Wednesday Poetry Corner: Lazy Cat

Beaker chills below.
Airborne army nests above.
Why won't he stop them? 

(Haiku written by me September 2, 2026)

The lazy cat in question

Bird in the rafters. See it? (They kept flying away when I'd come out.)

This was inspired by seeing Beaker loafing on my yoga mat, while a cacophony of birds building their nests rang through our upper story. How do I know they were building nests? Because in recent days, I've been seeing nest-building debris littering the stairs up to the second floor.

We knew the house was open to birds when we moved in. In fact, Brett removed an abandoned nest within days of our taking occupancy. It's okay. I call this architectural style a sort of "Industrial Chic," and the upstairs definitely has that "abandoned warehouse" feel to it. (Great for breezes! Open to wildlife!)

At first, the birds really irritated me, but I realized it's not healthy to be irritated all the time. I still don't love their chatter, but I've decided to take the view that we've simply moved into a summer camp building for the next few years! 

The top of the stairs, and an example of our warehouse-ian view.

 

Monday Coffee Klatch: To All the Books I've Loved Before

Just for variety, I want to introduce you to a coffee shop I don't love. This place is a back-up coffee shop for me. The coffee is ... okay. Croissants are good. Apparently, their specialty is churros, which I haven't yet tried. 

On the plus side, they have comfy seating and a super-convenient location if I was going to meet someone. 

But really, I only come here when I've walked down to my favorite place only to find that it is closed for some random reason, which, as a mom and pop shop, is a respectable choice even if a little inconvenient for me sometimes. This place is around the corner and a few doors down, so I haven't wasted my walk.

Less cute view, wimpier coffee, but comfy.

Now, regarding The Books That Got Away!

I've complained before about losing books due to moving overseas. It's one of those critical, difficult decisions. They're heavy, they take up space, and with internet access, it's hard to convince yourself the physical book is critical.

In years past, I've given away a LOT of books.

Sometimes I tried to make sure they went to someone who would really appreciate them. If I had a whole collection by an author, I'd post online: Does anybody love this author? I've got the complete set and I'd be happy to send it to you! Because if someone loves the books, I'd much rather see them go to a good home than break up the set.

I've also donated plenty to thrift stores, and later to the library where my sister worked.

And honestly, I'm glad most of those books found new homes.

But every now and then, I wish I still had certain ones.

The recent culprit is Gregory Maguire. After watching Wicked and Wicked: For Good, I found myself wishing I still had my collection of his books. I'd read all of them at least once, and they're wonderfully written, although VERY different from the light, funny version presented in the stage musical. Maguire's version of Wicked is dark.

Those I could replace fairly easily, since I could get them electronically and put them on my Kindle.

I also had a biography of Alec Guinness that I'd ordered through a book club. I never actually got around to reading it before I gave it away. Now, every time I watch a movie with Alec Guinness in it, I think, I wish I still had that book.

I know I could replace that one, too.

But then there are the books I can't really replace.

I once had a hardcover edition of Beowulf, with a new English translation on one page and the original Old English on the facing page. I think it was published sometime in the 1990s. I love multi-language books. (I have several English+Chinese ones now, and used to have a copy of Faust in English+German.) I think the dual language gives me hope that I'll up my linguistic game.

But for me the biggest loss is my original Star Wars trilogy written as Shakespeare plays. My sister gave me one of these lovely hardcover books for Christmas or my birthday three years in a row. They were beautifully illustrated, and the language was part of the fun. (Sci-fi iambic pentameter except Yoda, whose lines were written in haiku.😄) I could probably find electronic versions somewhere, but I don't think I'd enjoy them nearly as much that way. 

Because sometimes it's not just the book you miss.

It's that book.

The particular edition. The illustrations. The feel of it. The memory of where it came from.

The hard fact is that when you have to reduce your possessions to what is genuinely practical, you sometimes end up giving away things that weren't practical, but were precious.

Have you lost a favorite book to time or location or circumstance? What do you miss about it?

Friday Fiction? No

I have a story almost ready to post, but my internet is giving me fits today. The story is handwritten. I can't even put it in blogger. 

I'm sending this from the app on my phone, but I'm not about to try accurately writing a story with one finger on a cell-phone keyboard!

This is the second day of it. I might be screwed. Send good vibes and prayers at this trying time. 😉

Wednesday Poetry Corner: Petrichor

Smell of petrichor,
Grey above the green palm fronds,
Nature's gifts abound.

(Haiku written by me on Aug. 26, 2026) 

 

Coffee Klatch - Beer Edition!

