With Mendalla on vacation, SOMEBODY's gotta get things running!

The kettle is ready to serve, there are pots of Red Rose and Lemon Zinger teas available on the side.

Coffee is hot and ready, with a special blend from a friend of mine – Lousiana Creole dark roast, with water straight from the Bayou.

And, of course, treats are available courtesy of the Cookie Angel – Sara!

Take care out there, folks. We got some freezing rain overnight, and I almost wiped out when I stepped out on the porch to pick up the newspaper!

Quote by Brad_Naylor

Thank you, Bear. As I'm now retired, everyday is the weekend. I'll have a coffee but must give the cookies a miss. I put on a few pounds over Christmas.

You should be a Polar Bear! We Bears LIVE on fat, and a few kilos extra are just BEAR-ly enough!

Applications at the Front Office. Ask for the Big Guy…

Good morning, everybody!

The kettle is on, there are pots of Red Rose and Earl Grey on the side.

Coffee is hot and ready to go.

And, as always, there are Sara's Sensational Snacks to be had in the cookie jars!

Enjoy the day – even if it is Monday!

❤️☕️😉

I know that Mendalla is away on a well-deserved vacation (or at least away…), so let me fire up the kettle, make a couple of pots of Red Rose and Earl Grey tea, plus some coffee for those so inclined.

There are Sara's delicious cookies in the tins (including GF cookies in Quick-Draw McGraw!), so help yourselves!

Other than football, anything going on around town? The Lady wife and I went out early to do some errands, getting the stores in question early before the crowds. We've never gone very far from our 2020 caution, and now with the new, more infectious variant of COVID, we are pretty much back to where we were in late 2021.

But that includes writing, fortunately. I have a bunch of Bear and Girl stories that I've written, but never published, and will try to post some in the next few days.

Take care, everyone! It's still dangerous out there.

Well done, you three – Verbal, Ping, and Kat! And well done all top ten! It was a fun comp, and the winners certainly deserve it!

YEA! Congratulations! 🍷

I had a YouTube video in the last post, but it swallowed the rest of the post, so I'm publishing it here.

Quote by Mendalla

🤣Yeah, the 21st century seemed so far off at one time, eh. The original Bladerunner was set in 2019 (made in 1982). Last I checked, we didn't have androids and flying cars in 2019, though maybe I missed something. 😋The sequel came out in 2017 and is dated 2049. So maybe some of us will get to see how it compares to the real "future".

Flying cars already exist, Mendalla, and have for some time. They just rarely make any economic sense, like making a bathtub refrigerator.

You can find a YouTube video about some of the cars out there.

As for Androids – no, not yet, although I wrote a story about sex androids for another site, but they are getting close – and the sex industry is leading the way. Here's a story about some of the sex dolls currently on the market.

Seems like a lot of tech breakthroughs come from gaming, sex, or the military, which, I think, says a lot about humanity!

He squared his shoulders and prepared to die saving them.

I watched the baseball get bigger. Then it hit me…

Hey everybody! I believe today is Sara's birthday!

Happy birthday Sara!

Quote by gillianleeza

It's so good to see you. I hope you are doing well.

My houseguests leave on Wednesday. It's been a great visit, except I got sick with a cold/flu. At least it wasn't Covid. I don't need that again. I've been trying to isolate myself from everyone so I don't get them sick.

I hope everyone is staying healthy.

Cheers!

Guests make the heart glad twice – once when they arrive, and again when they leave!

Glad you enjoyed your visitors. Get well soon, Gillian!

Quote by DenimAngel

Oops I forgot a cookie jar

That one's for the Hungrier than the Average Bear, right?

Lady Jay and I watched the fireworks in Sydney Harbour online as our way to ring in the New Year…then texted our cousins who live there, and got a text back with a photo of the fireworks from their condo window!

Sometimes technology is maddening, but it can also be really cool!

Sit. Inhale…pause…exhale…pause…inhale…pause…exhale……and…mindfulness…

Happy New Year, you fabulous fabulists!

And let us hope that 2023 will be a year we want to remember – unlike the rest of the warring twenties so far!

I see we have an even dozen story entries. And that I take the prize – for the shortest title.

But only by one letter.

I would hate to be the judges – as always. But then, who ever heard of a Polar Bear judging a literary contest?

Entering, yes. Judging? NAH!

Quote by Verity

If the big fat bear is in the house, I've sorted the name cock up now. Give my best to little Ivy.

Who you callin' FAT? I'll have you know this is…insulation!

You try swimming in the Arctic Ocean, OK?

Happy New Year to all, and to all a speedy hangover recovery!

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Just 50 minutes left of this year. Happy New Year to you all, looking forward to reading and writing in 2023.💖

Happy New Year, Annie! Lady Jay and I are watching the fireworks in Sydney Harbour online now!

Quote by gillianleeza

It's been an interesting but ultimately fun holiday with family. I'm enjoying having some of my Newfoundland family visit. They are having a great time except for the luggage that did not arrive with them. One suitcase is still missing. It required a trip to the store the day before Christmas for them to purchase some clothing. We are not all the same sizes. Our kitchen sink backed up that day, but my husband successfully tackled that. Of course, it was right in the middle of meal prep. Then the dishwasher stopped working. Everyone took turns washing dishes by hand. After dinner, we heard the water running in the kitchen and realized that not only had the dishwasher stopped working, but it had sprung a leak, and water had been leaking out underneath it and under the cabinets and kitchen floor. Again my husband had to work on a holiday and disconnected the dishwasher, clamped off the leaking hose, and took the dishwasher out. Despite all that, we had a great meal with my parents, my Canadian family, my middle son, and his girlfriend. My oldest was supposed to come with his wife, but sadly they both got Covid the day before. They have recovered, but it was sad they could not join us. We had a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity after dinner, my parents had gone home by then. They would not have appreciated the inappropriateness of that game. Today we all went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert. It was a fantastic show. I'm tired now, lol.

