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Camp Run-a-Muck at Elk Lake by Camp Run-a-Muck - 9 days ago
"This was our 2nd annual Camp Run-a-Muck at our house in Bend, Oregon. Our daughters and their families come up for a week. We go boating, fishing, kayaking and hiking. Everyone loves the shirts and..." view full details
Watson Deer Camp by Watson Deer Camp - 3 months ago
"Watson deer camp is a family event each year. We love the hoodies. Working with CustomInk was a great experience." view full details
Pioneer Days by - 4 months ago
""Almost every year our Service Unit has a weekend camp out at the beautiful Girl Scout - Sky High Ranch of Colorado. We have Girl Scouts of all ages and many adults attend also. This year the the..." view full details
Camp Tee's 2014 by Camp Tee's 2014 - 4 months ago
"Everyone's favorite part of camp is always your custom t-shirts. They wear them all year long. " view full details
Burke Boys by Burke Boys - 4 months ago
"We had the first annual Burke Boys camping trip. We decided we are going to get together once a year and hang out like old time and have fun. We grew up together in Burke Va, camping, fishing, ..." view full details
1st Class Acro Team! by 1st Class Acro - 4 months ago
"We are headed to the official Olympic Training Center in Houston, Texas for our Acrobatic Gymnastics national training camp! Our athletes love showing off their acro skills in their new t-shirts d..." view full details
Victory Class of 2015 by natdawgboi - 4 months ago
"The senior class wanted to distinguish themselves by wearing their new class shirts . . . but someone forgot theirs!! We LOVE working with Custom Ink--they are AWESOME!" view full details
Girl's Trip! by Lindsey - 4 months ago
"Here's what our awesome shirt looks like for our girl's cabin trip!" view full details
Camp Kathy's by Camp Kathy's 2014 - 5 months ago
"Every year we visit our friends for a long weekend at their beautiful home in Canada. Their names are Bob and Kathy. About 4 years ago, we started to refer to our annual weekend get-away as "Camp..." view full details
Cousins' Camp by Anna Motsinger - 5 months ago
"Cousins' Camp Campout Family Day! Custom Ink did a FABULOUS job on both designs for our camp this year!!!" view full details


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Gamers will soon be able to inch a bit further out On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, as Hothead Games today announced an October 29 release for the second episode of its Penny Arcade Adventures series. The game will available to download next Wednesday on the Xbox 360, PC, Mac, and Linux.
As the name suggests, Episode Two picks up after the original game's conclusion, with Gabe and Tycho of the Startling Developments Detective Agency continuing to explore mysterious happenings in New Arcadia. Players can import characters created in the first episode or start from scratch, and Hothead has also added multiple difficulty levels to the formula. The episodic developer expects players to need between six and 10 hours to complete the game.
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode Two will run Xbox Live users 1,200 Microsoft points ($15), while desktop customers who download the title from Greenhouse Games will be charged $14.95. For more on Penny Arcade Adventures, check out GameSpot's review of Episode One and preview of Episode Two.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wanna Play?
Wanna Play for the SLAM?
The St. Louis SLAM welcomes players from both Missouri and Illinois. There are only a few requirements:
- Players must be 18 years or older.
- Proof of health insurance is required.
- A desire to want to learn the game of football and get in better shape doing it!
Absolutely NO experience is necessary. Our coaching staff will teach you everything you need to know about playing football, including how to reduce the risk of injury and get in shape!Fill out the form on this page if you are interested in trying out. You will be contacted within 24 hours by a member of the St. Louis SLAM staff to answer any questions and tell you when the next tryout is.
NOTE: This is a full-contact, tackle football league. This is not a flag football team (though most of our players also play flag football in the off-season). Our players don't get paid to play. The players play for the physical fitness, team spirit, competition, and love of the game. All are welcome to play!


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Satin or Polished Stainless Steel
- Polished or satin stainless steel
- Washered
- Ideal for standard 35mm doors
- Supplied with fixing screws
Satin or Polished Stainless Steel
Over the past few years stainless steel hinges have become widely used due to the trend away from brass to chrome and nickel finishes and whilst ball bearing hinges have dominated the market washered stainless steel hinges are more appropriate in residential properties. The size of the hinge knuckle is less obtrusive.
For Standard Residential Doors The Eclipse 76mm x 51mm x 2mm thick washered stainless steel hinge is ideal for 35mm thick internal doors and whilst a pair is adequate we would always suggest fitting 3hinges per door. The use of 3 hinges will not only look aesthetically more acceptable it will over the years help to stop the door from twisting or warping, as sometimes happens to bathroom and airing cupboard doors.
Satin or Polished
The 76mm washered stainless steel hinge from Eclipse is available in satin stainless steel or polished stainless steel. They come packed in pairs and are supplied complete with the appropriate pozi head fixing screws.
102mm x 76mm x 2mm Version
The Eclipse washered stainless steel hinge is also available in 102mm x76mm x 2mm thick version which is tested to BS EN 1935 Grade 7 and approved for use on fire doors. Please see related products.


