Month: August 2016

How ya like my hat? Jordan River (true story)

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

 How ya like my hat? Jordan River (true story)

 

    I bought this hat, when I was in Israel in 1995. As I packed for the Ten Day Holy Land Tour, I never thought about a hat to keep the sun off my head. There was sun and sand everywhere, Israel’s color was tan with not much greenery. Our guide took us down to a bend in a little river where a friend of mine got baptized. She was part of our group, but also from my church. I was all ready baptized, but I really wanted to do it again, because it was the Jordan River. Wow, the Jordan River, to cool.

     I had a chance to ride a camel while I was there, but my pastor talked me out of it. He said they are filthy smelling animals and I would smell bad all day long. So I decided not to. I’ve regretted that decision ever since. I will probably never get a chance to ride a camel again.

     This picture was previously posted in Facebook on March 4, 2013

 

 


Your three words, my little story

/ Jim McDonald / 2 Comments

Bill’s words: music, island & earth

Not another sound on this cool crisp dawn, other than birds chirping, fish popping and MUSIC playing on his phone. Bill comes here three or four times a week to be alone in his thoughts. He’s really not a fisherman, often he doesn’t bring a fishing pole and when he does he hardly ever uses it. The point of this time is being still on the EARTH as it spins on it’s axis.
Most of his thoughts are of his wife and their little farm, that’s their sanctuary and they love it. He also gives brief thoughts to yesterday’s ups and downs, before preparing and heading to work for the daily grind.
Next week they’re taking a vacation to Hawaii. This is something they hardly ever do. Not because they can’t afford it, because they can. They just love home, however they feel they need a break from their friend Jim. Jim’s a nice guy, but he always seems to be there. He’s always trying to talk them into these crazy little adventures. This adventure is theirs and it will be without him, on an ISLAND far, far away from him.

Past, present & plans

/ Jim McDonald / Leave a comment

 

Past

After the school was built, me and my sister were riding our bikes on one of the new streets next to where we use to catch frogs. Debbie fell off her bike and cut a big gash in her leg. I wanted to help, but I had no idea of what to do. I was so afraid for my little sister, me being the big brother I was supposed to take care of her. If I yelled for mom or dad they wouldn’t hear me. I don’t think she could have walked home, so for what seemed like ages I knelt next to her stunned. It was probably less than a minute when a man came out of one of the new houses picked her up in his arms and carried her home. I left my bike there got Debbie’s and showed him where we lived. I don’t remember ever seeing him again, but he is one of the people that will come to mind sometimes, when I think of my sister. Not every day, every week or even every year, but sometimes I think of him. That’s the kind of person I want to grow up to be.

 Present

I am officially retired and disabled now. I get one dollar for disability, that’s enough to keep all my disability benefits. Thank you Lord God, because there is no way I would be able to go to the doctors without it. Now I get paid on the third instead of the first, so when my monthly phone bill came due yesterday I didn’t have the money to renew. My internet, phone and of course texting is all rolled up in that one little computer. I’m going to try and go till the fifth this month without paying the bill in hopes that it won’t come due again till a full thirty days later. I hope they don’t say, that next month’s bill will come due at the beginning of the month. I’m sitting at Starbucks with my phone and computer on their WiFi writing this.

 Plans

I hope to make a go of this blog, since I get the bare minimum the government can give someone for retirement. Hoping that maybe somewhere down the road this can make me some money.

How ya like my hat? Starbucks (true story)

/ Jim McDonald / 5 Comments

How ya like my hat? Starbucks (true story)

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Yesterday I was visiting one of my favorite places, the La Plata Starbucks in Southern Maryland. The first place I look, when I walk in the door is to the left, at the corner, my corner. Good, no one was there, because that’s my spot, yep my spot. Of course it’s not really, but it seems like it is. I’m there all the time and the staff treats me like family, everyone makes me feel right at home. The corner receptacle receives my plug so often I’m about to install a mail box.

The other day Alvin walked over and gave me this hat and said, “Your paycheck will be here on Friday.” We both laughed as I took the hat, then we chatted for a while about Christmas in April, which is one of his favorite projects.

I said, “thank you so much for the hat. I’ll add it to my Facebook folder, How ya like my hat?”

“You don’t have to do that. You’re here so often, now you’re an honorary part of the crew.”

“It’s always good to feel a part of.”

“Yes it is. Gotta go, see you Jim.”

“Later.”

I was trying to start a feature at Starbucks called Norm Day. It’s from the TV show Cheers, every time Norm would walk in the bar, everyone would yell, “Norm!” Well at Starbucks it would go like this: Once a week slow evening, picked by the owner of course, Starbucks would pick a name out of a hat, so to speak. Let’s say between five and seven, when someone would walk in the door the staff would yell the name of that day. If your name matched the name called you would get one free drink, no refills. However I can think of several ways the bad guys can cheat. So far it hasn’t grown any legs.

Actually, I asked Alvin for a hat and he gladly gave it to me.