I love driving, I don't care how far. I drove to California from Texas many times. Trips to Florida, Colorado, Wyoming, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky were no problem at all. I loved every mile. I would have been a good truck driver. I always said the best job would be …
Month: February 2023
The Cast of Characters in the Scandal at Maple Valley
Maple Valley is a small tourist town in Kertok County, Missouri. The claim to fame in this tiny place is The Old General, a Civil War era steam locomotive that carries visitors to Maple Valley. Maple Valley has been here a lot longer than The Old General has been bringing folks to see it. Years …
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One Hundred and Twenty-Five Days of Blogging Insanity
In the early days of October 2022, I decided to start writing blog posts every day. Let that sink in for just a moment. I decided, of my own free will, to take on the task of writing what amounts to an essay, every day. A little bit of inside information might be helpful. I …
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More Trees for the Maple Valley HO Scale Model Railroad
I have been working diligently on the scenery of my HO scale model railroad, The Maple Valley Short Line. Since I learned how to make convincing weeds, I'm putting them everywhere, and probably overdoing it. You can see the steps I learned for placing great weeds, by clicking here. I've added one more step. After …
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Growing Up Lapeer: Church
I loved the church our family attended while I was growing up in Saginaw. It seemed huge when I was young. Thirty-six years after we moved to Lapeer, I went back to the church as a substitute preacher while the congregation was looking for a new pastor. The sanctuary was much smaller than I remembered. …
Coffee Conversations: More Random Stupid Stuff
I asked this question once before, but as of this moment, I still have not received a satisfactory answer. When I see someone in a store and greet them, what am I supposed to do if I run into them again? Do I look down and ignore them? Do I say something dumb like, "Hey! …
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Coffee Conversations: Just Random Stupid Stuff
This is a question I have never asked before, but it continues to bother me. When someone sneezes, how many times am I obligated to say, "Bless you"? Does every sneeze require a blessing, or does one bless you cover all of the sneezes from beginning to end? What if you don't say bless you …
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Coffee Conversations: Kids Say the Funniest Things
When our three boys were little, they were fascinated with their grandmother's cigarette smoke. They stood and watched as the cloud swirled around her head. "What are you doing?" one of the boys asked. "I know! It's going to kill me!" Grandma said, gruffly. Her answer didn't dissuade the boys' interest. When she put the …
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Hot Coffee Conversation: “Heck Yeah, I Like Myself!”
As a middle school counselor, I had many opportunities to speak with students about things bothering them. It certainly wasn't all troublesome topics, there were many happy moments when great success had students beaming with pride. Bullying was a common thread in discussions about student life. We did our best to provide an atmosphere in …
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Angel in the NICU
Our triplet boys were born ten weeks early, at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. We learned Mary was expecting three babies instead of two just seven days before. At 3:30, 3:31, and 3:31:30, our precious tiny babies were lifted into the world. Baby A weighed four pounds. Baby B weighed three pounds, three ounces. …
A Coffee State of Mind 