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...
Spooks and Neighbors
I don’t know when this happened. If I was more thoughtful I would have written dates down. But on Halloween of some year I noticed, beyond my front stoop, where costumed kids were standing between my Jack O’ lanterns under a porch light, parents lurking in the darkness behind them. They were looking at me and their kids, overseeing the exchange taking place between my bowl of individually wrapped little...
The Difference Between Him and Me
They were layering up at the homeless shelter in Ottawa as they headed out the door Monday morning. Summer is over. The rules say shelter residents must leave by nine but most are gone by the time nine rolls around. First to go was the woman who works as a maid at one of our local hotels. She had brought her bike inside for safe keeping. I thought of the...
Davion Navar Henry Only
*You might not think retired guys have busy weeks but it happens. Rather than slap out an update in an hour or so I decided to pass on this story that appeared in the Huffington Post. It began, I think, in the Tampa Bay Times and also was written up in Newsweek. I subscribe to a virtual clipping service that e mails me articles about child welfare and juvenile justice...
Sharing the Truth We Discover
A guy visited the shack recently and asked me a great question. “What do you hope to accomplish with your writing? Why are you doing it?” When you don’t have a quick answer don’t you sometimes just wish people would keep their mouth shut? I’ve been thinking of this question for weeks now and I think I have an answer. I’m not a quick thinker. That’s why writing appeals to...
Civics
There’s an awful lot going on in Washington. Not to hurt the tourist industry, but I don’t think it’s a good time to vacation there. In addition to a sudden increase in unemployment among furloughed government workers a lot of stuff is closed, due to the government shut down, and Republicans seem angry about that even though they engineered the shut down. Consider the WW Two veteran who was on...
It's Good Out There
I met an old friend for lunch Monday in Toluca, about halfway between Ottawa and Peoria. The Italian restaurants we hoped to eat at, either Mona’s or Capponi’s, were closed. We might have known but neither of us checked. As a result, we ended up at a tavern. Funny how that happens. I joke with people that even though I’m retired I stay busy which “keeps me out of the...
Kids in Lock Up
It’s hard to see kids locked up. This week I visited, as a volunteer of the John Howard Association, the Illinois Youth Center at St. Charles, operated by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. The John Howard Association advocates for prison and justice system reform by encouraging the adoption of enlightened public policy while at the same time ensuring government adheres to the policies now on the books for incarcerated...
Sing Out
In the fall of 2008 I took a class on Creative Non Fiction Writing taught by Brooke Bergen at University of Illinois Chicago. I had a heart attack that spring and was determined to do something for myself outside work. I talked it over with my board president and promised if it interfered with my job at YSB I would drop the class. Each Wednesday I’d leave work about 3:30,...
What's in a Name?
Using a method I know makes little sense, one that is admittedly imperfect and statistically flawed, I determine my odds of long life by checking the Tribune’s obituary section each morning to see if any McClures died the previous day. When none do I take comfort in knowing we, at least those of us in the immediate area, are all still healthy and alive. According to the Tribune, and by...
Try Something New
I’m devoting some of the time I’ve gained by retiring to things that are new. I’m lucky in that my kids keep me up on new music. Their tastes range widely and they share new groups with me. But for the most part finding things that are new requires work. The internet helps. So, sometimes, does Face Book. Face Book is how I found Button Poetry. Someone shared a link,...