Category: Uncategorized

Christy and Tyler

(short story)

Christy and Tyler had been in a relationship for three years.  Tyler had a controlling behavior toward Christy, dictating what she said and could do. Christy eventually got the strength to leave  Tyler but she began to get up every morning and find herself crying. Christy was left with deep emotional scars and always asked herself why she stayed in the relationship with Tyler after what he had done to her.  

One weekend Tyler and Christy were in their home and Tyler went into the bathroom to take a nice hot bath in their whirlpool tub.  Tyler called Christy into the bathroom and asked her to join him and offered to give her a massage.  Christy got undressed and climbed into the tub to relax with Tyler.  They talked for a while as Tyler was massaging her shoulders as she laid back against his chest.  Tyler wrapped his legs around her tightening them. He began to massage her shoulders with increased pressure.  He slowly began to push her downwards into the water.

Christy was in shock and asked, “What are you doing?” He did not respond at first and remained silent. After a few seconds had passed, he replied, ” You need to watch what you say to people.” Christy began to panic as he pushed her under the water.  She started to struggle as he held her down.  When he finally released her, she came up out of the tub choking and gasping for air. She began to catch her breath and tears were streaming down her face. Tyler responded, “You need to be careful of what you say because you never know what might happen to you.” Tyler warned her of the future consequences of what might happen to her if she said anything.

 As Christy left the bathroom to get dressed, Tyler came into the room and sat on the bed where Christy was sitting. He wrapped his arms around her and told her he loved her and would never do that again.  

Christy eventually left Tyler a few years later and the trauma has haunted Christy years later.  She has not been able to take baths for fear of a man doing this again to her. 

Challenges of Widows

Honeypot

Daughter wanted me to get out and go 

Too much staying at home and feeling low 

Needed to have fun and talk to friends 

Tired of arguing so I agreed  

We met her friends for a drink and to eat 

When I talk, I look eye to eye 

A trait most men appreciate 

One of the young men stared 

Who was a good-looking guy 

I felt uneasy as he came on to me 

I tried to be nice and let him lead 

But his conversation kept coming back to me 

Compliments all over the place 

Trying to accept them, but 

I really wanted to put him in his place 

Thinking to myself and trying to make excuses 

He wants to be nice and tell his funny jokes 

Just listen, be nice, and have another doctored Coke 

By now this was getting old 

My patience was getting thin 

I am too old for this young man! 

I could not figure him out 

With all these young girls running about 

Now it was really time to go 

He was talking like I was a “ho”! 

He made out like I was “hot” 

Probably thought I was some “Honey Pot”! 

Not wanting to make a fuss 

I said my goodbyes and said it was fun 

No more getting together with younger men 

 Just getting home felt like a major win! 

Diane Harpole 

1/18/2024 


	


	





	

		
		
WHEN TO GO FISHING
	


	
	
	

		

I WANTED TO GO FISHING ONE DAY 





CALLED MY BROTHER TO SAY 





CAN I BORROW A POLE? 





HE SAID, “AIN’T NO NEED TO GO 





THE COWS ARE LAYING LOW 





THEY ARE ALL LAYING DOWN 





JUST TAKE YOURSELF & GO BACK TO TOWN 





FISH WON’T BITE I GUARANTEE 





AND IF YOU GO YOU WILL SEE 





THOSE FISH WON’T EVEN BITE”  





I WONDER IF THIS IS TRUE AT NIGHT 





BROTHER SAID, “THERE IS ONE MORE THING” 





WATCH THE WIND AND SEE THE WAY IT BLOWS 





JUST SO YOU’LL KNOW 





IF IT IS OUT OF THE EAST 





FISH WILL BITE THE LEAST 





AND IF IT BLOWS OUT OF THE WEST 





THEY WILL BITE THE BEST 





JUST SOME FISHING SMARTS 





FROM MY BROTHER, MARK 





ONE MORE SIGN TO SEE 





BUILD A FIRE AND WATCH THE SMOKE 





THIS IS THE KEY 





IF IT GOES STRAIGHT UP 





MORE FISH WILL BITE YOUR HOOK 





BUT IF THE SMOKE IS CLOSE TO THE GROUND 





NO FISH WILL BE FOUND! 





Diane Harpole 3/2/2023 






	


	





	

		
		
Clean Movie 
	


	
	
	

		






I had a date the other night 





A good impression was in sight 





Heard he was a religious man 





I had to watch what I said 





Tried to be on my best behavior 





And wanted to do things in his favor  





I looked up clean movies for him 





All I could find was love, lust, and mayhem 





I  got tired of looking for ideas 





So I asked,” Do you know Madea?” 





