Writings by Diane

Being a first-time mom, I was going through many, many changes in my life. One of them was preparing and using a diaper bag. This bag was a baby shower gift from one of my husband’s coworker. We were a bit surprised that she had given me such a practical gift. She was the type of person who believed in crystals and lighting candles to change the aura of a room. We thought she would have given our baby a reading of his past life! This diaper bag was fairly large. It was equipped with four pouches in the front for bottles, a changing pad, and a plastic bag for “messy stuff". (If I didn't know what this particular bag was for, it was marked clearly with these exact words.) The color of the bag was navy blue with white dots. The straps could be adjusted to be a backpack or to be slung over one's shoulder. I knew this present was an essential one. After my son was born, I began to realize that the contents of the bag were bordering on life-saving. With each outing, I kept addin...

Many times when people talk about the teachers they have encountered in their schools, usually the lessons have been of the traditional sort.   A teacher has done or said something inspiring that has changed their lives for the better.   Actually, I have had a teacher show a negative trait that was a positive life lesson to me.   She was my seventh grade teacher.   She was a very large woman—she had to make her own clothes to fit her.   Not only was her physique large, but also her personality.   She was a very aggressive and no-nonsense woman.     “You can’t get away with anything in Miss C class!”   was the comment we heard from previous teachers and older students.   When she hosted detention, she made a sign to put on the clock that read: “Time passes—will you?”             Being in her class, she made it very clear that she was the boss.   Now, most of the time, she wa...

“Okay Mimosa, what did you do?” Stanley was standing at the garage door in the pantry, talking through the door to Mimosa. “I got up this morning and I heard the Big Guy yelling at you. When I went to see what was going on, I hear you’re in the garage!”                 “I knocked down the Christmas tree,” Mimosa answered.   “Apparently, that is a crime punishable by lock out!”   He was sitting on a blanket on the floor of the garage.                 “That’s not good!” Stanley whistled. “The Big Guy does like Christmas! You must have damaged it a lot.”                 “No, not really!” Mimosa defended himself. “I just thought the ornaments were bright and shiny!   I just had to get up the tree for a closer look!”       ...

“Did you have to bark so loudly at the kids down the block?” Mimosa asked Pepper. The dog was starting her patrol from the front door to the living room. Mimosa was stretched out on the loveseat watching the dog pace back and forth.                 “They were in my range of vision and my Boy was getting on the school bus.” Pepper answered, stopping in front of the orange cat.  “I needed to let them know not to go near him!”                 “These kids were miles away from him!” Mimosa insisted. “You are way over-protective of him!”                 The animals were settling in to their routines after their human family had left for either school or work.  After Pepper paced from the front door, she hopped into the easy chair.  Mimosa was about to begin...

“My pack is gone!” Pepper, the black Labrador Sharpe mixed dog lamented. She was intently staring out of the kitchen window, looking for any sign of the humans that were part of her pack. “Why do they leave?”                 “To get us some food, I would assume!” answered Mimosa, an orange and white  American short haired cat. He stretched lazily from his perch on the pony wall next to the window where Pepper was standing. “Every time they come home, they feed us. “                 “I don’t get why they leave either, Pepper,” Stanley agreed, a grey long haired cat of Maine Coone and Russian Blue mix. He was laying across the kitchen table, the only time he could while the family was out. “Being outside it’s all that great! When I lived outside, it was cold, I was hungry all the time and I was miserable! Then I was brought in by this ...

The woman stared at the video poker machine, transfixed at the electronic cards she was dealt.   On her display was 5 cards in hearts-- a king, a jack, an ace, a ten and a four.   She was sitting on a flush, which would pay a tidy sum of $25.00, with her maximum bet on this quarter machine. However, if she hit the deal/draw button and the machine was kind enough to give her a queen of hearts, then her investment of $1.25 would turn into the progressive jackpot of $1,326.75. Should she take what she was dealt or risk it for the big money? She let this question tumble in her brain. She was enjoying this feeling of anticipation.   She was mistress of her own destiny, at least for a brief moment. She started to picture two different scenarios. The first thought was to push the corresponding hold buttons on all of the cards and take her winnings—after all it was a good rate of return.   Then this scene evaporated and the second scene came into her mind’s eye. In this imag...