Wednesday's Words on a Friday



On Wednesdays, assorted people have been taking monthly turns at putting up a selection of words which is called “Words for Wednesday”.

We have taken over this meme from Delores, who had been having computer problems.
This month the meme continues here, with words supplied Olga Gadim.

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.   

Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or images.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  We would really like it if as many people as possible joined in with this fun meme.
If you are posting on your own blog - let us know so that we can come along and read your masterpiece.
I’m hopeless at poetry so I always do a story.

It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?

This week's words are:

1. broad
2. bewildered 
3. draconian  (harsh, rigid, strict)
4. tie
5. impress
6. helpless

and or:

1. clip
2. tie
3. previous
4. greet
5. attack
6. serve

Here is my story:
Raised by a DRACONIAN grandfather after their parents died, Maggie and her siblings new precious little of modern life.
Strict routines adhered to, everything just so, no excuses for things not done when they should be. That had been their life for the last few years.

"We'll manage things the way we always did, it SERVED us well enough, me and your Grandma, bless her soul, no need to go about trying to IMPRESS others, that's just showing off" he'd thunder.
At first BEWILDERED, the children soon knew that was just his way of speaking, he wasn't angry, just declaring loudly how things should and would be. 

 The girls, Maggie and Jenny, had learned to CLIP hair with the big kitchen shears, TIE shoelaces so they wouldn't be perpetually coming undone to be tripped over, and the boys,  Dennis and baby Richard, had learned to properly TIE their ties when dressing for Sunday Church. Although Richard, now five, still made a mess of it, so Maggie always fixed his tie before Grandpa inspected for clean hands and shiny shoes.

 But then Grandpa had suffered a heart ATTACK and while he was in Hospital a social worker had come to check on the children daily. Her BROAD smile as she GREETED each one of them did little to dispel Maggie's HELPLESS feeling. 

Things were going to change, modern appliances would take the place of PREVIOUSLY loved things. It was necessary, the social worker said, to make things easier for Grandpa when he came home. An electric stove for cooking, so Grandpa didn't have to chop wood for the big old wood stove. A washing machine to get the clothes clean instead of the washboard and the big old tub.

Maggie was surprised that Grandpa had agreed to these things, but there they stood, right in front of her eyes.

The social worker must have sweet talked him good and proper!

Mrs Goodwin from town would be coming along daily to help teach them how to use the appliances. 

Comments

  1. I am surprised the social worker managed to sweet talk Grandpa too.
    Another lovely vignette. Thanks River.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child; Grandpa's heart is in the right place and he is only doing now what he planned to do later anyway.

      Delete
  2. Great stuff River,

    Couldn't you sleep, 1AM ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vest; all my posts get scheduled for 1am, from the day before or sometimes a few weeks ahead, for instance Whimsical Wednesdays. Usually if I am awake at 1am, I'm reading in bed with a hot coffee.

      Delete
  3. E C. Another early Riser!
    I am away with the fairies until at 8 AM most days.

    ReplyDelete
  4. All's well that ends well. And this tale certainly did end well.

    Well...what I will say is..."Well done!" :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. A Eclectic stove and washer who knew.
    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. peppylady (Dora); Grandpa was always planning on modernising, but he wanted the kids to learn a few survival skills and know what it is like to do things the hard way. Then the new modern things are better appreciated instead of being taken for granted.

      Delete
  6. An easier life for Grandpa now, maybe he won't have another heart attack. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. S.J.Qualls; he'll be okay now the social worker is checking in daily, she'll probably improve their diets too.

      Delete
  7. Grandpa is a wise man. He cares enough about the children to teach them how to do things the old way, but willing to modernize to make all of their lives easier.

    Great job! Have a super weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan; the method in the madness, when the modern things break down, as they so often do, the kids will know how to manage.

      Delete
  8. Try this my 90 B/D special.

    We all felt HELPLESS and BEWILDERED sitting in the open field in BROAD daylight on a hot summer day wearing a suit and neck a TIE. The firms DRACONIAN dress to IMPRESS laws failed miserably.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Vest; nice one! too many firms these days still insist on the suit and tie regime, which is ridiculous in the summer heat. Happy Birthday.

    ReplyDelete

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