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

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Saturday, June 22, 2024

ON THE JOB - p. 2

At the time I took the job on the Alton Campus of SIUE - June of 1960 - I was in the process of working with a lawyer to finalize my divorce from my first husband. The job itself was a refuge from the emotional ups and downs of my personal life. I had been separated from the brute for more than six... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, June 21, 2024

ON THE JOB

In the summer of 1960 I took a civil service exam as part of the application process for a job at Southern Illinois University. It was a newly established entity at the time, a work in progress, with property bought or obtained through a legal process called eminent domain on which to build a campus... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

GANG WARFARE - BACKYARD STYLE

For the past month or so I've noticed a couple young groundhogs in my back yard. Especially during this past two weeks when I've been stepping out onto the deck morning and evening to soak the newly laid sod of the lawn next to the deck. It seems the Groundhog Gang has burrowed under the deck, from... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

GOLD EARRINGS

Some days a random fact just pops up out of my memory, usually something unrelated to whatever is going on in the news or on my street. Today this one came to mind: Did you know that in the past, sailors crossing the seas often wore a gold earring in one ear? The purpose wasn't a fashion statement.... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

BACKYARD SQUIRRELS DECAMP

Just yesterday the remaining members of the Brick Street squirrel troop abandoned their Backyard Habitat and moved to the park by the lake. White Ears and her son Itchy were in shock, afraid they were no longer safe there. It all came about because of a failed insurrection, led by White Ears' rogue... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, June 17, 2024

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

There was a pop song called "Paper Moon" that came out eons ago. "It's only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea, but it wouldn't be make-believe, if you believed in me." I liked it because the lyrics were simple and the melody was sing-able. When the song pops up in memory I also remember a... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, June 16, 2024

THE BEST-LAID PLAN

Gloria got a call at eleven, just as she was about to tuck in. Her husband Dave was out for his usual Saturday night with the boys at the Lucky Dog Saloon. He'd blown more than one paycheck betting on pay-per-view wrestling matches. She was tired of his dark moods and bad temper. The call was from... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, June 15, 2024

STREET SEEN

A little after sunrise, after watering her rutabagas and phlox, she took a seat in her lawn chair and began to look around her front yard and the one next door. There she caught sight of a very still profile at the edge of the shadow of the house next door. It was Little Brown Rabbit, frozen in... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, June 13, 2024

A BIT POLITICAL, BUT...

First of all, let me assure you that I feel the Supreme Court judges should recuse themselves from weighing in on any case where they have demonstrated bias in favor of one side or the other. Recently the news channels have featured interviews with an activist who went to a gala attended by the... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

AND NOW SHE'S GONE AND GOT HERSELF A JOB

That's what he said. Like getting herself a job was a big freakin' no-no. Why, I wondered, did that bother him? It made her happy. It was a post-retirement gig, which meant she'd be getting pension plus paycheck. What's not to like? But apparently the wife's job was a cocklebur under his saddle. It... Sign in to see full entry.

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