Prompt #14

To me writing is just as hard as cooking. I can’t cook for my life, which is surprising because my family is full of great cooks. My grandmother however, is by far the best cook in the family. She makes up her own recipes for every dish. Her most popular recipe seems to be her pumpkin squares with cream cheese frosting. Even my friends who hate pumpkin love her pumpkin squares. Many people have asked for her pumpkin squares and cream cheese frosting recipe but it remains a secret even to the family. In my opinion, my favorite recipe of my grandmother’s is her summer fruit cake. It’s a two layer vanilla cake with strawberries and blueberries in the middle. She even uses her cream cheese frosting to top the cake off. It’s absolutely delicious and one of the things I love about summer. It’s hard to chose a favorite recipe of hers because she is constantly coming up with new dishes. A week ago she used her last pie crust and emptied her pudding drawer by making a banana and chocolate pie. The bottom layer was chocolate layer and the top layer was banana. She cover the pie with marshmallow fluff and sprinkled crushed graham cracker on top. It sounds really disgusting but it was actually good and I don’t even like bananas. My grandmother’s kitchen always smells delicious since she is constantly cooking something. Ninety percent of the stuff she makes is given to family, friends, and neighbors. Sometimes I think my friends come to my grandmother’s to eat rather than see me. My grandmother jokes that she has adopted all of my friends as her grandchildren and that they are welcome over to her house whenever.

Prompt #13

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Then why doesn’t this picture speak to me. The picture is of my parents holding me as a baby when my parents were still together. When I take it out of its frame, the back of the picture states that I was a year old. That however, only answers one question out of many. My parents are smiling in the picture but were they really happy? Was I happy? When was the picture taken? Christmas? All three of us are wearing red. How long after this picture was taken did my parents separate? Was I part of the reason why they fought a lot? My parents won’t answer this question for me. If only this picture in this black frame could answer my questions.

In Class Work Week 4

Part 2

A tall pine tree stands all by itself. Its green color is dull most likely due to age and the cold winter weather. Many branches are dead and hang bare showing the poor condition of the tree. Lights are still loosely hanging off its branches from Christmas. Nearby, there is a flag pole which holds the American flag and the state of Maine flag. Both flags flap continuously in the wind. The edges are frayed from age. The colors are worn from extensive time outside. My observation is interrupted as a guy steps outside. I immediately note his clothing attire. He is only wearing shorts and a sweatshirt to protect him from the cold. I wonder why he isn’t wearing warmer clothes in twenty-two degree weather. I shiver just looking at him. A baseball cap rests on top of his head. The raven on his hat represents the Baltimore Ravens. He is most likely walking around expressing his content with the outcome of the Super Bowl last night.

In Class Work Week 4

Part 1

A tall pine tree stands all by itself. Its green color is dull. Many branches are dead and hang bare showing the poor condition of the tree. Lights are still loosely hanging off its branches from Christmas. Nearby, there is a flag pole which holds the American flag and the state of Maine flag. Both  flags flap continuously in the wind. The edges are frayed and the colors are worn. My observation is interrupted as a guy steps outside. I immediately note his clothing attire. He is only wearing shorts and a sweatshirt to protect him from the cold. A baseball cap rests on top of his head.

Prompt #12

I have been to the Bangor Mall countless times. However, I’ve never really paid attention to what goes on around me. I’m usually just busy and caught up in what I’m doing and all the stores that fill ever hallway. Busy shoppers surround and pass by me. People who are there for a specific reason, stare straight ahead as they know their destination. People who are just browsing, look from side to side at all the store displays. Teenagers who are just there to hang out look at each other and laugh together. An adult couple are standing at the jewelry store. The woman has one arm linked around the man’s arm. Her other hand points at a different ring every five seconds. The man just smiles at her and nods his head every time she points out a new ring. In front of me a mother holds her daughter’s hand as they walk side by side. The little girl is holding a new build-a-bear and smiling from ear to ear. The mother smiles down fondly at her daughter and clutches her purse with her empty hand. Behind them, an old man walks slowly by himself carrying two heavy bags. People who walk by him consciously move out of his way but don‘t give him a second glance. No one offers to help him with his heavy load. A young woman walks by wearing the highest high heels I have ever seen. She can barely walk straight in them. I think to myself that she definitely needs a different pair of shoes especially for winter. A few seconds later she walks into the Shoe Department. I hear a woman order a coffee behind me. I don’t turn around until I hear something fall to the floor. Turning around I see she dropped her fresh coffee. Her son kneels down with a wad of napkins to clean up the mess. The smell of coffee fills the surrounding air, mixing with the aromas of food from the food court. It reminds me that it is getting late and I haven’t had dinner yet.

