The Balloon Adventure: Chapter 3 – The Descent!

Are you ready to travel with our 4 friends again? Where do you think they will end up?   I couldn’t help but put some Hot Air Balloon quotes on here, since today is Tuesday. Tuesdays are my quotes day, but I won’t delay the suspense for you of seeing what happens next,  to our 4 Adventurers! I understand how being in suspense can be hard! I may have some trouble waiting at times. 🙂 I have to admit that it is rather nice this time posting a story where I know what comes next! As most of you know, that is not usually the case when I get Colin’s stories.

 

The Balloon Adventure: Chapter 3 – The Descent!

The Man-Servant looked around for a cord, and found one that went right up and inside the balloon to the very top. When he pulled on it, he noticed a flap open in the top of the balloon, and he felt the balloon lurch just a little. He was then aware of a sensation of slowly going down.

“We’re on our way back down to earth guys!” Then he turned to Odessa. “How long have you known about the parachute vent cord?”  Odessa shook her head. “You have no idea just how much I know about different things, but you have to ask because I am not a mind reader.”  The Man-Servant looked thoughtful. “So all the time that we were out of control, you knew about the parachute vent cord?”  “Yes of course” said Odessa. The Man-Servant was getting flustered again. “So why did it take you this long to tell me about it?”

Now it was Odessa’s turn to get flustered. “I have had enough of this uncalled for verbal abuse! You kept going on about everything else, so how was I supposed to know that you wanted this balloon to go down? I am going to fly away for a while now to burn off some frustrations but, before I go, you might want to practice using that cord because you are going to need it when you get closer to the ground! Bye!” As Odessa took flight, the Man-Servant called after her “Why would I need to do that?” Odessa replied “You’ll find out!” and went out of sight beneath the basket as she headed for the ground.

The Man-Servant had some snacks in his pocket, which he shared with Jaxon and Dewey. All three of them looked over the side of the basket, and could clearly a patchwork quilt of fields. They were losing height quite fast now, and the Man-servant was wondering how best to handle the landing. Perhaps they should all jump out just before the basket hit the ground, but what speed could they be doing when they hit the ground? The Man-Servant thought to himself “How can I slow this balloon down?

He decided to see what would happen if he used the parachute vent cord to close the hole in the top of the balloon and, not too surprisingly, the balloon slowly decreased its rate of descent. It then seemed to be stable for a while before starting to go upwards again. The Man-Servant soon found that he could control the balloons rate of descent, but could do nothing about its speed which, as they were getting closer to the ground, seemed to be quite fast!

Suddenly, Odessa was once again flying alongside them. “Hey Man-Servant, are you in a race or something?” The Man-Servant looked across at Odessa. “I am so glad to see you! How do I slow this thing down?” Odessa just looked at him “I have no idea!” she said. “But if you guys can all get together in there, and then move around as one, you can influence the direction that this balloon is going. I would suggest that you practice right now, because you’re only about 100ft off the ground, and traveling at a good speed. I would suggest that you aim for that haystack ahead of you, and just off to your left!”

The Balloon Adventure: Chapter 2 – The Flight Starts!

Happy Monday! May this week hold some wonderful things for you! I am hoping for a special delivery from the mailman today. My phone to be exact! Yes, am still textless, but surviving. Perhaps I should go for a ride in a hot air balloon 🙂 Enjoy Part 2 of Colin’s story.

The Balloon Adventure: Chapter 2 – The Flight Starts!

As soon as the basket started moving, Dewey and Jaxon got up and looked over the edge and saw the ground getting further and further away. Jaxon turned to the Man-Servant. “This is so exciting” he said “What a good idea you had!” The Man-Servant just looked at them for a moment. “Well guys… we have a problem. We left the balloon owner on the ground, and I don’t know how to fly this thing!”

Just then, Odessa flew alongside them. “Having fun are you?” The Man-Servant looked at her. “Odessa. You do realize that you startled the balloon owner such that he is still in the field way down below us?” “Really?” said Odessa.  “I wonder why. I am big enough to be seen!” The Man-Servant continued. “Odessa… we need him up here with us in order to fly this thing! I have no idea how it works!”

