Weekly (ish) Wordzzle Challenge # 160

Well, I'm going to give Wordzzles another go and see what happens. Probably everyone has forgotten all about it, but I guess we'll see. On the off chance that somebody new is passing by and intrigued by the idea, there's a link down towards the bottom where you can find a bit more information about how wordzzles work, but in short, the idea is to use the words and phrases in as condensed but coherent a paragraph as possible. I'm not big on rules. Some write longer pieces using the words. There have been - back in more active days - a couple of brilliant wordzzle novels. The main reason for trying it, is that it's fun and a good creative stimulant for writers who want to exercise their talent and for non writers who like a word challenge.  


I am finally done. Out of practice. These aren't very good, so I guess it's a good thing that probably nobody will read them. Sigh.

Words for this week's challenge were: speak, open door policy, teenagers, laughter, operation, Portugal, property, grave yard, sugar plum fairy, muskcrats   And for the mini: whales, ferns, purchase, sparkling cider, tranquilizers


My mega:

Margaret Portugal sat quietly on her back porch, contentedly sipping a glass of sparkling cider and  listening to the excited chatter of the half dozen teenagers who had gathered in her living room. The sound of their laughter was better than a whole bottle of tranquilizers, she thought. She happily maintained an open door policy for all her daughter's friends and for all her neighbors. Sugar Plum Fairy Farm, as she had named the estate, was a healing mecca for young and old alike. It was a place of rare peace and beauty, and magical in the truest sense of the word.  How amazing life was sometimes.  Three years ago, before her operation, it had seemed she might be ready for the grave yard, but miraculously she had lived and as though the Universe sought to reward her suffering, the lottery ticket a friend had given her for Christmas had turned out to be a big winner. She had used a portion of her winnings to purchase this magical property and had moved herself and her daughter to this glorious world of ferns and flowers, muskcrats and woodchucks, birds and butterflies. In the distance on a good day - you could even see an occasional whale surfacing in the waters of the Sound. She had, so to speak, found Paradise... and in so doing, seemed to have found herself as well.  The music of her daughter's laughter and that of her friends sang in her ears. Life is good, she thought. Life is good.



My 10-word:

From the time they were teenagers, Martin Speak and his brother Mike had been planning Operation Portugal. - they could no longer remember why they had named it that - as a surprise for their parents, whose generosity and kindness was legendary among their friends. Although their little house was situated next to a grave yard, it had been a place of laughter, lively discussion, and good food. Their parents had maintained an open door policy for their friends and they were loved by every young person in town for their open hearts and wise counsel. The boys had always felt that they deserved a home more worthy of their generous spirits and had saved and searched and worked until they were finally able to purchase the property outside of town known as Muskrat Farm. They had spent the past two years - assisted by many of their friends who loved their parents almost as much as they did - renovating the old farm house and landscaping the grounds.  A group of the girls from the old days had designed a special spot they called the Sugar Plum Fairy gardens full of roses and a wide range of flowers that were easy to care for and would bloom all year long.  The culmination of the plan had gone perfectly. They had driven their parents out to show them this beautiful farm they had seen while driving, given them a tour, leading them at the last into the spacious kitchen where all the people who loved them were gathered to share in the joy of giving them the key and the news that the place was theirs. It was a glorious event... and like the little place next to the grave yard, Muskrat Farm became a warm haven for all comers.


The mini:

Watching whales, Fern Walker thought, was worth a dozen tranquilizers. The only side-effect was a sense of wonder that you couldn't purchase no matter how much you spent and that would stay with you forever. The cheese cake and sparkling cider were nice too. She turned, smiled at her husband and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Best birthday ever. Thank you, baby.

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Words for next week's 10-word challenge: silly, pink polka-dots, charging bull, paragon of virtue, landscape,  execution, ample bosoms, park bench, magic, tree stump

And for the mini: windows, pollution, space ship, little person, cheese cake

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.