Prompt #11

As soon as my cousin, Nicky, enters my grandmother’s house she always heads straight to my room. She always spends a long time in my room despite how she says she doesn’t like it. My walls are a light green; one color she hates. My carpet is a darker green than my walls; the only color she thinks is worse than light green. Lights droop down all around my room; something she thinks is stupid. A two door closet takes up almost a whole wall which she thinks is too small. Then there is my new flat screen television which she insists is too small as well.
“I’m hungry,” Nicky complained.
“You’re always hungry” I replied.
“Yes but how does that remotely help me now? All I can smell is Gram’s cooking. Gram said it’s going to be another fifteen minutes before dinner is ready,” Nicky said. Even with my door shut, the smell of corn chowder drifted through my bedroom door. “It’s torture I tell you.”
“I have a feeling you’ll live,” I said.
“We’ll see. I’ve always liked that picture,” she replied changing the topic. She was staring at a small picture I had of us at my sixteenth birthday party on my wall.  “My back was killing me after though because I had to crouch down to be at your midget height.”
“Hey!” I yelled while throwing a pillow at her. “It’s not my fault I’m shorter than you. From my point of view I’m at an average height and you’re just a giant.” Nicky easily grabbed the pillow and laid it on her lap as she plopped down into my reclining chair. My chair seemed to be the only thing she liked about my room.
“Whatever you say cuz. Oh hey! I almost forgot. I’ve got some information that you may be interested in.” She said with a mischievous grin which I tried to ignore. “Really?” I asked. “Does it have anything to do with the twenty dollars I loaned you that you never gave back to me?”
“Oh yeah,” she said. She reached into her Vera Bradley wallet, pulled out a crumpled twenty and set it on the night stand beside her. “Here. That wasn’t what I wanted to tell you by the way.”
“I’m pretty content with just getting my money back but if you want to tell me something then be my guest,” I replied.
“Okay,” she answered while getting more settled into the chair. “You know I basically argued with myself on whether or not I should tell you. At first I was like, yeah she needs to know. Then I thought, well it isn’t my business and I shouldn‘t get involved. Then was I was like, who am I kidding….”
“Nicky… earth to Nicky,” I interrupted. “Can you please just get to the point?”
“Right, to the point. Well, I was talking to Michael yesterday and he told me that he liked you!” She suddenly exclaimed.
“What?” I asked confused.
“He likes you. Like more than a friend,” Nicky explained.
“No I understood what you meant but… I just don’t get it. We’re just friends! I think of him as a brother!” I exclaimed back.
“Well if you ask me I say give it a shot. Yolo!” She yelled.
“Our friendship means so much to me and I don’t want to jeopardize it. I just know he is going to hate me when I turn him down. I have no idea what to do.”
“Well you’re in a pickle,” she said while switching her attention to her buzzing phone.
“Yes,” I agreed. “I am definitely in a pickle.”
“Speaking of pickles I am still hungry,” Nicky sighed. “I’m going to go eat and leave you to think about your destroyed friendship.”
“Gee! Thanks so much for your help Nicky,” I replied sarcastically.
“Did I just hear you say I love you Nicky? You’re the best cousin ever? That’s so sweet,” she said jokingly. Laughing she closed the door behind her and left me thinking about my ruined friendship.

Prompt #10

I’m walking around the hallways trying to find a conversation to write about because my creative non-fiction writing teacher told me to. The school seems empty at this time of day. My friend, Paige, and I walk side by side as she was given the same assignment. Occasionally, we see other students from our class walking around with notebooks and pens in their hands. My ears are strained as I listen for any conversation. No luck so far. Paige and I decide to give up and resolve to talking to ourselves while walking back to our classroom.
“What are you going to write about for your prompt?” I asked.
“I’m going to write about the party at Alex’s house Friday night. You know, the party that you sadly couldn’t attend.” She said.
“Hey,“ I replied. “You know that I had a prior commitment that I couldn’t cancel. I wish that I could have gone.”
“Yeah yeah yeah. You are coming to the next party though, even if I have to drag you.” She said seriously.
“Okay,” I responded jokingly. “We’ll see what happens.” She rolled her eyes at me. “How was the party anyway? Did I miss a lot?”
“OMG yes!” She exclaimed. “It was so funny! Alex was definitely more drunk than anyone there. Tenika, he ran outside in his bare feet! This other kid eventually had to go get him because he was heading to a pond and we thought he was going to fall in.”
“Sounds like it was very entertaining,” I laughed.
“It was!” She said. “Later he threw a blanket over his head and just laughed for the rest of the night. It was so weird it was funny.”
“Well that is going to make a good prompt for class. I can’t believe I missed it.”
By this time we had reached our classroom. Only a few people were back from their assignment search. Paige and I headed straight to our seats to start writing.