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 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
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I got to spend it at home, more or less. I was required to be there between the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM in case our telecom service provider’s technician drove by. Usually, they call to give a heads up, but we didn’t have a dial tone. … More Along The Last Mile
Last week I left the mountains beginning to select their fall attire and traveled south to another place rich with history and tradition, and fading memories. Within a few hundred yards of the place where my brother and I roamed the woods on misty September mornings, Erskine Caldwell was born. A little further up the … More The Departure of Memory
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” It’s that time of year again, and along with winter, spring, and summer, my favorite time. It’s not quite fall yet, but it feels like fall on these cool mornings. Finally, we have some relief from the sauna. Sure, it’s … More A Time To Every Purpose
“When you gonna get to me, g-get to me Is it just a matter of time Corona?” From the song “My Corona” by Chris Mann I was loaded up for a trip to the tropics (south Georgia) to see my brother. Tracey had a case of the sniffles. “I’m fine. You go ahead and go.” … More My Corona
“The race is not to the swift,Nor the battle to the strong,Nor bread to the wise,Nor riches to men of understanding,Nor favor to men of skill;But time and chance happen to them all.” You can never step in the same river twice. New waters take the place of old. The river rises and falls, comes … More What Are The Chances?
Outside The Box 