Existing In BFE

Originally posted on November 2, 2012, today we going to throw out an old halloween themed entry. BOO! Some random Pictures of Halloween for the Blythe's. The current Mrs. Blythe on the left with her little gaggle of ghouls: Asa, Evelyn, Brendan and Mackenzie. Don't ask, I haven't a clue.  It's apparently me, but I have no memory of it.  But man, those legs are looking gooooood. King Khahaackatoobig.  This may have actually been a get-up for one of Lisa's next door parties, but it makes this post because I found it and was, for a time, quite proud of my creation.  The insignia on the front of the headpiece was an "American Breeder's Association" logo.  I remember getting it from Jeff Sutor.  Thanks again, Jeff.  Making another appearance on EIB, this is Brendan in one of his costumes. Mackenzie at 18 months old and enjoying her first carved pumpkin with dad.  Nice plumber thingie going...

Not too long ago I read of an interesting little literary exercise.  It was called the 2 Sentence Horror story.  The object is to come up with something spooky and complete in 2 sentences.  It is almost a kind of haiku in prose.  In honor of Halloween, I present you with some and feel free to come up with more.  It's kind of fun. My only contribution is the last one. I woke up to hear knocking on my glass.  At first I thought it was the window until I heard it come from the mirror again. The last thing I saw was my alarm clock flashing 12:07 before she pushed her long rotting nails through my chest, her other hand muffling my screams.  I sat bolt upright, relieved it was only a dream, but as I saw my alarm clock read 12:06, I heard my closet door creak open. Growing up with cats and dogs, I got used to the sounds of scratching at my door while I slept.  Now that I live alone, it is much more unsettling. In all the time I'...

Last Wednesday, at approximately 9:20 a.m. Central time, my property at 107 Marion in Henderson was sold.  I bought it about 5 or 6 years ago.  It was, frankly, based on a desire to return to Illinois from this dreadful place and my unwavering conviction that one is best served when one has supplemental income.     107 Marion It was, on first blush, a nice little place with many plusses.  A two-car garage, a breezeway,  two bedrooms, a nice big living/dining room.  It was cheap, on a huge lot, and even had an outdoor shed.  It was also in a small town about 4 miles away from G-Burg.  Perfect, right?     Nice big living room. Huge yard. I had the place rewired, bought a new furnace, paid for a lift station, new roof, new appliances, new sump pit and pumps.  This doesn't take into account some new pipe work, paint, and new motherboard for the new furnace.  But I don't want to dwell on all tha...

Strange that with the recent showdown on the Confederate Battle flag, and its subsequent historical and social removal that I spotted this house in St. Pete with it flying still.  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ It's when I see everyone wearing heavy coats and gloves at Citi Field in New York that I miss the seasons.  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mackenzie took this shot of a kid riding his bike.   I'd like the opportunity to ask him about 3 questions. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Excellent week of walking:  I found 17 cents. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ My Mets...My Mets. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  Mackenzie has worked for New York Stores and Piper Fire for the past seven or eight years down here.  She has married and has 2 kids.  She is also scheduled to graduate from Saint Petersburg College with a BA in Business on December 12.  She has slogged through it with all of ...

Fourth in a series of trips to New Boston with the camera to catch barges, stars and bugs. Once this guy passed New Boston I hopped in the truck and drove to Keithsburg for the opportunity to experiment with the camera once again.  In college I knew a unstable student named Jamie who seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to trains.  When they would speed through town not far from the dormitories, he would race out and chase them.  Gee, I hope I'm not turning into Jamie.  First off, I can't race anywhere anymore.  And chasing barges seems a somewhat futile endeavor.  By the way, Jamie was killed by one of his trains after he got too close to one, and, well, that was the end of his fixation with them.   And then it was gone, again, in that dark, almost silent, watery highway. I will post more photos from this fun picture-taking opportunity in a few days.

Last Friday I posted about the Wombie and my trip to Quincy to search out my grandparents' houses.   Today  we see Mona and Dick out on a fishing trip.  The location is unknown but most likely somewhere near Ponemah or Monmouth, where they lived.  Ponemah no longer exists but was about 4 miles southeast of Kirkwood.  Sinclair Oil had a pumping station there and Dick was Superintendent of the plant.  This was where my mother, Marj, was born and lived until she was 14 when they moved the house to Monmouth.  Yeah, moved the whole damn thing to another city.  That had to have been subsidized by Sinclair.  Mona is in an apron - I somehow think she spent a lot of time in one.  She used to make custards in little ceramic bowls complete with a red bandana cloth for us kids to eat on the long trip back to Seaton whenever we'd go down for a day.  Apparently she is waiting for Dick to catch something in that stream.  In the...

In what may be a semi-regular feature on BFE, we present the second post that focuses on the strange, creepily different land called Florida.  Quite simply, things happen here that don't happen anywhere else.  It is my conjecture that it was first settled by aliens.  That is the only theory that makes any sense to me.   "Two Florida parents reward their kids  for good grades in school with marijuana and cocaine. I'm impressed with their commitment to education, which is so rare in this state."  Walt Disney ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A couple gave their teenage daughters cocaine and marijuana if they went to school and did household chores, authorities said. Chad and Joey Mudd, of Largo, a suburb in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, gave their daughters, ages 13 and 14, drugs as a "bargaining tool" for school attendance and doing chores, Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives said. They were arrested Monday. According to an a...

Back in the mid 90's I bought a pick-up truck from Lakis Ford.  It was my second Ranger, and I was experimenting with getting a new vehicle every 2 years.  The first was a '94 black Ranger and then a '96 blue version.  My experiment ended, and I have had the blue ranger almost 20 years now.  Long payed for it has been my wheels through many life events.    My blue 1996 Ford Ranger parked on the shoreline in New Boston last month. In a recent trip to Northlandia I went to New Boston to do some picture taking and the Ranger sits awaiting to take me home.  Through the years she has sustained some dents and bruises.  A Publix grocery store pylon dented the left side. while a fender-bender near Atlanta banged up the right.  One of he rear cab sliding windows is actually plexiglass after an unfortunate event at Fyre Lake.  The emergency brake is funky and the brakes need some work, too.  I think the tra...

Correction:  Yesterday's post had an error in it.  While Existing In BFE isn't necessarily a temple of veracity (Our motto is Never Let The Truth Get In The Way Of A Good Story), sometimes a mistake comes along that must be corrected.  We said a grapefruit was the symbol of welcome.  Actually it was a pineapple.  Thanks Jeff. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Saw this in a thrift store.  Amazing. Never knew they made such a thing.  A lot like my manual stirrer, only cheaper. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Champagne bottle when we (the Mets) beat LA last Thursday. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ People are pigs.  These pictures were at a bus stop last week.  There was even a decomposing crow.  And poor Olaf.  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Why does shelf milk never go bad?* ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Norah getting ready for the runway.   +++++++++++...

Safety Harbor is a city north of Clearwater of about 17,000 people.  Like most cities around here you just run into it and never know it, since most everything is developed.  It is a pretty nice place, colorful municipal buildings, a touristy feel to it and lots of those little niche shops that are never part of the chain malls.  The initial reason for coming was to go to Philippe Park, whose sign is posted on the way to the neat Causeway area that is great for taking pictures.    In downtown Safety Springs, Florida is this tree.  It is an oak.  It is majestic.  And it is somewhere between 300 and 500 years old.   It is the Baranoff Tree which is the oldest living thing in these parts.  City officials did their best to kill it but yet, there it is, still blooming and majestic.  A few years ago after  arborists determined its age, the city fenced the area off and started making brick paths and...