Sunday Snippet: Parade on Main (an Organic Nature short)

I hope everyone who has a long weekend gets to enjoy the time off. We're continuing to be low-key and not really doing much more than our usual food fest of pizza, burgers, brats, and sides. I've been trying to balance cleaning and sorting with writing and editing work.

Had a really solid week of television viewing. I started out with Peak Practice. I had to skip an episode because it's not available for streaming.

Caught another Master Class lesson about graphic design. This one featured using photography in design. Got a few great ideas to maybe use for covers and marketing material.

Ended up watching a full episode of Blue Heelers and started another. The tension and conflict seems to be amping up and I'm not sure I really like it. It's gone a little into soap territory, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's not what I expected.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina pulled a fast one and made me shift my opinion a little on Zelda. This is a good thing. I really didn't like her at all until she chose Sabrina and Hilda over the high priest. I kind of hope he dies in a fire. I'm also not loving the teacher. Again, it might be residual Doctor Who dislike bleeding over.

Caught an episode of the Ready Room. I like Wil's enthusiasm and he asks some great questions. Looking forward to the recap of episode three.

Watched a couple of Passionflix originals. A holiday Quickie, The Merry Mistake, entertained with a mistaken identity vibe. That finished up the holiday fare from this past year. I also got to watch the premiere of Wicked and thoroughly enjoyed! I'm looking forward to more paranormal romance adaptations.

Got another episode of Chicago Med in. This one ended up being a good viewing with lots going on but fairly equal storylines.

Caught the opener of the third season of No Offence. Man. A gut-wrenching episode. I love, love, love Dinah and Spike's friendship. I have a sneaky suspicion he'll be moving up and forming the third point of the trio now. I'm okay with that.

Finished up the tenth season of Silent Witness and should start series eleven this week. This is an episode I remembered watching but I'd forgotten how it played out. Ended up really loving it.

Started the sixteenth season of Classic Who. New companion, new K-9, new multiple arcs with a single thread. I think I'll like through line with four-part arcs.

Last but not least, I caught another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one had a focus on police files. Pretty interesting.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Parade on Main, an Organic Nature short featuring the Memorial Day holiday. (Weird aside, I didn't plan the feature date to coincide with the holiday, it's a happy coincidence!)

Here's the mini-blurb:

Eppie and Vin help the brother of Vin's best friend find his footing when he arrives in town to be the honored speaker at the Memorial Day parade. Vin recounts his brief stint in the military and Eppie plays matchmaker—something she swore she'd never do.

And a snippety peek…

Vin pulled into the drive after passing Lily in Eppie's SUV. He grinned when Eppie came out with a crate of supplies for another parade entry. She'd turned the Memorial Day holiday into a fun event for Organic Nature.

Cutting the engine, he slid out of the truck and met Eppie on the porch. "Need any help?" He took the box, checked the label, and placed it with the dance troop's order.

Eppie planted a hand on her hip. "You're getting to be a pro at that." She nodded toward the stack of items.

Vin cracked a smile. "You're a good instructor." He turned and drew her close. "I've got the beef franks and buns in the truck. And I stopped to fill the coolers with ice." Dropping a kiss on her lips, he let her go and turned to head back to his truck.

Eppie followed along. "I invited Lily to stick around. She's stopping at her mom's then bringing my car back." She retrieved the bags with the food items.

Vin paused with one of the coolers propped against his hip. "Not sure that's a good idea. Greg's a little off today." He hefted the ice-filled container from the bed of the truck and carried it to the porch.

Eppie cocked her head. "PTSD?" Concern filled her gaze. "Do you think we should cancel tonight and try a different weekend?"

He loved the empathy she had for people.

His hand shot out to grasp hers. "No on cancelling. Hannah wants him to be around friends. He's been withdrawn all day, not engaging with anyone. I think you nailed the reason. The closer we get to the parade, the more he sinks into himself." But the guy still did excellent work.

Eppie squeezed Vin's fingers. "I'll fill Lily in, but I'd like her to be here. She needs something to occupy her time. Jan went on a girls' spa weekend and Lily's still licking her wounds from breaking up with dickhead Rob." She grimaced, sticking her tongue out like she'd eaten something bitter, before she started for the patio area with the fire pit.

Vin headed to grab the other cooler, turning Eppie's words over in his mind. Lily and Greg seemed to be two souls in need of comfort. Maybe they could help each other…

"Hey, Ep." He called to her after picking up the first cooler and dragging both behind him. "Think we should set up Lily and Greg? You know, see if there's any chemistry between the two?" He strategically placed the coolers in the circle of chairs around the fire pit.

Eppie broke open the pack of hot dogs. "Yeah, no. Let's not do that. We'll introduce them and let nature take its course"—she sent him a raised eyebrow look—"if it chooses to do so." She flashed a grin. "Lily specifically said no setups, but who knows, right?"

Vin gave a nod. "Right. No matchmaking." Make the introduction, step back, and let the chips fall.

Good plan.

Eppie will definitely change her tune about matchmaking but she'll be pretty sly about any nudging she does.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin