This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her
to bow out for a while. The meme was too much fun to let go, and now
Words for Wednesday is 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, and mixing and matching is encouraged.
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. And huge thanks to those of you who come back, sometimes time after time to cheer other contributors on.
Huge thanks to David M. Gascoigne for providing the prompts last month. The
prompts will be here again this month and are provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher .
This
week's prompts are:
- Almanac
- Vegetables
- Smoke
- Rocky
- Pursuit
And/or
- Tides
- Data
- Pearly
- Block
- Hedge
Have fun.
Someone had fun making a unique mix of words!
ReplyDeleteAlex J. Cavanaugh: She did, didn't she?
DeleteHi Alex and Sue ... these were random picks!! I didn't know the colour was going to be Surviving Iris Yellow ... talk about muddling the dots! I will be back tomorrow to post 'something' ...
ReplyDeleteSurviving Iris Yellow is fully optional. I use it for Sunday Selecions, never for WfW ;) But feel free to do it how you like it. And no, its not a colour I'd choose for my "almanac on Veggies" either ;)
DeleteHi Sue - well this popped out ... so here's my contribution for my own words!!:
ReplyDeleteI've survived the dye Iris Yellow … which they'd suggested for my book's cover – 'orreebeeley' …
After all the subject is about vegetables and really you can't have a book using that colour to entice people to buy.
Root vegetables foraged from the edge of the field around the hedge … the farmer had blocked off that area … which in the early Summer hold the pearly opalescent florescence of elderflower, or hawthorn blossoms …
I wondered if I could include information like the almanacs used to back in the day … lots of data … which would make each chapter pertinent to the seasonal month. I could even include the tidal charts relevant to seaside harbours.
I was thinking about including ideas for smoking veggies … an excellent thought as a side dish during summer, perhaps.
The publishers are in pursuit for me to finish the book, so they can market it before the year is over.
I'm still not sure about the colour of the cover – but it is not to be (will not be!) Surviving Iris Yellow – once that's decided and the edits/additions made … then let's go ahead."
Thanks everyone - looking forward to your entries - cheers Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: I love your take - and we have gone down similar paths.
DeleteLet's hear it for those publishers marketing the book and for ideas for smoking veggies. Great job, Hils.
DeleteCheers, Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Lovely.
DeleteGreat job, Hilary. I hope the book will be a roaring success!
DeleteMarketing a book is hard, I hope it sells well.
DeleteWell done, Hillary!
DeleteEspero el llibre ansiosament, vull veure com t'ho fas per fumar les verdures. ;-)
DeleteWonderful use of the prompts and what a great idea for a book!
DeleteRosie relied on her Gardener’s Almanac. Week by week it told her what to plant and when to harvest. Her vegetables had never looked better. The bees were happy too. She planted for them and no longer needed the protection of smoke when she went near the hive.
ReplyDeleteIt had been a rocky road to begin with. Many were the people who told her that the facts included in her bible were old wives tales. In her pursuit of organic excellence she ignored them.
The almanac included information about tides too – and other data she didn’t use. Yet.
There was space for her to write notes too. Tapping her pearly whites with a pencil she wondered how much to include. Should she add pressings of her favourite flowers, like the surviving yellow iris that the almanac had told her would thrive near a constant source of water? She had planted hers near the pond and they looked better than they had ever done.
Blocking the nay sayers and continuing to use the Almanac worked wonders for her. She supposed she was hedge sitting but she still watched the local weather forecasts. Perhaps in a year or two she would let that go too and just rely on her trusty book and notes…
I wonder if they still publish those Almanacs. Most of the information they contained can be found online these days.
DeleteHi Olga - there's a variety of almanacs published ... so yes - they're still around ... cheers H
DeleteApplause👏🏽
DeleteThose old almanacs contained much wisdom they say. I have never read one.
DeleteIt is interesting how accurate the almanacs are said to be. How do they do it?
DeleteEs nota que les noves generacions no en tenen ni idea d'aquests parenòstics. ;-) Sí que són importants perquè porten tots els trucs de la gent del camp, de generacions passades... són com les receptes de l'àvia...
DeleteBen vist, Sue.
Wonderful! Such good use of the words.
