Rusty Bucket Ranch Blog

Annie decided to keep her baby, and continued living with her parents so her mom could help with the birth at the end of the year.  Mike came back from his fishing trip with a masculine notion he’d rather fight for his country than raise kids, so he joined the…

Marty didn’t see Michelle the entire graduation, and it was just as well.  The next day was his first day of freedom in 13 years from the compulsory education imposed on him by the State of California, and he didn’t want to be reminded of his past.  As long as…

Annie, with her abnormal extra-sensory intuition, understood Marty the best of all.  She went out shopping with him while Mike was taking evening classes to gain his final credits so he could graduate.  She graciously walked arm in arm with him at the mall so people would think they were…

Surprised, Marty woke up.  It was morning, and the afterlife looked strangely like the interior of a truck.  The sleeping pills didn’t work… or rather, they didn’t do what he wanted them to do.  Now what?  Obviously, 30 sleeping pills weren’t enough to kill him.  With a gob smack, he…

On the way to Fairfax to get his sleeping pills, Marty wondered what the people who were going to the Senior Ball tonight were doing.  He thought mostly of Mike & Annie, because reflecting on Michelle getting ready to go out with Mark only made his stomach hurt.  Annie was…

Marty woke up the next day and realized he had peed his pants, and was late for work.  It was tempting to not care about either one, and just go back to sleep, but one forced him to deal with the other, and before he knew it he was ambulatory,…

When Marty got back to the cabin, his bedroom door was closed, and he could hear Mike and Annie’s voices raised as they continued their perpetual argument about why they argued so much.  He knocked loudly, and without waiting for an answer just opened the door and walked on in. …

When it was light enough to see, Marty got up and drank four glasses of water with some aspirin, then checked the house.  He was alone, so it really appeared as though he had driven home without remembering a damn thing.  This has got to stop, he reflected indistinctly through…

By the end of the week, Marge had apologized to Marty, Susie and Mike for her behavior, saying, “I know I haven’t been there much for you guys lately.  I’ve had my own problems, but I’m gonna quit drinking.”  Julie hadn’t called since the incident, and probably wouldn’t.  She held…

That weekend Mike & Annie made up, and she promptly abducted him over the hill to try and find a tux and gown for the Senior Ball, which was only a week away.  Chas came over to offer an alternative to Marty: to be part of a group that was…

That afternoon and evening were the most difficult hours in Marty’s life.  All that buildup with the magical moon the night before, and delightful flights of fancy from walking through the woods with the one he loved, came crashing to earth in a heap; torn apart by “the forces of…

When Marty opened his eyes the next day, it was like pulling off a couple of old Band-Aids.  His head pounded the way a bowling ball might feel after a long night knocking over pins, and his mouth tasted of used kitty litter.  A pervasive smell of gym socks filled…

The Jolly Roger “Marin Issue” was very popular on campus when it came out.  Marty made several contributions that distracted him somewhat from his doldrums.  The paper covered the entire spectrum of life in Marin County: from its astonishing natural beauty, to the ridiculous behavior of many of its residents. …

Despite all the crap he had to deal with (both literally and figuratively), Marty enjoyed his menial job at Aquarium Beautiful.  More often than not, he could do whatever he wanted to.  As a young teenager, he had been bossed around by Pat and Bob, but he always had a…

Poor Marty had to work on Sunday with Marge.  He knew she couldn’t wait to interrogate him about his big date, so he avoided riding with her on the pretense he needed to buy some parts for his truck after work.  All day at the pet store, she kept on…

Saturday finally rolled around slowly, like a planet forming from molten rock, and it was time for Marty to pick up Michelle for their date.  He dressed two hours early (trying not to get dog hair on his suit), and planned every move down to the last detail.  He had…