Knock-Out Hero I was at my niece's birthday party last week (her mom took the picture above), when a former student asked me, "Have you ever saved someone from drowning?" The young lady had just finished describing a rescue she'd witnessed. She'd felt helpless, unsure of her swimming abilities and unable to help a friend … Continue reading Knock-Out Hero
My Wolf-Dog You should not get a wolf-dog for a pet. For one reason, I'm pretty sure it's illegal. Also, it's not fair to the wolf-dog - they're too wild to tame. With over 360 dog breeds, there's a better choice available. But do as I say, not as I do. My dog Triton was … Continue reading My Wolf-Dog
Lizardo In honor of Next Chapter Literary Magazine publishing my essay "Pet Pack" in their upcoming issue, I'd like to kick off a series of pet posts. Let's start with my lizard, Lizardo. My brother won Lizardo in a dart game at the Seafood Festival when I was in high school. Lizardo was one of … Continue reading Lizardo
A Farewell to Horses So far, readers, you've met Phoenix, Sugar, the three paint mares, and the mustang. But that's only six horses out of fifteen. In this last post, let's visit the other nine horses and find out why I left them. Behind Horace's barn was a stately black draft gelding and a gray … Continue reading A Farewell to Horses
Broken In By Horses I was no more qualified to tend those fifteen horses than I was to write two novels, but I did it anyway, because I enjoyed it. Also, no one else was jumping for the job. It was poor pay and worse conditions - sweaty, stinky, sticky work (the horses, not the … Continue reading All the Horses
Horace of the Horses I met Horace beside a sewer pipe. It was a brand new sewer pipe; Horace was connecting it to my house, digging its trench with his backhoe. When work was done for the day, I offered him a smoothie, since I'd just made one for myself. And by smoothie, I mean … Continue reading Horace of the Horses
MAD About Comics The other day, my mother handed me a Hartman suitcase she'd found in her attic. Even without opening it, I knew exactly what lay within that smooth leather treasure box. My comics once lived at my father's house, in the top two drawers of my dresser. When I left for college, those … Continue reading MAD About Comics
Wed to Water Water. Its molecules bind and bubble, strongly pulling one another into droplets, rivers, oceans, and human bodies. We're made primarily of water, and our aqueous aspects yearn to join the flow, to dissolve and just float. They say the human body can vary in hydration from 50-75%. I propose that the more … Continue reading Wed to Water
The End of the World I'm currently reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette, a book recommended by my friend Shazam. It's an engaging read - interesting format and great build-up. The **** is about to hit the fan, and I'm enjoying my front-seat view to the chaos. What Bernadette doesn't realize is that it's unwise, dangerous, … Continue reading The End of the World
Prayer for Judgement I got pulled over last week for running a stop sign in my neighborhood, where a police officer had been sitting all week, waiting for someone to run that stop sign. Since I knew he was there, I didn't run the stop sign. Also, I don't run stop signs. He said I … Continue reading Prayer for Judgement
Jessi Waugh Writer 