Tentatively, I push through the battered wooden door, past its scarred reddish hue, into the adjacent room. I need to crouch down to squeeze through the tiny opening. The spring-loaded hinge offers enough resistance to make me question my plan to carry on, to follow this path. As I clear the door, the room beyond … Continue reading Field of Screams (flash non-fiction)
Month: October 2017
Grinding my Axe
I’m trying something new. I’ve got an axe to grind, and I’ve never before used my blog to grind an axe. But I’ve got a platform, a readership—and I’m pissed. This is my opportunity to sway opinion, to reach a hundred, maybe two hundred people, to build a groundswell… against Sears. Picking up in the … Continue reading Grinding my Axe
Reader Poll: What would you take?
Each year, the middle school in Gettysburg runs a fundraiser for the PTO. They coerce the students to sell magazines and cookie dough. Each year, my kids pound the pavement, begging the neighbors to make a purchase. And of course, they rely on Susan and me to round out their sales to meet their quota. … Continue reading Reader Poll: What would you take?
One car, no truck
Twice, so far, Susan and I have been a one car family. Once when we were living in an urban environment with public transportation and convenient bike trails, and the other time, we simply had no use for a second vehicle. On Tuesday, we learned that our twenty-five-year-old pickup is broken. It’s going to cost … Continue reading One car, no truck
Fire
As I dart in close to drop on a log the hairs on my knee singe. They shrink and curl and shrivel to my skin so it looks like I shaved my legs in blotches and clumps. Flames dance and crackle and leap, and as a gentle wind blows, bully their way to my side … Continue reading Fire
He knew what he signed up for
Today, I’ll go to bat for Donald Trump. But only just a little. Over the past year, I haven’t found any common ground with the president, but in this one instance I’m on his side. Today’s headline: “He knew what he signed up for.” This is the callous remark Trump made to a war widow. … Continue reading He knew what he signed up for
“O” Brother
I didn’t know whether to call this post “O” Brother or “O” Well. The “O” is the important part of the title. It’s the O in OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I’ve got that one. And not the cute kind as seen on TV. Not the neatnik variety from shows like Monk. My OCD, when active, … Continue reading “O” Brother
A (Name) Poem
Jeanie Jordon was my girl. My squeeze. My better half. At least for a few weeks. To the best of my knowledge, we never held hands, and we certainly never kissed. We were thirteen. For several consecutive years, I went to a music and arts camp an hour away from home. Two-weeks spent sleeping in … Continue reading A (Name) Poem
White Knuckles
My left hand fell asleep. When I was only forty minutes into driving my portion of our return trip from the beach, my hand went numb. I was gripping the wheel too tightly. They call it white knuckles. While growing up, my family annually packed up our station wagon and rented a beach house for … Continue reading White Knuckles
My Week of Leisure
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” I’ve heard this question six times over the past few days. There is no work. At least not this week. I resigned from my job. It wasn’t working out, I didn’t like it… at all. Friday was my last day. I’ve got something in the works. A part-time … Continue reading My Week of Leisure
Renewal
Every so often, I’ll read a post that’s eerily similar to one I recently published. Too similar. They clearly—I think—stole the idea from me. And I say “Heeeyy, uncool. At least give me a shout-out!” I’m stepping into that realm today, and I don’t want to be accused of plagiarism, idea theft, unoriginality. Yesterday morning, … Continue reading Renewal
Cats (and Dogs)
Since 8:00 on Monday morning, I’ve been job hunting non-stop. Because I’ve only been unemployed and off work for a couple of days, it’s still a habit to keep a To-Do list. I’ve got a big sheet of ledger paper with multiple columns all filled in with the activity areas I want to knock out … Continue reading Cats (and Dogs)
Those things I haven’t done
Two and a half months ago, I started a new job. And then, the pace of my life picked up. Longer hours, more distractions, coming home exhausted, spent. Five weeks ago, my kids went back to school, and my life-pace picked up again. Mornings were shot—the primary focus became getting the kids on the bus. … Continue reading Those things I haven’t done
More Cool S#!t
Eli’s done it again. The kid loves playing with fire. Based on my observations of Eli and his friends, based on my own experiences, twelve-year-old boys like to burn stuff. When I was twelve, I found an empty glass spice bottle somewhere in my house. On occasion, I’d fill the bottle with gasoline—the stuff we … Continue reading More Cool S#!t
The Other Stuff 