And maybe we deserved it Monty was the new kid. Monty was bigger than every kid in fourth grade. Hell he was bigger than the sixth graders as just a fourth grader. But he was new. And he was big. We were all taken aback when he showed up in…

The loss of community is making life almost unbearable Will this slogan go down as the most tone-deaf and damaging to the souls of people and to the fabric of society in the history of America?

Being now 82, and with a limp from a blood clot in her foot, mom walks as tentatively inside the house as she does out. She almost always makes sure to be holding onto something. When we moved in I bought one of those suction cup handles for the shower…

Here I go again (maybe not) on my own We Made it through February. For being the shortest month that damn grouping of days and weeks sure wore out its welcome. And how. I’m not going to sugarcoat it that may have been the hardest month of my life so far. …

3:59 AM I sit on the edge of the little guest bed that I’ve been rolling out into the living room each night — since mom has been sleeping on the couch — the fifth such time on this night. I sit in the dark and think — how long can we…

What a great title right? I thought so too until I remembered that time Richard Simmons invited me into his kitchen for a pep-talk. As I Drove Across the country in late 2022, embarking on an unknown new chapter of life that began with a shaky and concerning phone voice (my mom’s), packing…

This is about my mom. About leaving Nashville and writing down goals. And about Yosemite. And about payback. and about love. Once upon a time I was a car salesman. During my second week on the job they had us write down our goals for the year, both personal and…

When a parent leaves or when both parties realize the marriage is untenable it’s rarely a good thing. But what about when your father leaves you to go build wheelchair nature trails and film a bunch of hikers across the USA in 1980? My father was John D. Olmsted. Son…

I think it’s the heat From my limited knowledge that’s the cause of the word-shortening phenomenon here in the south. Of course Nashvillians are quick to point out this isn’t the “real” south, especially as so many transplants have moved in and changed the demographics in the past five years — ish. When I first…