Monthly Archives: February 2021

“I coulda done better than that!” Who among us is saintly enough that we haven’t uttered this insensitive comment when we’ve learned of someone else’s mishap, especially if we think the person might have known better? “I woulda done it … Continue reading →

Detective Lewis was assigned to this odd missing person case. His superiors suspected this case was not just a man playing hooky from work. Lewis was an expert in finding tiny details that solved tough cases. Kyle was reported missing … Continue reading →

A reporter called to ask me: “You’re four weeks past the second dose. How are you feeling? What are your plans going forward?” I immediately thought of bananas. I realized that, though I haven’t changed my behavior much at all … Continue reading →

Six thousand miles, five planned stopovers, four weeks, three girls, two bags apiece, and one argument. It was August 1973 when Ann, Mary, and I packed Ann’s four-speed Corolla with bathing suits, jackets, sandals, sneakers, tee shirts, and formal attire … Continue reading →

Hello Frank, welcome back, did your travels turn out well? A quick reply to Franks friend Guy “The trip was really swell” The wagon ride that carried us had its momentary dread So tell me Frank and please be frank … Continue reading →

It’s always them, it’s never us We like to blame for all the fuss We must contend with on our way— It’s never We, it’s always They. It’s always They, it’s never We Who take us out on stormy sea, … Continue reading →

The world looked fuzzy. The fog cloud clung to the trees and fields as I sped along on my journey, A bright golden globe appeared and rose slowly. It appeared to be an impressionistic painting. Blurry is good. The details … Continue reading →

They bid us welcome; then they demand we leave. They offer us opportunities, but they give us no tools. They tell us to believe in God, but they ignore what they say are his teachings. They propose peace for all … Continue reading →

There are step programs for everything in life today to cure what physically or mentally ails you. After all, you have to take one step at a time to get anywhere. But despite all the dead spouse support group jargon … Continue reading →

SPINDLER’S LIST Bruce J. “Chuckles” Spindler decided to celebrate his “win” over the police. Why? No one knows. He was never contacted by the police or ever was arrested for that matter. Yet, Bruce knew it was just a matter … Continue reading →

Phoenician voyage, it found its way to a Majorca casbah A traveler saw the urn, and bought the Roman/Greco jar Forty-Seven Euro’s paid sailed past the Pillars of Hercules Now sat quietly unattended in the a foyer for everyone to please … Continue reading →

My computer warned me that my password was “weak”. I’m sure you’ve had this experience. So let’s face this problem together. My computer advised a combination of letters, symbols, numbers and a mix of capitals and lower case letters.  What … Continue reading →

Winston hated lists. The only thing he hated more than a list was how restricted he felt every time he had to work through one. At work, he attended the obligatory weekly meetings where one of the managers ran down … Continue reading →

For many years, my wife and I lived in a beautiful home on a lake.  We enjoyed having friends visit us, and always bent every effort to make them feel welcome and appreciated.  It seemed only right, given the awful … Continue reading →

After a summer bonfire, newly coupled teens Josh and Sandy found themselves walking hand-in-hand on the moonlight beach in front of the old Jacob mansion on the hill. “I bet I can hit one of those windows,” Josh picked up … Continue reading →

FROM A WINDOW It was a dark, damp, cold winter day in International Falls, Minnesota. Dorothea Mars Littlefield sat in front of a window in her parlor, staring at the swirling snow. She was ruing the fact that the annual … Continue reading →

GARAGE SALE A garage sale was advertised in the local paper, the Piedmont Post Herald. JD was a sucker for any sale. He was there thirty minutes before the sale was scheduled to begin. When the garage door opened, JD … Continue reading →

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, Brookfield Center’s staid community doesn’t suffer wanton comportment. Sniff. As a designated site on the National Register of Historic Places, the principled town in western Connecticut boasts a … Continue reading →

At first, I thought it was a gift. After five months in a coma, miraculously everything appeared normal. I had the usual ups and downs of life. Dishes needed to be washed, the dog walked and bills paid. But as … Continue reading →

Julian strolled along a deserted section of pristine California beach, staring out at the sparkling waters of the Pacific. His body was on the beach, but his mind was immersed in thought. A trip and fall to the sand jarred … Continue reading →

Almost sixty years ago, while still a senior in high school, I wrote this short poem about the futility of hope.  Upon re-reading it recently, the thought occurred that it presents a somewhat depressed view of life—especially for one still … Continue reading →

The siren echoes, the chatter of Beretta cries The stench of forty dollar rooms with sheets not washed or dried The light from overhead incandescent luminaire flickers with the fan He has a two AM buffet Chinese rice and a … Continue reading →

Ellen. That’s what I call the woman I don’t know. Not that she looks like any Ellen I do know But she looks like one I should know. That’s the problem. I am cursed with uncanny visual memory, the polar … Continue reading →

AND AWAY WE GO The pandemic was eating at them more than with most people. The MacQuoids, Andromeda and Everson, were serious germaphobes and hypochondriacs. They had not left the confines of their home since Corona popped up, having their … Continue reading →

She is about 65 and in good physical health it appears. We only had a few short sentences together as we participated in lawn bowling, my first try at it. I deduced a great deal in this ver brief encounter. … Continue reading →

Hello to all you 5.5 million senior Floridians out there. It’s time to play Florida’s favorite game show- “What’s the Odds?” I’m Bob Barker. I came out of retirement just for this show. Special thanks to my statistician, Billy Bob. … Continue reading →

This is a true story, somewhat enhanced, about my musings on a beautiful stranger I encountered a dozen years ago, and how my illusions were shattered— “Beautiful!” I said.  “Incredible!” I was reclining in a commercial-grade lazy-boy, staring through a … Continue reading →

Eight-year-old Billy sat on a counter stool in the local diner where his grandfather worked as a short-order cook. He was finally tall enough to eat his pie at the counter instead of sitting at a booth. In Billy’s mind, … Continue reading →