Latest Posts
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Wiser Thursday and Random Thoughts
I am a person of habits. These routines undergo modification to accommodate others, and, reluctantly, are made with a begrudged concession to age and health. These patterns of behavior are most evident on Fridays. This week, however, my Thursday was… Continue reading
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The Coyote and the Raven
A Reflection on Relationships A coyote’s high pitched yelping from the back pasture woke me at 2:15 this morning. They, like all creatures, play a role in our biodiversity and are crucial to the balance of our environment. There is… Continue reading
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Random Thoughts on Writing
March is a transformative month, though I doubt anyone can say with certainty what the month is transforming into. In the course of a few days, Winter and Spring have seemed to be like unsynchronized and unintentional ballroom dancers stepping… Continue reading
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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
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 