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
Mrs. Brody’s Nightstand
I used to play with another boy named Jason Brody who lived not far from me in the trailer park. His mother was usually away at work when I came over. I think she was a nurse. Mrs. Brody had a boyfriend named Kenny who seemed strange to me because he was always smiling. The … Continue reading Mrs. Brody’s Nightstand
The Obituary of Jeremy Allen Mathews
I once took a voyeuristic pleasure in reading the newspaper obituaries on Sunday mornings. My wife asks me pointedly on occasion if I still read the paper because she wants to cancel the subscription. The truth is I barely glance at it anymore. I drink my coffee as rapidly as possible to fend off the … Continue reading The Obituary of Jeremy Allen Mathews
The Skinny Kid
My father taught me how to fight when I was so young that I probably would have had trouble beating up a chicken. He started by showing me the proper way to make a fist. I was never sure who I was supposed to be fighting or what sort of brawls, if any, my … Continue reading The Skinny Kid
