Capture This ...

  Jennifer gave me this photo on June 18, 2021, as my writing prompt. The things that I honed in on were the sign that said "Retail Space" and the white car parked in backwards on the other side of the parking lot. And here's what I came up with ... The Best Detective      Cammie sat in the driver seat of her friend Dori’s car. On some level she knew it was wrong to stalk her friend, Becca, but she certainly couldn’t do it in her own car! That would just be insane. Besides, Cammie could tell that Becca wasn’t telling her something. And she had to know what it was. I mean, come on, she and Becca had been friends since the third grade. They didn’t keep secrets. Well, I mean, Cammie obviously did—as she was currently sitting in another friend’s car following Becca around the neighborhood. But that irony was lost on Cammie.      Since the surveillance had begun at about 9:15 a.m., they had been to the dry cleaners, and then Becca had gotten her nails done....

  Duality (word prompt given on June 18) — Duality  can  be   opposition  or the  contrast  between two  concepts .   I   was  feeling  that  I   required  a  treat , so  I   stopped  by the local ice-cream joint.  They  happen to  use  natural  flavors ,  ingredients , and  colors , so I will  eat  ice-cream a little more often.  Did  I   mention  this was all handmade on  site ?  Anyhow my favorite two  flavors  are both strong  flavors  and definitely contrast each other.   Coffee  toffee and  Butterfinger   ( the   owner   uses  annatto to  achieve  the deep orange-y color similar to the inside of a  Butterfinger  candy bar.)  So I  have   duality  in a little cup.   Fighting  it out to  win ...

Exhaustion (word prompt given June 11, 2021) —  It had been an exceptionally hectic week. Busy few months actually. From work, bills, tons of concerts and high school sports, to things breaking in my house...I was overwhelmed to begin with. Then we had to assist one of my daughter's friends completely move out from her bad home situation, and into her friend's home. (My apologies for my crazy selfie...I finally got better topical meds for my rosacea) Anyhow I always do too much and have a hard time saying no. The last day of school was the 11th. I had to compose an article about the valedictorian and his father who would be handing him his diploma that day. (Who was on the school board). I had to walk across the field in front of the entire crowd for graduation, and obtain photos of them. (Also I am an introvert haha!) Then walk back across the football field in front of all those eyes. My daughter's boyfriend was graduating so I took a ton of photos of him and a lot of my ...

  I didn't give this one too too much thought. I just sort of started writing and figured out where I was going with this character as I got into it. It Felt Wrong      I tapped his foot. “Come on,” I said. “It’s time,” I added, tapping it again.       He groaned but stayed still.      “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to do this.” I walked over to my suitcase and opened it. “Not me.” I dug through my clothes and grabbed a t-shirt. “Just remember that.”      He groaned again.      I pulled the black t-shirt over my head and silently debated about whether it was worth it or not to change my underwear.       How had this become my life?       How had we run out of other options?      I looked around the floor and grabbed some black leggings. “Yoo hoo!” I sat on the foot of the bed beside his feet. “You’ve got 10 seconds, and then I give up.”  ...

  After the fail with the last picture, I was so happy when Jenn sent me this on June 4, 2021! I absolutely love his image! And I was excited to see what it inspired me to write. And, this was what I came up with... In Her Own Right      She was used to hearing, “You’re so pretty!” She would smile, tilt her head, and say, “Thanks.” But she never truly believed it.       She was just Jayne.       Daughter of former model, turned Miss Universe, turned Emmy Award Winning soap star, Roxanne Deford. That was  a lot  to try to try to live up to.       Sometimes people would say, “Oh, you look just like your mom!” But that wasn’t true—not at all. Jayne favored the larger-boned, shorter, less dynamic Jones side of the family. She looked a lot like her dad’s mom, former … well, nothing really. Nothing exciting, anyway, in Jayne’s opinion.      The day of her junior prom, Jayne put on the gorg...

  Okay, so this picture 😂 ... Jenn gave me this picture as my writing prompt on May 28, 2021. It's such a lovely image, BUT every time I thought on it, my mind went either very twisted or very dark. On June 3rd, I messaged her, "I keep trying to figure out what that duck pic inspires. I can only think of creepy things. haha. I must be too twisted." Jenn replied, "LOL. Food? Scared of what you might be thinking..." I sent back, "No. The way they are there tucked into her body is sorta creepy to me. So I get all these gross images of animals multiplying out of her skin. And I also think of how she's trying to protect them, but then when they go out into the real world on their own, they're gonna die." Jenn, "😳😳😳 Dude ... 😂" Me, "Right?! Every time I think on it, something really twisted or morbid comes to mind, and I'm like 'What is wrong with you?! 😂" A few messages later, she sent, "I gotta be careful what...

  Fantasy (word prompt given May 28, 2021) I was   tremendously excited to have composed a story about  my  6th grade school teacher who had  worked  in the steel mill in  my hometown .   I   spent  a long time  interviewing  her and composing it.   I ’ m  not the most proficient  public  speaker, but  I  don’t mind it, as long as  I   have  something  written down  to  read .  I picked out my dress and accessories ahead of time and fantasized about everything going well.  I   knew  that that would encourage me to be less nervous.  The weather for the evening was pleasant, and the sun was warm and radiant and I think I did pretty well. —Jennifer   A City of Duquesne teacher recalls lessons she learned as a steelworker   By Jennifer McCalla   A child from a mill town, Sue Lucas knew tha...

