Dogs And Fences

The first cool rainy days are here and I'm just not ready.  It feels like summer just got here!  I've spent most of my time working on outdoor projects. I've really enjoyed the warm weather, and it's been nice having Roxy here with me throughout. While our other Shiba-Inu Champ is lying low in the …

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Watching It All Happen

My wife and I were at the U-Pick Farm with our grandson, a very social 3 1/2 year-old who loves to be around other kids.  He's generally considerate and easy going.  My wife and I were watching him interact with a little gang of children, all about his age. After much chasing and being chased, …

From One Old Man To The Next

I first saw this picture of the boat on Craigslist.  When I arrived I learned that the old man had died and the son was running the estate sale, selling off everything that wasn't nailed down.  This included cars and tractors and a boat.  The poor guy was showing signs of both emotion and fatigue …

Another Generation of Jetboat People?

My 27 year-old daughter and our 3 1/2 year-old grandson stopped by for dinner last night.  It was the perfect night out on the deck as we discussed new and relevant topics.  My daughter mentioned that I should blog about my jet boat project, which I've never mentioned since buying the boat three years ago. …

Mistrusting Barfly

I told a co-worker yesterday, "I love meeting new people, but within an hour or two I've discovered their agenda and red flags begin to appear."  That's when I begin to become saturated and bored with them.  This happens with everyone I meet, to varying degrees. I prefer short spurts of exposure to most people …

Surprised!

It was a long, exhausting trip to England and Ireland and we packed as much in as we possibly could.  Last night was our third night back and I actually slept for six hours, a huge improvement over the last two nights.  I'm feeling almost normal again. It was so interesting to visit another land …

Almost Final Thoughts

My sister read Reflecting On A Close Call , my account of being pinned in the river by a huge, water-soaked log.  A week or so later, she e-mailed me: I wondered if you have ever thought about the way that many of your life experiences went through your mind in a matter of seconds. …

Still Quite High On Life

I'm high a lot of the time.  Not with the aid of drugs, but on the quartet of "happy chemicals" that flow naturally in all of us: Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphins.  My favorites are the elusive endorphins, which aren't all that easy to get, but have the best payoff by far. Last night I …

Did You Have To Be There?

Last night I shared a bold and possibly ridiculous-sounding statement with my 27 year-old daughter.  I told her that a certain song became a defining influence in my life.  She already knew which one. I'd recently watched a video in which award winning British broadcaster and composer Howard Goodall CBE examined The Beatles' music.  He …

Draft #18

I have all these drafts I'll never post.  But wait!  Draft #18 is all about why I write and why I'm here.  I think I'll finish it and post it. In my late twenties I dated a woman who kept a journal.  She entered something into it daily, even if it was only one sentence.  …