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Keywords: iPhone 6| Led Flashlights | Short Wedding Dresses | Cheap Tablets | Gopro | Clearance Sale
YW® Cotton Blends Stripes Long Sleeve Round Collar Pullover Mens Sweater
Disclaimer: We do precise measurements for your products. Please refer to the chart below. Since products vary by styles, please take practicality as standard.
Size Reference Table:
Size in Detail: ClothType Size Shoulder Width Chest Clothes Length Sleeve Length Hem Color cm inch cm inch cm inch cm inch cm inch / L 43 16.77 100 39.00 69.5 27.11 63 24.57 N/A N/A N/A / M 42 16.38 96 37.44 68 26.52 62 24.18 N/A N/A N/A / S 41 15.99 92 35.88 66.5 25.94 61 23.79 N/A N/A N/A / XL 44 17.16 104 40.56 71 27.69 64 24.96 N/A N/A N/A / XXL 45 17.55 108 42.12 72.5 28.28 65 25.35 N/A N/A N/A NOTE:
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Cotton blends clothing is made from fibers of both cotton and synthetic polyester. The fabric is lightweight and typically does not need to be ironed, which makes it great for traveling. The cotton polyester blend doesn't shrink as much as cotton.
•l Machine washes on the warm cycle with a detergent of your choice
•l Separate whites from colored clothes. Wash whites and colors, separately to ensure color preservation
•l Wash a load of either whites or colors in the washing machine on the delicate cycle using cold water. Use regular laundry detergent without bleach to wash the clothes
•l Add a fabric softener if you so desire
Tumble dry the clothes on the delicate setting, unless the tags specifically direct you to line dry or lay the item flat to dry. If you are concerned about shrinkage, then tumble dry the items for a couple of minutes to get the wrinkles out, then hang them to finish drying
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Know the Fan
The Global Sports Media Consumption Report 2014 is the definitive insight into sports fans use of digital media around the world. Leveraging 4 years' of research data and surveying 1bn fans across 16 international markets, this year's report.
Reflecting an increasingly diverse media landscape, the report explores how use of broadcast, print, online and social media is interwoven and identifies key trends around how each channel is used by fans of different sports, and how the usage habits have evolved over the 4 years the research has been conducted.
The Report is available as a Global Overview or as regional specific reports:


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Tonight while I was checking a Nevada "open carry" forum I discovered a question that I could not answer with any degree of certainty whatsoever. Any help on your part would be greatly appreciated.
The question involved the current law on Native American (aka Indian) gun law in the state of Nevada. I "googled" Native American Gun law and the only reference I could find was a forum posting in 2004.
According to the posting by the local member in the Las Vegas area, the poster believes that he WILL be entering into Native American land. He does not know what the law is regarding firearms.
I'm looking for ANY suggestions to give this forum poster a even some basic firearms law on tribal lands. Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did trying to locate tribal gun laws.
Thanks again for your help!


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The Britax Parkway has been an outstanding booster for many years. The latest versions are the Britax Parkway SGL 2013 and Parkway SG 2013. The difference between the two being a $30 price increase for the SGL model that includes LATCH attachments for securing the booster to anchors in most newer vehicles. CarseatBlog is reviewing the SGL model, but most comments apply to the SG model as well.
We previously reviewed the Britax Parkway SGL Booster, introduced three years ago. The original version is an IIHS Best Bet high back booster. With mostly minor changes, we expect the new, 2013 version to have similarly great performance. We are also pleased to see the return of the look of the discontinued Britax Monarch booster, with side torso wings extending much higher for taller kids.
There are various noteworthy changes in this model year refresh:
- Revised base now has SafeCell technology to reduce head excursion
- Overall height and shoulder height roughly one-half inch shorter
- Side impact wings extend higher, slightly deeper
- Torso wings now have EPS foam lining (photo, right)
- Shoulder belt guides revised
- Front adjuster easier for small hands
- SecureGuard clip is modified; now adjusts from top
- Armrest design slightly changed
- About 0.4 lbs heavier
- $10 MSRP price increase
For the most part, the specifications remain largely the same for the Parkway 2013 SGL.


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John G Lamb | Prudential Texas Properties | Dallas - TX
John G Lamb real estate agent, broker in Texas, profile on RealEstateAgents-in-TX.Com include address, real estate agency or company, phone number, fax, e-mail and website (if available). John G Lamb can help you to buy, sell or rent any real estate in Texas, can help you buying & selling any type of property such as apartments, houses, villas, condos, homes and townhouses in Dallas, TX. John G Lamb real estate agency, company is Prudential Texas Properties, located in Dallas, TX, Dallas county.
Listing Details
(214) 696-1200
(214) 696-2532
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Your weight is not the only criteria for comprehensively evaluating your health, fitness and nutritional condition. It is important to determine the composition of your body. That is why the Seca Sensa 804 Scale not only determines your weight but also your body's fat (BF) and water (BW) content – for a complete and precise analysis. A perfect aid for all those who attach great importance to good health.
