I’ll Remember It – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Jen sat at the table in the little coffee shop, her laptop sitting open in front of her, the colorful ribbons of its screensaver dancing across the monitor. She sipped her cappuccino as she watched the people sitting around her for a minute. Then she sat the mug down and tapped a key on the laptop to wake it up.

She opened a Word document and sat staring at it, her fingers poised to write something. But her fingers never moved. She just stared at the blank document and the blinking cursor patiently waiting for her.

She sat like that for a few minutes until she finally released a groan, slid her hands from the laptop and slumped back in her chair.

Her friend Riley came into the coffee shop at just that moment and spotted her. She called out to Jen and joined her at table.

“What’s up?” Riley asked. “You sounded so chipper on the phone the morning. Now you look…defeated.”

“I could just kick myself,” Jen muttered.

Riley raised a questioning eyebrow.

Jen sat up and grabbed her cappuccino. “I told you woke up with a great story idea, right?” Riley nodded and Jen took a sip before continuing. “Well, I was rushing around this morning, and I didn’t bother to make a note of the idea. I thought it was such a great idea that I’d be sure to remember it.”

Jen paused and Riley picked up the tale. “And when you got here and tried to start writing, you couldn’t remember the idea.”

Jen nodded.

Riley gave her head a small shake. “That’s why I keep telling you to make a note when you have a good idea, Jen. We’re just lying to ourselves if we think we don’t need to write it down.” Jen heaved a sigh and Riley continued. “But don’t feel so bad, Jen. It happens to us all. Even me. That’s why I keep reminding you.”

Jen gave her a small smile. “Thanks, Riley. Keep on reminding me, will you?” She raised her hand to signal to a waitress as she asked Riley, “Can I get you a cappuccino?”

(This meme is from Pinterest)

This relatable post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “make a note”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/07/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-9-2022/

Zero, Zip, Zilch – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

As I’m sitting here, sipping on my Coke Zero Sugar, I’m trying to think of something creative, some sort of short little story to write for this prompt like I usually do. But I’m having trouble thinking of anything. No good ideas are coming to me.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Maybe just a brief flash of a possible scene. But not enough to build something on.

I think my tank of creative juices must be sitting close to zero right now. Looks like I’m going to have to try to do something to refill it.

Maybe I’ll try to take care of something around the house to see if I can get the creative juices flowing that way.

Or maybe if I try writing on my work in progress, I’ll have better luck coming up with something.

Or maybe I’ll just read a book instead to try to get the juices going.

I don’t know. But I’ll think of something.

Having zero creative ideas sure does stink sometimes when you’re a writer.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “zip, zero, zilch”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-30-2022/

Is Your Cat Plotting To Kill You? – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“How do you tell if your cat is plotting to kill you?” Sherri asked Mitch as she set her cup down on the coffee table.

Mitch gave her a quizzical look from the recliner across the table from her seat on the couch. “What do you mean?” he asked before taking a sip of coffee.

Behind the couch, a black and white cat crouched unseen and listened silently.

“Well, it’s just, you know. Things. Things Tux has been doing lately.”

Mitch set the coffee cup on the table. He thought she was probably overreacting, being a new cat owner and all, but he felt he should humor her, so he asked, “Like what?”

“Well, he always seems to be underfoot. I have to constantly watch where I’m walking for fear of tripping over him. Even on the stairs. I can be walking down the stairs when suddenly, as if from out of nowhere, he’ll be crouched on step, almost like he was trying to trip me.”

Behind the couch, the cat’s ears perked up and he turned his head slightly towards the spot where Sherri’s voice was coming from.

“Cats being underfoot is pretty normal, Sherri. Is that all he’s doing?”

Sherri shook her head. “I’ll wake up at night, suddenly unable to breathe, and find Tux has draped himself over my face.”

Behind the couch, Tux’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like what he was hearing from Sherri.

