Come on Wind

Ever get yourself all in a twit and simply want to break out and do something, no matter what?  That was how I found myself one day recently.  All the political ads on TV were driving me crazy, too many commentators making too many comments, all the good guys making fools of themselves, all the bad guys saying all the wrong things, and then on top of all that, the wind was howling outside.

I searched my book shelves and magazine racks and the only thing I could find that I hadn’t already read was “War and Peace,” and I wasn’t about to tackle that monster.  I went outside to check on the kids, the horses were just as put off as I because of the wind, the goat was munching on something, and the chickens were hiding out.  The twit was getting serious, the wind was getting stronger, and the friendly neighborhood bar wasn’t open yet.

I stomped around the house, through the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room and found myself in the office, sitting at my desk.  OK, I thought, that’s about enough, and I started writing, a sure cure for my twits.  Wind, animals, wind, disruption, came together in a set or words that I ended up calling “Growing Cows Out of the Wind.”  I spent hours tweaking the little story, playing with it, and hours turned to days, and the story came together about a week later.

I always let Patty read my stuff, not as an editor might, but as one who enjoys reading.  I don’t write from a “literary” viewpoint, by any stretch, certainly not from the point of view taught in creative writing classes today, simply won’t.  My heroes are Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens and their ilk.  Annie Proulx is out of her mind and fun to read, and Hemmingway can teach brevity word by word.  And, levity is a key word in most of my stories.

Patty read the final rewrite of growing cows and said it was funny and she liked it, and I made sure all the letters that needed dotting were dotted and all the letters that needed capping were capped, and sent it off to Epiphany, the magazine that just published my short story “Moonbeam.”  Lo and Behold (I always wanted to say that), I got an email from the editor this morning, and they are going to publish “Growing Cows Out of the Wind” in their next edition.

So, as I’m sitting here this morning, the sun is shining, I have RFD TV on, so there are no politicians yelling obscenities, no commentators commenting, and no wind blowing, the horses are frisky, the goat is eating, and the chickens are running around with their heads in place, the only thing left for me to do is write this little tome for you.  So far this year, I’ve had eleven short stories either published or accepted for publication.  The best year of my writing career.  Come on wind, come on politicos, come on commenta  …  no not them, but all the others.

Until next time, read good books and stay regular.