Archive for April 2021

Last week, residents of several New Hampshire towns were startled by a blast that rattled homes and could be heard for miles. Windows cracked. Objects fell from shelves. Foundations cracked. Earthquake? That’s what many suspected. But no. Gender reveal party. A man detonates 80 pounds of Tannerite, an over-the-counter, highly explosive substance typically used for…

I’ve written before about the unexpected surprises that can happen when you put things into the world. In the past, readers of my blog and books and followers on social media have done some amazing things on my behalf. My search for my hazily-remember first book ever borrowed from a library culminated in a librarian…

I love this text message from my friend, David, not because he apologized to me, and not because he thinks my pages are excellent. The apology was not required, In fact, I was surprised he took the time to apologize at all. He knows better. And hearing my pages were excellent was lovely, but when…

Charlie is here to remind us that dancing is 98% attitude and 2% skill. Just own it. Even without any music playing, just own it. I once saw a man dance to Van Morrison’s “Bright Side of the Road” at a wedding with so much joy that it made my heart sing. It still makes…

My aunt sent me this photo from 1963. She found it on the website of an elementary school classmate. The girl in the front row with the striped skirt is my mother. She was 13 years old when this photo was taken. Mom would be 71 if she were alive today. She passed away back in…

Big day yesterday! Nearly finished assembling all of our tax documents for the accountant. Watched Charlie smack the ball in baseball practice. Cleaned cat puke off my sneaker before putting it on my foot. Wrote two chapters of the new novel and received an excellent bit of advice from my friend, David, that will make…

Astoundingly, there are still many climate change deniers in this world. One must assume these people are either unavoidably stupid, willfully ignorant, or purposefully dishonest. Quite possibly all three. Either way, they are dangerous to humanity and our planet, particularly when they possess political power. The Pentagon recently declared climate change a “national security issue,”…

Perhaps you are already aware of Taylor Pierce, but I just discovered her this week, and after showing Elysha some of her videos on Wednesday, she has apparently become even more obsessed with her than I. With good reason. Pierce is astounding. I love her artistry, her unbelievable skill, the intelligence of her design, and…

I listened to Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana claim last week that states run by Democrats are “nanny states.” In response to the Democrats proposal that the corporate tax rate be raised to pay for the infrastructure bill, Kennedy accused blue states of “constantly looking for a handout.” I really, really wish that I…

This is post number 6,509. Nearly 18 years of blog posts without missing a day. A lot goes into writing something every single day for nearly 18 years. Persistence. Determination. A love of writing. The desperate need to be heard. A wackadoodle mind capable of thinking of something to say every day. The arrogance to…