There were times I literally lived in fear of my dad. At the time, it wasn’t fun, and it darn sure wasn’t funny, but now, looking back, some of the things that took place were a bit humorous in a terrifying sort of way. This is one of them: Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged old man
Flashlight Duty
May 5, 2013 at 1:08 pm · Filed under Family, Mostly true, Some truth to it, Stories ·Tagged children, family, fear, flashlight, funny, holding the flashlight, humor, old man, old truck, story
The Grouchy Old Man
October 20, 2012 at 2:19 pm · Filed under Poems, Some truth to it ·Tagged author, Charles L. Mashburn, funny, grouchy, http://purpletreehouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/funny-bunny-fridays-week-2-sept-2-sept.html, humor, old man, poetry, writer
This is a true story. It happened in the summer of 1998 when Sherry and I lived in Pflugerville. It was a dawning of the ages, I suspect. I hope it brings a smile to your face; it does mine, every time I read it.
The Grouchy Old Man
Was not long ago this happenin’ happent
On a Saturday as I best recall
Out the window I saw some kids in a tree
And thought, what if they should fall
Stepped out the front door and in a gruff tone
Said, you kids get outta that tree
Their eyes got all bugged & they fell like ripe fruit
Then ran off as fast as could be
They ran down that street lickety split
Like the devil himself had roared
I chuckled and watched ‘em high tailin’
And then thought to myself, oh Lord
The wife had come out to check on the fuss
And saw the kids as they fled the scene
She saw the strange grin I had on my face
And said, dear are you being mean
Well, alas, my dear, seems I’ve finally done it
She asked, what is that, my sweet
I replied with a sigh, I’ve gone and become
That grouchy old man down the street
Precious Memories
December 21, 2011 at 10:01 am · Filed under Family, Mostly true, Poems, Sometimes it just hurts ·Tagged a boy and his dog, author, Charles L. Mashburn, dogs, love, man's best friend, old man, pets, poetry, Precious Memories
My cousin Ed and I spent a lot of time together when we were kids and he’s like a brother to me. Of course, we live too far apart, and I don’t get to spend much time with him anymore, but life is what it is. Ed emailed me yesterday, with the sad news that his dog had died; she was only eight, and it was sudden and unexpected. Ed asked me if I could write a poem about her, and the following is what I came up with. Ed likes it, and I hope you enjoy it, too. You might want to have a tissue handy. Read the rest of this entry »
Eeeyeent Eenk!
September 6, 2011 at 8:27 am · Filed under Family, funny stuff, Mostly true, Stories ·Tagged ashtrays in cars, author, Charles L. Mashburn, children, driving, driving the old man crazy, dying, family, family trips, fear, funny, grouchy, horror, humor, laughter, old man, playing, story, writer
I can still recall the driving trips with the family, and I have to tell you about this one time where I inadvertently tried to drive the old man crazy. I was young, maybe six or seven, and was riding in the back seat of our Ford Fairlane. This was back when smoking was cool, and not something folks got dirty looks for, like they do these days. At any rate, there were ashtrays on the armrests of both the back doors; little metal jobs, that you could pull out of the armrest to empty. When you opened and closed the ashtray, it made a little squeaking noise kind of like, “eeeyeent” when you opened it, and “eenk” when you closed it. Read the rest of this entry »
Just Like His Grandpa!
September 4, 2011 at 10:12 am · Filed under Poems, Some truth to it ·Tagged author, Be Still.... and know that I am God, Charles L. Mashburn, funny, grouchy, humor, old man, poetry, writer
My two grandsons played their first high school football game of the season Friday. One, Trevor, is a senior, and his younger brother, Nathan, is a sophomore. Read the rest of this entry »
The Grouchy Old Man
September 2, 2011 at 6:56 pm · Filed under Poems, Some truth to it ·Tagged author, Charles L. Mashburn, funny, grouchy, http://purpletreehouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/funny-bunny-fridays-week-2-sept-2-sept.html, humor, old man, poetry, writer
This is a true story. It happened in the summer of 1998 when Sherry and I lived in Pflugerville. It was a dawning of the ages, I suspect. I hope it brings a smile to your face; it does mine, every time I read it. I’m posting it for The Purple Treehouse Blog’s Funny Bunny Friday. Read the rest of this entry »
Killin’ Time!
August 30, 2011 at 9:08 am · Filed under Mostly true, Stories, the good old days ·Tagged author, Be Still…. and know that I am God, Charles L. Mashburn, events, funny, good old days, hook tender, laughter, logging, old man, writer
Another story from my logging days has been stuck in my head all these years. The hook tender on this occasion was a guy who’d been dubbed, “Killer.” He was about five-foot-six, and weighed probably two hundred pounds, and most of those pounds were rock-hard muscle. He was known throughout the Mt. Rainier area as a street-fighter you didn’t want to tangle with. Naturally, none of us on the crew gave him any lip. Read the rest of this entry »
A Man Among Men
August 28, 2011 at 8:15 am · Filed under Mostly true, Stories ·Tagged accidents, author, Be Still.... and know that I am God, Charles L. Mashburn, death, dying, good old days, logger, old man, writer
Now surely y’all don’t think this is a story about me! No, sir, this one is another quick note about my logging days, but I’m nowhere near the top of anyone’s list compared to the guy it’s about. It’s just a short short story, so take a look if you have time. I’m pretty sure Ol’ “Bing” would like it if ya do. Read the rest of this entry »
The “Old Man” and the Tree
August 27, 2011 at 10:44 am · Filed under Some truth to it, Stories ·Tagged accident, author, Be Still.... and know that I am God, broken leg, Charles L. Mashburn, fear, good old days, logging, Mount Rainier, old man, slinger, writer
High-lead logging in the northwest is an extremely hard way to make a living, and most of the men who did it back when I did were young–in the eighteen to twenty-five range. An out-of-shape old man was not expected to survive long at the job. Read the rest of this entry »
Those Dreaded Friday Night Lights
August 22, 2011 at 8:31 am · Filed under Bad Stuff, Some truth to it, Stories ·Tagged author, Charles L. Mashburn, childhood abuse, childhood fears, childhood trauma, children, dread, family, Friday night, Friday night lights, old man, sadness, writer
I posted stories the last three days that spoke of my dad and the fear he instilled in me. I spoke of it in a lighthearted manner, but it was not actually so. I won’t go into great detail, but I will say my childhood was at times horrifying. This story will give you a glimpse into what it was like too much of the time. I won’t speak often of this. Read the rest of this entry »