From the Editor: 

            Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. Are you surprised that I didn’t say Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings? Those who know me well know that I really don’t give a huff about being politically correct. What they may not know is that I hold Christmas to be sacred, and there are very few things that I ever get serious about. No one has ever seen me use the shortcut “Xmas” or will they ever. If you are offended by my attitude then start your own blog. For my Jewish friends I shall wish you a happy Honokaa or Chanukah I’ve seen it spelled both ways. I don’t know any Muslim, and I only know one Buddhist – he doesn’t like me very much. I believe in Christmas and I believe in Santy Clause, after all I have been married to an elf for a long time. – Merry Christmas.

Lou

I’ll be taking a short winter break… See you back here January 2, 2015

Don't stop reading just because it's the Holidays... I've still got bills to pay.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Time will Tell:

We have 3 digital clocks in the kitchen; 2 green ones on the microwave and the range (one above the other), and directly across the room a blue one on the coffee maker. I synchronized the green ones but could never get the blue one set at the same time. My grandson, Luke the inquisitive; seeker of knowledge and student of the universe asked me why the blue clock had a different time (1 min fast). I told him that the blue clock was the boss clock and that the green clocks were so dumb that the blue one had to run fast to show the others what came next. He just gave his grandmother a sympathetic smile.

It’s a Fact, Jack:

            Did you know that in Old English (11 – 14 th century) that the word “girl” was a term that was used for a child of either sex? No one knows when the word “boy” came along. That should give the feminists some fodder. Old English was the tongue spoken by the common folk; the hoi polloi spoke only French. Even back then, the people didn’t know what the government was saying.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

A Texas Original:

            Over the weekend, we were at a function for a friend. What I didn’t know was my friend’s family was heavily into rodeo with riding, roping, and the other stuff. I looked at the shelf over the coat rack and saw about a dozen Stetsons lined up. I told the lovely Avon that maybe I should have worn a hat.

            That prompted our friend, across the table to tell a story about her father’s Stetson. It seems he and a group of colleagues were in Texas on business. And as they were getting ready to head back to St. Louis, her father wanted to stop and get a real Texas Stetson. So the group had to wait for him to stop and get one. She talked about how proud he was of that hat, and wore it around the house for days. She happened to pick it up and look inside where the label stated Stetson Hat Co. Made in St. Louis, Missouri.

She didn’t have the heart to tell him.  

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Sorry About That:

As many of you are painfully aware, one of the biggest problems of being a retired person, is the loss of the reality when it comes to calendar awareness. In other words we don't  have a clue what day it is. We go through our week from Sunday to Saturday, or we go from Thursday to Wednesday. It really doesn't register. That being said, I had no idea that today was Friday. Since I didn't have anything planned, I thought it was a Saturday or a Sunday. Therefore it was only a few minutes ago that I said to my self...Ooops, I didn't prepare a blog today.
But don't worry, you didn't miss anything.... It was all nonsense anyway.


See you Monday!

From the Mail bag:

            From a reader who signs himself as – “Name Withheld, sent this notice.    Warning.... the Surgeon General has stated that reading “Your Daily Dose of Nonsense” can bring on dementia and other mind altering symptoms. Lack of sleep, and a desire to support squirrel rescue centers… see your doctor before reading.”  He didn’t mention diarrhea and bloodshot eyes. (I know who he is and where he lives.)

PF-R writes that she also fondly remembers squirrel gravy that her daddy used to make, …..Whatever that was all about?

A Misconception:

            When I was just a cute little kid…well let’s just say when I was a little kid I didn’t always hear things the way they were said. For instance the Christmas carol Silent Night has a line that says “round yon virgin mother and child”. I heard it as “round John Virgin…” and kept wandering how a little fat guy fit into the Christmas story. He must have been a shepherd with a eating disorder.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Making It:

            As a youngster the only people I ever heard talk about sinuses were those of the well off upper-middle class. It seemed that they were always whining about something and sinuses were always among the mix. When we had those problems it was just that our noses were backing up into our brains and if we didn’t get it fixed soon we would go all mush headed. Well you can imagine my delight when my doctor (Dr. Feelgood) told me that I had a sinus problem. I had finally reached the upper-middle class and went right out and ordered a Porsche – Avon cancelled the order.

 Tricked:

            I love raisins and have ever since I learned that they were edible. For a long time my cousin Roy and my brother Fidel made me believe that raisins were goat poop, so that they could have all of them. .... Life ain't easy for the youngest kid.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Busted:

            I was standing around waiting for my wife to come out of a changing room in a clothing store, when I heard a woman mumbling to herself. She was standing in front of a full length mirror turning this way and that way.

