|
Snake
Encounter
Robert Flournoy © Copyright 2023 by Robert Flournoy  |
 Photo by
Worldspectrum at Pexels.
|
We
were in Cambodia, but not by any stretch of the imagination were we
supposed to be there since it was off limits at the time. The North
Vietnamese army was there, but restrictive rules of engagement
prevented us from taking it to them. We were recon, trying to determine
strength and position. . . .
More...
One Old Man and One Old KangarooBeata Stasak © Copyright 2023 by Beata Stasak |
 Photo by Mateusz Feliksik at Pexels.. |
I Spend My Time on This Earth Doing My Bit. That's All I Can DoBeata Stasak © Copyright 2023 by Beata Stasak |
 Photo by Hiếu Hoàng at Pexels. |
Let me tell you a story...
My godfather was taught beekeeping by his father. He takes his commitment to nature and bees very seriously. . . .
More...
The Neighborhood CelebrityAbbie Creed © Copyright 2023 by Abbie Creed |
 Photo by Jacques Le Henaff on Unsplash. |
Written for all the children in my life.
It
was the last day of school when my son, Kelly, was ready to graduate
from the 8th grade
and I was a bit delayed getting home from school teaching job, that I
was met with a bit of excitement. I walked into my bedroom to find a
glob of something right in the center of my bed. There was no way to
tell what it was, but it was breathing. . . .
More...
It Was The Summer of 1980Mort Morford © Copyright 2023 by Mort Morford |
 Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash |
It
was the summer of 1980. Mt. St. Helens had just erupted in May. In
the Pacific Northwest, earthquakes, tremors, and now volcanoes, had
become yet another surging undercurrent of the landscape.
The Pacific Northwest is perhaps most famous for its weather – a chill, damp, and often piercing wind is almost always present.
In short, it’s a place with weather – and other – conditions, one needed to be prepared for. . . .
The Pacific Northwest is perhaps most famous for its weather – a chill, damp, and often piercing wind is almost always present.
In short, it’s a place with weather – and other – conditions, one needed to be prepared for. . . .
Skinny White Girl |
 Image by Kiều Trường from Pixabay |
When
I open the envelope, a $5,400 insurance bill screams at my face, as
if its flap were on fire. The temptation to strike a match to the
scrawny paper is overwhelming, but since my cancer diagnosis, medical
bills have burrowed in my mailbox, inspired to procreate. . . .
|
Goosed
James L. Cowles |
 Image by Christel from Pixabay |
Like
many of our friends, my wife and I love animals, and we realize that
every time we humans take up space to build our human habitats, we
are bumping critters aside, and taking up a little more of their
space. . . .
Carpe DiemRoger Barbee © Copyright 2022 by Roger Barbee  |
 |
The above Latin phrase, made
famous by the American
movie Dead Poet’s Society, was first used by the
poet
Horace. Its use by Horace is most accurately translated as “Pluck
the day,” and after the movie it became popular in American
culture and before long it was printed on tee shirts, caps, and mugs.
However, the word “pluck”, for whatever reason, proved
too much for American sensibilities and the phrase became translated
as “Seize the day.” (Such a refinement). . . .
|
Oh, Deer!
|
|
Oh,
Deer!
I
grew up in a small New England Village, one steeped in farming,
fishing, and hunting traditions. It was accepted and even expected in
certain circles that “you filled your tag limit.” That
venison made a big difference for many families. . . .
| What
Will Be Pamela Scott © Copyright 2023 by Pamela Scott |
 Photo courtesy of Pixabay. |
After
Paul's funeral, I
thought about the old woman.
She lived at the end of
the street where I grew up in one of the told tenement buildings. She
stood at her living room window and spied on her neighbours. She
creeped out me and my friend and we’d pull faces up at her
window. She'd lean out to yell down at us and we'd run off. . . .
LutfulGiles Ryan © Copyright 2023 by Giles Ryan  |
 Photo by Nivedh P on Unsplash |
I’ve taken long walks in a few risky places and one such place was Bangladesh.
