This meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Words for Wednesday is now provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast.
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, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
The prompts will be here this month but are provided by Mark Koopmans.
This week's prompts are:
- Annihilate
- Zinfandel
- Lozenge
- Pacemaker
- Spokes
- Invoice
And/or
- Business
- Panniers
- Wooden
- Thunderstruck
- Podcast
- Zesty
Her podcast business needed a zesty reinvigoration … she wanted to get her subscribers thunderstruck with her new ideas …
ReplyDelete… and was thinking about a few prizes of wooden panniers, made from willow, containing three bottles of piquant Chardonnay. What do you think …?
I gather the fire haze is awful for you ... so often think about you all - take care - Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: I love your take on the prompts though Mark will be disappointed that you have rejected his zinfandel in favour of chardonnay.
DeleteThe air is still vile, and we are still lucky that so far the fires haven't reached us. They are close but not threatening at the moment.
Very well done!
DeleteAha! Now I don't have to look up Zinfandel.
DeleteThis is great, Hil.
DeleteFriends, Romans and writers...Zinfandel is so underappreciated, but as always, I'm super appreciative of how this weeks's prompts are shaping up.
DeleteI must also say that since I sent these words over to you, EC, I've never looked back at any of the lists (not even with the Porche :)
So, when I reread this week's list, I was like... where did I get these wicked words from?
(It all became clear after the 3rd glass of Zinfandel :)
I will have to think about these words. Thinking about and praying for you.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane: I hope you come back with your thoughts. And thank you.
DeleteOf course one of Mark's words would be a wine!
ReplyDeleteAlex. J. Cavanaugh: He was very restrained though - no mention of magnums or barrels.
DeleteSome things one must clearly keep to oneself... Hic.
DeleteA pacemaker? Alison sneered. She set her own pace and she wasn't about to let any metal contraption take over.
ReplyDeleteSipping on her second glass of zesty and delicious Zinfandel she thought about what the young smart alec at the hospital had to say.
'No Alison there is no lozenge you can put under your tongue to stop the palpitations. Don't give me that wooden expression. I don't know (or care) which podcast you heard it on or how reputable the spokesman sounded, it doesn't exist. The pacemaker we talked about at your last appointment is really your only viable option.'
He had gone on to tell her that installing it was a simple business and that she would be in hospital for less than twenty four hours.
She laughed thinking of his thunderstruck expression when she told him that she was on to him, and that his plan to annihilate her bank balance wouldn't fly. 'I would need your damn artificial contraption to start my heart again when I saw the invoice wouldn't I?' she had said as she stormed out . 'You will get no panniers packed with hard-earned cash from me'.
She poured herself another glass. Her life, on her terms.
Part of me wants to say, "good for her", and part of me knows that sometimes such surgery is essential or life will be short. Somehow i have the feeling she'd rather it be short than mechanized.
DeleteYou are so talented with your words EC! Well done!
DeleteHer life, on her terms, may be cut short sooner than she'd like.
DeleteRiver: I am pretty certain she knows that,and has made her choice.
DeleteI love it! This is excellent, EC!
DeleteI was wondering where to donate and saw on Andrew's blog, you'd donated to WIRE so did the same.
Hugs
Sandra Cox: Thank you so much. So very much.
DeleteNo....
DeleteMy words... on *your* terms:)
[Grandiosely bows from the hips... then grabs the back of a chair and takes a gentle few minutes to once again stand upright.]
Good use of these challenging prompt. I like that lady ... a lot.
DeleteI like her spirit! But her terms are a bit hard on her loved ones.
DeleteI'm so impressed by your ability to work in all those seemingly-unrelated words. Well done! :-)
DeleteDiane Henders: Thank you. Some days I am impressed too.
DeleteExcellent take EC ... wonderfully creative ... loved it!
ReplyDeletePraying.
ReplyDeleteR's Rue: Thank you.
DeleteWonderful tale. I love the differences in how each person "sees" the words play out.
DeleteMe too!
DeleteGood afternoon! Thanks for this thought provoking list of words that already have my mind going in several directions! Great list.
ReplyDelete21 Wits: I hope you will share the directions Mark's words take you. Please pretty please.
DeleteAn excellent list, my story will be here.
ReplyDeleteHoping for rain and relief for all.
messymimi: I look forward to reading your story. You always positive take on the prompts is a delight.
DeleteMy friend, you are in my prayers everyday!! Everyone in your country is in my prayers! Much Love!!! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMagic Love Crow: Many thanks dear friend. Buckets of love to you too.
DeleteGreat lust ofv ores. Enjoyed reading how you used them.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Aguirre: Thank you. Some day I hope you will join us.
