Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Wake of Forgiveness...



A few days ago, I finished reading this book,
The Wake of Forgiveness,
by Bruce Machart.

Yet the words and images are with me still.

This is one of those books.
You know...
a book so beautifully written that you reread sentences
over and over and over.

Machart's first novel is set in and around Shiner, Texas,
in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
It is a story of struggle...
with the surroundings,
in the bonds of family,
and within one's self.

Want to read a review?
Go HERE or HERE.

Want to know more about this talented author?
Go HERE.


As I was reading and rereading this novel,
some sentences or phrases were so wonderfully descriptive
that I had to write them down and share them.


"When his partner came back in the door, he carried a smallish box that looked, for all its varnish and shine, like a coffin built for a rich man's tomcat."


"...and when the carriage clears a thick stand of mesquite trees with arthritic branches and thorns long enough to skewer a foot in a way only careless barefoot boys and Jesus might fully appreciate..."


"To be a Czech farmer in south Texas was to always be thirsty, and it was a well-known joke among the women of Lavaca County that if their men were made to choose between their pints of pilsner and their peckers, there'd be a premium on good sharp knives and coagulant salts at the general store in Dalton."


"You could rub a dry turd with a whole can of linseed oil, after all, and all you'd end up with was a mess of shiny shit."


Friday, January 28, 2011

Hospital Escapee...

Lurch is out of the hospital.

He is healing from his surgery.

We hope everything is okay.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dear Debbie...Hugs and Kisses, Lurch

Debbie is playing
Twenty Questions With Lurch.

Debbie asked:


1. Why does Mal really call you Lurch?

2. What's it like to go "commando" in a hospital gown?

3. Have you ever vo-di-o-doed in a hospital bed... or broom closet?

4. Do you do this to test if Mal really loves you...'cause boy... she really loves you!



Dear Debbie,

1. Blondie calls me Lurch because that is my name! Duh. It is hard talking to you blondes! I was given the nickname Lurch by one of my college football coaches. I'm sure he gave me that name because of my quick moves and not because I resemble Lurch on The Addams family. I'm not big and mean looking. Okay, maybe I am, but Blondie sure isn't scared of me.

2. "Gung ho! Watch out, nurses! Jump back, doctors! Out the door, visitors! Special Forces have been called in to clear the hallways and I am the man with the big gun!"
Debbie, going "commando" in my hospital gown is very freeing...very! I'm here at the hospital just "hanging out"!

3. I plead the 5th. I haven't done it in an elevator either...maybe.

4. No, this was not to test Blondie's love. This little game was just to get her busy and keep her out of my hair. However, yesterday, I tested her love when I decided to get up by myself and I pulled one of the drainage tubes out of my lung. Then I pulled the IV out of my arm and bled everywhere. You understand, don't you, Debbie? It is all part of my "commando" tactics!

By the way, Blondie is still here. I guess she loves me.

Hugs and kisses,
Lurch


Do you want to ask Lurch a question?

Just leave a comment on Friday's post,
TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Dear Mike...Your Buddy, Lurch

Mike is playing
Twenty Questions With Lurch.

Mike asked:

1. What is the most surprising thing you know about Malisa
that most of us would never even guess?

2. Did you get sick because you have a secret nurse fantasy,
or wouldn't it be easier just to be honest and ask Malisa
to go do some shopping at a costume shop?

3. What's the best and worst thing about being
in the hospital?


Dear Mike,

1. She is easy. Excuse me, everybody knows that. You asked for a surprising fact most people don't know. Malisa is very, very 'fraid of butterflies. Buddy, don't get in her way if she is escaping the attack of a butterfly or moth, because she will knock your Little Mike in the dirt.

2. The only nurse fantasy I have is finding a nurse who speaks a language I can understand. No, I am not from Arizona, but thanks for asking. Now, if Malisa would like to get a Goldilocks costume, she can sleep in my big bed.