In the fall of 1978 I was managing an NGO’s field office in Sylhet, up in the northeast shoulder of the country bordering the Indian state of Assam. I was supervising a group of field engineers whose main work was surveying the road embankment projects carried out in the district. . . .
NightwalkerGiles Ryan © Copyright 2023 by Giles Ryan |
 Image by Hans Toom from Pixabay |
I
saw him before he saw me.
It
was about five in the morning and I was on my way back after an hour
or so walking the streets of Clyde Hill and Medina, some six or seven
miles to start the day. The wind was blowing quite strong from the
north – away from him and toward me – and the gusts were
enough to sway the branches of the tall cedars, creating more noise
than usual. . . .
| The
Blind Cow and the Unbothered Owner Amanya Aklam © Copyright 2023 by Amanya Aklam |
 Photo by cottonbro studio at Pexels.. |
Just
like any other calf, Kahuuga was jolly, playful and beautiful.
Kahuuga was a cross breed with white patches in its dark skin
complexion. It was graced with a star sign colour brown in the
forehead, an indicator that it was meant to be a cow of great
significance to the herd. . . .
Dragonflies and the Great Blue HeronJames Osborne © Copyright 2021 by James Osborne |
 Image by Munruthel from Pixabay |
For
more than a
decade, Great Blue Herons had a special meaning for Judi and
me.
I had no hint at the time that our affection for these graceful birds
would one day come to have a far deeper significance, through tragedy
and through joy....
SongsFred Cheney © Copyright 2022 by Fred Cheney |
 Image by usuario322 from Pixabay |
Cutting
brush when you own a 60-acre woodlot never seems to end. I cut brush
when I’m swamping a new trail to some place I’ve visited
often, and will visit again, often. I cut brush by the side of trails
already swamped to expand the view, to give head room, to give
shoulder room. . . .
Our Filly Was A 'Night-Mare'James Osborne © Copyright 2021 by James Osborne |
 Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash |
Some men cherish
time in their workshops on weekends. It began just like that for me
one Saturday afternoon but ended as a reluctant co-owner of a
racehorse. . . .
A Bush, Bumblebees, and a ButterflyRoger Barbee © Copyright 2022 by Roger Barbee |
 Image by Thanasis Papazacharias from Pixabay
|
Next
to one side of our screen
porch is an abelia bush. Now in early August, it is covered with
small, white nectar producing blossoms, so each morning the hum of
bumblebee wings bathes the summer air as they move from bloom to
bloom for the bush’s sweet juice of life. . . .
More...
Murine StepsZary Fekete © Copyright 2022 by Zary Fekete |
 Image by Robert Owen-Wahl from Pixabay |
6:32
A.M.
There is a mouse in my kitchen. For a few days, I have been hoping it might not be true. I heard scratching… I thought it might be the upstairs neighbour’s cat… but the little black droppings in the kitchen cabinets are unmistakable. I’ll need to get some traps. . . .
Finding ElzadaLinda A. Dougherty © Copyright 2023 by Linda A. Dougherty
|
 Photo by Marco Chilese on Unsplash. |
In
June 2020, I wrote a short story in this publication about my high
school friend, Elzada and of my hopes to find her and close the
spiral of my age-old regrets. This is the ending of that story that
really began in 1969. . . .
West Quincy StoryValerie Forde-Galvin © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Forde-Galvin |
 Drawing by the author. |
I came of age
in the nineteen-fifties. It was a time of promise. Jobs were
plentiful. The increasing number of highways enticed people out to
the suburbs where they bought cookie-cutter ranch houses and raised
their two and a half children. Father knew best and The Beaver's
family was the ideal. . . .
Walking Home From SchoolNaoma Moody © Copyright 2023 by Naoma Moody |
 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. |
My
sister and I had
just finished our day at White School located in the country near
Durand, Michigan.
There was nothing that stood out for this normal one-room school day with one teacher for grades K-7. . . .
There was nothing that stood out for this normal one-room school day with one teacher for grades K-7. . . .
