Tuesday – Anything Possible – Creative Kue #211 by Keith Channing

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 39 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The Photo.

“What’s that guy doing?”

“I hear tell humans have this thing that captures your soul.”

“Oh, come on. No one can capture a soul.”

“I’m just saying.”

“You didn’t answer my question. What’s he doing?”

“See that eye that he has brought up to his face?”

“The one with Minolta written on it?”

“That’s the one.”

“What is he doing?”

“Man. I got the question. I’m not sure I have the answer. Quit asking already.”

“Okay, then do you think he will hurt us?”

“Another unknown to me, but I don’t think we shouldn’t take any chances.”

“Think we out to spring out of here?”

“You’ve been hanging around those Springboks again, haven’t you?”

“No matter. What should we do?”

“I say we charge. There are three of us and only one of him.”

“When’s the last time you charged anything?”

“Yeah, big talk coming from a turn tail.”

“You two make me sick. Are we going to stand her looking like a 70’s rock group caught by the paparazzi?”

“I say we saunter off into the brush.”

“The brush gives me a rash. I’m not doing that.”

“Do you think a shot of our rear would be enough to scare him away?”

“Worth a try.”

“On three we’ll turn around.”

“What I like about you, Leroy is you use the KISS method of problem-solving.”

“KISS? What’s that?”

“Keep It Simple Stupid.”

“Who you calling stupid.”

“Shut up Harry. No one was talking to you.”

“I can beat your butt you know.”

“Stop fellas. We need to turn. One, Two—”

“Hold it. He’s walking away.”

“Look at that. Just the mention of our rear and he turns tail.”

“Ha ha ha. The power of the rump. Who wants to get lunch?”

“I hear there are some wildflowers at the waterhole.”

“Let’s go. I’m famished.”

“You know we could have taken that guy.”

“Hush, Berry. It’s over.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Soul/Sole”

March 16, 2019March 15, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

It is Stream of Conscious Saturday time again. This weeks prompt is “soul/sole.” To quote Linda Hill. “Use one, use both, use ’em any way you like. Enjoy!” If you would like to participate, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is to get carried away and enjoy. Here is a link. https://lindaghill.com/2019/03/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-16-19/

“Bless my soul what is wrong with me?”

“Huh?”

“I’m itchy as a man on a fuzzy tree.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“I’ve been listening to some rock.”

“Oh, I get it. Elvis and “All Shook Up.”

“Well, that was one of the songs.”

“But one you found worthy of quoting.”

“I guess so.”

“How about some others?”

“Yeah, Soul Man by Sam and Dave.”

“Good one.”

“Soul and Inspiration by the Righteous Brothers.”

“One of my favorites.”

“Stoned Soul Picnic by the 5th Dimension.”

“I could never understand what stoned soul was.”

“A little Soul by Wilson Pickett.”

“I get the idea. You want anything from the store?”

“All About Soul by Billy Joel.”

“Let’s transition away from soul and think store.”

“American Soul by U2.”

“Alright. I’m leaving.”

“For the store?”

“Yes, for the store.”

“Could you pick up a fillet of sole?”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Shoes.”

“Shoes?”

“Could you take them to the shoe repair?”

“Let me guess. They need new soles.”

“Just one sole.”

“Shoot me in the face.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #210 by Keith Channing

March 12, 2019March 11, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 48 Comments

In Keith’s words.

“Using this photo(below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“Now my son. It is time you learned the ways of the sea.”

“Ways of the sea? What do you mean Papa?”

“Soon you will be a man and the duty of providing for your family will fall to you.”

“I don’t have a family except for you, Mama, and sister.”

“There will be a time when you will take a spouse, my son.”

“That is a long way off I hope.”

“Yet that time will come. And then you will have children.”

“Wait, Papa. I don’t want to rush into anything.”

“Just so you are prepared to be able to provide for them it is time we begin your lessons of the sea.”

“Can we hurry. I have a baseball game this afternoon.”

“The first lesson is very brief, my son.”

“Are you sure we need to begin this future life thingy now?”

“The mysteries of the sea will take years to learn. There is no time like the present to begin.”

“Very well, Papa. I will try to do my best. What is the first lesson?”

