New Hope Nefarious, So. Dakota

                            Town of Nefarious, Wyoming or Idaho: pop. 4957...953...236...

"Come Sick, Leave Healthy"

At the turn of the 1900s, Nefarious ** had been a boom town.  Seltzer Springs brought in wagons full of health seekers to use the springs, eat peculiar food, and spend money.

Alas, the Springs started to dry up along with the tourists.  Around 1993, the population itself dwindled.  Then one day, few boys were playing in the empty waterbed when they screamed in delight, ran back to the mayor, Doc Kincaid, who confirmed their big find.  He took to kids to his house and locked them in a closet.  "I'll let you out when the city council men get here."

The council men came quickly as there had been little to do lately.

The boys told them and led them to the creek bed.  "Look, Mr. Jenkins! Look!"  And there it was: the bones of an immense prehistoric boa, 50 feet long with the circumference of 8 feet.  Silence fell.  There was more to be found as they walked along the dried stream, lined with dinosaur bones.

In the quiet dining room of the widower Jasper Fillings way out of town, all men along with the boys sat around the dining table and a plan was hatched.  "In two weeks time, we must re-construct our miserable little town to make it look like it did back in 1890s.   Stores must occupy the empty old stores....and anyone known to be a gossip and who has relatives who are gossips must be confined." He paused and shook his head.  "How, I don't know."  

He continued. "Phones ripped out, Facebook and such shut down...secrecy is the key. Boys?  You wanta help or be locked up in the old boarded up classroom out in the dusty school?"

The town without the gossipy group threw muscle into renewal.  Quilts were ordered from China, tags removed, with new tags added "Hand-sewn by Louisa May Smith".  Rusty tools and blacksmith shop were restored.  Jars and jars of jams, preserves, and candles were ordered.  The labels were stripped off, and new ones put on: Mrs. Tucker's Homemade.... My...Oh, the work. Nefarious appeared to be frozen in the late 1800s.

The gossipy type had been sent on a 21 day cruise to Hawaii on the Holland American vee Dam.  They apparently had a wonderful time, and the cruise had been extended.

Finally, the paleontologists were summoned.  Two wise men, then four, then more:  all agreed that this was the biggest titanoba ever found, and joy overflowed as they walked down the creek bed.

A lackadaisical bearded old man was paid to sit in an old chair with his feet propped up on the sidewalk railing.  Curious tourists with full shopping bags asked him how long had he been there.

There had been no luck finding a old man.  Sam Elliot stepped

up to be the stand in for the weathered old cowboy.

Why? No one ever understood that.

"Heck if I know,"  he answered and then aimed some tobacco spit at the nearby spittoon.  Sometime he hit the mark, sometimes he did not.  All went well in Nefarious here on out.

Sue the T-Rex is front and center at Chicago's Field Museum and was found S. Dakota. Other than that, we will stay with the rugged states where dinosaur bones have been found.

This is a repost of Wednesday Words given as a challenge for bloggers to shake up their writing, to take a break from WIPs, try different genre.  A dear Blogger, Delores, started this challenge a few years back, passing the baton onto other talented bloggers. 

Write like there is not tomorrow! Write!

 YouTube: about 2 + minutes, 8 year old in a library

 

Starting to write can start young, really young. For me, the first thing I wrote was a letter to Ralphie Edwards.  I was almost 5 and it was a very brief romance. 

The missive consisted of assorted  alphabet letters with drawings of birthday cakes interspersed randomly. 

It was a fine achievement for a preschool child with grand aspirations to become a writer

                           

These were the Wednesday Words for last week: Mine, child, foundation, careful, bird,  dig, sadness, lemon, attach, breakfast, time  This is what I created from these gems of language:

Samuel carried the yellow bird down into the mine, careful to hang the cage where miners could see it.  It was just another day of digging, for Samuel who had been in the mines since he was a child, 

For the miners, coal was the foundation of their community. Love it or hate it, Samuel did not feel the sadness that came over the town in a black cloud.  He did not have time to escape the rumble of a cave-in.   

The bird had died, and so had Samuel. 

This is from my dark side. I decided long ago that a short story is concise, requires careful word selections.  Did you find the words in the less than 100 word story? What would you write?

YouTube, about 45 seconds

This was written by River - drifting through like:

This is an awesome way to make a post that uses these words! The following story was written by River - drifting through life She is a gentle writer, uses words well.  There will be other offerings there for the reader to enjoy. Please visit her site.

Under the blossoming lemon tree, I gaze at you as you gaze at me, the words of an old favourite song coming to mind, "oh, sweet child of mine". 

