Ok Imma Bitin' It Off - UPDATE

A lotta things been going on around here, but thoughtt I would update ya'll on The Boss's backyard "reading deck"...It is slowing going for and Old Codger...I gotta git through with this thing so I can start on "The Hotel".  Reckon this thing will stand up under the Old Codger...I will walk softly...

"And They Don't Give a Damn"

It has been a while since I posted two days in a row but after watching two weeks of the "so called" political conventions I have about had a "bellyfull" of all the BS we are subjected to.

Sadly, I came across this story on Yahoo.  Old Codgers like me will remember this music maker that passed away today.  If we would follow more closely to the advice of this simple song from Joe South, a southern songwriter and performer, a whole bushel load of our nations problems could be solved. 

I invite you to take a short 3 minutes and see if this YouTube video has any effect on your thoughts,,at all.. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMiutrnur0c

just click link,,, i couldn't get the video to embed

"Yep, The Sack"

This month our club, The East Texas Writers Guild, hosted a small contest with a sentence prompt;  In October I saw a barefoot girl with a brown paper sack under her arm walking along the highway.

I said "what the heck, let's see what happens."  So here is my attempt.

I saw it and I smiled.  An unusually warm evening for the week before Halloween brought my rocking chair to the front porch.  Living in the country did not mean you’d never see your neighbors.  Several were enjoying the evening walking up and down the road in front of the house in which I grew up. 

The barefooted girl walking by carrying a brown paper sack under her left arm caught my attention.  A slight grin kept anyone from having the first idea what she was thinking.  With Christmas being only a few months away, instantly my notion of a paper sack snapped my imagination.  Growing up, my daddy, and from the stories I heard about his daddy, Christmas was a time, for what my girls call “Pa(w) Pa(w) Sacks”.  Christmas morning brings small brown lunch sacks twisted shut. All sorts of treats restes inside the paper container.  The thought of the sweet and brightly colored ribbon candy causes my jaws to tighten and my saliva glands to kick in.  There is no way to eat these wavy pieces without a gluey sweet stream running down your chin and onto the appendages holding the slick object. These gooey treats along with the orange candy peanut marsh mellows in addition to an apple, an orange and a selection of seasonal nuts makes up these gifts. The contents varied little over the years.  This consistent pattern was only a small part of the larger pattern of the security of youth.   Growing up, we always listened to the stories about how these sacks were the highlight of the season.  Gifts were often small and inexpensive or non existent.  Everyone had faith that the sacks would be there.  Some years the “loot” would be a little heavier it seemed, but always the weight felt like a bundle of gold. The gold was not just what was in the sack but knowing with confidence and the meaning of its intention.

Times change and the leaves shed from the trees with the seeds bringing new growth.  Eventually the oak passes the tradition of dispersion to the younger sprouts while the oak is taken back into nature’s cycle. The “Pa(w)Pa(w) sacks still appear on Christmas morning. It’s a circle we all get to experience.  Where is this young “sack lady” in this cycle.  I wonder at first, what is in that brown paper bag?  She gives no clue with her sly smile but each step is true and with determination.  I didn’t ask her.  With a glance in my direction, I think I saw her lift her head a little higher and stretch her stride a little longer.  The sly grin was now a big smile.  Yep, I know what was in the little brown bag.

"What can I gitya?"

good morning folks,

Ya’ll have become acquainted with me and most of my moods.  I think I am a person with which is fairly easy to get along.  I got a small “gripe”.   Not with you folks and it ain’t a big one.

The Boss and I “eat out” a lot.  I mean a lot.  Hell, I buy her Christmas present in August and hide it in the oven until Christmas.  She ain’t found one yet.  She is visiting our middle daughter so I can talk about her.  Last night I stopped in at Cheddar’s after our writing meeting, for what we call in the South, “supper”.  We visit there on a frequent basis.  To me it is an upscale Dairy Queen on steroids, so you have to give them a little slack.  The food was good last night, and unlike several trips the food was hot. 