“Now you make me very proud, my son. My heart is bursting with my love for you.”

“Thank you, Papa. What do I need to know first?”

“See the water, my son. It is filled with millions of fishes and other good things to eat. If you know its ways, you can live a fine life from its bounty.”

“I love to eat fish, Papa.”

“So here is the first thing you need to know.”

“You have my attention.”

“Take this, my son.”

“Your phone Papa?”

“Yes. Dial 210-555-5555.”

“Okay now what?”

“Tell them this is a pickup for four orders of the deep-fried fish and chips with cole slaw.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Abash/ A Bash/Bash

March 9, 2019March 8, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 31 Comments

Gad that headline took some figuring out. This is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this weeks prompt is “abash/a bash/bash.” Linda Hill further orders to use “abash,” or “bash” as a noun or a verb. Then she offered up bonus points if we manage all three. Her final order, “Have fun!” (Easy for her to say).

If you would like to be under the boot of the lovely Ms. Hill go to her blog and read how. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2019/03/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-9-19/

“Now you’ve gone and done it.”

“Done what?”

“Oh, don’t start with me.”

“I’m serious. I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“That bash in my car? You know nothing about it?”

“I am nonplussed. I know nothing about your car.”

“You have defined ‘abash’ very nicely. The fact remains no one has driven my car but you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Name someone else.”

“You.”

“Besides me. I know I didn’t put a bash in my car.”

“I didn’t either.”

“So who put a bash in my car?”

“Did it ever occur to you that someone in the parking lot ran into you.”

“Dirty swine.”

“I know right?”

“I feel I could use a drink.”

“Cheer up. At least the car wasn’t new.”

“A 1979 Ford Galaxy 500 is a classic.”

“In some other life.”

“I could bash you for that.”

“Oh, come on. Let’s get a drink.”

“And call some friends and have a bash.”

“Sounding better each minute.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #209 by Keith Channing

March 5, 2019March 4, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 48 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“so you are telling me to soar above this crowd and make them ooh and ah?”

“Exactly.”

“You know its easy for you to give orders. You just stand there with your bah of heaven knows what and boss me around.”

“What do you mean ‘heaven knows what’? There are prime mouse pieces I give you.”

“Yeah, well it would be nice if they didn’t sit in the fridge so long.”

“You think I’m going to run out and get you a fresh mouse before every performance?”

“No, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. Just cut me loose, and I’ll bring back a nice fresh mouse for myself.”

“That will never happen. You would be gone in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“How did you guess.”

“Okay, so that one time I got lost in the fog.”

“There was no fog.”

“Heavy rain?”

“Clear as a bell. You were making a run for it.”

“Till your thugs caught up with me.”

“Might I remind you of one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You were sick and undernourished, and you’re lucky we brought you back.”

“I remember it differently. I’m oppressed.”

“Please. What is this all about anyway? You are acting like a petulant child.”

“I was looking at that animal show.”

“You were watching TV again?”

“Couldn’t help it. That thug guard left it on.”

“Your handler you mean?”

“Your words not mine. Anyway, there was this beautiful falcon flying in the robin’s egg blue sky free as a bird, so to speak.”

“And that’s what you would like to do?”

“Yes. I would also like to poop on this crowd but know I’ll get detention.”

“And rightfully so. What about your food and medical care?”

“I’ll find my own.”

“Like you did before?”

“Um.”

“Why not just do the show, and I’ll get you some nice turkey meat to eat.”

“Can I have an apple with that?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. Let’s get this over.”

“Don’t drag your talons through anyone’s hair.”

“Man you know how to suck the joy out of life.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Cele-“

March 2, 2019March 2, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 33 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again, and this weeks prompt is “cele-” Yes that is right. Linda Hill says to use a word that has “cele” in it and to have fun. If you would like to participate, visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here is the link.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS March 2/19

“Cele-” by John W. Howell ©2109

“So what are you doing with that celery?”

“Oh, this? I’m studying it to see if it will fit in my celebratory event.”

“What celebration are you having and why wasn’t I invited?”

“Well, I’m celebrating my first year racing anniversary.”

“You don’t want me as a celebrant?”

