Welcome to Crimson’s Creative Challenge. I didn’t think I’d come up with something and then, well, I did. I love that this challenge means pretty much anything is accepted, as long as we keep it under 150 words. Can’t say I blame Crispina. For challenges, that means a lot of reading (and I try to read all the participants’ entries too, so. Yeah. I do my bestest to keep it at 150 or less).
Emma-Why
Mommy! Look at the ducks!
I think they are geese, dear.
I thought ducks were white and gooses were black and white like the ones in Canada.
Geese. And there are different types.
Why are they geese and not gooses?
I don’t know.
Why are these geese here in the parking lot? Isn’t it hot for their foots?
Feet, not foots.
Why is is feet and not foot?
Good question. English is funny that way.
Can I pet them?
Oh no! Geese are notorious for being nasty.
What is notorious? And they look nice.
Notorious means they have a bad reputation. Don’t disturb them; they probably think we are on their territory.
That’s silly, Mommy. They should be in the water or in the air!
You’ve got that right, Emma-Why.
Why do you call me Emma-Why?
Gee, I wonder why!
Word count 150
And since I like to add a photo of mine, here are some Canada Gooses 😉
Welcome to Wednesday, my friends! It is time for another edition of Friday Fictioneers, brought to us by the wonderful Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week, we have the pleasure of using her hubby Jan Fields‘ photo. Should you want to add your own 100-word story, just click on the blue frog below. G’head, let’s see what this one does for you!
G’head, click me!
I Can Do It Myself
“Holy Hannah, Holly! What happened?”
“Nothing,” she growled through gritted teeth. “Just a little hiccup, is all.”
“Hiccup? Sure ’bout that? Looks more like a hurricane hit!”
“Shut up. Everything was going up just fine and then I dunno what happened. The whole thing collapsed.”
Henry tried to keep a straight face. “Any chance something is upside down?”
“Probably! Everything looks upside down, now!”
“Say the word, and I’m all yours, your Handyman Extraordinaire.”
“I just wanted to do it myself, yanno? Show I’m capable.”
Henry hugged her. “You’re more than capable. But you don’t have to do it alone.”
This week Pegman takes us to Manitoba, Canada. Feel free to use the location/picture supplied with the prompt, our take your own tour of Manitoba via Google Maps and find a view to inspire you.
Your mission is to write up to 150 words inspired by the week’s location. You may write poetry, prose, or essay. Once your piece is polished, share it with others using the linkup below. Reading and commenting on others’ stories is part of the fun!
Now, I find this quite humorous that Karen has chosen the whole province of Manitoba over a single region or city. (I tease you, Karen.) That said, I am totally cheating and using my own photograph, taken in August 1993 when I went on my first honeymoon. Yes, I had one of those starter marriages that was over before you could say Boo! That said, we have remained friends and all is well and it was a wonderful trip.
Hurry up! I’m being eaten alive!
A Drive West
“We’re going to drive west, camping along the way till we get to Vancouver, stay a few days and drive back through the States.”
“Exciting honeymoon. Not.”
“Pffft! I drove across with my folks when I was 21. We have a beautiful country.”
“If you say so. You should fly over the boring Prairies. There’s nothing to see there!”
“Says you who has never been outside Quebec.”
“I hear–”
“Never mind, you hear. Until you DO, you’ve nothing to say.”
“You know what we should have done? Skip Ontario! Bloody hell. Three days to cross it seeing nothing but trees and rocks!”
“And what is this about the prairies being boring? It’s beautiful here. You can pretend you are in Tuscany with all these beautiful sunflowers!”
“Yeah. That said. In Tuscany, they don’t have skeeters big enough to take you away! What the hell? Are they fertilized to grow so big?”
When I saw this weekend’s word, I immediately went back to 1995-96 when I worked with Pat, who would become my mentor. She was a card and a half. We used to write lyrics to existing songs to roast people or initiate them into the company. Many a laugh was had over her Kahlua and Milk (blech). Cannot believe she has been gone 18 years already…
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments. Thank you, Sammi!
Word Prompt
Amateur
Challenge
“Hey, Mom! Check this out!
BRRRRRRRAAAAAAACCCCKKKK!”
Sarah let out a huge belch, the likes of which would make a beer-guzzling construction worker proud.
