Friday, September 11, 2009

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 80

This is week 80 of the Saturday Wordzzle challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Had a tough time this week. I guess I say that every week, don't I? Some week's are worse than others, though. Think I must have "renovation" syndrome. Looking forward to reading what everyone has come up with this week.



The words for this week's ten word challenge were: Charitable, alligator, tribute, drunk, slave, preparation, carrots, mountainside, propeller, lark For the mini challenge: chisel, worship, suicide, organic, plus



Today's 10-word:



Martha fought her irritation and was trying to be charitable about the farce that was about to take place. She longed to tell the truth (which in her estimation a blind idiot could have seen), but knew at the same time, that the community of Mountainside, still grieving after the recent tragedies, needed a hero and Martin seemed ready to fill the bill. So she held her tongue, though she knew that the famous "Alligator" killer had lucked into his heroism. Drunk as a skunk he had taken his boat, The Forty Carrots (the idiot couldn't even spell), up the river as a "lark" and had accidentally run the huge monster down, taking it out with the boat's propeller. He had been found scratched up and unconscious next to the gator's huge carcass and somehow the story had gotten out that he had killed it in single-handed combat. Martin, whose reputation had been in need of a boost, did nothing to dispel these rumors and today the town was holding a special award ceremony and dinner in tribute to his service to the community. As she slaved with her neighbors over preparations for the huge feast, Martha comforted her conscience by telling herself that even if it was a drunken accident, the town's children were now safer and free of a dangerous menace. And fame seemed to have sobered her husband up a bit. Now that he had a new reputation, perhaps he would be tempted to live up to it. Time would tell she sighed. She could hope.



The mini:



Janie adored the handsome priest with the chiseled features and the beautiful kind blue eyes. When her brother Jeremy committed suicide, Pastor John had held her hand and let her cry on his shoulder and she had felt safe possibly for the first time in her life. She had signed up for the Worship Committee in hopes of earning his approval. Plus that she volunteered to help with the Church's organic garden and several other activities. The kind young pastor, for his part, did what he could to nurture her spirit while discouraging her crush. It had been a delicate balancing act, but much to his relief and delight, the arrival of a new family with two teen children - one a very nice young boy - had finally begun to turn her heart to healthier dreams. He suspected her relgious fervor might begin to wane, but he took joy in seeing her begin to be happy again.



The mega:

Frank Smith's hands moved so fast that the knives looked like propellers as he chopped up several dozen organic carrots, a dozen onions, a dozen potatoes and a pound and a half of alligator meat in preparation for Mountainside Inn's famous annual cooking contest, a charitable event that raised money to feed the homeless. He hoped that all that plus the best pie crust on earth was sure to make his Tate-Gator Pot Pie a winner. This year's gastronomic creations were to be a tribute to the late great chef, Lark Chisel Sprugo, who had tragically committed suicide two years earlier. Frank had worshipped Lark, whose food could make your soul sing. His generosity to a troubled young man who liked to cook had changed his life, had helped him get into recovery. Putting his pie into the oven at last, he whispered to the air, to himself... "You treated me like a slave in the kitchen and a son outside of it my old friend. Your passion burned so deep that it was like you were drunk on life and taste and you taught me to be drunk on it too... and still be sober. I loved you, old man. I don't understand why you did this to yourself, but I will keep you alive the best way I know how... by cooking the way you taught me to and by feeding people with with all the love my heart and hands can put into what I do." He had to win this year. It was his homage to his friend and teacher, the kindest man he had ever known.



Many thanks to Argent for next week's words.


Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: dangerous, engine, sullenly, bespoke, evergreen, bauble, medicine, freight, destined, tinsel

And for the mini: carbon, feelers, outright, ballet, fizzing




Thanks for playing. For those who are new, here are some guidelines to make the process more fun.




Enjoy! See you next week.




DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR NAME TO MR. LINKY!!!!!



10 comments:

Argent said...

Your 10-worder was great! Such smooth use of the words and I like how you draw in your characters with just a few light strokes.

Your mini told a lovely story. The pastor came across as wise and kind (as they shoudl I suppose, but don't always).

And your mega? Wow! I was quite moved by it, I must say, and the set words slid in soooo smoothly I barely noticed them at all.

Dr.John said...

There is no way to choose between the three today. Each is superb in its own area.
The stories became the center. The words were forgotten.
Wonderful writing.

Richard said...

Loved all three this week. Your stories always have a warm feeling that shows your great heart. My favorite thing this week was the name Lark Chisel Sprugo. Fantastic.

Reston Friends! said...

I was so eager to get going through Mr. Linky I almost forgot to come back to comment!

If this is what renovations do to you, you'll just have to keep going! Even in the glummest of times Raven, you use words masterfully.

I especially like the pastor -- finding joy in the pleasure of others.

Carletta said...

What tough times? :)
Reston Friends said 'you use words masterfully' - yep, I agree!
I loved Forty Carrots and the reference to bad spelling and Tate-Gator Pot Pie sounds a little tempting.

Akelamalu said...

I love the phrase 'drunk as a skunk'!

Pastor John in your mini sounds like the perfect pastor.

Good to hear they put the dead 'gator to good use.

You did a wonderful job on all three Raven. Sorry I didn't have time to play this week. :)

Stephen said...

I liked your stories. In our first stories, we both had alligators killed by propellers, though under different circumstances. As for Martin being a hero, I have a feeling that a lot of heroes don't intentionally set out to be one. Sometimes being a hero is mostly being at the right place at the right time. Perhaps someday they'll make a movie about "Alligator" Martin. In the second story, it's good that the priest was able to help out the young girl, while keeping an appropriate distance. The third story had a nice feeling about it, about a chef making a pot pie in memory of his late mentor. I like pot pies, but I've never had one with alligator in it. It sounds like it might be good, though.

Thanks for reading and commenting on my stories, which I got posted rather late.

Stephen from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
http://stephen-has-spoken.blogspot.com/

CJ said...

I'm not quite sure how I am going to fit ballet, tinsel, and fizzing into next week's writing response.

But, as usual, you posted 3 great responses to this week's words. I especially liked your ten-word one. I think I would skip the alligator pot pie in your mega. I'm not found of reptiles, even dead ones.

DawnTreader said...

I'm late this week getting round to read other people's stories... If you had not said you thought it was hard this week I could not have guessed! Good job with all three. In the last one, I loved the phrase "Lark, whose food could make your soul sing"...

Air said...

I'm still not clear on when the words are posted vs. when the writing is due by. Skipped some, then thought I was on the ball with getting the one from 9/12 in before 9/19. FoRRL says otherwise. Anyway, here's my entry for the 9/12 words.

http://imstumped.blogspot.com/2009/09/words-for-this-weeks-ten-word-challenge.html