Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Oop

April 24, 2021April 23, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 39 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday,, and I started walking to the store when a letter came floating down and landed with a soft swoop sound on my sidewalk. I noticed the return address had Linda Hill’s name,, so I scooped it up and opened it immediately. To my surprise, it contained the following prompt. “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “oop.” Find a word with the “oop” sound in it and use it in your post. Enjoy!”

To quote Gomer Pyle, “Gollieeee Sargeant.”

If you would like to join this group of fun seekers just visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2021/04/23/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-24-2021/

” I don’t mean to snoop,, but why are you imitating Gomer Pyle.”

“I just got a new prompt and am well on my way to nailing it. So I did a Gomer Pyle whoop.”

“Sounds like you don’t need me then. I’ll remove my carcass from your stoop.”

“Don’t be a poop. I can always use your help.”

“If you mean it. I don’t want to cause a blooper.”

“I don’t think you would do that. You’re a real trooper.”

“You are so nice to say that. I remember that when my feelings take a droop.”

“When does that ever happen? You are the one always putting me through emotional hoops.”

“Here’s some scoop for ya. If I was all that secure, do you think I would be picking on you?”

“Well, this is an unusual loop. I think we need to get off the prompt and get down to the Coop.”

“Coop,, what’s that?”

“It’s the pub but pub doesn’t have an oop sound.”

“So we are done with this goop.”

“Yoop.”

“No such word.”

“I know. Let’s get going. Beer and chips wait for no man.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

April 23, 2021April 22, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 85 Comments

Twiggy looking up in the air — “Twiggy. What are you doing?”
“Catching a few rays before the snowstorm.”
“Very funny. It’s going to be in the 80s today.”
“You never know lately.”

Here it is, Friday already. I did not get half of what I wanted to accomplish this week accomplished. Well, maybe half is an exaggeration. I had to make a list of what I did accomplish to keep myself from thinking I wasted the week. No surprise, the list was gratifying. I think the problem is I have been stymied on the WIP, and so I haven’t produced the word count that I originally planned. These things do happen, so I’ll just shrug it off and try to do better next week. Besides, I have not gotten one call from the commercial editor at Simon and Shuster demanding the manuscript and threatening my million dollar advance. So why sweat it?

Yesterday was the official Earth Day. I will still be celebrating Earth Day on my post on Sunday. We have a Question Find It scavenger hunt going on, and we need to wrap it up. There are five more stops to go. Also, I have invited Kid Rock to join us. He’s going to do “All Summer Long while you eat the sumptuous brunch that will be served.

This week’s JohnKu talks about what to do when faced with not accomplishing what you set out to do. I hope you all have a great weekend.

When you start to feel,

Like you are falling behind . . .

Look at all you have done.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Lucy Face the Cold

April 22, 2021April 21, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 86 Comments

“Hey, you two. Time to go outside.”

Well, you see, Lucy and I are really comfortable, Dad.”

“But the day’s a-wasting. You need your exercise.”

“Um, I think we get a lot of exercise.”

“Well, you can always use more.”

“How about the temperature out there?”

“It’s 48 degrees.”

“Pasadena on the outside. Too cold. Besides, my stairs are out of position.”

“Come on, you’ve been out in colder weather.” I’ll fix them.

“There. Your stairs are in the right spot.”

“Oh, all right. Come on, Lucy, time to go out and play.”

“What did I miss back there?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just giving Dad a rough time.”

“Beat you to the pea gravel side.”

“You could have warned me.”

“Yeah, but then I couldn’t win.”

“Boy, it is a little cold out here. Let’s head in.”

“Hey, Dad. Open the door.”

“Yeah, boss. We are freezing out here. Boss?”

Wednesday Story DaY – AKA – Hump Day

April 21, 2021April 20, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 54 Comments

Twiggy on the patio looking sad — “Hey, Twiggy. What are you doing?”
“Waiting for Friday.”
“Okay then.”

It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week, we all broke into the warehouse only to find one guy who had been left behind. We don’t know why he was left, but he has been taken into custody and is being questioned. Since he is part of the Cortez mob, we can’t expect too much information from him. So that leaves us with solid detective work as to where the other Cortez folks are headed. I see Agent Moore is calling one of his associates. Let’s go and listen in.

“Yeah, Charles. Take a look at all the street cameras around this warehouse. See if you can find any car or truck leaving here. Yes, the direction would be helpful as well. Okay then. Call when you have something.”

“He doesn’t have anything?”

“A bit early. Unlike TV shows, it takes a while to access traffic cams. He’ll get back as soon as he has anything.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“Yes, Larry, what is it?”