Odessa shook her head and rolled her eyes in obvious disappointment “Man-Servant! You are riding a balloon! How difficult can it be? You have no motor and no wings to worry about, just a big bag of hotair… and most humans should be familiar with that situation!” The Man-Servant was not particularly impressed with Odessa’s overview of their situation. “Odessa” he said “We are going higher and higher!” Odessa looked puzzled. “I know you are Man-Servant. I’ve been keeping up with you. What’s your point?” “My point” said the Man-Servant “Is that the higher we go, the cooler it is going to get, and the more difficult it will be to breathe. I have no idea how high this balloon is likely to go!”

At that moment Dewey taps the Man-Servant’s leg to get his attention. The Man-Servant turns and looks down. “What is it Dewey?” Dewey looked up at him. “Is there any food in here and, by the way, neither Jaxon nor I recognize any of the land below us so we think that we’re lost!” The Man-Servant turned to Odessa. “There’s another thing. I have no idea where the wind has taken us. We’re lost!”

Odessa did not see the problems. “Would you like me to go down and see where you are so that you’re not lost any more?” she asked. “What purpose would that serve exactly?” said the Man-Servant. “Well” said Odessa “If I must repeat myself. You wouldn’t be lost any more!” The Man-Servant was getting a little flustered now. “Think Odessa! What purpose would be served by knowing where we are, when we are so high in the sky?” Odessa landed on the edge of the basket right in front of The Man-Servant. “What is your problem? You don’t know where you are which means that you are lost. I offered to find out where you are and solve that problem for you, and all you do is get rude and tell me to think. I am thinking, which I suspect is more than you are doing!”

The Man-Servant was very apologetic. “I am sorry Odessa. I didn’t mean to be rude but it’s just that you are missing the whole point!” Odessa looked at him “And the point is?” she said. “Well” said the Man-Servant “Knowing where we are is not much use when we are up in the sky and have no way of getting down.” Odessa looked at Dewey and Jaxon. “Do either of you know why he cannot communicate?” The Man-Servant overheard the comment. “Tell me Odessa. What part of my communication am I having trouble with?” Odessa just stared at him with her big round eyes. “You are going on about where the wind has or has not taken you. You are concerned about how high this balloon will rise to. You are concerned about the falling temperature, and you are concerned about breathing. It seems to me that you are concerned about everything except what you should be concerned about!” “Oh I see” retorted the Man-Servant. “So tell me Odessa, what should I be concerned about?” “How to get this balloon down to the ground!” she said. The Man-Servant just laughed “Right… Okay genius… so how do I do that?” Odessa turned her back to him in disgust, and then said “Let some heat out of the balloon! Pull the parachute vent cord!”

The Balloon Adventure: Chapter 1 – The Hot-Air Balloon Show!

Colin is up to his suspenseful stories again. Remember when I was asking for suggestions of stories in my one post?  There were clever suggestions made! The Hot Air Balloon idea was from my husband. He had given that suggestion and the one about the Man-Servant joining a Polka Band. He suggested that the other 3 could stow away with the band when the Man-servant  goes on tour. That could lead to an interesting adventure. For now,  enjoy seeing what kind of adventure this turns out to be!

The Hot-Air Balloon Show!

Every year, the Town of Greenwoods hosts a hotair balloon display. People come from miles around just to see all the brightly colored balloons, and some will even get to ride in some of them.

One evening, at Moonbeam Farm, our four friends were just spending time together, when the Man-Servant stood up and announced “I have an idea for an adventure tomorrow!” Odessa looked at him “Well… do we have to ask, or are you going to tell us what it is?” Jaxon was clearly excited “What is it Man-Servant?” he said. Dewey stretched out and flexed his claws. “Will there be food?” he murmured.

“Well” said the Man-Servant, the Town of Greenwoods is holding its annual hotair balloon show tomorrow, and I thought that we could all go and perhaps get a ride in one! What do you think?”

