Month: November 2016

Your three words, my little story: Meghan’s words

/ Jim McDonald / 4 Comments

Your three words, my little story
Meghan’s words: headphone, loafers & poster

 

Since you brought up the seventies, let’s talk about them for a few minutes. There’s a saying that goes like this, “If you remember the seventies, you weren’t there.” That basically means, if you weren’t doing the bountiful amount of drugs then you missed the party. If you missed the party, then you probably remember what you did. I guess you can say I was there.

 

I was the type of person that wore raggedy blue jeans and dirty tennis shoes. Not nice slacks and penny LOAFERS.

 

It was a regular occasion for some to get stoned, plug in the HEADPHONE jack and lay around on a bean bag chair. All you needed then was a black light and a POSTER or two.

 

I graduated high school, Carpenter Apprentice School, got married and divorced in the seventies. I drank myself into one DWI and was arrested for marihuana twice. Some kind of way, with help I raised two kids, who now have kids of their own.

 

Thank God my kids and I lived through those times.

How ya like my hat? Flag hat

/ Jim McDonald / 2 Comments

How ya like my hat? Flag hat

 

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United States Of America

 

I was visiting DC yesterday, when I saw a small demonstration in the middle of the street. It caught my eye, because it was colorful and loud. There were only a few dozen people, but still enough to block the road.

 

Even though I know DC very well, the notion of turning around irritated me. Especially, since in my view these people were demeaning my country.

 

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I live about fourty five minutes south of DC

 

I parked fifty feet away, then walked to vender that was selling Americana paraphernalia. I bought a hat, flag and some water.

 

I had no problem sneaking into the small crowd. When I was in the middle of it, I put the hat on and raised my flag high yelling, “Hey! Hey! USA!”

 

I noticed my actions were causing problems with my adversaries, because they started shouldering up to me and were nudging me out.

 

Some by-standers noticed this, so they went to the same vendor and picked up some hats and flags. More and more people joined me in my chant. “Hey! Hey! USA!” We yelled this over and over and soon out numbered the picketers.

 

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God bless America

 

It was quite funny, because some of the demonstrators started chanting with us. Since we outnumbered the incumbents, we started nudging them out.

 

Before you knew it, we were the only ones chanting, then the crowd slowly dissipated until I looked around and I was the only one there.

 

At that point I felt a little stupid standing in the street all by myself, so I left.

 

Is this story fact or fiction?

Your three words, my little story: Nina’s words

/ Jim McDonald / 7 Comments

Your three words, my little story
Nina’s words: dream, mother & heart.

 

Lately, Nina hasn’t been sleeping well. She prays often, drinks a warm glass of milk and of course she does the age old counting of sheep.

 

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Counting sheep

 

When she does fall asleep, it’s only for a brief time. She wakes up abruptly jolting the bed several times a night with no memory of her dreams. Habitually she snuggles up to her husband to feel the comfort she just lost. He always asks, “Are you alright honey?”

 

“Yeah sweetie, can’t sleep again.”

 

For work she needs more than a restless nightmare. Subconsciously she might be afraid to doze off and DREAM, for fear of the nightmarish journey that lies ahead.

 

She doesn’t remember any of the night time trips, except one. It’s about her MOTHER, who passed away many years ago in her sleep. Nina feels ten years old was way to young to lose her mom.

 

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This is an old picture of my mom, Grace.

 

Nina’s son and daughter are in their teens now. She tries to do everything she didn’t have a chance to do with her mom and it seems she’s accomplished that. Proud doesn’t begin to describe how she feels about their relationships.

 

Her home, and it is a home not a house, is the busiest place on the block. All the neighborhood kids like visiting her children. They say, “Your place is teeming with compassion, warmth and filled with HEART.” They all love Nina and feel very safe there.

 

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My home, that I lost in 2014

 

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Another picture of it.

 

Why can’t she sleep? She has great kids, lovely home, good paying job and a sweet understanding husband.

 

A close friend mentioned, “Working out just before you go to bed might help. Or make love to your husband, anything to exhaust you.” This might help her rest, but she still needs to pinpoint the problem. Maybe a sleep professional.

Past, present & plans: 11-5-16

/ Jim McDonald / 10 Comments

Past, present & plans: 11-5-16

 

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Mom on the left, dad then my sister Debbie. This was at the end of my dad’s life.

 

Past

 

Dad was disking the field one afternoon, when I was relaying a message from mom. It was a normal occurrence to step on the draw bar while the tractor was in use.

 

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The bottom curved bar is a draw bar. It’s used to attach different impliments to a tractor

 

I guess, I wasn’t on my game that day, because for some reason, I put my left leg on the left rear tire. The tire then pulled me forward, till I was hopping on the ground. When my left leg hit the ground my right leg was pulled between the tire and the tractor.

 

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This isn’t an Allis Chambers, but you can get an idea where my leg was caught.

 

Dad was able to stop quickly because he was dragging the disk. When it stopped I was able to pull my leg out.

 

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This is similar to the disk we had.

 

Nothing was broken, but there was a sizeable gash above my right knee. So dad took me to Malcom Grow Hospital at Andrews Air Force Base, which was about twenty minutes away in the late sixties.

 

I didn’t cry, but I sure felt stupid. It didn’t appear that bad to me and it didn’t hurt. Staying over night in the hospital was cool, again I was the center of attention. Mom picked me up the next day and we went for ice cream and a lecture.

 

I had a nice story for school though, which just happened to be called Malcom Elementary. I never realized the same names till writing it down just now.

 

Present

 

Gwyn Dooley and I, you know Gwyn as a guest blogger, started on the Atkins Diet last Monday. I’ve done this diet before and lost ninety seven pounds in seven months After three days, I was in Ketosis and my energy level was high. It’s also good for my type two Diabetes.

 

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Gwyn Dooley

 

On payday I went shopping for no carb foods and I also bought some foods with no carbs but had sweetener’s in it, that are not supposed to be used in this diet. Those sweeteners produce spikes of sugar and can cause me to go over the twenty carbs a day. Today I start all over.

 

Plans

 

I will continue on the diet, but with a different agenda this time. Keeping my blood sugar down is the main reason. Secondly, I want to lose the access weight and thirdly I need more energy.

 

The waterfront lot with the camper fell through. However, the lot is still in play. I’m looking into selling my house boat and buying the lot, then moving my thirty four foot camper on it. I think I mentioned part of this in a earlier post.

 

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Remove the trailer and the lot might be mine soon.

Your three words, my little story: Ernie’s words

/ Jim McDonald / 6 Comments

Your three words, my little story
Ernie’s words: Liz, life and unfair

 

He was standing in the road next to his car yelling, “It makes no sense, none at all! LIFE is so UNFAIR!” Then he locked his car and started walking to town. How could he possibly forget to buy gas?

 

He figured the gas station was seven miles away. So if he got gas later and walked straight to the restaurant he would be two hours late from ordering his meal. The only way he can make it on time, is if someone picked him up.

 

~~~~~

 

He was supposed to meet LIZ a half an hour ago and then meet her parents for the first time in ten minutes. He knows she’s worried about him, but there’s nothing he could do about it.

 

He just passed Lost River when he heard a vehicle behind him. Maybe he can still meet her parents for dinner if this car picked him up. It just happened to be a friend of his, so he knew he would only be a few minutes late.