HallChall15: Creature

Back when the Daily Prompt was still a thing, I wrote about Creature Feature in February 2018… [edited]

I have a clear memory of watching Creature Features with my mom in the basement of our townhouse in Illinois, which she had turned into a rec room with a ping-pong table, TV, stereo, etc. It was Illinois, if you missed that in the preceding sentence, 40 miles north of Lake Michigan, where it got so cold that if you dropped a record on the floor it would shatter like a dinner plate. (This actually happened.)

I’ve always said I remember putting giant jigsaw puzzles together with my mom while we watched scary movies, but I was trying to call up a specific memory of this scene and it’s not working. The only table we had in the basement large enough for a 1000-2000 piece puzzle was on the side of the room that didn’t have the TV. The stairs were in the middle. Right in front of the stairs was a little storage type room my dad used as a darkroom for photography. On the right side was a TV, sofa, coffee table, etc. On the left side was an old dining room table, another sofa, and the stereo system. We would have had to use the old table for the puzzles. So how would we have been watching Creature Features at the same time?

In any case, two Creature Feature eps that stayed with me all these years I have titled “Coconut Sea Monster” and “Alpine Beheader.” The first was about some guys on a military submarine who kept getting brutally murdered cuz one of them had morphed into a monster due to radiation exposure. We didn’t see the murderer until the end and he looked like he was covered in coconut. It was really freaky! The otter one was about peeps trapped in a ski resort during a blizzard and some snow vampire kept grabbing one at a time and ripping off their head. Icky!

You know, this could very well be why I dislike both sailing and skiing. A-ha! Still love coconut though.

~*~

Written for Tourmaline’s Challenge.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Buy Me A Drink?

Yay, I made it to Fandango’s Dog Days 27 without missing any (though I did bunch up a few)! 🐶😍🎉

Today’s prompt: my favorite beverage.

Okay, soooo… I love coffee, but only one cup (with whole milk) in the morning. I do like flavored coffee, especially cinnamon, but I’m talking flavored ground beans, NOT gross syrup poured in after. I also like an iced mocha or caramel latte with whipped cream for a treat.

However… I also love tea. My go-to tea is black flavored with orange, plus a blop of whole milk, which I usually drink several times a day, but not right now because hot. I’ve been having plain iced tea a few times a day instead. Not a fan of sugar or lemon in tea, though lime is nice. Plain is perfect.

I’ve started drinking a lot of Bai (coconut water plus fake sugar and sometimes other flavors such as mango or lime). Delicious!

Of course, there’s always old faithful: Diet Coke! Love it. Don’t care for other sodas much, although sparkling water with lime is nice too.

I don’t drink much alcohol these days because migraines, but I love red wine, margaritas, mojitos, mai tais, and Bailey’s, mmm. Bailey’s over ice cream! And I went through my cinnamon whiskey phase, but we won’t talk about that… 🤣

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Image credit ~ Bitmoji

5 Special Occasion Cakes!

Dr. Tanya continues her #5Things by asking for our special occasion cakes. Well, every cake is special, and honestly I don’t eat much cake these days, so when I do… it’s a special occasion! 😂

Unlike others, I don’t go gaga for choccy in cake. I mean, I’d eat it, sure, but chocolate works best in candy imo and I prefer other flavors for cake.

My favorite cake of all time is coconut with coconut frosting. It’s also wonderful to pair compatible cake flavors, such as lemon or pineapple, with the coconut frosting. Or just give me a bowl of the coconut frosting, thanks. 😍

A distant second is… every other cake. 😂 Just kidding. But obviously coconut is far and away the best cake.

Carrot and/or spice cake with cream cheese frosting is up next. But don’t put nuts in it for gawd’s sake! 😖 Acceptable add-ins are pineapple chunks, dates, golden raisins, and coconut (duh). It’s good to put an orange frosting carrot on top to identify the cake plus also sprinkles for prettiness. 🐰

Cheesecake is number 3, but it has to have a graham cracker crust or forget it. I’m not a huge fan of weirdly flavored cheesecakes either… just give me a normal slice, thanks.

