Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The Early Heron Catches the Fish (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     





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Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    

This month, i am providing the prompts.  You can write your story on your blog and leave a link here, or write your story in the comments, your choice.

Pick words from the list, or use the photo, or both, or even none.  The whole point is to get us writing, so please have fun with it!

The prompts are:

brush
soar
distribute
allowance
debt
elegant

This week, let's add a picture:



“Come, child.  Come sit on the log with us.  Just be sure you enter the circle through the gap between the sticks in the front.”

The dark-eyed woman sitting on the log was dressed like a gypsy, or at least what Meredith would have thought a gypsy would look like.  Sitting on the log with her were Jamal and Nydia, whom she had met at school.  Meredith knew they lived on the same block as she did, right across from the beach.

She did not know the name of the dark-eyed woman, whom her parents had met while she was at school and they were moving furniture into the house.  All Meredith knew was she lived in the house with the turret, the one she just “felt in her bones,” as she would have said to herself, had to be enchanted.

“BRUSH some of the sand off the log and sit,” the woman invited.  “I am Tamira, and you have probably met my other two friends here at school.”

“Yes, I have,” Meredith said.  Then she ventured a question, “Why do we have to enter the circle from one special place?”

“So we do not anger the sand fairies, of course,” Tamira said.  “You do not want to anger them and be in their DEBT.”

Meredith’s eyes grew wide, then twinkled.  Sand fairies?  She knew just what to say to that.  “Of course we can’t anger them.  They would make us pay them in coin that would not be covered by the ALLOWANCE my parents give me.”

“Of course not,” Nydia said, then smiled.  “They only take sand dollars!”

“Yes,” Tamira said as they all laughed, “but that is not what we have come out here for tonight.  Tonight I have other tales to tell.  Sit softly, children, DISTRIBUTE your weight evenly, focus on the horizon and let your imaginations SOAR into the ELEGANT sunset before us.  Tonight’s story is of sailing on the moonglade in a boat made of pearl.”

As Tamira wove her story, Meredith felt something tight inside her relax.  It was as if a muscle she did not know she had tensed, ever since she knew her family was moving, had finally let go.  Swept away in the tale, sitting with two children she realized were dreamers like her, she knew now that even though everything had been changed in her world, all would be well.


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Today is:

Bake Your Own Bread Day -- it's really not that hard

Bunker Hill Day -- Suffolk County, MA, US (actual date)

Dia del Padre -- El Salvador; Guatemala (Father's Day)

Eat All of Your Vegetables Day / Fresh Veggies Day -- yes, i have this listed yesterday, too; internet sites disagree about the actual date, and you need your veggies today, too!     

Independence Day/National Day -- Iceland

International Violin Day -- Stravinsky's birth anniversary

National Apple Struedel Day

Okinawa Day -- Japan/US (remembrance of signing the treaty, in 1971, to return Okinawa to Japan)

Pirate Radio Day -- no actual pirate (i.e., unlicensed) radio stations will admit to declaring this a holiday, but what do you expect?

Soviet Occupation Day -- Latvia

St. Botulph of Ikanhoe's Day (Patron of agricultural and farm workers, sailors, travellers; Bossal, England; Boston, England; Boston, MA, US; Botesdale, England; Botolph Bridge, Huntingdonshire, Englad; Botolph's Bridge, Kent, Englad; Botolph, Sussex, England)

St. Herve's Day (Patron of the blind; against eye diseases and problems)

Toadstool-Squatting begins -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

Vice President's Remembrance Day -- not officially, just a day to see how many vice presidents you remember

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought -- UN


Anniversaries Today

Orpheus marries the nymph Eurydice, Ancient Greek traditional date


Birthdays Today:

Mark Walker, 1999
Lee Ryan, 1983
Venus Williams, 1980
Will Forte, 1970
Dan Jansen, 1965
Greg Kinnear, 1963
Thomas Haden Church, 1960
Mark Linn-Baker, 1953
Joe Piscopo, 1951
Barry Manilow, 1946
Art Bell, 1945
Newt Gingrich, 1943
Gene De Paul, 1919
John Richard Hersey, 1914
Ralph Bellamy, 1904
Sammy Fain, 1902
M.C. Escher, 1898
Igor Stravinsky, 1882
William Hooper, 1742
John Wesley, 1703


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Oh! Calcutta!"(Revue), 1969
"Barney Google and Snuffy Smith"(Comic strip), 1919


Today in History:

Vlad III the Impaler (a/k/a Vlad Dracul or Count Dracula) attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia, 1462
Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, 1565
Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England, 1579
Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth; her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal, 1631
The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775
In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the Edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands, 1839
1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook's forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory, 1876
The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, 1885
The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT, 1901
"Barney Google" cartoon strip, by Billy De Beck, premieres, 1919
Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic, 1944
The Wooden Roller Coaster at Playland, which is in the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, Canada opens; it is still open today, 1958
The New Democratic Party of Canada is founded with the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress, 1961
Five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel, 1972
With the death of the last individual, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct, 1987
The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which had required racial classification of all South Africans at birth, 1991
Australian scientists report that they have "teleported" a laser beam, breaking it up and reconstructing it in another location, 2002
The first condemnation of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people is issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, 2011
The Incredibles 2 sets a box office record for an animated release, earning $180 million its opening weekend, 2018
Greece signs a historic deal with Macedonia ending years of dispute over its name; after this, it will be called North Macedonia, 2018

30 comments:

  1. I don't know whether I admire your photograph of the beautiful fisher or your story more. Both are superb.

    And here is my take.
    If there was a beauty allowance I would be permanently in debt.
    I love the elegant simplicity of a beach with its ripples in windswept sand. Ripples which are erased, replaced, restored day after day.
    It makes my heart soar - soar to that glorious horizon. A generous distribution of peace and serenity to brush away the overwhelm that besets my crowded mind.
    For this, and for all of nature's bounty my gratitude knows no bounds.