Tea SetChaitanyamoi Chetia © Copyright 2023 by Chaitanyamoi Chetia |
 Photo by Angela Roma at Pexels. |
“This
is a soiled note, give me a new one,” I said to the cashier at
a hotel with the sweets in my hand. The cashier opened the cash
drawer, inserted the soiled note and gave me a different one. This
time again a soiled note came at my hand that was torn in the
middle. Again I returned it to him. . . .
The Cookie Lady(Revised)Maureen Moynihan © Copyright 2023 by Maureen Moynihan |
 Photo by Vyshnavi Bisani on Unsplash |
My
mother calls, speaking in 20 point Impact Bold font, punctuating each
statement with a fantastic sense of urgency:
|
Valerie Byron © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Byron
|
|
Seventeen Guides and a LionessLesley Mukwacha y© Copyright 2023 by Lesley Mukwacha |
 Image by Henk from Pixabay |
Being
the head ranger at a fast-growing game reserve in Zimbabwe, I was
assigned the duty to take seventeen young aspiring newly recruited
guides and game scouts for a seven-day intense training program in
the Victoria falls national park, something I enjoyed and was very
good at. . . .
More...
Hello, AgainMaureen Moynihan © Copyright 2023 by Maureen Moynihan |
 Photo by Alina Skazka at Pexels.. |
|
Valerie Byron © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Byron
|
|
I
remember so clearly being 20 years old. That was sixty years
ago and yet it seems like only yesterday. I have so many
memories of my younger days, but specifically I recall writing poems
and love lyrics about my future soul mate. I had a very
specific image of what he would look like. . . .
When The Lions VisitLesley Mukwacha y© Copyright 2023 by Lesley Mukwacha |
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash |
Having
completed the
first part of our two weeks training as recruits for one of the
biggest tour companies in the world, we were ready to proceed to the
next level, the practical side of Overland guiding. The whole first
week had been consumed by mostly theory, stuff like learning company
policies and accounts, meals, and trip planning, plus clients
handling; not so exciting but very important and necessary. . . .
More...
The JohnMaureen Moynihan © Copyright 2023 by Maureen Moynihan |
 Photo by Wesley Pacífico on Unsplash. |
It’s
easier to get a turtle out of its shell than a husband out of the
bathroom. I’ve found pounding on the door while hollering
“Isn’t your ass cold?” is not an effective
strategy. Sliding notes under the bathroom door also yields poor
results:
“Hello! I’m the trash. Please take me out!”
“Hello! I’m your dog. Please take me out!”
“Hello! I’m your wife. Please take me out!”. . .
“Hello! I’m the trash. Please take me out!”
“Hello! I’m your dog. Please take me out!”
“Hello! I’m your wife. Please take me out!”. . .
Dinner With MelErik Tillman Ferguson © Copyright 2022 by Erik Tillman Ferguson |
 Photo of Mel Webber courtesy of UC Berkeley News. |
It
was in the year of our Lord 2525, I mean 1990, in a little old country
town called Austin, the venerable site of the annual ACSP conference,
hosted by none other than Texas itself. While there, I attended several
university alumni receptions, including one hosted by Berkeley. . . .
|
Random
Thoughts
Looking Back Along The Way Robert Flournoy © Copyright 2023 by Robert Flournoy |
Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash
|
I
am thinking of an old man who lives alone in a cabin far back in the
Rocky Mountains, who on Valentine's Day, with some silver wire and pebbles from a brook,
made beautiful ear rings with no one to give them to. . . .
Rocky Mountains, who on Valentine's Day, with some silver wire and pebbles from a brook,
made beautiful ear rings with no one to give them to. . . .
