Before the winds came and blew some of the colorful leaves from the trees, and before the rain washed many more to the ground, I spent time away from working on my books and art to stop and enjoy nature. The sun was bright one evening and lit up the trees in my yard in … Continue reading An Autumn Walk
Tag: love
For the Love of Short Stories
On the 20th last week, I celebrated with my dad his 91st birthday. I took him to lunch, then sat with him in his apartment and talked about the past: “The Good Ol’ Days” as many people who lived in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s tend to call those decades. He grew up in a … Continue reading For the Love of Short Stories
Discovery, Surprise, and Fun When Writing
I am neither a plotter nor a pantser when I write my books, yet I do both. Plotters blueprint their stories with outlines; pantsers don’t. Authors who don’t outline, “walk with their characters and listen to what they have to say,” to paraphrase William Faulkner. As a mostly-writes-short-stories author, I don’t outline my plots but … Continue reading Discovery, Surprise, and Fun When Writing
Love, Loss, and Remembering
I drew and painted a lot of whitetail deer art during the 1980s. Even when I became a college art student, much to the vexation of one of my professors who was stuck in Abstract Expressionism Art mode. I loved watching deer outside my windows, and I became a student of capturing every aspect of … Continue reading Love, Loss, and Remembering
Dark Night of the Soul
After a death in my family earlier this month, I took some time away from writing, making art, and blogging. I needed time away to get back in touch with the world outside the bubble I’d created for myself. Despite the sad occasion, it was a joy to see and visit with family who live … Continue reading Dark Night of the Soul
Baseball Love
Another baseball season is winding down. Some teams will head into playoffs and others will be closing their ballfields and clubhouses until April of next year. It always brings a lump to my throat to see the season end. People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what … Continue reading Baseball Love
Girl on a Train, Poem 2024-0831
Below is a poem I wrote in 1977, a year after I met the girl featured in the poem. I kept it to myself until April 6, 2016, when I published it on my Art ~ Writing ~ Life blog. Enjoy. I awoke this morning to voices on the wind, Echoes of past, present, and … Continue reading Girl on a Train, Poem 2024-0831