Wordy Wednesday: What's Cooking?!

Today's Wordy Wednesday sentence prompt is: "What's cooking?" courtesy of B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, writer, and blogger who prefers to go by the name Pixie.

Her blog 'Pixie's World: My take on everything' (https://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/) is where she writes "fiction, anecdotes, and observations." She is also a foodist, thus the prompt!

The posts that I have read of hers I have thoroughly enjoyed, occasionally chuckling at her writing style. I find her writing witty, direct, and carefree, as if to say "This is me, whether you like it or not!"

Am I right Pixie? ;) Did I capture your essence well?

I shall attempt to write from that place, though I will require your assistance. Can you do me a favour and please read this (as best you can) with an American accent? If not, pretend you are a country singer, except that you aren't singing! ;)

**************************************************************************************

Mama Jo was busy in her kitchen preparin' potato salad, singin' and hummin' some gospel tunes while she worked. She had a secret ingredient that came to her one day while plantin' herbs, flowers, and vegetables in her large garden.

She concocted her potato salad with zeal and pride. After all, she wanted to win first prize at her local country fair!

Usually the fair was in the fall, but due to some unforeseen circumstances - not one person 'cept the mayor really knew why - it was cancelled. Actually, he declared a weekend in mid-July instead, naming it the 'Christmas in July Fair.'

The townsfolk was kinda confused by that as you can imagine. However, once the posts were up in terms of activities and prizes to be awarded, they soon forgot as they were too busy scramblin' to get ready. They had little notice to prepare considerin' the fair got moved up a number of weeks prior.

The day before the fair, Mama Jo was busy in her kitchen cookin' a bunch of red, white, and blue potatoes, not only to make her salad more colorful,* but also to appeal to the American's fair judges-to-be.

After the potatoes had cooled just right first at room temperature, then in the fridge, she mixed various food items in a big white ceramic bowl: radishes for example gave her salad a bit of a zing. Her sweet garden peas and juicy cherry tomatoes added extra color, while pickles and organic eggs added texture. Other ingredients were a part of her famous-salad-to-be, including an eye-measured amount of homemade mustard-mayonnaise, pinched fresh herbs from her garden here and there, and one special secret ingredient.

She transferred the ingredients into a clean dish, covered it well, and placed it at the bottom of the fridge. Having prepared it the night before would allow the various aromas and tastes to permeate real good by mornin'.

When the time finally came, the judges stood around her big bowl of potato salad. They looked at it, smelled it, and tasted it.

And they all shouted enthusiastically and simultaneously: "What's cooking?!"

*I purposely used the American spelling for this story. Photo is by Pixabay.

Wordy Wednesday: The world is a small place

Today's prompt is attributed to B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member, writer, and blogger Usha Menon nicknamed 'eccentric grandmum'.

Her blog, 'Kuch Khatta Kuch Meetha' (http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.ca/) means 'Some sour some sweet' as life is like that, certainly not always a bed of roses!

Usha is retired and loves to write and does so daily if she can, otherwise almost daily (http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.ca/).

She has participated in a number of blog challenges and has won a number of awards, including 'Best Blog of 2013' - that's quite an accomplishment!

Sometimes, or do I imagine this, she pokes fun at herself in her writings. However, with compassion, sincerity, and warmth - at times humour too - Usha writes a combination of fiction in the form of stories and non in the form of poetry, primarily haiku, a very short form of Japanese poetry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku).

I am always amazed at her writing of haiku: I think Usha is a natural! It seems to just roll off her tongue, er I mean off the tip of her pen, or rather computer keyboard. Oftentimes, you will notice several of her haiku in one post!

I hope you enjoy reading her posts, haiku and all! If you do, please bless her writing with a comment. It only takes a moment and she not only deserves it, she will also surely appreciate it.

I could challenge myself in writing fiction about this, but I change my mind.

**************************************************************************************
I have had many small world experiences, especially since moving from Toronto, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia years ago.

One instance stands out for me in particular as follows (written to the best of my recollection):

Not too long after moving here that rather tickled my funny bone was an ad I saw in a local newspaper. I can't recall the heading nor the ad for that matter though it had something to do with friendship or dating.

Believe me or not, I actually KNEW immediately who it was when I read it: no kidding!

With playful humour, I responded somewhat coyly with no clues as to who I was. I believe I emailed in question form similar to his questioning as if I was questioning him (if memory serves me correctly).

Well, the day came where we met over a cup of coffee or tea.

I smiled quietly outwardly though hugely inside attempting to keep my secret for as long as possible: he didn't seem to recognize me at all which somewhat surprised me, though it had been a few years since I had seen him last.

When I finally told him who I was after about five minutes or so and some guessing, he laughed. He was both shocked and surprised, yet delighted to meet someone from his past.

We ended up having a great discussion reminiscing about people we both knew from the church we used to attend and our lives since then.

The world is a small place after all! Isn't it?! ;)

Epilogue: A number of years later, I attempted to re-establish contact with him as I moved into the region he used to live in. Unfortunately, I lost all contact with him as his information had changed. Too bad!

P.S. I couldn't figure out the share buttons...almost but not quite (enough)!