The Golden Ring and the HorseshoeChaitanyamoi Chetia © Copyright 2023 by Chaitanyamoi Chetia |
 Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. |
I
lost the golden ring I used to wear in my middle finger; I lost it
accidentally; I used to get up from sleep in the middle of the night
whenever the ring that I had lost come to my mind. The golden ring
was a polished cat’s eye gemstone; it had a streak of light
running lengthwise through it which gave it a real look as that of a
cat’s eye. . . .
| Family
Vacation and Fate Robert Flournoy © Copyright 2023 by Robert Flournoy |
Photo courtesy of the author.
|
In 2010 my daughter was a senior in college, my son having graduated two years earlier. To celebrate we booked a cruise for adults only out of Ft Lauderdale, with an itinerary that took us to various islands in the Eastern Caribbean. I coughed up the extra money to get us balcony suites, side by side, my wife and I in one and my children next to us. . . .
|
Valerie Byron © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Byron
|
|
On
a morning like any other, Horace Green reluctantly dragged himself
out of bed wondering what on earth the point was.
Leaving
behind the warmth of his snug cocoon, and the delightful dreams that
made going to bed early so appealing, he padded across the carpeted
floor to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he arranged his shaving
gear neatly around the sink, and only looked up as the steam from the
shower formed a thick condensation on the mirror, blocking his view. . . .
|
The Kiss
P. S. Gifford |
|
Eleanor
Wiggins and Sam Fowler sat there admiring the glorious harbor vista
in front of them, just like they had done every Tuesday afternoon
between the hours of three and four for the last nine years. That
was, you need to understand, the only time they got to spend with
each other, and they preferred to share it right there at the very
spot upon which they fatefully met all those years previously. . . .
Inviting TroubleLesley Mukwacha y© Copyright 2023 by Lesley Mukwacha |
Image by Brigitte JAUFFRINEAU from Pixabay |
Dinner
was served, a delicious cottage pie, green salad and roasted tin
foiled banana with melted dark chocolate for desert; just the silence
told you everyone was enjoying their meal. The big fire in the middle
kept us all warm on this cold winter night. My clients were all
happy, why shouldn't they be, I was doing a great job of guiding them
through four Southern African countries they had only dreamt of. . . .
Regina, The Strange LionLesley Mukwacha y© Copyright 2023 by Lesley Mukwacha |
Photo by Chris Rhoads on Unsplash. |
The
smell of fried
cabbage coming out of the small kitchen where my mom was preparing
lunch will always be the one I blame for what happened four hours
later that bright summer afternoon. Sadza,(stiff porridge) and fried
cabbage, would be the meal of that day, no meat to accompany them,
and it had been the same meal for the past three days. I had had just
about enough of that. I wanted meat, I craved meat, I needed meat -
even fish would do. . . .
I Love Clock From My ChildhoodChaitanyamoi Chetia © Copyright 2023 by Chaitanyamoi Chetia |
 Image courtesy of Mun Bora on Facebook |
In
the year 2014, a clock tower was installed at Dibrugarh: with the
installation, the city gave a vintage look to the onlookers, and it
became the first city in the state of Assam to get a clock tower. It
was a 45 feet tower erected at Chowkidingee traffic point facing four
sides of the road at the intersection. The clock was elegantly
curved having graceful dials of 6 feet diameter each, facing the four
sides of the road. . . .
Believe MeLauren Barrett © Copyright 2023 by Lauren Barrett |
 Photo of Lauren. |
I
adjust the camera on my phone for what seems like the 100th time
trying to find the perfect angle and lighting to capture my face. It
isn’t working.
Sighing
in defeat, I get ready to press the join button. No one will care
what I look like in a chronic illness support group anyway. . . .
White EnvelopeGiles Ryan © Copyright 2023 by Giles Ryan |
 Photo by Richard Loller. |
It’s
a delicate business, paying a bribe. Unlike other transactions, the
amount you’re expected to pay may be unstated, no more than an
estimate, but whatever you pay must be enough, and yet you certainly
don’t want to pay too much, for that might spoil the market for
others. And the thing must be done properly, so as to leave no ill
feeling on either side. It takes a deft hand, and it’s not a
situation that allows for gaucherie. . . .
The Thornback and the Red-Headed ManSara Etgen-Baker © Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker |
Photo
property of Sara.
|
Granny
called me a “thornback,” a derogatory term given to women
of her time who weren’t married by the age of 30. Yes, I was a
thornback—a single woman, approaching her 31st birthday. My
biological clock was ticking; and I feared becoming a spinster whose
only companion was a Siamese cat. But I would’ve preferred
remaining a spinster rather than spend a lifetime with a boring man
whom I didn’t love. . . .