Accurate Readout: Individual BF/BW measurement: Electrodes embedded in the platform of the Seca Sensa 804 reliably measure your individual body composition. Personal data such as size, age and gender are first entered into one of the four internal memory cells. The person recognition function automatically allocates the weight to the user when the scale is stepped on and a precise body analysis is guaranteed. Thanks to the conductivity of the electrodes, the whole platform is integrated in the measuring process.
Elegant design: The softly rounded weighing platform gives the Seca Sensa 804 a particularly elegant look which is underlined even more by the embedded chrome-plated electrodes. The keypad element is mounted above the display to prevent the keys becoming soiled and any unintentional reprogramming during the measuring process.
Robust and durable: The Seca Sensa 804 is made of shockproof, durable plastic and is especially energy-saving and low-maintenance thanks to the automatic switch-off.
Specification | Dimension |
Weight Capacity | 330 lbs / 150 kg |
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Graduation - Body Fat | 0.1% |
Graduation - Body Water | 0.1% |
Dimensions | 11.8" x 1.8" x 11.8" |
SKU: 804-1314009, Scale, Bathroom Scale, Seca Scale


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When my son was born, they thought he had a hearing problem. He was tested and passed with flying colors, the doctor said his hearing was just fine. He ignores us, and others who talk to him. He has done this since birth. We would call his name, try to play with him etc and he would just ignore us. Thought maybe he would outgrow it. NOT. He is 2 1/2 now and I am wondering if he will have problems when he starts pre-school or kindergarten. This is obviously a personality thing. Does any one have any experience with this type of situation? He does interact with us and others when he feels like it and is very loving,smart and fun. |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by Mhousework (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 01 at 9:38
Does a touch on the shoulder as you start to talk to him help? Does using eye contact while you talk help, or does he move away from your gaze? How long since the last hearing test? Maybe you could do another if it's been awhile. |
Ask your pediatrician about an audiologist referral. Testing whether an infant can hear or not is a much simpler kind of process than testing for frequencies or what may be %'s of less than optimal hearing ranges. Don't be too quick to write it off as a personality thing without more refined testing. In general soft consonants are difficult to hear, higher pitches are more difficult to hear and so on. He may be inclined to look at 'different' people which can give the appearance that he hears and listens to them (and not you). But, he may be responding to nonverbal cues and/or whatever he hears or senses. talk to your pediatrician about your concern that your 2 1/2 year old (from birth) seems to not be able to hear you even though he did pass the newborn hearing screen (so he's probably not totally deaf) |
- Posted by Stephanie in TN(firstname.lastname@example.com) onSat, Dec 15, 01 at 21:29
Absolutely rule out any hearing problem. But, if this is reassuring, each of my boys went through that at around 2.5-3.5 yrs old. I bet my daughter does, too. DH used to insist they had a hearing problem and want me to take them to the doctor. I'd assure him their hearing was tested and was fine at the last check up, they didn't have an ear infection or anything. Then I'd do a little demonstration. I'd shout "Come clean up your toys." No response, of course. Then I'd whisper "Who wants ice cream?" and both kids would come running. Go figure. So, I make sure they are looking at me when I talk to them. Or if they are out of the room, I call and ask them to answer me before I go on. Then I'll ask them to repeat what I just said. I found that if I just kept saying the same thing over and over, they tuned out even more. If I said it once then asked them what I just said, I know they got it. |
My son is 7 and still has this problem:-). He has the uncanning ability to tune people out. When he is watching something or doing something he can and will totally ignore you. It's good when it comes to school work and testing but bad when I am talking to him. It started when he was very young also. I was looking at video tapes of him recently when he was age 1 & 2. He would totally ignore me and the camera. He reminds me of a Family Circus comic strip when the little boy comes in the room and tells his mom "I did not hear you the first 4 times you called me." LOL My dad is like that too. It takes forever for him to answer you when you call his name or ask him a question. |
did you ever find out if he had any hearing problems? My son is the same way (15 months). He seems to hear just want he wants too. Sometimes I make a bring production about calling his name and I see him smile/smirk. |
I think it's inherited, sons inherit this ability from their fathers, my son did, and I notice it in other men, too. Even my male cat has selective hearing. |
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Houston Public Media seeks enthusiastic people to support the station. Not only will you help bring quality programming to the greater Houston area, you get to meet others that share in your cultural interests. There are many ways to become involved.
Membership drives:Volunteers staff the phone banks; serve as front desk greeters, meal assistants, and provide other administrative tasks. Phone volunteers must be computer savvy and have good hearingsince we use headsets and laptops to enter this information. Check the calendar for scheduling information.
Office/Administrative: Volunteers give the membership team a hand with ongoing administrative tasks such as mail preparation, phone calls and other duties. Click to add yourself to the call list
Community and Educational Outreach: Volunteers help out at events all around the city such as, the Children's Festival, Artful Thursday at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Moth StorySlam, and many others. Please check the calendar for a schedule of Houston Public Media events.
For more information on how you can join our illustrious team of volunteers contact Renee Evans email@example.com OR 713.743.8645
Houston Public Media seeks groups to support the station. Volunteering not only provides service hours for employees and organization members, but also visibility about your organization's dedication to community support.