Coffee and books are a natural pairing. Give me a quiet garden, delicious coffee, an uninterrupted hour or two in the morning, and I'm happy.

But sometimes it's evening, and coffee isn't what I'm after. Sometimes I want a beer. And I want to take my book with me.

There's something comfortable about reading at my local. My usual seat faces out toward the street, where I can catch the breeze, watch the world go by, and enjoy being out in public while staying in my own little world.

No Kindle in this picture, but you get the idea

 

Which brings me to one of my favorite inventions for an international traveler: the e-reader. I happen to use a Kindle these days, but I'm not particularly loyal to the brand. The important thing is that it holds a library without weighing anything like an actual library.

A big advantage of bringing your e-reader to a bar? Anonymity.

A physical book invites conversation, and as much as I enjoy bookish chats at times, I do not crave that kind of attention in a bar. With my Kindle, nobody knows what I'm reading, and nobody asks.

Now, I know a lot of women feel self-conscious about going out alone, so allow me to suggest one more big bonus of the e-reader: it acts as a sort of social shield! Bar, restaurant, coffee shop, wherever you are - with your Kindle, you're not alone, and you don't look it. You're reading.

Nobody questions it. 

At least, I don't think they do. I'm too busy reading to notice what anyone else is doing. And maybe that's the point. 

There are plenty of reasons to go out alone. You don't need an excuse or companion. All you need is a good book, drink of your choice, and if you're lucky, a seat with a breeze. 

Fiction Friday - Need To Know

"Have you seen your sister lately?"

Beckett hid his instinctive "freeze" response by looking up as if in thought. "Not really. Why? Should I have?" He turned a passably curious look toward his mother. She was preparing dinner and he had come into the kitchen to grab a can of Monster from the fridge before returning to his work in the basement.

His mom wasn't actually looking at him, but said to the vegetables she was washing, "I know she's old enough to do what she wants, but it's been a few weeks since she's called. I thought maybe you ran into her during one of your campus runs."

"Nah, sorry." He shook his head and closed the fridge door, anxious to get back to his fortress. He should have graduated last year, but got a lucrative job with a digital company and now worked more hours than he studied. One class per term, with a hard push over the holidays, and he should get his degree next spring. 

He was almost out of the kitchen when his mom added, "Well, keep your eyes open for me, will you? I know she has friends around there." Beckett raised his can in a toast of agreement, hoping she saw it. He didn't dare turn to face her and risk giving up the game. 

Sascha was on the run. He hadn't lied to his mother. Not exactly. Personally, he hadn't seen her for a month, but since becoming a Gatekeeper for the "Hidden Kitty" underground movement, he was aware of her progress through coded second-hand messages.

Neither Beckett nor Sascha liked keeping their mom in the dark. She had always been a supporter of Sascha's... difference. But when laws began changing against different innocent segments of the population, her head had stayed firmly in the sand. "Just because they've outlawed this one type of person," she would tell Sascha, "Doesn't mean that someone like you is in danger." 

Sascha disagreed and wasn't willing to risk it. When they came after a group, they came suddenly. When they started coming for people "like her", it would be too late to formulate a back-up plan. 

Fortunately, Beckett was still active at the university. Sascha had graduated and moved on, but had heard about a rebellion growing there. Together they found the right people who could help her.

As she prepared to go into hiding through Hidden Kitty's network, they realized their mom would not only be a liability to Sascha, but would herself be in danger. They had to keep her out of it. During the weeks of Sascha's prep, Beckett had become more involved with the organization. Now he was in a position to send and receive the coded messages. 

Sascha was safe at the moment. Mom was worried. Beckett could stop the worry, but at the risk to countless others in positions like Sascha. Small price to pay.  

Wednesday Poetry Corner: Indiscriminate

Indiscriminate -
Days of downpour, sun, drizzle...
Beaker traumatized. 🙀 

(haiku written by me on August 17, 2026)

As I said, we don't get as much rain here, but it is unpredictable.

Well, was unpredictable. Then I realized that Beaker disappears shortly before the rain starts. I don't know how he knows, but shortly after he hides under a bed, the tin roof begins echoing. He'll come out when it's quiet, but with such spotty showers, sometimes he races off to hide several times a day - heavy or light rain, either way.  

He's more accurate than my weather app! 

Monday Coffee Klatch: Odd Combinations

I don't remember what made me try salted coffee the first time, but it quickly became one of my favorites.

Salted coffee sounds weird, right? Ew!

Now, don't go dumping a bunch of Morton's into your coffee grounds. That's not it at all. The coffee doesn't taste salty. The salt is in the salted cream.