Jaxon was jumping up and down “Oh I’ve never been in one before and, apart from when Odessa carried me off the farmhouse roof, I’ve never flown anywhere!” Odessa tilted her head to one side and stared at the Man-Servant. “You’re kidding… right?” “No” said the Man-Servant “Absolutely not. I think it would be an exciting experience for all of us.”

Odessa muttered something very quietly as she walked away, but then she turned and faced the Man-Servant. “Let me see if I understand this correctly. I am a Barn Owl, with a wing span of well over 3ft. I can fly very low, and very quietly, over fields if I have to. I can also fly at a considerable height, and at up to 50 mph if I wish. My body is quite aerodynamic so I can swoop, glide, and turn with minimum effort… and you want me to ride in a basket, under a great big balloon with a fire beneath it heating up the air? What reason could you possibly have to suggest that I would find that fun?”

The Man-Servant just looked at her and shook his head. “Well you don’t have to come with us if you don’t want to Odessa.” Odessa just looked around at Dewey, Jaxon, and then at the Man-Servant. “You have to be kidding!” she said “You three in a hot air balloon? Who knows what will happen! I’ll be with you alright, but I shall be flying alongside the balloon!”

The next day, all four of them made their way over to the field where all the hotair balloons were. The Man-Servant liked one that was a really bright orange with yellow circles all over it, and was having an interesting conversation with the owner when he asked “Could me and my friends here go up in it with you?” The balloon owner looked at Dewey and Jaxon. “Sure he said! Can you get in right now as I was planning on taking her up in a few minutes anyway?” The Man-Servant picked up Dewey, and then Jaxon, and placed them both on the basket floor. He then climbed in with them.

The balloon owner was just finishing talking to some other people, after which he started the burner under the balloon, and untied the rope that was holding it down on the ground. Just at that moment Odessa, who had been on the other side of the basket, suddenly spread her large wings and took off.  The balloon owner had no idea that she had even been there and, in total surprise, dropped the rope to the ground. Odessa was rapidly gaining height, as was the balloon, but the balloon owner was still on the ground, looking up at his balloon as it started to look smaller and smaller, the higher it went.

Lean On Me

I walked into work and hugged my co-worker right away, as I saw her right inside the door. Walked into my classroom and was told that we were all going outside. No one wanted to be inside. Didn’t want to separate into our  own classrooms to eat breakfast. We wanted to be together. The little ones were surprised at us going out so early, but they happily followed. They all sat down on the playground while we handed them breakfast. It was a real treat being able to eat breakfast outside! What got into their teachers, they wondered.

What did get into their teachers? Was it the beautiful weather on a February day? No, the weather was nice, but was not the reason that we decided to spend all morning outside. Was not the reason that we all wanted to be together. We stood on the playground, trying to let the shock of the news from the day before sink in. We watched the kiddos happily playing once breakfast was finished, not having a care in the world. We hugged them perhaps a little tighter, when they would run up for a spontaneous hug.

One co-worker started singing Lean On Me as we all had to smile. Smile as we  fought back the lumps in our throats. Smile as we wondered what all the future would hold. Smile as we didn’t understand why decisions were made and smile as we tried to hold back the feelings of anger.

Smile as we gazed on children that we had poured our hearts into and that now too soon we would have to say goodbye to.

We couldn’t stay outside any longer. Lunch time was drawing near. We lined up the children as we started the walk back to the building. The walk that we had taken so many times, but now the days were numbered. We pick up the rope for the little ones to hold onto and we start singing “Lean on Me” again as we head inside. We have leaned on each other for years,  through the good days and the  bad days, we would continue to . We may not know what the future holds, but we know that we will have each other to help each other through. “Lean on Me”, that’s what Friends are for!

Don’t want to leave unanswered questions in your head. As you probably guessed, the daycare that I work at is closing. We were just informed this week. It has come as a great shock to all of us. Many questions and not many answers. It has left angry and  hurt parents, as well as similar feelings among the staff.  No, it has nothing do do with passing State Inspection. We have always passed with flying colors each year. This is a decision that was made by the board. A board that has  no staff members on it or parents. 

