I’m sitting in the Snip and Clip Hair Emporium, a fancy name for a ‘beauty parlor.’ I’m waiting for my turn for a haircut. It’s weird, sitting in the midst of women who can both talk and hear at the same time. Times have changed. Everything is unisex now. Old stigmas are gone. Men are …
When we were young, we passed the time playing horseshoes. We play other games now. ********** Maybe it’s a Sunday, or a sunny day after school when it happens. Boredom sets in. So, we’d roam the neighborhood, find somebody’s back yard and pass the time pitching horseshoes. I miss the days. The setup was always …
It begins harmlessly enough, the first kiss. Who really knows what to expect? Only that it won’t be the last. ********** They were young, the night was dark, the Senior prom was over. They sat in his car in the moonlit parking lot behind the school auditorium while the crowd thinned out. Intensity filled the …
The older I get, the better I was.” Anonymously inspired. ********** Laurels…we’ve got plenty of ‘em. They cling to our walls and clutter our closets. Our photo albums bulge with them. Metals and badges occupy vases, shelves and cabinets. Storage units overflow with yesterday’s cast offs. Out of sight, out of mind. Why do we …
What’s in a man’s pocket? Does anybody really want to know? ********** Men walk around with their hands shoved in their front pockets all the time like they’re trying to hide something. Or maybe they just simply don’t know what to do with their hands. Pockets are as good a place as any to stash …
About this time last week, we were warned the gates of hell were about to open. Escape while there’s time, they said, run for the hills. It’s coming, the hurricane. Evacuate, don’t look back. Save life and limb; don’t be like Lot’s wife who looked back. You know what happens when you fall for that …
Blemish: n. A flaw, fault, stain or imperfection. Nothing’s perfect. Not even us. ********** I found a blemish last Friday morning. It had desecrated my favorite pink linen shirt. I’m sitting on the porch having coffee. It’s early. The morning’s quiet. Communion with birds and cicadas is a good beginning. I look down and …
Thanks, Waylon, you pretty much nailed how we feel about the state of things in general, and Dog Days in particular. ********** Last Wednesday passing through the island guard gate the temperature read 100. The heat index hovered at 109. The ‘guards’ moved like zombies in a humidity-induced stupor. I don’t know where the day …
Falling in love is easy. Happens all the time. One might conclude we’re born to love. Even flings with mannequins. ********** Objects of affection are everywhere. Like lovers, they change depending on whims. They can just pop up out of nowhere, grab us and we’re hooked. Today I fell in love with the mannequin in …
Is there an answer for every Why that’s uttered? Yes, in a word: Because. ********** It starts early in life, this obsession with the question of Why. Remember this dialogue? “Mommy, can I have this?” “No.” “Why?” “Because.” “Because why?” “Because I said so.” End of discussion. The Voice has spoken. Frank McCourt, the author, …