Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Wild Animal

March 4, 2023March 3, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 57 Comments

The coffee is delivered hot and quick, which is a complete surprise on this sunny Saturday. The first sip usually acts as a mind-awaken potion and serves to remind me of whatever horror is left over from last week. Remembering a visit from Bugs Bunny cannot be classed as something of concern, so the coffee comes with a feeling of peace and contentment.

The tone on my phone alerts me of a visitor at the front door. (What’s with the rhyming? If this weren’t a stream-of-consciousness thing, that sentence would qualify for a rewrite.) No matter. A quick look at the phone confirms Bugs Bunny is on the front porch. My skeptical body almost refuses to go through the process of turning off the security system, but curiosity gets the better of me.

With the shutdown procedure complete, I throw open the front door. Bugs has a big smile on his face, and a large tour bus is sitting in the driveway. “What’s up, Bugs?”

“Good one, Doc. I brought some friends to meet you.” With that, Bugs gives a wave to the bus, and out of the front door pours every kind of cartoon animal known to Warner Brothers aficionados. Some animals look like Tweety Bird, Pepe Le Peu, Speedy Gonzales, Cecil Turtle, Porky, and Petunia Pig, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Beaky Buzzard, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Claude Cat, Arnold the Pit Bull, Hector the Bulldog, Baba Looey, Charles the Dog, Lola Bunny, Toro the Bull and of course, The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote.

Bugs hands me a card which is an invitation to a circus performance that the characters tend to put on. The concerning part is they intend to use my backyard. Bugs also hands me a letter from Linda Hill. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wild animal.” Choose a wild animal (or many wild animals) and use it any way you’d like in your post. Enjoy!

If you want to join in, visit Linda’s blog and learn how easy it is. Here’s the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2023/03/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-4-2023/

“Now You’ve done it.”

“What?”

“Opened a can of worms.”

“What do you mean?”

“How are you going to put on a circus?

“I have a week to figure that out. I didn’t know Bugs was going to show up with all those animals.”

“That’s another thing. The prompt is for ‘wild animal.’ Not animal characters.”

“Tomato, tomahto. These are animals, and they can be wild.”

“I think the judges are going to call that one.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Speaking of wild things, I see you have a new shipment of VooDoo Ranger Imperial.”

“How do you know that?”

“Easy. I watched you unload your car.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“I know. I was behind the tree.”

“Stalking me?”

“More rhyming, I see.”

“Let’s get a brew and stop this madness.”

“Right behind you.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FRI-Yay ?Good News

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.

A Marathon was Blocking the Delivery Route for Organ Donation, So a Surgeon Ran Through the Race to Get it.

Andy Corbley Mar 1, 2023

In a story that only those who live in the colonial cities of America’s east will understand, a surgeon ran about a mile to and from a hospital to pick up a liver for his patient after a courier’s route was blocked not only by Philadelphia’s strange grid system but thousands of marathon runners.

66-year-old Charles Rowe was waiting on an operating table with his surgeon Adam Bodzin. He was slated for a liver transplant that day to save his life from complications due to hepatitis C.

Time ticked by until Rowe was surprised to hear that Bodzin was going out the door to get the liver himself.

Meanwhile, an out-of-town van driver for Philly-based Gift of Life Donor Program was having trouble negotiating the one-way streets, half-blocks, and diagonals of Philadelphia’s city center, when it became clear that his route to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital would be blocked by the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon at two separate points.

Event organizers and police have access points for emergencies going towards the hospital, but the courier couldn’t find them even after consulting police.

Clad in sneakers and teal scrubs, Bodzin weaved his way at a full run from the hospital entrance near 11th and Chestnut Streets, through the stream of runners on Lombard Street, then another block to South Street.

Reaching the driver and taking the sealed container with the liver on ice, he zigzagged back the same way, earning what must have been more than a few curious stares, before hitching a ride with the police back to the hospital on the other side of the marathon route.

Thanks to Bodzin’s quick thinking, they managed to transplant the liver successfully, an hour after the time when a liver begins to deteriorate. Rowe made a full recovery and left the hospital 6 days later.

Rowe called Bodzin a “hero,” Tom Avril reported for the Philadelphia Inquirer, though Bodzin chose to describe himself as “more of a biker.”

The good news here is a person took matters into his own hands to prevent a disaster. Today’s JohnKu talks about quick action. I hope you have a super weekend.

Action without thought,

Marks the trait of that someone. . .

