Dan Antion

Where’s the Bourbon?–SoCS JusJoJan

Don’t touch that with saucy fingers
From their website
Ice cold

The bar isn’t busy today, but it’s been a busy week around here, and apparently a busy week at Stream of Consciousness Saturday & JusJoJan headquarters. Here’s hoping Linda G. Hill has a less busy week ahead. As for our crew, we’re catching up on yesterday’s JusJoJan prompt (Phantom by Tuba). You can visit Tuba here. We’re also going to work phantom into Linda’s SoCS prompt. In addition, we’re going to toast Linda – tomorrow is her birthday!

“Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 21st and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ‘count on it.’ Use the phrase ‘count on it’ somewhere in your post. Enjoy!”

So, if we were having a beer, we would be ready to relax.

“Cheryl, what’s wrong? You look frazzled.”

“I am frazzled, Dan. Skippy unloaded the liquor order and nothing is where it belongs.”

“Dan and I are here. Right where you’d expect us to be.”

“Very funny, David but one of the things that isn’t where it should be is the John Howell’s Bourbon I ordered. Who knows where he put that.”

“The Shadow Knows.”

“That’s not helping, Dan.”

“Are you sure it’s the Shadow? I thought it was the Phantom.”

“No, David. It’s definitely the Shadow.”

“OK, if you’re sure.”

“You can count on it. I grew up listening to my brother’s maniacal laugh and that statement.”

“If you are in a phantomy mood, David We have some Phantom Butterscotch Brandy.”

“I’d prefer you continue looking, Cheryl. Butterscotch brandy? Why on earth would you have that?”

“We’re stocking up for some candy-themed drinks for Valentine’s Day.”

“That sounds intriguing, Cheryl. Do you think I could get a beer before you restart your search?”

“You’re going to drink without me, Dan.”

“He is. Here you go, Dan, a nice cold Modelo. David, I’ll be right back. Wish me luck.”

“Cheers, David, and my apologies.”

“I’m guessing Skippy hid the bourbon to get back at me.”

“I don’t think he would do that, David. Then again, you do pick on him.”

“He brings it on himself, Dan. Every time he says ‘no problem,’ I want to grab him by the neck and shake him.”

“I found it. He put the liquor away alphabetically by brand name, instead of in groups by type.”

“So, ‘W’ for Willet Pot Still Reserve?”

“Of course not, David, ‘J’ for John Howell’s – it was sitting next to the Johnny Walker bottles.”

“You see, Dan. It really isn’t my fault.”

“Here you go. One glass of bourbon, a snifter of seltzer, a glass of ice and four cherries—extras for making you wait.”

“That’s nice. Thank you, Cheryl.”

“No problem!”

“Sigh.”

“Now that I’ve found the liquor, do you boys want something to eat?”

“I’d like some wings.”

“Dan, David’s having wings. Are you going to join him?”

“I think I will.”

“Oh, Dan, I forgot. I brought my copy of your latest book for you to sign.”

“OK, but keep it away from that barbecue sauce.”

When I first saw the sky.
After 30 seconds
After about a minute
That’s not a love symbol. The bunny made the opening wider
The wires at the top carry thousands of volts. They move them from pole to pole without ever causing a loss of service
Yes, Smokey. I see you. Peanuts are on the way
Moving high voltage wires from old pole to new pole
Not a smiley face. Those are bunny prints coming out from under our porch
Smokey foraging at the base of the tree
Heading up to the network of branches in this little forest
Sammy, running through the trees
Sometimes, when the birdbaths freeze overnight, we refill them with fresh water.
No wind today


If you like magical realism with suspense, action and a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You

Series page on Amazon

My profile page (and books) on Lulu

All available on Kindle Unlimited!

82 comments

  1. Hi Dan, I enjoyed reading your conversation at the Bar. That was a neat ending with the book :). Loved your pictures too of bunny’s heart symbol, smokey and the sky (the transformation in 30 seconds is amazing).

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  2. Are they changing out the power poles in your neighborhood??? They had our power shut off all day today– but came through like a champ and got my portable oxygen bottle turned on for me. I should have taken a lesson from them when they were doing it. Apparently, I did something to the thing last night at dinner and it drained the bottle completely — and I didn’t get a single hit from it!~ LOL Back on the big concentrator that gives me all the oxygen I can handle. Back to the pole changing — the crews were working on every pole for about 3 blocks around us–absolutely unreal. And since we’re in a cul-de-sac, to say it was busy here, is an understatement! Love the bunny heart! Take care…

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    • They came through last fall and painted an ‘X’ on about 80% of the poles. We figured they would come back in the spring, but they’ve been swapping them out ever since. They work fast, and they really have this down to a science. We haven’t lost our service yet. The poles they are working on now carry the main load through the neighborhood. I’m glad you got through the outage.

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  3. Forgot to ask–did you tweak the photo of the sky? That was one awesome sunrise if you didn’t. It would make a stunning background for a greeting card. Would you mind if I stole it???

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  7. What an awesome sky! Your time-lapse capture is wonderful. We have to look fast when such a sky happens! I got a good chuckle from your mention of your brother’s maniacal laugh. Brothers cultivate highly specialized skills. More and more I admire Skippy’s character; he sure brings out the character in others. Of course this all has to do with my trying to figure out how stories work.