Less "Ew!" and more "Oooh!"

And not just a little cream, either. A nice, unapologetic dollop of it, floating on top of coffee that's already been lightly sweetened with condensed milk.

My favorite salted coffee back in Hoi An tasted almost like salted caramel. A sweet and creamy treat for the tongue. Definitely more of a once-in-a-while cup o' joe.

At the nice places, there's a bit more production to it. Coffee on the bottom, creamy layer on top, smoothed out and finished with a dusting of cocoa. 

It's pretty. It's indulgent. It's utterly unlike what the name brings to mind.

...Because at no point does it taste like "salt + coffee."

Which got me thinking about other combinations that shouldn't work, but somehow, for me, they do.

Like Stephen King and Terry Pratchett.

In the past year I've fallen into a pattern of alternating between them. Have you read either one?

King, of course, is known for horror. Pratchett is, well... fantasy, absurdity, social commentary, and a view of humanity through a cracked lens. They couldn't seem more different.

And yet, I've discovered two things they have very much in common:

They both have a VAST catalog.

And, once I'm reading one of theirs, the story just carries me along.

Since The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton, I've gone King > Pratchett > King: 

Revival, The Light Fantastic, and now The Sun Dog. 

When I'm out with my Kindle and finish a book, it's easiest to pop into a familiar style. I guess that's what I like in my go-to authors: that confidence that there are plenty more good books where that came from.

So, who's your go-to author? Or do you bounce around like me? (I do have others, too.)

I'd love to know whose book you pick up as "comfort food" for the brain. I'm always looking for my next book.

Fiction Friday - The Mango Tree

 

Until he figured out what he really wanted to do with his life, Jesper judged he had it pretty good. 

He'd graduated in May. Now he stood in the morning light with a hose in his hands, humming along to the music playing from the speaker nearby as he washed fallen leaves off the paved circle under the mango tree. He looked up and nodded his chin at his sister when she walked in, late to work as usual, followed by the first customers of the morning. She'd seen what he was doing, so he knew she'd get their orders. He moved the hose to blast the leaves off the platform into the pebbled floor a few inches below. 

As he moved around the tree to clear the other side, the water ran down to a trickle. Odd. 

He looked into the end of the hose. He traced it along the ground with his eyes, checking for a kink. Walking around to look more carefully, he double-checked that no one had moved a chair onto it. Not that anyone was sitting up in this part of the coffee shop. The tables weren't set up here yet today, but sometimes customers took matters into their own hands.

The hose was fine. So what gives? 

He went back to the main spigot. Vanya met him there, on her way back into the kitchen with an empty tray. "All finished?"

"No, but the water seems to be."

"Uh, no. Water's fine. I just made two green teas and an iced mocha."

"Well, it's not reaching this pipe, then." He squatted down to get a better look at the connection.

"Weird. So are you going to help me with customers soon? We're filling up."

She was right. Half a dozen tables were occupied now. Time to switch gears.

When their mother came in an hour later, she took her time walking between the rows of tables, checking that no customers had been neglected, before sitting in her usual spot near the kitchen. It was her name above the door and she took an active interest in how well her kids were running it. 

Finally, they had both returned empty trays to the kitchen and came to sit with her for a few moments to take stock of the day. 

"Good," she said when they had both sat down, keeping half an eye on the room in case anyone needed attention. "News." She stated the word as an agenda item. "We knew it would happen sooner or later. Water rationing starts today." She glanced from son to daughter and back. It was their turn to contribute.

Jesper's eyebrows popped up to his forehead and back into place. "That explains the hose cutting off before I finished," he said with a wrist flick toward the mango tree. 

Mother nodded. "We will have to water the trees from a bucket, and only if it hasn't rained for three days." 

"What, there's a rule?"

"There are rules for everything now. Everyone's been too careless about water for too long. It was bound to happen."

"What about the drinks?" Vanya asked.

"Ah, yes. The critical question. This morning, as soon as I heard the news, I already sent a request for a special exception due to this being our family business. Until we get the exception, I'm afraid we can only serve until our daily business water ration has been used up."

The kids digested that news in silence. "So... closing time is just - whenever?" Vanya liked to know her evening plans before her workday ended. Mother nodded, eyeing her.

Jesper grinned wickedly. "Better update our hours online, sis." 

She squinted at him and pursed her lips in a sneer. This would upset a lot of schedules. A lot of lives. Without a word, she pulled out her phone. He wasn't wrong.

Jesper was almost disappointed not to have gotten a bigger rise out of her. With their mother looking over Vanya's shoulder, he considered the open garden seating area with new eyes. The hose was still lying in broad curves beneath the mango tree. He went over and began coiling it up. 

