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, November 7, 2022

THE BACKYARD

As I stood by the kitchen sink watching out the window a red-tailed hawk swooped down from high overhead and came to a swift and graceful stop on the back porch rail. This particular spot is where the backyard squirrels love to sit while chewing the hulls away from walnuts. She (I'm guessing the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, November 6, 2022

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS...

It was 1962. Maybe '63. My new hubby Roy and I both worked at a satellite building of the university's Edwardsville campus. He was a printer by trade, and ran the school's printing department. I worked a clerical job in the purchasing office. Some Saturdays he had to work. At the time we lived in... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, November 5, 2022

THE ROYALS ARE NOT LIKE US ???

AS SEEN ON TV King Charles seems like a cranky old sot not very happy with his royal lot. He slaps at the hand of his trusty valet and his face is a frown at the end of the day. Though the crown's not officially yet his to wear His "throne" seat accompanies him everywhere. (note: According to NPR,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 8:47 AM | add or view comments (9) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, November 4, 2022

SALKUM DAYS - 1948-53 - continued

From day one until I finally got a job in Seattle after high school graduation, Salkum was a prison without bars; there was no escape from the deprivations and threats, no expectation for things to get better. There were no jobs for Mom. We had to accept welfare. The state was broke, so we got half... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, November 3, 2022

SALKUM DAYS - 1948-53 - continued

On rare occasions we’d have a little money to spend at Talbott’s. We’d stand in front of the candy counter weighing our decision between Fleer’s Double Bubble or a penny jawbreaker, or if we felt like splurging, we could pay a whole nickel for a Hershey bar or a Big Hunk. On general principle we did... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2022

SALKUM DAYS - 1948-53 - continued

Our house, at the last corner on the eastern edge of town, had originally been the cookshack for a pioneer-era lumber mill that shut down in the 1920s. It was maybe sixty feet long, three rooms and a path (to the outhouse). The bedroom was at the end of the house nearest the street and included a... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2022

SALKUM DAYS - 1948-53

We caught the big yellow bus in front of Talbott’s General Store and U.S. Post Office, where our street intersected with State Route 12. We rode the bus from Salkum about ten miles to school through winding mountainous roads, stretches of forest, the small towns of Silver Creek, Mayfield where the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, October 31, 2022

ECHOES...

SEATTLE: 1954-55 I'd been at Ma Bell long enough to be promoted from the mail room to the steno pool. The steno pool has long since gone the way of the buggy whip. But in those days a half-dozen typists, printer operators, and other skilled workers provided occasional/scheduled services to... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, October 30, 2022

EVER HAD A NIGHTMARE CO-WORKER?

Started at the University in June of 1960, on the Alton campus. This was just after the deal had been signed to buy the 2,600 acre site near Edwardsville, but before they'd broken ground. It's entirely possible the architects, a St. Louis firm known as HOK (Hellmuth, Obata and Kassebaum) were still... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, October 29, 2022

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

This was the first gathering of the old group since Rachel and Don's wedding three months earlier, and there were hugs all around. There was old rock and roll playing on the sound system and an open bar. Rachel and three of her besties were gathered at a corner table, while Don did his best to make... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:45 AM | add or view comments (6) | 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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