Squiggles ... and Giggles

Then One Day ...

2011-02-12T01:09:00.019-05:00

Hey, thanks for taking a look at "old Squiggles" ... If you'd like to visit the new Squiggles, in a new location, here's the link:

squiggles2.blogspot.com

Thank you.

Summertime Blues

2011-02-05T01:42:00.004-05:00

JUST AS the gate is coming down ... the train is pulling out ... the ship is getting underway ... the plane is ...

Actually, just as I’m trying to flex my stiffened fingers, get my aching back under control, and ease my ancient body into the creaking chair in front of the computer ... then sitting here wondering what to say about this past week ... there comes an e-mail from LOREE (Kansas), which says, in part:

Better late than never?

I’m not only dreaming of spring (last week’s poem), but desperate for it ... another nine inches of snow, and temps that don’t kow which way is UP!

Today, I’m nursing a pulled something or other, in my back on the left side. I was desperate to make a path to the trash cans, so I used the leaf blower to try and blow away some of the snow.

That worked pretty well, except that the inch and a half, or maybe two inch opening, on the bottom of the 'wand' is pretty darned small for moving nine inches of snow! Finally gave up and got the snow shovel for the last six feet or so.

Now I can get my walks without walking in snow ... back and forth between the carport (I cleaned that the day before!) and the trash cans! Better than nothing.

Take care and take it from me ... DON'T go shoveling snow!

-S&G-

GOOD ADVICE, Loree. Just a bit late, though, so I’ll try to remember that for next time.

Meanwhile, this time ... which seems to have covered about 40 days and 40 nights ... we’ve been “shut in,” too. I vaguely remember getting out of the house on Monday.

Then the snows came. And the rain. Freezing rain. Then more snow. For a couple of days, all we could do was watch. Finally, though, the clouds parted ... and there was the SUN!

That was yesterday. With Phyllis, the long-suffering Phyllis, my navigator and closest advisor, at my side ... or in front of me ... or behind me ... watching carefully for signs that I was slipping ... on the ice, that is ... we tackled the driveway.

The steep part was so FROZEN that it was like dancing on a slanting iceberg with only an ice pick for a partner.

That was yesterday. Today was a repeat performance, as we resumed our efforts to expose some of the bricks to the air. Tonight, far from being revved up and ready to churn out another installment of “Squiggles,” I feel like I’m ready for a body sling.

The silver lining in this great storm cloud from which we’re finally emerging ... during the whole ordeal, our lights winked and blinked, but ... unlike thousands of others ... we never actually lost power.

Also, we had that previously-mentioned sunshine yesterday and today. It warmed our backs a little. Gave us hope, too.

Also ... and this is a BIG ALSO ... late today our favorite tree person showed up to dispose of the huge tree limb ... and I do mean HUGE ... which had been blocking the garage doors all week. Whoopee! Free at last!

Now ... where did I put that body sling?

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: (Please forgive me, if I’ve forced this one on you in recent weeks) No, I don't have the summertime blues.

Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. My fingers are more like icicles dangling over an arctic expanse of keyboard, here in this same corner of the house which was so steaming hot, just a few months ago.

But I like to go against the flow, and today is one of those days.

I thought it might be fun to dwell for a few moments on that now-delicious heat which has become so cherished because of its absence. In other words, I like it now, miss it, now that it's gone.

The poem:

SUMMERTIME BLUES

I've got those

low-down,

good for nothin'

summertime blues.

My handkerchief

has wilted,

my shorts have

turned to glue,

my socks have

already melted

and run down

into my shoes.

Oh, I've got 'em bad,

as bad as they can be,

those prickly-pested,

heat infested

good for nothin'

summertime blues.

(originally published in Capper's)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

Two Below

2011-01-29T01:32:00.002-05:00

(Not a recent photo, but an example of what can, and does, happen sometimes in my back yard)

I DON’T KNOW how many of you remember last week ... I said something about being brief ... then went on and on.

Well, this is brief.

-S&G-

A RECENT DISPATCH ... from LOREE (Kansas) went something like this:

After being a prisoner in my own home during that week of cold weather, it has finally warmed up just enough that I ventured out of the warm bed, in search of food.

Like an old bear waking from its winter sleep, I stretched a bit, avoided looking in a mirror, and went into the galley. My kitchen is so small that I call it the galley, as it well deserves.

I was almost afraid to open the fridge, or cabinet doors, as I feared that the food might be all gone.

Eventually though, I got up the nerve to open a cupboard door, and was overjoyed that, indeed, something was there! I commenced dancing around (in my aged, weakened state) celebrating, by saying:

Old Mother Hubbard,
Went to her cupboard,
And found, to her surprise ...
It wasn't bare,
For sitting there,
Were rows of pizza pies!

Don't you just love pizza when there is no choice?!

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “They amaze me - these drivers who go speeding around me, sometimes even in school zones - then I find them at the next red light, just sitting there ... waiting for a brain transplant, I suppose.” - Professor Squigglee

-S&G-

RECENT MAIL ... this item from HOMER (Illinois), a detailed list of who reads what ... among them: 1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country, 2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country ... 11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store, 12. The Winston-Salem Journal is read by people who have recently caught a fish and need something to wrap it in.

-S&G-

BOOK NOOK: I’m still, in my spare time, working on Chronology of Native Americans, by Greg O’Brien. I’m also working my way through The Treasury of English Poetry, edited by Mark Caldwell and Walter Kendrick. I keep that one at bedside.

And what’s on your reading table ... or electronic device?

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: This is a winter poem. No doubt about that.

It's reminiscent of Northern Illinois, where we spent several bitterly cold winters, but it was written during, and about, winter in Ohio ... or any place where temperatures sink unmercifully low, then struggle to rise, fall again, struggle again ... fall.

Little wonder that we find an unnamed couple sleeping under that "pale slice of lemon floating in thin clouds" ... "like two ... bears dreaming of spring."

This one was originally published in Southern Humanities Review:

TWO BELOW

Pale slice of lemon
floating in thin clouds
far above temperatures
fallen, clicking,
struggling to rise
where they were
some time yesterday
before falling back
in the sullen darkness
that will cradle us
like two sleeping bears
dreaming of spring.

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2011

If Elected

2011-01-22T01:24:00.002-05:00

I’ll try to be brief. Remember ... I said I’ll TRY.

This has been one of those weeks. Something like ... what was that old saying? ... “The faster I go, the behinder I get.” So here it is, Friday night again ... ALREADY ... and not only have I barely started to think about “Squiggles,” there’s a place I have to be tonight.

But don’t worry. The long curving, sloping, looping, sweeping driveway that eventually winds up at the stables and servants’ quarters here at Brimm Manor ... has been cleared of snow ... so I should be able to get out and ... more important ... back in to pick up the loose threads of “Squiggles.”

That clearing of the driveway was done largely thanks to Stephen ... who happened by at just the right time to take over the major (steepest) portion and leave just a bit of tidying up for Phyllis and me. (I’m the “supervisor” in all this ... but that’s strictly off the record, so please don’t tell anybody).

So I started out by saying I’d be brief, remember? Well, maybe next time.

-S&G-

AS SOME OF YOU may know, Professor Squigglee is fairly lenient when it comes to giving out grades ... but he does check attendance.

LOREE (Kansas) no doubt had this in mind when she wrote to explain her absence of last week:

I had this problem....it was so darned cold, that I stayed under the covers and on the heated mattress pad ... almost 24 / 7 !

In fact, to be quite honest, the only time I ventured out from that nest was when the mattress pad kicked off (automatically, after so many hours) and the bed got cold. That was a great time to turn it on all over again, and while it was warming the bed again, I would try to figure out what day it was, if it were morning or evening, so I could open the correct container on the pill box, snarf those down, and after a pit stop, hit the bed running!

On Thursday, my weekly visit to the beauty shop culminated in my getting my hair chopped off ... SHORT! And of course, we were still in the throes of that week of living with the Artic Express.

But hey, when it comes down to wearing a stocking cap, or saving my hairdo, the cap won out!

-S&G-

BOOK NOOK: I’m just getting up to speed with Chronology of Native Americans, by Greg O’Brien. I’m also working my way through The Treasury of English Poetry, edited by Mark Caldwell and Walter Kendrick. I keep that one at bedside, and usually end my day with it.

And what’s on your reading table ... or electronic device?

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “We’ve had a bit of snow here in Ohio (perhaps you heard) - but it is winter, you know. How bad was it? Well, it was so bad that ... believe it or not ... some drivers had slowed down ... almost down to the posted (safe-under-perfect-conditions) speed limit. Can you believe?” - Professor Squigglee

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: For those who may have stolen a look at the poem before reading the introduction ... Don't worry. I'm not running for office.

Honest. I'm not planning any long-winded speeches, I won't be asking for money ... or even your vote ... and I certainly won't be making any promises I can't keep. I promise you that.

