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      A COMPOUND LIFE

      A Collection of Short Stories and Other Adventures at

      “THE COMPOUND”

      jotted down by… Gary McGee

      A COMPOUND LIFE

      by Gary McGee

      Copyright © 2011 by Gary L. McGee

      All rights reserved

      Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com

       http://www.eBookIt.com

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0279-6

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or into a database, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, recording, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book, except as permitted under the United States of America copyright law.

      Acknowledgements

      Thanks to

      R & A, L & A, K & D

      and especially to

      G-1, G-2, & G-3

      For hanging out at “The Compound” whenever you could find the time, starring in most of the adventures, perhaps unbeknownst to you at the time, and for giving me the inspiration and some adventures and stories to jot down about.

      Dedicated first, to

      My wife Jill, for encouraging me to jot s#*t down;

      And secondly, to

      Dorothy - for she said it best.

      There’s No Place Like Home…There’s No Place Like Home…!

      And to

      Everyone else that enjoys being at home with family and friends!

      Preface

      A COMPOUND LIFE

      Wait - NO STOP! It’s not what you think. This book is not what you might think it’s about. “A Compound Life” isn’t a story about living in a secret compound in Saudi Arabia, or some other foreign, distant far away land; nor is this story about living in a secluded compound with a haram full of women. (However, that would have made for a pretty good story!). In this “compound”, one woman is enough – Way Enough!

      This is not a “How To” book, nor will it solve any personal problems for you either. You’re not likely to experience any life changing moments, nor get any really good tips on how to improve your life. You probably won’t learn much from reading this book; unless you don’t know how to mow the grass, or maybe you’d like to learn how to set up a really nice bar in your home, especially if you’re considering taking up drinking.

      This book isn’t endorsed by any famous people or celebrities, mostly because I don’t know any; not to mention the fact that they probably haven’t read it yet. This book’s “Foreward”, (there isn’t one) wasn’t written by another author or some colleague of mine. I’m not sure if this book is on Oprah’s Book Club list yet or not; but I’ve got to start somewhere.

      Other than that, I’ll begin with a little background info. My name is Gary, my wife is Jill. We've been married for a really, really long time. We don’t do a whole lot of traveling, unless we absolutely have to. Instead, we enjoy spending our time and efforts at home, working in the yard, cooking in the kitchen, and just hanging out. To our family and friends, our home is affectionately known as "The Compound".

      The Compound is a magical, mystical kind of place where only good things are “supposed” to happen. "A Compound Life" is a lighthearted take on the best times of life, you know, nights and weekends, with family and friends; pretty much any time that we don't have to be working. It's about a place that we can come home to and get away from it all.

      We’re always doing stuff around the house; we’re kind of Do It Yourselfers, so I started to jot down a few of the things that were usually going on around here. We all get stuck in a “rut” from time to time, and every once in a while I try to climb out of my “rut” and look at things from a different angle and put a crazy little spin on some of this stuff.

      “A Compound Life” is a humorous take on everyday life, and maybe even a quirky look at some of our adventures at The Compound, and some of life's often overlooked simple pleasures; and even some lackluster, boring and mundane chores that we all must do.

      You may find that one or two, or even a few of the stories may contain a little satire, or perhaps a slight embellishment now and again. Maybe, you’ll even find the answer, once and for all, to that age old question - Why did the chicken cross the “lane”?

      For a closer look, and hopefully a laugh or two, read the stories of "A Compound Life". And furthermore, I think Dorothy said it best, "There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like…!” If you're interested, we invite you to follow along.

      Grab yourself a cold drink, a glass of wine, or a bottle of wine for that matter. Hell, grab a couple of six packs while you’re at it, invite a few friends over and start your own book club!

      Sit back, relax, and enjoy! I think you’ll be glad you got that drink! You’ll probably need it!

      In The Beginning… (Isn’t that how the Bible starts?)

      As you now know having read the Preface; …you DID read the Preface and Acknowledgements, didn’t you? ….“The Compound” is a very unique place!

      It has been a long held belief among our friends and colleagues that I have it pretty good at home---- and have had for years and years. The story goes something like this......

      Every day after work I return to a beautiful home that is beautifully decorated, spotlessly clean, not a thing out of place. The yard is perfectly manicured, and a wonderful seven course gourmet meal has been prepared and is ready to eat the moment I get home. When I arrive at the door I am greeted by my beautiful wife, Jill, who is wearing a black teddy. She has a cold beverage in one hand, my slippers and the newspaper in the other, asking "How was your day, dear?"

      Well, this story is not entirely true. There was one occasion that she forgot my slippers!

      Whether you believe this story or not, life at The Compound is always an adventure. There is always work to do, there’s always a lot going on, it’s always fun around here, and there is always something good cooking in the kitchen.

      Jill is really a fantastic cook. She creates most things from scratch. She creates the best meals every day. I never quite know what to expect for dinner, but I do know it will always be good. She can come up with a great dinner menu and have something to eat with whatever she has in the refrigerator or freezer.

      If you can believe it, I’m not much of a cook, but over the past couple of years I have started to pay attention to all things food. I like to help in the kitchen and add my two cents worth and suggest something different, a new flavor or a new twist on an old favorite. Sometimes Jill even listens to me and is willing to try it out. Also, be aware, I have become a very good stirrer.

      We’ve become famous for Saturday Sandwiches, (I like to call them Saturday Sammies) and Sunday Brunch around here, and somebody; friends, family or both, always show up for the grub, just in time.

      Jill says, “If I cook it, they will come”, and she’s always right about that!

       "The Command Center"

      When you think of a command center, what comes to mind? A big secret room, - or for the lucky few - the top floor of an office

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