Wordy Wednesday: Everyone is Self-centered

Here is a more challenging prompt thanks to B-A-R (Blog-A-Rhythm) member and blogger Shilpa Garg (http://shilpaagarg.com/), whose sentence prompt for today is "Everyone is self-centered; it's just the radius that differs.."

Whether spelled self-centered or self-centred, the meaning is the same. Self-centered refers to being "only interested in yourself and your own activities" or similarly, "preoccupied with oneself and one's affairs" or "engrossed in oneself and one's own affairs."

Synonyms (similar meanings) include that of being "selfish, narcissistic, egocentric, egotistic, egotistical, egomaniacal, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-seeking, self-interested, self-serving." That's a lot of words!

Radius on the other hand is "a straight line from the center to the circumference of a circle or sphere," definitions of both courtesy of google.

**************************************************************************************

"...And so it was that they lived their secret lives in the shadows of silence." (from previous Wordy Wednesday prompt)

Suzette was enjoying her rendezvous with Jean-Pierre, but something seemed a little off on this particular day.

Was it that the rose-coloured glasses of their three-and-a-half-month relationship came off her nose? Did she now see her "love" differently? Were the expectations that she had projected onto him come to an end in her mind?

Whatever the reason(s), she noticed Jean-Pierre in a different light. That is, he seemed to be fussing about in the bathroom for what seemed like such a loooooooooooong time. She realized this was actually a pattern of his behaviour that she had dismissed prior. What on earth was he up to? What could he be doing? He seemed so quiet.

Suzy finally could take it no longer, her impatience and budding anger growing by the minute. Without knocking on the door, it was partially ajar anyway, she peered into an unapologetic scene.

What?! No wonder! Jean-Pierre was taking pictures of his biceps and chest, his recently acquired muscular frame from having worked out at his local gym since having met Suzette. Now she knew she had her moments, but this?! Really!

She knew then this truth: Everyone is self-centered; it's just the radius that differs.

Wordy Wednesday: What is it that I really want to say?

The title is the writing prompt and is the challenge for today's writing for anyone who chooses it, namely, "What is it that I really want to say?"

Sometimes a challenge is, well, a challenge! And why not challenge myself and perhaps learn and/or grow in the process, if not a foot, maybe an inch? ;) So here goes...

**************************************************************************************

Clipart image

"So, what is it that I really want to say?" This thought ran through Emily's mind as she pondered what occurred to her between her birthday and a couple days prior. The scenario played over in her mind as she churned this question.

Two days before a momentous birthday, Emily went to see a counsellor for free as part of a work benefit. She had had the feeling a few months prior that she wanted, perhaps even needed to see one who specialized in the area of family of origin (or FOO for short) in order to deal with negative issues or patterns in her life.

She knew intuitively that the root causes of some of them such as an addiction to food stemmed from childhood or FOO, and she was curious in wanting to explore that and get to the root causes in order to change what was not working or no longer working for her.

Though her counsellor was a stranger - initial session - Emily felt comfortable enough with her and unloaded her thoughts and feelings, dumping them unceremoniously to or rather, towards the walls, the floor, the door, and occasionally at Mary, her counsellor.

Mary was an older woman which initially surprised Emily, but then came to the quick realization that that would be highly beneficial in giving her more experience and expertise to deal with Emily's problems or issues.

It was as Emily was talking about her twin sister, actually dead twin sister along with things that happened in her - Emily - life, that a thought triggered like a spontaneous flash in her brain. She came to the utter realization of something, something important she felt she needed to do, to share.

And two days later on Emily's birthday, as she was participating in an online healing discussion, this thought struck her again out-of-the-blue. Emily knew that when that happens, 'Spirit' or intuition was beckoning her.

In fact, later in the evening when Emily was conversing with her mother about details of her birth, her twin, and the like, the same idea stuck in the background amidst questions and responses.

It was the first time that Emily had even considered her mother's viewpoint in giving birth to her and her twin, and the aftermath of what happened, some of which wasn't shared verbally then, but implied.

And thus a formulation spun cycles in Emily's brain in speaking with a work colleague about writing and blogging, two days later.

Emily discovered then: she was pregnant! Oh my! How could that be? She was 55 after all!

Though most pregnancies are usually nine months, Emily wasn't sure how long hers would be. She hoped it wouldn't be much longer; however, one really never knew. She was to give birth, one that she knew she had inside of her, one that she was told by at least one if not more than one person.

And it wasn't the inspired children's story she had in mind written after a group of young children she had designed a program for. No, no! This was different. And it could be a long, labor-intensive birth, though who was to know for sure... ;)

**************************************************************************************

Epilogue: If you haven't figured it out yet, this woman is actually the author of this blog, namely me, and it is a true story, albeit a tad 'fictionalized.' That is what this blogger wants to say, yet doesn't quite know how to say it directly as there are ramifications with that, including the possibility of saying goodbye to her supportive loving community of online friends, though not yet!

An important note or aside as congratulations are not in order, not just yet, not until after the birth. That is really important which will be shared at a later time, sooner rather than later(?).

She isn't sure how her already busy lifestyle, currently working full-time, singing in two choirs (first time), seeing a counsellor, attending occasional meetings and community events here and there, visiting with friends occasionally, and life in between will justify writing a book based on her life's story or stories... ;)

This post is written as a sentence prompt for Wordy Wednesday at the "BAR" (Blog-A-Rhythm). ;)