P Squared Books

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Gifts

My husband and I have very different gift giving habits. I love giving gifts. He HATES it. He panics. It's a lifestyle, I think. I try to be compassionate, but I don't really get it. But I do acknowledge that it's real. So this

The C-Store Round Two

The C-Store Round Two

On the last day of my annual North Dakota trip, I was riding in the car with my three other travel buddies. We'd spent the week wandering around the prairie, and on our final night my male friend realized, we were out of tonic water. "Did you

Why Are There So Many People Here?

Why Are There So Many People Here?

Recently, I was in a small town in North Dakota. I'd visited it the previous several years, always at the same time of year, late October, and this year, there were a lot of people in town. I mean, we drove into town just after dark, down the

Ghosts...

We have a friend who asked us to go on a ghost tour. I'm into spooky stories, but I have to admit, I am not a believer in ghosts. But, it sounded fun. We met our ghost tour leader on the somewhat crumbling steps of the local Elk&

Hardly Anyone Here Swims

Hardly Anyone Here Swims

At my work, every now and then, the Big, Big, Big Boss gives us a couple of hours off for whatever reason, a holiday, a birthday, a different holiday. On one Friday I got two extra hours off, and I decided to celebrate by going lap swimming. I love lap

Wagon Dreams

Fall had started. My husband was his usual ecstatic self. The days were getting cooler. The light less harsh. All the things I hated. We were driving to stomp around the mountains, the aspens just starting to yellow, but first we needed gas. He filled up the truck while I

Just Minding My Own Buisness

Just Minding My Own Buisness

It was the end of a long week, the first morning I'd gotten to sleep in, and I was luxuriating in the morning's slowness. I'd had coffee, breakfast, and gotten to read a little. I was sitting there, minding my own buisness, when a

One Chicken, Two Chicken

One Chicken, Two Chicken

I live in a rural area. On my street, we are probably the only people who don't have a collection of farm animals. We do have two ferocious, indoor felines who regularly let the bird population know, if that window glass wasn't there, they'd

It's Not About Space

It's Not About Space

Recently, I was at my parents' house. They asked me what I was writing. "Well," I said, "the premise is that most people have left Earth..." "Where did they go?" my dad cut in. "Other planets. Colonies. That's not the

What Does the Full Moon Do?

What Does the Full Moon Do?

Recently, I went on a trip to a resort that had sprung up around a natural hot springs. When I was a kid, the place had allegedly been a bit podunk, but now, it is built up. It's got a spa with offerings like blueberry body wraps and

It's Rather Loud Out Here

It's Rather Loud Out Here

I have spent a lot of time outside. So has my husband, and on his off time, he often hikes to scout for elk and deer. One day we were both off, so we went to check out an area he hadn't been to but thought had potential.

Gov Showers

In what seems like another lifetime ago, I moved into a house I rented from the government. It was a tiny thing, no actual foundation, totally crooked to the road, built in the late 1920's and forever maintained with parts from that era. We used to joke it

Physics Be Damned

Physics Be Damned

At one point we lived in a house with a concrete slab foundation. When we moved out of it, we moved to a farmhouse with... Well, not a concrete slab foundation. The first night we spent on the ground floor of the house, my husband fell asleep almost instantly (he

The Wild West

One summer night, my friend invited me up to his town to watch their local rodeo. This was about two and a half hours north of me, just over the state line. It seemed like a good idea to me, so I got in the car, and made the journey,

Everything Has a Recipe

Everything Has a Recipe

Years ago, while on vacation with my family, I convinced my dad to help me bake a desert. My dad, who at the time didn't have the best working hearing aides, agreed to help but was very dismayed when he found out I needed him to knead some

Cherry Belly

When my parents came to visit, we decided to go pick cherries. It was the final weekend at a local orchard, and summer was in full swing. My dad, who was there when we made the plans, but wasn't really paying attention, was dismayed to learn just what

The Idiot Who Didn't Pack Pants

The Idiot Who Didn't Pack Pants

I live where it is hot. It's not the hottest place I've ever lived, but it is still hot. One summer I flew to San Francisco. To do this I wore a T-shirt, shorts, and slide on shoes. The plane ride was fine, other than I

The Shoe Store

As I've mentioned, I live in a rural area. One weekend, my parents came to visit, and after two days of dawn to dusk activities, we hit a lull in the late afternoon. My mom suggested we go get my dad some new tennis shoes. Also, as mentioned,

That Looks Ominous

That Looks Ominous

The second time I ever hung out with the guy who would become my husband, he asked me to go stomp around some sun-blasted, stick infested, section of scrub oak filled Forest Service land. He said he wanted to go quail scouting (it was spring, so not hunting season) and

Signs

Recently, my friends said there was a cool bar near their house with a fun, speakeasy vibe. We all walked over there, my friends, my husband, and I, and it was a gorgeous evening. We reached the bar, and there was a sign, about three feet tall, posted at the

Carnie Abe

Back in my college days, I worked as a river guide. Kelp Journal was lovely enough to publish my non-fiction essay chronicling a brief look at that time. Please go check it out. It'll be under Issue 11, Carnie Abe. Literary Adventure Journal | Kelp Journal | Pebble Beach, CaliforniaKelp

The One-Armed Cowboy(s?)

The One-Armed Cowboy(s?)

I live in a rural town. Like most rural towns, it contains a Dollar General and a box auto parts store. They line the edge of the two lane highway. They share a sidewalk that runs before both stores before ending, some long gone city planner's attempt to

The Mantle Of Responsibility

The Mantle Of Responsibility

I ended up at a training in one of those states that begin with a cardinal direction. The training campus was reminiscent of Hogwarts or some Disney castle land, the campus rolling and beautiful. Big stone buildings nestled into a wooded area, complete with baby deer bounding up the paths.

The Mattress

It came to my husband and my attentions that we had reached a point in our lives where it was time to buy a new mattress. Like most couples, we had varying opinions on how space should be allocated, but like anyone with a cat, our opinions were not factored

The Turkey Hunt

The Turkey Hunt

My husband went spring turkey hunting and bagged a turkey. The photo above is the pozole he made with it. It was tasty. Where we live, spring turkey hunting requires a tag, and once he'd filed his, I thought, sure I'll go try it out. And