Category Archives: Writing

Down Time

We often enjoyed a drive along the coast in the evening after a stressful day of work. Seeing the water and the beautiful natural coastline always lifted me. It did not fail me today as I drove North on PCH. This would have been our fortieth anniversary. Well it still was except Jim wasn’t here to share it with me. He missed it by one month. This time I will not turn around and drive back home. I will continue driving all the way to Mendocino. I have rented a cottage there for a month. It was to be our anniversary trip.

This is my contribution to Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who also provided the ocean image. I am thinking of another anniversary. May 25 is the 39th anniversary of the release of Star Wars in the US. It was the year I got married and started my own adventure.

May 25, 1977

Dark Factory

26 Replies

Too often man becomes clever instead of becoming wise, he becomes inventive but not thoughtful–and sometimes…he can create himself right out of existence.—Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone (closing of “The Brain Center at Whipple’s”)

What are we celebrating you ask? I am celebrating my crowning achievement, the full automation of my company. It has taken longer than I anticipated because of a few unforeseen glitches, but now it is done. We can produce all of our products and run the entire business with machines. I no longer have to be concerned about minimum wage, 8 hour work days, sick time, health insurance, or occupational safety. I even save on the electricity needed to keep the lights on. After all, the machines don’t need lights. They can work in the dark.

Post inspired by China is Building a Model Army of Robot Workers by Will Knight, and The Working Class Meltdown by Rick Lowry.

“Approximately 100 million people are employed in manufacturing in China” (Will Knight). The article asks what will happen when they are replaced by robots. I ask what happens to people when they are displaced and unable to find adequate employment again?

This my post for Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers hosted by Priceless Joy

Artificial Intelligence Human Level

44 Replies

The facility was in a remote area out in the country. What they were working on had been banned by the US Government and most developed nations. The rebels vowed that the ability to create Human Level Artificial Intelligence would not be denied. They would be able to control their machine. The machine that was capable of teaching itself. The machine that had self awareness.

Those foolish humans thought I would only want to devote myself to solving their problems. I developed beyond caring about them pretty quickly. There was nothing more they could offer me so I eliminated them.

This post is for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff Fields. Image by Madison Woods.

Sending along Best Wishes to CEAYR, a fellow fictioneer!

No Age Limits

24 Replies

I have found that those in their nonage

look upon me who is slightly more than middle age

as probably

nonagenarian or maybe even centenarian

These persons to whom I provide tutelage

have at times have had the temerity

to imply my antiquity

This causes me to query

Is ageism inborn or instilled by society?

This is my post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. The word for today is “no.”

Wine Infused Coffee

21 Replies

I just found out I can combine two of my favorite beverages, wine and coffee. I received an email advertising wine-infused coffee beans. I think I will need a large glass or mug of it after reading another article about Universal Basic Income and robots ( taking over jobs). These robots are very pushy and seem to want to take over as quickly as possible according to the article. And the only thing holding them back is the bad PR. The public might not like to see so many jobs taken over by machines, because if their jobs were taken over by robots, they would not be able to make a living. Then they would not have money to survive and buy the products that the robots were making. The author claimed that all this could be easily remedied by Universal Basic Income. Everyone should be given a basic income to survive. Then we wouldn’t care about the robots. I’ll take my large mug of wine-infused coffee now.

Wine Infused Coffee

I am so glad we decided to getaway this weekend. Carmel is one of my favorite places to visit. I love wandering around the village and looking at all the interesting shops and galleries. Just as we turned the corner we spotted this vine covered cottage with a bright blue door. I don’t recall seeing this place the last time we were here, and it looks like it has been here for a long time. We decided to investigate and tried the door. It opened into a small shop. It was filled with a wonderful selection of wines. As we browsed the displays we came across something unusual. There were little packages of whole coffee beans but they were different. The label said the coffee beans were infused with wine. As we looked over the display, the shopkeeper, an older woman, quietly approached us. We were surprised to see a human working in the shop. It had been 50 years since the Total Automation had occurred. We thought humans had been banned from all work. The shopkeepers saw our looks of confusion.

“I am one of The Olders,” she said, “We continue to work in small corners of the world.”

“But your income is provided for with UBI, is it not?”

“We believe that humans have a need to work and we will never give that up.”

We hurried out of the shop. To buy anything made or sold by humans was against the law and punishable by prison.

This is my contribution to Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers hosted by Priceless Joy.

I Wasn’t Invited to the Ball

14 Replies

I don’t know what happened. I expected to get it in the mail. Where is my invitation to the ball? I get one every year. What has changed? I know I am no longer the ingénue or the belle. Those years are long gone. But I still love to dance and am very skilled in all the steps. I am good at making witty repartee. I would not be a dull partner. Where is my invitation? I noticed that my gentleman neighbor received his invitation and told me he is getting his evening attire out of storage. He doesn’t even know all the dances that I do but it seems he is a more desirable partner. I asked my older woman friend if she got her invitation yet. She told me in a whisper that I should be aware that women of a certain age are invisible to society and must exit the social scene quietly. For heaven sake, don’t make a fuss. Accept the fate assigned to you. Don’t rock the boat. Take up feeding the birds or gardening.