He didn’t know of her 





So I introduced this kind sir 





Wasn’t sure of this movie he’d see 





Just hoping it was clean as could be 





She had a few choice words 





He laughed and showed he was no nerd 





Madea taught him a thing or two 





Ugly words can be funny, too 





Madea is sly and full of tricks 





Her movies will always be my pick 





Diane Harpole 2/20/2023 

	


	







	

		
		
Cautious Optimism
	


	
	
	

		

As adults…….we all know right from wrong.  Sometimes we go the wrong way. Stress.. Financial situation. Bickering between each other.  Job situation.  Family.  You name it.   Drink too much….cuss too much….treating people worse than they should be treated.  





It freaking sucks to feel and be this way when you know you were once a better person.  Now you feel stuck, but with cautious optimism that it will get better.





I know…..thanks to God…..there is something better waiting to happen.  I just wish it would be sooner than later.





That said…..keep the Faith.  Jesus Christ has never let me down. Stay positive….hopeful…and KNOW HE HAS YOUR BACK! 





Eventually everything works out. 





That’s all for now.





Bain Mitchum

	


	





	

		
		
TORNADO
	


	
	
	

		


Sitting here thinking of my bad luck
And how that tornado put a tree thru my truck
At least my grandson made it through
The other folks lost theirs, too
Not knowing of the coming tornado
And damage it could do
They sat in the breakroom
In front of windows & glass when it blew
A few cuts and scratches they did show
They know that next time
To find cover when the wind blows
There was not a siren or sound made
I knew the tornado was on its’ way
I called my daughter, Renee
I told her to find cover
It wasn’t far away
She was in the yard watching the sky
On the phone she said it’s too quiet
I was 50 miles away but I heard that sound
I screamed “Run, it’s on the way”
The cats & dogs passed her to the basement in the ground
It was over as quick as it came
Roofs torn & broken window panes
Be aware of tornado warnings
They arrive in the night and the mornings
Seek shelter and hide best you can
For as long as we cut down trees
And clear the land
We may find ourselves living on sand
Trees do break the wind
So when you cut down a tree
Replant with 2 or 3
And build back up our land.
Diane Harpole 2/2/2023

	


	





	

		
		
LIFE
	


	
	
	

		

How I Appreciate the Good Things





There is a constant in life…..it’s called LIFE. Good things happen to you. Bad things happen to you. Little inconsequential things happen to you. Things that annoy you. Things make you sad, confused, irritated, etc…….., and on the other hand, things that make you happy, warm, secure, safe, and without worry.





From my experience, there appears to be a lot more irritating, confusing, and bad crap in life than there is genuinely good, caring, honest, and accountable things in life.





The only way I know how to appreciate the good things, other than when they happen, is to mention the crap I hate or that irritates me. So here we go……a list of life happenings that I can’t stand. (Only 20 for now but there’s much more.)





    

  1. I hate it when I kick the bed in the dark on the way to the bathroom. Ouch!
    2. 




  2. I hate ATM’s I can’t reach from the car window.
    3. 




  3. I hate idiot “safety” rules at work made by a safety guy who has never done your job and actually makes your job more dangerous than safe. (Ex., tying off your safety harness to a scissor lift when you are 40 ft in the air. If the scissor lift tips over, wouldn’t you want a chance to jump free instead of being tied to it?). However….that’s the rules of safety so we do it.
    4. 




  4. It is MORE THAN ANNOYING when you mention to someone who is trying to make their point, to quit making their point because you understand their point…..10 minutes later……they try to make their point again. Just be quiet already or talk about something good! DANG!
    5. 




  5. I REALLY hate it when I’m ordering through the drive thru window…..at any place…..and order condiments and only get the food…..then the food has pickles when I specifically said….NO PICKLES. Yuck!
    6. 




  6. I hate diarrhea and that rash you get in your crack afterwards. Gotta Love Imodium. It’s a cork in a pill.
    7. 




  7. I hate borderline diarrhea where you simply have a soft stool and have to wipe for 10 yrs also causing a rash and a whole roll of toilet paper.
    8. 




  8. I hate getting a rock in my shoe.
    9. 




  9. Paper cuts…..need I say more.
    10. 




  10. I hate it when almost an entire generation of people feel like they are entitled to everything without working for it. Especially when they are ungrateful for what you have already done for them.
    11. 




  11. I hate it when you sleep really really good, but wake up with a crick in your neck. Just spoils the whole great sleep you just had.
    12. 




  12. I hate that little tickle in your nostril because it’s been a week or more since you trimmed your nose hair, so you have to pull it out manually.
    13. 




  13. I hate it when the clothes washer takes a crap and you have to load up all your clothes and head to the public laundry.
    14. 




  14. I love competition but hate sore losers. Sorry Auburn. Roll Tide!
    15. 




  15. I hate it when some POS such as Harvey Weinstein and others get away with child molestation and murder because they are extremely wealthy.
    16. 




  16. I hate most Democrats in congress. (i.e. Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, AOC, you get the point.)
    17. 




