Author: John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

Views of the Neighborhood – End of Summer Potpourri and #Tinypies

September 5, 2021September 5, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments

Hello again. Today we are going to wrap up the summer with a tour around the neighborhood. You can expect anything since this will be a random mix of some scenes from the last week.

Our catered brunch is from Tiny Boxwoods in Austin. Our entertainment is the Boss Bruce Springsteen.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

yogurt, house granola, berries, banana, honey
Santa Barbara Bowl

blended acai, strawberries, and banana, topped with house granola, goji berries, fresh fruit & honey
Blueberry Pancakes

blueberry compote, whipped honey butter, warm maple syrup, bacon, or sausage
Avocado Toast

smoked salmon, fried egg, sun-dried tomatoes, lime, salt, red pepper, honey, sourdough
Mother’s Breakfast

mother’s sausage or bacon, scrambled eggs, white cheddar grits, warm biscuit, strawberry jam, whipped honey butter
Southside

scrambled eggs, cheddar, avocado mash, tomatillo salsa, warm tortillas
Migas

scrambled eggs, cheddar, pork carnitas, onions, peppers, tomatillo salsa, warm tortillas
Chilaquiles

tortillas, pork carnitas, black beans, feta, tomatillo salsa, cilantro avocado crema, ranchero sauce
Our white wine today -Domaine de la Meulière Chablis 2018 – Burgundy, France
Our red wine today – Château Patrabet Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016 – Bordeaux, France
Top-shelf cocktails, soft drinks, endless coffee and tea

The bus is ready.

Our first stop begins a study in trash oddities. A comfy chair is no longer required.

An office chair on the way out.

Looks like work at home took its toll on this one.

Forget the shade.

Now a nice deer family. Mom, dad, and the kids.

“I love my geodome.”

“Mom. Quit scratching and look at that man over there.”

Getting ready for Halloween. Tree of ghouls and giant skeleton.

Whoops, like magic. A one-eyed minion and caldron have been added. We need to come back as the collection grows.

A big ole chunk of celestine on a mailbox.

For those of you who don’t live in the Austin area, the idea of a Tiny Pies moving into your neighborhood means little. But, for us, it is like the 21st century has finally reached our door.

These are, for the most part, one serving pies in savory and sweet selections. (We like to split ours) They do have select family sizes as well. (our favorite is King Ranch Casserole pie)

They are made fresh every day.

They have a take and bake option too. This is the way we used to do it when we had to drive 40 minutes each way. Now they are five minutes away, so maybe we’ll let them bake ours.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, and thank you for your patience while I raved about Tiny Pies. Sit back. Have some food and listen to the Boss.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Pin

September 4, 2021September 3, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 60 Comments

I opened a nice cold bottle of VooDoo Ranger and poured it into my chilled glass. I whistled for Twiggy and Lucy to follow me to the back patio. We all got comfy on the chaise and kicked back to enjoy the sun and the conversation of the birds. I took a sip of my brew, and something caught my eye in the deep robin’s egg blue sky. A Cessna 172 just came into sight after passing the tree line. I thought the plane was pretty low but didn’t believe there was any cause for concern since the Lakeway airport was less than a mile away.

My mind told me the plane was on a downwind leg of an approach even though he should have been about 500 feet higher. Feeling the draw of the cold, bubbly, hoppy beverage, I brought my glass to my lips while keeping an eye on the plane. To my surprise, just as the craft got overhead, the pilot’s door opened slightly, and a bright red object was jettisoned. Like many Warner Brothers cartoons, the object got bigger and bigger as its trajectory brought it closer and closer to the Earth. It became apparent the red sphere was going to impact the three of us on the chaise. I shouted to the pups to head for cover, and like all good dogs, they obeyed without question.

It was too late for me, and the sphere enveloped the upper half of my body. All I could see was red and felt the wetness that could only have been my life’s fluid splattered the length and breadth of the patio. Trying to breathe was difficult until I pulled the membrane away from my mouth. It was then I discovered I had been hit with a large water balloon. Stuck to my forehead was a soggy piece of paper with the following message. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “pin.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you would like to have, fun visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2021/09/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-sept-4-2021/

Yes, Twiggy and Lucy were fine. Yes, my VooDoo Ranger needed to be replaced. Yes, there was the name ACME Balloon Works on the remnants of the balloon. No, I didn’t get the tail number of the plane.

