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, October 15, 2023

THE 9-1-1

When the response team got to the scene, it was supernaturally quiet. Neighbors had called, the usual family disturbance complaint. They told the operator there'd been a shot. The lights were on inside. They approached the front porch, guns drawn. And then Murphy saw the woman, seated on the rocker,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:10 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, October 14, 2023

P.S. ON THE "YOU HUSSY" POST

The characters and incidents in the story were real. The names were changed for the sake of privacy. All this and much more happened in the mid 1970s as my kids were growing up. They loved our elderly neighbors, especially Grandma W, whose sugar cookies with sprinkles are still talked about today by... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:25 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, October 13, 2023

YOU HUSSY! HOW DARE YOU?

Mrs. A was in her late seventies. Mr. A, a retired carpenter, was remarkably fit for his age, which was going on seventy-nine. Their next-door neighbor, Mrs. W, was a widow of the same age. Mrs. W did her laundry every Monday on her old reliable Maytag washing machine. The wash went on the line... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:35 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, October 12, 2023

NO LETTER TODAY

I believe "No Letter Today" was a song title from the long, long ago. Back in the day before cell phones, social media and all, we wrote letters. When a soldier was shipped out to some overseas battle zone or a distant post stateside, there would be letters, weekly - or daily - to his sweetheart... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:05 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

NO WAR NEWS FROM HERE TODAY

With all that's going on in the world, all the coverage all the time on the TV networks, and so many issues being discussed on social media, it's a miracle we all haven't lost our freakin' minds. I've been telling myself this week I'm not really depressed, it's just that I'm aware of how depressing... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 8:07 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

COMPARISON: 1944 - 2023 WAR NEWS

When I was a very young child, I was very much aware of the war. In the 3rd and 4th grades, we heard about it from talk among grownups, on the radio, and at school. My teacher - whose son was at the front in Europe - read his letters to us. Most news in those days came in newsprint, which kids... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:51 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, October 8, 2023

THE HERMIT - a knot in the thread

She slipped into her coat, plopped her hat on her head, cradled the gun and stepped out the door. She aimed it at the two strangers and told them to git. “This ain’t no hotel, and you ain’t welcome here,” she said. “Now don’t make me go to the trouble of buryin’ y’all. Just turn your asses around... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:52 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, October 7, 2023

THE HERMIT - a knot in the thread

Editor's note: I had the scene all written on my trusty steno pad, the confrontation at the water trough, the travelers getting all overbearing and not getting it that Em the hermit homesteader was more than a match for the both of them because she was invested in the situation and they were just... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:20 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, October 6, 2023

THE HERMIT

Em finished sweeping out the kitchen while the water for dishwashing heated on the stove. She was nearly out of lye soap. Fortunately, it was almost time to butcher the hog she’d been raising. She could render the fat to make soap and have a good supply of it in the storeroom while the hams and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:30 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, October 5, 2023

(NOT SO) RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

I missed my Grandma Lucy after mom moved our little family to Salkum. She had looked after us at times after school when Mama had to work an extra shift at the diner. She was the kind of grandma who baked cookies and called us "darling" and read stories to us to settle us down after supper. "Uncle... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:19 AM | add or view comments (7) | 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?)