In anticipation of the upcoming release of A House of Cards, the second installment in the Heiromancer Trilogy, I’m making the series prequel, The Demon of Histlewick Downs, available at a significant discount. Go ahead – give into temptation. At this price you can afford to curl up with The Demon without having to sell your soul. 
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(0)My grandmother passed in 1984, while I was still in college. Typical of most good Catholic families of the time, ours boasted a man of the cloth who, on such occasions, could be depended upon to do the honors. I recall sitting next to my mother at the church-basement dinner following the services. Although I had never met him, Father Martin and my mother were first cousins and had been childhood friends. Gentle and soft-spoken, he headed the table, regaling his extended family, which included a number of formidable women, with quaint stories about his flock. One such tale involved the doings of the “old women of the Church.” Now, I confess to having inherited my mother’s somewhat unconventional sense of humor, from which no occasion, regardless of its solemnity, is entirely safe.
Assuming my most earnest expression, I raised my hand and interrupted the good Father mid-anecdote. “Father Martin,” I asked. “I’m curious. At what age does a woman become ‘old?'”
He paused, blinking. Silence fell. The table, populated primarily by female relatives, became palpably attentive.
With a gulp, he looked to my mother. Perhaps he was hoping to be rescued. If so, he’d appealed to the wrong savior.
My mother folded her arms. “Actually,” she said. “I’m sort of interested in hearing your answer.”
“Very well,” he said. He spoke slowly, as though choosing his words with infinite care. “In my experience, a woman becomes old at that point at which she becomes proud of her age.”
Greeted by a round of satisfied nods, Father Martin heaved a relieved sigh and quickly resumed his tale.
All these years later, I’m still convinced it’s the right answer.
(0)Dislikes(0)No Black Friday deals here! We ensure our staff gets both Thursday AND Friday off to eat like piglets, hang with family, and most importantly, to curl up by the fire with a good book. Enjoy! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1J2U8I/
(0)Dislikes(0)In which my good friend the Orange Cat takes it upon himself to help me work through my obvious stinginess issues.
The joke’s on him, though. The bits were donated.
(0)Dislikes(0)What I’ll miss most is that moment when people visit the house for the first time–the moment when they step inside and their eyes light up at the living room’s glow. How they marvel at the unconventional choices that came together to feel so inviting. I’ll miss remembering the risks I took, many unwittingly–the six coats of paint that made the midnight blue walls possible, the look on my mother-in-law’s face when we chose the burgundy curtains and her relief when she saw them in context. I’ll miss the way all the colors come together in that pleasing little hodge-podge entryway, with its rust-colored medallion, offered as a gift. I’ll miss the feel of the clear-pine woodwork that I insisted on sanding and finishing, the guilty indulgence that is an easy-close drawer, the absurdity of gobbling warm angel food off of freshly minted uba-tuba granite. I’ll miss how we fought for our color choices, and the joy I got from seeing the result turn out far better than either of us would ever have imagined. Though I’d never want to go through it again, I’ll savor the bittersweet memory of once upon a time when together we wrought something truly special.
http://www.zillow.com/homes/6281-santa-rita-avenue-garden-grove-ca_rb/
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