Daily writing prompt

Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

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We often talk about replacing the somewhat unsightly shed in the back yard– maybe a bigger one that would hold the usual shed stuff and maybe even a lathe… I won’t push the lathe. Cost has been stopping us, but also the prospect of running up against local zoning rules that would push a new build further out into a relatively small yard. I’m sure we’ll continue revisiting this.

My personal list that garners occasional lip service: practice piano, dust off the guitar, get back to learning Spanish, find part-time work, build shelving in the basement, remove a hornet nest before it gets warm and they’re back building it again, find places to volunteer, work on a generally rosier outlook.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite thing to cook?

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Simple things, mostly– sausage gravy, or a really healthy oatmeal recipe with banana, blueberries, cinnamon, an apple, etc.

In terms of a more involved prep, I’d have to say Chicken Wild Rice Soup, a recipe we found in the 2001 edition of a Taste of Home holiday cook book. I’ve made it so many times that I stopped referring to the recipe years ago. And I seldom use actual wild rice by itself–too expensive. I cheat a bit with two boxes of Uncle Ben’s Original Wild Rice mix, using only about half of one of the included seasoning packets.

I occasionally like to spend time preparing meals. It’s enjoyable, in part because I sip a glass of red or white along the way– like Julia Child always did.

Daily writing prompt

Write about your first computer.

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A step up from a Commodore 64, I guess, a bit before Apple and Gateway and the rest really exploded onto the scene, or were within reach of our pocketbook.

It was the late ’80s, maybe 1990, and the thing was pieced together with the advice of a friend who had some knowledge of what to us was a whole new wondrous technology. The CPU was housed in a rectangular, low-rise box, kilobytes of storage, a dot matrix printer that used paper with the perforated guideholes on either side, a tiny CRT with amber text. I can’t remember if this one had internet capability. If it did, it was dial up modem. And by today’s standards, it was relatively expensive.

Primitive beginnings, but there was no going back.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

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Hmm… the first thing that came to mind was parachuting from an airplane. I can’t conceive of any amount of cajoling or trash talk that would push me to do that. Maybe the promise of a large sum of money, but even that might not be enough.

Thinking a little longer, it’d be suspending retirement and returning to part-time pastoral work. It’s pretty much all I know, and we could use the extra money, but I have serious doubts about being able to re-engage with any sense of commitment or belief. I’m not sure there’s anything anyone could say that would convince me to reconsider.

Daily writing prompt

What do you complain about the most?

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The state of the world and how humans can’t seem to rise above certain base instincts and tendencies. Evolution is a painfully slow process.

That and the white screen that just happens out of the blue when I’m doing something in Word. Aggravating as hell.

Daily writing prompt

What are your favorite sports to watch and play?

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To play? Golf, and throwing a ball back and forth. To watch? Mostly just PGA golf; an occasional college football or NFL playoff game; NHL hockey, and the beautiful game, i.e. actual football.

I grew up, and still am, a faithful Boston fan– Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and even the Patriots, when they played their games at Fenway Park. Anymore, though, professional sports, and even the Olympics, don’t much interest me. Except golf, for some reason.

And though I occasionally have difficulty thinking of it as sport, sitting or standing in a boat with my brothers, angling for small- and largemouth bass, northern pike, and muskies.

Daily writing prompt

What would you do if you won the lottery?

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Assuming it’s a substantial amount… before claiming the prize, try to remain rational, keep as tight-lipped as possible, get some guidance on the best way to proceed, and make a couple of lists– people and organizations with whom we might want to share the winnings, and things we want to do or buy.

Personally speaking, my material list would include a place with a bit more acreage, with space for a wood shop, and a pickup truck. And fitted golf clubs.

If it was only a couple of bucks, then just buy more tickets and hope for the best.

Daily writing prompt

What books do you want to read?

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Preferably nonfiction, though I’d still like to cross War and Peace off my “to read” list.

At the moment, I’m reading Barack Obama’s first volume, A Promised Land, and it has taken a while to get through. Until I finish it, I’m only perusing the new titles at the library (we sometimes stop after going to the Y) but not taking anything home. This one needs my undivided attention.

What sometimes happens is that I will borrow from the library or download books from Prime and read them on my iPad, but then I end up ordering my own hard copies so I can underline and otherwise mark them up.

I try and mix up the genres of nonfiction, having recently read Jim Bouton’s classic Ball Four for the first time, along with another baseball book by Joe Posnanski; books by Adam Higginbotham, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Rachel Maddow, and Jon Meacham. I think I’ll probably look for Pete Buttigieg’s most recent offering– Trust— next, but only after finishing the Obama tome.

Daily writing prompt

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

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This is more difficult than I first thought. Currently, besides the usual birthday celebrations and a big Labor Day picnic we sometimes attend, it seems a couple events have the makings of tradition– our son and his family travel here from Maine for Thanksgiving, and we have Christmas morning with our other son and his family, who live only 5 miles away. Of late, a theme has been surprise visits to or from our daughter and son-in-law in Colorado. And for the last two or three years, we’ve gathered at our local son’s place for the Super Bowl.

Historically, Sunday dinner after church was a tradition for years; Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad’s with a big spread and a late church service; afternoon coffee and baked goods (we’ve come to call it fika) was a regular feature when we were visiting Mom and Dad, continued religiously by Mom after Dad died. I often still get the urge to “have a little something” mid-afternoon.

It seems like we’re less bound by traditions anymore, or maybe we’re just starting new ones that haven’t really settled in yet.

Daily writing prompt

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

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Being retired, I suppose I have nothing but leisure time. If I had to pick one thing, and conditions allowed, I’d probably give a nod to being out on a golf course somewhere.

In reality, there are several things that vie for top spot– taking a day trip, even if it’s just doing errands and having a meal out; working on a project of some sort, whether woodworking or cleaning and rearranging; visiting with family, near and far; playing the piano; working in our small yard, mowing grass, keeping things looking cared for; reading; putting a puzzle together; cooking; as much as I swear off such a thing at times, checking the newsfeed on my iPad; and sitting still, taking in the sights and sounds of an average day.