DeleteLaurie: Thank you. Almost all of Australia is longing for rain.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe stupid loose cords on the panniers were always getting stuck in the bicycle spokes so he made sure to tie them to the bike frame. "What a great way to earn a few extra bucks" he thought, and wondered if sarcastic thoughts are actually sarcasm or just an egotistical aggrandizement of his cleverness. Possibly the latter he thought, and worried that instead of quick witted he might just be a wooden headed dullard who suffered delusions of his own brilliance. "Quit thinking and get on with your business." This food is not going to deliver itself.
He quickly checked the invoice: Zinfandel, 2 waters, 1 chicken piccata, 1 large salad with zesty Italian dressing, 1 spaghetti with marinara, 1 creme brulee, 1 tiramisu, 4 wedding cookies. All accounted for and now he could begin his takeout delivery. He always chose the places closest to the restaurant so he could make quicker trips and could cram more deliveries in each night. More runs meant more tips, which meant more money. which ultimately meant he could quit this second job. He popped a peppermint lozenge in his mouth, a nice smile and fresh breath never hurt. Then he put his ear buds in to resume the podcast he had been listening to on the last trip.
Pedaling as fast as he dared while weaving through traffic he made the 8 block ride in record time. He walked into the building on the billing address, thunderstruck when he realized he was going to be lugging all this to apartment 802. Eighth floor of a walk up! Crap, he had to deliver everything piping hot which meant running, not walking the stairs. He hoped he made it. Panting he made it up the stairs but by floor five he wished he had a pacemaker to slow his racing heart. He was very happy to have made this delivery in record time and knew the food would be piping hot. He knocked and waited until the door was answered, smiled his big minty fresh smile and handed the order to the customer. The reward for all his speed ? A "Sorry dude I don't have any cash" and 4 quarters. If looks could kill he would annihilate the s.o.b.
Anne in the kitchen: It is such a shame that looks don't (usually) kill. I hope the s.o.b. in question gets food poisoning - or indigestion at least.
DeleteI think the guy is stoned, has the munchies and is clueless
DeleteAnne in the kitchen: Probably true - and it would explain the lack of cash too.
DeleteGhastly job and I bet it happens more often than not. 8 floors is a long way ...
DeleteAnne...
DeleteAll I can say is, "Boom!" in an awe-struck voice as I watch you drop the typewriter on the stage and walk away.
That was brilliant and cheers very much for participating:)
Mark
DeleteYour prompts were challenging and this little assembly of words wound up being an entirely different direction from what I thought it would be. I love when the words "tell" me what they want me to say.
It's a hard job delivering food. Great take on the prompt.!
DeleteNothing like a zesty invoice to start the day.
ReplyDeletePowdered Toast Man: Nah, I prefer my invoices to be dull. And insignificant. Zesty invoices implies a LOT of money to me.
DeleteI'm late to the party, but I'll have all day tomorrow to work on these words. At least I now know that zinfandel is a wine.
ReplyDeleteRiver: It is a wine, but it sounds to me like a cheese. Probably a rich and smelly cheese to be served at posh places with left overs needing to be hermetically sealed. I am looking forward (as I do every week) to seeing where the prompts take you.
DeleteTo me - of course - it sounded like the name of an evil wizard. I was disappoined to learn it was a grape used for winemaking. These word did not work for me, I drew a total blank and ended up not useing them at all. Looking forward to your story.
DeleteI'm practicing m "wooden expression." It might come in handy some day.
ReplyDeleteYour stories always produce my "funny, smiley expression." :)
nothoughtsnoprayersnonothing: Thank you. I loved your thunderstuck poem.
DeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteR's Rue: Thank you.
DeleteBuona serata.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: Thank you. And to you.
DeleteBetter late than never as the saying goes...here's my attempt for this week...
ReplyDelete"When I received the invoice for the new spokes and hub for the front wheel of my bicycle my heart pounded so hard I thought that, perhaps, in my sleep a pacemaker had, somehow, been inserted while I’d been in my comatose state!
To help annihilate my monetary woes, I reached for a bottle of the award-winning Woodenhead Zinfandel 2014, the zesty, robust red wine of which I’d bought a case when visiting the Guido Venturi Vineyard, Mendocino County Northern California vineyards during my recent visit.
I tossed aside the lozenge I was about to suck on for my sore throat. The wine would give me far more comfort. A couple of glasses would calm my beating heart more quickly than any damn medicated, sugary tablet.
I was thunderstruck to see how damaged the new panniers I’d purchased to go with my new-beaut new bike were after the unexpected accident.
My plans of cycling around the wine regions producing a weekly podcast focusing the interesting business of wine-making would have to be put on hold for a few days, if not for a couple of weeks.
Oh Lee!! Sorry about the accident, but very happy you were able to share at least the first part of it with us.
DeleteSee you on the trails next week ? :)
Lee: Love it and see that you have worried Mark (a sign of a story well told).