I need to catch up on my reading here. It's good to see competition entries coming in. I'll be here sporadically until after my houseguests leave next week.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy as we head into the new year.

Cheers!

Wow, Gillian, your holiday story takes the cake…and the sink, and the dishwasher, and the…

But I was delighted that you all persevered in the face of difficulties – and your husband deserves a Medal of Honour for Husbandry Above and Beyond!

Whereabouts in Newfoundland does your family come from? I presume it's on The Rock, but what part?

Lovely part of the world, but it's the people that make special! As the song goes, there are no price tags on the doors in Newfoundland, as the Airplane People found out after 9/11!

You deserve to be tired, but thanks for the cheery update!

We only had five for Christmas dinner this year. Our daughter, her husband, and our six-year-old were with the other grandparents, so relatively quiet. In the past, we have invited people who have no place to go for Christmas dinner, but as we're settling into a new house, and just learning its ways, we decided that discretion is the better part of cowardice!

I'll take a Red Rose tea and retire to Sara's Spot to see if there are any new entries in the comp!

Quote by verbal

We call it Boxing Day here, though no one knows what it means, other than throwing away boxes.

Good comp entries, although I have one more to read. I put up a NON-comp entry over the holidays, using the lake pic as a prompt. https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/realistic-fiction/love-16. It's not exactly 1000 words, and could use an edit. Not today.

I hope everyone got what they wanted. Peace, love, joy. I got those things, plus a new videogame console (Nintendo Switch) to replace my ancient but beloved Nintendo Wii. It's really fun. Also, Lego. Also, Pez. Good Christmas.

Okay. A day devoted to toys and food before the real world resumes.

Thanks for the setup, Ape. A coffee and one of Sara's delish cookies would be swell.

A quick Google reveals, as I thought, that it has to do with the wealthy giving gift boxes to the poor, the day after Christmas. Here's one explanation:

The name comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants - a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families.

Quote by Ceebees
Nollaig Shona

And Nollaig Shona dhuit to you, too, CJ!

Happy Boxing Day everyone. And for those of you not familiar with the term, it has nothing to do with pugilism!

Lady Jay woke up this morning and commented that she felt a bit fragile.

Must have been something she ate. It certainly couldn't have been anything we drank…could it?

Merry Christmas, all you who are, like me, addicted scribblers! And even to those who are serious ones as well!

Hope it is full of love, and joy, and that you are full of food!

Quote by Molly

Now we have 10, eh? Then maybe I have a chance of cracking the Top 10 this time!

EVERYONE STOP! NO MORE SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE!

Quote by Molly

Am I allowed to be a smug little git and say that I hit exactly 1,000 words on my first attempt? Thought not...

I think that is worthy of some smugness.

.

OTOH, Stephen King, in his semi-autobiographical book, On Writing, says that he rips through the first draft of a book, then circles back to slash about 1/3 of everything he's written.

So, he would start with roughly 1333 words, and edit it down to 1000.

Therefore, most of us are within "normal" bounds. Brad is just an outlier!

BTW, I started with about 1,450 words, eventually sweating it down to 1,000.

But that's fairly standard for me because I'm a wordy bastid…

Quote by verbal

I'm also trying to fit in a stealth afternoon matinee of Avatar 2 this week. I am weirdly psyched.

My sister went to see it with someone and was shocked at how violent the movie was. None of that shows in the trailers, but it is, apparently, much more violent than the original.

It's also what one reviewer called a "bladder busting" 3 hours and 12 minutes! Be sure to take an empty juice container!

And my comp entry is posted. It took several days of mulling it over, a couple of days to write, then several more days to edit it to the exact length! And my thanks to Molly for her most excellent guidance – as always!

You can find it here: Cold

Quote by Mendalla

Five ... Five Chilly Winter Stories! Mwahahahahhahaha!

Thank you The Count!

Have you seen Snuffy anywhere?

I'll take a cuppa Red Rose, please, in a Bear-sized mug, and will wander back to Sara's Spot.

BTW, I finished and submitted my comp entry. Hoping it will be approved…we'll see!

Take care!

Quote by Molly

The word count must equal 1000.

Can we rely on the website word count equalling that of our own word processors? They don't always, in my experience.

Quote by Mendalla

So here:

https://www.storiesspace.com/forum/site-announcements-and-members-feedback/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-competition

Thanks, Mendalla! I knew they were around here somewhere!

Gillian, I am so sorry you are having continuing problems. It's that period of life.

My father-in-law (now deceased) was a wonderful human being, beloved by almost everyone who knew him. He used to joke about this stage of life by saying that he used to have a season pass to weddings, but now it was a season pass to funerals.

I was honoured to be asked to give his eulogy. It was hard because I tend to choke up on such occasions, but I was told by my lady wife (his daughter) that this would NOT be allowed. I managed – just.

I was enjoying Epicelle's posts and stories. It is, indeed, a shame she has gone.

On a somewhat related note, two questions about the comp: Is the story length EXACTLY 1,000 words, or UP TO 1,000 words?

And … where did the comp photos go? I looked this morning, and didn't see them. Wondering if it's my browser or some glitch on the site. Thoughts?