The coffee machine, as has become a familiar pattern, informs me of a malfunction. This time, the cappuccino operation is temporarily disabled for repairs. Since that was not on my mind this morning, the news has no impact on me. The coffee button starts the process. In checking the date for April 5th, 1925, the only thing going on is a tornado striking Dade County, Florida, causing damage of $300,000 ($5,000,000 in today’s dollars). Not wanting to be involved with a tornado, the decision is to relax with a cup of coffee and leave the clock for next week.

One sip and the doorbell goes off. The effect is like a klaxon horn in a submarine. The pups take up their battle stations and get ready to dive while barking in volumes that would cripple normal hearing. Before the windows shatter and the ears explode, a toss of a puppy treats into the soundproof room causes a mass exodus to grab one. A slam of the door ends the Hounds of Baskerville sound effects.

Before opening and addressing the visitor, the security system needs to be deactivated. Before that, though, the SWAT team needs to be put on standby. A quick text to the leader confirms that status. The control panel makes the shutdown of the security system process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, the alligators fed, the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. A look at the security camera shows a bird that looks very much like a road runner standing on the porch. Throwing open the door startles the bird, and with a “beep-beep,” it goes off down the driveway. There is an envelope left in the wake of the bird. It is from Linda Hill. Once opened, the message reads:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “contains ‘pat.’” Find a word that contains “pat” or use the word “pat” as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2025/04/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-5-2025/

Pat by John W. Howell © 2025

“Boy you have that security system deactivation down pat.”

“I’ve been doing it for a while.”

“We didn’t get to see much of the roadrunner.”

“Roadrunner “look alike” you mean.”

“Uh, okay. The point is he didn’t hang around.”

“I think the door scared him.”

“It’s just a door.”

“But that recording of a ghoul scream left over from Halloween might have made the difference.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“Was meant to be heard by kids only. I guess the bird was on that wave pattern.”

“That doorbell is a pain huh?”

“There is a sign under the bell not to ring it. Most people are good about it. I guess the bird can’t read.”

“Maybe the bird is apathetic to your desires.”

“Okay, you get a bonus point for that.”

“How about something else?”

“Like a Voo Doo Ranger?”

“You order an Uber.”

“Over there.”

“That is a beauty.”

“I like that it says Uber 5000 on the bumper.”

“Let’s just hope it runs.”

“Looks substantial to me.”

“Let’s go then.”

 

The coffee machine gives me a message that it needs to be cleaned. It is an automated process that only requires me to drop a cleansing tablet into the appropriate hopper when prompted. Knowing full well until the machine is cleaned, there will be no coffee. So the button is pressed, which starts the twenty-minute cycle. What does one do for twenty minutes while a small devil attempts to beat a hole in your head for the lack of caffeine?

Looking at March 29th, 1925, it is one day when nothing much happened. Just as the coffee’s ready, the doorbell rings, sending Twiggy and Tempeste into fits of fur-shedding caterwauling that threatens to shatter the windows. Moving them into a soundproof room with a knuckle bone, the security system needs to be addressed.

Of course, the security system needed to be disengaged before going to the door. The control panel made the process simpler. The boiling oil vats are put on standby, the Trebuchet on safety, the concertina wire rolled, the Claymore mines reset, the tower Gattling guns disengaged, the moat net dropped, and the IUDs and shoulder-held rockets put away. The locks on the door are thrown. The final camera check picked up the image of a rabbit chomping on an oversized carrot. “What do you want?” is my greeting through the loudspeaker system . “Hey, Doc. Open the door.”

Heaving the heavy six-inch door open, my first expression was, “Awe, aren’t you cute.”

“Cute smoot, Doc. I’m here on business.”

“What kind of business?”

“I have a message from Linda Hill.”

“Aww, that’s so nice of you.”

“Here, take it.”

The rabbit handed me an envelope and disappeared around the side of the house. Heaving the door closed and resetting the alarm system before opening the envelope. Once done, the message from Linda Hill read: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “awe/aww.” Use one, use both, use ’em any way you’d like. Bonus points if you fit them both into your post. Enjoy!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-29-2025/

Awe/Aww by John W. Howell © 2025

“Well, you got the bonus points.”

“I sure did. I’m going to have that Bentley Turbo convertible before long.”

“How much of it do you have so far?”

“Twelve lug nuts.”

“Awe, you have a long way to go.”

“Yeah, but I’m determined.”

