Mosquito Dream

Mosquito Dream

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The following is my entry in a 100-word Flash Fiction Challenge held recently at WritingForums, where I am a member. Everyone voted, and this story won First Place. Before posting it here, I fixed a couple minor punctuation inconsistencies. I also removed one inconsequential word and added a very important word (“Smiling” in the last sentence) which in my view makes the story stronger. The total word count is 100.I died in disgrace. There is …

Fathers Day Books

Father’s Day Books, For The Win.

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I had every intention of writing a brilliant blog post today. Perhaps something deep and acerbic on the confluence of politics and art (“AOC’s Post-Modern Napkin Scribbles Win Critical Acclaim”). Or perhaps a somber overview of our collapsing civilization from the viewpoint of opportunistic extraterrestrials (“Dear Humans; We’ll Take It From Here”*). Maybe a long treatise on fake-conservatives and the demise of decent hot dog stands (“Grilled or Boiled? The Important Question Tweeters of NRO …

Hudson and porcupine number 5

The Year of the Porcupine

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I don’t know what year it is on the Chinese calendar (let’s ask Chinese hostage John Cena), but for me it’s definitely the Year of the Porcupine. In what is rapidly becoming a fortnightly event, Hudson on Tuesday came home with porcupine quills in his face and mouth. There is a dispute on the count, with The Missus saying it’s the seventh time, and me saying it’s the sixth. What is indisputable is that the …

Open Mike Growing Old

Growing Old Gracefully

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Am I growing old gracefully? Not sure. All I know is I’m feeling old today. I turned 59 a few months ago. Last night I realized I’m still telling people I’m 58. Not because I’m avoiding the truth. Not because I’m fooling myself. Because I forgot. It’s not dementia that made me forget. I’m still in full control of my faculties. Don’t believe me? Just ask The Missus, or as I like to call her, …

Hudson more porcupine quills

Porcupine Removal Part 2

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Last week I conducted a porcupine removal operation because not two days after his encounter last week, Hudson did it again. The first time he came away with 49 quills. This time the count was a bit less, only 40 quills. We knew by the size of the quills that it was a baby porcupine, or at least not fully grown. The vet said these small quills are harder to remove. Easy for her to …

A blog about Everything!

A Blog About Everything!

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I’ve been trying to be more regular with my blogging schedule. Consistency is important in these kinds of things, especially if one is looking to expand one’s audience. And, really, don’t we all want to expand our audience? Twitter, “Yes!” Facebook, “Yep. Uh-huh.” Instagram, “Hell yeah!” Me, “Actually, I’m not so sure.” There’s a freedom that comes with toiling in obscurity. It’s the freedom to say just about anything knowing there are unlikely to be …