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 Mark Koopmans.
This weeks prompts are:
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 Mark Koopmans.
This weeks prompts are:
- Ireland
- Treacle
- Palatial
- Harry
- Over-55
- Ballistic
And/or
- Boring
- Lemurs
- Rations
- Trauma
- Scolded
- Financial
Have fun.
My life was a bit boring so I decided to start raising lemurs. Soon I was broke having to live off rations as my financial situation grew bleak. However, the trauma of being scolded by the lemurs themselves finally put me over the edge.
ReplyDeleteHeheheh! :) this was great!
DeleteMason Canyon: Love this. And would like to have some lemurs around too.
Delete"..put me over the edge"!! Great job. So clever.
DeleteI had a friend from Ireland
ReplyDeleteNamed Very Scary Harry
Who lives in space less palatial.
If you're wondering how he got his name
We should put all treacle aside
If you mention he's over 55
He will go ballistic.
Martin Kloess: Poor Scary Harry. I would MUCH rather be over 55 than a teenager again.
DeleteLove very scary Harry!
DeleteOngoing political strife in my country created financial problems and unfortunately I had to start rationing food. The trauma of the situation was multiplied by political activists outcries of food being "wasted" on lemurs, all the while children, adults, and lemurs alike were crying and begging for even a morsel of food or water.
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: I can think of a few people that I would happily deprive to ensure that the lemurs got what they needed. Most politicians for starters.
DeleteGreat editorial!
DeleteWell done, Linda!
DeleteTreacle!! Memories of treacle tart are popping up in my memories. If I can, I will post on my site.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane: I look forward to it.
DeleteBoring
ReplyDeletel
Text between sisters:
Sis 1: Mom call you today?
Sis 2: No. Did you get scolded for taking the pack of hamburger from her freezer?
Sis1: Of course! Bitching about how she buys meat once a month, divvies everything up and rations it so she will have something for every meal . It was a damn 1/2 lb. Borrowed it because ThePig was closed. Tomorrow taking 4 1/2 lb. bags and putting them in her damn freezer. Think that will end the trauma of my theft?
Sis 2: No
Sis 2: Besides she is still pissed off at you about the lemurs incident.
Sis 1:???
Sis 2: Damn auto correct, I meant lemons.
Sis 1: Yeah! I'll never buy for her again.
Sis 2: Me either. Don't want to be responsible for financial demise for getting single lemons instead of bag.
Sis 1: We are so boring
Sis 2: Yeah, and fat. Wonder if that pisses Mom off too?
Anne in the kitchen: Big, big smiles. And the auto-correct line was brilliant.
DeleteThis was great. Auto correct, gotta hate it.
DeleteTerrific!! :)
Delete'Why can't you be more like Harry? He doesn't demand palatial conditions to be happy. We are simply NOT in a financial position to give you what you want. '
ReplyDelete' Boring. Really, really boring. How long before you start telling me (again) about the iron rations you were forced to survive on while your family lived in Ireland. The 'gentry' got white sugar and you only got treacle. Oh the trauma. How did you ever survive?'
'Your smart mouth is going to get you in serious trouble Missy. Instead of going ballistic when you are scolded perhaps you could think about what those who are older and wiser than you are trying to tell you'
'Older? Yes. You make dirt look young. Wiser? I didn't see wisdom on any of your birthday wish lists. Being over 55 means you have lived longer. And in your case, lived is an exaggeration. You don't live. I don't think you ever have. You exist. Just. I would sooner listen to the wisdom of the lemurs in the zoo than you going on like a cracked record. The lemurs are easier to look at as well.'
Excellent. Nothing is wrong with treacle, though.
DeleteWell done! :)
DeleteSo you are a playwrite:-) Love it.
DeleteI decided to post here:
ReplyDeleteHarry fulfilled a life long dream when he moved to Ireland. It was easy for him to leave their over-55 community, and to sell their palatial house.
That was when Ethel went ballistic. "Ireland? It is either me and/or Ireland!"
As Harry downed a pint of stout and savored a warm treacle tart, he smiled. "Ethel would hate this."
Susan Kane: Nice twist. Bad luck Ethel.
DeleteGood one! :)
DeleteHa, ha, ha... love it.
DeleteFun prompts.
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: Mark has done us proud.
DeleteAnd here is my attempt for this week.... :)
ReplyDelete"The years had flown by as smooth as TREACLE, with barely a BORING moment; and before I knew it I found myself in the “OVER-55” category.
