Ah yes, Saturday morning. Birds are chirping, and there is a right feeling about the world. It is a little too warm, but the sky is bright blue without a trace of a cloud, marring the sense of serenity. The mood machine is ready to dispense the calming fluid, and it looks like a relaxing day ahead.
The sound of a far away and tight whistle coming from what seems to be the stratosphere reaches my ears. The tone is getting louder and more distinct. Moving to the patio allows me to witness a shadow growing from the size of a sugar cube. The whistle gets louder and the shadow bigger. The brain finally puts it all together. It appears that another delivery from the sky is about to impact the backyard turf.
Making a move under the porch cover happens with an almost simultaneous explosion of dirt, turf, and pieces of wood. Thank heavens the coffee was covered with my hand before the sunami of debris. Once settled, a cautious walk to the crater is rewarded with the sight of an animal in a skydiving outfit that looks precisely like Daffy Duck. “Suffering succotash. They should have told me to let go of the box.”
“Are you hurt?” is my reply. Daffy leads me to believe he is not hurt but a little disappointed in the instructions given by the ACME air freight company. He also gestures to the mess in the hole and shakes his head. “I’m afraid your product is a total loss,” he says.
Peering over the edge, it is hard to make out the nature of the product, so there is no alternative but to ask, “What’s the product?”
“Produce,” comes the reply. “Cumquats specifically.”
Not having ordered the cumquats, there follows a series of questions regarding where they were from and if the address is correct on the delivery. By this time, Daffy is near the end of his patience. He hands me an envelope and asks if the name on the front is mine. Confirming it is causes him to jump out of the hole. He raises his hand, grabs a bar suspended by a rope from a helicopter, and is plucked away.
Thoughts about who will pay to have the yard fixed run through my mind as I open the envelope. Sure enough, the sender is Linda Hill, and here is what the message says.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “product/produce.” Use one, use them both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use both. Have fun!
If you want fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here’s the link.
https://lindaghill.com/2022/06/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-25-2022/
Product/Produce by John W. Howell © 2022
“Another character.”
“Yup.”
“Who is going to fix the yard.”
“That is a product of my imagination. There was no delivery.”
“No, produce?”
“Nope.”
“Why do you put us through this then.”
“Gotta introduce the prompt.”
“But you could just say what it is.”
“There’s no fun in that.”
“I’m not sure falling boxes are fun either.”
“To each his own. Maybe I could have a falling beer keg.”
“Now that is worth doing. Dangerous, though.”
“The weight you mean?”
“No, getting the beer too agitated.”
“Good point.”
“Speaking of?”
“Your turn to buy.”
“Easy peasy. I’ll produce my card and charge the product.”
“Let’s leave it alone now.”
“You driving?”
“Yup.”
“Let’s call Über. I think this may be a long barley pop session.”
