Well, today, gang, we will go out into the Lakeway neighborhood to see if there are any new and different mailbox toppers. It has been over a year since we checked them out, so it is about time. We are being catered by Café No Sé in Austin. Since I still have not figured out how to post a YouTube video in the Classic editor mode of WP, our entertainment will be all of us humming Bohemian Rhapsody in five-part harmony. No, I’m not going to Block.
I went on a long walk today to clear my head since I knew I would be challenged to complete the Stream of Consciousness prompt later. I was in deep thought about some inconsequential matter, like should I powerwash the driveway. Then, all of a sudden, my attention was snapped to fully aware as I heard someone screaming, “Help me.”
My gaze went to a rather large brown van that was caroming off what is now a collapsed lamppost. The post altered the vector of the van so that now it was headed directly for me. As it got closer and larger, I could see a wide-eyed, uniformed driver clutching the wheel and screaming his head off. This was clearly a delivery van out of control, and not wishing to find myself the thickness of a pancake, I managed to jump to the right and grab what some would say is a sissy bar connected to the driver’s side of the van.
The three of us continued down the street, which was now taking on the topography of a soapbox racer course. I swung into the van and asked the driver if I could be of some help. “No brakes,” he yelled. For the first time since seeing this run-a-way train, I grew concerned. The law of physics dictates that the vehicle velocity will continue to increase until such time as a deceleration event occurs. The speed at the point of deceleration will mean the difference between survival or not. “We need to slow this mother down,” I yelled. The driver looked at me with an expression I have seen on countless teenagers’ faces before the “No shit” statement.
Long story short, the van did indeed slow down by jumping a curb and tearing through several layers of shrubs, fencing, and into the Donavan’s pool. As we were sinking, the driver asked me my name and then handed me an envelope. Of course, it was from Linda Hill. As the water was reaching my chest, I tore it open and read the note. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “the last photo you took.”Take the last photo you snapped. What’s the first word that comes to mind when you look at it? That word is your prompt. Enjoy!
As the water rose to my chin, I thought about that last photo and remembered it was of Twiggy and Lucy. The word “cute” went through my mind, and the darkness crept into my consciousness.
“Stand up,” I heard from the edge of eternity. I opened my eyes and did indeed stand up to find I was in water up to my waist. “We are saved,” I screamed. The driver had nothing to say.
If you would like to enjoy visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how. Here is the link.
“Boss. Twiggy keeps running away.” “Isn’t that what tag is all about?” “Not when one gets older it isn’t.” “You’ll be fine. Go get her.”
It is Friday again and the beginning of that period of rest that we all need. I hope your week went well.
We all learned that the CDC issued some revised guidelines for mask-wearing. They advise mask-wearing even if fully vaccinated in public places, indoors in those areas where there is a high and substantial level of Covid transmission rates. This covers about 225 million Americans or about 63% of the population. So if your area has between 50 and 100 new cases per 100,000 population or a positivity testing rate of 8% to 10%, then you are in a substantial to high transmission rate area.
Also, the CDC is recommending those school-age children in grades K through 12 wear masks when they go back to school. This has caused so much confusion in the school districts here in Texas. The governor issued a directive that school districts and communities are not allowed to mandate mask-wearing, so at best, any decision on masks has to be an advisory position. Texas shares the no-mask mandate with Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Montana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Makes your head spin.
We also learned this week that eating foods high in flavonoids can help beat cognitive decline. To all you youngsters out there, this knowledge has little relevance. To we old codgers, what it means is all the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, red cabbage, onions, peppers, kale, parsley, black tea, oolong tea, green tea, wine, chocolate, soybeans, and citrus, that we have consumed is keeping our cognitive abilities from diving into the dirt. This was a study done over a 25 year period with 75,000 participants, and results were published in the American Academy of Neurology journal. So keep eating and drinking that stuff, and if you are not eating or drinking it, you should start.
Today’s JohnKu talks about cognitive decline. I hope you have a super weekend.
“This is as much fun as Friday, Lucy.” “Maybe the new turf has something to do with it.” “I think you have something there.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week Cortez indicated to Larry that he was ready to move to the cars. He instructed Larry to contact those on the outside to let them know they are coming out. As you can imagine, the vector of this story has taken a turn for the worse. Cortez indicated that if anything went wrong, Larry would be the first to get shot.
Before we join the group, we need to talk about the story for a second. As you have seen, this serial has been laid out using nothing but dialogue with no tags at all. So as a reader, you have had what all the scenes and people look like in your mind. You have been able to construct the backgrounds and sensory cues to your own liking.
This was the purpose of telling the story the way it was told. You have invested of yourself in these 88,600+ words over the last two years. I must honor that investment with the construction of an ending that is satisfactory. Yes, we are coming to an end. All the characters we have met previously are lining up backstage for the curtain call. Our MCs are getting ready for the final scene. As the author of this continuing saga, I think it would be wise to expand to a narrative plus dialogue form to catch all the action leading to the end. With your permission, here we go.
Cortez waves his gun at Larry and tells him to get on the phone. Larry gets out of the chair and holds his palms out in one last gesture of supplication. “Come on, Joachim. Just say the word, and you all can spare yourself a lot of trouble.”