DeleteLove,
Janie
There was a time the almanac was everything, I'm glad it's working so well for her.
DeleteNicely done with the prompts, EC! I was intrigued that you have a "Gardener's Almanac" over there - here we have the "Farmer's Almanac", which sounds like basically the same thing. :-)
DeleteYou did a great job too, Sue!
DeleteElephant's Child: I wish I can follow a gardener's almanac, at last, I have no green thumbs.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Good use of the prompts, Sue, and I know with all of your flowers, you probably do have an almanac or two...
DeleteWoot. Woot. Yay for Rosie and her Gardner's Almanac. Maybe we should think about that, hey?
ReplyDeleteWondrous job, my friend.
Sandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Well done Sue ... and you remembered 'rocky' which I remembered then forgot! Yours is much more logical than mine ... but yet - 'tapping her pearly whites' - love it! For now - cheers and thanks for your input - I can see your garden with those yellow irises ... Hilary
ReplyDeleteNice flowers and post, thanks a lot for sharing.
ReplyDeletenassah: Thank you. Perhaps some week you will join us and write a poem using the prompts.
DeleteWorking on it soon.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: As always I look forward to seeing what you make of the prompts.
DeleteMine is over here.
Deletemessymimi:
DeleteDe tant en tant sorgeixen idees que et treuen de la monotonia.
Ben vist!
The PURSUIT of VEGETABLES is a competitive sport in our Dragondale village. You need to know the secrets, but the village ALMANAC publishes useful DATA exclusively as riddles. But I'm smart and I've already solved quite a few of those riddles. I know that the salty mermaids only bloom when the TIDES are low. The BLOCK trolls sprout best behind the ROCKY HEDGE. Peat fire SMOKE inspires the wyrms to assume their award-winning PEARLY sheen, so prized by all the aliens.
ReplyDeleteThis year, I'll definitely be the winner of our annual garden fete. I'll finally grow a sweet, SURVIVING IRIS YELLOW human! I already have one skull, and I'll get the second one as soon as my mother licks all the bones from her dinner clean.
Olga Godim: I was thinking I would like to visit Dragondale but read your final sentence and changed my mind. A brilliant use of the prompts.
DeleteHi Olga - yes like Sue ... I was thinking this was a fun story - til that last sentence!! Fun take - cheers Hilary
DeleteI'm in a morbid mood, I guess.
DeleteA great place to visit if you aren't a human, right? Nicely done!
DeleteThis is fun, Olga!
DeleteOlga Godim: This is somewhat charming but a bit horrifying.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
He, he, he! Molt bo!
DeleteOh my... good use of the prompts and a little scary!
DeleteGreat stories here and I have written down the words to work on tomorrow. Having time at home since landlord's agent is doing a house inspection at the twins place.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I look forward to seeing what you make of them and hope that the house inspection goes well.
DeleteAs far as I read, many bloggers used the almanac for growing greens. I didn't.
ReplyDeleteMy story is https://artmater.com/words-for-wednesday-june-4-2025
artmater: Heading over to read your contribution now. You have me intrigued.
DeleteAlmanac, friend and guide,
ReplyDeleteThrough rocky ground and storms beside.
For vegetables
Green dreams
in tow,
I chase cannabis smoke
In my garden to grow.
Lovely fun poem Cloudia - great to see you - cheers Hilary
DeleteCloudia: I suspect that many a garden has a corner set aside to green dreams...
DeleteLove this.
You made me grin from ear to ear.
DeleteThis is awesome, Cloudia!
DeleteBona teràpia la teva. :-)))
DeleteI'm with Mimi and grinning! Well done!
DeleteAnother nonsense one from me. Nice stories all.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever get to the PEARLY gates without being BLOCK by some unknown creature, I would be happy. First of all, there is the TIDE to think about, will it be out or in before I start walking on the water to those gates! Alas I will have to get to a computer to read the DATA to find out.
Margaret D: You know, I had never thought of walking to those pearly gates. I thought they were in the sky. If they are indeed on the ground high tide could make quite a difference. Love your different take on the prompts.
DeleteHi Margaret - I love your take on this week's WWW ... and as EC says ... I've never thought about walking across the water to those pearly gates. Cheers Hilary
DeleteThis is an interesting and fun take on the subject!
