Dream Reader: Dear Coop

September 18, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Blogging 101 Challenge : publish a post for your dream reader, and include a new-to-you element in it (Post 1 of 3 in this series).

Dearest Coop,

I fell in love with you the moment I looked into your deep brown eyes. I wasn’t expecting to and I know my husband didn’t when he introduced us. You came into my life at just the right moment, filling and empty void.

It was a good thing my husband wasn’t the jealous type. He worked and said whatever made me happy. “At least you won’t be moping around the house any longer.” I think he meant it in the nicest way.

Coop, I loved our walks and the afternoons we spent cuddled together. Those were my favorite times with you. I miss them.

Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do.

(to be continued)

Happy Radars – The Eyes Have It

September 17, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

DAILY PROMPT @ DAILY POST

Are you a good judge of other people’s happiness? Tell us about a time you were spot on despite external hints to the contrary (or, alternatively, about a time you were dead wrong).

The eyes have it for me. They tell the story despite the external hints to the contrary. The clowns taught me this lesson many years ago when I attended the circus. I adored the clowns.

Laughter is good for the soul. I fell in love with the clowns and laughter and in those moments began a love affair with me and comedy. The clowns outrageously large, red feet, afro hair, and red noses kept the whole tent laughing. Of all the acts that evening, the clowns with their white faces, wide red lips and the unusual marks around the eyes were the most memorable. I left believing what a fun-filled life they must lead.

When they stopped dancing and performing for us, one of them took an elaborate bow right in front of me. When he raised his head, our eyes met and I saw the truth behind the paint. Pain. I was too young at the time to understand. Without a word, he stepped forward and handed me a fake flower, then turned away, waved to the crowd and was gone.

Afterwards, for many years I collected clowns. Dolls, figurines, and paintings. It was the eyes which drew me. I longed to know their story, to figure out what it was I had seen in the eyes of the clown at the circus. If only they could talk.

Then I found comedians and boy did they talk. They kept me laughing as long as I listened. Gradually, I packed the clowns away and turned on Pandora tuning into my favorite comedy channel. I’d listen or watch the comedians with the same delight as I’d watched the clowns. “God, living with them must be a blast,” I’d think. They look so happy, so much fun.

Ah, but the eyes the have it, they tell the real story, the truth behind the mask. Once again, I was dead wrong. The loss of one of the greatest comedians, Robin Williams made it clear. Finally I knew the answer. Pain. I had seen pain, the truth behind the painted face, the mask of comedy. Words covered as well as paint.

We all have our masks.

Stay Safe, Officers

September 15, 2014October 20, 2017 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

I opened the newspaper this morning to another article discussing the “Militarization of law enforcement. “ This issue has become a national topic, discussed on every venue after a black unarmed teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer. What followed was nothing less than chaos. Protestors marched; chanted demanding justice while unchecked looters and provocateurs destroyed a city. Policemen outfitted in riot gear, clashed with the mob of protestors and looters. It was an ugly scene.

It is not my intent in this post to discuss the merits of the case. Whether the shooting was or was not justified is not up for debate here. I was not present and do not have the facts, as the protestors, news media and provocateurs did not. The facts of the case and the outcome will be decided, by our justice system.

I want to discuss the issue that has made national attention and, in my opinion, demonizing our police force, “The Militarization of the Police,” as it has been dubbed. Let me first say, I agree there are bad apples in every bunch. I get that. I am not suggesting all cops are wonderful. They are human, which makes them fallible just like the rest of us. So you’ll get no argument from me. If one breaks the law he or she deserves the same judgment and punishment as the rest of us.

Since the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in 1997, the Defense Logistics Agency’s 1033 Program has given more than $5.1 billion in military equipment to local law enforcement agencies across the United States. In my own county our sheriff’s department has obtained a remote-controlled bomb disposal robot, personal protective and physical security enhancement equipment, (helmets, vests and body armor) and armored vans through military surplus. Gross/SHJ.

Daniel Gross of the Spartanburg Herald Journal did an excellent job giving an overview of the purchase, use, and need for this equipment by our law enforcement divisions. I applaud him and it was evident that both the Police Chief and Sheriff rely heavily on the 1033 program to help keep our officers safe. I applaud them as well. And, I have to agree with Sheriff Wright. Our officers wouldn’t have to gear up if citizens didn’t create chaos.