Patricia looked at her daughter. “Really? That’s the best you can do? Amateur! Come back to me when you can say ‘I am Wonder Woman’ in one shot!”
My late friend and mentor Patricia. Looks like a lady but had her sailor side, too 😉
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments.
Good Wednesday morning, my peeps! I just managed to get my brain to function and my fingers to typing to write out this little silly before heading out to work. Rochelle, our fabulous leader, has chosen one of my pictures… How cool is that? Very.
G’head, play along. Write your own little 100-word story based on this weird statue that is all over the Quartier des Spectacles in Montreal. Just click on the blue frog below, add your link and Bob’s your uncle!
C’mon, click me to play! You know you wanna…
Energy Pull
Aim for a balanced life, they say. Yeah, sure. No problemo. I’ll just sit here and be zen and ignore the things that suck the energy out of me. You know, things like work and kids and the house that seems to be falling down around me. Balanced. Pfft! How does one distribute the energy required to get it all done?
Prioritize. Yeah, that’s how you do it.
Put your bathing suit on, get a glass of wine and a book and sit by the pool.
And don’t notice that the grass is too long and the pool need vacuuming.
Last week I shared with you our Saint Jean Baptiste or Fête Nationale in Québec and gave you a little history lesson. And how for some Anglos, this is just a day off from work and for most Francos, it holds pride on being French.
In Quebec, for many, Canada Day is just a day off. Like Victoria Day (only Quebecers celebrate Journée des Patriotes – Patriots Day) because in this province things are disinct… sorry, I digress!
Mick’s Flag
Now, I am what our Prime Minister Trudeau (father, not son) was hoping the people of his country would all be. Perfectly bilingual in both English and French. No matter what your province of birth is, you can be bilingual. However, that did not happen quite as he had hoped. About the only thing bilingual in the country is packaging. And I can go on and on about the laws and stuff but then I’ll just get myself worked up and that is not the point of this here post. What I am is, a Canadian, who happens to live in Quebec; not the other way around. And like most Canadians, except for the staunchest Separatists, would be celebrating, if I weren’t working – coz I’m in the hospitality biz and there ain’t no holidays for that there group.
Peeps like to call it Canada’s birthday but that is over-simplifying things 😉 I found this on the internets and it perfectly sums things up:
“On July 1, 1867, the nation was officially born when the Constitution Act joined three provinces into one country: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Canada province, which then split into Ontario and Quebec. However, Canada was not completely independent of England until 1982. The holiday called Dominion Day was officially established in 1879, but it wasn’t observed by many Canadians, who considered themselves to be British citizens. Dominion Day started to catch on when the 50th anniversary of the confederation rolled around in 1917. In 1946, a bill was put forth to rename Dominion Day, but arguments in the House of Commons over what to call the holiday stalled the bill.
The 100th anniversary of the nation’s official creation in 1967 saw the growth of the spirit of Canadian patriotism, and Dominion Day celebrations really began to take off. Although quite a few Canadians already called the holiday Canada Day (Fête du Canada), the new name wasn’t formally adopted until October of 1982.”
—Source: Mental Floss
Well how do you like them apples? I couldn’t have said it any better!
And in Quebec, July 1st is officially Moving Day… Crazy as that sounds, today will be Mover’s nightmare with trucks all over the place as people move from one apartment to another. Not a law but a tradition. Weird, but true. How did this happen, you ask? I always thought it was because schools end their year on June 23rd, latest, so it is easier for parents to not screw up the kids’ school year. And it is for that reason but there is more.
It began as a humanitarian meaure by the Quebec government forbidding landlords from evicting their tenant farmers in the middle of winter. Sweet of them, no? Apparently in the 18th century French law dictated that all legal documents begin on May 1 so that became the official unofficial start time for leases, going from May 1 to April 30.
In 1973, the Quebec government figured it would be even better to move this day to July 1st for the original reason I stated (to coincide with the end of the school year), plus we can still get crappy weather in the beginning of May, and, by moving it to an official holiday, people would not miss a day of work. Of course, that excludes the movers, doesn’t it?
Today’s history lesson is over 😉 I wish all of my Canadian readers a
And leave you with this little amusing and oh-so-silly video
And just so you know, I have never, EVER, used the word chesterfield for a sofa… and a few of the other expressions 😉