Then what?

Today's poem was written at another time ... in another place ... when and where it seemed that everybody else in the whole universe was vying for a position at the public trough.

It was a time when politicians were talking our ears off ... and dogs were barking all night. What a wonderful combination, I thought ... and there's no disrespect for dogs intended in that, I assure you.

If I WERE to be elected ... to anything ... it seemed to me at the time ... I would prefer to be the officeholder responsible for "mudging" curs (whatever that means) ... not the first time that a responsibility has been invented out of pure air (remember when we still had some of that?) ... in order to garner the votes of the undecided ... and unsuspecting ...

Well, from there it was strictly downhill ... and fast. But I had fun with the poem (remember, no disrespect for dogs intended). Here it is:

IF ELECTED

When finally I have
attained full growth,
I think that I
should like to be
a curmudgeon, which,
I'm told by my pal,
clear-eyed Ed,
is one who
mudges curs.

It's the least they
deserve for barking
all night at nothing
in particular while
decent folk are
pounding pillows,
trying to sleep,
but only attaining
grouchyhoodedness.

I promise, if elected,
not to be stingy
with my curmudgeoning.
© 1997

(originally published in Parnassus Literary Journal)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2011

Anybody There?

2011-01-15T01:17:00.003-05:00

Whoa! Time is flying, isn’t it? We must be having tons of fun, for here it is the middle of January already. Seems like only yesterday that it was the middle of December ... and some of us ... Professor Squigglee and I, at least ... were starting to give some thought to beginning our Christmas shopping.

And now all the wrapping paper is gone, some of the toys are broken, some need new batteries, and the tree ... well, the tree is just a memory, too. Where does the time go so fast?

Somebody ... and I won’t get specific, for fear of sounding political (No politics or religion here, remember? We don’t want any fights breaking out in the parking lot after The Prof dismisses class) ... but somebody must be spending some of our time FOR us ... and quite a bit of it, at that.

How else could we explain our having so little time of our own? Why, I can remember ... and you probably can, too ... in the days before TV and all these electronic gizmos that beep and BONK, whistle and HONK! ... when we had tons of time ... not just on our hands, but all over the place.

Time just seemed to creep along ... and now it’s supersonic. Oops! There goes another big chunk of it ... gone in a flash, much like our ready cash.

-S&G-

THIS JUST IN: Actually, it’s a bit more than “just in” ... but still timely, I think. It’s from LOREE (Kansas), who said in the e-mail which brought her poem to me: “Christmas was a mess this year ... people coming and going each and every day, some staying overnight, while I provided room service, maid service, and everything in between. I wrote this little ditty, that says it all”:

Twas The Day After Christmas

Twas the day after Christmas,
The place was a mess ...
With ribbons and tissue
Near up to my chest.

The guests were asleep,
All tucked in their beds ...
And when they wake up
Is something I dread.

For all will be hungry,
A bit cranky too ...
No help for me at all,
In cleaning I do.

Thank goodness that Christmas
Just comes once a year ...
For it strains my patience
And dims my good cheer!
(c) Loree (Mason) O'Neil

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Sometimes I feel like a wind-up person trying to find my way around in a digital world.” - Professor Squigglee

-S&G-

BOOK NOOK: Next on my reading list is Chronology of Native Americans, by Greg O’Brien. I spotted it on one of the bargain tables at Borders and simply couldn’t pass it by. And what’s on your reading table ... or electronic device?

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: Even when “Squiggles” was an e-mailed weekly newsletter ... ah, those were the days, remember? ... there were times when I wondered if anybody was reading it.

It was sort of like putting a message in a bottle and dropping it in the surf ... I couldn’t be sure who was going to open it ... read it ... and, glory be, respond.

I guess that was the seed from which today’s poem sprouted. Please note, though, that there’s a twist at the ... well, you’ll have to see ... and judge ... for yourself.

Meanwhile:

ANYBODY THERE?

If I were to begin
sharing my poetry,
all these feverish
things I've written,
would anybody hear me?
Would anybody listen
during "open mike"?
Would bus passengers
get up and move out
of earshot? Would
strangers dart down
dark alleys? Would
cats cross the street,
dogs whine, beg off?
Would - I say, would
you please wake up?

(originally published in PKA's Advocate)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2011

My Sunday Stroll

2011-01-08T01:20:00.001-05:00

(Some of you may find that portions of this installment sound familiar ... so maybe I do repeat myself. In that case, I congratulate you on your fine memory ... and your patience. And I'll explain next week ... maybe)

A few days ago I was driving down a four-lane street ... minding my own business ... and the speed limit, I might add ... when I noticed a young couple with an infant in a stroller up ahead.

They were in a mid-block, marked crosswalk, halfway across the street, headed for the side I was driving along.

I stopped short of the crosswalk, turned on my four-way flashers ... and sat there ... while about half a dozen drivers pulled around me and went whizzing past.

Finally, another driver stopped beside me, so we had both of our lanes blocked, for the moment. The trio ventured out ... she waved a thank-you to us ... they got safely across ... and went on.

I’m not here to condemn those other drivers ... far be it from me to cast the first stone in the driving department ... I don’t know who those other drivers were, or what vital, urgent errands they were on.

I couldn’t help thinking, though, of how loudly their actions speak of a general disrespect for the law ... and for others ... as I witness it on the streets and highways these days ... and drivers’ disregard for the safety of themselves ... and others.

Will we never learn?

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “I’m always very careful, so this is quite unlikely to happen ... but just suppose I were to crawl out of bed some morning ... and get my flip-flops on the wrong feet. Would they then be considered flop-flips?” - Professor Squigglee

-S&G-

AND ANOTHER ... Phyllis’ late father was a collector ... of sayings, among other things ... and here’s one now:

Now is the time to plan your life,
If you would make your mark;
You know it wasn’t raining
When Noah built the ark.

-S&G-

LOOKING BACK ... all the way to the Monday, April 7, 2003 issue of S&G ... “I was strolling through a mall the other day, minding my own business, when I suddenly saw this huge sign ... RETRO SHOES ... in one of the windows. Well! I can imagine what those are. Once you’ve got ‘em on, you stand up (if you can) ... and start walking ... BACKWARDS.”

-S&G-

LOOKING BACK (AGAIN) ... this time to an e-mail late last year from LOREE (Kansas) ... in which she suggested an installment about our first real “paying” jobs ... where actual money was involved.

Loree said she was about nine or ten ... and hers went like this:

Ah, yes ... memories of my first real paying job! I was a kid in New York State, and Freckles and I got a REAL job ... in more ways than one! First we rode our bicycle (that’s right ... ONE bicycle for the two of us to share) ... and we rode about four or five miles to a truck farm that raised produce near Lake Ontario. We called it a “muck farm,” since the soil was so rich ... and if damp, about like concrete!

Anyway, our job was to get down on our knees and traverse the length of the rows, pulling out WEEDS! ... sun boiling down ... wiping the sweat from our foreheads with grimy, gritty hands. And at the end of the day ... the long trek back home. But, hey, we were paid FIFTY CENTS a day for our efforts!

-S&G-

REMEMBER WHEN ... Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box? - courtesy of WALT (Ohio)

-S&G-

YOU KNOW ... you’re a Floridian if ... Your winter coat is made of denim. - courtesy of HELEN (Florida)

-S&G-

ANOTHER QUOTE ... “Aspire to inspire before you expire.” - courtesy of TIL (Illinois)

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM ... First of all, let me say this: I’ve got nothing against dogs. Some of my best friends, especially during my growing up years, were pooches ... and we got along splendidly, roaming the hills, sharing adventures, pausing occasionally to take in the view.

Why is it, then, that nowadays dogs ... not all, but a lot of them ... seem to have this compulsion to express their disdain for me?

It’s almost as though I owe them money ... or look like someone who might steal a bone from them. Not me, buddy ... not me.

Still, there’s that bit of animosity they seem to harbor, as detailed in today’s poem. (All I ask is that you read it silently ... I don’t want any more canines getting the wrong idea about me):

MY SUNDAY STROLL

How brave the dogs
crashing into the fence,
bark-bark-barking
at me on the other side.

Are they afraid I'll jump
the barrier (at my age)
and attack them?
Does the fence make them

brave, as brave as I am?
Only inches from
flashing, pointed teeth,
agitated, syncopated paws,

those raging eyes, rising
hackles, I stroll serenely
past as superior as a cat,
knowing that the fence

will corner abruptly and they
must stop, game over,
while I, clearly the winner,
hear only the cheering
crowd as I quit the field.

(originally published in Moose Bound Press)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

A New Leaf

2011-01-01T01:15:00.001-05:00

Now the fun begins.

What fun? Why, for one thing, trying to remember to write 2011, instead of 2010, in all those places where I’m expected to indicate the current date.