Corporate and Organization Groups: Volunteers staff the phone banks during Houston Public Media's membership drives. Each group receives on-air recognition. Meals and training are provided. For radio drives we require at least five members and for TV drives we require at least 15. Check the calendar for available nights.


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by Jeff Chapman
You've heard it said, "Don't give up the ghost?"
"Hey, Jimmy. Are you coming?"
"James," he muttered. "My name is James."
His sister Alicia stood in the doorway to his bedroom, slapping her red wool gloves into her palm.
"No thanks." The Facebook game spread across his monitor flickered at him. "Scout or attack?" it asked, awaiting his command.
"Dad and Mom are going to be pissed. Did you even get dressed today?"
James shrugged.
Alicia sniffed twice, exaggerating. "This place stinks. Did you leave a moldy sandwich up here? I feel sorry for Tiger."
"I haven't heard any complaints. Tell Mom to bring me some spaghetti and meatballs."
"Don't expect any dessert."
Alicia closed his door, tromped down the hall and then the stairs. He listened to her muffled voice through the heat ducts, reporting what he had said, and imagined his father rolling his eyes and his mother shaking her head. The backdoor slammed and the garage door rolled open.
Alone at last, he thought. He hadn't left the house in two weeks since the holidays began. With nowhere to go and no one he wanted to see, why should he? So what if he abandoned ship on the way to some stuffy restaurant? Those places bored him to sleep and he could hear the same family prattle at home. Out the west-facing dormer above his desk, the last of the yellow gloaming faded to black.
A chill swept over his bare feet beneath his desk and then a brush with fur, the tickling guard hairs that protected the softness beneath.
"Been in the window, Tiger?"
He lifted his foot to caress her back, but his toes met nothing but cold, a numbing chill that stung his bones. He jerked his foot away and pushed back his wheeled office chair. Nothing crouched in the shadows, nothing but empty space and electrical cords and a herd of dust bunnies.
Must be a draft, he thought. He glanced to his right. His cat sat on her haunches in the window seat, rigid, staring in his direction. Her amber eyes bore through him and her tail whipped back and forth, thumping against her carpet-covered hideaway house.
"Did you see something, Tiger?" She paid him no attention. He peered beneath the desk again. "Hope it's not a mouse," he muttered and debated flipping on more lights to do a proper search. A forty-watt bulb in a standing lamp and a street light filtered through the branches of an oak tree cast more shadows than they chased away. "You'll ruin your eyes," his mother was always saying.
He swung his foot through the draft. Gone now. No breeze. No temperature change. His toes ached as feeling crept back through his nerves. Maybe Alicia's right, he thought. I am going nuts.
A moaning growl–fear and aggression, fight and flight stirred together–preceded a hiss. Tiger's hair stood on end along the ridge of her arched back. All the hair on her tail bristled, swelling to the thickness of James's forearm. Tiger stood sideways with her teeth bared, living up to her name. James followed her line of sight and then leapt toward the window seat, stumbling backwards from the horror behind his chair.
A molten, human face perched on the neck of a scrawny cat's body. The hairless head undulated, bulging and shrinking and wriggling like maggots sealed in a bag of gray skin. Bald patches marred its threadbare fur. Dr. Seuss fused with The Scream.
Tiger leapt onto a bookcase, growling and hissing as she skirted the wall.
Eye sockets as black and fathomless as a deep well shifted from the cat to James, wrinkling the surrounding skin with their movement. A chill like fine sleet peppered his face. James scooted backwards until his neck thumped the cold glass. The creature blocked the door and it took two hands to unlatch and slide the window open and a fifteen foot drop followed. He didn't dare turn his back. Tiger's hutch was the only thing at hand to throw.
The creature's mouth contorted, reminding James of a toothless old man masticating oatmeal, and then the mouth cracked open. A noise somewhere between a meow and a whine oozed forth. "Trrriiimma. Tttriiiimme. Tttiiiimmme."
James gripped the edge of the round opening of Tiger's house. The creature rose from its haunches and sauntered toward him out of the shadow of his chair. He shrieked at the sight of four gray digits and a thumb sticking out of the thing's paws. He kicked against the slick linoleum, pressing his shoulders against the window, willing it to break. Something woven and red wrapped one of the thing's hands and trailed across the floor behind it.
He launched the hutch at the creature's face. For an instant the house eclipsed it, striking it square in the forehead. The thing yelped as it flew backwards, thumping against the door, and then groaned in a heap on the floor. James stood up, looking from side to side for anything to swing at it. He tossed a book and then another but the thing was up and running and dodged them.
It sprang onto Jame's chest, toppling him into the window seat. Tiger leapt from the bookcase to his desk, knocking over the standing lamp. The bulb shattered with a pop. The room went dark save for the street light.
Cold numbed his chest, stabbing deep through his ribs like a thousand icicle daggers. Inches from his nose, the worms squirmed beneath the bag of skin that passed for the thing's head. Its cold breath blew across his face, stinking of molded chicken. It slipped a red scarf with a slipknot over his head and yanked it taut. White snowflakes and snowmen decorated the muffler.