A few places that The Boss and I go, the waiter asks us if we will request them to be our waiters on our next trip.  I have two daughters and myself that worked in the restaurant industry in our college days;  I tip fairly, and toward the generous side if the waiter has made a good “showing”.  I am even lenient in what comprises a good “showing”.  Last night, it was only on the third (initial serving) glass of tea that I received the unsweetened version – and – I had to flag a separate waiter to bring the rolls (have to order separately) that I had requested.  The food came and it was good, so I was happy.

So see?  I am reasonable;  knowing that  a lot of youngsters now days see things differently than when I grew up.  I even heard the same things from the old folks when I was young.  “Long haired hippey, when ya gonna get a haircut?”  It was a sight to be seen.  The back of my hair actually touched my shirt collar.  “Them commie-freak Beatles are gonna be the end of our youth.”  I am getting off track here, but I just wanted to show that I understand the older generations misunderstanding of youth. The Boss has accused me of trying to “straighten out” these mislead young’uns with an explanation of what they obviously have missed.  Last night I decided I was going to skip any “lesson session”.

Case in point:  What is the waiter/waitress  thinking?   I haven’t really figured that out yet but I have a theory.  I want to know if any of you have ever experienced this situation.

You get your meal, you get drink refills,,sometimes,, and then you get you check.  That is about it.  Ok, you give the waiter cash.  (If you use credit or debit card then it is a different issue).   You figure the rate of tip 20-30% of food bill, I don’t use the tax as computation.  They bring back the change in dominations  and they are larger than the acceptable tip range.  I wonder how many people just leave the closest smaller amount using the one’s, ie singles.  Ok you may have guessed.  Because my daughters have told me this is the first and easiest lesson you learn when waiting table.  On the average, you are going to end up on the short end of the stick when the table leaves the lesser amount. 

Last night I decided that I was going to just go with the average;  one way she was going to be “shorted”  the other was that I was going to be long.  I was going to just let the chips fall where they landed.  You’re right .  It happened.  But,,these kids work hard and she was “working” instead of depending on someone else to tote her load so I relented.  I skipped the lecture about how this game works against her and let that part go.  I simply asked if she had a single dollar.  The tip should be about 2.60 and she brought back a five and two ones.  The food was good and to her credit there were a lot of people there so I was feeling a little sympathetic and I was going to give her the 5, take the one, and leave her 4.00 instead of the 3.00.  Her immediate response was;  “I brought you the right change.”  Ok, I wasn’t going to give here the “tip” that my daughters had learned early;  you bring small denominations and more often the customer will be more generous. (not my research).  I eventually had to say plainly, “Do you want a three dollar tip or a four dollar tip.”  She actually seemed to stop and have to consider my question.  Then, it seemed like a light went off in her head and she broke out in a big grin and said “ye’uh, four would be better.”  I don’t think it was the case with this young lady, but I am prone to believe that some think that you will always leave the larger, even though you have computed a proper amount.  Should I have explained any of this or just let her go on dealing herself a “short hand”?

"In a Bit,,," Repost

There is nothing like the glowing warmth of a campfire. Snapping and popping, the oak logs piled high with the yellow and orange flames squirting upward through the tightly stacked cracks from the bark still on the wooden fuel.

Too large to be intended for the fire, cut sections of trees served as resting stools for more than one annual trip to the familiar river bottom. Without confirmation, each has in intended occupant. Time has a way of etching routine without formality. The unceremonious act of who takes their place in cadence is stamped in time.
It seems one always has “one more thing” to sort out and put in its place. The last to take his place in line. The last to turn out the lantern. Beyond the reach of the campfires shine clattering of assorted gear indicates the restlessness. All, except this one, have gathered at their appointed places amongst the bark covered thrones.
“What are you doing out there? You gonna come on or what? We ain’t gonna wait all night.”

The strings are tuned and the whistles are wet. We wait momentarily.

“Well, are ya coming?”

From the darkness and damp, with clarity comes a chuckle and reply.

“In a bit, perhaps, you old codger, In a bit.”

The usual banter and ribbing of “always late” and “it’s gonna be daylight soon" offers a familiarity to the situation. We know we are going to have to wait. A round with flask and a dirge of song pushes the hour past.