“We should comb this place thoroughly and see if we can turn up anything useful. Has anyone checked the SUV?”

“We have the crime guys heading this way.”

“I mean, has anyone taken a look inside?”

“Good question. Let me find out. Sampson is outside. Patrol one, this is Moore.”

“Patrol One, go ahead.”

“Has anyone looked in the SUV?”

“Affirmative. Nothing there.”

“Roger that. We are going to have a look around in here.”

“The lab guys are due any minute.”

“Understood. Just a quick look. Anything out of our shooter?”

“Nope. He’s like a clam. We have him in the back of a patrol car.”

“Just make sure he is secure.”

“Not to worry. He’s not going anywhere.”

“Thanks, Patrol one. Moore out. Okay, Larry, let’s have a look.”

“I don’t know what they did in this warehouse, but it is pretty empty.”

“See if that barrel had anything in it.”

“Nope, nothing in it. Looks like they used it as a burn barrel. You got a light?”

“Yeah. Let me look inside. Hey, look at the bottom. Some ashes.”

“Wait.”

“What, Andrew?”

“Don’t disturb those.”

“Why not?”

“We might be able to figure out what they were burning in there.”

“Couldn’t be much. There are very few ashes.”

“Let me look?”

“See on top. There is some kind of receipt. You can almost read it. One thing about ashes is you don’t stir them they pretty much keep the characteristic of the original. I’ll be damned.”

“What?”

“It is a fast-food receipt.”

“They had a delivery?”

“Or picked up. Hold on. Yup, it looks like a Chick-Fil-A. Let me get closer.”

“Don’t fall in.”

“Thank you, Larry, but I’m safe.”

“Wasn’t worried about your safety. Just didn’t want you landing on the evidence.”

“Yes, I can see the address. 1663 Route 35.”

“Got a credit card number?”

“Smartass. I do have a date, though. It was yesterday. All we have to do is go there and check the records, and maybe just maybe somebody will know something.”

“At least it is a lead.”

“Slim at best.”

“Let’s be positive.”

Tuesday – A Little Personal – Kreative Kue #308 by Keith Channing

April 20, 2021April 19, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 76 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.

“Okay, so the next thing you need to know is not to touch that pole with your beak while sitting on the wire.”

“Why’s that?”

“If you touch the pole, you will create an ungrounded connection, and the electricity will fry you.”

“Geez. Why do you guys sit on these wires anyway.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t sit on wires back in your town?”

“Heavens no. We have trees.”

“Trees?”

“Yeah, big green bushy things that have limbs you sit on.”

“Sounds nice. Well, anyway we have no trees, so I’m trying to give you some pointers on how to survive in the big city. How long you going to be here?”

“Just a week. I have to attend a nest clearing. My cousin is becoming an empty nester.”

“Lucky bird for sure. Okay, back to the lessons.”

“Why are you hanging upside down?”

“I’m not upside down. See that bug on the sidewalk.”

“Un-huh.”

“Don’t touch it.”

“What do you mean. All bugs are fair game.”

“Not that one. He’s a made bug.”

“Made bug. What does that mean.”

“He is a member of the bug mob.”

“Yeah, so.”

“You touch him, and you’ll have every bug in town wanting to cash in on the hit notice.”

“You serious? I never met a bug I couldn’t handle.”

“Hornets?”

“Well, no. I stay away from them.”

“They are the mob enforcers.”

“Good to know. What else?”

“Don’t take any popcorn from the old lady on the bench.”

“Why not?”

“She has a cat in her valise that loves birds. The popcorn is bait.”

“Good grief. I need to get back home.”

“You flying?”

“Yes.”

“Watch out for the Peregrine Falcons.”

“The what.”

“Birds of prey. They sit on the buildings and wait for pigeons.”

“I’m not a pigeon.”

“Some are nearsighted. Just be careful.”

“How do you survive in this jungle?”

“I keep my wits about me and one more thing.”

“What’s that.”

“I pay protection.”

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Are Moving

April 19, 2021April 18, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 97 Comments

This post was originally run on April 18th, 2016. If you remember it, I hope you like it again. If not? I hope you like it. (My desires are small)

Top Ten Things Not to Do if You Are Moving

10 If you are moving, do not wait until the movers show up to begin thinking of what you want to pack. If you do, at best, you will have a lot of hourly overtime to pay. At worst, your crew is likely to leave to move someone else and suggest you get organized in the meantime. (A little embarrassing to be left alone in the middle of a mess, isn’t it?)

