Morning glories, happened to come across Dee’s Wednesday Writing Prompt: Animal today. Took the opportunity to do a little creative writing real quick this morning. Haven’t joined Dee for any creative writing this whole year. Wanted to remedy that right away.
Remember back in December when we had such high hopes for 2020. I even shared this Bitmoji that showed how excited I was to put 2019 to bed.
Well, ole 2019 isn’t looking that bad after all! Ha! Who could imagine all the calamity that would befall the entire world in the first 3 months of this new year?? Geez! So far, this Bitmoji would summarize most of 2020.
I don’t know about you but my hands are RAW. And what’s happened to the color of my neck?? I look anemic from the chin down. Washing all the skin color off, I guess. #MichaelJackson
Creative Writing
Today is the first day since I got home on Friday at midnight, that I have been able to think straight and get my hands out of the sink long enough to make a to-do list in hopes of getting something done. In the photo below you can see my aforementioned to-do list. Notice it has no check marks because I haven’t gotten anything accomplished yet! Anybody else finding it hard to tear yourself away from the news and reports on the stock market??
About to jump up and tear the bone out now…as my mom would say. But one of the link-ups I have missed joining in for this year has been Dee’s creative writing prompts. Today I came across her Wednesday Writing Prompt. And as luck would have it, the link-up closes today. So I have scrambled to get this thrown together.
Wednesday Writing Prompt: Animal
Dee explains this creative assignment below:
Join me in this creative writing
prompt to exercise your brain and have fun!Write a story or poem using the word animal with
exactly 75 words! The title is not included in the word count.
Get your creations ready!
Party open March 18 to 24.
With a list of to-dos as long as my arm, I was glad to see a 75 word limit on today’s prompt. Even better, I knew exactly about what I was going to write.
Cici, the Birthday GIRL in 75 Words
The dinner dishes were cleared away, replaced by festive paper plates onto which Mom slid pieces of cake. The family gathered as Cici hopped into her chair at the table’s head. They sang the traditional song while Cici, the birthday girl, fairly glowed. Before they could invite her to make a wish, the pup had gobbled up her cake. Proving the only things about Cici that were more animal than human were her table manners.
More Human than Animal
Our pup (read dog or better yet, GIRL) Cici thought she was human. And most days, so did we. How we loved that girl. When her fur was long and ‘natural’ she had the look of a small English sheep dog.
But twice a year, we had Cici and our other pups shorn. They would be a whole lot cleaner and easier to keep but Cici certainly wasn’t as cute after a day at the beauty shop. In the first photo, she is stretched out with our other pup, Cheyenne, after a recent day at the salon.
I think this second photo was her last hair cut. How I wish I hadn’t put her through that.
She hated having her ‘hair done,’ too. In fact, after a day with the mobile groomers on my birthday, 04.2010, Cici suffered a stroke and died. It has almost been 10 years since I last hugged that furry/furless neck. I miss her crazy personality to this day.
But we had to have her groomed because she was always a mess!! Loved frolicking in the mud, rolling around over anything dead, trudging through the snow.
Cici wanted to eat at the table with us every meal (that didn’t happen except on birthdays), and would climb onto the dishwasher door when it was down to lick all of the dirty plates. She was a Virgo, so very intelligent. A quiet intelligence. She never made much noise. In fact, when we adopted her from the family who owned her mom, Cici didn’t even let out a whimper. For days she was mute. I thought maybe she was deaf. We talked and talked to her, played with her, softied her. Not a peep.
Then it dawned on me that her original family had spoken only Spanish. When I used my broken Spanglish, Cici began answering me back!
Cici, Cheyenne and Rusty the Pig Dog
When I married PC in 2008, we truly became a blended family. We sold our personal homes and bought one together. At that time, Lauren, Cici and Cheyenne were living with me and Matt and Rusty the Pig Dog AKA Piggie were living with my Prince. Couldn’t leave pictures of Cheyenne and Piggie out of this post. I loved them both, too.
Your Turn
Word has just come down that as of midnight tonight El Paso will be on lock down.
The El Paso border region is going into a lockdown of nonessential activity as of 11:59 p.m. today. The order applies to everyone in El Paso County to work safe and stay home with the exceptions of essential businesses and activities; to include but not limited to:
Emergency personnel
Healthcare personnel
Groceries
Financial, critical trades
Postal services
Food delivery or pick-up
Home-based care
Childcare
Media
Those performing essential government functionsThe order will continue until further notice and those who are found violating it could face a fine of up to $1,000 or be jailed for up to 180 days. To report non-compliance, people can send and email to COVIDCompliance@elpasotexas.gov or call 311. [source]
Hoping we can still go for walks and ride bikes. Want to go see the poppies tonight because they may be passed their prime before we can get out again.
Would be curious to know what restrictions, if any, are in place where you live. And how many cases of Covid-19 are in your area, if any. Leave me a comment below!
Stay safe, my friends. Wash, wash, wash your hands!
Germ-free hugs and kisses,
Dee | Grammy's Grid
What a cute story about Cici! Pets definitely have a place in our hearts and memories ♥ Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #WednesdayWrtingPromptLinkup – Animal 75 Words, open March 18 to 24. All entries shared on social media if share buttons installed. My Unlimited Monthly Link Party 10 is open March 1 to 26 if you’d like to link up for more views and shares.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Dee. Have missed writing with you. Hope to get back into again.
Donna Connolly
Very frightening times. The restrictions make sense but take a huge emotional toll. Stay safe!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I felt fairly content at home the first of the week but by Thursday, as the number of cases increased, as PC became an essential employee of the Department of Defense, I began feeling less so. My youngest daughter is terrified. She sends alarming statistics every day. Lauren says China has completely under-reported the number of cases and deaths from Covid. As does my friend who is living in Japan. Afraid this week, the U.S. may really suffer.
Nancy
We are in lock down for two more weeks but events more then 100 are canceled until June. It’s going to be a boring summer. Very depressing, as I hate the winter. Stay safe my friend.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
We will get through this. We just have to think of new, creative ways to have fun!!
Iris
How we love our pets. I don’t think I could exist well without mine. And, how difficult it is to lose one. I’ve had many over the years and they are all still near and dear to my heart.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
My pets all remain in my heart long after they have crossed over the rainbow bridge. I pray I will be reunited with them someday.
Bettye
Loved your Cici story, Leslie. Our animals are so much a part of our hearts.
NY is in…NY Style Lockdown. Meaning all essential people stay home, but if you REALLY want to go out, then do whatever the heck you want without regard to others. Yup. And if they tried to fine people who were outside “non-essentially” there would probably be rioting in the streets. We’re not a terribly law-abiding bunch.
Sigh. I know the only way the spread of this thing is going to be slowed or stopped altogether is if people Just Stay Home. The Governor is having a heck of a time convincing the masses of that.
Stay well!
Bettye
https://fashionschlub.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Bettye for insight into your world in NY. I have thought of you and Em over the past few days. I had bet money on El Paso being fairly law-abiding but there was an enormous crowd of folks at Lowe’s Home Improvement Store today. We are all going a little stir crazy so maybe, like us, everyone was just grabbing something for the coming week’s projects. Just hope no one comes down sick from shopping at Lowe’s.