“So again, you take up half the morning with your prologue.”

“Is that what it was?”

“Well, anyway, what are you going to do with ‘pin?'”

“I thought I would talk about college romance.”

“Huh?”

“You know where boy meets girl and gives her his fraternity pin as a show of his commitment.”

“You sure they still do that?”

“No, but it was an idea. Could be a terrific story.”

“Or maybe like a pin in the eye.”

“Come on. I thought it was unique.”

“If you can pin a date, maybe this could be a nostalgia piece.”

“Didn’t you mean pinpoint a date.”

“Yeah, sure, but that wouldn’t let me use the word ‘pin.'”

“I see. You don’t want me to pin the title of spoilsport on you.”

“Yes indeed. We are really in the swing now, but don’t pin your hopes on scoring bonus points.”

“I didn’t hear anything about bonus points.”

“Yeah, forget it.”

“How about we go to the bowling alley?”

“We don’t bowl.”

“They have beer, and hundreds of things that start with a ‘p.'”

“People?”

“I wonder if the plural of pin counts?”

“Oh, I get it. Each alley has a pin times ten.”

“You are a genius.”

“Which means you are buying.”

“Gladly. I have saved my pin money.”

“We can stop now.”

“The ball is headed for the pin. This could be a hole in one.”

“We can do without the golf tournament impersonation. Whispering Joe Wilson, right?”

“That was bowling. I was thinking of Chris Schkenel.”

“Pin the tail on the donkey.”

“You said it. Not me. Let’s go before they pin us as idiots.”

“Too late.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF

September 3, 2021September 2, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 54 Comments

“We doing sun bath today, Little One?”
“Yeah until Dad starts using the ladder.”
“He doesn’t make much noise.”
“He does when he falls off.”
“Good point.”

Another Friday has graced us with its presence. So good to see you Friday, you looker you. Have a seat. Soon it will be the weekend,, and we thank you for leading us there.

We all have to send prayers to those affected by Hurricane Ida. Having survived Harvey, I can tell you it will be a rough road ahead for everyone. Also, our friends on the East Coast are having their challenges with the rain resulting from the storm. Our hearts go out to them as well.

The thirteen Marines killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan landed at Dover Air Force base. We pray their families will at some point come to some element of peace knowing they are back. I also hope there will be some justice for those responsible for these deaths. I applaud both sides of the Congressional aisle who are demanding answers. Since the administration wants to move the Afghanistan story off page one as soon as possible, I hope those with conscience keep asking for a detailed account of what caused such a mess.

Some politicians are crowing that the withdrawal was a big success since over 100,000 people were evacuated. I tend to think about the 10% of American citizens who are still trapped in the country and, of course, the thirteen who gave their lives. Yeah, call me old-fashioned,, but success would have been no lives lost and 100% of our citizens saved.

Texas finished the meteorological summer with the coolest weather in 13 years. Our temperature was down for the three-month period by 0.58 degrees, and we only had four 100 degree days. So we will have to see what September has in store.

Today’s JohnKu talks about the weather (What else?) I hope you have a wonderful Weekend.

It takes one who knows,

To guide us through the weather . . .

Or just flip a coin.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy Needs Entertainment.

September 2, 2021September 1, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 111 Comments

“Hey, Lucy. Do you want to play with Eel?

“Gee, I was just getting ready for a nap.”

“Yeah, but look how much fun we can have.”

“Call the boss; maybe he’ll play with you.”

“Ah, Dad. Let’s do the tug-o-war.”

“Sure, Anything you want.”

“That’s the ticket. Now drag me.”

“You sure your teeth can stand it.”

“Hey, Lucy. Look at me. Being dragged.”

“Let me just imagine it, Little one.”

“I’m coming back by you. Want to play too.”

“Goodness. What part of nap didn’t you get?”

“Okay then. I let go.”

“Sure your teeth are okay?”

“They are fine. Why do you ask?”

“Well, being hauled around with your whole weight on them.”

