Sunday was such a blissful day as I avoided the news and spent the afternoon with my youngest daughter. We’re working on a quilt together, and I’m so thankful that she was able to figure out the cutting of pieces to make the borders. She’s a bit on the OCD side, and her penchant for precision in measuring sure came in handy.
I can do a lot of the sewing, and got the quilt through the first 3 stages of borders- straight cutting of two or three inch strips:
Now when I get brave, I’ll start assembling those more complicated borders.
Quilting or coloring or working on a jigsaw puzzle is my evening treat to myself, while I try to stay focused on writing and/or editing during the day. Currently, I’m still working on an extensive editing job and actually need to get back to that.
To fill up some blank space here on the blog, I’ll let Slim Randles entertain you with more on the saga of Doc and his lost squirrel, Chipper. Enjoy!
When Steve and Dud got up to go get a paper, it left just Doc and Bert sitting at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn truck stop. Bert turned his head and smirked a little, being careful not to let Doc see him. Doc also didn’t see Dud outside, punching in a number on his cell phone while Steve stood by as a cheerleader.
“Doc,” said Loretta, from the cash register, “phone call for you, Hon.”
“Here? Okay…” Doc walked over and picked up the phone.
“This here Doc?” said the caller. “The Doc what lost his squirrel?”
“Uh …” Doc looked around for help. There was none. “Yes. Yes it is.”
“Found your dang squirrel here, Doc. That reward thing still good?”
“Well … yes.”
“Five dollars and a quarter, right? Now is that cash or check? I don’t take no checks.”
Doc is glancing all around and looks wilderness-type lost. “Cash I guess.”
“Only thing is, Doc. Need to be sure this is your squirrel, right? So can you describe him for me?”
“He’s … gray.”
“All gray squirrels are gray, now, ain’t that right? How about any distinguishing marks? Tattoos?”
“No tattoos.”
“So far so good. Now you said in the ad his name is Chipper. Well, I called him Chipper and the son of a gun bit me.”
“He did?”
“What I mean to ask here, Doc, is did you and your squirrel get along? No squirrel problems? He looks like he needs a square meal to me. You feed him good?”
“What?”
“You know … like Squirrel Chow free choice, or did you put him on a nut ration? I mean, he ate like there was no tomorrow. Dang near ate up the whole five dollars and a quarter reward money in squirrel food.”
Steve and Dud walked back into the café, then, with the cell phone still at Dud’s ear, and the laughing began.
“You were right all along, Doc,” said Bert. “In winter, everyone can use a good hoax.”
Doc paid for the coffee.
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Brought to you by Whimsy Castle, by Slim Randles.
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Check out all of Slim’s award-winning books at his Goodreads Page and in better bookstores and bunkhouses throughout the free world.
All of the posts here are from his syndicated column, Home Country that is read in hundreds of newspapers across the country. I am always happy to have him share his wit and wisdom here.
Slim Randles is a veteran newspaperman, hunting guide, cowboy and dog musher. He was a feature writer and columnist for The Anchorage Daily News for 10 years and guided hunters in the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains. A resident of New Mexico now for more than 30 years, Randles is the prize-winning author of a dozen books, and is host of two podcasts and a television program.