Portrait of a Young Woman - July 17, 1793Giles Ryan © Copyright 2023 by Giles Ryan |
 Painting of Charlotte Corday by Johan Jakob Hauer.. |
It
is unique in the history of painted portraits. No other work of this
genre has ever been created in similar circumstances, or ever will be
again. The artist, Johan Jakob Hauer, is not well known but he was a
competent portraitist, and we may assume this is a good likeness. But
his most significant qualification was that he was available and
could work quickly, for he had not a minute to spare. . . .
More...
Promise MeSara Etgen-Baker © Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker |
Photo
property of Sara.
|
La Profesora de InglèsSara Etgen-Baker © Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker |
Photo
property of Sara.
|
This is a
memoir of my experience in moving
across the state of Texas and teaching in a border community just
outside of El Paso. It highlights my reasons for making such a
drastic move and the unknown outcomes of taking such a risk. . . .
The Witness TreeGiles Ryan © Copyright 2023 by Giles Ryan |
 Photo by Joy Deb at Pexels. |
I visited all the major towns of Bangladesh in those years, and in my memory they were much alike in this land of river deltas, although here and there a particularly elegant mosque would stand out from the general sameness. Depending on the time of year, going to these places might take several hours on a river boat, or some hours drive, perhaps longer during the monsoon when the rivers were high, with a longer wait at the ferry ghat.
Sometime
in 1979, when I had been in country about a year, my work required a
visit to Mymensingh for an appearance in court. The details are now
slightly dim in memory, something to do with an accounts clerk at our
local office forging a check or absconding with the petty cash. . . .
Life With The Butterfly WhispererSara Etgen-Baker © Copyright 2023 by Sara Etgen-Baker |
Photo
property of Sara.
|
I entered
Whispering Oaks and found the large French doors of the day room
flung wide open. I walked through them towards the verandah and saw
Pop sitting outdoors amongst some zinnias surrounded by a rabble of
butterflies. . . .
A Call in the Middle of the NightFredrick Hudgin © Copyright 2023 by Fredrick Hudgin |
 Photo by Kirill Dratsevich at Pexels. |
I
was sound asleep when the phone rang. The clock next to the bed said
3:32 AM. Cell phones hadn’t been invented yet. The phone hung
on the kitchen wall of our mobile home. . . .
Street Crime: Memories Of Life On 28th StreetElliot Wilner © Copyright 2022 by Elliot Wilner |
 Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons. |
In the
1940’s, when I was a young boy, 28th Street
Northwest was a nondescript street in the Cleveland Park neighborhood
of the District of Columbia, located about a half-mile west of the
National Zoo. Only two blocks in length, with just a single lane for
traffic, it was certainly a nondescript street in a nondescript
neighborhood, but for us children that street was our playground and
the center of our world. . . .
The Wolf Ate GrandmaValerie Forde-Galvin © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Forde-Galvin |
 Photo by Philipp Pilz on Unsplash |
In
my childhood, parents read bedtime stories to their children. In
theory, a child will fall asleep easily when listening to a familiar
soothing voice. In reality, the story choice makes all the
difference. So I have to ask why did parents chose fairy tales? What
were they thinking? Nothing was held back in these stories; nobody
seemed to realize that their content wasn't edited for children.
Today, because of its violent themes, my little book of fairy tales
would have been rated PG-13. At the time, I was six. I did not fall
asleep easily after bedtime stories. . . .
|
Valerie Byron © Copyright 2023 by Valerie Byron
|
Photo courtesy of the author. |
Today
started out pretty well for me. It's Sunday, December 23rd and for
once I don't have to worry about preparing for Christmas. My
daughter has offered to cook the meal in her new house, and my son,
Nick, and his partner, Lee, will be joining us, as well as my
husband, Bill. I didn't even bother putting up a tree this year. Didn't
really seem worth the bother, especially since I had thrown
away my artificial tree from last year in the trash by mistake. Of
course, that's par for the course. . . .
