Tag: Corona Virus

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Pandemic Road: Second Halloween in Coronaville

Pandemic Road: Second Halloween in Coronaville

I was sitting around with some of my friends discussing the state of things. In particular we talked about how we were enjoying our second Halloween in the middle of a global pandemic. Since I now work from home and so many of my friends are skeletons, I am happy to report that we are faring very well during these difficult and quick-changing times.

We have also enjoyed sitting around while reading and telling each other scary ghost stories. Now that the temperatures are finally cooling down here in Houston and the days are getting shorter, haunting stories are oh so much more fun.

In case you’re interested, I have two flash fiction stories online right now until the end of the month. Here’s a link to the WiVLA Virtual Gallery . As I said earlier, I have two short stories up and am sharing the space with some very talented visual artists. Check it out and let me know what you think!

While walking around the streets of Houston, I notice that I am not the only one focusing on skeletons this year. As a matter of fact, in my neighborhood alone we have quite a gathering of the skeletal critters. I am assuming that they are all being very protective and guarding the neighborhood against and gremlins that would engage in some routine Halloween mischief. I am guessing that while most humans are in bed asleep at night, these friends are gathering together for local neighborhood watch meetings. Also, I am guessing they gossip about the mortals that live in the houses and apartments around here.

As you can see, some skeletons prefer to live alone while others live in pairs or packs. They make me feel comfy and safe during this holiday where the veils between the worlds are thinnest. I will keep you up to date as the big day draws nearer.

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Pandemic Road: Neighbors

Pandemic Road: Neighbors

Walking is my exercise of choice these days. I travel anywhere from 3 miles to 5 miles at a time. There is one nice neighborhood where I like to visit because there are a lot of short blocks where I can zig zag around and avoid things like leaf blowers and large barking dogs. Then the other day I came upon this little bear sitting along the side of the road propped up against a light pole. I couldn’t resist taking his picture and wondering how he got there. If he is lost, why hasn’t anyone come to look for him?

Or maybe he is there on purpose. If that is the case maybe I have to write a short story about him. I could call it The Road of Abandoned Bears. Or maybe this little critter is the neighborhood lookout. He could be watching everyone that comes and goes. Then the story could be called The Bear Who Saw What You Did Last Summer. Maybe a murder mystery? A SciFi tale where the bear is actually an alien spying on humans and reporting back to his home planet. The possibilities are endless.

Of course there are other critters that grace my walks. There seems to be a colony of fairies and gnomes. They all stand very still while I am watching them. I wonder what they do when no one is looking. At night, do they visit the teddy bear and compare notes on the goofy humans that live and walk around them? I hope so. That way I don’t have to worry about Mr. Bear getting lonely.….or making too many reports to his home planet.

Maybe I should try talking with the bear, the fairies and the gnomes. I wonder if the neighbors would notice? What would they think? Who else stops to share a bit of gossip with these critters? Maybe they have parties and I might like to be invited? Suffice it to say, I have not gotten out much during this pandemic.

Last, but not least, a couple of weeks ago I shared that I had won first place in the Authorology Anthology Contest. My medal finally arrived in the mail. Ain’t it pretty? You can check out the anthology, Journey Into the Fantastical via Amazon.

Have a safe, happy and healthy week!

Until next time.….

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Pandemic Road: Week Four

Pandemic Road: Week Four

Now we have a “stay home” order from our Harris County Judge and City of Houston Mayor. We can still go to the grocery store and drug store. I can still take my cat to the vet (which, believe me, excites her no end). I can still go to a restaurant and get an order to go. I can still exercise outside. Parks are still open; you just can’t sit on a bench or touch the rail on the bridge that goes over the nice pond.

So I have been walking quite a bit around the neighborhood and noticing a few things. The first item was the lone cowboy boot. That seems even odder than finding a lone sneaker in the road. You would think that it would be harder to walk out of a boot than a sneaker. Even if you were carrying your boots and you dropped one.…..don’t you think you would notice? Since there was only one and it wasn’t in my size, I left it alone.

The other thing I noticed is that there are a gazillion lizards in Houston. I am not sure where they all come from, but I understand they are good for gardens and don’t bite humans. They like to sit in the sun, eat insects, and scamper across the sidewalk when they see me coming. You can see that this little guy is doing a great job of blending into the landscape. And he appears to be ready to bolt for the bushes as soon as I turn away. I have seen both green lizards and brown lizards in my walking adventures. Since they have no desire to bite humans, I like them. Also, since everyone is having to “socially distance” themselves whenever they are out in public, it can be easier to talk to a lizard on the sidewalk than it is to talk to your walking companion standing six feet away. No, no. I’m not lonely. I would just rather be seen talking to lizards than to myself. That’s the healthier option don’t you think?

Finally, I saw this post that is holding up a STOP sign. I was amazed that the greenery was growing on both the inside and outside of the post. This I took as a very hopeful sign. Life will grow even if it is a bit of greenery on a post during a pandemic. Spring is here and there is definitely hope for the future.

I’ve heard it said that the pandemic will pass. All things will pass. It may feel like a kidney stone passing, but pass it will.

Until next week.….