There was a time when we all respected authority. Parents could parent, teachers could teach and discipline, and kids knew when to sit down and shut up. They were not the center of the universe. There was a time when we all understood, life wasn’t fair, and not everyone won. It took hard work, integrity, and ingenuity. You learned how to be a good loser and better winner. There was a time when family meant more than the individual. A time when we grew up playing in streets after dark, knew all our neighbors, church and family were our foundation, and time we taught our children policemen and firefighters were our friends.

How dare we now demonize the very men and women who serve to protect us every day?

I’m not canonizing policemen, but I do respect them. They serve every day to keep my family and me safe. Each morning they wake up pin on their badges, strap the gun on their hips, and walk into the line of fire for us. Sometimes they make it home and sometimes they don’t. They go into places we wouldn’t be caught dead in, because it’s their job. They face down the hostile drunk, belligerent druggie, deadly gangbanger, murder, or thief. They talk the would-be suicide off the bridge, or the hostage taker into freeing hostages. They keep our kids safe from predators. Moreover, when the call comes like it did on 9/11 they don’t hesitate. They don’t just go in, they RUN in to save as many as they can.

They don’t rest. They loose sleep. They do whatever they can to bring those responsible to justice when necessary. Yes, sometimes there is a bad apple. Just like you and I, they are human. But I don’t see you or I getting up each morning pinning a badge to our chest and walking the beat to protect yours and mine. And until we do, whatever they need to keep themselves safe in this chaotic world we now find ourselves, where there is no longer a respect for authority. I say, “Stay safe, officers. Stay safe and thank you.”

Multiple Personalties in the Cow Pasture

September 13, 2014October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

Hello World,

If you’re wondering about the different looks my blog has had over the past week, it hasn’t been a mirage. And no, I don’t have multiple personalities. Although, based on, “I Write Like …” I’m not so sure. Having run samples of my writing through this intriguing site, the instant analysis I received said I wrote like HG Wells, Cory Doctorow, Kurt Vonnegut, HPLovecraft, David Foster Wallace, and most often like, Stephen King. You draw your own conclusions, but I digress.

My blog has and is still undergoing an overhaul. I am combining my blogger, of which I have multiple, and my WordPress accounts into one. It has not been an easy task and I ask for your indulgence. I had thought I was rather tech savvy until I nearly sent all blogs into the stratosphere never to return. Why bother? Well, plain and simple. I’m not getting any younger.

I am doing this for two main reasons. 1) For simplicity and organization. To clean house. And, 2) To get me back in the game of writing, something, anything. I have been out-of-pocket for a long time due to illness. You have heard from me with a post on occasion, but the truth is I had no focus or energy to write. Then the docs gave me a huge dose of prednisone; a medication I detest taking because of the side effects. However, with it came a renewed focus and the energizer bunny has nothing on me.

I began blogging in 2009 with Friendship of a Lifetime . It was for a different reason than why I blog today. I spent time this week reading through, Friendship, Morning Pages, my short stories, and other writings I’d completed since all this began in October of 2009. I discovered I’d come a long way as a writer, but still have much to learn. I’ve shared great writing tips along the way, as well as some heart-felt stories. Not to mention a few strong opinions and the occasional creepy flash fiction.

As time-consuming and exhausting as this process has been this week, it has reawakened my muse. Over the next week or so I will continue to re-vamp my blog. I am relocating my first blog, Friendship of a Lifetime and featuring it as a page. Written after the loss of my best friend of 37 years, the posts are a poignant reminder to value friends. I am putting it out there, as is. At the time I gave no thought to grammar or style, it was written from the heart and in a state of grief. So fair warning, you will find an abundant use of adverbs.

Also, I will be sharing more of my writing, and perhaps exerts from works in progress. I may continue to share tips or things of interest to fellow writers on this journey, but my Cow Pasture Chronicles will be more personal. You will see ME revealed in the things I write and share with from Cow Pasture. Or perhaps it will be, Cory, David, Kurt, HG, or Stephen…..