I dedicated some thoughts to how I could hold back the years; to find some way I could control them as if I was handing out RATIONS, slowly. To my surprise, I’ve discovered I’m already well past the above category these days, and I’ve still no answer. I’m not defeated, however. I’ll keep trying.
LEMURS are slow-moving, nocturnal animals. Instead of the trip to IRELAND as planned, I think I might alter my agenda and go to Madagascar instead so I can study the habits of LEMURS. Through them I might find the answer to slowing the passage of time...just a thought....
HARRY S. Truman once said – “Actions are the seeds of fate; deeds grow into destiny.”
When I was younger than I am nowadays I was active, particularly on the work front. However, I obviously planted a lot of seeds that were duds; seeds that have remained dormant because I don’t live in a PALATIAL home and my FINANCIAL situation is dormant like those damn seeds.
I could go BALLISTIC about my failures, but I’ve SCOLDED myself enough over my own short-sightedness. I’m now past the stage of stressing over things that cannot be changed. I’m not fond of TRAUMA, particularly if I’m the one being affected by it!"
Lee: I would love to see lemurs in the natural habitat. I have no wish to turn back the clock though. Or not much.
DeleteNice use of all the prompts.
I was referring more to slowing the years down than turning back, EC...but, if I had the power, there are some spots I'd like to turn the years back to...to revisit some of the fun, memorable, good moments. That old time machine would come in handy sometimes. :)
DeleteGreat story and you are so brave to take on all the words! Your usual good job.
DeleteGreat use of the words in these comments...well done everyone. :)
ReplyDeleteOoh! I see Ireland is one of your prompts! I'll have to join in. How long do we have?
ReplyDeleteMolly Bon: As long as you like - though a new set of prompts will go up next week.
DeleteEnjoyed reading. Few poems came to mind :)
ReplyDeleteMargaret-whiteangel: I am enjoying reading too. Your poems? Can we see?
DeleteShe’s got to that age now – Over-55 – and only remembers Shakespeare’s Harry – Prince Hal – other memories have faded … she can’t place ideas she hears any more … her mind is treacly … thick gungy syrup – so delightful on Irish scones … those visits to Ireland – oh oh oh … she’s gone ballistic – frustration kicks in making her thrash out – she’s lost the plot and sinks back into the chair her head lolling once again – that spark snuffed out …
ReplyDeleteCheers Hilary
It's awful when the spark is snuffed out. Love it.
DeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: That treacly mind is too familiar. I had always thought of it as 'wading through porridge' but treacle is a MUCH better metaphor.
DeleteI like this selection, my mind is racing!
ReplyDeleteRiver: I am looking forward to seeing where these take you. Lots of fun.
DeleteI like the stories from all those above me here :)
ReplyDeleteRiver: So did I like them. Lots.
DeleteThanks Mark for another great selection of words. I picked group number one for my poem this week.
ReplyDeleteI was once a lass of IRELAND.
Like thick TREACLE in my soul
The memories of my PALATIAL home
Cause returning as my goal.
Just don't make me take HARRY
I am barely OVER 55
And he is almost 100.
It is not likely he'll survive.
If I go without him
He will surely go BALLISTIC.
To find an answer for the dilemma
Guess I must seek out a mystic.
Grannie Annie: Brilliant. I am so impressed at anyone who can write poetry. So very impressed.
DeleteThese are going to be fun to read.
ReplyDeleteSandra Cox: They are. Lots of fun.
DeleteThose are great words. I'm afraid I'm not awake enough, and I don't know the definition of "treacle" but I vote for Granny Annie. She nailed it.
ReplyDeleteHope all is peaceful in your world, EC.
Rawknrobyn: Yes. Mark gave us a wonderful selection (again) and Granny Annie DID nail it. But so did everyone else.
DeleteAll words in one story this week.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, my parents would take me and my sister to Dublin zoo in IRELAND and my favourite animals were the Long-tailed LEMURS. They are only found in the southern part of Madagascar and although I prefer to see animals in the wild, however, if they are in danger of extinction, then a good breeding programme in a zoo for me is acceptable.
Mum would pack a picnic and as a treat would make me TREACLE sandwiches which I only got when eating outdoors as they make such a mess of everything! My sister liked banana ones.
I really loved all the animals, but for me, what made the Lemurs special was HARRY, their keeper. He had looked after them for many years. He was now OVER 55 and through the years had made their home a bigger and better enclosure for them to live in. In fact it was really quite PALATIAL. Harry fed them the best of RATIONS and it looked to me, that they truly loved him.
