Plant me a story

I read the most interesting article by AP reporter Melissa Kossler Dutton in my Sunday paper about botanical legacies. Yep, you read that right. The title of the article is "Heirloom plants propagate memories." (Someone on the copy desk had a pun time writing that headline!) Dutton recounts people's experience of receiving transplants of a flower, bush, plant, tree from a relative.

She writes:

Every spring Mike Milton receives a joyful reminder of his grandmother. The bright yellow blooms on the flowering bush transplanted from her yard in southeast Louisiana reawaken memories of the lessons and values she instilled in him.

"I can't look at it without thinking of family members and stories," Milton, a Presbyterian minister in Chattanooga, TN, said.

This is not something new. There are family stories about relatives who sewed seeds into the hem of a dress or shirt and brought the seeds with them when they immigrated to America. When they arrived to their new home, they opened the seam, recovered the seeds and planted them. Dave Whitinger, who runs a garden website says the seeds from descendents of some of those plants are still in use today. His website is a forum where gardeners who have an interest in these types of plants can swap growing tips.

What a wonderful "earthy memento" -- bringing something from your old home to your new home--or giving a newley married couple who is leaving home to begin a home together.

A true reminder of one's roots.

Hip, slick and cool

Language is the way we communicate with each other, but there are different languages for different occasions. For example, the language we use at work is different than the language we use with our lover. And teenagers invent slang language so they can communicate with each other without adults interfering.

Writing prompt: Write a story about the slang expressions used in your day, and share the story with others in your age group. You'll soon be reliving shared ememoriessee how those words helped define your generation.

I'm baaaaack

It's been a while since I've posted here. What can I say... life can get very crowded. I have another blog and I guess I've been playing favorites. But--summer is here and I can slow down and melt under the Texas sun in humid Houston, TX. Hey, at least I'm not having to fight the freeway traffic for a couple of months. I'm working from home through the miracle of the Internet. I may be techno-phobic (and I am) but I also love the magic.

I have decided that I am going to go to the gym every other day (I first thought I'd go every day, but today was too hot to venture outside) and to write every day. At first I decided I would write a short novel--hey, it's possible if I write every day!--but, I've decided not to lock myself in. There are a couple of contests coming up... a short fiction at Glimmer Press and a memoir at Story Circle Network. Plus, I have five assignments from an eNewsletter. (I'm gonna need that time in the gym or I'm gonna have a double wide butt by the time August rolls around.