3. The best thing about being in the hospital is being able to flash unsuspecting women without getting arrested. The worst thing about being in the hospital is the Jamaican nurse chasing after me looking for a bare place to stick that dang hose.

Your hospital buddy,
Lurch

Do you want to ask Lurch a question?

Just leave a comment on Friday's post,
TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH!

Dear Ann...Love, Lurch

Ann is playing
Twenty Questions With Lurch.

Ann asked:
"How many people saw your butt while you were out?"


Dear Ann:

Multitudes of people saw my butt. (Actually, Lurch didn't say the word multitudes...he used the word sh*tloads.) Not only did they see my butt, they saw "Little Lurch". Have you ever seen a 6'5" man in a short hospital gown? Old women were passing out in the hall.

Love,
Lurch

Do you want to ask Lurch a question?

Just leave a comment on Friday's post,
TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH


Friday, January 21, 2011

Twenty Questions With Lurch!

You know what is fun?

Asking questions to patients still under anesthesia!

What?

My mood has changed?

Yes, Lurch seems to be progressing nicely.

The breathing tube is out.

Vital signs are good.

In an effort to keep his mind occupied
and his sense of humor perking,
I am opening up my blog to play...

TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH!

Leave him questions in the comment section
and I will present the question to him.

TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH
will be open all weekend.
I will be posting his answers throughout the weekend.

Come on...
help out this tired caretaker.

Let's play
TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH LURCH!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Lurch Update

Lurch's surgery took WAY longer than expected
and caused us some anxious moments...
but Lurch is now in ICU.

Thanks for all your prayers, my good friends!
Please keep Larry in your thoughts and prayers.


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

Please Pray for Lurch...

I wish I could take him by the hand
and make the path he is travelling easier.

He has lovingly guided us
through all our difficult journeys.

He has loved kids...
and grandkids...
and me.

He has loved us all more than himself.

He is our compass through life.
He keeps us headed in the right direction.

He makes us hold hands and stick together...
because we are family...

because our bond holds our universe together.

Even through this new medical journey,
he is still the pillar of strength...
and the reason we ask for prayers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lurch has once again been hospitalized
and faces some major obstacles.
Please keep him in your prayers.


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saturday Centus

Jenny Matlock,
you are my hero!

Seriously!


I taught English for about 400 years
and never learned your little trick!

Why didn't I think of it?

Now, I supervise student teachers
for a state university,
so I can teach them Jenny's wonderful tactic!

You know the worst part of teaching English?

The grading of papers.

Miles and miles of papers to read!

Then Jenny came up with this ingenious idea
to write stories which are only 100 words!

Brilliant!

And what does she do when she is really busy?

She simply changes the word length to 25 words!

Jenny is the master!

Surely everyone can think of 25 words...
not including the three words in the prompt.

Heck...
Jenny gives us a whole week to write it!

Even you can do this assignment!

Seriously...
even you!

Come on!
Join us at Saturday Centus!

This week's prompt:

"the lottery ticket"

Here is my contribution for the week.
___________________________________________________________



I slipped into galoshes and rubber gloves.

This nasty secret would remain between me and the bitch.

I found it intact in the fifth pile...

the lottery ticket.



Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Would You Like Cabbage With That Meatloaf?

Let's talk about...

school cafeterias.

Do we have to?

Yes.

Now please sit...
at your assigned table.

Do you remember your school cafeteria?

Shudder.

Look at the cute, little milk bottles.

I don't think we ever had those when I was a kid.
We had those little cardboard and wax cartons
that were so hard to open.

Have you been to a school cafeteria lately?
Let me offer my condolences if you have.
But I digress.
Have you seen the new milk containers?


I don't know what they are called,
but they are like big, bloated pillows of milk
that you stick a straw in...
and the milk spurts all over all the kids at your table!
I call them milk bladders.

You know what they really remind me of?


breast implants.

That's funny...
the milk bags remind me of
fake milk bags.

