Suprise Me

Fact is, my whole family was sufficiently fractious and dysfunctional that generational differences were swamped by more direct issues. Read More

They smilin’ in your face All the time they want to take your place The back stabbers. . . . What follows is not the only story of betrayal that has occurred in my life, but let’s just say that it’s the only one that I’m willing to make public. Putting out on the internet… Read More

I am the second born of a set of identical twins. Does our birth order – he (Twin A) older, I (Twin B) younger – make a difference? Did it ever? If I recall, it made a difference with Cain and Abel. And my father always said that the ancient Romans considered the second born… Read More

I particularly liked the weekly feature from StoryCorps, personal stories narrated by one family member to another.  Probably no surprise to this crowd. Read More

“Don’t trust anyone over 30!” I remember the phrase well, but somehow, though I did some eye-rolling back in the day at things my parents said, I never embraced the philosophy. My parents were the babies of their respective families and were 39 when I was born. I am the youngest in a large generation… Read More

Old college friendship rekindled. Read More

Alright, fast forward to the present: I was delighted that Mother Nature took center stage with a spectacular display of natural fireworks on the 4th! It was a relief for me, the wildlife and our already overly polluted air to take a break from another display of “we’re the greatest.” Read More

As Mark Twain said, “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” Read More

By Walter Nicklin Are they hiding, like stars no longer visible in the light-polluted sky? Or are they simply no longer here, gone forever, like the passenger pigeon or Good Lord Bird? What I hope to spot is another elusive species, rare and endangered, maybe even extinct. I feel like a frustrated sky-watcher or avid… Read More

Taking those grand family photos is not a thing for my children’s generation. Read More