The last day is June 2nd. One more bend in the road that I didn’t see coming, but who knows, great things may lie just around the bend!

Yesterday morning I wasn’t feeling excited about going to work. I knew we all were still feeling shocked and it was hard to be happy around the kiddos who were totally unaware. I had been emailing a friend about something totally unrelated. In the email, I had typed how “today would be a wonderful day, right?” I was trying to think positive. He replied in his normal upbeat manner that of course the day would be wonderful for I had choices, and why wouldn’t I want it to be wonderful.

  When I read that email I had to smile. I knew he had no idea of what was going on with my job. I hadn’t shared with anyone,  for I just needed time to process it myself.  Reading the words, “I had choices”,  held a light meaning for me and a deeper one. The deeper one was this.   We can let things weigh us down or we can keep looking up. I prefer the looking up choice!  Yes, there was sadness that day at work, but also smiles. Smiles as we decided that we had a choice to make. A choice to make the remaining 3 months  that we have miserable or to make moments that we won’t forget!

What choices are you making today? Another dear friend posted a poem that spoke to me.  Are we seeing the beauty through the blur? Finding the happy gems that may be hidden at first? Once again she had no idea what her words would mean to me.  Which brings up again the topic of how important our words can be. We can write them meaning 1 thing for us,  not knowing how they will affect others.  Thank you to my 2 dear friends who unknowingly gave me the words that I needed to hear at the right time.

Where is your Hideout?

via Daily Prompt: Hideout

Where was your hideout when you were a child? Did you pretend that those large refrigerator boxes were a fort? I loved when my parents had large empty boxes at our house. They were quickly turned into my own hideout. Give me a pillow, a blanket and a book and it was perfect.

My children loved getting our big blankets to stretch over top of chairs or the couch. They would enjoy crawling underneath and reading by flashlight or sharing secrets with each other.

Now that I am an adult crawling into a refrigerator box doesn’t work as well, but I can run to the woods or the ocean. I wish the ocean was more convenient to run to, for I would be there often. Losing myself in the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.  There is nothing quite as peaceful to me as staring out into the ocean with its tranquil blue water that seems to go on forever.

I am fortunate to have woods close by that I can run to. There is beauty in the silence of the woods as well. Walking slowly through,  as the trees form a canopy above you. Seeing a squirrel scamper up a tree with a mouth full of nuts. Watching a rabbit dart between the trees or maybe a fuzzy caterpillar crawling on a leaf.

There is beauty in just being able to slow down and shut out the noise of the world at times.  In fact it doesn’t always need to involve hiding out or running somewhere. Putting on headphones and losing yourself in your favorite music, can be very relaxing as well. Reading a book and letting yourself jump into the pages is another wonderful way. That would be the the way that I use most often.

Whichever way you prefer the important thing is that you take the time for it. Take the time to slow down and breathe!

And as always take the time to laugh. This quote always puts a smile on my face! We all have these days, right? Now, I can even color within the lines 🙂 Have a wonderful day, my friends!

No Longer Want to Be an Adult Funny:

Dewey’s Bad Day!

Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week. Has it been a good week so far, or have you had some mishaps? As my husband shared in a comment on a earlier post,  I had a mishap on Sunday. My phone self destructed. Okay,  perhaps a car door being accidentally slammed shut on it may have helped aid the self destruction a little bit. The point is I am currently without a phone. Things could be worse for sure, but this morning I thought of the story that Colin wrote. “Dewey’s Bad Day!”I figured it was good timing to share it with you.  No, Dewey didn’t break his cell phone, but I am guessing that  you will feel sorry for him. After all he is a special cat, but in this story he may be feeling a little confused! Enjoy the story,  and may your day be free of mishaps!

Dewey’s Bad Day! (Part 1 of 2)

As the sun was rising over Moonbeam Farm, its rays cast a wonderful warm glow over the nearby fields and trees. Even the farmhouse and the barn were bathed in the warmth of a Summer morning. Birds were happily singing in the trees and hedgerows; squirrels were busy trying to find the nuts that they had buried many months earlier but, of course, they could never remember the exact spot! All was well in world of Dewey, Jaxon, Odessa and the Man-Servant… or was it?