The Things I Did To SurviveTerry Mulcahy © Copyright 2023 by Terry Mulcahy |
 Photo by Eduardo Soares at Pexels. |
In 1973 I
got arrested for losing
control of a vehicle on Interstate-10 in Louisiana. The vehicle
belonged to a carny who managed a big ride, but he owned a kiddie
ride - a small metal setup that allowed some ponies to be hitched up
and walk around in a circle. It was very popular with tiny fair
goers. Before I get into that, I should explain how I ended up there,
as I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. . . .
Nice Day for a RideFredrick Hudgin © Copyright 2023 by Fredrick Hudgin |
 Photo by Javier Aguilera at Pexels. |
“All
right, get out of here! You’ve been moping and whining around
the backyard all goddamned day. I know you wanna go for a ride. So
GO!” My wife turned on her heel and stalked back into the
house, slamming the screen door loudly for effect. Josh, Beethoven,
and I looked at the door where she had disappeared, then down at the
garden where we had hoed, tilled, and planted since breakfast. I
looked up at the sky to see where the sun was—still a couple,
three hours till dark. A slow smile spread across my face—a
ride! . . .
Rescue From Machu PicchuElliot Wilner  © Copyright 2022 by Elliot Wilner |
 Image by Elias from Pixabay |
In
late January of 2010, while on an escorted tour in Peru, my wife and
I and twenty-six other members of our tour group became
marooned
near Machu Picchu due to flooding from the Urubamba
River. More
than three thousand other tourists became marooned with us. . . .
More...
South Valley SweatTerry Mulcahy © Copyright 2023 by Terry Mulcahy |
 Terry working on Mark's house in 1983. Photo courtesy of the author. |
It started
out as a hole in the
ground - a mud pit. Mark used it to mix mud for his adobes. It was
about two feet deep and five feet across. Next to it was a pile of
lumber scraps. For nearly two years, Mark had been building his
house, mostly on weekends, and now was the final push to finish it. . . .
| Pages From A Political Activist's Diary Karen Radford Treanor
© Copyright 2023 by Karen Radford Treanor
|
 Karen and Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia. Photo by Douglas Sutherland-Bruce. |
In
the early days of this century (heavens to Murgatroyd, doesn’t
that sound strange?) I worked for a state Member of Parliament in
Western Australia. She was a progressive young woman who had knocked
off the conservative incumbent against all odds, to the bookies’
delight. . . .
More...
| Plutarch's Prejudice Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Theda Bara as Cleopatra and Fritz Leiber as Caesar in the lost film Cleopatra (1917)..Public domain. |
Plutarch
(46 anno domini - 119 anno domini) was a Greek man who lived
seventy-three years in the Roman Empire. He was, by every standard in
his time and in ours here in the twenty-first century, a highly
educated person. A highest formally educated person nowadays is not
especially noteworthy because of the millions of others equally
educated. . . .
| Best Time in our Ghetto Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Photo by Oxfam East Africa via Wikimedia Commons |
Loud
vocal sounds, day and night, were not unusual in our ghetto of
Clairwood. At night, most of the time, we slept through them. When we
paid attention to them, day and night, it was for the first few
seconds in order to determine if the situation involved us. From an
early age we became experts in those few seconds' determinations. If
we assessed we were not involved, we could not care less; by the
natural laws of self-preservation; water off a duck's back; Emperor
Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
| The Farm on the Red Hill Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Photo by Petr Ganaj at Pexels |
The
farm on the red hill was a most dangerous thirty-acre place, and,
paradoxically, because of the danger, it was farmed reasonably safely
and profitably.
The farm was in a part of sub-tropical Africa where one of the natural and everlasting dangers forever is and will forever be, poisonous snakes. . . .
