Summertime, and the Reading Was Easy

Like most folks who could afford or are able to do so, I have spent most of this summer inside, much of it reading books. Recovering from shoulder surgery provided an excellent — and legitimate — excuse to curl up with a book while listening to music through my hearing aids, which are Bluetooth enabled. This slightly annoyed my Beautiful Mystery Companion, who would be talking to me without receiving a reply, because I could not hear her. She has a hard time comprehending how I can read, or write, with music blaring in my ears. I chalk it up to my decades spent knocking out stories, columns,...

Blowing Out Candles and Butterflies

It’s been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain. -- Robert Earl Keen |———| I marked another birthday a couple of days ago. To do so, I took off from working at the library, woke up early, accepted birthday greetings from my Beautiful Mystery Companion and hopped on the zero-turn mower before the sun was high in the sky to mow the front pasture, which consists of about 3 acres. Mowing while listening to NPR through noise-canceling earbuds — wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants bucked into my Red Wing boots, topped by a wide-brimmed hat — seemed like a good way to reflect on how I have...

‘Oppenheimer’ spurs childhood memories of ducking under a desk

My Beautiful Mystery Companion and I stole away on a weekday afternoon before the semester begins and headed to the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport to see Oppenheimer, the box-office hit starring Cillian Murphy of Peaky Blinders fame, Robert Downey, Jr., and Matt Damon, among others. The Robinson is a non-profit boutique theater celebrating its 15th year. Like many folks in this age of streaming, we rarely go to movies anymore. The Robinson is a comfortable venue that shows both new releases and classics. It makes for a pleasant date, especially when paired with a meal at either...

The dog days have arrived. While we endured record-breaking heat in July, at least in the early part of the month a couple of thunderstorms broke up the heat. During these dog days, clouds wander in to tease us before dissipating under a relentless sun. I am generally out the door for my three-mile walk by 7:15. An hour later, I am soaked with sweat and filled with concern for the fellows I pass at two houses being built on this one-street subdivision, across the county road from Three Geese Farm. They likely have been at it since 6 a.m., cutting and laying brick — hot, dusty work in the best...

Finally Visiting the Library Named After Monk Willis

DENTON, TEXAS — In a broiling heat that is likely our permanent summer reality, my Beautiful Mystery Companion and I wandered the campus of the University of North Texas, stopping first at the bookstore to check out the merchandise but leaving empty-handed. I really don’t need another T-shirt or hoodie, though I am tempted. After all, technically I am a student here, working on a certificate in archival management from the School of Information. I am just two courses away from finishing and hope to do so in the fall — though I am on the waitlist for a required class that might delay completing...

Recalling My Years at 4920 Colonial Dr.

I learned from a former reporter’s Facebook post that the Daily Sentinel, the Nacogdoches newspaper where I spent more than 15 years of my career, is moving, presumably to a smaller building. The building at 4920 Colonial Drive is more than twice as large as what is needed these days. Emily Taravella’s well-written (as always) post said that past employees were invited to come take mementoes that would not make the move — plaques from the wall of honor being one example. (The wall of honor is what we called the journalism award plaques hung just outside the publisher’s office.) Emily...

Our Pavlov’s Dogs And Recalcitrant Cats

I have singlehandedly created a pair of Pavlov’s dogs. Instead of a metronome, Mollie the Maltese and the Great Gatsby come scurrying to be at my side whenever they hear the scraping of the breakfast nook chair. It means I am about to sit down to eat. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, 1849-1936, was a Russian physiologist who discovered dogs have an unconditioned response, meaning it’s involuntary, to salivate when they smell or see food. He then further conditioned the dogs to begin salivating when his metronome started marking time, because they received food afterward. This meant a conditioned stimulus,...

An Uprooted Tree Temporarily Changes the View

The view outside my window has changed in the past few weeks. The late June storm that streaked through with 90 mph winds uprooted an oak tree just outside the backyard fence. The tree stood at the crest of the hill that leads down to Pancho’s Pond. Now, when I look out the window, the view is dominated by its root ball instead of the pond. Birds continue to flitter about its still-green branches. We are waiting on our tree guy to get caught up with folks who had trees land on their houses and buildings to come take this tree away, as well as a Bradford pear that split in the front pasture. It...

Our Brand-New ‘Toy’ Lawnmower

When I was a little kid, I recall having a toy lawnmower. At least I think so. The memory is fuzzy enough that at times I doubt its accuracy. It is possible one of my young friends in Allenstown, N.H. — Bruce Courtemanche or Peter Engel, to name a couple — actually had it and occasionally allowed me to play with it. Or it could have been one of my many cousins. But there is a toy lawnmower in my past, of this, I am sure. My certainty stems from the flashback that hit me as I assembled a 13-inch electric mower with a rechargeable battery a few weeks ago. As mentioned previously, I am on the injured-reserve...

It Took a Village to Capture Pancho

This story has a happy ending. At the time, we had our doubts. Last Saturday, my Beautiful Mystery Companion was on the tractor before 7:30 a.m. I am still on the disabled list when it comes to bushhogging and mowing because of shoulder surgery. When she finished mowing the side pasture and plopped down on the back patio to cool off, I went down to retrieve the tractor, which requires opening two gates — one to the side pasture, and another to the pasture where Pancho the Donkey resides. Normally, Pancho obediently backs away when I shoo him off while opening the gate. Not this morning....