We have made it successfully through our first month together and I believe our foundation is solid. I feel such love when you attach yourself to my breast each breakfast time, you drink your fill as your tiny fingers dig in and your toes curl with the pleasure. 

I shall teach you as you grow, to appreciate the little things in life, birds and butterflies, flowers and growing vegetables, the gentle salmon pinks of sunrises and the deeper sunsets too. 

I shall teach you to be careful with your words when speaking with others, that you do not unwittingly hurt with them, there is far too much hate and sadness already in this world you have been born into. 

What could you create?  I'd love to see what that is.  You can post your work at your own blog site and/or the above site.  If you choose to publish at your site, please link it back to River's site--- River - drifting through life--- where other bloggers have posted their literary works.

 This Wed. Words was  created by Delores at Under the Porch light, which she no longer keeps active.  She is a sweet  lady, wrote some great poetry.  She passed the baton to several bloggers including River - drifting through life at the above address. 

Hope you enjoyed my own literary triumphs.   

             10 year old published author, YouTube, about 2 min.

 

Oh, Great Mysteries of Life

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-drift/

In hundreds of millions of years, somewhere in the past, Earth consisted of one big continent.  For many innumerable million years, in fact. Geologists wondered the how and why of uniqueness of the land masses filling the earth, dividing Atlantic from Pacific. 

Why does South America feel like it could cozy up with Africa? Why is Australia off by itself, containing unique critters of its own? Why is there a Gulf Stream that swirls hot to cold, an interactive exchange? Can any continent claim that it has the hottest temperature? Personally, I'd go for Africa.  Sahara Desert wins, hands down.

Alfred Wegener published The Origin of Continents, in 1912.  He posited that at that time, there had been only one massive continent, which he named Pangaea, or Pangea. It was during a 600 million year span to some other million, land masses broke apart in a continental shift, similar to pieces of driftwood rolling through waters until it found a home. (First, continents were together, then they broke up, and then they moved back...Fickle, if you ask me.)

Wegener's book seemed to solve a great mystery to most people.  I suspect that other geologists may have wondered about this but discounted it, but Pangaea seemed to make sense to average humans. I mean, really.  Just look at a jigsaw puzzle, you academics. 

Unbelievably, this created quite an uproar, was controversial until the 1950s. But, even so, Wegener had cast his scientific reputation to test the waters in early 20th century years. I'd say he took quite a chance on this, but then...

This shift had all sorts of ramifications, too numerous here. Feel free to check it out. BUT it is patently clear that there will be no effort for earth to reconnect any time soon.
  

Carole King from YouTube

The above above bold italicized underlined words are a gift from Wednesday Words first set up by Delores. She stepped out the light and handed the torch to other bloggers. These above words were, provided by River. This was originally posted in 2016.

Participants may post their take on these words in that blogger's comment section, or indicate that your post will be at your site.  This helps readers to find you, which is nice. Also, use the words for own peculiar take on them.

For next Wednesday, check with  Elephant's Child  .

Love it or hate it: Snow

Keep shoveling..

Weathermen in the Northeast called the latest snowstorm an anomaly.  Frank was called in to the warehouse to forklift pallets of salt for the snow plows.

He had wished to be part of the snow plow guys, but he wasn’t ambidextrous enough, which was of great help in such a job and meant better money.  Frank continued to deliver bags and bags of salt.

Finally tow trucks were able to pull abandoned cars to the impound lots, including Frank’s new sports car.   Always deleterious in care of his belongings, Frank discovered heavy salt residue mixed with icy snow covering the car had eaten through the snazzy black paint, creating zebra stripes in the paint.

Frank shook his head sadly.  At least he had faithfully paid his car insurance.

The italicized bold print words are from Wednesday Words from 2015 or 14. A dear blogger, Delores, created  this challenge for writers. Thanks, Delores!

The temperature here in S. California has been intense. One day it was 105 degrees, where it lingered for several days. This week 109 is predicted. Death Valley is at 133 deg. The idea of snow sounds mighty good.

I will wait upon the Lord.

Soar on wings of an eagle

Chris had never been known to be a “waiter”; instead he always threw himself headlong into many diverse adventures…here, there, here...He loved the adrenalin rush, the way it drove him. After that rush came his pride and carelessness.

Who and what Chris was then changed radically when he became a man whose greatest desire in life was to wait upon the Lord.  

Be intense, diligent… …taking on the most mundane of tasks.  Wait upon the Lord…were the words running through his mind when the alarm bell rang.

