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

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

There was an old torch song (a song about lost love) years and years ago titled "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." The lyrics went something like "They asked me how I knew / my true love was true. I of course replied / something here inside / cannot be denied." The gist of the song is that "today, my love... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 14, 2020

Warning: This post contains profanity...

THURSDAY WRITER’S WORKSHOP 3-5-2020: We didn’t know it but this was the last gathering of the Write Your Own Story group at the Main Street Center “for the duration.” It seems Covid-19 was in charge of all scheduling, and since older people are more susceptible to the virus, our governor decreed... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Early 1900's - Lucy's struggle

Not long after their marriage, Lucy told John she was with child. He was, for the first time, going to be a father. He did not take the news well. Part of his decision to marry the widow Savage was his belief she was beyond child-bearing age. After all, her youngest son was nearly five years of age.... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Bert and Lucy Go West

Like most American men of the late 1800s, my grandfather Bert Savage ran a farm and knew well all the skills that farming requires. He was also a carpenter and builder. Mother said he stood head and shoulders above Grandma Lucy, who was only five feet tall. I believe Lucy was born in 1887. Bert and... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, September 11, 2020

1860 - daily life

Only their Sunday best clothes were ironed. The everyday work clothes were folded and put in a chiffarobe drawer or hung on pegs. The iron was heated on the black iron cookstove and had to be reheated every few minutes. Between the daily cooking, cleaning and tending to the garden and chickens, a... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 10, 2020

1860 cont'd. WOMAN'S WORK

Their preacher at the community congregation is Calvin Edwards. He received the call to serve the Lord when he was just a lad. On a given Sunday the worshipers may quake with fear from his apocalyptic warnings or breathe a sigh of gratitude as he describes heaven’s reward for good and faithful... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

1860 cont'd

Jeb had filed the claim and camped on the site before the family joined him. He built the barn and corral first, a vital investment in their future. They’d have to keep the milk cow and team of horses safe from the wolves and the weather. Jeb’s cousin Albert and his wife Mary had claimed the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 7, 2020

DRAFT MSS 1860

Clara and Jeb and their three children live in a two-room cabin on the 160-acre homestead claim they are proving up. There’s a lean-to porch across the back where firewood is stacked, and there’s a crudely built square table built to hold the washtub and scrubbing board between washdays. The main... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 3, 2020

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING ELSE TO THINK ABOUT

REIDA AND THE SPIDER WEB Reida took a deep breath as she walked along the deer path across the meadow, several minutes now beyond the barn. Mama couldn’t see her from the kitchen door, so she was already liable for punishment, but she didn’t care. She’s seven years old now, she knows the way, and... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

TWO THINGS

ONE: I'm too out of shape to get out there and march in support of Black Lives Matter. But I do have a friend, an elementary schoolteacher in the East St. Louis school district, one of the poorest, blackest communities in our state. She supplements her teacher's salary by working weekends in the... Sign in to see full entry.

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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.

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