“Aww, that is so inspiring.”

“Yeah, right. Some would say stupid.”

“Not me.”

“Yeah, ’cause I’m buying the VooDoo Ranger. You call Uber?”

“Right over there.”

 

“What is that thing?”

“I’m not sure.”

“But what year?”

“Who knows?”

“All I can say is it looks like it has been ridden hard and put up wet.”

“But there are enough seats for both of us.”

“So true. Let’s go.”

 

 

 

The coffee machine detects the reality of being away for a while. She asks about the nature of my coffee drinking for the past week. Hemming and hawing did not forestall the answer long. The confession of drinking coffee brewed elsewhere brings a silent rebuke from the machine. “I hope you have a doctor visit on your calendar soon,” is the message scrolling across the touch screen.

Confirming the appointment date breaks loose a cup of the heavenly brew. On the first sip, the clock comes to mind. The setting is for March 21, 1925, and the location is the state of Tennessee. The duration is one hour, and the plunger is pulled.

We arrive in Dayton, Tennessee, which will be the location of the famous Scopes trial in July 1925. For now, though, we arrive just as the Butler Act takes effect.

In the U.S. state of Tennessee, the Butler Act, prohibiting school teachers from denying the Biblical account of man’s origin, took effect as it was signed by Governor Austin Peay. The Act provided that “it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals,” had been passed by the state House of Representatives, 71 to 5 and by the Tennessee Senate, 24 to 6. The Act would remain on the books until its appeal on May 17, 1967. Maybe we’ll get back for the trial after John Scopes is indicted for teaching evolution, but the alarm goes off, and we fall flat on the couch.

There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “calendar.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

To see what others have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s post.Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-22-2025/

Calendar by John W. Howell © 2025

“I love how you sneaked calendar into the early p[art of your story.”

“I wanted to get it out of the way.”

“Well, you did that for sure. What made you pick that destination?”

“I have always been fascinated by the idea of passing a law forbidding the teaching of science. The fact that fundamental extremists could  influence a state legislature to do so has amazed me since school.”

“So the fundamentalists only wanted the bible version of creation taught?”

” Well, they didn’t want evolution taught. The law didn’t say anything about the bible version.”

“I can’t believe anyone was prosecuted under such a law.”

“High school teacher John Scopes was.”

“Yeah. Did he go to jail?”

“No, he was found guilty and fined $100 by the judge, but that was set aside by a higher court ruling that judges cannot assess a fine above $50. That has to be done by the jury.

“I hope someone doesn’t decide Voo Doo Ranger needs to be outlawed.”

“So if they did.”

“Hello, hoosegow.”

“You call Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“Look at that a Camero. At last, a ride in which we can be proud to be seen.”

“We can be proud to be seen.  There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“No engine.”

“What?”

“The guy rebuilt the car and ran out of money.”

“So, how are we supposed to get to the pub.”

“Push.”

“Push?”

“Yup. As you know, the pub is in the valley, so well, just push the car till it gets rolling, hop in, and coast to the pub.”

“Sounds more like a you job than a me job. I’m getting in.”

“Maybe we should call a cab.”

“Up to you. I’m comfortable.”

 

 

The coffee machine leaves a message to watch the time after pressing my order. The 10 oz coffee order is pressed and the cup is filled in ten seconds. A message comes back that the machine will try for a new record tomorrow. With a shoulder shrug and a sip, the clock is the next item of concern. The setting is for Chicago on March 8th, 1925. The duration is an hour. The plunger is pulled and we find ourselves at the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health announced in an article in the Department’s weekly bulletin that the ongoing crossword puzzle fad caused no ill health effects from headaches or eye strain, as had previously been feared, and was beneficial to health in general. The Commissioner reads from the bulletin to the employees gathered in the cafeteria. In a feature titled “Cross-Worditis”, Bundesen humorously noted, “The savage little cross-word microbe may be largely explained by the fact that part of our lives and much energy must be put into amusement, to satisfy the play instinct within us. Therefore, any game with a mental ‘kick’ in it is quickly accepted and eagerly pursued. A collective sigh went up from the crowd, and all continued drinking coffee and working on their crossword puzzles.

The alarm goes off and we end up on the couch. A text has come in from Linda Hill. It reads: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “open book, close eyes, point, write.” When you’re ready to sit down and write your SoCS post, open the closest printed matter, close your eyes, point to a word, and use it as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun! Following directions, I open and point at a page of GQ Magazine. My finger lands on the word “watch” in a Cartier Timepiece Advertisement.