And just when I had finally learned to write 2010 automatically ... well, semi-automatically, at least ... instead of 2009.

Oh, well, I guess it’s only fitting that I ended the year like I began it, clinging to the trailing edge of technology ... and most everything else, it seems ... by my slippery fingertips.

That aside, I am proud to announce that I kept all of my resolutions for this past year.

Actually, I made just one ... but I stuck to it, through thick and thin.

And what was that? Why, I RESOLVED TO MAKE NO RESOLUTIONS. Having gotten through the year without breaking that one and only ... I hereby resolve to make the same resolution for the new year. I think I can keep it, too.

This doesn’t mean that I’m casting aside all the rules. I’ll likely follow my lifelong pattern of observing the rules ... playing by the rules ... living by the rules ... even when they apply to such mundane things as driving ... and eating ... and simply doing the right thing, even if there’s no police officer ... or canine deputy ... keeping an eye on me.

That said ... HAPPY NEW YEAR! (And please do ... if you’re not too involved with shaping your own resolutions ... take a look at today’s poem (below), entitled “A New Leaf”)

-S&G-

REMEMBER the previous installment of S&G? We needn’t have a show of hands on that ... after all, that was LAST YEAR ... right?

Never fear, Professor Squigglee just reminded me ... as though I were the absent-minded one ... that I’d mentioned an adventure by LOREE (Kansas), involving a bargain Christmas tree that she found ... but wasn’t allowed to buy.

And I’d promised to share the details of that this week ... so here they are, essentially as related by Loree:

My brother-in-law took me shopping at the local Dollar General. I bought three or four small items, then told him I wanted to look at the Christmas trees.

I knew exactly what I wanted ... a white one with fiber optic lights ALREADY on it! Well, it turned out they had two six-foot white trees, with fiber optic lights! Just what I wanted, so he reached up and got one, and put it in the shopping cart. At $35 I thought it was a good buy.

They only had one register open for checking out, so we had to work our way to the head of the line. The cashier promptly scanned the bar code on the tree, then rang up the rest of my purchases.

“Seven twenty-nine total, please,” she said.

I came close to dropping my upper plate. Finally I said, “I'd be happy to pay that for my purchases, but you've made a mistake.”

She said, “Oh yes ... the tree.”

She carefully went over the register ticket, and then said, “Oh, my! The tree has pennied out!”

Well, that was the first time I had EVER heard that phrase. So I said, “The tree is only a penny? In that case, I'll buy both of them!”

She replied, “There's another one there?”

“Yes, there were two of them on the shelf, exactly alike, and both marked $35 each.”

“Pennied Out,” the clerk said, “means that I can't sell it, nor can YOU BUY IT!”

“But it is EXACTLY what I want,” I said. “I'm willing to pay the $35 the tag said.”

At this point the manager came strutting up, reached and removed my tree from my cart, and said, “You can't buy it!”

I then ask her, “Why are THEY on the shelves, on display, and have a price tag?”

She rifled through a stack of papers ... then, in a tone that indicated she was talking either to a disappointed four-year-old, or an imbecile, she said, “Whomever opens the store first thing in the morning checks memos for 'pennied out' items, which means they must be sent back. There was no memo on the trees, for some reason, BUT YOU CAN'T BUY IT!”

While all of this was going on, I had paid the clerk the $7.29 I owed for other items, so I responded, for the benefit of the gathering and enthralled line behind me, “Oh, to heck with it! We'll just go to WAL-MART!”

And I'm so glad that neither the clerk, NOR the manager said “Merry Christmas” right then.

(Thanks, Loree ... I had never encountered that term either. Now I’ll be extra careful not even to try to buy something that’s been “pennied out” ... but how will I know, until it’s too late?)

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: As I indicated earlier, I don't do New Year's resolutions now ... haven't written them out for a number of years.

But I think each day ... whether I crawl slowly out of bed, hoping the floor will rise up gently to touch my feet ... or leap out ready to face whatever the day may hold for me ... each day offers this opportunity for that "new leaf" ... a new beginning of sorts.

I've encountered some detours along the way. But here I am, still plodding along, still being drawn along by what may lie ahead, around the next bend in the road.

So I guess I do think sometimes about that "new leaf," too.

Meanwhile, the poem:

A NEW LEAF

How soothing the sound
of it, like the feel
of clean sheets, crisp
and cool to the touch,
hinting airy freshness
as we snuggle in.
How comforting it is
to lie here thinking
of this whole new year
fresh and inviting,
opening the prospect
that things might be
better, perhaps could
be, if we could just
approach each new day
with the same sense
of purpose we feel
at this moment.
© 1999
(originally published in Capper's)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2011

Christmas Musings

2010-12-25T01:09:00.003-05:00

By the time most of you ... even the earliest of risers among you ... have read this, I will already have gone racing downstairs to see what Santa has left under the Christmas tree for me.

And not just for me. I’m not THAT selfish. I also like to look at the other packages ... see whose names are on them ... and try to guess what’s inside.

This is a tradition that goes back to my earliest days ... and back then we didn’t have an upstairs or downstairs ... everything, such as it was, was on the ground floor.

We weren’t among the richest people in town, but we always had a Christmas tree ... a small cedar, cut and dragged in from a nearby field ... bedecked with tinsel, carefully saved from the tree each year before its ritual burning ... and it even had some hand-me-down blinking lights on it once.

About this time each year (Christmas Eve) I began fretting a bit about whether I had been good enough ... and long enough ... to find something under the tree for me.

Santa seemed to be forgiving ... or forgetful ... for I always found something there ... though it was never the bicycle I always dreamed of having ... but it was never a lump of coal, nor a bundle of switches, thank goodness.

Ah, those were the days! Come to think of it, so are these. For these few hours, at least, we can forget about all that other stuff our there ... and simply focus on “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

-S&G-

OTHER VOICES:

HELEN (Florida) ... I think I saw Professor Squigglee amongst the other “Snow Birds” outside one of the big stores - it includes “mart” in its name. The only problem was that he was freezing here in Miami-Dade County along with the rest of the locals. It seems to have thawed out for the time being, and I hope he stayed long enough to enjoy it.

(Aha! So that’s where that rascal ... er, explorer-educator ... has been.)

LOREE (Kansas) ... You can keep the snow, sleet, and especially ice, in your territory. We need moisture here desperately, but I prefer the spring rains later on ... I want to plant some rose bushes, but at the rate we’re going it will require a stick of dynamite to make a hole for each one. But I suspect we have an ordinance against that! Can’t you just see the headline in the local paper? “Retired Sheriff’s Deputy arrested and currently in the county jail for illegal use of explosives, WITHOUT A PERMIT!”

(Be careful, Loree. I have this thing about LOUD NOISES ... but even more regarding BIG HEADLINES in the local paper. Meanwhile, folks, Loree had an adventure with a bargain Christmas tree that she found ... but wasn’t allowed to buy. I hope to share the details on that next week ... so please stay tuned)

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: Regular visitors to these postings probably have noticed that the poem presented here is always mine. It’s not that I think any of my poems stand head and shoulders above those of any other writers. Far from it. My poems are often spindly, struggling little things ... a far cry from what others write.

Still, I’ve sorta built a “tradition” of sharing my stuff with you, rather than subject myself to the horrendous effort of trying to select which poem, of all the great ones others have written, I would use here.

Today I’m departing from that “tradition.”

But first a bit of background: I first met WALT and GEN when I dropped in on a writing group at an area senior center. They were such a devoted couple, lovers of poetry, too. I am so glad our paths crossed ... and I joined that group.

Sadly, in time, Gen became Walt’s late wife ... but she lives on in my memory ... and in the memories of many others, I’m sure.

I recently received an e-mail from Walt which contained one of his great poems ... but let’s let him share the details with us:

Just a few years back, when Gen was with me, she asked me to write a Christmas mesage that she could duplicate and send as our Christmas card.

This is what happened:

CHRISTMAS MUSINGS

Remember when on Christmas Eve
we always wished for snow
As we watched the dying embers
in the fading fire light's glow
The Christmas tree was lighted
each ornament in place
With wild anticipation
glowing on every face
Excited, happy little ones
tumbled into bed
With dreams of many treasures
racing round their tiny heads
And jolly old St. Nicholas
working merrily
Knew exactly the proper
gifts and toys
To leave beneath our tree
Remembering the cards and letters
from friends and loved ones
far and near
Filling our hearts with gladness
love and good cheer
During this Christmas season
and all year through
We wish you health and happiness
and pleasant memories too.

   Walt and Gen

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

Oh, and if you’d like to see what’s up with my other ... DAILY blog ... here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Goodbye, Old Hat

2010-12-04T01:23:00.003-05:00

Some of you may remember last week ... and the sudden disappearance of Professor Squigglee. At least he did leave a note, “Gone Shopping” ... but now I’m beginning to wonder if that was really his handwriting.

