Barb Dukeman
Bio
I have three books published on Amazon if you want to read more. I have shorter pieces (less than 600 words at https://barbdukeman.substack.com/. Subscribe today if you like what you read here or just say Hi.
Achievements (13)
Stories (198)
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Typical Day on a Boat
To get out to the wreck nearest our county, a boat must travel at least an hour and a half. We wanted to get past the West Florida Shelf toward the deeper water in the escarpment area. There are many areas with wrecks, man-made reefs, and even a WWII ship out there, great havens for tons of fish. These areas are about 2800’ deep, and that’s where the more decent dinner fish are- grouper, amberjack, mackerel, and dolphinfish (also called mahi mahi). I joked that I’m only there to catch the bait fish.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Families
The Music Box
“I remember that music box. Maple frame, pretty little girl wearing a kerchief, holding a basket. Never did play the music it was supposed to.” My mom, sitting there in the faded easy chair, wrapped up in her favorite chenille throw, sat across from me. Time had not treated her well, and medically she hit the trifecta of illnesses. The assisted living facility never had a problem with their residents having a small Christmas tree, and this year was no different. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t get that key to turn.” Melancholy shaded her face.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Families
Game Night
Bunco was quite popular years ago; it gave people (mostly women) a chance to get together and play a simple card came where players move from table to table within the host house to complete points on their card. To me, Bunco involved too many rules and too much math. But the game itself was secondary to the other part of the game; the sense of community, the transmission of gossip, and a shit-ton of food. Some of these groups have continued to do this for years, even decades. These devotees were serious about their game.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Humans
Tiny Monkey Trouble
This was the first day on her new job as an intern for a conservation crew. Carrie first noticed something unusual when the poachers were arrested in their high-rise mansion in San Diego. Among the torture tools of the trade, left behind were horns, rugs, bad examples of taxidermy, and trophy heads mounted on the walls. Once the poachers were arrested, the contents of their trade went into evidence. Carrie wondered: what happens if something is still alive?
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Fiction
Trains, Cornfields, Animals, and Barns
One of the marketable traits of Florida is the excessive warmth with which we live all year round. Apparently, it gets mighty cold in other states. Time for a summer road trip! The farther north we traveled, the stranger the signs became. As we passed through north Florida, we saw signs warning us that the road may become icy during winter. I sure hope it doesn’t get icy in the summer. In South Carolina, the signs said, “Bridge Freezes Before Road.” Vaguely threatening. Farther to the north, the signs warned of more frigid pavement. I’m surprised we didn’t come across signs that said, “Danger-Road Still Frozen from Last Year.”
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Families
Hard Lesson to Learn
Beth signed sat in front of her laptop which illuminated her face and cast an eerie shadow on the wall behind her. Her friends had been encouraging her to join an online dating site so she could finally find a decent person to date. She had a string of losers since she left college and thought she had nothing to lose. Her father, a local sheriff’s deputy, always warned her about those sites being dangerous.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Criminal
EULOGY for BARB DUKEMAN in the EVENT SHE DIES FROM COVID BECAUSE SHE WAS FORCED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL July 11, 2020
You might as well get comfortable because she wrote her own Eulogy. SHE. WAS. AN. ENGLISH. TEACHER. That means you’re getting her last lesson, and those typically ran 45 minutes. Listen carefully because there will be a quiz at the end. She starts off with a super silly ditty she remembered as the first poem she ever memorized:
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Journal
The Special Light
Terry’s favorite was always macaroni and cheese, but only the Kraft Deluxe brand with the dinosaur shapes. He could eat that golden goodness three times a day. His parents, however, felt he needed more balanced nutrition. For most other children, the introduction of new foods is slow but usually successful. Eva and Greg tried everything they could to entice him to try a carrot, but he just gave it to his brother.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Fiction
The Anniversary Waltz. Top Story - July 2021.
The morning haze of June 10, 1994, was particularly tiring for Shelley. Two months of pregnancy have started taking its toll, from the dreaded morning sickness to the backache that no Advil could kill. Bumming around the house, a restless Shelley figured today was just going to be another typical hot summer day. Mark, who started work earlier in the day, came home early, catching her off guard.
By Barb Dukeman5 years ago in Families