DeleteThank you :)
DeleteNicely done, Margaret!
DeleteNo podem viure sense ella! ;-)
DeleteOh, I would dread having to make that walk... nice change of pace with the prompts!
DeleteThe tides never lie and all data pointed to one thing: The pearly first moon of a new age. While we didn't want to block any fantastic happenings, we still built a hedge against the oncoming invaders. It was going to be an interesting night.
ReplyDeleteWhew! Been reading too many book synopsis this morning. LOL!
Hi Crystal - well done ... always good to be overdosed with synopses ... great that you're joining us - cheers Hilary
DeleteWell done, Crystal. Short, to the point and good use of the prompts.
DeleteWow! There is a fascinating story coming from this synopsis.
DeleteCrystal Collier: Thank you so much for joining us with this pithy synopsis. I would read this. Happily.
DeleteVery fun contribution!
DeleteNicely done!
DeleteYou did great, Crystal!
DeleteMolt bon mini relat! ;-)
DeleteGreat use of the words!
DeleteSometimes it seems that I have spent half my life trying to forget the eminently unpredictable and SURPRISING IRIS YELLOW, yet all the while treasuring her memory. I mean when have you known someone with a name as outrageous as Iris Yellow? Never one to HEDGE her bets she went all the way, every time, and with gusto, from her PEARLY white teeth to the BLOCK heels on her shoes. She had SMOKE house in her yard, and it was just a small suburban backyard where she processed VEGETABLES of all things. A far cry from smoked salmon or sausage. She was always in PURSUIT of something different. Her favourite ice cream was ROCKY Road and she never stopped extolling its virtues. If she liked it then everyone else should. She never met an ALMANAC she didn’t like and the more obscure DATA derived from it were grist for her mill, or perhaps more accurately embers for her smoker. The TIDES of eccentricity had washed over Iris since the day she was born. With a name like that, perhaps it’s only fair.
ReplyDeletePerfecto!
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: Iris Yellow sounds like someone I would love to know. Eccentrics are never dull. Well told.
DeleteWell done! If her parents gave her that name, she deserves to be eccentric if she wants.
DeleteGood for you, David!
DeleteAnother good one, David. I especially liked the reference to Rocky Road:)
DeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Crec que et va contagiar un poc. ;-)
DeleteAn excellent contribution to the collection of stories, David!
DeleteHi David - great take on the words ... love the Tides of Eccentricity phrase ... and yes with a name like that I'd be pushing the boat out all the time. What a challenge - I always thought a girl at school had a difficult name 'Honesty' - I do wonder what happened to her ... and some names today beggar belief - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteNo había un día que no mirara el almanaque para ver cuantos días le quedaba para iniciar sus vacaciones. Pedro soñaba con ir a la playa, para divertirse y ya tenía hasta el alojamiento buscado.Era un chico simpático y el único vicio que tenía era el de fumar cigarrillos.
ReplyDeletePor fin llegó el día del inicio de sus vacaciones. El coche recién pintado y con una pintura nacarada que se añadió al color de base y que le hacía parecer recién salido de fábrica.
Antes de ponerse en marcha comprobó la cobertura del móvil y comprobó que no le faltaba nungún contacto.
Llevaba ya horas conduciendo y como era hora ya del almuerzo, se paró en un restaurante de carretera. De primer plato escogió simplemente unas verduras y de segundo unas ricas truchas asalmonadas y de postre simplemente se limitó a tomar café.
Por fin una hora después pudo divisar el mar. Sintió el impulso de detenerse y pasear por su fina arena. Había una zona rocosa ya hacia allí se dirigió.
En una gran piedra había una chica sentada, con una gran pamela que la protegía del sol. Trás un buen rato de conversación intercambiaron los datos referente a sus números de teléfono.
Las grandes mareas estaban a punto de llegar a la zona, por lo que era ya necesario salir de allí.
Era hora de buscar el apartamento que tenía alquilado y de deshacer la maleta.
Cuando le mostró la dirección a la chica, resultó que estaba lojada en la misma planta y en el apartamente de al lado.
Con seguir su coche ya llegó a su destino.