Usually what he has written is such a scrawl that even he has trouble figuring out what it says.

This was so clear ... so easy to read ... I can’t help wondering.

Well, I went shopping, too. That’s not like me at all. Oh, I do ... on occasion, like a really rainy day, or during a horrible snowstorm ... just as a last resort, seek shelter in a nearby mall.

And I may even do some “window shopping” there, but I usually manage to stay above the fray, for I’m not really a serious shopper, you see. I hate being bumped by shopping carts ... I don’t like being shoved aside when I’m trying to get down an aisle ... I don’t even like having someone slip past me as I’m trying to enter, and then add insult to injury by letting the door slam in my face.

But this sudden disappearance of Professor Squigglee was something else.

I was sure I would encounter him in one of the checkout lines ... or see him in the distance ... perhaps stuffing newly-purchased merchandise into the trunk of his car.

Nothing.

-S&G-

MEANWHILE ... this just in ... thanks to WALT (Ohio), via e-mail:

Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards.

One day they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, “Now don't get mad at me ... I know we've been friends for a long time ... but I just can't think of your name! I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is.”

Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her. Finally she said, “How soon do you need to know?”

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM - I don’t even have a picture of it (the hat that’s mentioned in today’s poem, that is). The original had never, to the best of my knowledge, sat for a portrait ... nor even had its photo snapped by someone mistaking its wearer for a celebrity.

So I had to resort to a stunt double to illustrate the poem about its plight ... and (sniffle-sniffle) mine.

The double, of course, is a younger version of the vanished one, but it's gradually becoming ... well, quite comfortable, like an old pair of shoes.

But now, the poem:

GOODBYE, OLD HAT

"My old brown hat is gone!"
I cried.
"When did you have it on?"
she sighed.
"This year, or last.
Time goes so fast."
"The one rumpled, crumpled,
and torn?"
"Yes, yes! Tattered, spattered,
forlorn.
Twenty years my best buddy ...
all that.
My oldest, dearest friend,
my hat.
Now it's gone, left no trace.
I'm wild ..."
"I'm sure it's, uh ... someplace,"
she smiled.
And, looking me straight in
the eye:
"But it was time to say
goodbye."

(originally published in Capper's)

-S&G-

See you next week? M-m-m-m-m ... that all depends.

-S&G-

MEANWHILE ... COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

Gone Shopping

2010-11-27T01:25:00.003-05:00

IT WAS KINDA quiet here on Friday afternoon ... you know, that time of the week when I at least begin thinking about pulling together another installment of “Squiggles.”

It seemed particularly quiet where Professor Squigglee usually hangs out, so I decided to take a look.

I walked very softly ... pausing ... when the floor emitted a tiny squeak underfoot. As I approached, I was struck by what seemed like an absolute silence ... no scratching of pen on paper ... no turning of pages ... and (thank goodness) no snoring.

I peeked around the corner, and what did I see?

No Professor. But there appeared to be a note on top of the clutter which looks like it’s smothering his desk. I approached cautiously, carefully lifted the note ... so as not to set off an avalanche ... and read:

“GONE SHOPPING”

Well! That makes it just about unanimous on this day after Turkey Day, and ... you know me ... I’m never one to go against the flow ... so-o-o-o ... I guess I’ll join the crowd(s) and go shopping, too.

-S&G-

See you next week? M-m-m-m-m ... that all depends.

-S&G-

MEANWHILE ... COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Interlude

2010-11-20T01:12:00.003-05:00

PROFESSOR SQUIGGLEE commented that a strange thing had happened this week ... he hadn’t heard anybody snapping their fingers while waving a hand in the air ... trying to get his attention ... ready with an answer to his next question.

I had noticed that, too. Usually there is at least one audible response to the most recent installment of “Squiggles.”

But this week? Nothing.

-S&G-

I WAS PUZZLED at first. Then Phyllis and I took a stroll through one of the shopping malls in this area.

Aha!

There was Santa having his picture taken with a youngster on each knee ... Christmas lights were flashing up and down the corridors ... crowds were surging around us like we were standing still ... cash registers were singing a merry tune.

Everybody ... and that includes the “Squiggles” regulars, I’m sure ... must be out doing their Christmas shopping.

-S&G-

DID I MISS Thanksgiving?

Must’ve ... but I don’t have heartburn ... nor that sleepy feeling which comes from stuffing myself with all kinds of Thanksgiving goodies ... and I don’t remember loads of relatives arriving for the BIG MEAL.

WHOOPS! I just glanced at the calendar ... and, unless I looked at it wrong, NEXT Thursday is Thanksgiving ... and it’s the day after that ... right? ... when the Christmas stampede officially begins. Right?

-S&G-

I’VE SAID IT before ... and I may say it again ... in fact, I will: One of the hazards of looking back is that you tend to bump into things.

Oh, well ... here’s something from way back in 2004 ... when “Squiggles” was an e-mailed weekly letter with 60 readers in 18 states:

“I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, and I’ll say it again: One day you’ve sitting on top of the world; the next day it’s sitting on top of you.

“Case in point: The other day I ran out of the house without a second to spare ... aren’t we all like that? ... intending to hop into the car and drive off carefully, not only observing the speed limit, but obeying it ... making complete ... no gliding through ... stops at STOP signs ... signaling my intentions before each turn ... you know, doing my usual job of impeding traffic.

“Whoa, Nellie! I said, when I rounded the corner. There sat The Little Red Car, all scrunched down and whimpering because it had a flat tire. Flatter’n a pancake, Grandpa would have said.

“I can take a hint. I decided not to go.”

-S&G-

NOW, if you’ll excuse me ... I need to get out there and do my own Christmas shopping ... well ... maybe tomorrow ... or next week ... mmm ... maybe.

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: It likely began life somewhat larger than this version I'm sharing with you.

That's not unusual. When a poem ... or what may become a poem ... begins to present itself to me, I often let the words just go trickling across the page.

Sometimes that works. Sometimes not.

In between that kind of beginning, and publication, there is a lot of revision. That usually means tightening.

Fewer words. More left to the imagination of the reader.

Does this one work? Well, the editor thought it did ... but I still tend to think the reader has the final say on that.

If you've ever watched the sunshine come crawling (swarming?) through a window, the poem may work for you as it did for me. If not, well, ... it may still be food for thought:

INTERLUDE

See how the sun
comes crawling
through the window,
like hungry bees
on a single sprig
of goldenrod.
(originally published in Midwest Poetry Review)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

How to Reach 80

2010-11-13T01:53:00.003-05:00

I’M FAMOUS!

Well ... not famous famous ... but more famous than I was before.

Before what? you ask.

Let me explain. I’m not saying that I’m the talk of the town ... nothing like that. Nor have I achieved something that others may only dream of achieving ... nothing like that, either.

But I was certainly surprised when I got an e-mail from a friend at the Dayton Metro Library, advising me that my picture was in the library’s 2009 annual report.

WHAT? What might I have done to merit that?

Nothing, of course. Still, there I am, on one of the inside pages of the annual report ... standing at a speaker’s stand in the Huber Heights Branch Library ... wearing my corduroy shirt, freshly-pressed trousers, pedometer on my belt, pen in my shirt pocket ... that’s certainly me ... and I appear to be reading my entry in the annual poetry contest, sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Whoa! It doesn’t get more famous than that.

-S&G-

MEANWHILE, I’m still trying not to sneeze while writing this (I’ve been battling a rotten cold ... for ages it seems) ... I’m afraid that cold germs may have found a way to travel electronically ... and I certainly don’t want any “Squiggles” followers to be coughing and sneezing ... like I’ve been. Phyllis, too.

Even Professor Squigglee has been giving me wide berth while I engage in hand-to-hand combat with this blankety-blank malady.

Just as a precaution, I’d advise that you not sit too close to the screen ... and don’t forget to wash your hands thoroughly after scrolling up ... or is it down?

-S&G-

REMEMBER Little Red? Everybody seems to have some particular recollection of an adventure we’ve had with The Little Red Car.

There have been a lot of them over the thirteen years we’ve shared with Little Red.

That’s right ... Little Red has entered the teen years ... and, naturally, I think, has developed a few quirks ... a certain mind set ... but we needn’t go into all that.

We’ve racked up a lot of fun times ... a few trouble spots, too, I must admit ... but mostly fun as Phyllis and I ... and Little Red ... have gone exploring together ... in the main avoiding the Interstates ... but enjoying the scenery along the quieter routes.

I think I may have mentioned recently that we were considering letting Little Red go put-putting off to wherever teen-aged cars go ... and, by the time you read this, that likely will have happened.

Little Red is being replaced ... with a mixture of emotions on my part ... by a younger, less red model, a teeny bit smaller (for a better fit in our ancient garage).

