Friday, December 18, 2009

Saturday Wordzzle Challenge: Week 93


This is week 93 of the Saturday Wordzzle Challenge. Anyone new to the process can refer back here to find out how it works. Still bitterly cold here. Was 5 degrees last night but has warmed up to a balmy 20 at present. The sun is out, though, which at least in my cozy little house, makes it feel less miserable. Of course I'm inside, which also helps.

I'm thinking that what with Christmas and New Year's Day both landing on Friday, this year, maybe I should have another wordzzle break and bring us back on the 8/9th of January (next YEAR!). I suggest this on the theory that those of you with real lives will be busy with children and grand children and shopping and parties and cooking family dinners and the other exciting things that people who leave their houses engage in. So... until next year....

A note to the Dragons. I'm sorry that you don't like the phrases and would prefer lists of single words, but from my perspective, the mix of phrases is part of where the real challenge lies and I have to go where the muse takes me. It takes me to strange wordy places, sometimes - I grant you that - but much as I respect Dragons, the Muse is the ruler of this particular challenge. That said, you are welcome to supply us with a list or lists for future weeks. We Ravens are a lazy lot, and love a break whenever we can get one.


Words for this week's 10-word challenge were: spaghetti, woe is me, mythology, avarice, windy, pathetic, paper towels, water, all my children, books And for the mini: best deals of the week, Nobel Peace Prize, sleep deprived, cauliflower, practice


My 10-word:

Woe is me
cried the beleaguered mother of 2 sets of twins - all 4 children under age 6. All my children love spaghetti and eat with a level of avarice that is almost frightening, she moaned. There's not enough paper towel and water to get them clean after one of these meals. I'm so tired it's pathetic and their father disappears like leaves on a windy day when there's dirty work to be done. I get the hard part and he gets "Book Time." The stories of Greek mythology are their favorites. They are going to grow up to be quite something, my kids, but if I don't get some help from him soon, my husband will not live to see it.



The mini:

Best Deals of the Week,
the ad screamed is garden fresh Cauliflower. But I hate cauliflower, Melinda moaned. She was seriously sleep deprived, practicing her speech about the breakthrough that she and Melvin had made in the field (ironically) of dream research. She was so excited about their discoveries and her own dreams included the joy of accepting the Nobel Peace Prize and the glory and big check that went with it. Dreams were good, she though, nodding off, except when they involved giant talking heads of cauliflower.



The maxi:


It was fun seeing my book listed as one of the best deals of the week, especially this one. Of all my children's books, my favorite is the one that won a Nobel Peace Prize for literature - and not just because it won, either. I wrote it at such a strange time in my life... I was sleep deprived and feeling pathetic and all "woe is me," and tragic. I was living on a diet of cauliflower and spaghetti - an awful combination of foods, but all I could afford. I had started a practice of daily meditation and of trying to live my life with "meditative mindfulness." Let me tell you in all truth, that I thought it was a load of hogwash, but I was pretty desperate so I had been sticking with it because a major depression was sucking me in like quicksand and I didn't want to drown. So, anyway, one morning I got up from a very unpeaceful meditation and knocked a glass of water over in the process. I was starting to freak out when I remembered the whole mindfulness thing so I slowed myself down and tore the paper towel gently from the roll and sat and watched as the liquid miraculously soaked up into it's pockets. I don't know exactly what happened next except that the whole mythology of the town of Avarice Mountain along with Windy Wilson, Samson Songbird and the others sprang into my mind fully developed, like they had been there all along. It was as though something in me had been set free. After that all I had to do was write it down. And two years later - another miracle - I was a best selling author and then a Nobel Prize winner. Needless to say, I continue to meditate and ideas continue to flow and best of all, I'm married and even though they don't know that Mama wrote them, the Avarice Mountain books are my own children's favorites. How cool is that!


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Words for next week's 10-word challenge are: space cadet, silver lining, wood, turtle soup, minaret, ice, grease, sales, mandala, mug


And for the mini: broken bones, slide rule, garbage, Chinese, sanguine




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



Enjoy! See you in two weeks!






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




11 comments:

quilly said...

Your 10 word was my favorite. i loved it and laughed aloud! Good job, Raven.

bettygram said...

Those fathers need to get going in the helping end of things.
What a horrible combination Cauliflower and Spaghetti.

Maude Lynn said...

That first story is priceless!

Argent said...

I love the 10-worder! I can't imagine the mayhem 2 lots of toddling terrors might inflict!
You mini was its usual neatly witty self. Giant talking collies sound scary!
I'd like to read the Avarice mountain books too! Sandy Songbird and Windy Wilson - great names!

I struggled a good bit this week and am running a bit late, but you've made it look pretty easy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Dr.John said...

I liked all three. The first one had some funny moments but the last one hads a "Gee that was nice" tone to it.
Good writing.

Fandango said...

As usual you produced three great stories. WE liked the last one best.
We do wish your muse wasn't so stubborn but we will keep trying anyway.

Larry said...

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my first try and yes I will be back i love writing and when ever there is a story to be written I'm not fat away.
May yopu also have a great Christmas alsi and many many more.
Larry

DawnTreader said...

I've had a busy week this week - in spite of having no "real life" ;) [in the sense no children or grandchildren] ... Was thinking I'd skip this week's challenge; but now seeing there is going to be a break until next year, I ought to be able to catch up in between - both with my own story and with reading others'... Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, and I'll be back!

Stephen said...

I liked your stories. The 10 word story is probably my favorite. I liked the line about the father disappearing "like leaves on a windy day." In the mini story, I thought the ending mentioning the dreams of giant talking cauliflower was good. In the last story, I'm glad that the woman was able to realize her dreams of winning the Nobel Prize and being a best selling chidren's author. Her stories sound like they would be interesting to read.

I'm running very late, but I have my own stories up now.

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

Don't Feed The Pixies said...

excellent stories as usual - if you would like some words one week let me know how to contact you

DawnTreader said...

I'm making a very late entry here, trying to catch up before I go on to #94...