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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.

PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Word Count: 100
THE ELEVENTH COMMANDMENT
In preparation for his bar mitzvah, twelve-year-old Harvey Weinstein opened the book to his parashah. His stomach rumbled. “I’m hungry.”
“Sh’mot beginning with Chapter 16,” said Rabbi Shmuel. “First in English, then Hebrew.”
Harvey fumed. “I’m tired of Torah. I’d rather play Xbox.”
“This is the perfect reading for you.” The rabbi winked and pointed to the page. “The children of Israel kvetched day and night in the wilderness. ‘Oy, Moses, we’re wet. We’re cold. We’re starving to death.’ Nu? Is there something we can we learn from them?”
“Yeah.” Folding his arms across his chest, Harvey smirked. “Jews don’t camp.”
What can I say?
Hahahaha, loved it!
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Happy to make you laugh, Loré. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha brilliant. I had a similar theme. I saw the picture and knew where I wanted to go.
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Dear Al,
Barry and Harvey need to get away from the games and experience life, don’t they? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Absolutely loved this one Rochelle! And the song is fantastic 😀
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Dear Dahlia,
When I found the video I couldn’t resist. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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😀
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The voice is perfect. The rhythm too
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Dear Neil,
What a lovely comment. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Funny. The song link was hilarious.
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Great story, great song, great fun!
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Thank you on all counts, CE. I had fun writing it. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very funny! You certainly know how to ring the changes.
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Dear Sandra,
I have to do something every so often. It keeps people guessing and me entertained. 😉 Glad you liked it. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hello mudda. Hello fadda. Here I am at Camp Grenada. Love this. I picture Jon Stewart trying to cut firewood. “What part of this is fun again?” Nicely done.
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Dear J Hardy,
Oh that would’ve been a great song to include, too. 😉 Thank you for swinging by and making me smile.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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OY! And you even got Mr. Ayr to Watch a video… 😉
That was a hoot and a half… Methinks I’m going to send this link to my friend from Long Island…
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Dear Dale,
I noticed that, too. You’ll have to let me know how your friend likes my story. My rabbi…Shmuel…thinks it’s hilarious. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I will!!
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Great story, I loved it.
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Thank you, SNB. 😀
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Ho, that was funny… I do love camping, but I’m not a Jew… so I guess it fits.
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Dear Björn,
Actually I like to camp, too, depending on the circumstances. Glad you liked. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha, very amusing Rochelle 🙂
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Thank you, Iain. 😀
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I’m here after such a long time and felt happy after reading this funny story, Rochelle. 🙂
The song is just perfect. 😉
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Dear Norma,
Thank you for stopping in. Your comment makes me happy. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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LOL!
This was fun to read.
Indeed they didn’t like camping.
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Dear Chioma,
After 40 years of tent camping, I’m sure they were over it. 😉
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That’s very good, Rochelle! Poor Harvey, hungry and bored of studying 🙂 But is the song true?
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Dear Lynn,
The song is somewhat true. Jews aren’t known for being outdoors men. If it hadn’t been for Girl Scouts I’d never have gone camping as a child. I’ve done plenty of it with my husband and kids. Glad you liked my story. Thank you
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I confess – I’d take a hotel over camping any day, though I’ve only camped once, two people in a one man tent, no matress, groundsheet etc and it rained all night and I woke up in a puddle! Not an experience likely to inspire a second go 🙂
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Dear Lynn,
We used to camp out quite a bit when the kids were small. I loved going on float trips since it afforded me a swim time. But your story reminds me of one particularly devastating camping trip when my youngest was about 9 months old. We had all three of our boys with us plus an extra friend of our eldest. We did have two tents. The kids were in one and my husband, the baby and I were in another. Somewhere around midnight a storm moved in. I awoke to a steady stream of rain soaking myself and my crying baby, who, incidentally, decided on that weekend to wean himself. The tents collapsed and the six of us ended up spending the rest of the night in the campground facilities..that is until they could find us a musty old trailer to sleep in. I was over it about then. Although we’ve been on other outings since, it’s never been quite the same. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That sounds awful – really traumatic with young children in tow. I’m not surprised it took the shine off for you. I can imagine the storm, the water, the confusion in the darkness and crying children – terrible.
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Smiling
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Thanking
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A fun story and an entertaining song. Is it true?
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Dear Lizy,
It might be a bit of a cliche but it was true for my family. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hysterical and the song just nailed it. Jews don’t camp…priceless 🙂
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Dear Bridget,
Glad you appreciated song and story. 😉 Honestly, although it’s kind of an old joke, I don’t know too many Jews who do camp. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah haha! Yeah, after forty years camping in the wilderness, I guess Jews got it out of their collective system. Hilarious one, Rochelle! 😀
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Dear Eric,
Forty years is quite enough, thank you. 😉 This Jew actually does like to camp, under the right circumstances. I still prefer my AC in the summer and indoor plumbing. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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By the way, I’m watching a documentary called, “Above and Beyond.” It’s about the formation of the Israeli Air Force in 1948. Fascinating stuff with great stories. If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend it.
