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

Monday, July 6, 2026

Peachy

Early autumn is harvest season in orchard country. That's when mama would pack us kids in the back seat of the old blue Chevy, put a couple baskets in the trunk and head for Tucker's U-Pick peach orchard. In those days cars didn't have seat belts -- or turn signals for that matter. To signal a turn,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:17 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Maybe a story idea, maybe wishful thinking:

Sometime in the early 1800s: a 'desert rat' stakes a homestead claim on an isolated stretch of land, off the beaten track between the eastern US and the west that is currently being staked out by the Lewis & Clark expedition. His choice of a home site is based on two things: 1) the availability of... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:28 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, July 3, 2026

NUTS

When I was a freshman, I had a bus buddy named Lee T. He was a sophomore, and probably the best-looking guy in school - perfect smile, athletic and slim, friendly and smart. I was just another kid learning how to pin curl my hair at bedtime so I'd look good in the morning. His family owned the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:25 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, July 2, 2026

About That Thank You

Got a very nice thank you comment from sam444 here on Blogit who took a suggestion I made & ran with it. He was getting the run-around from an editor he'd hired to polish some work he'd written. This can be a tough time in the process, when a writer knows there are loose ends to tie before... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:40 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Incident in a small town

The two police officers pulled under the canopy at the Phillips 76 station. Both got out. The driver opened the gas tank and began filling it, while the other grabbed the spray bottle and began cleaning the windshield. Just then a young woman hurried up to them, an anxious look on her face. "Please,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:54 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Tips & Tricks for Writers

When I was a J-student at SIUE our Journalism prof. was a retired newspaper reporter and editor who'd had a job at a major St. Louis newspaper. He taught our class as though we were his reporters and he was the hard-boiled editor who expected the story to be reported clearly, just the facts, and not... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:49 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, June 28, 2026

REMEMBERING...

Not so long ago when the family lived in the Leclaire district of Edwardsville, there was a railroad that ran right through the area. There was a depot just a block off the main drag on Troy Road, no longer in use. Some quiet nights after the kids were tucked in and the front porch beckoned, we... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:17 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, June 26, 2026

Old Song Lyrics (as I remember them)

How would you like to swing on a star, carry moonbeams home in a jar, and be better off than you are, or would you rather be a mule? A mule is an animal with long funny ears he kicks up at everything he hears, So, if you hate to go to school, You could grow up to be a mule... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 2:38 PM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Bubbles

When I was a kid, we used to make bubbles using a jar of soapy stuff. We'd dip a wand into the bottle, wave the wand above our heads, and the breeze would send a cascade of bubbles aloft. The problem was we seemed to run out of bubble stuff before we got tired of the game. And just now I remembered... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:55 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

"Regime Change"

A couple nights ago I caught a book review on Lawrence O'Donnell's show on MSNOW. He was highly impressed with "Regime Change" by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. He said it's a blow-by-blow report on corruption and collusion in the Trump administration. It's out now, hardcover and paperback, and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:39 AM | add or view comments (4) | 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?)