Rainy Day and Memory Horses

Rainy Day and the Horses of the Sea

 

Rainy Day inherited this poster many years ago from her Auntie Marie. Like her Auntie Marie, Rainy Day keeps it in her bedroom, where she can see it from her bed. It is old, and dirty, but filled not just with the power of the ocean and the horses arising out of the foam, but with memories. Lots of memories.

Now, Rainy Day knows there is nothing there but a paper and ink, and makes no pretense of believing there is any kind of power, supernatural or otherwise, in the poster. She knows this. But she loves the sea, and this poster reminds her of the power of the great rolling waves as they break on the shore. She has seen those horses rise from the sea, for a moment only to return to the sea.

Of course, the poster holds no memories; all the memories are locked away in Rainy Day's brain. But, the poster calls up those memories. Memories of good times with her Auntie Marie. Of meeting her at Union Station where she worked and going out to dinner, of weekends spent at her house. Of Chinese take out, of good books read and discussed. (Rainy Day and her Auntie Marie read an eclectic assortment of books – histories of Ancient Egyptian, Dead Sea Scrolls, who-done-its, occult, Bible histories. Rainy Day credits her Auntie Marie, and Miss Mason the Library Lady, with her fascination of the printed word on just about any topic, any genre, and any cereal box.)

Do you have an object in your bedroom that evokes your happiest memories, complete with smiles and maybe laughter? If not, Rainy Day suggests you find one and place it where you can see it from your bed. If you don't have a lot of really happy memories, Rainy Day suggests you start, right now, finding and making some. At the end of the day, that's really all you've got and you might as well enjoy them;-) And happy memories make for happy dreams.

Rainy Day: Snakewoman

Rainy Day thanks those of you who volunteered to be a First Reader for Jibutu: Daughter of the Desert. She appreciates your sacrifice of time, and your confidence that she can actually string 82,000 words together in some sort of meaningful fashion;-)

Rainy Day was watching something on the telly the other night, and a snake played a small but scary part in the episode, and for some reason, it triggered memories of long ago, when Rainy D first touched a snake.

Until that summer day, when it was too hot for sound to carry, and Rainy D and the class bully found themselves in the park at the same time, Rainy D had been afraid, no not afraid, but terrified, of snakes. The class bully was there with his pet boa. For some unknown reason, he didn't tease Rainy D, and she didn't shriek in terror and run. They started conversing (Rainy D is positive that was a new concept for him).

Eventually, Rainy D's curiosity got the best of her, as she watched the boa wind around his arm, and she asked if she could touch it. He said she could, but to be gentle. She gingerly reached out and stroked it. It was warm and smooth and dry. She had been told they were cold and slimy. She asked if she could hold it, and he showed her how.

Rainy Day added snakes to her collections of salamanders and lizards and frogs. The class bully did not become part of her collection, but they did remain friends.

When Rainy Day had children, they did not understand her predilection for reptiles and amphibians; however, since she cooked the meals and cleaned the house, they tolerated her. Her husband, on the other hand...but, that's another story for another posting. Maybe.

The moral of this little story? Don't believe everything you hear and read. Question it; check it out on your own. You just may be pleasantly surprised. 

 

Rainy Day and Jibutu: Daughter of the Desert

Those of you who write, or have close friends who write, will probably be able to relate to this post with somewhat more ease that others. But, Rainy Day is very, very excited! Rainy Day has finished her fantasy novel, Jibutu: Daughter of the Desert! Well, she has finished it to the point in time when she can now call for First Readers, and she is very, very happy.

The desert is a beautiful and exacting place, but no place for a lone woman to birth a child. By chance, Jib, leader of his tribe, came upon the mother shortly after she gave birth to a daughter. The mother died as she handed the baby, wearing only a net of stars and moons, to Jib who took her and with his wife Saba, adopted and raiseed her.

When Jibutu drinks the fermented juice of the Death Cactus as part of the ritual to become a Healer, she has visions of her birth mother, and hears her calling her by a different name that she can neither completely hear, nor understand. How does someone find her birth mother when her name isn't known, her tribe isn't known, her country isn't known?

While on her quest for answers, the Healer Jibutu discovers she is also a Shaman, and a member of the Family Nah. Before she can discover where she fits into the Family Nah, who her mother was, who she really is, she is taken into slavery, and loses everything and everyone she knows and loves.

Jibutu: Daughter of the Desert is 82,000 words, and if any of you, Dearest and Gentlest of Readers, would like to read an electronic copy as First Reader, and comment on where it works or doesn't work, why it doesn't work, where it is inconsistent, etc. and let Rainy Day know, please, contact her at lrgood68 (at) gmail.com (only put it all together like it's supposed to be;-)

 

Rainy Day has another novel, of Ancient China in the time of Genghis Khan that is almost ready for First Readers, Jiang Li: Fall of the Jinn. Rainy Day is a very happy person, and is about to 'retire' to the Quilt Room and leave writing novels for a much needed break!

Happy Birthday, United States of America!!!

A special Thank You to all of you in the Military, you Vets, and your supportive and loving families.

Rainy Day has been busy trying to finish a novel and get it polished for First Readers in the next month or so, and therefore, Gentle Reader, she lost track of the time – and the days.

Today is July Fourth, Independence Day, the natal day of Rainy Day's country. Rainy Day would say 'our' country, but in reading the stats for this blog, she has discovered people from all over the world read her blog.

So, today, there will be many gatherings of people for picnics with barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers, potato salads, pies, and whatever those folks like best for gatherings. People will play games – softball, volleyball, croquet, and with the hordes of youngsters, lots of tag and chase games. As the sky darkens, there will be fireworks.

In Rainy Day's town, we are lucky enough to have a large river, and the fireworks barge will be there, shooting the fireworks up and over the river, both for beauty's sake, and to lessen the danger of fires.

There will be lots of drinking of alcoholic beverages, and the hospital emergency rooms will see an upsurge in fight/shooting/stabbing victims this night. The local police will see a comparable upsurge in drunk drivers.

Rainy Day will stay in the safety of her home, and watch the fireworks on her television. She may or may not indulge in a glass of wine;-)

Rainy Day has pets, and she has neighbors, and some of the neighbors like to fire off their fireworks (great fun for their kidlets) but not so much for Rainy Day's pets. They tend to need the reassurance from their human that they are not in danger. And their human needs the reassurance that the garden hose is connected and ready – just in case any of those fireworks end up on her property.

So, today is the national celebration of the birth of our Nation.

Rainy day would love to have some comments from you, her Gentle Readers, especially you who are not from the USA, as to when and how you and your country celebrate your Independence Day.

Rainy Day received this photo in an email several months ago, with no attribution, and hesitates to use it here. However, it is such a great photo, she's going to use it. If anyone knows who took it, or where it's from, please let Rainy Day know so she can get permission to use it.

Rainy Day hopes to return from Ancient China in the next few days, and get back to her regularly scheduled life.