When he smiles, it is obvious he has only one front tooth on top. He has a pear-shaped body so his hips are wider than his shoulders, and he walks with a limp. He always looks sleepy, and the giant T-shirts he wears every day with his thick glasses give him the appearance of a dull wit.
The thing is, he’s not. He’s actually quite witty, charming too. And he’s smart. It’s not that he’s educated. He’s not. But he’s wise. Wise is better. Continue reading Mr. Willie
It didn’t have a hurt leg tucked under. It has one, and only one, leg.
I noticed the robin last month when working in the yard, mainly because he let me get a lot closer than most birds do before they fly off. It was working double overtime looking for food. It half jumped, half flapped its wings to move. Continue reading One-Legged Robin
A co-worker came and stood in my doorway and started talking, fast, really, really fast. This lady is excellent at her job and has a good sense of humor. She is normally somewhat reserved and by all accounts is a highly ethical, together and classy person. She was going office to office handing out a pile of new phone books. Normally, she is NOT a morning person and certainly not a big talker early in the morning. In fact, she usually has an invisible wall around her until about 9:30 AM when the glaze disappears from her eyes after having a cup of coffee or two.
She was wearing glasses, which I’d never seen her wear before except to read. As she talked in NASCAR Jimmy Johnson speed, she asked, “Do you wanna a new phone book?”
I was about to answer, but she started talking at 70 mph and gathered speed. “I don’t know why they print so many of these phone books because I have three different ones Continue reading Maybe It Runs In Their Family
Dear Claira,
Welcome to this side of our world! We’ve been waiting a long time to see your pretty granddaughter face! You’ve been enjoying another life the last 9 months in the peace, comfort and care of your mother. You’re still actually getting the same things from your mother, it’s just in a new, different way.
My guess was that you would be born a week earlier than April 18 because there was a full Continue reading Dear Claira
You’d think it gets easier. Uh, uh. Not at all. Jessica’s the 8th, and final kid to teach to drive and officially has a learner’s permit.
“Daddy, can I drive through Houston?” she asks.
A parent hears that question and a swallow gets stuck between the windpipe and esophagus. The palms turn sweaty, the mouth dries, blood pressure rises and an immediate regret follows from drinking that big strawberry Coke from Sonic Happy Hour. Continue reading Driving Daddy Crazy
Some family traits are passed down generation to generation as consistently as a calendar. From my life angle now, it’s fascinating to see traits in the grandchildren that my children had. Some could discount this as trite or trivial, and maybe it is just sentimental thinking that sees what I want to see, not what is. But then again, in some ways my oldest son, Blake, and his soon to be four year old son, Cooper, are remarkably the same!
Case in point, frogs. Continue reading Family Frog Genes
(Katie, one of my daughters, and I went to a coffee shop. She brought her art pad. I brought my Ipad. We played a game. We each wrote a random topic..…mine for her to draw: “A dandelion kissing the wind while hearing a butterfly sing” and hers for me to write about: “I heard someone say, ‘Learn it young — beauty is pain’”. This is our combined work over two hot cups of coffee.) Continue reading Beauty in Pain
When there’s nothing but 360 degrees of blue sea and sky, an aft view on open sea is amazing! The engine’s work leaves a telltale story of movement. It doesn’t tell you where the ship is going, but definitely shows where it’s been.
Deep blue sea water grabbed by the engines moves the giant vessel along and the “footprint”, as nautical folks call it, trails the ship as far as the eye can see. Continue reading Footprints
The best songs stay with you, or so they say. Some stay with you so well they become Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! They mesmerize, yet terrorize, at the same time.
It starts a never-ending one song play list between the ears that just won’t quit! Continue reading OCD Music
I was dreaming that a small red measuring cup was stuck on my thumb. Don’t ask why. I don’t know. It was an odd dream, but when the alarm clock went off a few minutes ago at 4:45 AM, it immediately “unstuck” the measuring cup. Continue reading May It Be
RabBits 