James smacked the creature's furry body and leathery head with his fists, using up the last gulps of air in his lungs. Its eyes and mouth belied nothing, neither joy, fear, nor hatred. Snuffing his life warranted no emotion. His fingers touched the cold brass of the fallen standing lamp. With one last burst of adrenaline, he jabbed the broken bulb into the creature's side. The room lit up as the creature exploded toward the window and shattered the glass.
James pulled the scarf loose, gasping the winter air that poured through the broken window. The creature crawled onto the street, down the gutter, and melted into a storm drain.
"A sluagh. That was a sluagh. They steal abandoned souls," he muttered, recounting the description he had read weeks ago after encountering one in a game. "Abandoned. Abandoned," he repeated. Tiger pawed at the door, meowing. James flung the scarf out the window. He raced to the door and let Tiger out, following close on her tail. He slammed his bedroom door so hard that he swore the frame shook. The orange cat streaked down the hallway toward the stairs. James darted after her.
James huddled on the white love seat in his family's living room, his legs pulled up to his chest, and a brown and rust afghan wrapped around his body. His insides quivered against his ribs but not from cold. Every lamp in the room blazed at full strength. Tiger crouched on top of the armoire that served as a television cabinet. Her amber eyes peered from behind a miniature Christmas tree decorated with miniature bulbs and miniature nativity figurines.
A key turned in the back door. James squeezed his arms tighter to his ribs. He had no plan. Nothing to say. He didn't believe the truth himself.
"Did we leave all the lights on?" said his mother from the kitchen.
Alicia entered the living room first. "Hey, Jimmy. What's the matter? You look like crap."
"Alicia," scolded his mother as she followed her daughter.
"Well, he does."
"Are you sick, Jimmy?" His mother clapped her palm across his forehead. The garage door groaned, echoing through the breezeway and into the house.
"What's wrong, Tiger?" Alicia reached to stroke the cat's forehead but Tiger backed away. "Not coming down?"
"I'm fine," said James.
"You don't have much of a fever if you do. But you're awfully pale." His mother stared down at him, pensive, pulling on her lower lip. "I got your spaghetti and meatballs. And garlic bread. If you want it."
"Maybe later. I'm not very hungry." He felt the mothering weighing on him like a pile of down comforters and for the first time since leaving the age of single digits a decade ago, he wanted to curl up under those blankets.
"You're coming down with something. Time for bed and no buts about it."
"It's too cold upstairs." At least he had anticipated that one, he thought.
"I told you you needed curtains up there. Sam," she called to his father. "Come in here."
"Ah, Jimmy. Decided to crawl out of the cave and join us?"
James averted his eyes and frowned.
"He's sick," said his mother. "See if you can hang a blanket across his window."
His father stomped up the stairs. James waited. He knew what was coming.
"Something warm? Hot cocoa?" said his mother.
James shook his head no.
"Jimmeeeeee!" came a booming voice from upstairs. "What the hell happened?" Footfalls crashed across the ceiling and down the stairs. "There's a bloody hole in the damn window."
"What?" said his mother.
Alicia stared at James, her mouth agape.
"Your stupid son put a hole in the window the size of a tire," said his father glowering over James. "What were you doing? You know how much those damn windows cost?"
"Jimmy," scolded his mother.
"Uhm. I … I was messing around and I kind of threw something. By accident." He looked from one parent to the other, one face as dark as a spring storm on the verge of a tornado, the other a fog of confusion. "I think. I really don't feel very good, Mom."
"He can't sleep in his room. It's freezing up there."
"You can't fix the hole?" said his mother.
Alicia, standing behind and to the right of his parents, mouthed "What did you do?"
James buried his face in the afghan.
"Not tonight. I can put some cardboard and duct tape over it but that won't keep out the cold."
"Well, Jimmy. I guess you'll have to sleep on the pull-out in the basement. I hate having you sleep in the cold damp when you're getting sick. Unless Alicia…."
"No way," said Alicia. "I am not giving up my clean bed to Jimmy."
James rolled his eyes. If he wasn't already in so much trouble he would have questioned Alicia's hygiene. She's the one who left plates and glasses in her room for weeks.
His mother fixed the bed in the basement and left a glass of orange juice and his garlic bread on the end table. His father tromped upstairs to patch the hole, grumbling as he climbed the steps. Alicia took a shower. Tiger remained perched on top of the armoire, her eyes wild and ears twitching.
"Now don't stay up all night watching TV," said his mother.
James nodded, his back reclined against the back and arm of the couch, his legs spread across the bed under a quilt. The remote rested in his right hand with his thumb poised over the red power button. Sleep? With that sluagh thing on the prowl? Staying up was precisely what he intended to do.
His mother shook her head. "I can't tell if you're sick but you sure don't look very good."
"I'm sorry about the window. Will you tell Dad I'm sorry?"
"He'll get over it." She turned to ascend the stairs. "Do you want the light off?"
"No. Leave it on, please. And don't latch the door."
