Debbie’s words: refrigerator, grass & mirror

After cutting the GRASS, Debbie wanted to relax on her porch and enjoy a cold glass of tea, but first she just sat on the steps and rested a couple of minutes.

The plan was to drink her tea, edge the yard, call her accountant then call her friend Annie. However, lately her head didn’t seem to be screwed on right.

While sitting she couldn’t help, but think about tomorrow’s appointment. It didn’t feel like a big deal compared to last week, but it was concerning her bank account. She lost her job last month and money hasn’t found it’s way into her checking account since then.

With tea in hand, she walked away from the REFRIGERATOR and stopped by the hallway MIRROR to check her eyes. She’s been crying for a week, so the evidence of tears were still there, with no end in sight.

Her mom, Helen, died last week and it came as a big surprise to her and everyone else. Helen’s cold was more than that, it was advanced fourth stage lung cancer and it went unnoticed for a whole year except for the last week of her life.

Debbie’s financial problems had nothing to do with her mom’s death, but her mom left her a small fortune that will take care of her bills and much more. The money was needed, but she would do anything for another day with her mother.

She hesitated and picked up her phone before going back outside. She called Annie before reaching the door and immediately started crying. She thought, “I can edge the lawn later.”

After venting for an hour she hung up while sitting and forgot all of her plans to get through the day. She could only hope, that one day it would get easier.

Alexis’s words: tintinnabulation, cochlear and swollen

The TINTINNABULATION seemed to be getting louder, but when Alexis was quiet and concentrated on it, she realized it was monophonic. Kind of like the sound a leaky faucet makes as it drips on a stainless steel sink.

However, it wasn’t coming from the kitchen sink, but it was coming from the kitchen. As she was standing in the kitchen it sounded like it was coming from the wall, on the right, that separates the kitchen and bathroom. The noise was steady, but there was no evidence of any water on the floor in either room.

Alexis called her friend, Raymond, and asked him, “Can you come over and listen to a sound for me?”

Raymond replied asking, “What kind of sound is it?”

She said, “I have no idea! That’s why I want you to lend me your ear.”

A couple of hours later Raymond walked through Alexis’ front door and put his COCHLEAR to work. He didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary, until she guided him towards the back of the house.

Cocklear, an inner part of the ear.

Once in the kitchen he said, “It sounds like it might the supply line to your bathroom. Feel this, the drywall is SWOLLEN.”

Looking at wet drywall from the inside of the wall.

“I thought so too, but I don’t see any water.”

“If it is a water leak, it could be draining into your crawl space. Let’s take a look.” The moment he peeked his head under the house, he noticed his suspicions were correct. “We need to turn your water off until we find the leak.”

The next day, they had a friend, Jim, come over to help Raymond fix the problem. They had to cut out the damaged drywall on both sides of the wall and more to find and fix the leak. Problem fixed and job well done.

Brian’s words: elephant, evergreen and semantics

Brian takes a vacation every five years. In ’97 he had the opportunity to ride a camel, but he let his friend, Roger, talk him out of it. Roger said, “Camels are filthy creatures and you’ll smell like one all day.”

Since it was morning Brian agreed saying, “It would be cool though.” Now, twenty years later, he wishes he could change that memory, by riding the animal.

Ten years ago Brian rode a Red Kangaroo, but he had to use a saddle, because a group of animal rights activists were staged in the area at the time. He also took a whirl on an Emu, which he thought was easier to handle. On that same trip, he stood within fifteen feet of a crocodile. However, he had no desire to travel on the reptile.

In January he’s going to Cape Town in south Africa. He chose January because of the meager rain fall and relatively low temperatures, considering how hot it can get there.

He has the time and desire, but not enough money. His fix is to sell Christmas Trees and he just made a deal to purchase five hundred evergreens. Buying that many meant that one EVERGREEN would cost him a paltry two dollars, as long as he cut and hauled them himself.

On this trip he hopes to ride an ELEPHANT. He would rather sit on the African bush elephant, though he would also enjoy a trip on the smaller African forest elephant. The difference to him is simple SEMANTICS, as long as he can perch atop one of the animals and maybe see a gorilla also.