Where seeds of thought have room to grow
Category: Odd Jobs
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One of my favorite quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird is when Atticus says you should "climb into someone's skin and walk around in it" before judging them. The point is visually driven home in the movie when Scout stands on Boo Radley's porch seeing the world, or at least the neighborhood, from his point of view. For the…
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A father's birthday celebration. A sick child. I was in limbo. The critters were fed, bills were paid, I was showered and dressed, ready to hit the road to Pasadena, but I just couldn't go out the door. Although the child is technically an adult, not living at home and there was really nothing I could do, for some…
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As a welder's helper for H.B. Zachry back in 1978, I learned alligator cooked in a welding rod hot box tastes a lot like chicken and that it's important to know who you are and have a tight grip on your values when submerged in a world of loose rules and questionable ethics. I was introduced to…
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The sun came out this afternoon. It drew me out to the porch, where I scratched puppy dogs' ears, admired the blue sky peeking through the oak tree branches, marveled at the greenness around me and at how quickly things had sprouted in our little front yard. I spend most of my day inside, in front of…
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I'm happy to report that Tom's back seems much better today – at least that's what he's telling me. But knowing how stubborn he is, I wouldn't be surprised if it's still hurtin' like hell, but he just refuses to baby it any longer…not when he's in the mood to "get something done around here." It worries me,…
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Like any job, mine can get tedious – coming up with fresh new names can strain anyone's creativity and then staring at a computer screen for hours and hours, screening the potential new names for trademark hits, puts a definite strain on your eyes and your "sitting" muscles. But learning something new is always exciting to me,…
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Wasn't it just yesterday I stood in this colorful classroom serving cookies and punch and celebrating Kendall's graduation from kindergarten? She was so ready for 1st grade – for sitting at real desks, for skipping naps, for moving one chapter closer to this past Friday, when she and her classmates accepted the final diploma the…
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I was attacked by a Chroma-Pop Green Screen at work today – it popped me in the eye! It hurt enough that I applied ice, worried about walking into Kendall's graduation tomorrow night with a black eye. I was trying to fold it up to put it away in its neat little carrying case. According to the video on the…
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Confetti is flying out of my calendar and littering my kitchen counter from all of the recent birthdays! Besides my mother-in-law's, last week my friend Gina partied her way into 50 (well, every day is a celebration with Gina, anyway. She IS a party!) Another friend, Scott, turned 54, and yet another, Larry, turns 60 this weekend. (I remember…
Long Hollow 