I am a chopper of wood and carrier of water, a keeper of bees, digger of soil, and washer of dishes, but when people ask me "what do you do" I usually satisfy them with "I'm in information technology." If they really want to know, I'll tell them about the decade as a wilderness guide. Some jobs are vocations, some are avocations, but that one was an evocation. I also wrangle pixels and try to herd them into representations of coherent thoughts, which is a provocation. :-)
We’ve made another trip around the sun together since this time last year. Traditionally this is a time to reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future, but I’m reluctant to do that today. January 1st seems like an arbitrary starting point for our next trip around. There’s nothing of terrestrial or even … More Be It Resolved
Give me at least twelve days of Christmas, and I’m not taking down the decorations on the 26th. That’s Boxing Day, and the Second Day of Christmas, well deserving of a bit of holly and a twinkling light. The number of homes and businesses still decorated during the first week of January tells me I’m … More Twelve More Days
Ah, the memories that are summoned this time of year as we unpack the Christmas decorations, the Menorah or the Mishumaa Saba candles. Here is that very odd-looking decoration I made in the fourth grade that my mother kept all those years. It’s always good for a laugh, and sometimes a tear or two. Look … More Unpacking Memories
We were looking at some old vacation photos of a favorite beach where a spectral forest of driftwood, bathed in morning mist, embellished by long shadows cast by the sun slowly rising out of the ocean, invited young and old to explore its mysteries. Every tide offered new discoveries, and every hour of the day … More Codger
It’s political season again. The wiser among us are more concerned with hunting season, or Christmas decorations, or just about any other activity that produces a tangible result for the effort invested. Unfortunately, wisdom, never abundant for humanity, is increasingly rare in this world, so we’ll use this opportunity to review some of the tools … More Do You Smell Gas?
We begin today with yellow jackets, those pesky and dubiously beneficial wasps, the bane of hikers, picnickers, and grass mowers. There are two nests still troubling me now, this late in the season. I’ve never seen them this active in November, but they have adapted to the warmer weather and managed to overcome the frosts … More Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
I’m thinking about my Aunt Eleanor today. She passed away peacefully last week, the last of her family and one of the last last links to my mother’s world that my brother and I grew up in. We were blessed with a rich tapestry of aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins, and like most children … More Weavers
Fifty acres is not a small fire when you live on the same mountain or the leeward side of the fire, or even on the leeward side of an idiot. … More The Leeward Side of An Idiot
It is the little things that make the memories we cherish. We like to tell stories of our big dramas and adventures, but we are comforted for a lifetime by much that goes unnoticed as it happens. These souvenirs of recollection may gather dust for years, like a steamer trunk of favorite things stored in … More Living Memory
“It sounds like we’re under attack again,” Tracey said, marking the ongoing change of seasons. Walnuts hitting the metal roof of the barn sound like small arms fire. The ground is invaded by hard spheroids hiding in the grass and waiting to turn an ankle. A helmet is not a bad idea on a windy … More A Hard Nut To Crack
Outside The Box 