Happy “National Apple Dumpling” (if you’re reading this on September 17th) or maybe just Happy Friday.

There is a local apple fair that’s held north of here every year and the apple dumpling stall is always packed with happy customers.  I’ve missed going to that fair during this endless time of Covid.  Perhaps next year we’ll all be able to enjoy apple dumplings, fresh pressed apple cider, and all the other delightful apple goodies once again.

For now, maybe it’s safer to celebrate “National Professional House Cleaners Day” instead.

This day of recognition celebrates a career many overlook or take for granted. While not everyone hires a Professional Cleaner, they do impact our lives in some way. Nearly every business we frequent and apartment building rented hires professional cleaners. The industry also employs approximately 3.25 million people creating a positive economic impact on the marketplace.

I may not be celebrating house cleaners today, but I may very well celebrate “house siding repair people”–well, maybe I’ll hold off celebrating until they finish their work.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my own work today and then getting started on the prep work so I can re-paint my front porch.  Having a house is a wonderful thing, but it does require a bit of maintenance now and again.  With the season starting to take a turn for the chillier, it’s time start taking care of all the outside jobs that need doing.

Somewhere along the line I’ll make sure to take a break and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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:   Change of Season

Feel free to interpret the prompt any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:   

country                  adventure           banana             beehive

casino                    footwork             prophecy          toy

hibernation           gum                     doctor              harmless

hatch                    absorbent             fashion            blended

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!

Happy “National TV Dinner Day” (if you’re reading this on September 10th) or maybe just Happy Friday.

I remember eating Swanson TV Dinners as a kid, mostly their pot pies, since those had the best low-cost to fill-you-up ratio.  Looking back, they were probably loaded with calories and salt, but at the time they were a bit of a treat.

It’s also “National Swap Ideas Day”, which sounds a bit more appropriate for a writing blog.

National Swap Ideas Day, which is observed annually on September 10th, encourages us to share a creative or helpful idea with someone and trade them for their thoughts in return.  This observance urges sharing concepts and sparking ideas. Many of us are passionate about our careers, hobbies, or special projects. However, sometimes, we require the additional magic that happens when a community of people joins forces to bring a plan to fruition.

Sounds like a good excuse to call or visit a friend and “swap ideas” over some snacks and a nice refreshing beverage.

I’ll be at work all day, so not much opportunity for idea swapping, but maybe something will turn up unexpectedly.  Otherwise, once I finish with work, I’ll be out in the backyard disassembling the portion of my deck that seems to be attempting to disassemble itself. Or maybe I’ll just skip that, pour a glass of fresh-made lemonade (I’ve perfected my recipe), and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

If you’re reading this on Friday (September 3rd) then happy “National Welsh Rarebit Day”.  Growing up, I always read that as “Welsh Rabbit”, though I wasn’t too far off base.

On September 3rd, National Welsh Rarebit Day whips up a tasty and satisfying snack. What is a rarebit? The cheesy toast was originally called Rabbit in a tongue-in-cheek way in the Welsh language because there is no rabbit in the meal. Similar to mock turtle soup having no turtle in it, Welsh rarebit does not contain rabbit. Instead, this dish is made with toast that has hot cheese poured over it. Over time, the dish became known as Welsh Rarebit – a nod to the inside joke.

If you’re not a fan of bread and cheese–crazy as that may be–you could do a good turn for someone in need and celebrate “National Food Bank Day” instead.  Whichever you choose to do, someone will get a meal out of it.

Unless I get distracted by something bright and shiny, I’ll be spending at least part of my day building a rolling garden cart for the yard so that I have a place to store flower pots, garden tools, and assorted other gardening stuff.  I’m re-purposing a bunch of random wood and some wheels from my dad’s old workshop–fingers crossed that it all works out for the best and no injuries ensue.

There’s always a first time.