Procrastination (word prompt given May 21, 2021)   I was thinking of my word  procrastination  all morning, but I ended up going kayaking alone. (No one enjoys it as much as I do.) This was my first time going out this year even though it was towards the end of May. I have paddled past this place before, but today curiosity got the best of me. I hauled the kayak out onto the grass and ignored the no trespassing sign….I don’t recall what this place was in the past, or if it is still being used. I definitely think it’s a pleasant spot near the river and someone is procrastinating cleaning it, and possibly selling it as well! —Jennifer

  Peace (word prompt given May 14, 2021) — Jill gave me the word peace, and this popped into my head INSTANTLY! There isn’t much peace in my life at the moment and even my bathroom isn’t completely finished. (we started remodeling it 3 years ago…) Still, despite a few things needing to be completed, it is my place of obtaining peace. I turn on my Christmas tree rainbow light, shut off the other lights, and play some of my favorite indie songs. The tub and tile are so pretty when any type of light reflects on it. I hand-picked everything for the bathroom myself. I never got to remodel anything in my home, so I take pride in my peace in my peaceful place that I designed! (Ignore the washcloths…imagine peace!) —Jennifer

  What stood out to me with this photo prompt given to me on May 7, 2021, was the XOXO on the squid. It made me think of someone signing a note. And then I wrote this story …  The Reminder      If I had known that was the last note she was ever going to write me, I would have kept it.       I had found the note in my work tote as I was looking for my lunch. I’m not sure how I hadn’t seen it earlier. It was sort of propped on the top of my bag in such a way that it was almost falling out. Except for a tiny bit of stickiness on the outside of my lunch bag, it surely would have blown away as I walked into work, and I never would have seen it.      When I had seen it, it was one of those moments that happened in the flash of a second, and maybe under different circumstances, I would have tucked it back in the bag.       But I hadn’t.      It reminded me of so many lunch bag notes that I had writte...

Ignite (word prompt given on May 7, 2021) — My initial thought when I woke up and saw Jill’s chosen word ignite was it’s freezing! I need to crank up the heat and put the furnace back on. It got unusually cold again. Furnaces ignite using the pilot light right… (Depending on what you have or how old yours is.) Then when I went to turn the furnace back on, seeing all the clutter in front of the furnace ignited my anger! To make matters worse my allergies from all the dust ignited, and I sneezed for awhile. I might be overusing my word at this point, but I amuse myself. —Jennifer

Jenn gave me this photo on April 30, 2021. I loved reading everything she had going on in her calendar, but for some reason, I honed in on the part about the business cards, which inspired these characters in this scene... practice daily      Someone bumps into me as they push further into the train car. I glance around and wonder how much I have in common with those jammed into this crowded commuter train around me.       We’re all headed somewhere. At least we all have that.       I sort of chuckle out loud a little at my lame joke then glance up at the man sharing my pole. I’m half tempted to ask him where he’s going. I smile, imagining him looking me in the eyes and saying, “Where is anyone going, really?” It would totally be my luck to pick the one philosophical joker on the train to strike up a conversation with. My smile turns into a giggle.      “I know. Right?” He says.      Pulling out of my d...

  Urgency (word prompt given on April 30, 2021)  Rainwater is pooling on the floor in our 'fruit cellar' that is absolutely just a storage area with things we should donate or pitch. I'm feeling the urgency to quickly address this situation and organize things.  —Jennifer

  This photo was the first prompt Jenn gave me on April 23, 2021. It made me want to write about someone who is always rushing and maybe not always getting everywhere quite on time. Couple that with the fact that my own dog, Lucky, actually didn't howl early—as she always does—on a day leading up to this prompt. I actually didn't have my charger plugged into the wall that day either, so I used that as inspiration. Unlike the character, I did make it to work on time though. I can be really quick when I need to be! Here's what I wrote... TGIF      If I hadn’t been running so late today, I wouldn’t have blown my diet. But, truly, what diet? The idea is mostly a private joke I keep having with jeans lately.       My alarm never went off this morning.       Turns out my phone had been plugged into the charger, but the charger hadn’t actually been plugged into the wall. Lesson learned. My dog, who seems to religiously howl each morni...

Anticipation (given April 23, 2021)  Exceptionally busy end to a stressful school year. Covid really made school hell for most kids. My daughter is kinda fearless. Since she was little I wanted to teach her to be less like me. Don’t be timid or quiet. Don’t play it safe, take the occasional risk. She wanted to join the boys baseball team, so she tried out and made the JV team. (Leaving out the tediousness of numerous emails and talking to coaches and administration to permit her to be on the team in the first place). We were both anticipating will she or won’t she get to play today. Every game was like that. She did have some good hits this year, and she looks forward to next year! Tequila my 10 year old dog would help drop her off to games and practices! —Jennifer