Benji

Bob was sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching some TV. Then the doorbell rang. He opened the door and there stood a huge black male Great Dane. The dog wanted to come in. ā€œHey buddy, what’s up? Are you lost? That’s an old collar you have on, mind if I take a look?ā€ Bob approached the dog from the side slowly and Benji nosed his hand. After they greeted each other, Benji came into the house. Bob looked at the collar, no name, but a phone number. He called and a woman answered. ā€œHello, this is Marieā€. ā€œ

ā€œHi, my name is Bob and a dog just came up to my door, is he yours?ā€ The woman started to cry and explained the dog’s name was Benji and belonged to her dad who just passed away. Bob said his condolences, but then asked why the dog came to him. ā€œI swear he rang the doorbell!ā€
The woman sighed and said, ā€œyes, he’s a very smart dog.ā€
ā€œWell I could bring him back to you, where do you live?ā€
ā€œOh noā€ she said, ā€œI couldn’t take him, I live in a condo, doesn’t allow petsā€.

Bob thought maybe this was fate, he had been so lonely…maybe Benji would be a great companion. He looked into those pleading dark brown eyes and fell in love. ā€œOkay, I’ll take him. Is there anything I need to know? Has he had all his shots and everything?ā€
ā€œOh yes my dad was very protective of Benji and he of my dad.ā€
ā€œAlright then, I’ll take good care of him too.ā€ That night Bob settled a big blanket by his bed and told Benji to hop in. He did. Around midnight Bob was woken by a soft murmur. He looked down to see the figure of an old man squatting down petting Benji. Bob sat up quickly and said, ā€œwho are you? What’s going on?ā€
The fading image of the man stood up and replied, ā€œI’m just telling him goodbye and he is home now.ā€

***

A new shot at my writing prompt.

Texas AG Paxton’s Raids

ā€œLidia Martinez, an 87-year-old activist and LULAC member who has long helped to register voters, told reporters at Monday’s news conference that armed officers with Paxton’s office showed up to her home at the break of dawn August 20 with a search warrant. She said they told her the search was related to fraud and questioned her for three hours. She said they also made her stand outside in her front yard, still in her nightgown.ā€

ā€œPaxton has been accused of using intimidation tactics before.ā€

ā€œHe took up the voter fraud cause after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, filing a federal lawsuit to overturn the results in four key swing states. The US Supreme Court threw that suit out and the State Bar of Texas sued Paxton in 2022 for misrepresenting claims of substantial voter fraud.ā€

ā€œEarlier this year, Paxton took aim at an El Paso nonprofit that helps migrants, accusing it of facilitating illegal entry to the United States, alien harboring and human smuggling, before a judge halted his efforts to ā€œrun roughshodā€ over the group ā€œwithout regard to due process or fair play,ā€ the judge’s decision said.ā€

ā€œHe’s pursued the medical records of transgender youth ā€“ including those that some say are protected by patient privacy laws – seeking gender affirming care at out of state clinics.ā€

ā€œAnd under the state’s strict abortion ban, he publicly named both a patient seeking an abortion and her doctor in an open letter threatening potential first degree felony prosecutions and civil penalties of $100,000.ā€

This is the tip of a very large iceberg.

https://rugby843.blog

The Writer’s Workshop

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Here are the prompts for this week’s Writer’s Workshop:


Write a post based on the word request.
Write a post in exactly 14 sentences.
Do you believe in destiny, or do you believe that life’s outcome is strictly the result of choice and circumstance? What experiences or evidence has led you to your position on fate versus free will?
Do you read memoir, biographies, or reference books? Which ones are your favorites and what do you get out of them? 
Write about a time when you wanted to escape or run.
Write a critical review of your favorite television show.

***

I chose number 5: I enjoy reading memoirs or personal accounts of military personnel very much. Always being safe at home, I want to know what these people went through, and feel so much respect and even awe at their experiences. I also like military fictional accounts and stories. I’ve read many autobiographies and other biographies, some military but also historical figures and more, all just trying to be in their shoes for a bit and learn what they were thinking. One of my favorites was surprising, the book, ā€œBorn a Crimeā€ by Trevor Noah. This memoir was a learning experience. I liked his YouTube videos, but he is a fascinating man and the audio version of his book was very enjoyable.

***

Writer’s Workshop Prompts for August 29, 2024

Stacking the Shelves

I am looking forward to the sequel by T J Klune to one of my favorite books: ā€œThe House in the Cerulean Seaā€. I was told there was no sequel to it or one of my other faves authored by Klune, ā€œUnder the Whispering Doorā€. The new book is available for preorder, expected to be on September 10 this year.

ā€œHope is the thing with feathers. And hope is the thing with fire.ā€

Featuring gorgeous golden yellow sprayed edges! Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade.

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life, built on the ashes of a bad one. He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six magical and so-called dangerous children who live there.

***

Stacking The Shelves (August 25, 2024) šŸ“ššŸ“š

SYW 8-26-24

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As always an optional gratitude section is included at the end.
Here are this week’s questions:

  1.  Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? No
  2.  Did you collect anything specific as a child: comics, baseball cards, teddy bears etc. Yes, rocks. And leavesšŸ™„šŸ˜€We had stone walls around our large acres so there were lots to choose from. I wanted to be a geologist and still love rocks. Funny I ended up marrying a geophysicist ā˜ŗļøThey have competing fields.
  3.  Were you a boy scout/brownie/girl guide as a child? No but as an adult I led a Campfire Girls troop. It was fun!
  4. Were you more likely to be with a group of friends or on your own as a child? Either on my own or with my sister, six years older.We lived on a farm away from other kids but we would walk to meet them.

Gratitude: I am grateful to have learned today a friend is home from the hospital.

***

Image from learnweather.com

Share your World 26th August.

WDYS 8-26-24

ā€œPeaches, did you say peaches? Oh my god, Joe, I’ve just spent an hour in line at the farmer’s market after buying all the other things, and I did not buy any peaches! I don’t even think they’re in season yet! What? Your boss insists on fresh peach Bellinis for cocktails? Listen, Joe, this boss of yours is too demanding…doesn’t he have an office lackey to do his errands? What? You’re kidding, right?ā€

***

What do you see # 251- August 26, 2024

dVerse Poets




New to haibun? The form consists of one to a few paragraphs of prose—usually written in the present tense—that evoke an experience and are often non-fictional/autobiographical. They may be preceded or followed by one or more haiku—nature-based, using a seasonal image—that complement without directly repeating what the prose stated.

New to dVerse? Here is what you do:
Write a haibun that alludes to seasonal shift.
Post it on your personal site/blog.
Include a link back to dVerse in your post.
Copy your link onto the Mr. Linky.
Remember to click the small checkbox about data protection.
Read and comment on some of your fellow poets’ work.
Like and leave a comment below if you choose to do so.
Have fun!

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Today I’m repotting my tomato plant because of changes in weather with high winds and hard rain. No matter what I do the plant is tall in a pot and tips easily. Today I planted it in a heavy pot and placed it near a metal standing decoration for more support.

new gardener learns

safety of a cared for plant

hoping to see fruit

inexperience my tell

now sheltered, a wish is sent

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Haibun Monday 8-26-24: Another Seasonal Shift