I saw a little red fox this evening as I was driving home. He appeared to be up to no good, as are most little red foxes. (I do not know this to be true. Quite honestly, I've never met a little red fox and have no real reason to believe that they are anything but of the highest moral character. That last statement was made on the basis of prejudice and stereotype and I feel bad for having made it. He could have been a very nice little red fox.) But I don't ... Read Full Story
"Could I have another zwer-wink, please?""Zander. It's a D. Say it. Dah Dah Dah. Dah-Rink.""Zwer--""No! Dah. Dah. D. Say the D."Zander has problems with diction. Certain letters and words he is just unable to articulate correctly. I blame his fingers. Namely the fact that he continues to suck them and essentially has learned to speak with his fingers in his mouth. His tongue is so used to forming words around ... Read Full Story
I read a book. A real book with pages. There were no pictures. Just words and by my count--a lot of them. It's not often that I actually read a book so I'm making note of it here. In fact, the last book I read was sometime last summer--maybe the one before.But it was a productive summer because I read two books.Cormack McCarthy. The Road. (I hated it!) And No Country For Old Men. (Loved it.)I'm going to try and do better this summer. See, ... Read Full Story
He crashed into the car.He crashed into the garage.He crashed into the basketball post.I tried to be encouraging and made a mental note to get more Bandaids.He crashed into the dog.He crashed into his sister.He crashed into the fence.I offered a few pointers and tried to recall if there were ice packs in the freezer.He crashed into the grass.He crashed into the tree.He crashed into nothing.Clearly, his frustration was peaked. I offered more words. He glared in a manner that told m... Read Full Story
I've got squirrels in my attic. I'd like to say that is a metaphor for all of the crap I've got rattling around in my brain. That the squirrels and their constant chatter represent the relentless voices in my head, not all of which are necessarily my own. Voices that continually goad me to change this or to do that. Be different. Voices that are never quite satisfied with the status quo. Selfish voices that for whatever reason refuse to be compl... Read Full Story
From the bench I watched as the kids played, excited to be in a new park. The thrill of unexplored slides, swings and ladders fueling their excitement. I watched as they played, proud for their confidence. I watched from the bench and I saw Zella take the little girl's hand and, smiling, walk with her toward the slide. The innocence of a child so willing and so accepting. I could feel myself smiling, too.And almost as quickly I could feel the smile fade. ... Read Full Story