We call a hero.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy is Concerned About Twiggy’s Teeth Cleaning

March 2, 2023March 1, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 109 Comments

“So, how did the procedure go, Little One?”

“I’m never speaking to mom again.”

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

“How do you know? You weren’t there.”

“I’ve had my teeth cleaned many times, so I do know.”

“Yeah, but my procedure was the worst.”

“Open your mouth and let me see.”

“There is no way I’m letting you look in my mouth.”

“Okay then, if you won’t let me look, let’s play tag. You’re it.”

“Why am I always it. You should be it sometime.”

“Well, catch me and I will be it.”

“No fair. Your legs are longer. You can move faster.”

“You don’t see me moving at all right now.”

“That could be true, but I think I hear some kibble falling into a bowl.”

“You can forget kibble for a while. You get soft food so you won’t hurt your teeth.”

“Soft food? What kind of soft food?”

“Well, mom takes your kibble and then soaks it in water.”

“Now that sounds horrific.”

“It’s not so bad, and it will feel good on your teeth.”

“I think a nice thick steak would feel better.”

“Of course, I have to wonder, when was the last time you had a steak?”

“Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue #395 by Keith Channing

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 58 Comments

In Keith’s 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 your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before Sunday evening UK time. 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. Thank you for taking part.”

The link to Keith’s post.

https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2023/02/27/kreative-kue-395/

The photo.

“The realtor said she would meet us here.”

“Right away, I can say this is out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Hello. How many horror movies take place out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Come on. It’s not that remote.”

“Why did we have to walk half a mile from the road then?”

“Yeah, that was a pain. I could see us trying to carry groceries all that way.”

“I’m worried about how safe it is here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Woods have animals and creepy people who make booze and meth.”

“Not all woods do.”

“I’m just saying. How about when the sun goes down? I don’t see any lights at all.”

“I’ll bet it is pretty dark. Does the description mention electricity?”

“Yeah, it says electric, heat, and A/C.”

“So we can put up some lights.”

“At least there is no grass to mow.”

“Why would you care about that. Grass mowing is my job.”

“I know, but reminding to mow is mine.”

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“We both want to have a vacation place, but I think this one is a little too rough for us.”

“Hi, folks.”

“Wow, you startled us.”

“Sorry about that. What do you think of the place?”

“We were just saying that it might be too remote.”

“Yeah, we noticed no lights, and the road is so far away.”

“But the price is right. You’ll never find a three bed two bath place at this price.”

“I don’t know. The price on the listing seems a little high.”

“There’s been a reduction. The seller is anxious to close.”

“Why so anxious?”

“He needs the money for his defense.”

“Defense? What kind of trouble is he in?”

“I shouldn’t tell tales, but he was caught making meth.”

“Meth? Please don’t tell me he was making it here.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you that.”

“What did I just say about people in the woods?”

“Now, dear. Let’s not bother our agent with our thoughts. How much is it now?”

“Half price.”

“That still seems high for a former meth lab.”

“It’s not former. Everything’s still there.”

“But he got caught.”

“Yeah, at his other place. This one is off the books.”

“Is this ethical or legal?”

“Ah, the preacher shows up. Do you want it or not?

“We’ll pass.”

“That is a shame. Two nice kids like you. Now that you know about this place, I will be forced to eliminate you.”

“I knew your name sounded a little weird.”

“How so. I think Soprano is a normal-sounding name. Now close your eyes. I don’t want to scare you with my big pistol.”

* * *

Dan Antion has a wonderful review of The Last Drive, along with a terrific review of Patrica Furstenberg’s latest book of poetry. Here is a link.

Top Ten Things Not to Talk About When Others Can Hear

February 27, 2023February 26, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 90 Comments

This list was first published on February 16th, 2016. I still this it is good advice today.

* * *

This list is inspired by a weekend out-of-town and overhearing some of the darnedest things said by others.

Top Ten Things Not to Talk About When Others Can Hear

10. When others can hear you, do not ask your partner if they brought the money. If you do, at best, we all know you’re okay to spend. At worst, the mugger behind you will love the confirmation you should be ripped off. (Could have whispered that one, right?)

