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, February 21, 2010

Writers Group

Only four of us showed up Thurs. night and one was the new member, Lynn. It was her intro meeting, so she wasn't supposed to send any pages. She got mine -- it was attached to the group email, but the others didn't notice it. Anyway a copy was passed around and they talked about it -- It was the... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Warm Sands

What’s needed is a warm night with stars that float mellow in the sky, sand beneath bare feet: warm dry, yielding slightly underfoot. Enough of drifting shifts of snow slithering before chilled winds. Enough of the chewing constant cold that recalls another blizzard season when necessities were an... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

On Convict Labor -- News Article from 120 Years Ago

CONVICT LABOR [MUNDANE,] ILL. -- Wed., July 9, 1890: The convict labor question in Illinois is about to assume a new phase. The amendment to the constitution adopted three years ago prohibiting the employment of prison labor in any pursuit in which it might come into competition with other labor was... Sign in to see full entry.

You can tell a lot about a town by its kids' behavior...

A couple came into my little bookshop, ordered coffee and sat looking at a map of Mundane. They were looking to buy a house here. She'd been a school bus driver in their present town, Milton, a few miles west of here, and several years ago here in Mundane. "You can tell a lot about a town by the way... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Roofs, snowdrifts, birthdays...

Jean called Sunday. She'd been at the library to chat with me and June, but I was busy with patron questions and selling coffee. One good thing about this weather, it boosts the sales of warm cups of flavor. I asked her if the roofers had done their thing. "No. And not only that, they've left this... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

It's a snow day for most schoolkids in this area today...

The Superintendent's Dilemma To close, or not to close, that is the question: whether ‘tis nobler to face the slings and arrows of outrageous weather or to return to the pillow, to sleep, perchance to dream of warm breezes, fair skies and a clear parking lot. Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Stop me if you've heard this one...

A car shopper found an ad, called the number. He couldn't believe it was anything but a misprint, nobody sells a Porsche for $500. But the lady who answered the phone said it was true. $500 was the selling price. He rushed over to her house, asked if the could take a test drive. He figured there had... Sign in to see full entry.

Wow! Two Thumbs UP!

Have you read Bob's Grabbag? He's a relatively new blogger, cancer survivor, poet, actor, and his limericks are great and fun. Check out the Bobness of this guy, who knows his way around the word. Bob's Grabbag Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

She's only 90. Why is Dorothy quitting?

She was a seventh grade school teacher for 40 years, one of that amazing legion that creates the world through the children they send into it. She has children who followed in her footsteps: they too have reached retirement age. Dorothy's no bigger than a minute: delicate looking at 90 pounds and... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

To a Young Avon Lady

I was once an Avon lady, but my service ended badly " Avon calling" at the bell invited me to oversell. Mommies bought the nice perfume in Beaver Cleaver living rooms and skin so soft to fight mosquitoes that swarmed at night in Escondito. Alas, my sales and my commissions were not the gravy I'd... Sign in to see full entry.

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