The farm was in a part of sub-tropical Africa where one of the natural and everlasting dangers forever is and will forever be, poisonous snakes. . . .
| When Fear Turned Into Fun Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Photo by Radu Vladislav on Unsplash |
I
was running for my life. My pursuer was almost twice my size, and so
I was not about to stand and fight. Mind you, if he caught me, he
would not have had it all his way. Both of us were Clairwood ghetto
gang members. . . .
| Somewhere in Ukraine Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. |
On
a farm in Ukraine, somewhere between the Carpathian Mountains and the
borders with Slovenia and Hungary, along the Dnister River. The time
was about three o'clock in the morning. It was raining. . . .
| A
Quaker Summer Reminiscences of Gini Waters Gini Waters
© Copyright 2023 by Karen Radford Treanor
|
 Photo of Barbara, Virginia (Gini),and Florence Bullock--furnished by Karen Treanor |
I
was clearing out old computer files and ran across the attached
short, short story which I thought might interest you. I found the picture, which
dates from the same era and location in a box of Mother’s
things. The writer—my mother-- died in 2008, aged 92.
(She’s the fishergirl in the middle of the photo.) . . .
More...
| George Orwell, 1903 - 1950 Ezra Azra . © Copyright 2023 by Ezra Azra |
 Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. |
The famous English novelist, George Orwell, was the pseudonym used by Eric Arthur Blair.
Eric Arthur Blair was born in India in 1903. India was a country in the British Empire. His Father's name was Richard;
his Mother's, Ida. . . .
| How Does One Properly Inter A Coon? Or, Tail of a Coon Pat Mann © Copyright 2023 by Pat Mann |
 Photo by Tim Umphreys on Unsplash |
I
received this email yesterday from a coffee buddy that moved from
sunny Florida back to Indiana with a peculiar request.
Pat,
Had a funeral today for a coon. I forgot, "do you bury them with their tail up or down?" . . .
Pat,
Had a funeral today for a coon. I forgot, "do you bury them with their tail up or down?" . . .
Sugar BabiesTerry Mulcahy © Copyright 2022 by Terry Mulcahy |
 Photo courtesy of Atahan Demir at Pixels. |
Frequently, hurricanes and tropical storms
passed
near Baltimore City where I grew up. There would be high winds,
sometimes hitting 100 miles an hour along the Maryland coast. One
such hurricane passed by in 1960 causing severe flooding. It was just
before my parents moved from our house in downtown Baltimore to a
location a bit higher in elevation. There was heavy rain in
Baltimore, but we had our yellow raincoats and black galoshes - those
rubber boots that buckled up from the toes halfway up our calves. . . .
|
The Dutiful Nevada Wife She Drove Him to the ER Henry Lansing Woodward © Copyright 2023 by Henry Lansing Woodward |
 Photo by Mikhail Nilov at Pexels. |
We
had just discharged our last patient, the man with the shotgun wound,
and were still parked in the ambulance parking area in front of the
double doors leading into the emergency room. After each
transport (not all dispatches result in a patient or a transport of a
patient), there is always some cleaning and restocking. The
four things always needing to be done, besides re-stocking, were to
wipe down the gurney, change the linens, wipe all surfaces and mop
the floor. Always. . . .
|
The Elevator Game The Story of Two Brothers at University Henry Lansing Woodward © Copyright 2023 by Henry Lansing Woodward |
 Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash |
It
was a little past midnight when the alarm went off. The call
was at Juniper Hall on the campus of the University of Nevada in
Reno. We responded CODE
THREE
lights
and sirens, and because we were close to the University, we arrived
at the scene about four minutes after receiving the dispatch. . . .
Ocean City Took My Breath AwayTerry Mulcahy © Copyright 2022 by Terry Mulcahy |
 Photo courtesy of the author. |
Stopped
breathing. Just like that.
The ocean had been cold. Much colder than I'd expected from a warm
Spring day. It was early in the beach season. The winter had been
harsh. Cold currents still flowed past the shore where my parents had
dragged all of us kids. . . .
Dead DogsSam DeLeo © Copyright 2021 by Sam DeLeo |
 Image by Jana from Pixabay |
When
I was young, my first stepfather returned from a trip to the
countryside with bad news. He was driving down a dirt road when our
Siberian Husky jumped out of our GMC Jimmy and died under its wheels.
He never learned what made the dog jump. . . .