Must have been a man who thought up
this great idea.

So, anyway...
do you have "fond" memories of your school cafeteria like I do?

I carried my lunch money in a coin thingamajig just like this.
Guess that tells you how old I am.
Coins paid for our lunches.

After you paid your quarter or whatever,
you went through the "delicious" lunch line.
You didn't get to pick what you wanted.
There were no choices like kids have today.
And you had to take one of everything!
If you tried to slip through the line without
getting those yummy green peas,
the lunch ladies would be calling you out
in front of everybody!

On a good day, your lunch might look like this.
Gosh, we celebrated hamburger days
even though they were the worst hamburgers in the world!


But when we went through the lunch line on Fridays...


we got fish.

Do you remember fish on Fridays?

Fish was served on Fridays because Catholics were to
abstain from eating meat on Fridays.
I understood that concept.
What I couldn't understand is why my community
of 70% Baptist and Methodist and 29% Church of Christ
had to eat squares of fish parts for the 1% Catholic kids.

Couldn't they fix 12 fish squares and give the rest of us hot dogs?

There was only one day that was worse than fish days.
Look at this poor kid.
He is looking at his plate with dread like we all did on...

liver and onions day!

Oh, my gosh!
What were those lunch ladies thinking?
I am totally convinced that they were torturing us!


We had this principal who was very serious about his lunch duty.
Every day, he stationed himself at the...

trash cans.

Yep.
He was the food gestapo.

He stood where we emptied our trays into the garbage.
He allowed no one to throw away food!
Your tray had to be empty before you could leave.

If you stuffed your liver in your milk carton, he found it.
If you hid your spinach under your bread, he found it.
He even made you drink all of your milk.
Not only am I lactose intolerant,
I hate the taste of milk.
Didn't matter to him.

What did he do if he found uneaten food or leftover milk?
He sent you back to your assigned table to clean your tray.

And they wonder why there is an obesity problem in this country!


I am upset just thinking about it.

I think it is time for me to have an adult beverage...
and I ain't talking about milk!

Those of you who know me well,
know that I write satirical plays.

I gotta admit that this lunch lady has
really inspired me!
Stay tuned...
it's gonna be a good one!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Who Gonna Check Me, Boo?


I am a little late in answering the questions from
Ask The Teechur Friday.

I have a note from my mother.

Get over it.

Legally, I think I can answer all these questions honestly.

Oh, wait.

I am skirting one of the questions,
but just a little bit.

Besides, who's gonna know?
This question came from Debbie at Talking Trash.
Debbie asked: "Teechur, ain't it right...cornbread
are square and pie is round?"

Debbie, Debbie, Debbie.
It is so obvious that math has confused you.
Everyone from Texas knows that cornbread is...
round...
just like your cast iron skillet.


If you discover square cornbread,
you have discovered...
a Yankee.


See how EVIL math is?
Math is so powerful, it can divide a country!

Yes, Debbie, you are right.
Pie is round.
Don't let them convince you otherwise!

For years, mathematicians have tried to brainwash
us into believing that Pie R Square.
But NOOOOOOOOOOO!

That is a cobbler...
a cobbler is square!

Which brings me to my next complaint about math, Debbie.
What good is it?

I mean...
really...
have you ever used anything you learned in math class?

You have a calculator on your cell phone, don't you?
Exactly!
Thanks for helping me make my point.

When was the last time that real life imitated a
word problem in math class?

If your daughter leaves LAX at 8 am on flight number 471
and her plane is flying 500 miles per hour
in a vicious thunderstorm...

and your son leaves DFW at 9:35 am on flight number 832
and his plane is flying 650 miles per hour
and is being flown by a pilot under the influence...

which child will you pick up from the airport first?

Well, duh!
Nobody needs math to figure out this one!
You wouldn't pick up either child,
because they are both flying to see their boyfriends!

I hope this answer has helped you, Debbie.


