take joy in simplepeanut butter and jelly sandwichearly bedtime yawn

Karen was excited to get her new purchase home. The Kachina doll was unlike any in her collection. Proudly she set the figure on the middle shelf next to the colorful feathered dancers. She knew he would fit right in among the others. With dinner over, she was busy cleaning the kitchen when she heard…

Helene sat on her stoop, enjoying the cool Autumn air. Her joy broke by shouting from across the street. It was Korean George hollering at someone to leave his corner bodega. A young punk hurried out as Korean George chased him, wielding a bat. “And don’t lemme see your ass in here again.” “Yeah, whatever…

0500 hours, October 26, and Wilson’s body continued to tingle as he stepped onto the wooden porch of Crazy Kate’s boardinghouse on A Street. Passing through the Gate did that to him every time. He reached the door and tried the knob. It turned, and he pushed his way inside. To his left was the…

Saturday, just after noon — I had finished delivering the last of the Comstock Chronicle and Dayton Valley Dispatch. My truck broke down, so I could not finish it the day before. Driving up Six-mile Canyon, I happened on a woman in a small car with a flat tire. Knowing what it is like to…

My Cousin Elmo says, “Smile at your enemies as if you have a case of gas, and if possible, fart, then walk away.”

Tipsy the Clown stepped out of the bar and into the evening’s chilled air. Drunk, he proceeded to stagger to his clown car and climb in. With his knees higher than the steering wheel, he turned on the car and stomped on the gas pedal. The tiny vehicle took off at a fast rate of…

“I found a new butcher’s shop today,” she said. “What was wrong with the old one?” “Nothing, it’s just that this one has better, leaner cuts of meat, and the prices are better.” “How long have they been in town?” “I’m not sure. Maybe two weeks or so.” That night, at dinner, he agreed that…

As any service member can tell you, there is a penalty for alcohol abuse. In this case, we are speaking of spillage. When it happens, punishment — erm — we mean discipline — must be provided to the offender. Though it varies from one duty station to another, a set of push-ups are generally the…

it is not a smoke day for schools pity the little school children sitting in class and dreaming staring out the smokefrosted panes thoughts of making smokemen creating winged smoke angels tasting newly fallen smokeflakes eyelashes catching smokeflakes building not-so-secret smoke forts having many smokeball-fights and sledding down smokehill on last years steel smoke-runner gloves…