New Poem -- Mother

 There she is again,

As always when I least expect her.
In the storefront window
As I look at my reflection.
In the mirror when I check my hair
And sometimes when she looks back
I see that she’s getting gray.
She looks at me through a misty windowpane
And holds my gaze.
When did the child become mine?
When did I become her?
Where did I go when I became my mother?

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A Book Review

 Book review blogger Christina Welburn Huber talks about my first two books, Opal and its sequel, Warren County Days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0llGLCHrPE&t=107s

New Youtube Video

 I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on television abut my newest book, Our Mothers and Daughters. That interview now joins three other of my book videos on youtube. Here's the link. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1RRD2SfJIA

Book Signing Video

 Join me for a peek into the first section of a recent book signing for my newest book, Our Mothers and Daughters. You'll get to see excerpt readings from two stories in the collection -- sure to tempt your curiosity about the entire collection. All my books are available on Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XVZDHOHjo8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XVZDHOHjo8

New Book is Out

 Great news. My newest book, Our Mothers & Daughters, is now available on Amazon and will soon be in select book stores. The book is already on the reading schedule of a Memphis book club. Happy reading!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=diane+thomas-plunk&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Pre-Order Now

 My

newest book, "Our Mothers & Daughters," is available for pre-order on Amazon. So excited. It is a collection of stories about the sometimes blissful, sometimes complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Feel free to share the good news.

https://www.amazon.com/Our-Mothers-Daughters-Diane-Thomas-Plunk/dp/1098367014/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=diane%20thomas-plunk&qid=1620492400&s=books&sr=1-2&fbclid=IwAR2CvlRtcbW00h_1K_LdSGIDXbTZ7kp6XFHrbzVOFp39cby_sTLMJYit8DM

My Life as Lucy Ricardo

 There was a time when my husband, Mike, declared that some of my life's accidental "mis-steps" could have been episodes of I Love Lucy. Here's one of them.

Way back when Mike & I were planning our first wedding, we were out apartment hunting. We spotted a small complex of one-story apartments and pulled into the parking lot to check it out. There was no resident manager, but there was clearly an empty unit. We peeked through the living room and kitchen windows and then discovered that the kitchen door was unlocked. We considered for about two seconds and in we went. It's not breaking and entering if the door's unlocked, right?

It was a surprisingly small apartment. You couldn't even open the back door if the oven door was open. On the other hand, it was freshly painted and the carpet looked new. We left it on our list of possibles, but before leaving to check out the next one on the list, I decided to use the bathroom there. Mike determined that everything was operable, so there I went.

For some reason, I flipped on the doorknob lock as I closed the door behind me. As I started to exit the restroom moments later, I found that the doorknob didn't work. It had no traction. Just turned aimlessly. Naturally, that somehow affected the lock and I couldn’t unlock the door. So now we’re trespassing AND I’m locked in the bathroom.

I tried everything I could think of to get out, but nothing worked. I finally had to call out to Mike. Now it was his turn. None of his attempts worked either. The hinges were on my side, but they wouldn't budge, and I had no tools.

Last resort. Mike said to check out the window. It was above the tub and sort of high. It was horizontal and not very tall. But it would open. Mike told me to crawl out and that he'd go around the building to catch me. That was going to be easier than me getting out there.

Stepping on the edge of the tub, the only next move was to step one foot on the small side of the tub's rim and what little of my foot I could get into the built-in soap dish. I could open the window. I put all my weight on the soap dish and elevated myself a little.

Mike saw the window open and called up to assure me that he was there. I told him the window was too high. "I can't get up there!" No choices, he said.

Fortunately, I was only 20 and not a weakling. I managed to pull myself up so my head, shoulders and arms were out. I was hanging from the window sill. But from there, I could see that the terrain sloped down, and the distance was much greater than I expected. I wondered if my broken neck would heal in time for the wedding.

I continued to pull myself up and scoot myself farther out the window until I was half in and half out. I felt like a kid's see-saw. But I had faith. I continued to scoot and held out my arms. Mike grabbed my arms, then my shoulders, and dragged me the rest of the way out. I did not die.

My feet finally hit the ground, and we ran like hell for the car. We rented a different apartment.