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  12. Butterscotch what!? No thanks. But neither would I indulge in a PB&J shot either. 😏 Thise gorgeous pink sky shots! ❤️I was thinking those bunny prints looked a bit like skewed faces from the Scream franchise. Lol The autographs in your books are the icing on the cake, Dan. 😊Happy Birthday Linda!

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    • Sometimes, I think this is why I drink beer. People ask for the craziest sounding drinks. I think I’d go with a glass of bourbon and a Snickers bar. The bunny prints did look like a face to me.

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  14. Yes, it is the Shadow. I used to listen to the radio broadcast along with Inner Sanctum, The lone Ranger, and others. Butterscotch bourbon? I can’t unthink that combo. I’m going to wash my mouth out with VooDoo Ranger for sure. Love those sky photos. You were very patient to get that trio. Thanks for the mention, and I’m glad Cheryl found the Willett.

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    • I heard my parents mention Inner Sanctum when I was young. I listened to a few episodes at the Museum of TV and Radio (now the Pally Center) in New York. My brother is old enough to remember “”Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” but it went off the air just before I was born. Sorry about the bad taste, but VooDoo should do the trick.

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  16. Skippy is laboring under difficult conditions. So many people are against him, particularly David. David isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, just ask his in-laws! 😳 I have “no problem” with Skippy. He represents so many of us!

    That sky is awesome. Nature at its best.

    The bunny left that upside down heart opening to thank you and the Editor for the shelter, food and water. I have more if you believe that one!

    Old Glory, even with no wind, looks spiffy. She is a grand old girl for sure.

    Have a terrific weekend Dan. Hope it leads to a good week ahead.
    Ginger

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    • Thanks Ginger. I can’t have David go soft on Skippy (or his in-laws for that matter).

      That sky was amazing. The bunny, yeah, I don’t think he/she’s saying thank you. I made a comment to my wife about “she” needing a bigger entrance. That was not well received.

      The new flag is holding up very well. It still looks bright, even though it’s been hanging there for over a year. I like when its colors pop on a gray day (like today).

      I hope you have a great weekend.

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    • Once thinks like that get under my skin, they drive me crazy. I had a friend who went through a phase where he began every sentence with ‘so’ – I think someone pointed it out to him. The bunny is making himself, perhaps herself at home. I’m not going to bother to repair that. I hope you recovered from the snow.

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  19. Butterscotch anything sounds good to me.
    There was one gal I worked with who had a filing system all her own. So frustrating to any of us trying to find something. She called it job security. I wanted to smack her.
    Those first two sky photos–oh my gosh–beautiful!! Even that frozen bird bath is so artsy.
    The high voltage lines made me laugh. I took a similar photo and thought those things on top were birds. They were not. Luckily for the birds. 😮 Have a great weekend, Dan.

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    • I’ll have Cheryl whip up one of those candy cocktails for you, Lois. I’m sticking with beer. We had a temporary secretary in our department once who reorganized all of our files alphabetically by vendor name (they had been organized by service and product). Since she didn’t know anything about IT, I couldn’t even tell her to fix it. That sky was here and gone in an instant. I was wondering if we’ll get new birds with the new poles :) Have a nice weekend.

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  20. Lions and tigers and bears oh my – who in blazes alphabetized the adult beverages ! ? ! PS all of our bird baths have gone into mushroom mode for the winter so the freezing does not break them. They are flip tops so they shed the water. Happy Saturday Dan. Can we change the commercial from we’re gonna need a new Timmy to gonna need a new Skippy once Cheryl gets hold of him ?

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    • Thanks for stooping by, Jan. I can’t bring myself to complain too much about the bunny’s handiwork. He/she started by pushing that panel out of the way. I fixed that, so he just made the hole bigger. The heart shape is kind of cute.

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  26. Cheers to alphabetical liquor arranging. 🤣 I’m glad to join in the theme of sharing your third book sitting next to some snacks! 😉 Wow – that was a gorgeous sunrise. It’s amazing how quickly the colors fade. I can relate to rabbits making homes where they’re not wanted. Grr. Love the photo collection this week. Looks like it’s been calm so the winds aren’t making it hard to switch out those power lines. That’s a fascinating procedure to watch, we had it happen on our road last year. PS – I enjoyed Book 2 and now am happily reading Book 3!

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    • I’ve seen sunrises and sunsets like that where they’ve faded by the time I’ve gotten out with my camera. Two weeks ago, I took the picture through the screen because I knew it would be gone by the time I got outside. I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the books. I really appreciate the photo. We’ll let the bunnies camp out under the porch and under my shop. Other than destroying our tulips, they don’t do much damage and, well you know, they’re as cute as can be,

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  29. Our backdoor neighbors had bunnies living under their patio for the longest time. They were fun to watch, and even though they’ve moved (probably due to the family multiplying lol…), we still have a few stop by now and again. They don’t like to pose for very long – if they hear you breathing they’re gone!

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  30. Wow! Those sunrise pictures are knockouts!

    Skippy’s filing system reminds me of some of the places I did temp secretary work. Sometimes retrieving files is a lot like criminal profiling: you have to get into the mind of the subject.

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