Today's story was inspired by watching the boy at my favorite coffee shop (see Coffee Klatch post here) hosing down the leaves under their mango tree. Water is a finite resource that not enough people treat with care. There's enough violent post-apocalyptic fiction written about it, but how will it start? 

Wednesday Poetry Corner - Sleep Well!

Nighttime showers fall,
Not too loud and not too soft.
Good sleeping weather. 

The view from my reading nook

 

The climate here is one of the things that drew us south. We may be 4 degrees of latitude closer to the equator, but Mui Ne is sandwiched between ocean breezes and an inland desert, so somehow it all balances out. Yesterday there was a shower in the afternoon, and then - nothing until bedtime. Much better than weeks of straight typhoon dousing! 

Monday Coffee Klatch - A Midsummer Night of Richard and Henry

Today we're settling in for a couple of hours at a place I go for coffee semi-regularly. Not actually a coffee shop, this is a public food court in town. I love it - burgers, curry, tapas, all in one place - and a full bar that serves coffee and smoothies and offers western breakfast dishes until 1:00. Basically, if I get hungry while I'm reading, I have options. 

It's a little farther from home, which is why I linger longer than at a local coffee shop. Plus, the salted coffee is on par with my regular place, only bigger. Bonus! 

Salted coffee at Dong Vui Food Court

Today, let's talk Shakespeare!     Wait! Come back!     

Don't run away! 

I get that he's intimidating. (Is he still required reading in high school?) 

I had read The Biggies: Midsummer, R&J, Hamlet, Macbeth, Much Ado, Othello. Comedy and Tragedy. But a few years ago I realized I was lacking in knowledge of his Histories. 🙄 So I decided to read one play a month, focusing on the histories. 

I'm an actress, and for decades I've had the embarrassing experience of being around theater people talking about plays they've been in - King Lear, Richard III, Henry IV - and thinking, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

The first year I did this, it was almost all histories broken up with a couple of lighter, familiar ones. By the end of the year, I had read a whole bunch of Shakespeare's histories and could no longer remember which Richard had done what to which Henry. So I started an ongoing Shakespeare book report. Now every year gets its own document, with a section for each play. All I really do is briefly summarize what happens in each scene. It's not scholarly analysis. I'm trying to write approachable summaries. This is my personal Shakespeare survival guide: What the hell was happening here again? Now I don't have to go back to SparkNotes every time I encounter a play I've already read. 

For a while I had a chat group for people who were interested to try the challenge, but most people tapped out. The two who stayed in had already read most of his catalog so they became my Shakespeare lifelines whenever I needed the benefit of someone who had actually read the introduction. 

By now, monthly Shakespeare has become a habit. There are still plenty of plays to go, but some months I revisit one of the more confusing ones, and sometimes I choose a play I particularly like - like Macbeth every October - just to keep the fun in the challenge. 

And now, when someone quotes Richard III, I might even remember the reference!

Fiction Friday - Delayed

When Astrid's aging Honda Civic pulled into her driveway, she noticed a package on the front stoop. That was nothing new, but the hot pink post-it attached to it stuck out like a sore thumb. She pulled in under the tin-plated carport - the one ugly mark of this otherwise cute little bungalow she'd got for a song a month ago. Once the necessary interior renovations were finished, she'd have time to attend to this tin-roofed eyesore.

The pink post-it said, in meticulous, tiny script: "These arrived at my door by mistake. Happy tiling! 148b." Her tiles had arrived! She'd start on the broken down shower wall this weekend. 

The town planners didn't bother to give each house its own number on the outskirts of town. 148b sat across a narrow gravel alley from her cracker-box at 148a. An identical cracker-box house, 148c, was on the other side of 148b. After setting down the tiles inside, she leaned into the bay window, looking over at 148b. She had never met or even seen her neighbors. 

On the weekend, the doorbell rang while she was working in the bathroom. A man with a small "Chewy.com" box under his arm held out a clipboard to her. "Your neighbor's not home, but I need a signature. Can you handle it?"

"Um..." She didn't know the woman, but then again, 148b had delivered her package. She was probably safe. "Sure, I guess." Maybe now she'd meet Pink Post-it Girl. A teacher, if handwriting was any indication. 

The package was addressed to "E. McNulty" E. Elizabeth? Elinor?

