Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Jumping to conclusions...

Yesterday the first of the hot sweatty men arrived. Not the roofers, yet. This was the delivery truck driver, Big Dustin: late 20s, 250 pounds of bearlike manliness, ball cap, faded red stretched-out tee shirt, wrinkled third-day jeans that sag in the butt, well-worn Nikes. This is not one of the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:17 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The coat

Even though there were two employed parents in the family, with four kids there were times the money didn't quite stretch paycheck to paycheck. With winter coming on, the boys and ten-year-old Becca needed heavy-duty coats: winters were harsh in Illinois, and just putting a sweater under her light... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:26 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, August 23, 2010

I've fallen and I can't get up -- with a twist

Ed Jr. is 72, and not in good shape. Things don't bend and flex like they used to. So one afternoon last week when he fell in his workshop/garage, he didn't have anything to grab, no leverage to get himself back on his feet. He heard his new neighbor out in the yard next door, and began calling out... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 8:25 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Inspiration from Bob's Grabbag -- his poignant question

Do you still love me? Bob's Grabbag check out his poem. He wrote strong lines that caught my heart, and my comment began in rhyme. Then I cut and pasted my response here: it seems to fit my life this time. DO YOU STILL LOVE ME? That's a tough, tough question given the current situation and the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:39 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bargain or scam? We'll asphalt your driveway if you do it right now...

I was watering my tomatoes in a big pot on the front porch when a big dressy pickup truck brakes to a stop at the curb. One of those black shiny things with Harley Davidson customizing, chromy wheel covers. Put a blonde 20-something girl in a tube top behind the wheel and every horny-toad in the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:05 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, August 20, 2010

The Write Place, at the right time -- a stranger joins the group

The group met last night at Borders: Alan, Chuck and me, the rag-tag end of the writers' group. Alan was led in by his wife, who's brilliant and devoted to him, has a sense of humor. Clearly he functions because of her TLC. She replaced his hearing aid batteries in the few minutes before the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:33 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, August 19, 2010

fwd fwd... I usually delete. but this one was neat.

A Trip To Wal-Mart Yesterday I was at my local Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for Biscuit the Wonder Dog, my loyal companion. I was in the checkout line when the woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:10 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

School Days

Yesterday was the first day of school at St. B's across the street. I had posted the last installment of the Home for Christmas story and looked up from browsing my favorites to see the old familiar ritual taking place again. Angelic little girls in their spanking new uniforms, blue plaid skirts,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:32 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, August 13, 2010

Pick your genre: thriller, spec fiction, mystery, then write

I read that advice somewhere. Pick the genre first. Go to the bookstore and visualize where your novel would fit on the shelves. Bzzzzzzt! Wrong! This might be good advice if we were robots, if our mental computers included an insta-plot program with a template for today's best-selling genre:... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:08 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Ten times ten and back again -- heat wave

I believe today is the last forecast day of 100 degree heat in the St. Louis area. We're supposed to have a "cold wave" and a high of only 89 by Sunday. The big news is that the nights will cool down to around 70, maybe a couple degrees cooler, and people in their 75th year can walk a mile in their... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:20 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

About this Blog

Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

Recent Entries
People
Blogs

Headlines (What is this?)