I just wanted to post a short "Thank You" to each and every person who took the time to read and comment on my last blog entry. You all mean the world to me. Your warmth and acceptance into this community of talented writers of myself has completely overwhelmed me.  Though… Read full post »

I will make this short and sweet. I just watched President Obama make his address to school children. Now there have been volumes written about this speech BEFORE he made it and there has been charges and counter-charges made about what he was really up to and what kind of hidden… Read full post »

I am an Independent and a Conservative. I stand before you today honestly undecided and unconvinced on the topic of the new Health Care bill and I ask you for help.

I read in Open Salon every single day, blog after blog, advocating change and a few who want no part… Read full post »

Turning 60. I see this event not so much as a milestone, but rather a lonely lighthouse on a deserted island.

You see I view life as a vast ocean, upon which we each sail in our own ships. Now each ship is different just as each of us is… Read full post »

I know, I know, three-fourths of you came steaming in here to rip me a new blow-hole didn't you.  Well stop it! You see, there is a very good reason for that title...I'm trying to better myself and isn't that a good thing?

I was just minding my own business today,… Read full post »

I have never hidden the fact that, at heart, I am nothing more than a country boy...a Bubba of the first order. Even if I had not told you this over and over, most of you could have picked up on the fact just by reading my semi-literate ramblings in here.… Read full post »

I have fought all my life. Sixty years of taking on all-comers and never letting the bastards see me cry....that has been my life. At a young age...about nine years old....I got my first pair of glasses. Back in those days kids with glasses were singled out for merciless teasing by… Read full post »

Change is not always a bad thing and this is not easy to accept when you reach my age. Sometimes though, as much as some things change, you can find yourself going on with life the way you always have. Let me give you an example, if I might.

I was… Read full post »

Dear Mr. President,

Since you seem to be a believer in the "Town Hall" concept of government and since I have no way of reaching any of these meetings, I thought I might take a moment and share with you my own thoughts and concerns about health care in America.

Let… Read full post »

Any of you out there ever sit and wonder what it is like to be a Steven King or Dean Koontz?  Have you ever tried to imagine what it is like for one of those guys when people ask them to sign copies of their books?

While I am sure that… Read full post »

Gray Wolf, the last Shaman in a long line dating back a thousand years, was a man torn with hate. His spirit was black-stained with anger and sorrow and he knew he could only find the answers he craved in one place: The Spirit Land.

Many times, throughout his life,  Gray… Read full post »

Last night around 11:30 I decided to post a piece of fiction I had written just to see what its reception would be here on OS. Well I was planning on letting that post stand at the top for a few days just to give it some exposure but when I… Read full post »

I first wrote this story twenty-five years ago then in 2005 I moved it into my portfolio over on the writing site I still use to store my work. The Hunt was also one of the first stories I chose to include in my book of short stories which I had… Read full post »

I know that the majority of the writers here on this site write more than just a blog.  Some of you write fiction, some factual essays.  My question to all of you is this:  How many of you need music when you write?

I discovered, right from the beginning of… Read full post »

How does one kill a blog on Open Salon? Now that is an interesting question and one with a very simple answer: you swim upstream, against the current. Well that should be easy for me, I have swam against the current my entire life. I did it for the first time… Read full post »

The blogs I enjoy reading are the ones whose authors say: "This is my life, come on in and enjoy yourself for awhile." By their words they give you a small glimpse into a life lived in another place, by a person you will probably never meet.  This sort of blog,… Read full post »

"The soul would have no rainbows if the eyes had no tears."......It's a buddhist thing.

This is a belief which I can wholeheartedly support. At my age, and with the life experiences I have had, I can say without a doubt that this is about as close to pure truth as… Read full post »

Today is not a good day. Today I am pissed off and I don't really care whose toes gets stepped on when I get like this.

You see, here's the deal, a co-worker of mine had her foot operated on a few months ago for some minor problem. Well it… Read full post »

Four years ago I sat down and wrote the first of what, so far has been five letters to the unborn generation of my family who will come along after I am gone. The letters are to be passed along to my children after I die and to their children after… Read full post »

I am new to this site and, except for a small group who followed me over from a different writing site, I know very few people here and very few know me.

However, anyone who knows me, must know about the one thing in this life I am passionate about....the… Read full post »

All men, no matter what their age, are ruled by two competing entities who constantly struggle to control the brain of all men. Captain Stupid and Captain Common Sense are their names, and between the two them, sad to say, it is usually Capt. Stupid who wins out and directs our… Read full post »

I have been many things in my lifetime; I have worn many hats. In my youth I was a cowboy. I worked on a ranch from the time I was twelve until I was eighteen. Roping, branding, riding fence line; I did it all at one time or another.

Then I… Read full post »

There are phrases, sentences, snippet's of conversation, that define our lives, that serve as watersheds of each age in which we pass through, from birth to death. These are a few that tell a story of a life.




"Ready or not, here I come!"

"Red rover, red rover, let Mikey come over."

"You're too/… Read full post »

I must admit, when I first came up with the idea of disconnecting some nonessential electronic devices from my home to save money, I was fearful of the withdrawal that was sure to follow.  What was I going to do without my daily fix of news and entertainment from the magic… Read full post »