Latest Posts
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Notes on a Sketch Made at a Pasture’s Edge
Half moon in a lake blue skyReflecting cloudsCrows circling shadowsOver cut paths of SeptemberDry hay bales shade wovenPurplish blue on a broad flank hillAt the field’s edge Queen Anne’s Lace Butter-colored golden rodsSeed laden milkweedsWaiting on the stalled breathOf a… Continue reading
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Canada, an Off-Islander’s Perspective
“Home,” as the saying goes, “is where the heart is.” Tony Bennet may have left his heart in San Francisco, but pieces of my heart have been left in various places. I have lived in eight states, meeting a wide… Continue reading
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When Love Seeks Understanding and Forgiveness
Who By Fire A novel by Mary L. Tabor Novels, particularly well written ones, create an atmosphere that readers can breathe as they walk through a landscape in which they encounter strangers. We question who the characters are as we… Continue reading
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Lock the Clock
This is the time of year when the majority of us, 54%, dread moving forward. Why? On Saturday evening, we will dutifully change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time (DST). The ritual of shifting clocks back and forth an hour… Continue reading
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Flying a Plane Without a Parachute
There is a story told about Lyndon Johnson. In the telling, the President was playing poker in the White House family quarters with a few of the congressional leaders. During the game, he became melancholic, brooding. The assumption was that… Continue reading
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Portrait of an Author as a Victorian: A Conversation with Anthony Trollope
What does Trollope have to say to authors of the 21st century? One evening, years ago, I was with Bailey White, the author and NPR All Things Considered commentator. Among the topics discussed was what to read when writing a… Continue reading
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The Darkness We Ignore: Confessions of a Guilty Bystander
There are ghosts that haunt me. On a warm spring afternoon, I was in New York City’s Washington Square Park listening to Country Joe and the Fish. I was in the City, having spent the morning on Wall Street with… Continue reading
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Poetry and Standing at the Edge of the Raccoon World
I had the opportunity to be an early reader of the galleys of Who By Fire by Mary L. Tabor. An excerpt from my review appears at the end of this essay. What do you take with your morning coffee? What… Continue reading
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Crime and the Empty Spaces Between Us
The abduction of Nancy Guthrie has riveted national attention for 15 days. The news media and social media have given extensive coverage to the search for her. Her family’s plea, their desperation for the return of their mother, loved and… Continue reading
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Grocery Shopping with Mister Lincoln’s Elephant Boys
Grocery shopping in our home is usually done on Thursday or Friday. The upcoming week’s menu and the supermarket list are written concurrently. This saves time and money in the market. The problem with this is that we each prefer… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 