Why has the “F” word become so indispensable to—dare I make the pun—daily intercourse? As…
Fall In The Veneto 1: I Colli Euganei
In 1368, at the age of sixty-four, the poet and philosopher Petrarch settled into a home in the bucolic village of Arcuà in the Euganean Hills, just southwest of Padua. His daughter and her family joined him there; she ran the household while Petrarch studied, wrote...
What I learned in on my trip to Washington DC
I have learned that I need to open up my Surface Pro tablet, my travel device, several days ahead of time and make sure everything is working. Specifically, I must check that Microsoft OneDrive is working properly. Once home, I booted the thing up and tried again....
And Then There Were Two
Last year and the year before, mostly in the colder months when leaves litter the ground, a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) frequently lounged in a tree a little to the southeast of our house. Not all the time, but just at the moment daylight arrives. The tree,...
Of Time and Family 4: Nashua Connections
As the Reverend’s 80th birthday was coming up, her sister Belle called and asked a favor: would I be willing to print off a copy of the family genealogy for a gift? Like the one she had received from her kids on one of her own big birthdays? Reverend and Belle are the...
The Real Problem With Donald Trump
We were preparing supper, I think, when my Dear One said, a propos of nothing, “You know what the problem is with Trump?” “No,” I answered, “What is the problem with Trump?” I held back the thought that essentially nothing is right with Trump. “He thinks he’s a...
Pictures Sometimes Need A Thousand Words
So many people seem to think a work of art in a representational style can be taken in at a glance. It is what it is, the way a photograph is a replication of whatever was parked in front of the camera. Ease of recognition, however, can result in profound...
Thoughts on Flutterbys In The Garden
I cannot, of the life of me, get that pesky monarch to pause and pose for a picture. I have a pretty long lens on the camera and I don’t need to get very close, but still. Very irritating. I’ve never spent much time watching butterflies. I learned to differentiate...
Hey, DNC! In This Case, Less Just Might Be More
As we approach the second Democratic debate, the herd is just too large. Even this early on. Few of the runners stand out in that cloud of dust. Those watching the race are learning anything meaningful about those stuck in the pack. Those that really don’t stand a...