The lovely Delores at Under the Porch Light
had
been running this meme for a considerable period of time, week
after week. Computer issues led her to bow out for a while and I took
over. When Delores' absence looked like being more permanent I begged
and cajoled for other volunteers to share providing the prompts, and
Words for
Wednesday became a movable feast. Sadly Delores has (temporarily I
hope) discontinued her blog, though we have been told that she will be
back in the fullness of time.
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
This month the prompts will be published here - but are provided by Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton.
This weeks prompts are:
Next month, the prompts will be provided by Riot Kitty at her blog. I hope to see you there
I will get my act together and produce a post which gives details of where Words for Wednesday will appear for the next few months shortly. Thank you so much to everyone who offered to provide the prompts. More volunteers are always welcome.
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
This month the prompts will be published here - but are provided by Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton.
This weeks prompts are:
Insidious
Pluck
Forbidden
Smug
Feast
Weed
And/Or
Off-limits
Gullible
Lawsuit
Bread
Money
Tug
Next month, the prompts will be provided by Riot Kitty at her blog. I hope to see you there
I will get my act together and produce a post which gives details of where Words for Wednesday will appear for the next few months shortly. Thank you so much to everyone who offered to provide the prompts. More volunteers are always welcome.
The insidious rain continues. The gray dreary dripping has gone on for months, plucking the bravado from the brave, the optimistic, the denial specialists and even from the ranks of the steadfast happily depressed, a group hard to affect, as they have chosen depression as an art form, an accepted way to be and rain generally adds to the artful misery.
ReplyDeleteThe smug rain jokes that come with a defiant smile at the end, now prompt a quivering of those lips as they upturn ever so slightly. In some, the quivering is so pronounced, one must turn away.
And so, to survive this deluge of constant drear, that has by now allowed fungi and mold of all species to eat into and feast upon my brain and probably elsewhere, I turned to drugs.
Why not? The town is sodden, soggy and 3/4 of the residents have turned to secondary affliction to ease rain pain. You don't notice the agony of your twisted broken ankle so much when your elbow is dislocated, is the reasoning.
Drugs are not exactly forbidden here. More like overlooked. Secretly pushed in all segments of society. Doctors have their favorites and push them on their patients. Sports folks have their favs too. And the church folk, oh my, are they ever experts on chemical remedies.
This rainy state made Weed legal, for gosh sakes. And it was my first internal vacation, smoking the mary jane, sitting cross legged on the floor, staring at this interesting spot on the wall, that I got the revelation, THE ANSWER, from the almighty me of all places. Why hadn't I seen it before?
JUST MOVE. The almighty answer. Move out of state. Move somewhere warm. Pack the bags, grab the cats and go. Get out of the damn rain forever.
I sat and contemplated THE ANSWER for hours, maybe days. The rain came down. It did not stop. For two, then three years, I contemplated THE ANSWER. Until one day, I tripped, on the slick wet street, and hit my head on the pavement. Unfortunately the pavement was full of deep potholes full of rain water, of course, and I landed face first and drowned.
Strayer: Oh dear. It sounds as if in some ways drowning would be a relief. A dry relief. I hope your rain stops. Soon.
DeleteI think a natural pain-killer is far better than one filled with chemicals and whatever other artificial poisons; and so with the drug corporations and the medical world when they can work out how to make money from it!
DeleteI wish it was raining here today...I feel like having a rainy day...maybe two or three.
I enjoyed your tale, Strayer. :)
I agree with Lee, Natural painkillars are better than chemicals in your body. I take it you are haivng a lot of rain in your part of the world presentlY?
DeleteYes rainiest winter we've had in ages here. Story was tongue in cheek I'm sure you could tell.
DeleteIntriguing. We had so much flooding this past year I can relate. Too bad you had to drown:-)
DeleteInsidious weed
ReplyDeleteSmug forbidden feast of doom
Pluck it for sunshine
How'd I do Haiku
If there were a like button, I'd "like"!
DeleteMartin Kloess: You done good. Haiku are beyond me, and I so admire those who can create them.
DeleteShort but sweet.
DeleteOh dear, my brain is fogged, but love the idea!
ReplyDeleteYolanda Renee: If I heard correctly and as well as your recent book publication you have TWO A-Z challenges in the offing I am not surprised your brain is fogged.
DeleteTo early, not had coffee yet, will come back if I get a idea.
ReplyDeleteMerle................
Merlesworld: I do hope you can. I don't do anything before my first cup of tea.
DeleteHad the coffee now? Any ideas coming. Would love to hear them.
DeleteOh dear, those words are a bit of dramatics. Maybe it is me!
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: They do seem that way, but I am sure that some people will find a gentle use for them.