Cortez wipes his face with his hand. “You know it might be easier to just shoot you now. If you don’t start listening to me, I might just do that. I’m in charge here, damn you. Now call.”
Larry holds up one hand and reaches for his phone. “Okay, you win. I’m calling.”
Larry reaches Mike. “How are you doing? Good. Listen. I have a situation here. Cortez does not want to take a deal. In fact, he wants to move right away. Hold on. Yes, Joachim.”
Cortez takes Larry’s arm. “Put it on speaker.”
Larry pulls his arm away. “Sure, Joachim. Anything you say. Hey Mike. You are on speaker. His majesty is listening.”
Cortez does not smile at Larry’s humor. Instead, he waves his gun again. “Just get on with it.”
“So, you heard that, Mike.”
“Yes, I sure did.”
Larry looks at Joachim. “Here’s the deal. Joachim is going to take this whole crowd and move them to the airport. He is warning me that if our team does anything funny, he’s going to shoot me—”
“Say again”
Larry can’t help but smile. “Yeah, that’s right, he’s going to shoot me, so I have an interest in making sure he gets in the car and gets to the airport in one piece.”
Mike is quiet
Larry shrugs his shoulders and turns more toward Cortez. Cortez frowns and waves his gun again. “Looks like the head guy is getting a little upset.”
The escape of Mike’s breath is auditable over the connection. “Yeah, okay. We’ll stand down.”
“Thanks, Mike. His Nibbs has a better look on his face. I’m not sure if we will talk again, but I appreciate anything you can do to keep this situation from getting out of control.” Larry disconnects the call. “Looks like you have a free passage to the airport, Joachim.”
Joachim calls for his right-hand man Juan and gives instruction to gather everyone in the living room. Once the guy leaves to get the hostages, Joachim tells Larry to sit. Larry immediately sits. “You know Joachim, this is not going to end here in Nevada. These guys are going to hunt you down.”
Joachim sighs. “You know as well as I that once I reach my compound, there is no one who can get me back to face charges.”
Larry smiles and crosses his arms. “Have you ever heard of a patriot missile?”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Holding an ADA hostage is not something the government soon forgets. Besides, who will ever know the source of the missile? It could be one of your rivals.”
Cortez sits across from Larry and hunches forward. “They would harm my wife and daughter?”
“How many Wives and daughters have you harmed?”
Cortez pulls on his chin. He sits in silence until Juan breaks the spell. “Yeah, Juan, what is it?”
Juan explains that everyone is in the living room and that their hands have been zip-tied. Cortez nods and dismisses Juan telling him to keep an eye on everyone. He looks Larry in the eyes. “So if I give up, you are telling me my family will be safe?”
Larry holds Cortez’s gaze. “I think we can arrange for your family to go into a program where they will be protected.”
Cortez’s eyes fill. “Their safety is the only thing that has driven me to this point. My enemies would like nothing better than to get their hands on them. So now you tell me of the possibility of assassination by the US government. You have given me enough to think about.”
Larry sits forward. “I would think it over, Joachim. There has got to be a better way than to keep fighting.”
Joachim’s shoulders slump. His complexion takes on a gray tone of weariness. “You have no idea how long I have been fighting.” He places the gun on a side table and puts his hands on his face. “I have to figure this out.”
In Keith’s words. “Using this photo 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.”
This list first ran on July 28th in 2014. Since summer travel is going on now, I thought it would be relevant. Also, it was about a year after Top Ten things Not to Do started.
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Here is the 56th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do. So, with all the summer travels, I thought I would offer advice on what not to do when you need to stop. I hope you enjoy it.
Top Ten Things Not to Do When You Need a Rest Stop
10 If you need a rest stop, do not think you need to finish that 32-ounce Big Gulp. If you do, at best, you will reach the rest stop with no delay. At worst, the traffic pile-up on the 687 caused you to run onto the median for relief. Of course, the evening news carried the story with the enhancement of your handcuffed frame over the back of a police car.
9 If you need a rest stop, do not continue down the highway. If you do, at best, you may make it to your destination dog tired but in one piece. At worst, you will be wondering why the police wake you up with a summons and ask you to move your car off the interstate highway into the care of the friendly tow truck driver.
8 If you need a rest stop, do not speed up to get there faster. If you do, at best, you may not make it any quicker. At worst, you will be trying to explain to the friendly officer why you have a grimace on your face and why you were speeding.
7 If you need a rest stop, do not listen to others in the car who call you chicken. If you do, at best, you will be uncomfortable. At worst, you will get no credit for being brave when everyone finally gets wind of your mistake.
6 If you need a rest stop, do not assume there is one every ten miles and go flying by the last one. If you do, at best, you may get lucky, and there is one close. At worst, you have just seen the last rest area for one thousand miles, and you might as well pray for a cover of darkness which you will need in ten minutes.
5 If you need a rest stop, do not think everyone in the car needs one as well. If you do, at best, you will only hear the grumbles about stopping again. At worst, your car mates (or family) will take your frequent needs to stop as evidence you never wanted to go on this trip in the first place and may end up on the roof like granny Griswold.
