The coffee machine has the day off. Here’s what happened. Daughter went to Costa Rica and brought back some coffee. The coffee was already ground, so using the machine to brew a cup was not impossible, but it was close to it. A French Press was conscripted into action. Boiling water, tablespoons of coffee, and a four-minute wait was almost like camping out.
Finally, the cup is ready. The coffee is remarkably smooth compared to Columbian. It has a floral finish, which could be offsetting if one is unfamiliar with that element. The primary benefit of caffeine delivery is accomplished, so in the end, it is a success.
Just at the finish of the cup, the Westminister chime doorbell causes Twiggy and Tempeste to take up the protective high-octave warning system that can cause the ears to bleed. Wondering why people can’t pay attention to the “PLEASE DO NOT RING THE DOORBELL” sign is beyond me. The shutdown of the security system begins.
The turret machine guns are set to stand by, the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off, and the automated arrow launching pods are unarmed. In addition, the Trebuchet, ballista, and falling rock device are switched to manual. The claymore mines are set to manual, the mote net rolled back, and the concertina wire retracted. The Iron gate is raised, and the bolts are thrown on the front door.
Standing there is a guy with a mug that looks like Al Capone. He has a letter and says it needs to be signed for receipt. He also has a clipboard and tells me to sign on line four. I do that, and he hands me the letter. “Don’t leave town,” he says. Before my response, he turns and walks away.
I open the letter, which is from Linda Hill. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mug.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2024/10/25/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-26-2024/
Mug by John W. Howell © 2024
“There was no cartoon character.”
“Yeah, just a creepy guy telling me not to leave town,”
“What does it mean?”
“If I didn’t know better, I would say someone is trying to intimidate me.”
“Who would do that?”
“Beats me.”
“Should you call someone?”
“Like who?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Yosemite Sam.”
“We don’t need that hassle, for sure. How about we go to the pub and forget it?”
“Imagine that. You bring up the pub. I have an Uber right over there.”
photo by Dan Antion
“Look at that. A 1940 Ford Tudor Delux.”
“Yeah, it’s a beaut. And good news. No bugs in the teeth either.”
“This can make one forget troubles immediately.”
“Good cause that is want needs to be done.”
“Let’s go.”
Fiction Favorites 
Hilarious! I thoroughly enjoyed your SoCS whilst sipping tea from grey seal mug, John 🤣
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Thanks for letting me know. I can visualize the mug and the steaming tea. 😁
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Was the Puerto Rican coffee a real gift? Oddly curious how much reality goes into some of these posts.
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Yeah it was a gift. Daughter forgot that we have a bean grinder so she brought some already ground. For the machine to use it is a real mess. The French press solved the problem.
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Congrats on finding a solution. Hope it wasn’t an early morning issue.
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No we had some time. We could have just punched the machine if we got into trouble and had the usual.
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Good job with “mug,” John. I found this one harder than most. That coffee sounds delicious. Four minutes? That had to be hard to watch.
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The four minutes seemed like four hours for sure. Especially when our machine is instantaneous. Thanks, Dan.
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What a beautiful car, dear John.
Great text that made us smile.
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, Klausbernd. Wishing the F4oC a super weekend.
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I love the coffee selection Boss. I’ve got to get back to a more varied cafe collection. It’s been all Bustelo basically all the time for me lately. Not that I’m complaining.
Thanks for putting a smile on my mug this morning with this story, pal. I’ll salud you with a mug of cerveza tonight . Going to a Halloween party, should be fun.
PS- Nice ride!
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Halloween parties can be fun with the right crew. I’ll be doing the VooDoo Ranger (Duh) Been thinking of switching to Bourbon as the weather gets cooler. Problem is the weather isn’t getting cooler.
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It was a fun group. Sitting around the campfire with beverages and good food AND a haunted house to walk through.
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Sounds terrific.
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It was.
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😊
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I like cinnamon in my coffee occasionally, I never had a floral taste.
Love the car, Dan – great choice John.
Eeeeeeek! Oops, sorry, I hit the doorbell by accident.
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That’s okay, GP. I got the pups off the ceiling without much trouble. The floral note was different for sure. I’ve been doing cappuccinos with a hint of caramel on the weekends. Very nice. 😊
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Our little treats, eh?
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😁
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I love the use of “mug” in a film noir/hardboiled detective context. Perfect Uber for the tail!
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I liked the word mug in that context too. Thanks, Liz.
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You’re welcome, John! 😀
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😊
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Coffee time! A guy telling you not to leave town could be threatening, but it could also be a warning. That Ford would be a great ride.
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It would be a great ride, Tim. Yeah I think being advised not to leave town is a reason to leave town.
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Well, John, at least you have an early warning system in two dogs, and if they truly make ears bleed, you will not have to worry about uninvited guests. My cats wait at the door and look at visitors like “Got chicken? Got pets and rubs?”