Actually, Little Red’s replacement is a white model with a lot of gadgets that Little Red ... and I ... never dreamed of. I may share some of that ... when I figure out what they’re for.

We did take the replacement for a test run ... and to be sure ... absolutely sure ... that it would fit in our garage. It did!

Don’t tell Little Red that I said this, but this other vehicle is a lot peppier than Little Red ... a lot quieter ... so easy to steer that I found myself tending to over-steer a couple of times ... and so smooth riding that I noticed the speedometer tending to creep up past that LIMIT I’ve preached so much about.

Oh, and the good news is that I expect to have it paid off by the time I’m 100 ... 102 at the most.

And now I’ve got to find a name for it.

-S&G-

LET’S HEAR IT ... for LOREE (Kansas), who recently celebrated her ... um, well, her birthday (never mind which one).

She says she made out like a bandit without a weapon ... and I can believe that. Some of the highlights:

Ladder and leaf blower ... a new can opener that doesn't open the 'inside' top of a can, but rather cuts all around, beneath the rim ... long sleeve western shirt that has a lot of glitter in the floral designs sprinkled on it (makes her look like she should be Dolly Parton) ... down-filled vest to wear over the shirt ... check for $100 from a very special friend ... supper out Friday evening ... breakfast brought in Sunday morning (actual date of big event) ... and supper then, (same day) at a place called 'The Little Hooker'.

Loree explains: "Before anyone makes a rash judgment as to why it is called that, I think I KNOW first hand ... for a much too high price, you can get a small steak, either a baked potato or mashed potatoes (a pile the size of a small ice cream dipper) with a 'bit' of gravy, and one slice of Texas toast. NO salad, NO soup, NO hot rolls ... NO reason to even ASK for a doggie box ... I was still hungry when I got home, so hit a box of Russell Stover chocolates on the sly ... "

-S&G-

ALL OF WHICH leaves Loree wondering ... “how many days of waiting, before I can casually say I have a birthday coming up ALL OVER AGAIN? After all, most of the guests are like me ... their memories are not nearly what they were 20 or 30 years ago!”

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM ... Let me hasten to point out that Loree is NOT 80 years old ... not even near it! But this poem came to mind as I enjoyed the details of Loree’s celebration.

I was reminded of the lady ... who also wrote great poetry ... and invited us to her birthday party on a cold winter day a few years ago.

As I say in the poem, we were all keenly interested in the secret she said she was going to share with us.

The poem:

HOW TO REACH 80

We ate Cajun food,
savored the singing,
all the memories
of this tiny lady
celebrating and
being celebrated
for her active life
as mother, fellow
worker, confidante,
for bringing us
sunshine on cloudy
days. And we all
leaned forward
to catch every
word as she stood,
she said, to share
her secret: "Just
keep breathing."

(Originally published in Capper’s)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

The Moon Tonight

2010-11-06T01:53:00.003-04:00

PROFESSOR SQUIGGLEE HERE ... The other day I was BEHIND a vehicle which pulled up to a STOP sign ... and STOPPED.

Naturally, I stopped, too. My first reaction was that the driver ... obviously ... was having car trouble. I checked my rear-view mirror (I do that frequently these days) ... nobody behind me. Should I get out and offer help? Should I pull carefully around and go on? Should I just wait to see what happens next?

Actually, the third choice soon pushed itself to the fore ... and I didn’t have to wait long at all. The brake lights of the vehicle in front of me went off ... and the vehicle went on through the intersection ... and down the street.

Can you believe? Somebody stopped ... actually STOPPED ... voluntarily ... and with no police observer nearby, as far as I could see ... came to a complete stop ... at a STOP sign.

Whoa! Can it be? I found myself wondering if what I thought I had just witnessed had really happened.

Is it possible that STOP might cease to be just another four-letter word that we routinely ignore as we go about the deadly business of driving/texting/eating/drinking/ignoring/rules ... LAWS ... made for our own safety ... and that of others?

I doubt it.

-S&G-

OTHER VOICES ... this from LOREE (Kansas) ... Hi, Bob ... what is this sudden compulsion regarding food? Isn't this the second poem (referring to last week's offering) you have shared with us of late regarding food?!

(Oh, I think you caught me again, Loree)

LOREE continues ... And now I'm hungry all over again! I've developed my own pattern for eating ... Only do that when I happen to think of it! Sure cuts down on the grocery budget:-)

And of course, there are those wonderful times each month when some kind relative takes pity on me, and absolutely INSISTS that they take me out to eat.

Actually, I think I have more 'dates' now, than I did as a teenager! Used to be, back in those days, the best I could get out of a date, in a sort of 'food' offering, was a Coke, served up with TWO straws, and if I didn't drink really fast, I was crushed by thinking I might not have gotten my fair share:-)

These days are different ... I think it has something to do with how skinny I am ... as evidenced by my brother-in-law calling and saying, 'You have 4 choices....1) Go out and eat 2) Have something catered in 3) I'll bring some home cooked food (that's when I made my decision!), or 4) None of the above!

Well, visions of Blue's Café, a favorite for the home-cooked tasting food, swam before my eyes, and even my stomach growled in approval!

So, last evening found us sitting in Blue's. The portions there are so generous that a 'box' is always a necessity for taking home the leftovers ... and the price? Very reasonable, especially when you consider that I get two or three 'suppers' from the trip there, which REALLY cheapens it up.

(And now you’ve got me all hungry again, Loree. Tell you what, let’s all meet at Blue’s ... just for a snack, mind you. Maybe Professor Squigglee would like to join us, too)

-S&G-

OH, AND LOREE also got some work out of the brother-in-law before they left to go eat ... “He installed the new three-way socket on the lamp in the living room that had been 'winking and blinking' and trying to burn my hand, if I dared touch it. From that to the yard, where he covered the compressor for the AC for the winter. AND in the green house he placed the new and bigger (also more costly) electric heater I had bought, because I was afraid the old one might quit, and do that on the coldest night of the upcoming winter.”

But she didn't ask him to go dig holes for the 50 tulip and daffodil bulbs waiting to be planted ... figured that just might be pushing her luck a bit:-)

-S&G-

THIS FROM WALT (Ohio) ... In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

-S&G-

THIS FROM a grandfather, by way of HELEN (Florida) ... When my grandson, Billy, and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside, to keep from attracting pesky insects.

Still, a few fireflies followed us in.

Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, “It’s no use, Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.”

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: I grew up in the country ... not on a farm, but in the country ... away from city lights.

As a result of that ... and hearing my grandfather talk so many times about the phases of the moon ... its importance in the planting of crops ... knowing about its pull on those distant oceans ... its effect on young lovers ... I was always intrigued by the moon.

The front porch swing provided a great vantage point for watching the giant harvest moon rising slowly over the hills.

I remember being so intrigued by the quarter moon ... the new moon ... the moon showing in the late daytime sky.

When one lives in the city, though, the moon can become a forgotten item ... unless it really asserts itself as we're coming up the driveway on a late-winter evening.

Then there's no denying it. I still remember that evening ... can almost hear a choir, singing a cappella, celebrating the rising of that moon.

The poem:

THE MOON TONIGHT

What a gorgeous sight,
lodged in the darkness
of the walnut tree,
the nearer maples joining
to hold it, glowing
in the late-winter sky,
broken, and yet whole,
like a stained-glass
window catching evening
light, holding it high
under the ceiling while
voices rise in song.

(originally published in Capper's)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Driving to Marengo

2010-10-30T01:59:00.001-04:00

There’s no free lunch, right?

Right.

Now, wait a minute. I’m not talking politics. None of that stuff. I’m talking about reality ... real lunch ... lunch with a price on it.

Just hold on, though ... there’s more to the story.

Phyllis and I had hopped into The Little Red Car ... and Little Red, as usual, was eager to go ... so we went.

We didn’t go far, mind you (there’s always that fear of falling off the edge of the earth) ... but we had a good outing, explored the place where we did our first tent camping, way back in the previous century.

Beautiful spot ... then and now. Remind me to tell you more about that some day.

Eventually the hunger pangs started coming at closer intervals, so, as we were driving in the vicinity of Cedarville University, we took a sudden right turn, drove carefully across campus, and found a parking place, near a building which seemed to be the center of activity at the moment.

We entered, paused at the Information Desk for reassurance that Little Red was not violating any rules while waiting for us.

Then we spied the dining room ... and made a bee-line for it, taking care not to knock any of the students aside in our rush.

We paused at the desk there ... and I was trying to remember which pocket my billfold was hiding in ... when events suddenly went into fast-forward mode, something like this:

I heard a young man’s voice, nearby, saying something like ... “Have they been swiped in?”

“No, they haven’t been,” replied the young deskperson.

Then the young man handed her a card, which she promptly slid through the card reader.

My initial reaction, I must admit, was a flicker of a thought: We were next in line, and he’s going ahead of us.

