I was relaxing in a beach chair, covered with sun-screen guaranteed to protect me from jelly fish, squid, snaggle-tooth sharks, stray footballs and sunshine. I hadn't been on the beach long enough to have a beverage in my hand. I was minding my own business when they walked up. When I'm on the beach, which …
Continue reading Questions from a High School AP Literature Class
A few days ago, we were in an antique store in Holly, Michigan, which happens to be one of our favorite towns anywhere. While we were walking through, looking at everything that reminds us we're old, I noticed a box sitting high on a shelf. Inside was a plastic furniture cover. I'm thankful my mother …
We have favorite movies we've seen so many times we use lines from the movies in conversation. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" is a great example. Whenever a situation creates a big problem, the line fits. "Jaws" has been part of our family since our kids were young. Summer isn't really summer until we …
If I say "swamp-water," what comes to your mind? Green algae with unseen beasts waiting just below the surface to bite off a toe if you dare step in? Lilly pads? Frogs? Snakes? Large-mouth bass? Swamp-water is none of those things, except, I guess it could be if I were talking about a real swamp. …
Continue reading Growing Up Lapeer: Missing Some Favorite Places
I love driving, I don't care how far. I drove to California from Texas many times. Trips to Florida, Colorado, Wyoming, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky were no problem at all. I loved every mile. I would have been a good truck driver. I always said the best job would be …
In the early days of October 2022, I decided to start writing blog posts every day. Let that sink in for just a moment. I decided, of my own free will, to take on the task of writing what amounts to an essay, every day. A little bit of inside information might be helpful. I …
Continue reading One Hundred and Twenty-Five Days of Blogging Insanity
I loved the church our family attended while I was growing up in Saginaw. It seemed huge when I was young. Thirty-six years after we moved to Lapeer, I went back to the church as a substitute preacher while the congregation was looking for a new pastor. The sanctuary was much smaller than I remembered. …
I asked this question once before, but as of this moment, I still have not received a satisfactory answer. When I see someone in a store and greet them, what am I supposed to do if I run into them again? Do I look down and ignore them? Do I say something dumb like, "Hey! …
Continue reading Coffee Conversations: More Random Stupid Stuff
This is a question I have never asked before, but it continues to bother me. When someone sneezes, how many times am I obligated to say, "Bless you"? Does every sneeze require a blessing, or does one bless you cover all of the sneezes from beginning to end? What if you don't say bless you …
Continue reading Coffee Conversations: Just Random Stupid Stuff
When our three boys were little, they were fascinated with their grandmother's cigarette smoke. They stood and watched as the cloud swirled around her head. "What are you doing?" one of the boys asked. "I know! It's going to kill me!" Grandma said, gruffly. Her answer didn't dissuade the boys' interest. When she put the …
Continue reading Coffee Conversations: Kids Say the Funniest Things
A Coffee State of Mind 