A Short Story… The doorbell rang as I was brushing my teeth. I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I just ignored it . . . and then it rang two more times. I put my toothbrush on the counter and walked quickly to the front door. I looked through my little door with the enlargement glass […]
To Ponder
Saving the Environment with Muffin Tins
A Short Story… Larry-David was constantly visiting fellow Facebook people. He liked to see what was going on and who was spreading the new word, whatever the new word happened to be. Larry-David, like a number of his friends, preferred to hold onto his money in most ways. In the St Vincent De Paul Thrift […]
Let’s Talk! – Closing a Door
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Here’s my take on it. We are standing on the threshold of another new year. Looking back at 2024, it was a turbulent year in so many ways out there in the world. Maybe […]
Down in the Dumps
A Short Story… Shelly was down in the dumps. She was waiting for her aunt. If her life wasn’t already low enough to consider flat out crying and throwing up, she was expecting her aunt Rebecka who would no doubt drag her through comment and embarrassment for not working harder and not being at the […]
Learning from the Past: Why Lakewood’s Heritage Needs a New Approach
One of the first things I ever wrote about Lakewood, back when we were all dodging pterodactyls and Moses hadn’t left for the journey yet, was about how a local government agency was hiding something from taxpayers. A big theme of the Lakewood Journal back in the day was that citizens should be informed of […]
Across the Fence: Verstehen
Today, I have chosen a Germanism in the English Language that touches on psychology as well as sociology. It is called Verstehen (pronounce: fair-shtay-enn, meaning understanding). Very obviously, it goes beyond the mere hearing of what somebody else is saying. It is not a physical event but a motivated psychological one. Now, what does that […]
The Elephant in the Closet
A Short Story… Eddie had been having a good time. Although he hadn’t been doing too much, he was looking at the week and a half as a reward for not screwing up a number of things. He sat back in his favorite living room chair, relaxing with a bottle of beer on the small […]
Letter: Every Minute of Every Hour
My plane arrived exactly twelve minutes after ten. In commemoration of my arrival, she set the hands of the old clock on the mantle at exactly that hour and minute as a forever reminder of the first time we would meet in person. Previously we had spent tens-of-hours facetiming and laugh now that if we […]
The Gringo and the Taco – George and Nancy Come Together
A Short Story… George had maybe three days or three days and a half to entertain himself before starting back to classes at the University of Washington. So far he had touristy purchases in Arizona, but nothing of value. He was kinda on vacation and kinda searching for information and details of the past. He […]