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Laugh-out-loud funny. And I needed a laugh today – so, thank you!
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Dear Louise,
Happy to afford a laugh. Sometimes we do need it, don’t we? Thank you. You made me smile.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Out of the mouths of babes! Thanks for a big smile. I needed on today!
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Dear Alicia,
Happy to give a smile when needed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Gotta love it — open that window at the hotel. THAT’S roughing it. 😉
Heap big fun.
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Dear Cuz,
Yep. Open the dining room window…to my parents, that was a picnic. Glad you loved it. Thank you for hiking by.
Shalom,
Cuzzin Shelley
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“Yodel-Lay-Hee, yodel-lay-hee, yodel-lay hee-ho …!” Yah, shure you betcha.
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Dear Rochelle,
Some dark undercurrents to this attempt at humor. If you intended it, it is stellar, but still dark. If you didn’t, then it is equally dark and strangely appropriate.
Looking forward to talking with you about this.
Yours,
Doug
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Dear Doug,
Perhaps the dark undercurrents are inherent. They weren’t intentional.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hilarious! And I’ve had to live all these years with only 10 commandments to guide me. I always knew I never wanted to camp, but I didn’t realize it was something God has evidently written on my heart. Yay!
This little boy is very real. As a teacher for many years, I can tell you that you have description perfect.
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Dear Sandra,
Only 10? You silly Christians. 😉 As for little boys, I raised three of them and have been in a few teaching situations myself. Thank you for your lovely comments. It’s great to see you back.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I figured you had had a great deal of experience with little boys — or even big ones for that matter — because they really don’t change all that much over the years, do they?
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No, they most certainly don’t. 😉
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Had a hearty laugh. Wonderful read. Todays kids have a mind of their own.
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Dear Neel,
Kids will be kids. Too many electronic gadgets as well. Glad you laughed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ha, fun! Made me smile 🙂
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Dear Ali,
Mission accomplished. It was meant to cause smiling. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hilarious, Rochelle. That’s a smart boy. I’m sure he’ll do fine. Good writing as always. 😀 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
Those Bar Mitzvah studies can be trying. Glad you liked my story. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Very funny story. Good writing as always is expected from a writer of your calibre.
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Brilliantly funny! Loved it.
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Thank you, Eugenia. Glad you enjoyed it 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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😉
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Ha! Fantastic story 🙂
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Thank you, Rachel. 😀
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well, it happened before his time. what do you expect. kids nowadays are so in the moment. 🙂
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Dear Plaridel,
That’s how kids are. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Bahahaha loved this Rochelle. Very amusing. I feel the same way though, I don’t camp either
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Dear Laurie,
The older I get the less I care to camp. 😉 Thank you for the laughter. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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lol 🙂
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😀
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Hahaha! Great story that is very topical with trying to separate young kids from their electronics. Loved the video but hate that the song is securely lodged in my brain.
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Dear Cindy,
Anymore, the adults are just as hard to separate from their electronics as the kids. I’m a case in point. 😉 It is a catchy song isn’t it? If I were a gentile, I would hunt and fish and…
Glad you liked the story. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That photo could have come from my childhood family album. Good story and I loved the song too.
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Dear Hilary,
I hope those camping trips were filled with good memories. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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They were, every summer we all set off across Europe, either camping on beaches in Spain, or in our folding canoes paddling down rivers in France or Germany – hard work and fun.
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Dear Jacqui LaLanne,
Perhaps Harvey was expecting Chocolate Chip Cookie-Dough flavored manna to fall from the sky, or a pillar of fire to illumine the night. If that’s the case, he should pitch his tent outside Trump Towers or next to a casino.
Problem solved,
Donnie
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Dear Donnie,
Sounds about right for today’s kids. “Manna-cotti? Again? Ba-Manna bread. Kosher-shmosher. Aw Mom…gee whiz. Can’t we have camel burgers?” Thanks for jogging by…one and two and three and four and one and…
Shalom,
Jacqui LaLanne WF
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Love this!
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Thank you, Rosemary. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Laugh out loud moment Rochelle, thanks. I don’t know about just Jews, whoever does enjoy it? It’s always been freezing cold when I’ve tried it, I’m with the boy.
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Dear Michael,
I know the Jews aren’t alone in this. As a matter of fact, we did plenty of camping over the years and most of those excursions were enjoyable. However the older I get the less sleeping in a tent on rocky ground appeals. 😉 Glad you laughed. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Having spent much of the last few months living in a tent with only a few blankets and a little food, I’m really not in a place where I want to write about it, just yet. I’m just sooooooooo very thankful to have a roof over my head and heat that I’m spending most of my time curled up next to the baseboard heater snoozing.
