Today, I randomly opened Circumstances of Childhood to page 159, pointed to the page with my eyes closed, and my finger fell on the word “laundering.” This will be the prompt today.
Laundering by John W. Howell © 2025
“What are you doing?”
“The laundry. What does it look like?”
“I’m not really sure. I thought laundering was done in a machine.”
“Yeah, well, this is the best we’ve got. Rocks and the river bank.”
“That looks like a hard way to go.”
“If you have a better idea, I’d like to hear it.”
“No offense, but I can’t see how you do the laundry.”
“See this rock?”
“Yes.”
“I take this crawfish here and hit it on the rock.”
“So you are having lunch. Why did you say laundry?”
“Any fool could see I was eating. Asking what I was doing begged for a smart-assed answer.”
“I suppose.”
“Besides, I didn’t want to ask you to share my lunch.”
“Yeah, I really get that. I can get my own lunch.”
“Don’t be touching these crawfish. They’re mine.”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to hit that new restaurant.”
“The one with the spicy food?”
“Yeah.”
“How can you stand that heat?”
“I avoid it.”
“How?”
“I look for French fries and salad when I enter the dumpster. I leave the hot stuff to the rats.”
“Well, it seems that no self-respecting raccoon needs to dumpster dive. You can always fish.”
“With you guarding the river?”
“Okay, you got me there. Here, have a few mussels.”
“Oh, I’m allergic.”
“Then it’s the dumpster.”
“How about a crawfish?”
“I caught these myself. Why don’t you catch your own?”
“And get wet?”
“You sure you are a raccoon like me? You sound more like a pussy cat.”
“Hey, I got the mask.”
“You do. I think you are hiding behind it.”
“Okay, step aside, I’m going into the river for crawfish.”
“Atta boy.”
Fiction Favorites 
I wouldn’t have pegged them for raccoons, John… Nicely done…
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Thank you, Jaye. 😀
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haha, maybe the guy is a coon cat!!
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A good ole Maine Coon. We had one of those.
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Me too.
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😊
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I always thought raccoons see dumpsters a gourmet restaurants.
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I think city raccoons do. These country coons are a little stuck up.
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I always depend on your humor to lift my spirits, especially following a blood draw when the tech had to stab twice to hit her mark. I bet a raccoon could have found it on the first try. I’ll read your story to the doc unless I use my allocated 15 minutes on medical stuff. Cross your fingers.
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Glad you get a lift, Steve. I’m so happy you like my silliness. 😊
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It’s pure in adulterated humor, John. Well, maybe a little ‘adultered’…
Besides, we birds of a feather have to stick together!
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So true. Thanks.
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What a riot! And I thought humans just had a hard time deciding what to eat. This is hilarious!
Yeah, leave it for the rats. They’ll eat anything. Oh my gosh…😆
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I know, right? OMG. 😳 Thanks, Lois.
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Racoons being picky about what they eat is entertaining to me, John.
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I’m glad you liked it, Tim.
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You kept me guessing on this one, John. I had no idea these were raccoons!
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I’m glad I gotcha.
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Ha! Another good one, John. You had me at crawfish and rock. 🙂
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Thank you, Jan. So glad you liked the story. 😊
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Oh those racoons sure can outsmart us alright! Pesky things!
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Yes, they can. Once, I had a pair come through the dog door each night and eat the cat’s kibble. We finally caught on.
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oh wow… good thing. Hunter had an altercation with one and won the fight but I don’t want to revisit that every again! 🙏🏼
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That is the stuff of nightmares.
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I hadn’t figured on raccoons, John, but at least one of them is plenty smart!
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Yes. It is a good thing, too.
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They are incredibly intelligent and determined little buggers.
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Yes, they are.
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Just wade on out there, buddy. And maybe rinse some of that hot sauce off your tail while you’re out there.
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Good advice. 😀
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Fooled me again! I thought it was seagulls talking.
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The dumpster diving told me something was up, John. I could just picture these two on the river bank. Another fun story!
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That is where they were, Diana. Thanks.
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I kept guessing what they were – didn’t figure out raccoons! Well done, John.
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Thank you, Esther.
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The path of this tail is winding but wonderful. Very imaginative, John.
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Thank you, Pat. So glad you liked it.
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What a fun and clever twist on the prompt, John! You had me smiling from the first line—laundering, crawfish, and raccoons? Brilliantly unexpected and so entertaining. The dialogue crackles with wit and personality, and I could almost picture those two mischievous raccoons bantering by the riverbank. There’s something delightfully human about their conversation, too—hunger, pride, resourcefulness, and a dash of sass.
Thanks for turning an ordinary word into such an imaginative and chuckle-worthy story. If anyone needs more doses of humor (especially from a twin mom’s perspective!), I’d love to welcome you over at Twin Chaos & Toddler Giggles or on Instagram @twintales2025. There’s plenty of “laundry” and chaos on my end too—though not as tasty as crawfish!
Keep these gems coming!
Warmly,
Diya
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The crawfish sound like a much better dining option than the dumpstet!
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I would say so. Maybe a little Cajun seasoning.
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Clever dear friend. Love this !
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I’m so glad you liked it, Holly.
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Very much , John!
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😊
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🌷
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🌹
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[…] Tuesday – Anything Possible – Finger Point Prompt – “Laundering.” […]
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Thank you, James, for the share
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When I lived in Connecticut, I had to fight those critters. They were cute but devious. And reading your clever dialogue makes me think you’ve dealt with a few as well. Bravo, John, another great story. 😊
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Thank you, Gwen. When living in Connecticut, we had a couple who moved in one night, and we found them two or three days later. in an upstairs bedroom.
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OMG! Well, your story beats mine. 😄They got into our garage and made a home there. Says something about the garage, doesn’t it. 🙄
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Must be a very nice garage. 😊
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Tee hee…good job, John. Initially I thought maybe sea gulls but love that it turned out to be trash pandas. Well done, sir.
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Thank you, Monika. 😀
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What happened to the raccoons of the 50s? They had much sweeter spirits, didn’t cuss, only ate out of garbage cans, and hung out in trees.🐳
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The whole world is changing, I’m telling you. Thanks for the observation, Jim.
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When I read your title, my first thought was that you’d go with money laundering. I wasn’t disappointed. These masked bandits were fun to listen to 🌞
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Glad you liked it, Dave.
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😀
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😊
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It is great fun to follow your tales, beginning with one word. The mask line was a chuckle. Thanks for the share, John.
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I’m glad you found a chuckle in there. 😊
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🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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😀
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