Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Friday, July 12, 2013

Prairie Sneaking

My good friend Delores of The Feathered Nest has issued this week's challenge.
effervescent, sanity, umbrella, tang, hustle and gumdrops.
Challenge accepted . . . 

I was at my first Prairie Party with my friend/roommate/almost-sister, Debbie (she of the effervescent eyes and sparkly personality), and my new boyfriend.
It was . . . rather exciting.
Even though the weather had been uncharacteristically iffy.
And was continuing in the same vein throughout the evening.
There was a crowd of farm/ranch kids all talking and laughing around a huge campfire, periodically opening umbrellas when the heavy overhead clouds shook out a few drops or hustling into the nearby camp kitchen if the rain increased.
Many remained sitting in the shelter, pouring drinks, eating chips, popcorn, nuts and the inevitable and still popular, gumdrops.
Which, as the liquor flowed and sanity decreased, seemed to be used mostly for target practice.
My new boyfriend and I, both non-drinkers, were sitting in his truck, one of several parked in a semi-circle around the kitchen providing light on the obviously moonless night.
Talking.
No, really. We were talking.
He was showing me his new knife and my mind was a confused whirl of blade belly, AUS 8 Steel, bevel, edge, tang, bolster and anodization.
I was discovering that he was a lot of fun and very clever.
He was discovering that I laughed a lot.
Suddenly, his head snapped around toward the kitchen. “Look,” he said, nodding.
I turned.
A shadow was making its way toward us.
Sliding between cars and generally giving the impression of cautious-ness.
It slid quickly through a beam of light and dove once more into the shadows.
Debbie.
The two of us watched as she continued in our direction.
Finally, she left the shelter of the car just to our left and, crouching, made her way directly in front of the truck we were sitting in.
My boyfriend waited for just a moment . . .

Then, grinning widely, honked the horn.

9 comments:

  1. And then Debbie ran back to the bunkhouse and changed her clothes no doubt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HeeHee! I probably would have had to! :) Debbie was made of sterner stuff . . .

      Delete
  2. Ack - you stopped before the story was over!!

    I guess it doesn't take much imagination to finish it :)

    Great use of that eclectic group of words, by the way :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll never forget that squeak of alarm or that indignant face popping up in front of the hood! We laughed and laughed. It was the stuff of movies . . .

      Delete
  3. OMG I'll bet she was scared to pieces! I thought it was sure to be a nefarious person stealing items from cars or something. Poor Debbie! Awesome use of the words!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie was always good for entertainment! She got herself into the funniest predicaments . . .

      Delete
  4. You take us back to that night so beautifully. I felt right there! And I've never been nor will I probably ever go to a Prairie Party!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great story, but OMG, he honked the horn right in her ear??? Poor Debbie. I bet she jumped a mile high.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?