“I’ve heard of some cats doing that, Sherri. They’ll lay there or near your head, or even on your chest. They like to feel your pulse. It’s comforting to them. It’s nothing to get too concerned over. Is there anything else?”

“Well, actually, …”

Tux didn’t wait to hear whatever else Sherri related. He padded quietly out of the room and into the spare bedroom. Crawling under the bed, he dragged out a book he had carefully hidden. “How can she be on to me already?” he muttered as he licked a paw and started turning pages. “I can’t believe it! I wonder what the book recommends I should do now…”

(images are from Pinterest)

(And I recommend the How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You book, by The Oatmeal. It’s hilarious :D)

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “how”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/04/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-april-9-2022/

Let Go – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Let go.

Let go of Fear.

Let go of Doubt.

Let go of Anxiety.

Let go of Anger.

Let go of Pain.

Let go of the feelings

That keep you

Holding onto the Darkness,

And instead Trust.

Trust that I will be there

To catch you

And help you

Hold onto the Light.

This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “let go”:

https://lindaghill.com/2022/01/28/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2022-daily-prompt-jan-29th/

Yummy Yum Yum – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

I suppose you could consider me a “foodie”. I enjoy yummy, delicious foods and am usually willing to try new dishes (as long as they’re not too spicy, since spicy doesn’t agree with me much anymore). And I do enjoy cooking and baking and trying out new recipes. When I started using a crock pot and an air fryer (both of which I really enjoy using) I went looking for recipes and came across the website and app Yummly, and I really like it. I have found so many recipes on there that I have saved, and many that I have used frequently, like a crock pot lasagna, air fryer pork chops, air fryer chicken breasts, easy Korean ground beef, chicken parmesan, ….. I don’t know if I will be able to get through and try all the recipes I have saved, though. And there are so many other recipes on the site to look through and being added every day, that I’m sure the number of saved recipes I have will keep growing. And since I don’t have a big family to cook for, I’m always looking for simple, easy recipes, and Yummly hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Because I do have a sweet tooth, I like to bake, and frequently make brownies, cakes, pies, and cookies (but not from scratch – I’m not that good!) And because I’m a chocoholic, often the cakes, cookies, and pies are chocolate. For Christmas, I made sugar cookies and snickerdoodles, which of course were yummy. I would have made more things, but I didn’t have the time.

I fixed my first glazed spiral sliced ham yesterday for Christmas. I’ve fixed hams before, but had never glazed one before. Thankfully it turned out well and the brown sugar glaze was quite yummy.

I hope everyone enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner and yummy Christmas desserts yesterday, too.

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “yum”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/12/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socss-dec-25-26-2021

Cat vs Christmas Tree – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Marcia stepped back and eyed the freshly decorated Christmas tree. With a smile and a nod, she proclaimed, “Perfect! It’s done!”

Ian stepped up beside her and looked the tree over. “It looks great, Marcia,” he said with a nod. “You did a great job. I just hope it’ll be safe with you-know-who around.”

“Don’t worry. I made sure to keep any breakable ornaments off the bottom branches. It should be ok.”

“I hope you’re right. You know how much mischief he can get into.”

“Well, he is still young, you know.”

“But still…”

“It’ll be fine. Now come on, we have cookies to make.”

They went to the kitchen and began making Christmas cookies. They’d just finished putting the first batch in the oven when the sudden sound of breaking glass came from the living room. With a groan, they hurried from the kitchen to go check it out.

The sight that greeted them brought them to a sudden halt. Broken ornaments littered the floor around the tree. But the most shocking sight was the back half of a calico cat sticking out of the middle of the tree, wriggling as if he was trying to get further into the tree but was stuck.

“Oh my gosh!” Marcia exclaimed “Loki! What did you do!”

A plaintive mew escaped the tree, as if saying, “Don’t just stand there! Help me!”

Ian laughed. “I warned you, Marcia! He’s good at getting into mischief!”