 So being the curious sort that I am, I moved a little closer and took great interest in some sweaters. Blocking out everything else I was able to hear her say, “If it isn’t wrinkled, it’s sagging… If it isn’t sagging, it’s dragging… If it isn’t dragging, it’s bulging … If it isn’t bulging, it’s baggy… If it isn’t baggy, it’s splotchy.” Then she turned directly to me and said, “And I’m not talking about the clothes… Bub!

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

An inspirational moment:

            Some years back, we were at a hot springs spa just outside of Durango, CO. It was a chilly night at a high altitude, so we were staying in the hot water as long as we could. I got out and wrapped up in as many towels as I could find and sat on a lounge chair. A young girl with Downs Syndrome came walking toward me mumbling something. As she got closer I could tell that she was singing, and as she past I heard for the first time what was soon to become a very popular tune, “Don’t Worry – Be Happy.” Even after the radio stations played that song to death, I still loved hearing it.

A Nose is a Nose is a Nose…

Once when I was about 8 or 9 I came down with a really rotten head cold. I was sniffing, snuffing, hacking, coughing, and snorting along with sleeve wiping and a bunch of other disgusting things. My older brother (2 years) whom we shall call Fidel because he was tyrant and a dictator said to me, “You’ll never get a girl to like you if you keep doing that.” I considered that good advice, and not long after that a girl in my class told me that she had a crush on me, so I snorted at her – it worked! 

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Time and distance:

            An old and slightly insane friend of mine, Jake from State Farm, asked me, “How long is forever?” I’ve been noodling that question over for about 3 months now and still have no answer – just more questions. I know it is at least 3 months. My human brain tells me that all things have limits, but higher thinking says it isn’t so. Unfortunately, I don’t belong to that higher thinking category – any takers to this challenge. I fixed my lunatic friend by telling him that infinity was on the other side of the orange. So far, he has gone through several sacks of oranges and the only thing he has gotten was a lot of vitamin C.  

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Coffee anyone?

            As I was getting up to go do something, which I had already forgotten, the lovely Avon asked me to bring her a cup of coffee. I’ve been fixing her coffee for so long she doesn’t even know how she takes it. I said I would and left. I walked right through the kitchen and went to the garage hoping to remember my mission better out there. I didn’t. After about 20 minutes of messing with stuff, I went back in, stopped in the kitchen, got her coffee, and went on to the family room. When I got there, she hadn’t noticed that I had been gone and said it was thoughtful of me to get her a cup of coffee… And I was counting on her to take care of me.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Executive privileges:

            Smoking has been banned in almost all public buildings nationwide by each state. Now, I can only suppose that it is also banned in all federal buildings. With that in mind and the known fact that our president is a heavy smoker, does that mean he has to go out on the front porch of the White House to have a smoke? I can’t imagine him standing there next to the door with one of those butt thingies by his side, but it must be so because rules are rules.  

Truths:

Life:  Saving time is a noble thing, but you must invest it wisely. If it’s wasted – it’s gone forever.

Intelligence: I suffer the dim-witted and slow minded kindly, but anyone with a good mind and poor use of it gets my contempt.     LB

  

                                                

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Miss Muffit 2014:

This adaptation of the well-known children’s nursery rhyme was triggered by a back porch story told to me by St. Louis’s own Dr. Ed.

            Little Miss Muffit sat at a buffet

            Scarfing down tray after tray

            Along came Prince Charming

            But the sight was alarming

            So the prince was up and away. (Life ain’t easy for a girl named Muffit)

Don’t you hate that?

            Don’t you hate it when you are trying to save something on your computer or trying to open a file, and you get a message that you do not have access to that file and to contact your administrator for permission? It makes me want to yell at the smart Alec in all upper case, “YOU #@&*! MACHINE! I CREATED THAT FILE AND I AM THE ADMINISTRATOR!!!” Actually, I have done that and it doesn’t work.

Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

Size really does matter:

          The lovely Avon wanted a large painting as part of her Christmas décor. I was commissioned for the task mostly because I work cheap. I had a large frame and decided to make the painting fit the frame (first mistake). This thing has turned out to be over 4 times the size I normally work. A painting goes through alternating stages of “it’s gonna be okay” and “I hate it”. So far the “I hate its” are winning, but I can’t give up and Christmas is getting closer. There is so much canvas to cover that I’m running out of paint and my brushes are all too small. I’m considering changing the theme to a full-blown blizzard scene with one lost red nosed reindeer. Actually, all you will see is the nose and I can do the rest with white house paint and a roller. Hope she likes it. Did I mention that this is a big boy painting?

