Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Dict.”

~ John W. Howell

A picture of a string with drops of water- the logo for SoCS

 

Another night of worry about a random rocket seems to dissipate with the first sip from the fresh hot mug in my hand. All too soon, it is time to figure out what to do with the rocket, though. To that end, a visit to the bathtub has thankfully verified that Pepe La Peu has decamped. Just where he has gone is anyone’s guess.

“Monsieur le Owner.” It is Pepe standing by the door to the backyard. My response is a cool acknowledgment of his presence. He begins to tell me about his action plan, and he is temporarily halted by my upraised hand. “So we are clear, I would like you to dictate your plan into my phone.” A frown crosses his furry forehead. “Mais oui but let me ask why?”

My assurance that we need to fuly understand his plan seems to assuage his concern. He takes my phone and describes the ignition procedure. My hand goes up again. “Oui monsier?” My explanation of the home owners Association rules about igniting rockets with in the community falls on understanding years. “You have a Trebuchet as part of your security system, no?” He goes on to explain that he will use the Trebuchet to loft the rocket out of the neighborhood and then commence with the ignition sequence.

The point is made by me that the Trecuchet might be too small to handle the rocket and suggested the larger ballista might be a better choice. In fact the ballista is scheduled to be delivered today by Amazon Prime.

Pepe agree to wait for the ballista and said he had a text on his phone from Linda Hill. Looking over his shoulder the text reads. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “dict.” Find a word that contains “dict” and use it in your post. Have fun!

If you would like to have fun visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is to join in. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2022/12/09/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-10-2022/

Dict by John W. Howell © 2022

“What the heck is a ballista anyway?”

“It’s a big ole rock throwing catepult used in ancient times.”

“And you had to order one?”

“Yeah. Came recommended by Dan the same guy who sold me the Trebuchet.”

“You know people are going to start talking about you.”

“I would hope they would grab a dictionary and look these things up.”

“Clever.”

“What?”

“How you worked dictionary in there.”

“Didn’t think about it.”

“Well, anhow folks aree going to think you are off your rocker with all these security devices.”

“It’s a dangerous world out there.”

“Oh stop. You just like to write about that stuff.”

“Okay you caught me. Was fun to work the ballista into the story.”

“When is this crazyness going to be over.”

“You mean Pepe and the Rocket?”

“Yeah what else would I mean?”

“I guess he will have it all figured out next week. By the way I did not know Pepe was an MIT grad and validictorian I might add..”

“Okay that’s it. Time for more predictable substance.”

“You mean beer don’t you?”

“I do and you’re buying.”

“I bought last week.”

“I don’t mean to contradict you but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Don’t we share the cost?”

“You are the only one with money.”

“I forgot. Okay, text Uber.”

“Fandango is on his way.”

73 thoughts on “Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Dict.””

  4. Hmm, I’m wondering if I should read my HOA manual. Nope, I think I’ll pass. I just can’t face that tome. All the do’s and don’ts overwhelm me, but I’ll just learn from your escapades, John, and laugh while I do. Enjoy the day! 🌞

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Do not go near that manual, Gwen. If you do, at best, you’ll need a nap. At worst, you’ll realize you have been guilty of several violations and now owe the HOA $5,000. (Good thing no one caught you, right?) 😁

      Like

  8. I was on my way to looking up ‘ballista’ – thanks for the definition. Now I’ve learned something today. Oddly enough, Rockler has been littering my web crawling with plans to build something that looks like a ballista.

    Great job on the prompt, John. Good luck with the HOA.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. John,
    I purchased our ballista about two months ago. I’ve had fun with it. Love giving the squirrels a ride into the forest behind our house. I bought mine at Costco and might return it for the next model up. I need more distance since some of the critters are coming back.
    Enjoy yours and let me know what else you do with it besides rockets.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Jan. You can use that word everywhere you go. In fact you can substitute it for other words like when you are at Starbucks. You can refer to the barista as a ballista. When caught you can just say “quoi.”

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Hmm, prediction!
    Pepe’s plan works, you get rid of the rocket, but he has become addicted to your coffee, bath and bath bombs.
    He stinks the place up, again.
    Then, you use the trebuchet!
    🐂🦨🤢🐂🦨🤢🐂🦨🤢
    PS. You will pay for the beer forever!
    🍺💋🍺💋🍺💋

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, my plan… devised from hours of Looney Tunes, and your Saturday posts!
        LOL!
        You seem happy about paying forever.
        Where’s the nearest wine bar?
        🍷🐂🦨🤢🐂🦨🤢🐂🦨🤢🍷

        Liked by 1 person

  25. Okay, I confess. I Googled trebuchet and ballista as soon as I knew Pepe was out of the bathtub. Now I better understand the mechanism to remove the rocket. Next week will be very telling. And how much did this cost on Amazon? Pepe has always been a smooth operator, so I doubt he offered to pay.

    Liked by 1 person

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