Wednesday Words: Claudia

Broccoli! Dana Carvey

When Claudia purchased an expensive franchise, she knew what to expect.  Money flowed from her investment account like Cola from a drink dispenser. 

Even though Claudia was a CPA, and had examined a thorough spread sheet, she was nervous about taking such a leap.

Claudia and her large family painted and created a restaurant that could never be called mundane.  Her mother held up a paint can, noticing the color label, and called out.

“Mija! Quien quiere comer en un restaurant estάn pintados con el color de broccoli?”**

Claudia smiled.  “Todos, Mama!  Todos!”***

**Sweet girl! Who would want to eat in a restaurant painted in the color of broccoli?"

***Everyone, Mama!  Everyone!"

These underlined and bold words, sentence phrases are provided by Delores from Under the Porch Light.  Each Wednesday,  Delores provides six daunting words for any who wishes to participate in this writing challenge. Please visit her site by clicking on the frozen cardinals in the sidebar; you will find other writers who have taken different slants on these words!  You should be intrigued...

Wednesday Words: Natalia

Source: Wikipedia...White House tree

As Papa carved a wooden doll, he muttered, “She will be as stiff as last year’s Christmas tree…”

Mama laughed.  “That is because this trunk is from last year’s tree!  From the church!” 

It had been a huge tree, nearly twenty feet tall.  The trunk revealed itself to be large and well-formed.  Papa could see a doll in the wood for his precious daughter, Natalia.

Mama fashioned a gown from Papa’s crimson flannel shirt, now mottled with time.  She had spent weeks spinning and weaving a blanket with a border of lines resembling railroad tracks.   This would cover a little girl, holding her new doll.

Source: on ebay...interesting site!

To some people, such a small gift would appear to be insignificant.  To a little girl named Natalia, it would mean everything.

Sweep the Floor Clean

Source: lusi

Mama said we gotta clean this whole damn place.  “Every inch of it!” she said.

Mama filled up a bucket of scrubbing soap that smelled like pine tree.  She handed me a rag, and we started scrubbing.  Scrubbing hard, like there was sin in every crack. 

From the ceiling to the floor, Mama scrubbed, scrubbed some more.  Then she changed the water with more pine stuff. 

What was I doing?  “Sweep the floor!  You gotta sweep clean!”  So I did what Mama said.  Then she told me to do it all over again. 

Mama filled another bucket of water and pine stuff.  Gave me a stiff brush, got on her knees, and started scrubbing the floor in big circles.  She sent me to work  along  side, so as we’d scrub from one end to the other.

She dumped the bucket, put clear water and a dose of pine stuff.  And we started all over again, circle and circle, on our knees.  Did this until the water ran clear at the end.  Thought we was done.

Source: Gronigen

But no.  We got some old rags and rinsed off the pine water.  One end to the other.

Then Mama stood up.  “You always gotta sweep the floor clean.”  That was what we done.

Went out to the porch where a cool breeze was blowing.  Mama had some coffee and a cigarette.  I had some water.

I asked her why men didn't do this, since as it was darn hard work.

"Men don't know much about cleaning the house."  She took a long hard drag on the cigarette.  "They don't know much at all."