9 If you are moving, do not pack your crystal pieces with your hand weights. At best, you might get some chips. At worst, you will arrive at the new place with a box of crystal snow. (You were going to take the weights out but forgot, huh Bunky?)

8 If you are moving, do not forget to put your frozen food in a safe but frigid place. If you do forget, at best, you will have a bunch of thawed food on arrival. At worst, the thawing food will be in a place to drip through at least six boxes of your clothes. (Those white things look beautiful with that pot roast branding.)

7 If you are moving, do not be tempted to throw out your old pots and pans just cause you are tired of them. If you are, at best, you will need to replace everything before you can eat at home again. At worst, you didn’t realize the cookware was a precious gift from your parents, and now they are going through the dumpster. (How were you to know that was their first set?)

6 If you are moving, do not try to save and pack that delicious casserole you had last night. If you do, at best, it will be spoiled during the trip, and you’ll know it. At worst, you will ignore the signs of spoilage and dig in. (Those sirens you now hear is EMS. Gotta hope they get there in time)

5 If you are moving, do not think you and your friends have to consume all the liquor the night before the move. If you do, at best, your headache, chills, and nausea will be gone around 3:00 pm. At worst, you will not only be sick but will have to deal with five or six comatose friends. (Pretty hard to carry that dresser over all those bodies, isn’t it, Buster?)

4 If you are moving, do not tell the movers to put stuff “anywhere.” If you do, at best, you will have a living room that looks like a bedroom. At worst, you will have one room filled with furniture. (It’s the first room you enter, right?)

3 If you are moving, do not think your boxes don’t need marking because you remember what’s in each one. If you do, at best, you will be opening boxes and searching for things for a week. At worst, you will finally give up and stack all the boxes in such a way as to imitate the world’s worst hoarder. It (Pretty tough for the sunlight to get in through all those boxes. You say you feel like a rat in a maze?)

2. If you are moving, do not forget to fill out the forwarding cards for your new address. If you forget, at best, you will wonder where your mail went after three months. At worst, you will begin to wonder about all those phone calls regarding your lights, water, cable, and telephone. (That is until they all go dark. Now a rat in a dark and lonely maze.)

1 If you are moving, do not have friends’ help. If you do, at best, there will be only a few dented, scratched, and broken items. At worst, you realize no one knows how to dismantle your bed and couch, and you are forced to leave them behind. (How in the hell did those items get into the apartment in the first place?)

Views of the neighborhood. Earth Day Fact Find – Part One

April 18, 2021April 24, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

Today we are heading out for an Earth Day Fact Find Scavenger hunt. To feed us all, I asked QI restaurant in Austin to put on a Dim Sum brunch. They agreed, and here is what that brunch looks like.

Dim Sum Brunch Menu

Crab Meat Fish Maw Soup Dumpling 蟹肉鱼肚汤包

Scallop Caviar Sui Mai 鱼子酱带子烧卖

Lobster Dumpling 甜菜粉龙虾饺

Crispy Har Kaw with Sea Cucumber 炸海参虾饺

Sautéed Baby Bok Choy 炒白菜

Sautéed Water Spinach 炒空心菜

Snow Crab Ball 雪蟹球

Shrimp Stuffed Chinese Eggplant 煎酿茄子

Potato Shrimp Ball 脆薯虾球

Salt and Pepper Shrimp 椒盐虾

Crispy Turnip Cake 萝卜糕

Chao Shou 红油抄手

Dan Dan Noodle 担担面

Scallion Pancake Curry Dip 葱油饼咖喱酱

Szechuan Spicy Cucumber 四川黄瓜

Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce 豉汁排骨

Chicken with Cashew Dumpling 腰果鸡饺

Beef Potstickers 牛肉锅贴

Shrimp Har Kaw 虾饺

Pork and Shrimp Sui Mai 烧卖

Chicken Shiitake Sui Mai 东菇鸡烧卖

Cilantro Shrimp Dumpling 香菜虾饺

Basil Chicken Dumpling 九层塔鸡饺

Steam BBQ Pork Bun 蒸叉烧包

Steam Lobster Dumpling 龙虾饺

Shanghai Soup Dumpling 小笼包

Seafood Soup Dumpling 海鲜汤包

Chicken Feet 鸡爪

Pan-Fried Beef Bao 生煎牛肉包

Sugarcane Shrimp 甘蔗虾

Chinese Sausage Sticky Rice 糯米饭

Chicken Taro Egg Roll 香芋鸡春卷

Curry Beef Puff 咖喱牛酥

Steam Egg Cream Bun 蒸奶黄包

Egg Custard Tart 蛋挞

Sesame Ball

Pineapple Puff 凤梨酥

Baked BBQ Pork Bun 烘叉烧包

In addition to our top-shelf bar, we are offering Sake,

A 2018 Pighin Pinot Grigio, and 2016 Gary Farrell Hallberg Vineyard Pinot Noir. Today’s entertainment is Little Big Town.