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

I couldn’t make this stuff up:

            I woke up one Sunday morning feeling that I ought to go to church with Avon. Now, I go to church often, or sometimes, or when there’s a wedding, funeral, or christening. Friends have warned me that if I walked into a church on my own that the roof would fall in, so I was a little nervous and kept my eye on the ceiling. The priest was doing a bang up job; he was a humorous old ripper. He was almost finished when he looked up and saw me. He faltered. He excused himself and had to sit down for about a minute, and then got up and resumed. As he was preparing the communion, he looked at me again, slumped over, and collapsed. I thought, “Uh oh, I killed a priest.” and started looking for an exit. Folks ran up, messed with him, and determined that he was having a diabetic reaction. They called for a diabetes kit or some candy. When I go to places where I can’t talk I always carry little Brach’s mints to keep my mouth from getting bored. So, I took some up, and they gave them to him. In a few minutes, he was starting to come out of it. When the paramedics were taking him to the ambulance, he was talking his head off in Latin (he still had his microphone on). I suspect that he was warning them about me, but nobody could understand him.

            I told a friend about this and he said that Rome would probably declare it The Miracle of the Mint and have me canonized. Does that mean they are going to use a cannon on me?

An Extra Dose

Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

These things only happen in the movies, and to me:

            It was a warm spring day and I was in the third grade for the first and only time. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open. My head was propped up in my hands and I was going to hit the desk at any second. Mr. Gore, the teacher, came up behind me, put his hand on my shoulder, and asked, “Spring fever?” Then he started singing in a rich, strong baritone, “Lazy bones sleeping in the noonday sun…” Mr. Gore was a regular at the St. Louis Muni Opera. When he finished, there was a tremendous ruckus from the hall. The whole second floor of that school, teachers and students, were out there clapping like crazy. I was awake by then.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw7@gmail.com

A little nonsense goes a long way:

            Without question, I dish out a lot of nonsense in my day-to-day existence. Most people only have to deal with me for short periods of time, and for the most part, they leave me smiling. The one person who has to deal with me for long periods has resorted to several sanity saving devices. One of which is her Honda Civic. She can hop into it and makes a much-needed getaway. Another is her built in BS meter, which measures the acceptable level of BS (you all know what that stands for) that her system can stand. When critical mass is approaching, her pupils disappear and little wisps of steam come from her ears. That’s when I grab the first available vehicle and make a much-needed getaway.

Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw8@gmail.com

Globetrotting:

            Some years ago, Avon and I happened to find ourselves in London, England. We landed at Gatwick and took a double-decked bus to King’s Cross Station. There we got into one of those little black taxies to go to our hotel. It was a short ride and the driver told me how much the fare was, which meant absolutely nothing to me. I could barely speak the language. So, I pulled out a handful of coins and asked if that would cover it. He said, “Very good, Govner.” and took the money. I later learned that I had given him the equivalent of $17 US dollars for a 2-block taxi ride. I’ll bet that boy just loved to see Yanks come into town. I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but that was not the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.

Semi-Famous Quotes...

1.   Never have your wife hold the end of the spark plug wire while you check the firing of the lawn mower.

2.   2. Old age is like money, it comes and goes.

from long time friend, Charlie Vohs

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw8@gmail.com

I always try to have helpful suggestions:

            I was getting ready to leave the house one morning to play golf, and the lovely Avon was giving me her usual once over to make sure that I hadn’t dressed like a fool. She plays golf there too and can’t have me out there embarrassing her. As I was heading for the door, she started messing with my back pocket flap. I asked her what she was doing and she told me that she was trying to button it so I wouldn’t lose my wallet. I told her, “Just put it in the other pocket – it’s already buttoned.” The woman lacks a sense of humor that early in the morning.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Or you can contact me at loubradshaw8@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving to all

I'll see you Monday

A question for the ages:

            I recently had occasion to fill in a low spot in my field. Since I have an abundance of large rocks on the place, I used them as filler. To make it all nice and level I had to break up those large rocks into small rocks. After pounding away with a sledge hammer for several days I found that it was best to get a firm base to place the large rock on – something like a larger rock. That wasn’t a problem since I had plenty of larger and even larger rocks. Somewhere in the middle of the process, I began to wonder if it was morally and ethically correct to use a rock to kill a rock. Isn’t that something like cannibalism?

