Stories From My Mother–A Human Seat Belt

My grandmother holding me by that car. I think it was a super cool Chevy Bel Air, but I was too young then to be a car nut. Blue and white, I think.

Yes, I’m one of those people who were lucky enough to experience and survive that fun automobile era of lore, when seatbelts did not exist. This was also the prehistoric time of no car air conditioning. Tender little legs were seared by sun broiled plastic seats to the accompaniment of a chorus of “Ow, ow, ow!” Several children hitting the back seat sounded like a recitation of pain. We had a “protective” layer of clear plastic that went over the offending original seat cover in some of our cars. It was embossed with some unknown design that, being clear on clear, disappeared into the whole and  just left an indentation in our legs so that they had the same pattern as the seat cover.

This was in the days when modern drivers likened those cars to tanks. They were made out of such sturdy metal that it would be easy to think they were indestructable. We didn’t have any wrecks in ours, and I always felt safe.

My wise mother knew better. She was very well aware that the metal dash, including the radio panel, and glove compartment door that might not always get properly closed were hazardous to anything or anybody who might hit them with their face. Especially her precious little daughter.

She was always conscious of how badly I could get hurt if some impatient driver pulled out in front of her and she had to slam on the brakes, which would slam me into that death metal in front to me as I rode beside her.

My mom with me on my first birthday. Pobably around the time she figured out how to keep me as safe as she could at that point.

So she designed a method to protect me. She had me stand on the seat really close to her. I realize that this seems even more dangerous that having me sit. But, thewait, there’s more! She would hold out her right arm, as if about to make a right turn. She taught me to stand quietly, pinned against the back of the big bench seat seat by her fierce love and care.

She eventually realized that that left her to one arm drive. Which might also be dangerous. She then taught me to stand behind her right shoulder, which held me in place just as effectively. It also left both arms free to navigate, gravel roads, railroad crossings without any safety measures of their own, and the always present everywhere then as now playing children. So we puttered along in the family Chevy, with my mother acting as a human seatbelt to keep her child safe. I think she was relieved when real seat belts came along to take the sole responsibility for keeping me safe out from behind her shoulder.

A smart, loving mother is a beautiful thing.

Glitches Galore

An odd picture of our new environment. The ocean had all these weird patterns one day. We never did find out what caused it. It’s beautiful like this too.

Sometimes our Glitchersons thing is about…to borrow a term…Mundane mishaps. We have not been having a great start to this year. Soon after Christmas, Piers got sick. At first it seemed like a mild cold. Or whatever. It didn’t really seem like Covid. We’d neglected to send off for more tests, and by the time we got some from Amazon , the time for testing was past. I of course got sick too. 

Piers, as usual, though he was really sick for a while bounced out of it and was good as new before long. I did not bounce. Unless you consider that what I did was bounce right onto bronchitis. Oh, man, that was miserable. It lasted for weeks on end. I used to get it yearly when I was a kid, but it had been decades since I’d had it and years since I’d been very sick, except for covid twice.

When I was a child my parents would keep me home sick for as long as they could without skating close to truancy. Once I started coughing I didn’t stop for half of forever. I can remember my mom taking me to the bathroom, putting the lid down on the toilet, running the tub nearly full of hot water, and holding me on her lap to breathe in the steam which somewhat eased the coughing. We don’t have a tub here, so that fix was out for.me now.. So I coughed. And coughed. And….

I do a lot of research and tend to take care of myself. I knew antibiotics don’t work with viruses, which was backed up by my visits to Google. I drank as much fluid as I could. Rested. And coughed. And coughed. And…

When I finally stopped, it was as if the world suddenly changed, which it did. Silence settled over our home. The peace was bliss. Oddly. Piers slept through it mostly. I would have hated to keep him awake, but he’s very lucky to pretty much be able to sleep at will. He took such good care of me, bringing me food and drinks, so we could have bed picnics together, doing chores for and with me, loving and supporting me through the ordeal. 

He still does all that, because I’m still not fully recovered. More Googling has me convinced  I have post viral fatigue, a condition similar to Long Covid, on top of actual Long Covid. I’ve been doing the invalid routine still, while I  rest and rest and rest, and slowly recover from one of theworst illnesses I’ve had in ages. 

I’m so glad Piers’ didn’t go into bronchitis. Hell turn 90 in August. Though he seems so much young. The older he gets the less sick he needs to stay, so we got lucky. He’s pretty amazing. Every day, while he was so sick, he kept working on Xanth #50. He’s pulling out all the stops to make this one even more fun and special than usual. It will be quite a ride. 

A glimpse of Piers’ view as he writes.

His bird’s eye view of a sunrise.

