It’s Saturday, and I’m back from Iowa and David is back from a week at the beach. We’re at the bar, ready to catch up on our drinking—our regular drinking, that is. Cheryl is behind the bar, happy to have missed the patio crowd during the heat last week. While we’re here, we’ll try to wrangle Linda’s SoCS prompt to the ground.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chicken or egg.” Use the “which came first” conundrum in your post, whether about the chicken and the egg or about a real-life situation that fits the question. Or just talk about chickens and eggs! Enjoy!
Stream of Consciousness Saturday—Linda G. Hill
If we were having a beer, you’d have a few questions.
“Welcome back, Dan. How was Iowa?”
“David, an open-ended question to Dan? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“You’re right Cheryl. I guess I should have added the ‘No essay’ caveat to that question.”
“Well, mine’s easy, so I’m going to slip in first. Regular drinks for you two?”
“Yes. I think Dan is still drinking Modelo, and I still like the complexity of a John Howell’s Special.”
“Bourbon, a snifter of seltzer and a glass of ice. I remember.”
“So, Dan. I saw that you had good flights. How was the weather in Iowa?”
“I see you’ve decided to go the specific question route.”
“Cheryl had a good point about not giving you a blank canvas, Dan.”
“I am capable or rambling.”
“Rambling is your modus operandi, Dan.”
“Here are your drinks, guys. I gather you’re having a controlled conversation.”
“Per your advice, Cheryl—thanks.”
“I would point out that I am also capable of not rambling, David.”
“I might have to see some proof.”
“Cheers, David.”
“Cheers. Now, how was the weather?”
“Ninety-plus degrees, ninety-five percent humidity and a heat index over a hundred most days.”
“In fewer words, hot and humid.”
“No. Hot is hot, but humid is relative, David. Humid for Lois in Florida is different from humid for Teagan in New Mexico and humid in Iowa is gross. I’d put it slightly worse than Washington, D.C.”
“Did you do anything interesting?”
“I was lucky. The day I got there was the day my brother’s Beer Club met.”
“Beer Club?”
“Yeah. A group of guys get together once a month and try a new pub or brewery.”
“I remember that from your last visit. Sounds like a cool idea. Where did you go?”
“Single Speed Brewery in Des Moines.”
“Single Speed? Is that a bike reference? I think you went to a bike-themed brewery last year.”
“We did. There are a lot of breweries along the rail-trails.”
“I’m not sure about drinking and riding a bike. I mean, that doesn’t sound safe. Which comes first, riding or drinking?”
“I think the brewery is a stop along the ride, David. Moderation is the key.”
“I get it. Park near the brewer so you don’t have to bike very far.”
“Not what I meant, but I guess that works, too. You’d have to check with Mary for a better explanation.”
“What did you have in your flight?”
“The brewery didn’t have flights, but we could order eight-ounce glasses. I had a golden lager called ‘Prowl’ and another one called ‘Gable’.”
“That’s it? Two beers?”
“I also had a German pilsner called, ‘River to River’, and another glass of ‘Gable’.”
“You never go for the dark beers, do you?”
“I had a taste of ‘O Knobby One’, a Baltic Porter my brother ordered. It had blueberry and vanilla and it was eleven-point-one percent alcohol! I didn’t really like it.”
“I give you credit for tasting it. What did you eat?”
“We wanted nachos, but they were out.”
“How does a restaurant run out of nachos?”
“No clue. We swapped in a flatbread with a roasted corn bruschetta, and a baked cauliflower, veggie and bacon appetizer.”
“I’m glad you said bacon. I was getting worried. These bikers, healthy folks, are they?”
“Perhaps, but the food was very good.”
“What else did you eat while out there?”
“My brother made brats, Reuben sandwiches, eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast and we went out for Mexican and Chinese food.”
“Good vacation food. Well done!”
In addition to the normal marketing block that gets tacked onto every post, I also want to announce that the Kindle edition of When Evil Chooses You, the third book in the Dreamer's Alliance Series, will go on sale for $0.99 early tomorrow morning. You can use the link in the block below to purchase from Amazon.
If you like character driven stories with strong female characters, magical realism, action, suspense, mystery, a bit of family sarcasm, and a slight religious undertone, you will enjoy these books:
Knuckleheads
The Evil You Choose
When Evil Chooses You
Secrets held Against Evil
