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. :-)
“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.” This exchange is from Hemingway’s book, “The Sun Also Rises,” and it anticipates the more recent use of “slowly, then all at once,” which is a concise description of the way we often experience change. Things that seem to happen … More Shelter From The Storm
When both sets of my grandparents were still hale and hearty, there were many summers when our family helped maintain three separate gardens. Some of my most cherished memories include late nights past bedtime breaking beans on the screened porch and listening to the old stories, my grandmother’s “working man’s” lunch of salt pork and … More A Peach of a Problem
There was a story my father liked to tell about changing times. I’ve shared it here before but it bears repeating in the context of this discussion. There was once a spring beside a mountain road traveled on foot and by horseback. It was long ago frequented by travelers who would stop to water their … More The Heart of the Matter
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” -The Merchant of Venice It has been a while since we told a chicken story here, and I was beginning to worry that my editor might think our little flock had run afoul of some calamity. Mr. Tibbs … More The Quality of Mercy
“You look like a ghost,” remarked one of the kids in our hiking group. It was late August and we were on the Appalachian Trail between Deep Gap and Standing Indian. Except for the base layer, all of the clothing in my pack was white or khaki. It was yellow jacket season again. Most of … More It’s OK To Wear White After Labor Day
A “peeve” is of course a minor annoyance that someone finds particularly irritating. The word originates from the 14th century “peyvesshe,” which meant “perverse or capricious.” “Pet peeve” was popularized by cartoonist, Frank King, in the early 20th century. I’m not particularly peeved this morning, but one glance at the headlines suggests an immediate retreat, … More Pettable Peeves
A reliable indicator of the perfect morning temperature is when butter left on the sill of an open kitchen window is firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough to spread on a biscuit with approximately the same amount of force it takes to drag a razor across two-day stubble. Not to get too … More Mid August Morning
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” It began with the bill from that famous online company that offers “free shipping” as one of the benefits of membership. Of course we can’t tell … More Through A Glass Darkly
We all like to consider ourselves educated, if not by traditional instutitions then by life experience, and ideally by combining some elements of both. Education means acquiring information that we did not have before. Continuing education means updating old information with new and adjusting our beliefs accordingly. Therein lies wisdom, and therein lies one of … More “We Rise Together Or We Fall Apart”
What did you do during that long holiday weekend?” “We stayed home,” the young woman said with a laugh. “It’s not just us then,” I replied, and she said, “No, a lot of our friends do the same now. It’s not worth the traffic and the trouble to go out. If we do need groceries … More I Am Not On Vacation
Outside The Box 