Be careful what you wish for

I know a few things about myself: I work best with a deadline. I’m more productive when I’m accountable. I can’t get much done if there’s no golden carrot at the end of the tunnel to grab for—so to speak. So I’ve spent the past five years “talking” about my novel...

It’s not a dog…

Occasionally, when I have time, or when company’s coming, I browse the calendar section of the newspaper for fun and interesting things to do around here. Two weeks ago there was a “Wind-powered Vehicle Event” happening on the beach that caught my eye. The brief...

Dueling tractors

Side-by-side Judy and Glenn cut a swath up through the middle of the lawn. At the far end, he turns right and she turns left and they begin mowing in ever-shrinking circles until they’ve each finished their half of the mammoth backyard. The air smells of fresh-cut...

Just five things?

I got one of those annoying pass-around emails the other day that told me there were five things you could not recover in life. They listed The Stone, after it’s thrown; The Word, after it’s said; The Occasion, after it’s missed; The Time, after it’s gone; and A...

It’s the water

Tomorrow is Earth Day, with a capital “E.” If it weren’t capitalized, no doubt someone, somewhere, would petition for an air day, a fire day, and a water day. I’d go for a water day myself. Water irrigates the crops, puts out fires, gives fish a place to live, and...