It’s chilly this morning, but there is a sunny spot in the backyard where the makings of this year’s last tomato sandwich cling bravely to the vine in defiance of the changing seasons and the cold air that flows down from the mountain now, turning sourwoods crimson. The tomatoes were exceptionally good this year, and … More Tomatoes on the Vine
Here’s a word you can drop at the next family gathering and watch the eyebrows rise. The word is “weenus.” The weenus is the loose skin at the end of the elbow. It’s also known as the olecranal skin, but that’s not nearly as fun to say. That skin at the end of my elbow … More Mind the Elbows
In the woods beyond the kitchen window there is a stump which lost its tree soon after the house was built. We intended minimal clearing of the land but in the new light of the opened space, this tree and a few others revealed more menace in their lean than a body likes to sleep … More The Rock On The Stump
The 1941 classic movie, “How Green Was My Valley,” is the story of a past which can no longer be accessed except through memory. Today, we’re thinking of a different film, but our valley is most definitely green. Do you remember the 1982 Stephen King movie, “Creepshow,” where Jordy Verrill, played by King, and everything … More How Green Is My Valley
One morning late last winter, there was a ruckus on the back porch. Dogs and cats were sounding their discontent. Our furballs grew up together but like any siblings, they sometimes disagree. We’ve learned not to be alarmed by their arguments, but we always investigate. Peaches is half Australian cattle dog, and her herding instincts … More Buddy
One of my favorite haunts as a child was a large stand of white pines on our grandparents’ farm. The trees were probably 30 years old at the time, and they formed a dense canopy which shaded the ground underneath. In the hot summer months, it was always cool under those trees, and quiet. The … More Of Luddites and Lard
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
Outside The Box 