Rabbit Rambles

               We received word that House Renaud would arrive the next evening, and a flurry of activity distracted me, somewhat, from Prevot’s words. A tailor and several seamstresses came to take Prevot’s measurements and mine, and provided dresses and suits, already made, of course, to choose from – they would alter them to fit so that we would be presentable for the company. Little could be done about my boots, but the cobbler insisted that he could bring a shine back to them, and had other options in his toolbox. I wore house slippers in the meantime and felt somewhat foolish – I was often barefoot or in sandals on my island, but those days felt far away, and I missed them as often as not. I hoped once the tailor disappeared that Prevot and I would have more time to talk, but Edoardo came to visit with a herd of children in tow, introduced as my nieces and nephews and various other noble children. I could see the strong blood Edoardo had mentioned, but none of them offered more

Everyone say 'thank you, Marie'. Here's some more Venice for you. And thank you, Marie. I was not afforded much time to view my ancestral home – Edoardo called for a servant to prepare our food and then led me to the stables without pause. He selected a horse for me and we prepared them. By the time we were ready, the servant joined us with a basket of food and supplies for the outing. Prevot followed behind, a look of distraction and concern on her features. I didn’t ask after Tiago – I knew it wasn’t the time. But she tucked her head under my chin and I instinctively wrapped my arms around her. Edoardo stepped away to prepare a horse for her and grant us privacy for the intimate moment. I was embarrassed by the display, despite the limited audience and my much freer childhood, but I also felt stronger in that moment. I was a guardian, one who could give comfort. I liked the feeling. Edoardo led the way through his lands and pointed, with rare explanation, at the occas

In Lewisville, there is a place called The Pines Motel. It is on the corner of Interstate 35 and Business 121 and subtle enough that I lived in Lewisville for about four years before I even noticed the place. Merely speculating, I imagine at least one murder has taken place there, and while they have no website to poke around, I did find a delightful tidbit in an online Makerspace: "...  The Pine Motel was initially a really nice motor lodge and had one of the first swimming pools in Denton County. Rumors are that there are some bodies at the bottom of the pool which is now filled in. During the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969, the pines hosted some of the headliner bands, supposedly Janice Joplin, Santana, Grand Funk Railroad filled the motel. By the time I moved to Lewisville in 1974, it was a wreck and a pretty low grade place, not even making 1 star. The City of Lewisville has constantly looked for ways to improve the look of the place. Since they have never remodeled