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😯
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So funny, the lesson he got from the wandering of Israelites in the wilderness. Trust this generation to come up with such things!
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Dear Sabina,
Those Israelites did an awful lot of complaining, didn’t they? 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rocelle
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Sure did. But then, so do we, often not realizing how much we are like them!
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Newbie here. I wrote my story, got the little froggie link all set up, but when I click on it to publish my story, all I get is last week’s list with no option for more. I’m remembering now why I didn’t follow through on this when I tried a couple of years ago. I’m just not very good on the computer literacy thing, I guess.
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I got it! I got it! Now if I can just remember how to do it again sext week!
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Dear Granonine,
Good for you! Welcome to Friday Fictioneers. You’ll find that it’s a wonderfully interactive bunch of global writers. Half the fun is reading and commenting on other stories. Oh and since you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you enjoyed mine. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Indeed. I’m especially loving the ones that surprise me at the end 🙂
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Nice to know. 😀 Thank you. Most of us enjoy getting comments. (I’m no exception.)
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Yes. Comments are welcome 🙂
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Reblogged this on Let it come from the heart and commented:
A great Friday prompt – 100 words based on a picture prompt.
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Thank you for the reblog, Laura Marie.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Funny your wit shines through , i wasn’t expecting that. 👏👏👏
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Dear Ellen,
Glad you catch you off guard. 😀 Glad you liked. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Bravo!
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Dear Rochelle,
I love how you pulled the video and your story together. Harvey is man who knows his own mind. He’ll make a fine husband someday, but he’ll have to give up the Xbox first.
Sincerely,
Happy Camper
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Dear Happy Camper,
Harvey needs to get through his bar mitzvah first. 😉 Glad you liked the story…it was fun to write. (BTW, my rabbi who is actually Shmuel deemed it hilarious.) Thank you
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Nice story Rochelle. Shalom.
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Thank you, Indira. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha..this is hilarious…and despite my Catholic upbringing, I think i may be Jewish 😉
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Dear Dawn,
Although this is kind of a spin on an old joke, I think many non-Jews fall into this category. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I actually laughed out loud to this! Expertly done as always.
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Dear Clare,
Comments on humor don’t get much better than that. Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
This is so funny 😀 Harvey is a smart kid. He has all the answers… or at least he thinks he does!
A very entertaining story.
All best wishes
Sarah
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Dear Sarah,
Well, you could say that Harvey is a smart-alek ;). Don’t kids that age think they have all of the answers? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Yes, kids that age certainly do think that they have all the answers, but they might as well enjoy this belief while it lasts, before they learn the meaning of the saying “the older I get, the less I know”, although there are some smart-aleks who never grow out of thinking they are the fount of all knowledge!
All best wishes,
Sarah
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This is too funny although it did stop me for a moment. The song is hilarious, too. Now, I’ve always been told the 11th commandment is Don’t get caught, but what do I know. 😉 Did I see this wrong, or is the tent purple?
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Dear Gabi,
I’m sure everyone has their own version of the 11th commandment. 😉 Perhaps the way the light’s hitting the tent gives it a purple cast. My husband doesn’t ascribe to my addiction. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Haha, great last line 🙂
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Thanks, RG. Glad you liked. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I really loved your take on the prompt, Rochelle. You really captured the characterization well.
As for the song, it had me in stitches. So funny.
My mother isn’t Jewish but you’d never catch her in a tent.
Tragically, yesterday there was a real life camping tragedy in Queensland when a tent was struck by lightening.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/campers-struck-by-lightning-at-summit-of-mount-warning-after-night-of-wild-storms-across-nsw-20161205-gt4mtd.html
xx Rowena
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Dear Rowena,
It’s one of those stereotypes, isn’t it? Jews don’t have a monopoly on dislike for roughing it, we just know how to market. 😉 Seriously, under the right circumstances, I do like to camp. However, my parents’ idea of a picnic was to open the dining room window.
Tragic event in the article. You never know, do you?
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love this description: “my parents’ idea of a picnic was to open the dining room window.”
You’re definitely a great storyteller, something I believe is vital to be a great writer.
Hope you have a great week, Rochelle. I’m looking forward to the next prompt.
xx Rowena
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Thank you very much, Rowena.
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Nobody read mine only one comment I had 😯😕😕😕 my link didn’t work for that I am sad but I lay it here just in case… https://ellenbest24.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/a-taste-of-freedom/
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Dear Ellen,
I’m sorry you had problems with the link. It is only open for linking for 6 days after it goes live. I set it up that way on purpose. In the past, when it was left open, people would link months after the fact. A little like trying to herd cats. Going to read your story now.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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No I was well within time and couldn’t understand why my post was disliked… so today I investigated. I should have checked before. My fault I’m sure.
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I’m sorry that happened. Like I said, i’m here to help with any linking problems. I’m glad you were able to link this week.
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