Category Archives: Uncategorized

In afternoon the sky was turquoise At sunset, fire;   Hummingbirds flitted and fought Light to shadow, A fat, ambling racoon contemplated The sunflower feeder Hanging like a temptress above it; And there was the saw song of insects, Philosopher … Continue reading →

I was on the Genehouse walk on Wednesday, River Road walk east to LaVista Park, when I came upon a curious sight. Lining the bottom of the bluff was a fabric-like white fence (it had a slight charge of electricity … Continue reading →

Louisville, Kentucky went up in flames over the last few days. The initial protest mirrored every other protest around the country, over the knee-to-the-neck murder of Minneapolis African American citizen George Floyd. But on Sunday night, the protest turned inward. … Continue reading →

Most police officers will never pull their guns on someone, much less shoot. But, when you read about rogue officers, they almost always have shootings in their past. Most recent case in point, Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin, badge number 1087, … Continue reading →

I was walking in LaVista Park, swiping biting black flies as I went. At the park’s lower entrance, I relocated an eastern brown snake. It was stretched out, the size of a nightcrawler, and someone was going to step on … Continue reading →

I have been hiking for over fifty years. I was lucky enough to have friends and family living near wild places, so I could hike to exhaustion and sleep in a bed. New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Virginia, California, Washington, New … Continue reading →

There is a reason why gun violence will go on in perpetuity: White people. It is in the interest of white people to cluck their tongues righteously when reporters ask them about gun violence. It is also in the interest … Continue reading →

I have been hiking for over fifty years. I was lucky enough to have friends and family living near wild places, so I could hike to exhaustion and sleep in a bed. New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Virginia, California, Washington, New … Continue reading →

A noose was placed on his locker. An ace of spades playing card was inserted into his locker. Racist notes were left inside his locker. A Hispanic co-worker refused to train him because he was black. The men’s restroom stalls … Continue reading →

In 1985, my friend Dr. Mel Slott, who resembled the actor Telly Savalas as the TV character Kojak, and whose one private writing lesson changed my life, became the chair of the theater department at Eastern Illinois University in downstate … Continue reading →