4 If you need a rest stop, do not think the water found there is safe for drinking. If you do, at best you may only have a slight reaction. At worst you might be spending your entire vacation in the ER clutching a metal pan begging the attendants for painkilling drugs, or failing that, to use euthanasia as a final solution.
3 If you need a rest stop do not pull into one of those country kitchen store kind of places. If you do, at best, you will only have to shell out a small fortune for the treats everyone picked up. At worst, your family will want to stay for a nice $25.00 a plate country fried steak dinner (with all the fixin’s), and before you know it, all your vacation money has been spent.
2 If you need a rest stop, do not try to get free air for your tires. If you do, at best, it will only cost you a dollar to fill them. At worst, the machine has been programmed to actually suck the air out of your tires, and the only way to get a refill is to pay an attendant to do it for you. You will probably need to sell your car to settle up
1 If you need a rest stop, do not get off the interstate to go see a crocodile farm as a way to kill two birds with one stone. If you do, at best, the owner of the crocodile farm will not have gas and a restroom. At worst, you will be hearing the music from Deliverance as you meet the lovely down-home family who has yet to see a more beautiful car in all their born days.
Today we are going out to view some of the lawn ornamentation that is around Lakeway. Yes, we have brunch catered by Bangers in Auston. Also, if you want, you can view a video on how they make their sausage. There is a link below. Today’s entertainment will be me playing the wax paper comb since I can’t get YouTube videos to play.
Menu
House-Made Montreal style Bagel
House-made Plain or Sesame seed Bagel. Served w/ cream cheese & house-made jam.
House-cured 6 day corned beef ground w/ potatoes. Stuffed it into a beef middle & smoked for 8 hours. Sliced, seared & put on a Martin’s potato roll. Topped w/ an egg, American cheese, sauerkraut & Russian dressing. Served w/ a side of spicy shoestring potatoes.
English muffin topped w/ braised pork belly, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce & spicy shoestring potatoes. Vegetarian upon request
Super Deluxe Breakfast
Two over-easy eggs, house-cured bacon,miso & cola smoked beans, toast & house-made seasonal jam
So let’s get on the bus and go.
Our first stop is a couple of mariachis musicians.
Next is the sign advising of the fawns in the area. It is accompanied by a very strange lawn ornament. It looks like a weight that could be used in the water to anchor a buoy.
Here’s the place to visit to raise your spirits with sign sayings, a flag, and some kind of monster on the front porch.
A nice windmill to test the theory of perpetual motion.
A pot, a rocker, and a frog. It might be a good prompt sometime.
I was waiting in line to use the ATM machine outside my favorite Starbucks. The line was agonizingly slow, and I could feel the little caffeine-deprived miner trying to pickax his way out of the front of my skull. The little pick, pick, pick feeling got stronger as the next customer seemed to be doing a week’s worth of transactions. Only two away from getting some cash that will allow me to trade for a grande miner killer. Suddenly, the guy behind me told me not to turn around or make a sound. Something hard was poking my backbone, and it dawned on me that I was about to be relieved of my salvation cash. I use my elbow to dislodge the hard thing and spun to face my tormentor. He had a look of shock on his face and quickly shoved an envelope in my shirt pocket and ran off.
Given the current rise in COVID cases, I did not want to touch the envelope until I could get some sanitizer inside the Starbucks. Finally, I was at the ATM, got the cash, ran into Starbucks, ordered the grande, waited an hour, gulped several ounces, and killed the miner. Then I opened the envelope. There was one sheet of paper with this message from Linda Hill. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “color/colour.” Use it as a noun, a verb, or pick a color and write about it–use it any way you like. Have fun!
“Lucy. What are all these people doing out front?” “I told you yesterday. They are here to install the turf.” “All that machinery. Going to put a damper on Friday ruckus.” “Yup.”
Another hooray for Friday. It is nice that we are all on the eve of two days of rest. I’m over at Story Empire today complaining about not working on my manuscript. Come visit if you want to see a grown man cry. Here’s the link.
I always hate to discuss COVID but given the fact that new cases are up 55% across the country makes it hard to ignore. 97% of the new hospitalized infections are occurring in unvaccinated people. Sadly too, 99% of the people who die have not been vaccinated. It looks like a new serge of Covid is on the way due to the Delta variant. Breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated folks still remain at a low level.
We have survived this situation before, and I think it may be time for all of us to take precautions to keep ourselves and our families safe. However, I’m not going to look to the government for this precaution since the whole mask, social distance, and shut down process has become a political morass.
More bad news from the Olympics in Tokyo. The opening ceremony Director Kentaro Kobayashi was fired in response to anti-holocaust statements he made while performing a comedy act in 1998. He was the opening ceremony director since 2019. He is the last in a string of Toyko Olympics officials to be let go for indescretions. The US team has moved from the Olympic village due to COVID concerns. It looks like this Olympic venue is going to have more troubles. I feel badly for the athletes.
Today’s JohnKu talks about the Olympics. I hope you have a great weekend.