I’m screwed. 😉
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Ha ha ha. You need to get a French bulldog recording. Thanks, Mary.
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Great coffee description. It really sounds good. Whenever you do a coffee skit it makes me stop my early morning reading and go get coffee. Thanks as always when you do your security system. I love reading the particulars. thanks, Tom
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So glad you liked it. I hope you enjoyed the coffee too, Tom
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Sounds like you don’t need all that extra protection with Twiggy and Tempeste at the ready! And two mugs in one story (coffee and Capone)!
You know I love antique cars so that Uber can take me anywhere!
PS My son took his the girlfriend to their junior prom in an old car owned by Al Capone that we rented for the occasion. Complete with some bullet holes.
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How cool on the Al Capone car. Thanks for sharing, Noelle.
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I agree. That 1940 Ford Tudor Delux is a beaut!! Better not leave town in it. 🙂
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Yes. Start it remotely is the key.
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Nice shiny ride, John. Have a great weekend. While I love French Pressed coffee, it does that forever for it to be ready. Here’s hoping it was tasty enough to make the wait worthwhile. Have a great and now, hopefully a quiet weekend.
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It was tasty, Monika. The floral note threw me at the first sip but it was certainly smooth.
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We use a French Press when we have coffee at home. But hubby usually goes out to a local coffee shop for his first coffee (with the dogs) in the morning. Then they come home, pick me up and we go to the beach for a walk and a coffee at a beach café. All of this happens before 10 am!
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Sounds divine, Darlene. Take some photos on your walk and do a post.
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Now there’s an idea. Thanks.
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Would be fun for us.
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Ah, Yosemite Sam…one of my favorite cartoon characters–you low-down bushwackin’ varmint! He had a vocabulary like no other.
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Yes indeed. Thanks for the rendition, Lois.
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ha ha that was an entertaining read. I loved “the boiling oil cauldron tipping mechanism is turned off”. I am now going to get a cup off coffee, not Costa Rican though.
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Glad you liked it Thomas
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Who could resist that ford!!! I thought the coffee would never come! Lol 😂
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Me too. I can’t believe how long four minutes is when the low caffeine warning light is blinking. 😁
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I know, drives me crazy… lol 😝
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😁
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A fun mixture in your post! Now I’m imagining Yosemite Sam driving that car. I get the sense that Sam would not be a very careful driver.
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He would need a big phone book to see out. Then someone would need to operate the pedals. Might be an accident waiting to happen. Thanks, Dave.
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Love your Uber!
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It is a beauty. 😊
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Very cool car. Hopefully the pub isn’t just outside town.
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Yeah let’s hope it is a few miles.
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That is a gorgeous car! 🤩 Yosemite Sam was an unexpected and fun character appearance. 🤠👍🏻
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Thank you, Michele. 😁
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😊
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😊
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So, no Toby?
Couldn’t resist, seeing as how I looked up where the term “mug” for a face came from.
Love it when you shut down your security system! I’m just wondering what type of mote’s you are catching in the net, or just all motes in general.
Don’t leave town? Hmm…??? What have you done?
That car is right out of a Noir Movie. I adore it. It’s so…. noir!
☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮
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Noir Are Us. I’m not sure what I’ve done. I guess I should leave town and find out.
I like this ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮
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𒈮 is cuneiform for mug…. who knew?
… and it’s in the emojis?
So, you’re not worried about leaving town, and getting gunned down?
There could be a contract out on you! Yosemite has a bone to pick, and I hear he’s lookin’ for work.
Just sayin’. Watch your back!!!!
☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮
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Here is my rear facing radar 👀
☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮 ☕️𒈮
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Okay, front and back are covered.
Take this Crystal ball so you can see in all other directions. 🔮𒈮
Here’s a hole to lug around, in case you need to dive! 🕳𒈮
This is for a full on attack 💣𒈮
And when it’s all over ☕️𒈮 ahhhhhh!
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Thank you for all of that stuff. I’m now protected. 🏆X
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I think you need to call Yosemite Sam. Maybe he’ll show up to help? The Uber is a drive anyone would die for. Al Capone pun intended.
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I agree. It is a great ride. Thanks Jennie.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Coffe obviously worth the hassle! That good of the Daughter bless. As for the guy at the I reckon Linda paid him just to pull your leg☺️
Enjoy your beer that car looks gorgeous 💜💜
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I think you are right about the guy. Thanks, Willow.
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Don your old suit and fedora and feel right at home in that ride! It’s a cool car.
I got a new mug over the week-end a Battle Born themed one (Nevada’s unofficial motto). I think I’ll have my first cuppa in it this morning. Cheers, John!
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I hope that cup was good. Thanks, Deborah.
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