The shifting of logs and flicker of flame, upward the embers struggle to rise. The glow still strong but not quite as bright, the warmth still surrounds us all. The sweetgum stump, awaits in quiet with sounds from just beyond. It seems the clatter is not intense as it was some time earlier.

“The music is old and bellies are full, if you’re coming on, then ya gonna have to do it soon. Not sure of the duration with this routine of fun.”

A chorus of laughter votes in favor of wit, but certainty not at all certain. Waiting for a reply I sit suddenly quiet as I listen for anticipated answer.

“In a bit, perhaps, when I finish. In a bit.”

The campfire out, the reminding ashes, what’s left of the mighty oak, a reminder that dawn is near. The river fog cloaks the forest near and water still between the banks flows. The cold ashes swirl about and, with a grin, I answer the wind’s invitation ; “are you coming”.

“In a bit, perhaps, you old codger, In a bit.”

CWM  "TOODLUMS"    July 24,1949  -  August 9, 2010

..

This Is NOT a Warm and Fuzzy Feeling,,Book

This is NOT a warm and fuzzy feeling book.  It is an exercise in Brinda Carey's healing process descibing an incredible story that is not an isolated incident.  This situation is more "common" than the "cold".  The Boss is a retired CPS worker and it is a shocking fact that these cases are epicemic in numbers. 

A member of our East Texas Writers Guild, Brinda Carey takes you through her experiences of growing up being "abused"; in several ways. 

In addition to her story, the book is a virtual treasure trove of phone numbers, websites and other ways to connect to groups and associations to help curb this cancer on our society. I bought a book to give away,  I started reading it at the office and continued that night (reading my hardbound copy) until I finished the story.  The soft cover, I am  giving to anyone that asks for it.  If more than one asks for it, I will make a "number lot" and have someone at the office to draw the winning number.

Even if you don't buy the book, (but it is loaded with information on warning signs and other helpful information), please drop by her website and give her a note of support.  The won't take long..

Let me know if you are interested in the "free raffle".

Thanks,,

http://www.brindacarey.com/

Ok,, I am bite'n It Off

Bite'n off more than one can chew is sometimes right up my alley.  Zig Ziegler,  who is a master motivational speaker, once wrote in the foward of his upcoming book that he weighed much less than what he actually did at the time.  He figgered that in six months, at 2 pounds a day it would be a snap.  In fact, it would be so easy that he waited another 3 months to even start his diet.  Well, old Zig is never wrong in my book,,, This Old Codger decided that I needed a "playhouse".  A room, buidling, or hut down by the barn in which to do some "reed'n, rite'n and no rithmatic", so I mentioned this to The Boss.

"Ok, but what about the outside, covered reading deck that you promised to build for me?"  (Now you imagine her look for yourself.)

"OK, Dear,, but I was going to do that and not tell you and let it be a surprise."..(Now imagine the look I got with that.)  "But now I guess it won't be a surprise."  (Ok I know that is lame, but whadda ya gonna do?)

So, I have been working on her deck and it is coming along pretty much on schedule. 

I see you there a'thinkin',,,"what the hell does that have to do with Old Zig?  Well, I will tell you.  Zig talks about his momma trying to get him to do this, that and another, and she would say "Zig, you're just like Grandma's biscuits,,,she used to say 'they squated to rise and got caught in the squat'."  Ok, I will translate;  you have to push to keep going in order to reach your goal, so just like Zig saying that he weighed much lessat the time but had time to lose,  I have "named" my playhouse, (actually the design has developed into a larger room that will sleep one of my girl's families - with a small bathroom)..We'll just have to see how far i get with that.  So to "take my oversized bite "and see if I can chew it,  I am showing you the sign that I made that will hang on the front porch above my rocking chair...  Ok, time for me to "chew".  Now, I will have to hurry up with the "Grammy Deck", and get started on my project.  It wouldn't hurt if ya'll gave me a nudge of encourage every now and then by saying, "How's the hotel a'comin'?"  Rates will be reasonable  :)  :)