Assuming I still have all ten-fingers in prime working condition after my building project, I’ll be pouring a glass of fresh-made lemonade (I’m still working on perfecting my recipe) and giving today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Last Friday in August!  Hard to believe, isn’t it?  I think of summer as 4just beginning, but the back-to-school supplies and Halloween costumes in the local store paint a different picture.

I’m writing this post on Thursday evening in the remaining hours of “National Dog Day”–one of my favorite day.  My Facebook feed has been full of pictures of dogs, including a few of my own from years past, which provides a welcome distraction from the negative events of the day.

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 27th), then it’s ‘National Just Because Day”, which kind of sounds like a way of saying “we couldn’t think of anything specific to celebrate on this day.”  

“In the late 1950s, Joseph J. Goodwin of Los Gatos, California created Just Because Day. It began as a family holiday and grew into an annual celebration across the United States. National Just Because Day offers up an opportunity to do stuff…just because.  Feel free to celebrate this day any way you choose.  Just because!”

Feel free to interpret the day however you see fit; I’ll probably still be scrolling through dog pictures.

I’ll actually be spending part of my day going to my physical office.  Though we’re continuing to work remotely, there are occasionally some things that I need from the office that I didn’t think to bring home 18 months ago.  I’m hoping my trip will be brief and that I’ll be able to time it so that I can get there and home before the Friday afternoon traffic starts to pile up.

Once I’ve wrapped things up in the office, successfully made it home, and possibly even enjoyed a refreshing adult beverage, I plan to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

The days are just flying by!

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 20th), then today is “Lemonade Day”–a tasty observance, just perfect for sunny summer days.  My lemon tree in the backyard is flourishing, with lemons the size of grapefruits, so Lemonade Day is definitely something I’ll have no trouble celebrating.  It’s also “National Bacon Lover’s Day”, so perhaps I’ll pair a glass of lemonade with a nice Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwich and make a double celebration out of it.

Suddenly I’m looking forward to the day with much more enthusiasm than usual.

This is a regular working Friday for me because I forgot to calendar myself out of the office this week.  That’s probably all for the best since I have edits to make on the article I’ve written for the Day Job and they need to be done by Monday to allow time for the necessary bureaucratic review.  Once that is finalized I have a new blooming vine from the local garden center that needs planting and coaxing around a trellis before it gives up on me and starts taking things into its own hands . . . I mean tendrils.  

Somewhere along the line, I plan to take a break, grab a frosty glass of lemonade and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy Friday! 

I hope you enjoyed the Eight Ladies Serial story that we wrapped up on Monday.  It was fun to watch the story develop day after day and great to see how much creativity we were able to pull out of a set of random words for each installment.

Now that those characters are off living their best lives, it’s time for the rest of us to get back to writing.  And what better way than with a writing prompt and a whole new set of random words.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing this week, though not of the fictional kind.  I’m writing an article for my day job, which may not have a hero and heroine battling through conflicts and obstacles, but it has certainly required quite a bit of creativity and storytelling skills.

I think happily-ever-afters are more my style.

If you’re reading this on Friday (August 13th), then today is “International Lefthanders Day”–an observance I am particularly fond of, being of the lefthanded persuasion.  I remember how thrilled I was as a kid when I got my first pair of left-handed scissors and found an entire store just dedicated to left-handed stuff. Amazing!

Wonder what it’s like to see the world from a “left-handed” point of view? On International Lefthanders Day, August 13, you get to explore that world for a day. Did you know Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were all left-handed?  Rock out with Paul McCartney or Jimi Hendrix, the world’s greatest left-handed guitarist.  (Stevie Ray Vaughan, born right-handed, learned to play a left-handed guitar like his hero, Hendrix). There’s also Oprah Winfrey,  Julia Roberts and Lady Gaga, left-handers all.  In baseball, there were the legendary “southpaws,  Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax.  International Lefthanders Day 2021 will be observed on the 13th of August to celebrate the differences and distinctiveness of left handed individuals.

