Holidays in Tool Rental

Twas’ a month before Christmas, with bargains galore. Customers were scurrying, expecting to score, Load-n-Go’s, combo kits, and holiday yard decor.

Santa was visiting, with kiddies, at that.

Little did they know, the most fun they would have, was to visit Tool Rental, to Pressure Wash their Cat^®.

We start the morning, with contractors my friend, Vince pounding the computer, it has no end.

The register, it’s finicky, let's not pretend.

Call I.T. help? “No, call Jim instead.”

The alarm goes off, oh - what a racket, a contractor barks out, “I need that bracket.”

A line starts to form, patience is nill’. “I want a jackhammer, that suits the bill.”

“Rent me a Hilti. Serve me first, I'll do more than blabber. Your VOC score will fall off the ladder.”

Bob slips in, and checks repairs. Get them done early, and no annoying errors.

With Amber and Jeff all dressed in red, Joe customer enters with a cap on his head.

“I have a repair,” the customer says. “It's Christmas lights, all green and in red. They don't blink, they seem to be dead.”

Bob jumps from his den, ruhgh, ruhgh, ruhgh,” growls Bob, as he shakes his head, “We don’t repair electrical! What a bonehead.”

Rentals are steady, thank God we have Eddie, a fine gentleman, he’s always pressed and ready.

We can't forget Joey, there’s scaffolding due in, he Loves to offload it, to an attendant within.

While Patrick sweeps the hall, he takes a call. Hello? Tool Rental - Yes? We have the right whatchamacallit’s for all.

Merry Christmas to all!

Updated November 2018.

Comments

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄 Preview of this week's On the Fly blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...

Believing Is Seeing

🎄 In this episode, Believing Is Seeing . . . It's December, we bustle, we wrap, and we dash. We sort life into boxes— myths here, to-dos in a stash. We whisper of Santa (adult code: “Not Real”), but hold on one minute—let’s rethink this whole deal. For the stories we cherish, the movies we stream, hold more truth in their sparkle than we grown-ups may deem. So hop in this sleigh and hold on real tight— We’re chasing down Santa by the glow of his light! Scott Calvin once landed in the North Pole’s cold air, with elves, cocoa, and snow everywhere. He squinted and frowned—“This just cannot be so!” (Like thinking tangled lights will detangle if we blow .) Then Judy the Elf gave a cocoa so steaming, and said something simple . . . yet surprisingly gleaming: Seeing’s not believing—no, that’s not the key. "Believing is seeing!" Just trust, and you’ll see!” Kids don’t need a map or a satellite screen to know Santa’s workshop is her...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . . You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...

Night Before Christmas

I n this episode, Night Before Christmas . . . (In the spirit of Edgar Albert Guest) I’ve wrestled with the tangled lights the way I always do— With just enough patience left to see the project through. I climb the ladder carefully; the years have taught me how. To take my time with every step and keep a steady brow. We hang the faded ornaments I’ve known since I was small, the chipped, the cracked, the tilted ones—I love them best of all. Santa’s lost a bit of paint, the stars’ leaning right, but oh, it casts a holy glow across the room tonight. The kitchen hums with activity, with laughter, and with cheer, as voices drift like echoes from a long-forgotten year. The floor is strewn with paper scraps, the clock is ticking slow, As Christmas finds its own sweet pace and sets our house aglow. The hallway grows a little still; the lights are dimmed, and low, Small shoes are lined in messy pairs to wait for morning’s snow. The fire's warm, the room is full, the world is deep and wide,...

On The Fly

Search This Blog