1000 Words Wausau Flash Fiction

     Sunlight glinted through the open window. A cool breath of spring air followed close behind. Inside the tank, it was a balmy 76°. Ripples moved gently overhead.

    "Here they come!" thought Tessie with trepidation. Her black skirt caught on some coral as Danny and Dan zoomed by.

     "Jousting again," said Tessie's best friend, Tessa, referring to the crazy antics of the Zebra Danios. Daniel hurried past, pausing to salute the girls before taking off after his friends.

     "Let's go. Don't want to be late!" said Tessa.

     "I do," grumbled Tessie. "I thought school was where we were supposed to go to learn."

     "We do!" chirped Tessa. "Don't we?"

     "Don't you remember yesterday?"

     "Hmm...not really. Don't you just love this striped skirt?" Tessa twirled around, showing off her fins.

     "It's the same outfit you wear every day," Tessie reminded her, "and it's beautiful! Now about yesterday, none of them meant business. They jousted with each other and chased us all day. Don't you want to learn anything? Don't you want to be somebody?"

     "Of course, but would grammar matter if I can catch Daniel's attention another way?" Tessa replied with a shy smile.

     Even if Tessa was superficial, she certainly had a lot of pluck. She was also kind, unlike those conniving Mollies, always huddled in the corner, gossiping amongst themselves.

     Tessa gazed through the transparent wall toward the books on the other side of the den. She resolved to cleave to her principles and get a good education.

Victory for Equality

Washington State Legalizes Same Sex Marriage

Latest Interview has been Posted!

My latest interview has been posted.  Please check it out!  http://tinyurl.com/7zaygcc

Love People for Who They Are

As I read stories like the recent article in Rolling Stones titled, One Town's War on Gay Teens, I am floored and find myself wondering, "Why don't people love others for who they are?  After all, it's our differences that make our communities strong.  What are people so afraid of?"  The Rolling Stones article can be found at http://tinyurl.com/6nzrpw9

If you want to learn more or help spread the word about this phenomenon that is sweeping our nation, encourage educators in your local school district to order a free copy of Bullied from Teaching Tolerance.
Bullied: A Student, a School, and a Case That Made History

Helping Children

This is new and very worthy project created by Matthew and Danielle Drake.I will let them tell you what this is all about:

Kourageous Kids Storybooks.

My husband and I have been writing for a long time. It’s a passion, always has been, always will be. Recently, a friend found out her son has to have surgery.

Our own story for him was unique, it featured him as the hero. His mom confided that he loves science and horror. So, after thinking about it, we wrote him a story about zombies. He learned that people were becoming zombies due to a lack of Malic acid and that apple juice was a sure cure. So, armed with a squirt gun, his little cuz, and a helpful officer, he saved the world in his short story.

So the idea of writing perfectly tailored stories for children was born. The stories will be personally handed over to the parent to read to, or let their child read. Pictures the parents provide will be made into illustrations, so the child is even pictured as the hero. In every way they are the focus of their story.

When we get ten or so stories written we will publish an anthology, those will be available for purchase. Proceeds made from the anthology sales will be donated to Stand Up To Cancer and the National Children's Cancer Society.

The service is FREE to families, and we are taking names now.
Website
http://kourageouskids.blogspot.com/

1 Million Signatures!

1 Million signatures in the "Recall Scott Walker" effort - yay! This is an older clip from the Rachel Maddow show called "Like Weekends? Thank Wisconsin Unions." It's well worth a review at this time.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41674668#41674668 Here are two more, just for fun: http://tinyurl.com/49ffcef and http://tinyurl.com/6agqkas 

Animal Sounds

Yesterday my daughter asked me, "Mama, what does a llama say?"  I had no idea, so I asked her what she thought a llama might say.  She said, "The llama says, 'Hmmm.'"

Well, I do know what frogs say, and most do not say ribbit.  Today, my little girl asked me to once again visit the USGS frog site so that she could hear a green frog and a bullfrog.

Let me explain.  In the spring and summer, I am one of many volunteers who helps the DNR collect information about frogs and toads.  Before I go out "frogging" as I call it, which really means spending 2-3 hours driving a set route at night listening to frog calls during their mating season, I always refresh my memory by visiting this site: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.lookup.  Now it may sound silly, but if anything goes out of balance, acquatic animals such as fish and amphibians can be the first to show signs of distress.

Anyway, early last June, I took my very young daughter out late one night to hear the bullfrogs and green frogs at a local park.  As I pulled to a stop in the inky black parking lot and looked around at the other cars, I was reminded that this was also a local hangout for "couples" who were probably wondering what a lady was doing putting a toddler into a stroller and wheeling her down toward the pond at 10:00 at night.  In fact, one couple even stopped me to ask me about it.  No, I was not some crazed lunatic taking a child out to "swim with the fishes" but instead was a very consciencious parent raising her child not to fear the darkness but instead to appreciate the beauty within it.  That night was a very special experience for both of us.  I know because my daughter will frequently ask to hear the sounds of those two types of frogs over all the others.

Lots of animals (and plants) share our world, but it is our responsibility to care for the planet.  After all, we're the ones messing it up, not them.

If I could share only one book about this topic, it would be Schim Schimmel's Children of the Earth... Remember.  His artwork is astounding and his message is clear.  I can hardly wait until my daughter is old enough to enjoy it.