Listening for the last wheeze that indicates the life fluid machine is finished with the ground, hot water soak, and dispensing procedure that has to proceed the soothing effects of the brew. Cup to lips and several long draughts release the brain from fog and rain.

Now enlightened, the first thought turns to the three-and-a-half-ton safe still half buried in the backyard. Google has no response to the typed words, How do I remove a Mosler safe from my back yard? If Google doesn’t have an answer, there may be no good way to get it done. Just at the point of needing another cup, my phone alerts me to a message from the Ring doorbell camera. I peer at the image but realize the sun is at such an angle that recognition is impossible. “Who’s there?” is my inquiry through the speaker system.

“Open the door and find out,” my guest replies.

My sigh carries throughout the house as the unlock procedure begins. Iron gate lifted, Iron bar pulled back, concertina wire coiled, claymore mines unarmed, machine guns shut off, boiling oil disengaged, Trebuchet unarmed, Bolts thrown and locks undone. Finally, the front door is thrown open, and there stands the guy who looks like Yosemite Sam.

“You know how to get that safe out of the backyard?”

“Yup.”

“Can you tell me how?”

“How.”

“Very funny. You some kind of dimwit?”

“Well, I’m not the dad burned city slicker with a safe in my backyard, don’t you know.” With that, he hands me an envelope, turns, and runs around the corner of the house. Too exhausted to follow, I open the envelope and see it is from Linda Hill. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ring.” Use it as a noun or a verb. Bonus points if you use it as both. Have fun!

If you want this kind of fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here’s the link. https://lindaghill.com/2022/09/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-17-2022/

Ring by John W. Howell © 2022

“When you going to drop this Yosemite character?”

“Why. Don’t you like him?

“Sure I do, but we need some headway here. Week after week of a safe, and Sam don’t ring bells with me.”

“You are just one person.”

“Look out there. A lot of head nodding.”

“We can’t see out there. So why ring my bell today?”

“Well, I guess because it’s the only bell around here to ring.”

“That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Why do you have to ring a bell anyway?”

“I don’t know. I just get a ring urge.”

“Since I think we’ve covered the prompt enough what game are we watching today?”

“I want to watch the Baylor Bears ring the bell of the Texas State Bobcats.”

“Who are the Bobcats?”

“Be nice. What about you?”

“Wouldn’t mind checking in with the Notre Dame/California game.”

“Notre Dame took a hit last week.”

“Careful. I graduated from there.”

“Still, talk about a bell ring.”

“Maybe we should tune into the West Virgina University/Towson game.”

“That is pretty obscure.”

“WVU is The Producers Alma Mater.”

“Oh. She going to be with us.”

“No.”

“Hard pass then.”

“Cruel man.”

“I think we better get to the pub and grab a good seat.”

“You buying.”

“Yup I’ll tell the cashier to ring it on my tab.”

“I like the ring of that.”

“Let’s stop now. We are starting to overdo it.”

“I’m calling Uber.”