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

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Thursday, August 22, 2019

THE NO. 1 SONG FROM THE YEAR 1900

We can’t turn on the news these days without seeing the president, sometimes with his young and lovely wife in tow, disembarking from a chopper or making a ceremonial appearance when distinguished guests arrive at the White House. For some reason as I watched her walking just slightly behind the old... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

TUESDAY AT THE CENTER: UNEXPECTED LOSS

It’s hard to maintain a good attitude these days when everywhere you turn is dark, threatening, and much of what you hear is instantly recognizable as heartlessly untrue. The one place where I’ve found the most “real,” where thoughtful listening is the custom and mutual support is always forthcoming... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

BONUS GRANDMA…

At some point 30 or 40 years ago there was a little girl whose mother married into the family, – a darling child with a million questions who called me her bonus grandma. The phrase stuck, and I’ve been bonus grandma to any number of kids since then, including some I meet in the aisles of Wally... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 19, 2019

HEADLINE NEWS: A CURMUDGEON’S VIEW

I hate it all. Teaser blurbs. To be continued after the break. Opinions about what is going to happen, (aka conjecture) and why so and so is doing what stupid thing now, that is consistent with a) past deceptions and mistakes or 2) suspected subversive intentions… It’s all like the trashy Hollywood... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

SOMETHING FROM ‘NOTHING’

When I crochet a pot-holder out of thick cotton yarn, I make a square roughly 6-8” in size. When I was a kid mom always fixed the ones she made out of quilt scraps with a bone ring at one corner, so it could be hung on a hook, handy to the stove. These days the notions counter has these rings made... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

MISS KITTY – (not the one from “Gunsmoke.”)

It was Christmas shopping season, that time of year when night falls early. Fang and the boys were staying home. It was a rare mother-daughter outing. I was driving up the long hill along divided highway about a mile outside of town, headed for the K-Mart in Wood River (we didn’t have one in... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 16, 2019

THURSDAY’S WRITING GROUP

We wrote about our childhood pets at Thursday’s story writing session at The Center. And, of course, other topics of the writer’s choice. Two of us wrote about a photo from our past, and coincidentally one of the photos happened to be of a childhood pet. Linda’s photo was of Spike, an adorable... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

REMEMBERING BEN

In the early days at SIUe, this would have been 1960-61, before the buildings on the Edwardsville campus were anything but an architect’s dream, my dept. was headquartered in a thrown-together office/shop area in the basement level of the gymnasium building on the former Shurtleff College campus in... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

TUESDAY, THE CENTER

I told John I’d edit a letter to the editor he wanted to send. Then he wanted me to send it to a local paper, on my email, and use a pseudonym as the author. Well, that was a no-go, seemed a bit fishy. Turns out his wife has told him he cannot send out any more rants to the editor. Thus I find out... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

MOONLIGHT AND LIGHTNING

It was around eleven last night when I woke up for no apparent reason and headed for the kitchen and a drink of water. Through the kitchen window and looking to the east, I saw a large cloud bank on the horizon – lighting up like a stage production with intermittent and overlapping flashes. It was... Sign in to see full entry.

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