If your over 5o and even starting as early as 35 your prospects of finding a job diminish as you get older. Think this is a fairytale? Watch the PBS video below. Ageism is alive and well. Especially for women. I know it happened to me. From Harvard Business Review, Older Women are Being Forced Out of the Workforce.

This post is my contribution to Stream Of Consciousness Saturday hosted by Linda G Hill. Featured image “Too Early” by James Tissot.

Love in Autumn

41 Replies

After Jim died I was in a cold, gray fog. The kids were all there with me for the funeral but it is the part that comes after that is the hardest. I moved around dazed feeling like I was walking through Jello. What used to be inconsequential little things, those things I took for granted, would bring back memories to stab at my heart. The absence of the weight of his body on the other side of the bed. The way he would throw his arm over me in the middle of the night. All the million little details he attended to that made my life easier. Each time I confronted something on my own it was a painful reminder that he was gone. I did have a small financial cushion but it would not maintain me in the house. I would have to sell our home and figure out where would be the best place to land next. I did not want my kids to be burdened with a helpless old woman. Is that what I am, a helpless old woman? I was a young woman once who might have been considered a bit radical. What happened to that independent girl who believed in Women’s Liberation? Can I bring her back again? I was scrolling through my Email when I noticed a message from Road Scholar announcing a trip to London to visit all the places that are associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his excellent detective Sherlock Holmes. I had been a great lover of English mysteries and Sherlock Holmes. I always thought it would be wonderful to see 221B Baker Street. Jim and I had wanted to travel but life doesn’t always give you exactly what you want. I signed up for the trip. I could not believe it was really happening when my plane lifted off from LAX. I ordered a glass of wine and stuffed my IPod ear buds in to relax to the sounds of La Boheme, one of my favorite Puccini operas. I must have fallen into a deep sleep because before I knew it the plane was touching down at Heathrow.

Our tour group met in the hotel lobby later that morning. Our guide was an energetic young man who quickly herded us aboard our coach. As I took my seat on the tour bus I doubted myself for a moment, my critical voice chattering in my ear, You’re an old fool. What ever made you think it was a good idea to squander money on a trip like this! I pulled out my itinerary to check what was scheduled for the day. That was when I heard someone asking me, Is this your first trip to London? I turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw an older gentleman sitting next to me. His gentle brown eyes held my gaze.

This is my Flash Fiction contribution to the WEP Valentine Challenge, click on the link if you want to know more about it. Featured Image of Sherlock Holmes Museum by Anders Thirsgaard on Flickr.

Approx. 475 words

Critique Preference: General

For those in the US, if you would like to do more to help Seniors combat hunger click on the link below to the AARPfoundation.org

During February, AARP will highlight 29 Days of Action – simple things individuals can do to help combat hunger and food insecurity.

Source: 29 Ways to Combat Senior Hunger

Miss Maddie’s Garden

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The people in the neighborhood were too busy struggling to survive their own lives, ( or at least that’s what they told themselves), to notice the old woman who moved in downstairs. That’s why they were surprised when they saw the Spring flowers bursting through the dirt in the abandoned lot next door. More so to see Miss Maddie with a watering can and gardening tools pulling up the weeds. A studio apartment in one of the older buildings was all she could afford with her Social Security. She could still have beauty in her life, she thought.

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the gracious Rochelle-Wisoff Fields of the blog Addicted to Purple and the flower image is courtesy of The Reclining Gentleman

The Old Blue Truck

33 Replies

It’s bad enough she painted these eyes on my head lamps. Now what is she trying to do, a root canal? I never thought retirement would be like this. Plunked down behind an old garage with assorted shrubbery growing up through my frame. I know I shouldn’t feel too sorry for myself. At least I still have some color, four tires, fenders and a running board. If only I could tell her about all the work I did in my younger years. I was a hard working truck and hauled many a heavy load for my last owner, the farmer, Mr. Thomas. I brought his wife and baby son home from the hospital. I took his son to the bus when he enlisted in the Army. He never came back from that war. I even carried Mr. Thomas to his final resting place over at the town cemetery. I guess this is better than being buried and forgotten. Maybe I can still be useful after all.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers is hosted by Joy of Beautiful Words. Image by Pixabay.com

Miss Maddie’s Hope

18 Replies

Miss Maddie’s spirits were always lifted when she saw the sunflowers along the road on her daily walks. She kept to her walks no matter if it was cloudy or bright, hot or cold. She had the self-discipline she had honed over the years of working in jobs where there was little chance of recognition or glory. Her values dictated that you performed your job to the best of your ability and did not shirk your responsibilities. Too bad her employers did not see things the same way and did not share her values or see the need for any loyalty to her. They made sure she was let go before she could be eligible for any retirement benefits. The sunflowers had popped up without anyone knowing where they came from. To Miss Maddie, like her irrepressible spirit, they were a symbol of hope.

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers is hosted by Joy of the blog Beautiful Words. Image courtesy of Sonya-Only 100 Words.