It’s Saturday, and as Bob Cratchit would say, I was making rather merry last night. Faith and I did attend Christmas By Candlelight at Old Sturbridge, but I didn’t have time to go through my pictures. I did have time to rush a post for Stream of Consciousness Saturday. I must admit, I had been thinking about this one for a few days. I hope Linda G. Hill doesn’t mind, sometimes things happen and you think, “I’m going to write about that…” Anyway, this week’s prompt is
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘dict.’ Find a word that contains ‘dict’ and use it in your post. Have fun!”
If we were having a beer, you’d be spun up.
“Hey guys. Did you come together today?”
“Not together, Cheryl, but I noticed David getting out of his car as I was walking up the street, so I called to him.”
“Yeah, sorry the lots are full, we have a big party in the lounge today.”
“I didn’t mean to take the last spot, Dan.”
“That’s OK, David. You’re older and you’re buying me a beer.”
“Fair enough. Cheryl, let’s have our normal libations.”
“That might be an issue, David. I’m not sure we have anymore John Howell’s Bourbon—I just poured the last shot. I’ll check downstairs.”
“I hope you find some. I’m almost addicted to that stuff. I’m not sure I like any of the other bourbons you have can serve as a substitute.”
“Tina!”
“Tina? Who’s Tina, Dan. Did you recognize someone in the lounge?”
“No, TINA is an acronym I recently learned. It stands for ‘There Is No Alternative’ albeit it’s normally used when referring to information systems.”
“I thought you retired.”
“I did, but I still like learning.”
“Didn’t Pam have a quip about that this week?”
“She did. She was praising the human capacity to learn. I told her I try to learn something every day.”
“That should be easy for you, Dan. You must have a ton of things that you once knew and have forgotten.”
“You’re in luck, David. Let me wipe the dust off of this bottle and I’ll set up your John Howell’s Special.”
“I hope you didn’t give out the last cherries.”
“I have a secret stash just for you. Well, you and a few other special customers. We also have corn chowder, but it’s moving fast, so I’ll bring you two bowls.”
“David enjoys being special, Cheryl.”
“I know, Dan. I know.”
“Speaking of being special, Dan. I received my copy of ‘When Evil Chooses You’ and I’d like you to sign it for me.”
“I’d be happy to, David. Thanks for asking. Cheryl, can I borrow a pen?”
“Dan, you know about bartenders and pens. Without this pen, I can’t get a tip.”
“I just need to sign David’s copy of my book. You can stay and watch.”
“After you pour my bourbon.”
“OK, here’s the bourbon, the seltzer, the ice, the cherries, and here, Dan, is my pen. Be careful.”
“Whoa, what are you doing Dan?”
“I’m signing your book. What, am I on the wrong page?”
“No, but why are you holding your pen like Taylor Swift?”
“What?”
“Taylor Swift holds her pen like that. An article I read seemed to suggest she might need occupational therapy.”
“I’ve been holding a pen like this since before Taylor Swift was born, no one ever called an occupational therapist for me.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t go to my school, Dan. Sister Frances would have interdicted that behavior with a ruler-wrap across your knuckles.”
“Actually, one of the good sisters at the convent in Enfield smacked my hand while I was filling out some raffle tickets at their annual festival. She made me hold the pen what I assume you all feel is the correct way.”
“I don’t much care, Dan, but David’s right. People are all spun up over Taylor Swift. Why do you hold it that way. Maybe she does it for the same reason.”
“I doubt it.”
“Uh oh, Cheryl. You’d better get him another Corona; I predict there’s a story coming.”
“Here you go, Dan. Now why do hold your pen like that?”
“When I was in college, I used to get terrible cramps while taking notes. Especially if I had back-to-back classes.”
“So you tried a different way of holding your pen?”
“Not on purpose. I cut my thumb on a can of tuna. You know, back when they were steel cans and you had to cut the lids off. I had to hold a pen like this for over a week while my thumb healed.”
“And the cramps went away?”
“They did. So I’ve held pens and pencils like this ever since.”
“Except for that day with the nun.”
“True.”
“I guess it’s good you didn’t go to a Catholic college.”
All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.
No Facilities 
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