“It’s a thousand pages give or take few, I’ll be writing more in a week or two.”

Paperback Writer – The Beatles (1966)

Let me tell you, that old clipboard was definitely on the “give” side over the “take” side of today’s lyric from The Fab Four. I made that thing in junior high shop class back around 1980 and then proceeded to lug it around wherever I called home for the next 38 years or so. Knox College, a place called 848 North Broad Street, Lake Bracken, the Quad Cities and more, I’ve known that thing longer than I’ve known most people that are not blood relatives.

For year’s it sat within arms reach on an end table, a headboard or a desk always ready for whatever form of composition arose. And when I took up writing in 2002, it became an even more invaluable companion in the process of transferring mental notes to somewhat legible scribbles.

It tagged along on road trips, fishing trips, camping trips and family trips. Always at the ready whether in a truck, a boat, a tent, a hotel room or a lawnchair pulled up to a campfire. Ultimately, a computer keyboard is where it all winds up in terms of input for blog posts but a clipboard has long been where the pen hits the paper.

I laid this old shop class creation to rest last year as the hardware had flat out worn out. It was a tough call but upon receiving a replacement as a gift it was time to start a new chapter.

A few paragraphs of which you have just read.

Twenty seven more Blog Banner posts to go as well as the weekly Friday Flashback. It says so right there on the blogging schedule on my clipboard. Talk to you later. Troy