9 When others can hear you, do not ask a server if the food is good. If you do, at best, they’ll walk away to get water, and you have no more information than when you arrived. At worst, they will lie and say it is all good, and you now have a choice to order or leave. (Gotta wonder why you came here in the first place)

8 When others can hear you, do not negatively comment on the neighborhood decline. If you do, at best, everyone will ignore you. At worst, you will have offended Little Bubba, who just happens to be the new POA president and local gang lord. (I guess that answers the question about your missing tires when you return to your car, which is now on cement blocks)

7 When others can hear you, do not ask the butcher if he has any better cuts of meat. If you do, at best, he will say that all his cuts are on display. At worst, he will be offended at the implication of poor quality and explain to everyone in line you are obviously not a judge of good meat. (Better than being chased around the store by a half-crazed man with a butcher knife)

6 When others can hear you, do not discuss your plans for the evening. If you do, at best, you’ll sound like an idiot. At worst, the local cat burglar who followed you here will make a note of the hours of your absence from your house. (The rooms do look bigger now that you have no furniture.)

5 When others can hear you, do not complain about your neighbors. If you do, at best, those that hear have no idea who you or your neighbors are. At Worst, those that hear are relatives of your neighbors and are now approaching you with malice in their eyes. (As a side note, they are all members of the Dingle Brothers kickboxing team.)

4 When others can hear you, do not answer “how are you doing?” with anything but “fine.” If you do, at best, your story will sound a notch south of pathetic. At worst, you will come home to a ringing phone, and it will be your mother calling to find out the problem. (If it was that bad, you should have told her. Right?)

3 When others can hear, do not try to impress them with your knowledge of anything. If you do, at best, you will sound pompous. At worst, the person hearing you will be an expert in the area on which you are pontificating and be quick to point out how wrong you are. (Man, who was to know that guy was an oenophile?)

2 When others can hear you, do not try to get a better price on a car. If you do, at best, the salesperson will try to direct you to an office. At worst, the salesperson will announce loudly that the car is below cost now and can’t take one more penny off. (Imagine that. The price is written in sharpie black)

1 When others can hear you, do not try to talk the police officer out of a ticket. If you do, at best, you have guaranteed the officer will write one up. At worst, you might be the cause of a call for backup and a charge of trying to bribe an officer. (Your “Ten Bucks” offer for the Policeman’s Ball ticket was a little out of line.)

Views of the Neighborhood – Search for Spring

February 26, 2023February 26, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 99 Comments

Today we are going to try and find evidence of spring. It has been a challenging winter, and a lift of the spirits is in order. We are catered by Odd Duck of Austin. Our entertainment is Willie Nelson.

menu

starters

Gulf seafood ceviche, carrot leche de tigre, strawberry, radish, potato chips

Grilled kale salad, fennel, citrus, sunchoke dukkah, shiitake ranch

Charred broccoli, chèvre, mole spice, apple gastrique, sesame

Cast iron cheddar cornbread, green garlic butter

Mushroom tamal, kohlrabi cheese, field greens, cilantro

Smoked oyster chowder, turnip, pork belly, brassica greens, pork rinds

Main

Capellini pasta, sunchoke cacio e pepe, TX cheddar, carrot salsa macha

Blackened redfish, sourdough sauce, wilted romaine, pecan, lemon

Grilled quail, XO fried rice, braised greens, beet BBQ, fried chicken skin

Dry-aged wagyu burger, blue beer cheese, tostada, pork birria jam, cabbage slaw

Aged pork loin, tzatziki, caramelized fennel, beets, pepitas

Chile beer glazed short rib, radish kimchi, sweet potato, peanut

Dessert

Lime mousse, strawberry sorbet, puffed rice, butter mochi

Orange flan, amaro candied fennel, almond tuile, citrus, orange blossom water, fennel pollen

Sunchoke blondie, caramelized white chocolate, sherry vinegar caramel, cocoa nib ice cream

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s go.

Our first sign of spring is a blooming mountain laurel

To double-check to make sure the first mountain laurel isn’t a fluke, here’s another.

The oldest redbud in the neighborhood.

Another redbud showing off.

A close-up of mountain laurel blossoms. They smell like grape Kool-Aid

A cross vine bloom and those waiting to pop.

Another large redbud.

A very happy fig. Of course, The Producer puts it inside when the temps are projected to be below freezing. Those days are supposed to be behind us. (knock wood)

The bougainvillea loves the warmer temperatures.

A lone rose left after the seasonal trim.

The greenbelt has blooms.

Another greenbelt bloom making a break for it.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. It is now time to relax and have some food and listen to music.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Prize

February 25, 2023February 24, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 57 Comments

Saturday is supposed to be stress-free. This thought comes to mind while waiting for the Frankensteinish AI in the coffee machine to quit doing quantum physics formulas and get to work on my cup of joe. In the meantime, the nagging feeling of unfinished business in the form of two white cartoonish gloved holding a sign last week keeps tweaking my gut.

