Suprise Me

  Retrospect – The Pigeon War of 1952 By Kevin J. W. Driscoll (c) 2025 So, let me take you back to the bustling streets of Boston in 1952. My grandfather, a city boy through and through, loved to regale us with tales of his urban escapades. And none was more legendary than The Pigeon… Read More

This is my first story prompted by Betsy Sarason’s memories of Interlochen (National Music Camp). My parents made me go there even though I liked my old camp, I loved it and they used to remind me “Aren’t you glad we made you go”. Of course my brother Johnny, a talented pianist, had gone there.… Read More

My maternal grandmother, Belle Perlis (Anglicized from Potocksy) Stein, was the oldest of nine siblings, all of whom came to the Unites States from Bialystock, Russia (territorial Lithuanian). My grandparents came in 1906, as I’ve written about several times in the past. They landed on Ellis Island and made their way to Toledo, lived in… Read More

Grammy Brown taught me how to file my fingernails with an emery board. She made peach pie. She always smelled just a tiny bit sweet, just a tiny bit cinnamony, just a tiny bit powdery. If soft had a smell, it was Estee Lauder. Read More

The man winced and looked at me again. "I'm really sorry, I thought you were the stripper." Read More

Lesson for readers: Try not to get married in January. Read More

Poke-Nook,  the Lost Glove,  and My Cousin Isly Our late friend Arnie Reisman was a poet and filmmaker,  and also a regular panelist on Says You,  a witty NPR radio show about words.  Over the years I learned a lot from Arnie and his literate pals.  For example,  did you know that the dark,  cavernous… Read More

Then someone said, "You guys get up there." Bud and I looked at each other. Why the hell not? Read More

This is a bit long, but the prompt made me get this out.  Now, 37 years later, it seems rather dramatic, but this was really an awakening for me! Women are heavily involved in health issues and institutions.  From shamans to physicians, to x-ray technicians, to health care consumers, we have always filled many roles… Read More

How we started our most cherished Christmas tradition! Read More