#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2026/03/15

~ Russell ~ Leave a comment
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If we were having coffee, I’d be drinking a hot black brew, listening to Jimmy Buffett play in the background. I could get you a cup, even offer milk and sugar if that’s your thing, and we could sit and talk as friends that haven’t seen each other in years do. Looks like it’s been six years since I’ve been here. Heck, I don’t even know if the coffee share community is still a thing. (Is there anybody out there? – think Pink Floyd from “The Wall “) I just know that on some level, I’ve missed writing and have recently considered starting that habit up again.

Six years huh. That’s a long time, for sure. In that time I got too busy with work (and some other things) to bother with writing, lost that job due to a mill closure, and have bounced to two other jobs. Hopefully I’m now settled with the company that can take me to retirement. I like my job, the drive sucks, but the job is good and the schedule allows for a decent amount of time off.

With not as many demands on my time I’ve started to read some fiction again which lights the fire to write in me. Currently, I’m making my way through the “Gray Man” series of books. It’s been entertaining, action packed, and gritty. All things I like!

I often wonder where’d I’d be in my writing journey had I stuck with it. Probably close to where I am now, lol. I’ve continued my sporadic guitar playing all this time and don’t notice much improvement there after all, but anyway. Perhaps I’ll try my hand at fiction again soon, but I’m not going to stress about it. That’s not what I need right now. I might just ease back into the pool, write some fiction, and post some on my latest homesteading efforts which is quickly becoming a passion.

That’s really all I have for now. Sorry if I rambled on a bit but that’s the nature of it. How have you been? Do let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by. You can for sure have a cup to go. I’ll, hopefully, see you next week. Until then…

#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2020-05-16

~ Russell ~ 8 Comments
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If we were having coffee, I’d offer you a cup of fresh brewed Charleston Coffee Company Bold Roast to help you in waking this fine Saturday morning. If coffee’s not your thing, we can probably rustle up some tea, juice, or some other concoction of hot or cold beverage to start your day.

We’d be listening to Counting Crows while we sip and wipe the sleep from our eyes. No particular album, but a mix set to random and enjoying whatever comes up next for what it is much like my plans for this Saturday. Other than knowing that I want to get a run in today, my plans are anyone’s guess at this point.

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#FridayFictioneers – Islander at Heart

~ Russell ~ 32 Comments
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PHOTO PROMPT © Jan Wayne Fields

“What’s that thing?” Janie laughed.

Daryl tipped his floral ISLANDER hat.  “This is a mere reminder of where my heart resides,” he said.

“Really?  You ever been to an island?  Ever even seen the ocean?  And where’d you get that thing?”

Her questions hit him like punches.  He almost reeled back, but he set his feet and his jaw.  “Yes, no, no, and the internet if you must know.”

“Well, if you’ve never been to the islands, how do you know you’re an islander?”

“Come here,” Daryl said.  “Look out the window at all the snow.  That’s how I know.”

WC: 100

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#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2020-05-09

~ Russell ~ 12 Comments
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If we were having coffee, I’d have to apologize for the hour. It’s late, but there’s coffee for that, I’ve got the UFC fights on the tv, so we can watch that while we chat. In my cup, I have Charleston Coffee Roaster’s Bold Roast. It’s good stuff, the beans are freshly ground, and it’s hot in the pot. By all means, help yourself. Coffee not your thing? There’s tea and perhaps a few other things around. I’m sure we can find something for you.

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#FridayFictioneers – Hide ‘n Seek

~ Russell ~ 29 Comments
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PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

Billy loved spending his weekend at Gramps place.  He would play with the neighborhood kids out back in the wide open field and surrounding woods.

They played a lot of chase and war, but Billy’s favorite was hide ‘n seek.  He was, by his 11 year old reckoning, the king of hide ‘n seek, always finding the best hiding spots.

Like the old refrigerator he came upon just a bit off the path.  He laughed as the heavy door closed tight, sealing him in darkness.

They would never find him there.

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#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2020/05/02

~ Russell ~ 4 Comments
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If we were having coffee, we would be sipping on a nice brew of Charleston Coffee Company beans that I ground earlier today, there would music playing low (Miranda Lambert singing Famous in a Small Town at the moment), and we would be sitting in my messy little writing space.

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#FridayFictioneers – Memories Burn Hot

~ Russell ~ 35 Comments
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PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

Sarah stacked the bills neatly atop the desk before calling her employees.

