The aroma of coffee fills the air, and while a spruce-up of the machine takes place, a thought comes to me. When the machine delivers the coffee, there must be another trip into the past. The coffee pours forth from the spouts into my cup as if answering a wish. The crema finish lets me know the sipping time is near.
Drinking coffee and setting the clock to December 23, 1620. This is the day the pilgrims started the permanent settlement in Plymouth Massecuctiuts. The time on site is set for two hours; before the coffee is done, we are here.
There is much activity as the Mayflower dropped anchor two days ago in Plymouth Harbor. Today, the pilgrims begin work on dwellings that will shelter them through their brutal first winter in America. Miles Standish is leading the building efforts. The task is formidable since housing will be required for 102 passengers. In the meantime, the Mayflower will be used as the dwelling while the houses are built.
Miles Standish is agreeable to an interview. Getting past the awkwardness of trying to explain my presence, one question is asked. What is the biggest challenge so far? His answer is”Finding enough food for all these people.”
The alarm interrupted the conversation, and my warm living room displaced Plymouth’s cold and windy coastline. A text is coming, and it is from Linda Hill. It reads. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “spruce.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy! You can visit her post if you want to see what other bloggers have done with the prompt. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2023/12/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-23-2023/
Spruce by John W. Howell © 2023
“I thought you would go see Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose.”
“That never occurred to me.”
“It was a giant plane built out of wood.”
“I know the story. I’m just saying it never came to mind.”
“So what were you thinking?”
“I focused on December 23 and remembered the Pilgrims were starting to build a permanent settlement.”
“I’ll bet the houses were made of spruce.”
“We don’t know that, but pine would have been more available given the location.”
“So, how was it at Plymouth.”
“Windy and cold.”
“I read where only 53 passengers and half of the crew survived that first winter.”
“Yeah. It was a tough one for sure.”
“Lucky for us, we have an established pub to go to.”
“And let me guess, you have ordered the Uber.”
“I sure have. It’s right over there.”
“Near that airplane.”
“The spruce Goose, you mean?”
“Where did all that water come from?”
“What’s the title of this blog?”
“Fiction Favorites.”
“Fiction means we have water.”
“So we fly to the pub?”
“No, we glide on our water. That’s allowed in fiction.”
“Well, okay, it should be fun.”
Fiction Favorites 
That plane is going to be a pain to park. I’d be scared about going that far back in the past. One germy breath and goodbye time-stream stability.
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So true. Maybe next time I will wear a mask. 😊
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All that I can say is that I feel blessed to be living in the here and now, with a warm home and hot beverages. Have a merry and wonderful Christmas, John!
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Thank you, Mary. Wishing you a Merry Christmas as well. 😊
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Gliding on water sounds fun. It would be a first for me. Enjoy your coffee, John, and keep indulging your imagination. 😉
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It is an indulgence for sure, Gwen. Thank you.
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That’s an amazing ride to the pub, John! Will you have to swim in for your beer? 😀
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I think we will get door dash delivery. I hadn’t worked that out yet. Might even use a raft.
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Gliding over the water would be safer, John. Too bad you couldn’t have given Miles a few cans of Spam, but I guess that would disrupt the whole universe in ways we can’t imagine.
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If the Pilgrims were given Spam for their first Christmas in the New World, they would have turned the Mayflower around and gone back to the Old World.
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Haha – you’re probably right, Liz.
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😀
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Very good, Liz. I think you are so right.
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Vile stuff.
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😊
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Yeah it would be a problem. For one thing we would have spam for Thanksgiving. Nor sure we could all handle that. Saw you went to Spruce Goose too. What fun.
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It was too tempting. I didn’t think about Spam as a tradition. Yeah, don’t mess.
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Okay. We’ll leave it Turkey.
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Is there anything better than an amazing crema on a cuppa? I can practically smell it now.
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Nothing better. Thanks, Monika.
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Well, the Spruce Goose seemed like a good idea at the time. Catching a ride/glide in it would be fun, though, experiencing a piece of history.
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Yes it would. I have always been fascinated by Howard Hughes.
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So have I.
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😊
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And it was fun indeed. I liked this combination of two different points in the past, and the present too. Hugs.
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Thank you, Teagan.
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I love that you chose to go toe Plymouth since I know it so well! Sorry you couldn’t stay longer – they could have used your help. But I’ll take a ride in the Spruce Goose any day!
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Thank you, Noelle. I’m with you on the ride.
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Well done, John. I hope you glide into a brilliant and wonderful Christmas Holiday. Cheers! 🍷
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Thank you, Deborah.
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😀
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You might have to shrink down to fit in that particular plane. One can admire the tenacity of the early settlers and weep for those that didn’t make it. Would we have the same gumption?
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It is hard to think about the hardships. I’m not sure we woud make it today.
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I’d rather glide along the water than fly over it. Where can I get my ticket! Well done, John! Happy Saturday!
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Happy Saturday to you Jill *sung to the tune of Where or When by Dion and the Belmonts
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I love fiction! It makes the Uber rides such an adventure.
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The Spruce Goose to the pub – perfect!
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😁
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Heck yeah! That pub could be in Singapore or Dublin and still within reach.
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😁
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Hi John that was a very interesting post and it got me to think how hard it must of been for those brave pilgrims! I have probably already told you that I have visited Plymouth when visiting my sister who was working in New York we took a break and spent a week in Boston. The guides their gave us a good sense of how things were back then. ….it must of been a hard Christmas for them.
Well our Christmas like theirs has come and gone and it’s Boxing Day today. I hope you’ve had a great time and that you are all relaxed today. Love and best wishes to you and yours for 2024 💜💜
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Enjoy boxing day, Willow and I’m wishing you a very happy New Year. I agree the times were tough for the Pilgrims. I used to visit Boston a lot when working (I lived in Connecticut) and enjoyed learning about life in early America. I also vacationed in the Cape and had the opportunity of visiting Plymouth as well. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🤗
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It’s a beautiful place I will never forget. I like Cape Cod and Nantucket too.
We are just off to visit the grandchildren children. Have a great day and a happy, healthy New Year 💜💜
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😁
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