“You calling me fat?”

“No, I’m not. Just concerned about your teeth. Now remove yourself from my face.”

“I think she was calling me fat.”

“Was not.”

“What do you think?”

“Who are you talking to? The boss left.”

“My friends, Lucy. My friends.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 327 by Keith Channing

August 31, 2021August 30, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 69 Comments

In Keiths words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”

The photo.

“Everyone, please be careful. We have been working at this site for over a year.”

“I hear you have turned up nothing but this one artifact.”

“That is correct. It appears the civilization disappeared without a trace.”

“Except for this one artifact.”

“Quite true, Ambrose. We are almost certain others will be found, but so far, this is all the evidence we have that anyone existed here before.”

“So, how would you describe the artifact, professor.”

“You can see for yourself that it is green and make out of a substance that is hard and clear.”

“Do you have a guess as to its age?”

“It is tough to determine since we would have to take a piece of it and then do a dating process. However, given the low level of technology, I would put this object in the twenty-first century, say around 2021.”

“Wow, professor, that was five thousand years ago.”

“I know, er, what was your name again?”

“Tantius.”

“Ah, yes, Tantius, the son of Truntious. It is over five thousand years. You see, back then, humans used to walk around with sustenance in containers. These were made out of silica and were a very crude method of portability compared to our standards.”

“Why did they need to carry sustenance, Professor.”

“No one is sure Tantius. They had a term for it. They called it carry-out.”

“Wasn’t that what helped make them extinct?”

“Well done, Ambrose. Yes, their carry-out finally did them in. Unfortunately, they did not know how to dispose of these containers, so their rivers and oceans finally ran dry with the magnitude of the waste.”

“Yet this is the only artifact.”

“It is a little poetic, isn’t it? I suppose we will never know where all the dross finally went. However, we should be thankful that it is gone.”

“What are you going to do with this artifact?”

“We will wrap it and carefully transport it back to Tandox. They can study it more there and will be able to lift the traces of matter that will identify the last user of this container.”

“What then?”

“The matter can be used to replicate the user for further study.”

“I would love to see that. They say humans only had two eyes.”

“Yes, Tantis. They were definitely inferior to our race. If they hadn’t eliminated themselves, they would be no match for us. Unfortunately, we only have sketchy descriptions of them, but they seemed to be ill-equipped for survival. Well, are we ready to head back to the classroom?”

“Speaking for myself, this has been a fascinating discussion. I could really go for some lunch.”

“Lovely, Tantis, thank you. We have some fresh dung waiting for us when we get back, which I’m sure you will enjoy.”

Top Ten Things Not to do While Visiting a Doctor

August 30, 2021August 29, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 85 Comments

This post was originally run on August 15, 2014. I think it remains relevant today. Also, I’m at Story Empire today discussing Lewin’s Change Process if you care to pop over there too. Here’s the link.

* * *

Here is the 60th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do. The inspiration for this came from sitting in several doctor’s offices this week.

Top Ten Things Not to do While Visiting a Doctor

10. If you visit a doctor, do not listen to your tunes with earphones while in the waiting room. If you do, at best, you will miss your name and have a few more hours wait. At worst, you will start humming one of your favorites and will be asked to wait in the hallway until your name is called.

9. If you are visiting a doctor, do not smile at the old lady sitting across from you even though she is smiling at you. If you do, at best, she will think you nuts since her smile will turn out to be gas. At worst, she will think you are being fresh and give you a nice whack with her cane.

8. If you are visiting a doctor, remember to turn off your cellphone. If you don’t, at best, you will get some annoying notifications. At worst, you will get a call from another doctor’s office wanting to discuss your last test results.

7. If you are visiting a doctor, do not touch anything in the office waiting room. If you do, at best, you will only catch a cold. At worst, you will be in line for the next case of Rona since the last case finished with the magazine you are reading now.

6. If you are visiting a doctor, do not attempt any doctor humor. If you do, at best, you will bomb like Henny Youngman at an NRA convention. At worst, you will keep wondering about not being able to feel your leg after the shot from the humorless one in charge.