Hardly a wine connoisseur:

            Avon brought home a wine that someone had recommended with the unlikely name of Cycle’s Gladiator. On the label, there was a flying young lady with long red hair trying to catch a flying bicycle. The woman wasn’t dressed like a gladiator; she wasn’t dressed like anything. She wasn’t dressed at all. I tried it and it was okay, but I don’t know anything about wine, so I had a Budweiser – something I knew about. After a few days the bottle grew near to empty, she again asked me if I wanted some. I thought for a few seconds and said, “No…but save me that label.”

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

A question for the ages:

            I recently had occasion to fill in a low spot in my field. Since I have an abundance of large rocks on the place, I used them as filler. To make it all nice and level I had to break up those large rocks into small rocks. After pounding away with a sledge hammer for several days I found that it was best to get a firm base to place the large rock on – something like a larger rock. That wasn’t a problem since I had plenty of larger and even larger rocks. Somewhere in the middle of the process, I began to wonder if it was morally and ethically correct to use a rock to kill a rock. Isn’t that something akin to cannibalism?

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Soul Food:

            Soul food does not necessarily have to pertain to any ethnic group; it can mean any food that enriches the soul or the spirit. An example, in my case would be something like bacon or chocolate. The other day, Avon told me of a recipe she’d seen on one the cooking shows that she wanted to try. I said, “Oh, and what would that be?” Her casual reply was, “Chocolate covered bacon.” I nearly went into some kind of seizure. I love both flavors…but to have them cozied up together on the same plate – well, that’s just wrong. It’s like hanging paintings by Rembrandt and Salvador Dali next to each other.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Corporate terminology:

            Several years ago, I went to the local John Deere dealer to have some bearings put on my mower deck. It was no big deal; I have to do it a couple times during the 25 years I had the mower. What struck me funny was when I asked the parts guy about some other work I might need, he stood there with that leaping deer logo on his shirt and said, “Now that will cost you a few Bucks. Yep, that’ll add up to a little Doe.”

It’s all in the name:

            While traveling through Arizona, a few years back, I was amused by some of the names of towns along the way. I remember seeing the town of Two Gun, and then about a half an hour farther, up popped the town of the town of Double Arrow. I couldn’t help wondering just how that fight turned out.

Available now at Amazon.com

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available Now –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Sibling rivalry:

            As an older brother, I was probably no worse than other older brothers of sisters. In fact, I did mine a huge favor without even trying, and she didn’t even know it at the time. Since she followed me through school, each teacher would subconsciously compare her to me. I can proudly say that I never once put undue pressure on her to attain a high grade point average. Actually, most of the teachers found her to be a refreshing change. 

Oh, I didn’t give her any free passes, you can be sure of that. We didn’t have a dog, so I would tell my teachers that my sister ate my homework. You can imagine their apprehension when they learned that the homework eater was coming to their class?

I'm happy to announce that "One Man Standing"

went live on Amazon Kindle yesterday afternoon.

It was not without a few false starts due to server outages.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  now available  –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Role reversal:

            Last week I suggested to Avon that we try an experiment in switching roles. I told her that she could go out and mulch leaves, clean up the woodpile, split wood, burn brush, and cook dinner. And I would get a massage and a pedicure. Seeing someone laugh that hard is priceless.

What happens in Vegas…

            While in Las Vegas there was any number of things to amaze, intrigue, and befuddle me. Being a certified people watcher, I spent a good deal of my time just watching people. I watched the dealers, the tourists, the showgirls, the hustlers, and the showgirls some more. But the one thing that brought me to point of saying, “Are you out of your minds?” was the number of people who brought their children. People – people – people, I’m talking about Vegas (Sin City) adults shouldn’t even go there let alone children. Remember this simple formula Vegas is in Nevada – Disney Land is in California.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available 11-19-2014 –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Your shoe’s untied:

            Have you ever had a nagging little itch that doesn’t amount to much, but you can’t stop what you’re doing to scratch it? Sure you have. That’s the way I am when my shoe is untied; I feel like I have to stop what I’m doing immediately and tie it. Yesterday, it happened in Springfield traffic, and wouldn’t you know every light turned green as I approached it. When I finally got lucky enough to catch a red light (I can’t believe I said that), I lunged at that offending shoelace, gave it a yank…. and broke it.

Healthy living:

            A couple of years ago, my doctor, the eminent physician – Dr. Feelgood suggested that I take a baby aspirin every day. Dr. Feelgood is a cute little red haired thing with a southern drawl, and I try to do what I can to make her happy. So I started taking them. It was no big deal; they’re small, tasty, and cheap. It just dawned on me the other day that those things really work – I can’t remember the last time I had a baby headache.

