Catching The Big One

This is Day 19 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Pounder.

This is the next to the last day of the challenge and I just didn't know quite what to do with today's prompt, so I went with the obvious usage of the word. 

When we catch the granddaddy of all fish, it is usually just a fish tale, but now and again someone legitimately catches a big one. 

Robert Strickland was certainly not floundering around last fall when he pulled a 38-pounder out of Salem Lake during the the city's annual Pier Catfish Tournament.

You can check out the article to see the actual fish caught by the tournament winner, and hear Strickland talk about catching the big ones. He has fished all around the area, but keeps coming back to Salem Lake.


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What's Cookin'?

This is Day 18 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is What's Cookin'?

I was running on empty today so I took a page out of Mac the Cheese Man's cookbook and made homemade mac & cheese for dinner. 

Start with some melted butter and finely diced onion. Add some flour and cook for another minute or two. Add milk and let it boil lightly until it thickens. Toss in your cheese(s) of choice and gently stir until it is all melted. Mix this with some just-cooked macaroni, top with buttered bread crumbs, bake and enjoy!  
Good-night!


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Tropical Dreams

This is Day 17 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Tropical Dreams.

Nothing is rigid. Things change. 
You can change your mind. 
You can change your thinking.

― Liane Moriarty

I'm keeping it simple today. My tropical dream is a place where life is calm, the breeze is warm, the drinks are cold, and you can always change your mind.


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Guilty or Not?

This is Day 16 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Guilty Pleasures.

A guilty pleasure is anything you partake of or join in that prompts you to say (or think) I probably shouldn't, but what the heck!

Image Source: Scott Ableman

Most of my guilty pleasures are food-related, most specifically to sweets. I don't have real sweet tooth and am not constantly craving chocolate, or pies or cake or even ice cream. That said, I do love me some Krispy Kreme doughnuts, after all they were founded right here in my home town. 

When the Hot & Now sign is lit, there is some serious goodness going on inside, and like a couple of kids we get our doughnuts and sit and watch the doughnuts going through the phases: rising, frying and getting an icing bath before being plucked off the belt and into to-go boxes. People line up for these tasty confections.

The other thing that makes my taste buds cry out for more is pecan pie, and not just any pecan pie, but the recipe my mom used. I still have the clipping of the recipe from way back, probably printed in the Journal more well over 50 years ago. I never tasted a better pecan pie. Given that it's about the highest calorie pie in my repertoire, I only make two per year around the holidays, and they are typically shared with family and friends which limits my caloric burden.

What are some of your guilty (or not) pleasures?


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Eli Asks Why?

This is Day 15 of the 2018 edition of the 20 Days of Chill writing challenge hosted by P. J. at A ‘lil HooHaa. Please join us this month on our writing journey. Today's prompt is Why Ask Why?

My first thought on why ask why was - why not? If you don't ask, you will never know. Not that everyone would be forthcoming with an answer.

For instance, my friend Eli, (remember him?) has this strange habit of disappearing into thin air. You read that right. He just spontaneously becomes invisible. Now if you were to ask him why he was there one minute and invisible the next, what do you think he would say? "Uh...I'll have to get back to you on that."

Eli seeks out the only person who can answer him when he asks WHY?

"Why did I suddenly become invisible? I had to leave Paul to face that madman at the bar, not that he didn't deserve it–why can't he keep his mouth shut? Plus I had to walk home because an invisible man can't drive," Eli exploded at his mother, who was fortunately in her human state, as Eli would have felt even more ridiculous having this conversation with a bird. 

"Can you tell me why, and then maybe how? I need to know. I can't risk randomly disappearing in public like that. Imagine what my boss would say."

"Take a breath," said his mother calmly, "and I'll try to explain. You've always known that you...that we...were different. I had hoped my stories and your dreams would prepare you."

"For what?" Eli asked skeptically.

"For your new powers," she stated, as if that were sufficient explanation.

"I'd say that the preparation was seriously lacking," responded Eli sarcastically. "I had no idea beyond the fact that my mother is a part-time bird princess."

She sighed, "You are inherently magical, as am I. Back at the bar when you wished you were invisible, you became invisible. It was a fear response. You feared for Paul, and for yourself. Each time you wished you were invisible, the power built until you ceased to be seen. In the beginning, our powers are a response to an intense feeling, and difficult to control," she explained.  "I know it was a shock, and I wish you could have known what was happening."

"In time, you gain control of your power and make it work for you. I do not know why you have been given the power of invisibility, but I'm sure there is a reason. Perhaps there is something new on the horizon for you. Another thing you should know is that your powers grow, or advance, with time, and as you master one power, another will begin to appear. 

"Any more questions?" She asked.

"What other powers are there? Will I suddenly find myself leaping tall buildings, stopping locomotives? What am I...like Superman?"

"I just had to ask, didn't I?" thought Eli. "Now what?"


The previous adventures of Eli:
Birdman

The Princess

Eli and the Redhead

The Winged Woman

Meet Eli’s Mother

Eli, Where Are You?

Can You See Me Now?

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