Day: August 14, 2020

5 Things I Hate About Summer

Fandango17 Comments

5thingsDr. Tanya has this prompt called “5 Things,” where she asks us to list five things about a particular topic. Her latest topic is five things you hate about summer.

To be honest, I don’t really hate anything about summer. I know a lot of people complain about the summer heat and humidity, but up until February, I lived in San Francisco, where it just never gets really hot in the summer. In fact, there’s a quote that is attributed to Mark Twain, although he never actually said it. That quote is, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

But in February my wife and I moved from San Francisco to a suburb about 35 miles east of San Francisco. And the climate in our new venue is very different than it is in San Francisco, as can be seen by this.27478E43-58FB-4B25-9C51-F9985EA899CCSo now there is, indeed, one thing I hate about summer. The heat!

Three Line Tales — Taking a Tumble

Fandango7 Comments

BDC34E1B-10FD-4B42-A7CB-988DD0746F06“Young lady,” the laundromat attendant asked the girl who was sitting inside the drum of one of the dryers with just her feet dangling out, “what exactly is it that you think you’re doing?”

She looked at the man and innocently said, “My boyfriend told me to take a tumble, so I climbed into this dryer and will be taking a selfie showing him that I did what he asked.”

The attendant shook his head and said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, young lady, but I think you’re taking your boyfriend’s request a bit too literally.”

Written for this week’s Three Line Tales prompt from Sonya. Photo credit: Mennie at Unsplash.

New Words

Fandango8 Comments

dictionary2“So, did you learn a new word today?” Bonnie’s mother asked her. “It’s part of our home schooling curriculum, since the schools haven’t opened for on-site classes yet because of the pandemic.”

“Yes I did,” Bonnie said proudly. “The word I learned is ‘schmutzwortshuche.’ Isn’t that a great word?”

“What language is that, Bonnie?” her mother asked. “You’re supposed to learn new English words. That sounds German.”

“It means looking up rude words in the dictionary,” Bonnie explained. “Isn’t that cool?”

“First of all, Bonnie, you’re seven years old. You shouldn’t be using this assignment to look up rude words. Second of all, the object of this exercise is for you to look up words that you can use in everyday life that will expand your vocabulary and will help you to more effectively verbalize your thoughts and ideas. It’s not intended for you to find esoteric words that nobody ever uses.”

“Oh, don’t be such a martyr, Mom.” Bonnie said, with a smile. “That’s the new word I learned yesterday.”

“I don’t think you know what that word means, Bonnie,” her mother said. “A martyr is someone who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry about that,” Bonnie said. “That’s good to know. Thanks for the gratuity.”

“For the gratuity?” Bonnie’s mother said. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah,” said Bonnie. “I learned that one on Monday. It means ‘tip.’ So thanks for the tip.”

Written for these daily prompts: Jibber Jabber (learn), Word of the Day Challenge (schmutzwortshuche), The Daily Spur (language), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (verbal), Ragtag Daily Prompt (martyr), and Your Daily Word Prompt (gratuity).

Friday Fictioneers — It’s a Hoax

Fandango25 Comments

FC565EB4-3021-4CDC-9BCF-307C17A517FD“Look at this,” Mark said, handing his smartphone to his wife. “This makes me so damn angry.”

Karen looked at the picture on his phone and asked, “It’s just a bunch of people walking down the street in what looks like a touristy area.”

“That’s exactly what it is,” Mark said. “This was taken yesterday. Can you believe that?”

“I’m sorry, Mark, but I don’t understand.”

“Where’s the social distancing?” Mark said. “Where are the face masks? How do people expect us to get past this pandemic if they disregard what the doctors are saying?”

“Well, according to the president….”

Written for today’s Friday Fictioneers prompt from Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Photo credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.

Fandango’s Dog Days of August #14

Fandango19 Comments

Fandango’s Dog Days of AugustDo you need a muse to get your creative juices flowing during these hot, sultry days of August? Try a dose of Fandango’s Dog Days of August prompt.

At 6:00 am Pacific time each day this month, I will be posting a new theme. Today’s theme is “your daily routine.” Do you follow a daily routine? Many of us are creatures of habit. We have routines that we follow, whether it’s the time we get up each day or go to bed, what we do during the day, or how we spend our time. For some, it can be disruptive if our routines are interrupted. Share a story, a poem, a photo, a drawing, some music, or whatever you wish to share about your daily routine.

If you wish to participate, please write your post, use the tag #FDDA, and create a pingback to this post or manually add your link in the comments.

And, of course, take some time to read the other responses to this prompt. See how other bloggers are coping with the dog days of August.