Finally, the machine begins its process, and before my countdown reaches one hundred, the soul-restoring elixir sputters from the twin spouts. Once done and a sip has calmed my caffeine-addicted nerve endings, a quick look at the Ring doorbell image on my phone confirms the gloves are still there, holding yet another sign. Since the lettering is somewhat weird, the front door must be opened to read it.

Disconnecting the security system involves turning off the hot oil, disengaging the automatic tower machine guns, lifting the subnet from the moat, locking the Trecuchet, securing the ballista, coiling the concertina wire, removing the claymore mines, Lifting the iron gate, throwing back the bolts, and unlocking ten locks. Finally, the door is ready to be opened. “Who is there?” is the message sent through the Ring doorbell.

“Eh. What’s up, doc?”

Throwing open the door and “I’m face to face with Bugs Bunny. “I’m your prize,” he shouts.

“Prize, what prize?”

“What you get for knowing Linda Hill. Here read this sign, doc. I’ll be going now.” Bugs hands me the sign and disappears around the side of the house. Up close, the words on the sign are easily read. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “prize.” Use it as a noun or a verb; use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you want to have fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link. https://lindaghill.com/2023/02/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-25-2023/https://lindaghill.com/2023/02/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-25-2023/

“Lame.”

“What?”

“Prize, Bugs Bunny, the whole thing.”

“I thought it was clever.”

“You know everyone was waiting for Mickey Mouse.”

“I don’t know that.”

“You don’t read your mail?”

“Of course, I read my mail but didn’t see much about Mickey Mouse.”

“I hoped it would be Mickey Mouse.”

“Why?”

“A change of pace. You are always doing Warner Brothers stuff.”

“They are prize characters.”

“Yeah, go ahead and sneak a prompt word in. But, of course, you take the prize for that kind of thing.”

“You are a little cranky today.”

“I think I’m a quart low on my precious fuel.”

“Are you paid by New Belgium Brewing?”

“No, why?”

“This obsession with VooDoo Ranger is why.”

“Well, it’s my prize for going back and forth with you.”

“And I always pay.”

“But I call Uber. That has to count for something.”

“You take the prize. I give up. Call Uber.”

“You won’t be sorry.”

“I doubt that to be true.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

February 24, 2023February 23, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 90 Comments

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. With the exception of fixing the typos, here is the story in its entirety.

Senior With No Car Walks to Work–But After She Found $15k and Returned it She Does Now

Andy Corbley Feb 22, 2023

Strangers around the country are rewarding a Michigan woman for her honesty after turning in nearly $15,000 cash to the police that she found at a gas station.

It turned out to be the contributions of guests to a pair of newlyweds, who were more than overwhelmed by her integrity.

65-year-old Dianne Gordon has been walking 2.7 miles to and from her job behind a deli counter every day since her Jeep broke down, and she didn’t have enough money to fix it. One day she decided to stop at a gas station for a snack and noticed a plastic bag. Inside there was a lot of money; turning it around, there were some greeting cards and a lot more money.

Just doing what she “was taught to do,” the grandmother of two called the police, who sent an officer to take custody of the sum.

Gordon could have walked into any dealership in the state and driven something off the lot that day, but knew because the money wasn’t hers, it wasn’t correct to take it.

“If it doesn’t belong to you, you don’t keep it,” she told the Washington Post. “I didn’t do anything special. All I did was return something that didn’t belong to me.”

Police Chief Dan Keller of the White Lake Township Police Department telephoned Gordon later that day to tell her they had used the information on the cards inside the bag to track down the owners. The happy couple was “overwhelmed” by Gordon’s honesty, as was Keller’s wife Stacy Connell.

“As a police officer’s wife, I typically hear the bad things, so this was obviously heartwarming,” said Connell. “I was hoping we could help her get a car since she could have walked into any dealership and used that money.”

Connell set up a GoFundMe, and in just 6 days, it raised four times as much money from people wanting to reward Gordon’s act of selflessness as she had found in the sealed bag that morning.

Grateful for the money and the words of encouragement from all the contributors, who celebrated with comments like “there are still good people in the world,” Gordon said she was stunned by the outpouring of generosity, which at the time of publishing, raised $82,000 and then closed.

