Saturday Wordzzle # 22

The idea is, every week Raven (View From A Raven's Nest) gives you between 8 and 10 words/phrases and you have to create a small but coherent paragraph using every one of them and the same with the mini challenge. You can do either, both or a megawordzzle using all the words, or even all three, it's up to you, you can post them on your blog or email them to Raven. If you join in go to Raven's and put your name on the Mr. Linky so other participants can come visit you.

Here are my efforts - complete with my doodles.

This Week's Ten Word Challenge is: cardboard box, liquor cabinet, ostrich feathers, longitudinal, hamburger helper, partnership, laundry detergent, magnificent, San Francisco, prognosis

Shane helped himself to a drink from the liquor cabinet; he was spitting ostrich feathers as he’d been out riding the range all morning checking on the longitudinal fences that bordered his magnificent ranch. Throwing back the whisky he poured himself another just as Emma walked in from the kitchen carrying a bottle of laundry detergent.

“Want one?” he asked

“Yes please, and can you carry that cardboard box upstairs for me later?”

He’d been riding in the rodeo when he met Emma, who was still in a state of shock from losing her husband to cancer. He had only been diagnosed two months before and the prognosis had been good but the doctors had obviously made a mistake. After her husband’s death Emma decided to leave San Francisco and do some travelling, taking any job that came up, which at the moment was as a hamburger helper at the rodeo.He had recently purchased the ranch, having saved for years, and this would be his last rodeo. He and Emma got on well together so he offered her the job of housekeeper and cook on the ranch, and two years down the line the partnership became more than business when they admitted they’d got feelings for each other. All the ranch hands laughed when Shane told them he and Emma were going to be married. Of course they weren’t surprised they had noticed the signs.On the night of their wedding Emma said “I have something to tell you, please don’t be mad that I didn’t tell you before the wedding but I had to be sure you were marrying me because you love me.”“Of course I love you, what is it you have to tell me?”“I’m rich Shane, very rich, my husband was a ranching tycoon and I am the sole beneficiary of his estate!”The look of disbelief on Shane’s face was very convincing.Of course he’d known all along.

Now he could pay off the mortgage.

And for the Mini Challenge: worst case scenario, marginalia, water fountain, specialized, fortitude

Agnes checked the marginalia on the job description to remind herself what she wanted to ask at the interview. She desperately wanted the job, it was just up her street being quite a specialized area, she would not let herself imagine the worst case scenario of not getting it. Not many people had her talents and fortitude, it had taken years of practice to perfect the art of entertaining children and they just loved it when she took a whole glass of water into her mouth and projected it up into the air like a water fountain.

Megawordzzle

Patsy’s life has taken a turn for the worse. She had gone from being a celebrated actress, who’s life was a constant round of Lear jets travelling longitudinal southern hemisphere and yacht parties to living in a downtown San Francisco apartment that was not much bigger than a cardboard box. Her dependency on the contents of the liquor cabinet had resulted in her belief that she was beyond reproach when she didn’t turn up for filming because she had a hangover, or behaved impossibly when on the film set. The industry could no longer afford the spiralling cost of delays caused by Patsy’s unreliability.Patsy had received the “you’ll be dead in two years if you don’t give up the booze” prognosis from her doctor. That was the worst case scenario he’d told her, and he had recommended she go to a clinic that specialized in alcohol dependency. She spent two months in the clinic where each patient was given specific duties to keep them occupied and allow them to function with some normality; Patsy became an expert on laundry detergent during her time there.

The day arrived for Patsy to leave the clinic and before exiting the door into the bright sunshine she stooped to take a drink from the water fountain reflecting on the fact that she was drinking water instead of vodka now. She felt ready to face the world. No longer resplendent in magnificent satin and ostrich feathers Patsy took a job working as a hamburger helper. Her time in show business was over, she realised that but she had shown great fortitude in turning her life around, helped by Ben who she had met in the laundry at the clinic and with whom she now enjoyed a loving partnership.

Standing on the dais six months later, Cameron’s eyes filled with tears as she accepted the Oscar. The part of Patsy in the film “Riches to Rags” had been an overwhelming success. The script for the film containing her marginalia had been auctioned off for charity and raised $100,000. Returning to her seat to thunderous applause, Cameron smiled and took hold of Ben’s hand.

Hope you enjoyed my efforts. Please don’t forget I’m away on holiday until the end of the month, so I’ll catch up with you when I get back.