But, like I say, things were happening fast. The deskperson swiped that card two more times ... smiled at us ... and said, “You’re all set!”

He ... the student ... had paid for our lunches!

I turned to thank the young man ... and to ask his name ... but he was already gone.

Oh, but that wasn’t all.

Still stunned, I turned slowly toward the dining room, and there, in front of us now, was another young man holding out his card and inquiring of the deskperson ... “Have they been swiped in?”

-S&G-

WE SAT NEAR the large windows, enjoyed a fabulous lunch ... and the view ... and marveled over what had happened to us just minutes before.

At some point I ventured the suggestion that we should go there for lunch every day ... but quickly withdrew it ... on a smile and a glance from Phyllis ... I agreed, that might be overstepping.

-S&G-

WORD FROM LOREE, Kansas ... “Well, after losing a few nights’ sleep and tossing and turning, I went yesterday morning to take my annual driver’s test.

“Strange how that makes my heart kick up its heels, probably makes the pacemaker nearly frantic, and the palms of my hands so wet I could water a flower!

“Anyway, turned out to be much ado about a whole lot of nothing.”

The scary part?

“The intimidating letter that the DMV sends out of Topeka, stating in no uncertain terms, ‘You are allowed four tries, within the 30 days of the date this letter was written, to attempt to pass the driving test you are required to take!’

“Well, guess I showed them ... one more time,” Loree says. “I passed it on the first try.”

Congrats to Loree ... and to her pretty, shiny 1996 Ford F150 pickup ... which rolled over the 77,400-mile mark on the driving test.

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM - This is one of my favorites (some of you may recall having seen it before) ... largely because of the memories it has preserved of a young family taking affordable outings. We were living in Northern Illinois at the time, and Marengo was one of our favorite destinations.

Memories of those outings were still "rotating on the carousel of my mind" as Phyllis and I returned from a now-rare outing, a trip out of town.

Traffic had thinned a bit (all the trucks, buses and cars of the world had gone zip-zip-zipping past us ... because I always poke along at the posted speed limit).

During those few moments when we had only the humming of our own car's tires to keep us company, my thoughts drifted toward those summertime outings.

What delicious memories! I had no choice. I had to dig out "Driving to Marengo" and share it with you again today:

DRIVING TO MARENGO

We urged the old station wagon
along curving country roads
toward that place just across
from the school, to consume
those remarkable foot-long
hotdogs with chili peppers
and onions, dripping mustard
and juices, filling the air
with an aroma that lingered
all the slow, dark drive home,
and for days afterward,
like a spirit moving softly
among us, implanting memories
still turning, slowly rotating
on the carousel of my mind.

(originally published in Raintown Review)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Grilled Cheese and Shake

2010-10-23T01:17:00.002-04:00

PROFESSOR SQUIGGLEE ... (Everybody’s doing it these days, right? Multi-tasking: Texting and driving ... driving and enjoying a coffee AND sandwich ... driving and discussing “important stuff” - like where you are, where you’re headed, where you just were - all on the phone ... stuff like that) Well, here’s his definition of multi-tasking: DOING MORE THAN ONE THING ... IN THE SAME DAY.

-S&G-

“I want to apologize,” begins an e-mail from LOREE, Kansas.

For what? I’m wondering.

She continues: “ ... for the verbal beating I gave you last week.”

Oh, that.

Then she shifts gears slightly: “But I can’t honestly say it was uncalled for. And if that alone helped secure, in any small way at all, Little Red’s (that’s The Little Red Car, to the rest of you) presence at Brimm Manor, then it was not in vain! Poor thing! It needed someone to go to bat for it, and we both hope (Little Red and myself) that you got cold feet and chickened out.”

-S&G-

Well, Loree, we (bawk-bawk-bawk) haven’t exactly chickened out about maybe-perhaps-possibly trading in Little Red for something with less mileage on it ... but, as we speak, Little Red is still safely enthroned in its favorite spot here at Brimm Manor.

Oh, it still surprises us ... startles might be a better word ... by flashing various warning lights on the dash ... but it still runs like a dream, and still gets us there and ... usually ... back home, too

-S&G-.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.” - Oprah Winfrey

-S&G-

Why is it? ... that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try? - courtesy of WALT, Ohio

-S&G-

This from HELEN, Florida ... A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s word processor. She told him she was writing a story.

“What’s it about?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t read.”

-S&G-

Loree, some of you may recall, lived on a farm. Then she moved to the city, but she didn’t lose her love for making things grow.

So she ordered some Mammoth Mums from Burpee Gardens, which she describes as a great place to buy outstanding quality plants. That was about the middle of September. Planned delivery was on September 23.

That day came an went. Nothing. The next day Loree received confirmation that delivery had been made. Not to MY porch, Loree knew.

She called Burpee a few days later, gave them her sad story, and asked if she could reorder. No need for that, she was told, they’d just replace the order.

A few days later Loree got a shipping confirmation on the new order, with a planned delivery date. She made sure she didn’t leave the house all that day. In fact, she took a seat with a perfect view of the front porch. No delivery. Next day, though, she got “confirmation of delivery” from UPS.

She called UPS, pointed out that she hadn’t received delivery and ... well, sorta gave them what-for.

Then she called Burpee again ... talked to the same lady as before ... was put on hold for a few minutes ... then was told that it appeared her order had been delivered to Loree’s OLD address.

Another phone call ... this time to the lady who had bought Loree’s place in the country. Sure enough, the package HAD been delivered there ... but the lady didn’t seem to know about the earlier delivery ... and Loree couldn’t help wondering why the lady hadn’t called to tell her the package had been delivered THERE.

Her response: “I don’t have TIME to make phone calls!”

But she did find time to deliver the package to a place in town where Loree could pick it up.

Loree then discovered that it had been OPENED. Apparently the contents were still intact, but Loree couldn’t help wondering what had happened to the contents of the first package.

Anyway, “The poor little plants, quite the worse for their ordeal, are now recovering in ICU here at my house ... I carefully re-potted them, gave them fluids, and they are in my greenhouse, until they get their strength (some growth) back!”

-S&G-

OH, and there was a sort of P.S. to Loree’s note: “If my greenhouse were bigger, I’d have you send Little Red to me ... even by UPS!”

-S&G-

TODAY'S POEM: It took me a long time to get through college, and it wasn't because I was a slow learner.

I didn't have any money. That, of course, delayed the start.

Even after a bit of military service, I still didn't have any money to speak of. But that's another story.

Let's just say I was finally in college ... and on a budget.

Oh, I had a place to sleep, a rented room, and I had a couple of places where I could grab a bite to eat at a reasonable price. The fact that I was a breakfast skipper helped the bottom line, too.

I fell into the habit of eating at those few chosen places regularly, and the people on the other side of the counter soon knew what I'd have, even before I announced it.

Ah, those were the days.

The poem:

GRILLED CHEESE AND SHAKE

Betty knew her customers
down at the Lunch Box
Cafe, where conversations
slid to the back burner
when hulking trains
came lurching past.

I'd walk in, starved,
as skinny as a snake,
and she’d toss two slices
of buttered Bunny Bread
and a thin slice of cheese
into the smoke rising
from the grill, power up
a blender, add a squirt
of strawberry flavoring
to a prospective shake.

I'd straddle my favorite
wobbly stool, sit savoring
the smoke, anticipating
that last surreptitious slurp,
its sweet, sticky essence,
sit watching Betty at work,
marveling at her memory,
how cool she was when
the orders piled up,

how she knew when to turn
the sandwiches, snatching
them back from disaster,
wondering if she knew how
those skinny sandwiches
and thick, frothy shakes
were snatching me back, too.

(originally published in A New Song)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Cold Winter Nights

2010-10-16T01:57:00.003-04:00

Remember the good ol’ ... Saturday ... days?

There was usually a western on the movie screen at the theater in town ... and, best of all, another installment of the “serial” ... that continuing adventure ... in short takes which always ended with the hero about to go off the cliff ... or about to be hit by a rumbling freight train ...

Oh, how I looked forward to seeing those. I guess I always knew the hero would escape somehow ... there were lots more “chapters” to come ... but I looked forward to seeing if he did, and how he did it this time.

I couldn’t help thinking about that as I started on this week’s installment of “Squiggles.”

-S&G-

But this first: The coveted magical, mystical, mythical GOLD STAR goes to LOREE, Kansas, for being the first to respond to last week’s posting ... about, you may recall, our thinking ... just thinking, mind you ... about, well, maybe ... putting The Little Red Car out to pasture ... and getting a younger, but slightly used, replacement.

-S&G-

LOREE’S E-MAIL BEGINS: Now, how do I tell you this ... since I want to be honest, yet tactful in doing so?

First of all, I am mad as an old setting hen, disturbed by what I see, hear, and in my case, read. I guess there is no way to make this painless, so let me be blunt ...

