(On Fiction Friday I thought I’d share a little story I wrote regarding a happening recounted by a friend of some of our’s, Debbie Wharton.  She tells a story of blue crayons in grade school that prompted this little story.  I hope you enjoy it.)

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Tucked away in a portfolio in another site is a collection of stories and articles I have written over the last few years.  Every now and then I spend a little time reading and editing on them.  I suppose I actually spend too much time on them.  They have… Read full post »

       Well, as a matter of fact, I am.  I am one of those weird guys who uses the US Census.  I mean, it’s interesting to know how many people are in a place and the US Census provides an answer to those who are just curious about things… Read full post »

Now, how many words is it a picture is worth?   They say a thousand.  In this case it could be more.  One day I was shuffling through a box of photographs I inherited from my parents.  Over the years of their marriage, a steady stream of photographs filtered into their p/… Read full post »

We are, each one of us, students of recovery.  Granted, some of us are more proficient than others.  Unfortunately, just like riding a bike, our skill improves with practice.  Sadly, recovery is not one of those things a person wants to get a lot of practice doing.  For, recovery/… Read full post »

        Was it real? I think so, but sometimes I’m not sure. Have you ever had a nightmare so vivid and horrifying that you could swear it really happened? On the other hand, have you ever experienced terror so oppressive that you knew for sure you were d… Read full post »

I don’t know how long I have to make an impression.  Our world moves much faster than my plans.  My granddaughter, Harley, is fifteen; the world is bombarding her with experiences.  She is intelligent and wise, two traits that do not always go together.  How ca… Read full post »

       Ok, it’s another dog story.  I can’t help it.  I tool along minding my business and Max, my black Lab, does something that melts my heart.  Who would have thought that any dog could affect a grown man that way—especially me? … Read full post »

I’ve got this all wrong.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t know a flip about blogging.  It doesn’t surprise me and neither does it bother me.  Heck, I don’t even like the sound of the word.  ‘Blog’ sounds like some gross thing you/… Read full post »

There is an imbalance in our American culture.  The media, as well as the mass communication potential of the Internet, has helped to deepen this condition.  The imbalance I allude to is that of communication versus the silent majority within America.

I believe America has a… Read full post »

I stood where he lay.  I was alive; he was dead.  We were separated by 140-years.  I don’t know who he was, and he would never have the opportunity to know me.  Even if he had lived, he would have been long dead by this time.  It was quiet at that/… Read full post »

Over sixty years ago a small flag was taken from the body of a Japanese soldier.  It was a war trophy.  That kind of thing happens in war.  The old adage the “spoils go to the victor” is true indeed.  The flag was tucked away among other memorabilia of… Read full post »

Some of you may be familiar with my friend Spam Hummer. Spam is a character I created a couple of years ago. I was playing with the detective mystery genre and sort of backed into Spam. Well, over the years I've written fourteen short stories featuring Spam Hummer and a developing… Read full post »

Should life hurt?  I mean, do we really have to go through all this pain?  Why?  Why does it have to hurt sometimes?  Why can’t we have pleasant days and cool nights, starry skies, and gentle breezes?  Why does it have to storm?  Why do the rivers have to leave the/… Read full post »

       God put my wife into my life to teach me patience. I am sure His desire that I find love and fulfillment in this life played a small role also. But, right now, I feel patience was God’s prime motivation. I come to this conclusion after reflecting on an… Read full post »

 He sat in an end seat in the waiting room. Thomas lay curled up at his feet. It was reminiscent of a thousand evenings when the black Lab curled up at his feet. No matter where Dan sat, Thomas found his place near him. For fifteen years, Thomas slept soundly knowing… Read full post »

They say, "The early bird gets the worm." Now, I have some problems with that cute little comment. First, who cares about the eating habits of birds? And, if I was a smart worm, no way would I be getting up early. Not with all those birds out there. What ever… Read full post »

In the wake of the H.L. Gates situation, I’ll not summarize it since it has been given ample attention lately, the specter of discrimination and racial profiling rears its nasty head again.  Significant rhetoric has been flung about the blog pages blasting the police as well as Dr. Gates&m/… Read full post »

We went out to eat breakfast last Sunday morning.  It was a good meal with much too much food, which I greedily consumed.  When I received the check, I carefully examined the thing to make sure the charges were correct; sometimes they are not.  I noticed that my cup of coffee/… Read full post »

I realize now a sixty-year old man can truly be naïve.  That’s me, Mr. Naïve.  I thought all I had to do was go into the tile store, give them loads of money, wait for them to come out to my house, and the next morning we wake up in a/… Read full post »

OK, you can tell me how we did?  For the last twelve years we have lived in a totally carpeted house.  A few years ago, our life was changed for the better when Max came to live with us.  Max is a black Labrador Retriever.  That's him over there in my… Read full post »

To say the least, I am not a newbie to the art of skillful cursing…or cussin’ as my grandmother called it.  The first word I learned was ‘damn it’; so my father tells me.  And, he ought to know since he is the one who taught me.  In fact, my father/… Read full post »

Officials at McDonald’s have reported sales of over 100 billion hamburgers.  They continue to sell hamburgers at the rate of 75 per second. (Emory University School of Medicine – Erica Frank, MD)  That is a lot of hamburger; I suppose that would include cheeseburgers also. … Read full post »

I do not cook very well.  I just don’t know much about it.  Everything I cook comes out looking like something is missing; it just isn’t right.  Now, that says nothing about what my cooking does to the taste of the food; I won’t even go there.  So, I’ll lea/… Read full post »

I’m not a swimmer.  That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to swim; it just is not my strong suite.  And, that’s OK with me.  You’ll not find me swimming in the ocean or even in the deep end of the community swimming pool.  As regards to swimming, I glean/… Read full post »