Lo que sucedió después lo dejo a la imaginación del lector.
VENTANA DE FOTO: wrote
DeleteNot a day went by that he didn't look at the calendar to see how many days he had left until his vacation began. Pedro dreamed of going to the beach, having fun, and he even had his accommodations lined up. He was a friendly guy, and his only vice was smoking cigarettes.
Finally, the day his vacation began arrived. The car was freshly painted, with a pearlescent paint that was added to the base color and made it look like it had just come from the factory.
Before setting off, he checked his cell phone coverage and confirmed that he had every contact.
He had been driving for hours, and since it was already time for lunch, he stopped at a roadside restaurant. He simply chose vegetables for his first course, delicious salmon trout for his main course, and for dessert, he simply had coffee.
Finally, an hour later, he could see the sea. He felt the urge to stop and walk along the fine sand. There was a rocky area, and he headed there. A girl sat on a large rock, wearing a large hat that protected her from the sun. After a long conversation, they exchanged phone numbers.
The high tides were about to hit the area, so it was time to leave.
It was time to find the apartment he had rented and unpack his suitcase.
When he showed the address to the girl, it turned out she was staying on the same floor and in the apartment next door.
By following his car, he reached his destination.
What happened next is left to the reader's imagination.
I love this and hope that this is the start of a long and happy relationship - a friendship at least. Thank you so much for joining us again.
An excellent use of the prompts, I agree with EC and hope this starts at least a good friendship between them.
DeleteYes - I agree ... let's hope life is happy for them ... well done - cheers Hilary
DeleteUna historia con muchos finales.
DeleteBuen relato, Antonia.
A cliffhanger ending ~ fun, Ventana!
DeleteSummer love! Perhaps she is his soulmate?
Deletegrateful for a change in direction with the words this month I'll be back to post comments on everyone else's work...
ReplyDeleteCindi: Heading over to read your post now.
DeleteEL VELL LLUÍS.
ReplyDeleteEl vell Lluís, amb el seu ALMANAC gairebé esfullat i tacat de suc de VEGETALS fermentats, era una llegenda al poble. Deien que predeia les MAREES amb la precisió d'un rellotge suís i endevinava si la collita seria bona o dolenta només olorant el FUM de la llenya. Però el seu talent més peculiar era trobar BARDISSES de maduixes silvestres fins i tot als terrenys més ROCOSOS.
Un dia en Lluís va descobrir, amagat entre les pàgines de l'almanac, un mapa antic. No era un mapa qualsevol, era un mapa que indicava la ubicació del llegendari BLOC d'Or GROC, un meteorit massís d'or pur que, segons les històries, havia caigut del cel feia segles.
La notícia va córrer com la pólvora, impulsada per la llengua viperina de la senyora Ermelinda, la xafardera oficial del poble. Aviat una torba de vilatans cobejosos, encapçalats per l'ambiciós Ramon, va iniciar una PERSECUSIÓ frenètica d'en Lluís. En Ramon, amb la camisa PERLADA i el bigoti ridícul, semblava un pallasso desesperat.
En Lluís, àgil malgrat els seus anys, corria com un llebrer, esquivant gallines i carretes. Es va amagar darrere una tanca de rosers espinosos, rient-se per dins. Sabia que el mapa era una broma que el seu avi li havia gastat. El "BLOC d'Or GROC" era en realitat una gran roca pintada de GROC cridaner, com el mateix avi.
La persecució el va portar fins a la costa. Les MARREES estaven altes, colpejant amb força les roques. En Ramon, amb el rostre envermellit per l'esforç, el va acorralar.
— Lliura el mapa, vell brivall!, va cridar amb la veu tremolosa.
En Lluís va somriure.
— Ja arribem a la meta, Ramon. Mira, va dir, assenyalant una roca particularment gran coberta d'algues.
— És aquí, just a sota.
En Ramon, amb els ulls injectats en sang, es va llançar a l'aigua, seguit per la resta dels vilatans. Van remoure la roca i allà hi era: un BLOC gegant pintat d'un GROC tan artificial que feia mal als ulls.
El silenci va ser sepulcral, trencat només pel so de les onades. En Ramon, furiós i avergonyit, va intentar donar-li un cop de puny al Lluís, però va relliscar amb una alga i va caure de cara a l'aigua.
