No costume. No props. No excuses.
When I re-booted my writing career six years ago my goal was to get regular gigs and earn a passive self-sustaining income from writing. My writing income isn’t even passive-aggressive. (more…)
“On vacations we hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings.” Erma Bombeck
Suntan lotion sales melt at forty degrees north. Especially in January when jackets cover skin. But compared to my buddy, O’Malley Nanook of Fairbanks, I have it easy. Located two-hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle, O’Malley covers up with flannel, mittens and parkas woven from caribou hide. This week’s forecast for O’Malley features balmy nights at 25 below, cold enough to freeze antifreeze. (more…)
“Once again we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.” Dave Barry
I’m more into saying Merry Christmas than Happy Holidays. For me the latter is too politically correct and saccharin. But for many in fire ravaged Northern California its understandable why folks may neither be merry nor happy. Those that have lost homes, and loved ones, grind through the days. Many of us wish a magic wand would make things better. Friends, press onward. A community supports you. (more…)
I enjoy camp fires but have NOT enjoyed the recent Camp Fire which hit the community of Paradise, California. For readers unfamiliar with Northern California, Paradise sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills about fifteen miles east of Chico and about 90 miles north of Sacramento.
The Camp Fire started November 8th, thus far creating havoc over 150,000 acres. Fortunately this wildfire appears to head south and away from our city but prior to doing so tens of thousands of folks were displaced, thousands have lost homes, nearly a thousand are missing, and many have died. The Town of Paradise, population nearly 30,000, reels from shock as do neighboring communities. Rain is forecasted soon—a mixed blessing. We’re tired of the flames and smoke but leery of mud slides. (more…)
September 29, 2018
“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things and peop
le who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.” Mark Twain
Mark Twain lived generations ago but his words and wit live in print. Many take literacy for granted— but unfortunately for some Twain’s genius will never be read. (more…)
August 24, 2018
I never expected needing to carry a baseball bat for walking my own property. I swing bats to miss pitches. Not fend off intruders.
We own an investment property in town, an old walnut orchard thick on bark, long on limbs and short on shade. The trees are geezers and recent drought years have stressed them beyond good health—a true orchardist would have felled them. But we’ve hung onto the lot, trimming what we can within our gerbil powered real estate budget. Gravity directs dropped branches onto our side of the fence. The lot also has a small house, a rental. It’s temporarily vacant until we complete interior repairs. (more…)
The writer with Patrick McManus
“You’ll never meet him,” a know-it-all consultant told me. “Patrick McManus is big time. He’s hard to reach. He won’t have time for you.”
It pays to ignore naysayers especially when one is young, dumb, ambitious, and on a mission. In this case I was on a mission to interview Patrick McManus, a New York Times best-selling author and humor writer. A long-time columnist for Field and Stream and Outdoor Life Magazines, McManus wrote about guys who got lost in the woods and the trials and travesties of wiring trailer lights. (more…)
I’m a hand-me-down guy with a mindset inherited from my grandparents, Great Depression veterans. Whether it was hockey equipment or clothes the only “new” stuff Mom bought was either underwear or socks. She’d hand down Dad’s shirts telling me I’d grow into them. When it came to sneakers she’d splurge with a trip to Penny’s if we were lucky. But un-luck mostly prevailed and I got blue-light specials. “Your dad’s left foot is size 8 but he wears a size 9 right foot. Here, enjoy your Keds knock-offs.” Good thing my feet were size 8. My brother got my hand-me-downs, unfortunate for him—he’s worn size 7 shoes since kindergarten. (more…)
May 8, 2018
(Hockey Player Magazine, May 2018)
“It’s improper to criticize someone 30 years later.” Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers
If I found Darius Fooberman on Facebook I’d hesitate friending him.
A garish bully during my bantam years, Darius stood nearly six feet without skates. With gear bag in tow his knuckles dragged as he walked into the arena. The oaf knocked over chairs and small kids sitting on them. Mrs. Fooberman, a square jawed bow-legged woman was shaped like a bowling pin and sported a bee-hive hairdo. She screeched to her boy, “Darius! You knocked over a kid. Pick up that brat!” (more…)
“Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.” Will Rogers
Will Rogers was an icon. Born in 1879, Rogers was an American stage and motion picture actor, vaudeville performer, American cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator from Oklahoma. Born in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, Rogers was a Cherokee citizen. (more…)