After two attempts to deliver the neighbor's box on Saturday and one more try on Sunday, Astrid decided the woman was probably taking a weekend away. Later Sunday night, gritty after working and sweating in a tiny room, she decided to give it one more try. When there was still no answer she tore a sheet off the little notepad full of measurements in her pocket and scrawled. "Sorry I couldn't hand this to you in person. Hope you enjoyed your weekend away! - 148a". 

Just before tucking the note into an edge of the box, she impulsively added "Coffee sometime?" at the bottom. It was just good manners to know your neighbors in a small town like this. She listened for animal noises inside. Nothing. Of course, a cat or dog might be traveling with their owner. Or maybe the Chewy box was something for a classroom hamster. Teachers did stuff like that, right?

Astrid was out of town at a conference for most of the next week. She was greeted at her carport on Friday night by a tall, narrow box leaning against the house under the shelter of the carport roof - her shower fixtures! No pink post-it this time. She felt a tiny drop of disappointment, but at least it meant they got her address right. Carefully pulling past the box, she saw two large potted plants sheltering beyond it. That meant the nursery dropped by without calling first to be sure she was home.

Moving it all inside, she noticed an index card on a stake in the largest planter. In her neighbor's precise cursive was: "I'm not spying, but didn't see your car for three days, so I took the liberty of watering these beauties. Hope that's okay. - 148b". Then a line below that: "I don't drink coffee, but could meet for a cup of tea."

Astrid smiled. The pink post-it had conjured up a young, 20-something teacher. Tea seemed more mature - maybe 40-ish? Possibly a high school Lit teacher. Tea and a good book seemed like a fair pairing. She was looking forward to meeting this stranger even more now. At 36, she'd have more in common with someone in their 40s. 

Saturday was bright and sunny, so Astrid rented a paint stripper from the big DIY store and got to work on the back of the house. She hadn't noticed the colorful van pull up into the alley, but when a woman in her peripheral vision waved frantically at her through the carport Astrid turned off the machine and moved one of her ear protectors. 

"Hi, I'm Sally from the library. Sorry to interrupt your work, but I'm delivering books for Emil and not getting an answer. Can I leave them with you?"

Astrid's ears were ringing, even though she'd had protection. "Sure," she shouted back. "Can you just set them on that bench?" So her neighbor's name was Amy. How was that spelled with an initial E? Sally set the books on the workbench and looked warily at Astrid, as if not trusting someone using power tools with such a precious commodity. They smiled and nodded at each other and Astrid restarted the stripper.

When there wasn't enough daylight to keep working outside, she packed up the gear and cleaned up her mess. She had planned to go inside, but clearing the work bench uncovered the books. Thank God libraries cover their books in those plastic slip-covers! Astrid hesitated over the option to shower before trying Amy's door. "She's probably not gonna be there anyway." With that thought in mind, Astrid left on her paint-chip-encrusted work clothes and walked across the alley.

To her great surprise, the door was opened after a moment's delay. By a man leaning on a wooden cane. "Yes?"

"Oh! Hi! Uh...the library dropped off some books for Amy. Is she home?" Maybe Amy's father was visiting.

The man's face broke into a wide smile. "Emil, not Amy." He held out his free hand. "Emil McNulty, nice to finally meet you, Ms. Easterbrook."

A brief laugh escaped her open mouth. "You're not a woman!"

His smile turned into a chuckle. "Was it the pink post-its?"

She relaxed. "That, and your handwriting. It's so - perfect!" 

"Occupational hazard. I was an engineer. Would you care to come in for some tea, Astrid?"

"Oh!" She looked down at her clothes. "I'd love to, but I'd leave paint chips all over your immaculate living room." The house was indeed neat as a pin. A moving shadow caught her eye as she looked down at it. He noticed and followed her gaze to a large tortoise lumbering toward the open door.

"That's Clarence. We've survived worse than paint chips, but I'd better step outside and close the door or he'll run away." He said that with a wink and they both laughed. 

She looked from Emil to Clarence and the pristine room beyond and said, "I have to admit, you're not at all what I expected."

"I could say the same for you," he said as he stepped out to join her, ushering them to a pair of chairs on the little patio next to his steps.

"Me? What did you expect?"

He gave a shrug and said, "Based on the deliveries? Frankly, I thought you were a man." 

I called this one "Delayed" mostly because I'm a day late finishing it. Life got in the way. But I thought it also fit the way the neighbors' meeting kept being delayed. What title would you give it? Have you ever assumed something about someone and later found out you were completely wrong? 

Wednesday Poetry Corner - Kubla Khan with a Twist

It hasn't rained this week, so in lieu of a rainy day haiku, here is one of my favorite poems that I love even though I haven't the foggiest what he's on about!

