Tag Archives: Challenge

December 16, 2016

Hotsy-Totsy – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku – 16 December 2016

Channeling my inner Flapper at my granddaughter’s Roaring 20’s Sweet 16 Party 🙂

Happy Friday! Today’s dictionary.com Word of the Day is hotsy-totsy. It is described as Older Slang. – about as right as can be; perfect: He always thinks everything is just hotsy-totsy.

Hotsy-totsy originated in the Roaring 20’s. There are many parallels between the 1920’s and modern times. The U.S. and the world was just coming out of a World War I. Science was amidst a great debate over the size of the universe (aka the “Great Debate” of 1920). Today we have a great debate of our own: climate change proponents and deniers. And speaking of science, the famous Scopes trial in 1925 was an attempt by creationists to vilify and abolish the teaching of evolution in schools. We’re still seeing this battle play out in school boards today.

In the 1920’s we saw a rise in radical political movements worldwide. Today, there are many references and parallels to those radical movements: Fascism, Nazism, Nationalism, Fundamentalism, Communism and National Socialism. Political agendas focused on moral issues in the 1920’s, as they continue to do today. In the 20’s the 18^th Amendment was ratified prohibiting alcohol, only to be repealed in its entirety 13 years later by the 21^st Amendment. Today it is marijuana that is flip-flopping between legal and illegal in our courts, with the states taking the lead in decriminalizing it. The 19^th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in the US was ratified in the 1920’s. Ironically, even though the door opened in 192o, women have a long way to go. Today women still suffer from workplace discrimination and wage discrepancies and continue to be objectified and denied the right to make their own health decisions. We have not come very far from the days when women were considered the property of her husband.

The Immigration Act of 1924 placed restrictions and quotas on the number of immigrants allowed to come into the U.S. Today, we are seeking to do the same and more, by building walls, registering immigrants of a particular religion and threatening to send immigrants back to where they came from. Also in the 1920’s we saw enrollment in the KKK peak after its resurgence in 1915. Sadly we are seeing a this trend again in today’s volatile and polarized society.

In the 1920’s if someone was hotsy-totsy he likely thought quite highly of himself. I can think of a few people who shall remain nameless that fit that description! 🙂 I love the other terms that were mentioned in the “Origin of the Word” segment in dictionary.com: heebie-jeebies and horsefeathers:

Origin of hotsy-totsy – The term hotsy-totsy first appeared in the 1920’s in William (Billy) De Beck’s hugely popular comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. De Beck, in addition to coining “hotsy-totsy”, also coined the terms “heebie-jeebies” and “horsefeathers”.

Such fun words! Of course I had to figure out a way to use them in a haiku. And so here it is. I often hear the warning that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We never learn do we?

It’s hotsy-totsy
at least some think so…others?
It’s just horsefeathers!

kat ~ 16 December 2016

5 Comments | tags: Challenge, Haiku, hotsy-totsy, word of the day | posted in Haiku, Humor, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

December 14, 2016

The Piper’s New Gig

By Kat Myrman

Some of you may have heard the tale of the Pied Piper, commissioned to rid a village of its rats. When the unscrupulous town leaders refused to pay him for his services he exacted his revenge by stealing away all but a few of the village children, and as some tell, returned them only after he received a ransom that was twice more than his original contractual fee. He was never heard from again but there is more to his story…

996px-john_bauer-hacc88sten_ledde_han_vid_betslet

Illustration by John Bauer

Over the years, after Hamlin, the Piper made quite a fortune for himself, traveling from town to town. He gave up gathering rats, nasty, diseased creatures that they were, and focused his attention entirely on the children of a place. Parents, he discovered, would pay any amount of money for the return of a child. It was a quick and tidy transaction and children were gullible and easily led astray, no matter how severely their parents warned them to be cautious of strangers.

One day, after finalizing his last job, he met up with the purveyor of a brothel in a shady pub outside of town.

The old man who had been watching him walked over and settled himself on the stool next to him. “So yer that Piper aren’t ye? I’ve heard ’bout yer comin’s an’ goin’s fer years. Always thought ye were a legend, though.”