  17. The Government…..love or hate them, they still irritate the crap out of me.
    18. 




  18. I hate the pungent green vegetables, such as asparagus, spinach, etc…
    19. 




  19. I hate it when my cake fails.
    20. 




  20. I hate the Devil because we have enough evil in this world without his interference.
    21. 






As you can see, there are a lot of annoying, crappy things that can happen to you, from major to minor things. Any one of these little annoyances, life quirks, or grievances can spoil your day.





That said……..when the good stuff happens, it really REALLY makes your day so much better and makes you appreciate the good stuff. Whatever has happened to you that annoys you and puts you in a bad mood…..try to stay positive and keep a good attitude, because you might be able to have a positive impact on someone else who has had a shittier day that you.





Bain Mitchum

	


	





	

		
		
CHALLENGES OF WIDOWS
	


	
	
	

		

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU 





SOME DAYS REALLY GET LONELY 





WHEN YOU’VE LOST YOUR ONE AND ONLY 





OTHER DAYS YOU FEEL BLUE 





AND JUST CAN’T UNDERSTAND 





WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU? 





YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ALONE BEFORE 





YOU THINK OF THINGS TO DO 





AND WHEN YOU’VE CLEANED ALL THE FLOORS 





YOU STILL WONDER— 





WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU? 





YOU GO FROM ROOM TO ROOM 





JUST TO LOOK AND REMEMBER 





THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE 





YOU SEE DUST ON THE VASE 





YOU LEAVE TO GET A DUST CLOTH 





AND YOU RETURN TO FORGET  





WHY YOU LEFT IN THE FIRST PLACE 





YOU STAND AND STEW 





TRYING TO FIGURE OUT 





WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU? 





YOU GO OUTSIDE TO BREATHE 





AND LISTEN TO THE BIRDS SING 





YOU WATCH THE RIPPLES ON THE LAKE 





LOOK AT ALL THE LEAVES TO RAKE 





A GREAT CALM COMES OVER YOU 





YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES 





AND REMEMBER THERE IS ABSOLUTELY 





NOTHING THE MATTER WITH YOU! 





D HARPOLE 12/27/2022 

	


	





	

		
		
Paterson Great Falls
	


	
	
	

		

Patterson, New Jersey





Paterson Great Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.  The waterfall is 77 feet tall and 260 feet wide; it is located on the Passaic River.  Paterson Falls is the 2nd largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River.  There is a lot of history and geology about the falls.  





The falls are made up of basalt rock and other minerals..  When you look at the falls you can see the different brown tones in the rock.  The weathering that is occurring is causing the different tones you see in the rocks.  The falls were created when the earth was one supercontinent called the Pangea..  When the Pangea began to split the land began to sink.  The lava flow came up from faults and flowed around 50 miles and hardened into a rock called basalt.  This was one of the processes that formed the North American plate. . 















The picture above shows the beautiful tones of brown. 





Around 13,000 thousand years ago at the end of the ice age, glaciers helped form the falls and the path that the river runs. This is just a little geology about the falls .  





Now I would like to tell a little history about the falls that I found very interesting. Before settlers moved to Paterson Falls the Lenape Tribe used the land for fishing and camping.  In 1758, The Treaty of Easton was signed that required the Lenape Tribe to move westward and out of New Jersey, and many other of the surrounding states.  





When I arrived at the falls the first thing I noticed was a statue of Alexander Hamilton so I started to do a little reading and found he and some investors founded The Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturing. The SUM wanted to industrialize Paterson and harness power of the water. Alexander Hamilton wanted to start producing more in the United States and quit relying on foreign manufacturing.  Paterson was the birthplace for the American Industrial Revolution. 





If you look at the falls and the river you can see how fast the water runs.  There were companies located along the river and they used water wheels to run their manufacturing plants. Property was bought along the river to run the mills from silk, gun makers, cotton, and other various mills. The water was used as a power source to run the manufacturing plants.  















Hydroelectric Plant 1914





The Hydroelectric Plant was built to supply power to the City of Paterson and to replace the waterwheels.  In the summer months, during drought season, sometimes the plant has to shut down due to water being so low.  The plant is still in operation to this day.  I noticed a man working there when I was visiting. 





There was one thing I found very disappointing.  When I was on the bridge above the falls, I saw the trash in the river. This was disappointing seeing all the garbage floating on top of the water.  





One of the things that was an interest to me was Samual Colt had a manufacturing company below the falls and unfortunately the company failed. The company opened in 1836 and closed in 1842. People were not as interested in the products as in Europe.  The company produced single-barrel pistols, shotguns, and rifles, but people in the United States were not interested.  Though his company failed in Paterson, Samual Colt did invent and create the revolver. 










The falls is a great place to sit, relax, and have lunch as George Washington, Marquis De Lafayette, and Alexander Hamilton did in 1778.





Paterson Falls is a great place to visit.  Good for families, educational with lots of history, geology, and a good place for artists, great place to take a date and have lunch, and just overall beautiful and you can get some really great photos here.  





Note:  Bridge above the falls is currently closed and not sure when or if it will reopen.