5. If you are visiting a doctor, do not try to get in without paying your co-payment amount. If you do, at best, you will be called back to the front to the amusement of all the patients. At worst, you will meet the biggest medical technician who will hold you upside down until you pay up.

4. If you are visiting a doctor, do not go through any of the cabinets in the examination room. If you do, at best, you will see some unusual instruments that will make you want to leave immediately. At worst, the doctor will walk in just as you come across the samples of products designed to prevent sexually transmitted disease

3. If you are visiting a doctor, do not ask questions about the degrees posted on the walls. If you do, at best, you will find they don’t belong to your doctor. At worst, you will find out your doctor went to a rival school to yours and one known for its status as a party university.

2. If you are visiting a doctor, do not ask for samples of drugs. If you do, at best, you will be given a lecture about the evils of addiction. At worst, you will be escorted to the interrogation room of the local DEA office, where there will be difficult questions about what you know and when you knew it.

1. If you are visiting a doctor, do not forget to bring your medication list. If you forget, at best, your doctor will prescribe something similar to what you already take. At worst, your doctor will prescribe drugs that have contraindications to what you take, and you will be found tomorrow wandering naked in the middle of the street babbling something about the giant pink elephant.

Views of the Neighborhood – New Construction – Take Two

August 29, 2021August 29, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 104 Comments

Hi gang. Today we are going back to the house under construction in the neighborhood. There has been some progress, and frankly, it has been a slow week in terms of events in Lakeway. We are being catered to brunch by the Launderette in Austin. Our entertainment is The Bangles.

Rainbow Bowl

beet hummus, quinoa, roasted carrots, sprouts, sesame, soft egg

Salmon Gravlax

sesame bagel, cream cheese, capers, tomato, red onion, sprouts

English Muffin Sammi

scrambled egg, deer creek cheddar, fennel sausage, avocado, romesco

Benny Toast

poached eggs, sauce aligot, braised greens, truffle hollandaise, toasted focaccia

Fried Chicken Sammie

coriander poblano slaw, pickles, challah

Plancha Burger

American cheese, special sauce, pickles, challah

The Americana

sunny eggs, oyster mushroom, roasted tomato, bacon, toast

Pork Shoulder Hash

potato, brussels sprouts, sunny eggs, salsa verde

Roasted Chicken Salad

bibb lettuce, radicchio, frisee, summer squash, pickled cucumber, soft egg, quinoa furikake, miso pear butter

Accompaniments

Potato Latkes creme fraiche, apple sauce

Bacon, Pork Sausage

Also, top-shelf drinks, wine, and VooDoo Ranger IPA

So, hop on the bus, and let’s go.

As a reminder, this is how the house looked the last time we were here.

Here is a similar shot of how it looks today. Notice the sliders and the Stucco toward the rear. The drywall is in.

Here is a shot of the right side. There is a rock wall being built.

We are now inside between the two sliders on the main floor. I guessed there would be a fireplace, and there it is

The kitchen with a mammoth island

Utility room.

The view is out of the main living area.

The primary bath and behind it a walk-in closet.

A door in the primary bedroom to the deck.

Bathroom on the lower level. I thought I would include this shot sine I like the window over the shower.

Lower level living area. The pool will be to the right through the sliders.

A lot of the rooms have pocket doors. Here is one example of a lower level bedroom which can be shut away by sliding the pocket door closed.

Here is a view of the left side. I included this so you can get an idea of the stucco work. I have a suspicion that the green part is going to be stone of some kind. We’ll just have to wait and see.

That is the tour. Grab some more food and listen to the Bangles. I hope you all have a great week.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – My/Yours

August 28, 2021August 27, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 58 Comments

My day started like most. I first went to the Bentley dealer and checked out a new turbo convertible for a test ride. The dealer wanted to make the whole idea more complicated, but I convinced them that as a world-famous influencer, it would be worth their while to let me drive the car. Out I cruised in a spanking clean black Saffire convertible with a fawn interior. I decided to head for the countryside, to open this baby up to see what it could do.

I turned up the Bang & Olufsen, 1500W, 16 speakers, and 16-channel amp so that I could surround myself with concert-level music. I was living the dream with beautiful sound and the wind in my hair until I noticed a huge USPS 18 wheeler was slowly moving over into my lane. It was clear the driver did not see me. If he had seen me,, he would have known it is bad to crowd someone in a Bentley. I decided to apply the ample brakes and let him move over.