AND CONTINUES:

How DARE you think of replacing Little Red! That is totally unthinkable, considering the way she has been there for you, made your trips possible, and yes, being blunt, PUT UP WITH YOU!!

You appear ungrateful ... uncaring ... as you SNEAK AROUND and chomp at the bit for a new car! Shame on you! Nuff said ... but just wanted you to know how I felt about that idea ... not a good one at all, and I thought more of you!

(Just kidding, for when did a man ever listen to a woman's GOOD ADVICE?! Practically NEVER! Oh I know ... the old excuse that a 'man's got to do what a man's got to do!' Well, I never did buy into that one, and still don't:-) Gee, if I don't watch out, I'll be upset all over again!)

-S&G-

AND CONCLUDES: Have a good one Bob, and you do know I was teasing you about the car, I hope. Actually, it may be time to retire The Little Red Car ... as much as I'll miss her adventures! – Loree.

-S&G-

AH, BUT THEN there was sort of a post script which I found delightful, too: “Since I wrote my e-mail to you earlier today, I had a brainstorm, and I am planning a ‘march’ (rally) to show support for Little Red. So far I have three signed up to take part in it ... myself and my two dogs! Hey, it’s a start anyway! And I figured if there were any way to impress you at all, that ought to do it. See you next week ... Loree.”

-S&G-

WHAT CAN I SAY? I never thought there would be such a reaction to the idea of turning loose of Little Red.

True, we have had a lot of adventures ... good times and bad ... with Little Red. And it’s true, too, that Little Red has put up with a lot from me (I’ll spare you the details of that ... and I’m hoping Little Red won’t talk about it, either).

But I guess my tactics did seem a little sneaky ... partly because I didn’t want to hurt Little Red’s feelings about maybe being traded in ... and partly because Little Red has entered those difficult teen years (you know how teens react to situations sometimes).

Rest assured, however, Little Red, as we speak, is still with us ... in fact, is loafing ... waiting patiently ... in the driveway right now, for Phyllis to slide in behind the wheel, flick on the lights ... and steer toward the garage.

We’ll keep you posted as major ... or minor ... developments occur ... like the next "chapter" in the Saturday serial.

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” - Benjamin Franklin

-S&G-

WHY, WHY? ... Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him? (courtesy of WALT, Ohio)

-S&G-

THIS courtesy of HELEN, Florida ... A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties.

“They use him to keep crowds back,” said one child.

“No,” said another. “He’s just for good luck.”

A third brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs,” she said firmly, “to find the fire hydrants.”

-S&G-

PROFESSOR SQUIGGLEE: I’ve sometimes thought that we should replace STOP signs with ROLL ON THROUGH signs, since that’s what most drivers seem to do ... but somebody would probably get rear-ended because they’d stopped ... actually STOPPED ... to read one of the new signs and figure out what it means.

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM: I know, I know. It’s too early to be thinking about winter ... especially cold winter nights. But I can’t help it. I’ve already started shivering on these cold autumn mornings.

Just the other day, for example, I participated in an outdoor program in which we set up our easels, folding stools, etc., and got to work painting watercolors of the autumn scenes before us.

There was a tiny bit of sun peeking through the clouds at the time ... a promise of better/warmer things to come ... but there was also a frisky wind that kept rustling the leaves, threatening to grab pieces of paper that weren’t carefully anchored and fly away with them.

And ... just my own personal opinion, of course ... it was COLD. So cold, in fact, that I believe I heard myself muttering, “Maybe we should be painting with our mittens on.”

But today’s poem isn’t about that. It’s more about writing ... touching on a process that remains something of a mystery to me ... but also reaching the heart of the matter, I think, the satisfaction that comes from putting thoughts on paper.

The poem:

COLD WINTER NIGHTS

I have dreamed
that my poetry
might go like
wildfire lighting
the emptiness
of night, dancing
ahead of the wind,
smoke of creation,
furious burning,
rising to join
the lingering clouds,
drifting, drifting.

Ah, but a smaller
fire it is,
burning within,
chasing nothing
before it, raising
no alarms, warming
only me on these
cold winter nights
with a lamp
keeping me company,
and these scratchings.

(originally published in ByLine)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Morning Talk

2010-10-09T01:42:00.002-04:00

(Okay, so I got the horizon a little tilted, but I think you get the idea of those river fountains)

It was such a beautiful day!

We just had to get out and enjoy it ... and it was obvious that The Little Red Car felt the same way. It kicked up its heels and shouted, “Let’s Go!” (figuratively) the minute we walked out the back door and down the steps.

We were hoping it would be sunny ... and a bit warmer ... because we had a watercolor session in the outdoors on our calendar. We had sorta hoped there would be a small group involved, but, as it turned out, only Phyllis and I turned up at the appointed place and time.

We enjoyed walking along the path beside the river ... taking care not to block the passage of bike riders who were out enjoying the day, too.

We watched the birds swooping and diving toward the mirrored water, felt the sun warming our backs, enjoyed the peaceful quiet.

And our timing was perfect, too. When we were just finishing our walk and arriving at the agreed-on site, the river fountains were going full blast ... framing the skyline of the city ... glistening in the morning sun ... welcoming us, it seemed.

I took a lot of pictures with my handy-dandy little digital camera ... and they should come in handy as bits of reference when the weather turns sour later on, and the snow starts piling up.

I had so much fun snapping various scenes, in fact, that I almost forgot my main mission ... to do some watercolor painting.

I say ALMOST forgot ... but, in fact, I remembered ... then decided, no, it was such a beautiful day ... I would leave the palette, the easel, the watercolor paper, the little container of water ... all that painting gear ... in the car, and just enjoy the stroll and photo taking.

So I did.

Little Red seemed a little puzzled that I hadn’t come back to unload the trunk, but was still glad to see us, and we were soon off on another mission.

(Please ... please ... please don’t tell Little Red, but the “other mission” was to start looking at cars ... used ones, that is ... hoping to find one that we might someday be able to afford.)

Little Red, understand, has entered those difficult TEEN years ... and has racked up a lot of miles. So there are times when we feel life is an uphill struggle for Little Red, and maybe we should start thinking about ... well, you know ...

Little Red sat patiently while we strolled the used car lot with a sales person who had seen us coming ... and was there to greet us almost before Little Red had settled into a parking place.

We looked at a lot of cars ... and we were struck by one thing in particular: Cars are really expensive!

We looked and looked, and finally found our way back to where Little Red was still waiting.

And tonight ... while we’re bedded down in the master bedroom of Brimm Manor ... rest assured, Little Red is still with us ... no, not in the master bedroom ... in the main garage.

And I may sleep a bit better, knowing Little Red is still there.

-S&G-

In between watercolor outings and used-car forays, I’ve been trying to catch up on the stacks ... before they start tumbling again.

Here goes:

This ... I was going to say recently ... but it’s actually been a while since I received it from HELEN, Florida: Seen on a bag of Fritos – You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (The shoplifter special?)

-S&G-

To DAVID, Indiana ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

-S&G-

If you were anywhere in the neighborhood of our friend, LOREE, Kansas, recently, you might have seen her perched on a ladder, cleaning all the guttering on her house.

(I find that just a bit scarey ... since I have a strict policy of keeping at least one foot on the ground during any and all outdoor chores)

Anyway, she did it all herself ... well, with a little help from a five-gallon bucket, into which she stuffed leaves, twigs and debris ... upwards of 10 or 12 buckets full. Whew!

Loree adds: “Moved all my plants inside the greenhouse and, naturally, it is warming back up again!” She’d heard there had been light scattered frost out in the country ... and better safe than sorry.

By the way, if you’d like to see one of Loree’s recent creations:

http://www.poetrybyloree.com/446.html

She notes: “The graphic is a photo shot by my son ... he has a good eye :-)” (I’ve seen it, and she’s right about that)

-S&G-

From RUTH, Ohio: Difference ‘tween North & South: “Remember, ‘Y’all’ is singular, ‘all y’all’ is plural ... and ‘all y’all’s is plural possessive.”

-S&G-

From WALT, Ohio: “Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?”

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.” - Sarah Bernhardt

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM - I like to think that poems come to me ... and they will, I've discovered, if I can just sit still in one place long enough.

This one may not have come to me, exactly, but I found the material for it in the tree just outside my window.

I sat listening to a certain sound, then located its source ... and watched.

From there it was simply a matter of putting my impressions on paper before they ... the impressions, that is ... flew away.

I admit that I found more than just the sights and sounds of a mother-and-daughter exchange between two cardinals to write about.

Before I'd finished, I couldn't resist drawing the parallel between these two beautiful little creatures and the rest of us ... we superior beings who "own" so much of this material world ... and are, perhaps, so bent on possessing more of it ... that we neglect to build little bridges between us ... particularly between the generations.

