Dinner in the Field and other stories
I find you can discover your strengths at any age. For example, I find I’m a better writer than I am an editor. I have a full-length draft of a memoir that I’ve devoted countless hours to, and it’s finally finished. I’m anxious to move on to new material. But finishing the book is not the same as completing the project. Doing it right, I’m told, entails a less than...
Santa Came to Town
I ran in to Santa unexpectedly this week. He was heading into Opportunity School from the parking lot, clothing bag over his shoulder, dressed in jeans, red flannel shirt, and tennis shoes. He had his head down, with a scarf wrapped around his neck. I can’t remember seeing him before without the velvet robes and black boots. “Santa, is that you?” He looked up with a start. “McClure, what are...
Christmas Music
I just changed out the 5 CD’s I’ve had in my changer since my knee replacement in mid-September. Actually, they were in there before that. I listened to them all during the fall, and never grew tired of them. They were: Chet- Chet Baker Playboys- Chet Baker and Art Pepper Disc 2 of the Modern Jazz Archive-Art Pepper Countdown (2 disc set)-John Coltrane ** ** I’m...
Chattanooga Chugs On
I found myself reading a small southern newspaper, the Chattanooga Times Free Press. I thought I ought to somehow. I equated it with tuning into Fox News now and again. I want to understand red states, and Trump voters. There are a lot of them, too many to disregard. And so I read the paper to see what I could find that was either different or new. I also wanted...
Vote with your Heart
I’ve had some medical issues and my older brother called to check on me. I get tired of talking about it so as soon as I could I changed the subject. The best way to do that with Darwin is to talk about politics. He’s a student of current events, a voracious reader of recent books, a news watcher, and an historian of sorts about politics in America. He’s 80. ...
Good Luck with That David
Before this last elective surgery I was working on a blog about Dylan, with a little Hemingway mixed in. As the date for my trip to the hospital neared the list of things to get done before I couldn’t walk loomed large, and I didn’t finish it. A random FB post had thrown me into a binge of old Dylan music, some of it on vinyl, and I became immersed...
Animal Stories
Yesterday a red fox trotted into our yard. It was sunny summer, but the air had a hint of fall. The fox was enjoying the day. He slowed to a walk then sat in a patch of sun. He scratched for a while, stood and stretched, doing a downward facing fox, then laid out flat. I was taking pictures of him through the patio door. As I looked at him,...
Bushwhacked Again
Once again I was bushwhacked by our health care system and, while not exactly held against my will, told by a nice ER doc (everyone is nice of course) I would more or less be a fool to leave. “Of course it’s up to you, but the smart thing, and what I would do if I were you, is agree to be admitted, and let us run some tests so...
Sara Dady for Congress in the 16th
If you are Republican with strong party loyalty, feel free to skip this post. I’ve had a few readers ask to be taken off the e mail list following my posts on immigration, and have been unfriended on Face Book due to my politics. I get it, and I’m more than glad to stop filling your inbox with material you don’t want to read. I hesitate to write about politics...
Mario y Humberto
Mario Espinosa, who works for YSB, was recently honored for his work with migrants and immigrants to our area by the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights and the Illinois Association of Agencies and Community Organization for Migrant Advocacy. I was at YSB when Mario was hired, at the urging of Sara Escatel who developed YSB’s Hispanic Services Program. We sought funding and created a program that advocated for...
Bucket Lists, A Garden Report, and a Nugget of Local News
I hear a lot of people talk about bucket lists. Occasionally I admit to thinking of something I’d like to do before all this is over, but I’ve never been big on lists. I do realize some of the things I once strived for are probably now out of reach. For example, it doesn’t appear I’ll be pitching for a Major League baseball team as I once dreamed. I’ll be...