DeleteHahahaha! Me on a bike these days...that certainly would be a sight to see! :)
DeleteFine story. I hope you continue your virtual bike ride ;)
DeleteLove the use of the words here!
DeleteHeh. A fun tale as always, Lee.
DeleteLots of fun here...great tales woven around the words by everyone who've participated. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't write anything with the words, but I wanted to share with you a post by my internet friend Widdershins. It is about the horrible fires decimating Australia now.
ReplyDeletehttps://widdershinsfirst.com/2020/01/07/australia-is-burning/
The painting is heartbreaking.
Olga Godim: The painting and the reality ARE heartbreaking. Thank you so much. It took a little sleuthing to find though. The link is here
DeleteI so loved reading these. I wish I had the stamina to concoct an entry this time. I think of you and your country each day. This is a terrible time for you, and being in California where we also have these kinds of disasters, I empathize so keenly with you all.
ReplyDeletecleemckenzie: Thank you. We have fires each and every year but this year we have moved to a whole new level. Sadly I believe that some of our animal species will not survive and we have lost over a billion in one state alone.
DeleteIt's always fun to see how differently people use the words each week. Everyone is creative!
ReplyDeleteElsie
Elsie Amata: It is a heap of fun each week seeing the very different takes. And you too are creative (albeit busy with a new book out very, very soon).
DeleteYou cracked me up with that last comment on my blog, so here's my reply so you don't have to click back and forth :)
ReplyDelete@EC: Lol!! Don't be pouty :) I've decided that the gentlemanly thing to do is *not* participate in WfW when I'm the one posting.
I don't want to have an advantage over anyone else - even if I can't remember the damn words!!
Mark Koopmans: Your words, your choice - though I will miss your quirky take on your equally quirky words. I think that having forgotten them excuses you from the unfair advantage issue. Slightly less pouty face from me.
DeleteMine has been posted here: thunderstruck
ReplyDeleteCindi Summerlin: I will be over to check it out later.
DeleteJust wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you and the fires. Hope the much needed rain has arrived. This is a fun post and hope to participate in the near future.
ReplyDeleteCrownandcottage: Thank you so much. No rain to speak of, and another worrying weekend ahead. I really look forward to you joining the fun of Words for Wednesday.
DeleteOh my god that ZINFANDEL tasted good! I had a pretty bad cold with a hacking cough and LOZENGES would have probably been more helpful, but really, do you want to feel good or be good? I never did anything right so far, so why start now? The wine was just like the SPOKES on a wheel, they don't do anything by themselves but nothing functions well without them. Yours truly doesn't function well without the comfort of that special antibiotic that comes in a bottle.
ReplyDeleteI remember once, a long time ago, placing a bet on a long shot called PACEMAKER, and it came in at a hundred to one. That called for a case of the good stuff, and it sure wasn't this cheap ZINFANDEL.
I drank till I passed out. It's a miracle I didn't ANNIHILATE myself. They had to send me to the hospital for alcohol poisoning, and then the smarmy experts there recommended therapy. I went for a couple of sessions with some young genius who was barely shaving. He sent me an INVOICE that would have kept me in booze for a month, but I just threw it away. Fat chance they had of collecting and since I had “no fixed address” it was hard to track me down anyway.
It's a bit of a tricky BUSINESS living on the street, working the odd job here and there, panhandling, begging, doing things you wouldn't tell your mom about. I chummed up for a while with a guy who had a WOODEN leg, until one night we both got blind drunk and he hit me with it. I was THUNDERSTRUCK. We had looked out for each other. We both had these big PANNIERS and we used to steal from convenience stores. The stuff dropped so deep in the basket no one could see it. One of us would keep the guy at the counter busy while the other grabbed stuff off the shelves. We always tried to filch stuff that we could sell to buy some liquid ambrosia.
Now the other night, a do-gooder squad came around the streets and told us how valuable we are and how help is available. One especially ZESTY young thing, who obviously had found god, told us that we were loved and she would open the door to god's salvation for us. She had it right there on a PODCAST – a sermon from Franklin Graham or one of those other wack job evangelists (have you noticed they all have southern accents?). Maybe you could take me home I told her and I could live with you and you could really work on my salvation. Nope, that wouldn't work she said, her mom and dad wouldn't approve.
I guess redemption only takes place on the streets. I told her that if she wants to see me again she better bring a bottle of bourbon with her, that's communion wine to me. Her I don't care about. Now Jack Daniels, there's a guy I would like to develop a really intimate acquaintance with and maybe she can help me do it.
David M. Gascoigne: Where to start? I loved this is a great place. Sadly I think redemption often does take place on the streets, if and when the person to be redeemed is ready. I am chuckling at his indignation at being hammered with the wooden leg too. Years back at a motor cycle race we saw a group of young men passing an articial leg (not wooden) around and drinking from it. They were all legless by the end of the day.