41Mike Plunk, Gayle Willis Jones and 39 others

43 Comments

Softly

 Soft is the way he touched you in the beginning.
Soft is the way he kissed you, held you and
Soft is what he thought you.
Soft is the way his eyes look at rest.
Soft is the way he breathes and smiles and
Soft is the way your happy tears slide from your eyes.
Soft is the way he turned from you at the beginning of the end.
Soft is how your soul began to dissolve and understand and
Soft is your head for ever believing.

Video Book Review on Opal & Warren County Days

 I'm so excited. The wonderful book review blogger and all-round lovely person, Christina Welburn Huber, has devoted one of her video blogs to review my books, Opal and Warren County Days. I'm so honored. Check it out and feel free to pass along her link. She brings many excellent books to our attention online at Candid Christina and on her video blog. Thank you, Christina.

https://youtu.be/i0llGLCHrPE

Visit Me on YouTube

 I'M ON YOUTUBE (again)! This video won't win an Emmy or go viral, but it's finally giving me the opportunity to start promoting Warren County Days, the sequel to Opal.(publisher issues now over!) If you read Opal, you'll see what happened to characters you met there, and you'll meet new ones. But Warren County stands alone if you haven't read Opal. If you've read both, thank you and I'm honored. If not, both are available on Amazon. I think you'll find something you like, so spread the word. And check out the YouTube video. Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up.

YOUTUBE.COM

www.youtube.com

A Story From Katharine Hepburn's Youth

 A story from Katharine Hepburn's youth --- such a lesson for all of us.

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value to give.

The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”

~ Katharine Hepburn

Lash LaRue & Me

 Remember Lash LaRue from back in the day? He was a black hat cowboy who sported a bullwhip instead of shiny pistols Some say he influenced the development of Indiana Jones. Back in that era, my little Irish grandmother made most of my pretty dresses -- and did so on an old, pedal sewing machine. That year, I wore my newest dress when Mother took me to the fair. The dress was navy blue with a pink collar of the same fabric. I thought I was pretty sharp. I was excited to see the signs for the Lash LaRue show, so Mother bought me a ticket and in I went, finding a seat right down front.

The show began, and after LaRue did a few tricks, he said he needed two assistants from the audience. He called up a little boy and then he pointed directly at me and told me to come on stage. He had the boy and I hold various items which he snapped into with his bullwhip. The items got smaller, and I remember turning my head away for fear of getting a bullwhip in the face. Finally, the boy and I were holding a small piece of newspaper between us, and I was sure that I would lose some fingers. LaRue looked very serious, then laughed. "Not this one," he said, then he asked the audience to thank us for our help, and he sent us back to our seats while they applauded.

When the show was over, I ran outside. I couldn't wait to tell Mother all about it, and I was really happy that I'd worn my new dress.

11Mike Plunk, Jocelyne Stratton and 9 others

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A Poem for Your Soul #6

 Parents lose children to mental illness, drugs, alcohol, death, and even unwelcome distance. Sometimes it helps just to say, “Yeah, me too.” Understand a mother’s heart in this piece from my collection, Little Boy Lost.

https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Poetry Friday 5

 Another heart-wrenching piece from my poetry collection, Little Boy Lost. Read "Son Shine" at dianethomasplunk.com

Poetry Friday 4

 Today's selection from my collection, Little Boy Lost, is a commitment to love. It's titled Today, and you can read it here ---

https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Poetry Friday 3 Speaks of Frustration

 Parents lose children to mental illness, drugs, alcohol, death, and even unwelcome distance. Sometimes it helps just to say, “Yeah, me too.” 

If you've ever felt the frustration of "diagnosis de jour," you'll feel the irony of today's poem, Rx.

https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Poetry Friday 2

 Read this week's selection from my collection Little Boy Lost. This week's offering: Mother G's Lament. See it on my website.

https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Poetry Friday

 In a new feature on my website, I'm introducing Poetry Friday. Each week on Friday, I'll share a poem, starting with pieces from my collection, Little Boy Lost. The first piece up today is Blind Justice.

See it here: 
https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Not Me

Alone

in a blinding, bluish haze

that cries in the night.

Tears surrounding you

belonging to

someone else.

Couples4Ever.com

Here's a short(er) story from me that's likely to give you a chuckle.

Online dating services don’t always turn out the way you want.