This will shock many of you, but one of the best cakes I’ve ever had didn’t have frosting on it. I know! But it’s true. My friend Nancy made it for her daughter’s birthday (who is coincidentally my friend Jenny), and it was so good. She called it a margarita cake! I’ll try to find a pic on the google… 💚

Last but not least is… coffeecake. But I’m not talking about boring coffeecake. I’m talking about one with a a swirl of moist cinnamony goodness in the middle and big fat crumbs on top. Plus a drizzle of icing. Like this… 😘

Now I am hungry… 😋

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Image credit ~ Google

Girl Talk [flash 160]

Carol danced into the room and interrupted the conversation. “Girls, how do you like the new me?”

“Uh, we liked the old you,” Janet said. “Gosh, that’s a lot of purple you’re wearing.”

“People are swearing?” Rosemary yelled.

“No, dear,” Carol shouted back. “Adjust your hearing aid. We are talking about how I’m going to live life to the fullest now that I’ve turned eighty-five.”

Janet waved a hand. “Don’t make excuses for wanting more male attention, Carol. We know how you are. But the guys are gonna laugh at your crazy clothing.”

“Psssh, I just passed Leo in the hall and he called me a hottie.” Carol smiled.

“Leo is blind, honey,” Rosemary said. “This hearing aid has a poor design. It’s not my fault. Did anyone bring coconut cookies?”

Carol swirled around the table. “People can believe whatever they want! Feathers and sequins make me happy!”

“Fine,” Janet said. “Are you in for Go Fish or not?”

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Flavorful Share

Starting my Tuesday with questions from Melanie! 🙂

1. What do you think of professional motivational speakers?  Do you think they motivate?

I don’t like to listen to jabber, period. I don’t seek out speakers and in fact avoid audio like the… you know. Videos are for music. 🎶 That said, I don’t mind reading some motivational jibber, depending on my mood. I enjoy short, profound philosophy that can make me go ahhhh and leave me thoughtful and/or calm. And I enjoy humor mixed with inspiration, a la Mark Manson. I don’t find motivation in everything he writes because a lot of it is geared toward much younger folks beginning careers and relationships. But there is still some stuff applicable to me. I don’t know if these speakers motivate people in general, but I’ve gotten value from reading other ideas, especially MM’s.

2. Do you have a favorite flavor?

Yes, several… coconut, cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla.

3. While out walking, you hear a rustling in some bushes.  What do you think of?

Kitty!

4. What’s your ideal temperature (nature-wise)?   Hot, cold, temperate and mild, humid or bone dry?

I like it pretty warm, 80ish. But I prefer an overcast day, as bright sun is a migraine trigger. Rain is also a trigger, as are any big changes in weather or extremes generally. Hate wind!

Alrighty! Got a post done and now on with the day… 🎉

~*~

Images from Melanie and Pexels.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

20 Questions

These are from Melanie, who got them from Fandango, in two separate posts, but she reworded some, and then added more to make a better number, as you do, so are they her questions or his questions?

Let me know what you decide, okay? In the meantime, imma answer the questions…

1. Okay, you write a blog, so do you also play word games of any kind?

Yes, all of them. Not at the same time, of course, but if it’s a word game, I’ve likely tried it, or some variation. Right now, on my phone, I have Wordscapes, which has pretty backgrounds and relaxing sounds. It’s too easy though.

2. Do you have any other type of creative outlet besides writing? Art, sewing, photography, jewelry making, etc.?

I’ve done all of that. I used to love baking and cake decorating. I also did lots of needlework pictures and pillows. I tried to start a tee shirt painting biz but got a hurty wrist and had to stop. My hands are achy lately, so I haven’t been doing any crafts at all. 😢

3. Do you listen to anything while you write or does it need to be quiet?

I prefer quiet.