“Hello.  Yes. We’re allowed to open tomorrow.  No. I’ll get everything ready. Just come in tomorrow.”

A dozen of the same calls later, she made her way to the dining room

Oh the memories.

She worked through the night.  With every place setting perfect except the lack of guest, she made to leave.

All was done, save one final deed.  One switch wired just so by the back door.  She flipped it on her way out.

Tears streamed down her face as her dreams went up in flames.

WC: 100

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#FridayFictioneers – One Man’s Trash

~ Russell ~ 18 Comments
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PHOTO PROMPT © C.E.Ayr

Harry hopped down from his perch on the large green rumbling garbage truck before the squealing pads clamped down on the large rotors could force the massive vehicle to a standstill.

“Look at this Donny! Can you believe someone would throw that out?”

“As a matter of fact, I can,” Donny said. “Looks like trash to me.”

“Not to me! This will go perfect over the couch. Once it’s cleaned up that is.”

“You always do this Harry. Just toss the thing. You may be a hoarder, ya know?”

“Naw. Just help me get it in the cab, will ya?”

WC: 100

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#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2020/04/26

~ Russell ~ 11 Comments
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If we were having coffee, I’d wish you a fine Sunday morn and pour you a steaming cup of bold roast from Charleston Coffee Roasters. I ground the beans myself and must admit th at it is quite good.

I’ve been missing bunches of time on tyhe blog and writing in general lately. I don’t like it, but it has been hard to be motivated with everything going on. My rhythms are off, so to speak.

I’m continuing to not use the internet bandwidth we have at home, saving it for others who need it for school and work, but have found a dot at the table this morning while enjoying this wonderful coffee and thought it would be a great time to get back in touch with everyone out there.

I do hope everyone is well and that we have the worst of the pandemic behind us. Some things have begun to re-open, and though that makes me happy, it also causes a bit of worry. What it we’re re-opening too early? What if we have to start this whole Coronavirus lockdown all over again?

There are concerns on the other side as well. What if we’ve waited too long to re-open? How many will lose the businesses they gave everything to build? It’s a wierd situation to be in for everyone, and there’s so much conflicting information out there, you don’t know what to believe.

It doesn’t help that when I go to work, it’s like what virus? We’re just working normal over half the time. I swear that most of the people there can’t read the social distancing signs posted up everywhere because they will walk right up on you and blather about whatever comes to mind. Oh, and step back all you want, they’ll just step with you and close that distance right back up. Six feet? By who’s tape measure?

As for brighter subjects, I’ve been running fairly consistently and doing some things to help with alignment and strengthing of the muscles in the foot and upward through the whole chain to avoid injury. Eric Orton’s book “The Cool Impossible” goes into a lot of things you can do around proper running form and strengthening the before mentioned muscles and I just finished reading it, so I’ve been incorporating some of those things into what I already do. The book is a good read. It is a book focused on running and coaching though, so don’t go into it looking for great prose and story. But there are pieces of story here and there.

I’ve also been messing with my old guitar instead of writing lately. Seemingly anything that I can do that’s not writing is what I’ve done the past few weeks, including binge watching Orphan Black with my wife. Only one season left!

This week, if this dot will stay here at the table, I’m going to try being a little more active in the blogosphere. Those dots can be quite elusive however, so you never know. What I am going to do (or try to do) is pull myself out of this writing funk. It’s past time. I’ve sulked too long and maybe it’s pen and paper that I’ll be sitting with, but it’s not like that’s never happened before. Pen and paper has been the bearer of some of my best ideas after all.

So, I suppose I’ll let you go. Feel free to take a cup of that bold roast with you for the road and be safe out there. Don’t forget to keep six feet, as measured on a standard tape, between you and the random peeps, and dot willing, I’ll see you next week!

#WeekendCoffeeShare – 2020/04/12

~ Russell ~ 2 Comments
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If we were having coffee, you may think that it’s a little late to sitting and sipping this fine Seattle’s Best, and you may have a point. I could make a case for heading off to bed as well as the clock closes in on the witching hour, but I’ve been AWOL for the past few weeks and wanted to check in. There is a lot going on out there in the big ole world right now, most notably and disruptively is the Corona-virus, and that plays in on why I’ve been absent, but let’s come back to that.

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