Happy “National Anisette Day” (if you’re reading this on July 2nd), which seems like a pretty odd thing to have a national day for. On the other hand, yesterday was “National Gingersnap Day,” so the bar isn’t that high.
According to Wikiedia, July 2nd is also”
“. . . the first day of the second half of the year, as well as the midpoint of a common year because there are 182 days before and 182 days after it in common years. . . “
So there you go; stuck in the middle. If the first half of the year hasn’t been quite what you planned, you have the whole second half to straighten things out.
As for me, I’ll be enjoying 5 whole days off of work and doing my best to make them all “Don’t Check Work Email” days. Although other parts of the country seem to be close to bursting into flame, I am lucky enough to be in an area that has been beautiful and temperate for the past week. I’m hoping that continues, since my plans include repotting a few plants and removing some “volunteer” shrubs before they take over the back hillside.
Whatever I wind up doing with my time off work, I definitely plan to spend some time on the elliptical (ugh!) and to take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.
Care to join me?
For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), if you’re not feeling random, we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.
If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, I hope either today’s random words or writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.
Ready?
Prompt: Summertime fun!
Feel free to interpret the prompt any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
hitchhiker coil daredevil guide
backyard propeller beeswax bikini
flowers cynic slippery hangover
canyon bachelor horizon sand
I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments. If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future writing prompts. Ideas are always welcome.
Happy writing to all!
Eight Ladies Writing 
I’m not sure this sprint is about “summertime fun”—maybe more like summertime nightmares. I guess, to each her own!
The Hitchhiker
The hitchhiker coiled the rope and laid it on the sand. Clearly she was a daredevil. No one would zipline across the canyon. Or no one should, anyway. It was 2,000 feet down and certain death if you fell. I might be hung over, but I wasn’t stupid.
“It’s none of my beeswax,” I ventured. “But it’s awfully far to the other side. You can’t even see the horizon from here.”
She grinned as she adjusted some rigging. “I suppose you’d rather stay at home and smell the flowers in your backyard.”
“Well, actually, yes, I would.”
“That’s the slippery slide to death,” she said, checking the guide wires. “That’s what propels you to an early grave—not to mention, permanent bachelorhood. Lethargy.”
“That’s the cynic talking,” I said. “Doesn’t that bikini itch?”
Fun, nightmare—it’s all in how you look at it. Your ending line made me laugh out loud, so your sprint definitely counts as fun. Inquiring minds want to know—who ziplines in a bikini?