End of sermon.

And now, on to the poem:

MORNING TALK

Amid a rising tide of summer sounds,
I slowly become aware of one pair
catching my ear more than the others.

Then there they are, a mother cardinal
and her offspring, flitting and talking
to each other in the blue spruce.

Talking of food, perhaps, or safety
in these thick boughs, weighty subjects,
or maybe just chit-chat between

this mother and her young daughter.
I have no way of knowing, but they
seem to have found an understanding,

a quiet accord, like a gently swaying
footbridge between the generations,
that we humans keep hoping to find.

(originally published in Capper's)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Grandpa Will Getcha

2010-10-02T01:40:00.001-04:00

(one of my paintings, "Splash!" ... now in a private collection)

OCTOBER!

Can you believe? Here we are in October. And it seems like only yesterday ... maybe the day before ... that it was still September. How time flies, though, when you travel tourist class, like I do.

One of the reasons, I suppose, is that it has just been party, party ...

Most recently it was a birthday party for LAUREL, Ohio, who enjoys poetry, relishes sharing it with others ... has a great gift for memorizing and delivering poems ... and regularly opens her home to a small group of poetry lovers.

Phyllis and I have been privileged to sit in with the group ... and, despite my tendency to share mostly stuff I’ve written myself, we’ve been invited back. And we’ve gone.

But back to the birthday party.

It featured some poems written to honor Laurel on her ... well, on her birthday (and I’m not going to say which one it was).

Among other items, it featured cupcakes ... and one ... count it, ONE ... candle, which she extinguished with dispatch, after giving a bit of thought to the requisite wish.

And then we dived in.

Even I was allowed to indulge, after a fashion. As some of you may know, I was formerly known as The Cake Man. Formerly, that is, because my doctor found out ... based on some tests I took without studying for them ... that sugars are not good for me ... therefore, all my favorite foods were transferred to the DO NOT EAT list.

Ah, but I did get to have one cupcake, the body of which had no sugar in it. Sadly, though, I had to chop off the icing (formerly akin to a capital offense, as far as I was concerned) ... and then I could gulp down the goodie.

Some weeks prior to this festive occasion at Laurel’s, I had celebrated my own birthday ... and I’m not saying which one that was, either. If you’ve lost count, you’ll just have to ask around, but don’t ask me.

Anyway ... on the occasion of my own birthday, I was presented, not just a cupcake, but a whole cake (Ok, so it wasn’t ALL just for me).

The big news was that this particular cake was made by our grandson, Thomas, who had arrived with his parents to help me celebrate. He had a little advice, yes, and his Mom gave him a helping hand at one point, but the production ... and it was a beauty ... was basically all his.

AND IT WAS ALL SUGAR-FREE!

Delicious, too. We still have a few slices left, carefully wrapped and frozen ... and I had a nibble just before I sat down to write this. I’m still (pardon me) drooling. In fact, I might just sneak back down to the fridge tonight and ... mmm, see how many pieces are left.

-S&G-

THIS JUST IN ... from HELEN, Florida ... Subject: A Paraprosdokian

“A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or reinterpret the first part.”

For example:

To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

Or:

A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.

Or:

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

-S&G-

Courtesy of WALT, Ohio ... "The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends - If they’re okay, then it’s you."

-S&G-

TODAY’S QUOTE: “We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.” - Will Rogers (courtesy of WALT, Ohio)

-S&G-

TODAY’S POEM ... Okay, maybe I'm rushing the season a bit ... or maybe I'm late ... or maybe I'm a bit confused (so what else is new?) ... I seem to be bumping into a lot of pumpkins these days ... but I'm also seeing what I would consider Christmas items on display in some of the stores.

We are approaching Halloween, aren't we?

One of these years, I suppose, all of the designated commercial holidays will be combined into one giant celebration ... taking up a whole week ... or maybe a whole month ... or how about the entire year?

Be that as it may ... this poem, based on an early frightening experience, is further evidence of why I write very few rhyming poems – and perhaps shouldn't attempt any.

I keep telling friends and fellow writers that I find it very difficult to advance the story line while maintaining even a semblance of meter and rhyme. It's true. So true.

To borrow a phrase, it's hard work. Really hard work.

But, with much labor in this instance, the dirty deed was done. The poem was sent out to mingle with strangers, found a friend at one magazine, and was published.

The poem:

GRANDPA WILL GETCHA

It was a dark Halloween night
With nary a goblin in sight,
No place to go, nothin' to do.
Where to turn, I hadn't a clue.

But wait! My brain just clicked on:
SOAP A FEW WINDOWS flicked on,
And quickly it was bar to pane,
Making abstract strokes, in the main.

Then, looking in, what did I see?
My Grandpa, looking out at me.
No little smile did he bestow
As he swiftly took me in tow.

So with a pail and a wet sponge
My fine art I had to expunge
Till the windows were far cleaner
Than they had been. My demeanor?

Subdued now. A tad smarter, too:
Soaping our own was dumb, it's true,
And getting caught was SO SCARY
The next time I was more wary.

(originally published in Parnassus Literary Journal)

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010

Autumn Dreams

2010-09-25T01:15:00.002-04:00

It was bound to happen, I suppose.

You know how it is. If you’re easily led ... as I seem to be, judging from the trails I’ve been taken down by various groups, and individuals ... then, chances are, you’re likely to find yourself in the midst of, well, another crowd.

And so it was that I recently ended up in a field beside a busy highway ... staring at what must have been four or five acres, containing close to a million ... had to be at least that many ... SUNFLOWERS, all in full blossom ... and all staring at me.

Well, I was staring right back.

You see, I was there with a group which meets in various locations with the intent of using watercolors to paint a representation of what they see ... and it’s really interesting to see how many interpretations emerge from such an encounter.

I was overwhelmed. How could I possibly paint the portraits of so many shining faces?

I couldn’t. I had all the physical equipment, a folding stool, a small easel, watercolors, water ... oh, lucky me, I remembered to bring some water ... watercolor paper, brushes, paper towels (for the inevitable spills) ... I had it all.

Except. I really didn’t know where to begin. But I couldn’t let that stop me, right? So I picked a nearby trio and did a “family portrait” of them. It only took me a couple of hours ... and I really didn’t have a finished painting, but the other painters were picking up, folding up, tidying up ... and getting ready to leave.

I wasn’t about to stay where I was so vastly outnumbered ... even if it WAS just a field of sunflowers ... so I gathered up my stuff, too.

On the way back to the car ... yes, Little Red was still waiting for me, as was Phyllis, who had kept me company on the drive over ... helped me set up, then busied herself with some reading material ... and THEN helped me “break camp” ... well, on the way back to the car, I saw a scene I wish I had spotted on the way in:

Imagine, if you will, all these thousands, maybe millions, of sunflowers all facing in the same direction ... toward the sun, naturally ... and there was ONE, standing in front of them ... facing THEM ... like a choir director ... or maybe like an awkward teen-ager, saying to himself: “Why is everybody staring at ME?”

-S&G-

Oh, there was one other point of interest in this outing: Someone with at least a slight sense of humor had outfitted one of the sunflowers with a pair of sun glasses ... and, if I pushed the right buttons on my camera, you’ll see that “portrait” above. If not, well, just take my word for it this time.

-S&G-

This from RUTH, Florida/Ohio: The difference between the North and the South - Don’t be worried about understanding what people are saying. They can’t understand you either. The first Southern statement to creep into a Northerner’s vocabulary is the adjective “big’ol’ truck” or “big’ol’ boy.” Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

-S&G-

This from WALT, Ohio: Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

-S&G-

This from HELEN, Florida: A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire ... it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.”

The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, “I wish I knew you sooner, Grandma!”

-S&G-

TODAY'S POEM: I write a lot about rain ... because I grew up in a time and place where it was vital ... not just for lawns and flowers ... but food, too. Oh, what sweet music ... the sound of a gentle rain on the roof ... or rustling the leaves of the tree outside my bedroom window ... the sound of plump drops plopping against the window.

I hope I've caught some of the feeling ... the mood ... with today's selection ... originally published in St. Anthony Messenger:

AUTUMN DREAMS

Softly, the rain
descends, puddling
in the darkly
glistening street,
pausing to quench
the thirsting roof
before dripping,
a muffled sighing,
to the ground.
Wind chimes stir,
and the cows
are suddenly home,
winding along
that narrow path
where the sun
lately streamed.
I stir, savoring
quilted warmth,
softness of pillow,
go drifting off
again like a puff
of milkweed.

-S&G-

COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.

Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to

rbrimm@peoplepc.com

... and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)

-S&G-

If you’d like to see what’s up with my other, DAILY blog (no, this is not my “Home Page”), here’s a link to it:

http://rbrimm.blogspot.com/

Thanks for paying a visit.

-S&G-

UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!

-S&G-

© 2010