En Lluís, entre rialles, va estendre la mà per ajudar-lo a aixecar-se.
— No tot el que brilla és or, Ramon. De vegades, és només pintura barata i un bon ALMANAC.
Després, va treure un grapat de maduixes silvestres de la butxaca i se les va oferir als vilatans, compartint les DADES per trobar els millors llocs.
L'amargor de la derrota es va endolcir una mica, almenys fins que la senyora Ermelinda comencés a divulgar la història del "meteorit GROC".
Aquest és el meu. Gràcies!
Muy buena imaginación. Muy buen relato.
Deletesa lluna wrote:
DeleteOLD LLUIS.
Old Lluis, with his ALMANAC nearly torn and stained with fermented VEGETABLE juice, was a legend in the village. It was said that he predicted the TIDES with the precision of a Swiss watch and could guess whether the harvest would be good or bad just by smelling the SMOKE of the wood. But his most peculiar talent was finding HEDGES of wild strawberries even in the most ROCKY terrain.
One day Lluis discovered, hidden among the pages of the almanac, an old map. It was not just any map, it was a map that indicated the location of the legendary YELLOW GOLD BLOCK, a solid meteorite of pure gold that, according to the stories, had fallen from the sky centuries ago.
The news spread like wildfire, driven by the viperine tongue of Mrs. Ermelinda, the official gossip of the village. Soon a mob of greedy villagers, led by the ambitious Ramon, began a frantic PERSECUSION of Lluís. Ramon, with his PEARL shirt and ridiculous mustache, looked like a desperate clown.
Lluís, agile despite his years, ran like a greyhound, dodging chickens and carts. He hid behind a hedge of thorny rose bushes, laughing to himself. He knew the map was a joke his grandfather had played on him. The "BLOC d'Or YELLOW" was actually a large rock painted a striking YELLOW, like his grandfather himself.
The chase took him to the coast. The TIDES were high, hitting the rocks hard. Ramon, his face red from the effort, cornered him.
— Hand over the map, you old rascal!, he shouted in a trembling voice.
Lluís smiled.
— We've reached the finish line, Ramon. Look, he said, pointing to a particularly large rock covered in seaweed.
— It's here, right below.
Ramon, his eyes bloodshot, jumped into the water, followed by the rest of the villagers. They moved the rock and there it was: a giant BLOCK painted in such an artificial YELLOW that it hurt the eyes.
The silence was sepulchral, broken only by the sound of the waves. Ramon, furious and embarrassed, tried to punch Lluís, but he slipped on a seaweed and fell face down into the water.
Lluís, laughing, extended his hand to help him up.
— Not all that glitters is gold, Ramon. Sometimes, it's just cheap paint and a good ALMANAC.
Then, he took a handful of wild strawberries from his pocket and offered them to the villagers, sharing the DATA to find the best places.
The bitterness of defeat was sweetened a little, at least until Mrs. Ermelinda began to spread the story of the "YELLOW meteorite."
Brilliant. Thank you so much for joining us. I could just picture this.
sa lluna: Good story. Its greed that makes people dumb.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Nicely done! I do hope they learned a lesson from Lluis.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSue: Moltes gràcies per la traducció.
DeleteAntonia, Lissa, messymim: Molt amables. ;-)
Well done sa luna - great story with lots of interesting snippets referencing the words - cheers Hilary
DeleteMoltes gràcies, Hilary!
DeleteAn excellent story and wonderful practical joke!
DeleteMoltes gràcies, Cindi! ;-)
DeleteI'm almost on time but then again maybe not. My take on the prompts is here: Fiction: The almanac of motherly advices.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prompts, Hilary.
Have a lovely day.
lissa: I have read and enjoyed your story. That is an almanac I would like to have.
DeleteHi Messymimi - excellent story line - and yes I hope she has the holiday to remember - cheers Hilary
DeleteMolt bona història, té raó la protagonista, cap matrimoni val la pena que passi per un infern, ni cap persona tampoc.
DeleteWay too late but here is my effort.
ReplyDeleteJ Cosmo Newbery: I have read and enjoyed your piece.,
Delete