I’ve only just recently started feeling human enough to start writing again. I’m working on my part of a new collaborative dark fantasy story with Piers. I’m so glad I’ve taught myself to write on my phone. I love writing on the couch, where I can turn to look at the Pacific out the wall of glass with the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony, and always in earshot of the whooshing waves. It doesn’t get any better than that. Though Piers might disagree, as he writes perched at his desk by a window where he can gaze out over our beautiful neighborhood, seeing bustling traffic, beautiful flowers in season, many palm trees, and very distant snow capped mountains. Different writers are inspired by different environments. Of course.

The waves that so loudly accompany my writing time with their whooshing.

Thrown into the middle of all this was a 4.6 earthquake several weeks ago that we drastically felt. The floor seemed to undulate at first. Then we felt the building sway! That was very freaky. No harm, no danger, though. Just a bit more excitement than we might wish for. 

I know some of you come here to try to see why there haven’t been any HiPiers Newsletters in so long. We’ve had everything from technical difficulties (AKA glitches), to being super busy, to just general Glitchersonsiness. A very late one is in our tech guy’s hands now and will hopefully be up soon. We apologize for the extended delays. I intend to learn how to successfully post them myself, which should expedite matters somewhat. I need to get more of my strength and stamina back before I tackle that, though. 

Please bear with us, and know that Piers’ is fine and enjoying our still new to us adventure. He exercises regularly, including working out every day with 20 pound dumb bells, and most importantly to him and all of his readers he does his favorite thing…write his wonderful books and stories. (I was his fan too, long before I was his wife!)

A View For The Ages

Our ocean view on a clear day, with a seemingly infinite outlook.

When we decided on our condo the ocean views were a big draw. They were so dazzling that it never occurred to us that there might be more to see from our big glass walls. Then I happened to glance out just right. This is what I saw. A barely discernable snowcapped mountain range way off on the horizon.

You have to pretty much squint to make out the distant mountains and their snowy caps.

After the recent Pineapple Express storm system came through, along with an Atmospheric River that dumped a lot of rain and snow over Southern California, I thought to look carefully into the distance to see if the biggest mountains somewhat near us were wearing a blanket of snow. Are they ever!

This looks like a movie still, not a scene from an everyday life.

With the naked eye such a dramatic sight is almost undiscernable. However, I decided to experiment with zooming in before taking some of the pictures. That’s gotten me some beautiful shots off the balcony of the waves coming into shore. So why wouldn’t it work with the distant mountains? Why indeed. 

This close up of incoming surf is just as beautiful as the mountains in its own way.

I love the way it brought the beautiful snowy scene in so close. It seems as if we should be able to reach out and touch the icy crystals. Brrr. I feel the need for mittens and scarf just from looking at it. 

So we’ve ended up with a reminder of our close proximity to the marvelous marvels of nature in this amazingly beautiful state. Growing up landlocked in mostly flat West Tennessee, I never dared dream that I might land in such a stunning new home someday. Sometimes life can take such a magical turn. Rather appropriate, considering who I married. 

Echoes

The longest day appeared today
I thought of you with no memory of things you’d do
Only fleeting mental glimpses of your smile
Your warm and loving gaze
A wafting elusive scent of German chocolate cake and long labored over spaghetti
The best lost meal I’ll ever taste
Lost to me forever just like the details of your beloved face
A smile meant just for me
My mother’s neverending love that flowed with long ago echoes of my tears of today

Muri McCage
January 20,24

With my mom, on my first birthday.

Random Images–Beauty In Nature

Luscious red raspberries

Ever notice how so many everyday things we see and take for granted are actually very beautiful? I had a moment of it while putting together a snack earlier. It consisted of red raspberries, a Baby Bel, and Townhouse crackers. The gemstone like beauty of the raspberries caught my eye. Their glorious Ruby red color and sheen also remind me of the art glass I collect. I don’t have any fruit pieces, but almost feel I do, for as long as these berries last. All around us every day are shining examples of nature’s art. The saying Stop and smell the roses could be expanded to Stop and look at the gorgeous things all around us. All the time. Let’s.

Random Images — A Different Angle

Incoming waves look almost clear when seen from a closer angle.

We were exploring a bit more down near beach level last week. It’s interesting what a difference a new angle can make visually. It was striking how getting just a little distance away from our familiar balcony view was like wandering through a strange landscape.

The water as it curled onto the sand looked almost clear. And more gentle like a splashing fountain. The Pacific itself looked wider and the photos I took out across it looked almost like intentional panorama shots, though they weren’t. The best part was that with the side of our building no longer blocking the view to the south, we could see the cliffs down that way.

Just beyond what looks like a headland are more cliffs, with San Vicente Lighthouse on top. So that direction calls out for exploration.

This view no longer blocked from our line of sight on the balcony is one I find quite charming.

Then there’s this jetty. It looks very much like I accidentally captured a bunch of sea lions playing in the water there.

