Today I opened Eternal Road – The final stop to page 205. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “quality.” No, that isn’t dirt on my finger. It’s a bruise from heaven knows where or how.

Quality by John W. Howell © 2026

“It’s the quality that counts.”

“To me, they all look the same.”

“Well, I can assure you they are not.”

“So what’s the difference?”

“For one, the outside needs to be blemish-free and uniform in color.”

“Okay, a nice uniform brown.”

“Yes.”

“What else?”

“They need to be fresh.”

“How can you tell?”

“You look to see that they are moving. You don’t want one that has passed.”

“I pretty much grab one without all this scrutiny. Never checked to see that they are moving.”

“Which gives rise to an old saying.”

“What’s that?”

“A saying that describes someone who is not very discerning.”

“Okay, I give. What’s the saying?”

“Like a duck on a junebug.”

“I resemble that.”

“No kidding. Like every Mallard on the planet.”

“You Miscoveys are so stuck up.”

“Look, junebug.”

“I’m on it.”