Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Small Winter Garden (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, the prompts are being provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher and are being posted by Elephant's Child.          


This week's prompts are:

  1. Brick
  2. Folly
  3. Carapace
  4. Hessian
  5. Snowdrop
  6. Grizzly

 

And/or

 

  1. Illustrator
  2. Violet
  3. Ailment
  4. Twigs
  5. Eureka
  6. Dinkum


“Mom, mom, mom!  Whatcha doin’?” son came running in at the speed of a slamming screen door.


“Thinking about the FOLLY of waiting until the last minute to thaw out dinner, why?”


“Mom!  Can I have a BRICK to paint?”


“Where would you get the brick, and...wait, what paint?”  He had mom’s attention now, as she remembered the last time he got paint and tried to play book ILLUSTRATOR, right on the front porch.


“You know, the old pile dad used to build the outdoor fireplace.  He’s got plenty of bricks left, and I want to paint one...”


“What paint?” she asked again.


“Or maybe more than one.  The old paint dad found.  He’s cleaning out the shed again.”


“And what,” she asked suspiciously and not without reason for it, “would you do with a painted brick or bricks?”


“At school today the teacher showed us a picture of a wall that’s decorated with different color tiles to make an artwork, and I want to make a big artwork out of painted bricks!  I want to paint each one a different color and put them together to make a picture out in the field.”


“A brick mosaic be lots of fun to try,” mom said, beginning again to rummage in the freezer.  “Do you have enough bricks?”


“Dad had a lot of leftover bricks,” he started in again, and mom yelled, “Eureka!”


“You-reek-a?” he tried to repeat.  “You reek a what?  Doesn’t reek mean how dad smells when he comes in from working in the garage?”


Mom laughed.  “It’s a Greek word, it means ‘I’ve found it.’  I found the frozen spaghetti sauce I want to use in tonight’s dinner.”


“Mom!  You won’t believe what we saw in the field!” daughter came in at a slightly slower speed than brother, but with no less enthusiasm.


“Last time I was out in the field, I noticed the TWIGS are starting to bud, and it won’t be long until the SNOWDROP and VIOLET bloom...”


“Mom, I mean it.  We saw a GRIZZLY track.”


“Did you really?” son asked, awed.  “Let’s go, you can show me!”


“DINKUM,” daughter said, “and it’s getting dark, too late to go look now.”


“What’s dinkum?” son and mom said at the same time.  “Jinx!” both hollered, then laughed.


“Dinkum,” son tried out the word again.  “Sounds like the name of an AILMENT.”


“Dinkum,” daughter tried to say with dignity, which made them laugh harder, “means ‘really and truly.’ They say that in Australia.”


“There hasn’t been a bear in this area in years,” mom said, still chuckling.  “Who saw it, and are you sure?”


“I’m sure,” dad said, coming in.  “As sure as my granny’s grandpa was a HESSIAN who deserted and switched sides.”


“That’s not a good thing,” mom said.  “I mean, I’m all about wildlife, that’s why we moved out this way, but a bear that’s not afraid to get this close to people isn’t safe for it or us.”


“I know,” dad agreed.  “Tomorrow I’ll call the wildlife ranger, let him know and see what he has to say.”


“Well, anyway,” son went back to his topic, “can I have the bricks and paint them with the paint dad found?”


“Once you get an idea in your head, it’s as hard as a turtle CARAPACE,” mom said, chuckling again.  “Yes, you may paint as many bricks that are not attached to the house or any other building as you want.  Keep them and the paint out by the shed.  As for making a brick mosaic in the field, well, by the time you get your bricks painted, I hope we’ll have determined if it’s safe to go into the field or the forest.  Now everyone out of the kitchen while I finish dinner.”



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Today is:


Annual Visit of the Poe Toaster -- the mysterious person who, for almost 75 years, dressed in black with a wide brimmed hat and scarf, annually visited Poe's grave on his birthday, leaving roses and cognac; has not been seen since 2009


Brew A Potion Day -- internet generated, no reasons given


Confederate Heroes Day -- Texas, US 


Feast of Sultan (Sovereignty) -- Baha'i


Horror Novels Are Horrendous Day -- for Poe's birth anniversary


La Tamborrada -- San Sebastian, Spain (begins in the evening, a 24 hour drum jam session and the city's biggest fiesta)


Little Ricky Day -- marking the date of his arrival on "I Love Lucy"


National Popcorn Day


Neon Sign Day -- patented this day in 1915


Sacrifices to Apollon -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)


St. Canute's Day a/k/a St. Knud (Patron of Denmark)


St. Henry of Uppsala's Day (Patron of the Catholic Cathedral of Helsinki; Finland; against storms)


Theophany/Epiphany -- Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians who still follow the Julian Calendar

     Timket -- Ethiopian Orthodox Christian (with huge, colorful festivals through the whole country)

     Blessing of the Waters -- Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia, Bayswater, London, UK


Tin Can Day -- patented this day in 1825



Birthdays Today:


