“Thought I heard a rumblin’; Callin’ to my name; Two hundred million guns are loaded; Satan cries, ‘Take aim!’” – John Fogerty “If you’re gonna fight, fight like you are the third monkey on the ramp to Noah’s ark and it’s starting to rain.” Tim Kennedy, MMA Fighter Monkey fights are brutal, and it’s not … More Another Run Through The Jungle
My old friends Mr. Paul Reed Smith and Mr. Washburn spend more time collecting dust than making music these days, but there was a time when they were busy almost every night. I think every American who ever owned a guitar, whether that instrument was a PRS or an air guitar, has entertained at least a … More Wegotcha
While the big rain fell last Tuesday I stood in the creek and felt the current pulling at my boots. Our little stream is usually a low talker with a soothing voice that invites you to stretch a hammock between two saplings and rest in the shade, but today it was singing a bawdy sea … More A Walk In The Rain
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
Outside The Box 