Kubla Khan 
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

   Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground

With walls and towers were girdled round;

And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted

Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!

A savage place! as holy and enchanted

As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted

By woman wailing for her demon-lover!

And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,

As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,

A mighty fountain momently was forced:

Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst

Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,

Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:

And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever

It flung up momently the sacred river.

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion

Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,

Then reached the caverns measureless to man,

And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;

And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far

Ancestral voices prophesying war!

   The shadow of the dome of pleasure

   Floated midway on the waves;

   Where was heard the mingled measure

   From the fountain and the caves.

It was a miracle of rare device,

A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

   A damsel with a dulcimer

   In a vision once I saw:

   It was an Abyssinian maid

   And on her dulcimer she played,

   Singing of Mount Abora.

   Could I revive within me

   Her symphony and song,

   To such a deep delight ’twould win me,

That with music loud and long,

I would build that dome in air,

That sunny dome! those caves of ice!

And all who heard should see them there,

And all should cry, Beware! Beware!

His flashing eyes, his floating hair!

Weave a circle round him thrice,

And close your eyes with holy dread

For he on honey-dew hath fed,

And drunk the milk of Paradise.

 

Nine years ago, while living in China, I visited "The Great Khan's Summer Palace". (Full post about it, here.) Although the place was established by Genghis Khan, I like to think his grandson Kublai enjoyed it during his reign, too. 

The summer palace I saw is not recognizable as Coleridge's dream-induced "pleasure-dome" - really, it was a spacious city of yurts - but what would you expect of a man who conquered the continent on horseback? And these were not your average campground fare. They were basically mini-palaces of felt. Of course, with dozens of wives and concubines housed in their own yurts, "pleasure-dome" might not be such a ridiculous phrase. 

A few pictures from my trip, for comparison. 

The gate to the palace grounds

It's no Xi'an, but all these soldier statues look paralyzed in action.

A yurt big enough to house a throne room and audience chamber

So much space!

I realize Coleridge claimed to have dreamed the poem after taking laudanum... so maybe Xanadu has nothing to do with the Khans after all? 

 

Monday Coffee Klatch - Back Alley Beaches

Welcome back to the corner of Book Street and Beverage Boulevard. Today I'm introducing you to my second most common coffee hangout.

Last week I compared the rock garden café with the rice paddy overlook I used to frequent in Hoi An. Today we've downgraded from "rock garden" to "slightly green-ified alley."

This cafe actually caters to tourists with a lovely air-conditioned interior, but because it's right on the main drag, there's no room for tables out front. Instead, they've created little ledge gardens and tucked a few tables into the adjacent alley. Today I ordered a salted coffee and a strawberry-and-cream croissant to enjoy in the meager shade while looking out at the ocean. See it?

My view from the alley.

Just a little peek.

There, up and to the right of the trash can.

Notice I didn't say beach. Along this stretch of Vietnam's coast, there isn't much of one - it's mostly embankment. But when the tide cooperates, I can still wriggle my toes in the sand.

Not much going on here.

But enough about the coffee. On to the books!

Since last week, I finished The Shepherd's Hut. Awesome. Better than I expected, to be honest. Winton isn't an author who spells everything out for the reader, and I really respect that.

After finishing that one I started Revival by Stephen King. There was a preview chapter tucked into the back of another King novel I read months ago, and I immediately added it to my "want to read" list. Now I'm finally in it. I'm no speed-reader, but I'm already nearing the climax. In typical King fashion, the words fly by. It makes him very easy to read.

A lot of people avoid Stephen King because of the "horror" label. For years, I was one of them. But they're not all like that. Even as far into this book as I am, nothing supernatural has actually happened. Nothing more horrific than the very real horrors of life, death, and addiction. There have been subtle hints that something far stranger may be waiting at the end, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

Have you ever read Stephen King? What did you think?

I tried one of his books when I was about 12 or 13 - a big one, possibly a short story collection - and it creeped me out enough that I never finished it. I waited far too long to pick up another.

These days, he's one of my go-tos.

Fiction Friday - Reasonable Precautions

 

People were watching me because I was Betty's sister. 

No one told me to my face, but I kept hearing it in low voices whenever I walked past clutches of people who disagreed with the plan. "Watch Betty's sister." "Of course Betty's in on it." "Her sister might drop a hint." Why did they care? If they weren't part of the plan, they didn't need to know. What would they do, stop us? 

By lunchtime, I knew I was a liability. 

The meeting was on the top floor. Naturally, everyone wanted to eat their lunch up there to see what would happen. The terrace there had a big picnic table and a bunch of little round tables where people broke into groups and talked in low voices. I didn't trust it. Most of these people should be downstairs. 