Marcia gave him the side-eye then told him, “Just help me get him out of there, preferably without breaking any more ornaments.”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “tree”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/12/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-11-2021/

(Cat meme found by Google image search)

 

Surprise – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

“What’s up?” Jerry asked as he sat down at the table across from David. “You sounded anxious on the phone.”

David took a big drink of his beer and stared at the table top as he collected his thoughts. Two empty beer steins sat on the table beside him. Around him, bar patrons laughed and chatted, and David wished he could stop worrying and join them. 

“Denise has been acting weird lately,” David finally said.

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know. She’s kind of evasive, I guess. She cancels dates suddenly. And she seems distracted sometimes when we’re talking. And I’ve overheard her on some odd phone calls. When I ask her about them, she just gives vague answers or changes the topic. I wish I knew what was going on. Things are usually so black and white with her. She’s always been like an open book. There’s nothing gray about her. So it’s not like her to be so mysterious.”

Jerry started to answer, but David cut him off. “I know what you’re going to say, Jerry, and I promise you that’s not it. She’d never do that. We’re totally committed to each other.”

Jerry started to say something, but David again cut him off. “You know what I need to do, Jerry?” He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his templed. “I need to use my little gray cells to try to figure out what’s going on with her.” He started to hum to himself as he continued to rub his temples.

Jerry watched him for a moment and slowly shook his head. He debated whether or not to tell David. He’d made a promise to keep it a secret, but he’d had no idea Denise’s plan would affect David like this. And though it’d only be for one more day, he wasn’t sure if David could take it any more if he didn’t tell him. After a moment, he decided.

With a sigh, Jerry placed a newspaper on the table in front of David. “Hey, Poirot,”  he said. “The answer’s right here in black and white.”

David sat up and blinked. “Huh?” he mumbled. “Where?”

Jerry pointed to the newspaper. “Right here. See?”

David stared at the newspaper in confusion. “I don’t see it.”

Jerry shook his head and pointed again. “Here. See the date?”

“Yeah. So? What about it?”

Jerry rolled his eyes and wondered how an Agatha Christie fan could be so dense. “It’s today’s date. What’s tomorrow?”

David blinked his eyes as he thought about it. When he finally figured it out, his jaw dropped. “You mean…”

Jerry nodded. “Right. She’s been planning a surprise birthday party for you, you dope.”

 

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “black, gray and white”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/11/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-20-2021/

Camera Shy – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

Katie was new at the shelter and being shown around by her manager, Jill. They had just finished touring the kitten room and were heading towards the back when they came to a open doorway. Katie paused to look inside. 

The room was brightly lit and at the back was a table with a white backdrop. A tall young man stood in front of the table with a camera. Crouched on the table was a black cat that didn’t look all that pleased to be there, especially with the Santa hat on.

“What’s going on?” Katie asked

The man snapped a picture then turned to her, taking her by surprise momentarily with his good looks and bright blue eyes. “I’m taking pictures for the website,” he told her. “We’re trying to get some festive photos of some of our less adoptable animals to help find them homes.”

Katie stepped inside, with Jill right behind her. “Great idea. That cat doesn’t look too happy, though.”

“Yeah. He can be a bit of a grouch, and camera shy. But he’s a black cat, so we really need to get him up on the site. They’re not as adoptable because of silly superstitions, and his color makes it harder to get good photos. He’s the first one I’m doing. He’s been here a long time and I’d love to get a good photo of him and help him find a home. Despite his grouchiness, he is a really great cat and deservers a forever home.”

“Have you tried getting him to play while getting a photo? Something to distract him and show off his personality?”

“You know, that’s a good idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. Maybe you could give me a hand? You could play with him while I take the picture.”

“I’d love to. Just don’t get me in the picture, please. I’m a little camera shy, as well, and don’t like having my picture taken.”

“Really?” he replied with a spark of humor in his eyes. “A pretty girl like you doesn’t like having her picture taken?”

She gave him a small, teasing smile. “Surprisingly, yes.”