4. Are you an avid book reader?

I go in phases. This year I’ve only read 19 books so far.

5. Name a country you would love to visit if the world wasn’t shut down because of the virus.

England.

6. Have you ever written a poem about someone and gave it to them?

Yes, as jokes and seriously. I’ve also written loads of poems about people that I haven’t shown them. Here’s my favorite one.

7. Is there an author (living or dead) that you would love to sit down and talk to for an hour?

Margaret Atwood.

8. Have you ever met a fellow blogger or interacted off WordPress?

I’ve met a few.

9. Cake or pie?

Yes, please… coconut cake / cherry pie.

10. Coffee or tea?

Coffee in the morning / tea the rest of the day.

11. What is the strangest movie you have ever seen?

When I was 11, my parents took me to see Greaser’s Palace in NYC, which traumatized me. I still think about it occasionally.

12.  What lessons have you learnt from C-19?

Nothing, except to double down on what I was already inclined to do.

13. What values do you live by?

Family first. Prioritize work and my peace of mind. Try to tune out the negativity and craziness of other people.

14. What is your favorite movie?

Doctor Zhivago.

15. Whom have you loved unconditionally?

Only my children.

16. Your dreams in life?

Happy, healthy children. Being financially secure. Writing a lot!

17.   Do you like citrus flavoring?

Yes to lemon and lime. Not a fan of orange usually. Pineapple is good with coconut.

18.   What is your remedy for the hiccups?

Holding my breath.

19.   Are you lucky?

I think “luck” happens when I’m careful to avoid doing stupid things. So, it depends on the day… 🤣🍀

20.   Barefoot or wearing something on your feet?

I like socks!

~*~

Images from Bitmoji.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

The Sweet Spot

I have a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips here… I mentioned that I considered adding them to my banana bread last week but decided not to. Maybe I should have. The BB was tasty but ultimately boring ~ I ended up throwing half of it out. That was a lot of BB for one person to finish. I think I would have eaten more of it if I had put in the chips.

On the other hand, I still have an unopened bag of chocolate chips! And I also have a whole bunch of flour. Apparently, flour is as hard to find as toilet paper now, but I bought my flour before the SHTF, as they say. But the thing is… I’m still only one person here… one person who does not want to stuff her face with a whole batch of nummy chocolate chip cookies, or even half a batch. I don’t want to emerge from isolation as Fatty Van Wrinkle who can’t fit into her clothes. 🤣

Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, did you see that the Doubletree has posted their recipe online? It’s a pretty complex recipe and now I see why those cookies always gave me massive heartburn. I’ll stick with Tollhouse. Or Mrs. Field’s. Mini-peeve: if you ever order a gift for someone online from Mrs. Field’s, be prepared for daily spam from that company. Daily! They make great gifts though. 🎁

I think I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m not a chocoholic. Except for the occasional Tollhouse cookies, I could be happy forever with other sweets… key lime pie, lemon bars, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, coconut layer cake, cheesecake, and of course… cupcakes!

I love a delicious golden cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Strawberry is wonderful too. Did I tell you I used to keep a cupcake taste-test chart on my old blog? As I aged, I found that cupcake calories were not friendly to my metabolism, to put it mildly. So sad. These days, I try to satisfy my sweet tooth by sneaking a spoonful of sugar into my cup of herbal tea as the last treat of the day.

~*~

Images credited to Bitmoji and me.

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Me Myself and I

[post title stolen from Beckie]

Rory has a new game happening, which is all about me.

Now, I realize I’ve been saying that I’m gonna avoid these kinds of rambling personal posts and focus more on fiction and poetry, but the first thing you need to understand about me is… I’m a liar. Okay then.

