π Nancy is a storyteller, music blogger, humorist, poet, curveballer, noir dreamer π
I search high, I look low.
Where did my damn glasses go?
They arenβt here or over there.
I canβt find them anywhere.
Not on the couch or near the stove.
Iβve been home, did not rove!
Not by the sink, under the bed.
Well look at that! Theyβre on my head!
NAR Β© 2023
52 WORDS
For M
This is “Keep Searchin'” by Del Shannon
A four-line response to the
photo-prompt challenge below
from Greg @ Four Line Fiction
βIs there really such a thing as the perfect marriage?β Marcella wondered; at one time she believed the answer was “yes”.
Now, laying on her bed alone in her apartment, Marcella’s head was swimming; after 18 years of marriage, how could she have been so terribly mistaken?
She had discovered a loose thread, one which kept annoying her, and as she toyed with it, pulled on it, every neatly sewn stitch in the tapestry of her life began to unravel until there was nothing left but tatters.
βHow does a man who seemed unwaveringly devoted to her and their daughter have another wife and children on the other side of town and everyone knew except her?β Marcella asked herself, her mind now numb; the very idea was staggering and she nearly laughed at how totally preposterous and unimaginable it all was.
NAR Β© 2023
#gb4lf #gmgblog
This is Pink Floyd’s βComfortably Numbβ.
Please join me today
as we start a new edition of
In The Groove.
I think you’ll find it
quite enlightening.
https://rhythmsection.blog/
Memories of 2020 ~
A time not soon forgotten.
Both men lived in the same apartment building, one on the ground floor and the other, two flights up. They would see each other in passing, nodding ‘hello’ or muttering the occasional “How ya doing?” They were approximately the same age and had seen each other often but a friendship never developed.
Then the corona virus hit and everything changed.
They happened upon each other in a nearby park, masked up, walking their dogs. One had a golden retriever, the other a chocolate lab. They struck up a socially distanced conversation, at first talking about their dogs then, of course, the craziness of COVID.
They were both unemployed computer engineers, laid off because of company closures. Each one contemplated moving back in with their parents but that was impossible; neither one came from accepting or understanding families.
They started biking and jogging together, often running the six miles that made up the full loop around Central Park. As they talked they discovered they had much in common: their nonexistent love lives, their passion for chess, a fascination with micro-brewing and their dream of working from home as computer app designers. And how gut-wrenching it was coming out as gay. Bittersweet commentaries.
The next step was so natural: moving in together. They could share one apartment and save money, work on ideas for app design programs, dabble in a little home-made beer and totally, passionately, fiercely fall in love.
A new year, a new start. Love in the time of corona.
NAR Β© 2023
https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/11/01/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-bittersweet/
This is “Under Pressure” by Queen.
Rochelle at βFriday Fictioneersβ has challenged us to
write a 100 word piece about how the image below inspired us.
This is my original response to her challenge.
Devin and Charlie jumped out of her car, fiercely kissing and tearing at each otherβs clothes.
What great luck for the teens with sex drives in hyper-mode; Devinβs cabin all to themselves while both sets of parents were far off on weekend vacations.
The teens planned to spend every minute in bed.
Devin retrieved the key from her pocket and unlocked the door.
The first shock was the romantic glow in the fireplace. The second? Finding all four parents getting it on β¦. and not with their own spouses.
And there stood Devin and Charlie letting it all hang out.
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
This is T. Rex with βBang A Gong” (Get It On)
Rochelle at “Friday Fictioneers” has challenged us to
write a 100 word piece about how the image below inspired us.
This is my response to her challenge.
βWeβre out of gas, Pepper.β
βLook, Brad! There’s a light! Letβs walk to it.β
βGood idea! Maybe someone can help.β
Arriving at a house, the couple was struck by its serene beauty. They dreamed of owning a home like this.
They knocked and a woman answered.
βMay I help you?β
Brad explained their situation; the woman said there were full gasoline cans in the garage and invited them in.
The interior was breathtaking.
βYour house is gorgeous!β exclaimed Pepper.
βOh, itβs not mine; Iβm the selling agent. You interested?β
Brad and Pepper exchanged surprised and delighted glances.
βWeβll take it!β
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
This is “Our House” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Baby animals are cute.Β So are knitted booties, toothless grins.
My engagement ring definitely wasnβt cute, even though my mother declared it so 53 years ago; neither are the stories I write and frequently bleed on.
I have issues with βcuteβ; youβre going to give me a complex by commenting with that word.
We wouldnβt want that, would we?
I might have to disassociate, sever ties, and that would be a bloody shame.
NAR Β© 2023
73 Words
It’s the Stones doing “Let It Bleed”. Yeah, it is. π©Έ
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
π¦ π π π π¦
Lord Rockingham’s XI was a group of British session musicians who had a No. 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1958 with βHoots Monβ.
Whatβs this song got to do with Halloween?
