Year: 2018

Fitting In

We have a new dog. I’m teaching him the finer points of fitting into polite society. It might be easier to teach him to walk on water. I’m over my head either way. His name is Bogey. He’s a hound, thinks he’s human. He rebelled at some other names. Humphrey didn’t suit him, and he …

The End Slices

It’s another Dog Days Saturday in Dixie. Anybody living in the humidity-soaked South knows what this means. Sweat. I’ve been validating this thesis on the back porch, assigned to an ‘attitude evaluation project.’ Women validate their own thesis: men need remedial adjustments early and often. Today is mine. The project is assembling new porch furniture. …

Chewing the Fat

Some idioms never die for good reason. This is one of those. ********** We sit here, four of us, jawboning about nothing much; no wives, no wireless and no worries. We’re just waiting until it’s time for the real thing. We have abandoned the tyranny of urgent, the Trumpian tweets and the daily dose of …

Take Another Bite of the Apple

It’s Friday the 13th, strange things can happen. Clouds swirl, thick and dark. Lightning flashes, thunder rumbles, rocks split. Stars fall, the moon melts, the sun sets. The Voice roars, “Enough is enough.” Holy Wrath fills the universe. ********** Moses is jolted from sleep, traumatized by recurring dreams of frog plagues. The Voice shouts, “Moses, …

Fireworks & Freedom

“And it shall come to pass afterward, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…” Joel 2:28 ********** What we have here is a minor 9th Century BC prophet projecting his prognostication of great …

Around the Corner

“Some things look better, baby, just passing through.” Elton John ********** I never thought much about what’s around the corner, although my mother used that phrase often. I think it was on my first visit to France years ago that it began to make sense. If you’ve been to France you know. In every small …

The Fixer…a Brief Encounter

His name is Ace. He’s wealthy, secretive and dangerous. He lives in the shadows and makes people’s problems disappear. He’s known as ‘The Fixer.’ *********** Ace is not his given name. But it fits him. It’s short, memorable and has an air of mystery. His business card is a black domino marked with two white …

The Momentum of Atavism

“The fruit falls not far from the tree.” That’s atavism. ********** Recently I bought a DNA testing kit. Who’s not curious about their lineage and the latent atavisms that linger there? Let me tell you about it. Don’t let anybody fool you…there are some traits and family traditions you’re not responsible for. They’ve been dumped …