On February 8th, Friends of Dianne wrote: “Dianne officially signed for her new Jeep Compass yesterday at Szott M-59 in White Lake Township. Along with the new car, she also got an extended warranty, maintenance, insurance, and plates/tabs.”

There was also an inspection done at her home to evaluate some much-needed repairs that will be done very soon.

The good news here is a beautiful story that shows, more often than not, honesty pays. Today’s JohnKu talks about honesty. I hope you have a wonderful weekend

A choice to do right,

Or to select the wrong way . . .

Do we think it out?

Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy and Twiggy Outside in the Warm Weather

February 23, 2023February 21, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 104 Comments

“Can you believe it is over 80 degrees (26.6 C) out here?”

“Yesterday, it seemed like it was freezing.”

“Yeah, so come on, let’s round up something to chase.”

“Something to chase? You feel up to that?”

Yes indeed. Hey, look. Is that giraffe over there?”

“If so, the water buffalo and puma will make short work of it.”

“The buffalo lowers its head and gets ready to charge.”

“The puma sniffs the air to make certain it’s safe.”

“Step by step, slowly, the water buffalo stalks its prey.”

“The puma remains in reserve in case that pack of pesky hyenas is around.

“Hey, puma. Enough reserve already. It’s time to strike.”

“The puma thinks it might be time to strike the bossy buffalo.”

“The buffalo is ready for such treachery.”

“The puma plans on a flanking maneuver.”

“Well, that does it. The giraffe just took off.”

“I didn’t realize they could move that fast.”

“What’s with the puma turning on the buffalo?”

“The giraffe was so far away that the puma figured a closer target was easier.”

“So much for teamwork and loyalty.”

“You do remember pumas are cats, right?”

“Good point.”

Wednesday – A Look at The Last Drive Reviews.

February 22, 2023February 20, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 52 Comments

The reviews for The Last Drive continue to be posted. I appreciate those who take the time to read and review my books. Since Amazon takes a dim view of posting reviews that appear on their platform, I’ll give you a brief idea of what is being said. So far, The Last Drive has a 4.6 rating. You can see all the reviews right HERE. I also want to point out that The last Drive Kindle edition will be 99¢ until March 1. It then returns to its regular price of $2.99.

Excerpts from a few of the reviews posted.

“To sum up, I found The Last Drive an engaging and satisfying read. The stakes of the plot are high, the action fast-paced, the historical research thorough, and the main characters well-developed and likable (with the exception of Lucifer, of course). In addition to the other surprises I’ve noted, the ending of The Last Drive also surprised me–in the best possible way. I highly recommend this surprising sequel to Eternal Road!”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this magnificently written book and recommend it without reservation to anyone who enjoys suspenseful historic adventure, with a spiritually paranormal twist.”

“There are some disturbing scenes to read as Lucifer shows his true colors. But in the end, good triumphs over evil. The book is a mix of history, suspense, and paranormal, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys those genres.”

“This highly emotional story is brilliantly written. Sending Sam and James to these disastrous occasions is a ploy by Lucifer to make them break God’s rules so Ryan will be forced to forfeit his soul.”

“An entertaining mix of history and the supernatural, The Last Drive offers a unique journey with four great characters as guides. The ending is wholly satisfying and left me with a wonderful warm feeling. If you’re ready for adventure, sit back and buckle in while James revs up the Olds. Next stop—history!”

“Luckily, there is not only some humor mixed in but hope and faith to counter the hopelessness of a situation. Even with the heaviness of some subjects covered, this story left me hopeful. “The Last Drive” was a wonderful blend of history and paranormal that I can easily recommend.”

“The history of each event is fairly brief but is well-researched and factually accurate and does not go into any of the gory detail or political and emotional complexities of the time or place. It is an intriguing idea to put four angels in the path of human-induced destruction and describe their reactions.”

“The story is episodic (in fact, it’d make a great serial novel), with Sam and James making stops throughout history in their search. Sometimes they travel on their own. Sometimes the devil tricks them and sends them places. I can tell Howell did his research. Places/events like the Western Front in WWI, the Titanic, a WWII concentration camp, the bottom of the English Channel, a Superbowl game… fantastic!”

“The Last Drive is ultimately a story about good and evil. Some scenes are disturbingly graphic. Other scenes might require readers to shelve their notion of angels and devils to entertain Howell’s depiction of either.”

“Howell is a master storyteller, and this is well worth your time to read.”

Thank you all for your beautiful words.