Month: August 2016

Past, present & plans 8-6-16

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

Past
One night me, my brother and cousins were playing some kind of ball in the front yard at the Lanham house. This is the first time I remember that the grass would itch if I would roll around in it while hot and sweaty. Someone threw the ball to the left of the house, since I was the closest I got to it first. I thought I saw aunt Bernice in a flowing white gown. Wondering how she got there and changed clothes so quick baffled me, because I just saw her sitting on the front porch. All of a sudden the figure turned away from me and headed toward the fence. What happened next scared me to my bones, the figure kind of glided over the fence and kept heading up into the night sky. I guess it was moving at about a forty degree angle from the ground. I was so afraid that when it was about ten feet or so passed the fence I turned and ran back to the front yard. I was yelling about what I just saw, when I saw aunt Bernice still on the front porch. She sat there and grinned at me while most of the kids ran to the side of the house and saw nothing. However they believed me. I have never forgotten that and have no explanation for it.

Present
I found out today that one of those cousins is in a bad way with her Amyloidosis. Amy for short, is a rare disease that occurs, when an abnormal protein called Amyloid builds up in the major organs, bones and/or tissue. Of course just like any other cancer it can be very painful. There is no cure for it and her brothers and sisters have already died from it over the years.

Plans
I got an email from a friend today urging me to keep writing. Very nice of him to show interest in my guest for story telling by the written word. He said, “you should write thirty minutes a day.” Regardless of what is happening in that particular day. I have to repeat my thought, it was nice to hear that. As I am trying to get this blog off the ground, it takes at least an hour per story and I’m trying to post one or two stories a day.

Your three words, my little story: Darla’s words (true story)

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

Your three words, my little story: Darla’s words: mercy, pain & happiness (true story)

It was that time of year again and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Does anyone look forward to going to the Dentist? Todays visit was just a cleaning, but when your teeth are as bad as mine it still hurts a little. I can only hope that the doctor has MERCY on me. She seems to be very capable of doing her job and somewhat compassionate while doing it. Well the cleaning went well and I was so happy to be out of there and sitting in front of the receptionist making my next appointment.

I know I just left a cleaning, but I was hungry. Thinking it was better if I didn’t eat before seeing my Dentist, especially since I just brushed my teeth and gargled. Sitting down the street at the “Dash In” counter with my tasty Monday lunch always brings me pleasure. Normally this lunch is spicy chicken wings, potato wedges and a soda. Sometimes the ice in the soda causes PAIN in my teeth, because of the cold. So I give a little pause every time, before the first drink.

One of my favorite places to be is sitting in front of some water with a fishing pole in hand. It is nice to catch a fish, but the best part is being alone in my thoughts. Pure HAPPINESS is a lost feeling now a days, but I know when I’m in it. Normally catching a fish is a added joy.

How ya like my hat?

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

How ya like my hat? Irish hat

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I was at a concert in Ireland the other day and it was crazy. Some of my friends didn’t make it out, like Raymond and Wally. Too bad for them, because I liked them. Well life goes on and on and on. Since it was an AC/DC concert I had to get a hat.

 
Heading back to the states I was proudly wearing my new AC/DC hat, when one of the flight attendants asked, “Are you Irish?”

 
I said, “No, why do you ask?”

 
She said, “Well the hat.”

 
“You mean my AC/DC hat?”

 
“No. I mean your Irish hat.” I took the hat off turned it around and then realized it said Irish. I guess it’s a good thing my name is McDonald.

 

Just messing, I bought for $2 at a local thrift store.

 

Your three words, my little story

/ Jim McDonald / 2 Comments

Matt’s words: air, water and land

As you would expect his sea legs felt different on the fourteen footer as it did on his hundred and fifty six foot yacht. While on a small boat he feels every little wave and his balance might take a hit. It would be easy to lose his balance and go overboard, however on his yacht he hardly feels the WATER at all. Sometimes he forgets he’s on the water till he sees it.

His yacht was a pleasure boat not a fishing boat. If he really wanted to fish though he could go to the stern, where there is a set of steps that lead down to a hidden area called The Fishing Den. It has a stereo, TV, frig, small bar, bench seats and a couple of fishing chairs setup up for the big fish. Matt quit smoking last year and that use to be his favorite place to smoke. Now he doesn’t go down there much, because of the memories.

It seems the freshest AIR is at the helm, but it could be because he loves being Captain Matt and the helm is the place to be. He loves breathing better and his wheezing seems to have lessened.

As usual, when ever his son sees LAND he yells, land ho. Even though it normally isn’t the direction they want to go, so everyone usually ignores him. Matt threatened to throw him overboard once if he didn’t stop yelling it. It never phased the kid as he continues to yell every chance he gets, then he looks at his dad and grins.

Past, present & plans

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

Past

Still living in Lanham, I had a friend that lived up on the hill called Ronald. When ever we hung out at school the kids would call us Ronald McDonald. His first name and my last. I don’t think it bothered Ronald that much, but it did me. I believe that was the first time kids made fun of my name and I let it effect me. I don’t know for sure, but not to long after that me and Ronald stopped hanging out. Could have been his move or mine, I’m not sure.

Present

Today was payday, that means I go to Maries and get my favorite breakfast: cream chip beef gravy over biskets, home fries smotherd with gravy, two eggs over medium and bacon. This is the breakfast I was raised on, except for it was sausage gravy. After that I payed all my monthly bills, filled up with gas, bought four cases of water and bought half of the months groceries. Before I went to Starbucks, I went home and unloaded the water and groceries. It wasn’t real hot today, but toten all that out of the van and onto the boat took a lot out of me. Sometimes moving things from land to the boat can be diffacult, depends on how the water is acting. The COPD almost got the best of me today, due to all the action. I’ll pay for it tomorrow.

Plans

An eighty six year old friend of mine (Matt) is writing an autobiography and sometimes I help with the computer end of his writing. I’ll help him tomorrow for a couple of hours. I met Matt a couple of years ago at our Creative Writing course at the local college. We’ve become pretty good friends since then.