Tag: one-word prompt

Grandma and My Best Friend

Grammy Writes24 Comments

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I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved my Grandma! When I was young, she was my best friend and my favorite person in the whole world. She was fun, she was funny, and she always said the wisest things.

     “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”

     “If you can dream it, you can be it”

     “Pretty is as pretty does”

These things didn’t always make sense to me, but I remember her saying them like it was yesterday. I always wanted to be the kind of person Grandma respected and admired.

     “Find the good in everyone”

     “Actions speak louder than words”

     “A smile doesn’t cost a thing”

Eventually, Grandma wasn’t my whole world anymore because she was no longer in it; but the older I got, the more I cherished her words of wisdom:

     “Every cloud has a silver lining”

     “You don’t get something for nothing”

     “Things will look better in the morning”

I was a young adult when God called Grandma home. Other “best friends” have come and gone since then. A few were bad choices, but most were people Grandma would have approved of.

     “A leopard never changes its spots”

     “You never know what someone else is going through”

     “Friends are the family you choose, so choose wisely”

At this point in my life it’s safe to assume that my best friend of today will probably always be my best friend. She is the personification of “pretty is as pretty does”. She is amazingly supportive, compassionate, fun and funny—just like Grandma!

If my best friend of yesterday were to meet my best friend of today, I know exactly what she would say:  “Isn’t it nice to have a friend, my Dear, whose beauty is more than skin deep?”

For Ragtag Daily Prompt: Can’t

Observations

Grammy Writes4 Comments

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Awkward, isn’t it—observing the ploy?

You watch as she ponders how to reach him,

you can see she isn’t sure which way to go.

Patiently, she follows silent clues

… this way to his heart

   … that way to his soul.

Finally, she’s certain she has caught him

but sadly you perceive that

he doesn’t even know she is there.

My response to today’s one-word prompt: Awkward

Photo credit Bing search

A Turn of the Crank

Grammy Writes10 Comments

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Deep into ever-dimming light

where dampness dwells on the walls

of what seems a bottomless well,

sinks an old wooden bucket

attached by heavy rope

to a crank turned with ease

by his big strong hands.

Down, down in the murky shadows

the bucket magically fills

with water before he hauls it

out of the darkness and into the light.

The bucket arrives full of clean, clear water

glistening in the sun where the reflection

casts playful spots upon my face.

A ladle hangs, as it always does,

from a hook beside the crank

which he dutifully dips into the water.

Carefully, as though the contents were a prize,

he brings the tarnished ladle to my lips

for a sip of sparkling cold refreshment.

This is how I remember it… decades ago on Grandpa’s farm.

My response to today’s one-word prompt: Crank

We Are Branches

Grammy Writes11 Comments

DSC03213 (4)On the tree of life

rooted by my ancestors

I am but a branch

The word “branch” always means family to me because of my husband’s fondness for genealogy. As he spends hours and hours researching our family history, he continually strives to learn more, to go back farther and farther, and to correct inaccuracies in existing records. When you are aware of the generations that have come before you, you realize what a small twig you are in the grand scheme of things.

My response to today’s one-word prompt: Branch

Photo taken at the city park in Auckland, New Zealand

Out with the Old, In with the… Old?

Grammy Writes12 Comments

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It’s not quite the new year and already the Christmas decorations are gone! I used to wait until New Year’s Day while everyone else was watching football to tackle the chore of putting things away. This year, however, I just couldn’t wait to get things back to normal. It took me two days to pack up the festive adornment that won’t come back out again until after next Thanksgiving.  As every Christmas item was taken down, the same old stuff went back in place. The house began to feel normal again. I like our standard arrangement of furniture now that the tree is gone, and I like the fireplace free of stockings and the mantle with its old candlesticks instead of the nativity scene. Everything co-ordinates again – the colors, the textures, the balance. It just all fits!

My philosophy on home décor used to be the same as that popular phrase about a new year: “out with the old, in with the new”. Decorating was my thing! I would peruse “Better Homes and Gardens” and “House Beautiful” magazines, and frequent interior design stores to keep current on the latest colors and styles. Every couple of years the house would get a fresh new look in paint color and accessories. Occasionally, I’d find a new piece of furniture for here or there. Trendy! I wanted to be trendy!

But somewhere along the way, I decided I liked what I had, so why change it? My house began to fit me like a well-worn pair of sweatpants instead of designer jeans. It was comfortable – it IS comfortable!  I suppose though, that after 15 years of dusting over, under and around the prominent candlesticks on the mantle, it might be time to replace them—almost!

My response to today’s one-word prompt: Almost