The next question came from Linda at
Linda asked: "Is your husband's name really Lurch?
Is he Swedish or something?
Where did you get the wonderful photos you have?
They are fantastic!
When are you coming to California to visit me?"

Linda, my husband's real name is not Lurch.
Lurch is the nickname given to him by a coach
on his college football team.

No, my husband is not Swedish.
He is...
big.

Not a bad thing, huh, Linda?

At his full height of 6'5", Lurch can be frightening,
but he is really a big old, teddy bear.

Where do I find all my wonderful photos?

I'm a photoholic, Linda.
I pick them up everywhere...
I even bring them home with me!

I must admit that it is better than what I used to bring home with me.
But still.

While not as expensive as some other habits,
it still requires time and money.
I scour racks and boxes of vintage photos in
antique stores and thrift shops.
However, I must admit that the best deals
on photos can be found on Ebay and Etsy.

When blogging, I often use "borrowed" photos...
if you get my drift.

When am I coming to see you in California?
Well, both state governments have us in such bad shape,
we might have to just meet up in New Mexico
where excess and poverty have always lived side by side.

Seriously, I am hoping on a trip to your lovely state
this winter or next spring.
Before then, you must go see my bff, Sue, who lives in
Orange County and who I will address later in this post.

Thanks for the invitation, Linda!

The next question came from Mindy at The Primitique.
Mindy asked: "What is your favorite color?"

Easy, peasy, Mindy!
My favorite color is...
black.

How simple was that?

Years ago, while a student in Lubbock,
I remember calling the phone company to order phone service
for my apartment.

Yes, kids...
there was a life before cell phones!

Not only was there a life before cell phones...
there was a time you could only "rent" your house phone
from the dang phone company!
Expensive!!!

I was poor
(my, life has come full circle)
and I wanted the cheapest phone, so I told the salesperson
that I wanted a simple, basic, black phone.
She promptly told me that black was not a color!
Pardon me?
Black isn't a color?
Evidently not...
at least according to Bell telephone.

You know my second favorite color, Mindy?
Turquoise.
Ain't it beautiful?

Especially with black.

The last question (and most dangerous)
Sue asked: "What is the worst thing you ever did as a 'teechur'?"

Considering that I am employed by a state university
to supervise student teachers, I can only answer this question
under extreme duress.

In my many years as an school administrator,
I have looked back on some of the escapades of
some of my teaching friends
and have come to the realization that I would have
fired all of them.
Oh, yes...
we...
I mean "they" were idiots.

I "heard the story" that some of the teachers
wanted to play role reversal with some of their students,
so one night, this certain group of teachers...
toilet papered students' houses.

I would have fired them.



And I heard about this young teacher
who got really angry about the superintendent
not attending one of her students' performances.
I heard she went to his house and knocked on his
front door and confronted him.

I definitely would have fired her!

As far as stories about myself...
I am old...
and my memory is pretty blurry.

Sorry, Sue.
Know you would have liked some stories about me,
but they just don't exist!

I think it is time for my happy hour...
I mean conference period.

You guys better study...
I feel a pop test coming on!





Friday, January 7, 2011

Ask The Teechur Friday...

The big day is here!

I'm always asking you
to take pop tests...
or fill-in-the-blank...
or complete your creative writing assignments!

Now it is your turn!

Got a question for teechur?

You can read my answers
in my weekend posts.

Have at it...
fire away...
but, please raise your hand first!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

POP TEST!

You expected it on Monday,
didn't you?

Thought you escaped it
for the week, huh?

Oh, no!

Put down that Ding Dong
and put on that thinking cap!

POP TEST!

Directions: Multiple choice answers...
you are responsible for answer D.

A. When Hazel rented the other half of her duplex to her best friend, Margaret, she wasn't aware of Margaret's husband's problem with passing gas.

B. Diaper duty was no big deal for Hazel and Margaret.

C. Hazel and Margaret prepare for the Republicans to take over the House of Representatives.

D.