DeleteSadly this is all too true.
ReplyDeleteThe garden is one of my passions. Sadly it is off-limits for me now. Forbidden.
Insidious dreams of spring perfection have crept into my gullible (stupid?) brain. I had thought that with a few weeks solid work I would be able to feast my eyes on orderly beds, smug in the certainty that the work was done and that Spring would be spectacular.
The Spring Bulbs are shooting. So are the weeds. So I have been working. Hard. And have had six cubic metres of mulch delivered. Money well spent I thought. The plan was that I would weed a little, mulch the area and move on. Weed, mulch, move, weed, mulch, move...
Then I would be able to simply pluck the very occasional errant plant out, rather than have to tug them from the sun-baked soil.
Cue hysterical laughter. I have damaged a hip. Sitting is painful. Lying is painful. Standing up is worse. Walking? A challenge. Getting dressed this morning occupied more than twenty pain-filled, expletive laden minutes. I swivelled to get the bread out of the bread box - and painful tears pricked at my eyes. If it was remotely possible I would sue. Myself. A lawsuit against over ambitious stupidity...
That sounds like my hip!!!! Sadly, it's true for me, too. It's as if you've told my story, EC. :)
DeleteNo gardening for me these days.
Good story...sorry about the pain you're going through, though...I empathise.
Lee: I am hoping this is temporary. Apart from anything else, I still have a pile of mulch in the driveway.
DeleteThat was my hip last week, this week my shoulders are in trouble. I will never, ever, move that couch again.
DeleteOh dear.I am sorry you are in so much pain however these words fitted into your real life drama. Take it easy although I suppose you have no alternative at present.
DeleteWhat about goats, do you have goats for hire down there? We do here. they love weeds and you can just kick back and watch. Nice story EC but so sorry about your hip. Hope you heal quickly, or maybe heal when the winter rains start in there, so weeding is out of the question.
DeleteAnd with my bad hip and lack of gardening I can relate. Good Job!
DeleteOh goodness, I like this list and feel something incredible within these words! I wrote them down and will be back!
ReplyDeleteKaren S.: Oh good.
DeleteLooking forward to reading your take on the words
DeleteHere's my bit of fun for this week's fun words...
ReplyDelete"Music played in the background. With a SMUG look on his handsome face, mischief danced gaily in his brown eyes. He was an INSIDIOUS pleasure she tried to convince herself was OFF-LIMITS.
His derring-do attitude towards life drew her to him. His worldly charm was mesmerizing; and he knew it. A LAWSUIT claiming he forced her to be GULLIBLE and helpless when in his presence should be brought against him she told herself.
However, she knew it wasn’t all his fault; and she knew she wasn’t easily duped. The electricity between them couldn’t be denied!
The TUG in her heart, within her whole being, was too strong every time they were together. Her heart, in conflict with her sensibilities, kept saying “Surrender!”
She sat for ages trying to PLUCK up the courage to try the FORBIDDEN WEED. He’d spent no MONEY purchasing the bag of dried leaves. He had a small patch of the illegal plants growing in his back garden, just for his own pleasure; and hers, if she decided to try a toke with him. He wouldn’t force her to do so if she decided against doing so.
Reaching out she took the hand-rolled joint from him. Following his instructions she took a couple of puffs, inhaling slowly and deeply after each drag.
Giggling helplessly, at what she knew not, she headed towards the kitchen looking for something to FEAST upon.
“So this is what the munchies are? I've always wondered what people were talking about! Now I know! ”
Still giggling and singing along to the music, she grabbed the loaf of BREAD, the butter and a block of cheese.
“I’m starving!” She called out to him."
Lee: Big smiles. They may have to get another loaf of bread. And some chocolate. And some nuts...
DeleteThere's a lot of 'weed' talk in the comments today. Something I know nothing about.
DeleteThe dreaded weed. Unfortunaley have destroyed lives alhtough I wrote about is also without even having tried it.
DeleteNow I am hungry! Love it.
DeleteHmm. I might have to come back to this if I run out of go juice on the bit I'm working on.
ReplyDeleteRobert Bennett: You would be MORE than welcome (and I hope you don't get stuck on your current piece).
DeleteGood luck to you clever people!
ReplyDeleteCloudia: No cleverer than you...
DeleteLike I said last week, you have as such imagination as the rest of us and probably more but you just have to write it down and share it with us.
Deletequite a mixed bag this week, I like the sound of insidious, it hisses.
ReplyDeleteRiver: It does. Definitely an onomatopoeic word.
DeleteLooking forward to your take on these words
DeleteThis week I have written all the word prompts into one story. here goes.
ReplyDeleteLawrence and Scott had been best buddies since they met at Grammar School. They shared everything except the dreaded WEED.
