“There shall always be love." That buzzed my ear one sticky, summer night … after my father ... the college professor ... got a little rickety with some other dads ... down on the beach. A little too wobbly … after over-sipping. He wasn’t much of a beach guy … or a water guy. He'd … Continue reading Father and Son
A recent Boston Magazine article belched … “In Praise of Mediocre Kids” … and asked … “Why can’t we just accept that?”… Which calls to mind two odd sorts … English humorist Maximillian Beerbohm … and English misuser Yogi Berra. Sir Beerbohm said … “Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.” … Continue reading Maybe, Maybe Not Age
“THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” ~Thomas Paine~ This is America’s carnival moment. Its freak time. And the moment to … Continue reading Trying Times – Sunshine Patriot
I possessed the True Sword. In fact … I‘d made it myself. From exotic balsa wood. Imagined in my mind … designed by my brain … and brought to life by my own curiosity. That’s what a mind is for. I was nine. I had dreamed myself Caesar’s body-guard. The boy-wonder of the Praetorian Guard. The … Continue reading The True Sword
You gotta kiss the fish. That’s how summer starts. With a kiss. That was the ritual of the boy and his grandfather. And then it was on to ponds and lakes and streams. A few hours here ... and a few more there. Almost always spur of the moment, grab-the-poles, hit-the-road decisions. Wedged in between … Continue reading Kiss The Fish
I’ve out-lived my father. Isn’t that the saddest achievement? My sons are wonderful men. But they missed out on him … and he missed out on them. Bad timing. He was gone before they had a memory-card. I know something for certain. A strange something. Had he lived for a few more decades … … Continue reading Silver Brushes and White Hair
I am such a sap for Aesop. He’s like wisdom in a can. Real simple. To the point. With a whiff of truth. His skinny books were all over my childhood … and all over my house. My first recollection is of “The Tortoise and the Hare” because … I think … it was actually … Continue reading I’m Such a Sap for Aesop
“Time, time, time ... see what's become of me …” I’m an old father now. Suddenly, it seems. My sons have sons. I own lots of memories. I polish the sweet ones and never dust the ones that hurt. I mind time now. I didn’t use to. In fact, like lots of you, I was reckless … Continue reading Mind Time
This needed to be said long ago ... I dig Islamic history. And I’m not a diversity pusher. Nor a globalist. I’m no liberal or progressive. And I believe America is the finest place on the planet. But I still dig Islamic stuff. And Japanese stuff. And Dutch stuff. And Spanish stuff. The stuff I … Continue reading This Needed To Be Said Long Ago …
Missives Worth Reading 