Olivia sat at the picnic table, leaning into an intense conversation with Betty, but people drifted over every few minutes to ask a question, sort out a detail of the plan, or bring fresh coffee. She was always polite, but it wasn't hard to see she and Betty had things to discuss. They alternated who rocked the baby-carrier on the table as they talked.

Tension was high as the scheduled meeting time passed. Finally a man in a dark suit and aviators burst through the stairwell door, scanned the area, and pressed the button to call the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, it was a security team. More dark suits. Earpieces. Calm expressions. The sort of people who notice everything without appearing to look anywhere. They fanned out and stationed themselves around the perimeter. 

Now, not only was I watched by scoffers on our side, but trained guards?

I was supposed to carry the diaper bag in the exchange but I passed it to Caden. "You'll have to do it." 

He frowned. "Why?" 

I angled my head behind me towards the tables on the terrace. "They're watching me." He didn't ask who. He simply took the bag. 

Just then, someone arrived carrying several cases of Girl Scout Cookies and set them on the floor beside a dumbfounded Olivia. I'd forgotten to order any this year, so I wandered over to ask whether there were extras. Halfway through asking for a box of Tagalongs, it hit me. "They'll expect us to cheat," came out of my mouth before I could think. 

Olivia looked up. "That's the whole point." 

"No." I busied myself opening the cartons of cookies, looking helpful while talking quietly. "They'll expect us to think they're not expecting it." She stared at me. I left her there and caught Caden before he disappeared around a pillar. "Ask to check the baby's health, offer them the same chance with ours." 

"Our baby?" 

"Yeah, the baby Betty and Olivia are rocking. For privacy, recommend the classroom just off the terrace." 

"If we're both checking babies in the same room, they'll be watching our every move." 

"If we invite them first, they'll relax. Besides, we're not doing anything yet." 

Caden raised an eyebrow. "We're not?" 

"You'll be checking to be sure the baby is healthy before letting Olivia spend some time with her, right? Say it's for liability. No cuts or bruises they can blame on us later. But here's the thing: If they're smart, they've marked that baby somehow. Find the marking, but don't be obvious. Just remember where it is and what it looks like. Then, while Olivia has their baby, maybe you conveniently notice that our baby needs a diaper change?"

"Nah, I'll get Betty to notice it - that's more believable." 

"Whatever. But you need to do the diaper change, so you can mark our baby in exactly the same place. Take the baby into that same classroom. I have permanent markers tucked under a book on that old half-broken cabinet that you can use. Got it?"

He looked at me in a stunned silence. "You're certain about this?" 

"No," I admitted. "I'm terrified." 

The elevator chimed. The other delegation had arrived. My lunch-eating colleagues watched as Olivia shook hands with a well-dressed, white-haired man who oozed "lawyer" from every pore. Nobody mentioned the babies.

Caden stepped up before any babies changed hands and did exactly as I suggested. 

A moment after the "inspection" parties returned to the terrace, Olivia was cooing at the baby that had been taken from her in the hospital while a stern looking guard watched the carrier of the baby she had been raising for the last year. Soon enough, Betty walked past the guard, taking her empty coffee cup to the coffee service. She sniffed, leaned down to the carrier, sniffed again and said something to the guard, who looked horrified. 

A snap of her fingers and Caden came over. He took the baby carrier into the classroom, accompanied by the guard. If anyone could do this, it was Caden.  

No one was watching when they emerged, except me. I couldn't make out whether our plan had worked. 

The meeting dissolved with surprising speed. Olivia held the baby a little tighter than before as she watched the others leave. I followed the security team across to the elevator. Just before the doors opened, one of the guards stopped. He tapped the shoulder of the man holding the baby carrier. From behind, I couldn't see his hands, only movement of his shoulders as he leaned over the baby. But the lawyer, already standing in the elevator, watched with interest. When the guard straightened, he met the lawyer's eyes and gave the slightest nod. 

As the others entered the elevator around him the lawyer looked out the doors. Straight at me. 

He smiled. Not warmly. Not triumphantly. Simply... knowingly. 

The elevator doors slid shut. 

I blew out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Which one of us had been outplayed?

Today's Fiction Friday was inspired by a BIZARRE dream I had that woke me two nights ago. I snuck into the bathroom and spoke it into my phone so I wouldn't forget it when I woke up because WTF? If I wrote stories about all the weird dreams I had, I guess I'd never need to follow reader suggestions. Of course, if you have a story prompt burning in your brain, share it in a comment and I'll give it a whirl!