“That’s a shame because I think it might be good to have you in the photo with him. Besides showing his playful side, it’d show he’s not afraid of people, too, and that might help draw attention to him.”

Katie hesistated but Jill chimed in with, “I think that’s a great idea, Matt!”

“How about it?” Matt asked. “Will you do it? To help the cat?”

After a moment’s consideration, Katie nodded. “To help the cat.”

Jill grabbed a string toy from her pocket and handed it to Katie. 

Katied walked over to the table and positioned herself beside it. Matt readied his digital camera while Katie began whispering to the black cat and dangling a string beside it. She played with the string, making it move enticingly along the tabletop. The cat watched it, then began to play with it, batting at it then chasing after it as Katie moved it around. Katie smiled as the cat played.

As she drew it up in the air, the cat reached up after it, and Katie laughed. Matt snapped a picture of her and the cat.

“That was great!” Matt said. “Want to see?”

Katie gave the cat a treat and pocketed the string, then went over to Matt. He showed her the picture on camera’s view screen. “I think it turned out great,” he said. “Don’t you?”

Katie had to agree, it was a good photo, showing the cat being playful and not afraid at all. And she didn’t look all that bad in photo, either, as she’d been afraid of. “Yes, I think it will look great on the website.”

“Would you like to stay and help me take photos with some of the other animals?”

Katie hesistated. She’d actually had fun with the photo shoot and she’d like to help out more of the animals. She also found herself wanting to spend a little more time with good-looking Matt and get know him a little better. But she hadn’t finished her tour of the shelter yet.

She turned to Jill to ask her if it be okay, but before she could say anything, Jill said, “Go ahead, Katie. Helping the animals is more important than finishing your tour. We can do that later.”

Then Jill gave her a knowing wink and left.

Katie turned to Matt. “Well, then. I guess we have some work to do. I’m Katie, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Katie,” Matt said with a smile. “I’m Matt. Let’s get started, then.”

Katie smiled. “Yes, let’s.”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “cam”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/11/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-13-2021/

 

Boo Who – Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

 

The small group of 5 children sat on the floor in the dark living room. One of them held a lit flashlight below his face so it gave him a spooky appearance while he told the others his ghost story.

“And as she turned to look, she saw the bloody hook!” Mike exclaimed as he finished his story.

Three of other kids let out small cries of fear. The other commented, “That wasn’t all that scary, Mike.”

“Really, Dennis?” Mike replied, lowering his flashlight to shine on Dennis. “Then why are you trembling? And why did your voice sound a little high pitched?”

Dennis frowned. “My turn for a story,” he said. “Give me that.”

Mike reached over to hand him the flashlight when he saw movement behind he couch. He froze and gasped. 

“What’s wrong?” Dennis asked.

Mike pointed with a trembling finger. Dennis and the others turned to look.

Behind the couch stood a tall, cloaked figure. Its arms began to wave and it started to make moaning noises. Then it started to move around the couch and towards them. The children all stood up and started screaming and backing away.

As it neared the children, the figure suddenly removed the cloak and cried out, ‘BOO!”

The other children screamed, but Mike recovered his wits enough to shine his flashlight on the figure. He rolled his eyes. “Mom….” he sighed with embarrassment.

His mom chuckled. “Happy Halloween, kids.”

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This post is part of the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “boo”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/10/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-october-30-2021/

 

The Moon- Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS

The path you walk

May seem confusing, 

Full of insecurities

And uncertainties.

You may feel

Lost on your journey,

As if wandering

In the dark of night,

Not sure of where

You should be going.

But worry not,

For the Moon will

Light your path,

Providing the clarity

And understanding

Your intuition needs

To guide your way

Through the darkness.

Use its gentle light

To walk your path,

And take your steps

Bravely towards

Your hopes and dreams.

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This post is part the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, “the last photo you took”:

https://lindaghill.com/2021/07/30/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-31-2021/

My last photo was of the Buck Moon on July 23, 2021 (the photo at the beginning of the post)