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. :-)
In the autumn of a time long past, over three centuries of falling leaves and gathering acorns ago, a young Creek hunter moved silently through the dense forest near Little Whiteoak Creek, in the heart of the Koweta lands in what we now know as Coweta County, Georgia. His sharp eyes tracked a squirrel darting … More The Sentinel
“If the mass of citizens are to rule, it is absolutely necessary that they should have very strong principles of thought. … if you want to build a wall of pebbles you must have very strong cement.” -G. K. Chesterton During the long holiday weekend of the 4th our thoughts turn to the many ways … More A Wall Of Pebbles
The hogs are with us again. They have been with us since De Soto brought them here for food in the 1500s. In the early 1900s, Russian boars imported for sport escaped hunting preserves and bred with De Soto’s legacy and the free-ranging feral pigs of regional farmers. The cross turned survivors into thrivers, creating … More To Sweat Like A Pig
Dumb as a box of rocks. A few fries short of a Happy Meal. Half a bubble off plumb. You can’t fix stupid. When I hear some of the humorous and colloquial expressions we have for people prone to ill-considered actions, it evokes the memory of a story my dad liked to tell about his … More Two Bricks Shy Of A Load
We allow ourselves some satisfaction in knowing how to make things and fix them when they break. We know how to grow food and preserve it, and though the tomatoes in the garden down the hill might cost a king’s ransom in labor, the cost is offset by the health benefits of pushing a wheelbarrow … More Facing The Future
The floor of the forest is decorated by fallen petals of vigorously blooming mountain laurels, lifting the gloom of gray and green days soaked in air that wets your face without rain. A hummingbird feeds outside the kitchen window and I move slowly, trying not to disturb her breakfast. Beneath the umbrage of dark clouds … More Toasting The Good Old Days
“Ne praesumas de crastino die, sed age recte hodie.” (Presume not upon tomorrow, but act rightly today.) The word “presume” is from the Latin praesumere, which means to “take in advance.” We use the word to mean assuming something is desirable or true based on probability, such as “I won’t presume to give you advice.” … More Not To Presume…
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is stretch. The second thing is to ward off the adorably relentless paws of Peaches who, the moment she detects signs of awakening, is keen to, first of all, eat because she is starving and has never eaten in her entire life, and … More Through The Window And Beyond The Fence
I don’t like cats. Cats are nasty, petty, self absorbed and murderous. They kill songbirds just for sport and ignore the mice that eat the wires under the hood of my truck. The cat in my lap thinks she’s the queen of the universe. I’m ready to be adored. Nowwww. Nowwww. I like dogs. Dogs … More Biscuit
The welcome silence of this sylvan spring morning is misleading. Underneath the quiet is a rich tapestry of sound: bird talk, a gentle breeze moving the treetops, the distant alert of a crow, and the nearby objections of a chicken. Tree frogs are encouraging the clouds to produce more rain, and a squirrel is using … More When The Phone Stopped Ringing
Outside The Box 