Month: March 2023

In Homer’s epic poem the “ODYSSEY” there comes a point in the hero’s journey when he has to drag his men away from an island who’s charms have bewitched the hapless crew. Odysseus is anxious to return to the sea and eventually his queen and home in Ithaca. He has things to do and someplace…… Continue reading JASMINE

For the more than fifty years of my career I lived with tyranny. Call times, out times, train schedules and flight times. The relentless enemy of winter weather. Cold and ice, snow squalls and slick roads that made commuting hellish. 180 degree spins on frosted roads, ass over head slips and falls while racing for…… Continue reading TYRANNY

Some countries are by accident of geography doomed to conflict because their neighbors are more impressive, or belligerent. They attract the worlds envy or disdain while less impressive entities are ignored. OK I’m stretching an analogy till it screams but the fact remains that my little house, despite its roots in the turn of the…… Continue reading “Just a little off the back please!”

I was sitting on my back porch late last night. Chipmunks and squirrels made noisy passage from tree to tree, leaping from one dark density and vanishing into another with only the tremble of dark leaves to mark their journey. They were remarkably insensitive to the noise they were making, scrawny nut scavengers in a…… Continue reading AND THE BOAT SAILED ON

There is a cafe that I frequent for breakfast. It has a steady clientele of regulars yet never gets too crowded. The two servers let me sit for as long as necessary, It must be something about a man or woman with an open computer that intimidates people. Thankfully there is never so great a…… Continue reading JUST RELAX

While waiting to pick up a print order at my neighborhood Staples the guy standing beside me began a conversation. He had been wandering around the store killing time while his order was prepared. I’m not certain how but the subject of his dog came up. A pet that he loved and that” no one…… Continue reading WELL ARMED

Last night I finally broke down and examined the contents of a small box that had been moved from place to place in my apartment. It was filled with photos and small albums. The oldest pictures were of the Italian side of my family and were from 1908-15 thereabouts. My grandmother and her sisters in…… Continue reading FIRST BORN

It took three arduous years but the COVID pandemic has seemingly abated. Or perhaps just the screaming headlines and hour-by-hour news coverage has drifted away. Is the pandemic over? Has every possible susceptible victim been accounted for? Even the daily body and infection count has ceased. As we say in TV production “That’s a wrap”. Or is…… Continue reading Just the COVID facts mam!