Saturday April 30th, 2011

The exercise:

Write a four line poem about: the trap.

This morning in the backyard we finished building the four by sixteen box we're going to use for our vegetables, along with the three by eight box for our herbs. This afternoon we ran a couple of errands, which included picking up a truckload of soil for the boxes.

The truck could only carry enough to fill the vegetable box - any more and I think something would have exploded - but that was plenty enough for one day. The guy at the garden center had a front loader, so he filled the truck in like five minutes.

I had a shovel and a wheelbarrow, so getting it off the truck took over two hours. I am sore and tired now.

Mine:

I meant to catch a mouse

With that tasty cheese.

Instead I caught my son -

He asked for more, please.

Friday April 29th, 2011

The exercise:

Four lines of prose about: the machine.

Today was berry day. We used a rented rototiller to finish weeding around the strawberries in preparation for spreading wood shavings around them, we pruned and weeded around the raspberry bushes, and pruned the blackberry bushes.

Now they look domesticated again, instead of some wild bushes you might find on an abandoned lot. Tomorrow we spread the wood shavings... which I suspect will be a major pain. Hopefully the sun comes out to make things more enjoyable.

Mine:

There were so many shiny buttons, and none of them were labelled. He resisted for as long as he could - which wasn't very long at all - before pushing the big blue button on the top. At least, he thought it was the top; he really had no way of knowing if he had the machine right side up or not.

But that was the last thing on his mind once the machine began speaking to him in his dead grandfather's voice.

Thursday April 28th, 2011

The exercise:

Write something from the perspective of: the killer.

So today, just a couple days away from the conclusion of one of the coldest Aprils on record for this area, it hailed. While I was out bringing in wood for our fireplace. Which we're still using, as it hasn't yet been warm enough overnight for us not to use it.

Argh.

But hey, the Canucks won game one of their second round series tonight! So that helps.

Mine:

They deserved it. Every last one of them. If they didn't, I wouldn't have done it, right?

What, do you think I'm some sort of maniac? Far from it, my friend. Far from it. I simply administer justice wherever others are too weak, too scared to do so. I'm a hero, really. Maybe they'll put up a statue of me after I'm gone.

Take Shelly, for example. The way she flaunted herself all over town, tempting poor, innocent boys to stray from the Good path. It almost worked on you, didn't it? But I took care of her just in time. Don't worry, you don't have to thank me.

What was that? Stop mumbling, please. I find it highly aggravating. Besides, if I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter I wouldn't have stuffed that gag in your mouth.

Wednesday April 27th, 2011

The exercise:

Let us write about: the secret.

The wind didn't stop blowing today, and I was still feeling a little tired, so I took care of a few things around the house that I'd been putting off for far too long. So now we're a couple steps closer to being totally settled in.

The Canucks got the day off, but they're back in action tomorrow night. Still watching the game winning goal over and over. Still think it's awesome.

Mine:

"Bobby, what do you have behind your back?"

"It's a secret."

"Is it, by any chance, Mama's car keys?"

"I'm not allowed to say."

"Oh, really? And who told you that?"

"Charlie. I think he doesn't want to go with you."

"Well you tell Charlie that I'm taking him to the vet for his shots in five minutes whether he wants to go or not. Now give Mama her keys back."

Tuesday April 26th, 2011

The exercise:

Two haiku about: success.

Because, miracle of miracles, the Canucks won tonight. They had to be all dramatic and do it in overtime, but they did it.

Now on to round two against Nashville.

Mine:

After so much pain,

so many doubts and stumbles,

at long last: success.

*     *     *

Stand atop the peak,

look down at what you've conquered,

and savor the view.

Monday April 25th, 2011

The exercise:

I think we'll give the movie prompt another go today. So pick a movie from AFI's original top 100 movies list and use its title as your inspiration. Your writing should have as little to do with the actual movie as possible.

We got part of the fence up today, but ran into a few delays so we didn't finish. Plus we finally got started on the raised bed we want to setup behind our house for our own vegetables, so that took some time too.

Tomorrow is a day off. I am looking forward to it.

Mine:

#54 - All Quiet on the Western Front

The sun sinks into a silent sea,

Leaving me to contemplate the night;
No song birds to keep me company -
Even the sand flies don't buzz or bite.

I can almost hear the stars above
As they manifest in the black sky.
Unbidden come thoughts of my lost love -
My ears prick, listening for her cry.

But they find no success in their hunt,
For it's all quiet on this western front.

Sunday April 24th, 2011

The exercise:

Today I think we'll go with: digging deep.

I spent most of today making fence post holes with Kat's dad, using a two-man auger that looked similar to this.

It didn't much care for any rocks in came in contact with, and it was rather awkward to move from hole to hole, but it got the job done. So now we've got posts all the way around the garden and tomorrow we'll be stringing the wire fencing between them.

So the Canucks just lost game six. At least they made it to overtime on this one. Their final chance in game seven comes on Tuesday night. I think I'll just stay away from the computer during the game and find out afterward what happened.

Mine:

When the dig team unearthed the ancient collection of hand tools, excited whispers battled with dust particles for air space. It was the first sign in over a week that they had been working in the right place. Efforts were redoubled, break times were ignored.

When they discovered the box brimming with silver and gold coins later that evening, searchlights were brought into service for the first time and bed rolls were forgotten.

A few feet deeper they found a seven foot by three foot slab of metal covered with runes and phrases in an unknown language, and this only spurred them on again. Crowbars and wooden levers were brought to bear in the middle of the night. There were no thoughts of stopping.

It wasn't until the slab was lifted open and the demons came shrieking and howling out from beneath it that they realized they might have dug a little too deeply.