Let’s get on the bus.

Here is what we are doing. We have to use clues and find the fun fact question. Here’s what the Parks and Recreation says.

As part of The City of Lakeway’s Earth Day celebration, Parks & Recreation invites you to join us for an event that will test your environmental knowledge in a scavenger hunt-style game!

From April 10 – April 25, ten Earth Day-themed questions will be hidden in Lakeway City Park.

So we will use the clues to find the place and the questions. I will do my best to answer them. If you have a better answer, you can put it in the comments section. Since there are ten clues and questions, we will cover the first five today. Next week we will finish.

Clue 1. This area is a favorite for a human’s best friend. Dog Park

So here is the question. My guess is urban runoff is the biggest pollutant to rivers and lakes.

Clue 2. Finding this next location is a slam dunk! Basketball court

My guess is false. Tissues, paper towels, and wet wipes don’t disintegrate

Clue 3. Step off this exercise equipment and down the small path to find this question.

My answer is all of those items can be composted.

Clue 4. While you sit along the edge and enjoy the scenic view, you may see a question too.

Plastics is my guess as the most common thing found along water.

Clue 5. Lakeway pride flies high at this location.

I think the heater/air conditioner uses the most energy.

So that is the first five stops for today. I hope you enjoy the week and remember this is the only Earth we have. Have some food and enjoy Little Big Town.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Mash

April 17, 2021April 16, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 49 Comments

It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time, and there was a small envelope lying on the front sidewalk. I opened it, and here is what it said “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mash.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!”

If you would like to have some fun, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2021/04/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-17-2021/

“Why are you staring at the piece of paper. Oh wait, don’t answer that. It has to be Stream of Consciousness time again.”

“Yes, it is. This week is a one-word prompt that has me flummoxed.”

“Flummoxed, eh? Must be a big word.”

“You just get in from Toronto? No, it isn’t a big word. it’s a confusing word.”

“Like antidisestablishmentarianism?”

“No, like mash.”

“Mash?”

“Yeah, mash. What can you do with mash?’

“Oh, man. How about a song and dance?”

“Song and dance?”

“Yeah, Monster Mash and Mash potatoes.”

“No, everyone will do those.”

“Okay, then let’s go to sour mash.”

“Sour mash? What the heck is that?”

“The makins for whiskey. You get corn and let it ferment and—”

“That will be fine. We don’t need to go on about sour mash.”

“How about Mash 4077?”

“The TV show? Um, that’s another one everyone will do.”

“Okay, I’m close to giving up. How about an idea from you?”

“I could talk of the Mash bike.”

“Yeah, that would be a real crowd-pleaser.”

“At least it would be unique.”

“Like green hair.”

“It is getting close to lunch.”

“yeah, so what does that have to do with the prompt?”

“The pub is calling.”

“I’m always game for that. You need to complete your prompt exercise.”

“Okay, how about we have a black and Tan and . . . wait for it. . . bangers and mash.”

“You did it.”

“Yup, I did.”

“Let’s go. The first is on me.”

“Uber is waiting.”

Friday John Ku – AKA- TGIF

April 16, 2021April 15, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 92 Comments

“You look for Friday over there. I’ll look over here.”
“How will I know it’s Friday?”
“Believe me you will know.”

It is Friday again. This week has flown for me and I can’t put my finger on why. I guess the why doesn’t matter anyway. The important thing is it was a good week. Well, I have to be very honest. At my age, every week is a good one. At least I have myself convinced of that which makes life much more enjoyable.

Looks like Texas is approaching 34% of the population has received at least one shot of the COVID Vaccine. 21.2% of all Texans are fully vaccinated. This is a change of about 7% for each category since April 2nd. There are reports that estimate at least 30% of Texans do not plan to get vaccinated at all. So the so-called herd immunity level; of 70% looks iffy right now.

People will “likely” need a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine as a booster within 12 months of being fully vaccinated, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said yesterday. Looks like the virus is here for a while.

The number of COVID cases across the US is beginning to rise given the lifting of restrictions by the states. My belief is the restrictions were lifted too early. This could be a very tense summer indeed.

Today’s JohnKu talks about the importance of a positive mental attitude. I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend.

Have you ever asked,

Yourself the title question . . .

What is your answer?

If your answer sounds

Like there needs some improvement . . .

Attitude is first.