A Painting of a Sign Painter, by a Sign Painter

I didn’t plan to write about my dad, just a few weeks after posting a piece about what would have been my parents’ 72nd wedding anniversary. But I can’t get that painting out of my mind. Perhaps writing about it will help. Besides, Father’s Day is coming up. I have been a dad for nearly 47 years. The verdict is likely still out on my fathering qualities. Some of you have read this before, but others haven’t. I’ll make it brief. My dad drew a paycheck as a commercial artist, a fancy term for a sign painter. A botched medical procedure when he was 58 left him disabled and unable to work....

Read more...

No Foxes (or Hawks) in This Hen House

The girls have been with us for a month. Our four Cinnamon Queen hens — Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, June Carter Cash, and Patsy Cline — seem quite content in their new abode, now covered in poultry netting so they can safely wander about their fenced enclosure during the day. Around dusk, I go inside the coop. They immediately follow me inside since I am the Food Guy. Truth be told, they are better at coming to me than the pups. Putting up the poultry netting was a challenge. My Beautiful Mystery Companion and I spent the better part of two days cutting and attaching it with cable ties between...

Read more...