"Okay," she said, already half way up the stairs. When the children were toddlers, she insisted her husband put a latch on the basement door. The hook-and-eye latch had long since outlived its utility but it never came down and everyone used it out of habit. James's mother always latched that door and with a broken window, an angry husband, and a strangely sick child addling her mind, tonight was no different. The hook slid into the eye with an unremarked clink.
James opened his eyes to a blazing overhead light and scrunched them shut as he turned away. The bulb's image lingered in his vision, fading from purple to black. The television aired an infomercial, a blonde in a black sports bra and stretch pants, demonstrating a rowing machine on a sun-drenched patio while an Australian voice droned about the all-over-body benefits of rowing. What woke me? He held his breath, listening, desperate for another moment to pass hearing nothing.
A wooden screech sounded from the laundry room. James sat up. His fingers darted beneath the blankets to grip the aluminum baseball bat at the edge of the bed, hidden for fear his mother would check on him. He had explained enough tonight. He clicked off the television.
Another screech set his heart racing. "God, no. Not again," he whispered. The familiar sound piqued his memory. Again it scratched the silence, but louder and sharper, metal against wood, bending, pulling nails out of wood. James swung his feet to the floor and holding the bat cocked over his right shoulder, crept barefoot across the cold concrete. With the head of the bat he tapped the laundry room door, which spoke with a raspy squealing as it swung open.
A room of black and grays from light from a streetlamp filtering through a single basement window yawned before him. Nothing moved. Nothing focused his attention. He no longer thought of dying or fear but fight or flight and mostly anger. A screech gave way to the clatter of a board falling on a hard floor. He clenched his teeth, stepped inside the doorway, and flicked on the light, letting go of the bat for an instant and no more.
He didn't know where to look, and then he caught sight of a board flying up from the floor, a piece of the cover his father had built over the sump pump, secure and childproof, another vestige of his toddler years. The white one-by-four clattered and then lay still atop the first board, their bent nails sticking up.
The sluagh squeezed its head through the gap, the fetid bag compressing and expanding like a water balloon. Bile scorched his throat as his stomach lurched. Fingered paws gripped the sides of the opening, another red muffler curled among the left paw's digits. Their eyes met, the hunter and its prey. For a moment, neither moved. Even the worms in the sluagh's head stopped wriggling.
"I'm gonna fight this time," said James. "I'll smash that bag of brains if you come closer." He shook the bat, banking his hopes on a show of force.
The mouth resumed masticating and the worms wriggling. The mangy back arched above the broken cover.
James charged across the floor and swung the bat down with the force of several men. The sluagh ducked beneath what remained of the cover as the bat split every board into splintered spikes pointing down into the hole.
"Damn you," he cursed.
The sluagh stared up at him from the pit. The broken boards casting shadows across its head, jagged bands of black and gray.
James dashed toward the door and pulled it closed on his way out. His father owned a gun, a revolver secreted in a dresser drawer. He wedged the bat against the door frame between the floor and the knob. Paws and hands slapped the floor behind the door and then a thud shook it and the knob rattled. Doesn't have to hold long, he thought, just long enough to get the gun.
He sprinted up the stairs and pushed the door as he turned the knob. The door opened a sliver then refused with a metallic clink as the hook strained against the eye.
"Open the door," he screamed. He beat the door with his fist. "Open the door."
At the bottom of the stairs, the laundry room door rattled under the sluagh's assault. The bat turned every time the sluagh shook the knob, ever so minutely slipping out of position.
James launched into the door with his shoulder. Once, twice, until the eye ripped out of the frame, another vestige of childhood destroyed. He stumbled onto the landing as the door knob smacked the wall, cracking the plaster which fell to the floor in chips and dust. Below, the bat clanked against the concrete and rolled to a stop at the base of the stairs.
"Jimmy? What are you doing?" Alicia stood in the kitchen in lounge pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a pink, terry-cloth robe draped over her shoulders.
James glanced down the stairs long enough to see the sluagh bounding upward, stretching its legs and body to take two steps with each leap. "Come on," he said, brushing past her.
Alicia leaned past James to peer down the stairs. She screamed as shrill and piercing as a smoke detector.
James grabbed her arm through the terry cloth and pulled his shrieking sister through the kitchen and past the dining room table with the sluagh in pursuit, clicking and slapping across the linoleum, only two steps behind.
He flung his sister into the living room. Still gripping the robe, he wheeled about to face the creature which skidded to a stop. "Get Dad's gun," he said. Tiger hissed and growled over James's shoulder from her perch on the armoire.
"Jimmy," shrieked Alicia. "Mom! Dad!"
"Get the gun," James repeated.
The sluagh advanced, rocking its head from side to side like a cobra with its hood spread, preparing to strike. Its back legs tensed, ready to leap.
James snapped at the sluagh with the robe to keep it off balance. His mother screamed behind him. He focused on the sluagh, aiming for the eyes, the fathomless black opals that belied nothing.
"The gun, Sam," cried his mother. "Get the gun."
The sluagh grabbed the robe with its hands, attempting to pull James off his feet.
A gun exploded behind James's left shoulder. The first bullet burned a hole through the dining room table. The second shattered a window. The sluagh continued to jerk on the robe, its viciousness undeterred in the tug-of-war with James.
