This 'n That 'n Gravel Roads

I write stories for our local newspaper.  This is one of them.

This ‘n that ‘n Gravel Roads

This is a different kind of blog.  I”ve been chasin’ thoughts around my head for weeks, trying to corner just one  but it’s been like trying to nail jello to a tree.  I’ve come up with lots of subjects but not one can be turned into a real blog so I’m going to use them all.  You’ll need to stay on your toes ‘cause I’m gonna move pretty fast from one to the next.  Ya ready?

Quick observation.  Since when does taxi drivers ask a person why they want to go where they want to go?  I can only assume that my reason to go where I wanted to go had to meet their approval?  Oh well…I either lost the phone signal or they hung up on me.  What ever happened to being professional?  Doesn’t matter as I probably won’t try that again.

Everyone is talking about the sizzling hot weather the past few weeks.  It’s sure different than last year.  The other day I was puzzled to what I was hearing and it took me awhile to figure it out.  It was nothing.  I mean literally nothing, silence.  No air conditioners humming or fans droning on and on endlessly.  It was kinda eerie.  I’d forgotten what it was like.  Then there was those other sounds…a cardinal singing and doves cooing.  Locust with their notifying us that summer is in full swing and winding down.  I could hear vehicles on the street to assure me that I really wasn’t the last living body on this hot, hot earth.  Sigh…but it didn’t last long and the humming ‘n droning are back.

Wednesday, my landlord had to fix my water heater.  Of course nuttin’ is easy with frozen nuts ‘n bolts and so on.  He replaced both heating elements and the pressure release valve.  In the process he spilled water on the carpet but that was dry-able.  What happened later was preventable had it not been for being in denial…that’s where I came in.

I sat a little fan on the floor and then this lil inner voice told me not to run it all night as in my ripe old age I’d probably forget about it and fall over it.  That’s when denial stepped in.  Me?  Forget? I left it running and went to bed with smug determination to just prove my point…cocksure I wouldn’t forget anything.  And I didn’t the first two times…yeah I need to do something about my over-active-middle-of-the-night-excursions.

Anyway, alas I did forget the next time and when I stubbed my toe on it, I was so startled I lost my balance, fell onto the toilet, the loose toilet seat slide sideways and broke the plastic bolt and I went face first into the wall and nearly became a chunky wedgie between said toilet and wall.  Only on hindsight is it funny so you may laugh…go on, you have my permission.  It only hurt for a little while and no lasting damage, thank goodness.  Now I have the new toilet seat I’ve been wanting…a wooden one.

I’ve been thinking about “Hopscotch Summers”, you know, when I was a kid and it took a whole box of chalk to make one hopscotch pattern on the sidewalk.  Nowadays kids have big fat chalk sticks…and in color no less…lucky kids.  I have to say I wax melancholy when I think of my childhood in the fifties.  It was idyllic.  I’d given some thought to writing about gravel roads.  There aren’t many anymore.  Do we still have road graders?  You know, those huge roaring monsters with the big front blade.  As a kid we watched earnestly for the roadgrader man 'cause he threw us sticks of chewing gum!  Can you imagine kids nowadays getting so excited over sticks of gum?  Well…me neither! 

I shant get started on reminiscing about the fifties for I never seem to be able to find a stopping point.  Who knows, maybe I’ll write a simple book about those simple times…someday.

So now I bring my rambling to a close.  I hope everyone is having a delicious summer in spite of the heat and all the rain or as my little poem says…

The weather's hot, the rains won't stop,
I'm about to float away,
The grass is green, long and lean...
geez, I'll need to bale it like summer hay!
Humidity's high, nothing is dry,
I stick to whatever I touch,
Energy drained, joints are pained,
just breathing is about too much!
Vacation's spent, now I don't have a cent
and I'm worn out from having fun,
Back to the grind, bored out of my mind
and can't even loll in the sun.
But I shouldn't complain about all this rain
as I watch all the water flow,
It could be worse, to put it real terse....
it's better than 10 feet of snow!

(Copyright bldavid)

Until next time…keep smilin’…