I like to think of myself as an individual who notices the little details that make up the bigger picture. I don’t claim to have been the best detective, but, in hindsight, I was pretty good. I wasn’t a collector of physical evidence. I was more of a mouthpiece. A conversationalist. An interviewer. I did…
I grabbed the two empty water jugs and trudged through the path lined by beech, hemlock, and pine. The grass between the tree roots and rocks swished against my boots and jeans, and I stopped whistling Earth Wind and Fire’s “September” for a few moments. After being absent for most of the summer, the red…
The writing comes hard on a week like this. To update you all, my dad had a valve replacement in Boston, and it took me away from my scheduled daily musings. It was a successful event, and he is doing well. Thanks for all the notes. This isn’t an apology, only an explanation about why…
The current situation in the blogosphere is hazy with the chance of random thoughts, possibly a shower before I go to bed. I haven’t seen all my sisters—in the same space—for a ridiculous amount of time. I think it was for my parent’s sixtieth anniversary. This week, we all celebrated their 64th. Two of my…
The first thing I noticed was the pleasantly acrid odor of overcooked hot dogs being seared beyond hope by an open flame. With only the smell to jog my memory, I could almost taste the carbonized skin of many hot dogs past. I was suddenly envious that someone was enjoying a campfire, but more so…
Due to a myriad of problems—some blamed on the pandemic—the septic system installation at the camp has taken far longer than anticipated. Nope. It’s not done, not even close. Do you know that schedule forty PVC sewage pipe is not all that plentiful this summer? I don’t know if any of this has to do…
During a week that I have nothing to write about, I want to share a bit of information that might surprise you. I have owned over seventy-five automobiles, more than thirty motorcycles, and well over twenty boats. Nope, I am not a collector. But for a time, I loved buying and selling low-budget vehicles. Some…
I drove right by the manifestation of the American dream, and I immediately kicked myself for it. I regretted my dismissiveness for over two miles and one-half of a country song that I can’t recall right now. I was happily haunted by the hopefulness that I saw in his face as he tried to make…
Misadventure is still an adventure; we find solace in that statement. Her formative years were spent here at the lake in the woods. Her stories of the hour-long rocky ride over unscreened, bank-run gravel while stuffed into an overloaded station wagon with four siblings are recited to me each time we drive up that hill;…
I spend a lot of time rewriting in my head. That’s one of the reasons why I like long drives. Book number two—out in October— is finished and has since been tucked away with Michael, the editor. I don’t follow the process, but it seems that I rewrite this stuff a bunch of times, then…