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

Saturday, October 16, 2021

DOWN MEMORY LANE

A gorgeous screen saver on my computer a few days ago put me in mind of summers when I lived at the very end of the boondocks in the Cascade foothills. It was a mountan stream cascading down a series of waterfalls between sheltering evergreens and beautiful ferns and white flowers we called... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, October 15, 2021

THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

1. Flush toilets. 2. Automatic washers. 3. Well stocked store shelves. 4. Daily delivery by the U.S. Postal Service. 5. Clean water that is safe to drink. 6. Highways and bridges. 7. Other drivers paying attention. 8. Clean, safe food in cereal boxes, cans, etc. 9. Sanitary food prep at commercial... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

TANGLED WEBS

By Hugh P. LaRoche One afternoon as Alison was sorting in the mail room, one of the senior execs, Patrick Ryberger, squeezed past her apologetically to check the contents of his own box. She thought it strange that he hadn’t sent his assistant. But then she remembered: according to the office... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

I've been working intermittently to set up a story - a reversal of the spider and the fly classic poem. At the same time am trying to come up with a pseudonym for the author that conceals my maiden name within it. Dad's name was Hupy. It is almost Ancestry-dot-com certain anyone with that last name... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

DAYS OF OUR BACKYARD SQUIRRELS

Roscoe ventured to the Brick Street Troop's backyard habitat from his temporary residence in the park by the lake. It was Monday, a much lighter traffic day than the usual Monday, and he skipped across the pavement very easily. He was planning to report back to White Ears about the walnut drop. The... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 11, 2021

STEWING IN MY OWN JUICE

Maybe we all do it from time to time. We walk and talk and git 'er done on the surface of our minds, but at the same time beneath it all we're cogitating and stewing about something that bothers us. It may be a tiny slight, a silly joke someone made at our expense, or something deeply offensive and... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

"BULLIES, BASTARDS & BITCHES."

"How to write the bad guys of fiction," by Jessica Page Morrell. There is nothing more satisfying to me in a story than when the bully gets knocked on his ass by someone he's threatening. The longer and meaner he's been to the other character, the better I like it when he gets knocked over to tumble... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Days of Our 50-Year Old Soap Opera

I've seen some unbelievable chapters of "Days" since I first began watching it in the mid '90s. It was shortly after I'd retired from SIUe and moved back to the Pacific Coast. My sis Marje was a fan and we used to watch together. If I remember correctly, Marlena Evans was married at the time to... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, October 8, 2021

THE SIUe STORY - Cont'd

I should have mentioned that this 'history' blog is about my experience of the SIUe story - nothing official, not the numbers reported to finance committees or the lobbying the officials did with state legislators to get more funding. It's just a little glimpse at what goes on behind the curtain on... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

RANDOM CONSIDERATIONS AND QUESTIONS

Here's the situation: My house, which I have nestled into and cluttered with all kinds of memorabilia and souvenirs of time and place that no one else would think of as anything but junk, is no longer quite what I need. I'm 18 years older now than I was when I bought the place. That nice big... Sign in to see full entry.

Headlines (What is this?)