Searching for 53, Fiction

The same interview. Again. Off camera, I made fists. It kept my patience.

“No. Aliens are not visiting us.”

Pause.

“The theory is that visitors would understand our technology. Ergo, a contact email address.”

Pause.

“No false positives.”

The password required confirmation through SETI.

On my computer, an alert beeped.

You’ve got mail.

~~~

Afterword

Submitted!

My entry for the Press 53: Free Monthly 53-Word Story Contest. The August prompt was “Write a 53-word story about a search.”

The story probably could be more original, more clever, more a lot of things. However, I don’t hate it and it’s a start.

Since I do not know if older prompts are kept on the website, recording it here.

This month in 1587 Elenora and Ananias Dare welcomed their daughter, Virginia, as the first child born to English parents on American soil. Little is known about the lives of these teenage parents, especially their fate as a family of three in the Lost Colony. There are still those, though, continuing to look.

Press 53: 53-Word Story Contest, downloaded 1 September 2023

Onwards!
Katherine

Rodney’s Grand Reopening, Guest Photo

Rodney’s (relocated) Bookstore
Cambridge MA, USA
August 2023
Photo by Thomas Noriega, Thank you!

Cambridge Day: Replacement for Raven Used Books in Harvard: likely Rodney’s books, seeking home since 2020, Levy, July 29, 2023

Facebook: Rodney’s Bookstore

Previous location. [Rodney’s Bookstore]

Now I wanna go buy books!

Onwards!
Katherine

More Porta Potty Spotting

Another one from the reserve pile. On the shedule was a lovely guest post with lots of wonderful photos. Alas, compiling it has been too much for my meager resources. I feel fine. It’s just taking a ridiculously long time to get my energy back.

~~~

All the colors of the toilet.

I am enchanted with the idea of cataloguing the different colors of porta-potties.

New colors

Tan
Convenience store facilities.
FusionSite
Glenn’s Grocery
Franklin TN
November 2022

Dark Grey
Public toilets
HHH Sanitation
Outside the BJCC
Downtown Birmingham
November 2022
I assume they are on the sidewalk for crowds at big events.

Tan again. Cute name.
The Shed
Public park/beach
Gloucester MA
November 2022

Colors So Far

[Little Pink Horse Show Hut]
[Pretty Potty] Light Gray
[A Princely Porta Potty] Blue

Portable Toilets [Archive]

Onwards!
Katherine

Horse Search Update, August 2023

Awareness of the outside world. The AEC starts today in Lexington. I do not plan to be in a good mood about this.

~~~

tldr: Activity. No progress.

Barn Visit

Had a long, lovely, in-person chat with a barn owner/breeder. Nice horses. Alas, nothing even remotely suitable. At least not for many, many years.

Yelling Into The Abyss

Sent emails to two out-of-state barns.

Big name trainer. This one was a cold-call longshot. No response. Not hugely surprised.

Trainer we know on the acquaintance level. Confirmation then nothing.

Message Log

As before, my useful, all-purpose husband sent the contact messages. His record at this is better than mine.

We are interested in what you might have available/know about for sport horses and ponies.  My wife and I currently have two thoroughbreds in the backyard, one that is getting a bit long in the tooth, and starting to look for a new horse/pony.  Currently, she rides and I drive.  She would like to get back to jumping and some lower level eventing.  I’d like to be able to do 2-3 driving derbies/year and maybe a lower level CDE if possible.  

Not looking for anything specific. Mostly looking for a good match.

Exactly.

Why a pony or a cob? Aren’t I too big? Not by weight.

Best time I ever had on XC as on a 13.2 pony.

Also, as he added in another email:

(We are) Old enough now to not care about the horse/rider picture, but rather looking for something to have fun with.  

Exactly.

Horse Hunt Posts
Posted in 2022. No change.
[Status Of The Horse Hunt, Needle Pegged at Overwhelm]
[Horse Shopping, What I Am Looking For]
[Wondering If What I Want Is Really What I Want]

Onwards!
Katherine

Gotcha Days

Awareness of the outside world. Brr, My Antarctica blog! Outstanding vicarious travel. I read the whole thing over the weekend. First post, Brr: Hello.

Addition. Jacksonville, Denver, Oklahoma, Boston … I am not ignoring the news. I have nothing to contribute other than baffled outrage.

~~~

Last week was Gotcha Day for both horses. Wednesday the 23 for Milton. Friday the 25th for Rodney. Sometimes marked as a joint day on the 24th.

Rodney
Arrived as an 11 year old in 2010. Now 24 years old in 2023.

Milton
Arrived as a 6 year old in 2014. Now 15 years old in 2023.

I’ve already done the grumpy bit. [Gotcha Day, 10 Years and a Serious Lack of Shiny Rainbow Glitter Sparkles]

Can’t say much has changed.

OTOH.

I can safely say that the horses are happy to be here.

Rodney is delighted to spend his life being decorative.

Milton would be happier with a job, but we haven’t found one that suits his particular array of talents.

Onwards!
Katherine