Once I finish my work article and perhaps take a break to enjoy a refreshing adult beverage, I plan to take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Welcome to the last Friday in July.  Hard to imagine, isn’t it?  Seems like children just got out of school for summer vacation last week, but some are already going back in the next week or two.

I might have to break down and get a calendar so I can keep track.

Happy “National Cheesecake Day” (if you’re reading this on July 30th).  While a slice of cake won’t slow down time, it will make it pass in a tasty manner.  Frankly, I was rather hoping for National Ice Cream Day, but that was a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe I’ll just celebrate it again anyway, just in case I didn’t do a thorough job of it the first time.

Sounds like a plan, right?  

In the meantime it’s “Not My Day Off After All Day” for me today.  A big meeting has come up that I need to attend so, instead of puttering around the house today I’ll be in front of the computer with my headset on.  At least I’ll be able to enjoy a view of the flowers blooming in the yard while I do that.  Not quite the same as a day off, but it will have to do.

Once my meetings are over, I have some roses that are in desperate need of a trim.  Then I plan to turn my recent lemon-tree harvest into a refreshing pitcher of lemonade and take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy “National Vanilla Ice Cream Day” (if you’re reading this on July 23th).  It’s also “National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day”, which sounds like a pretty good combination for a milkshake. 

Personally, I’m holding out for “National Internet Service is Fully Restored Day”.  It has been a full week now of an internet that has been working for random 10-minute intervals here and there or just plain non-existent.  The “repair estimates” have alternated from “soon” to “sometime on Saturday.”

Thank goodness for my cell phone and for being able to work from the office instead of home–though that does mean I’ll have to actually wear shoes and something other than yoga pants.

Ah well, this too shall pass.

Other than wishing for internet service so I can go back to randomly Googling things, I plan to work on perfecting my mixed-drink skills and take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words after work today–though possibly not in that order.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy “National Spinach Day” (if you’re reading this on July 16th).  It’s also “National Corn Fritter Day”, which is not quite so healthy, but they definitely something I remember loving when we had them on “Fish Fridays” when I was a kid.   

It’s also both “World Snake Day” and “Guinea Pig Appreciation Day”.  I’m guessing it might be best to celebrate those separately, just to be on the safe side.  

Frankly, I’m holding out for “National Lay Around the House Reading and Watching Television Day,” but I haven’t been able to find that on any list.  Instead, what I’ve found is a ToDo list that never seems to get any shorter; probably because I keep ignoring it.

Today’s another regular work day for me, so there’s not likely to be a great deal of celebrating to do.  On the plus side, a number of my co-workers are off on vacation, so it is at least likely to be a relatively quiet day.  Our crazy weather has been quite chilly this week (the heater even kicked in one morning!), so whatever I do, I’m not likely to wind up sweaty.  Well, except during my time on the elliptical.  After that I plan to work on perfecting my Gin & Tonic skills and to take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

Happy “World Kebab Day” (if you’re reading this on July 9th) as well as “National Sugar Cookie Day.”  Now if only there was something beverage-related on the list, you’d almost have a meal.  

Looking outside, it appears to be “Summer is Definitely Here” day.   After a few weeks of very temperate weather, Mother Nature has slowly been during up the heat these past few days.  Nothing like the blast-furnace temperatures that other places have been experiencing, but just enough to mark the end of some of the less hardy flowering potted plants that sit on my back deck. 

Apparently those “likes full sun” indicators on the pot labels were not completely accurate.  Time to move the remaining pots into the shade out under the trees for a bit and see how that goes.  I won’t be able to see them from my desk as I’m working (which is why they were on the deck), but at least they’ll still be alive.

Today’s a regular work day for me, with a dentist appointment this afternoon (ugh!), but somewhere along the line I definitely plan to spend some time on the elliptical and to take a shot at today’s writing prompt and random words.

Care to join me? Continue reading →