A Fork In the Road

Perhaps you are familiar with the old Yogi Berra (no, that's not Yogi the Bear, idiot!) quote: “When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.” Well, back in 1979, I did take the proverbial fork in the road, and it altered everything that followed- in a very good fashion. But not right …

The Perfect Yankee Sweetener

Back in the early 1970s, I was introduced to making maple syrup by my first father-in-law, the Cap'n. Like many things the Cap'n introduced me to, they were duties more than pleasures. He wanted to do it, needed it done, or expected it, and my first wife ( the dutiful daughter) decided that Wes should …

NO, NO and No

close up photo of guitar pick on person s hand

Glory daysYeah, they'll pass you by, glory daysIn the wink of a young girl's eye, glory daysGlory days  Hey? Want to revisit that night traveling from Boston to Philly when....Three times no! I have no desire to relive my past. Remember, yes. Mine for experiences, yes. Write about, Yes. But relive? Shudder! The youthful days …

Tear Jerker?

Cozy home cinema with three seats, projector, film reels, and fireplace

The typical movie theatre - over-padded seats reclining either too much or not far enough, the feeling of someone's gum sticking to the sole of your shoe, and the diffuse cones of light coming from the projection booth. Gee, I think it's been over a year since I was in one. Our normal movie experience …

Edits, Erasures, And The Nature Of The Multiverse!

Staircase made of layered torn paper in blue and yellow hues leading upward to bright light

The problem with edits of the timeline is that they have consequences. I mean, it's basic science fiction and fantasy. The election of a certain orange porcine political candidate had antecedent events. It also has events that have flowed from it. A simple erasure leaves a gaping hole in the space-time continuum. As much as …

Pay Up!

Historic cotton mill district beside a canal with cars, pedestrians, and smoke

There is at least one conspiracy theory that I feel has a grain of truth at its core, and that is that the super wealthy are preparing for a blow-up. Credible stories about their compounds, retreats, and bunkers have been published. When the shit hits the fan, those folks do not expect to be camping. …

Emerging Adult

paintbrushes and woman and man in background

I don't think it's a cop out to say that adulthood shouldn't be defined as an arbitrary age. Here in the States, if you ask, they'll say eighteen, and while it's generally the age when you are permitted by society to do all sorts of adult things, we know that many don't behave in a …

Wham! Bam! Rock’em! Sock’em!

Crowded pub brawl beneath a glowing “HARVARD GARDENS” sign

I should choose just one author to have lunch with. Hmmm. To hell with that. I'll get a group together. Steinbeck, Heinlein, Kerouac, Capote, Orwell, Faulkner, Harper Lee, Woolf, Morrison, and Salinger. I'd get them in my favorite barroom, the Harvard Garden on the backside of Boston's Beacon Hill circa 1965. I'd get them all …

It’s The Small Things

Two men changing the tire of a silver Toyota RAV4 on the side of a highway with traffic passing by.

Last week I was driving on the interstate and watched as a vehicle ahead of me pulled off the road to assist a car in distress. The distressed car had a flat tire, and from the looks of the scene, they were having no luck changing it. It's the small things like that that maintain …

Breakfast

Woman eating soup at a diner booth with rainy window and open sign in background

Whenever stopped by Law Enforcement, I'd dutifully demonstrate my legitimate status as a tramper, camper, and hiker. "Why, no, Officer Opie, I was not hitchhiking! I was merely sitting by the side of the road resting - If by chance a passerby offered me a ride, I probably wouldn't refuse it, though." Unlike many today, …