"Don't shoot Jimmy," shouted Alicia.
"The police. Alicia," screamed his mother. "Call the police."
The next shot ricocheted off the dining room floor into the kitchen. Heat and pain seared through James's shoulder as if someone had stabbed him with a red hot poker. His left arm lost all its strength. He let go of the robe, crumpling forward and rolling onto his back.
A thousand chilled knives stabbed his chest when the sluagh landed. James's vision faded in and out, gray then clear, back and forth, like a drowning man caught in the troughs and crests of waves. The shrieking and shouting waivered and spilled as if bubbling through water. The sluagh yanked the muffler, cinching it around James's throat. For an instant, he clearly saw the now familiar red yarn decorated with snowmen and snowflakes, a happy vision of winter and Christmas. How the sluagh got it around his neck, James had no recollection.
The tightening scarf raised James's neck and tilted his head back at a sharp angle. His sister launched something, that old crystal angel with the spread wings that his parents had warned him and his sister since childhood to never touch. The missile from heaven flew for the first time and thumped the creature in the shoulder, knocking the sluagh off James's chest. The angel careened into the floor, shattering on impact.
Something flashed above James. A sound like a rock splashing through water-saturated mud accompanied a plume of greenish-gray gel erupting from the sluagh's head as it snapped backward. Like that comet hitting Jupiter, James thought. Sirens whined outside. "Get it," someone said. "Oh, Jimmy." A gray mist fell across his vision, obscuring his mother's face, and then the cloud darkened to black.
"Are you awake?"
James opened his eyes to Alicia peering down at him, a white tile ceiling above her and white curtains behind. Something above and behind his head beeped incessantly.
Alicia repeated her question.
"Where am I?"
"The hospital. Just a second."
It seemed that Alicia disappeared. There and now gone. His right elbow felt stiff. An IV tube with the needle buried in his arm covered with tape ran from his elbow to somewhere behind him. The curtains parted as Alicia returned with a young woman in burgundy scrubs.
The nurse smiled. "You're finally awake." She studied a monitor behind him of which he could see the edges if he tilted his head back. "I'm Jessica. I'll be taking care of you for a few more hours. How's your pain?"
"I don't feel anything."
"Nothing in your left shoulder?"
James shifted his upper body and winced from an explosion of pain.
"Let me know if it gets to be too much. Okay?"
James nodded. "What happened?"
"You were in surgery for a few hours," answered Jessica.
"Dad shot you," said his sister.
Jessica's attention snapped to Alicia.
"It was an accident," said Alicia.
"I hope so," said the nurse. "See if you can get him to drink some water." The curtains parted and closed with Jessica's exit.
Alicia stood beside him at the head of the bed. "That was really brave of you to fight that thing. I didn't know you had it in you. What was it?"
"A sluagh, I think."
Alicia stared at him without a hint of comprehension.
"It steals abandoned souls."
"Oh." Alicia paused. "I think they gave you a lot of morphine or something. Dad told the police it was a rabid raccoon."
"I guess that'll work. Where are Mom and Dad?"
"At the police station. Our driveway looked like a Christmas tree with the ambulance and all the police cars flashing their lights."
"What happened to the sluagh?"
Alicia laughed. "It sounds like you were attacked by Mom's coleslaw. The raccoon, or whatever it was, ran downstairs. Dad and I barricaded the door. Oh, no," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. "We left Tiger."
"It's not after Tiger. It wants me."
"I'll call Mom and tell her to pick up Tiger. Maybe the police are still there. Drink some water first. Your voice sounds awful." Alicia held the cup so he could sip from it. Moving his neck and back caused another explosion in his shoulder.
"I think I could use some more pain medicine."
"I'll tell the nurse, Jim…. I mean James." Alicia grinned.
"Thanks, sis."
She moved the curtain aside.
"Alicia," said James.
She turned, standing between the parted curtains.
"Would you stay with me here tonight? I don't want to be alone."
