (the most part) of this holiday weekend packing non-essentials and readying my house to move two towns over and up a hill.

My decks will overlook woods, and there are raptor nests in the trees. There is a pond less than a mile down to road for my kayaks and trails for my feet to explore. I look forward to paint and hardwood installs, measuring and mounting. A new phase in a happy life.

My best to everyone this weekend. Thank you to Ms Buffy. I hope you get to spend extra time with children and grandchildren!

And thank you to you, who read my stories and share with me. My best to you all!

Chapter 10 – Windows Open

Doors Close…

There are those wonderful late days of Fall when everything seems just a little too perfect. Nights are cool and crisp. Days are warm, even hot, and the feeling in the forest is one of drowsy waiting. Bees hum, fat and slow, from one flower to another and overhead, the leaves show just the faintest hint of color.

You feel, as you walk under the canopy, that everything is ready, although what is coming is just around the corner. It reminds me of the ant and the grasshopper. You can abandon yourself in the moment, reveling in the overwhelming abundance around you, or you can recognize it for what it is: the first warning that change is coming.

Sookie finds herself in this place. While Breandan finds Spring in her, Sookie finds Fall. There is a wealth of sensation and happiness, but at the edges, reality hovers. This Sookie is a different woman, a thinking woman. She can choose to listen to her instincts, or she can allow herself to be persuaded by those around her.

For now, she chooses the path of the grasshopper, singing her happiness and ignoring the changes that come.

Thank you, Ms Buffy, for your enthusiasm about this tale. Goodness knows, I stopped and started enough, as I searched for the right path to lead our heroine to the place she deserves!

And thank you, my readers, for meandering the paths with me.

Chapter 9 – Doors Close

Nothing ventured…

Nothing gained. It is in taking risks that we find our greatest joys. My mother once said to me that to take risks was to risk one’s heart. She was giving me advice about the difference between husbands and boyfriends. She was suggesting I stop chasing the latter and settle down with the former.

“You will miss the adrenaline of the highs you find with boyfriends. They are romance and passion and going into work with no sleep, but you will also miss the terrible crashes. With highs, come lows. You are better to find a husband – someone who is steady, and while he may not be as exciting, he offers you the sure knowledge that he will be there, holding your back when you need him.

Was it good advice? I have my opinion, and it involves two divorces, a busy life, and a good feeling that I will never marry again.

And Sookie? She is ready to risk as well. Timing for her could be better, and perhaps her decision would have been different, but then again, maybe not.

Happy Mother’s Day to all who have taken the biological challenge, and those who have made the conscious decision to be a mother to someone in their life!

Happy Mother’s Day to Ms Buffy, who inspires me daily with stories of family and courage. My best to you!

Chapter 8 – Nothing Ventured

Through the Looking Glass…

And like Alice, Sookie finds herself unable to resist the temptation offered by Breandan.

Temptation. It’s a wonderful word, one that tiptoes across the tongue with a sly glance. It’s the unopened letter and the unknown vial on the table labeled, ‘Drink Me.’ Sookie Stackhouse, who has grown up alone for much of her life, is no coward. She has a confidence that grows in those who face challenges and overcome them – brash courage… fool’s courage, one might say. She asks advice from no one, because she’s grown up that way, and she reaches for what tempts her, even when it might burn her fingers.

For those who have learned through experience, and even with regrets, wouldn’t have it any other way – best of mornings!

Thank you, Ms Buffy for your trimming and streamlining! You are the wind beneath my wings. I hope this day of sun and warmth brings you joy!

Chapter 7 – Through the Looking Glass