Novelista

I may have mentioned it once or twice that fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the colors, the cooler temperatures, and the food. Pumpkin waffles are a great variation of all things pumpkin this time of year.  They are easy to make.  Yummy for any meal of the day.  I eat mine dipped in local Pennsylvania maple syrup. Pumpkin Waffles Makes: 4.5 batches in a 4 waffle section waffle machine 1 ¼ cups flour 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ginger ½ tsp nutmeg pinch cloves pinch allspice ½ tsp salt 1 cup milk 6 tbsp pumpkin puree 2 tbsp oil 2 eggs separated smidge vanilla     1.  Sift dry ingredients and sugar into a large bowl. 2.  Whisk milk, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. 3.  Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. 4.  Prepare waffle iron per manufacture’s directions. 5.  Mix wet into dry. Fold in whipped egg whites. 6.  Use about ¼ cup of batter per waffle section. Cook for 1.5 min

My writing group meets twice a month at the library and a few times a year for the various holidays, we write flash fiction or poetry.  I had no idea what I was going to write about for Halloween.  A fellow author at the group mentioned in passing something about driving down the road with thumping coming from the car's trunk.  I scribbled down a premise and used some imagery from this year's road trip to the desert SW.  Pictured above is north eastern AZ. For your reading pleasure: Thump by: IE Castellano Thump . Thump . “No. No. No!” She slammed her hand against the steering wheel. “We are not going back.” The old car’s headlights revealed the outlines of cacti and sage brush standing just beyond the dirt road. Thump . Thump . “Don’t argue with me. You can’t change my mind,” she said. She wiped her palm on her pants. Thump . Thump . Thump . Thump . “Fine. I’ll tell you. If it’ll shut you up.” She glanced in the