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"We are going to crack your little souls..."
Another October, another month of dealing with all the United Way bullyboy bullshit ( Read more... ) -
"They were all my friends, and they died..."
Another of my childhood school chums died this week. Although I hadn't seen him in a few years, I still considered him a friend - I guess in the sense that we had known each other as children, grew up together and had a lot of ancient history together.
We used to hang out at his house and ride bikes around the neighborhood in the summer, and we ( Read more... ) -
"We can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away..."
It's been nearly a year since the last time I went to visit my East Tennessee relatives - and this time, for a change, it wasn't for a funeral.
I met up with my Dad's cousin Bruce, a retired schoolteacher and full-time genealogist who I have been sharing and comparing notes with for many years. His father - my Dad's uncle - is still living and gets ( Read more... ) -
"There's a rat in mi kitchen, what am I gonna do?"
He was fifteen years old before he caught his first mouse, although it wasn't for lack of trying. I remember walking into the kitchen one evening to find Nick, who was about five years old at the time, crouching intently near the waste bin. I had no idea what was captivating his attention - and the last thing on my mind was a mouse - so I walked ( Read more... ) -
"I don't wanna work, I want to bang on the drum all day..."
Like most cats, Nick could be contrary when he wanted to be, and he could feign deafness when it suited him. Unlike most cats, however, he usually came when he was called. He was doglike in that respect, and friends, family and neighbors all marveled that he was so amicable. If, however, he was napping in his Secret Hiding Place or outside enjoying ( Read more... ) -
"Come and whisper in my ear, give me dirty laundry..."
A few days after he came to live with me, he and I came to a mutual understanding. I had been reading in the lounge and noticed that he had wandered off. Now he couldn't go very far in a three bedroom ranch house, but I wanted to make sure he was ok and not up to too much mischief. He'd already sent the Christmas tree crashing to the floor on ( Read more... ) -
"Listening to The Higsons one night in November...and I thought I heard them singing..."
Next Tuesday marks one year since the little old man who lived with us passed away, and not a day goes by that we don't think about him, talk about him and wish he was still here with us. Yes, we were fortunate to have him in our lives for as long as we did, but those 19 ½ years went by so quickly.
He was born in the autumn of 1986 to a semi-feral ( Read more... )
