My Wordzzle

I was posting my wordzzle entries on the RestonFriends site, but in the interest of space, I'll start doing them here! If you're not familiar with Wordzzle, go here for explanation and directions. There's no cash prize, just the fun of playing with words and reading other people's work with the same words. It is fun and fat-free!

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: fair warning, hormones, journalism, philanthropist, burgeoning, running the bulls, saturation, tossed in the towel, whine, indelicate details And for the mini: hard labor, lurid, quick fix, sizable contributions, trumpet

My 10 word challenge:

After dinner Dr. Hill and his hosts relaxed with a glass of doogh. The mint flavored drink was a refreshing change from the sodas Hill had constantly consumed on site. Mohsin noted Hill’s pleasure and laughed, “I’ll give you FAIR WARNING that once you’ve eaten my wife’s cooking, you’ll never be satisfied with regular food again.” Yasmin’s face flushed with pleasure as her husband complimented her to a guest.

“How is the doogh made?” inquired Hill. Mohsin replied, “I’ll spare you the INDELICATE DETAILS of how the desert people make it. However, we purchase the yogurt base and Yasmin adds her special touch. Unfortunately, it does not travel well, so drink up while you’re here.”

“Yes,” said Hill. “I think it’s time to figure out how to get out of country before your BURGEONING political problems prevent it entirely.”

“I think I have the solution,” said Mohsin. “I have a friend who used to work for the Iranian News Agency. After months of being censored by the religious authorities, he TOSSED IN THE TOWEL on JOURNALISM. However, he kept his credentials and more importantly, his contacts in the West. Now he makes a living helping people move in and out of the country.”

“Thus, the diamonds will come in handy,” commented Hill.

Mohsin grinned, “well, he’s no PHILANTHROPIST, but I think we can do what we need to do and still leave you some of your stash. He is very interested in my sister, and when his HORMONES are in overdrive, I can get him to agree to just about anything.”

There was a flurry of movement in the doorway as Laila came bouncing in with a cigar box, her dark curls springing free of her headscarf. “Papa, I want to show Dr. Hill my collection!” she demanded. Mohsin smiled at his small daughter. “Dr. Hill, if you would not be inconvenienced, Laila would like to show you the bits of pottery she has excavated in our back yard.” Mohsin’s eyes crinkled with pleasure at Dr. Hill’s immediate “yes, please!”

As Laila opened the box Dr. Hill drew in his breath sharply. “Laila, can you show me where you found these?” The girl’s eyes were troubled. “Did I do wrong? I tried to copy what you did at the site and was very careful.” Hill spoke evenly but with a note of excitement in his voice. “Laila, these bits are even older than the ones we were excavating. I think your Papa’s house might just be sitting on top of an important site. Can we go outside where you found them?” He started to rise from his place on the sofa.

Just then the WHINE of the muezzin filled the air outside. “Well, we can’t go out now,” said Mohsin. Dr. Hill immediately sat back and asked, “would you like me to excuse myself so you can pray?” Mohsin shook his head and said, “that’s the other problem I was mentioning that your diamonds might help us solve.

When we were in the U.S., our families became Christians. Living here as a Christian family is a challenge, but one that we believed was surmountable. As Laila gets older though, we can see that she has so much potential but a limited future as a Christian female child. We’ve decided that for her sake we should return to the U.S. and had planned to do so this fall so she can start school. But I suspected what you have found – that our house sits atop an important archeological site. If we leave, the site will not be taken care of. If we stay, Laila’s future is in jeopardy. To take a chance on whether the government will allow her to be fully educated is like RUNNING WITH THE BULLS in Pamplona – probably safe, but dangerous if things go off track.”

Yasmin stepped forward and knelt in front of Dr. Hill. “This breaks my heart to ask, but . . . we wonder . . . would you be willing to take her to the U.S. and be responsible for her for the next year while Mohsin excavates this site? After he gets it officially noticed and the dig begins, we’ll be able to leave in good conscience. We know what we need to do for our daughter, but we are also very committed to doing the right thing for our culture.”

Dr. Hill rubbed his chin. “She’s a delightful child, but I’m a bachelor and my hours are irregular. It’s not so much that she would inconvenience me, but that I might not be the best guardian for her. I’m not sure I can adequately protect her from the SATURATION of American culture. ”

Mohsin and Yasmin looked at each other and then back to Dr. Hill. “We understand. Your ride to freedom will leave in three days. We will be praying about this during that time. If the Lord leads you to take her, you will. If not, then He will provide something else.”

My mini:

The TRUMPET player stood in the opening to the alley. It was a LURID location, and continuing to play in the cold weather was HARD LABOR. But he was a musician to his core, and while the QUICK FIX of fame and fortune eluded him thus far, the SIZABLE CONTRIBUTIONS made by passers by told him that at least some of them understood the passion that fueled his desire to play.

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: reluctant, sacrilege, territory, humiliating, master of ceremonies, gesture, dirty deed, crumbling, thaw, token

For the mini challenge: official portrait, personal bank account, shoulder bone, unbearable, widow

/kw