Hey, Neighbor When I started writing about selling yesterday, I did so to lead into a story about canvassing my neighborhood selling the idea of a gathering we are planning. When I write, I have a general direction I head off towards, but I purposefully allow myself the flexibility to wander wherever my thoughts take me. In the case of yesterday’s story about selling, I got to my daily word limit before I had had…
The Entry as Space The analysis of space holds a special place in my education. The professor who taught my Freshman Writing Seminar in the Fall of 1971 was technically a professor of Art History. Every Freshman had to take writing seminars their first two semesters. The academic powers that be at Cornell in those days felt that writing skill was a necessary component of the education of all students, regardless of anticipated major and…
Bubbling in the Shade When I bought this house on the hilltop it was January of 2012. I saw it on Christmas morning, 2011 from astride my motorcycle (only from the bottom of the driveway since I was sheepish of interrupting the seller’s holiday), went to contract on December 28th, finally had my sister the architect do a walk-through with a phone video camera and closed on the sale on January 30th, my 58th birthday.…
The Eagle Has Landed Birds are a big part of our life here on the hilltop. We have had a whole quail episode up here on Quail View Drive and the quail were quickly adopted by Kim via large bags of quail food from the local feed store. We were aware that bunnies and squirrels also like the quail food, but we figured that so long as the diners list did not expand to rats,…
The Goodbye Gang Goodbyes have been the subject of many stories, movies, plays and songs, and probably even operas (if I actually knew anything about opera), for many years. All of life is about meeting and leaving, along with all the complexity of life that goes on in between. Meetings and goodbyes come in lots of different varieties. First you’re alone and then you are with someone. That’s the essence of a meet. I always…
The Ranch Life Today was our last day at Red River Ranch. We will all roll out of here literally heading off to all the compass points some time tomorrow morning. Some may leave before breakfast if they are trying to get home in one day. That would be Mark & Jeanne, who are heading due south 557 miles to Phoenix. That’s a long day on a bike, but at least it’s a Harley dresser.…
Open Range As you all know, I chose to call my blog The Old Lone Ranger when I launched it in 2019. The reference is not so hard to figure out. Most men of my age probably watched a lot of TV cowboys, and few titillated us more than The Lone Ranger. There was both an air of mystery about him and a strong sense of righteousness. He was open-minded enough to have a Native…
The Gang’s Almost All Here This is our first real gathering since COVID. Twenty-three of us on a motorcycle ride in Southern Utah have come together for five nights in a classic Western Lodge set on a lazy river with Cottonwood trees and a large pasture in front with a small herd of American Bison. This lodge has fifteen rooms, a large three-story Great Room and a good-sized dining room with an old model railroad…
Mothers Day This morning my sister Kathy and I received a text from my sister Barbara with a picture of my mother’s grave marker. The marker is a bronze image of our mother in her youth, her DOB and DOD spanning 100+ years, and the expression of love, “We will look for you always.” It still, four years since her death, brings a pang to my heart. I feel the need to examine that sentiment…
Homebody Betty For eleven years we had Cecil and he followed the nature of his Bichon breed and could never be left alone, even for a few hours, since his high anxiety nature would cause him to do strange retaliatory things. For instance, once when he left alone for a few hours, he jumped up onto the kitchen table and peed all over it. That sort of action can only be designed to pass a…