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    Replies
    1. Nothing just like nature to soothe our senses with its beauty. I think this beach speaks to all of us.

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    2. This is how I feel too, when I sit on the sand and watch to ocean.

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    3. There is nithing like the natural world.

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    4. An empty white sand beach, wide skies and quiet contemplation - bliss!

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  2. Wonderful heron photo. Thanx.

    God bless.

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  3. What a wonderful, enchanting story. All will be well indeed. That last paragraph made something inside me relax as well.
    I have posted my Words for Wednesday on my own blog. That beach spoke to me as well.

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  4. I love your story. Enchanted house and sand fairies :)

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  5. A very magical story with the perfect setting. I would love to be... "sailing on the moonglade in a boat made of pearl.”

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  6. That heron photo is really neat. Vacation brings in some nice material to open up new creativity.

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  7. Another lovely story, and a very beautiful photo of the heron.
    https://allatseawithme.blogspot.com/2020/06/wordless-wednesday_17.html

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  8. I love to watch them digest the fish. It takes a very long time and they are usually very still during that process.

    Your story is one of the best. A happy ending. I love happy endings.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥♥♥

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  9. That is some big bird and a really good story too!

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  10. Photo prompt:

    Steps on smooth white sand
    Leading to a clear blue sea
    Wind lifts sand to sky.

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  11. "heron catches the fish !!!!! ??????

    hizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    signed: uz catz in trout towne

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  12. I used to wonder why we called them sand dollars if you couldn't use them to pay for things. Now I know I was just in the wrong place! :-)

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  13. wonderfully peaceful photos.Thanks!

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  14. Awesome heron photo ^_^

    Be Safe, Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  15. I don't understand, I posted my take on the words today and it appears to have disappeared.

    Alcalador decided right from the beginning that he should have stayed in dragon form in order to soar to their destination. He decided he would obtain a larger bag for his clothes and his gold which he could hang round his neck whilst he was in dragon form, it would be easy enough to carry the witch on his back. He would have to do all his flying by night of course, he had to make an allowance for all the disbelieving souls who would be terrified by his appearance. He discussed it with Eleuthera and she agreed. However, she had a large shoulder bag with her which she said would take his clothes so long as she moved things around to distribute the garments evenly, They had arrived at a beach so they decided to sit on an available log – being careful which way they entered the circle – and make the necessary arrangements. Being a witch of course, her bag was bottomless and she could store all kinds of things including a brush and comb and even so the clothes would come out looking quite elegant. Alcalador said he was in her debt. So, waiting until it was dark, he asked her to turn her back, more for her modesty than his own, he undressed and turned back into a gorgeous black dragon with the moonlight glinting from his scales. He carefully walked out of the circle whilst Eleuthera picked up his clothes and folded them for him. She then followed him and he squatted so she could climb onto his back. Brushing the sand off her feet she did just that and with an enormous jump, Alcalador took to the air lofting above like a giant eagle.

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    1. More please Jo. Too many dragons would be barely enough in my eyes, and I am loving Alcalador's continuing story.

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    2. A lovely story - I do love a good story teller.

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    3. A lovely story, Mimi. Like Meredith, I was totally swept away in the tale. Here is my effort - a different type of magic:

      Harriet stood at the first floor window, brush in hand. Her heart began to soar as she saw her life-long friend, Jenny, as elegant as ever, step down from the taxi and look up at the guest house where they would be staying for the weekend. Spotting Harriet in the window, Jenny held up high a lightweight carrier and waved enthusiastically. Harriet responded with a big grin and a ‘thumbs-up’.

      Harriet breathed deeply. Her years of chaotic debt were finally behind her. Drastic cuts to her former personal spending allowance, and micro-managing her frugal pension, were finally bearing fruit. Thanks to her friend’s gentle mentoring she was now able to carefully distribute her income according to her needs.

      The tiny inheritance from a distant aunt had come as a welcome surprise and had allowed Harriet to splurge out on an unexpected luxury, one to be savoured. With Jenny’s approval and consent Harriet had booked a long weekend for the two of them in this secluded corner of Devon, with the guest house only a hundred meters from a beautiful beach of white sand, wide skies, blue sea and solitude. After a cocktail in the lounge they would be off to the beach to fly their kites. Heaven.

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  16. I love this. I envy Harriet her sojourn in Devon. Spent my first honeymoon there. Stayed in Beer. Way to go SpikesBestMate great use of the words and picture.

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  17. SpikesBestMate: I love this story - and hope that their long weekend is everything they could have hoped for - and more.

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  18. Jo, i do enjoy your dragon tales.

    SpikesBestMate, a fabulous story, i hope they enjoy their time away immensely.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments. I think this week's prompts has brought out the best in all of us - a bunch of really good stories. Thanks, Mimi.

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