I never found it BORING going to the Zoo especially when I could hear all the stories of various births of these precious 3 oz. babies and there was always the odd TRAUMA with the animals.
The Lemur society is female dominant and they usually live in groups of 17. Now when squabbles broke out, she SCOLDED them and went BALLISTICS if the offender/s didn't toe the line.
As I got older, Harry explained to me that Ring-tailed Lemurs are considered endangered by the IUCN Red List. The main threat to their population is habitat destruction. Over many years now I have contributed FINANICAL donations to the Lemur Conservation Foundation and in fact have adopted a Lemur at the Zoo called Lawrence. All money donated goes to help establish and manage parks and protected areas in Madagascar and at least I feel I am doing a little bit to help the Lemur survival.
Margaret Adamson: Love it. I have no doubt there is a lot of truth in your story - and agree wholeheartedly. I have always envied John Cleese in having a lemur named after him - and no doubt getting to visit that particular species.
DeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Thank you. Some day we will tempt you to play.
DeleteGrannie Annie and Anne in the kitchen - wow!
ReplyDeleteCool words this week. I am going to mull them over and come back to you if I may. My brain's drained :)
Nilanjana Bose: No rush. You will be welcome whenever you drop in. And yes about the Wow for the stories you selected.
DeleteOk my mind just blowed.
ReplyDeleteLisa
Lisa: Nice to hear that someone else is blown away by the talent. I hope you will join in some week. Some week soon.
DeleteThanks Mark Koopmans.
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: Big, big thanks.
DeleteAfter the terrible financial affair they found themselves in, the lemurs recovered quickly from their trauma only to realise that he rest of the animal worlds scolded them constantly for their short-sightedness. With the passing of time they found this attitude boring and went back to their diet-like food rations.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
A Cuban in London: Poor lemurs. I hope they like their diet rations.
DeleteBatten down your hatches, EC. Keep warm and stay safe down your way. I hope the strong winds don't cause you any grief.
ReplyDeleteLee: We have been lucky. We lost the top five feet of a tree dahlia, but other than that have been fine.
DeleteThis is my friend Sue's story for you all to read.
ReplyDeleteI was phoning about house insurance, the nice young man on the other end of the phone said. "Hello, my name is HARRY, how may help you today"
"I need to arrange for house insurance"
"Hold the line, and I'll just get a new screen up"
30 minutes later and I'm still holding.
I'M STILL WAITING HARRY' I yell down the phone.
I can tell you I went completely BALLISTIC when a voice finally came on the line.
"Let me speak to your supervisor" I said very slowly. "I live in a 2 up, 2 down, mid terrace house. How much? It's hardly PALATIAL, it has an outside loo for heavens sake!
What? How should I know how old it is? It's got to be at least OVER 55 years, possibly even older. Yes, it's in IRELAND, no not on an island, in Ireland"
It was like wading through TREACLE. Now usually I'm a fairly patient type, it is after all the system I tell myself, not the operator, but, FINANCIAL institutions really wind me up. To the call centre staff, who are probably still in nappies I probably sound like a BORING old fart.
But this genius said
"Is it a mediterranean island, do you have LEMURS in your garden, I love lemurs don't you?"
Well by now all vestiges of sanity had flown. I've had obviously had a blow to the head or some other TRAUMA that caused a bleed on my brain. Yep that was definately it.
I took a deep breath and tried again.
I gently SCOLDED the still waxing lyrical Harry.
"I want to insure a 2 up, 2 down, mid terrace house in Ireland" very, very slowly this time."Please give me a quote"
"Oh, and butterflies, I bet you have so any butterflies too"
At this point I gave up completely, yelled an obscenity down the phone and slammed down the receiver.
In the call centre Harry looked into the next cubicle at Geoff and they both fell apart laughing. Harry took his lunch RATIONS for the day out of his drawer, Coke and a sausage sandwich and they disappeared up to the roof.
"That'll teach him to phone just before lunchtime, he won't be doing that again!"
Margaret Adamson and Sue: I do love this. Sue's always rocks stories with a humorous twist. Thank you.
DeleteWell, I missed last week, but I'm here this week, and what a wild adventure his list of words made for my imagination. This was really enjoyable for me, thank you both for this chance to write! Here's my link
ReplyDeletehttp://twincitiesblather.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-trolley-and-harry.html
Karen S.: I loved it. Thank you so much for playing.
DeleteI love all these stories! Amazing! ❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteNicky HW: There are some stunners aren't there? When are you going to join us? Hmmmm?
Delete