I walked down the hallway to my room. As I passed the bathroom, I saw my mother press her wedding ring into my father’s hand. “I can’t take anymore,” she said. “I’ve had enough.” He laughed at her and tried to give it back. I continued to the sanctuary of my bedroom and closed … Continue reading Primatology
What’s in Ohio?
My grandfather is dead now. I never got to know him very well. I suppose I could have made more of an effort but I had my own problems. My mother’s family all lived out East. We never visited them. I think my father feared that if we went out there he would be the … Continue reading What’s in Ohio?
Daydreaming About Frank Lloyd Wright
I paused in my rounds the other day to admire a house on my route a bit more closely. For the first time, I recognized it as a Prairie-style house with its Craftsman details, hip roof, broad eaves and abundant windows. It was exactly the sort of home I had long fantasized about owning, aside … Continue reading Daydreaming About Frank Lloyd Wright
Miles to Go and No Reindeer to Guide Me
There are many acts of parenting performed out of societal pressure (circumcision, vaccinations, dental examinations, public school) that, given your offspring’s reaction, seem like abuse. Not the least of these is placing your child on the lap of the department store Santa. That was the result. A toddler betrayed by his caregivers, screaming in absolute … Continue reading Miles to Go and No Reindeer to Guide Me
Mouse Trouble
I’ve yet to slaughter any cats, but I once killed a mouse in front of my son with a tennis racket. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt as satisfied in my manhood as at that moment, or so attuned to nature. We can admire the songbirds with our binoculars, but it is worth … Continue reading Mouse Trouble
A Thing of Beauty (Part II)
Over the course of my adulthood, I’ve run seven marathons. The last one was three years ago, just to show that I could do it--the same reason that I ran the first one. I won’t embarrass myself by bragging about my times. I will say that I beat then-governor Tim Pawlenty in the Twin Cities … Continue reading A Thing of Beauty (Part II)
A Thing of Beauty: Thrills and Agonies of a Middle-Aged Dad
Growing up, I used to watch ABC’s Wide World of Sports with my father as he drank beer on the couch. We especially enjoyed the show’s introduction with the horrible ski jump crash and the famous line, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” To my father and me, these words conveyed a … Continue reading A Thing of Beauty: Thrills and Agonies of a Middle-Aged Dad
Seven Manifestations of God: a Photo Essay
I haven't read the Bible in decades, nor do I attend church. I don't pray in any formal sense. Yet, I regard myself as a spiritual person. If I were to label my beliefs, I would say I am a naturalistic pantheist--someone who rejoices in the beauty of the natural world, someone who sees God, … Continue reading Seven Manifestations of God: a Photo Essay
Dog Trouble
If you deliver mail for a living you really get to hate dogs. They bark at you all day. After a while it's like someone is driving a nail into your frontal lobes. Bark, bark, bark! They go crazy. Little ones, big ones, it doesn't matter. Mail slots are the worst. The duct work acts … Continue reading Dog Trouble
Good Protein–Edible Thoughts on the Bugs that Bug Us
The elementary school sent out an alert about Japanese beetles destroying the newly planted fruit orchard. As if Pearl Harbor hadn’t been enough! Finding myself strangely transfixed by the whiteness of the ceiling overhead, my wife read me the dire news as I sipped my Folgers coffee. My son’s second-grade class had planted Zestars—an early-ripening … Continue reading Good Protein–Edible Thoughts on the Bugs that Bug Us
