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

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Snowflakes: no two alike?

The one: ice crystals a geometric fractal multiplied adapted, crocheted by prevailing winds The second: ice crystals another geometric fractal multiplied, crocheted by similar winds All: born in the same high cloud spun by the same winds, made of stardust with similar cosmic origins Each and all add... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

The opposite of love is not hate: it's indifference

I was never certain that my mother hated my dad for his betrayals, but I remember her being mad as hell at him for staying in Massachusetts after he was released from service in 1946. She was sputtering and fuming because there was no reciprocal agreement between Washington and Massachusetts, and he... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, December 28, 2012

More to it than meets the eye...

I've made a point of not learning much about my father, who never came back to us after the war. Mom never said much about him, or about their time together, so I grew up with a cardboard cutout notion of who he was. He was one-dimensional, a shadow. He was a sleaze about women, a love 'em and leave... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

There were only eight of us this time...

But food for twenty starving farmworkers. Son Joe, who decided his gift to all would be the catered dinner, picked up food from Ravanelli's, a locally famous Italian restaurant. Knowing this was too much, I took myself to the store and bought Ziploc containers to pack up leftovers for carry-out. He... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Three weddings: one marriage (excerpt)

“So, Mom, I was wondering something about my dad. I remember why you said you divorced him and all, but I never did hear about your wedding.” “Oh, really? I never told you that? Well,” she giggled and sat up eagerly. “We actually got married three times.” “Three times?” “Yep. We went out for quite a... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Toys...

Last year at Christmas time I fell in love with a toy called the Glow Dome. It is a Crayola product - and who doesn't love crayons? Even now I enjoy seeing the big box of 64, all the points sharp and ready to go, and a big blank sheet of newsprint. So I bought it, thinking of my great granddaughter.... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, December 23, 2012

CHRISTMAS MENU

Gray days—skeleton trees in silhouette dark mornings and evenings streetlights, headlights to work and back sleet, snow, slush, ice, slippery footing life force exhaled in clouds of original smoke cold feet, wet mittens, snuffy noses. There’s a profound need for hot chocolate popcorn to munch in... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Paved with Good Intentions - Part 2

As it happened the invitation wasn’t to a movie. Ed said he was meeting a couple of his buddies and their girlfriends at the Fireman’s dance in Richland, and asked if she liked to dance. She thought being with a group might be fun. As they drove he offered Margaret a drink from his pocket flask. She... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, December 21, 2012

Chapter 7: Paved With Good Intentions

It was a date Margaret finally accepted against her better judgment. Ed Bailey was a customer at the diner, and he’d been pestering her to go out with him for months. She always turned him down. What was the point? For one thing, he wasn’t very interesting. He worked at a garage somewhere in... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:27 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Chapter 6: Hiding Out. (excerpt)

This chapter is about to get a rewrite. During the NaNoWriMo marathon, I told it from the kids' point of view. This is Margaret's story, so it must be told from her POV. So what's written here will either be cut or revised. In 1946 mothers didn't ask the kids whether they wanted to move to a new... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:54 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this 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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