Suddenly, his right wheels hit the shoulder, spraying the Bentley with what must have been a thousand rocks. I have never seen so many spiderweb cracks in a windshield before. I was forced to pull over. The USPS driver stopped as well and came walking back to where I sat. He handed me an envelope and a card. The card had a phone number to call to place a claim. The envelope was addressed to me and was from Linda Hill. The driver mentioned I should probably take my Ford to the dealer for an estimate first before making a claim. I thanked him and got out of the Bentley. Given all the dents, the Bentley did indeed look like a Ford Galaxy 500. I sighed and thanked him and opened the envelope. Here is what was inside.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “my.” Start your post with the word “My.” Bonus points if you end your post with “yours.” Enjoy!

I think I was lucky to start the post with “my.”

If you would like to enjoy it as well, visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2021/08/27/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-aug-28-2021/

“My brain just can’t figure out why do you go through all that introduction stuff.”

“I enjoy writing a narrative is the only reason. Talking with you all the time makes me stale.”

“Stale? Boring don’t you mean?”

“Well maybe that too.”

“What’s the prompt?”

“Weren’t you listening?”

“To be frank I think I dozed off when you brought up the sound system in the Bentley.”

“You shoulda been there. It was sweet. The prompt is ‘My/Yours.’ Start the post with ‘my,’ end with ‘yours.'”

“Okay so you nailed the ‘my’ already. Before I ask what you’re going to do with ‘yours,’ what happened when you took that Bentley back to the dealer?”

“You should have seen his face. I have to laugh every time I think of it.”

“Weren’t you nervous?”

“No, as I said while you were taking a nap I had a claim number from the USPS.”

“But still.”

“He did rant and rave a while. Threatened to put the three hundred thou on my credit card.”

“That would have been humorous.”

“Just imagine the folks at VISA when a Bentley dealer calls to charge a Bentley to my account.”

“I’m sure the decline would have burnt his ear hairs.”

“Yeah I just opened the door and walked away. I have to say, sadly that car looked like a golf ball.”

“Well alls well that ends well. How about a beer?”

“Sounds good. Who’s turn to buy?”

“I’m going to answer you with a response that you don’t dare dispute.”

“Why?”

“If you do you won’t get the bonus points.”

“How can that be. Who’s turn?”

“Wait for it. . . .Yours.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

August 27, 2021August 26, 2021 ~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

“Hey, Dad. You need any help?”
“No thanks. I think I can handle it.”
“When’s dinner then?”

Another Friday is here, and we can all give thanks. We can look forward to a weekend of rest.

This was a busy week all around. I am glad to report I have made some headway on my WIP. The one additional day of not blogging has opened up some valuable time, and I have put it to good use. When my book is finished, I will be returning to Wednesday Story Day because, quite frankly, I miss the characters that come out of such an endeavor. So stand by since one day it will happen.

It is very hard not to comment on the developments in Afghanistan. The latest polls show the President’s handling of the pullout not meeting favor with the public. I noticed the German government has promised the Taliban hundreds of millions in aid to allow its citizens to leave. This starts a journey on a very slippery slope in which the Taliban can begin to auction off groups of people that a country might see as vital. Of course, Biden was asked by the German’s to extend the date, and so far, he has refused. This sets up the possibility for the Taliban to do what it does best; hold hostages for ransom. Since I don’t want to get political, I’ll leave it there. I just believe Americans expected much more than the humiliation we see in Afghanistan. Now that there has been one bomb explosion at the Kabul airport, I hope it doesn’t get worse.

It was good to see the FDA give final approval to the Pfizer vaccine. Now maybe some holdouts will feel more comfortable getting a jab. It is hard to believe the number of cases of COVID that are being reported. School districts here in Texas are closing for up to ten days. Gotta hope for some relief.

Today’s JohnKu talks about looking on the bright side of things to cope with too much bad news. I hope you have a super weekend.

When the news seems dark,

Think of the bright side of it . . .

We are all still here.