A Coming-of-Age Tale I was twelve years old when I discovered the power of potatoes, rocks, and, especially, kind people. Let me explain… Like most people reading this, I graduated high school. Many of you went on to graduate from college. In my local culture, they celebrate graduating from kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. …
I was a bit of a slacker in High School. I was completely unmotivated and just wanted to be out in the real world. So, I took as few classes as the law would allow. One of those classes was Social Studies and the teacher was Mr. O’Shea. O’Shea was a retired Marine and surprisingly …
2021 Travelogue: To Helen Back Having locked down for the last year, for sound personal medical reasons, it was time to do something. Anything. It seemed that most of the country felt the same way and people were going here and there and doing this and that, as businesses fully reopened, and the mandates said …
There is a meme making the rounds on Facebook. It shows kids, back-in-the-day, playing on a ridiculous set of monkey bars (you know the ones) with the caption “I died once when I was five. My mom made me walk it off.” If you are of my generation, you find this humorous, and not far …
Who doesn’t marvel at a rainbow? While digitally scanning ancient family slides, I ran across a picture that is etched in my memory - a strikingly beautiful rainbow against a dark sky. Not just any dark sky either - the sky over Patrick Henry Village (PHV) near Heidelberg, Germany. It must have been about 1969. …
So, my wife left me. Again. She is always doing this, been doing it for decades now. It’s always some lame excuse, too – going to visit her relatives, off for military training, reserve duty in NY, DC, New Orleans, VA, and even Hawaii (seriously?). Trips to the ocean to look at giant sea turtles …
In my 23,010 days on earth, I have been presented with several good opportunities to die. Back in the 1970s, I battled thyroid cancer, complete with surgery and radiation treatment. In 2003 my aortic valve went south, requiring replacement or, alternatively, an appointment with the grim reaper. In 2017 that valve ran out the clock …
(February is National Heart Health Awareness month.) Sitting off to the left of center in your chest is the heart. It is a remarkable organic pumping device, a muscle controlled by electrical impulses. When working correctly, this little fist-sized organ will beat at an average of 72 beats per minute (bpm), or over 100,000 times …
I will tell you right up front that I am not a star-struck kind of guy. Most of my heroes are not even famous, and most famous people are famous by time and chance. I have never sought out to meet famous people, and certainly would not go out of my way to see or …
After my daughter Jennifer texted me a photo of her pot roast dinner, well, I just had to have one of my own. I got to thinking about a Boston butt, cooked all day, with potatoes and carrots, that rich smell filling the house. The kids used to love it, because they could say “butt” …