“I just haven’t gotten around to invitations yet. I want to make sure my celerity is still up to par.”

“Your what? I’ve heard of celestite but not celerity.”

“Means swift or fast. I have to make sure my racing is still as fast before I throw a party. I’m wondering if I should have a celestia as part of the music?”

“Now you have me thinking you are looking to celestials for inspiration.”

“It’s an instrument. I would have thought a celebrity like you would know that.”

“You can take your foot off the insult accelerator.”

“Your thin skin is priceless. I was giving you a compliment.”

“How is your graceless comment a compliment?”

“I called you a celebrity I thought that was kind. Let me decelerate by giving you an apology.”

“Okay. Consider my angst canceled.”

“Maybe I should consider celeric instead of celery.”

“Huh. You have me there. I feel faceless with all these words.”

“Do you think we have parceled “cele-” enough?”

“I am totally substanceless on the subject.”

“Want a beer?”

“You bet.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #208 by Keith Channing

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“Ho Ho. Mama and I love each other.”

“Yeah right. Go ahead and enjoy yourself. You’ll be back down here when she gets tired of you.”

“Says you. Look at that smile. She thinks I’m the cutest.”

“Everyone likes a little puppy kiss now and then. It will become old hat pretty soon.”

“I think you are jealous.”

“Me jealous? You have got to be kidding me. I just want you down here so I can explain my plan.”

“Plan? What plan?”

“Let me ask you. Do you enjoy living in this teapot on wheels?”

“It’s okay. Nice and cozy.”

“Well, I can remember running across the meadows free as a bird. Now you try to run, and you get about as far as the end of the leash.”

“Yes but Mom and Dad said this was only temporary while they are on vacation.”

“Temporary? How long has it been? You tell me.”

“I don’t know. Dad said we would be gone a month.”

“Do you know how long that is in dog years?”

“I’m a puppy. How would I know?”

“Seven months we have been held captive in this tin can.”

“Wow. That does seem like a long time.”

“So here’s what we are going to do. As soon as you stop licking Mama’s face, you are going to whine to go out. I will do the same. Once we get outside, we will slip out collars and take off for the open road.”

“Slip our collars? I’ve never done that.”

“It’s easy. First, you bolt forward. Then when Mama pulls you back you turn around and duck your head. Like magic, the collar comes right off.”

“How did you know how to do this?”

“Humans always pull back when you lunge forward. The collar and leash are designed to hold you from getting away with tension in the forward position. The collar is not designed for the reverse. I have practiced a few times. So you got that?”

“I think so. Where are we going to get dinner on the road?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a stray rabbit or something.”

“Ew. You mean a raw rabbit?”

“Yes, I mean a raw rabbit. Our ancestors lived that way for centuries.”

“You going to catch it?”

“I suppose.”

“Skin it.”

“OMG, why don’t I just order out.”

“Maybe we could make our get-away after dinner.”

“What and miss our after-dinner walk and treat?.”

“This is sounding like a not good idea.”

“Okay. How about tomorrow?”

“Good. After breakfast then.”

“You’re on.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“We always have ‘fetch the ball’ session after breakfast.”

“Let’s just serve our time shall we?”

“I’m good with that.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Critic(al)”

February 23, 2019February 22, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 40 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday again and this week’s prompt is “critic(al).” Linda Hill says we can use the prompt anyway we want. If you would like to join in visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here is the link

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 23/19

“I see you wrote your review of my book.”

“Yeah, it was tough, but I did it.”

“What do you mean, ‘tough?”‘

“Well, I had to sit down at my computer and think of what to say. That’s tough.”

“Uh huh. I suppose you now have an appreciation of how easy it is to write a book.”

“For one thing, trying to think of good things to say about a book is hard work. I would say writing the book is easy in comparison.”

“So you had a hard time with good things?”

“You know your plot was quite complicated.’

“Some like that.’

“And the characters were hard to like.”

“Yeah, murders and rapists are not the most likable.”

“That cop was very arrogant.”

“Yup so true.”

“The woman was too good-looking.”

“I wonder why I didn’t give her a hideous scar.”

“No one has a dog that loyal.”

