Celebrate The Small Things - Winter Holiday Edition

It's celebrate the small things time again!

For those of you who do not know about this blog hop, it was created by VikLit to which we usually add every Friday (I know I am a day late, sorry) a small list of what we are exited and grateful about from the previous week.

This week, I am enjoying a warm day within the midst of coldness. I am glad that it is today, considering that today is Hecate Trivia, a celebration of the Goddess Hecate, whom I honor as a part of my spiritual path. I will be leaving an offering outside once it is dark, and the weather is perfect for that.

Also I am celebrating that I have been working a lot on polishing the two blogs I run as well as the associated social network presence. I got some really good tips from a few other bloggers and articles that I will work through and implement, so that shall be fun.

I am celebrating that I found a few books that I will be reading over the next few days - time permitting. They are all e-books, some non-fiction, others fiction. I will most likely post about them, once I have read some of them. Always fun to read.

So why don't you join us for the "Celebrate The Small Things" blog hop and have a wonderful week!

Blessings!

Zombies Among Us

There are zombies amongst us. I have compiled a list of the types that have been recently discovered:

Ice Zombies
Zombies whom forgot how to care about the plight of other zombies - see Koch Brothers

Stiff Zombies (also known as Stiffs)
Those who can not see other zombie's point of view as being valid. Very inflexible beings.

Overindulgent Zombies
Will eat anything and anyone in their way. They tend to be the most prevelant around the winter holiday season.

Coward Zombies
Those whom hide in the corner, while the herd of zombies in front of them devours everything in their paths. Usually pertains to zombies who think that pretending that the mayhem around is not there, makes it go away.

War Zombies
Used to invade other countries to turn them into their own brand of zombies, so they can be assimilated.

Vampire Zombies
Zombies who will suck the last bit of blood out of anyone, after slowly destroying the brain - also known as Fox News

Revenge - A Friday Flash Horror Story

"You really thought you were going to get away with this? You really thought I wasn't going to be upset?"
She pointed the shotgun at him, and his panicked eyes moved between the nozzle and her face.
"I didn't think...."
"Of course you didn't. You never thought. You never thought about how I would feel when you killed him. Just like you never thought that I would check up on you, be smart enough to uncover all of your secrets and lies. You know what your problem is always has been? You never thought!"
She spit the words into his direction with an deep hatred, that had been bottled up for a long time.
12 years.
12 wasted years.
God, it felt good to finally be able to openly say, what she had wanted to say for so very long.
"Did you think of the children? Did you think of what it would do to them? They loved him! They adored him."
"I thought he was going to hurt me"
"He would have never hurt you, never. He would have never hurt any of us. He was loyal, sweet, and caring. He was better then you. And I should have seen that. Unconditional love, Jerry. He showed unconditional love, something you have never been capable off."
"But...."

She shot him in the knee before he could finish his sentence. His wail of pain surged through the emptiness of their property, disappearing in the darkness of the forest, that surrounded them.
"No one can hear you, dear, remember? No one cares. Isn't that what you always told us? No one ever loved you as much as the One you just killed."
"Beatrice.."
"Do not speak my name!"

She shot him again, his other knee busting, the torn flesh twisted on the concrete floor of their garage.
His garage.
"Bea, please" he moaned.
"No Jerry, I had enough. I had it with you, the kids had it with you, we all do. You did this to yourself, Jerry. And now it is time for you to leave."

Without waiting for anymore begging wails, she stepped closer toward her tormented husband, and shot him in the face.

Dropping the weapon, she turned quickly and ran toward the motionless figure laying on their front lawn.
He was dead, and all he had wanted was to protect her.
From him, from the monster her husband had become.
Or always had been.

Gently she picked up the sweet, heavy body of her furry creature into her arms, laying snout against her chest, her sobbing shaking both of them, while her tears wet the short trimmed fur of her dead, beloved chocolate lab.

© Claudia H. Blanton 2013

Express Yourself - People That Inspire

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I love this weeks "Express Yourself" Blog question - Who is someone you look up to? There are two particular people that come to mind, so here is my list:

1. J.K. Rowling
Not only because she is a great writer, but also an inspirational person. Coming from humble beginnings as a single mother, to a multi-millionaire (okay she was a billionaire at one point), she shares the fruits of her success by giving back. She has never forgotten where she came from, never forgotten those whom are struggling every day, so to me she is an inspiration.

2. Joss Whedon
A man who openly stands for women's rights and equality. Brought strong female characters to the forefront in many of his creations. A great man in my book.

Who is someone you look up to?
For more blogs that participate in the "Express Yourself" blog hop, look at the list below

Family Tradition

Family Tradition

Dysfunction
ignored perpetrators
dancing with victims
of crimes hidden
by family tradition
rules of silence
unspoken
yet powerfully enforced
while pretending
the bleeding hearts
away

© Claudia H. Blanton 2013

Celebrate The Small Things - Dr. Who Edition

It's celebrate Dr. Who time!

Today, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary special of Dr. Who. We, that means the kids and me. We got the snacks ready, coffee made, television on, and are ready!

These are the fun little moments that are wonderful to celebrate together as a family.

Wishing you all a fun week - blessings!

The Last Thanksgiving - A Friday Flash Horror Story

The Last Thanksgiving

“Seriously, you want me to sit next to Uncle Herbert? He smacks his lips.”
I bit my tongue trying not to snap at my nephew, whom I am sure would rather be somewhere else then here at my house.
Anywhere else on the planet.
“Just sit down“, his mother scolded him, shooting me a small smile as she plopped upon her own chair, as usual barely registering her sons bad behavior.
Like when he kicked the neighbors Chihuahua.
Or locked his 3 year old cousin in the trunk of her mother’s car.
Or beat up of the kid with autism in school.

Everyone made excuses for him.

Everyone else made excuses for each other.
Or worse, simply ignored the fact that there was something happening in the first place.

There were two types of people in our family, the “Ignorers” and the “Perpetrators”.
Both would be sitting at my table tonight.
Pretending.
Eating.
Conversing.
As if everything was normal, nothing ever happened.
All they wanted from me was free food.

It took all of them a moment to get seated, unusually mannered, in anticipation of a full meal. For a full meal even those with the worst inner demons and hidden habits could behave long enough to be waited upon.
After all the facade was what mattered.
It was practiced well.

Today it was at display at my house.

I brought the meal out, followed by a polite applause, but without help, just as I was expected.
The turkey, heavy and just the way they liked it, the gravy thick, the stuffing, plenty.

All with a special ingredient.

No one had noticed the cards, my fine calligraphy of black on warm light brown, the words meticulously written with great attention to detail.

I had made sure everything was right.

No one noticed my smile, my empty plate, until it was too late for them to stop, realizing what I had done.

I enjoyed the moment of realization before death came for them, one, then the other, the poison taken its quick effect as it had been promised to me.
Watching, I moved one of the cards out of my way, observing the finality of it all, the words silently shouting in the midst of the chaos.

“Happy Last Thanksgiving”

© Claudia H. Blanton 2013