I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Captain's Log, Supplemental
This is, I believe, a “bitter melon” (it’s an Asian vegetable, and it’s actually called that). If it’s not a bitter melon, it’s a winter melon. I can never remember which is which. It’s squash-like.
Someone gave it to my sister-in-law, but it wasn’t used in whatever Chinese soup they made for Christmas dinner. I know it’s a commonly used vegetable, but I’ve certainly never cooked with it.
The problem is that once she got it, my sister-in-law noticed this funny fuzzy sprout growing out of the top. So she stuck it in a glass and watched to see if it would continue to grow.
And it did!
She didn’t water it. She didn’t do anything except stick it in a glass. And it’s looking like some space pod from an alien planet, getting ready to jump out and body-snatch everyone in the house.
We watched the fuzzy sprout grow another couple inches in the two days we were at my sister-in-law’s house. Who knows? Maybe I’ve contracted some extraterrestrial disease it was carrying in its spores.
I fondly called it “Hairy.”
Thoughts from the peanut gallery? At least help me brainstorm a nicer name for the poor guy.
This is, I believe, a “bitter melon” (it’s an Asian vegetable, and it’s actually called that). If it’s not a bitter melon, it’s a winter melon. I can never remember which is which. It’s squash-like.
Someone gave it to my sister-in-law, but it wasn’t used in whatever Chinese soup they made for Christmas dinner. I know it’s a commonly used vegetable, but I’ve certainly never cooked with it.
The problem is that once she got it, my sister-in-law noticed this funny fuzzy sprout growing out of the top. So she stuck it in a glass and watched to see if it would continue to grow.
And it did!
She didn’t water it. She didn’t do anything except stick it in a glass. And it’s looking like some space pod from an alien planet, getting ready to jump out and body-snatch everyone in the house.
We watched the fuzzy sprout grow another couple inches in the two days we were at my sister-in-law’s house. Who knows? Maybe I’ve contracted some extraterrestrial disease it was carrying in its spores.
I fondly called it “Hairy.”
Thoughts from the peanut gallery? At least help me brainstorm a nicer name for the poor guy.
Comments
but how about russel as in Russel sprouts. (now i know i spelt that wrong)
And for what its worth, I've never seen such a thing in my life! But then, we don't have that many Asian veggies in Mississippi, either. :/
Blessings from Costa Rica