“Take it, Chris!” cried out a fellow fireman.  At the clunk sound of hose thrown to him, adrenaline surged. Gripping the heavy hose tightly, Chris reminded himself ”Time to serve!”  as he raced into the blazing house.  

YouTube from movie "Fireproof". Video is about 4 min. long.

These underlined words above were provided by Delores every Wednesday as challenge to  bloggers who enjoy writing flash fiction, poems, prose, vignettes... Words are now being tossed at us by Elephant's Child  and River

The is a repost from May 15, 2015

When Summer Ends

Amazon: $999

“This vegetarian lifestyle is against man,” Dina sighed, tugging at the weeds surrounding peas, tomatoes, and beans. Hot pain had formed in her lower back two tomato rows ago.

Dewy leaves now were dried in midday sun. Dina stretched, arching her back, standing to look around fields. People and friends just like her hard at work on summer harvest.  What life had been when all of this began…

Oh, the times Dina relished when she had whirled around nightly fires, sparks rising up into a black sky.  Fairies had danced upon her fingertips and elves had woven rainbows through her hair. Dina had laughed, swirling and loving all in a colorful world.

Now hippy life and love appeared less and less meaningful after three years. Totalitarianism ruled her world now, all black and white, with fires less,  and fairies gone.  Dropping the clumps of weeds to the ground and raising her chin high, Dina strode over the damp earth. I'm outta here.

All things come to an end.

This is a post from Summer 2015. Delores provided strange but challenging and fun words.

A Vessel of Kindness

vessel in the making

Great Aunt Evangeline always visited on my birthday, as regular as calendar and clock. Auntie E was full of so many things, most of them really irritating.  Adages? She had them. Shameless bragging? Overload there. A hoard of wisdom?  Good there, too.

Auntie E was a bland plain woman, with legs like stems. So utterly huge to the point of bursting, her size dominated any room. A successful business woman, she owned her own brokerage, always possessing great insight on sales and trends. And, believe it or not, that lady had a great golf swing. 

Yet, for all the things I hated about her, I loved her for them. In so many ways, Auntie E was a vessel of kindness to all she knew. While I possessed just a vestige of humanity, Auntie E loved and was loved, cared and was cared for, gave and then was given. 

I was none of those things. Still am. Yet, I will continue trying.

source

This is a re-post of 2016, Wed. words If you haven't already checked out this word challengg

WedWords: Fairy Hell

Fairy Lane

Being a fairy is no easy job, I tell you.  I know; I have been one for years, and hated every moment.

Oh, sure. Some fairies paint flowers, some water lovely green plants. Their primary job is to care for the planet, keeping it healthy and green. Those fairies’ skin shimmer with a fluorescent glow, their clothing is cross-stitched with spider webs, and their boots are soft butterfly cocoons.

My job? My job?  I am in charge of slugs and carnivorous bugs.  In fact, I am President of Chapter 207 Union of Scavenger Bugs. One assassin bug attacked me, put me in fairy hospital for a week.  Best week of my miserable life, the only best week.

If there were even one thing about my job that I loved, that would be wonderful.  But as it stands now, I live in fairy mud hell.

The above italicized underlined words above have been provided by Carolyn at Worlds and Words in the weekly Wednesday Words. This Challenge was created by Delores years ago to challenge bloggers to leap out of their genre, using a group of unrelated words to create a poem, prose, whatever. 

These are fun and I always love playing with them.  Post your take in their comment section or at your own site!

WedWords: Ultimately

Add caption

Don had always been a big fish in a small pond.  As a respected and experienced builder, Don employed most of the men in the community, holding many contracts for town, school, and church boards. 

His now-grown children had attended school in the town. Don and Lena went to the local Methodist church, and Don was active city council meetings.  Life was good.

His wife Lena experienced an inexplicable fall during the church bazaar, dropping a plate full of cupcakes.  The local GP, Dr. Bill Nelson, referred her to the University Hospital, where Lena and Don learned she had Stage 4 brain cancer.

Ultimately, Don and Lena moved to be close to the Cancer Treatment Center in Arizona.

From the back yard of their new home, Don stared across the desert at the glorious sunset.  The land line connecting him to his life now lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors. Oh, Lena…. He sighed and returned to his empty house.

My brother Robert lived in our small town and life changed for all when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.  That feeling of emptiness comes through in this short story.

I really don't know who supplied this week's words and they are excellent!  Starting this month, Elephant's Child will providing words until the beginning of November when Delores at Under the Porch Light will take over.  Phew, I hope I have that right!