DeleteBrilliant, David! I thoroughly enjoyed reading and was right there on the streets with him.
DeleteDouble thumbs up! :)
DeleteWhen the nicotine lozenge had melted, not helping at all, Betty poured a hefty amount of Zinfandel. Nothing could annihilate the day. A pacemaker? HAH. Betty laughed. It felt like spokes were holding her heart together. The invoice for the surgery came today, and Betty poured herself another glass. The next wine would be a strong Cabernet or maybe a Sauvignon Blanc, 13% alcohol. That should be good.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane: I am so very glad the words spoke to you and you returned. Is 13% alcohol strong enough for Betty I wonder...
DeleteGreat post, I follow you on gfc # 378 ,follow back? :))
ReplyDeletehttps://lovefashionyes.blogspot.com/
Love Fashion: Thank you. I will be over to visit you shortly.
DeleteNot had time yet Sue. You read my blog so you know why. I hope to catch up this weekend. There are some fantastic stories here, but I have a beginning in mind, not sure where I will go from that.
ReplyDeleteJo: I am not in the slightest bit surprised you are late to the party given the week you have had.
DeleteFor a number of years we had been drinking Zinfatuation which was a marvelous ZINFANDEL but I was THUNDERSTRUCK when the vineyard stopped making it. I wrote and email but they might have been WOODEN dolls from all the response I got. Made me feel I would like to ANNHILATE them. It surely must be bad for BUSINESS not to reply to customers. I recently decided to buy some Chianti – I do miss the PANNIERS that used to be round the bottles. Did you know those bottles were called Fiascos and in olden days, they were thrown at the actors when the audience figured their entertainment was a fiasco. Anyway, I bought several red wines and was horrified at the total of the INVOICE. Maybe I should quit drinking although after a heart attack, I figure alcohol is better than a PACEMAKER any time. Oh well, bottoms up, cheers, or whatever you like to say when about to imbibe.
ReplyDeleteBasically this is true. I loved Zinfatuation.
Jo: Late you might have been, but I love this take on the prompt. The fiasco name for bottles is new to me - and the explanation maked me smil.
DeleteI like zinfandel but my first wine loves are bubbles or merlot.
Dear Sue, I just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you, as all those dreadful fires are destroying your beautiful country...:(...and am hoping and praying for your safety.
ReplyDeleteIt really is the saddest thing...
Sending you all my love and hugs xxxxxxx
Ygraine: Thank you. It is a disaster of epic proportions with no end in sight.
DeleteWe are safe for the moment but my heart aches for those (whatever their species) who are not.
Hugs. Always.
Un sereno e felice fine settimana a te.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: Thank you - and to you.
DeleteHere is my contribution :)
ReplyDeleteToo many glasses of ZINFANDEL? Something threatened to ANNIHILATE Karr’s head. The pub was spinning like the SPOKES of a bike wheel. He knew he should have been careful, but his cousin Cluny had come in after years, researching material for a new, culinary history PODCAST. How could Karr say no? The doctor had told Karr he would need a PACEMAKER if lifestyle changes weren’t made soon. The same doctor was there too, matching all and sundry glass for glass, and egging everyone on, blast him!
Karr reached into his pocket to feel the small bottle of the LOZENGE shaped pills he carried always. Too many people, too much noise. The thing to do was to slip out and go home now. Let the young people continue till the wee hours, he was no longer the same party animal of twenty years ago. He would ring and ask for the INVOICE to be sent to his office, he knew the owners of ZESTY Whiff very well. A diversified lot. They also supplied PANNIERS for his bike accessories BUSINESS, in fact.
Karr pushed open the heavy WOODEN door, stepped out and froze, THUNDERSTRUCK.
I've been reading some less depressing stories about animals being saved from the megafires in the last few days. My wishes and thoughts for those affected continue. Stay safe and well.
Nilanjana Bose: I love your story - and would like to know what froze Karr in that doorway.
DeleteYes some lives have been saved, but grief still fills me. The last count I saw estimated that over a BILLION animal lives have been lost. I mourn for the people too, but 20 lives against a billion?
Oh there is no equivalence! Beyond heartbreaking. When one is overwhelmed by these distressing, catastrophic news stories, one clutches at whatever straws of hopefulness that float by. Doing that a lot lately.
DeleteNilanjana Bose: Yes. Me too.
DeleteThe statistics are appalling. I have seen articles stating the probable extinction of certain animals. I just hope to God some of the zoos have these animals in their care. But the thought of all the suffering the animals have gone through. It's enough to make you weep.
DeleteAnother wonderful collection here.
ReplyDeleteI should try and make more time to take part … maybe soon!
For now, my thanks to all who do.
All the best Jan