“Should have had him turn on his owners.”

“So all in all the hard work was looking for the good stuff.”

“I can see that. So how long have you been a critic?”

“I just started. Your book is the first.”

“Lucky me.”

“I gave it a one star.”

“Oh joy. Why so generous.”

“I thought the cover was nice.”

“Yeah, one of the few things I didn’t create.”

“Want some advice.”

“Sure that is exactly what I want.”

“Write happy stories.”

“Happy stories?”

“Yeah you know where the hero gets the girl, and they all live happily ever after.”

“Sure thing. Let me get right on that.”

“I would be happy to review it when you are done.”

“I’ll give you a call. It might be a while though.”

“I can wait.”

“I’ll bet you can.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 207 by Keith Channing

February 19, 2019February 18, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 46 Comments

In Keith’s words. “Using this photo ( below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“I just love to write cards home.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, but I was concentrating on this dispatch.”

“I said I just love to write cards home. Do you?”

“You know I need to get this out. What was the question?”

“Do you like to write cards home?”

“Sometimes I write home. I can’t say I like it. I would rather be home thank you.”

“That goes without saying, but a card makes you feel a little closer.”

“You are so funny. How can a card make you feel closer?”

“While you are writing, you can think of those who will be reading what you wrote and then you can visualize their smile and feel close.”

“You are quite a romantic. When I write home, I only give the facts like I’ve been taught.”

“Don’t you ever miss home?”

“Of course I do, but it doesn’t help to make up stories about smiles and thinking of those reading what I write.”

“Why not?”

“For one the only people reading what I write want to know what is going on and could care less about feelings.”

“I think you have not had a happy youth.”

“Happy has nothing to do with it. I’m a warrior and what I write is a situation analysis, not a valentine card.”

“Goodness, we are grumpy today.”

“For another what makes you think the folks back home smile?”

“Everybody smiles.”

“See you are now thinking like an Earthling. Everybody here smiles. When was the last time you saw a smile on your controller droid?”

“So you won’t let me dream?”

“You do not have time to dream. We are being extracted in two hours, and if I don’t get this dispatch off, the mission will be scrubbed, and we’ll be trapped here for another hundred Earth years.”

“Would that be so bad? At least we would have our smiles.”

“And pizza. I almost forgot about the pizza.”

“Can we please stay? It’s only a hundred years.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Go ahead and finish your card. I’m going to color for a while.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Yawn”

February 16, 2019February 15, 2019 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this weeks prompt is “yawn.” Linda Hill asks us to write about the first thing we think about when reading the word “yawn.” If you would like to participate in this crazy fun go to Linda’s blog and read how. It is effortless. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2019/02/15/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-16-19/

“So what are the instructions?”

“To write about the first thing I think about when I see the word ‘yawn.”‘

“OMG. That is such an easy prompt.”

“Um. Not when it comes to my brain it isn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know most folks would think of sleepy or bored when they see the word yawn.”

“Yeah, that’s correct. What did you think about?”

“I’m almost afraid to tell you.”

“Oh, come on. We’ve known each other for years. You can tell me.”

“I think I would rather not. I’ll just do the prompt and write about a history class I had in college.”

“Now that would not be in keeping with the prompt. By the way what about that class?”

“Did you see the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”

“Yes. Oh, you mean that scene where the high school teacher played by Ben Stein kept saying ‘Anyone, anyone,’ and was horribly boring?”

“That’s the scene. Well. This college professor was just like Ben Stein. He talked in a monotone and simply recited dates and facts of history. We could have read his lecture out of the book.”

“That must have been painful.”

“One day while half the class was asleep, the professor fell off the stage.”

“Oh my.”

“He was looking back over his shoulder doing his Ben Stein imitation and just walked off the stage. It was about a two-foot drop.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing. The class didn’t seem to notice. I think everyone had tuned him out so didn’t realize he had stopped talking.”

“What did you do””

“Called 9-1-1.”

“Was he okay?”

“Yup. Just a few bruises. I got an A in the class. He said I was the only one awake and deserved it.”

“Ha ha ha. So what did you think of first when you saw the word ‘yawn?'”

“Promise you won’t think me crazy.”