Dewey woke up in his usual place, on the cushions in front of the fireplace. His routine is the same every morning. Have a really good stretch and flex his claws, and then go and find the Man-Servant to ensure that he gets his breakfast without any undue delay. When Dewey stretched this morning, he found himself falling off the cushions and onto the wood floor. He looked back at the cushions and thought ‘I’ve never done that before! I must have curled up very close to the edge.”

He was just about to leave to find the Man-Servant, but he took a second look back at the cushions. “This is very odd” he thought “I’ve always been so good at curling up in the middle of the cushions, and I never move around when I am asleep. What happened?” He then took a step forward and, because he was distracted by his fall, he tripped over something and fell onto the wood floor yet again.

Once again he got up and looked back. He had tripped over the Man-Servants slippers which had been left by the fireplace. Dewey just shook his head and wandered into the kitchen to find the Man-Servant, but the kitchen was empty. He thought “Man-Servant must still be asleep, so I can have some fun waking him up!” He went upstairs and into the Man-Servant’s bedroom, but there was nobody there! The Man-Servant’s bed was neatly made but then, had it been slept in the night before?

This was becoming a curious day for Dewey. He knew where his food was kept and so decided to help himself to his breakfast. He much preferred to be served with it but, under these circumstances, he would serve himself! He went over to the cupboard and pulled the door handle with his teeth and stepped back in shock. The cupboard was empty!

Dewey thought to himself “This is unacceptable. I am a cat and have every right to be treated as such. The Man-Servant will hear about this as soon as I find him!”

He then decided to go over to the barn to see what Jaxon and Odessa were having for breakfast. Perhaps they would share? When he entered the barn, it was unusually quiet… and unusually empty. Not only were there no signs of Jaxon and Odessa, but there was no straw either. The barn was completely empty!

Dewey was now starting to be concerned, not about the absence of his friends, but about his stomach being empty! He decided that, rather than have to resort to catching his own food, he would go over to the tree on the other side of the field, where Hermione hangs out, and see if perhaps she would share her food with him. As he turned the corner around the end of the barn and headed into the field, he noticed something quite disconcerting. There were no trees to be seen!

Dewey’s Bad Day! (Part 2)

He stopped for a moment. “What is happening around here?” He asked himself. ‘Nothing is the way it is supposed to be, and it’s a sad cat indeed that has to hunt for its own food!” He decided that he should return to the farm and try and work out what was going on.”  As he reached the still open farmhouse door, he stopped and listened. It was very quiet in there. He slowly stepped through the doorway and looked around. It was quite deserted, and he was suddenly feeling really tired. He decided to go over to his cushions and have a nap before trying to resolve all that was happening.

When he awoke, it was still early morning. He very carefully looked around to make sure that he had enough room to stretch. He did, so he stretched and flexed his claws. When he got off the bed, he looked around for the Man-Servant’s slippers so that he would not trip over them again, but they were not there.

Dewey was now getting really confused because nothing was making sense to him. He went through to the kitchen and the Man-Servant was just putting his bowl of food on the floor for him. “Where did you go to?” asked Dewey. The Man-Servant looked at him. “I was over at the barn for a few minutes earlier but, apart from that, I haven’t been anywhere. Why do you ask?” “Oh …. no reason” said Dewey. “Were Jaxon and Odessa in the barn?” The Man-Servant looked puzzled. “Yes Dewey. They were both there. Where would you expect them to be this early in the morning?”

Dewey finished eating his breakfast and walked out of the farmhouse and back over to the barn where he saw Jaxon and Odessa sitting in the straw and clearly focused on their discussion. Odessa was the first to see him there. “Hi Dewey. I didn’t see you come in. This is an unusual time for you to visit so is there something we can help you with?” Dewey thought for a moment, but then decided that nobody would believe him so he may as well not mention his earlier experiences. “No… nothing really Odessa. I just thought that I’d hang out with you two for a while. What are you doing?”