Tomorrow!

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther – Cain

And  available 19-11-2014 –  One Man Standing

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Don’t ask if you don’t want to know:

            At the auto parts store, I was waiting for the man behind the counter to get off the phone, so I could get a sparkplug for my mower. When he finally hung up, he apologized and assured me that he didn’t mean to ignore me. I told him that I was hard to ignore. I went on, “Why, even John F. Kennedy couldn’t ignore me.” “How’s that?” he absent-mindedly mumbled. Wrong answer! That meant he was going to hear the story, and so would everybody in the store.

            “Back in the fall of 1960,” I began, “I was going to a junior college in Belleville, Illinois. It just so happened that JFK was trying to win an election at the same time, and he was doing some politicking in Belleville. We were walking across campus to get to the parking lot. My good friend, Doug Eskra, was with me, and there was a fella I’ll call a fox terrier because he jumped around and yapped constantly. Just as we were coming off campus the Kennedy motorcade was coming up West Main – right in our path. Doug got all excited, mostly because he was a Democrat. The fox terrier was nonplussed, even though he was a Catholic; I suspected he was a Republican. At first I didn’t get too excited because it was going to make me late for work, and I knew I wasn’t a Catholic, but beyond that I wasn’t sure what I was or if I was… if anything.”

            “We were at a point where there were about a half a million people down the block to our left and another half a million people up the block to our right, but there wasn’t a soul within 50 yards of us in either direction. Doug was going crazy, and Rover was getting into it. I guess the church house over rode the White House. Actually I was getting a little excited myself, and by the time JFK and his knockout wife drew abreast of us I was jumpin’ and yellin’ like a regular Catholic Democrat. I was afraid I was gonna start looking for a fish fry and a union job. At the very moment his car came directly in front of us, he turned to us, waved, and said, ‘Hi-ya, fellas’. He wasn’t talking to the 500,000 people at either end of the block. He was talking to us!”

“So,” I told the auto parts guy, “if John Kennedy couldn’t ignore me – nobody can”. I paid him the $1.62 for the sparkplug, turned, and smiled my way past the six glaring people standing in line behind me. I left with the confidence that I had done my part to stimulate the economy once again.

It's Ready To Go!

The latest (# 6) of the Ben Blue Series

is ready and should be available on Nov. 19 or 20.

On Amazon Kindle and other e-readers.

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther - Cain 

And Soon – One Man Standing  

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

 How’s that, Lou?

            A few years ago, I treated myself to a pair of Bose headphones. I knew they were supposed to be great, but I had no idea what to expect. One of the first CDs I played was Mamas and Papas. All the way through I kept hearing things that I hadn’t ever heard before. One of which came during the tune “Midnight Voyage”, and when it came to a place where before it was just an interruption in the song while they got the pitch right. What I found in that interruption there was banter between the group and the producer, Lou Adler. They tried several false starts, and then they got it – BAM…absolutely perfect 4-part harmony. When the line ended, I could hear Cass Elliot say, “Ya like that, Lou?” Of course, I figured she was asking me what I thought and I yelled out, “Yessssss!” Avon thought I had lost what was left of my mind.       

 Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther

And now available –  Cain

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts

Now that the election over, the mud has all been slung, the lies have all been told, and the fingers have all been pointed, we can all get back to loving our neighbors.... LB

Cute little things that they are:

            A lot of people have a fascination with frogs of one type or another. Many of those frog fans are enamored with the little tree frogs. I have to admit they do have their charms. But living out here in the jungle so to speak we have many many trees, which means many many tree frogs. They will often turn up in the least expected places, such as on a patio door, where they wait for unsuspecting light seeking bugs. However attractive those critters are from the top is no comparison to how unattractive they are from the underside.

Traveling light:

After years of traveling, we have learned that there are always going to be times when you realize that there is something you should have brought but didn’t. Somewhere in the middle years we tried to accommodate that by taking everything we owned. This seemed to be a good plan until we tried getting all that stuff into any sized vehicle smaller than a semi. As we grew older, we grew wiser. Now we take our necessary golf gear and anything else that fits in the trunk. Oh, and of course a bag of quarters for coin laundries.  

Books by Lou Bradshaw available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon..... One Man Standing

 A Fine Kettle of Fish – Hickory Jack – Blue – Ace High – Blue Norther

And now available –  Cain   

Visit me on Facebook Lou Bradshaw Artist – Author or www.facebook.com/loubradshawarts