Absolutely nothing! Itβs just a jumping little record I want my jockey to play and it’s an awful lot of fun to listen to.
Besides, isnβt that what all the cool owls are saying today? βHoots Mon! Hoots Mon! Happy Halloween!β
NAR Β© 2023
Here’s Lord Rockingham’s XI now with “Hoots Mon”.
Did you ever get the feeling you were being watched?
The forecast for snow turned out to be highly exaggerated as there was barely a coating; much had already melted away.
Iβd hiked these woods many times; I was comfortable here and felt safe among the deer and wild birds. Today was different; I couldnβt shake that feeling of being watched.
I scanned the area and thatβs when I saw him. Youβll see him, too. Look in the upper left section of the photo. There, hiding behind the grey rock is the face of Edgar Allan Poe.
He’s watching you.
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
Here are The Police performing “Every Breath You Take”
It was a busy night at The Cock βn Bull. The second act was about to start when Paige Turner came running out of her dressing room screaming that sheβd been robbed.
Imagine my embarrassment when I, Angie O’Plasty, queen of the Chicago circuit drag queens, was accused of trying to absquatulate with all the girlβs expensive wigs!
Of course it was a complete misunderstanding and I was exonerated when my nemesis, Brook Trout, was found with the stolen goods.
Talk about a hair-raising experience!
NAR Β© 2023
85 Words
This is The Buckinghams doing “Kind of a Drag”. As if!
Please join me today
in The Rhythm Section
for another round of
Name That Tune!
https://rhythmsection.blog/
The sea kisses the shore
The clouds embrace the sky
Your lips whisper love words
upon my neck
My breasts ache for your touch
NAR Β© 2023
24 Words
This is Emile Pandolfi performing Ebb Tide – 1991
βThis canβt be the right place, Alex.β
βWell, itβs the address the hotel clerk gave me and our GPS brought us right here.β
Alex and Gwen sat in their car wondering how the little yellow shack by the water could possibly be βthe best fish and chips place in all of Liverpoolβ.
Exiting the car, they were struck by the tantalizing aroma of frying food. Grabbing each otherβs hands, they ran to the front of the shack. The smell of fish and chips was mouthwatering and there were at least fifty people in line.
Damn if that clerk wasnβt right!
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
This is Jubing Kristianto performing “Fish and Chips”
Who am I to burst someone’s wish bubble,
especially when it’s for the greatest treasures on earth?
We’re talking about peace and love!
βπΌ π βπΌ π
NAR Β© 2023
This is Peace Train from Yusuf’s Live Cafe Sessions 2007.
Every Saturday, as soon as A Stitch In Time opened its doors, my mother was first in line …. and sheβd drag me along.
Mother would spend hours going through the new fabric; the store, with its profusion of colors, designs and matching thread, was her fantasy land.
Then Kellyβs Knitting Korner opened next door and mother would lose all sense of time surrounded by cotton candy skeins of wool.
I hated being there. Bored, I’d spin the display racks, play pirate with the knitting needles and wish I was home watching Mighty Mouse.
I never did learn how to knit.
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
I cherished you
Once beloved
friend
confidant
brother
How you
eviscerated
me
Your eyes
radiate
hate
Your mouth
spews
Lies
Aspersions
Deceptions
Distortions
Fabrications
Dishonesty
Duplicity
Hypocrisy
Inaccuracy
Mendacity
Perfidy
You are
dead
to me
NAR Β© 2023
35 words
βGrammy, come see our new homework room. Daddy painted the walls for us. Come look!β
My grandchildren tug at my arms, leading me into their newly decorated room. There were three workstations for them to do their schoolwork, shelves lined with books and a big old wooden chest filled with treasures.
The underwater scenes my son painted were wondrous; honestly, the theme didnβt matter.
It was the memories that came flooding back to me from thirty years ago when he painted the walls of his own room with cartoon characters he created.
βCrying? No, sillies! Just something in my eye.β
NAR Β© 2023
100 words
Sadje has asked us in her Sunday Poser if we have any bad habits we want to give up.
Who, me?
Do not get me started on bad habits. That will only result in a monumental snowball effect which will totally ruin my day and likely bore the pants off everyone else.
Just the fact that I’m sitting here taking the time to write this when I could be cleaning out a closet is statement enough; I don’t need to produce a laundry list of my bad habits.
It’s been raining like gangbusters here since Saturday β the type of weather when all you want to do is watch old movies, read or write on your blog. I thought about keeping up with my daily walks but it was pouring so I said “Nah” and pulled my hoodie up over my head.
Look, here’s the bottom line:
Everyone has bad habits, big or small. If anyone can point a judgmental finger at another person while professing to not having one single bad habit themselves, they’d be lying … or at the very least, bragging. Those are bad habits right there.
No, don’t get me started on bad habits.
We are all flawed.
Perhaps we might want to hone our good habits and not dwell so much on the bad ones. Imagine all the money we’d save on antacids!
I rest my case.