“Yes sir, I am he.” It was rare for the Piper to admit such a thing in public, but they were the only two in the place and he planned to leave town the next morning.

The old Mack raised an eyebrow and eyed the Piper from his head to his toes. “I’ve bin wond’rin’….when ye gather up yer herd of children, do ye e’er come upon a girl o’ 12 or more?”

“I suppose I do. They come in all shapes, sizes and ages; boys and girls. Why do you ask?”

“If yer int’rested I might have an offer fer ye. How much does one o’ yer brats bring ya…if I might be so bold as to ask?”

“Enough.” the Piper was getting leery. The old coot was asking far too many questions.

“Well, what if I told ye I could double whate’er ‘tis yer makin’? Would ye be int’rested?”

“Mmm…I might.”

And so it was that the Piper entered a new venture. Just as the Mack had promised, young girls were a most lucrative commodity, bringing unlimited riches. He never had to pipe another day. Shiny things and promises of fame were all it took to lure them from safety.

To this day there are Pipers still, who peddle fair lassies to the highest bidder. Be sure to warn your daughters. All that glitters is not gold.

kat ~ 14 December 2016

For Jane Dougherty’s Microfiction Challenge based on the illustration by above by John Bauer.

15 Comments | tags: Challenge, jane dougherty's microfiction challenge, microfiction | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Short Stories (300+ Words)

December 14, 2016

Rush

By Kat Myrman

For Haiku Horizon’s Haiku Challenge, prompt word: Rush.

it is quite a rush
when you have beaten the odds
and you’re next in line!

~kat – 14 December 2016

6 Comments | tags: Challenge, Haiku, haiku horizons, Rush | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Haiku, Poetry

December 14, 2016

Twittering Tales #8 – 13 December 2016

By Kat Myrman

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt, and your mission, if you choose to play along, is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less.

If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing us a new prompt.

Have Fun! 🙂

Here are the results for Twittering Tales #7 based on this photograph from last week:

Photo from Pixabay

-From Sonali at Howling with the Wolf:

Jan 2012

Dear Diary,

I wonder what expression he has right now.

The soft teardrop on the page answered his wife’s question on her last entry.
(140 Characters)

-From Willow:
Reading the book brought him up short.

It was as he always thought,
The truth he sort .
The book fell his body taught.
Too late the truth.
( Character count 138)

-From Michael at Morpethroad:

He came to the difficult part. His abuse. His children knew nothing. Should he omit it? Pretend it never happened. Bury it forever? Dilemma.
(140 characters)

-From kiwinana (Elsie) at Ramblings of a Writer:

Have I cut enough firewood today?
I have run out of energy but I must keep the boss happy
Would prefer to read this novel today instead.
(135 Characters)

-From Kathryn at another foodie blogger:

“I have one more cord of wood to split before the cold freeze hits. Do I meet my honey for this dinner in my planner, or…?”
(122 Characters)

–From ladyleemanila:

To be or not to be?
Do I take it or not?
What will happen if I don’t?
Will I be given a second chance?
Or will I let my life be the same?
Dilemma
(140 Characters)

–From Pat at Black Cat Alley:

The shock of the find – her “big little black book” exists – and it was clear, she used it still – a hot date tonight – not with him.
(135 Characters)

-From Lorraine’s Frilly Freudian Slip:

He despaired of conveying the strange nature of his life story in a twitter-like format. So much to say and he was such a lousy self-editor.
(140 characters)

-From Itena at books ans hot tea:

He sat under his childhood tree, hoping he’d find inspiration for his novel. He was ready. Painful memories of the past welcomed him home.
(138 characters)

-and my take:

He found the journal in her dresser. As he read the words she wrote about “him” his heart broke. He wondered, “Should I tell them I know?”
(139 Characters)

Wow! What an awesome collection of tales. Thanks to everyone who played last week! If I missed your entry, please let me know so I can add it to the roundup.

See this week’s prompt photo below:

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Twittering Tales #8 – 13 December 2016