An email arrived from a store that I ordered from only a handful of times.
They were ready to ship my bike.
There was one little problem: I never ordered a bike!

My husband called our credit card company.
Sure enough, there it was…a fraudulent purchase.
Someone used my phone number, my credit card, but his California address.

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In a few weeks, my husband and I are going to a football game.
It is not just any football game.
It is a game between my husband’s alma mater and our son’s law school.
Many friends will be at this game; people I haven’t seen in over thirty years.

I am not a football fan; I cringe at any play that involves sounds of injury.
I think my reactions are entertaining to my family.
I have sat through soccer games, field hockey and lacrosse games, as well as track meets.
Football is just not for me.

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I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I was checking my rear view mirror when I noticed a strange sight.
Some people may have a dog on their lap as they drive; this man had a horse.
A puppet of a horse head was on his left hand.

It was terribly disconcerting to see.
It startled me, until I saw how much enjoyment this man was getting from the attention.
He was waving the horse head at the passing cars.
The look on people’s faces was priceless.

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She was a new teacher.
She was very young.
She had just graduated from college and this was her first teaching job.

A high school math class filled with juniors was her charge.
A higher level math class.
You would think the students would have had some modicum of wisdom.

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It was such a lovely morning.
How beautiful the morning is this time of year; crisp and clear.
I need a jacket on my walk.
That’s fine with me; I enjoy the cooler weather.

I am not a fan of fog; it is too mysterious.
It is a bit ominous when you cannot see your hand in front of you.
The morning looked like a scene out of an Agatha Christie novel.
I was waiting for the detective in the trench coat to be around the next curve in the road.

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The other night was Back To School Night for my youngest daughter.
I did the calculations: five children, twelve years of school before graduation.
I have gone to sixty Back To School Nights over the years!
You would think I would be an expert by now.
You would think!

I got there a few aggravating minutes late.
There was no parking to be found.
I walked in the building, my schedule that my daughter wrote for me in my hand.
I went to her first class, or so I thought.

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My youngest daughter was driving home last night in the rain.
It had never rained here but I saw the dark clouds in the distance.
I was praying for her safety.
She came home and told me how bad the rain was on her drive home.

Mom, I drove so slow. It was a downpour.
As soon as I got close to home, near the road with the barn on the left, the rain stopped.
It was like someone turned off a switch; a literal line of rain, then no rain.

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I really don’t know what the problem was.
I just remember being very scared as I watched it unfold.
I was a young girl, playing outside on my front lawn.
Two older girls in the neighborhood must have had an argument about something.

The two girls were under a sweet gum tree that was near our house.
The taller girl picked up some of the sweet gum tree balls that had fallen to the ground.
She pulled the other girl towards her and dropped the sweet gum tree balls down her shirt.
She took the palm of her hand and smashed them against the girl’s skin.

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I wanted a pair of shoes.
I was sixteen years old and had just gotten my first job.
I was thrilled to get my own paycheck and have my own work schedule.
I worked in a cheese shop that was found in most malls.

I had to wear a uniform….a denim jumper and red and white checked shirt.
I liked wearing the uniform since I never had to worry about what to wear to work.
I kept it clean and ironed and kept my shoes white, as they were supposed to be.

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I usually have a candle burning in my kitchen.
A nice “kitchen-y” smell.
Banana Nut Bread, or my favorite…Country Store.

One thing you must always do before burning a jar candle is trim the wick.
Every time you light it…without fail.
Wick trimming makes your candle last longer.

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