Taking any form of drugs was FORBIDDEN by the school and Lawrence was very concerned for his friend as there had been an INSIDEOUS decline in Scott’s health. He also wondered where he was getting the MONEY to feed his habit. Scott was very SMUG about his drug taking and said that Lawrence was very GUILLIBLE not to see that he had it all under control and he was not to be concerned. He could handle it.
Scott was invited to an 18th birthday party at a very posh home and asked Lawrence to come along. It wasn’t long before Scott disappeared upstairs, telling his friend that this was OFF LIMITS for him. Now Lawrence was really worried.
When Scott entered the room upstairs he was nearly overcome with a FEAST of Marijuana, Heroin and Cocaine permeating the atmosphere. A drug pusher stepped forward immediately, one you would not want to mess with and said. ‘Where the BREAD mate?’ Scott handed over the money and was given a fix.
Lawrence could only wait until Scott appeared from the room and when he did, he certainly was on a high so much so that when he tried to walk downstairs he had to TUG on Lawrence’s back belt of his trousers to steady himself.
Mentally Lawrence made a note that this drug taking was killing his friend and tomorrow he was going to PLUCK up the courage to go to the head master and ask for help that Scott desperately needed.
This he did and Lawrence was sent to a detox clinic. It wasn’t long before the police tracked down the drug dealers and filed a LAWSUIT against them.
Margaret Adamson: I hope that Scott (not Lawrence) could stay on the straight and narrow. And that he realised what a good friend he had in Lawrence.
DeleteOh Dear Of course I meant Scott in the last sentencce! Silly me. Yes I was goin to go a litle further with the story bit decided enough was enough!
DeleteWell, hope it all works out for the poor drug addicted kid. Nice story Margaret.
DeleteThat is the way it should unfold! Great.
DeleteWhen I saw the word 'pluck' immediately came to mind, 'pluck a duck'. Oh dear!
ReplyDeleteMargaret-whiteangel: Of course. A phrase we have all heard.
DeleteMargaret now you writting pluck a duck has conjured up another story from my childhood!
DeleteMine too; every year before Christmas, my mum's poultry was killed, plucked and gutted, ready for the filling of the orders that came in around June each year. Turkeys, ducks, geese and chooks. Mostly chooks.
DeleteNow those are some interesting words with some intriguing results.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: Aren't they?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRabbits
ReplyDeletegathered for the garden feast
Before it could turn to weed
Yet not enough for everyone
Due to the insidious greed
Of Peter,
Pale and smug,
Who, when cautioned
Could only shrug
Warned he was forbidden
Peter continued to pluck
All the best that remained
Winning by guile more than luck.
Grannie Annie: Love it. And I can just see Peter scoffing the last of the carrots...
DeleteI love this take on some of the words Annie
DeleteThose are some good words. Insidious!!!! I may have to keep that one for myself. That would be smug of me though. I'm fine with it.
ReplyDeleteSonya Ann: Big smiles. You have dipped your toes in the water. Some week soon you will dive all the way in.
DeleteGlad you liked the words and thank for leaving your take.
DeleteWOW.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't inspired at all and wasn't going to write this week but INSIDIOUS lived up to it's meaning. I got to work through some old scars and a bad relationship over on my blog: http://hannahbananaface.blogspot.com/ if anyone wants to read.
I managed to get all the words in there (my usual MO, kinda obsessive that way) and am glad once again to have "Words for Wednesday" provided.
Thanks! And way to go everybody!
HBF: I have read and loved your use of the words.
DeleteHi EC and Margaret ... I used the first set of words ...
ReplyDeleteThose insidious weeds plucked away from forbidden sites … taking insects’ feasts away from those in need … a person is smug after leaving the land barren … I wonder who will win … the insects and weeds I suspect …
Cheers Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: I hope the insects and the weeds do win. They are better at sharing (mostly) than we are.
DeleteI do hope the insects and weeds
DeleteWritten with no prior thought and hope it passes muster, my story will be published at my site tomorrow, Friday April 1st.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I will be there.
DeleteLoved seeing what people came up with for the word selections. So much fun! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
DMS ~ Jess: There were some stunners this week weren't there?
DeleteHello and Happy April. I promised to put all these words together this week too, and here is my link for them.
ReplyDeletehttp://twincitiesblather.blogspot.com/2016/04/sparky-saturday-critters.html
Karen S.: I have been, I have read, I have applauded.
DeleteMy creative juices have not been flowing the past month or so - but I applaud everyone who has used the words so well here. These words are always so much fun!
ReplyDeleteSusan F.: I do hope your creative juices start to flow again. I really want to know what happens to Mindy.
Delete