Friday, October 26, 2012


For a writer, connecting with more readers is a more than momentary joy. 
Last week I was happy to have one of my essays published on a blog called TrainWrite.
You can catch it here: http://trainwrite.tumblr.com.
My thanks go to its creator and conductor, Karen Eileen Sikola.

Thursday, October 25, 2012


My morning routine begins with a brief trip out front with our dog.
Wednesday morning's trip, however, proved hardly routine.
While Louie got busy with his usual painstaking sniff of multiple blades of grass, I sleepily looked down the driveway toward our garage. What I saw surprised me.
As you can see in my previous posting, Louie sports two large, white pointy ears (the better to hear the UPS truck with). As I looked down our drive yesterday, I spotted another set of large, pointy ears, in brown, about knee-high from the ground. Below those ears? Two dark, focused eyes. 
My brain flipped through the possibilities. A dog? Cat? Wait. No … that's a fox!
We stared at each other, me transfixed, the fox sitting regally on his haunches. After a minute, he hunkered down, tail wrapping around paws. 
  While I had heard the eerie cry of a fox one summer night long ago, I'd never seen one in our neighborhood before. I thought about raccoons, and how spotting them in daylight is not a good thing, and I wondered whether the same would apply to foxes.
I took Louie inside, fired up my laptop, and pulled out the township calendar to look up the number for animal control, just in case. I watched the fox from our kitchen window, and saw his eyes blinking and his head bobbing a bit, as if he were about to doze off.
   Google quickly allayed my fears. It turns out that foxes will sleep out in the open, and the sun-warmed leaves out back seemed a good spot for a snooze.
I headed out with my camera, and took a first (blurry) shot. I took a couple of casual steps closer, and snapped another photo. One more step became too close for fox comfort. He rose, looked over at me once more, and padded off toward our neighbor's back yard.
I'm sorry I disturbed your rest, Mr. Fox. Next time I'll let you be.

My morning visitor.


Thursday, October 18, 2012


It does pay to look up these days.
Blue skies are back, in all their azure glory. 
(A friend who read my last posting suggested I try "azure," since cerulean was on back order in recent weeks. Good idea.)
Those blue skies beckoned yesterday, when I took our dog, Louie, out to the front yard. We have no fence, and he is a terrier who fairly flies at the sight of a squirrel, cat, or UPS truck, which means he goes outside on a leash.
I had planned on just a brief visit, various errands also beckoning. Once he was done his business, I turned and headed toward the porch, Louie in tow. As I reached the top step I felt a tug on the leash behind me. I turned. There was Lou, plunked down on a sunny step. I gently tugged. He firmly stayed put.
"I don't blame you," I said, and stepped down to sit next to him, scratching him behind his party hat ears.
I decided to let both of us stay out there a bit. I yanked some weeds; he soaked up the sun.
Dogs know a good thing when they see one.
Louie in bask mode.

Thursday, October 4, 2012




The sun is making a comeback.
It appears that September used up all the blue in the sky warehouse. Cerulean, alas, is on back order.
So far October has delivered four straight days of overcast, somber gray.
 Shortly before sunset tonight, however, I looked out our back window and saw a white disc of sunlight cutting through the clouds.
Listening to the radio later, I heard a forecast for a sunny tomorrow -- with a high of 82!
I'll enjoy it while it lasts.