I struggle with all of it: traffic, pushy people, self-checkout, and the overwhelming permeating odor of needing more, faster, better, and more expensive that fills the air around me. What you don’t know about me is that I have a grouchy streak. It rears its ugly little head whenever I’m stuck in traffic or a…
Author: Tim Cotton
Keep Digging
Don’t judge your day too early; a magical crust might be nearby. Sometimes, it’s right outside the door awaiting discovery. There will be days when you have to dig for the good stuff. Keep digging.
Scraping Our Way Through Winter
“It’s plowable,” was overheard as I sat near the counter of my breakfast spot. “Yeah, it is,” I thought to myself as I waited for scrambled & bacon; I’ve cut back on toast but nibbled the edges before Ellie got the remainder after I returned home. I skip homefries now, too. I love them like…
“Unhappiness Has No Permanent Address”
“Not everyone is having bacon with their breakfast this morning.” My Dad said that to me once; we were having bacon. The Old Man was not trying to be philosophical; he was more whimsical with a side of wisdom—and bacon. It was his version of “The grass is not always greener, but ours is today,”…
Breakfast in America
The late start and the discombobulated manner in which we turned back time put me in the woods far too late in the day to complete the chores before darkness threatened to shut out my lights. The sun’s angle filters the light through the remaining leaves, casting a pleasant yellowish hue over even the gloomiest…
It’s All Greek to Me
“Timmy, how have you been? I haven’t seen you for a long time. How is retirement?” “Man, it’s good to see you, too,” I replied. And I meant it. He left the sandwich station, wiping his hands on a towel before we shook hands, but pointed out the space to one of his people, indicating…
Cheap Grills for Cheap Thrills
I finally had to pull out the waterline and drain the cabin. This time of year, I stay in tune with the ten-day forecast. My belief that I could make it to November with hot indoor showers was shattered when I saw the trend toward below-freezing morning temperatures. My limit on downside trends is twenty-five…
I’m Doing Fine Now—without you, Baby
You can imagine how music impacts me as an old (and former) radio guy. I have some friends who need no music; they don’t desire to take a drive or give themselves time to stop and take pictures of the clouds when they align themselves in unique ways. That sums up why solo road trips…
Autumn Conversations
The sojourn to camp was a last-minute decision. My whole intention was to yard a couple of logs out of the woods for a camp neighbor, but I determined there was not enough weight on the back of the tractor to avoid the teeter-totter effect, so I’ll tackle that task in the next couple of…
Route Nine Reunion
We loaded up the truck, intending to make no stops along the way—camp-bound we were. The Significant One had an autumn fixation, freaking out photographically speaking while watching for various and varying colors, capturing the same in the memory bank of an iPhone while hanging out the window at times, much to my chagrin. I…