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

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.

posted by Pat_B at 4:28 AM | add or view comments (9) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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.

posted by Pat_B at 3:56 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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.

posted by Pat_B at 3:37 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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.

posted by Pat_B at 5:22 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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.

posted by Pat_B at 3:30 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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.

posted by Pat_B at 5:48 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

TIME TO GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO SOMETHING...

Bored with the reruns, sick of the news, I turned to a health & wellness show on PBS Channel 9. It was about exercise to train the brain and to me it looked like some of the moves in ballet – long stretches, hands stretched high above the head, touching, the body swaying in a graceful circle, then... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:36 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, August 31, 2020

FROM LOVE SONG TO PROPHECY

SEPTEMBER SONG For it’s a long, long time from May to December but the days grow short when we reach September. As the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame We haven’t got time for the waiting game. And the days dwindle down to a precious few, September. November. These last few days I’ll spend... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:56 AM | add or view comments (10) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Whoa! Lady...

Did I ever tell you about the time a horse ran away with me? No? Well, it was the summer I was 16 - between junior and senior years. Tommy Snodgrass, one of our schoolmates whose family ran a small ranch in a nearby valley from our place in Salkum, came by one morning, riding his horse and leading... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 8:36 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, August 29, 2020

FOUR MORE YEARS?

DISCLAIMER: THIS POLITICAL OPINION COULD BE CONTRARY TO YOUR OWN AND MIGHT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. The wild wild west was lawless. But the honest cowboy who did his job and stood by his compadres was respected far and wide. Horse thieves were hung if they were caught. Cheating at poker could send a... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:33 AM | add or view comments (11) | 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?)