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. :-)
My grandfather rarely talked about politics and advised his children and grandchildren to avoid the subject. He never said so, but I’m confident this wisdom came at a high price. During WWII the local draft board in our poor mountain county had refrained from calling up the few young men from the area who were … More Shut Up And Carry On
As I neared the completion of another trip around the sun, Tracey asked me where I wanted to go on my birthday this year. “Home,” I replied. We exited the house early that morning and walked in the forest that surrounds us. Endless blue sky and crystalline air framed the prismatic proof of the Creator’s … More Another Trip Around the Sun
On the ground outside the chicken house, there were feathers everywhere, and not a chicken in sight. My first instinct was to pull the rifle down from the rack and look for predators, but then I heard the voice of Rachael Ray call to me from inside the chicken house. Rachael was one of the … More Flying Feathers
These cool October mornings bode well for the pies destined to emerge from our oven in November. I would never refuse a slice of pumpkin, but the seasonal favorite at our house growing up was Mom’s butternut squash pie. Right now the Waltham’s in our garden are pulling the last bit of sweetness from their … More October
Nothing tastes better than an October tomato. From the late season tangle of a retired corner of the garden, propped up on the fading purple of a stand of opal basil going to seed, the last tomato plants of the year glow in unexpected viridescence. These are the late bloomers. They were planted at the … More October Tomatoes in Leather Britches
There is a chill in the air this morning that stirs instinct and memory. The hummingbirds are busy, shaking off the cold and feeding heavily. Our little friends predict weather better than all the best computer models and prognosticators, and they will be leaving us soon on their long journey south. In the high country, … More Balance
We pause this week to remember Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away peacefully last Thursday at the age of 96. Some may wonder what effect, if any, the life and death of another nation’s monarch has on our far away little corner of the world. The answer is in the realization that we are a … More Adrift
In the movie, “Defending Your Life,” Albert Brooks is seated next to an elderly woman riding on a bus to Judgment City. She asks, “Have I told you about my little dog?” Some time later she asks the same question, ready to begin the story again. When I got married my wife came complete with … More Have I Told You About My Little Dog?
“Beautiful area, nice people, but I don’t like the way y’all drive,” said the visitor to the resident. “You drive too slow, and you know you’re going to drive slow, but you still wait until the last second to pull out in front of me,” he continued. “If you can’t see any better than that, … More We Are Not In The Traffic. We Are The Traffic…
I’ve heard people compare growing up around Hiawassee to life in the fictional Mayberry, North Carolina. The time I spent here in my youth would support that appraisal. But the recent passing of Tony Dow reminds me that two generations of Americans might find the Mayfield of Wally and the Beaver to be a closer … More Between Mayberry and Mayfield
Outside The Box 