To see what others have written visit Linda’s blog. Here is the link: https://lindaghill.com/2025/03/07/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-8-2025/

Watch by John W. Howell © 2025

“That was an interesting trip. Can’t imagine folks getting concerned about crossword puzzles.”

“Well you know how some feel anything enjoyable must be bad for you.”

“Lucky you had that GQ magazine near.”

“I had been reading it before starting to write the post.”

“You still read that mag.”

“I must admit the editorial mission of GQ has moved beyond me.”

“How so?”

“Take the watch as an example. I have an Apple watch that does everything, including calling the authorities if I fall down and can’t get up.”

“Okay but there are other things.”

“Yeah like shoes that cost a thousand bucks, not to mention grill work for my front teeth.”

“Grill work?”

“A lot of the features are with guys who have a lot of gold and silver teeth.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Besides, I think the age demographic is more around my grandkids’ age.”

“I could see you hanging out with a gold grill, Cartier watch, neck chains, and Louboutin shoes.”

“Yeah right. Try wrangler jeans, t-shirt, and bare feet.”

“Not a pretty picture, old man. Why do you get the mag anyway?”

“I think staying current is understanding what is current and not necessarily joining in.”

“Speaking of current.”

“Did you order an Uber?”

“Right over there.”

“Hold on. We all have to sit upfront.”

“Unless you want to sit in the bed.”

“That door looks strange.”

“It does. It is off a GMC Denali.”

“Gotta admit the guy is resourceful.”

“He gave us a break on the fare.”

“What’s the catch?”

“We have to help him deliver some mulch.”

“Not so bad.”

“Good let’s go. Oh by the way.”

“What?”

“It’s really manure.”

“Figures. Those Rangers are going to go down easy after this.”

“My thought exactly. Also, we might need hip boots.”

 

An explanation is in order. Last week, there may have been some confusion around the fact that the coffee machine communicated with me. To be clear, the machine does not talk. She sends messages through a mounted menu screen. The screen also has a touch pad, so no external mouse is needed. It wouldn’t be right to think that the machine has the human ability to speak. She has reasoning ability through her AI construct, which leads to her being able to ask questions. For example, today, she wondered if she should make coffee to go.

Declining the to-go cup and ordering the standard was the prelude to grabbing the clock. The time was set to March 1, 1925. The location is New York City and the duration is one hour. A pull of the plunger and we land in New York City. We are just in time to witness the founding of Viking Press.

The publisher Viking Press was founded in New York by Harold K. Guinzburg (formerly of Simon and Schuster) and George S. Oppenheimer, advertising manager for Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. The Viking Press is an American publishing company that specializes in bringing books to a wide audience. It was formerly known as Viking Penguin and Viking Books. The Penguin Group acquired the Viking Press in 1975. Today, Penguin Random House owns the Viking Press. 

After one glass of champagne, the alarm goes off and we find ourselves on the couch. There is a text from Linda Hill. It reads:

To see what others have done with the prompt visit Linda’s blog; here’s the link:  https://lindaghill.com/2025/02/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-1-2025/

Mouse by John W. Howell © 2024

“I guess visiting a publisher is interesting for your author readers.”

“You didn’t find it interesting?”

“Well, I would say no for one who can barely do a comic book a year.”

“Well, seeing such an established firm remain successful after 100 years was fun.”

“Maybe a cake and candles would be appropriate.”

“I think we can just let it go.”

“A good idea. No sense making a cat and mouse game out of it.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re trying to defend visiting an author-centric place and trying to convince me that it is interesting.”

“Oh. I see. Yeah cat and mouse is not on the agenda today.”

“So what is?”

“A quiet place where we can relax.”

“That serves peanuts?”

“I suppose.”

“And has a shuffle board?”

“Yes.”

“Pool table and darts.”

“Very nice.”

“And has Voo Doo Ranger Imperials on ice?”

“Yup Order an Uber.”

“Already did. He’s over there.”

“I can’t believe it. We struck gold this time.”

“I thought you would be mad.”

“Oh, heck no. That van is from a beverage supplier.”

“Yeah so?”

“I’ll bet he has a few VooDoo Rangers in there.”

“Never thought of that. I just wanted cheap.”

“Looks like we have both worlds. Let’s go.”