because I couldn't enforce "the right to refuse service". Let me explain. This summer (2022) a banded pigeon took shelter and refuge in the cafe I had created for the local Magpie population. Okay, I thought. After all, I'm an open-minded free spirit who believes in compassion, etc. and so on. Freedom is perhaps my … Continue reading The Magpie Cafe Closes
Category: Mental health
61*: Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and one magical summer
Is a coffee table book (9 x 12) written by Ron Smith (2001) of The Sporting News that chronicles, week by week, the home run chase to beat Babe Ruth's record of sixty. Set in 1927, Ruth's record is arguably the most famous record ever. Moreover, Ruth is probably the most well-known person in the … Continue reading 61*: Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and one magical summer
“Rock One Bourbon
with a splash and a twist," she called approaching the bar. The cocktail was waiting for her by the time she'd slid her tray on the deck. That's how it was done back-in-the-day. The "day" was the night, Glendale, Colorado, 1975. The Warehouse Dinner Theater. She was from Texas. And I wonder still ... As … Continue reading “Rock One Bourbon
The Trauma Wake
The Early Years: 1963 - 1970For me, my Trauma Wake began in November of 1963, just days before my fourteenth birthday. Before that date, my life was pretty peachy. After President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed I began to drink, and quit going to church. I can't say if those events are related? … Continue reading The Trauma Wake
The Upgrade Problem
Recently I watched Out Of Africa, a beautiful film (1985, Best Picture). The movie is based on the true life adventure of the Danish (Isak Dinesen) author's time in Africa during World War I. In the movie Meryl Streep muses, "Perhaps earth was made round so we wouldn't see too far down the road." I thought, … Continue reading The Upgrade Problem
The River Why Revisited
The River Why (1983) is a novel by David James Duncan (1952) that I've reread now because the movie version (2010) casts Amber Heard in the female role. The movie is very good, the novel stellar. The novel is now historical fiction. It accurately and brilliantly depicts what it was like to be a certain type … Continue reading The River Why Revisited
Memorial Day Down By The River
This Memorial Day weekend found me experiencing time travel. In mid-March my long-time friend passed away. His daughter and son decided to have a service for him and his long-time partner on that national day of remembrance. Fitting. The "returning" celebration was held on the land they had lived on for decades. It is land … Continue reading Memorial Day Down By The River