I’ve read that there are many sea lions in the local waters. This is the first time I’ve managed to photograph any of them.

I hate that those images came out so blurry, but I was lucky to get any at all. The light glare was hideous. Often I had to just aim my phone and click, hoping for some miraculously cool shot. I got a few, which was a major surprise. Better timing will be in order next time.

Here we rounded a corner of a building and came upon this otherworldly scene. I’ve never seen a palm like this before. It looks like something from an alien landscape. I really like the nearby banana trees. Beautiful foliage.

I really enjoyed the combination of visuals here. The different types of trees, one arching, a cool lamp post and fence, green lawn, with the Pacific in the distance…. Pretty atmospheric.

The sign marking the entrance to the Pier. More cool trees and distant ocean, with some of the rabbit warren like shops and restaurants in between.

A simple stroll along a random street brings us in sight of quintessential California spindly palm trees against a bright blue sky.

Here we have an accidental abstract, from aiming and clicking to try to thwart the glare. I like the colors and textures of the pink bouganvillia leaves and petals. You never know what nice looking failed shot you’ll end up with.

Finally, a general idea of the beauty of our neighborhood. Lots of sweeping bouganvillia (often multicolored) and lush green groundcover.

Curse

Our story written together, held together.

Our Dark Fantasy story “Curse” is out in the world now. Published in a flash fiction anthology, from Mannison Press. A long time ago, in another life, I discovered the writings of a fellow named Piers Anthony. I started reading every one of his novels and stories I could find. It wasn’t easy to find many books published in English from my home in housing on an army post in Germany. Precomputers. PreAmazon.

Eventually I was in Tennessee sharing a house with my mother, who was also my best friend in the world. I wrote a fan letter to my favorite author, and by what seemed to be some marvelous miracle, we ended up in a correspondence that lasted nearly a quarter century. Why did it end? We met in person, after his wife and my mother had both died as the result of long illnesses, fell in love, and got married.

After about three years in Florida we recently moved to the beach in California. We’ve discovered we enjoy writing together. I’m a published author as well, and we’ve been working on some projects. “Curse” is the first one to be published. Hopefully the first of many. Seeing our names together in our byline and the ToC is a dream come true. Pardon me while I go stare at the title page some more!

Open

The waviest of oceans….

Open

The bluest of skies
The waviest of oceans
The deepest of dreams
Life is a magic carpet
With destinations of wonder
Pathways of joy
Hardship
Loss
Love
And peace
Open your heart
Open your mind
Open the door
Adventure
Awaits

October 9, 2023
Muri McCage

When A Writing Fantasy Becomes Fantasy Writing

Anyone who reads this blog may remember that science fiction and fantasy author  Piers Anthony was my favorite author long before we met (after a near 25 year correspondence), got married, and he also became my favorite husband. Not surprisingly, over time I had a little fantasy/dream. It was all about how cool it would be to write and be published with him.

Well, sometimes dreams really do come true. We have written a fantasy flash fiction together. “Curse” will be published on October 12, in Faux Paws, a Minibook Anthology from Mannison Press. He has a second solo flash fiction “The Net” that will also be published in Faux Paws.

I can’t begin to describe how much I’m looking forward to seeing our bylines on “Curse” together. It will be our first published collaborative work. Hopefully, there will be more to come. We are currently working on a couple of cowritten books. Things get interesting when two published authors get married and find that they enjoy writing together.

Random Images — California Sunsets

A real beauty, so far to the side that it was almost lost to us. The sun is often an orangey yellow ball with a streak of cloud enhancing its grace as it touches the horizon.

One of the best things about living at the beach in California is the sunsets. We are constantly amazed by the beauty and grandeur of the late evening views from our balcony.

This one was more intense and reminds me of what I think sunset on a dramatic alien world would look like.

The variety of scenes Mother Nature lays out for us is endlessly entertaining. I’m surprised she doesn’t charge admission for her flashy, splashy shows.

Though the sky here is barely blushing pink, it comes with the bonus of a sighting of the Goodyear Blimp!

We had heard that the Goodyear Blimp comes by periodically. We’ve seen it three times so far. The first time much closer, just as its tail disappeared behind the side of the building. Then several days later it appeared near the horizon, out an East window. It was so distant it was hard to spot. Then I caught sight of it from the balcony. I kike that I captured palms and the ocean witb it.

This shot came with pretty puffy clouds.

As you’ll have noticed orange is the predominate color of our sunsets. We don’t mind. But I really hope for purples and pinks occasionally.

These clouds do have some lovely pink, with maybe a dab or two of purple…ish

Sometimes it’s like stepping onto a movie set. Or into the pages of a glossy magazine. Whatever the colors, the shapes of the clouds, or the nearness of the blimp, each beachy sunset is a gift.

For the grand finale. Here’s a somewhat dreamy shot of the sinking sun showing off over the bay.