Original Fiction © 2012 Jeff Chapman


text:
My raspberries are out of control. For various reasons, my beds have grass growing under the canes. I am going to redo beds in another area. Was thinking of a raised bed 2'x8'. The canes I have now are not great producers. They are pass along, pass along, so I don't know what kind I have. I am looking for suggestions for good raspberries for my area. I live between Tumwater and Tenino. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jackie |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by dottyinduncan z8b coastal BC (My Page) on Thu, Oct 8, 09 at 23:58
I don't like everbearing rasps. I have both main crop and everybearing, and the main crop are wonderful. Big, juicy and lovely. I have a short row of everbearing and they are bearing now but the berries are smaller, seedier, not so flavourful and it is the wrong time of year for rasps. If it gets cold or rainy they go mouldy. I like the main crop ones -- eat your heart out, give them away, freeze the rest or make jam and that's it. I've been mulching mine with grass clippings and wood chips and it has kept the weeds and grass down. I don't have a recommendation to variety. |
- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Fri, Oct 9, 09 at 16:03
We are growing Tulameen quite a large raspberry. I have them growing horizontally weaved along wire strung from T bars at each end of the bed. The new canes are allowed to grow in the middle of the bed between the wires. When the old canes are cut out after harvest the new canes are then weaved around the wires. Growing them horizontally gives you more fruit in a small space, easier to pick too. Annette |
Here is a link that might be useful: Tulameen Raspberries
- Posted by briergardener 7 (My Page) on Sat, Oct 10, 09 at 10:02
aftermidnight, can you post a picture your raspberry bed close to see have you weave canes around wires? |
- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Sat, Oct 10, 09 at 11:12
Brier you're in luck, we took these pics to show another who was asking a year or so ago and they are still in our photo album. This was a fairly new bed maybe 2 years old. If needed you can tie the woven canes down in spots if you think they need it. The spreader board in the middle is to keep the T-bars from being pulled inward when the wire is tightened. I don't have a picture of the bed when it is laden with fruit, I really should take one. I'm really taken with this European way of growing Raspberries. Annette |
- Posted by flowergirlwa8 (My Page) on Sun, Oct 11, 09 at 22:19
Wow Annette, that is quite a set up you have there. Thanks for the suggestion on variety. Jackie |
I like the fall bearing types, especially Amity, which isn't productive, but tastes very good. You just cut them to the ground in November and they fruit on one year old wood. I'd be suspicious of old 'traded over the fence' raspberries, since it is a fruit that comes down with virus over time. Best to get the plants from a certified Nursery like Spooners or some reputable retail outlet. |
- Posted by flowergirlwa8 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 22:03
boizeau, like dottinduncan the everbearing fruit too late here. I only got a few this year before the frost hit. I buy Spooners strawberries every year from the stands, I didn't know they had a nursery outlet. Thanks for the info. |
Autumn Bliss is a good two weeks earlier than Heritage, and Amity is about one week earlier. You need to make sure you prune them to the ground each fall, after harvest, or the fruit season on the primocanes will be delayed by diverting energy into the june crop. You can't have it both ways. |
Fallred - 1964, New Hampshire. Earlier than Heritage, better size,flavor and firmness |
Here is a link that might be useful: Small Fruits--Raspberries
- Posted by flowergirlwa8 (My Page) on Sat, Oct 24, 09 at 19:43
Wow bboy, thanks for the link. I had no idea there were so many different raspberries we could raise here. Well my husband's favorite fruit is raspberries. I have decided to do two beds, one for June, one for Aug. That way he can eat off the canes most of the summer. Thanks so much for everyone's help. Jackie |
- Posted by tallclover Zone 8 Maritime Pac (My Page) on Fri, Oct 30, 09 at 11:43
If I only had one raspberry to plant it would be Tulameen, handsdown! The canes are strong, hold the berry well, low mildew factor and the berries taste as sweet as can be, oh and I forgot; they're HUGE berries. I'll add a link to photos of my homegrown berries. There's a gold berry too, called Amber Queen that I like, though much more subtle in its flavor. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of Homegrown Tulameen Raspberries
- Posted by flowergirlwa8 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 30, 09 at 19:30
tallclover, you have a wonderful site. Now all I want to do is eat those raspberries. It will definately be Tulameen for me. How big of a space do you have? How long and wide are your rows? Will a 2'x8' bed be enough to supply two very, very hungry raspberry eaters? lol. How many plants should I get? I know a lot of questions, sorry. |
There is also the Korean Wineberry. It has beautiful fruit and is great for the winter landscape. Flavor is a bit neutral, but good. I like it better than black cap raspberries which it grows like. |
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text:
DH is diabetic. He LOVES Margaritas. My usual pitcher is 1 Can Frozen Limeade 1 Can Water 1 Can 100% Agave (not gold) Tequila 1 Bottle Light Beer Stir and serve over ice in a salted rim glass garnished with a half slice of lime. So we move to new property with a huge LIME TREE Loaded with limes! My big job is to make a diabetic / calorie counting friendly Pitcher of Margaritas. I just made a pitcher with the following original recipe DIABETIC-CALORIE FRIENDLY MARGARITA 8 oz fresh squeezed lime juice (unstrained) Stir and serve over ice in a salted rim glass garnished with a half slice of lime. At first, this was a little sour to me, but the more I drink it, the better I like it! DH doesn't think I need to change a thing. Open to suggestions. I think the sour part is the unstrained fruit floaties that give a sour burst or tang, but it's quite nice after a while! Also, Any Tequila with the word "Gold" in it, is not pure Tequila. It is a Mixto. Made specifically for Americanos who think anything Gold is good. In Tequila, that is opposite! Look for the label Made from 100% Agave! Suzi |
This post was edited by desertdance on Tue, Apr 2, 13 at 10:00
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by sleevendog (My Page) on Sat, May 4, 13 at 14:05
Yum! Sounds delightful. My favorite summer beverage is a Michelada. Lots a variations but basically ice, salted rim, beer and lots of fresh lime. |
Here is a link that might be useful: michelada
- Posted by desertdance (My Page) on Wed, May 8, 13 at 10:09
sleevendog, That sounds great too! Reminds me of drinking straight shots of 100% agave tequila with a completo chaser! It's all good! :-) |
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