Man4U – Tall, healthy, 40-ish, divorced eight years (no re-bounding). No children. Successful
career. Ready to settle with an intelligent, funny, attractive, professional woman. One or two children okay. More children in our future? Open for discussion. Dogs, cats? Pets within reason okay, too. Tell me why we should meet.
DreamGirl – Beautiful, professional woman. Gym rat, marathon training. Financially secure and you should be, too. Loves classic rock ‘n roll, travel, reading and time with my son. Divorced three years. Looking to the future. Go slow; love long. Message me if you like a creative, independent woman.
Man4U – Hi, DreamGirl. You spark my interest. But before I get too interested, I want to make sure we’re not GU (geographically undesirable). I’m in Arlington. Oh – I didn’t notice your age or approximate age. It may not be polite in normal circumstances, but . . . you know. No surprises, right?
DreamGirl – You’re appropriately cautious. I’m good with that. I live in Germantown, so that should be close enough. I’m in my late 30s. Why don’t we exchange pics? Here’s mine. Have you been on this site much? I just joined.
Man4U – Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. I had a busy week at work. Your photo looks really nice, but I wish you weren’t in such a shadow. What do you do for a living? I’m in sales and I don’t mind saying I’m good at it. I go to the gym, too. Usually two times a week. Here’s my photo. I know that you’re new to Couples. I saw you on the new member list.
DreamGirl – Well, that was a surprise! LOL I didn’t expect your shirt to be missing. Not that I didn’t enjoy the view, however. It just startled me. I think you didn’t get that six pack by working out only twice a week. I go four times a week and I run five days a week. I’m totally going to do the next New York marathon. I do have to get up early, though, to get all this done before work and such so I don’t do many late nights. Oh, you asked about work. I’m in the marketing department of a major company here in Memphis.
Man4U – I’d like to talk with you on the telephone. If that’s okay, send me your number.  btw – My name’s

Charles.
DreamGirl – Hi Charles. I’m Brenda. Before we get to telephone numbers, why don’t you tell me some more about yourself? What do you do in your spare time? What kind of sales are you in?
Man4U – This is your go-slow thing, right? Okay. I like reading. I actually go to the gym more than I said earlier. Just wasn’t counting. I like music and I like movies. I have an interest in retail sales.
DreamGirl – Interesting. Similar to me, huh? I wonder what an “interest” in retail sales” means. As for other hobbies, I’m a real people watcher. I like to lunch or have coffee at patio restaurants and watch the other customers and passers-by. Sometimes I even eavesdrop. LOL Do you ever do that?
Man4U – Fraid not. I prefer to pay attention to the person across the table from me. I know I’d pay a lot of attention to you. Why don’t we continue this on the phone?
DreamGirl – Okay. My number is 281-6060.
DreamGirl – Charles, how are you doing? I enjoyed our conversation, but I haven’t heard from you since we talked. Yeah, I’ve been busy, too, this week. So, drop me a note or give me a call when you can. I have to run for now. Really — run.  LOL
Man4U – Hey, Brenda. I didn’t realize I’d let a few days go by. Yeah, good conversation. You have a very sultry voice. I could listen to you all day – and all night, too. So let’s get together. Dinner would be good.
DreamGirl – That might be jumping in too fast. Let’s meet for coffee first. How ‘bout Saturday at two at the Starbucks at the big mall? I’ll pin a rose on my blouse. LOL
DreamGirl – Charles, I’m hurt and offended and angry. I was at the coffee shop for an entire hour and you never showed up. I shouldn’t even bother to send this message. Maybe something important happened to keep you away, but you never sent a message and certainly not an apology. If you’re not dead or in the hospital, this is just bad behavior.
Man4U – Brenda, I was there. Late thirties, my ass. You’re not going to get anywhere on this site if you don’t tell the truth. Set your sights for older guys.
DreamGirl – You absolute creep! And, btw, looking back, I think I saw you lurking about. Forty-ish? I think not. And whose photo did you send me, anyway? Your only six-pack came from the 7-11 store. Oh, and btw, I got a private message from a woman I don’t even know. She’d seen us communicate and wanted to warn me. She said you’d gone through most women on the site, leaving behind some very angry ladies. That’s why you troll the new members’ list — — cuz they won’t know your reputation.
Man4U – You want honesty, lady? I’m betting that your only marathon is from your car to the door at Baskin-Robbins.
DreamGirl – You want to go there, buddy? Your “interest in retail sales”? Turns out that’s more like stocking shelves at Piggly Wiggly!
Man4U – Okay, all right. I’m busted. So are you. So – do you want to hook up?
DreamGirl – My place. Tonight. 8 p.m.

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