Mary Ricksen

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Name: Mary Ricksen
Location: West Palm Beach, FL, United States

I moved to Florida in 1980. I was born in Vt., but it's cold sooo long, I'll settle for scenic North Carolina. I enjoy the change of seasons. Spring, summer, winter, and fall, all have such a unique flavor; here it's just too subtle. I loved to ride horses more than anything. My dog Junior is a character in my first book, and there will be more of my pets in my next book. We moved a lot when I was young, from Canada to New York, and from Texas, to Florida. I met all kinds of people, and I find that the more rural it is, the more friendly people are. I have been married for a long time. So long it's like he's my left hip. But I'll keep him, he can fix anything! I have a beautiful secret garden, with everything from Plumeria, to Penta. There is nothing better than sitting out there with a good book and seeing the palms and ferns wave in the breezes, in winter, the real time to be here in Florida. I have written and published my first book in a series that takes place on Lake Champlain in Vermont. My always home. The only thing like the Green Mountains are the Great Smokey's, and a little town called Bryson City, NC. My next home, hopefully!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Lottery Ticket

I had it in my purse for a week, I'd forgotten it was there. I originally started with a $1.- in change.
I figured what the hey, buy a lottery ticket.
Well amaze me, I won $2.-, yippee. So with my $2.- I Won $5.-, I was on my way to a million!
So excitedly I bought that elusive $5.- ticket.
In the back of my head I was rich. I have a friend who actually won $250,000.- on a $10.- scratch off. And If I won $10.- I would buy a biggie, the $10.- out of my range to waste lottery ticket.

And then I forgot about it. It must be the partzeimers.
I met a friend at the Cracker Barrel for lunch, well breakfast cause we love blueberry pancakes.
As I looked in my purse this morning, there it was, my $5.- ticket. Whoo Hoo! What a thrill.
My friend and I put our whammy's on it. Trying to bring me luck and a miracle. Slowly I used my nickel to erase the numbers, starting at the bottom. On the ticket I had there were fifteen numbers and five winning ones. We looked at all the fifteen numbers pushing the lottery doo doo off the table and gearing ourselves for the moment.

I couldn't look at them until I'd uncovered them all. There I was, hoping, smiling and knowing the end was near.

Not a single number, not one, no new ticket, nothin'. Typical, and on the back it said I have a one in three chance of winning something. Yeah right. One in a million. So I threw away the useless ticket. And as I did so I wished my poor luck into the garbage with it.

So now I have to buy two more tickets to win something. No, that's not right, three, because it has to be the same time for the odds to be effective. Geez I wish I had a chance to ask the two suckers in line who bought the next $5.- ticket if they'd won anything. Or does it work like that.

Hmmm. I think if I'm gonna make a million it won't be on the lottery. Now I wish I had my $1.- back.

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