Jaxon giggled, and Odessa had a big smile on her face. “You’ll never guess what Jaxon can do with his magic? He can create dreams whenever he wants to, the only problem at the moment is that he knows that he is creating dreams, but is not experiencing them himself so we don’t know where his dreams are going!” Dewey just looked at them “I don’t understand” he said. Jaxon moved closer to him and explained. “I have the power in my magic to create dreams for myself. I am still practising at the moment because although I know that I have created a dream, I do not experience it.” Dewey was still puzzled “So you can create a dream of your choice, and know when it is created, but you are not dreaming it yourself?” “Exactly” said Jaxon. Odessa then moved in closer. “Earlier this morning Jaxon created a dream in which the farmhouse and barn were empty and all the trees around here were gone. He was just experimenting you understand.” Dewey just looked at them both!

As the sun was rising over Moonbeam Farm, its rays cast a wonderful warm glow over the nearby fields and trees. Even the farmhouse and the barn were bathed in the warmth of a Summer morning. Birds were happily singing in the trees and hedgerows; squirrels were busy trying to find the nuts that they had buried many months earlier but, of course, they could never remember the exact spot. ! All was well in world of Dewey, Jaxon, Odessa and the Man-Servant!

The Unexpected Things!

 

It is another sunny, warm Spring day here. Oh wait, the calendar says it is only February! This winter is looking like it is going to be the most mild winter that we have had yet! But there is s a part of me that is expecting a blizzard to surprise us in March or April!

This mild winter has been surprising, just like life. The unexpected can happen, right out of the blue! You get a surprise phone call or email. You put your hand in your coat pocket and find some unexpected money. Or your child changes your wash to the dryer for you and finds some wet money, as they smile. You are tired and in the dark put Tooth Fairy money under your child’s pillow. You are surprised the next morning when your excited child is jumping up and down for they never got that much money from the Tooth Fairy before. No it was not a one dollar bill that you put under the pillow! Oh yes, surprises can happen!

You are on a flight from London back to the USA and the person sitting besides you turns out to be from a small  town within 20 minutes of where you live! What are the odds? They weren’t forecasting rain, but the day you leave your car windows open, you have a torrential downpour! You are standing in line for a concert and the person behind you hands you a free ticket, saying they had an extra one. You leave a note on someone’s car as a joke, it gets blown by the wind and lands on another car causing a chain of events to happen. Again what are the odds?

:Life is full of the unexpected. Things you can’t predict. Things that will surprise you with a smile and others that may make you groan. Little incidents that happen every day. Ones that can make your day interesting and ones that you may make you wish for a less eventful day tomorrow. Whatever the case may be, SMILE, for as one of my favorite quotes says….

 

Some days are just shit and tomorrow just might be too. You also might die now, ten minutes from now, or 70 years from now, so quit the self-pity and move on.:

A very different Post!

I am sharing a post from Colin today that touches my heart. As I have shared before, Colin and his daughter Melanie have become wonderful friends of mine. My heart goes out to her and the struggles she has in living with a brain tumor. But there are times that i can so easily forget what she is dealing with because of her amazing, upbeat attitude about life. She is an inspiration and I pray that this post can inspire you to help her out in any way that you can! Many thanks from my heart! ❤

A New Direction Perhaps?

This is a very different Post from my usual literary meanderings, as it focuses on my daughter Melanie.

She was diagnosed with a brain tumor 10 years ago and, as it was not possible to surgically remove all of it, she has had considerable chemo and radiation treatments.  Sadly, while those treatments have no doubt kept her alive, there are numerous long term side effects which dictate that she cannot perform regular work functions, and is therefore dependent on benefits from her disability provider.

When she is up to it, she uses her time volunteering for a non-profit program that coaches people who are fighting poverty.

Melanie has always been a fighter but, being unable to earn an income, she is struggling to cover her basic living costs.  When I was in N. Vancouver last October, he spirits were quite high, but she was obviously concerned about paying her monthly…

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