1. What is your favourite sweet treat?

I have lots of favorite sweet treats. But first, let me announce that I’m not a chocoholic. I can happily leave the choccy treats to others… and while I enjoy a chocolate chip cookie like any normal human, it’s not at the top of my list. What is? Coconut cake, lemon bars, thick homemade peanut butter cookies, and crumbly cinnamon coffee cake (like the kind Starbucks used to sell before they made it “healthy”). I also love pie, but am super picky about it ~ if it’s not exactly right, I don’t like it at all. Forex, pumpkin pie is awesome but only if it has a graham cracker crust and whipped cream on top. Otherwise, meh.

2. If you want to really relax – what is your go to?

I have a hard time totally relaxing. There’s always something (usually several things) bothering me somewhat. Idk how people can forget about all that’s wrong with this world… even if you’re personally cocooned against financial horrors, what about other people and animals? You must know of the vast suffering that goes on day in and day out, unabated. I just trudge along, I guess. There are things that temporarily distract me like movies, games, poetry. But I know the other stuff is there while I divert myself with trivia. I spend too much time on news sites, which is depressing, and I know I should stop. What’s the point? I can’t do anything about all this outrage… it just boils in my brain, keeping me from being able to relax. Soon, I’ll be moving to a place where it’ll be easier to exercise; maybe that will help.

3. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

This is a weird question for me now. I don’t feel I even have “guilty pleasures” these days. I hardly indulge in anything because of fear of consequences. And after a while, not indulging becomes as much of a habit as indulging, you know? It’s like I’m too lazy to do anything wrong. Drinking? Nah. That’ll give me a migraine. Sex? No thanks. Too stressful to deal with another person. Overeating? Ick, tummy ache! The only self-indulgent thing I might do is not get dressed on a Sunday and watch movies or read all day instead of finishing any chores. But this isn’t even that pleasurable… I only do it when I’m really tired. And I’ll feel bad when the unproductive day is done.

So, there you have it, Rory. Super boring personal jabber. I warned you. 😜

~*~

©️2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

One Word Sunday ~ Triangle

Triangle

~*~

©️2019 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

“Thou art a worry to thy friends” [SOCS]

Linda told us to grab the closest book, open it, and put our finger on a page ~ this would be our Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Mine is the quote in the title, which is on page 64 of Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck, a used paperback I picked up at an exchange a while back but haven’t read yet.

Honestly, I’m not really inclined to read the book now, given the annoying dialog on this page, and the names of the characters (Pilon and Pirate). I feel it well within my rights to make such an arbitrary and snap judgment because I have an enormous pile of books to read, and more come in all the time. I’ll never get through them all before I die, so why not cull them in any manner whatsoever?

May sucked as far as reading. I began a few books and lost interest, played games on my phone, read a lot of blogs and news, and was basically a scatterbrain. I need to get more focused now. Today I deleted my phone solitaire games that I play when I can’t sleep, and which probably keep me from sleeping too. Duh. I could spend that time reading. It’s less stimulating as far as keeping me awake like a game. But to be fair, I have dozed off in the middle of a card game, though not often. Maybe once.

I don’t think I’m a worry to my friends. I’m very sensible and predictable, at least that’s how I’m perceived. Reliable. Dependable. I can be counted on to do a thing if I say… which is also a curse, you know? Because unreliable people always get a break. Hey, no biggie if Joe didn’t show up… we know how he is. And oh there goes Janet again, such a wild and crazy gal! But me? If I mess up or don’t show, everyone is all but you said!!!

Eff that. Why can’t I be the wild one once in a while? But it’s not me, I know. I like plans. I schedule everything. I’m on time, or early. I reply. I’m considerate. Bla bla bla. Boring! I’ve even tried to plan my own funeral. I want one of those I Dream of Jeannie urns. I want to have coconut cupcakes and a song list. Hotel California, of course. New Kid in Town. Those Shoes. Tequila Sunrise. End of the Innocence. And a lot of Neil Diamond. Jimmy Buffett. Fleetwood Mac. Supremes. Sheryl Crow. Gordon Lightfoot. Johnny Cash and Rosanne Cash. But that’s a bit too planny.

Maybe.