Wednesday Poetry Corner - Short and Sweet

Tickling the tin roof.
Dusting of drizzle, then done.
Hardly worth haiku.

<haiku written by me on Monday 27.07.2026, Mui Ne, Vietnam>

 Later rain came back, 
Forcing my umbrella up,
Heading to pizza. 

See what I mean? That 5-7-5 gets stuck in the brain! 

And that's all I have to say related to poetry today. Do you have a favorite poem? Do you not really think about poetry, or definitely not like it? 

I'm keeping this super-short because I need to spend more time figuring out my commenting issue! It's driving me crazy, but I have an idea. Hopefully I can fix it today. Wish me luck! I'd love to rejoin the conversation.

Monday Coffee Klatch: Gardens and Slang

Welcome to today's Coffee Klatch! ☕

Where are we meeting today?

This is my favorite coffee spot in town. So far.

I've always loved a garden café. My favorite one in Hoi An overlooked rice paddies.

Lush. Green. Complete with a proper lotus pond (not visible here).

Mui Ne tells a different story. It's drier, so "lotus pond" gives way to "rock garden." 

But... a rock garden is still a garden, and beautiful in its own way. The one in the top photo has a magnificent mango tree in the middle. You can't really tell, though; I seem to have missed mango season.

In both pictures, I have a salted coffee on my table. What's your pleasure? Coffee? Tea? Juice? Or, if you're reading this later in the day... Wine? Milo? A sleepy cup of warm milk?

I promised Mondays would be about books and coffee, so let's get to the books.

This week I'm reading The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton, a well-known Australian author. I'm about three-quarters of the way through, and I genuinely have no idea where it's going. If you've read it, please don't spoil the ending! 

The story is a bit dark. Raw. Following a kid who's been through some rough stuff. But the thing that surprised me most wasn't the plot - it was the language. There's so much Aussie slang!

You know those books that seem to have their own dialect? (I'm looking at you, A Clockwork Orange... and you too, Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books!) This is one of those.

I'm lucky enough to have several Australian friends, so I don't get completely lost, but I still find myself looking things up on a regular basis. Thankfully I'm reading it on my Kindle. Some of the more common slang can be explained with a quick underline. The rest? Google and my Aussie pals to the rescue!

For example: 

Flash = good, healthy, or in decent shape. 
Crook = "sick or unwell", or alternatively "angry, cross, or telling someone off"
Bricking it = being extremely scared/terrified

So... what are you reading at the moment? What makes that book unique for you?

Fiction Friday - The Test

The Grand Hall was clinically bare.

When Josie imagined this test, that's how she pictured it: a giant room, a Grand Hall, bare as bones with sterile white walls. Of course her mind's eye included one equally sterile testing cubicle in the middle of the expanse just for her. 

Now that the day had arrived, was she ready?

She thought she was ready. 

After months of extra classes and practice test after practice test? Of course she was ready!

She had to be. She couldn't let the family down.

She had passed every practice test, but some were a close call. Was it enough?

Deep breath. In ... Out.

Her father's voice rang in her ears, "You'll do us proud. I know you." His last words to her that morning. He meant to be encouraging, she thought. Or maybe not. Maybe it was the last ounce of pressure he could apply. Meanwhile, her mom was arranging a bundle of lychee at the ancestral shrine. Hearing her husband's words, she'd looked over with a smile and nod of agreement before bowing her head. They all knew she would make the family proud. But it seemed that Mom wasn't leaving anything to chance.

Her older brother had taken this same test five years ago. Naturally, he passed with flying colors, setting the bar high. He had called last night and told her it was, "a piece of cake! No problem!"

No problem for him! Mr. Perfect. Mr. Got-into-a-good-college-and-moved-on-with-his-life.

Josie shook her head. The yips were setting in fast. She felt the ¥100 note in her pocket and smiled. Grandma had said goodbye to her at the door of their apartment and pressed it into Josie's hand. In their loose farewell embrace, she leaned in and said, "However it goes, stop somewhere for an ice-cream before you come home, Xiao-Xiao," using her private pet name for Josie. 

Josie closed her eyes and moved the bill from her pocket to her bra, where she would feel it during the test, and pushed open the door to a normal-sized classroom with normal-sized desks, crowded with early arrivals.

Everything rode on this. But whatever the outcome, she'd have ice-cream afterwards. 

Friday Fiction Inspiration: I've lived in China and Vietnam for the past 10 years. I teach English to students from East and Southeast Asia. This story was inspired by the notable pressure placed on these kids before major tests. If you have any recommendations or writing prompts for future flash fiction, please note it in a comment below!