PS: Yesterday we were granted a brief window of no rain. We dragged our sorry asses out of our recliners and went for that walk after all. I felt good about that. The jury is still out on what will happen today. And that is no lie.
NAR Β© 2023
Ooh!
A complimentary gift certificate for a day at the spa!
Perfect for a little R&R.
Just some quality ‘me time‘ because Iβm so worth it.
Caught up in the daily maelstrom of doing for everyone else.
This will be heavenly!
Ah, here we are.
Hmm, looks a bit spartan.
Anyone here?
Hello?
Anyone?
Well, shit!
NAR Β© 2023
56 Words
You know how it is when you see a person or hear a name and it sort of rings a bell but itβs not in its usual context so you don’t make the connection?
Yeah, thatβs what happened to me when I discovered Carltonβs Candy Coop β my favorite place for all my sweet-tooth cravings.
Chocolates, nougats, peanuts, caramels β¦ all those mouth-watering, sugar-rushing, delectable tummy treats that stick to your teeth but you donβt care because theyβre just too damn yummy!
Then it hit me. Carlton. Carlton? Carlton! But of course! Carl Carlton was my dentist!
Why, that cheeky bastard!
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
What great luck!
I caught the train in the nick of time and snagged the last seat.
I sighed, closed my eyes and dozed off.
Not one minute passed and the woman next to me started yakking.
She gabbed, blabbed and jabbered on.
I would have gladly strangled her but people were all around.
My head started pounding and I felt a migraine coming on.
This blatherskite wouldnβt shut up and I was trapped.
What rotten luck!
NAR Β© 2023
77 Words
We sat in the Gabrielle Dining Room of the Hotel Bennett, the same table by the window where we dined while on our honeymoon five years earlier.
Paul looked so handsome; I couldnβt look away as he smiled at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling ever so slightly.
My dress was his favorite β the black velvet with the daring neckline. After five years of marriage he was still captivated by me.
And I loved him, I truly did.
But business came first.
I whispered βGoodbye, darlingβ.
Too late, he became aware of the sniperβs laser aimed at his heart.
NAR Β© 2023
100 Words
My husbandβs birthday is coming up soon.
He always says not to buy anything but I do and a card, too.
Have you checked out the prices of cards lately?
A Hallmark can cost as much as $8.00 or $9.00.
Itβs paper, for crying out loud!
Thereβs no music or pop-ups β just a simple, do nothing card.
What a scam!
But heβs worth it.
NAR Β© 2023
64 Words
We kept teasing Uncle Herb that he was turning into a hoarder and he might end up like the infamous Collyer Brothers who died of starvation and heart failure among tons of trash and hoarded items.
I think that scared the crap out of Uncle Herb and he agreed to let us help him clear out his stockpile of stuff. Check out that darling bistro set we uncovered. A little TLC Β and itβll be good as new.
I wonder what else I can find back there. Surely a look around wonβt hurt. After all, one manβs junk is anotherβs treasure.
NAR Β© 2023
100 words
“Maxine? Itβs Gloria. You are not gonna believe what I got today. Go ahead, take a guess.
Nope, not a new bouncy toy.
Applesauce? I wish! Between you and me that creamed banana and prune combo is the pits! Gag me with a spoon!
Hahaha! OMG! Youβre so funny! It does look just like that!
One more guess, Maxine.
A new teddy? No and I saw a really cute one when Mommy was on Amazon but she said she was shopping for new school stuff for the boys. Helloooo! What am I? Mashed peas, FFS?
OK, give up? Well, you know how Iβm always wearing my brothers hand-me-down t-shirts and jeans? Honestly Maxine, you donβt know how lucky you are having older sisters! You get to wear pretty sundresses and rompers. And even with your short hair people know youβre a girl.
Well, Mommy said she and Daddy are keeping an open mind about what I relate to. She said I should be able to choose my own identity and be fluid. I think Iβm already plenty fluid, judging by my frequent diaper changes!
Anyway, Grammy had a conniption when she heard that! I never saw her eyes bug out like that before!
Whatβs that? Yeah she was royally pissed.
But wait. Hereβs the best part. When Mommy left for work, Grammy had a surprise for me. A great big beautiful bright green bow for my hair! Itβs just gorge, Maxine. Just gorge! Wait till you see it!
Then Grampy said now no oneβs gonna mistake his only granddaughter for a goddamn boy!
And Grammy said Mommyβs gonna freak out when she sees my bow. And they laughed and laughed!
Listen, toots. I gotta go. Catch you after nap.”
NAR Β© 2023
Fist pounding against
the pulpit, tongue wagging,
assuming you know more about
marriage
than the couples you
humiliate.
You are an
unseeing,
unfeeling,
unfulfilled
hypocrite.
NAR Β© 2023
26 Words
I hope you’ll join me today
in The Rhythm Section
for another game of
Name That Tune.
I’ll see you there!
https://rhythmsection.blog/
The Elephant's Trunk 