March 2026 Slice of Life, No. 30
Leigh Anne Eck is hosting her yearly Slice of Life party.
Invitation
When: March 2026
Where: Leigh Anne Eck’s blog
Who: All slicers are invited
Special instructions: NO devices allowed; bring an analog bag
Now, pack your bag and join the party. Write a slice about what you are bringing and post the link on Leigh Anne Eck’s site and on TWT. Hurry. The party ends tomorrow. (I can’t believe I waited so long to go.)
I’m packing my bag!
I’m using my Texas flag tote. No, I do not live in Texas. I did many years ago. Why this tote? It was given to me by a group of elementary teachers after a December workshop in El Paso. I like to remember them.
A Gift from Elementary Teachers
READING.
Dark Emperor by Joyce Sidman. I am using sentences from her prose in our Sentence Workshop. So I want to read her prose again with the eye of a writer-teacher.
The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers. It is an historical romance novel set in the 1875 California mining town of Calvada, featuring a strong-willed suffragette, Kathryn Walsh (according to AI overview). I rarely read fiction. But I do enjoy Francine Rivers, an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. I’ve had this novel, a gift from my daughter, on my TBR list for a number of months. Maybe I’ll have time at the party to begin it. If I don’t, I will definitely read it during my upcoming week at the coast. What more can you ask for — relaxing days beside the sea with a good novel.
My Bible. I’ll take my pocket-sized one because it packs best with its flip and snap cover.
WRITING.
It’s a given there will be writing tools in my bag. I’ll pack my new journal. I’ll take writing tools — colored pencils and pens (I just bought a new set of colored pens), and a hand-held pencil sharpener. My pencil bag is a vintage American Airline amenity bag, the kind you get in business/first class on international flights. It’s the perfect length for brand new pencils. I think I’ll put in some mini binder clips and a pair of scissors. I don’t know why, but just in case.
SNACKS.
I love dark chocolate. Especially chocolate bars with 70% or more organic cocoa. I recently learned chocolate is one of seven high inflammatory fighting foods, but it must be 70% or more cocoa. I like Picardo; my son brings me from his home in Ecuador. If it is “raw,” it has even more nutrients and is usually called cacao. I’ve learned that “raw” cacao is made from unroasted, minimally processed cacao beans. The process preserves natural enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients. It has a bitterness, so I’ll take some dried dates to pair it. I’ll also throw in some protein bars to share — chocolate and peanut butter with 20 grams of protein (whey and casein).
COFFEE.
I’ll take a bag of Panama’s Geisha coffee. There’s a story behind the coffee. Maybe if others bring their favorite coffee, we can have a cupping. Read more here. Of course, always water.
in the world
NATURE WATCHING.
If the weather permits, I may take a nature walk. So I’ll pack my binoculars. This is the pair I bought for watching the coast guard helicopters practice rescue drills over the ocean. For watching fishing boats go to sea and return. For watching eagles scavenging along the surf or in the mountain stream that dumps into the ocean on our beach. For watching for whale blows. Did you know that a whale does not spout water, but rather blows its breath? The plume you see is a forceful exhale of warm, pressurized lung air that creates a mist as it hits the cooler atmosphere. This forms a plume that can be 30 feet high and seen for miles.
A GAME.
I’ll pack my Bananagrams. Word games can be great fun. I wonder if anyone else at the party likes Bananagrams. Oh, since we are not allowed to bring a device, I need to pack a dictionary. Oh no, they are so heavy.
My analog bag is packed.
See you at the party!
Thank you Leigh Anne for hosting.
Thank you Two Writing Teachers
for hosting Slice of Life Tuesday Challenge
where Alice Nine teaches language lessons that
Empower Students to Read and Write
LIke/Follow Alice Nine Academy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alice.nine.academy
I’m so glad you visited today,
and I do enjoy hearing from you!
Please share below.
Your comment will appear as soon as Alice Nine reads it.
Good books and a beautiful journal – plus snacks, a game & a good excuse to get outside? I’ll come hang out with you at this party for sure!
Thank you. I’d be honored to have you hang out with me.
More and more fun for the Slicer Party!
I enjoy seeing what people bring in their analog bag and what they share about it.
Books, writing, and snacks seem to be staples in many of the bags people are bringing to the party, myself included. I like the game. It is a chance to relax with others. I usually drink Gevalia, and though I didn’t include it , I might still throw it in.
Gevalia would be a great addition to a cupping at the party,
Alice, thank you for reminding me about Leigh Anne’s party. I look forward to it every year. You are all set to join in the fun. I hope to see you there.
Glad you are coming!
What fun! Yes, I love Bananagrams! We played with the kids when they were younger, and now we keep the bag in the camper for times when it’s rainy or too hot or cold outside. I haven’t packed a bag, but with all these awesome bags having been packed, I think I can stow away and beg for snacks and games like a freeloading uncle I once knew.
Yes, there will be plenty for you to freeload. You should write a post about freeloading. Go to Leigh Anne’s blog invitation to see who is there and what they brought. We take two games when my daughter’s family (teenagers) and my husband and I go for a week in the spring and in the fall to the coast. We run two games simultaneously at both ends of the table. We start at the same time and the first one in either group calls “Bananas”
So much fun to get these peeks into other people’s party bags- see you there!
Yes, it is. It tells us something about each other.
I love reading your list of things inside your bag. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for stopping by to take a peek into my party bag.