Shawn Johnson, 1992

Jodie Sweetin, 1982

Frank Caliendo, 1974

Drea de Matteo, 1972

Shawn Wayans, 1971

Wendy Moniz, 1969

Junior Seau, 1969

Paul McCrane, 1961

William Ragsdale, 1961

Thomas Kinkade, 1958

Simon Rattle, 1955

Desi Arnaz, Jr., 1953

Dewey Bunnell, 1952

Robert Palmer, 1949

Paula Deen, 1947

Dolly Parton, 1946

Shelley Fabares, 1944

Janis Joplin, 1943

Michael Crawford, 1942

Phil Everly, 1939

Richard Lester, 1932

Robert MacNeil, 1931

Tippi Hedren, 1931

Fritz Weaver, 1926

Jean Stapleton, 1923

Guy Madison, 1922

John H. Johnson, 1918

Lester Flatt, 1914

Edgar J. Helms, 1863

Paul Cezanne, 1839

Edgar Allan Poe, 1809

Robert E. Lee, 1807

James Watt, 1736 (O.S. date)



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"48 Hours"(TV), 1988

"The Millionaire"(TV), 1955

"Woman of the Year"(Film), 1942

"Il Trovatore"(Verdi Opera), 1853

"Faust Part I"(Goethe tragic play), 1829



Today in History:


Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy, 1419

San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is currently the oldest church in the Philippines, 1607

The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, 1788

The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope, 1806

Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett obtain a patent for a process of storing food in tin cans, 1825

Goethe's Faust Part I premiers, 1829

Verdi's Il Trivatore preniers in Rome, 1853

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey, 1883

Ibsen's play The Master Builder premiers in Berlin, 1893

Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising, 1915

The US Senate votes against membership in League of Nations, 1920

Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs, 1930

For the only time in recorded history, snow falls in Miami, Florida, 1977

The last VW Beetle made in Germany leaves the plant, 1978

United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity, 1981

The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced, 1983

Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations, 1993

The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto, 2006

Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, 2013

American skier Lindsey Vonn wins her 63rd World Cup, setting a new record, 2015

23 comments:

  1. Interesting story of a happy family. Hope they found the bear and put it in a safe place.

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  2. Is that a cabbage amongst the flowers?

    God bless.

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  3. That would be scary having a bear nearby. I remember when we did a land tour pre Alaska cruise, a trail we walked along had warning signs reminding us we were in bear country. We did see one in the distance in the trees but thankfully it ignored us. We stayed closer to the lodge after that!

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  4. Nice photos and a cabbage getting in on the act lol

    Have a vegtastic week

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  5. My folks have a black bear that noses around their property. Daddy has seen it from their back porch which is too close for comfort. It was that bear sighting that set him off last year to climb on top of his meat shed (where he cuts up deer) to see if there would be a good place to shot him a bear when he fell off the ladder busting up his ribs and putting him in the hospital for several days. I told him no more climbing if he wants to get that bear it'll have to be from the back of his porch. lol

    Good story using the word prompts!

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  6. That is a cute little garden in a pot for sure! Your story is good. That child definitely has an idea he is not going to give up on any time soon.

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  7. I love all those trivia facts! A Poe Toaster, ha. And brew a potion! Wish I knew that earlier, would have loved to let the kids at school do that.

    Happy Wednesday!

    Elza Reads

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  8. Is that a cabbage with the flowers or am I going crazy Mimi? I'm probably going crazy. LOL



    Cruisin Paul

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  9. Nothing like having veggies in your flower planter. Brilliant.

    Love your story. I always do. It reminds me of your family.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. Big hug, my friend. ♥

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  10. Beautiful plant arrangement photo and fun post ~ Xo


    Wishing you lots of loving moments,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  11. Yet ANOTHER great use of the prompts - which blogger hid from me for hours.

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  12. I love that little winter garden!

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  13. Oh, i liked your story... I di the mistake of reading it before writing my own, now cozy familiy life, hard headed ideas and grizzlys will dance around in my brain. It was really lovely.

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  14. Great story and great wintery garden! Your way with words is so amaxing. Loved your story.
    There was a mountain lion near our area two days ago. He was on someone's garage roof! Y I K E S ! The authorities
    are sure he came down from the foothills during the Marshall fires.I hope he was captured and return to his home. But a bear? Oh my goodness.
    At Chautauqua Park in the foothills in Boulder Colorado the rangers station have many wildlife species. A young friend we knew said he and his date saw a mountain lion and were sure they could ward him off! I said honey, your folks should have given you a talking to! Go to the rangers station and look at their teeth and paws! You can not ward one off hahaha. But a runner subdued a mountain lion and got away with scratches. People were furious that the animal died but the runner dude said it was him or me. These fires bring them closer to the city. Very sad. My sister lives in Pueblo West which has a more desert climate then the Denver area. The deer sit under the shady trees outside their homes with their young :-) I have the foxes, coyote and rabbits and raccoons! Because we live near a man made lake.

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  15. Sweet little garden! Flowers that bloom in winter are amazing! And your story is a hoot! I want to see that brick wall when it is done!

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  16. great garden photo AND story mimi !!!! I like the idea of a brick mosiac too :) ☺☺♥♥

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  17. Love the planter and that was quite the story!

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  18. Great story. The son is quite ambitious. :) XO

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  19. Terrific winter garden! And I LOVED the story!

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  20. Love the story and hope there are enough different paint colours to make a fantastic mosaic.
    I remember seeing cottage gardens when I was a child, where flowers and vegetables all grew together, the idea was the bees coming for the flower nectar would also pollinate the vegetables and all the different species together would confuse any pests that would otherwise decimate the vegetables. It seemed to work.

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  21. My garden's not much bigger! Great use of the words, the dialogue is brilliant.

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  22. Uff! Obviously took my thought for the deed, the other day.
    But now: A lovely story, Mimi.

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